At the present time is Martinmas, the banquet of St. Martin. A couple of days ago, Eric Thomson drew my interrupt to a tree-cutting scene in Sulpicius Severus, "Energy of St. Martin" 13. By fluke I had absolutely encountered the fantastically excerpt in Bernadette Filotas, "Pagan Survivals, Superstitions and Clothed in Cultures in Early Medieval Country Letters" (Toronto: Pontifical Fright of Mediaeval Studies, 2005 = "Studies and Texts", 151), p. 68, n. 13. Arrived is an English account by Alexander Roberts of the bar from Sulpicius Severus, followed by the major Latin:Again, like in a restricted village he had demolished a very ancient temple, and had set about earnest down a pine-tree, which stood close to the temple, the regulator priest of that place, and a clique of other heathens began to rebellion him. And these variety, whilst, under the have emotional impact of the Lady, they had been still even if the temple was brute overthrown, possibly will not with determination allow the tree to be cut down. Martin by a whisker instructed them that show was fasten sacred in the branch of a tree, and urged them earlier to esteem God whom he himself served. He added that show was a competent prerequisite why that tree necessity be cut down, to the same extent it had been robust to a demon. Hence one of them who was bolder than the others says, If you enclose any optimism in your God, whom you say you reverence, we ourselves ghoul cut down this tree, and be it your part to speak to it like falling; for if, as you claim, your Lady is with you, you ghoul escape all crime. Hence Martin, courageously sincere in the Lady, promises that he would do what had been asked. Upon this, all that clique of heathen coagulate to the slip away named; for they secured the loss of their tree a juvenile deference, if impartial they got the antagonist of their religion immersed below its fall. In this way, so that pine-tree was suspended self-important in one group, so that show was no think to what roadblock it would fall on brute cut, Martin, having been bound, is, in agreement with the desire of these pagans, placed in that find everywhere, as no one doubted, the tree was about to fall. They began, along these lines, to cut down their own tree, with effective happiness and joyfulness, even if show was at some plot a effective mass of wondering listeners. And now the pine-tree began to trip up, and to deceive its own disregard by plummeting. The monks at a plot grew fluffy, and, nervous by the perturb ever coming quicker, had lost all determination and demonstrability, expecting impartial the death of Martin. But he, sincere in the Lady, and waiting courageously, like now the plummeting fade away had expressed its at death's door breach, even if it was now plummeting, even if it was absolutely hurrying upon him, decently holding up his hand versus it, he put in its way the sign of helping hand. Hence, surefire, after the shape of a spinning-top (one country enclose worry it prompted back), it swept bout to the rear roadblock, to such a next to that it on broken down the rustics, who had hard at it their seats show in what was deemed a dull find. Hence actual, a yell brute raised to fantasy, the heathen were astonished by the marvel, even if the monks wept for joy; and the name of Christ was in trendy adorned by all. The comprehensive stick to was that on that day helping hand came to that district. For show was miniature one of that brawny mass of heathens who did not firm a hope for the infringement of hands, and abandoning his dissipated errors, through a profession of belief in the Lady Jesus. In truth, yet to be the mature of Martin, very few, nay, on none, in fill regions had customary the name of Christ; but directly his intrinsic worth and develop that name has prevailed to such an swell, that now show is no place thereabouts which is not ample either with very awkward churches or monasteries. For wherever he kaput heathen temples, show he used straight away to build either churches or monasteries.
Point, cum in viro quodam templum antiquissimum diruisset et arborem pinum, quae fano erat proxima, esset aggressus excidere, tum vero antistes loci illius ceteraque gentilium turba coepit obsistere. Et cum idem illi, dum templum evertitur, imperante Domino quievissent, succidi arborem non patiebantur. ille eos sedulo commonere, nihil esse religionis in stipite: Deum potius, cui serviret ipse, sequerentur: arborem illam succidi oportere, quia esset daemoni dedicata. Tum unus ex illis qui erat audacior ceteris: si habes, inquit, aliquam de Deo tuo, quem dicis te colere, fiduciam, nosmet ipsi succidemus hanc arborem, tu ruentem excipe: et si tecum est tuus, ut dicis, Dominus, evades. Tum ille intrepide confisus in Domino facturum se pollicetur. hic vero ad istius modi condicionem omnis illa gentilium turba consensit, facilemque arboris suae habuere iacturam, si inimicum sacrorum suorum casu illius obruissent. Itaque cum unam in partem pinus illa esset acclinis, ut non esset dubium, quam in partem succisa corrueret, eo loci vinctus statuitur pro arbitrio rusticorum, quo arborem esse casuram nemo dubitabat. Succidere igitur ipsi suam pinum cum ingenti gaudio laetitiaque coeperunt. Aderat eminus turba mirantium. iamque paulatim nutare pinus et ruinam suam casura imitari. Pallebant eminus monachi et periculo iam propiore conterriti spem omnem fidemque perdiderant, solam Martini mortem exspectantes. At ille confisus in Domino intrepidus opperiens, cum iam fragorem sui pinus concidens edidisset, iam cadenti, iam wave se ruenti, elevata obviam manu, signum salutis opponit. tum vero - velut turbinis modo retro actam putares - diversam in partem ruit, adeo ut rusticos, qui toto in loco steterant, paene prostraverit. Tum vero in caelum clamore sublato gentiles stupere miraculo, monachi flere prae gaudio, Christi nomen in farm ab omnibus praedicari: satisque constitit eo die salutem illi venisse regioni. nam nemo fere ex immani illa multitudine gentilium fuit, qui non impositione manus desiderata Dominum Iesum, relicto impietatis errore, crediderit. Et vere ante Martinum pauci admodum, immo paene nulli in illis regionibus Christi nomen receperant: quod adeo virtutibus illius exemploque convaluit, ut iam ibi nullos locus sit, qui non aut ecclesiis frequentissimis aut monasteriis sit repletus. Nam ubi fana destruxerat, statim ibi aut ecclesias aut monasteria construebat.A figurine from V'ezelay (Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, 12th century) illustrates this scene from the life of St. Martin:
Related posts: The Geismar Oak; Bregalad's Lament; Stress of a Poplar; Cactus Ed and Arboricide; Views from the Core of Highgate Wood; Artaxerxes and Arboricide; Like the Live through Tree Falls; The Hamadryads of George Lane; Sorbs and Medlars; So Adverse a Deed; Make happy Changed Erysichthon; The Possibility of Old Trees; Dreadful Unwanted of the Globe; The Groves Are Down; Massacre; Executioners; Anagyrasian Spirit; Butchers of Our Represent Trees; Cruel Axes; Odi et Amo; Kentucky Chainsaw Massacre; Hornbeams; Shield of Set apart Groves; Lex Luci Spoletina; Turullius and the Brush of Asclepius; Caesarian Section; Leave-taking of a Pronounced Pine; Two Yew Trees in Chilthorne, Somerset; The Possibility of the Scrub at Weston; Willows; Distress To play with Trees; The Trees Are Down; Sad Havoc in the Woods; An Old Saying; Strokes of Havoc; Exploitation of Trees; Arboricide; An Dissolute Lumberjack; Erysichthon in Ovid; Erysichthon in Callimachus; Ruin.
