Baring-Gould’s sources: Roman and Belgian Martyrologies. Authority: — A Life, fabricated probably in the nth century, and attributed to S. Boniface. Also an “ Elegia S. Livini.... ad Florbertum abbatem S. Bavonis de imminente sibi a Brabant is palma martyrii, ” a forgery of the same date. No MSS. earlier than the nth century of the Life of S. Livinus exist. The only one of that century is at Ghent, and is probably the original.] Liafwin, apostle of the Frisians, was perhaps at some time in Brabant Liafwin died in 773, and was buried at the port of Deventer, where his deposition is commemorated on November 12th.

On the same day, at the port of Ghent, is commemorated a saint of originally the same name. Liafwin has been Latinized at Deventer into Lebuinus, and at Ghent into Livinus. Probably some relics [the bodily remains of a saint, or objects they used, kept with honor] of Liafwin had found their way to Hauthem, near Ghent, in the 9th or 10th century. These relics were translated in 1007 to the monastery of S. S. Livinus.

Bavo, in Ghent, by the abbot Erembold. Erembold has the unsavoury credit of the concoction of a saintly patriarch [the title of the bishops of the great ancient sees: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem] of Antioch out of a poor old traveller who died in his hospital in 1012. This old man, Macarius, is now found in the Roman martyrology on April 10. Erembold, having acquired the relics of S. Liafwin from Hauthem, probably commissioned one of his monks to fabricate a Life of him, to make him into a martyr, and to give to his Life the authority of the name of S. Boniface [English missionary to Germany, martyred 754].

The Life begins: “ Boniface, a man that is a sinner, the servant of the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the Churches founded in highest felicity on the firm rock, under the authority of the holy and undivided Trinity.” The writer pretends that he received his information from Foillan, Helias, and Kilian, disciples of S. Livinus, and took down their relation of the martyrdom of the apostle of Ghent “ verbatim.”

S. Boniface never designates himself “ homo peccator.” The title, “servus servorum,” was first adopted by S. Gregory the Great, and afterwards used by bishops, though never by S. Boniface. Foillan was the brother of S. Fursey, and died in 655, murdered by robbers in Brabant (see October 31). Consequently the date of the narration to Boniface could not have been later than 650. S. Kilian was martyred at Wurzburg in 689. 1 Of Helias nothing is known. S. Boniface was bom in 680, and did not come to Frisia [the North Sea coast of the Netherlands and Germany] till 716, and did not settle in Germany till 723. He died in 755, just a hundred years after Foillan, from whose lips he took down the interesting history of the martyrdom of S. Livinus. According to the story in the forged Life, Colomagnus was at the time king of the Scots, and under him was a 1 There was another Kilian sent by S. Faro (d. 672) to Aubigny in Artois; he is commemorated on Nov. 13, but nothing in his Life leads one to suppose he was connected with S. Livinus.

[Nor. n. senator named Theagnius, one of his chief nobles, of great virtue, married to Agalmia, daughter of Ephigenius, king of Ireland. Colomagnus may be Colman Rimhe, who jointly with Aidus Slani ascended the Irish throne in 599 and reigned six years; or more probably Congall II. of Scotland, for the author evidently distinguishes between the Scots and the Irish. Early historians, when they say Scots mean Irish, this late fabricator means natives of Scotland. Theagnius is Thegn or Thane, a Saxon title. Ephigenius, “ the illustrious king of the Irish,” is Eugenius, imagined to be the head of the Eogain clan, which fought with the rival Dalcais in the tenth century. The forger had probably heard of the Eoghanists claiming alternate presentation with the Dalcais to the throne of Munster, and therefrom conceived that there must have been a renowned KingEoghan, and he made him maternal grandfather of his saint When Livinus was bom a vision appeared to Archbishop Menalchus — of what see not stated — informing him of the greatness in store for the babe. Livinus is said to have been baptized by S. Augustine of Canterbury and Menalchus in concert, and to have been given the name of his unde Livinus the “ archbishop of the Church of Ireland,” who suffered martyrdom for the faith among the Northumbrians. As it happens, there was no archbishop of Armagh of that name, nor is any martyr of a name approaching it known to have suffered among the Northumbrians.

That S. Augustine should visit Ireland to baptize Livinus, or that Menalchus and the parents of Livinus should go to Canterbury to have the child baptized, is either way too absurd to need consideration. Whilst the baptism was taking place a column of light shone over the child, and a hand of fire traced the cross thrice on his brow, whilst a voice from heaven thundered, “ Beloved of God and men, whose memory shall be blessed.”

S. Livinus. 303 Whilst still young, Livinus cured two paralytics named Elymas and Symphronius. He was educated by Benignus, a Scottish priest There was a Benignus, disciple of S. Patrick [apostle of Ireland (5th century)], a Life of whom was written by J ohn of Tynemouth, but he was archbishop of Armagh, and died in 468. After having performed many miracles in Ireland, Livinus, accompanied by his three disciples, Foillan, Helias, and Kilian, went to S. Augustine at Canterbury, the sea dividing before them, so that they went over dry-shod. By Augustine he was ordained priest, and sent back to Ireland, where, on the death of his uncle Menalchus, he was elevated to the archiepiscopal throne. Irish historians were wholly unaware of his existence, naturally enough. “ Neither Colgan, Ware, nor Harris knew anything about him, and the whole is undoubtedly a fable, which it would be a waste of time to refute,” says Dr. Lanigan.1 His personal appearance is minutely described. He had a big head, rather bald on the forehead, the hair brown mixed with grey, broad protruding ears, lively and cheerful eyes, white shaggy eyebrows, a white skin, hollow cheeks, a white beard, and “ ductile and graceful fingers.” His miracles made him in such request in Ireland, that he appointed a substitute in the archiepiscopal see — his archdeacon, Sylvanus — also wholly unknown to Irish ecclesiastical historians, and crossed the seas to Flanders, with his three disciples, and settled at Ghent in the monastery founded by S. Amandus. The abbot Floribert received him cordially. After a while he went on into Brabant, destroying idols, and preaching the Word. Two ladies, Bema and Chraphahild, received him into their house and ministered to him. The son of the latter, named Ingelbert, was blind. Livinus restored to him his sight. A 1 “ Ecd. Hist of Ireland,” ii. p. 472. lanigan ingeniously suggests that Menalchus may be Melanchus, which may be a translation [the solemn moving of a saint’s relics to a new shrine] of Dubtach, which means Blade-mound. Dubtach II. died in 548, but was succeeded by David MacGuaire, and not by Livinus.

(Not. is. rude, insolent heathen, named Walbert, put a pair of pincers into the saint’s mouth, pulled out his tongue, and flung it among the people, but Livinus recovered his tongue, and went on talking with it to the people. The heathen, undismayed by this miracle, fell on him and cut off his head. Chraphahild took up his body, carrying also in her arms her babe, which Livinus had baptized and called Brictius. The pagans in a rage cleft her skull, and cut the babe in three pieces. The disciples of Livinus buried the three martyrs.

The first translation of the relics took place in 842 by Theodore, bishop of Cambrai, who enshrined them at Hauthem: Erembold, abbot of S. Bavo at Ghent, transferred them in 1020 to Ghent, and this is about the date of the composition of the fabulous story. There can be little doubt that there never existed a martyr bishop Livinus; and that the account of his passion was fabricated to give importance to some relics, true or false, of Liafwin preserved at Hauthem.1