Baring-Gould’s sources: Roman, Galilean and Belgian Martyrology. Authority: — A contemporary life.J Salvius a bishop,1 of what see is not known, arrived in the neighbourhood of Valenciennes with a deacon. He went to the church of S. Martin, preached to the people, and next morning said mass and preached again, and was invited by a certain man named Gcnard to breakfast at his house. The bishop went in full pontificals, with a girdle encrusted with gold and richly studded with diamonds and pearls.* We are surprised to learn that his motive for this display was eagerness for martyrdom. This eagerness promised to be gratified, for the ostenation of wealth dazzled and aroused to covetousness the son of his host, a needy and unscrupulous yonng man, named Winegard.

Next day the bishop was waylaid by Winegard and a party of armed servants at Brenne. “ Whither away, sir bishop ?” “I am on my way to Cond£, to the monastery of Our Lady.” “ Stay and follow me. I have a church on my property which I wish to see dedicated.” “Mad1 The Roman Martyrology following other Martyrologies make* him bishop of Angouleme,and modern hagiologists hare depicted in lively colour* the seal of Salvias, insatiable within the narrow limits of his diocese, which forced him to go into Flanders and spread the Gospel. They even tell us where he was born, and how he passed his youth. All this is purely the work of lively bnt common-place imaginations. No Salvius appears in the list of the Bishops of Angouleme, and absolutely nothing is told us, by the ancient writer, of his life previous to the arrival at Valenciennes.

ex auro et gemmls ornata, nec non et cingulum aureum micantibus gem mis et margaritis intextum. Ferebat enim haec omnia vir sanctus coram omnibus. Hoc autem facie bat, qnia cupiebat instant! animo ad palmam martyrii pervenire." It was surely hardly seemly, even with this motive, to have sat down in his pontifical vestments to breakfast after mass, but this he did, according to his biographer. man!” exclaimed the bishop, “I must obey God rather than man.” “Why call you me mad?” asked Winegard. “ And how must you obey God in not complying with my request ? ” “I purpose visiting the relics [the bodily remains of a saint, or objects they used, kept with honor] of a great many saints, and I seek them all as intercessors.” Then the servants of the young chief arrested Salvius, and carried him to his castle at Brlvitic. Winegard went before his father, and told him what he had done. The cool discussion between father and son as given by the chronicler opens up to us the state of feeling when life was of little regard in Europe. “ I do not altogether approve of what you have done,” said the father; “ however, the responsibility is yours.” “What is to be done with the bishop, now I have got him; shall I kill him or let him go?” “To kill so good a man is not right, indeed, I do not recommend it, for he is a very good man; yet if you let him go, you will get into trouble. I really do not know what advice to offer.”

So the young man gave orders for the execution of the bishop and his attendant The bishop remonstrated, the jailor hesitated, but Winegard insisted. Accordingly the jailor struck the bishop on the head with an axe, as he sat on a three-legged stool, and then despatched his attendant.

The bodies of the two martyrs were buried in a stable; three years afterwards they were discovered and transported to the church of S. Martin [St. Martin of Tours (d. 397), soldier turned bishop] at Brenne, which thenceforth assumed the name of S. Sauve (Salvius). S. Pelagius.