Coelius Sedulius

In style a bombastic imitator of Virgil, he shows, nevertheless, a certain freedom in the handling of the Biblical story, and the poem soon became a quarry for the minor poets.

Hoc Matthaeus agens hominem generaliter implet; Marcus ut alta fremit uox per deserta leonis; Iura sacerdotii Lucas tenet ore iuuenci; More uolans aquilae uerbo petit astra Iohannes.

Matthew plays the role of the whole human race; Mark roars like the loud voice of a lion through the wilderness; Luke holds the office of the priesthood with the face of an ox; Flying like an eagle, John reaches for the stars with his word.

His other writings include an Abecedarian hymn in honour of Christ, A solis ortus cardine, consisting of twenty-three quatrains of iambic dimeters.

This poem has partly passed into the Roman Rite liturgy, the first seven quatrains forming the Christmas carol "A solis ortus cardine",[5] which has been translated into vernacular languages by, among many others, Martin Luther and Allan MacDonald.