PG 4 · cols. 689–696

Dionysius Guerinus, Martyrium S. Dionysii Areopagitae (carmen)

Editors' preface

Beati Dionysii Areopagitae, Athenarum episcopi, et fidei Christianae apud Franco-Celtas praeconis, Martyrium Dionysius Guerinus medicus canebat.

The Martyrdom of Blessed Dionysius the Areopagite, bishop of Athens and herald of the Christian faith among the Franco-Celts, sung by Dionysius Guerinus, physician.

Vani valete sycophantarum greges, / Auferte vestra somnia. / Non est quod audiam, quod amplius seram / Aurata fuco carmina : / Seu Graeca, seu Latina sint ea ut lubet, / Me Musa vincit altior. / Inusitatae sanctius gliscit lyrae / Melos pererrans pectora.

Farewell, you empty herds of sycophants; / take away your dreams. / There is no reason why I should hear, why I should sow any longer / songs gilded with paint: / be they Greek, be they Latin, as you please, / a loftier Muse overcomes me. / More holily swells the melody of an unwonted lyre, / wandering through the breast.

Editors' notes and page, col. 689

Footnotes

(…) ‹anchor: not visible› · call not visible (note begins above the crop) […] adversus martyres ceperant enuntiant. Sur.: A memoria eorum quae susceperant agenda discussit. Verto: Prudenter odium nefarii consilii quod illi adversus martyres ceperant excussit. Perionius in margine putat legendum esse ἐξήνεγκαν, et referendum ad milites, quasi inter pocula mulieri consilium suum aperuerint de mergendis sanctis corporibus. Adverte esse allusionem ad praecedens προσήνεγκε; quasi dicat: Sicut illis multa dona protulit, sic ab illis odium in martyres conceptum abstulit.

[…] declare [the hatred] which they had conceived against the martyrs. Surius: "She drove from their memory what they had undertaken to do." I translate: "She prudently shook off the hatred of the wicked plan which they had conceived against the martyrs." Perion in the margin thinks ἐξήνεγκαν should be read and referred to the soldiers, as though over their cups they had disclosed to the woman their plan of drowning the saints' bodies. Note that there is an allusion to the preceding προσήνεγκε; as if to say: as she brought them many gifts, so she took from them the hatred they had conceived against the martyrs.

(printed under page 354)

(90) ‹anchor: Ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ› · call not visible

Ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ τῇ εἰς μικρὸν κειμένῃ πεδίον τὸ ἑτοιμασθὲν εἰς σπορὰν ἐπὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος καταχώσαντες ἀποκρύψωσιν. Antiq.: In ea caute quae juxta exiguum agrum, qui ad insequentis anni sementem paratus erat deportantes, terra obruta corpora occultarent. Per.: Ut in saxo quod situm esset in agello consito postea defoderent. Verto: Ut in saxo quod situm esset in agello in sequentis anni sementem parato terra obruta corpora occultarent.

Ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ τῇ εἰς μικρὸν κειμένῃ πεδίον τὸ ἑτοιμασθὲν εἰς σπορὰν ἐπὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος καταχώσαντες ἀποκρύψωσιν. Ancient: "Carrying them to the rock which lies by a small field that had been made ready for the next year's sowing, they were to hide the bodies covered with earth." Perion: "That they should bury them afterwards in the rock that lay in a small sown field." I translate: "That they should hide the bodies, covered with earth, in the rock that lay in a small field made ready for the following year's sowing."

(printed under page 354)

(91) ‹anchor: Καὶ εὑροῦσα μέγα τροῦλον› · call not visible

Καὶ εὑροῦσα μέγα τροῦλον. Antiq.: Atque megatrulo invento. Per.: Inventoque magno colle. Verto: Inventoque magno fornice.

Καὶ εὑροῦσα μέγα τροῦλον. Ancient: "And a megatrulus having been found." Perion: "And a great hill having been found." I translate: "And a great vault having been found."

(printed under page 354)

(92) ‹anchor: Οὐ χωρὶς ἀξίας πιστεύομεν› · call not visible

Οὐ χωρὶς ἀξίας πιστεύομεν, ἄνευ δὲ φόβου, τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων τούτων ὁμοιωθῆναι. Antiq.: Non immerito credimus quin et citra dubitationem sanctis hisce martyribus non dissimilem evasisse. Per.: Non sine merito, nec sinc metu martyrum credimus. Verto: Non praeter dignitatem, sed sine metu credimus sanctis martyribus hisce similem evasisse. Perion. dicit in margine, est in Graeco, ὁμοιωθῆναι, sed non convenit; debuerat igitur istum vocem corrigere, vel aliam quae conveniret suggerere. Certe versio mea clara evadet ex sequentibus.

