The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. January, February, MarchButler, Alban
Religion
The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints. January, February, March
Butler, Alban
Christian patron saints -- Biography; Christian saints -- Biography
part of these saints have been the objects of the veneration of the
whole Christian world during several ages. Their names stand recorded in
the titles of our churches, in our towns, estates, writings, and {050}
almost every other monument of our Christian ancestors. If the late
learned bishop Tanner, by his _Notitia Monastica_, deserved the thanks
of all lovers of antiquity, will they not receive favorably the history
of those eminent persons of whom we meet so frequent memorials?
Besides the principal saint for each day, in this collection is added a
short account of some others who were very remarkable in history, or
famous among our ancestors. The English and Scottish churches had, by
the mutual intercourse and neighborhood of the nations, a particular
devotion to several French saints, as appears from all their ancient
breviaries, from a complete English manuscript calendar, written in the
reign of Edward IV., now in my hands, and from the titular saints of
many monasteries and parishes. Our Norman kings and bishops honored
several saints of Aquitain and Normandy by pious foundations which bear
their names among us: and portions of the relics of some French saints,
as of St. Salvius, kept in the cathedral of Canterbury, have rendered
their names illustrious in this kingdom. The mention of such, were it
but for the satisfaction of our antiquaries, &c., will, it is to be
hoped, be pardoned. Though the limits of this work would not allow long
abstracts of these secondary lives, yet some characteristical
circumstances are inserted, that these memoirs might not sink into a
bare _necrology_, or barren list of dates and names. For, unless a
narration be supported with some degree of dignity and spirit, and
diversified by the intermixture of various events, it deserves not the
name of history; no more than a plot of ground can be called a garden,
which is neither variegated with parterres of flowers, nor checkered
with walks and beds of useful herbs or shrubs. To answer the title and
design of this work, a short account is given of those fathers whose
names are famous in the history of the church, and in the schools, but
who have never been honored among the saints. But such fathers or other
eminent persons are spoken of only in notes upon the lives of certain
saints, with which they seem to have some connection. It was the
compiler's intention to insert among the lives of the saints an account
of none to whom public veneration has not been decreed by the authority
of the Holy See, or at least of some particular churches, before this,
on many just accounts, was reserved to the chief pastor of the church.
The compiler declares that the epithets of Saint and Blessed are never
employed in this work, but with entire submission to the decrees of
Urban VIII. on this subject; and that if they are anywhere given to
persons to whom the supreme pastors of the church have never juridically
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