Gulets - traditional sailing vessels now mostly used for tourist trips, and often diesel-powered - in the harbour at Andriake near Demre in Antalya, modern-day Turkey. In Nicholas’s day, when it was the port of Myra in Roman Lycia, the port was larger and busier, but over the years it silted up and became less attractive.
Introduction
St Nicholas (d. 343) was Bishop of Myra, a town in the Roman Province of Lycia, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). According to his 9th-century biographer, Michael, one miracle in particular gained him a reputation in the Imperial capital itself.
IN 333, Lycia suffered one of the worst famines anyone could remember.* It was especially bad in Myra, where St Nicholas was bishop, and the granary at the port of Andriake, built by the Emperor Hadrian, stood empty.
Grain ships would often sail past Myra on their way from Alexandria to Constantinople, and one day a captain put into Andriake.* Nicholas went to beg a little wheat, but the captain shook his head. The cargo was government property, measured to the last grain, and must be accounted for.
However, Nicholas persuaded him to spare two hundred gallons from each ship, promising the captain would not lose by it.*
When the ships reached Constantinople, the cargo was checked against the manifest. The captain, bracing himself for uncomfortable questions, was astonished to hear the Treasury man declare ‘That’s fine. It’s all here.’
Meanwhile, the grain Nicholas stored in Hadrian’s granary lasted for two whole years, and there was enough to sow in the fields too.
Based on The Life of St Nicholas by Archimandrite Michael (early 9th century), on the St Nicholas Center website.
Two famines are known, in 311-312, and again in 333. Michael says the ships were bound for Constantinople, founded in 330, so 333 seems to be the right date.
Another Alexandrian ship, bound for Italy, was boarded at Andriake by St Paul and his companions. See Acts 27:5-6.
Michael gives the amount as 100 measures, where a measure is the Roman modius. A modius was a dry measure equivalent to roughly 2 gallons, or an imperial peck. For grain, 200 gallons works out to approximately two thirds of an imperial ton in weight. Michael’s account does not say how many ships there were.
Précis
During a famine in the town of Myra in Asia Minor, bishop Nicholas persuaded the captain of a grain ship bound for Constantinople to leave a small portion of the cargo for the starving people. Remarkably, it took proved sufficient for two whole years, and when the ship reached the captital, no grain was found to be missing. (58 / 60 words)
During a famine in the town of Myra in Asia Minor, bishop Nicholas persuaded the captain of a grain ship bound for Constantinople to leave a small portion of the cargo for the starving people. Remarkably, it took proved sufficient for two whole years, and when the ship reached the captital, no grain was found to be missing.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, just, otherwise, since, unless, until, whereas, whether.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Empty. Into. Property.
2 Often. Sail. Treasury.
3 But. Sow. Uncomfortable.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
ss (9+2)
ass. eases. issue. oases. oasis. seas. sees. sues. uses.
sis. souse.
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