Today is St. Valentine's day.
1,740 years ago--give or take--Valentine was a bishop, and Claudius II was emperor of Rome. Claudius wanted to strengthen the army, and so decreed no soldier could marry, for if they did, their interests would be divided, especially while the were away from home.
Valentine believed marriage was God's institution, not man's, and therefore, no man could ban it. So he continued to perform weddings, albeit in secret. He was caught.
While he was in prison, he came to know his jailer as well as his daughter, who was blind.
Claudius was willing to free the bishop, as long as he acknowledged the Roman gods. He would not, and was therefore sentenced to death. He was killed on February 14, and before he died, he wrote a letter to his jailer's daughter, and he signed it:
"your loving Valentine."
m.
(Oh, and Neil Gaiman has his "Harlequin Valentine" audiobook up for free, but I don't know for how long.)
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