This is sufficient to reveal the whole as an impudent forgery. William, the compiler, actually the fabricator of the Passio, pretends that he added nothing to the original except the name of Amphibalus, which he took from Geoffrey of Monmouth (lib. v, cap. 5). This supposed original book which William used was, as we have seen, in the English language. But in Matthew Paris' Life of Abbot Eadmer the story is told of a very ancient book in the British tongue having been discovered in a recess of a wall, and of how it was interpreted by one Unwona, an aged monk; and it proved to be a Passion of S. Alban.

The fact would seem to be that the monks of S. Alban's were dissatisfied with the brief story of the death of their Saint, as given by Bede, and set one of their number to compose a fuller story, and, to give credence to it, pretended to have found an ancient book of the Martyrdom composed by an eyewitness, whilst still a pagan.

William had not the wit to make this author write in British, but makes him a Saxon. Matthew Paris knew better. The outline of the story is as in Bede, all the rest is mere invention.

A condensation of William of S. Alban's work is in Capgrave's Nova Legenda Angliæ, under the heads of "Alban" and "Amphibalus." There is a Saxon Passio S. Albanis and a Saxon Vita S. Albani, but both are derived from Bede. William of S. Alban's Passion is printed in the Acta SS. Boll., Jun. iv, pp. 149–59. There are other MS. Lives or Passions of S. Alban; Radulph of Dunstable composed a Latin Metrical Life of SS. Alban and Amphibalus. He wrote it at the request of the aforesaid William, who, however, died before its completion.1 Matthew Paris (1236–53) also wrote a Vita

Sti. Albani.

None of the Lives are of any historical value. The sole authorities of any worth are Gildas and Bede. But they are instructive for all that. They show the manner in which Lives were amplified, miracles fabricated, and martyrdoms multiplied by late redactors. Thus, although there is no evidence that others suffered with Alban save the executioner, William of S. Albans makes those sent after Amphibalus slaughter a thousand in Wales, without respect to age or sex. "Ira commoti, sine respectu aetatis, sanguinis aut reverentiae, vicini vicinos

1 Wright, Biographia Britannica Literaria, Anglo-Norman Period, 1846, pp. 212-5.

2 Gildas does however add: "Ceteri vero sic diversis cruciatibus torti sunt et inaudita membrorum discerptione lacerati, ut absque cunctamine gloriosi in egregiis Jerusalem veluti portis martyrii sui trophæa defigerent. Nam qui superfuerant silvis ac desertis abditisque speluncis se occultavere." But this does not necessarily apply to Britain but to the persecution throughout the Empire.

et amicos neci tradunt; et atrociter in ore gladii mille viros pro Christo occidunt."

The Legend by John of Tynemouth, taken into Capgrave's Nova Legenda, is derived partly from Bede, and partly from the Life by William of S. Albans.

In a so-called Martyrology of S. Jerome, in a Berne Codex of about 770, "S. Albinus Martyr " is commemorated on June 22, " along with others, 889 in number." Here we see how a story expands and adopts extravagant details. Bede expressly says that after the death of Alban the persecution ceased in Britain. He represents the magistrate as deterred by the miracles that had taken place; actually what induced him to stop was probably that he saw that the use of force advanced instead of serving to hinder the cause of Christianity.

Almost all English Calendars have S. Alban on June 22, and he occurs in some of the Welsh Calendars on the same day. He is entered in the Vannes Missals of 1530 and 1535; and in the Vannes Breviary of 1589; and in the S. Malo Breviary of 1537.

Whytford in his Martiloge says, on June 22, " In brytayne ye feest of saint Albane a martyr that in the tyme of ye emperour Dioclecian after many turmēts suffred at verolame deth, heded by the sworde and with hym was a soudyour put to deth because he refused to do ye execucyon upon hym." And O'Gorman has inserted him on the same day in his Irish Martyrology. In the Reformed Anglican Calendar on June 17.1

The Abbey of S. Alban's, as already said, was founded by Offa, the king of the Mercians, in 793. William of Malmesbury says: "The relics of S. Alban, at the time obscurely buried, he ordered to be reverently taken up and placed in a shrine, decorated to the fullest extent of royal munificence with gold and jewels. A Church of most beautiful workmanship was then erected and a company of monks assembled."

"2

In Monmouthshire, the church of Christ Church on the height above Caerleon, on the left bank of the Usk, was formerly dedicated to S. Alban. The high ground above the junction of the Afon Lwyd is still called Mount S. Alban.

In Devonshire, Beaworthy Church is dedicated to him.

No church bears his name in Cornwall. He is patron of Tattenhall near Chester; of a church also in Worcester; of S. Alban's, Wood

1 In the Preces Private, 1564, the Book of Common Prayer, 1564, 1573, and 1617 on June 17, but in the latter also on July 29. See Lord Aldenham's paper on S. Alban in the Transactions of S. Paul's Ecclesiological Soc., iv, p. 32. 2 Chron. Reg. Angliæ, i, 4.

VOL. I.

L

Street, London, founded in the tenth century; Earsdon in Northumberland as under Tynemouth, a priory of S. Alban's Abbey; Wymondham in Norfolk, as well a priory of S. Alban's; Worksop Priory in Nottinghamshire, and Wickersley in Yorkshire; Withernwick in east Yorkshire; Frant in Kent, and perhaps originally Almondbury in Yorkshire. Camden so thinks. In Brittany he is supposed to be patron of several parishes and chapels. This is, however, due to a mistake: he has been confounded with and has superseded S. Albinus, who was a native of the Diocese of Vannes, and became bishop of Angers, and died circ. 550.

S. ALLECCUS, or GALLGO, Confessor

ACCORDING to the Life of Gildas by the monk of Ruys, Alleccus, or Allectus, was a brother of that saint. He says: Mailocus, Alleccus and Egreas, with their saintly sister (Peteova), after contemning all the wealth and luxuries of the world, strove with the whole bent of their soul to reach the celestial country, and devoted their lives to fastings and prayers. At last they were called to God, and received the reward of their labours. They were buried in the oratories which they had built, and are preserved there, famous and illustrious for their constant miracles, and destined to rise again in glory." 1

Alleccus, or Allectus, there can be hardly a doubt is the Gallgo, or Gallgof ab Caw, of the Welsh pedigrees,2 to whom Llanallgo, a chapel subject to his brother's church, Llaneugrad, in Anglesey, is dedicated.

Gallgo was for a while a saint at Llantwit and Llancarfan.3 He appears to be the Calcas ab Caw who is mentioned in the Tale of Culhwch and Olwen as having been in the service of King Arthur.1 Probably, owing to the insults dashed in the face of Maelgwn Gwynedd by Gildas, his brother, Alleccus may have been forced to leave Anglesey, and then perhaps retired to Ireland for a time. Colgan conjectured that he is the saint named Oilleoc in the Irish Martyrologies, but hesitated between him and Elloc, one of the reputed sons of Brychan.5

1 Gildas, ed. Hugh Williams, p. 327.

2 Iolo MSS., pp. 101, 109, 116, 137, 142-3; Myv. Arch., p. 425.

3 Iolo MSS., pp. 101, 116.

4 Mabinogion, ed. Rhys and Evans, p. 107; ed. Guest, 1877, p. 224.

5 Acta SS. Hibern., Jan. 29, p. 188. The situation of Cluan Etchen, of which Oilleoc was saint, has not been determined.