Baring-Gould’s sources: Roman Martyrology. Zenobius, bishop of Fiesoli, in 966, is said to have visited the church of S. Romulus, so that the veneration of this Saint must be ancient. Authority: — The Acts, which are utterly apocryphal, *• sunt ab initio meras fabulae,” say the Bollandists. The fact is, S. Romulus bears a suspicious resemblance in part of his story to Romulus, the fabulous founder of Rome. The companions of Romulus, bearing the suspicious names of Dulcissimus and Charissimus, were venerated at Bamberg on April 19th, with proper lessons extracted from the fabulous acts of S. Romulus. The Acts appear to be a forgery of the 12th cent.] HE apocryphal legend of the birth of S. Romulus is to this effect. There was a Roman citizen of the name of Argoltus, who had a daughter named Lucema, and she, when she grew up, became enamoured of a slave of her father, named Cyrus, and by him became the mother of a little boy. Then she took the child and exposed it in a wood, that it might die. But lo ! a she-wolf came and suckled the babe, and it grew and throve. But there came forth one day the huntsmen of the Emperor Nero, to hunt, and they chased the wolf to her lair, and there they found the boy. So they came and told Nero. And he said, “ Go ! fetch me the lad.” So they went and chased the wolf, and the wolf leaped forth, and the boy ran after her, and escaped. For two days did they pursue the wolf and the boy, and were unable to catch them. And on the third day they returned with their hands empty. Then Nero the emperor sent his prefect to Peter the apostle, to tell him what had fallen out. And S. Peter, when he heard this, prayed to the Lord, and in the night an angel came to him and bade him take his fishing-nets and go into the forest and catch the boy and the wolf. So the apostle convoked all the Christians of Rome, and they went forth bearing nets; and when they came to the forest, they beat it, but could not catch the wolf and boy. Therefore the apostle prayed, and instantly those whom he sought stood before him. Then he cried with a loud voice, “ If thou be born of a she-wolf, avoid thee hence ! But if thou be bom of a woman, come hither that I may catch thee ! ” And when he had so cried out the wolf ran away, and the Christians caught her in their nets. But S. Peter held the boy, and the child had been for three hundred days with the wolf when S. Peter captured him. So they brought the wolf and boy into Rome, and committed them to a keeper, and bade him turn a sheep into their prison. Then the boy and the wolf fell on the sheep and rent it with their teeth, and devoured it raw. Now when S. Peter saw this, he bade that the wolf be expelled the city, but he delivered the boy to the priest Justin to be baptized. Then Justin •SV?. Romulus and Comp.

…placed a vessel with water therein on a stone, and said, 44 By what name shall he be called ?” And when S. Peter hesitated, Justin said, 44 Let us confirm him in the name of the Holy Trinity, and call him Romulus.” And so it was done. Then the boy was committed by the apostle to the care of a noble woman to be brought up. And when he had remained with her two years, he recalled him. And the boy was fair in face, and voluble in speech. Then Peter the apostle took him in his arms, and kissed him, and said, 44 1 bless and confirm thee in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and may thy mouth, filled with the spirit of wisdom, preach the Lord Christ.” And he delivered him to Justin, to be instructed in letters and in the divine law. Now when Romulus had attained the age of eight years, he went about Rome preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, and expelling devils. Now there was a man in Rome named Charisius, who had two sons, whereof one named Vicinior was possessed with a devil, and the other named Pensior was crippled in all his limbs. Charisius came to the apostle Peter and said, 44 Come and heal my sons, and I will believe, but if thou art indisposed, then send thy disciple, Romulus.” So S. Peter sent Romulus, who healed the two young men, and Charisius and his household believed and were baptized 44 in the self-same hour.” After that, S. Peter bade Romulus go to Sutri, and take with him his tutor Justin, and two men, Marchitian and Crescentius, and preach the word there. And when they had gone