¹ Saint Samson, of Greater Britain, sprung of the noblest parents, was kinsman of blessed Maglorius. His mother Anna, when she was thought barren, despairing now of offspring, with her husband Amon gave herself to frequent fasts and alms. To whom, as she rested at night, the Lord said in a vision: “O woman, firm in faith, steadfast in the love of God, and persevering, fear not: for you shall have a son, whom you shall call Samson. He shall be holy before God and worthy of the priestly office.” And so the woman conceived with joy, and brought forth, and on the baptised infant bestowed the name Samson. And when he was seven years old, he was brought to the holy abbot Iltut for the sake of learning: who, seeing the boy, kissed him, saying: “We give thanks to God, who has deigned to kindle this light for us unworthy ones of our race on earth. See the head of us all, see the high priest who shall greatly profit God’s church.” And when he was fifteen years old, intent on fasts and vigils, he often made fasts of two days. On a certain day he and his master fell upon a certain deep question, whose explanation they could in no way find. Then Samson, insisting on fasts and vigils, asked through the Lord to know what he could not through his master. And while he prayed on the third night, he saw a light sent from heaven stand by him, and heard a voice from the light sweetly saying to him: “Be not wearied further, God’s elect; for look, not only this question for which you labour you shall attain, but whatever you shall ask of God through your prayer and fasting, your merits demanding, you shall attain.”

² While the brethren were going to cleanse the harvest, a snake, leaping from a bramble, bit a certain brother in the groin: and Samson approaching impressed the sign of the cross and restored the brother unharmed.

³ And Bishop Dubricius, coming to the abbot Iltut, ordained Samson deacon, and together with Iltut saw a dove sent from heaven descend and stand immovably upon Samson. For when the bishop laid his hand upon him, it descended upon his right shoulder and remained there until the office was consummated. And when he was ordained priest by the same bishop, the same sign appeared, showing his innocence. And the higher the degree to which he mounted, the stricter the life he led: in all his life he would taste no flesh at all.

⁴ The monastery’s cellarer, desiring to preside over the monastery after his uncle Iltut, but fearing Samson’s prosperous advancement, concocted a very strong poison and gave it to an animal for trial: which, having drunk, gave a headlong leap and expired. And the cellarer, with his brother’s counsel, poured it into St Samson’s cup: which he, understanding through the Holy Spirit and blessing the drink, drank all and felt no injury. After the meal the man of God said to the cellarer: “My sweetest brother, may God heal you of all sickness, for the cup handed me today has brought great health to my body.” But he, persisting in his obstinacy, when on the Lord’s day he received the sacred communion from Samson’s hand, the devil seized him and began to vex him much. And the man of God, moved by the brother’s suffering, wept, blessed water and oil, gave it him to drink and restored him to health.

⁵ So the man of God passed the whole day in the works of his hands and in prayers, and the whole night in readings of the scriptures and meditation. And if at any time he had need, as a man, to rest, leaning against a wall, never in a bed, he slept.

⁶ His father, sick to death, affirmed that he would never receive health nor the sacrament unless he saw his firstborn Samson, through whom he said he would receive together health of body and soul. Which heard by messengers, Samson groaning said: “Now, my father, I have left Egypt: it is not my business to return into it. But God is mighty to heal the sick man.” To whom the abbot said: “Why do you speak thus, elect one? It behoves you to have care for the profit of souls, and your reward shall be great with God, since where carnal things have grown, spiritual things may be sown.” He answered: “Would that God’s will be done, for for God’s sake and the gain of souls I am ready for all things.”

