The Monuments of Saint Zeno

When these things had been done thus, he departed with howling and clamor. The demon, hastening, entered the house of the Palace of Gallienus, seized his daughter, who at that time was the only child of her parents, and began to torment her cruelly. Then the wretched father, and likewise the whole royal household, was turned to grief and afflicted by her suffering, because she was being so cruelly choked. While she was seized by this cruel torment, the demon began to cry out through the mouth of the little daughter of the Emperor, saying: I will not depart from this body unless Bishop Zeno comes and I depart by his command. As soon as Emperor Gallienus heard this, he sent officers to search for the holy man and began to seek him diligently. Then by the Emperor's command soldiers went to the man of God. For he was sitting upon a stone that was near the monastery, and was fishing in the river.

The soldiers came, and because he was unknown to them, they began to question the holy Priest of God earnestly, saying: Who are you, man of God? Tell us, if you have seen Bishop Zeno, whom we seek by the Emperor's command. But he answered, saying: Although there may be many names in our monastery of this name that you mention, nevertheless say what you have been sent to say. For I, though so humble, am nonetheless a servant of Christ; I am called Zeno. Then the soldiers, conferring among themselves, said to one another: Why do we speak at length? Let us tell this man the reason for which we have been sent. And answering they said: The Emperor asks you, and wishes to see you. Zeno replied: Why does the Emperor wish to see my lowliness, he who does not cease to be an enemy of all Christians? But they said: The Emperor asks you thus, that you restore to health his daughter, who is tormented by a demon, and who is his only child.

But he said to them: The Lord Jesus Christ is almighty. Go, he said, behold I follow after you, for the wonders of God must be made manifest to all. When this was said, the soldiers departed.

The holy Priest arose, made a prayer, and proceeded to the palace, where the Emperor was being tormented and afflicted on account of his daughter; and the holy Bishop of God, while making his way there, arrived before those soldiers who had been sent. When the sign of the cross had been made, and the Priest of Christ was entering the palace, the demon immediately began to cry out through the mouth of the little girl, saying: Behold, you, Zeno, have come to expel me, and on account of your holiness I cannot remain. When this was said, the Priest, taking the hand of the girl, said: In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I command you, come out from her, demon. But he began to cry out with a loud voice, saying: Even if I am expelled from here by you, I will go to Verona: you will find me and those in whom I dwell standing in the street awaiting you. And so the Priest of Christ restored the Emperor's daughter to health.

When Emperor Gallienus saw what had been done, seized with wonder, he offered the royal crown which he wore upon his head to the holy Priest, saying: To such a physician, who has restored my only daughter to health, I can show my gratitude with no other gifts unless I offer him this very crown of mine which I have. While this was being done, the multitude of people who had gathered at the palace, seeing it, were turned from gentile error and believed in Christ Jesus our Lord, asking the Priest of Christ to teach them the way of salvation and that they might receive baptism for the remission of sins. But when the Priest received the Emperor's crown, he immediately distributed it to the poor, saying: If the Lord works great things, to him also let the glory be given. VII. When these things had been thus accomplished, the most blessed Zeno asked that permission be granted him to destroy all idols and to build churches in the name of Christ.

To his requests the Emperor consented in all that he had asked. After this the Priest entered the city of Verona and preached intrepidly in the name of Christ, that the idols of the devil be destroyed and that churches be built in the name of Christ. When this was done, the multitude of the pagan people raged without ceasing, so that the servant of Christ might suffer hindrance. But Christ, watchful over his servants, overcame the falsehood which pure faith held in the heart. VIII. When these things were thus accomplished, he performed salutary works of intercession for the people, as he had been accustomed to do from his earliest age in the love of Christ. While he was doing this earnestly, not long after, by the will of God, he was received in peace.

And because he was renowned among all the people for miracles, in honor of God and of that holy Priest himself, someone of the lineage of Gallienus built a basilica in his holy name not far from the river, where his holy body now rests, which venerable place also shines with miracles in the name of Christ. IX. But after some time had passed, in that same city of Verona, when the people together with the clergy and priests had devoutly assembled for the solemn celebration of Mass on the feast day of his nativity, the river Adige, upon whose bank the body is known to be laid to rest, suddenly rose with so great a flood that the water of the river ascended to the windows and even to the roof.

While the doors of that church stood open, the water entered it not at all, and thus the standing water closed the church's doorway, as if that liquid element had been transformed into the solidity of a wall. The people who had gathered there in honor of God and the holy Priest, seeing this thing done, were seized with wonder and cried out that they were perishing from hunger and thirst. For when many were found inside, and the whole church was surrounded by the multitude of waters, and they had no way to go out in any direction, and feared they would fail there from thirst and hunger, they came to the door of the church to drink; they drew water, which, as I said before, had risen up to the windows, and yet flowed in no wise within the church. The water could thus be drawn as water, but could not flow in as water.

Standing before the door to show to all the merit of the Confessor, the water was there as an aid, and was as though not water for the purpose of invading the place. And while the inundation of water was so great, it was raised like a wall all around the church, and within the water entered not at all. For how great a power of his prayer, we may suppose, could prevail with God, since even the water was raised in the form of a wall and dared not enter the venerable place. Hence grew the veneration and awe toward the Priest of Christ, so that even if faith requires it, the sick are healed, the demoniacs come and are set free. And if anyone shall invoke his holy name with true faith, without doubt his petition is granted.

For many coming from distant regions, laying their bodies beset with infirmity at his sepulchre, return to their own homes with health and joy through his intercession, by the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Let princes hear, let peoples hear,

How great things have been wrought concerning the Holy man,

How great things God grants to those who believe in Him.

Gracious and gentle Zeno the bishop,

Confessor of the Lord and shepherd of the people.

How great graces he merited from God.

Zeno the bishop had remained chaste,

Sitting on a stone, fishing in the Adige.

How great things God.

When from across he beholds oxen in a wagon,

And likewise a man sinking in the river,

How great things he.

Lifting his eyes, he made the sign:

Get thee behind me, Satan, gain not souls.

How great things God.

He cries out mightily with a very great voice:

With a very great voice the demon had foretold [lacuna] (The repetition of How great things he is wanting).

Wandering I shall wander through unknown lands:

And through me it is not permitted to gain souls.

How great things God grants: thanks be to God. Wailing she cries out from on high exceedingly

Even to the throne of the Empire the daughter [lacuna]

Into whom he enters into a chaste body [lacuna]

How great things through.

