Here begins the Preface to the Life of St Tugual, Bishop #

¹ Since the virtues by which the saints, scorning the vain delights of the world, have shone are handed down in written characters, they provide some people with examples of living well; while for others, through recognition of the power of God working by means of them, they have inspired fear of their own cruelty. I have therefore considered it worthwhile to transmit to the discernment of posterity what I have found by reading about the life of the most holy Tugual, however imperfectly it has been set forth, together with what I have learnt from the reputable testimony of trustworthy persons, and also the miracles which, in our own times, have been made manifest through the merits of so great a patron.

² For the Romans, while they were still devoted to paganism, by means of triumphal columns recorded the deeds of their ancestors and leaders—namely, boasting of the successes of wars, depicting the manifold slaughter of enemies and the pitiful captivity of women and little children, and marking fortune with images. By these means they struck fear into those who resisted the empire of the ruling city, and encouraged those who favoured the welfare of the state to the practice of virtues.

³ Now, however, undertaking a task of greater purpose, driven as much by the breath of human goodwill as by the desire to make known the merits of a man of wondrous innocence, and at the same time to root out the error of certain people who, deceived by the custom of the British race and coming from overseas regions, endeavour to claim that this illustrious man was a native of Scotland—something which his disciple Louenan most clearly denies, saying: “His mother, named Pompait, was the sister of Count Riuuallus, the first of the Britons to come across the sea, whom Saint Tugual followed with his disciples”; asserting that he came first, that is, preceded Tugual; and although the proximity of the regions could allow both languages, what follows shows that an angel spoke to him in British—I shall not, therefore, overflowing with the riches of an overabundant treasury, nor although from the bloom of boyhood I have devoted myself to light poetic exercises, detour into rhetorical trifles or follow polished arrangements of arguments so as to detain the reader with pleasing novelty. Rather, with my patron favouring one who dares arduous things, and relying on the fragrant sacrifice of your prayers, I shall attempt, in plain discourse, to begin a simple history.

⁴ Here ends the Preface.

Here begins the Life of Saint Tugual, Bishop #

¹ Saint Tugual, then, sprang from parents of royal lineage, natives of Greater Britain. From infancy he was instructed in the rudiments of letters; and, through the inspiration of the grace of the Holy Spirit, who foresaw that he would become a vessel chosen for himself, he surpassed his fellow pupils, his co-heirs in study, by talent and diligence, and in a short time was revered by the foremost teachers for his ineffable learning. Yet he was not lifted up by pride, as is customary with the sons of nobles, nor, when mingling with others of his own age, did he indulge in anything childish in word or deed. Rather, as his religion grew together with his years, obedient to the divine commandments, he gave thanks not only for what befell him prosperously, but also for what came to him less favourably. When, moreover, he was already flourishing in youthful bloom, and kindly fortune, smiling sufficiently, softened the loss of his father, he ascended certain steps of sacred orders, sound in body, although his age and the beauty of his form urged otherwise. Constant care for the Church was in him: now persevering in prayer, now receiving spiritual nourishment from the Lord’s table. And, truly unconcerned about tomorrow, whatever he could have at hand he distributed to the poor according to the need of each: granting forgiveness to those who sinned against him, sustenance to the hungry, clothing to the cold, aid to the oppressed, hospitality to wanderers, consolation to the sorrowful. Thus, for the perishable he acquired the eternal, and for earthly things he bartered heavenly ones.

² When he had grown somewhat more mature, he longed for the hermitage, and, fulfilling his vow, he took on the habit of a holy way of life, so that he might both avoid the breath of human favour, already wondrously spreading his reputation, and, withdrawn from worldly clamour, serve God more secretly. Enduring various snares of the enemy, he led for some time a life sufficiently harsh: on certain days sustaining his body, worn down by vigils, on bare bread and common drink; on other days on raw roots of herbs and the food of fruits. Yet his mind, founded upon the firm rock, was never free, day or night, from the praise of his Creator. But when the virtue of the holy man became known in neighbouring places, people flocked to him from all sides, seeking not only a remedy for the healing of bodies afflicted by various ailments, but also refreshment for their souls with divine banquets. For, fired with the flame of the Holy Spirit, he scattered words of eternal life, proving by authoritative reasons that the delights of this life are fleeting, promising triumphant crowns to those who strive according to the quality of their contests, and, laying hands upon the sick while invoking the holy Trinity, many returned from him filled with heavenly grace. Finally, receiving the diadem of the priesthood, he became the spiritual father of many monks who, by his word and example alike, fled the luxuries of the world. To them he seemed more a servant than a master, since he ordered them to undertake no labour that he did not himself endure at the same time. And so, shunning the bleared eyes of Leah while admiring the beauty of Rachel, he was scarcely ever free from prayer, except at the hour of necessary care or when brief sleep stole upon him.

³ Meanwhile, when on a certain day, as is the custom of monks, after the morning hours he had given himself over to sleep, see an angel of the Lord appeared to him, saying: “Tugual, native of Greater Britain, make haste—thus God commands—for you are to be a newcomer to the Lesser.” Awakened by this voice, and long pondering in his heart what he had received with his ears, he immediately entered the church and prayed at greater length, that, if a divine command was urging him into exile, the Lord might deign to confirm it again and again. On the following and on the third day, therefore, the same heavenly messenger appeared, bearing the same message in a similar form, moreover reproving his sluggishness and threatening him unless he more swiftly obeyed the Lord’s commands. Without delay he summoned the brothers together, set out the sequence of what had occurred, and declared that he would depart from there as soon as possible. When they heard this, the monks, stricken with immeasurable sorrow, threw themselves at his knees and with tearful voices begged that a father should not abandon his sons and deprive them of his presence, nor that a shepherd should withhold from the flock entrusted to him the sustenance of heavenly nourishment. Moved with compassion by their lamentations, the man of such great piety said: “It is not you whom I abandon, but I follow the Lord who calls me. Therefore, if your own resolve is perfectly established in the Lord, let us set out together; here and everywhere, trusting in him, let us follow Christ our protector.” Forthwith, in a marvellous manner, sorrow was turned into joy, lamentation into applause, and each, according to his zeal, hastened eagerly to provide what was necessary for the journey.

