E01108: Augustine of Hippo, in his City of God (22.8), tells how an old man in Hippo Regius (North Africa) who prayed to the *Twenty Martyrs (martyrs of Hippo, S00703), with a famous memorial shrine (memoria) in the city, found a golden ring in the stomach of a fish; all at the beginning of the 5th c. Written in Latin in Hippo, c. 426/427.

Augustine of Hippo, City of God 22.8

Erat quidam senex Florentius hipponiensis noster, homo religiosus et pauper; sartoris se arte pascebat; casulam perdiderat et unde sibi emeret non habebat; ad uiginti martyres, quorum memoria est apud nos celeberrima, clara uoce ut uestiretur orauit.

'There was a fellow-townsman of ours at Hippo, Florentius, an old man, religious and poor, who supported himself as a tailor. Having lost his coat, and not having means to buy another, he prayed to the Twenty Martyrs who have a very celebrated memorial shrine (memoria) in our town, begging in a clear voice that he might be clothed.'

Young people mock at Florentinus' prayer. Yet the old man finds on the seashore a fish, still alive, and sells it to a chef. The latter finds in the fish a golden ring which he gives to Florentinus, saying that it was the Twenty Martyrs who clothed him in this way.

Text: Dombart and Kalb 1955. Translation: Dods 1887.