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E02926: Gregory of Tours, in his Miracles of Martin (1.35), recounts how one of his servants had in his home a piece of wood taken from the railing around the bed of *Martin (ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397, S00050) that was in Martin's monastery. The servant's family became ill, and, warned in a dream, he brought the wood to Gregory, after which the family was cured; in Clermont (central Gaul), 563/564. Written in Latin in Tours (north-west Gaul), 573/576.
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posted on 2017-06-05, 00:00 authored by kwojtalikGregory of Tours, Miracles of Martin (Libri de virtutibus sancti Martini episcopi) 1.35
Fide commonente, quidam ex nostris lignum venerabilem de cancello lectuli, quod est ad monasterium sancti domni, me nesciente, detulerat, quod in hospitiolo suo pro salvatione retenebat. Sed — credo, non sic honorabatur aut diligebatur, ut sibi decuerat — coepit familia eius graviter aegrotare. Et cum penitus nesciretur, quid hoc esset, nec emendaretur aliquid, sed cotidie ageretur deterius, vidit in visu noctis personam terribilem, dicentem sibi: 'Cur sic tecum agitur?' Qui ait: 'Ignoro prorsus, unde hoc evenerit'. Dicit ei persona: 'Lignum, quod de lectulo domni Martini tulisti, neglegenter tecum hoc retenis, ideo haec incurristi. Sed vade nunc, defer eum Gregorio diacono, et ipse eum secum reteneat'. At ille nihil moratus mihi exhibuit. Quod ego cum summa veneratione collectum loco digno reposui. Et sic omnis familia in domo eius sanata est, ita ut nemo ibidem deinceps aliquid mali perferret.
'One of my servants, motivated by faith, brought back [a piece of] venerable wood from the railing around the bed that is in the monastery of the holy lord [Martin] and kept it in his cottage for protection. I was unaware [of this]. But his family fell severely ill — I think [because] this wood was not honoured or respected as much as it merited. And since the man was completely ignorant about what was happening, and since the situation was not improved but every day deteriorated further, in a vision during the night he saw a terrifying personage who said to him: 'Why are you suffering this way?' The man replied: 'I am completely ignorant about the reason for what has happened.' The personage said to him: 'You have suffered these misfortunes because you keep with you, without due care, the wood that you took from the bed of lord Martin. But go now, take this wood to the deacon Gregory, and let him keep it in his possession.' Immediately the man brought [the wood] to me. With the greatest reverence I took it and put it in a worthy place. And so the entire family in his home was cured, with the result that thereafter no-one there suffered any misfortune.'
Text: Krusch 1969, 155. Translation: Van Dam 1993, 225 (de Nie 2015, 519, 521).
Fide commonente, quidam ex nostris lignum venerabilem de cancello lectuli, quod est ad monasterium sancti domni, me nesciente, detulerat, quod in hospitiolo suo pro salvatione retenebat. Sed — credo, non sic honorabatur aut diligebatur, ut sibi decuerat — coepit familia eius graviter aegrotare. Et cum penitus nesciretur, quid hoc esset, nec emendaretur aliquid, sed cotidie ageretur deterius, vidit in visu noctis personam terribilem, dicentem sibi: 'Cur sic tecum agitur?' Qui ait: 'Ignoro prorsus, unde hoc evenerit'. Dicit ei persona: 'Lignum, quod de lectulo domni Martini tulisti, neglegenter tecum hoc retenis, ideo haec incurristi. Sed vade nunc, defer eum Gregorio diacono, et ipse eum secum reteneat'. At ille nihil moratus mihi exhibuit. Quod ego cum summa veneratione collectum loco digno reposui. Et sic omnis familia in domo eius sanata est, ita ut nemo ibidem deinceps aliquid mali perferret.
'One of my servants, motivated by faith, brought back [a piece of] venerable wood from the railing around the bed that is in the monastery of the holy lord [Martin] and kept it in his cottage for protection. I was unaware [of this]. But his family fell severely ill — I think [because] this wood was not honoured or respected as much as it merited. And since the man was completely ignorant about what was happening, and since the situation was not improved but every day deteriorated further, in a vision during the night he saw a terrifying personage who said to him: 'Why are you suffering this way?' The man replied: 'I am completely ignorant about the reason for what has happened.' The personage said to him: 'You have suffered these misfortunes because you keep with you, without due care, the wood that you took from the bed of lord Martin. But go now, take this wood to the deacon Gregory, and let him keep it in his possession.' Immediately the man brought [the wood] to me. With the greatest reverence I took it and put it in a worthy place. And so the entire family in his home was cured, with the result that thereafter no-one there suffered any misfortune.'
Text: Krusch 1969, 155. Translation: Van Dam 1993, 225 (de Nie 2015, 519, 521).
History
Evidence ID
E02926Saint Name
Martin, ascetic and bishop of Tours (Gaul), ob. 397 : S00050Saint Name in Source
MartinusRelated Saint Records
Type of Evidence
Literary - Hagiographical - Collections of miraclesLanguage
- Latin