E06545: A wandering monk named Mauricius writes to a Spanish bishop named Agapius defending his wandering lifestyle, and declares his intention of visiting the shrines of 'the holy martyrs of God Martin and Vincent', a reference to *Vincent (martyr of Saragossa and Valencia, S00290), and probably to *Martin (ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397, S00050), but just possibly to *Martin (bishop of Braga, ob. 580, S01176). Letter written in Latin in Spain, early 7th c.

Epistolae Wisigoticae 18 (letter from Mauricius the monk to Bishop Agapius)

In the greater part of the letter Mauricius justifies his wandering lifestyle to Agapius by citing the example of figures from the Old and New Testaments. He concludes the letter as follows:

Hos namque et alios quam plurimos Dei notatos electione multum sacra narrat historia, quos nec tempori nec loci coarctat necessitas per ordinem replicare; sed confidimus in potentiam Dei et illius quotidie exoramus clementiam, ut suum nobis non deneget auxilium et iter nobis agentibus angelum suum praeire concedat, ut sospetes sanctorum Dei martirum Martini et Vincenti praesentemur liminibus.

'Sacred history relates much about them and the very many others known through being chosen by God, whom the constraint of neither time nor place prevents from repeating in order; but we trust in the power of God and daily pray for his mercy, so that he does not deny us his help and grants that his angel goes before us on our way, so that we may be present unharmed at the shrines of the holy martyrs of God, Martin and Vincent.'

Text: Gundlach 1892, 687. Translation: David Lambert.