De quodam milite ab eodem morbo sanato.
The Scribe's Testimony
A learned scribe, restored by the king's merits, preaches at the annual solemnity, proclaiming Edward's humility, patience, and chastity, and moves the people to devotion and tears.
This man was a scribe learned in the kingdom of heaven, and when often asked to preach to the people, he would bring out new things and old from his treasure.✦ It happened, then, that after such a miracle had restored his health, the year's cycle brought the anniversary of the most holy king's birth, and its solemn celebration was renewed once more. A large crowd had gathered from the city, as was customary each year, and they rejoiced to be present at the vigils and the solemn masses held in his honor. Therefore this brother, the second in rank to the abbot, clothed in sacred vestments, approached the altar to celebrate Mass. After the reading of the holy Gospel, he turned to the people and spoke to them about the king's holiness and virtue together. The man of God proclaimed his humility, praised his patience, and extolled his chastity. How great his merit was before God, the clear evidence of miracles confirms. Finally, holding up the virtue he had experienced in himself the year before, he moved all to devotion, and many to sighs and tears.
The Soldier's Healing
A royal soldier named Gerinus, wasted by quartan fever and despairing of healing, hears of Edward's intercession, keeps vigil at his tomb on Epiphany night, and is miraculously cured.
There was a certain soldier, a royal guard of the palace named Gerinus, who was worn beyond measure by a quartan fever over days and months, and had spent much on doctors to no avail. For the disease, sparing neither himself nor his family, had drained his wallet of money and his body of blood; his spirit was weakened, and it seemed to him that only a grave remained.1 But when he heard that a man had been freed from a similar suffering through the merits of blessed Edward, the hope of a faith newly conceived took hold, and love set his fearful heart ablaze.2 Encouraged by all this, he went to the king's tomb the following night with candles lit and kept a vigil. It was the vigil of the Lord's appearing, and a night made solemn with threefold joy, in which both the faith of the nations, and the Sacrament of baptism, and the beginning of Christ's miracles are commended.3 In the gathering of the brothers hymns resound and readings echo; Gerinus, wholly intent on Edward, offers tears and multiplies his prayers. Edward heard Gerinus, Christ heard Edward, and by a single deed, with glory and honor on high, he rendered the king sublime and Gerinus unharmed, his fevers extinguished.4
Read the original Latin
Erat vir iste scriba doctus in regno coelorum, et saepe sermonem jussus facere in populo, proferebat de thesauro suo nova et vetera. Accidit autem post recuperatam tali miraculo sanitatem, ut anni orbita natalis anniversariam denuo sanctissimi regis memoriam revocaret. Confluxerat de civitate non minima multitudo, ut et singulis annis consueverat, tam vigiliis quam missarum solemniis ob ipsius gloriam interesse gaudebat. Frater igitur iste ab abbate secundus sacris indutus vestibus ad altare missam celebraturus accessit. Post lectionem autem sancti Evangelii, conversus ad populum, habuit ad eos de regis sanctitate simul et virtute sermonem. Praedicabat vir Dei ejus humilitatem, laudabat patientiam, pudicitiam extollebat. Quanti vero meriti fuerit apud Deum, certis miraculorum astruit argumentis. Postremo virtutem ejus quam anno praeterito senserat in se ipso producens in medium, omnes ad pietatem, multos etiam ad suspiria lacrymasque commovit.
Adfuit miles quidam regalis custos palatii Gerinus nomine, qui typo quartano per dies et menses supra modum fatigatus, frustra in medicos multa consumpserat. Nam morbus nec sibi nec suis parcens, sacculum pecunia, sanguine corpus ejus exhauserat: spiritus ejus attenuatus est, et solum sibi videbatur superesse sepulcrum. Audiens autem hunc virum per merita beati Edwardi simili exemptum passioni, conceptae fidei spes successit, et cor pavidum charitas ignivit. His omnibus factus alacrior, ad sepulcrum regis nocte sequenti accensis cereis excubias celebravit. Erat autem vigilia Dominicae apparitionis, et nox triplici jucunditate solemnis in qua et fides gentium, et baptismatis sacramentum, et miraculorum Christi commendatur initium. In conventu fratrum hymni resonant et concrepant lectiones, Gerinus Edwardo totus intentus lacrymas offert, et multiplicat preces: Edwardus Gerinum, Christus exaudivit Edwardum, et opere uno, regem gloria et honore sublimem, Gerinum reddidit febribus exstinctis incolumem.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.13.52 — Then he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been made a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure new things and old."
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin plays on pecunia (money) and sanguis (blood) as parallel drains; 'sacculum' is literally a small purse or money bag, rendered 'wallet' for concreteness.
- 2 ↩charitas rendered as 'love' per lexeme policy; the image is of devotional love enflaming the heart, not mere emotion.
- 3 ↩Dominicae apparitionis likely refers to the Epiphany (the appearing of Christ to the nations); the threefold joy and the commendation of faith, baptism, and miracles fit the Epiphany vigil.
- 4 ↩The sentence compresses a chain of intercession: Gerinus prays to Edward, Edward intercedes with Christ, Christ heals Gerinus and glorifies Edward. The 'single deed' (opere uno) refers to the miraculous healing as one divine act.
Aelred of Rievaulx, Vita Sancti Edwardi Regis et Confessoris companion
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