Friday, May 17, 2019

 

Paralyzed in an Embarrassing Position

Patrick J. Geary, Furta Sacra: Thefts of Relics in the Central Middle Ages, rev. ed. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990), p. 105:
The story immediately preceding it tells of a girl who had gone to play with her friends in the churchyard where, unknown to them, Appianus had recently been buried. When the girl had to answer a call of nature, she unfortunately went to do so next to the saint's tomb. For her disrespect she was paralyzed in this embarrassing position until the bishop, clergy, and laity of the town came to the site and prayed for Appianus's pardon.
Acta Sanctorum ... Martii Tomus Primus (Paris: Victor Palmé, 1865), p. 320 (March 4; Vita S. Apiani Monachi II.8):
Ibi pueri et puellae frequenter conveniebant, non caussa reverendi cultus, sed voluntate exercendi lusus, aut etiam pro colligendis herbis. Tunc vero contigit, quod quaedam puella, quae cum ceteris puellis, suis scilicet sodalibus, advenerat, juxta arcam S. Apiani se ignoranter poneret, ut solutionis suae necessitatem vel humanae naturae vellet explere, et cum coeptae rei jam operam daret, subitum totum puerulae corpusculum tantus dolor invasit, et sic eam per omnia membra contraxit, quod de loco misellula se movere non potuit. Pueri autem et puellae, qui cum ipsa venerant exanimes et stupefacti velut mortui, eam deserentes solam, fugiendo Comiaclum reversi sunt, et Comiacliensibus intimaverunt, quae puellulae contigerant. Audito hoc Episcopus est valde attonitus, et Clerus ac populus nimis est commotus. Tunc discalceatis pedibus se praeparaverunt cum crucibus et lampadibus, atque thymiamatibus, et cum reliquo sacro apparatu, venientes ad mausoleum S. Apiani, ut peterent auxilium ejus pro salute puellae, et pro sui omnium incolumitate. Cumque illi ad sepulchrum S. Apiani diu persisteterent, et flebiles orando effunderent; mox infantula a paralysis morbo soluta est et pristinae reddita sanitati: unde fit omnibus immensa laetitia, et multae lacrymae propter gaudium universis exuberant.
No translations, please. I can read it as easily as this morning's newspaper (didn't even have to look up thymiamatibus), but I'm too lazy to make a translation myself or to correct or edit someone else's version.



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