⁴ Descending, therefore, to a harbour which seemed suitable, seventy-two men followed him, according to the number of the Saviour’s disciples, and also three devout women. The first of these was his most holy mother Pompaia, who after her husband’s death, having taken the habit of religious life, served God as a soldier; she was the sister of Count Riwaldus, who, coming long ago from those same regions, took up the governance of the land of Armorica. His son Derocus at that time already held the consulship of the same province. The second was the blessed Sewa, daughter of the former and sister of the saint of whom we speak, who from the flowering time of her youth had consecrated her virginity to God. The third was the widow Maelhen, likewise devoted to God, who, persevering in vigils and prayers, toiled at washing the monks’ garments in their sleeping quarters. When they reached the harbour, they saw a ship furnished with every kind of equipment, and in it young men of wondrous comeliness, ready for the labour of seafaring. When they received a word of greeting from the blessed Tugual, they said: “Come, servant of God, embark with your companions! For had we not been waiting for your arrival, we should long since have taken possession of Lesser Britain.” Entering the ship, therefore, and with a favourable wind swelling the sails, they ploughed the calm waters, spending what remained of the day and the following night in the praises of God; and on the next day, at the third hour of daylight, they made landfall in Lesser Britain, namely in the parish of Magoer, situated in the district of the Osismii. But the ship which carried them, and the young men who guided it, were never again seen in that region. Who, then, could doubt that angelic power had rendered service to the blessed man and his holy company?

⁵ At last, having gained possession of the longed-for land, the man of God enquired whose it was and went on to the lord of the Osismii, who was dwelling there with a few companions, intending to ask him charitably to grant a place for an oratory for himself and the servants of God living under his protection. But at the gate by which he was about to enter the city there lay a wretched man, his gait hindered by long-standing illness, with only skin covering the bones of his wasted body, begging alms from passers-by. When he caught sight of Saint Tugual, he followed him with persistent cries, begging to receive some alms from him. The most gentle servant of Christ, moved with compassion for his poverty and misery, strove both to grant what he asked and to restore him to an unexpected wholeness. For by giving alms he bestowed health long since lost. O man of great piety, who grants a double help to the wretched petitioner, giving him both what he simply asks for and more besides! O one abounding in the bowels of mercy, who bestows not only consolation for want upon the needy who ask, but also a remedy for infirmity! O timely importunity of the unfortunate man, who, while stretching out his hand for the gift he begged, rejoices to find himself enriched beyond expectation! Receiving relief from hunger, he at the same time gains a cure for weakness. And so, running ahead with quickened step, he both struck amazement into those who knew him and became a witness to the citizens of the arrival of so great a man. As a result, not only by the one whom he sought, but also by the leading men of the city together with a crowd of the people, he was honourably received, and he easily obtained what he requested, because through him the Holy Spirit spoke and divine power was at work. Accordingly, when a church had been built on the place granted, which by the inhabitants is called Lampabu to this very day, and after he had stayed there for some time with the brothers, he shone forth in many virtues; but to set these forth in detail, as he hastened on to other matters, our littleness does not suffice.

⁶ From there, indeed, proceeding with a company of holy men, he was held in renown throughout almost all the provinces of the region of Armorica, scattering the word of God, because the Lord everywhere deigned to show very many signs through him. For when the sick, afflicted by various ailments, flocked from all sides seeking the health of their bodies, not only in towns and villages but even at crossroads, awaiting his arrival, no one returned home deprived of the gift of the desired healing; rather, invoking the name of the holy Trinity, he restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, walking to the lame, firmness of limbs to the paralysed, cleanness of skin to lepers, and drove demons from possessed bodies. As the valiant soldier of Christ thus busied himself with the ministry entrusted to him, the powerful of Lesser Britain, enlightened by the word of faith and struck by the novelty of so many miracles, gave him countless estates as alms; whoever desires to know the names of those who bestowed and witnessed these gifts should have recourse to the volume composed on this matter by Saint Louenan, his disciple. On these estates, monasteries were soon built one by one, and he appointed religious men to them, so that from the western part of the region, where he had landed, to its eastern part, there were few parishes in which disciples of Saint Tugual were not to be found. At last, by God’s ordering, coming to the place called the Valley of Trégor, he built a great monastery, in which many, renouncing the temporal allurements of the world and binding themselves to the habit of a holy way of life, made use of the counsels of so great a patron. From that place, moreover, after the city of Lexovium was destroyed, the episcopal see has remained there up to the present day.