The daughter of the Empire had remained chaste:

From the throne she calls upon Zeno unceasingly.

How great things he.

I was harmed, from this body,

If Zeno shall come, then the demon will depart.

How great things God.

He sent soldiers through unknown lands

To seek a man by the name of Zeno.

How great things through.

N [lacuna]

O man who sits on a stone, fishing in the Adige,

Point out to us Zeno by name.

How great things God.

There are many names throughout the monasteries,

But if he wishes to say, here is he whom you seek.

How great things he.

What do we say, or why do we waste away?

Do we not declare the command of the Empire?

The Empire entreats thee, summons thee to itself

For its daughter, whom the Demon stifles.

How great things God.

S [lacuna] Then the Demon cries out through the mouth of the little child:

Zeno is now near, and I flee.

How great things have been wrought,

The Bishop came, a most holy man,

With the sign of the cross he put the phantoms to flight.

How great things he.

X hastening yet on coming to Verona,

He found the impious one standing in the streets.

How great things God.

Y Let praise be given to Christ placed in the south,

Let the crown of the empire be given to the physician.

How great things through.

Zeno the Bishop, let peoples hear,

He destroyed idols, he built basilicas.

How great things.

It now seems necessary to us to make known the account of the Translation of the Blessed Zeno, because in the carrying out of this matter certain things worthy of remembrance came to light. This Translation took place when Rotaldus, a man most distinguished in the qualities of his person, was exercising pastoral care over Verona, and when Pippin the king, son of Charlemagne, whom Pope Adrian baptized, was ruling the Kingdom of Italy. The king loved Verona, endowed with a royal situation, more than other cities, and held frequent conversation with the bishop dear to him; and when one day they entered together the church of Saint Zeno, and spoke of the miracles they had heard of as well as those they had seen, they reasonably and worthily proposed that a great treasure placed more humbly than was fitting should be located more decorously and more loftily, and that the narrowness of the church should be enlarged.

Building therefore a church, they constructed a dark vault, supported by columns and paved with stones; there they raised a prominent mound of polished marble, which they dedicated to the tomb of the most sacred body. Then the king with the bishop, having assembled priests and other sacred orders, in whom they had hoped to find the regard of goodness, first soothing the Saint through manifold prayers lest, being moved, he should be angered at them, opened the chamber with great fear: and they were so terrified that no one of so great a company presumed to touch the holy bones; for something divine and greatly to be feared seemed to exhale from thence, which had inspired horror and left all those standing around without breath. Presently they closed the tomb and departed.

Then, while the king and the bishop were uncertain what they should do, among the many conjectures they were turning over, this one pleased them: that for forty days, three times a week, every order of both sexes, secular and ecclesiastical, together with the king himself and the bishop, should reverently and solemnly gather at the holy vault, and with one accord implore the clemency of God and of the Confessor, that he might instil into whomsoever so reverend a movement would befit.

While these things were being done with diligent care, the fame of a certain solitary man, nourished on small herbs and water and a little bread, came to the knowledge of the king; and when he heard this eagerly, he summoned the bishop without delay. They therefore chose industrious and prudent messengers, to whom they might entrust this charge; these men, coming to the lake which is called Benacus, made their way by a narrow and perilous path to the hiding-place of the secluded man, situated on a lofty height. And beholding the man, Benignus by name, and his disciple, who was called Carus, they rejoiced with great joy. Having heard the message of the king and bishop, he said to the messengers: Return in peace, bearing my greetings back to your lords, dearest friends: I rejoice not a little that I am called to that solemnity, and after a short while I will follow you.

Presently he entered the little chapel of the Oratory and implored divine aid; then he made himself ready for the exercise of the journey. But when he had gone not far from his cell, behold, a blackbird began to beat its wings, to twitter with its voice, and very frequently to fly across the path, and as it were to signify an ill omen, so as to call the man of God back from his undertaking. But that man, not being ignorant that this was a device of the demon, adjured the blackbird to make no movement until he himself should return. There the blackbird stood motionless, as though it were without sense. And when he drew near, and the king with the bishop and honourable men came out to meet him, he was received with honour and heard what the king wished; then he said: Since your vows depend upon a just purpose, you will find God gracious and bringing the fulfilment of your good petition (otherwise: opinion).

Then they themselves, entering the approach with chosen men, removed the stone. No one spared prayers, both those who were within and those who had remained before the doors. But the hermit, though aided by his own merits and the prayers of all, nevertheless entered trembling, and carried out the most blessed bones, and placed each one in order in a most clean little coffer prepared for such use. Then so great a force of fragrance breathed forth that none of them had ever perceived so sweet a scent before. Then the king, moved by his own urging and that of his men, requested some portion of the relics, which the bishop refused to allow. But the king began to press more and more, and to promise great gifts. At length the bishop, overcome by prayers neither few nor small, yielded, and, with the integrity of the members preserved, granted particles of the sinews, and of the ashes, and of the garments; but the rest, firmly enclosed and sealed with a ring, he laid away.

At the voice of those singing psalms the bank of the Adige resounded, the plains thundered, and we believe that the very hall of the Almighty rejoiced. While the relics were being carried around the church, as is customary, the aforesaid acclamations rang out, many long-standing infirmities left the bodies they had possessed, and immense joy arose on that day, the like of which no one of that time had seen: for cures of every kind were wrought in a short space of time, and the procession was prolonged on account of the sight of the signs. But the king and the bishop and the dweller of the rock, filled with awe, brought in the holy remains and placed them in the prepared mausoleum. After the bishop had reverently celebrated Mass, the king enriched the bride of God with a noble endowment. He gave her by right of property the monastery of Saint Peter, which is called Mauratica, with all the possessions belonging thereto.

He also subjected to her the church of the apostle Saint Andrew, which is called Incavi (Incasi), with its households, mountains, and forests, meadows and vineyards, fields and arable lands, and all appurtenances; likewise the church of Saint Zeno, which was situated beside the lake, with all its revenues; he also handed over the forest of Mantico; and he donated many pieces of embossed silver and gold vessels, a Gospel book adorned with a setting of gems and pearls and fashioned with beautiful gold chasing, and other things with which royal dignity abounded. Following his example, our emperors have always cherished the aforesaid place and offered their gifts.

