VM 1.11

English

My barren manner of speaking, that wishes to relate such great deeds of power, is unable to do them justice. The son of Chararic, a king of Galicia, was seriously ill and found himself in such a state of affliction that breathing was the only movement he could make. His father, however, had subjected himself, along with the inhabitants of that region, to the stinking Arian sect. That region was more befouled by leprosy, too, than was usual in other provinces.

When the king saw that his son was being driven to his end, he said to those around him: "That man Martin who, they say, shines forth with many deeds of power in Gaul, tell me please, of what religion was this man?" They told him: "While in the body he governed his people of the catholic faith with pastoral care, asserting that the Son ought to be venerated as equal in substance and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, but now too, placed in the heavenly abode, he does not cease caring for his people through constant benefits." The king replied: "If the things you tell me are true, let some of my faithful friends hasten to his temple bearing many gifts; and if they should obtain healing for my little child, I shall acquire information about the catholic faith and will believe what he believed." After therefore measuring a quantity of gold and silver equal to the weight of his son, he sent it to the venerable place of the tomb. And when this had been brought there, and the messengers had given their gifts, they prayed at the blessed man's tomb for the sick boy.

But because the teachings of the Arian sect still lived in his father's heart, he did not deserve to receive a complete cure immediately. For when they had returned, the messengers told the king that they had seen many deeds of power at the tomb of the blessed man, and said: "Why your son has not been cured, we do not know." And he, understanding that his son could not be cured until he believed Christ to be equal with the Father, built a church in honor of the blessed Martin. When this marvelous work had been completed he announced: "If I should deserve to receive relics of the just man, I shall believe whatever the priests have preached." And thus he again sent his men with greater gifts who requested relics when they had come to the blessed place.

When these were offered to them in the usual way, they said: "This is not how we will do it; we request to be granted permission to place something on the tomb which we will then take up again." Then they laid part of a silk cloth which they had weighed on the blessed tomb, saying: "If we find favor with the patron we have entreated, what we have placed on the tomb will weigh more afterward, and what we sought in faith will become a blessing for us." When they had kept vigils for one night and morning had come, they weighed what they had put on the tomb. So much of the blessed man's grace had seeped into it that when they held up the balance's bronze weight, it went up at once as high as it could.

And when the relics were held up to great applause, those who were confined in the city's jail heard the voices singing psalms, and admiring the sweetness of the sounds, asked the guards what the occasion was. These said: "Relics of the lord Martin are being sent to Galicia, and therefore psalms are being sung." Then the prisoners wept and called on the holy Martin to rescue them by his visit from the confinement of prison. When the terrified guards turned to flee, the fastenings of the prisoners' bonds broke, and these people rose free from their chains; thus, while the people watched, they came to the holy remains, kissed the blessed relics while weeping and at the same time thanked the blessed Martin for their release and for having saved them in his goodness. Through the bishop's intercession, the charges against them were thereupon dismissed by the judge, and they were let go as free men.

Seeing this, the bearers of the relics were overjoyed, saying: "Now we know that the blessed bishop deigns to show favor to us sinners." And giving thanks in this manner, they sailed speedily under their patron's protection, with gentle waves, a moderate breeze, a billowing sail, and a calm sea, and quickly reached their harbor in Galicia. 

Then, instructed by God, someone named Martin came from a distant region and is now a bishop there. But I believe that it did not happen without divine providence that he left his country on the same day that the blessed relics were taken from their place, and that he thus entered the harbor in Galicia at the same time as they did. These relics were received with the greatest veneration and strengthened everyone's faith through their miracles. For the king's son, whose illness had disappeared completely, hastened as a healthy man to meet them.

The blessed Martin accepted the dignity of episcopal grace, and the king, having confessed to the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was anointed together with his whole household. The filth of leprosy was driven away from the people, all those who were ill were healed, and up to now the illness of leprosy has never subsequently appeared there on anyone. The Lord bestowed such grace there upon the arrival of the relics of the blessed patron that to relate the powerful deeds which happened there that day would take too long. For this people is now so fervent in their love of Christ that all would eagerly take on martyrdom if a time of persecution came.