⁷ And while he was going through a vast solitude with one deacon, they heard a horrible voice near them. At which voice the terrified deacon let go his horse and turned back his cloak. And a Theomacha, hairy and horned, with a three-pronged lance, flying as it were with swift course through the vast woods, struck him down half-dead. But blessed Samson, going forward intrepid and espying the Theomacha fleeing afar, began to cry out: “Why do you flee, woman? I also am a man like him whom you struck down. If I am given into your power, look, here I am.” But she not attending, but ever striving to flee, again he cried: “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ, from that place where you now stand, move not your foot until I come to you.” Then she trembling, the holy man approaching said: “What are you, evil one, and of what sort?” She with a mighty trembling answered: “I am a Theomacha, whose peoples until now have been your transgressors, and now none of my kind remains in this wood save me. For I have eight sisters and a mother, who are not here, but dwell in a further wood. And I was delivered to a husband in this desert, and he being now dead, I cannot depart from this wood.” To whom the saint said: “Can you then restore to life the brother whom you struck, or at least be solicitous for the profit of your soul?” And she: “I am not willing, nor can I be restored to better: for I can do no good, but have been exercised to evil from my infancy even until now.” Then the saint said: “I implore almighty God that you may no more hurt men, but, since you are irremediable, may depart the sooner from this life.” Then she, giving a headlong leap on her left side, fell to the earth and expired. Then the man of God, coming to the prostrate brother and finding the vital breath scarce remaining in his breast, prayed for him: and restored him to health.

⁸ When he came to his father, the father, rejoicing at his coming, made public a capital sin which until then he had hidden, and tonsured his head, his wife chiefly urging him and saying: “Not only let you and I, as is fitting and proper, serve God, but let us also join all our offspring to God’s service.” And when his five brethren had been presented to St Samson together with a very little sister, he, pausing a little in silence, answered: “My brethren are good and given to God, but this little one is given to worldly pleasures.” So when his father had been healed and his men sent to monasteries and confirmed in all good works, Samson, journeying with his father and uncle and the deacon, saw a track, and the fields around it as it were scorched with fire, and a certain footprint as though beams were being dragged through the scorched grass. And look, afar he espied a serpent breathing a flaming head, which, seizing a clod of earth in its bite, cast it into the approaching man’s face and emitted a dire hissing voice as though it were being cut with a sword; afterwards, trembling and gnawing its tail with rapid teeth, it swiftly gathered itself into a ball. And the saint, making a circle and impressing the sign of the cross, said: “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to die without delay in our presence.” Which, at once lifting its head aloft and vomiting all its venom, expired.

⁹ When Samson had been made cellarer and was diligently ministering to the poor, the brother who envied him, as has been said, instilled into Bishop Dubricius’s ears that Samson had consumed everything by squandering it and emptied the vessels full of honey. The bishop, wishing to know the truth of the matter, entered the cellar: which Samson perceiving by the spirit, impressed the sign of the cross upon the empty vessels: and the bishop found them full.

¹⁰ The abbot dying, Samson, elected by all, ruled the monastery three years. Afterwards going to Scotia, he was received by all the religious as an angel of the Lord: he gave light to the blind, cleansed lepers, put demons to flight, and showed all the way of salvation. And returning, he found in a certain desert a most secret cave, in which he deserved to obtain a spring’s vein by his prayers, and devoting himself to God alone, frequently enjoyed the consolation and converse of angels.

¹¹ On a certain night he saw himself surrounded by densest troops of white-clad men, and three bishops adorned with golden vestments entering the church with him to pray. And one of them, being asked by him who they were, said: “I am Peter the apostle of Christ, and this is James the Lord’s brother, and John the evangelist. The Lord Jesus Christ has chosen you as a bishop for himself, and has sent us to consecrate you.” And when they had consecrated him with a blessing, they slipped from his eyes. Nor long after, the angel of the Lord appearing to blessed Dubricius, commanded Samson to be ordained bishop. At whose consecration, those who were present saw a dove sent from heaven stand immovably upon him. On the same day, when Samson was celebrating, Dubricius with two monks saw a column of fire proceeding from his mouth glowing red. And he deserved to see angels assisting him and ministering at the sacrifice all the days of his life while he celebrated.

