Chapter XXXVIII. Of money turned into a snake

68. When the man of God was once passing through Apulia with a companion he found in the way near Bari a large purse, called in merchants' language fionda (a sling), stuffed with coin. The Saint's companion advised him and urgently-pressed him to take up the purse, and give the money to the poor; extolling the virtue of pity towards the needy, and praising the mercy which would be shown by spending the money thus. The Saint absolutely refused to do it, declaring that it was a trick of the Devil. "My son," said he, "it is not lawful to take away the property of others; and to give away what belongs to others involves punishment for sin, not honour for merit." So they left the spot and hastened to finish their journey. However, that brother, deluded by a vain compassion, was not satisfied; and continued to suggest transgression. The Saint consented to return to the place, not indeed to comply with the brother's wish, but to show to the fool a Divine mystery. He called a lad who was sitting on a well by the way, that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses "the Sacrament of the Trinity1 might be manifest. So the three came back to the purse and saw it stuffed with coins. The Saint forbad either of the others to come near, in order that the Devil's deceit might be disclosed by the power of prayer: and then he withdrew about a stone's cast and applied himself to holy prayer. On his return from prayer he bade the¹ brother take up the purse (which, through his prayer, contained a snake instead of money). The brother trembled and was amazed, and already, feeling some foreboding, his thoughts were changed from what they had been before. At last he drove away his hesitation of heart by the fear of holy obedience and took the purse in his hands; when lo! a large serpent leapt out of the purse and showed that brother how the Devil had deceived him. Then said the Saint to him: "To God's servants, brother, money is nothing else but a devil and a venomous snake °.