The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. XXIII. Concerning the Death of Saint Symeon Junior the Stylite.

BUt in the interim, Saint Symeones fell sick of a distemper whereof he died; and, upon my giving Gregorius notice thereof, he made all the hast he could to him, to pay him his last Salutes. But Gregorius obtained not what he desired. Further, this Symeones for Virtue far excelled all persons of his own time; having from his tender years lead an austere Course of Life up∣on a Pillar: a 1.1 in so much that his teeth were changed in that Station upon the Pillar. He went up upon a Column, on this account. Whilst he was yet very young, he wandred up and down over the Tops of the Mountain, * 1.2 playing and leaping. And by chance hapned upon a wild Beast [termed] a Libard, about whose neck he cast his gir∣dle, and as with the rein of a bridle as 'twere, lead the Beast who † 1.3 forgat his naturall ferity, and brought him to his own Monastery. Which when Symeones's Instructer, (a person who kept his Station upon a Pillar,) beheld, he asked the Boy what that was. Symeones made answer, that it was an Aelurus, which they usually term a Cat. From hence [his Instructer] conjectu∣red how eminent a person Symeones would prove [in the Study of] Virtue, and there∣fore carried him up into a Pillar. In which Pillar, and in another that stood upon the very top of the Mountain, he spent Sixty eight years, being vouchsafed all manner of Grace; both as to the casting out of Devills, as to the curing every disease and all manner of languishing distempers, and in relation to the foreseeing things future as if they had been present. He foretold Gregorius, that he should not see him die; but [said,] that he was ig∣norant of what would happen after his own death. And when I my self was ‖ 1.4 troubled with various thoughts at the loss of my chil∣dren, and doubted within my own mind, why the same [troubles] befell not the Pagans who had many children; although I had not opened my mind to any person whatever, yet he wrote to me, to abstain from such thoughts as those, b 1.5 in regard they were displeasing to God. Moreover, when the wife of * 1.6 one of my Amanuenses had her milk stopt after her delivery, [by reason where∣of] the Infant was in im∣minent danger; [the same Symeones] put his hand upon her husbands right hand, and ordered him to lay it upon the breasts of his wife: which when he had done, immediately the milk sprang out as 'twere from a fountain, in such a manner that it * 1.7 wetted the garment of the woman. Further, a child having been left upon the Road in the dead of the night, through the forgetfullness of those who travelled with him, a Lyon laid it on his back, and brought it to [Symeon's] Monastery, and by Syme∣ones's order, those who ministred to him went out, and brought in the child, which had been ‖ 1.8 preserved by the Lyon. The same person performed many other things * 1.9 highly memo∣rable, which require an eloquent tongue, much time, and a peculiar Treatise; [all which actions of his] are celebrated by the tongues of men. For, persons of almost all Nations of the Earth; not only Romans, but Barba∣rians, came frequently to him, and obtained their requests of him. Certain branches of a shrub which grew on that mountain, * 1.10 were made use of by him in stead of all sorts of meat and drink.

Notes

• a 1.1

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Nicephorus has explained this place incomparably well, by inserting one word, thus; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. That is, as Langus ren∣ders it, perhibetur sane primos den∣tes in columnae statione mutasse, 'tis indeed reported, that he chan∣ged his first teeth in his Station on the Pillar. In the excellent Florentine and Tellerian Manu∣scripts, 'tis written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 where the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is used instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, there. Vales.
• * 1.2

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, behaving himself like a child.
• † 1.3

  Or, For∣gat his Na∣ture.
• ‖ 1.4

  Or, Distracted into.
• b 1.5

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The Rules of Grammar require, that we should write 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. For 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 pre∣cedes. Vales.
• * 1.6

  Or, One of those who wrote under me.
• * 1.7

  Or, Filled.
• ‖ 1.8

  Or, Guarded.
• * 1.9

  Or, A∣bove men∣tion.
• * 1.10

  Or, Were to him.