The Life and Passion of William of Norwich (Penguin Classics)

by Thomas of Monmouth

  [XXII] OF A CERTAIN IDA, MIRACULOUSLY CURED

  At the same time, Ida, the wife of Eustace the Moneyer48 of Norwich, had been afflicted for three years already by gout49 in her knees. Next, spreading and raging through her limbs, the disease finally mounted to her right shoulder and then also took over the arm. As her suffering increased, she broke out in terrible cries and was thought to have lost her mind, and so was brought almost to death’s door. A priest was called, and after confession – for fear of death – she was fortified with the sacrament of the Lord’s body. And when morning came she was reminded of the holy martyr William, and as best she could had herself taken to his tomb. When she arrived there she lay down by it and immediately – crying out in terrible cries, out of excessive suffering – she tumbled about the floor of the chapterhouse. Then, after a while, tired out, she rested and in a loud voice called out frequently the name of Saint William, begging for the cure of health. Then she was given a candle and she offered it, and after kissing the tomb, at the moment when she touched the stone, she appeared in the eyes of those present to be cured. And after a while, she who had only just been able to arrive there carried by others, was amazed and exultant to be able now to return home by her own [strength].

  [XXIII] OF A CERTAIN MEMORABLE VISION

  There was in Norwich a man called Stannard Wrancberd, whose daughter Ida merited seeing a venerable and memorable vision at night. She saw Saint William at the head of his tomb, standing between three virgins and holding a burning candle. The virgins stood around him on three sides, also holding burning candles. And as she pondered the sight, one of the virgins said to her: ‘Pray, O maiden, to the holy martyr William, whom you see, who was crowned by venerable martyrdom in contempt of Christ’s death, that he intercede for you with God, who holds him dear. You should know this: that he has been given by God to the people of Norwich as a unique and special patron; and I am the virgin Katherine,50 who announces this to you.’ At that point the girl woke up and immediately told her father and mother of the vision, of which the father himself took care to inform us on the morrow. But what was even more amazing, before that hour the father, mother and maiden – as they themselves said – did not even know the proper name of Saint William!

  [XXIV] OF A CERTAIN GOLDEBURGA WHO WAS CURED

  In those days a certain woman called Goldeburga, who had been ill for many days, trusted in the power of the martyr and – her limbs hardly supporting her – came to his tomb with a candle, and spending some time in prayer with tears, begged for a remedy for her persistent illness. There, as the grace of merciful God operated through the merits of the blessed martyr, she sensed the celestial cure spreading slowly through her limbs, and so within a few days, recovering her strength, she obtained full health.

  [XXV] OF A GIRL CURED OF FEVERS

  Nor was the power of the holy martyr hidden from Bartholomew of Creake,51 very famous for both chivalry and nobility. When it happened that his little girl was held in the burning heat of fever, the mother, sorrowing over her sick daughter, went to the trouble of making a candle in the name of Saint William with her own hands, and vowed to offer it for her daughter’s health. Lo! – a wondrous thing and a timely showing of divine power! For just as soon as she started making the candle, at the first movement of her fingers, that feverish heat suddenly ceased, just as a pot commonly goes off the boil when cold water is thrown into it. And so the mother had the candle offered for her daughter, who never again felt any illness of fever.

  [XXVI] OF A DROPSY SUFFERER WHO WAS CURED

  And a certain dropsy sufferer from Tudenham52 came to the tomb of Saint William to earn a cure for his illness. When standing there, praying for a while, he offered a candle and the pain in his stomach then already eased, and he went away with much lighter a step than when he had come. Afterwards, indeed, when we carefully enquired into the affair, we learned from the account of his neighbours that he had been cured.

