Chapter 1: The saint’s homeland parents; he crosses to Armorica as a deacon with St Samson; succeeds him; resigns the episcopate and builds a monastery on the island of Sargia, in which he lives a holy life #

¹ The noble man of God, Maglorius, outstanding in holiness, came from across the sea, drawing his origin from the stock of the peoples of Britain. Now Maglorius, by interpretation, can be called “great in glory”, and he rightly shines with such a name, since he gained it by his deeds. He also drew the substance of his flesh from a citadel of noble blood: his distinguished father was called Umbrafel, and his mother Affrella. He was also closely related by blood to the holy and most blessed Samson. Both of them, observing the rule of monastic religion, were instructed with the utmost diligence in the liberal arts and in divine eloquence by a certain disciple of the illustrious bishop Germanus of the Church of Auxerre, named Heltut. That same bishop Germanus had earlier gone to the same nation of the Britons to root out the deceit of heretical false doctrine, which had already spread widely there. For those teachers asserted that children born of baptised fathers and mothers could be saved without the grace of baptism, whereas the Lord says: “Unless someone is born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” [John 3:5]. When this error was crushed by the authority of the catholic faith, he returned to his own see. After his departure, in the course of time, the same most blessed Samson, because he had always been devoted to divine worship and wholly given over to the highest religion, was proclaimed worthy of honour by the clergy and people of that nation, and was chosen by all to govern the Lord’s flock with episcopal authority; and, with a company of bishops assembled, according to the institution of the holy Fathers, he was raised—though unwillingly—to the lofty throne of the archiepiscopate.

² When, by the grace of the Lord, he was already presiding over that people with the burden of pastoral care he had assumed, he laid upon the most holy man Maglorius—whom he saw striving in upright conduct, namely in fasts, vigils and continual prayers, in generous almsgiving, indeed also in the observance of holy chastity—the office of the diaconate, to present the Lord’s table and to dispense the life-giving consecration of his Body and Blood; and, in recognition of his holiness, he showed him the reverence of devout affection. Moreover, over his people he appointed him steward, to distribute to them in due time the portion of the divine word. Living long in close association with that people, the same confessor of Christ shone forth with countless examples and teachings, and, beyond these, with miracles as well.

³ At last, when certain years had passed, touched by heavenly dew and not unmindful of the words of the Lord saying, “Go throughout the whole world and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” [Matthew 28:19], he took leave of his people and departed from there together with the blessed Maglorius and a company of certain clerics and laymen; and, in order to preach to a people of the same language living in the West, he crossed the sea, hastening towards the borders of the territory of Dol. There, having received the governance of the archiepiscopate from the most energetic king of the Franks, Childebert, his famous name shone forth not only in that place but throughout the whole region of the Britons and far and wide in the surrounding lands, so that, as is read in his deeds, he performed many more and greater miracles than before. Why do we seem to linger any longer? For what sort of deeds, or how great they were, which he accomplished among those who dwelt on the shores beyond the sea and among the peoples settled in the western regions, can by no means be encompassed by written narration.

⁴ [With these matters passed over for the moment, let us proceed to the glorious end of this holy confessor.] When the course of many years had been completed—years in which Christ had always been his life, and death gave him the beginning of true life—and when, now confined to his bed, he was afflicted by the violence of fever and sensed that death was drawing near, he ordered the Blessed Maglorius, long mentioned above, together with the brothers of his church, to come to him. When they had been summoned, he told them that the dissolution of his body was at hand. Then, looking at the Blessed Maglorius with the brothers, he said to him: “Know, dearest brother, that after the laying aside of my flesh you will assume the pastoral office in this church over which I have presided until now. Therefore I wish to urge you that, in the worship and resolve of holy love, as you have begun, you should appear to burn ever more ardently from this point onward; and that the light which you have merited to receive from the Lord you should not, according to the word of the Lord, hide under a bushel, but set upon a lampstand, so that those who are in the house of the Lord may see it—something in which, by the ordering mercy of the Lord himself, I have laboured until then as best I could. You, however, over the folds of the Lord’s flock now entrusted to you, be watchful and diligent, so that from him, the Lord who rewards all good things, you may deserve to hear with him in heaven: ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ [Matthew 25:34].” Then Saint Maglorius and all who were present, when they heard him say that he was about to undergo the loss of death, said with loud lamentation and weeping: “Why do you leave us, father? Or why do you forsake us?” To them he said: “Do not do such things, brothers; do not be sorrowful, for just as Elijah left behind him a good disciple, namely Elisha, so I too leave behind for you—given by God—a surviving minister, Maglorius, who from his earliest devotion to the highest religion and holy works has been illustrious.” After these words, in the presence of all, having received the holy of holies, and being about to receive the crown of righteousness laid up for him, he went forth pure to the starry dwellings, where he rejoices to live without end with the Lord. Accordingly, the most blessed Maglorius, after the passing of the most glorious confessor of Christ, Samson, was raised, according to his word, to the pontifical honour of the Church of Dol and obtained its governance; there, aided by the mercy of the same Christ—who gives many things and does not reproach, and who always bestows good gifts—he worked the signs of great virtues, as the Lord said to his disciples: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” [Matthew 5:16], of which these were the beginnings.

