Among the Great Masters of Music | Page 2

that she had a guardian
angel who watched over her night and day, and would suffer no earthly
lover to approach her. And when Valerian desired to see this angel, she

sent him to seek the aged St. Urban, who, being persecuted by the
heathen, had sought refuge in catacombs. After listening to the
instructions of that holy man, the conversion of Valerian was perfected,
and he was baptised. Returning then to his wife, he heard, as he entered,
the most entrancing music; and, on reaching her chamber, beheld an
angel, who was standing near her, and who held in his hand two crowns
of roses gathered in Paradise, immortal in their freshness and perfume,
but invisible to the eyes of unbelievers. With these he encircled the
brows of Cecilia and Valerian, as they knelt before him; and he said to
Valerian, "Because thou hast followed the chaste counsel of thy wife,
and hast believed her words, ask what thou wilt, it shall be granted to
thee." And Valerian replied, "I have a brother named Tiburtius, whom I
love as my own soul; grant that his eyes, also, may be opened to the
truth." And the angel replied, with a celestial smile, "Thy request, O
Valerian, is pleasing to God, and ye shall both ascend to his presence,
bearing the palm of martyrdom." And the angel, having spoken these
words, vanished. Soon afterward Tiburtius entered the chamber, and
perceiving the fragrance of the celestial roses, but not seeing them, and
knowing that it was not the season for flowers, he was astonished. Then
Cecilia, turning to him, explained to him the doctrines of the Gospel,
and set before him all that Christ had done for us,--contrasting his
divine mission, and all he had done and suffered for men, with the
gross worship of idols made of wood and stone; and she spoke with
such a convincing fervour, such heaven-inspired eloquence, that
Tiburtius yielded at once, and hastened to Urban to be baptised and
strengthened in the faith. And all three went about doing good, giving
alms, and encouraging those who were put to death for Christ's sake,
whose bodies were buried honourably.
Now there was in those days a wicked prefect of Rome, named
Almachius, who governed in the emperor's absence; and he sent for
Cecilia and her husband and brother, and commanded them to desist
from the practice of Christian charity. And they said, "How can we
desist from that which is our duty, for fear of anything that man can do
unto us?" The two brothers were then thrown into a dungeon, and
committed to the charge of a centurion named Maximus, whom they
converted, and all three, refusing to join in the sacrifice to Jupiter, were

put to death. And Cecilia, having washed their bodies with her tears,
and wrapped them in her robes, buried them together in the cemetery of
Calixtus. Then the wicked Almachius, covetous of the wealth which
Cecilia had inherited, sent for her, and commanded her to sacrifice to
the gods, threatening her with horrible tortures in case of refusal. She
only smiled in scorn, and those who stood by wept to see one so young
and so beautiful persisting in what they termed obstinacy and rashness,
and entreated her to yield; but she refused, and by her eloquent appeal
so touched their hearts that forty persons declared themselves
Christians, and ready to die with her. Then Almachius, struck with
terror and rage, exclaimed, "What art thou, woman?" and she answered,
"I am a Roman of noble race." He said, "I ask of thy religion;" and she
said, "Thou blind one, thou art already answered!" Almachius, more
and more enraged, commanded that they should carry her back to her
own house, and fill her bath with boiling water, and cast her into it; but
it had no more effect on her body than if she had bathed in a fresh
spring. Then Almachius sent an executioner to put her to death with the
sword; but his hand trembled, so that, after having given her three
wounds in the neck and breast, he went his way, leaving her bleeding
and half dead. She lived, however, for the space of three days, which
she spent in prayers and exhortation to the converts, distributing to the
poor all she possessed; and she called to her St. Urban, and desired that
her house, in which she then lay dying, should be converted into a
place of worship for the Christians. Thus, full of faith and charity, and
singing with her sweet voice praises and hymns to the last moment, she
died at the end of three days. The Christians embalmed her body, and
she was buried by Urban in the same cemetery with her husband.
As the saint had