QVI CVM ESSET FVIT SOLACIVS MISERICORS OMNIBVS NOTVS.
Felix of sacred honour, when called away went in peace, whose love and affection are so warmly cherished by his friends; who, when
he was in life was known to all for sympathy with the afflicted and compassion toward the distressed.
IN SIMPLICITATE VIXIT AMICVS PAVPERVM INNOCENTIVM MISERICORS SPECTABILIS ET PENITENS—“He lived in simplicity, a friend of the poor, compassionate to the innocent, a man of consideration and penitent.” INFANTIAE AETAS VIRGINITATIS INTEGRITAS MORVM GRAVITAS FIDEI ET REVERENTIAE DISCIPLINA—“Of youthful age, of spotless maidenhood, of grave manners, well disciplined in faith and reverence.”
More frequent than any other expression was the phrase, common also to pagan epitaphs, BENE MERENTI,—“To the well-deserving,” generally indicated by the letters B. M. But many others of a more distinctively Christian character occur, as, SERVVS DEI, FAMVLVS DEI, “Servant of God;” ΔΟΥΛΟϹ ΠΙϹΤΟϹ ΘΕΟΥ, “Faithful Servant of God;” ΑΓΙΟϹ · ΘΕΟϹΕΒΕϹ, “A holy worshipper of God;” ΓΛΥΚΕΡΑΝ ΑΓΙΑΝ, “An amiable and holy person;” SANCTISSIMVS, “A most holy person;” ANIMA DVLCIS ET INNOCENS, “Sweet and innocent soul;” AMICVS OMNIVM, “Friend of all men;” ΠΑϹΙΦΙΛΟϹ ΚΑΙ ΟΥΔΕΝΙ ΕΧΘΡΟϹ, “Friend of all and enemy of none;” SEMPER SINE CVLPA, “Ever without fault;” AMATOR PAVPERVM, “A lover of the poor;” HOMO BONVS, “A good man;” STVDIOSVS, “Zealous;” SPIRITO SANCTO, “To a holy soul;” INNOCENTISSIMVS, “A most innocent person;” and the like. Others are of a more general character, as HONESTES RECORDATIONES (sic) VIR, “A man worthy to be remembered with honour;” ΑΕΙΜΝΗϹΤΟϹ, “Ever to be remembered;” ΘΕΟΦΙΛΕϹΤΑΤΟϹ, “The most devout or God-loving;” MIRE (sic) SAPIENTIAE, “Of wonderful wisdom;” LAVDABILIS FEMINA, “A praiseworthy woman;” CONIVX DIGNISSIMA, “A most worthy wife;” CASTISSIMAE ADQVE PVDICISSIMAE
FEMINAE, “To a most chaste and modest woman;” MIRAE PVLCHRITVDINIS ATQVE IDONEITATIS, “Of wonderful beauty and ability;” MIRAE INTEGRITATIS ET FIDEI ATQVE CONSTANTIAE, “Of wonderful integrity, faith, and steadfastness;” SAPIENS PIVS ATQVE BENIGNVS, “Wise, pious, and kind;” HOMO FIDEI ET INTEGRITATIS OPINIONIS BONAE MENTIS INTEGRAE AMICVS AMICORVM, “A man of sound faith and integrity, of good judgment, of a sound mind, a friend of his friends;” SVABIS (sic) SEMPERQVE PVDICA VERA LOQVENS, “Agreeable and ever modest, speaking the truth;” BONITATIS EXIMIAE ET MIRAE VERECVNDIAE ET VLTRA AETATEM SAPIENTIAE, “Of remarkable goodness and wonderful modesty, and wise beyond her years;” ANIMA DVLCIS, INNOCVA (sic) SAPIENS ET PVLCHRA, “A sweet spirit, guileless, wise, beautiful;” AMATRIX PAVPERORVM (sic) ET OPERARIA, “A lover of the poor, and attentive to her work;” FIDELIS IN XPO EIVS MANDATA SERVANS MARTYRVM OBSEQVIIS DEVOTA, “Faithful in Christ, keeping his commands, devoted in attention to the martyrs;” PVRVS AMICITIAE CVLTOR SERVATOR HONESTI ELOQVIO MISEROS PIETATE IVVANS, “A guileless preserver of friendship and observer of honour, helping the wretched by words and by affectionate care;” TE CARVM SVVOLES TE FIXVM SENSIT AMICVS TE LEVITAS TORVVM DVLCEM COGNOVIT HONESTVS, “Thee thy son felt beloved, thy friend attached, thee the frivolous found stern, but the upright knew to be gentle;” ΕΥΤΕΡΠΕ Η ΤΩΝ ΜΟΥϹΩΝ ϹΥΝΤΡΟΦΟϹ ΒΙΩϹΑϹΑ ΑΠΛΟϹ ΟϹΙΩϹ ΚΑΙ ΑΜΕΜΠΤΩϹ, “Euterpe, a companion of the Muses, having lived simply, piously, and irreproachably.” The last is from Sicily, the others are from Rome. Other examples will be given in treating the
domestic and ecclesiastical relations of the primitive Christians.
In these memorials of the departed we have a striking portraiture of the Christian graces and domestic virtues of the early believers. The existence of such a pure and blameless community in a base and sensual age is one of the noblest chapters in the history of the race. It was also an eloquent protest, a living testimony against the abominations of pagan society and the manifold corruptions which were in the world through lust. From these the Christian community recoiled with utter abhorrence, and, in the early centuries, lived unspotted amid surrounding pollution.[751]
Although some of the pagan epitaphs betray a light and sportive epicurean vein even in the solemn presence of death, yet others indicate an appreciation of the domestic and civic virtues, as in the following example: MIRAE BONITATIS ADQVE INIMITABILIS SANCTITATIS TOTIVS CASTITATIS RARI EXEMPLI FEMINA CASTE BONE BITE ET PIETOSE (sic) IN OMNIBVS ... VIXIT SINE LESIONE ANIMI MEI MECVM ANNOS XV. FILIOS AVTEM PROCREAVIT VII—“Of wonderful goodness and inimitable piety, of entire modesty, a woman of rare example, of a chaste, virtuous, and pious life in all things. She lived with me without any annoyance of my mind fifteen years, and bore me seven children.”
Often they are expressed with admirable brevity, as, TANTIS VIRTVTIBVS NVLLVM PAR ELOGIVM, “Of so great virtue there is no equal praise;” MORIBVS PARITER ET