⁵ When the blessed Maglorius was serving in childhood, he was handed over by his parents to a school to be educated. From heaven there was in him such grace for learning that he surpassed all his fellow pupils—who were engaged in this instruction with equal intention and equal zeal—by the varied insight of his understanding, through the marks set down on his writing tablet. As a result, he caused not only his teacher but also certain hearers to marvel. Now it happened that one day, when he had been asked by his teacher to recite his lesson, there was found on his tablet a fuller inscription of letters than he himself had written. When the teacher discovered this and hesitated about it, he kept the matter hidden in the silence of his heart’s depths until he might learn by experiment whether this was indeed so or not. Immediately taking the tablet again, he set the lesson for the boy as before, in the same manner, and hid the tablet in a certain room, with the door closed and carefully secured. On the following day, however, when he took it back, he found the writing—by an angelic hand—three times greater than what he himself had inscribed. When he had now discovered that the matter had thus clearly been resolved, he decided openly to proclaim to all the Gospel the power of the Lord—something worthy to be revealed. Therefore all who were present congratulated this boy with the greatest joy, and together with one voice rendered manifold praises to the Lord, who deigns to bestow the abundant gift of his grace not only on the great but also on little ones. They also foretold that in the times to come he would acquire a wondrous habit of holiness and perform great signs, as the outcome later proved. Calling to mind now the merits of this most holy confessor, let us today with all the effort of our hearts recall his glorious solemnity and implore his patronage with devout prayers; for he is truly worthy to be venerated and praised, who merited to have such and so great a teacher and master.

⁶ When, therefore, the glorious confessor of Christ, Maglorius, held the lofty summit of the archiepiscopal office through the contest of highest devotion, in which—as has been said—he shone conspicuously with notable teachings and examples, and moreover with virtues, one night an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying: “Until now, Maglorius, you have lived in a public dwelling under the governance of the episcopal office, to rule the flock of the Lord; but now, so that with a single eye your whole body may be full of light, and you may more freely celebrate the unceasing praises of the Lord, depart from here and set out to lead a solitary life in certain retreats of a more remote place. Know that this place, in which until now you have fought the good fight and have striven to be of service to the Lord’s flock, has been destined by God for the glory of Saint Samson, your predecessor. For you, however, your almighty God has specially prepared another place, in which, governing your own sheep as a good shepherd under the monastic rule, you will, I believe, be raised up by innumerable virtues.” In the morning, then, the confessor of Christ, greatly marvelling at the vision, awoke from sleep and said: “I give you thanks, Lord, who through the saving address of your holy angel have deigned, by the prompting of your mercy, to make known to your unworthy servant those things which for a long time beforehand I had desired with a burning longing of mind, that I might strive to put them into practice.”

⁷ At once he began silently to search in the depths of his heart whom he should leave to nourish the flocks formerly entrusted to him, and which regions he should choose to dwell in, as he had been instructed by the angel’s words. While he hesitated over these matters, he recalled that in a certain land—which King Raddualus had once given to him to enlarge his episcopal see—his dwelling could be established. When he had thus reviewed these things within himself, not long afterwards he consecrated as bishop, to succeed him in the order of his see of the Church of Dol, a certain man named Budoc, whom he knew to have lived with him from the earliest beginnings of his life in holiness and religious devotion.

⁸ When, therefore, a pastor had been appointed for this church, he took his leave of both clergy and people and set out to seek the land mentioned above, which Saint Maglorius himself had arranged. At his departure, how great was the grief of all, how loud the cries of those lamenting there, it is impossible for any tongue to relate. When he entered that place, in the practices of divine love—namely in the most frequent observance of fasts, vigils, and prayers—he burned with such fervour that at times he seemed almost to breathe forth his spirit, and could scarcely be perceived by the hearing of the ear. For as the fame of that holy man spread more and more in every direction, some from various regions, afflicted with different ailments—namely the blind, the lame, lepers, and those possessed by demons—came flocking to him to be healed. Many also eagerly sought his presence so that they might hear his wisdom, by which they could obtain remedies for their salvation. Very many likewise offered him no small gifts of treasures—gold, silver, and other offerings—as if in thanksgiving; but he, counting these as mere refuse, immediately distributed them to the needy, widows, orphans, captives, and those suffering want through hunger.

⁹ But when all these gifts continued, and an immense throng of people surrounded him, he began to grieve, saying to himself: “Woe is me! What has it profited me to abandon what was my own and to seek what belonged to others, where even more the gathering of common folk presses upon me and the most excessive increase of riches overflows? For when formerly I thought I was being stripped of the desires of this world, now I begin all the more to be clothed with them. And when I was once without earthly possessions, alas, I have become rich.” While he pondered these things within himself and was constrained by great anxiety, it occurred to his mind that he should order the bishop whom he had appointed to come into his presence, and at once he sent a messenger to him. That same bishop, as soon as he heard, breaking off all delays of the hours, came to him with the greatest speed. To him the blessed Maglorius, his face drenched with tears, related what and how much he was suffering from the multitude of the crowd. Then he immediately added: “Know for certain that I shall depart from here without delay, and shall set out for a place where there are no traces of human presence.” The bishop, seeing him given over to deep sadness, prolonged a certain silence, in order to receive compassionately the burden of his sorrow.

