viewed the country round about, and observed, in the way by which the enemy was expected, a valley encompassed with hills. In that place he drew up his inexperienced troops, himself acting as their general. A multitude of fierce enemies appeared, whom as soon as those that lay in ambush saw approaching, Germanus, bearing in his hands the standard, instructed his men all in a loud voice to repeat his words, and the enemy advancing securely, as thinking to take them by surprise, the priests three times cried, Hallelujah. A universal shout of the same word followed, and the hills resounding the echo on all sides, the enemy was struck with dread, fearing, that not only the neighbouring rocks, but even the very skies, were falling upon them; and such was their terror, that their feet were not swift enough to deliver them from it. They fled in disorder, casting away their arms, and well satisfied if, with their naked bodies, they could escape the danger; many of them, in their precipitate and hasty flight, were swallowed up by the river which they were passing. The Britons, without the loss of a man, beheld their vengeance complete, and became inactive spectators of their victory. The scattered spoils were gathered up, and the pious soldiers rejoiced in the success which Heaven had granted them. The prelates thus triumphed The bishops over the enemy without bloodshed, and gained a victory A.D. 429. by faith, without the aid of human force; and, having settled the affairs of the island, and restored tranquillity by the defeat, as well of the invisible, as of the carnal enemies, prepared to return home. Their own merits, and the intercession of the holy martyr Alban, obtained them a safe passage, and the happy vessel restored them in peace to their rejoicing people. return home. CAP. XXI.-UT, RENASCENTIBUS VIRGULTIS PELAGIANE PESTIS, GERMANUS CUM SEVERO BRITANNIAM REVERSUS, PRIUS CLAUDO JUVENI INCESSUM, DEINDE ET POPULO DEI, CONDEMNATIS SIVE EMENDATIS HÆRETICIS, GRESSUM RECUPERARIT FIDEI. NEC multo interposito tempore, nunciatur ex eadem insula Pelagianam perversitatem iterato, paucis auctoribus, dilatari; rursusque ad beatissimum virum preces 1 sacerdotum omnium deferuntur, ut causam Dei, quam prius obtinuerat, tutaretur. Quorum petitioni festinus obtemperat; namque adjuncto sibi Severo totius sanctitatis viro, (qui erat discipulus beatissimi patris Lupi, Trecassenorum episcopi, et tunc Treveris ordinatus episoppus gentibus primæ Germaniæ verbum Dei prædicabat,) mare conscendit, et, consentientibus elementis, tranquillo navigio Britannias petiit. Interea sinistri spiritus pervolantes totam insulam, Germanum venire invitis vaticinationibus nunciabant; in tantum ut Elafius quidam, regionis illius primus, in occursum sanctorum sine ulla manifesti nuncii relatione properaret, exhibens secum filium, quem in ipso flore adolescentiæ debilitas dolenda damnaverat; erat enim arescentibus nervis contracto poplite, cui per siccitatem cruris usus vestigii negabatur. Hunc Elafium provincia tota subsequitur. Veniunt sacerdotes, occurrit inscia multitudo; confestim benedictio et sermonis divini doctrina profunditur. Recognoscunt populum in ea, qua illum reliquerant, credulitate durantem; intelligunt culpam esse paucorum, inquirunt auctores, inventosque condemnant. Tum subito Elafius pedibus advolvitur sacerdotum, offerens filium, cujus necessitatem ipsa debilitas etiam sine precibus allegabat. Fit communis omnium dolor, præcipue sacerdotum, qui conceptam misericordiam ad divinam clementiam contulerunt; statimque adolescentem beatus Germanus sedere compulit, attrectat poplitem CHAP. XXI.— -THE PELAGIAN GERMANUS, RETURNING HERESY AGAIN REVIVING, FIRST HEALED A LAME YOUTH, THEN HAVING CONDEMNED OR CONVERTED THE HERETICS, THEY RESTORED SPIRITUAL HEALTH TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD. return. A.D. 447. Nor long after, advice was brought from the same Germanus island, that certain persons were again attempting to set and Severus forth and spread abroad the Pelagian heresy. The holy Germanus was entreated by all the priests, that he would' again defend the cause of God, which he had before as serted. He speedily complied with their request; and taking with him Severus, a man of singular sanctity, who was disciple to the most holy father, Lupus, bishop of Troyes, and afterwards, as bishop of Treves, preached the word of God in the adjacent