¹ St Justinian drew his origin from the most noble stock of Lesser Britain; who, being given over to the study of letters from boyhood, became famous for wondrous knowledge among the most illustrious teachers of his people. For having taken the degree of the priesthood, he faithfully discharged the divine office; and at length he was found worthy to hear such a divine oracle: “Go out of your land and of your kindred and of your father’s house.” The holy man, understanding this, joined to himself certain companions and embarked on a ship woven of hides and wicker, ceaselessly begging God to carry him to a land in which he might lead a solitary life. And at last he landed at a place named Chormei, where, making his stay for some time, many began already by his example to leave the world and hasten to the holy man’s teaching. But in a short while, as at first he had been commanded by God to go out of his land and kindred, so it was said to him a second time that he should leave that dwelling.

² Then entering a little boat and committing himself to the sea and winds, he came to an island which was then called the island of Limeneia, in which Honorius, a man devoted to God, the son of King Thefriauc, having left the things of the world, was offering himself wholly to God. So, received kindly in hospitality, he grew in such fervour of piety that he yielded his place and dwelling to the holy man, that he might watch for the winning of souls to Christ without any hindrance. So blessed Justinian, seeing the place fit for religious men and remote from all secular noise, said: “I would assent to your petition, if your sister with her handmaid have a chamber remote from us.” And when this was turned into derision by certain unbelievers, but the eloquence and beauty of holy preaching and the splendour of so great brightness pleased the blessed man, Honorius said: “Holy father, that I may enjoy your sweet and honourable society, I will send my sister away into another region.” So the sister of blessed Honorius, taking the blessing and leave of the holy men, departed into far regions. And there, as very many came together to him, they returned enlightened by the word of faith with the salvation of their souls.

³ Now when the fame of so great a man reached blessed David, rejoicing at the novelty and the coming of so great a man, summoning him by messengers he humbly begged him to deign to come to him. And he, hastening, was honourably received by blessed David; and it pleased both blessed David and St Justinian to be strengthened by each other’s society and prayers. And St David took him as his confessor and, after God, guardian of his life; and he granted him and the brethren flocking to him such little dwellings as he chose, both on the island and outside it.

⁴ Now on a certain day, as he was giving attention to prayer and reading on the island, five men sailing in a certain boat arrived, and hastening to him said: “Look, he whom you love is sick, commanding you to make haste to him without any delay.” But he, hearing of the sickness of one dear to him in Christ, hurried to the boat and began to sing psalms. And when by rowing he had come to the midst of the sea, then at last, lifting his face, he saw that they were more deformed than the men he was accustomed to see, and clearly understood that they were evil spirits. Then with hands and eyes lifted to heaven he began the seventy-ninth psalm, namely “O God, come to my help”. And as he sang the second verse of that psalm, “Let them be confounded and put to shame who seek my soul”, they vanished like black ravens flying. And so, trusting in God’s help, he was carried to land upon a certain rock divinely raised from the bottom of the sea, and found St David, whom the evil spirits had said was sick, whole and safe.

⁵ So the enemy of the human race, seeing himself vanquished by the holy man, and that he could neither overcome him, assailed by frequent assaults, nor by evil suggestions withdraw him from the divine service, devised other machinations of his deceitful art, and poured his venom into three of the holy man’s servants. Then the servants, seized with fury, not only despising the saving counsels of their master, by which he exhorted them to exercise themselves in labour lest they lead an idle life, but rushing upon him cast him to the ground and cruelly did not fear to cut off his head. But in the place where the holy head fell upon the ground, a spring of most limpid water, gushing forth at once from the rock, flowed out; whose water, drunk by the sick, confers health of body upon all. For a certain man named Jonas, poison being given him in a milky draught, had his belly wondrously turned to swelling; and having taken that water, he at once vomited a living frog, and all the swelling of his belly vanished.

⁶ But those sons of iniquity, after the crime of iniquity committed, perceived themselves struck with leprosy and divine vengeance evidently turned upon themselves. Going from there with groaning and lamentation, they came together to a certain rock which to this day is called “the rock of the lepers”. There afterwards they, mourning and tormenting their bodies with heavy punishments and scourging one another with mutual blows, ended their life, in grief alike and misery, in the greatest penance as long as they lived, and deserved to obtain pardon of their offences through the merits of St Justinian.

⁷ For greater miracles succeed the great. For the body of the blessed martyr, deprived of its head, at once arose, and taking its head between its arms, descended to the shore of the sea, and walking upon the sea crossed to the port called by his name; and in the place where the church dedicated in his honour now stands, falling to the ground it lay, and there was found worthy to be buried. And in that same church in which the holy martyr’s body rests, our Saviour has deigned to show many miracles. For the sick coming there, held by whatever infirmity, return to their own safe and sound, giving thanks to God. And the holy Bishop David, not ignorant of the passion of his beloved and of the whole event, admonished by divine revelation, brought the holy body with his brethren to the church of Menevia with hymns and songs, and placed it honourably in a new sarcophagus.