MDDM18: The Veery Brothers

[Dave Monroe]

   "The Veery Brothers, professional effigy makers,
run an establishment south of the Shambles at second
and Market Streets, by the Court House." (M&D, Ch. 29,
p. 289)

I.e., Cosmo and Damian ...

   "Cosmo is said of cosmos, which is to say a form,
shape, or ornation. Or, after Isidore, cosmos in Greek
is said clean in Latin. He was a form to others in
example, he was ornate in good virtues, and clean from
all vices. Damian is said of dama, which is a beast
humble and meek. Or damianus is said of dogma, which
is doctrine, and ana, that is above, or of damum, that
is sacrifice. Or Damianus is said as it were the hand
of our Lord. He had meekness in conversation, supernal
doctrine in predication, his sacrifice was in
mortification of his flesh, and he was the hand of our
Lord in medicinal curation and healing.
   "Cosmo and Damian were brethren germane, that is of
one father and of one mother, and were of the city
Egea There was a lady which had spent all her goods in
medicines, and came to these saints, and anon was
healed of her sickness, and then she offered a little
gift to S. Damian, but he would not receive it.  And
she sware and conjured him by horrible oaths that he
granted to receive it, and not for covetise of the
gift, but for to obey to the devotion of her that
offered it, and that he would not be seen to despise
the name of our Lord of which he had been conjured.
They were learned in the art of medicine, and of
leechcraft, and received so great grace of God that
they healed all maladies and languors, not only of men
but also cured and healed beasts. And did all for the
love of God without taking of any reward.  And when S.
Cosmo knew it, he commanded that his body should not
be laid after his death with his brother's. And the
night following our Lord appeared to S. Cosmo and
excused his brother. And when Lysias heard their
renomee he made them to be called tofore him, and
demanded their names and their country. And then the
holy martyrs said: Our names be Cosmo and Damian, and
we have three other brethren which be named Antimas,
Leontius, and Euprepius, our country is Arabia, but
christian men know not fortune. Then the proconsul or
judge commanded them that they should bring forth
their brethren, and that they should all together do
sacrifice to the idols. And when in no wise they would
do sacrifice, but despised the idols, he commanded
they should be sore tormented in the hands and feet.
And when they despised his torments, he commanded them
to be bound with a chain and thrown into the sea, but
they were anon delivered by the angel of our Lord, and
taken out of the sea, and came again tofore the judge.
And when the judge saw them, he said: Ye overcome our
great gods by your enchantments; ye despise the
torments and make the sea peaceable. Teach ye me your
witchcraft, and in the name of the god Adrian, I shall
follow you. And anon as he had said this two devils
came and beat him greatly in the visage, and he crying
said: O ye good men, I pray you that ye pray for me to
our Lord, and they then prayed for him and anon the
devils departed. Then the judge said: Lo! ye may see
how the gods had indignation against me, because I
thought to have forsaken them, but I shall not suffer
my gods to be blasphemed. And then he commanded them
to be cast into a great fire, but anon the flame
sprang far from them and slew many of them that stood
by. And then they were commanded to be put on a
torment named eculee, but they were kept by the angel
of our Lord, and the tormentors tormented them above
all men, and yet were they taken off without hurt or
grief, and so came all whole tofore the judge. Then
the judge commanded the three to be put in prison, and
made Cosmo and Damian to be crucified, and to be
stoned of the people, but the stones returned to them
that threw them, and hurt and wounded many of them.
Then the judge, replenished with woodness, made the
three brethren to stand by the cross, and commanded
that four knights should shoot arrows to Cosmo and
Damian, but the arrows returned and hurt many, and did
no harm to the martyrs. And when the judge saw that,
he was confused in all things, he was anguishous unto
the death, and did do behead all five brethren
together.
   "Then the christian men doubted of the word that S.
Cosmo had said, that his brother should not be buried
with him, and as they thought thereon there came a
voice which cried and said: They be all of one
substance, bury them all together in one place. And
they suffered death under Diocletian about the year of
our Lord two hundred and eighty-seven.
  "It happened that a husbandman after that he had
laboured in the field about reaping of his corn, he
slept with open mouth in the field, and a serpent
entered by his mouth into his body. Then he awoke and
felt nothing, and after returned into his house. And
at even he began to be tormented and cried piteously,
and called unto his help the holy saints of God, Cosmo
and Damian, and when the pain and anguish increased he
went to the church of the saints, and fell suddenly
asleep, and then the serpent issued out of his mouth
like as it had entered.
   "There was a man that should have gone a long
voyage, and recommended his wife to Cosmo and Damian,
and left a token with her that, if he sent for her by
that token she should come to him. And the devil knew
well the token, and transfigured himself in the form
of a man, and brought to the woman the sign of her
husband and said: Thine husband hath sent me from that
city to thee for to lead thee to him. And yet she
doubted for to go with him and said: I know well the
token, but because he left me in the keeping of the
saints Cosmo and Damian, swear to me upon their altar
that thou shalt bring me to him surely, and then I
shall go with thee, and he sware like as she had said.
Then she followed him. And when she came in a secret
place the devil would have thrown her down off her
horse for to have slain her. And when she felt that,
she cried to God and to the saints Cosmo and Damian
for help, and anon these saints were there with a
great multitude clothed in white, and delivered her,
and the devil vanished away. And they said to her: We
be Cosmo and Damian, to whose oath thou believedest,
therefore we have hied us to come to thine help.
   "Felix, the eighth pope after S. Gregory, did do
make a noble church at Rome of the saints Cosmo and
Damian, and there was a man which served devoutly the
holy martyrs in that church, who a canker had consumed
all his thigh. And as he slept, the holy martyrs Cosmo
and Damian, appeared to him their devout servant,
bringing with them an instrument and ointment of whom
that one said to that other: Where shall we have flesh
when we have cut away the rotten flesh to fill the
void place? Then that other said to him: There is an
Ethiopian that this day is buried in the churchyard of
S. Peter ad Vincula, which is yet fresh, let us bear
this thither, and take we out of that morian's flesh
and fill this place withal. And so they fetched the
thigh of the sick man and so changed that one for that
other. And when the sick man awoke and felt no pain,
he put forth his hand and felt his leg without hurt,
and then took a candle, and saw well that it was not
his thigh, but that it was another. And when he was
well come to himself, he sprang out of his bed for
joy, and recounted to all the people how it was happed
to him, and that which he had seen in his sleep, and
how he was healed. And they sent hastily to the tomb
of the dead man, and found the thigh of him cut off,
and that other thigh in the tomb instead of his. Then
let us pray unto these holy martyrs to be our succour
and help in all our hurts, blechures and sores, and
that by their merits after this life we may come to
everlasting bliss in heaven. Amen."

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/goldenlegend/GoldenLegend-Volume5.htm#Cornelius

But wait, there's more ...



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