And so, agitated in this manner both by the revelation of the secrets, as well as by the terrifying messenger, in part mollified and in part clinging to his original harsh decision, he relaxed a little the decision about the prohibited light, but he did not at all agree that the cloth could be restored. Not much later, as the hour of his fever arrived, Richard, whom I mentioned before, was overtaken by a coldness in his limbs and began to shiver throughout his whole body and felt himself tormented with such suffering as he had never experienced before, and he sensed that he was suffering in accordance with the words of the blessed martyr. And so, after suffering for quite a while, he was found lying as if he were dead. When he was sprinkled copiously with holy water by several people, at length his mouth began to open, and after about an hour his eyes opened weakly, life returned to his limbs and slowly he came back to himself. And we, who saw effectively the fulfilment of some of what had been promised, expected with an anxious mind the completion of the rest, too. And from that time it was the custom, by the prior’s permission, to have a light at the tomb of the holy martyr every night, and sometimes by day, although it was not allowed; and it came to pass that candles and tapers burned there, brought by the pious devotion of those who offered them.
As before, I, Thomas, then the sacrist of the blessed martyr, observed that those five candles which we mentioned above were almost consumed in his honour, and I met the aforementioned Richard and asked him about the ones he was ordered to hand over to me. And he – I know not whether led by laziness or because he had fallen into neglect of the vision – constantly delayed hour by hour and never gave them to me. And it so happened at that time that I and Master Richard de Ferrariis,38 who later succeeded Prior Elias, had to go to Ely on some urgent business, and having completed our business we returned to Norwich on the fifth day [that is, four days later]. In the meantime, while the sick monk Richard rested at night, again the blessed martyr William appeared to him in a vision, with an angry face, saying: ‘How is it, brother, that you have wanted to act in this way? Why have you not given Master Thomas the candles as I commanded you? I know – indeed – I know the perverse stubbornness of your mind. It shall not come to pass at all as you have planned, but very differently. For neither will the power to hand them over be afforded you, nor will your brother’s wife be able to receive them from your hands, as you propose. She will come to Norwich on your account, but she will not find you at all. Know that my Thomas is now absent, but after the third day he will be back and will receive the candles I commanded from another. Now then, go away, and may you pay the punishment due for your crime of disobedience.’ Then with these words he struck him hard on the forehead with the back of his hand, inflicting serious pain on it, and said: ‘See, tomorrow Saturday comes and it will be a most important and doom-laden day for you. So confess and perform a penance appropriate for the sins you have committed, so that at least with it, purified by this transitory pain, you may deserve to obtain pardon and avoid eternal punishment.’
At this Richard came to, struck by terror, and he suddenly felt pain beginning from his forehead and pouring back into his head, and then from the head gradually leading to the other parts of the body. When the monks got up in the morning he too rose, and he entered the infirmary chapel, supporting his weak body with a stick, and when some of them came up to visit him, he told them with tears what he had seen and felt. Then, calling one of the brethren to him privately, with a penitent heart he recalled his earlier life before his mind’s eye, and, in accordance with the warnings of the holy martyr, he confessed, recalling to mind from his memory the bad deeds he had done, and he showed the remorse of a penitent heart with profuse tears. And so, by that oral confession and the pure penance of the heart, we believe he obtained forgiveness from the Lord. Later, after a little time had passed, supporting himself with a stick, he made his way to the infirmary chamber, as the hour of death approached. His strength was declining due to the pain. He suddenly fell and showed with a death-like face that he was close to his final hour.
Why say more? The brother died and the others gathered around as he died; and they buried him the next day, performing the funerary customs. And the following wonder also took place on that Saturday, when the bell was rung for the dead man, just as the martyr had foretold, his brother’s wife also came to Norwich on his account. But since she did not find him alive, she went back home in sorrow, denied the fruit of her efforts. And the next day, the aforementioned Richard de Ferrariis and I returned home, and, finding out what had happened to the brother in the interim, we were greatly struck by fear. The candles – of which so much mention has been made above – were handed over to me when I arrived by the hands of Denis the Chamberlain.39 Just as the martyr had foretold, so truly it was; for they were given to me not by him who had been commanded, but rather by another’s hand. And so it happened that the glorious martyr of Christ from that day was visited with greater fear and reverence, and the reverence multiplied many times in the hearts of all, and the sentiment of pious devotion to him grew and increased.