Latin

Defecit lingua sterilis, tantae cupiens enarrare virtutes. Chararici cuiusdam regis Galliciae filius graviter aegrotabat, qui tale taedium incurrerat, ut solo spiritu palpitaret. Pater autem eius faetidae se illius Arrianae sectae una cum incolis loci subdiderat. Sed et regio illa plus solito, quam aliae provintiae, a lepra sordebat. Cumque rex videret, urgueri filium in extremis, dicit suis: 'Martinus ille, quem in Galliis dicunt multis virtutibus effugere, cuius, quaeso, religionis vir fuerit, enarrate?' Cui aiunt: 'Catholicae fidei populum pastorali cura in corpore positus gubernavit, adserens, Filium cum Patre et sancto Spiritu aequali substantia vel omnipotentia venerari; sed et nunc caeli sede locatus, assiduis beneficiis non cessat plebi propriae provideri'. Qui ait: 'Si haec vera sunt quae profertis, discurrant usque ad eius templum fideles amici, multa munera deportantes; et si obtenent mei infantuli medicinam, inquisita fide catholica, quae ille credidit credam'. Pensato ergo auro argentoque ad filii sui pondus, transmisit ad venerabilem locum sepulchri. Quo perlati, oblatis muneribus, exorant ad beatum tumulum pro aegroto. Sed insedente adhuc in patria pectore sectam, non continuo integram recipere meruit medicinam. Reversi autem nuntii narraverunt regi, se multas virtutes ad beati tumulum vidisse, dicentes: 'Cur non sanaverit filius tuus, ignoramus'. At ille intellegens, non ante sanari posse filium, nisi aequalem cum Patre crederet Christum, in honorem beati Martini fabricavit miro opere eclesiam, expeditamque, proclamat: 'Si suscipere mereor viri iusti reliquias, quodcumque praedicaverint sacerdotes, credam'. Et sic iterum suos dirigit maiori cum munere. Qui venientes ad beatum locum, reliquias postulabant. Cumque eis offerrentur ex consuetudine, dixerunt: 'Non ita faciemus, sed nobis, quaesumus, licentia tribuatur ponendi quae exinde iterum adsumamus'. Tunc partem pallii sirici pensatam super beatum sepulchrum posuerunt, dicentes: 'Si invenimus gratiam coram expetito patrono, quae posuimus plus in sequenti pensabunt, eruntque nobis in benedictione quaesita per fidem'. Vigilata ergo una nocte, facto mane, quae posuerant pensitabant. In quibus tanta beati viri infusa est gratia, ut tam diu elevarent in sublimi aeream libram, quantum habere poterat quo ascenderet momentana. Cumque elevatae fuissent reliquiae cum magno triumpho, audierunt voces psallentium qui erant in civitate detrusi in carcere, et admirantes suavitatem sonus, interrogant custodes, quid hoc esset. Qui dixerunt: 'Reliquiae domni Martini in Gallicia transmittuntur, et ideo sic psallitur'. Tunc illi flentes invocabant sanctum Martinum, ut eos sua visitatione liberaret. Exterritisque custodibus et in fugam versis, disruptis obicibus retenaculorum, liber populus surgit a vinculo, et sic usque ad sancta pignora, populo expectante venerunt, osculando flentes beatas reliquias simulque et gratias beato Martino pro sui absolutione reddentes, quod eos dignatus fuerit sua pietate salvare. Tunc, obtentis per sacerdotem a iudice culpis, incolomes dimissi sunt. Quod videntes gestatores reliquiarum, gavisi sunt valde, dicentes: 'Nunc cognovimus, quod dignatur beatus antistis nobis peccatoribus propitium se praebere'. Et sic gratias agentes, navigio prospero, sequente patroni praesidio, undis lenibus, temperatis flatibus, velo pendulo, mare tranquillo, velociter ad portum Galliciae pervenerant. Tunc commonitus a Deo beatos Martinus de regione longinqua, qui ibidem nunc sacerdos habetur, advenit. Sed nec hoc credo sine divina fuisse providentia, quod ea die se commoveret de patria, qua beatae reliquiae de loco levatae sunt, et sic simul cum ipsis pignoribus Galliciae portum ingressus sit. Quae pignora cum summa veneratione suscipientes, fidem miraculis firmant. Nam filius regis, amissa omni aegritudine, sanus properat ad occursum. Beatus autem Martinus sacerdotalis gratiae accepit principatum. Rex unitatem Patris et Filii et Spiritus sancti confessus, cum omni domo sua crysmatus est. Squalor leprae a populo pellitur, et omnes infirmi salvantur, nec umquam ibi usque nunc super aliquem leprae morbus apparuit. Talemque ibi gratiam in adventu pignorum beati patroni Dominus tribuit, ut virtutes, quae ibidem illa die factae sunt, enarrari perlongum sit. Nam tantum in amore Christi nunc populus ille prumptus est, ut omnes martyrium libentissime susciperent, si tempus persecutionis adesset.