Οὐ χωρὶς ἀξίας πιστεύομεν, ἄνευ δὲ φόβου, τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων τούτων ὁμοιωθῆναι. Ancient: "Not undeservedly do we believe, and indeed beyond doubt, that she turned out not unlike these holy martyrs." Perion: "Not without merit, nor without fear of the martyrs, do we believe." I translate: "Not beyond what is fitting, but without fear, we believe that she turned out like these holy martyrs." Perion says in the margin that the Greek has ὁμοιωθῆναι, but that it does not fit; he ought then to have corrected that word, or suggested another that would fit. My version will certainly become clear from what follows.

(printed under page 354)

(93) ‹anchor: Ὡς πολλὴ οὖσα› · call not visible

Ὡς πολλὴ οὖσα. Antiq.: Quippe civitas. Per.: Quae erat quasi civitas. Verto: Numerosissima vel frequentissima. Patet ex usu particulae ὡς. Perion. videtur legisse πόλις.

Ὡς πολλὴ οὖσα. Ancient: "Being, that is, a city." Perion: "Which was like a city." I translate: "Most numerous," or "most crowded." This is clear from the use of the particle ὡς. Perion seems to have read πόλις.

(printed under page 354)

(94) ‹anchor: Τρίτον ἀριθμόν› · call not visible

Τρίτον ἀριθμόν. Antiq.: Ternarium numerum. Per. omisit.

Τρίτον ἀριθμόν. Ancient: "The number three." Perion omitted it.

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(95) ‹anchor: Οὐκ αὐτομολήσαντες› · call not visible

Οὐκ αὐτομολήσαντες περὶ τὴν ἐξήγησιν. Antiq.: Siquidem ab harum rerum expositione non fuimus alieni. Per.: Non praetermissa ut dictum est expositione. Verto: Non pro lubitu expositionem aggressi; quasi dicat: Non instar transfugarum modo istam, modo illam partem pro lubitu suscipientes, seu prout Deum timentes ex doctorum scriptis eruimus.

Οὐκ αὐτομολήσαντες περὶ τὴν ἐξήγησιν. Ancient: "Since indeed we were not strangers to the exposition of these matters." Perion: "The exposition not having been passed over, as was said." I translate: "Not having undertaken the exposition at our own whim"; as if to say: not taking up now this side, now that, at our pleasure, like deserters, but as, fearing God, we have drawn it out from the writings of the learned.

(printed under page 354)

(96) ‹anchor: Ἐν ἐσχάτοις ἱεροῖς› · call not visible

Ἐν ἐσχάτοις ἱεροῖς παραδοῦναι χάρτεσιν. Antiq.: In sacris chartis conscribere sumus conati. Per.: Sanctis litterarum mouumentis prodere. Verto: In extremis sacris chartis prodere. Videntur esse verba abbreviatoris quibus significet se post commentarios S. Maximi martyrium hoc adnexuisse. Nisi cum R. P. Scondoncho nostro harum rerum peritissimo, τῷ ἐν ἐσχάτοις utrinque incisis concluso, vertas: ad extremum sacris litterarum monumentis tradere.

Ἐν ἐσχάτοις ἱεροῖς παραδοῦναι χάρτεσιν. Ancient: "We have tried to write it down on sacred pages." Perion: "To hand it down in holy written records." I translate: "To hand it down on the last sacred pages." These seem to be the words of the abridger, by which he indicates that he attached this martyrdom after the commentaries of St Maximus. Unless, with our Rev. Father Scondonchus, most expert in these matters, you enclose ἐν ἐσχάτοις between commas on either side and translate: "at the end, to commit it to sacred written records."

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(97) ‹anchor: Ὁμοίως τοῖς λέγουσιν› · call not visible

Ὁμοίως τοῖς λέγουσιν ὅτι φλογὶ καυστικῇ κατακεκαυμένα εἰσὶ τὰ συγγράμματα αὐτῶν. Antiq.: Simul cum ipsis scriptoribus (urente siquidem flamma illorum scripta sunt concremata). Per.: Eodem modo ii qui flamma et igne ea quae de eis scripta erant, deflagrasse dicunt. Verto: Sicut ii qui flamma comburente ea quae ab eis scripta erant deflagrasse dicunt.

