E00895: The Life of *Ambrose (bishop of Milan, ob. 397, S00490) by Paulinus of Milan tells how a blind man saw in a vision Ambrose in the company of many martyrs, and was healed when he touched the coffin containing the relics of the three *Anaunian Martyrs (S00605) as they were being transferred to Milan (northern Italy). Written in Latin, probably in North Africa, c. 422.

Paulinus of Milan, Life of Ambrose 52

Sisinnii etiam, Martyrii et Alexandri martyrum, qui nostris temporibus, hoc est, post obitum sancti Ambrosii, in Anauniae partibus persequentibus gentilibus viris martyrii coronam adepti sunt, cum reliquias Mediolanii summa cum devotione susciperemus, adveniente quodam caeco et referente didicimus - qui eodem die tacto loculo, in quo sanctorum reliquiae portabantur, lumen recepit -, eo quod per visum noctis vidisset navem adpropinquantem litori, in qua erat multitudo albatorum virorum; quibus descendentibus ad terram, cum unum de turba deprecaretur, ut sciret qui essent viri, audierit Ambrosium eius que consortes; quo audito nomine, cum deprecaretur ut lumen reciperet, audierit ab eo: "Perge Mediolanium et occurre fratribus meis, qui illo venturi sunt", designans diem, "et recipies lumen". Erat enim vir, ut ipse adserebat, de litore Dalmatino, nec se venisse ante in civitatem adserebat, priusquam recto itinere reliquiis sanctorum occurrisset nondum videns; sed tacto loculo videre coepisse. 

'Also at Milan we received with deepest devotion the remains of the martyrs, Sisinius and Alexander, who in our time, that is, after the death of Ambrose, gained the crown of martyrdom in the pagan persecution in the regions of Anaunia. At this time, there came a certain blind man, who, by touching the coffin (loculus) in which the remains of the saints were being carried, that same day received sight. From his report we learned that in a vision he had seen a ship approaching the shore, in which were a great number of men clothed in white, when, as they were disembarking he asked one of the crowd to learn who the men were, he found that they were Ambrose and his companions. And upon hearing the name Ambrose, when he was praying that he might receive his sight, he heard from Ambrose: "Proceed to Milan and contact my brothers who are about to go there" (indicating the day), "and you will receive sight." The man was, as he himself said, from the Dalmatian coast. And he further declared that he had not came to the city before he met with the remains of the saints on the highway, at which time he still lacked sight, but upon touching the coffin he began to see.'

Text: Bastiaensen 1975, 118. Translation: Lacy 1952, 64, altered by Robert Wiśniewski.