Holy
Agnes, as you keep watch o’er Rome,
Pray
also for us sinners here at the South,
Who
likewise are citizens of Romulus’s home!
--Holy
icon from https://www.uncutmountainsupply.com/icons/of-saints/by-name/a/icon-of-st-agnes-of-rome-20th-c-1ag15/
A
hymn of praise for St Agnes (+304, commemorated 21 January), written by the
Orthodox Spanish ascetic and man of letters Prudentius (348-c. 413):
CROWNS OF MARTYRDOM, XIV
The Passion of Agnes
The grave of Agnes is in
the home of Romulus;
a brave lass she, and a
glorious martyr. Laid within
sight of their palaces,
this maiden watches over the
well-being of Rome's
citizens, and she protects
strangers too when they
pray with pure and faithful
heart. A double crown of
martyrdom was vouch-
safed to her, the keeping
of her virginity untouched
by any sin, and then the
glory of her dying by her
own will.
They say it happened that
as a young girl in her
earliest years, scarce yet
marriageable, but warm
with the love of Christ,
she bravely withstood godless
commands, refusing to make
herself over to idols
and desert her holy faith.
For though she was first
assailed with many arts,
now with seductive words
from a smooth-tongued
judge, and again with
threats of cruel torture,
she stood firm with strength
indomitable, and even
offered her body for the sore
torment, not refusing to
die. Then said the savage
persecutor: " If it
is easy for her to overcome the
pains and bear the
suffering and she scorns life as of
little worth, still the
purity of her dedicated maiden-
hood is dear to her. I am
resolved to thrust her into
a public brothel unless
she lays her head on the altar
and now asks pardon of
Minerva, the virgin whom
she, a virgin too,
persists in slighting. All the young
men will rush in to seek
the new slave of their sport."
" Nay," says
Agnes, " Christ is not so forgetful of his
own as to let our precious
chastity be lost and
abandon us. He stands by
the chaste and does not
suffer the gift of holy
purity to be defiled. You may
stain your sword with my
blood if you will, but you
will not pollute my body
with lust." When she had
thus spoken he gave order
to place the maid publicly
at a corner of the square;
" but while she stood
there the crowd avoided
her in sorrow, turning their
faces away lest any look
too rudely on her modesty.
One, as it chanced, did
aim an impudent gaze at the
girl, not fearing to look
on her sacred figure with a
lustful eye; when behold,
a fire came flying like a
thunderbolt and with its
quivering blaze struck his
eyes, and he fell blinded
by the gleaming flash and
lay convulsed in the dust
of the square. His com-
panions lifted him from
the ground between life and
death and bewailed him
with words of lamentation
for the departed. But the
maiden passed in triumph,
singing of God the Father
and Christ in holy song
because, when an unholy
peril fell on her, her vir-
ginity won the day,
finding the brothel chaste and
pure. Some have told that
being asked she poured
forth prayers to Christ
that He would restore sight
to the prostrate sinner,
and that then the breath of
life was renewed in the
young man and his vision
made perfect.
But this was only the
first step that Agnes took
towards the court of
heaven; then she was granted a
second ascent. For frenzy
was working up her
blood-thirsty enemy's
wrath. " I am losing the
battle," he
complained. " Go draw the sword,
soldier, and give effect
to our lord the emperor's
sovereign commands."
When Agnes saw the grim
figure standing there with
his naked sword her glad-
ness increased and she
said: " I rejoice that there
comes a man like this, a
savage, cruel, wild man-at-
arms, rather than a
listless, soft, womanish youth
bathed in perfume, coming
to destroy me with the
death of my honour. This
lover, this one at last, I
confess it, pleases me. I
shall meet his eager steps
half-way and not put off
his hot desires. I shall
welcome the whole length
of his blade into my bosom,
drawing the sword-blow to
the depths of my breast;
and so as Christ's bride I
shall o'erleap all the dark-
ness of the sky and rise
higher than the ether. O
eternal ruler, open the
gates of heaven which
formerly were barred
against the children of earth,
and call, O Christ, a soul
that follows Thee, a virgin's
soul and a sacrifice to
the Father." So saying she
bowed her head and humbly
worshipped Christ,
so that her bending neck
should be readier to suffer
the impending blow; and
the executioner's hand
fulfilled her great hope,
for at one stroke he cut off
her head and swift death
forestalled the sense of
pain. Now the disembodied
spirit springs forth and
leaps in freedom into the
air, and angels are round her
as she passes along the
shining path. She marvels
at the world that lies
beneath her feet; as she
mounts on high she looks
at the darkness below and
laughs at the circling of
the sun's orb, the turning
and intertwining of all
the universe, the life that is
lived in the black
whirlwind of circumstance, the
vanities that the
inconstant world seizes on, kings,
despots, power and rank,
the pomp, of dignitaries
swollen with foolish
pride, the masses of silver and
gold which all seek after
with a furious thirst by
every wicked means, the
gorgeously built dwellings,
the empty vanities of
fancily embroidered garments,
anger, fear, desires,
hazards, the alternations of long
sadness and short-lived joy,
the smoking brands of
black spite that darken
men's hopes and honour,
and the foulest of all
their ills, the filthy clouds of
paganism. All this Agnes
tramples on and treads
under foot as she stands
and with her heel bears
down on the head of the
fierce serpent which be-
spatters all earthly
things in the world with his venom
and plunges them in hell;
but now that he is sub-
dued by a virgin's foot he
lowers the crests on his
fiery head and in defeat
dares not to lift it up.
Meanwhile with two crowns
God encircles the
unwedded martyr's brow;
recompense issuing sixty-
fold from eternal light
makes the one, profit an
hundredfold is in the
other.
O happy virgin, glory
unknown before, noble
dweller in the height of
heaven, on our gathered
impurities turn thy face
with thy twin diadems,
thou to whom alone the
Father of all has granted the
power to make a very
brothel pure! I shall be
cleansed by the brightness
of thy gracious face if
thou wilt fill my heart.
Nothing is impure which
thou dost deign to visit
in love or to touch with thy
restoring foot.
--
Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England,
South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð,
unworthy though we are!
Anathema to the Union!
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