¹ The Legend in Nine Lessons of S. Daniel (Deiniol), Bishop Of Bangor.

Lesson 1 #

¹ God, wonderful in his saints and glorious in majesty [Ps 68:35], desiring that his saints should be held in honour by the faithful of Christ and venerated in a worthy and praiseworthy manner, continues to adorn them himself with countless miracles. Among these, our Lord chose as shepherd of his holy Church the most blessed Daniel, bishop and confessor, adorned with the grace of holiness and distinguished by many kinds of miracles. We are unable to recount all the miracles which the Saviour has seen fit to work through the merits of the same S. Daniel, but we have judged it right to commend some of them to the attention of your devotion.

² But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us [Ps 123:3].

Lesson 2 #

¹ The blessed Daniel, then, sprung from a noble lineage of the Britons, when he had come to full manhood, left his parents and his native land. Desiring to lead the life of a hermit and solitary — to whom the better part is given and shall not be taken away [Luke 10:42] — he came to a certain mountain, now called Daniel’s Mount, near Pembroke, in the diocese of Diocese of Menevia. He judged that this place, far removed from the noise of men, was suitable and fitting for the enjoyment of the fruits of divine contemplation, and he resolved, if God should permit, to remain on that mountain in the service of his eternal Lord.

² But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lesson 3 #

¹ The lord of the place received him kindly and granted him as much of his own land as he judged sufficient for his daily support, together with livestock and servants suitable for agricultural work. A small dwelling was built for him on the very spot where there now stands a church of wondrous beauty and size, constructed in honour and in the name of the same saint. There, in fasting, in prayer, and in other works of devotion, he served Almighty God, his Creator, with the deepest reverence.

² But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lesson 4 #

¹ In the course of time, when the cathedral church of Bangor was left vacant by the death of its bishop, those to whom the election or appointment of a bishop for that church belonged assembled together. The grace of the Holy Spirit was invoked, and it was revealed from heaven that they should without delay send into Pembroke and choose a certain hermit dwelling on a mountain in the southern part of that region to be bishop and pastor of their church; and it was further made known that his name was Daniel.

² But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lesson 5 #

¹ They immediately sent messengers to the region mentioned above. When the messengers arrived there, they found the hermit in the place already described, and after greeting him they asked, “What is your name?” He replied humbly, “I am called Daniel, but I am no prophet” [Amos 7:14]. At this the messengers rejoiced greatly and explained to him in full the purpose of their journey and the reason for their arrival. But he, being deeply astonished, said, “How can this be, that you claim me as bishop-elect, when I scarcely possess even the rudiments of learning or any knowledge of letters?” They answered him, “It is the will of God that it should be so.” And he, overcome by their persistence and wishing to obey the divine calling, left all that he had and followed them in the name of the Saviour [Luke 18:22], until they reached the gates of the city of Bangor.

² But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lesson 6 #

¹ At once all the bells of the city were rung without the hand of man. When the people who were in the city heard the sound of the bells, they went into the church; and finding no one ringing them, they said to one another that it was a miracle worked by the Lord. And immediately, look, the messengers arrived with Daniel, now standing at the doors of the church. Then the clergy of that church led Daniel to the high altar, and with the greatest fervour sang the Te Deum laudamus, giving praise for the mercy of the Saviour. And when S. Daniel rose from prayer, he was so filled with all ecclesiastical knowledge that no one in Britain at that time seemed equal to him in learning and letters.

² But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lesson 7 #

¹ After the due intervals of time, having been duly promoted through all the lesser and greater orders, he was consecrated bishop with great honour and enthroned, to the great joy even of the people. Thus, clothed in the pontifical chasuble, he showed himself loving towards God and all people. But it would be too long a task to recount the miracles which the Lord saw fit to work through his merits, both during his lifetime and after his departure, for they were very many.

² One night, while the holy man was dwelling on the mountain in Pembroke, two ill-disposed men came to steal the oxen that had been given to him to plough his land, and taking them began to lead them away. The holy man, hearing the noise of the men and the animals, looked out from his dwelling and saw the thieves driving off the oxen. He went out and cried, “Wait, wait a moment, in the name of the Lord.” But hearing his voice, they ran all the faster. Then S. Daniel, making the sign of the cross towards the oxen, so that the one who had given them should not suffer loss for his praiseworthy deed, immediately caused the thieves to be turned into two stones on the spot, standing like men to this day. The animals, however, returned to their accustomed pastures.

³ But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lesson 8 #

¹ On another occasion, when the holy man could find no animals with which to plough his land, look, two great stags came out of Pencoed Wood, which lay nearby, to the field that was to be ploughed. Submitting their necks to the yoke like domesticated beasts, they drew the plough throughout the day; and when the day’s labour was finished, they returned to the same wood.

² But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lesson 9 #

¹ Once the holy man undertook a religious pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Having visited the places of the Nativity and Passion of the Lord, and the sepulchre in which the body of the Saviour rested, he came to the Jordan River, sanctified by the Baptism of Christ [Matt 3:13–17]. There he filled a vial with its water and carried it with him to the summit of the mountain near Pembroke, where his dwelling stood and where there was a great scarcity of water. Calling upon the name of Christ, he drove his staff into the ground and poured out upon it the water he had brought from the Holy Land; and immediately the staff grew into a most beautiful tree, and a fountain of the sweetest water sprang up on the spot, able to heal various diseases when drunk.

² A certain woman from near Caerwy, in the diocese of Menevia, was so extraordinarily swollen that she could find no relief from any medical treatment. At length she came to the church of S. Daniel, and then to the same fountain; and praying for the saint’s help, she drank the water to recover her health. Before departing, she came to the door of the church and cast forth from her mouth, in the sight of many witnesses, three horrible worms, each having four feet; and from that hour the woman was restored to health.

³ Moreover, the wife of a certain man from near Oxford, who had been blind for a very long time, having been warned in dreams by S. Daniel — or rather, by divine revelation — was brought to the church of S. Daniel. There she passed the night in devout prayer, together with a blind chaplain and many others; and in that same night they all received their sight through the merits of that same confessor, by the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, God for ever and ever. Amen.

⁴ But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Prayer concerning the same #

¹ O God, who willed the blessed Bishop Daniel to be a shepherd of your Church, grant continually that we who rely on his benefactions may, through his prayers, attain the glory of everlasting blessedness; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.