Baring-Gould’s sources: Roman and Gallican Martyrologies. Authorities: — Letters of S. Jerome, &c.] Rusticus was a native of Gallia Narbonensis, and son of Bonosus, a bishop, by the sister of Bishop Arator.1 He was bom, apparently, shortly before the death of his father, for S. Jerome, in a letter to Rusticus in 41 1, speaks of his mother as a widow of many years' standing, who had had the nourishing and education of the child from infancy.* He embraced the monastic life at the exhortation of S. Jerome, who urged him not to live in the same house with his mother, lest the beauty of the serving maids should inflame his young 1 So in an inscription by him at Nar bonne. erudivit infantem.”

VOL. XII. 19 hot blood. Better for Rusticus to live at a safe distance from such snares. Proculus, Bishop of Marseilles, somewhat later, ordained Rusticus priest, and attached him to his church. He was elevated about 427 to the episcopal throne of Narbonne. Little is known of his acts as bishop. He built one of the churches in his city, and the inscription he put up recording the event is still extant He received some of the Christians flying the persecutions of the Vandal Arians [followers of Arius, who taught that the Son is a created being, not fully God] in Africa, but was perplexed when he found that some of them could not give him definite information as to their baptism, whether they had received the Sacrament of regeneration from Catholic or heretical priests. Some scandals disturbed his diocese, and he wrote to Pope Leo I. for advice how he should deal with these cases, and expressing his desire to resign his diocese that he might retire to the more congenial tranquillity of the cloister. But Leo strongly dissuaded him from abandoning his see. Rusticus had, moreover, consecrated a certain Hermes to the see of Beziers [a bishop’s “see” is his diocese, named from his seat (Latin sedes)], but his diocese refused to receive him. Rusticus entreated the Pope to allow Hermes to succeed him at Narbonne. S. Rusticus attended the second Council of Arles in 451, also the third Council of Arles held to adjudicate on the differences between the Bishop of Frdjus and the Abbot of Lerins.

He died in 461, and his relics [the bodily remains of a saint, or objects they used, kept with honor] are still shown at Narbonne.