⁷ Now, from the place where the great monastery was being built, a cave lay at a distance of little more than one mile, in which there dwelt a most deadly dragon, who, corrupting the air with his mortal breath, inflicted abominable destruction not only upon people and livestock, but, whenever driven by hunger to roam the neighbouring places, spared the blood of no creature whatever. Those engaged upon the work, terrified by the monster and often complaining, at last refused to go to their labour so long as so close a menace threatened them. When this was heard, the same servant of God summoned the brothers and devoted himself to prayer; when Mass had been celebrated, and he and his companions had fortified themselves by participation in the body of the Lord, taking with him some men of firm faith, he set out for the cave. Girt as he was with the sacred stole, holding in his hand the banner of the holy cross, while the brothers prayed at a distance and awaited the outcome of the matter, he entered it fearlessly, so that it might truly be said of him: “The righteous is bold as a lion” [Prov. 28:1]. Without delay he cast the stole with which he was vested around the dragon’s neck and commanded it to follow him without harming anyone. What more need be said? The accursed serpent obeyed the holy command. Going before, it led the one who followed, with winding coils, to the brink of a certain cliff not far away, and hurled itself headlong into the sea which surged beneath; nor thereafter did even its lifeless corpse appear.

⁸ At about that time the city of Lexovium was bereft of its bishop. The devoted clergy and people did not bear his absence lightly, and with united affection proclaimed Tugual worthy of so great a priesthood. Since he neither gave his assent nor readily left the monastery, it came about through divine Providence that, by the counsel of the brothers and the noble men of the land, he set out with twelve brothers of great virtue to the king of the Franks, named Childebert. When they had entered Angers, Saint Albinus, a man of wondrous innocence and great renown, who there kept pastoral watch over the Lord’s flock, came to meet them. As they greeted one another and, rushing into an embrace, exchanged a kiss, the pious bishop led the abbot with him to lodge as his guest. Albinus, observing the kindly frugality of this distinguished guest, such subtle prudence in speech, and such marvellous power in action, joined him as a companion on the journey, though with foreknowledge of what was to come. For he rejoiced to bear witness to such holiness and, being himself familiar with the king, in a manner to commend to him a man made illustrious by so many virtues. O marvellous and ineffable ordering of God, who deigned to unite these two lights, so that each might be more graciously illumined by the other’s brightness! For these are two olive trees, by the dew of whose richness weak hearts are strengthened and the wounds of sins are healed.

⁹ When at last they came to Paris, the dead body of the son of a certain nobleman was being borne to meet the holy men. A procession of clerics went before the bier, chanting psalms, with candles and ecclesiastical ornaments, and almost the entire city followed the coffin with lamentation. Struck by their singing and weeping, the bishop addressed his most gentle companion with these words: “Truly, father, I know that God directs your journey, that his angel accompanies you, and that the finger of his right hand works through you. Nevertheless, now is the time for prayer, that those who mourn a funeral may be gladdened; now we must have recourse to our customary supplications, that the faithful may be assured of the resurrection of bodies.” To him the other replied: “You are the greater, whom divine ordering has raised to the pontifical chair; I am the least of abbots—would that I might be found worthy by the Lord to accomplish even small things. Therefore do whatever your heart desires, and I shall support your wishes with prayers.” To this the bishop said: “Not so, father. For you are the leader of my journey, and it is fitting that I, who am your companion, should obey you. It is for you to command me, and for me to carry out the commands of the one who orders. Indeed, do not entangle delays which the moment rejects; rather do what it demands, confident in the Lord’s mercy.”

¹⁰ As the holy men therefore drew near, the bearers set down the coffin, thinking that they would commend the soul of the deceased in prayer. But the pious confessor of Christ, Tugual, coming closer, fell in prayer beside the bier. While, with bent knees, he struck the ground, he pierced the heavens with prayers raised above the world; and with the showers of tears with which he watered the earth, he cleared the sun of true light, and, offering his sorrow to the divine presence, prepared unexpected joy for those standing around. As those present marvelled at the length of the prayer and awaited the outcome of the matter, both rose together: the abbot from the dust, and the youth from the funeral, as though from a heavy sleep. Then a mighty shout was raised by the one restored to life, and from all sides people ran together, eager to see the one who had been raised.

¹¹ Where there was mourning, now applause reaches the stars; Faces lately wet with streaming tears are now dry.

¹² Who could express in words with what joy the youth proclaimed the mighty works of God, with what devotion the faithful people praised the omnipotence of the Godhead, with what veneration they prostrated themselves before the blessed man, or with what famous proclamation rumour spread abroad the new deed?

¹³ As he was entering the city, however, a man of noble lineage named Gemion was carried on a little bed and set down in the middle of the street, with many standing around. Miserably undone by paralysis, he could perform no proper function with any limb at all, and his life was held to be a burden by his household. Those who pleaded for him said to the holy man with tearful voices: “Father, father, whom marvellous works bear witness to as the faithful messenger of the Lord; you who have called the dead back to life, look also upon the misery of this unfortunate man, relieving so great a disgrace.” But Tugual, turning to his accustomed aid of prayer and laying on his hand while invoking the holy Trinity, bestowed complete health. He who had just been carried on a pallet, his joints restored to firmness, went before his former bearers. And he, for whom another’s voice had interceded, glorified the Lord with joyful voice and returned manifold thanks to his servant.

¹⁴ With such deeds therefore preceding him, King Childebert first heard of him by report before he was seen in person. Summoning him through a messenger, surrounded by a holy company, he received him honourably; and when he had received him, he kissed him and caused him to sit beside him. Then, for a clearer proof his holiness, while the king and the whole court looked on, the Holy Spirit in the likeness of a snow-white dove rested upon his right shoulder. Enlightened by this sight, the king carefully enquired whether he wished to obtain anything from him. But he said: “I seek no worldly ornament nor any riches at present, but that you should allow the honours which princes and other nobles of Lesser Britain have given in alms to me and to my successors who serve God to be held in perpetuity, free from secular authority.” To this request the king did not fail to accede, but rather granted him sovereignty, with royal and priestly authority, over the parishes and estates which he had gained for the worshippers of God.

