¹ Now St Cadoc, the son of the holy King Gundleus, while he was enclosed in the womb of his mother Gladusa, was foreshown when four lamps shining with fiery splendour were seen every night in the four corners of the house in which she dwelt, until the birth of her son. And an angel of the Lord appeared on the night in which the boy was born, saying to the king: “Tomorrow a certain holy anchorite will come to you; receive him devoutly, and humbly beg him to purify your son in the laver of regeneration and to call his name Cathinail, and after seven years to take him to be instructed in letters and morals.” When this was done, at the time the boy was born, the cellars were found full of milk and honey.

² And as the child grew, whatever came into his hands he gave away entirely to the poor. Frequenting the church every hour in a lowly habit, at night he took only a little bread and water, utterly rejecting richer foods. Often invited to various games, he fled to the church, saying: “O blind mind of men, which always desires passing things and rejects eternal things! See what you are and for what you were made. Do you not know that the day of the Lord will come, when laughter shall be turned to mourning, and mourning to joy?”

³ One day, when the fire had gone out, the master commanded the boy Cathinail, that is, Cadoc, to bring fire to cook food; and when a certain churl refused to give him fire unless he carried away burning coals in his lap, he took the live coals in his cloak, and with his garment unburnt brought them to his master. Then raising his eyes to heaven, he poured out prayers to God that that churl should be burned up together with his corn by the kindling of his own brands. And he added: “Not for this reason, O Lord, have I begged your goodness, desiring that the sinner should be condemned in his own crime, but that the divine power may be made manifest in this world to the wicked, and that they may rather fear you and shrink from resisting those who minister to you.” When he had said this, that churl was consumed, burnt up with his threshing-floor.

⁴ At length, departing from his master, he built a monastery and gathered many brethren. Then Cadoc, setting out without money or scrip and crossing the sea, was entreated by a certain queen to deign to free her from the reproach of barrenness. He said to her: “Go in peace: may God give you the petition which you have asked.” That same night she conceived a son, to whom, when born, she gave the name Elle in baptism. Then Cadoc, coming to Jerusalem, visited the holy places; and the Lord granted him the idiom of the nations through which he passed, and he began to speak in various tongues. But returning after three years, he took the boy Ellinus, the barren queen’s son, bore him on his shoulders, brought him up and instructed him. For since his mother had vowed him to God and had given him to Cadoc to be brought up and formed in manners, he loved him greatly.

⁵ A certain malicious lictor, after that pilgrimage, had slain Bellinus his cousin; and when he knew of the holy man’s return, terrified by excessive fear he swiftly fled from his presence. But as Cadoc pursued him, before his eyes he vanished, like dust or smoke before the face of the wind, at the bidding of the Thunderer.

⁶ A certain tyrant named Sawil with his companions violently carried off the man of God’s food and drink, and gave himself up to drunkenness and gluttony, and hastened his journey to kill Cadoc and his brethren. And look, before the eyes of the servant of God the earth opened its mouth, and the tyrant being swallowed up with his followers, a ditch has remained there in testimony to this day. For Cadoc daily fed a hundred clerics, as many poor, and as many widows, besides strangers and guests who frequently came to him. And although as abbot he ruled many monks under him, yet possessing a portion of his father’s kingdom, he distributed necessities to the needy.

⁷ Once when he sat in his chair teaching the people, fifty soldiers of a certain regulus came to him, holding hawks on their hands, to take food from him by violence. He ordered fifty loaves, one pig and ale to be sent to them. And when they had set themselves down to take the prepared repast, the earth, unexpectedly rent, swallowed them up into the deep in the blink of an eye, the food remaining untouched. Seeing this, Illtud their prince, who was then absent, fell prostrate at blessed Cadoc’s feet, asked pardon, and received the monastic habit.

⁸ A certain Irishman came to the place where St Cadoc was building an oratory, who surpassed all the saint’s workmen in subtle craft. The others, envious of him for this, wickedly killed him; and his head being cut off and a great stone bound about the trunk of his body, he was cast into a deep lake. And when St Cadoc heard the lamentation of the slain man’s sons, he passed the night in prayers without sleeping with his clerics, that the Lord might deign to reveal the deed to him. And when morning came, the beheaded craftsman, bearing his head in his bosom and carrying the great stone upon his back, showed himself bloody with a horrible appearance to the holy man; and the severed head broke out in these words: “Servant of God, fix me upon my neck in my former state, and I will lay bare to you what has until then been unknown to you about this matter.” And when he had done this, the head showed him the crime of the craftsmen and how, led by envy, they had shamefully slaughtered him. And the saint said: “Choose what you will: either to live again with us in this life, or to pass into eternal life, to reign for ever with God.” And he said: “Lord, let my soul return to eternal rest.” And having said this, he breathed his last.