¹⁰ But after a certain space of hours had intervened, he now began to speak with him in gentle conversation, saying: “I know, Lord, that because of the pressing influx of peoples who flock to you and seek your help in hope of salvation, you are being shaken by severe weariness. For I have heard that it lies in your intention to depart from here and to seek out remote places. But if you strive to carry this out, father, great care must be taken lest, while you withdraw the wheat of spiritual nourishment—by which the poor of Christ live—you fall into some snare of danger. For it is better to gather the Lord’s sheep than to scatter them; better to heal the broken of heart than to leave the weak behind. Formerly you laboured in your own harvest; now determine, as a good shepherd, to labour also in another’s, and a plentiful one, so that you may lead both together with you into Christ’s barn and from them possess a double reward. In this you have become an imitator of Christ himself, who first imparted teaching to his own people, that is, the Jewish people, by himself, and afterwards to the nations through the Apostles. The troubles of these peoples, stirred up around you, must indeed be regarded as a light burden [Matthew 11:30], which will also be repaid to you with a great recompense. As you well know, our Lord Jesus Christ himself, while resting in the bosom of the Father, came into this world to heal the ailments of the sick. Hence he himself says: ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are ill’ [Matthew 9:12]. These he did not shun, but in mercy judged it right to lay down his life for them. Thus the same Lord says of himself in a certain Gospel from the book of Isaiah: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to proclaim good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth the oppressed in freedom, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of recompense’ [Luke 4:18–19; Isaiah 61:1–2].” Saint Maglorius of the Lord gladly listened to these most wholesome counsels, mindful of the words of the Lord by which he said to the Apostles: “Whoever hears you hears me, and whoever rejects you rejects me” [Luke 10:16].

¹¹ Now it came to pass, not long afterwards, when the often-mentioned bishop had returned to his own place, that a certain count, named Loiescon, greatly endowed with wealth, but a leper for seven years—and who had spent much of his substance on physicians, yet could be cured by none—was living on a certain island situated in a bay of the sea. When he heard the renowned fame of the most holy man Maglorius, spread far and wide in every direction, he came to him as a suppliant with some attendants, and, showing the swollen corruption of his wounds by which he was grievously afflicted, fell at his feet, begging that he might have mercy on him. Looking at him, Maglorius said: “What do you seek? Or what is your request in coming to me?” The sick man replied: “That, supported by the holy help of your prayers, I may be found worthy to be cleansed from the leprosy which you see.” Saint Maglorius said to him: “How can this be, since I am unclean in mind and you are unclean in body, that one unclean person should be able to heal another?” Then Blessed Maglorius imposed upon him a fast of three days, which he himself devoutly observed together with certain priests and deacons and devoted men accustomed to serve Christ the Lord. When this had been completed, with the supplication of litanies he ordered him to be placed in a bathing vat. Laying his hands upon him, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said: “Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, who cleansed Naaman of his leprosy in the river Jordan through the prophet [2 Kings 5:14], and who for the salvation of sinners descended from the heights to the depths; who also at the end of the age in that same river Jordan washed away the sins of the human race by the bath of your baptism, crushing there the head of the ancient enemy [Matthew 3:13–17], and who in mercy cut away the sins of Mary Magdalene [Luke 7:47–48]; not trusting in our own righteousness, but in your many mercies, I beg you, Lord, that for the praise and glory of your name you would deign to cleanse this man—who has come to me seeking your mercy—from the leprosy he bears, so that all who see it may glorify you” [Matthew 5:16]. When these words had been spoken, and Blessed Maglorius had touched his whole body with his hand, not only did the leprosy depart from him, but no scar at all appeared on him thereafter; instead, his flesh became like the flesh of a little child [2 Kings 5:14]. How great the words spoken about this swift and wondrous cleansing by those who saw and heard it is not within our power to set forth.