¹⁵ While these matters were being discussed, envoys of the people of Lexovium entered the royal residence, announcing the death of their bishop and requesting the king’s counsel in the election of a pastor. What more need be said? After deliberation, Tugual was chosen bishop of Lexovium. On the following day, which was the Lord’s Day, although he strongly resisted and loudly declared himself unequal to so great an honour, he was consecrated in Paris. After the rite had been completed, the king humbly begged the holy patron that, offering sacrifice to God, he would pray for his sins, and that he might in some way receive the first fruits of his episcopate. While he was celebrating Mass, an angel of the Lord was seen ministering to the king and queen, to two monks and likewise to two holy virgins, and after the canon handing them the holy bread already broken. O truly blessed man, who, as a true worshipper of the Trinity, is proved so by the threefold testimony of both sexes; to whom, while an angel ministers, it is plainly shown how exalted he is in the sight of the angels of the Lord. Thus adorned with the pontifical insignia, enhanced with honours and enriched with splendid gifts, he returned with joy to his spiritual sons.

¹⁶ After this, as the sun was already inclining towards its setting, he came to Lexovium and turned aside to lodge at the house of a certain illustrious man not far from the city walls, so that on the following day he might be solemnly received by the citizens and installed with praise upon the episcopal seat. But since certain necessities were lacking for the guest, he looked around and saw in a corner of the house a man lying upon a bed, who through long illness could neither move his steps nor, under so great a weight of oppression, draw the vital breath except with difficulty. The man of God, however, thinking him to be someone else because he was lying in a dark place, ordered him to hurry to the city and bring whatever was needed. At his command, the one who had been ill rose up healed, hastened swiftly to the city, and brought back what had been ordered. In memory of this deed, that estate is called Curmanu to this very day, which, as if composed from the Gallic and British tongues, is interpreted as “the carrier’s running.”

¹⁷ Devoted to pastoral watchfulness, he refreshed the flock entrusted to him with the nourishment of the divine word and, by perseverance in holy works, aided them by his example. For as bishop he showed himself in conduct no different from what he had been before as a monk: the same simplicity of dress, an equal sincerity of life. Frequent in prayer, he kept vigil through the night and afflicted his body with much fasting. Diligent in receiving guests, kindly in extending his hand to the needy, he came to the aid of the oppressed and took up the cause of the orphan and the widow as his own. He detested squalid envy, abhorred violent plunder; he rejected the gifts of wrongdoers and resisted the cruelty of the powerful. With eager exhortation he called both sexes to the love of God; those lukewarm in faith he corrected with stern entreaty. To each stage of life he gave different nourishment: he gave milk to the weak, solid food to the mature. To those returning from the darkness of error to the way of truth and striving well in the course of the world he promised an eternal prize; but to those who strayed from the path of justice and persevered in their wickedness he held out perpetual punishment, steeping some in the bitterness of gall, others in the sweetness of honey. Some he chastised with the harsh lash, soon after he consoled with fatherly affection. But who could set forth in writing the virtues which he practised in the episcopate? It is not within our power to accomplish a work which the final day itself could scarcely bring to a close. Yet not everything must be passed over in silence.

¹⁸ While he was visiting, as was his custom, the estate called Lanmern, after prayer he came out of the church and, sitting with certain brothers on the brow of a hill, took delight in the pleasant prospect of the place and of the arm of the sea flowing below. And look, a little pregnant woman, carrying a vessel of water on her head from the boundary of land sea, was striving with great effort to climb the steep hill. Scarcely reaching its summit, breathless, she set down the vessel and sat nearby to recover her breath. Moved with compassion for her unbearable and prolonged labour, Tugual humbly asked whether she would give him to drink of the water which she had brought with such difficulty. Unable to reply because of extreme shortness of breath, she signalled to the matron who was in charge of that monastery to hand the vessel to the master. Why delay further? The kindly bishop, making the sign over the vessel brought to him, tasted it, and, invoking the name of the holy Trinity, emptied it by a threefold pouring out of the water. In that very place a most clear spring immediately began to gush forth, which to this day does not cease to flow, nor does it feel the heat of the Dog Star. Thus he relieved the toil not only of the poor woman, but of the whole neighbourhood.

¹⁹ At about this same period, a calamity unheard of in former ages seized the district of Léon. For a wicked spirit, running through the province in the form of a dark-coloured dog, would, whenever it caught sight of people working in the fields or wandering about, immediately carry them off in sudden death, their skin swelling horribly and foul matter flowing from it. It would also peer into the doorways of houses and approach them, and without delay those exposed to the sight of the cruel beast were struck by the same fate. As a result, when many gathered to bury one person, some died under the burden, others around the grave, others while returning home, so that very few made it back. And when this pitiable plague had devoured whole households, so many corpses filled the homes unburied, so many lay exposed to wild beasts and birds of prey, unless an equal fate had already overtaken them. At that time the blessed Paul, a man of remarkable holiness, governed the church of the Osismii. Summoning the neighbouring bishops Tugual and Corentin, he proclaimed a litany, to which all the inhabitants of the diocese—both sexes alike and every age—hastened together. The conduct of this solemn rite was entrusted to Saint Tugual, as a man of greater authority. After he had offered sacrifice to God, standing on a higher hill, he addressed the people. By this the crowd was soon gladdened with more abundant joy. For while he was execrating the deadly pestilence, countless thousands of biers were seen, their linen coverings driven by the winds, rushing through the air and plunging down from on high into the nearby waves of the Ocean. This prodigy escaped none of those standing around, nor thereafter did the dreadful plague seize anyone. The joyful people therefore, blessing God and proclaiming his faithful servant Tugual—through whose intervening merits they had escaped present death—as marvellous, returned to their homes. From then on the reputation of this most holy bishop grew far and wide to such an extent that, when the sick ran to him from every side to obtain healing, no one returning complained of having been disappointed of the gift sought.