⁹ A certain duke of the Britons slew three soldiers of the most illustrious King Arthur, and while Arthur pursued him everywhere, he could find no safe place, nor did anyone dare to protect him out of regard for the king, until, wearied with flight, he came as a fugitive to the man of God. He, pitying his troubles, received him kindly. At last the king, yielding to the saint’s prayers, it was determined by the judges that for the redemption of each of the slain King Arthur should receive three of the best oxen — for such a judgement had been ordained among the Britons by the ancient kings. But Arthur refused cows of one colour and, with much shuffling, insisted on cows red in the fore part and of a white colour in the hinder part. So at Cadoc’s command nine cows were brought, and when prayers had been poured out to God they were changed into the required colours, and in the hands of those holding them, in the king’s sight, were transfigured into bundles of fern. Seeing this, King Arthur humbly begged pardon for his unjust demand.

¹⁰ When a certain regulus, offended by the inhabitants, wished to lay waste a neighbouring region with a gathered army, the terrified people of the region, begging St Cadoc, said: “Lord, help us, and deliver us from the hand of this king: for whatever you ask of God you will obtain.” “Be steadfast,” he said, “and do not fear; the Lord will bring our enemies to nothing.” And when that night he had poured out prayers to God with his clerics, in the morning a pillar of cloud went before him; which, covering the king’s tents, darkened the day so that none could see another. And the holy man, approaching the king, said: “Hail, king. I beg you,” he said, “if I have found grace in your eyes, receive my words favourably.” The king said to him: “Speak.” “Why,” said the saint, “have you come with an armed band to my country, to plunder and lay waste, especially when I have not deserved it?” And the king said: “I confess that I have sinned against you; what I did foolishly, gracious and merciful, remit by granting pardon, and by your intercession let this darkness depart.” The saint said: “Your exceeding great crimes are forgiven you.” And while he yet spoke, a summer light, poured down from above, shed exceeding serenity into the camp. And the king, falling on his face, returned him thanks and glorified God.

¹¹ The son of a certain king came with a large company to plunder the possessions of the South Britons and to lay the land utterly waste. When his horsemen had thrown fire into St Cadoc’s barn and it did nothing but smoke, the smoke stretched like a wooden post by a straight course as far as the king’s son’s pavilion, and blinded the light of all their eyes. But when the king’s son prayed humbly to St Cadoc and asked pardon, he received back with his men the former keenness of their sight.

¹² Then, his disciples being gathered, he said to them: “Since by divine will I have gone three times to Jerusalem and seven times to Rome for the love of God, it remains that I should go for the sake of prayer to the church of St Andrew in Scotland.” As he went, an angel of the Lord appeared to him saying: “The Lord your God commands you through me not to depart hence, but to remain in this place for the space of seven years, for the sake of turning the people to the faith of Christ.” So there he taught the people, baptised, and healed all the sick. And on a certain day, as he was digging the ground to build a monastery, he found the jaw-bone of an ancient giant, monstrous and of incredible size. And the saint, marvelling, said: “I will go neither to food nor to drink, but prayer shall be my food and tears my drink, until this prodigy is made known to us by God.” That same night an angel of the Lord appeared to him saying: “Look, the cry of your prayer ascending to God has been heard: for tomorrow an aged giant shall be raised up, and he shall be your digger as long as he lives.” And when morning came, a giant of huge and horrible stature, approaching, fell prostrate at the saint’s feet and spoke thus: “Holy Cadoc, servant of God, I implore your kindness that you do not permit my wretched soul, until then tormented in the dire torments of hell, to return there again.” And being asked who he was and of what people, he said: “Once reigning beyond such a mountain, when I had once come here with my robbers to plunder and lay waste, the king of this land slaughtered me and my army in a heavy battle.” Asked his name, he said he was called Cau. “Rejoice,” said the man of God, “and be of glad mind: for it is granted me by God that you shall live longer in this world; and after the course of this present life, if you render faithful and devoted obedience to God and obey my precepts, your soul shall pass to eternal glory to reign with God.” And he remained in that place digging and labouring until his death.

¹³ Returning to his monastery, the saint found that Gildas the noble scholar had come there from Ireland with a certain most beautiful little bell. And since its beauty, sound and colour pleased Cadoc, he implored Gildas to sell him the bell. “I will not sell it,” he said, “but I will offer it upon the altar of St Peter.” And when he declared that he would sell it for no price, he went to Rome and showed it to Pope Alexander, saying: “This bell, made by me and brought here from Ireland, I offer to God and St Peter.” And when, being struck, it gave out no sound at all, the pope, marvelling, inquired how this could be. And hearing what had been said by Cadoc, he blessed the bell and said: “Carry back to blessed Cadoc this little bell blessed and consecrated by me, that upon it every principal oath may be sworn. For if anyone incurs the crime of perjury upon it, unless he does worthy penance, here and in the future he will without doubt be anathema. For I have heard of the unbelief and rebellious stiffness of neck of that people, and so I will send it to them that through it they may make covenant and peace in concord by oaths.” And when the bell was brought to blessed Cadoc it gave back to its hearers a sweet and desirable sound. For the Britons declare that for St Cadoc’s love the Lord raised two dead men to life through this bell.

¹⁴ Now St Cadoc drew out of the earth a spring flowing continually; he struck a certain great river three times with the staff he carried in his hand, and crossed through it with twenty-four companions on dry feet. When St Cadoc’s sheep were being pastured on a certain day, look, two wolves came upon them and, having torn many of the sheep and killed some with ravening bites, began to swim across the arm of the sea. And when they had come to the middle, they were turned into stones by divine judgement.