Rotaldus the bishop, rich in possessions, made the church his heir of all his goods; and indeed very many nobles vied with one another in contributing large portions of their wealth, so that before the sun had set that church had become most wealthy. But the man of God, eager to return to the hermitage, hastened on his way. As he was drawing near to his dwelling, he saw a blackbird lying on a sheer rock, and thinking it was resting and awaiting his arrival, he went up to rouse it and give it leave to go; but it had already breathed its last. The good man, taking pity on it, said: "This little bird sinned at the instigation of the Devil, and because it was irrational and offended in ignorance, it deserved pardon, not death." On this occasion he imposed upon himself a most strict fast of forty days; wherefore a bronze image of a blackbird, made by the art of casting, hangs there to this day.

Now the king and the bishop, seeing the miracles of Zeno multiply and his affairs grow like a river swollen by melting snow, strove with the utmost effort, as guardians and stewards of the faith, lest a place blessed with abundance should become lean through want of prayer. Therefore with equal resolve, like twin brothers, they decreed to enlarge the monastery, which had already been enlarged before. It was their common care to advance to better things the monks of proven life dwelling there; just as a craftsman about to make a crown adorns it with choice gems and pearls, with which to bring the work he has begun to completion. Not long after, with the same helmsman at the helm, that same discipline and moral gravity produced among those elders together with the Abbot such men as would wondrously preserve the governance of the monastic rule, and be a pattern and mirror to those who followed, and as good fathers would make good heirs. The king rejoices, the bishop rejoices, beholding the abundant fruit of a sprouting harvest.

The city and its suburbs alike took joy in such a fellowship: wherefore many, shunning the shadowy breeze of a deceitful age, strove to become neighbors of such great men; it was not poverty that compelled them to do so, but thirsting and hungering for holy conversation, they brought no small wealth to Zeno and put on the monastic habit. In this manner that place became more blessed and more devout, and was sheltered under the wings of each successive Caesar. But the most blessed confessor, stirring up again and again the powers given him by the Lord and accomplishing many things worthy of remembrance, had called many from distant regions, some moved by devotion, others compelled by the necessity of illness. And lest we pass over everything, let us set forth in this little work some of his miracles.

A demon entered into a certain man of Trent and claimed for itself the powers of his body and mind; for no member performed its proper function, his foaming mouth gave forth no human sound, and though his eyes were open he did not see; when the enemy in its cunning flew at them, it made them bloodshot and terrible. It confessed the hidden things of men, and wrought many things that were not of human nature: it was a wondrous spectacle to all. When a priest adjured it, as is the custom, the demon called him a eunuch, a vice not yet known to those standing around. Then that man blushed at the shame of the reproach cast upon him, and departed. Behold, a certain deacon approached the demon and adjured it more severely, as if to avenge the priest.

The demon recognized him as one well known, called him by his name, and, a ridiculous betrayer, revealed several things the deacon had committed: wherefore some who shared his guilt did not dare to approach; thus the demon, as if victorious, stirred up its mockeries. Presently a certain Zeno, prior of the monastery, whom they surnamed Solomon on account of his merit in religion and wisdom, unable to bear the demon's arrogance, grieved at the shame of the betrayal, and moved even more by the injury done to the creature that had been invaded, embraced the altar of Saint Zeno, and stirred in his inmost being, bathed in tears, poured forth a prayer that the demonic insult should not pass unpunished. Straightway the demon felt the force of the prayer and unwillingly left the vessel it had long abused. That man, giving great and glorious thanks to God and to Saint Zeno, rejoiced that the ruinous guest had been put to flight.

Furthermore, William, withered and contracted, who like a four-footed beast had trodden the ground prone upon his hands, after he heard the proclamations of manifold healing, asked to be carried there on a litter. As he drew near to the vestibule of the temple, he was received in the arms of others and set down upon the ground. He beat his chest with his fists, filled his voice with sobs, and declared himself worthy of worse. Then he had lights kindled, and, bent like a beast, since he could not stand upright, he began to crawl on his knees and palms toward the altar. Straightway the divine power entered both his bones and his sinews, and touched the arthritic disease. He fell to the ground as though lifeless, and lay for a long while as if without breath, so that he was already believed to be dead. Suddenly the members of his body were made firm, and his joints and bases and all his knots were restored. Forthwith he is raised up and proceeds swiftly to the altar.

A rush of the people takes place; spiritual praise and jubilation arise. Glory and omnipotence are rendered to God, and clemency and magnificence to the renowned Zeno.

When the fame that heralds virtue had spread abroad on every side, no small crowd hastened from all directions, as flocks are wont to make for a field of common pasture full of abundance. Two men, one named Joannes and the other Calvus, were brought to this place and lay there as paralytics, companions in their journey, companions in their suffering and in their cure, whom a long stay had already made known to many. These men kept constant watch at the doors of the church, and implored the aid of Saint Zeno, now with shared prayers, now with alternating ones. While night was pressing upon them both with sleep, they alike beheld an old man of most beautiful appearance, of vivid complexion, whom a whiteness like snow made radiant, coming forth from the entrance of the inner temple and bearing a staff in his hand; he raised it, struck them both, and said: "Long enough have you lain in these chambers; rise up and praise God the Saviour." Then he departed.

Waking, they compared with one another by mutual account what they had seen. Straightway they agreed that they had been restored to health. Rising at once with speed, they gave joyful praise to God with loud voices; and fearing that, if they returned too quickly, God might impute ingratitude to them, they remained for some days and faithfully made known to others what had befallen them. Nor shall we pass over a certain memorable event that happened to Alberto of Ceneda. While fierce enemies were seizing him, not content with the glory of the capture, nor satisfied with other outrages unlawfully inflicted, they burned out his eyes with red-hot iron. Robbed of light, he sat in darkness, lamenting his sudden deprivation, and day and night he importunately implored God the judge with weeping. When the habit of his misfortune had already lessened his shame, he began to come forth from his hiding-places, led by another's guidance, and for no short time he followed his guide.

He had already become a burden and a grief to his own people, and he often begged God to cut short his unhappy life. It suddenly came into his heart to hasten to the protection of Saint Zeno; and so he sought from his kinsmen and friends the means for the journey. But they called him mad and mocked him for such a request. Setting aside the rest, he mercifully entreated his guide, who had once been his tutor, to consent to his undertaking. The man promptly obeyed and pledged that he would do whatever his master wished. He begins the journey in good spirits; but others of his household, acting humanely, set out with him. He was led to the cave in which Zeno had formerly rested. Prostrate on the ground, he calls with tearful tones upon him to whom he had come, that he might grant the help of his accustomed healing. As he repeatedly repeated the Miserere, he unexpectedly saw those standing around him. He suddenly cried out that he could see.

