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128 128 ST. OSMAN and a monastery, where she soon gathered many holy nuns about her, and attained to wonderful sanctity. After many years, the Danes made a raid on that coast. Their leader tried by threats and entreaties to make Osith renounce her religion, but in vain, and incensed at his failure, he cut off her head. As it fell to the earth, a fountain bubbled up, which for many years after- wards had a wonderful power of curing diseases. Osith rose to her feet, and carried her head in her hands to the church, staining the door with blood as she opened it. Her family claimed her body, but the saint intimated by visions and other signs that she chose to rest in her own monastery. There, accordingly, she was placed in a rich shrine by Maurice, bishop of London. By other accounts, Osith was sister, niece, or granddaughter of the Northum- brian king, St. Oswald. She has also been called the mother of King Offa. Her story is so full of anachronisms that it is probable that the transmitters of the legend have confused two persons together. St. Osith's church and estate were afterwards called by her name, and still bear it, pronounced in the native dialect, Toosey. Britannia Sancia, English Mart, Ancient British Piety, Surius. Strutt. Butler. Smith and Wace. Besant, London, St. Osman or Oswen, April l, Nov. 22, V. 7 th century. A princess of Ireland, supposed to have lived at St. Brieux, in Brittany. Her name and story became known through the dream of a priest in 1240. Legend says that she left Ireland with a maid, called Aclitenis, or Cerota. They went to France and built themselves a hut on the bank of the Loire, and there, one day, a hunter found a wild boar lying for safety at the feet of the saint. As she would not speak to him or answer his salutation, he was going to kill her protSgSy but neither his dogs nor his weapon would obey him, and he returned to the town and told what he had seen. The bishop, clergy and people went out and found Osman with no clothes but some plaited reeds. They accused her of witchcraft and they advised her to be baptized. She said there was nothing she would like better. So the people all gathered about her to instruct her and look at her, and one man who had been blind for three years, called out to her and touched her. Immediately his sight was restored, and the multitude understood that she was a virgin and servant of Qod, Soon afterwards she took out a bone which had stuck in a girl's throat, and this greatly increased her reputation. Her relics were kept for centuries in her chapel in the abbey of St. Denis, but they were dispersed by the Calvinists in 1567. She is one of the saints who was perhaps a goddess. She is sometimes called « Martyr." AA.SS. Martin. Saussaye. Eckenstein. St. Osnata or Osnat, Jan. 6, V. of Gleandallain in Sligo. She had a brother, St. Molaisse of Devenish, and two sisters, St. Muadhnata and St. Talulla. A joint festival of the three sisters was kept at Enach-arct in Leitrim. The church of Eillasnet in Leitrim takes its name from Osnat and is said to have been built in one night Archdale's Jlonasticon calls the first sister Odnata, and makes St. Osnata of Gleandallain another person. Lanigan. St. Osnenda, Oswknda. St. Ossia, Matrona (18) of Perga. St. Osthrida, Aug. 5 (Opfripa, OsTuiA, OsTKiD, Ostbythb), + (597. Princess of Northumberland. Queen of Meroia. Daughter of St. Oswy and St. Eanfleda. Wife of Ethelred, king of Mercia, who succeeded his brother Wulfere in 675. {See St. Ermenilda.) Ethelred was a pious king, and a great benefactor of the Church. Churches and monasteries were multiplied and en- dowed in his reign, and he set his niece, St. Wereburga (1) over all the nun- neries in his dominions. Osthrida seems to have been un- popular among the Mercians. She had a great devotion to her uncle, St. Oswald of Northumbria, and desired to lay his bones in her husband's noble monas- tery of Bardeney in Lincolnshire. The monks objected, because St. Oswald had warred against Mercia, and reigned over