Chapter X. The medal a preservation in danger

Amongst the effects of St. Benedict’s medal, when it is employed with a lively and simple faith, has always been ranked that of protecting us in danger. We here offer to the reader a few recent facts, which will show that the power granted to this medal by Almighty God is far from being exhausted.

In June 1847, f° ur Christian brothers and two other travellers were going by coach from Orleans to Lyons. They were inside passengers, and one of the gentlemen began to speak to the rest about St. Benedict’s medal, and gave one to each of the party. He was busy explaining to them the meaning of the letters, when on a sudden the horses took fright at something, set off at full gallop, and the driver soon lost all command over them. The road was being mended, and one half of the pavement had been taken up. The stones with which the road was going to be repaved had been piled up in such a manner as to serve as a barrier to keep conveyances from going on the part which was unpaved. The horses dashed across this heap of stones, dragging the coach after them. Though one side was fearfully higher than the other, it was not upset. For two or three minutes it ploughed through the soft ground on the other side of the road, then in the twinkling of an eye was dragged back again, all safe on to the good part ; and as the traces were broken by the violence of the shock, it immediately stopped, much to the relief of the passengers. This happened near a village called Chateau-Neuf (Loiret), which is about six miles from the town of Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire. The people of the village who had witnessed the narrow escape of the conveyance, cried out, 66 It is a miracle ! What else could have saved it ? ''

A few years before this, in June 1843, a diligence was going up the very steep hill near Ecommoy, a village on the highroad between Le Mans and Tours. The horses were not able to proceed, and, suddenly stopping, were dragged back down the hill at a fearful speed. There were three passengers in the front compartment of the diligence. Opening the door, two of them jumped out on the road, but the third kept his seat, and took into his hands his medal of St. Benedict. That very instant the diligence stopped, and the horses, which had been dragged sideways, quietly returned to the middle of the road.

It was a summer's day in the year 1858, about five o'clock in the afternoon, when a waggon heavily laden with goods was passing along the street called Rue Royale, Saint Honori, in Paris. It had got opposite No. 4 or 6, when it stopped. It was in the middle of the street, the horses became restive, and a crowd soon

Google collected. One of the traces broke and the front horse turned completely round. He seemed wild with fright. He raised himself upon his hind legs, and throwing up his other two as high as he could, came down with his whole weight upon another of the horses, which he began biting most savagely, and this done, he recommenced his prancing and kicking. The waggoner was most vigorous in his attempts to subdue the poor animal, pulling the reins ancf dealing the hardest blows he could, on the horse’s head with the butt-end of the whip; but all this seemed only to irritate him the more and make things worse. The policeman who was on the spot assisted the driver in his attempts, and the spectators were busy, as usual on such occasions, vociferating their advice, and yet all to no effect. In the crowd there was a good Christian who had learned by experience how powerful is the intercession of St. Benedict. Seeing the danger, he took the medal in his hand, at the same time addressing a short ejaculation to the holy Patriarch. Scarcely had his lips pronounced the prayer, when the horse, which was still wild with rage, became suddenly quiet, allowing himself to be patted and then led to his place.

One beautiful morning of the same summer, and in the same city, two soldiers in half-uniform had been giving some exercise to the horses of which they had the management. They were returning to barracks and had got opposite the mayor’s courthouse of district No. i, when the following scene took place, and attracted the attention of the idle and curious who were passing along

6o the street called Rue Anjou, Saint Honord. One of the horses suddenly stopped, and turning sideways, nothing that his rider did could induce the animal to move . 1 In front of the courthouse was an open space. It was facing this that the horse stood just as though he were riveted to the earth. Every now and then he shook his whole body. One of the passers-by was a person who had great faith in the medal of St. Benedict : he had not quite come up to the spot, but as well as he could judge at the distance, he could not help thinking that the enemy of mankind might very possibly have something to do with all this. Afraid of an accident happening, he recited to himself the words of which the initials are engraven on the medal : Vade retro , Satana , &c . No sooner had he finished the formula, than the horse began to prance and rear, and then became immovable as before.