  [XXVII] OF A WEAK BOY WHO WAS CURED

  With so great a multitude of sick people coming there, among the rest was a certain Roger of the village of Tudenham, mentioned above, with his wife Godiva. They carried their ten-year-old son, who was weak in his whole body, because he could in no way take even one step on his own, for he had been unable for many days to move or turn. And so, being almost dead, his parents carried him with many laments and tears and with candles, and put him down on the tomb near the martyr’s head, within our view. After a short period of prayer he was lifted by his parents and testified that he already felt better. Thus, he who before was unable to turn himself in any direction, nor take a step on the ground without another’s help, nor stand up to full measure, now turned by himself, giving thanks to God and the holy martyr. He returned home with his parents, who were crying for joy, and in a short while he recovered fully.

  [XXVIII] OF A CERTAIN HILDEBRAND WHO WAS CURED

  In those very days, Hildebrand, well known in Norwich, and a relative of the monk Paul of Norwich, began to feel sick and in a short time became bedridden, because of the growing illness. After having languished in his sickbed for quite a few days, one day the illness raged through his joints so fiercely that he seemed to be at death’s door. Counsel was taken and the friends who attended him advised that a candle be made straight away, and be taken to the tomb of the holy martyr for the health of the sick man. When this was done without delay, at that moment the sick man began to feel better, and, after a while, he earned recovery to full health. In particular, as we have learned from the account of those who were present when he was ill and when he got better, the very instant when the force of his suffering was alleviated was the moment when it happened that the candle was offered to the holy martyr.

  [XXIX] OF THE CLERK AND THE PALFREY OF THE SACRIST OF CHRIST CHURCH, CANTERBURY, WHO WERE CURED

  About that time the sacrist of Holy Trinity, Canterbury, came from Kent to Norfolk on some family business and by chance visited Norwich. And it happened that while he was staying there his palfrey fell ill, and the clerk who was his companion was taken very ill on the night before the day he planned for departure. And so, when the monk got up to leave in the morning he was shocked to find his horse and clerk both sick, and – not surprisingly – was very much distressed by this. And so, stirred by such urgent need, he hastened with a devout spirit to the intercession of the holy martyr William; and what he piously and devoutly prayed for he soon earned by the generosity of divine grace. And so it happened that with his companion and palfrey restored to health, he was able – quite beyond hope – to set out on his journey immediately, as if he had suffered no previous impediment.

  [XXX] OF A CERTAIN SICK EMMA WHO WAS CURED

  About the same time, a certain Emma of Wighton53 was assailed by a grave illness. Having heard of the wondrous miracles of the martyr William, which spread by rumour, and encouraged by the successes of others, already holding out hope of a cure and in search of help, she went to the said tomb. When she got there she prayed with the greatest devotion in her supplications, offered a candle and returned with the hope of cure. Immediately upon her return she found that she was truly cured, and she knew that divine grace had worked in this way through the merits of Saint William.

  [XXXI] HOW MANY WERE CURED BY DRINKING SCRAPINGS FROM THE TOMB

  Since in this manner the fame of the holy martyr was spread far and wide, and it became manifest to all in what mighty merit and virtue was his standing with God, no small crowd of sick people began to frequent the glorious Saint William’s tomb. More and more came, and as some left others came after them, because the frequent successes of the earlier ones spurred those who followed to good hope. Indeed, among the great multitude of visitors we know that many were cured, some with fevers, others suffering from the sickness of dysentery or afflicted with other illnesses, after drinking scrapings from the tombstone mixed with holy water, quite apart from those whose cure we have mentioned in the preceding accounts.

  [XXXII] OF A CERTAIN
MAN WHO WAS CURED OF A SWELLING OF THE THROAT

  Although the glorious martyr was becoming famous – as so many miracles took place around his tomb – we have not been able to take note of all of them, both because many have escaped our notice and because for quite a few we have been unable to track down the full certainty of truth. Meanwhile, it has pleased us to insert into this book those we know for sure by sight or hearing, and we know that telling them will not be displeasing to people of devout hearts. Thus, in Norwich, a certain boy, the son of Aluric, of the monks’ tailor’s workshop, fell ill with a grave and horrible swelling of the throat and jaws, so that he offered those who saw him a miserable sight. And since the nature of the illness excluded any hope of future cure, he came to the tomb of the glorious martyr led by his mother. When we saw him we were so deeply moved by so bitter an illness that we gave him to drink the scrapings off the tomb slab mingled with holy water. As the sacred drink, little by little, went down into his bowels, the power of divine grace soon followed. And so, immediately upon ingesting the drink, the sick boy felt the lessening of his pain and in a short while he was cured of the tumour and retained no mark of the swelling anywhere on his body.

