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Saint
Mark and Venice |
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Of
St. Mark the Evangelist. Mark
the Evangelist was of the kindred of the Levites, and was a priest. When
he was christened he was godson of S. Peter the apostle, and therefore he
went with him to Rome. When S. Peter preached there the gospel, the good
people of Rome prayed S. Mark that he would put the gospel in writing,
just as St. Peter had preached. So he at their request wrote and showed it
to his master St. Peter to examine; and when S. Peter had examined it, and
saw that it contained the very truth, he approved it and commanded that it
should be read at Rome. And then St. Peter, seeing St. Mark constant in
the faith, sent him into Aquileia for to preach the faith of Jesus Christ,
where he preached the word of God, and did many miracles, and converted
innumerable multitudes of people to the faith of Christ. He also wrote the
gospel for them, as he did to the people of
Rome, which is to this day kept in the church of Aquileia with
great devotion. After
this it happened that St. Mark took with him to Rome a burgess of that
same city whom he had converted to the faith, named Ermagoras. He brought
him to St. Peter, and prayed him that he would ordain him bishop of
Aquileia, and so he did. Then this Ermagoras, when he was bishop, he
governed much holily the church, until at the last the pagans martyred
him. Then St. Peter sent St. Mark to Alexandria, where he preached first
the word of God. As soon as he entered the city a great multitude of
people assembled against him, but he was of such great perfection that by
his preaching and by his good example, the devoted people assumed
a life like that of monks. He was of so great humility that he cut off his thumb because he would be no priest, for he judged himself not worthy; but the ordinance of God and of St. Peter came against his will, for St. Peter ordained him bishop of Alexandria. And as St Mark came into Alexandria, his shoes were broken and torn; when he saw that he said: I see that my journey is a smooth one, for God has not allowed the devil to obstruct me, for my sins have been forgiven.’ Then St. Mark went to a shoemaker to mend his shoes. As the shoemaker worked he pricked and injured his left hand with his awl. When he felt the hurt he cried on high: One God! When St. Mark heard that, he said to him: 'Now I know well that God has made my journey prosperous.' Then he took a little clay and spittle and mixed them together and laid it on the wound, and straight away he was whole. When the shoemaker saw this miracle he brought him into his house and demanded him what he was, and where he had come from. St. Mark said that he was the servant of Jesus Christ. 'I would fain see him'. The shoemaker replied. 'I shall show him to you' St. Mark said. Then he began to preach to him the faith of Jesus Christ, and baptized him and all his family. When the men of the town heard that a man had come from Galilee that despised and defended the sacrifices of idols, they began to plan how they might deliver him to death. When St. Mark learned that, he made his shoemaker, which was named Anianus, bishop of Alexandria. He himself went to Pentapolin where he was for two years. When he came again to Alexandria he found the town full of Christian men, but the priests of the idols were waiting for to take him. Now
it happened on Easter day, as St. Mark sang mass, they all assembled and
put a cord about his neck. They
drew him throughout the city,
and said: Let us draw the ox to his stall! And the blood ran upon the
stones, and his flesh was torn piecemeal that it lay upon the pavement .
After this they put him in prison, where an angel came and comforted him,
and after came our Lord for to visit and comfort him, saying: Pax tibi
Marce evangelista meus. Peace be to thee Mark, mine Evangelist! be not in
doubt, for I am with thee and shall deliver thee. And in the morning they
put the cord about his neck and drew him as they had done before and
cried: Draw the ox! and when they had drawn him he thanked God and said:
Into thy hands Lord, I commend my spirit, and he thus saying died. Then
the pagans would have burnt his body, but the air began suddenly to change
and to hail, lighten and thunder, in such a way that every man was forced
to flee, and left the holy body alone. Then came the Christian men and
bore it away, and buried it in the church, with great joy, honour, and
reverence. This was in the year of our Lord fifty-seven, in the time that
Nero was emperor. And
it happened in the year of grace four hundred and sixty-six in the time of
Leo the emperor, that the Venetians translated the body of S. Mark from
Alexandria to Venice in this manner. There were two merchants of Venice
who did so much, by prayer and
by their gifts, for two priests that kept the body of S. Mark, that they
allowed it to be borne secretly to their ship. And as they took it out of
the tomb, there was so sweet an odour throughout all the city of
Alexandria that all the people marvelled, though they did not know where
it came from. Then the merchants brought it to the ship, and after setting
sail, let other sailors know they were carrying the body of St Mark. There
was one man in another ship that joked, and said: Are you sure you have St.
Mark? Maybe they gave you the
body of an Egyptian! Then the ship where the holy body was, turned
after him, and rudely boarded the ship of him that had said that
word, and broke one of the sides of the ship, and would never leave it in
peace till they had agreed that the body of St. Mark was in the ship. Thus
as they sailed fast before the wind, the air became dark and stormy, and
they did not know where they were. Then St. Mark appeared to a monk who
was keeping watch on the body. He told him to lower their sails, for they
were near land, and he did so, and soon they landed at on an island. And all
the natives they passed told them that they were happy that they carried
so noble a treasure as the body of St. Mark, and prayed that they would
let them worship it. However, there was a sailor who did not believe that
it was the body of S. Mark. But the devil entered into him, and tormented
him so much so long that he could find on relief until he was brought to
the holy body. As soon as he accepted that it was the body of S. Mark, the
wicked spirit departed, and from then he had great devotion to S. Mark. It
happened after that the body of S. Mark was closed in a pillar of marble,
and very few people knew where it was because it should be kept secretly.