²⁰ But envy on the part of the devil did not fail to assail a holiness shining with so many virtues. Rather, through certain wicked men—namely Commorus, prefect of the king of the Franks, and his henchman Ruhuod—he was contriving such snares against the Lord’s flock, and by the disobedience and malice of the people he frequently afflicted the pious bishop, already sorely provoked, with injuries. While he was considering how to avoid these troubles, it happened that, as was his custom, while visiting the holy places of his diocese, he lodged in a certain wilderness with a few brothers of outstanding holiness. There he spent the greater part of the night in the praises of God; and after the others, once the morning office was finished, had returned to their resting places, he alone applied himself to prayer. When this was completed, he went out at last and, walking along the face of the place, sat leaning against the wall of the church, intending to warm his limbs in the heat of the sun. And as, with his head resting on his knees, he dozed gently, see an angel of the Lord awakened him, saying in the British tongue: “Come, Tugual, read the letter sent to you from heaven.” Awaking, he found beside him a little letter written in golden letters with these words:

²¹ Go swiftly to Rome; make haste! God commands this: go!

²² When he had read this silently, he rejoiced and returned to the church, rang the bell, and roused the brothers. After bidding them farewell once they had received the Eucharist, he set out upon the journey that had been commanded, and left the church of Lexovium bereft of his presence and destined to flow with many showers of tears. In memory of this holy exhortation, that place is called Leharth to this very day, which in Latin, from the British tongue, is rendered “Read the letter.”

²³ And as he was passing through the territory of Vannes, he took lodging in the parish called Cherdin, where, having had a tooth pulled because of increasing pain, he placed it upon a stone, which, by an innate softness, absorbed it as though an impression were being made in soft wax, despite the natural hardness of the rock. O marvellous dispensation of God, who preserved in so solid a place a treasure destined to benefit many! For this reason posterity, having many times attempted in vain to transfer the same stone to the church, so that the saving Host might be consecrated upon it, after much sweat returned home with fruitless labour. Counsel therefore being taken, they built a chapel over it under the name of the same confessor, which those afflicted by various ailments frequent, invoking divine help, and recover lost health through the intercession of blessed Tugual.

²⁴ When he came to Rome, he kept vigil through the night at the shrine of blessed Peter, persevering in sacred praises. When morning came, he hastened with the people to the funeral rites of the Roman pontiff, who had died that night. When these had been solemnly completed, clergy and people with united devotion invoked divine mercy, that God might deign to show a ruler useful to the universal Church. And when they bent their knees in prayer, by means of a dove descending from heaven Tugual was declared worthy of so great a bishopric. When the heavenly sign was seen, a cry of praise to God was raised; hands were laid upon him as he was still intent on prayer, and, not without rough handling, he was led and set before the holy altar. What more need be said? Although he resisted greatly and pleaded his own foreignness, he was enthroned and raised to the apostolic see, and was named Leo the Briton, as the Britons remember with famous recollection, calling the blessed man in their barbarian tongue Saint Papbu, that is, with the final syllable corrupted, intending to say “Pope”. Having sat there for two years, by what signs he shone forth and by what teachings he strengthened the catholic faith is not within our power to relate.

²⁵ Meanwhile, divine vengeance pursued the disobedience of the people of Lexovium and the stubborn wickedness of the populace with dreadful scourges. For in those days when the distinguished shepherd was absent, the cultivated land denied nourishment to their insolence: no tree relieved hunger, no four-footed beast offered its teats for offspring, no woman lying in the marriage bed became a mother. To so great a heap of calamities was added pestilence; and a three-day fast was imposed upon the wicked people, during which, not without abundant tears and bitter sobbing, they did not cease to assail the ears of divine mercy with complaints of this kind:

²⁶ O supreme Father of all things, origin of the world at its birth,
who govern all created things by eternal laws;
Christ, Word of the Father, wisdom, splendour, image,
born of the untouched Virgin, made man;
Spirit of both, by whom the hearts of the faithful burn,
consoler of the sorrowful and giver of counsel;
one God in these three persons, one sole power,
equal in might—look now upon our groans!
Receive the prayers of your people, now confessing their own sins;
mercifully spare the wretched—alas, indeed the guilty.
Let compassion renew you; let patience delay your wrath,
lest you seem rather to will our death.
O, we have paid dearly enough for what we committed,
we who, in a fatal time, despised—alas!—the counsels of so great a bishop.
What movement or end can there be to such cruel and grievous suffering?
For long now we have endured what is worse than death itself.
Our limbs stiffen with foul emaciation, skin clings to bone,
nor does the just earth ease our hunger.
The tree perishes at its first blossom; a dry heat scorches
the rivers and the fields—alas! kindly Pales has fled.
If anyone escapes the bitter trials of dreadful famine,
an unwholesome air snatches him to the grave.
All cattle bellow, struck by a double scourge,
nor do they remember seasons of pleasant plenty.
O you who restore what is broken, who heal the sick by your touch,
since the shepherd has been absent such evils press upon us.
He who recalled the wandering flock with sweet teaching,
who watered the pasture with a spring of unfailing water—
where does that holy one lie hidden? Will he never return to his children,
bringing joys, or driving away what harms?
At whose coming the fields would grow golden and every
tree would bear fruit, the tilled land be cherished by moisture;
the dreadful plague would depart, brides would rejoice in renewed offspring,
the udders of the cattle would abound with milk.
Now, O God, take pity and spare the afflicted wretches:
why does the wolf now lay waste the whole fold?
Let such groans, sighs, and tears move you!
Let not the innocent fall like the guilty.
With the pious shepherd restore the consolations of life to the weary,
or grant us, if we must die, a gentler death.

