St. Benedict commands St. Maurus to rescue St. Placid from drowning in the lake Maurus was born of a noble Roman family, and while he was yet a child was offered to God by his father Eutychius, in the order and under the personal teaching of St. Benedict. In a short while he made such progress in the life of grace that he became a wonder to his master, who often held him up to his other disciples as a pattern of regular observance and all virtues. While he was yet very young, Pope St. Gregory telleth a wonderful instance of his obedience. Placid the monk having fallen into a lake where he was being swept away by the current, the holy Patriarch called Maurus and bade him run to the rescue, which he did, walking on the water till he reached Placid, whom he took by the hair of the head and dragged to the shore. He was sent by St. Benedict into France, where he founded the celebrated monastery which he governed for forty years. He was a zealous and successful propagator of monastic discipline. He passed to heaven, famous for holiness and miracles, when he more than seventy years of age, in the year of Salvation 565.