  And so now, having laid out some little groups of miracles, we cease dictation for a time, until the horse, tired by a journey, revives its strength by a short period of rest and can set out with renewed force on the labour of his journey on the morrow, with greater lightness of step.

  Here ends the third book.

  Book Four

  Here begin the chapters of the fourth book. [i] On the hardening [of the heart] of Prior Elias and his death. [ii] Of the son of a certain Gurwann, who was cured, and of a blind man who gained his sight. [iii] Of Ralph the Moneyer1 of Norwich, cured of an illness, and of the servant of the moneyers who went mad and was cured. [iv] Of Agnes, wife of Reginald the Cowherd, freed of the flux of blood. [v] Of a certain Botilda freed of a most severe pain in her feet. [vi] Of the daughter of the smith of Postwick, who came sick and returned healthy. [vii] How the holy martyr warned us by a vision that his tomb should be tended and kept very clean. [viii] Of the miracle by which he recovered the cloth that had been removed. [ix] On the revelation of the holy teeth and the cure of William the sacrist; and of his death following the breaking of a vow. [x] How the martyr helped those endangered at sea, and cured a mother and son.2 [xi] Of a certain woman cured of a long-standing disease, and of another who recovered her lost sight, [xii] Of a priest cured with his family, and of the wife of Richard of Bedingham, and [xiii] Of the little girl who was insane, and many others, cured by the merits of the holy martyr.

  Here begins the fourth book.

  [I] ON THE HARDENING [OF THE HEART] OF PRIOR ELIAS AND HIS DEATH

  As the days multiplied, so did the miracles, and as the gift of his wonderful works increased, the name of the illustrious martyr William also spread far and wide. For that reason we cannot but wonder that the heart of a most prudent man, that is of Prior Elias, was so hardened that in no way was it possible to compel him to reverse with appropriate honour the offence – that we pointed out above – of the cloth so vilely removed from holy William’s tomb. And we can no longer pass over in silence both that he was frequently admonished in a vision and that he was warned very often by many visions of others to return that cloth, but these did not soften his hardness of heart so that the honour due to the holy martyr be restored. I would not be surprised if some entertain the opinion and say in their hearts that the martyr William quite rightly punished by the vengeance of his anger the injury done to him by the hard-hearted prior. For so it is said by many, both that the martyr had warned him on this matter and that his [Elias’s] death was a consequence of it. But whoever asserts this and that about him, or whatever sort of person inclined the divine case to be disposed towards it, this, indeed, we hold for certain: that an untimely end shortened the days of his old age. Lo! – what a praiseworthy man, whose sobriety of life and modesty of habits were a mirror of all religion – who, indeed, endowed with both divine and liberal learning, illuminated the church of Norwich with such very wise and prudent foresight. Lo! – such a man, whose life was a much needed support for our own and whose untimely death incurs us a mournful loss, ought to be lamented with much sorrow. He died on 22 October [1150] and the venerable merits of his venerable life have made his death precious in the sight of the Lord3 and have left us in no doubt of his salvation.