The individual of whom we just spoke, and who was now very near to the courthouse, perceiving that, the rider was still in the same difficulty, took his medal into his hand, and said this little prayer : “ Glorious St. Benedict, beseech our Lord that he, by thy intercession, may make these horses docile to the command of their riders, and deliver them from danger.” The stubborn animal at once proceeded quietly onwards, and cantered up to the other, which had been waiting. The unknown liberator asked a woman who was standing on the pavement at the corner of the street Suresnes, if the horses had been standing there a long time. She told him 1 See Life of St. Benedict, chap. ix.

they had been there for a quarter of an hour. During the winter of 1858-59, the same person was in Paris, and was just turning into the street Miromesnil. His attention was attracted by seeing a crowd standing on the footpath opposite this street; and the stoppage, he found, was caused by a horse which would not stir one inch farther, in spite of all the beating and spurring of the groom who was riding him. Anxious to see what was the matter, he stopped, and saw that the animal obstinately refused to proceed. The groom at length was obliged to rest, and called for a glass of something to drink* to revive his courage and strength. Thinking that Satan might have something to do with such strange perversity, the person we allude to, resolved on having recourse to his medal of St. Benedict. Scarcely had he finished the words which are marked on the medal, than the horse set off at a gallop along the Avenue Marigny. In spite of this, he still feared the snares of the invisible enemy, so whilst proceeding on his way he kept his eyes on the horse and rider. His fears were soon realised, for the horse had not gone half-way up the avenue, when he suddenly stopped again and turned round as before. The good men than took his medal into his hand, and said this short prayer : “ O glorious St. Benedict, ask of our Lord that he may, by thy intercession, render this his creature obedient to man and harmless.” The horse instantly became tractable, and the groom turning him to the right into the Champs Elys^es, they soon were out of sight.

On Sunday, the 28th of November 1858, Henry

S , a boy of fourteen, who was apprenticed to M.

P , a jeweller in Paris, happened to meet in the

6treet a person whom he knew to be a friend who took an interest in his family. After a cordial greeting and a few words of conversation, the young man received from the friend a medal of St. Benedict, as a protection against the dangers to which we are all so much exposed. On the following Thursday, which was the ad of December, our young apprentice was sliding down the banisters of the staircase, when, seeing that some one was coming up, and afraid of coming against him, he leaned forward, lost his balance, and fell down nearly two stories. In his fall, he came with his side against the banister of the lower story, and the violence of the shock sent him back on to the last step of the landing, where he found himself sitting, with no other injury than being stunned by the fall. He immediately returned to the workshop and resumed his employment. His master, however, fearing that such an accident might produce some fatal result, in spite of there being nothing just then which could give the slightest ground of alarm, sent him home for a few days’ perfect rest. Nothing, however, like an indisposition came on, and the young man could not help attributing his extraordinary escape to the power of St. Benedict’s medal, which had so very opportunely been given him to wear.

At Tours, in 1859, a young gentleman was taking a lesson of exercises at a public gymnasium of the town. He was going through one of the feats, which consisted in pulling himself up to a horizontal beam, on which he was then to hang, holding on by his hands and feet. He had scarcely accomplished this than the beam gave way, and he fell fifteen feet flat upon his back on the ground with the beam upon him. The master of the gymnasium, who was present, uttered a cry of alarm ; but the young man jumped up, and taking his medal of St. Benedict showed it to him, saying, u I am all right ! I assure you I am not hurt ! See what has saved me.”

In the February of 1859, a nurse happened to be walking with a little child in the gardens of the Tuileries. It was about three o’clock in the afternoon, and the Emperor was passing. The nurse could not resist her curiosity, so she set off running by the side of the Emperor’s carriage, was soon lost in the thick of the crowd, and forgot all about her little charge whom she left behind. The little fellow, seeing himself thus left alone, began to make his way home, which was in the street called Rue Saint Florentin, No. 4. There was a perfect stream of carriages passing just at this exciting moment along the Rue de Rivoli, but the brave little fellow was not afraid. He boldly crossed the street and reached home. His parents were alarmed at seeing him come home by himself; they asked him how he had lost his nurse, and when his sister, w T ho was a year or so older than himself, was exclaiming and asking how in the world he had got home without being run over, “ I had round my neck the medal of St. Benedict,” said the child very coolly; u and just as I was going to cross the street, the carriages made such a noise ! but they let me run across/’

In 1859, a community of nuns, whose special object was the education of young ladies, had just finished building a large dormitory for their boarders. It was now ready for use, and both parents and children were delighted with the excellent accommodation which the new building afforded, for besides the dormitory, there were also several parlours on the ground-floor. But not many weeks elapsed, before much alarm was caused by crackings being heardall over the building. At first they were thought to be the creaking which is sometimes heard in rooms newly boarded ; but they became so loud and threatening, that the parents began to talk of taking their children from the school. In vain did the architect assure them that the building was perfectly safe ; the nuns were obliged to pacify them by removing all the children from the new dormitory, and promising every possible precaution against accident. They would have begun at once to build another dormitory, but they had spent all their available funds over the one which now proved such a disappointment. A friend of the convent, to whom two of the nuns happened to mention their trouble, advised their having recourse to St. Benedict. He recommended them to put a medal of the holy Patriarch on each story of the new building, and four down into the foundations, one on each side, reciting meanwhile five times Gloria Patri in honour of the Passion, three times Ave Maria in honour of our Lady, and lastly, three times Gloria Patri in honour of St. Benedict. His advice was followed ; nothing more was heard of the noises which had caused so much alarm, and the community returned fervent thanks to God, to our Lady, and to St. Benedict, for the protection thus visibly granted to them.

