By way of introduction to the list, let me supply the following
(explanation at end):
William Patten, Londoner, on a battle-free day in Scotland in
1547, puzzles over the identity of St Gorgonius on his feast-day:
Fryday ye ix. of september.
This dai is markt in ye kallender with the name of saincte
Gorgon, no famous saint sure, but eyther so obscure that no man
knowes him, or els so aunciente as euery man forgettes him. Yet
wear it both pitee and blame that he shoulde lose hys estimacion
amonge us. And me thinkes oute of that litle that I haue red, I
coulde somewhat saye to bryng hym to light agayne, but then am in
doubte, what to make of hym, a he saint a she sainte or a neuter
(for we haue all in oure Kallendar.) Of the male and female
sayntes, euery leafe thear showethe samples inowe. And as for the
neuter, they or rather I wot unmarked them unknowen, as sainct
Christmas, s. Candelmas, sainct Easter, Sainct Whitsontide &
swete sainct Sunday yt cums ones a weke. Touchynge my doubte
nowe: If the day beare name in ye woorship & memorie of hym whome
the preacher Horace doth mencion in his first booke of sermons
[1.2.27: the correct reading is Gargonius, but Gorgonius is an
early variant] by these wordes `Pastillos Rufillus olet,
Gorgonius hircum'. then may we be bold to beleue it was a he
sainct, but yet a very sloouen saynt & belyke a nesty. If this
name were Kallendred of Medusa Gorgon that had the heare of her
hed tourned into adders, whome Perseus ouercame and kylde, as
doctour Ouide declares in his .iiii. booke of chaunges `Gorgonis
anguicomae Perseus superator', then maye we be sure it was a she
saynte. But yf it wear in ye honour of Pallas shelde whearin thys
Medusa Gorgons hed was grauen as Titus Stroza (a deuout doctour
to, but of later dates) doth say, `Gorgonis anguicomae caelatos
aegide vultus, Pallas habet'. Then was it neyther a he nor a she
but a playne neuter saynte. And thus with ye aunciente authoritie
of mere poeticall scriptures, my conscience is so confounded, as
I wot not in the world what saynte to make of him. James of the
synkhole (sauyng your reuerence) a frier forsooth that wrote the
Legendarie, telleth me a very preposterous order in good
cookerie, of one Gorgon & his fellow Dorotheus, that wear first
sauced with vineger and salt, and after yt then broiled on a
girdyron. But to be playn (as it is best for a man to be wt his
frendes) he hath farced hys boke so full of lyes, yt it is quite
out of credite in al honest company. And for my part, I am half a
shamed to say yt I saw it, but synce it is sayd, & sumwhat to
tell you what that I sawe, he makes me Thomas the traytour, Lupus
ye Lechour Peter the knaue (yf I may call a coniurer so) & Thais
the hoor all to be hye & holye sainctes in heauen, & yt wt such
prodigal impudencie & so shameles liyng as I may safely thinke he
had eyther a Bul to make sainctes of diuels, or els a placarde to
play the knaue as he list. But as for Gorgon, be he as he be may,
yt makes no great matter, for he shal haue my hart while he
stondes in ye kallender, he hath bene euer so lucky. But what
saynte so euer he bee, he is sure no Scottes mans frend, but a
very angry sainte to warde them, for upon hys daye .xxxiiii. yere
paste, they had a greate ouerthrowe by us at Floddom feld, and
their kyng Jamy ye fourth slayn, and thearfore is this day not
smally markt among them.
--William Patten, _The Expedicion into Scotlande of the most
woorthely fortunate prince Edward, Duke of Soomerset, uncle unto
our most noble souereign lord ye kinges Maiestie Edward the VI.
Goouernour of hys hyghnes persone, and Protectour of hys graces
Realmes, dominions & subiectes: made in the first yere of his
Maiesties most prosperous reign, and set out by way of diarie, by
W. Patten Londoner_ (London, 1548), sigs. D6v-8v.
___________________
I'm a musicologist, interested particularly in devotional music
of the late fifteenth century, especially settings of prayers to
be said before images, but the above excerpt belongs to another
project: it will be used in a book currently in preparation with
Leofranc Holford-Strevens on calendars and calendar customs, to
be the Oxford Book of Days. I joined the list because of the
marvellous listing of saints of the day; we have some blank days
in our book that need to be filled, and if there's nothing else
there at least ought to be a saint. While the calendar part is
serious, the rest can include amusing reading, and I've been
looking at various sources for descriptions of customs celebrated
on particular days (this is not a book of dates or events); St
Gorgonius is my favourite, and I can post others from time to
time, but we'd also be grateful to receive similar items that we
might use.
Bonnie Blackburn
67 St Bernard's Road
Oxford OX2 6EJ
tel. 01865 552808 - fax 01865 512237
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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