¹² After the cleansing of this leprosy, the same count Loiescon threw himself at the feet of Saint Maglorius and, with tearful devotion, offered praises to the Lord and to him for so great a gift received. This same count, as was said above, was enriched with abundant possessions: namely gold and silver, male and female servants, beasts of burden and various kinds of livestock, as well as vineyards and the ownership of excellent lands. The extent of his lands, scattered in certain places, was divided into three parts; of these he gave to Blessed Maglorius as a gift one division, not whole but half of it, which the blessed confessor did not refuse to accept or to place under his authority. These divisions of land were regularly frequented by a great multitude of birds, remarkable for their size and beauty, and an immense abundance of fish likewise teemed vigorously in the bay of the sea opposite. Now it happened that when Blessed Maglorius entered the portion of his half which the count had given him, all the flocks of birds and shoals of fish which belonged to the other half of the count, as if struck with fear, fled away and sought the portion of Saint Maglorius, paying due service to their Lord at the presence of their master. The wife of that same count took this very badly and urged him to reclaim it for himself, and to bestow upon Blessed Maglorius the part which he held deprived of both kinds. The husband, immediately accepting this wicked suggestion, resolved to carry out what he ought not to have done. But when this controversy of that impious exchange had been enacted, suddenly that same half of the count’s land, which he had greedily snatched away from Saint Maglorius, became devoid alike of birds and fish. All of these creatures, of the same kinds and in countless numbers, as if by a common agreement, quickly returned to their lord Maglorius. Moved to repentance within himself because he had acted thus, the same count granted to Saint Maglorius, to be held in perpetuity, both portions of land—that is, the half which he had kept and the half which he had given. When these were conferred upon him, the flocks of birds and shoals of fish filled the whole of both parts of the land, just as they had done before. This event, so brought about, became known with wonder not only to those who dwelt by the sea, but also far and wide across distant stretches of land.

¹³ In this place, then, the same most blessed man Maglorius lived under the habit of holy conduct, which he carried in his heart like hidden treasures and always displayed outwardly for the example of others. He built a church there and established in it a community of sixty-two monks, whom he trained by the instruction of his own life to fulfil the service owed to God and his saints. There also—what and how great the deeds he performed and the teaching he gave, as related above, and with what virtues he shone—these are not grasped by human understanding, but are known to him who numbers the shining stars. Of his most holy way of life we wish briefly to relate something. First of all, not only the light of the highest chastity but even of virginity from his mother’s womb shone forth in him. He took barley bread and the cheaper kinds of vegetables as food, and even these sparingly; on Wednesday and Friday, moreover, he abstained entirely from all nourishment. He observed the fast on Wednesday because on that day the sacrilegious and guilty Jews made their bloodthirsty pact to hand over their Lord and author to death; and on Friday because on that day they carried out in deed what they had conceived in their hearts, nailing him to the cross. His body was continually covered with haircloth; outwardly he was clothed neither in many shabby garments nor in costly ones, but in those of moderate quality, [lest he should perhaps be enticed by the allurements of human praise, which is the snare of eternal damnation].

¹⁴ After, however, by angelic prompting, he had departed from the height of his own see, namely the Church of Dol, and sought out deserted places, he drank neither wine nor strong drink; finally, on sacred solemnities, compelled by religious monks devoted to the contemplative life, he partook of very few small fish, which he regarded as exquisite delicacies. During the watches of the night, when the brothers gave themselves to sleep, he would secretly withdraw from them and keep vigil, sleepless, on the edge of the sea-shore until the celebration of the morning offices. He freely offered the welcome of hospitality not only to the needy but also to very many others who came to him out of necessity of this kind, as it is written: “For God loves a cheerful giver” [2 Corinthians 9:7]. Why do we seem to linger longer? All the virtues which the Apostle Paul, the chosen vessel, enumerates seemed to be present in him: namely love, joy, peace, patience, long-suffering, goodness, kindness, faith, gentleness, self-control, and, as has been said, chastity [Galatians 5:22–23].

Chapter 2: Various miracles; death #

¹ [It still pleases us to touch briefly at this point upon certain acts of his virtues, apart from his admirable way of life, which he added to those mentioned above.] One day, when some servants who attended him were casting nets into the sea at dawn to restore, as it were, the bodies of the monks with fish, it happened that one of them was suddenly swallowed up by the waves. This violent death did not escape the notice of the blessed man, who at once weeping and lamenting declared that he himself was guilty of this man’s death. Therefore, with unceasing entreaties throughout the whole day, having gathered the monks to himself, he threw himself down in the church before the holy altar and cried out to the Lord that his wrath might not be kindled against him over the destruction of the one who had fallen headlong. When evening was drawing on and the sun had already sunk to its setting, he took those same monks with him and, with the chanting of psalms and litanies, went to the opposite shore of the sea. There he cast himself upon the ground, and with tears poured out lifted his eyes to heaven and implored the mercy of the Lord, that the surging flood of the sea might restore to him even the dead man. When this prayer had been completed, the swelling sea—by the Lord’s command through the prayers of the holy confessor—vomited out alive onto the shore the man whom it had swallowed and held fast for death, in the manner of the prophet Jonah. Over this man thus restored to life, recognising that the grace of the Lord was present to him and that he had not despised his prayers, he then offered to the Lord the sacred thank-offerings of divine favour, and judged it right to vow to him that henceforth, because of the former fall of the man who had been dead, he would taste no kind of fish.