Ὁμοίως τοῖς λέγουσιν ὅτι φλογὶ καυστικῇ κατακεκαυμένα εἰσὶ τὰ συγγράμματα αὐτῶν. Ancient: "Together with the writers themselves (for their writings were burnt up by a scorching flame)." Perion: "In the same way, those who say that what had been written about them was burnt up by flame and fire." I translate: "Like those who say that what had been written by them was burnt up by a consuming flame."

(printed under page 354)

Page

running head: 689 MARTYRIUM, AUCT. DIONYSIO GUERINO. 690
marginal letters: (none)
old-edition numerals: 406 after prostituit.; 407 before Vani
other: Latin only, no Greek printed (except Greek lemmas and terms in Lansselius's notes); editors' matter: (84) Τῶν μαρτύρων (continuation of Lansselius's notes on the Martyrium). Below the notes - the title (Beati Dionysii Areopagitae ... Martyrium Dionysius Guerinus medicus canebat) and the opening stanzas of Guerin's poem, which belong to the unit guerini_carmen_martyrium (pointer only)
other: page shared with PG004/ed_notae_martyrium_methodii; this file is a copy of its notes (QA keeps this unit's own)

PG 4:690

Dionysius stat laureis fulgens comis / Stolisque purpurantibus. / Infans gemellis uberum de fontibus / Lac hauserat proterviae. / Dein sophista dissecans ambagibus, / Vinclisque verum vinciens : / Per syllogismos plectiles strophis sophos / In porticu Martis ligat.

Dionysius stands, shining with laurel wreaths / and purpling robes. / As an infant, from the twin fountains of the breasts / he had drunk the milk of wantonness. / Then, a sophist, cutting [the truth] apart with ambiguities / and binding the true in chains, / through syllogisms woven with twists he binds the wise / in the portico of Mars.

Editors' notes and page, col. 690

Page

other: col 690 is the right-hand number of a full-width page, set whole under col 689 (corpus full_width rule); nothing of its own: pointer only
other: page shared with PG004/ed_notae_martyrium_methodii; this file is a copy of its notes (QA keeps this unit's own)

PG 4:691

Sed Altitonantis prodiga Dei manu Paulus monile Ecclesiae, Musis Athenas affluentes venerat Fidum profanis oppidum. Torrente linguae susque deque diruit Cultus idolorum impios. Verbi loquelas seminans solertia Dionysium vertit sophum, Proceresque lactat lacte sancti Spiritus, Quos nulla vis facundiae Olim tenaces quiverat divertere. Alia est figura quam antea. Nunc viperina praecaverunt dogmata Inter reflexas semitas, Atque abdicarunt publice sophistica, Christi secuti tramitem. Lux, Paule, gentium, tibi scientia Nunc grata porrigit manus. Atheniensis dissipatur gloria, Dum suggeris miracula. Dilectus astris humor est, ubi novo Labes reati flumine Purgantur, ante verum Numen noverint Et fixerint medullitus. Tu praesul haeres puritati Apostoli, Lympha renatus coelica, Nox hunc refugit, excutit caliginem, Jam mancipatus Numini. Viget sereno corde flamma fortior, Et frons renidet gaudio Radice ab ima funditus vulsas simul Erroris artes extrahit. Alte recessus luminum et coeli plagas Scrutatur, atque praedicat. Scintilla qualis fulget atro sulphure, Vel ut refractis nubibus Per noctis umbram siderum micant faces, Sic praesulis vultis pii. Vis addita est menti; verbisque seminat Millena civium agmina. Fetura verum nascitur sensim, nec est Quod amplius moras trahat. Jussum capessit Apostoli; morem gerens Ad Franco-Celtas mittitur. Perrexit urbem cum sociis Lutetiam Cinctam insulari flumine; Tum parvulam muris, sed aris et molae Valde deorum deditam. Bene habet, peractum est, quod diu cupiverat. Persolvit urbi munia. Praedicta quamvis principum crudelitas Tellus ruberet martyrum Cruore: vitam Gallico tamen solo Tulit medelam comparans. Lolium expedivit, velleret radicitus, Quod ignibus committeret. Annis onustus, eloquii fonte irrigat Gentem profanam largiter. Fluis in prophetas, mente divina rapis

