E06020: Constantius of Lyon, in his Life of *Germanus (bishop of Auxerre, ob. c. 448, S00455), written in Latin at Lyon (central Gaul) between c. 460 and c. 480, describes how straw which had been in contact with a bed Germanus slept on was used as a contact relic to heal a man possessed by a demon, c. 435.

Constantius of Lyon, Life of Germanus of Auxerre 22

For a full account of Constantius' Life of Germanus, see $E05841.

This incident takes place when Germanus is travelling from Auxerre to Arles in order to request a remission of taxes from the Praetorian Prefect. It is preceded by Constantius' account of Germanus miraculously thwarting a horse thief: $E07554.

Praeterire silentio impium puto in Alisiensi loco absens quantum uirtutis operatus est. Erat illic presbyter Senator nomine, natalibus nobilis, religione nobilior. Coniunx illi Nectariola, similis sanctitate; quos praeteriens pro studio antiquae caritatis expetiit. Aduenienti praeparant mansionem, et quantum maior persona aderat, tantum minor inpenditur apparatus. Matrona furtim stramen in lectulo subdidit sacerdotis, quo ille inscius cubitauit, deductaque nocte oratione uel psalmis, die reddito, iter quod agebat ingreditur.

Inlustrato hospitio familia tota gaudebat strati reliquias fidelis matrona collegit et condidit. Accidit post dies aliquot ut Agrestius quidam bene ingenuus, habens uxorem, filios et parentes, possessio fieret inuadentis inimici, suorumque omnium fletibus non minus Germani absentia quam infelicis captiuitas lugebatur.

Et cum nihil remedii possit adhiberi, praesumit uirtutem fidei matrona uenerabilis. Stramen conditum profert quo furiosus circumdatus conligatur. Qui spatium noctis unius quasi adposito uallatus incendio, inclamato semper nomine sacerdotis qui, cum abesset praesentia, uirtute non deerat, diuino purgatur auxilio neque umquam postea in omni uitae suae spatio periculum temptationis incurrit.


'I would think it a sin to pass over in silence the miracle he worked while stopping at Alesia (Alise-Sainte-Reine). There was a priest there named Senator, noble by birth and nobler still by piety. He had a wife, Nectariola, equally pious. The bishop, for the sake of an old-time friendship sought them out when he passed through the town. They got the house ready for his visit, but the things that had to be provided were inversely proportionate to the importance of the visitor. The lady of the house, however, secretly put some straw under the bishop's pallet and he lay on it without knowing. He gave the night to prayer and psalms and when morning came resumed his journey.

The whole household were delighted to have had so illustrious a visitor and the good lady collected the remains of the straw and preserved it. Some days later a man of good position named Agrestius, with a household consisting of his wife, children and parents, was entered by a demon, which took possession of him; and the absence of Germanus was as much lamented by the family as the obsession of the unhappy man himself.

But as there was no cure to be found, the revered lady Nectariola resorted to the power of faith. She brought out the straw she had put by and it was wrapped around the raving man. For a whole night he kept shrieking out the name of the bishop as if he were in a furnace, for though the bishop was absent his power was not. In the end the man was delivered from the demon by the divine aid, nor for the rest of his life did he run such a risk again.'

This incident is followed by a passage in which Constantius claims that Germanus carried out numerous miracles at Lyon: $E07557.

Text: Borius 1965. Translation: Hoare 1954.