² After the course of seven days had passed, while he was celebrating the sacred night-vigils in his customary manner, the angel of the Lord again appeared to him, saying: “Eat a very small number of the little fish which you were formerly accustomed to eat and which you rejected by your vow.” He also added: “Setting aside all other methods by which fish are known to be caught, command one of your servants to go out into the deep sea, take the first fish he finds, cut off with iron the little fins of its tail, and, holding the hook in his hand, cast it into the water. This will be a sign for him that whenever he finds that same fish, the fishing shall cease.” And indeed, as is clearly shown, according to the angel’s word the fishing was prolonged for as many hours as passed until that same fish was again taken from the waters. For the greater the gathering of people around the blessed man, the longer the fish remained hidden; and the smaller their number, the shorter was the stay of that same fish. This fish, moreover—if we may put it playfully—is found to be a faithful servant of its Lord: for when, according to the number and necessary hunger of the same people, it gathers its companions for that same Lord, so that none of them should be in want, what else does it do but render fitting service of due obedience? And when, at the first appearance, by the command of the saint it is sent back beneath the waters and returns to the shoals of its fellows, what else, as we have said, does it do but, as if with discernment, summon and invite those among them—of such kind and in such number as are needed—to come to the table of its Lord? To them, after the invitation and upon their discovery, it itself goes last; as though speaking to them it were to say: “If you refuse to follow me out from here, then look upon the sign of the cutting which I have received from the Lord.”

³ Delighted by these sayings, let us return to the original fishing, which, while the life of this confessor endured, maintained the same practice without any change, as has been set out. After his glorious passing, as is reported, when all those skilled in the art of fishing sought to recover the ancient custom, this too was denied them. In this fishing—something we previously forgot to mention—it once happened that a servant, who habitually drew fish from the waters and brought them to the table, when he was setting the hook for fishing and holding in his hand the iron instrument which in common speech is called a knife, dropped both of them into the sea. He began to grieve greatly over this. The matter was soon reported by some to the holy man. When he heard it, he ordered the servant to be summoned to him, and said to him: “Do not be troubled by any distress, for tomorrow you will find it.” Because he had thrown it into the deep abyss of the sea, the servant regarded these words as nonsense and believed everything the confessor had said to be impossible. But when, in the usual course of the day, he sought the customary catch of fish, caught them, and brought them back to the house, Blessed Maglorius, gazing upon some of them, understood by heavenly inspiration which one was holding that iron. Touching it with his staff, he said to the hesitant servant: “Gut this fish, for in it you will find the iron that you lost.” And the matter was found publicly just as the saint, foreknowing what was to come, had foretold, and the servant’s doubt was consigned to oblivion. This greatly amazed all who heard this and many other things he did, which cannot even be contained in books. For who could worthily venerate Blessed Maglorius, when not only human beings but even irrational creatures obey his command—namely, as the psalmist says: “the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas” [Psalm 8:8]? Who indeed could rightly praise him, at whose voice the sea trembled and restored alive to the shore, to that most blessed confessor, the man whose life it had once taken? Therefore praise and glory be to Christ the Lord, who works all things in all.

⁴ The insignia of other virtues also, which through that same archbishop the immeasurable mercy of God willed, as it were with a radiant beam, to bring forth upon the earth, ought not, I think, to be passed over in the dull torpor of silence. Therefore, dearest brothers, since time and subject require that a truthful account should take its beginning, I shall not delay to set out briefly, in humble style, a few things which I have gathered from the reports of certain religious persons out of that sea of his virtues, embarking, as it were, in a small skiff, insofar as divine generosity has supplied strength to my unskilled abilities. Accordingly, when the swift fame of the same man Maglorius had begun to range far and wide with rapid flight through regions and cities situated along both shores of the sea’s channel, Britain—once a fertile land—began to be grievously oppressed by the harshness of a dire famine, as the fields refused to return the seed entrusted to them. And when the famine had grown severe and no trade could be found among neighbouring peoples by which hunger might be relieved, many of the nobles, struck by the novelty of this dreadful calamity, leaving behind their ancestral estates, began to come in crowds to the presence of the blessed man, so that they might escape the shameful danger of starvation. When they anxiously sought bodily nourishment from that most blessed man, he, more concerned for the gain of souls, promised with fatherly affection the reward of eternal life, if they would repent of their former vices. For that man, among the other virtues in which he surpassed others, was well trained in literary studies. Thus this eloquent man, drawing authoritatively from the Old and the New Testaments like a learned scribe, first instructed their minds with divine aids into knowledge, and then sustained the bodily frailty of their flesh with necessary food; and so, refreshed by this twofold nourishment, with unceasing prayers and constant voices they rendered countless thanks to almighty God, who by his ineffable counsel in these present times had appointed a man of such learning—one who desired to live hidden for himself and for God—to preside over his household and to come to the aid of their need.