But by the lavish hand of all-thundering God Paul, the jewel of the Church, had come to Athens abounding in the Muses, a town faithful to the profane. With the torrent of his tongue he overthrew upside down the impious worship of idols. Sowing the utterances of the Word with skill, he converted the wise Dionysius, and suckled the nobles with the milk of the Holy Spirit, whom, once tenacious, no force of eloquence had been able to turn aside. Other is their form than before. Now they have guarded against viperous dogmas among winding paths, and have publicly renounced sophistry, having followed the footpath of Christ. O Paul, light of the Gentiles, to you knowledge now gratefully stretches forth her hands. Athenian glory is scattered while you supply miracles. Dear to the stars is the moisture where in a new stream the stains of the guilty are cleansed, once they have come to know the true Godhead beforehand and fixed It deep within the marrow. You, O prelate, cleave to the purity of the Apostle, reborn by heavenly water; night flees from this man, he shakes off the gloom, now bound in service to the Godhead. A stronger flame thrives in his serene heart, and his brow shines with joy; at the same time he draws out the arts of error, plucked up utterly from the lowest root. On high he searches out the recesses of the lights and the regions of heaven, and preaches them. Like a spark that gleams in black sulphur, or as when the clouds are broken the torches of the stars flash through the shadow of night, so is the countenance of the pious prelate. Strength is added to his mind, and with his words he sows thousands of bands of citizens. Yet the offspring is born gradually, nor is there aught to draw out further delays. He takes up the command of the Apostle; obeying, he is sent to the Franco-Celts. He proceeded with his companions to the city of Lutetia, girt by an island-forming river; small then in walls, yet exceedingly devoted to the altars and sacrificial meal of the gods. It is well, it is accomplished, what he had long desired: he pays his duties to the city. Though through the cruelty of princes the aforesaid land grew red with the blood of martyrs, yet to the Gallic soil he brought life, procuring healing. He cleared away the tares, to pluck them up by the roots and commit them to the fires. Laden with years, from the fountain of eloquence he waters the profane nation abundantly. Thou flowest into the prophets, with mind divine Thou carriest away

Editors' notes and page, col. 691

Page

running head: 691 S. DIONYSII AREO
marginal letters: A Sed Altitonantis; B Lux, Paule,; C Alte recessus; D Tum parvulam
old-edition numerals: (none)
misprints kept as printed: vultis (for vultus)
other: Latin only, no Greek printed

PG 4:692

Tu Christe Apollo, pectora. Latex saporque nectaris lingua fluit, Cor mitigas, mentem foves. Ita reddit agmen protinus fidum Deo Antistes Agni conscius. Sed Christianae silvulas gentes petunt, Latent trementes abditae. Noctuque litant congregatae supplices. Condunt suburbio ocius Stephano priori martyrum sacram domum Ejus frequentant limina. Ut vere florifero vagae flores novos Stipant apes et rivulos. Amor sequendi quoslibet accendit Dei Dionysium satellitem. Nec a rudimentis aberrant martyris. Semente sera pinguius Exsistit arvum; deinde quod vegrandibus Oblectat astra messibus. Hic cultor instans aut arator gnaruris, Ditescit aream replens. Prudens colonus ergo qui cum fenore Parit solum feracius. Satis superque civitas Lutetia Ligone culta praesulis. Ad veritatis flexa lumen inclytae. Florem Dei, fontem Boni. Ales polorum protinus praecordiis Nostris suum cordis jubar Vibravit; alti pectoris situm innovans Nam oculos tenebrae clauserant. At viperae proles rigens saevitia Caesar furit Germanicus, Fidem perosus toxicum fundit magis, Quod foverat jam plusculum, Decreta mandat exsequenda gentibus, Et Christianos territat, Ni thure placent principem Deum Jovem, Mox destinandos ignibus. Caedis minister exstitit Sisinius, Immensa pestis et tremor. Cujus ferina floruit gentilitas, Et fastus arrogans minis, Serpentis atrox evomit virus; nec est Quod effero vultu queat Cruentus urbis optimates laedere. Ut aestuantes aequoris Unde profundi cautibus radunt nihil: Frustra laborat regulus. Heu surgit ira, et aggerat vires furor, Struit ruinam martyri. Stimulis calescit condolens ultor Deum, Nec temperat vesaniae. O mersa limo caecitas mortalium, O spissus error gentium. Pastus cruore carnifex gestit ducis Statuta rite persequi. Hinc hostiatim martyris vestigia Vestigat audax et petit.

