E00938: Latin poem on the martyrdom of Cassianus (teacher and martyr of Imola, ob. 361/363, S00309) composed by Prudentius, writing c. 400 in Calahorra (northern Spain). The poem, part of Prudentius' Crowns of the Martyrs (Peristephanon), mentions the author's visit to the martyr's tomb, an image depicting the martyrdom and Prudentius' prayer to the saint.

Liber Peristephanon, Poem IX

Summary:

Prudentius says that he visited the tomb of Cassianus in Forum Cornelii [Imola in Italy] on his way to Rome and admired there an image depicting Cassianus's martyrdom – see $E00942.

A custodian told him the story of Cassianus:

Cassianus is a teacher of boys, trained in shorthand; he is disliked by his pupils. Being a Christian, during the persecutions he refuses to venerate pagan gods, and his persecutor decides to hand him over him to his class, for the children to stab him with their styluses. The boys beat him with their tablets and stab and cut him with their styluses. Cassianus tries to tame them with his words, but he doesn't succeed; the boys claim that with their styluses they write on their teacher's body. Finally, Cassianus dies.

The custodian asks Prudentius to pray to Cassianus and Prudentius does so – see $E00945.

Text: Cunningham 1966: 326-329. Translation: Thomson 1953, 220-229. Summary: M. Tycner.