⁵ Meanwhile, while these things were being done at Sargia, because of the multitude who were flocking in, the great store of the monastery was seen to be consumed in a short time. The steward and the dean, sharing the concern of the brothers for the monastery, one day, when the morning office had been completed, began in mournful tones to make this known to the blessed man, saying: “Holy father, the most devoted flock committed to you, who live under your rule bearing the yoke of Christ in monastic fashion, seek from you counsel for living, humbly making known to you that supplies of grain and also of wine in this monastery are now on the point of failing.” When he heard this, the most blessed man, not cast down by any sadness, carefully inquired with keen discernment what was in the brothers’ minds and what course of action they were deciding upon. Then the steward together with the dean reported that the will of the brothers was this: that, with a few remaining with him, the rest of the brothers, having received his permission, should go to distant regions so that they might rescue their impoverished lives from the danger of famine, and, once hunger had been relieved and life preserved, should at some time return safely to the same father to serve Christ. But Saint Maglorius, on hearing of the dispersal of the brothers, drawing deep sighs from his very breast, shaken by sobbing and with tears arising, fell silent for a little while. Yet when the time of tears had passed, coming to himself he replied with prophetic and evangelical voice: “O brothers of little faith, why are you so fearful? Is God not able to prepare a table in the wilderness?” [Psalm 78:19]. “Who satisfied that vast host of men in ancient times with angelic food?” [Exodus 16:4–15; Psalm 78:24–25]. “Who preserved their garments whole and unworn throughout the course of forty years?” [Deuteronomy 29:5]. “Who commanded the dry and hardest rock to pour forth most abundant waters, so that the people and their beasts might drink?” [Exodus 17:6]. Surely it was the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it is read: Christ was the bread, Christ the rock, Christ in the waters [1 Corinthians 10:3–4], who with five loaves and two fishes fed five thousand men besides women and children; all these things he accomplished mightily [Matthew 14:17–21].

⁶ Meanwhile, while the holy man wished to prolong such discourse, the hour for the midday meal arrived. When he was asked by the steward who would be dining with him, he is said to have replied with a cheerful expression: “Let infants still suckling at the breast, the beardless boy, the youth delighting in his first down, young men in their prime, senile old men, the stranger as well as the native, hasten with full confidence to our poor table, with no one to forbid them.” But look, while we have been striving to show how marvellous the holy man’s charity and affability towards all were, we have strayed a little from the proper path of our narrative. Therefore we must return to the course of that same account by the straight way. When the meal was finished, and hunger had been banished by eating, some of the monks, as was their custom, sought hidden places for prayer or reading or even for rest; others, however, each as had been enjoined upon him, went off to various tasks. Then the little monks, born of noble lineage, who were held within the monastery cloisters under the strictness of discipline, threw themselves flat on the ground and embraced the feet of Saint Maglorius, saying: “Most blessed father, allow us to go down to the harbour and the shore, so that the chatter of our voices may not rob the resting monks of sleep, and so that, reading our lessons aloud more safely, we may be able to recite them properly.” The holy man gladly accepting this request said: “In the name of Jesus Christ, who did not allow even little ones coming to him to be distressed in the least [Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16], go with all sobriety, doing nothing childishly; at the proper time you will return unharmed to the monastery.” And they, having received the blessing and permission of the most blessed man, made joyful beyond what can be believed, and went down with untroubled step by the sloping sides of the mountain and over rocky ground to the coastal places, which in the Greek tongue are called ár.

⁷ By chance, at the very edge of the shore, where no surge of the sea could reach because the height of the bank stood in the way, there was an old vessel, worn out and long neglected, whose joined timbers already seemed on the point of being eaten away by rot and decay. When the little ones saw it—for they were sitting in a safe place, away from the sea’s approach—they went inside it, in childish fashion, to play or to read. And as they ran about reading or playing from one end to the other, according to the size of the ship—for by its size it might have been called a trireme—without a prow, until they came to the stern, an incredible misfortune suddenly befell them, and swiftly carried off the children together with the ship. And when, with fearful sailing, and in a way unheard of since the time of Peter the Apostle (for the ship was driven by no oarsman), they had traversed, as it were, the middle of the sea, the children began to call upon Saint Maglorius with plaintive voices. And as they wept with loud lamentation, Saint Maglorius, moved by their tears, appeared to them as if bodily present, and, consoling their sadness in a fatherly manner, and steering the ship with his staff, brought them safe and unharmed, as it seemed to them, by divine command, to the edge of the opposite shore.

⁸ But meanwhile the inhabitants of the coast, gazing upon a ship of such vast size, shaken with inestimable joy, supposing that they were about to seize various goods customarily brought to that foreign shore, ran in crowds to meet it with what they imagined to be an incredible weight of gold and silver. And when they looked with grim eyes upon the ship of astonishing size, devoid of all cargo, and—what was more alarming—destitute of a helmsman and of all nautical equipment, an opportunity arose for no small dispute among the people: some asserting that this was a diabolical phantom, others contradicting them and maintaining with stubborn resolve that these were divine marvels, contending fiercely among themselves. No little astonishment was given to the crowd by the fact that on that same ship there were no sails, no stern-ornament, no gear of a topsail-yard, and, to conclude the catalogue briefly, no ship’s fittings whatever appeared. And since they were held fast in such obstinacy, and neither side believed the other, it seemed good to take a higher counsel: truthful messengers were sent to the royal majesty, so that, to settle so great a dispute and to see a spectacle so unexpected, he might not delay in coming with men of the highest expertise. And so it was done. The king, when he heard this, marvelling greatly, set out for the shore with the utmost haste, having assembled his host, to see such a miracle. And when he saw the ship, furnished with no equipment, and the little ones who appeared almost scarcely human, he first ordered royal seats to be made for himself in a higher place, then commanded that the children be summoned before the presence of the whole council. Then the children, standing fearlessly before the king, were questioned through an interpreter as to by what circumstance so remarkable an event had come about; and they related everything in due order: first about the famine gripping the land, and about the holy man dwelling with his monks at Sargia, and about their voyage, upheld by the presence of Saint Maglorius.