a short way, they came to a little town, named Nepina, where the boys and girls talked of their Bishop Justin. So they asked if they were Christians, and when they heard it was even so, they went to the house of the bishop and lodged there one night. But ifi ifi on the morrow they departed and came to Sutri, where they entered into the house of one named Pergamus, and preached to him; then he believed, and was baptized with all his household, even fifty souls. And on the following day Romulus gave speech to a dumb girl, whereupon great multitudes were added to the Church, so much that the governor expelled the missionaries out of the city, and they returned to Rome. Then S. Peter, when he had heard what they had done, said, “ I have before now sent my disciples Charissimus and Dulcissimus to Volterra. 1 Go now, my brother Romulus, with thy companions Marchitian and Crescentius, to Fiesole, and sow the seed of life there.” And then, when he had ordained Romulus bishop, he let him go. Then Romulus departed, and turning aside went to Volterra, where he saluted Charissimus and Dulcissimus, and after that departed to Fiesole. And when they reached the walls of the city, Romulus stood and prayed. Then a girl, who was on the walls, ran to her father, and said, “ There stand men outside praying to heaven, whose speech I understand not, but” — jumping to conclusions with feminine rapidity — “ whom I am convinced are deserving of our hospitality.” So Adrian, her father, bade his daughter invite the men within, and there they met Marchitian and Crescentius, 2 who had preached the word in Fiesole, but had been beaten with rods, and Adrian had received and concealed them in his house. Charissimus and Dulcissimus had accompanied S. Romulus to Fiesole, so that now a large party of missionaries were united. The miracles they wrought, the power of their speech, were so great that the “ Count 1 Antonina, in the Acts; the name Antonina was not given to Volterra till the xoth cent.

company ot Romulus, or did Romulus send them on, whilst he delayed in Volterra ?.S'. Romulus and Comp. of Fiesole,” Repertian, drove them out of the city. At nightfall they returned, and were received into the houses of the faithful. The performance of another miracle, wrought on the son of a lady named Vienna, awakened the attention of the governor, and the whole party of missionaries was ordered to execution. On their way, Romulus, being thirsty, asked a girl who was drawing water out of a well by the roadside to give him a draught. She refused, being afraid of the soldiers. Therefore Romulus rebuked her and the well, and thenceforth the water of the well became blood to any Gentile who essayed to drink thereof, but was sparkling and pure to the lips of Christians. As there are only orthodox Christians in Fiesole at this day, the well is never called upon to exhibit its characteristic peculiarities. Romulus and his companions were put to death outside the city and buried by the faithful “ at the roots of the mountain.” 1 In the Modern Roman Martyrology the name of S. Romulus appears, and it is to be regretted that Baronius [Cardinal Baronius (d. 1607), church historian who edited the Roman Martyrology] was so injudicious as to insert it. It appears in these words: “At Fiesole, in Tuscany, S. Romulus, bishop and martyr, disciple of the blessed Apostle Peter, who sent him to preach the Gospel; and when he had preached in many places in Italy, returning to Fiesole, was there crowned with martyrdom, along with his companions, under Domitian [Roman emperor 81–96], the emperor.” The body of S. Romulus is shown at Fiesole, those of SS. Dulcissimus, Charissimus, and Crescentius are exhibited at Volterra; their u invention ” took place there ' It Is unnecessary to particularise the absurdities of this fable. 1 he Boljandists groan in notes over each outrage on common sense, "Mira res I'* “An h*c credibilia cuiquam videri possint ?" *' Nihil atti net plura annotate ad pnemissa quje cuiris legenti non poesunt non videri mera fabula esse,*' &c. in 1491. But the bodies of two of these are also preserved in a shrine in the cathedral at Bamberg, with this inscription on the shrine, “Corpora Sanctorum Dulcissimi et Carissimi Martyrum et Discipulorum S. Petri Apostoli,” and are exhibited to the veneration of the faithful on April 19th.