Bede Ecclesiastical History Book I Chapter Eighteen Through Twenty-One
St. Bede the Venerable
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum:
The History of the Primitive Church of England.
Book I, Chapter XVIII-XXI
Chapter XVIII
St. Germanus restores sight to the blind daughter of a Tribune, and, going to the tomb of St. Alban, collects some of his relics, depositing others of the blessed Apostles and of other martyrs there.
A Tribune and his wife, who were present at this disputation, immediately stepped forward into the midst of the assembly, offering their blind daughter, who was ten years of age, to be cured by the priests. Upon which, they ordered them to present her to their adversaries ; but they, being deterred by remorse of conscience from attempting it, joined their entreaties to those of the child's parents, beseeching the priests to cure the girl ; who, perceiving their opponents thus wavering from their false opinions, made a short prayer ; and then Germanus, inspired by the Holy Ghost, invoked the Trinity, took from his neck into his hands a small box, in which were the relics of the Saints, which he used to carry with him, in the presence of the whole assembly, and applied it to the child's eyes ; which, in a moment freed from darkness, were filled with the light of truth. The parents rejoice, the people are astonished at the miracle: and, from that day, the wicked opinions of Pelagius were so entirely obliterated from their minds, that they all embraced the doctrine of the holy prelates with the greatest fervour.
The most perverse and pernicious errors being thus suppressed, and the authors of them confuted, the minds of the people being now settled in the purity of the faith, the holy preachers went to the tomb of St. Alban, to return thanks through him to God who was the author of these blessings; where Germanus, having brought with him relics of all the apostles and of different martyrs, offered up his prayers, and, ordering the tomb to be opened, deposited these precious treasures in it ; thinking it proper that the members of the Saints collected in different countries, and whose souls had all been received into the same place in heaven on account of their equal merits, should be placed together in the same sepulchre : which, when he had done, he took out of the same grave a small quantity of mould, on which the sacred gore being still preserved, bore testimony to the martyrdom of the saints, who had lately suffered there. On the same day that these things were thus performed, an immense number were converted to the true faith
Chapter XIX
The holy Prelate, being detained by an accident in the place just mentioned, extinguishes by his prayers a fire, which was burning some houses; and is himself cured of his distemper by a vision.
The insidious enemy of mankind, laying his snares for them on their return, occasioned St. Germanus to slip and hurt his foot considerably by a sprain: not knowing that his merits would be increased, as were those of holy Job were, by corporeal afflictions. Whilst he was detained here awhile through this accident, it happened that a fire broke out in a neighbouring cottage; which, having consumed several houses that were covered with reeds, was carried on by the wind to the dwelling where he lay. The people all flocked to the prelate, entreating him, with hands lifted up, to avoid the impending danger. But he, having rebuked them, relying with a firm faith and confidence on the Almighty, would not suffer himself to be removed. The crowd, terrified almost to despair, ran from all quarters to oppose and quench the fire; however, for the greater manifestation of the divine power, whatever they endeavoured to save was destroyed; but the dreadful flames flew over the house in which the Saint lay disabled, as if revering the habitation in which hospitality was exercised on so holy a guest, who thus preserved the place in which he was confined from the devouring fury of the raging element, which spread devastation on every side. The people exult at the sight of this miracle, and congratulate each other on this interposition of the divine power in their behalf, after all their exertions had proved fruitless. Then an immense multitude of them assembled, and watched whole days and nights by the door of the poor cottager; some seeking to be cured, by the holy bishop, of their corporeal, and others of their spiritual infirmities. It is impossible to relate what Christ wrought by his servant, or what wonders, though infirm, his servant performed. In the mean time, suffering no remedies to be applied to himself, to cure him of his lameness, he saw in the night a person, clothed in garments as white as snow, standing by him, and who, giving him his hand, seemed to raise him from the ground, and bid him stand boldly on his feet. From which time, his pain ceasing, he was perfectly healed; and next day, without hesitation, undertook the fatigue of a journey.
Chapter XX
The holy Bishops, after assisting the Britons, by imploring the divine aid, to overcome their enemies in battle, return home to their native country.
At this juncture, the Picts and the Scots with united forces made war on the Britons: who, being thus necessarily compelled to meet them in the field, and fearing for the event as judging themselves unequal to the contest, earnestly entreated the holy prelates to assist them; who, hastening to them as they had promised, raised their drooping spirits so much, that it seemed as if a powerful army had been sent to their succour; and Christ, by means of these apostolical leaders, aided them in the warfare.
This happened during the holy time of Lent, which the presence of the priests caused to be so religiously observed, that, by their daily preaching the word of God to the people, many of them were converted, who eagerly ran to receive the grace of baptism from them. The greatest part of the army earnestly begged to be admitted to the sacred laver of regeneration on this occasion. A kind of church is immediately formed of green branches, in which they celebrate the day of our Lord's resurrection, with as much devotion, during this military campaign, as if they had been peaceably residing in a city. The army, still wet with the baptismal water, marches forward with a lively faith; and though they have no confidence in their own strength, yet they firmly hope, by the help of God, to obtain the victory.
