ST. DONATUS, BISHOP AND MARTYR, August 7th (According to old English usage)

Collect

O GOD, who art the glory of thy priests : we humbly pray thee ; that we, who keep the feast of thy blessed Martyr and Bishop Donatus, may feel the effectual succour of his advocacy. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who livest and reignest with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

For the Legend

THIS Donatus hath been revered from most ancient times, for he became celebrated as Bishop of Arezzo in Tuscany in the fourth century, and the holy Doctor Gregory considered him one of the great Fathers of the Church. Concerning him a legend hath come down to us on this wise. He was born at Nicomedia of parents who had both been slain for Christ's sake. With the holy monk Hilarinus he fled to Arezzo in Tuscany, of which city he afterwards became Bishop. There the Prefect Quadratian, during the persecution under Julian, about 362, commanded both Hilarinus and Donatus to worship idols, and when they both refused, they were slain. Hilarinus was beath to death with clubs. Donatus was in divers ways savagely tortured, and then put to the sword. The Christians buried their bodies honourably hard by the city.

From the Anglican Breviary