Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/218

204 ST. CONSTANCE bank of the river. Consortia went to meet him, dressed as if for a festival, and accompanied by a great multitude of poor people, all singing. Hecca was transported with joy. He jumped in- cautiously out of the boat; his foot slipped, his lance pierced him through, and he fell down dead. Consortia took up the body, wrapped it in fine linen, and buried it in the grave she had pre- pared. The men who had come with Hecca went back and told the king all that had occurred. The day they arrived happened to be Sigebert's birthday. His sister, who had been cured by Consortia, was sitting with him. When she heard the whole story, she guessed that the maiden for whom Hecca had lost his life must be the same who had cured her, and to whom her father had promised the undisturbed possession of her lands and a celibate life. Warned by his sister that evil would befall him if he allowed the servants of Christ to be molested, the king confirmed all the privileges granted to Consortia by his father. From that day God gave Consortia favour with all men. She made peace between ene- mies, she healed the sick, she was adorned with every virtue, and her face was as placid as that of an angel. When her labours were nearly ended, and her rest approaching, she dreamt that in eight days she was to die. She made a three- days' feast, at which she entertained the priests and the poor; her pious neigh- bours were there also. She distributed all that she had to them, and informed them all that in five days she must die ; she therefore begged their prayers that she might not meet any evil spirits on leaving the body, but might be received by the angels of God and conducted to the resting-place of the saints. Having said this, she was seized with fever, and on the expected day she died, and was buried in the oratory she had built, and where she had buried her lover. Her body was afterwards translated to the monastery of Cluny, and specially hon- oured there, March 13 and June 22. With the exception of St. IrensBus, Eucherius was by far the most dis- tinguished of the bishops of Lyons. His writings are extant. The names of his sons are matter of history. It is not so certain that he had daughters. Con- sortia and Tullia have been supposed to be daughters of a later St. Eucherius. No daughter of Eucherius of Lyons could have been living in the reign of Clothaire and Sigebert. Henschenius, in AA.8S. Boll. Bucelinus, Men. Ben, Montalem- bert, Moines d* Occident^ vii. ch. 6, note. Mabillon. Dr. Cazenove in Smith and Waco's Bict St. Constance (l), Sept. 19 (Con- st an tia, Costanza), M. at Nooera, with St. Felix, under Nero. B.M. AA.S8. Mas Latrie, Tresor, St Constance (2), May 10, M. at Tarsus, in Cilicia. AA.SS. St. Constance (3), Feb. 18 (Con- STANTiA Augusta, Costanza). 4th cen- tury. Daughter of the Emperor Con- stantino, and granddaughter of St. Helen. Constance had a loathsome disease, and was covered with sores from head to foot. Many physicians prescribed for her in vain. At last she heard of cures being obtained at the tomb of St. Aones, so she travelled to Bome, and went super- stitiously as a heathen to the tomb. She fell asleep there. Agnes, in a vision, exhorted her to become a Christian, and promised her health on that condition. Constance was converted. At baptism she became perfectly well, and resolved to consecrate her life to God in virginity. Constantino, however, wished her to marry Gallicanus, a general who had vanquished the Persians, and whose services he valued very highly. Seeing her father much distressed at her refusal, she consented to marry Gallicanus, on condition of his vanquishing the Scythians, who had in- vaded Thrace and Dacia. While he was absent in this war she had his daughters, SS. Attica and Abtemia, to stay with her. Few could be found equal to them in wisdom and knowledge. She sent John and Paul, her faithful servants and cousins, with Gallicanus. She prayed earnestly that he might give up the idea of a marriage with her. She converted his daughters, and, at the same time, John and Paul converted him, exhorting him, when the chances of war seemed going against him, instead of sacrificing to Mars, to call upon the God of the