And when those who had come with him did not believe it, he pointed out one after another, inquiring who each was and what he was wearing. While he served as the informant of his questioners, all began to applaud and to praise God and his faithful servant Zeno. Hearing this, his torturers, moved by repentance, boldly approached him to ask that, for the love of him from whom he himself had obtained mercy, he would grant them pardon. He readily forgave the offence and received no penalty. He went to the abbot of Saint Zeno and to the rule of Saint Benedict, and there he faithfully served for four lustra. Nor shall I pass over you in silence, Wezilla, seized by a demon while still a girl, in whose tender limbs it lurked at times and at times raged as she grew into a young woman.

She ought to have been a comfort to her parents, but she was to them an inconsolable spectacle; the demon had often deceived them, swearing that it would depart if she were led to the altar of this or that saint. Thus for a long time it had mocked their hope and wearied their diligent care. But in that season when the blood of Christ was reported to have been found at Mantua, while she was being led thither by her parents, they made a detour to the church of Zeno. As she entered, the demon shook the girl more fiercely than usual, like the east wind shaking a sapling; and as it was the time of the Rogation processions, a great crowd was going before with singing.

When they saw her head spinning, her hair flying, her hands and arms thrashing, her feet leaping, and many men laboring to hold one woman; all with palms raised to heaven cried out with one voice, "Help us, O God." Not one of so great a multitude held back from this kind of effort. You might have seen some praying prostrate, others weeping with compassion, others urging the priests to their office, by which commotion the whole royal church resounded. Straightway the stronger armed one came and drove out by force the one who had wrongly occupied his own house. O demon, with what great pain and with what great outcry and with what sulphurous stench did he fall! The girl stood in the midst of the people, pale, terrified, trembling, exhausted. She could scarcely speak, she who a little while before had surpassed everyone with her voice; she tottered on her feet and in all her limbs, she who a little while before had worn out strong men.

He who had vexed her and breathed into her enormous strength was gone. O how great was the praise and glory, and how great were the acclamations uttered there! When that wicked spirit departed, going about seeking whom he might devour, he saw a monk staying near the tall tower that was then being built; upon him he rolled a stone from a high pinnacle and gravely wounded him on the crown of the head; the man was thereupon carried away by the brethren as though dead, and this is held as a memorial, that so open a wound was not fatal. Straightway like an arrow he hurled himself upon the table of a certain local man and scattered everything that was on it far and wide, like a stormy whirlwind.

Then more swiftly than words can tell he rushed upon a cart loaded with thorns, which no animal was moving and there was no force of wind; and then the perverse driver spun it this way and drove it that way, as though fierce and untamed bulls were yoked together. Having performed these pranks, he at once drove the helmsman of a boat transporting stones for the splendid building of Saint Zeno, intending both to drown the man in the river and to wreck the boat. But the man fell down beneath the stern, and the boat reached harbour without loss. At that same moment he betook himself from the Adige to the river called the Flubius (that is, the Fibius stream), where ploughmen were resting at midday on a pleasant bank; and while they were peacefully attending to their own affairs and there was no quarrelling among them, Satan began to tickle their hearts, whereupon some of them spoke insolently and arrogantly and drove their companions and familiar friends to words of insult.

Immediately inflamed with hostility they clashed heavily with staves, and had military weapons been at hand they would have perished in mutual slaughter. But by chance priests were present there, who as mediators forcibly separated the grievously wounded men. On their return, each washed the still-bleeding wounds of the other that they themselves had made, and cutting bandages from their garments, they bound the wounds with charity and tears. Thereafter the dread artificer did harm more in secret than openly, he who trusts more in wiles and tricks than in strength. Straightway the priests, with Satan's open snares laid bare, recognized that he had come among the sons of God.

A distinguished man, when the feast day of Zeno was at hand,
Would lavishly provide banquets each year for twice six poor men;
To this man, wretched, as he was doing such things, as a father,
Behold, they bring word that his son had sought Acheron with dire
Wounds. Yet the father did not abandon what he had begun, though that son
Was his only child, nor did he leave off on account of such a death:
But he declared that Zeno was always present as a protection to him,
And the father closed the feast in joy:

And when immense praises had been offered to God, to Zeno, and to the citizens on high, straightway Zeno recalled the young man to his parent, from death, as though from sleep.

What of the fact that when a certain man had been overcome by an enemy from a fortress and had flown to the Venetian city of Verona, and saw that all men were unjustly cruel to him, he brought suppliant vows to Zeno, saying such things:

Be thou present to me, O Zeno, as a righteous patron, I pray, thou whom Verona venerates as its foremost leader in honor.

Behold, suddenly the whole Venetian people and Senate, seeing his rights, then at last with kindly countenance made the servant of Zeno victorious;

and he himself reported with his own mouth that Zeno had written those things which the advocates and teachers had already denied that they had foreseen, though they had long sifted each detail:

thus he was both fulfilled in his vow and mindful, and received it.

Thee, Catharina, I beseech, a Saracen woman, confess to one who asks how great gifts Zeno has already brought thee, sick for many months, and how welcome they were;

for the man Benedict himself is also present as a witness, that in a vision he took away from her the fever and pain of the head, saying:

Rejoice, O faithful one, thou shalt be well, if thou makest a fitting shade for the bare head of Zeno:

for thus he appeared bare to thee, to whom all things shine pure;

and thou shalt leave thy pallet safe and sound, with the whole house rejoicing, as soon as possible:

not in vain did the mother of Zeno pour out vows into his ears with her prayers, healed of her gout.

Prayer—Illumined by the venerable solemnity of this day's feast of Saint Zeno, thy Priest and Confessor, O Lord, we rejoice and give thanks together; graciously grant, appeased by his worthy prayers, that, refreshed by the delight of spiritual nourishment, we may follow by imitation the way of salvation which he taught. Through our Lord.

Another prayer.—O God, who dost gladden us with the annual solemnity of the blessed confession of Saint Zeno, thy Priest and Confessor, grant, we beseech thee, that, relying on thy strength, with the crafty assault of the enemy overcome, we may deserve to arrive at eternal joys through his intercession. Through.

