¹ After the saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, when the preaching of the apostolic company had been wondrously spread abroad through the four quarters of the world by the grace of the Holy Spirit going before it, there arose in the lands beyond the sea innumerable holy men, spreaders of the Christian faith, as successors of the apostles, distinguished by the splendour of their virtues and admirable for the light of their good works, martyrs as well as confessors, whom the grace of divine Providence destined to be rulers and teachers of the Catholic Church. Of this venerable company Saint Tugual, the distinguished confessor, sprung from a noble stock, shone forth among the stars like a resplendent star, as may be found by reading his Life written in the barbarous tongue of the Scots. This man of the Lord, then, armed with faith and girded with the sword of the Holy Spirit, was often stirred by angelic messages to leave the land of his birth, namely Scotland, and to make haste to visit the land of Lesser Britain, full of all unbelief, in which he might preach the word of the Lord.

² At the time of this heavenly exhortation, Count Derocus, Saint Tugual’s kinsman, was ruling in that region. Accepting that exhortation, and committing himself to the divine will and ordinance with every occasion for delay removed, he went down with his disciples — whom he had chosen to the number of the disciples of Jesus Christ, and over whom he presided as a faithful shepherd — to the port that had been pointed out for his voyage, and there found a ship fitted and prepared for sailing. Having found it, they set sail without hesitation, gladly obeying the divine commands; and sailing straight on with a favourable wind blowing, they came at last, after a prosperous voyage, to the port which the angel who guided them had made known.

³ Saint Tugual, then, enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit and wholly given over to the divine will, leaving the ship and setting foot on the soil of Britain, founded a hospice there for himself and his monks, which the inhabitants call Lampaphu, in the parish of Macoer, situated in the district of Achmense; he seems to have become noted in that place through the frequent miracles which the Lord worked by his faithful servant. At once, as both the inhabitants and others from every side flocked to him, submitting themselves and their estates to his will, he was received as a father and a faithful messenger of the Lord. Then going on from there, striving more and more to fulfil the ministry entrusted to him by the Lord, attended by an innumerable people who clung devotedly to his holy company as they saw him giving sight to the blind, curing the paralysed and raising up other sick folk, journeying thus through divers places he recovered many and great estates from the inhabitants.

⁴ At length, by the will and counsel of God, he came to the episcopate, and there founded a church as an oratory for himself and his followers, and diligently frequented it for a long time. Then, taking counsel with the brethren who had come with him and with the noble men of that land, he directed his journey to Childebert, king of the Franks, taking with him Saint Albinus as spokesman and interpreter of the Roman tongue, seeking from the king the grant and freedom of the estates which he had acquired in that land. Now when Saint Tugual had come into the presence of the aforesaid king, in testimony of his holiness — all the king’s household looking on — a certain dove, white as snow, descended upon his shoulders in the likeness of an angel. When the king and queen and all the household of the court had seen so marvellous a sign, they fell at once together at Saint Tugual’s feet, revering him as a patron and faithful minister of the Lord sent to them from heaven, and asking him whence he came and what he sought from the king. He, speaking through his spokesman, answered their question: “I ask of the king at present no worldly ornament and no royal riches, but only this — that he grant me to have and to hold the estates which the counts of Lesser Britain and other powerful men have given me and my monks for the salvation of their souls.”

⁵ On hearing the holy man’s petition, King Chilbert, by the common assent of his men, graciously granted him to have and to hold them. And moreover, although he resisted and refused, he had him ordained bishop of that diocese at Paris; for Paris was at that time the seat of an archbishopric. Saint Tugual then, raised to the pontifical dignity in such circumstances and enriched with splendid gifts, with the king’s goodwill and leave returned to his spiritual sons, revisited the city of Lexovium, situated in the district of Civitas, and afterwards came to that see where he faithfully ministered to the Lord. So when this blessed man, raised to the pontifical dignity as aforesaid, had ruled the church for many years in tranquil government, at length he long endured manfully a bitter persecution stirred up against him by the devil’s envy through the people’s wickedness, and especially through a certain wicked prefect named Ruhutus, who was the officer and agent of Conemorus, prefect of the king of the Franks. At last, wondrously vexed both by the injury done by the aforesaid officer and by the disobedience of the people entrusted to him, he made his way to Rome, to lay his complaint concerning the aforesaid offences before the apostolic of the Roman see.

