Privatus, Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ at Gevauldan, in the Year 274

When Chorus, the king of the Germans, devastated France in the time of Valerian and Aurelian, indeed up to the time of Probus, he found among other martyrs who lived apart from men in deserts and mountains a certain pious man called Privatus, Bishop of the church at Gevauldan. This man, staying in the mountains, fasting and praying, was taken prisoner by the Germans; and because, as befits a good shepherd, he would not hand his lambs over to the claws of the wolves by himself sacrificing to Satan, which he would by no means do, they beat him with sticks for a very long time, until they left him lying for dead; and from this treatment he also died a few days later. This happened, as some have supposed, under Valerian and Gallien, but in reality under Aurelian. Compare A. Mell., 1st book, folio 89, column 1, from Greg. Turon. Hist., book 1, chapter 34, with Introduction, folio 41, column 2, where he is called Privatus, Bishop of Gablen. [n219-1]