²⁷ Thus, beating upon heaven with such prayers and frequently invoking the intercession of the saints, they deserved to be graciously heard by the Lord. For in the first watch of the night an angel appeared to the pope as he prayed, and, having gently greeted him, said: “Look, the people once subject to your teaching, now wandering in unlawful ways, oppressed by most frequent calamities; although they wash away their guilt with tears, there is still lacking one who may bring consolation to so great a sorrow. Therefore the Lord, yielding to your supplication, commands you to return more swiftly to your former see. Indeed, do not delay to fulfil the command, thus increasing your merit by so great a labour.” To whom he replied: “If the Lord knows that I shall be of benefit to the wandering flock, let it be not my will, but his.” Then, the gates of the palace having been opened, following the angel who went before him through so many streets and lanes of the city, at last they are borne along triumphal ways. But when they had gone out beyond the walls, they came to the summit of a hill, from which, since the most noble city is partly seen, it is commonly called the Mount of Joy. There the angel departed, having provided for the blessed man a horse of snow-white brightness, a heavenly conveyance, that is, for so long a journey. Seated upon it, Saint Tugual traversed, in a short space of time and with swift course and untiring body, so many forest paths, so many mountain peaks, so many river depths. And as he entered the borders of the province of Lexovium at cockcrow, the beasts of the field, as they were able, greeted his coming with their cries.

²⁸ As he was also passing through an estate called the Island of Loi, the bond of the tongue was loosed for a boy who had been mute for ten years, and he called out to his parents, saying: “The man, he said, for whom the frequent sighs of the people were pleading, whom so great lamentations were summoning, Tutgual is here. For look, passing by, he is making his way to visit the brothers of the great monastery”—which lay about three miles from there. But they, rising in disorder with joy doubled, and going out through the opened door, and already having crossed the inlet of the sea that lay there, recognised the one he had foretold; and, having recognised him, in the blink of an eye they ceased to see him, and, raising a shout, they praise God, rejoicing not so much over what had happened to the boy as over the unexpected arrival of the bishop. But when he came to the brow of the hill from which the oratory previously mentioned is seen, the divine bearer, as though his course were run, stood still; and immediately, as the blessed man descended, surrounded by flashing brightness, he pierced the heavens. In that place a church, built long ago in honour of the Archangel Michael and all the heavenly powers, even to this day conveys to the faithful the memory of this deed. O man of incomparable merit, to whom it is known that angelic power so often rendered service! O shepherd necessary to the Lord’s flock! O bishop filled with heavenly grace, to whose holiness even brute animals bear witness, and one mute from birth proclaims his coming! Taught also by a mighty spirit, the brothers run to meet him, and with equal joy of face and heart receive the long-desired patron.

²⁹ A wonder no less marvellous follows. For no one shut within the bounds of so great a diocese failed to know of the bishop’s sudden arrival; rather, whether the Spirit intimated it, or a dream revealed it, or rumour proclaimed it, from every side they hasten together and run up, as though summoned by a divine oracle. And, no less drenched with copious showers of tears, prostrate at the knees of the most gentle father, they obtain the forgiveness sought for their sin. Then, led amid the joy of the crowded people and the psalmody of the clergy, he is restored to his former see. But after he had, for the sake of so great a solemnity, intoxicated the assembled people with heavenly nectar, he drove away an impending calamity and the barrenness of the land by forbidding it. Through his prayers also the offspring of women and of cattle is multiplied; the meadows are adorned with varied flowers; the tree, watered with heavenly dew, is bent beneath the weight of fruits of diverse kinds. And so, governing the Church in tranquil peace, bestowing very many benefits upon the people, driving various sicknesses and demons from possessed bodies, healing lepers and the mad by a word alone, giving protection to orphan and widow, beloved by God and by men alike, he attained the fullness of days [Job 42:17].

³⁰ As he was about to enter upon the way of all flesh, he began to fall ill in the Valley of Tréguier, beside the great monastery. For his passing, disciples gathered not only from nearby places but also from more distant parts of Armorica, some forewarned by the Spirit, others summoned by the proclamations of mournful report. When, standing among them, he delivered words both of exhortation and of consolation, he made known not only the day of his death but also the very hour. On hearing this, a sorrowful cry is raised, and the devoted flock, refusing to be comforted, weeps bitterly; and, sobs frequently breaking in, amid the many words that grief supplied they repeatedly utter such things as these: “Will you then, father, leave the flock entrusted to you? Those whom you have led from the land of their birth into the service of Christ, to whom will you commit them? Who will console our exile? Who will provide the nourishment of heavenly food? Who will arm us against the snares of the roaring enemy? Who will drive away the accursed plunderings of the worldly? Father, holy father, rather have pity on the fold now almost laid open to raging madness!” Their lamentations the kindly bishop follows with pious consolation: “If you rejoice in a fellow-dweller of the world, rejoice rather in a conqueror of the world, whom as a guest I served, whose allurements I shrank from as poisoned arrows. I have finished the course, and am called to receive the reward” [2 Timothy 4:7–8]. “But, lest you remain as headless men, and lest the ship of the Church, lacking a helmsman, be tossed by stormy waves and either be dashed against rocks or be swallowed by the jaws of Scylla, choose one from among yourselves to bear a burden of such weight.” When they again pressed him for counsel on this matter, he added: “Ruilin, a man modest, adorned in character, endowed with learning, gentle in charity, venerable in age, I judge worthy of pastoral care. Him, envy being driven far away, with one mind according to God raise to the episcopal chair.” To this judgement all assented, as though it had been uttered by an angel, except Pebrgan the archdeacon, who burned with desire to obtain the bishopric, though his ambition was for the moment restrained by silence.

