Historic Oddities and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Historic Oddities and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History; Mysticism; Patarines
"The next case was a peasant of fifty-eight, a cripple on crutches.
Without his crutches he was doubled up, and could only shuffle with his
feet on the ground. After the Prince had asked the usual questions and
had prayed, he ordered the kneeling man to stand up, his crutches having
been removed. As he was unable to do so, the miracle-worker seemed
irritated, and repeated his order in an angry tone. One of the policemen
at the side threw in 'Up! in the name of the Trinity,' and pulled him to
his feet. The man seemed bewildered. He stood, indeed, but doubled as
before, and the sweat streamed from his face, and he was not a ha'porth
better than previously; but as he had come with crutches, and now stood
without them, there arose a shout of 'A miracle!' and all pressed round
to congratulate the poor wretch. His son helped him away. 'Have faith
and courage!' cried to him the Prince; and the policeman added, 'Only
believe, and rub in a little spirits of camphor!' Many pressed alms into
the man's hand, and he smiled; this was regarded as a token of his
perfect cure. I saw, however, that his knees were as stiff as before,
and that the rogue cast longing eyes at his crutches, which had been
taken away, but which he insisted on having back. No one thought of
asking how it fared with the poor wretch later, and, as a fact, he died
shortly after.
"The next to come up was a deaf girl of eighteen. The wonder-worker was
bathed in perspiration, and evidently exhausted with his continuous
prayer night and day. After a few questions as to the duration of her
infirmity, the Prince prayed, then signed a cross over the girl, and,
stepping back from her, asked her questions, at each in succession
somewhat lowering his tone; but she only heard those spoken as loudly as
before the experiment was made, and she remained for the most part
staring stupidly at the wonder-worker. To cut the matter short, he
declared her healed. I took the mother aside soon after, and inquired
what was the result. She assured me that the girl heard no better than
before.
"In her place came a stone-deaf man of twenty-five. The result was very
similar; but as the Prince, when bidding him depart healed, made a sign
of withdrawal with his hand, the man rose and departed, and this was
taken as evidence that he had heard the command addressed to him."
The author gives other cases that he witnessed, not one of which was
other than a failure, though they were all declared to be cures.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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