the breasts, O Thou Christ Apollo. The draught and savour of nectar flows from his tongue; Thou softenest the heart, Thou cherishest the mind. Thus the prelate, conscious of the Lamb, straightway renders the band faithful to God. But the Christian folk seek the little woods; trembling they lie hidden away, and by night, gathered together as suppliants, they offer sacrifice. Swiftly in the suburb they found a sacred house to Stephen, the first of martyrs; they throng his thresholds, as in flower-bearing spring the wandering bees crowd the new flowers and rills. Love of following kindles all towards Dionysius, the attendant of God, nor do they stray from the rudiments of the martyr. By a late sowing the field becomes richer; and thereafter it delights the stars with huge harvests. This husbandman pressing on, or ploughman skilled in the country, grows rich, filling the threshing-floor; a prudent farmer therefore, who with interest makes the soil bear more fruitfully. Enough and more than enough has the city of Lutetia been cultivated by the mattock of the prelate, bent towards the light of renowned truth, the Flower of God, the Fountain of the Good. The winged one of the heavens straightway flashed his beam of heart into our breasts, renewing the rust of the deep breast, for darkness had closed their eyes. But the offspring of the viper, stiffening with savagery, Germanicus Caesar rages; hating the faith, he pours forth still more the venom which he had already cherished for some time; he commands decrees to be executed among the nations, and terrifies the Christians, that unless they appease the chief god Jupiter with frankincense, they must soon be consigned to the fires. Sisinius stood forth as the minister of slaughter, an immense pestilence and terror, whose beastly paganism flourished, and his pride arrogant with threats; fierce, he vomits forth the venom of the serpent; yet there is no way whereby with his wild countenance the bloodthirsty man can harm the nobles of the city. As the surging waves of the deep sea scrape nothing from the crags, in vain does the petty ruler toil. Alas, wrath rises, and fury heaps up its strength; he devises ruin for the martyr. Suffering pain, the avenger of the gods grows hot with goads, nor does he restrain his madness. O blindness of mortals plunged in mire, O thick error of the nations! Fed on blood, the executioner is eager to carry out in due form the statutes of the ruler. Hence, from door to door, boldly he tracks and seeks the footsteps of the martyr.

Editors' notes and page, col. 692

Page

running head: ONYSII AREOPAGITÆ 692
marginal letters: A Tu Christe; B Nec a; C At viperae; D Ut aestuantes
old-edition numerals: 408 before Ut vere florifero
other: Latin only, no Greek printed

PG 4:693

Inter coronam civium tandem videt Praecepta spargentem Dei. Haud continet manus; sed ultro corripit Vinctum catenis supplicem, Fit laetior, flagrans Dei Dionysius, Et currit ad Sisinium. Atque invocat nutum supremi Numinis. Si vile pectus chrismate Sacro piasti fac modo, custos poli, Meo colorer sanguine. Dissolve mentem ergastulis: eam bea Felicitate perpeti. Immotus instat martyr ante barbarum Saevi tribunal judicis. Cui fatur ore fervido Sisinius, Livore turgens noxio: Num est ipse flabrum sibilantis Gorgonae, Segnis senex et impotens. Cum illitterata credidit frequentia, Leges deorum respuens. Aetate vere sum senex, hic reddidit, Ast flore constans pectoris. Anguis senectam mutuor, qui sentibus Cutem repono sordidam. Recens renascor coelica propagine Phoenix quotannis pullulans. Miseret tuorum me sacrorum, et temporum. Pudet fateri, quod ferunt, Vos immolare barbaro ritu viros Gentemque caede perdere. Ostende, quaeso, quas adorem imagines, Junonis utrum, vel Jovis. Ut fumet agno caespitis fastigium, Et thure postes ambiam. Quid me, nefande, supplicare cogitas Fonti malorum daemoni. Deasciato stipiti verrem feris. Quo saxa fani perlinas. Cum haec cerno, tanquam parvuli crepundia Duco, senumque vanulas Edentulorum cantilenas autumo. Non erubescam, si fidem Tuear fatendo maximum regem aetheris. Coelum paratur sanguine. Praefectus urbis toxico fellis madens Cor audiendo exusserat. Ebullit ira, apprehendi jubet virum, Ejus sodales proxime. At ille tanto laetior, cum adoream Labore partam praevidet. Fontem serenat aetheris solatio, Hymno canit symphonia. Velut ad dapes specum petit lubentius, Animo Tonantem pensitans. Antrum latebat abditum, scatens situ, Noctis tenebris obsitum,