Secret.—Upon the gifts offered to thee, we beseech thee, O God the Father almighty, look with favor and mercy, and through the intercession of Blessed Zeno, thy Priest and Confessor, both let our frailty be kept unharmed from the hidden impulse of the deceiver, and let the offerings devoutly received by angelic hands be borne swiftly before the sight of thy glorious and awesome majesty as a sweet fragrance. Through.

Preface.—It is truly meet. Who didst deign to lead Blessed Zeno, more abundantly satisfied with the copious sweetness of love of thy holy name, to the contemplation of the longed-for brightness of thy Deity: whom the unconquered clemency of thy merciful piety rendered so much the more unharmed amid worldly pomps, that he neither swelled with the great allure of prosperity, nor was bent by the wave-tossed assault of the stormy falseness of adversities: for he was steadfast in faith, long-suffering in charity, comely in the liveliness of the purity of chastity, and in the miracles of virtues he stood forth as a most renowned worker of salvation, and moreover in carrying out the teaching of the lordly dignity committed to him, he daily refreshed the peoples by instructing them with the nourishment of the divine word of life, and what the comely heavenly soldier faithfully preached as to be followed, this the wondrous and devoted steward took care to fulfill unceasingly in deed.

And therefore thee, O Lord almighty, author of all things, we suppliants beseech, the giver of good things, that thou, appeased by the most sacred prayers of him whose most celebrated day of precious death we recall in this day's feast, mayest grant us, that both freed from the bonds of our sins, and defended from the crafty ferocity of the assault of enemies, we may deserve, under thy guidance, to arrive at the kingdoms of heaven. Through Christ.

At communion.—Having received, O Lord, the mysteries of the most holy redemption, we pray that, strengthened by the fullness of this saving remedy, and supported by the most wholesome aids of the blessed intercession of thy holy Priest and Confessor Zeno, we may deserve to arrive at the joys of the full feast eternal. Through.

Another.—Guard us, we beseech thee, O Lord, as we frequent the nativities of thy Saints, and always rouse our wills to carry out the saving precepts of thy commandments. Through.

Prayer.—O God, who art the most powerful illuminator of thy pontiffs, grant, we beseech thee, that, formed by the magnificent examples of thy most blessed Priest and Confessor Zeno, we may pass through the darkness of this age without peril. Through.

Secret.—Let us pray: O almighty God, may the welcome intercession of blessed Zeno obtain for us pardon of our sins before thee. Through.

Postcommunion.—Grant, we beseech thee, O almighty God, that we who celebrate with annual vigils the venerable translation of thy glorious Confessor Zeno, by worthily following his manner of life, may deserve to be partakers of his joys. Through.

Prayer.—Celebrating with holy devotion this day the venerable day of thy Blessed Confessor Zeno, let us faithfully beseech thee, O Lord, the preserver of all, that, as a loving one, thou mayest look upon our prayers with clemency and favor, and mayest bestow mercy upon us even as upon him. Through.

Secret.—O God, who bringest bright light to the world through shining pearls, who hast prepared for blessed Zeno in his pontificate an eternal crown in the heavens, deign also to be present to us thy servants standing before the sight of thy majesty. Through.

Ad Complendum.—O God, who didst make such a man Bishop for thy Church, as thou didst appoint such a Priest in our times, who is able to offer a most pure and spotless victim. Through.

Oration.—Almighty and everlasting God, who art the wondrous splendour of thy Saints, and who on this day didst raise thy blessed Confessor Zeno to the glory of eternal blessedness, graciously grant that we who venerate his feast on earth may be fortified by the aid of his intercession before thy mercy in heaven. Through.

Secret.—Upon the offerings presented to thee, as in the Secret of the first Mass.

Ad Communionem.—Of thy holy Priest Zeno, as in the first oration of the first Mass; with this one difference in the final words: that by imitating the way of salvation which he taught, we may obtain pardon. Through.

Oration.—Be propitious, we beseech thee, O God, to thy servants through the glorious merits of thy holy Confessor and Bishop Zeno, who rests in this present church, and by his devout intercession may we be protected from all adversities. Through.

Secret.—May thy clemency, almighty God, receive the gift offered from our hands, and through the prayers of this thy holy Confessor and Bishop Zeno absolve us from all sins.

Postcommunion.—Partaking of the divine mysteries, O Lord, which we have offered to thy venerable majesty on behalf of this thy holy Confessor and Bishop Zeno; grant, we beseech thee, that through them we may merit pardon of sins, and be refreshed by the gifts of heavenly grace.

Introit.—The Lord made with him a covenant of peace, and made him a prince, that the dignity of the priesthood should be his for ever. Psalm. The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever. ℣. Glory.

Lesson from the Book of Wisdom.—Behold a great priest, up to those words in odorem suavitatis, which for the sake of brevity we have judged fit to omit. ℟. Behold a great priest, who in his days pleased God. ℣. There was none found like unto him, who kept the law of the Most High. Alleluia. ℣. Behold, the confessor Zeno, shepherd of the Lord, intercede for the devout people of God.

According to Luke.—At that time Jesus said to his disciples: No man lighteth a candle, up to those words and as a lamp of brightness shall give thee light.

In Paschal Time. According to John.—At that time Jesus said to his disciples: I am the true vine, up to the words and your joy may be filled.

Offertory.—My truth and my mercy shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

Communion.—Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained other five over and above. Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

Super populum.—Almighty and everlasting God, who didst adorn thy blessed Confessor Zeno with pontifical insignia, grant us, we beseech thee, by his example and glorious intercession, to despise in mind the glory of the world, and ever to seek heaven. Through our Lord.

Super Sindonem.—O God, who didst make this present day solemn by the glorious departure of thy blessed Bishop Zeno, grant that we may be continually aided by his intercessions before thee, and cherished by his magnificent pleadings. Through our Lord.

Super oblata.—May the illustrious intercession of blessed Zeno be present to thy Church, O God, both to make our offerings acceptable in the sight of thy majesty, and to render thee propitious to us. Through our Lord.

Preface.—Eternal God, as we recall the merits of thy blessed Bishop and Confessor Zeno, whom by thy free goodness thou didst deign to exalt in the office of the episcopate and in the gift of faith, so that he both shone with immense virtues and did not forsake the purpose of holy humility. For he both rescued the daughter of the Emperor Gallienus from the power of a demon, and healed the infirmities of many by his mighty power. The river Adige also perceived how great is the power of so great a Bishop, when, overflowing its banks beyond its wont, it dared not enter the approaches of the consecrated temple. Worthily therefore do we not keep silence concerning his praises in thy name; worthily do we proclaim his miracles with festive lauds; worthily together with him do we render to thee, O Lord, the giver of all good things, our vows of thanksgiving. Through Christ our Lord.

