The Life of St. Desiderius

The Visigothic king, Sisebut, composed this short composition on the life of the Roman martyr, St. Desiderius, who was killed during the Diocletian persecution. What little historical information about the historic memory of this Italian martyr is relatively limited, but what is represented is the pious recollection of the Roman persecution of the church at its zenith. Curiously this text stands apart, as it is not composed by a clergyman or bishop, but by the Arian king of the Visigoths. He elected to composed this work in Latin, the language of the western church, and free from the hands of a church scribe, as its Latin grammar is very rough, and often confused. Here, presented for the first time in English, is a translation of this work of the ancient Visigothic church in Spain.