Amid a ring of citizens at last he sees him scattering the precepts of God. He does not hold back his hands, but of his own accord seizes the suppliant bound with chains; Dionysius, burning with God, becomes more joyful, and runs to Sisinius, and invokes the nod of the supreme Godhead: "If Thou hast hallowed my lowly breast with sacred chrism, grant now, O Guardian of heaven, that I may be dyed with my own blood. Release my mind from its prison-house; bless it with perpetual felicity." Unmoved stands the martyr before the barbarous tribunal of the savage judge. To him speaks Sisinius with heated mouth, swelling with noxious malice: "Is this he, the blast of the hissing Gorgon, a sluggish and powerless old man, since the unlettered crowd has believed him, spurning the laws of the gods?" "In age truly I am an old man," he replied, "yet steadfast in the flower of my breast. I borrow the old age of the snake, who among the briars lay aside my squalid skin. Newly I am reborn from heavenly stock, a Phoenix sprouting forth every year. I pity your sacred rites, and the times; it shames me to confess what men report, that you sacrifice men in barbarous rite and destroy the nation with slaughter. Show me, I pray, what images I should adore, whether of Juno or of Jupiter, that the top of the turf-altar may smoke with a lamb, and that I may go round the doorposts with frankincense. Why, O impious man, do you think that I should supplicate the demon, the fountain of evils? To a hewn log you strike a boar, wherewith to besmear the stones of the shrine. When I behold these things, I count them like a child's rattles, and deem them the vain little ditties of toothless old men. I shall not blush if I guard the faith by confessing the sovereign King of heaven: heaven is won by blood." The prefect of the city, dripping with the venom of gall, had burned up his heart in hearing. Wrath boils up; he commands the man to be seized, and his companions next. But he is all the more joyful, as he foresees the glory of victory won by toil. He makes his brow serene with the solace of heaven; the symphony sings with a hymn. As if to a feast, he seeks the cave more gladly, pondering the Thunderer in his mind. Hidden lay the cavern, rank with mould, overspread with the darkness of night;

Editors' notes and page, col. 693

Footnotes

(98) ‹anchor: Antrum latebat abditum› · call in col 693

Ubi hodie aedes D. Dionysii a Carcere, in cujus aedis cavea nobilis ille carcer adhuc visitur.

Where today stands the church of St Denis "of the Prison", in whose vault that famous prison is still to be seen.

(printed under page 356)

Page

running head: 693 MARTYRIUM, AUCT. DIO
marginal letters: A Inter coronam; B Num est; C Junonis utrum,; D Ebullit ira,
old-edition numerals: (none)
other: Latin only, no Greek printed

PG 4:694

Gravis senecta clausus implorat prece Coelestis ignes Spiritus. Rerum creator, gloriae splendor Patris Immitte rores, fac precor, Neu livor asper judicis mitescere Discat modo, fac opprimar. Mox carceralis caecitas olympici Fulgore Christi fulgurat. Agnoscit hic Dionysius potentiam Adesse, quam speraverat: Tanti laboris praemium stant angeli Visu nitentes undique. Huic poculum vitae Deus sic porrigit, Ut poena fiat lenior. Perhibent tyrannum blandiendo antistitem Vario irritasse munere. Et nobilem laudat generis prosapiam Partim senilem gratiam. Encomiis martyr retro claudit suas Aures ut anguis, ne malum Serpat medullis altius, fibras quoque Contagione polluat. Seu flos odorus albicat, suffimine Spargens tyranni regiam. Perstringit orbes luminum miraculis: Non nemo miratur virum. Stupuit tyrannus: terve dictis aruit. Clarere nescit scrupulis, Incertus illum puniat, vel liberet, Usumque reddat liberum. Quid plura? vincit anxium socordia Alumna caedis et crucis. Fomenta vulnus putridum novantia Crudelitatem procreant. Quid? si soluta inaestuet praecordiis Bilis, faciatque incendium. Simul calentes inverecundus minas Torvo cievit lumine Figit sagittas pectori, nec impetum Valet tenere amentiae. Incerta qualis Entheos pedem tulit, Ut Maenas insanit Deo. Certare lassus hostis in praetorio, Agitur procellis interim. Caedi flagellis praecipit lictoribus, Corpusque pungi spiculis. Strictum retortis brachiis posti ligant Nudare costas gestiunt. Ut per lacunas vulnerum crepet jecur: Paulumque sanguis palpitet. Ridebat haec martyr Dei ludibria, Tortoris increpans manus. O vos alumni, carceris saevitiam Armate, quaeso, plenius. Stillante tabo, corporis cutem mei Multicolorem reddite.