Postcommunion.—May the glorious merits of thy blessed Bishop and Confessor Zeno, we beseech thee, O Lord, ever protect us from all evils, we who rejoicing receive thy holy gifts on his solemnity. Through our Lord.

THE 12TH Day of april. On the Feast of St. Zeno Bishop and Martyr. Oration.—Almighty and everlasting God, who didst sanctify thy blessed Zeno, bishop of the Church of Verona, from the womb, and didst grant him victory everywhere against the enemy of the human race; graciously grant that we sinners may be converted to thee by his merits and prayers, and may ever deserve to obtain victory over the lurking enemy. Through our Lord.

THE 21ST Day of may. On the Feast of the Translation of St. Zeno Bishop and Martyr. Oration.—Celebrating with holy devotion the venerable day of the Translation of thy blessed Martyr and Bishop Zeno, we humbly beseech thy clemency, that as thou didst vouchsafe to bestow glory upon him according to his merits, so thou wouldst deign to grant pardon to us, with him interceding for our sins. Through our Lord.

The ninth day of december. On the Feast of the Ordination of St. Zeno the Bishop. Prayer.—O God, who didst deign to choose Blessed Zeno, thy Confessor and Pontiff, as an eminent teacher and preacher of the Catholic faith, grant, we beseech thee, that through his intercession on our behalf we may be stripped of the stains of our sins, and may merit to please thee, O Lord, with sincere hearts. Through our Lord. With not a few witnesses present, he healed the daughter of Caesar Gallienus from a ruinous plague by the power of God. Allel. Holy Confessor, great Priest, Blessed Zeno, intercede for us.

The King of Confessors. Psalm: Venite.

Antiph. From his mother's womb blessed Zeno was sanctified, and from the cradle blessed. Allel. Psalm: Beatus vir.

Ant. By continual growth in uprightness and knowledge he merited to attain to this, that through a most holy life he was made a Shepherd among the peoples. Psalm: Quare fremuerunt.

Ant. By continual fasts and frequent prayers he besought the Lord that he would open to him a way of preaching among the peoples. Allel.

Psalm: Domine, quid multiplicasti. ℣. Voce mea.

Resp. This is the holy bishop Zeno, whom the Lord adorned with the twofold virtue of holiness and wisdom, whose glorious miracles shone forth into the world, and who in heaven attained to fellowship with the Angels. Allel. ℣. This is he who wrought great deeds of power before God, and all the earth was filled with his teaching. And in heaven.

℞. Sanctified from the womb, blessed Zeno, and blessed from the cradle, merited to attain to this, that through a most holy life he was made a shepherd among the peoples. Allel. Allel. ℣. Into all the earth the sound of his manner of life went forth, and his holiness shone out brilliantly. Through a most holy.

℞. In a more secluded part of the oratory, by continual fasts and frequent prayers, he besought the Lord that he would deign to open to him a way of preaching among the peoples. All. Allel.

℣. To the converting of the souls of men to the love of Christ he was devoted day and night. That he would deign.

Antiph. He was so affable in speech, and so gentle in bearing, that God was praised in him by all who came to him. Psalm: Cum invocarem.

While he was engaged in the exercise of fishing in the river, he saw a certain man sitting in a wagon plunge headlong into the stream. Allel.

Psalm: Verba mea.

The man of God, raising his hand on high, made the sign of the cross, saying: Turn back, Satan, and destroy not the man whom God created. Allel.

Psalm: Domine, Dominus noster. ℣. Justum deduxit Dominus.

℣. He was so affable in speech, and gentle and mild in manner and bearing, that God was praised in him by all who came to him. Allel. Allel. ℣. So eager was he that they straightway hastened to him, and, forsaking their idols, believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. That God was praised in.

℞. While he was engaged in the exercise of fishing in the river Adige, raising his eyes on high, he saw a certain man sitting in a wagon yoked to oxen plunge into the stream. Allel. Allel. ℣. For he was borne along with such speed that it was shown to all to have been accomplished by the craft of the ancient foe. He saw.

℞. Raising his hand on high, blessed Zeno made the sign of the holy cross, and said with repeated voice: Turn back, Satan, and destroy not the man whom God created. Allel. Allel. Allel.

℣. When the demon saw that sign, he vanished like smoke with cries and unspeakable gnashing. Turn back.

Ant. Blessed Zeno said: The Lord does not permit thee to do anything against his servant. Allel.

Psalm: Domine, quis habitabit.

The wretched Father and all the royal household were afflicted with grief, because the girl was being cruelly tormented. Allel.

Psalm: Domine, in virtute.

The Priest of God Zeno sat upon a stone, and following the practice of the Apostolic art, was fishing in the river. Allel. Psalm: Domini est terra. ℣. Amavit eum Dominus.

℞. The demon therefore hastened and entered the palace of Caesar Gallienus, and seizing his only daughter began to torment her cruelly. Allel. Allel. ℣. The wretched father, and likewise all his household, were afflicted with anguish and grief. And seizing.

℞. As the Priest of Christ entered the palace and made the sign of the cross, the demon straightway began to cry out, saying: Thou, Zeno, dost drive me out; and on account of thy holiness I cannot remain. Allel. Allel. Allel. ℣. And if I depart hence, I will go to Verona, and there thou shalt find me. And I. ℞. Holy Zeno, confessor of Christ, hear thy beseeching servants; and do thou, O God, bring the pardon obtained from heaven. ℣. O holy Zeno, golden star, by the grace of the Lord, receive with thy accustomed clemency the groaning of thy servants.

Ant. The Lord Jesus Christ is almighty, for it is fitting that the wonders of God be made manifest. Allel. Rising up, the blessed Priest made prayer, and went to the palace, where the King was afflicted on account of his daughter. Allel.

As the confessor of Christ entered the palace, when the sign of the cross was made, the demon cried out through the mouth of the girl, saying: Thou, Zeno, hast come to drive me out, and on account of thy holiness I cannot remain. Allel. Blessed Zeno, taking the hand of the girl, said: In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I command thee, come out of her, demon. Allel. For the Priest of Christ restored the daughter of the King, healed from all the mockery of demonic assault. Allel. ℣. Elegit eum.

