Baring-Gould’s sources: Martyrologies of Bede, Jerome, Ado, Usuardus, Ac. Roman and Gallican Martyrologies. Authority: — A life by a contemporary.] S. Avitus was the son of poor hard-working parents. He entered the monastery of Mdnat in Auvergne, on the river Sioule, where he was much despised on account of his rustic birth and manners. But in time he overcame the prejudice wherewith he was regarded, and was appointed cellarer. In the same monastery was S. Carilef, and he contracted a warm attachment for him. These two determined to leave their monastery and live in retirement somewhere else. Therefore, one night, after S. Avitus had put the abbot to bed, he attached the cellar keys to the abbots girdle, and ran away with his friend. When the bell for matins rang, the abbot rose, and put out his hand for his belt, when he heard the jingle of the keys, and found to his surprise that they were attached to his belt. He at once divined what had happened, and the cell of Avitus being found vacant, the two monks were sought through the neighbourhood, but could not be found. In the meantime they had escaped north, crossed the Loire, and made their way to Miscy, where S. Maximin was abbot. This saint received them, and they stayed some time in his monastery. Avitus was made steward, and his prudence, virtue, and business habits, made every one respect him. But he wearied of the life, finding that his time was taken up with attending to the temporal affairs of the monasteiy, and he and Carilef again ran away, and finding a solitary place in a wood, built themselves a wattled hut, and lived there.

Not many days after, S. Maximin died, and the monks elected Avitus to be their abbot. Search was made for him, and he was at last found, and sorrowfully brought back to the abbey to be its chief. A few days of rule were enough for S. Avitus, and he ran away again with S. Carilef and another monk named Lsetus, and they penetrated into the vast forest which spread over the county of Le Perche. There they found some ruins of an old Roman city or palace, and took up their abode among the crumbling walls.

The forest of oaks was a resort of two swineherds, who led their swine under the trees to eat the acorns. One of the swineherds was dumb. On a certain evening the two men having penetrated further than usual into the forest were benighted, and they kindled torches to give themselves light, as they drove their herd home. But a storm having risen, their torches were extinguished, and they lost their way. After long wandering they saw a light twinkling between the tree boles, and made their way towards it. They found the cell of the hermits, and S. Avitus not only re-lighted their torches for them and showed them the way out of the forest, but also made the sign of the cross on the lips of the dumb man, and gave him power of speech. _ The swineherds told what they had seen, and soon the country people streamed to the cell from all sides; monks placed themselves under the direction of S. Avitus, and king Childebert erected and endowed a monastery there. Carilef could not endure being amongst many, and he sadly bade farewell to his friend, and went forth into the wilds with one companion to seek a refuge from the world under the greenwood trees. And after some days he came back to Avitus and said, “ I hung up my hood against a tree, at the spot where I was digging, and when I came back, hot from my work, I found that a tom-tit Jnne 17.J •S'. Herve.

had laid her tiny egg in my hood. So I left it hanging there, and have come to tell thee.” Then Avitus bade him be of good cheer, and go and dwell where the tom-tit had made her nest.

Avitus is said to have remonstrated vehemently with Clodomir for his treatment of Sigismund, king of Burgundy (May ist), and to have endeavoured fruitlessly to save the lives of the wife and children of that prince. When he saw that Clodomir was resolved to put them to death, he assured him that in the very next battle he fought he would fell miserably.