³¹ The most blessed Tutgual, therefore, the election having been confirmed, after receiving the Eucharist and after giving a fatherly blessing to his spiritual sons, on the day before the Kalends of December, when the dawn of the Lord’s Day was already reddening, breathed forth his spirit. At that hour, to make manifest the merit of so great a father and for the consolation of those who deserved it, a wondrous fragrance spread far and wide, and by some spiritual persons a melody was heard, as it were of those singing in heaven, with sweetest harmonies. His most holy body, when the eyelids had been closed and it had been wrapped in haircloth, his most devout disciples washed; when washed they embalmed it with spices; when embalmed they clothed it with pontifical vestments. Celebrating therefore the mournful obsequies, and bearing the holy bier, they laid a treasure more precious than precious gold in a tomb in the eastern part of the basilica. At whose feet two of his disciples, after an interval of time laying aside earthly things, namely Paul and Machtronus, lay buried. Buried indeed in the earth, he is proved to live in heaven by very many signs.

³² The episcopal chair having thus been widowed of so great an occupant, Pebrgan, laying bare the desire he had long concealed, strove with all his purpose to fill the place and office of the blessed man. Nor were there lacking those who, favouring his rash wish, repeatedly urged the others to agree with him, by entreating, by making promises, and by loudly proclaiming the nobility and generosity of his person. But those who had impressed the venerable words of their master more firmly upon their hearts upheld the election already designated by divine providence in its mercy; they extolled Ruilin, strong in the integrity of his life and in great virtues, and asserted that he was without doubt worthy of the priestly mitre. By this discord among the brothers the Church was no little disturbed. To examine the matter, the provincial leaders both of clergy and of people were summoned, and on the octave of the passing of the same saint they assembled in the basilica of Tréguier. While they were disputing at length about this business and were unable to reach a decision, see Saint Tutgual himself, with a very serene countenance and clothed in episcopal vestments, stood among them, and, lest they should be terrified by his coming, he uttered a word of greeting. After also speaking a few words to dispel their minds from suspicion of a phantom, he rebuked the rash presumption of the archdeacon: “What,” he said, “so pernicious an ambition has blinded you, brother? With what poison of envy do you swell, to the ruin of your soul? With what confidence do you attempt to take upon yourself a burden not suited to your disposition? With what rashness do you strive to oppose the dispensation of God? For you should know that the Holy Spirit, by our prophecy, both designated the future bishop and bore witness to his holiness. What deadly craving has overthrown your heart? You have erred: correct your foolish desire.”

³³ Reproved by these words, he, no little astonished, and not without tearful trembling, begs pardon for his guilt. To him the saint said: “If henceforth, in the governing of the Church, you show yourself faithful to the patron divinely chosen, you shall know that you have obtained both pardon for this offence and thereafter the grace of God.” Why say more? The opposing party is suffused with shame, the cry of those praising God is raised, and, with the flock rejoicing, Ruilin is established upon the episcopal seat and, not long after, is sent to the metropolitan to be consecrated with fitting ceremony. O incomparable man! O shepherd of vigilant care, who did not allow the flock he nourished while alive to stray from the path of truth even when dead! O priest in every way worthy of the proclamation of praise, who in a time of wrath became reconciliation after the grave. The Church therefore being brought to peace, the most holy confessor Tutgual, leaving the sad hearts of his disciples, by divine will vanished from their sight and passed over to Luz Bethel, that is, to the house of God.

³⁴ As time went on, however, a multitude of barbarian pagans, coming from islands beyond the sea, under the leadership of Hastehinc, practising piracy, reduced the region of Armorica to utter desolation, many of the inhabitants being cruelly slain, countless numbers led into captivity, and the rest driven in flight to foreign nations. A few ministers of the sacred altar escaping this frenzy of persecution withdrew into Gaul with the ornaments of the Church and the relics of the saints. Among them Gorennanus, who at that time was held to be bishop of Tréguier, went into exile and carried with him the bones of Tutgual. Through these relics the fortress of Landonicum is held in renown to this day, and likewise the city of Chartres glories in the head of its most blessed patron. For how great the merit of this saint is, each place bears witness by frequent signs.

³⁵ No short space of years had intervened, and see a certain man named Gras, born of a noble stock of exiles and imbued with the sacred letters, resolved, together with certain others likewise converts, to return from Greater to Lesser Britain. Committing himself and his companions to the sea, he soon made landfall in the Valley of Tréguier, where the walls of the great monastery lay open, partly overgrown with ivy woven through by woodland growth, partly thrown down and lying beneath brambles and thickets. These being cleared away, he began to rebuild the church. When the walls of wondrous height had been completed, a wooden structure followed. Its craftsman, named Goeder, while standing upon the beams already set and intent on joining the ceilings, carelessly wavering in his step, slipped, as one assigned to certain death. Those who were present, seeing this, cried out together with pitiful voice: “Most holy father Tutgual, if it is pleasing to you that we should complete the work begun, have mercy on us and receive the falling man.” Straightway, in a marvellous manner, as he rushed through the air headlong downwards, he was raised up; descending gently, as though supported by the beating of wings, he was set down unharmed upon the pavement. Who therefore would doubt that, by the merits of the patron invoked, angelic power raised up the falling man and brought him safe to the ground? Giving thanks to God, he resumed the work he had begun, and afterwards, as those who saw him attest, he lived for many years.