¹² On a certain night of the Lord’s resurrection, while the man of God prayed, the angel of the Lord appeared with great brightness, saying: “Samson, beloved of God, act manfully: go out from your land and from your kindred: for you are predestined by God beyond the sea as a magnificent teacher of monks and a glorious ruler among the people.” For taking certain brethren with him, as he passed through the district of Tréguier he saw men sacrificing to idols. Seeing which he groaned, and strove to recall them from their error by his preaching. And look, a boy mounted on a horse and riding round the idol fell to the earth and expired with a broken neck. And the holy man said: “If you will destroy your idols and believe in my God, I will make your dead man rise again by invoking the Lord’s name.” They consenting, he raised the dead man, and they believing, their idols being destroyed, were baptised.

¹³ In the same province there was a serpent of wondrous size, which with its death-bearing breath had destroyed almost two districts. To which, lurking in its den, Samson approaching, bound his linen belt around its neck, and casting it down a precipice, commanded it to live no more. A monastery being built in that place, he opened a spring’s vein flowing continually.

¹⁴ Afterwards sailing into Brittany, he saw in the harbour a hut, and in it a certain man wretchedly weeping and ever looking toward the sea. To whom he said: “Brother, why do you weep?” And he: “I have a leprous wife and a demon-possessed daughter, whom the Lord promised to heal for me through a certain man from beyond the sea, whom, awaiting three days, I hope will come into this harbour.” Then he prayed humbly over them and restored them to health. And finding there a most fitting place, he built a monastery named Dol, where he worked many miracles, and built monasteries throughout the province.

¹⁵ In King Childebert’s court he cured a count that was possessed. And when, the queen commanding, poison was offered to the holy bishop to drink in a glass, divinely knowing this he impressed the sign of the cross on the glass: and it cracked into four parts, and the poison being poured over the hand of him who held it, the skin and flesh were corroded even to the bones in the sight of all. Then Samson said: “It is not fitting to drink this cup.” The king, with whom the holy man sat at table, being troubled, and all marvelling, he signed the injured man’s hand and restored it whole. But the hardened queen, not long after, ordered a fierce lion to be let loose against the man of God: but Christ’s power protected God’s elect, and the lion, smitten as though with a pole, turned to flight. And the saint said: “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ that you hurt no one more, but swiftly perish.” Which straightway, giving a headlong leap, expired; and the queen with her supporters, prostrate at Samson’s feet, begged pardon.

¹⁶ Beside the Seine, at the king’s prayers, he slew with a word alone a serpent that infested the country, and built a monastery there. He refreshed himself every second day or third, and sometimes on the seventh; he passed the nights sleepless standing in assiduous prayers. In Lent, segregated in a place more remote from men, carrying three oblations with him, on them by God’s power he lived even until Easter. At length in the monastery of Dol he rendered his body to the world and his soul to heaven, on the twenty-eighth of July.

A Further Incident #

¹ [Added in the Tiberius manuscript.] A certain deacon had been captured and bound by the Lombards: from whom the man of God Sanctolus asked that they deliver him to him to guard. “We give him to you,” they said, “to guard, but on this condition, that if he flee, you shall die for him.” Which the man of God freely accepting, he received the deacon into his custody: and at midnight, the enemies being asleep, he said: “Arise and flee in haste; may almighty God deliver you.” And he: “Father, I cannot flee, for if I flee, you will doubtless die for me.” “Arise,” said the man of God, “and go quickly; the almighty Lord will snatch you away; for I am in his hand. They can do to me only as much as he shall permit.” The deacon therefore fled, and the surety remained as though deceived. And in the morning, when the man of God answered that the deacon had fled, it pleased all that Sanctolus should die. And having scarce obtained space to pray, when he had prayed a little while, the elect executioner kicked him with his foot to make him rise, saying: “Arise and stretch your neck with bended knee.” And when with neck stretched he saw the drawn sword against him, he said: “Saint John, receive it.” Then the executioner lifted his arm to strike, but could in no way bring it down, and it grew stiff and remained inflexible. Then the whole crowd began to venerate the man of God with fear, and when the executioner’s arm had been cured, wished to offer him the oxen and beasts they had plundered: but the man of God refusing said: “If you will grant me anything, give me all the captives you have, that I may have wherewith to pray for you.” And so it was done.