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The Legend of St. Ursula and the 11,000 virgins |
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'Cologne version' (From Anna Jameson) |
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Not far from Brittany, on the other side of the great ocean, was
a country called England, vast and powerful, but the people were still
in the darkness of paganism ; and the king of this country had an only
son, whose name was Conon, as celebrated for his beauty of person, his
warlike prowess, and physical strength, as Ursula for her piety, her
graces, and her learning.
He was now old enough to seek a wife ; and his father, King
Agrippinus, hearing of the great beauty and virtue of Ursula, sent
ambassadors to demand her in marriage for his son. When the ambassadors
arrived at the palace of the King of Brittany, they were very
courteously received, but the king was secretly much embarrassed, for he
knew that his daughter had made a vow of perpetual chastity, having
dedicated herself to Christ; at the
same time he feared to offend the powerful monarch of England by
refusing his request. Therefore he delayed to give an answer, and,
having commanded the ambassadors to be sumptuously lodged and
entertained, he retired to his chamber, and, leaning his head on his
hand, he meditated what was best to be done; but he could think of no
help to deliver him from this strait.
While thus he sat apart in doubt and sadness, the princess
entered, and, learning the cause of his melancholy, she said with a
smile, ' Is this all ? Be of good cheer, my king and father! for, if it
please you, I will myself answer these ambassadors.' And her father
replied, ' As thou wilt, my
daughter.'
So the next day, when the ambassadors were again introduced, St.
Ursula was seated on a throne by her father's side, and, having:
received and returned their salutation with unspeakable grace and
dignity, she thus addressed them: ' I thank my lord the King of England,
and Conon, his princely son, and his noble barons, and you, sirs, his
honourable ambassadors, for the honour ye have done me, so much greater
than my deserving. I hold myself bound to your king as to a second
father, and to the prince his son as to my brother and bridegroom, for
to no other will I ever listen. But I have to ask three things. First,
he shall give for me as my ladies and companions ten virgins of the
noblest blood in his kingdom, and to each of these a thousand
attendants, and to me also a thousand maidens to wait on me. Secondly,
he shall permit me for the space of three years to honours my virginity,
and, with my companions, to visit the holy shrines where repose the
bodies of the saints. And my third demand is, that the prince and his
court shall receive baptism; for other than a perfect Christian I cannot
wed.'
Now you shall understand that this wise princess, Ursula, made
these conditions, thinking in her heart, 'either the King of England
will refuse these demands, or, if he grant them, then eleven thousand
virgins are redeemed and dedicated to the service of God.' The ambassadors,
being dismissed with honour, returned to their own country, where they
made such a report of the unequalled beauty and wisdom of the princess
that the king thought no conditions too hard, and the prince his son was
inflamed by desire to obtain her; so he commanded himself to be
forthwith baptized ; and the king wrote letters to all his vassals in
his kingdom of France, in Scotland, and in the province of Cornwall, to
all his princes, dukes, counts, barons, and noble knights, desiring that
they would send him the required
Now when Ursula had collected all her virgins together, on a
fresh and fair morning in the springtime, she desired them to meet in a
meadow near the city, which meadow was of the freshest green, all over
enamelled with the brightest flowers; and she ascended a throne which
was raised in the midst, and preached to all the assembled virgins of
things concerning the glory of God, and of his Son our Lord and Saviour,
with wonderful eloquence; and of Christian charity, and of a pure and a
holy life dedicated to Heaven. And all these virgins, being moved with a
holy zeal, wept, and, lifting up their hands and their voices, promised
to follow her whithersoever she should lead. And she blessed them and
comforted them; and as there were many among them who had never received
baptism, she ordered that they should be baptized in the clear stream
which flowed through that flowery meadow.
Then Ursula called for a pen, and wrote a letter to her
bridegroom, the son of the King of England, saying, that as he had
complied with all her wishes and fulfilled all her demands, he had good
leave to wait upon her forthwith. So he, as became a true knight, came
immediately; and she received him with great honour; and, in presence of
her father, she said to him, Sir,
my gracious prince and consort, it has been revealed to me in a vision
that I must depart hence on my pilgrimage to visit the shrines in the
holy city of Rome, with these my companions; thou meanwhile shalt remain
here to comfort my father and assist him in
his government till my return ; or if God should dispose of me
otherwise, this kingdom shall be yours by right.' Some say that the
prince remained, but others relate that he accompanied her on her
voyage; however this may be, the glorious virgin embarked with all her
maidens on board a fleet of ships prepared for them, and many holy
prelates accompanied them.
There were no sailors on board, and it was a wonder to see with
what skill these wise virgins steered the vessels and managed the sails,
being miraculously taught we must therefore suppose that it was by no
mistake of theirs, but by the providence of God, that they sailed to the
north instead of the south, and were driven by the winds into the mouth
of the Rhine as far as the port of Cologne. Here they reposed for a
brief time, during which it was revealed to St. Ursula, that on her
return she and her companions should on that spot suffer martyrdom
for the cause of God: all which she made known to her companions ; and
they all together lifted up their voices in hymns of thanksgiving that
they should be found worthy so to die.
So they proceeded on their voyage up the river till they came to
the city of Basle; there they disembarked, and crossed over the high
mountains into the plains of Liguria. Over the rocks and snows of the
Alps they were miraculously conducted, for six angels went before them
perpetually, clearing the road from all impediments, throwing bridges
over the mountain torrents, and every night pitching tents for their
shelter and refreshment. So they came at length to the river Tiber, and,
descending the river, they reached Rome, that famous city, where is the
holy shrine of St. Peter and St. Paul.
