Chapter VI. The miraculous effects of the medal of St. Benedict in the seventeenth century

Though the medal of St. Benedict has been given to the faithful as a protection in the various necessities in which they may be at any time placed, yet as its use is only private, and almost always secret, we cannot be surprised that there has never been published an official account of the salutary effects it has produced. We are going, however, to mention some few facts which attested its powerful efficacy during the seventeenth century, the period of its first introduction into France. We take them from the pious and learned Bucelin, in his “ Benedictus Redivivus ” (Veldkirk, 1679, PP* 267-269).

The medal, which had become well known throughout Germany after the event at Nattremberg, passed into France through the province of Franche-Comtd.

In 1665, at Luxeuil in France, a young man possessed by the wicked spirit was most cruelly tormented. His parents had employed every means to free him from this state, but all had failed. In this extremity it came into their minds to have recourse to the medal of St. Benedict. They made their son drink some water into which they had dipped the medal. Scarcely had the boy raised the cup to his lips, than the devil began to torment his victim with such unusual violence, that the bystanders were struck with terror. The parents, however, were consoled by hearing the devil declare, by the mouth of their son, that he felt himself controlled by a superior power, and that he would go out of the boy at the third hour of the night. So in effect it happened : the infernal spirit went out at the time mentioned, and the boy was restored to peace of mind and health of body.

The following fact took place at Luxeuil about the same time. A young girl was irresistibly compelled by the wicked spirit to utter, at every turn, the most obscene words. One would have thought that the devil had taken up his abode on the lips of his victim. In order to free her from this violence of the enemy of every virtue, her friends gave her also, some water to drink which had been sanctified by contact with the medal of St. Benedict. Immediately she felt herself freed from this wretched compulsion, nor did she ever after transgress in her words the rules of Christian modesty.

The same year, 1665, there was a man who had a sore on his arm, but so large and so inflamed, that no remedy seemed to have any effect on it. It was suggested that the next time the sore was dressed, there ' should be also tied on his arm a medal of St. Benedict. This was done, and the next day, on taking off the bandages, the sore was found to be in a healthy state, and after a few days was perfectly healed.

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About the same time, another sick man was reduced to such a state that nothing seemed to give him relief, and he was despaired of. In this sad condition, he asked to be given to drink some water in which the medal of St. Benedict had been dipped, and very soon afterwards he was restored to perfect health.

In the year 1666, the castle of Maillot, not many miles from Besan^n, was infested by devils. Its inmates were being continually alarmed by hearing strange noises, and numbers of their cattle were dying from unknown distempers. At length, such was the terror, that the building was abandoned. Some pious persons recommended the medal of St. Benedict being hung up here and there on the walls of the castle, and the event justified their confidence. Instantly all cause of fear disappeared, the house was perfectly quiet, and the inmates lived in it henceforth without being molested.

In 1665, a village of Lorraine was being laid waste by frequent fires. Every day some house was burnt down, and no one could discover any cause for these destructive fires. After twelve houses had been thus destroyed, the inhabitants went in despair to a neighbouring monastery, and asked what they had better do under this calamity. The monks gave them several medals of St. Benedict, advising them to hang them on the walls of the houses which were still spared. The villagers followed this advice, and from that time they had no more cause to fear further ravages from fire.

In a certain part of Burgundy a distemper broke out amongst the cattle, and so virulent was it, that the cows gave blood instead of milk. They were perfectly cured on being made to drink water into which the medal of St. Benedict had been put. This fact happened in the same year, 1665.

The owner of a brick-kiln complained of not being able to bake the clay, no matter how intensely the kiln was heated. A medal of St. Benedict was fastened to the wall ; the fire immediately regained its power, nor did the unnatural phenomenon again appear. This event happened about the same year as the last.

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