Читать книгу The Discovery of Witchcraft - Reginald Scot - Страница 72

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Of divers saincts and holie persons, which were exceeding bawdie and lecherous, and by certeine miraculous meanes became chaste.

ASSIANUS ²⁶⁰ writeth, that S. Syren being of bodie verie lecherous, and of mind woonderfull religious, fasted and praied; to the end his bodie might be reduced miraculouslie to chastitie. At length came an angell unto him by night, and cut out of his flesh certeine kernels, which were the sparkes of concupiscence; so as afterwards he never had anie more motions of the flesh. It is also reported, that the abbat Equicius²⁶¹ being naturallie as unchast as the other, fell to his beads so devoutlie for recoverie of honestie, that there came an angell unto him in an apparition, that seemed to geld him; and after that (forsooth) he was as chaste as though he had had never a stone in his breech; and before that time being a ruler over monkes, he became afterwards a governour over nunnes. Even as it is said Helias²⁶² the holie monke gathered thirtie virgins into a monasterie, over whom he ruled and reigned by the space of two yeares, and grew so proud and hot in the codpeece, that he was faine to forsake his holie house, and flie to a desert, where he fasted and praied two daies, saieng; Lord quench my hot lecherous humors, or kill me. Whereupon in the night following, there came unto him three angels, and demanded of him why he forsooke his charge: but the holie man was ashamed to tell them. Howbeit they asked him further, saieng; Wilt thou returne to these damsels, if we free thee from all concupiscence? Yea (quoth he) with all my heart. And when they had sworne him solemnelie so to doo, they tooke him up, & gelded him; and one of them holding his hands, and another his feete, the third cut out his stones. But the storie saith it was not so ended, but in a vision. Which I beleeve, because within five daies he returned to his minions, who pitiouslie moorned for him all 82.this/ while, and joyfullie embraced his sweete companie at his returne. The like storie dooth Nider write of Thomas, whome two angels cured of that lecherous dise²⁶³ ase; by putting about him a girdle, which they brought downe with them from heaven.