⁹ Accordingly, the king, having heard the fame of the most blessed man, as they say, almost in tears, was greatly distressed that a man of such holiness and endowed with such great virtues had until then remained hidden from him. At length, following the counsel of his elders and especially of the bishops, and understanding that the ship had been sent to him by divine prompting so that the want of the holy man might be supplied by royal abundance, he ordered that the same ship be laden from bottom to top with grain and flour, garments and wool, and with every kind of good; moreover he also sent an unknown weight of gold and silver, together with sealed letters, to Saint Maglorius, in which letters it was set down that each year he should send to the king capable men skilled in navigation, who would receive from the royal treasury everything necessary for the brethren and carry it to the monastery, provided always that care for the king’s safety, the stability of the realm, and the remission of sins should in return keep perpetual vigil. But when the ship had been filled with such abundance, lest it should succumb, overborne by so great a load, they advised the king to seek out with the greatest care the most vigorous men, expert in seafaring, who might deliver the same ship with so many provisions safely to Saint Maglorius. On hearing this, the king, again taking counsel with his elders and especially the bishops, is said to have replied wisely: “If by divine power it reached the harbour of our shore without any guide and without any illusion, we trust in the faith that by that same power by which it was brought, it will straightway return to the same harbour from which it set out.” And so it came to pass. For when the royal speech was finished, a gentle west wind took up the vessel, fearing neither the headlong south-west battling with the north winds, nor the gloomy Hyades, nor the fury of the south, nor the bright stars of Helen’s brother, and, cleaving the waters of the sea, brought the same ship back, on the third day, to the same harbour from which it had departed, with the children safe and sound, to the wonder of all and with immense rejoicing. Meanwhile, as the children recounted the benefits of God towards them and bore witness how Saint Maglorius had appeared to them both on the outward and the return journey, steering the ship with his staff, the whole island together with the monks poured forth tears of joy in unbelievable gladness.

¹⁰ Then the steward, at the bishop’s command, went down to the shore to lighten the ship, bringing with him a loaded wagon and six yoke of oxen to draw it. But, as great marvels are always accustomed to increase towards the devout and those subject to God, from one act of power another virtue arose. For when they began to drive the wagon down the slopes of the mountain, they encountered midway along the route a certain obstacle that slowed the turning of the wheels as though by a brake. And although the ox-drivers strained mightily to push the wagon and unjustly inflicted blows upon the flanks of the oxen, when the ten beasts in front were released, the rolling wagon, with only two oxen still attached to the pole, went all the way down to the ship. And when those present, almost in tears, ran after the wagon and could discover no breakage of the wagon nor any injury to the oxen, they reported to the bishop what had happened. But he, giving immense thanks to Almighty God, said: “Do not be distressed in spirit; the ancient enemy, wasting away with envy, while he seeks to prevail, is overcome and brought low by the power of Jesus Christ. Go rather to the ship and load the wagon more fully, and, leaving aside the ten that broke free, order that the wagon, with a double load drawn by the two oxen, be carried back to the monastery without any hindrance.” And they went on their way; loading the wagon and urging on the oxen, they reached the monastery enclosure safely, with God as their guide.

¹¹ With these matters thus concluded, let us briefly recount other miracles of the same man. At about that same time when Saint Maglorius was held famous on Sargia for miracles and virtues, the island of Bissargia, neighbouring Sargia and rich in wealth and crops, was held by hereditary right by a certain nobleman called Nivo. This man, though he is said to have turned the land with almost a hundred ploughs and was accustomed to furrow the sea-routes with countless ships, was nevertheless burdened by one misfortune: being without male offspring, he preserved his great estate for another’s heir, not without deep sorrow. He had, however, a single daughter, now of marriageable age and praised for extraordinary beauty; but because, by the envy of fortune, she lacked the use of speech, although she was noble she was sought by none of her suitors, even under the name of a dowry. One day her father went to Saint Maglorius to entreat help for his daughter, promising great gifts if the girl, aided by the holy man, should be restored to health. Then Saint Maglorius, humbly excusing himself, replied: “My son, do not trouble me; for what you ask is not within our frailty. For when we ourselves are held by some illness, we do not know whether, snatched away by sudden death, the thread of the Fates being cut, we shall be deprived of life, or whether, the suffering ended, we shall return to life again by God’s command. Therefore, if we lack power over our own bodies, how can we drive away from another the afflictions permitted by God?” By these and other arguments, wishing to send the man away from him, he advised him to return home and to bestow without delay a plentiful measure of alms upon Almighty God for his daughter’s healing—God “who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” [Revelation 3:7]. When he heard this, realising that his prayers to Saint Maglorius had availed nothing, he became sad, returned home, and related everything in order to his wife.