[XIII] HOW WILLIAM, SACRIST OF NORWICH, WAS CURED OF HEADACHE, DEAFNESS AND POOR SIGHT40
At that time William,41 sacrist of Norwich, was staying in the infirmary, detained by a great and long-lasting attack of bleeding piles. At the same time, quite frequently, a liquid came out of his male member and it issued much coagulated blood. And at that time, due to this condition of a corrupt bodily nature, he gradually declined so greatly into a wasting illness that the intensity of the pain rendered the right side of his head useless, as if his head had been halved; it disturbed the sight of one eye, which disrupted the normal course of hearing with irksome deafness, and his ear was full of ringing sounds. Therefore, on our advice, he ordered the preparation of a big wax candle of appropriate size for him, and from the first watch of the night [vigils] he came to the venerable tomb of the holy martyr, had the candle lit and offered it; and he spent the night there, ever watchful in prayer. He was praying there to the Lord that by the intercessory virtues of His glorious martyr his headache would recede and he would experience his sight and hearing restored to him. And since in his heart faith combined with hope, he deserved to receive without delay what he believed in and hoped for.
And so in the morning he sensed the weakening of his headache, while his eyes and ears felt the remedy of divine relief. And so, when he found himself to be cured in the head, he returned with delight from the curative tomb of the holy martyr to offer as many praises as he could, and did not cease from announcing them. The diligent intelligence of the reader should pay attention more to the reason and order of the act than to the malevolent babbling of detractors. When, indeed, he hears that he [William the sacrist] suffered from many ailments and was cured not completely, but only in part, what else should he think, but that no event in such cases could come without a cause? Let him reflect, I say, first with what intention he was led to go to the tomb. And second, what he asked for. And third, why he deserved to be heard. By considering these together, he may perhaps resolve the whole problem. He [William the sacrist] had arrived sick; but by the spiritual rewards of prayers he acquired a celestial medicine for the body.
Next, notwithstanding the heavy pain in his lower parts that we have described, nothing else came to light, but that once the pain in his head was relieved, his weak sight and hearing improved. Without doubt he deserved to be heard in this matter on which he made a trustworthy request. And so it is possible to conclude that if he had requested the other likewise, that, too, he would likewise have obtained. We have often heard and read that many among the sick are healed in this way by the merits of saints, so that they are cured in one part and denied cure in another. Is it so strange if the holy martyr William, by the application of divine mercy, gave so much help to the sick brother in this matter for which he had been so strongly urged? And is it so strange if he offered health in part, while keeping the remaining part for another time? Moreover, when something is postpone
d to the future it is not unfitting for us to postpone recording it in that place where it comes about.
[XIV] OF A WOMAN CURED OF A LONG-STANDING DISEASE
At that time a certain Aldith, who lived in Norwich, the wife of Toke the chandler, was disabled by a certain serious and long-standing disease. Each of her limbs was taken over by such an intensity of pain that she knew not the least comfort, not even for an hour, nor could she take a step without the support of a stick or perform any kind of manual labour. When half a year had passed in such great illness, following the advice of friends, she handed herself over to a health-giving plan. She ordered that a large candle be made, and the moment she offered it to the blessed martyr William she sensed the intense suffering of that pain diminish. And so, prompted by such intimations of her cure, she immediately hastened to the now famous tomb of the martyr with the candle, to offer thanks for the present favour and to seek more in the future. She offered, prayed and returned home, and soon recovered.
[XV] OF ANOTHER WHO WAS MIRACULOUSLY CURED BY A VISION
In those days there was in Norwich a certain poor woman who dwelt in the hospital called Brichtiue.42 She was suffering from a long-standing debilitating illness and was able to do nothing for herself. She was swollen and ulcerated in her whole body as if she were afflicted by leprosy,43 and appeared to those who saw her as a miserable and horrific spectacle. When she had been suffering from so great a disease for a year and more, the blessed martyr William came to her in a night vision and said: ‘I have compassion for your suffering and feel sorry for you, woman, and I come to confer a saving remedy on your suffering.’ Then he pressed that healing right hand of his from the head down, limb by limb, and the pain seemed suddenly to diminish, as if he had thrown the coldest water upon the hottest of pots. The speediest of cures followed the passing of the hand, and at the touch of the healing fingers the illness departed in flight. The martyr turned to her and said: ‘See, you are now made healthy. Give thanks to God and to me, too, by whose hand divine grace has cured you, and do not delay to offer me also a candle acquired by your own labour.’
When the woman woke up she immediately felt the pain ease and she was delighted that what she had seen in a vision while asleep was no different when she was awake. And so she got up healthy, thanked God and her liberator; then she earned the price of a candle by the work of her hands, and came with it to the tomb of the martyr, offered it and went away with grateful thanks.