Shut in and heavy with old age, he implores with prayer the fires of the heavenly Spirit: "Creator of all things, splendour of the glory of the Father, send down Thy dews, grant, I pray, and lest the harsh malice of the judge learn now to grow mild, grant that I be overwhelmed." Soon the blindness of the prison flashes with the brightness of heavenly Christ. Here Dionysius recognizes that the power is present for which he had hoped: as the reward of so great toil stand angels shining to the sight on every side. To him God thus holds out the cup of life, that the punishment may become gentler. They relate that the tyrant by flattery provoked the prelate with varied gifts, and praises the noble lineage of his race, and partly his aged grace. Against encomiums the martyr closes back his ears like a snake, lest the evil creep deeper into his marrow and pollute his fibres also with contagion. Like a fragrant flower he gleams white, sprinkling the palace of the tyrant with incense. He dazzles the orbs of their eyes with miracles; everyone marvels at the man. The tyrant was dumbfounded, and thrice dried up in his words. He knows not how to see clearly through his doubts, uncertain whether to punish him, or set him free and restore his free liberty. Why say more? Sloth, the foster-child of slaughter and the cross, overcomes the anxious man. Poultices renewing a festering wound breed cruelty. What if bile let loose should seethe in his breast and make a conflagration? At the same time the shameless man stirred up burning threats with a grim glare; he fixes arrows in his breast, nor is he able to restrain the onset of his madness. As one possessed bears an uncertain step, like a Maenad he raves with his god. Weary of striving in the praetorium, the enemy is driven meanwhile by storms. He commands the lictors that he be beaten with scourges, and his body pricked with goads. Drawn tight with his arms twisted back, they bind him to a post; they are eager to strip bare his ribs, so that through the clefts of the wounds his liver may crack, and his blood throb little by little. The martyr of God laughed at these mockeries, chiding the hands of the torturer: "O you foster-sons, arm more fully, I pray, the savagery of the prison; with dripping gore make the skin of my body many-coloured."

Editors' notes and page, col. 694

Page

running head: JM, AUCT. DIONYSIO GUERINO. 694
marginal letters: A Gravis senecta; B Vario irritasse; C Alumna caedis; D Strictum retortis
old-edition numerals: 409 before Encomiis martyr
other: Latin only, no Greek printed

PG 4:695

Exin, peractis principis furoribus, Ardentibus prunis datur. Locus est propinquus Sequanae sinuamini Tormenta cernens sontium. Quem sepsit agmen militum forinsecus Fulgere cassidis micans. Prunas tepentes carnifex sternit cito, Ut os beati langueat Decumbit ipse lectulo laetus rogi. Animat sodales sedulo. Illi os decore splenduit magis aureo. Talem revertens legifer De monte vultum detulit : Non sunt, ait, Tormenta quae vos cernitis Citata cursim transeunt, instar noti Pulvim moventis in aere. Trahi e castata fervidus jubet virum, Aliud genus parat crucis. Ad montis altum verticem contermini Lutetiae deducitur. Velut agna templi destinanda altaribus, Nil immolata clamitans Intrare fanum cogitur Cyllenii. Ibique thus adurere. Has intuens ineptias, imagines Irridet atque conspuit. Senile martyr maluit collum dare Mortis lavacris inclytum. Id maluerunt voce clara Rusticus Et contubernalis pati. Percussor ense dum ferit guttur senis, Spectant frequentes eminus Pavidi greges doctorum in alto vertice. Res mira posteris, caput Quod amputatum viderant cadaveris