¹² When she heard this, the woman for the moment fell briefly silent. But after she perceived that her husband, moved to the depths of his being, had become encouraged, she addressed him in familiar words, saying: “My lord, what good will riches that must one day perish do us after our death, if, bereft of children, we leave behind no sign of posterity? Therefore I advise that the money together with the land be divided into three parts, and that, while two parts are kept for our own use, the third be offered without any delay to Almighty God and to Saint Maglorius for the healing of the girl.” Since her speech pleased everyone who was present, the land money were divided, and one day they set out for Saint Maglorius, bringing the girl with them. And when they found the holy man praying in his cell, they offered the land together with the money and began tirelessly to beg for their daughter’s healing. The holy man humbly rejecting both their request and their gift, persisted with resolute mind that this matter lay beyond his powers. At last, compelled by the brethren and also seeing the faith and devotion of the girl’s parents, he fell prostrate on the ground together with all who were present, and, with abundant tears flowing, poured forth prayer for a long time. When he rose from prayer, he took the liquid of the most holy oil and poured it into the girl’s mouth with blessed water, saying: “Lord Jesus Christ, who, having compassion on the human condition, descending from the Father’s bosom, restored humankind, deceived by the devil’s fraud, to its own dignity by your own blood, cast behind your back the sins we have incurred through our frailty, and, graciously assenting to the faith of those standing here, and especially to the devotion of the girl’s parents, mercifully loose the bond of her tongue, so that the offspring to be born from her may bless the holy name of your glory for ever and ever.” At this utterance of the most blessed Maglorius, as all responded “Amen”, the restraints of her tongue were broken, her mouth was immediately opened, and, after the manner of the prophet Zechariah, returning to her own home with her parents, she spoke clearly, blessing God [Luke 1:64].

¹³ After Saint Maglorius had, by countless tokens of signs and miracles, like a lamp of Phoebus, illuminated not only Sargia but also the other provinces along both shores of the sea, he too, enlightened by a heavenly revelation, knew long beforehand that his death was at hand. For on the vigil of the most holy Paschal feast, while he was keeping the customary all-night watch in the church, an Angel of the Lord, flashing with extraordinary beauty, stood before him and addressed him in familiar words, saying: “Saint Maglorius, do what you are doing, carry on the work you are carrying on, and know that your name is written in the register of the heavenly host. For it has pleased the Most High, whose commands you have faithfully obeyed from early youth, to restore to you in the heavenly court the fitting reward for your contest.” When he heard this, Saint Maglorius, joyful at the promise yet uncertain about the vision, lest an angel of Satan should have transformed himself into an angel of light, prolonged his prayer for a very long time. When the prayer was completed, the Angel of the Lord, wishing to assure Saint Maglorius concerning the vision, repeated the same message twice and three times, saying: “Saint Maglorius, do not be doubtful about this angelic vision; for just as I am a constant minister of the supreme truth, so our mission is wholly free from all falsehood. Most truly therefore—and without any illusion, sent from the heavens—I report to you that very soon, when the bodily struggle has ended, you will be received with victory and triumph over the enemy of the human race into the starry assembly, and will possess without end the unfailing glory of the divine majesty among the heavenly ranks.” Then Saint Maglorius, stripped of all doubt and strengthened by the angelic address, replied, saying: “If, as you assert, you have been sent from my Lord Jesus Christ, I ask you that, in his name, before you depart, you bless me with your most abundant blessings.” The Angel of the Lord replied humbly in return: “How can I bless you, who are blessed, and who will be blessed, by him from whom all things are blessed?” Then, greeting and blessing one another in turn, the Angel departed upwards in great radiance, while Saint Maglorius kept the vigil through the night, as he had begun.

¹⁴ When a few days had passed, the same Angel, flashing with extraordinary splendour, appeared to Saint Maglorius and said: “Saint Maglorius, setting aside all doubt about your death, be assured of this: some are crowned with garlands of thirtyfold ornament; others, honoured with the doubled reward of the sixtyfold number, obtain the prize of a second chastity; but you, by reason of the integrity of your body and your preserved virginity, shall be adorned among the choirs of virgins with a crown heaped with the hundredfold fruit.” When these words had been spoken, he who was soon to die visibly received the viaticum from the hand of the Angel. From that day onward, therefore, greatly mindful of his approaching death, unless some unavoidable cause arose that was of benefit to many, he was never seen to depart from the church until the day of his calling, continually repeating this verse upon his lips: “One thing I have asked of the Lord, this I shall seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” [Psalm 27:4]. Afterwards, when the course of this fleeting life was finished, at the time pleasing to him whom he had served from the beginning, bidding farewell to the brethren, and breathing out his soul amid words of holy exhortation, he reached Christ by a blessed passing on the ninth day before the Kalends of November. May his glorious intercession obtain for us forgiveness of sins; whose death is precious before God, who lives and reigns for endless ages of ages. Amen.