E04113: Gregory of Tours, in his Miracles of Martin (4.15), recounts how a beekeeper from Auch (south-west Gaul), prayed successfully for the help of *Martin (ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397, S00050) to recapture a swarm of bees, and promised the wax it would produce to Martin's church in Tours. When the wax was collected, a servant was miraculously cured of pain in the kidneys; both the wax and the servant were presented to Martin's church; AD 589/590. Written in Latin in Tours (north-west Gaul), 589/594.

Gregory of Tours, Miracles of Martin (Libri de virtutibus sancti Martini episcopi) 4.15

In Ausciensi quoque terreturio erat homo Caelestis nomine, cui multa erant apiura alvearia. Ex quibus cum examen egressum alte conscendens longa conpeteret, et ille sequens nullum prorsus capiendi obteneret effectum, prostratus solo, sancti Martini invocat nomen, dicens: 'Si virtus tua, beatissime confessor, hoc examen retenere voluerit eumque ditioni meae reddiderit, quae in posterum ex eo procreata fuerint, mel usibus meis sumam, ceram vero ad luminaria basilicae tuae cura omni soliditate diregam. Haec effatus, cum adhuc terrae decumberet, statim examen apium super unam arbusculam, quae viro erat proxima, decidit et insedit, collectumque et in alveare reconditum domi detulit.

De quo infra duos aut tres annos multa congregavit. Ex quibus cum iam amplius quam ducentas cerae libras adgregatas haberet, rumor hostilitatis obortus est. At ille, ne votum suum perire cerneret, ceram fossa humo operuit. Pace quoque reddita, diaconum nostrum, ut eam peteret, arcessivit. Erat tunc cum eo puer, qui renum gravissimum perferebat dolorem. Qui accedens ad virum et cognoscens ab ore eius quae gesta fuerant, cera quae terra latebat detegi iubet. Puer vero, qui dolorem, quem diximus, patiebatur, accepto sarculo ut terram foderet, ait: 'Si tu propitius es, sancte Martine, ad hoc munus hominis huius aspiciendum, contingat virtus tua renes meos, et sis mihi salus, cum hanc detexero ceram'. Et percutiens sarculo terram, sonuit ossiculum renum eius, et statim omnis dolor ablatus est; et sic incolomis cum hac cera beatae basilicae praesentatus est.


'A man named Caelestis lived in the territory of Auch and owned many beehives. A swarm of bees left his hives, flew up high, and gathered far away. Caelestis followed but was completely unsuccessful at capturing [the bees]. He prostrated himself on the ground, called upon the name of Saint Martin, and said: 'Most blessed confessor, if your power wishes to guide this swarm and restore it to my possession, then, with regard to what these bees produce in the future, I will take the honey for my use but I will send all the wax for the lights in your church.' After he said this and while he was still lying on the ground, the swarm of bees at once came down and landed on a small tree that was near Caelestis. He collected the bees, put them in a hive, and brought them home.

Within two or three years he gathered much from this hive. After he had accumulated more than two hundred pounds of wax, there was report of an enemy attack. Because Caelestis did not want to see his vow unfulfilled, he buried his beeswax in a hole in the ground. Once peace was restored, he summoned my deacon to collect the wax. One of his servants suffered very severe pains in his kidneys. When he came to Caelestis and learned from his mouth what had happened, he ordered the wax hidden in the ground to be uncovered. Although this servant suffered from pain, as I said, he took a hoe, dug up the ground, and said: 'Saint Martin, if you are gracious in looking upon this gift of Caelestis, and if you are my deliverance, may your power touch my kidneys when I uncover this wax.' As he struck the ground with his hoe, a small bone in his kidneys made a noise and immediately his pain vanished entirely. Once healed, he was presented to the blessed church along with this beeswax.'

Text: Krusch 1969, 203-204. Translation: Van Dam 1993, 291, lightly modified (= de Nie 2015, 797-799).