parts of Germany, put to sea, and was calmly wafted over into Britain. In the meantime, the wicked spirits flying about the whole island, foretold by constraint that Germanus was coming, insomuch, that one Elafius, the chief of that religion, hastened to meet the holy men, without having received any certain news, carrying with him his son, who laboured under a weakness of his limbs in the very flower of his youth; for the nerves being withered, his leg was so contracted that the limb was useless, and he could not walk. All the country followed this Elafius. The priests arrived, and were met by the ignorant multitude, whom they blessed, and preached the word of God to them. They found the people constant in the faith as they had left them; and learning that but few had gone astray they found out the authors, and condemned them. Then Elafius cast himself at the feet of the priests, presenting his son, whose distress was visible, and needed no words. to express it. All were grieved, but especially the priests, who put up their prayers for him before the throne of mercy; and Germanus, causing the youth to sit down, debilitate curvatum, et per tota infirmitatis spatia medicabilis dextera percurrit, salubremque tactum sanitas festina subsequitur. Ariditas succum, nervi officia, receperunt; et in conspectu omnium filio incolumitas, patri filius, restituitur. Implentur populi stupore miraculi, et in pectoribus omnium fides catholica inculcata firmatur. Prædicatio deinde ad plebem de prævaricationis emendatione convertitur, omniumque sententia pravitatis auctores, qui erant expulsi insula, sacerdotibus adducuntur ad mediterranea deferendi, ut et regio absolutione et illi emendatione fruerentur. Factumque est ut in illis locis multo ex eo tempore fides intemerata perduraret. Itaque, compositis omnibus, beati sacerdotes ea, qua venerant, prosperitate redierunt. Porro Germanus post hæc ad Ravennam pro pace Armoricanæ gentis supplicaturus advenit, ibique a Valentiniano et Placidia matre ipsius summa reverentia susceptus migravit ad Christum; cujus corpus honorifico agmine, comitantibus virtutum operibus, suam defertur ad urbem. Nec multo post Valentinianus ab Ætii Patricii, quem occiderat, satellitibus interimitur, anno imperii Marciani sexto, cum quo simul Hesperium concidit regnum. CAP. XXII.-UT BRITONES, QUIESCENTIBUS AD TEMPUS EXTERIS, CIVILIBUS SESE BELLIS CONTRIVERINT, SIMUL ET MAJORIBUS FLAGITIIS SUBMERSERINT. INTEREA in Britannia cessatum quidem est parumper ab externis, sed non a civilibus bellis. Manebant exterminia civitatum ab hoste dirutarum ac desertarum; pugnabant contra se invicem, qui hostem evaserant, cives. Attamen, recente adhuc memoria calamitatis et cladis gently passed his healing hand over the leg which was contracted; the limb recovered its strength and soundness by the power of his touch, the withered nerves were restored, and the youth was, in the presence of all the people, delivered whole to his father. The multitude was amazed at the miracle, and the Catholic faith was firmly planted in the minds of all; after which, they were, in a sermon, warned and exhorted to make amends for their errors. By the judgment of all, the spreaders of the heresy, who had been expelled the island, were brought before the priests, to be conveyed up into the continent, that the country might be rid of them, and they corrected of their errors. Thus the faith in those parts continued long after pure and untainted. All things being settled, the blessed prelates returned home as prosperously as they came. again depart. But Germanus, after this, went to Ravenna to inter- The bishops cede for the tranquillity of the Armoricans, where, being very honourably received by Valentinian and his mother, Placidia, he departed to Christ; his body was conveyed to his own city with a splendid retinue, and numberless deeds of charity accompanied him to the grave. Not End of the long after, Valentinian was murdered by the followers Empire. of Ætius, the Patrician, whom he had put to death, in the sixth year of the reign of Marcianus, and with him ended the empire of the West. CHAP. XXII.- In the meantime, in Britain, there was some respite from foreign, but not from civil war. There still remained the ruins of cities destroyed by the enemy, and abandoned; and the natives, who had escaped the enemy, now fought against each other. However, the kings, Western |