lona. He made two journeys among the Moors for the ransom
of captives, in 1240. The first was to Murcia, in which he purchased the
liberty of ninety-eight slaves: the second to Algiers, in which he
redeemed eighty-seven, but remained himself a hostage for the full
payment of the money. He boldly preached Christ to the Mahometans, and
baptized several: for which he was cruelly tortured, scourged, cut and
mangled, at length fastened to a cross, and was thereon stabbed and
quartered alive in the same year, 1240. Pope Benedict XIII. declared him
a martyr, and proved his immemorial veneration in his Order, by a decree
in 1728, as Benedict XIV. relates. L. 2, de Canoniz. c. 24, p. 296.

SS. CYRUS AND JOHN, MM.

CYRUS, a physician of Alexandria, who by the opportunities which his
profession gave him, had converted many sick persons to the faith; and
John, an Arabian, hearing that a lady called Athanasia, and her three
daughters, of which the eldest was only fifteen years of age, suffered
torments for the name of Christ at Canope in Egypt, went thither to
encourage them. They were apprehended themselves, and cruelly beaten:
their sides {318} were burnt with torches, and salt and vinegar poured
into their wounds in the presence of Athanasia and her daughters, who
were also tortured after them. At length the four ladies, and a few days
after, Cyrus and John, were beheaded, the two latter on this day. The
Syrians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Latins, honor their memory. See their
acts[1] by St. Sophronius commended in the seventh general council, and
published with remarks by Bollandus.

Footnotes:
1. St. Cyrus is the same as Abba-Cher, mentioned in the Coptic calendar
on this day, which is the 8th of their month Mechir. He is called
Abbacyrus in the life of St. John the Almoner, written by Leontius,
in many ancient Martyrologies, and other monuments of antiquity.
Abbacyrus is a Chaldaic word, signifying the Father Cyr. As this
saint was an Egyptian, it is probable he was originally called
Pa-Cher, or Pa-Cyrus, the Egyptians having been accustomed to prefix
the article Pa to the names of men, as we see in Pa-chomis,
Pa-phantis, Pa-phantis, &c.

It is said in the acts of our two martyrs, that they were buried at
Canopus, twelve furlongs from Alexandria, and that their relics were
afterwards translated to Manutha, a village near Canopus, which was
celebrated for a great number of miracl