³⁶ When, however, the province had now become renowned for its inhabitants, every age and both sexes rush in crowds to the episcopal seat at Pentecost, as those about to enjoy the gift of the Holy Spirit. The neighbouring parishioners therefore go down to the maritime estuary, lying to the north of the Valley of Tréguier, intending to cross. Some of them, having already been carried across, await the multitude that follows. Nevertheless, setting desire before danger, they enter eagerly and fill the little boat with an unequal load. When it was almost equally distant from either bank, weighed down by the excessive burden it sank to the depths. The mouths of those crying out to the patron whose basilica they were seeking were swiftly closed by the wave that came upon them sooner than the word. A wretched cry on both sides strikes heaven, befitting their grief, and resounds with the name of Saint Tutgual: “Holy father,” they say, “have mercy on those in peril in your service! Snatch those devoted to you from the jaws of death, lest the enemy rejoice in the destruction of the faithful.” O great mercy of God! O wondrous clemency! A faithful servant is invoked to bring help, the loving Lord is moved to compassion. You might have seen those of either sex whom the sea’s gulf had swallowed slowly emerge, and, having emerged, hasten to the shore, crying aloud to the most holy confessor, the waves serving them.

³⁷ When these, however, had been counted again, a certain youth was found to be missing; his death and noble birth were mourned sufficiently from about the fourth hour of the day until nearly the ninth, and his body was nevertheless sought through the waves with fruitless toil. At last the retreating sea revealed where the lifeless body lay. Placed upon a bier, they carry it to the church and, lamenting, lay it before the holy altar. The uncouth crowd assails the patron whom they had sought with insults, contemptuously calls him a Scot by birth and accuses him of homicide, and declares that it will honour him no longer unless the one whom it had brought dead is restored alive. While the crowd raves in this manner, one of the clerics touches the mouth of the dead man with the relics of the same saint. At their touch the youth rises from the bier, and the swelling by which he had been indecently distended is emptied of brine. Brought before the judge’s tribunal, he relates what he heard and declares by which patron he was restored to life. His unexpected resurrection brings joy to some, and, by the novelty of the miracle, an abundance of tears to all who were present. An ancient story is recalled, in which the bones of a prophet are said to have raised a dead man to life [2 Kings 13:21].

³⁸ Nor is there lacking another deed, no less worthy of famous remembrance, which should be inserted for reading. As boys were coming down from their studies through the valley lying beneath the church of Tréguier, which is called that of Albinus, they were walking along the same inlet of the sea, returning to their homes on the Saturday, as is the custom for scholars. And while they were conversing among themselves, the youngest, who because of his great beauty was called Guengal, his speech being suddenly cut short, at once fell silent: he neither replied to those who questioned him nor appeared to those who looked back. Terrified by this prodigy, they scan valley and shore with searching eyes, and pursue the lost boy with mournful cries, invoking Saint Tutgual with loud lamentation: “Restore to us,” they say, “most gentle confessor of Christ, our companion on the journey.” At this the boy comes forth from beneath the water, his right foot bound with a silken girdle, and he is asked by his companions what had befallen him. Pale and trembling, he said: “Sea-women dragged me away, drawing me farther beneath the roughness of the deep. Yet even while I was being carried off I heard the voice of those crying out and the prayers of those lamenting. Then a man of very venerable appearance came to meet me, adorned with episcopal vestments, and powerfully rescued me, and led me through the waters, winding like a bow, all the way to the shore. As the nymphs fled, the same bishop, one of them forgot to loosen her girdle, which remains with us as proof our deliverance.” O saint of incomparable merit, who does not cease to work wonders after the grave! Now he restores the dead to life, now he snatches the living from a malignant robber. O happy boy, I say, who, though for a moment toyed with by a demon, was yet rescued by so great a messenger, and, cleansing his conscience by confession and partaking of the Lord’s body, when the year had come round again, on the very day on which the demon had toyed with him, put off the old man.

³⁹ Not long afterwards, a bishop of great authority, named Martin, while visiting his diocese according to custom, came to the district of Castellum. In the parish called Innau he was received as a guest by a certain nobleman named Blinliguet. As the household therefore provided fitting preparations for so great a guest, the hearth was kindled most generously, and the house, though very spacious, was nevertheless crowded by the numerous company. When the tables had been cleared away, they enjoyed the bishop’s conversation. At length, out of courtesy, the hostess offered him a drink; while the bishop was drinking as she stood by, frequent sparks falling from the roof damaged her clothing and tainted the cup she was holding. Looking up, she saw that the house was on fire, but out of reverence for the guest she kept the damage to herself. But when the raging blaze could no longer escape notice, some began to tremble, others to hasten their flight, others to snatch up household goods. For the house, already largely burnt, was regarded as beyond saving. The bishop therefore, indicating silence with his hand, exhorted them to be calm. Then, with the relics of the most holy Tutgual, which he was carrying with him for the healing of the sick, he made the sign over water, invoked the Holy Trinity, and sprinkled it against the fire. Before it even reached the beams, the fire, now overcome, rolling the globes of flame through the air, was extinguished, as though it were being deluged by the rush of a mighty river.

⁴⁰ Here ends the account of the miracles of Saint Tutgual after his death.