The Lives of the Saints, Volume 03 (of 16): MarchBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
The Lives of the Saints, Volume 03 (of 16): March
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Christian saints
died in a few days after, and Saturus was only dragged along by him.
Then they tied the martyr near a bear, but that beast came not out of
his lodge, so that Saturus, being sound and not hurt, was called upon
for a second encounter. This gave him an opportunity of speaking to
Pudens, the gaoler that had been converted. The martyr encouraged him
to constancy in the faith, and said to him, "Thou seest I have not
yet been hurt by any beast, as I desired and foretold: believe then
stedfastly in Christ; I am going where thou wilt see a leopard with one
bite take away my life." It happened so, for a leopard being let out
upon him, sprang upon him, and in a moment he was deluged with blood,
whereupon the people jeering, cried out, "He is well baptized." The
martyr said to Pudens, "Go, remember my faith, and let our sufferings
rather strengthen than trouble thee. Give me the ring thou hast on
thy finger." Saturus, having dipped it in his wound gave it him back
to keep as a pledge to animate him to steadfastness in his faith, and
soon after, fell down dead. Thus he went first to glory, to wait for
Perpetua, according to her vision.
[29] Pro ordine venatorum. Venatores is the name given to those that
were armed to encounter the beasts, who put themselves in ranks, with
whips in their hands, and each of them gave a lash to the Bestiarii, or
those condemned to the beasts, whom they obliged to pass naked before
them in the middle of the pit or arena.
In the mean time, Perpetua and Felicitas had been exposed to a wild
cow; Perpetua and Felicitas were the first attacked, and the cow having
tossed the former, she fell on her back. Then putting herself in a
sitting posture, and perceiving her clothes were torn, she gathered
them about her in the best manner she could, to cover herself,
thinking more of decency than her sufferings.[30] Getting up, not to
seem disconsolate, she tied up her hair, which was fallen loose, and
perceiving Felicitas on the ground much hurt by a toss of the cow, she
helped her to rise. They stood together, expecting another assault
from the beasts, but the people crying out that it was enough, they
were led to the gate Sanevivaria, where those that were not killed by
the beasts were despatched at the end of the shows by the confectores.
Perpetua was here received by Rusticus, a catechumen. She seemed as if
just returning out of a long ecstasy, and asked when she was to fight
the wild cow. When told what had passed, she could not believe it till
she saw on her body and clothes the marks of what she had suffered. She
called for her brother, and said to him and Rusticus, "Continue firm in
the faith, love one another, and be not distressed at our sufferings."
All the martyrs were now brought to the place of their butchery. But
the people, not yet satisfied with beholding blood, cried out to have
them led into the middle of the amphitheatre, that they might have the
pleasure of seeing them receive the last blow. Upon this, some of the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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