¹⁵ And when he had come from St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall and had suffered great thirst, he fixed his staff in a dry place: and at once a bounteous spring began to well up from the ground. And he prayed that all the sick who came there might receive a cure for their diseases, that the water might quench poisonous plagues, and cast all worms out of the bellies of those who drank. For a great church was founded beside that spring in Cornwall in honour of St Cadoc.

¹⁶ An angel of the Lord appeared to blessed Cadoc saying: “God has decreed that you shall now depart from the land of Britain.” And he said: “All things which shall be commanded me by the Lord, I will gladly give effect to as far as I can; but how I shall depart hence I utterly know not.” The angel said: “For tomorrow you shall go to the place in which you used to rest after preaching, and there a bright cloud will suddenly cover you; and thus upon it you shall be carried over to the city of Benevento. At the same hour in which you descend from the cloud, the abbot of that city shall be honourably committed to burial in your presence, in whose place the monks will hasten to make you abbot.” That same night the same angel appeared in a vision to the prior of the city of Benevento, saying thus: “Tomorrow a certain wise British cleric, a chosen servant of God, will come to you here; earnestly entreat the pontiff that he be ordained and established as abbot over you. For God has chosen him to be put in your abbot’s place for you; and he shall be called ‘Sophia’ among you, because he is full of the wisdom of God.”

¹⁷ Then Cadoc, rising in the morning, ordained his disciple Ellenus abbot in his place. And while he was yet speaking to his disciples, look, the brightness of God suddenly shone around them all, and being unable to bear the brightness of so great a light, they fell forward together on their faces to the ground. But blessed Cadoc, caught up in a white cloud, vanished from their eyes: and as in the blink of an eyelid, descending from the cloud into the city of Benevento, he was seen among those burying the abbot. At the same hour the whole congregation of monks, with the bishop, made him abbot and named him Sophia.

¹⁸ And when the bishop of that city had died, an angel of the Lord appeared to blessed Sophia, bidding him receive the order of the episcopate. And the same night the same angel commanded the archdeacon in a dream that on the following day, all delay removed, he should promote St Sophia to the degree of the pontificate by divine command. When this was revealed in the morning to all the clerics in order, he was raised to the episcopate by the unanimous consent of all. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision of the night saying: “Look, choice is given you by the Lord your God: now choose by what end you wish to leave this mortal life and pass to the everlasting kingdom.” He answered: “Since martyrdom is found more precious than every death in the sight of the Lord, choosing it I desire it above all others.” And the angel said: “Be strong in heart and mind, for the Lord is with you. For tomorrow a certain cruel king, entering this city, will lay it waste, and a certain soldier of his, entering the monastery, will atrociously pierce you through with the point of a spear and slay you while you celebrate the divine mysteries upon the altar.”

¹⁹ St Sophia then gave thanks to God and said: “I am made ready for martyrdom: for by this death our Lord Jesus Christ, and his apostles, and many others triumphed over the world and obtained the glory of the heavenly kingdom.” At the first hour, while he was celebrating mass, the tyrant with his army laid waste the suburbs: and a certain horseman, entering the church with fury, pierced St Sophia with a lance as he was tasting the consecration of the Lord’s body and blood. He, raising his eyes to heaven, commended his soul to the Lord saying: “Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit, and lay not this sin to his charge, since he knew not what he did. O Lord God almighty, invisible King, Jesus Christ the Saviour, hear my petition and grant that they who shall possess any portion of my bones may work miracles, drive demons far away, and that every plague may depart from them; and that he who shall show honour to my body on earth, his sins forgiven, may ever glorify you in the heavens.”

²⁰ And without delay a voice was made from the white cloud, saying: “Cadoc, my servant, ascend to the kingdom of my Father, and what you have asked I will do for you, and I will not grieve you, since you are mindful of me in death. Whoever in great tribulation, mindful of your name, shall call upon me, amen I say to you, I will deliver him appeasable and propitious from his tribulation.” Hearing these things, he breathed out his spirit into the hands of God on the ninth day before the first of February.

²¹ For a great church was founded there in his honour over his tomb, into which no Briton is permitted to enter: for, as the citizens declare, it will come to pass that a certain Briton from his monastery in Britain, namely Llancarfan, will come there and carry off the relics of the holy body by theft. Indeed, what is graver, they foretell that after the taking away of the holy body, that spring which is beside the city — which through his prayers he caused to flow from the earth for the use of the workmen in the building of the city’s walls — will flood like a sea over the whole city and its inhabitants. For the place of the said monastery is now three miles distant in Wales from Cowbridge, and a parish church is situated there on the plain.

A Further Story #

¹ In those days St Arnulphus, St Remigius’ disciple, was praying alone in a certain church; when the soul of a certain sinner, which the devil was dragging to hell, released from the body, began to cry: “Holy Arnulphus, chosen of God, help me, and check these assaults of the enemies.” Then he, moved by this grief, wept most abundantly and prayed: and the soul returned to the body and came to life again.