  [II] OF THE SON OF A CERTAIN GURWANN, WHO WAS CURED, AND OF A BLIND MAN WHO GAINED HIS SIGHT

  At almost the same time a certain woman of London was three times told by the blessed William in a vision what task he wanted her to carry out, until she finally took the trouble to come to Norwich, as she had been ordered. She asked for the tanner Gurwann, found him and, having found him, said: ‘Before this day I knew nothing of Norwich. I have come from London to Norwich, sent to you, Gurwann, and your wife, as a messenger. William the glorious martyr of God has sent me to you in this way, because just as you have lost five sons taken away by death and you are, of course, greatly sorrowed by such a tribulation, he, too, whose heart is full of compassion, feels very great pity for you. And so that you may have joy in your sixth son, who has only just survived and now has been ill for eighteen weeks, that most blessed martyr invites you to his tomb and admonishes you to bring a candle for the health of the boy and to offer it to him. Besides, he orders that every year as long as the boy lives, on the day of the Nativity of St Mary [8 September], he [Gurwann] should pay a tribute for the child’s head.’

  Gurwann and his wife were delighted by this messenger and hurried directly to fulfil the command and exulted at the speedy recovery of their son. But one should not pass over in silence what I learned from Gurwann himself, that during days of great hunger and mortality among other poor people, he had in his house a certain blind man. He [the blind man] was warned in a vision by the blessed William – at a time when his martyrdom was still recent – that he should have three Masses of the Holy Spirit sung and that during the third he would without doubt be cured. And when Gurwann found out what the blind man was saying, he called a priest and had him sing the three Masses; during them the blind man offered three pennies to the honour of the Holy Trinity4 and – wonderful to say – he was cured just as had been promised to him in the vision.

  [III] OF RALPH THE MONEYER OF NORWICH, WHOSE ILLNESS WAS CURED, AND HIS SERVANT WHO WAS INSANE AND WAS CURED

  About that time Ralph the Moneyer of Norwich suffered from a very serious illness. Inspired by the examples of many, he made a vow to the blessed William, paid and was immediately cured. When he had fully recovered his health the glorious martyr of God appeared to him in a vision and said: ‘I am the boy William who has cured you by God’s will. Thank me and live devoutly. And I command you this: that you go to Thomas the monk, my guardian and sacrist, and tell him that he should be comforted and not feel deserted, that he should remain active and diligent in my service, because I hold dear the commitment which his devotion shows me.’ The instructions given in the vision were recounted to me by that Ralph, and I, Thomas, have striven to observe them with the greatest care. It also happened about that time that while the moneyers of Norwich were at their work, suddenly one of their servants was seized by the demon in front of his eyes, and he behaved so badly that he soon had to be restrained with strong chains. Because of this, the others, who were in sound mind, uttered prayers and vows to the holy martyr for the health of their colleague, and, without delay, upon their prayer, the young man was freed.

  [IV] OF AGNES, THE WIFE OF REGINALD THE COWHERD, FREED FROM THE FLUX OF BLOOD

  On a certain day Agnes, the wife of Reginald called the Cowherd, of Norwich, came to the tomb of Saint William to beg for a remedy for her very severe and long-standing illness. She had been suffering for five years from menstrual flux and had spent no small amount of money on doctors, who did her little or no good.5 So she came and stood in prayer for a long while with great devotion and bi
tterness of heart, and she earned effective and immediate help, as she had requested. For soon after offering a candle on bent knees, she pressed her lips to the tomb and at that moment she found that by some secret power of God the trouble of flux ceased; and returning from there she made it known that she had felt God’s power manifested, thanks to the merits of Saint William.

  [V] OF A CERTAIN BOTILDA, LANGUISHING AND THEN CURED

  And a certain Botilda of Norwich, wife of Toche the Baker, also fell ill, and for a long time was seized by such a pain in her feet that she could not take a single step on the ground. And so, since she could not go out of her house and make her way – for the sake of prayer – to the tomb of the holy martyr, her husband hurried there on her behalf. And so he arrived and spent a long time in prayer and begged in devout supplications for the health of his wife; and after offering a candle he returned home, not doubting he had been heard. When he got home he found his wife healthy and sound and discovered that she had been restored to health at the very hour at which he had placed the candle upon the tomb of the holy martyr.