⁶ On the very day on which Saint Tugual entered the church of Saint Peter, the Roman people were labouring and keeping vigil over the election of a pastor. While clergy and people were praying, therefore, the election was straightway made known from heaven. For a certain dove, white as snow, appeared to the praying people, which, flying about through the corners of the spacious church, at last descended upon Saint Tugual as he prayed with bended knees. Seeing this heavenly sign, the people, exulting with inestimable joy, without delay raised the blessed Tugual from the ground as pastor designate of the apostolic see and at once, according to the custom of the Roman church, enthroned him and, changing his name, called him Leo the Briton, as the Roman catalogue relates. Having obtained the apostolic dignity, then, as aforesaid, the blessed Tugual governed that see for the space of two years by divine disposition. Now that saint was removed from all earthly delight, a prudent and faithful servant.

⁷ After his governance of the apostolic dignity, which Saint Tugual, beloved of God and men, had received by the will and disposition of Almighty God, as aforesaid, it is worth the labour to declare to the knowledge of the present and future generation how he returned by the Lord’s mercy to visit and comfort that diocese, afflicted as it was in manifold ways by its pastor’s absence. When Saint Tugual, then, was praying alone before the altar of Saint Peter after compline had been sung according to the custom of the Roman church, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “Almighty God commands you through me, who am his familiar messenger, that, leaving this apostolic see, you direct your journey without delay to your former one. For the cry of the people, inestimably afflicted by your absence, has come to the ears of the Lord.” The blessed man therefore, often exhorted by angelic messages, having heard the command given him, resolved to obey with joy; and at length, having revealed the divine disposition to the chief men of the Roman church, unwilling to weave delays into his journey and taking with him two companions, he swiftly set out upon his way.

⁸ As he was thus setting out, the messenger of the Most High King appeared to him again near the Mount of Joy, which seems to be near Rome, from which that imperial city can be seen, giving him a horse white as snow — that is, a heavenly help for accomplishing so long a journey. Having taken up the aid of the horse at the angel’s command, Saint Tugual, devoted to the divine service, held so great and so long a way unweariedly. Now when the aforenamed holy man drew near to these western parts, by the disposition of the divine will, straightway all the inhabitants of Brittany, and especially the faithful of his diocese, rejoicing at the coming of their pastor and heavenly patron, exulted with inestimable joy and gladness, and received him as their venerable patron, a reverend prelate raised to the apostolic dignity; and each in all things willingly showed him acceptable obedience, as to a father and lord restored to them by God’s grace. Thence he wrought miracles in that country, divine grace aiding him.

⁹ It is worth the labour to describe in a truthful style, for the knowledge of the faithful present and to come, how the oft-mentioned servant of God, raised to the splendid dignities we have noted, departed from the world and foreknew the final end of his life, heavenly grace providing. For as it is read of the blessed Martin, who foretold his death to his disciples and gathered them together, so, almost all doubt being laid aside, we may probably affirm that Saint Tugual, the distinguished confessor, did the same for his disciples. The blessed Tugual then, ever strengthened by the divine clemency, when the dissolution of his body was at hand, had his disciples summoned from every side and, pressed by bodily weakness and a grievous infirmity, addressed them in this manner:

¹⁰ “To your brotherhood, most beloved brethren and fellow-workers in the divine service, I have resolved to make known that the final and natural term of my life is drawing near. For Almighty God, to whose commandments I have been devoted from boyhood, has revealed to me — not by my merits but by the gift of his goodness — the day and the hour of my death. Wherefore I pray and admonish you, as most beloved brethren and dearest sons whom I have led from the land of your birth into this land into the service of Christ, that you live according to rule as I have taught you, and faithfully serve the Lord himself, by whose precious blood you are redeemed.” Hearing this, the disciples, straightway filled with inestimable sadness, weeping and wondrously lamenting at the words of their patron and master, cried out with one voice: “Why do you forsake us, father, and to whom do you commit us, desolate? Why do you leave us in this foreign and so distant region without a leader and faithful shepherd? We came with you; we loved you above all earth-born men; we followed you as abbot and reverend prelate. Now the fury of wolves will invade your flock, hitherto nourished by you with good food, and will miserably scatter it.”