In those days was Cyriacus bishop of Rome: he was famous for his
sanctity; and hearing of the arrival of St. Ursula and all her fair and
glorious company of maidens, he was, as you may suppose, greatly amazed
and troubled in mind, not knowing what it might portend. So he went out
to meet them, with all his clergy in procession. When St. Ursula,
kneeling down before him, explained to him the cause of her coming, and
implored his blessing for herself and her companions, who can express
his admiration and contentment! He not only gave them his blessing, but
commanded that they should be honourably lodged and entertained; and, to
preserve their maidenly honour and decorum, tents were pitched for them
outside the walls of the city, on the plain towards Tivoli.
Now it happened that the valiant son of King Appinus, who had
been left in Brittany, became every day more and more impatient to learn
some tidings of his princess-bride, and at length he resolved toset out
in search of her; and, by a miracle, he had arrived in the city of Rome
on the selfsame day, but by a different route. Being happily reunited,
he knelt with Ursula at the feet of Cyriacus and received baptism at his
hands, changing his name from Conon to that of Ethereus, to express the
purity and regeneration of his soul. He no longer aspired to the
possession of Ursula, but fixed his hope on sharing with her the crown
of martyrdom on earth, looking to a perpetual reunion in heaven, where
neither sorrow nor separation should touch them more.
After this blessed company had duly performed their devotions at
the shrine of St. Peter and St. Paul, the good Cyriacus would fain have
detained them longer: but Ursula showed him that it was necessary they
should depart in order to receive the crown ' already laid up for them
in heaven.' When the bishop heard this, he resolved to accompany her. In
vain his clergy represented
that it did not become a pope of Rome and a man of venerable years to
run after a company of maidens, however immaculate they might be. But Cyriacus
had been counselled by an angel of God, and he made ready to set forth
and embark with them on the river Rhine.
Now it happened that there were at Rome in those days two great
Roman captains, cruel heathens, who commanded all the Imperial troops in
Germania. They, being astonished at the sight of this multitude of
virgins, said one to the other, 'Shall we suffer this? If we allow
these Christian maidens to return to Germania, they will convert the
whole nation; or if they marry husbands, then they will have so many
children —no doubt all Christians — that our empire will cease;
therefore let us take counsel what is best to be done.'
So these wicked pagans consulted together, and wrote letters to a
certain barbarian king of the Huns, who was then besieging Cologne, and
instructed him what he should do.
Meanwhile St. Ursula and her virgins, with her husband and his
faithful knights, prepared to embark. With them went Pope Cyriacus, and
in his train Vincenzio and Giacomo, cardinals; and Solfino, archbishop
of Ravenna; and Folatino, bishop of Lucca; and the bishop
of Faenza, and the patriarch of Grado, and many other prelates: and
after a long and perilous journey they arrived in the port of Cologne.
They found the city besieged by a great army of barbarians
encamped on a plain outside the gates. These pagans, seeing a number of
vessels, filled, not with fierce warriors, but beautiful virgins,
unarmed youths, and venerable bearded men, stood still at first, staring
with amazement ; but after a short pause, remembering their
instructions, they rushed upon the unresisting victims. One of the first
who perished was the Prince Ethercus, who fell, pierced through by an
arrow, at the feet of his beloved princess. Then Cyriacus, the
cardinals, and several barons, sank to the earth, or perished in the
stream.
When the men were dispatched, the fierce barbarians rushed upon
the virgins just as a pack of gaunt hungry wolves might fall on a flock
of milk-white lambs. Finding that the noble maidens resisted their
brutality, their rage was excited, and they drew their swords and
massacred them all.
Then was it worthy of all admiration to behold these illustrious
virgins, who had struggled to defend their virtue, now meekly resigned,
and ready as sheep for the slaughter, embracing and encouraging each
other! Oh, then! Had you seen the glorious St. Ursula, worthy to be the
captain and leader of this army of virgin martyrs, how she flew from one
to the other, heartening them with brave words to die for their faith
and honour! Inspired by her voice, her aspect, they did not quail, but
offered themselves to death; and thus by hundreds and by thousands they
perished, and the plain was strewed with their limbs and ran in rivers
with their blood. But the barbarians, awed by the majestic beauty of St.
Ursula, had no power to strike her, but carried her before their prince,
who, looking: on her with admiration, said to her, ' Weep not, for
though thou has lost thy companions, I will be thy husband, and thou
shalt be the greatest queen in all Germany!' To which St. Ursula, all
glowing with indignation and a holy scorn, replied, O thou cruel man!
— blind and senseless as thou art cruel! Thinkest thou I can weep?
Or dost thou hold me so base, so cowardly, that I would consent
to survive my dear companions and sisters . Thou art deceived, O son of
Sathan! for I defy thee, and him whom thou servest !’ When the proud pagan heard these words, he was seized with fury, and bending his bow, which he held in his hand, he, with three arrows, transfixed her pure breast, so that she fell dead, and her spirit ascended into heaven, with all the glorious sisterhood of martyrs whom she had led to death, and with her betrothed husband and his companions: and there, with palms in their hands and crowns upon their heads, they stand round the throne of Christ; and live in his light and in his approving smile, blessing him and praising him forever. — Amen ! |