Thereafter, when the raging of the prince is done, he is given to the burning coals. There is a place near the bend of the Seine that beholds the torments of the guilty, which a troop of soldiers hedged round on the outside, gleaming with the flash of the helmet. The executioner quickly spreads the glowing coals, so that the countenance of the blessed man may faint; he himself lies down joyfully upon the couch of the pyre, and diligently heartens his companions. His countenance shone with a beauty more than golden; such a face did the lawgiver bring down when returning from the mount: What you see, he says, are not torments; they pass swiftly away in haste, like the south wind stirring the dust in the air. Burning with rage, he commands the man to be dragged from the rack, and prepares another kind of cross. To the high summit of the neighbouring mount of Paris he is led away. Like a ewe-lamb to be destined for the altars of the temple, crying out nothing when sacrificed, he is compelled to enter the shrine of the Cyllenian, and there to burn frankincense. Gazing upon these follies, he mocks and spits upon the images. The martyr preferred to give his aged neck, glorious with the baths of death. Rusticus and his companion with a clear voice preferred to suffer the same. While the executioner strikes the old man's throat with the sword, the timid flocks of teachers on the high summit watch in great numbers from afar. A thing wondrous to posterity: the head which they had seen severed from the corpse

Editors' notes and page, col. 695

Footnotes

(99) ‹anchor: not visible on the page-foot images› · call in col 695 (UNSURE: call not in the rendered foot; column inferred from the note's position in the left half of the note band)

Ille locus visitur in templo B. Dionysii vulgo a Passu, prope aedem Beatae Mariae, non longe a ripa Sequanae.

That place is seen in the church of St Denis, commonly called "of the Passage" [du Pas], near the church of Blessed Mary, not far from the bank of the Seine.

(printed under page 357)

Page

running head: 695 S. DIONYSII AREOP
marginal letters: A Exin, peractis principis; B Trahi e castata; C Spectant frequentes eminus
old-edition numerals: (none)
other: Latin only, no Greek printed; full-width title and preface lines at foot (VITA S. DIONYSII... and 410-411 PRAEFATIO. Si e claris...) cut off at right column edge, not set

PG 4:696

Hi conspicantur praesulis Manibus coitis vectitatum, nobilem Ad villulam miraculis. O ter quaterque et amplius felix jugum Hoc purpuratum sanguine ! Felix amoeni littoris pomoerium, Felixque collis vinea. Mulier Catulla floruit credens Deo, Purgata sancto Spiritu : Quae tacta miris martyrum donis, ducem Mollivit, ut cadavera Humaret uncta balsamo, rosis, mero : Domi reservans posteris. Hinc vicus ille feminae nomen trahit. (Catulliacus dici potest) Jam sex peractis saeculis aut circiter : Manes sepulti martyrum Oblivione prorsus obruti nisi Regis Clothaei filius Dagobertus iras horridi vitans patris Tristis cavernas quaeritans (100), Se contulisset in sepulcrum tutius. Statim sopitus somnio. At dormienti fulgidis clari stolis Apparuere martyres. Ac pollicentur principi minas patris Sedare posse coelitus, Modo favillas hic sitas praeconiis Insigniat semper lubens. Triforme culmen Gallicum, triplex honor Quo praestat urbis dignitas. Non obolescet ullus in terris apex : Nec pulvis obducet situ Tuae, patrone, lauream laudis, Deo Inscripta perpes pagina est. Amen.

they behold carried away by the joined hands of the bishop to a little country estate renowned for miracles. O thrice and four times and more happy ridge, empurpled with this blood! Happy the border of the pleasant shore, and happy the vineyard of the hill. The woman Catulla flourished, believing in God, cleansed by the Holy Spirit; touched by the wondrous gifts of the martyrs, she softened the commander, that she might bury the bodies anointed with balsam, roses, and pure wine, keeping them at home for posterity. Hence that village draws the woman's name (it can be called Catulliacus). When now six centuries or thereabouts were accomplished, the buried remains of the martyrs would have been altogether overwhelmed in oblivion, had not the son of King Clothar, Dagobert, shunning the wrath of his dread father and sorrowfully seeking out caverns, betaken himself for safety into the sepulchre, straightway lulled to sleep in a dream. But as he slept, the martyrs appeared, bright in shining robes, and promise the prince that they can appease from heaven his father's threats, provided only that he always gladly honour with praises the ashes laid here. O threefold Gallic summit, triple honour whereby the dignity of the city excels! Not a single letter shall fade away upon earth, nor shall dust cover with mould the laurel of your praise, O patron; the page inscribed to God is everlasting. Amen.

Editors' notes and page, col. 696

Footnotes

(100) ‹anchor: Tristis cavernas quaeritans (100)› · call in col 696

Aimonius monachus, Hist. lib. IV, c. 17.

Aimoin the monk, History, book IV, chapter 17.

(printed under page 357)