Then it happed that they that knew died, and no-one knew where this great
treasure might be. The clerks and the lay people were greatly discomforted
and wept for sorrow, and thought that it had been stolen away. Then made
they solemn processions and litanies, and the people began to fast and be
in prayers. Suddenly the stones opened and showed to all the people the
place where the holy body rested. Then they rendered thanks to God for
relieving them of their sorrow and anguish, and ordained that on that day
they shall hold feast always for this devout revelation. A
young man at this time had a cancer in his breast, causing his flesh to
rot. As he was thus tormented he prayed with good heart to S. Mark, and
asked him for help and aid, and then he slept. Then St. Mark appeared to
him in the form of a pilgrim, ready to go hastily over the sea; and when
he demanded him what he was, he answered that he was St. Mark, hurrying to
save a ship which was in peril; then he stretched and laid his hand on
him, and when he awoke he found himself all whole. Later, the ship came
unto the port of Venice, and the mariners told of the danger they had been
in, and how St. Mark had helped them.
For that one miracle and for that other the people rendered thanks
to our Lord.
Some merchants of Venice went by the sea in a ship of Saracens
towards Alexandria; and when they saw the ship was in danger, they climbed
into the small boat that was towed behind and
cut the cords that tied them the ship. Soon the ship began to break
up by the force of the sea. All the Saracens fell in the sea and most of
them drowned. Then one of the Saracens made his vow to St. Mark and
promised him that, if he delivered him from this danger, he would be
baptized. Then a shining figure appeared to him, and took him out of the
water and returned him to the ship, and straight away the tempest ceased.
When he came to Alexandria he forgot all about St. Mark, who had delivered
him from peril. He did not go
to visit him, nor was he baptized. Then St. Mark appeared to him, and
chastised him for forgetting who had saved him. Straight away the Saracen
recovered his conscience. He went to Venice, and was there baptized and
named Mark. He believed
perfectly in God, and ended his life in good works. There
was a man gone up in the campanile of S. Mark at Venice to carry out.
He was troubled in such a way that he fell, and was likely to have
been badly injured. Nevertheless, as he fell he cried: S. Mark!
Immediately he was caught up on part of the structure that jutted out. A
cord was let down and he was rescued. There
was a gentleman of Provence who had a servant that wished go on a
pilgrimage to St. Mark, but he could not get permission from his lord. At
last despite the anger of his lord, he went there with much devotion. When
his lord found out he took it very badly, and as soon as the servant
returned he commanded that his eyes should be put out. The other servants
that were ready to do the lord's will made ready sharp spikes of iron.
They tried with all their power, but they could not do it. Then the lord
commanded them to hack off his thighs with axes, but the iron became as
soft as molten lead. Then he commanded them to break his teeth with iron
hammers, but the iron became so soft that they could do him no harm. Then
when the lord saw the virtue of God so openly by the miracles of S. Mark,
he demanded pardon and went to Venice, to S. Mark, with his servant. There
was a knight so hurt in battle that his hand hung on the arm in such a way
that his friends and surgeons advised him to cut it off, but he, who was
accustomed to be whole, was ashamed to be maimed, and bound it in its
place. After this he called devoutly to S. Mark, and his hand was as whole
as it had been before, with just a scar to act as witness to the miracle.
Another time there was an armed knight who ran upon a bridge, and
his horse and he fell in deep
water. When he saw he might not escape, he cried to St. Mark, and he was
saved by means of a long spear. For this reason
he came in pilgrimage to Venice and recounted the miracle.
There was a man that was put in prison on the word of his envious
enemies. When he had been
there forty days, he cried on St. Mark. And when St. Mark had appeared
three times he supposed that it just been his imagination. Then he felt
his irons breaking, as if they were rotten threads. He
passed by the keepers of the prison openly by day; he saw them all, but
none of them saw him. Afterwards, he came to the church of S. Mark and
thanked God devoutly. It
happed that there was great famine in Apulia, and the land was so barren
that nothing would grow there. It was shown by revelation to a holy man
that it was because that they had not hallowed the feast of S. Mark; and
when they knew this, they hallowed the feast of S. Mark. Then plenty of
goods began to grow throughout all the country. It
happed at Papia, in the convent of the friars preachers, in the year of
our Lord one thousand two hundred and forty-one, that a friar, a very
religious man named Julianus was sick unto
death. He sent for his prior to ask what state he was in, and he
told him that he was in peril of death, and that it approached fast. His
face became bright and joyful, and with gladness he began to say: ‘fair
brethren, my soul shall depart soon. Make room and place, for my soul
rejoices in my body for the good tidings that I have heard’. And he
lifted up his eyes to heaven and said: ‘Lord God, take away my soul out
of this prison’; and after he said: ‘Alas! who shall deliver me from
this corrupt and mortal body?’ After these words he fell into a light
sleep, and saw St. Mark coming to him and standing by his bedside, and he
heard a voice saying to him: ‘O Mark, what are you here?’ He answered
that he had come to visit this friar because he was dying. Then he asked
him why he came more than any other saint; he answered ‘because he had a
special devotion to me, and because he hath often devoutly visited my
church, and therefore am I come to visit him in the hour of his death.’
Then entered into that place great numbers of people all white, to whom S.
Mark demanded why they had come. And they answered that they had come to
present the soul of this brother before God. And when the friar was woken
he sent for the prior and told to him of his vision, and afterwards, in
the presence of the prior, he died with great joy. And all this the prior
recounted to him that wrote this book named Legenda aurea. (Modernised version of the Caxton edition.)
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