E00065: Gregory of Tours, in his Life of *Nicetius (bishop of Lyon, ob. 573, S00049), recounts how the deacon Agiulf, bringing relics of martyrs from Rome to Tours, learned in Lyon (central Gaul) of the miracles at the tomb of *Nicetius (bishop of Lyon, ob. 573, S00049) and collected herbs scattered at the grave, using them to cure fevers; AD 590/591. From Gregory's Life of the Fathers, written in Latin in Tours (north-west Gaul), 573/594.

Gregory of Tours, Life of the Fathers 8.6

(Ch.6) Agiulfus quoque diaconus noster a Roma veniens, beata nobis sanctorum pignora deferebat. Hic causa orationis tantum locum quo sanctus quiescit adivit, ingressusque aedem, dum diversorum miraculorum opus inlustre perpendit, vidit inmensum catervatim populum ad eius sepulchrum ac velut felicium examina apium ad consuetum alveare confluere, et alios, presbitero qui aderat ministrante, particulas caerae pro benedictione sumere, alios parumper pulveris, nonnullos disruptas ab operturio eius fimbrias capere et abire, ferentes in disparibus causis unam gratiam sanitatis. Haec ille cernens, fide conpunctus, lacrimans ait: "Si marinorum me moles fluctuum sulcare tonsis actum mei sacerdotis devotio fecit, ut, lustrata orientalium martyrum sepulchra, aliquid de eisdem pignoris deferre deberem; cur non Gallicani mei confessoris pignora capiam, per qua mihi meisque salus integra reparetur?" Et statim accedens, quaedam de herbulis quas devotio populi sacro iecit in tumulo, manus lenteo opertas, sacerdote porregente, suscepit, repositisque, diligenter domui detulit; sed statim fidem hominis miraculorum actio conprobavit. Nam, discerptis de his foliis frigoriticis cum aquae potu porrectis, protinus cum haustu salutem invexit, sed et multis deinceps. Quando autem nobis haec retulit, iam quattuor exinde sanos factos ab hac infirmitate narravit.

(Ch.6) 'Our deacon Agiulf returned from Rome and brought us the blessed relics of holy men. On his return home he passed by the place where the saint [Nicetius] rested, and stopped to say prayers. He entered the building and, while he examined the famous account of the various miracles, he saw an immense crowd of people near the tomb, buzzing around like a swarm of happy bees around their familiar hive, some taking from the priest in attendance pieces of wax as holy objects, others a little dust, and others plucked and went away with a few threads from the fringe of the tomb-covering (ab operturio eius fimbrias), all thus carrying off for different purposes the same grace of health. The deacon, being full of grace, could not see this without tears, and he said "If the devotion of my bishop has made me plough a mass of sea waves with oars in order to visit the tombs of eastern martyrs and bring back relics, shall I not take relics (pignora) from a confessor of my native Gaul, to preserve my own health and that of those close to me?" And he went forward and received some of the herbs (quaedam de herbolis) from those which the devotion of the people had placed on the holy tomb: with his hands wrapped in a cloth he took them from the priest. He brought them carefully back to his house and immediately the action of miracles justified the faith of the man. For he made an infusion of those plants with water, and gave it to those who had fever, and they were cured as soon as they had drunk, and others were cured later. In telling us this he said that thereby he had already restored the health of four persons struck down with the same illness.'

Text: Krusch 1969, 246-247. Translation: James 1991, 56-57, lightly modified.