Blessed Zeno distributed the crown he had received from the king among the poor, saying: If the Lord works great things, to Him let perpetual praise and glory be rendered. Allel. Ant. Holy confessor Zeno, shepherd of the Lord's flock, we beseech you, intercede for us, that we may deserve to be with you in heaven. Allel. Allel. Allel.

The Lord established for His holy one Zeno an everlasting covenant, and gave him the great priesthood. ℟. Sanctified from the womb. ℣. Into all the earth.

Zeno, renowned Pontiff,

Splendid athlete of Christ,

Be present to our voices,

Which we pour forth to you with devotion.

O glorious Patron,

Maker of our salvation,

That we may worthily offer our songs,

Break asunder our sins.

Deign to be present to your servants,

O beloved leader:

May our hearts ever feel

Your divine power.

You are our refuge,

You our mightiest strength,

You our salvation and protection

And our jubilation.

O holy and illustrious Shepherd,

Graciously come to our aid (Cor. Come to our help),

Look upon us as suppliants,

Receive the vows of your servants.

To God the Father be glory,

And to His only Son,

Together with the Spirit the Paraclete,

Both now and for evermore. Amen.

The Lord acknowledged His holy one Zeno in His blessings, preserved His mercy toward him, and he found favour before the eyes of the Lord. ℟. The Lord loved him and adorned him. ℣. He clothed him with a robe of glory. And adorned him. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O God, the crown, hope, and reward

Of your soldiers,

Attend with inclined ears

To our unworthy voices.

You who placed Zeno the bishop,

Pure from all sin,

Led forth from the cage of the flesh,

Above the heavens.

For the sake of his holy merits

Remit our sins,

Here free us from our offences,

And in the ages to come.

All things praise you alike,

O highest arbiter of all,

Whose kingdom is stable

For ever without end. Amen.

℣. You are a priest for ever.

The wondrous bishop Zeno shines forth,

A mirror of the world,

Whose solemn feast

The circuit of the year brings us.

He, fervent in the faith of Christ,

Despising this present age,

Endowed with the flower of virtues,

Possessed the reward of heaven.

Bearing here the burden of the flesh,

He wrought many miracles,

As a most brilliant light blooms,

He put to flight the blind darkness.

For indeed, while fishing in the river,

He saw his peasant headlong in a cart

Together with his oxen

Sinking to the depths of the stream.

Perceiving that the most wicked enemy

Had brought this about, the holy man

Poured forth prayers to the Lord,

Seeking His aid.

The grace of Christ came to his aid,

Which rewards those who believe in Him,

And freed this man,

Restoring to him his former health.

To God the Father be glory

After these things he healed the only daughter

Of the emperor,

Whom the most wicked demon

Had then made his dwelling.

The bed of the river Adige,

Rising beyond its usual course,

Mounted up to the lofty

Summit of the church.

Straightway the most worthy merits

Of the holy man shone forth,

For the water stood solid,

Though its nature is to flow.

We therefore pray as suppliants,

O most holy bishop Zeno,

That you make the Lord of heaven

Propitious toward us.

So that, after our sins are washed away,

We may enjoy His glory,

And possess the happy

Solemnities for ever.

Grant this, most merciful Father

The venerable feasts of the holy bishop

Zeno, who followed the Lord, return,

He who consecrated for us a celebrated day

With a blessed end.

He had been a great priest of the Most High,

Preaching, penetrating peoples of the sea,

Thence God takes care to send him

To the city of Verona.

There, having won for God a great people,

He instructed them with words, strengthened them with deeds:

At last, suffering death for God,

He lives for ever.

Now he shines resplendent for ever in his merits,

Illustrious, and made manifest to all the world:

He who, while living in the body,

Strove to please God alone.

O Shepherd radiant with eternal triumph,

Hear your little servants who supplicate you,

And ask a reward for the just, and pardon

For those fallen in sin.

So that by the great mercy of God,

Filling the tenth order of heaven,

We may behold His face

For all the ages of the world.

Let us all resound glory to the Father,

And to you, Christ, begotten on high,

With whom the Holy Spirit likewise

The Creator subsists. Amen.

We offer to Christ a hymn

For the holy bishop Zeno,

Who despised the world

And purchased the reward of Christ.

Who in his youth

Kept the precepts of God,

And continually distributed

Alms generously to the poor.

He practised the art of fishing,

Following orthodox teaching,

He plunged his hand into the deep,

And fished by the grace of God.

In the likeness of Peter the Apostle,

Having obtained worthy merits,

And as shepherd of the Veronese,

He shone as supreme High Priest.

Also by frequent fasts

He repelled the vices of the flesh,

And by often teaching the people

He destroyed the idols of the world.

Being a great physician,

Healing infirm bodies,

Often freeing souls

Possessed by the devil.

Filled with such great grace,

He departed into rest in Christ,

And ever shows to us

His great wonders.

Let us therefore, O people, beseech

The confessor of the Most High,

That he himself may obtain for us

Peace and indulgence.

Blessed Zeno was sanctified from his mother's womb, and blessed from the cradle. ℣. The Lord loved him. Antiphon at Matins or at Morning Lauds. Blessed Zeno distributed among the poor the crown he had received from the King, saying: If the Lord works great things, to him let perpetual praise and glory be rendered. ℣. Thou art a Priest.

Prayer. O God, who art the most mighty illuminator of thy pontiffs, graciously grant that, instructed by the magnificent examples of thy most blessed Priest and Confessor Zeno through his intercession, we may pass through the darkness of this age without peril.

May almighty God and Lord grant you an abundance of blessing, who called blessed Zeno to himself by the virtue of his confession. Amen. And may he who made him shine with miracles adorn you with the increase of good works. Amen. So that, instructed by his examples and fortified by his intercession, whose day of departure you celebrate, you may be able to be joined to him in the heavenly realm. Amen. Which may he himself deign to grant, whose. Amen.

Desiring that the glorious Confessor blessed Zeno, Father and Patron of this city and diocese of Verona, and the blessed martyrs George, Firmus, and Rusticus be venerated with fitting devotion and due honors by the flock entrusted to us, so that we may be aided by their merits before God, we command that their feast be solemnly celebrated each year throughout the city and diocese of Verona by the people and clergy, and that in all the churches of the same city and diocese a commemoration of them be made on each ferial day at Matins and Vespers with their antiphon and collect to be read in the aforementioned churches. Thus for the three martyrs let one common Antiphon and prayer be said: O God, who dost grant us to observe the memory of thy holy martyrs George, Firmus, and Rusticus. The same commemoration was subsequently ordered by John Matthew Giberti, bishop of Verona, in the Constitutions, tit. Lib. II, ch.