[XVI] OF A MUTE FROM BIRTH, CURED
Again in Norwich, there was a certain Colobern, who led an honourable though poor life with his wife called Ansfrida. They had a son about seven years old, but he was mute from birth; when on a given night they were both asleep, in the auspicious hour of the night, at the very same moment they were prompted in a vision by a person with a venerable face to take their son on the morrow to the tomb of the holy martyr, where they would rejoice in his cure. And so in the morning, comparing dream with dream, they rushed to the said tomb with their son, as they had been told to do in their sleep. After they had together continued in prayer there for a long time, and finally offered the candle, carried in the boy’s hand, the boy kissed the tomb and turned to his father and mother, suddenly breaking into speech in his mother tongue, asking that they return home. Upon hearing this, father and mother could not contain their tears of happiness. We, who were also present, seeing such things, cried, pierced by compassion. And when they had made known to us both the vision and the outcome, they returned home full of joy with a son no longer mute, and we joined them in praise of the Lord, who does great things in His martyr William.
[XVII] OF A BOY CURED OF DYSENTERY
As the fame of such mighty miracles spread more and more, as if sprouting new shoots, and rang in the ears of people all around, many began to flock together to that beneficial tomb from all parts, and to beg for divine benefits there with vows and prayers. Amongst them was one Robert Palmer of Norwich, who was led there by faith, bringing with him his son who had been suffering for a year from the illness of dysentery. As soon as he had been given to drink some dust from the mortar of that saint’s tomb, dissolved in holy water, immediately he felt the pain subside and strength quickly pour into his limbs, which had been gradually weakened. And his father later told us that the flux of dysentery had ceased in his son on the very day on which he had imbibed the remedy of health in the sacred drink.
[XVIII] OF A CERTAIN WOMAN WHO WAS CURED OF A LONG-STANDING ILLNESS
There was also in the royal village called Ormesby44 a certain Walter Flotberd, whose wife suffered from a long-standing illness. For a year she had been afflicted by a terrible pain of the heart and other members, and she was brought to such an extreme state of decline that she was no more than skin and bones. Having been prompted by the same holy martyr William in a vision, she arranged to be transported to Norwich by boat. When she arrived there she was carried in the arms of her relatives to the tomb of the oft-mentioned holy martyr. After praying and offering a candle she fell asleep there and immediately felt better. Afterwards, led by her relatives, she returned to the guest house, and after three days came again and offered a candle made to the measure of the tomb, and at that point in time she felt the full cure of her long-standing illness. And it so happened that she, who had come supported by the help of another, went away walking alone, confident in her strength, and returned home; from that day on, never again did she feel any suffering from that illness.
[XIX] OF SAILORS FREED AT SEA
Divine grace by the merits of the blessed martyr also helped some sailors of Yarmouth,45 who were endangered by a storm at sea. When they were at sea a powerful tempest was gathering strength and terrible waves – much greater than usual – threatened them with death, and, already at death’s door, they prayed as one for divine mercy and implored the pious intercessions of the holy boy and martyr William. Lo! – a wonder! For as they themselves later told us, immediately, as they were calling the name of the holy martyr and offering him their vows, the whole tempest fell silent. And as they contemplated the tranquillity restored to them so suddenly by the merits of Saint William, they glorified the Lord, glorious in His saints, and forthwith arrived at the shore by a speedy route, whole and unharmed.
[XX] OF A POOR WOMAN’S PIG WHO WAS CURED
Divine goodness comes through the merits of Saint William, not only for the relief of human ailments, as has been shown above, but also for those of brute animals. And just as He has made all things, so it is no wonder that He governs and arranges everything. And He does not withdraw the hand of His goodness from any creature, even the smallest or the most insignificant, that hand which embraces all within the bosom of His majesty. And so, a certain poor woman of Norwich used to rear pigs, and when they were grown she sold them to buy what was necessary for her livelihood. It so happened that they fell ill and, after one had already died, imminent death threatened her other pig. So the woman discerned in this state of affairs that she would be deprived of those things she hoped for and which she needed for her support. Almost deprived of any hope of recovery, she lamented greatly and finally turned for succour to the help of the blessed martyr. Coming to his tomb, she prayed with tears, offered a candle and, when she returned from there, she exulted in finding the pig she had so sadly left at death’s door cured and unharmed.
[XXI] OF SICK OXEN RETURNED TO HEALTH
At that time it happened that the oxen of Denis,46 chamberlain of the monks of Norwich, were dying from a similar scourge. Upset by this trouble, he ordered that the sick oxen be surrounded by a thread – lengthwise and breadthwise – and that a candle be made for the holy martyr William the length of the thread. When it was made, he took it to his tomb and offered it, and from that moment he discovered that the scourge in the oxen had stopped. In a similar manner, a certain knight, Goscelin le Gros,47 when he noticed that his oxen were languishing in the plague of murrain and that quite a few had already died, he hurried to help the remaining ones who wer
e still alive. Without delay he surrounded the oxen with a thread and ordered a candle to be made in the name of Saint William, and when it was ready he took it to his tomb. Once more, when he arrived home and found that the oxen had already recovered, henceforth he told everyone about the power of the holy martyr William, which he himself had clearly experienced in the oxen.
The Life and Passion of William of Norwich (Penguin Classics) Page 17