In July 1859, at P ar is, a gentleman was passing on horseback up the Avenue Gabrielle. He happened to come up to that part of the Avenue which is at the back of the Elys^e Garden, just as one of the gardeners was watering the beds .with one of the large tubes. A cart loaded with wood had been stopped in this very place, in consequence of an accident which had happened to a carriage. The gush of the watering machine frightened the gentleman’s horse, which suddenly turning round, galloped back some distance. The rider encouraged the animal to return, and shouted out to the gardener to stop watering for a moment whilst he passed. No attention was paid to this request, and the horse again shied, and again galloped back. Once more the rider urged him by spur and whip to the dreaded spot, and at a furious speed he at last passed it, but in doing so, came with such a shock against the wheel of the cart, that the girth of the saddle was torn and the stirrups got twisted. The gentleman had foreseen the danger, and had pulled his foot out of the stirrup, but in doing so he threw himself so much on the other side as completely to lose his balance, and was thrown over the head of his horse, which passed over him without trampling on him. The poor animal had

E taken fright at the shower of water which came spurting out in every direction, and though the rider had done his best to pull him clear from the cart, which stood, as we have said, upon the road, yet he dashed against it with all his weight. The gentleman had on his person the medal of St. Benedict, and felt nothing whatever from the fall but a little stiffness in his limbs. The horse was badly cut by the cart-wheel on his side and hind leg, and for twelve days was unfit for use. The saddle was taken to a saddler in the street Suresnes, and several persons who had witnessed the accident expressed to the rider their surprise at his having escaped without a single scar.

A medal of St. Benedict had been given to a poor woman who had just lost her husband, and was living by herself in a lonely cottage some distance from Rennes (in France). She was extremely nervous at having to live thus alone, and as a protection against danger she accepted the medal from a good Christian who lived in the town. In the year 1862, an unhappy wretch, who had just come out of prison, was prowling all about the neighbourhood. He at last hit on a plan for getting into some of the houses round about : he would set the widow’s cottage on fire — the people of the neighbourhood would leave their houses and run to the spot, and whilst they were out, he might go in and do his work. An opportunity soon presented itself. The poor widow was spending an hour or two with a neighbour. Suddenly she felt unusually anxious, and declared that she must go ^ime. She is no sooner there than she sees a cloud of

6 / smoke coming from the little stable adjoining her cottage, and a man running across the field as though he were trying to make his escape. Without giving herself time for reflection, she set off running after the man, and was not long in discovering him to be the very individual who, not long before, had come to her door begging for something to drink. Whilst pursuing him she screamed for help, and a farmer hearing her, rushed out of his house with his servants, and recognised in the fugitive the man who had attacked him only a few nights before. They were not long before they caught him. He was handed over to the police, and finally sentenced to fourteen years’ penal servitude. When in court, he confessed publicly that he had done his utmost to set fire to the widow’s cottage, but not being able to succeed, he threw a lighted faggot into the stable, and then went his way. His attempt to burn down the house did not do the slightest injury either to the stable or to the house.

During the month of April 1864, M. D , of the city of Tours, narrated to us the following incident : He was a visitor at the watering-place of Bourbon-Sancy, during the summer months of one of the preceding years, when a thunderbolt happened to strike one of the houses there and reduced it to ashes. One room only, occupied by two poor girls, escaped destruction. No one could explain so unaccountable an escape, so that all the town flocked to gaze at this marvel. M.

D also betook himself to the spot in company with some of the bathers. After having closely examined the arrangement of the various portions of the building, and listened to the story of the inhabitants, he had no hesitation in believing that there had taken place some supernatural intervention. He even felt within himself that St. Benedict had not been a stranger to the event, and taking from his pocket a medal of the holy Patriarch, he offered it to these good young girls. But hardly had they caught sight of the little present he was offering them, when they exclaimed, “ But we already have that medal. Yesterday our brother, having been to water some horses, met a person who had some of those medals, and knowing that it would give us great pleasure, he asked for one, which he brought home to us some minutes before the storm ”