2 and 3, not only at Lauds and Vespers, but also at Masses in the collect A cunctis: which is observed even to this day.

St. Ambrose, letter, to Syagrius bishop of Verona, no. 1. But you have thought that this judgment should be claimed for yourself alone without the counsel of any brother: in which, however, before the judgment you have made a prejudgment, so that you have deemed it right to bring into the peril of guilt a maiden approved by the judgment of Zeno of holy memory, and sanctified by his blessing, after so many years, without an author of accusation, without an accuser, without one who professes a charge.

Recently John the Tribune taught me by his own account that Count Pronulphus, who was present with him, testified that he himself had been present at the same time with King Authari in the very place where the wondrous event occurred, and that he had come to know of it. For the aforesaid Tribune narrated, saying: That nearly five years before this, when the Tiber at this city of Rome had overflowed its bed, rising so greatly that its waters flowed over the walls of the city and had already occupied very large regions thereof, at the city of Verona the river Adige, overflowing, came to the church of the blessed martyr and bishop Zeno; and while the doors of that church stood open, the water did not enter it at all, but rising a little it reached up to the windows of the church, which were close to the roof, and so the water, standing there, closed the door of the church, as if that liquid element had been changed into the solidity of a wall; and when many were found inside, yet surrounded on all sides by the multitude of waters, they had no way by which they could go out, and they feared that they would there perish from thirst and hunger, they came to the door of the church and drew water to drink, which, as I said before, had risen to the windows, and yet in no way flowed within the church.

Thus the water could be drawn as water, but could not flow in as water. Standing before the door to show to all the merit of the Martyr, the water was there as an aid, and as water was not there to invade the place.

The eighth Pastor and Confessor, Zeno the renowned Martyr,
Who by preaching brought Verona back to baptism,
Healed the daughter of Gallienus from an evil spirit,
And brought back from the deep oxen sinking together with a man.
And indeed he freed many from the pestilential foe,
He raised a dead man rescued from the river,
He destroyed many idols through frequent fasting.
I cannot recount the many works of this Saint,
Which almighty God showed forth through him as wonders
From Syria all the way to Italy.

I shall here make use of the authority of blessed Zeno, namely in the sermon which he delivered in his customary most brilliant manner on Judah the patriarch and Tamar his daughter-in-law, saying: The Devil is the father of all who live corruptly.

And since our special teacher and provider, blessed Zeno, says, in the sermon which he composed most elegantly concerning Judah the son of Jacob and Tamar his daughter-in-law

There flourished in the Church of God illustrious doctors, among whom was the blessed Zeno, bishop of Verona, an outstanding doctor, the eighth bishop of that same city [lacuna] Now this outstanding doctor Zeno wrote three treatises on Chastity, Patience, Faith, Hope, and Charity: one treatise on Justice: one on Fear: one on the Spirit and the body: one sermon on that which is written: When he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father: a most beautiful exposition on the Building of the house of God by Solomon: one treatise on Continence: three treatises on Baptism: one on the Nativity of the Lord and his majesty: some on Daniel at Easter: seven treatises on Psalms XL, XLI, CXXVI, CXXVII, CXXVIII, CXXIX, CXXX: one treatise on Envy and Malice: one very lengthy treatise on this word: Take heed to yourself, lest perhaps there be a hidden word in your heart, an iniquity: one treatise on the Fast of the four seasons, on: one on the Miser and the rich man: three on Avarice: one on Circumcision: nine treatises on Genesis: nine on Exodus: seven on Isaiah: three on Daniel: one on Job: eight on the feast of Easter: five treatises on the Invitation to the fonts: one sermon on the Dream of Jacob: one treatise on the XII signs of heaven for the Neophytes: likewise two for the Neophytes: two on Faith: one on Jonah: a brief treatise on the History of Susanna: two treatises on the Lord's Day: two on Abraham: two treatises on the Nativity of the Lord: a Letter on the passion of the martyr Arcadius, who suffered at the same time, on the second day before the Ides of January, in Mauritania ...

These writings and treatises of his I myself have read and seen.

Now Saint Zeno wrote eighty treatises on the Psalms and the prophets, and on the Nativity of the Lord, and on various other subjects, and several letters and expositions, and the life of Saint Arcadius the martyr, who suffered at the same time, which I placed on the day before the Ides of January; which treatises, letters, and expositions, composed in a fine and subtle style, I myself saw in two volumes at Saint Zeno's in Verona.

Zeno, bishop of Verona, is held to be distinguished in the time of the emperor Gallienus, and suffers martyrdom. Now this venerable Prelate of God wrote books on Patience, Chastity, Faith, Hope, Charity, three. For he transcribes the aforementioned John of Verona; then adds: All these little works the memorable man John, priest and mansionary of the greater Church of Verona, testifies that he saw and read.

Zeno, bishop and doctor of Verona, flourished in the time of the emperor Gallienus [lacuna] Now this venerable Prelate wrote books on Patience, and the rest in exactly the same words as in Guglielmo da Pastrengo.

But when he had first then given the holy words of God
To the people without fear, he is held a worthy Patron
Of Verona, though he himself was the eighth
Bishop in her: for our Father taught our hearts
The sacred laws, for he flourished in polished speech:
And he ever pressed upon his people with fatherly counsel, that he might join
All to God himself, one and threefold.
This Father redeemed countless peoples
From the living font of Jesus, and consecrated great
Temples to the honor of God.

O Verona, how exceedingly bright shine the many and great deeds
Of your Pontiff, to whom you owe so much!
For who is held to be the first founder of faith for you?
What first light drives away the darkness from your hearts?
What father in speech was more pleasing to his children than he?
On whom did the glory of eloquence and fluency shine more brightly.

Zeno, as befits the Christian religion and his own holiness, will be the first who, as a celebrated prelate of Verona of great sanctity, wrote many extant works, setting forth the sacred writings of both Testaments, and breathing the Ambrosian eloquence which he imitated.

Holy Zeno, and Father of your homeland, your muse teaches how great
The codex of your sermons has been.