¹¹ Then Saint Tugual, condoling with their lamentations, began to address them and to comfort them with spiritual consolation: “You I have hitherto diligently nourished as sons and faithfully taught; but now I commend you to the Chief Shepherd, that he may direct you in the way of eternal salvation and also lead you to the eternal joys. But that you may not remain like headless men, and that the church may not remain widowed of a pastor, I will that one from among you be chosen as pastor of this diocese by your assent and the counsel of the people — namely Ruilin, whom I perceive to be a faithful ruler of the Lord’s flock by purity of mind, by life and honour, and by knowledge and age as well.” To this election uttered from the holy man’s mouth all the others gave their assent, except one — Pebrecatus the archdeacon, whose desire was gasping for the attainment of the bishopric; but he alone by no means dared to gainsay the ordinance of his master.

¹² When therefore the election was finished and the pontifical honour granted to the aforesaid Ruilin, the most holy Tugual, the distinguished confessor, after receiving the Lord’s body, happily departed from the world on the day before the Kalends of December. Now, certain people used to be in doubt about the place in which Tugual breathed out his spirit, saying that he had died in the city of Lexovium; their doubt is to be cut away, lest the coming age be rolled back into the same error. With all doubt therefore rooted out, the present and future generation may affirm that he paid his debt to death in that see. And in the same great monastery, which the ancient inhabitants call the Valley of Trecor, the embalmed body of the blessed Tugual was laid in a splendid and precious sepulchre. At his feet lay buried Paul and Mactronus, two of his disciples.

¹³ But lest anyone should doubt (as may perhaps soon happen) whence the spices could have been found with which the body of Saint Tugual was embalmed, it must be briefly answered. The aforesaid faithful servant of God, through whose means he had been raised to the pontifical order, attended by a great company both of clergy and of laity, directed his journey to Jerusalem to see the Lord’s sepulchre, and brought back with him from there myrrh and balsam and spices, besides many other splendid and precious gifts, as is found by reading in that ancient Life of his written in the barbarous tongue of the Scots.

¹⁴ Now that miracle is not to be passed over nor consigned to oblivion — how, by God’s will and disposition, on the eighth day after his death he appeared to his disciples when they were unreasonably at discord over the episcopate, and how he restored peace between them as between foster-sons whom he had justly and duly brought up. After the death of Saint Tugual, Pebrecatus the archdeacon, of whom we have made mention above, had stirred up a great sedition and rebellion against Ruilin — who, as aforesaid, had been elected pastor of that diocese by Saint Tugual — through the favour of certain of the people; and to pacify that rebellion, on the octave of the aforesaid confessor’s passing, the clergy and people had assembled together before the doors of the church. When therefore the aforesaid assembly began to speak of the aforesaid contention, behold, Saint Tugual, the heavenly messenger of the Lord, in the same form which he had had before, stood visibly among them and greeted them, bidding them not to fear; and having heard the origin of the aforesaid rebellion, he straightway pacified them as his own sons, on this condition — that Ruilin should not lose the election, and that the aforesaid archdeacon should have three parishes of the bishopric, whose names are found in the old charter.

¹⁵ The disciples thus pacified, Saint Tugual straightway vanished from their eyes by the divine will and ascended to Lisiam Bettel — that is, to the heavenly Jerusalem. Let us therefore entreat the pious and distinguished confessor as our patron with pure mind and devotion — whom we believe to remain with Christ for ever — that he may deign to intercede unceasingly for us to the Lord.