The hostile army, having been informed that things were in this posture, advanced with great alacrity, as confident of success against an unarmed multitude. But, fortunately, their approach was timely discovered by those who had been sent to watch their motions: and, when the paschal solemnity was over, the greater part of the forces, just come from the font, preparing to arm and carry on the war, Germanus declared he would be the leader in battle. He selected the most active, examined the situation of the country, and observed, that the way by which the hostile forces were expected to pass was a valley surrounded by hills. Here he drew up the undisciplined troops, and placed himself at their head. And now an immense multitude of the ferocious Saxons [error for "Scots"?] are discovered, by those whom the Britons had placed in ambuscade, approaching; on which Germanus, the standard-bearer, exhorts them all, and instructs them to repeat the watch-word, which they should hear him pronounce, in as loud a voice as they could raise and then fall on their enemies; who thinking their approach was not expected, marched forward in the greatest confidence of success, and without any precaution. Then the prelate cried out, "Alleluja, alleluja, alleluja!" An universal cry of the same word followed, and the encompassing hills resounding the echo, the enemy was struck with terror, fearing not only that the neighbouring rocks, but even the very hills were falling upon them; and so great was their panic, that they thought they could not run away fast enough. They dispersed in all directions, throwing down their arms, and thought themselves fortunate, if they could escape the danger without them. Many of them also were drowned in the river which they had to pass in this precipitate flight.
The inoffensive army of the Britons, with exultation, see the victory granted to them without any trouble, by the visible interposition of the Almighty, who thus took vengeance on their enemies. They collected the scattered spoils, and with great devotion celebrated the festivity of this victory, granted them from heaven. The holy prelates also rejoiced and triumphed at the sight of their foes, vanquished without bloodshed , rather by faith than by force of arms.
Having thus settled the affairs of the island, and secured its tranquillity by the defeat of all enemies, visible and invisible, they took their departure. Their own merits, and the intercession of the blessed martyr, St. Alban, obtained for them a prosperous voyage; and a favourable gale wafted them over to their own country, and restored them to their joyful people.
Chapter XXI
The seeds of the Pelagian heresy springing up again, St. Germanus returns to Britain with Severus, and first cures the corporeal lameness of a young man; and then, by converting or proscribing the heretics, heals the spiritual lameness of the people.
Some time after St. Germanus' return to France, he was informed that a few individuals had begun again to disseminate the perverse opinions of Pelagius in the same island: and he was again solicited by the entreaties of all the clergy, to assert the cause of God, which he had before so nobly defended. He hastened to comply with their request, (and taking with him Severus, a person of the most eminent piety, who was the pupil of his former colleague St. Lupus, and had been ordained by him bishop of Treves,) embarked, and sailed over to Britain with a fair wind. In the mean time, the wicked spirits, flying over the whole island, were reluctantly compelled to announce to the inhabitants the arrival of St. Germanus. Upon which Elafius, one of the principal men of the country, hastened to meet the holy men, taking with him his son, who, though in the flower of youth, was afflicted with such debility and lameness, as would have moved anyone to compassion to behold him: for the sinews of his legs were so contracted that he could not walk, nor even put his feet to the ground. An immense number of people followed this Elafius, and assembled round the holy prelates; who, as soon as they landed, gave them their blessing, and began to preach the word of God to them. Then they enquired what doctrine they held, and discovered that the majority of the people continued to profess the same faith which they had before taught them; and that but few had swerved from it. These they detected and convicted.
Then Elafius cast himself at the feet of the Missioners, presenting to them his son, whose distress was sufficiently manifest not to require any description. Every one was grieved to see it, but especially the good bishop and his colleague, who immediately had recourse to the divine mercy in his behalf; and the blessed Germanus ordered the youth to sit down, and, applying his healing hand to the part affected, gently drew it over it, when immediately the contracted sinews were relaxed, and restored to their proper tone, and the young man was presented to his father perfectly cured. The surrounding spectators were all very much astonished at the sight of this miracle, and the Catholic faith, thus attested, was more firmly established in their minds. Then were they exhorted to make satisfaction to God for their prevarication; and the authors of it were condemned, by the general voice of all present, to be banished out of the island, and were delivered to the holy prelates, to be sent into any part of the continent, wherever they should judge it most expedient; that so these heresiarchs might be induced to correct their errors, and Britain might be delivered from the pestilence of their perverse opinions. By these means the true faith was restored, and remained in its purity for a long time in this country. Having thus put every thing in good order, the holy prelates returned as prosperously as they came.
St. Germanus, after this, went to Ravenna, to supplicate the Emperor Valentinian to grant peace to the people of Armorica. He was received by him and his mother Placidia with the greatest respect and veneration, and soon afterwards departed to Christ. His sacred remains were carried with the greatest honours, by a numerous and splendid attendance to his own city, where several miracles established the fame of his sanctity. Not long after this time, Valentinian was assassinated by the adherents of Etius, the Patrician, whom he had put to death, in the sixth year of the reign of Marcian, with whom ended the western empire.
