1911 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND GIVEN IN 1891 BY HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE — mmmi ~~ ' m^^^^^ _ Cornell University Library BR65.G8 D5 1911 Iliaogues of Saint Gregory, surnamed the 3 1924 029 222 076 olfn Cornell University Library \1 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029222076 Cf)e Dialogues of %t (Stegotp tbe (©teat ST. HKNKniC'l' DKI.IVERS HIS KULl-: (After the illuuiinai'nm in Arundel MS. /fj, Jolio 133 : Utitis/i Museum) ^ j5Mi^l)e Dialogues of ^atnt im (15regorp, surnamed tlje VP V (^reat : 0ope of lElome ^m^ tl)e iftet of tl)at 515ame. DitJiDcti into Jfout IBoofes, tof)erem be en= treatetb of tijc JLiioes anD agitacles of t!)e faints in 31talp anD of tf)e etetnitp of Owen's ^ouls. CransIateD into our Cnglisb Conffue 6p Ip. 333. anD printeD at l^aris in mDciaiii. lRe=eDiteb toiti) an 31nttoDuction anD Ji3otcs tjp OBDmunD (S. (SatDner, a^.a. mitf) 3IUus= ttations after tf)e ©ID piasters annotateD bp iLontion: 0l)tltp 3Lee SKIarner tiii (Grafton ^t, TBonD ©t, ^. mDccccri is The binding of this volume is reproduced from a fine Italian example dating from the XVIth Century Contents LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS With Notes by G. F. Hill xiii INTRODUCTION xix Ci)c JFirst TBoofe CHAPTER I. Of Honoratus, Abbot of the Monastery of Funda . 6 II. Of Libertinus, Prior of the same Abbey 9 III. Of a Monk, that was gardener to the same Abbey 13 IV. Of Equitius, Abbot in the Province of Valeria IS V. Of Constantius, Clerk of St. Stephen's Church 23 VI. Of Marcellinus, Bishop of Ancona 26 VII, Of Nonnosus, Prior of the Abbey in Mount Soracte 26 VIII. Of Anastasius, Abbot of the Monastery called Suppen tonia ....... 29 IX. Of Bonifacius, Bishop of the City of Ferenti 31 X. Of Fortunatus, Bishop of the City of Tuderti 38 XI. Of Martirius, a Monk in the Province of Valeria 45 XII. Of Severus, a Priest in the same Province 46 SDf tU ILife anD e@itacles of %t TBennet I. How a sieve was broken and made sound by St. Bennet 52 II. How he overcame a great carnal temptation . 55 III. How he brake a glass with the sign of the Cross . 56 IV. How he cured a Monk that had an idle and wandering mind ....... 61 V. How by prayer he made water to spring out of a rock in the top of a mountain .... 62 VI. How he caused an iron bill to come again into the handle from the bottom of the water . 63 Contents CHAPTER PAGE VIL How his scholar Maurus walked upon the water . 64 VIII. How he made a crow to carry a loaf far off that was poisoned ...... 65 IX. How he removed an huge stone by his prayer . 69 X. Of the fantastical fire of the kitchen ... 69 XI. How a little boy, a Monk, was slain with the ruin of a wall, and restored to life .... 7° XII. Of certain Monks that ate meat contrary to their rule 71 XIII. How the holy man knew by revelation that the brother of Valentinian the Monk had eaten in his journey ....... 7^ XIV. How the counterfeiting of king Totilas was discovered ....... 73 XV. How the holy man did prophesy to the same king 74 XVI. How he dispossessed a clergyman of a devil . 75 XVII. How he did prophesy of the destruction of his own Abbey ....... 7^ XVIII. How by revelation he understood of the stolen flagon of wine ...... 79 XIX. How by revelation he knew that a Monk had received certain napkins .... 79 XX. How he likewise knew the proud thought of one of his own Monks ...... 80 XXI. How in the time of a dearth two hundred bushels of meal was found before his cell ... 81 XXII. How, by vision, he gave order for the building of the Abbey of Terracina ..... 82 XXIII. How certain Nuns were absolved after their death 84 XXIV. How a certain Monk was cast out of his grave . 86 XXV. How a Monk, forsaking his Abbey, was encountered by a dragon .... ... 86 XXVI. How he cured one of a leprosy .... 87 XXVII. How miraculously he provided money for one that was in debt ..... 87 XXVIII. How a cruet of glass was thrown upon the stones and not broken ...... 88 XXIX. How an empty barrel was miraculously filled with oil 89 XXX. a was dispossessed How Monk of a devil . 90 XXXI. How a country man pinioned was by his only sight loosed ........ 01 XXXII. a child How dead was restored to life ... 92 VI Contents CHAPTER PAGE XXXIII. Of a miracle wrought by his sister Scholastica 94 XXXIV. How and in what manner he saw his sister's soul going out of her body ..... 96 XXXV. How in vision he saw the world represented before his eyes ; and of the soul of Germanus, Bishop of Capua ....... 96 he wrote XXXVI. How the rule of his order . 99 XXXVII. How he foretold the time of his death 99 XXXVIII. How a mad woman, lying in his cave, was cured . 100 €i)t Ci)irD 'iBoofe T. Of Paulinus, Bishop of the City of Nok 105 II. Of Pope John 109 iir. Of Pope Agapitus .... 109 IV. Of Datius, Bishop of Milan no V. Of Sabinus, Bishop of Camisina . III VI, Of Cassius, Bishop of Narni 113 VII, Of Andrew, Bishop of Funda 113 VIII. Of Constantius, Bishop of Aquinum 116 IX. Of Frigidianus, Bishop of Lucca , 117 X. Of Sabinus, Bishop of Placentia, who by his letters made the river of Po to retire into his channel 118 XI. Of Cerbonius, Bishop of Populonium . 119 XII. Of Fulgentlus, Bishop of Otricoli , 120 XIII. Of Herculanus, Bishop of Perusium ^ 121 XIV. Of the servant of God, Isaac . 12^ XV. Of the servants of God, Euthicius and Florentius 128 XVI. Of Marcius, the Monk of Mount Marsico . XVII. Of a Monk dwelling in the mountain called Argentario, who raised up- a dead man 136 XVIII. Of Bennet the Monk . 13; XIX. Of the church of St, Zeno the martyr, into which the swelling waters came not any farther than to the door ....... 140 XX. Of Stephen, a Priest in the Province of Valeria . 141 XXI. Of a Nun, that with her only authority dis- possessed a devil ...... 142 XXII. Of a Priest in the Province of Valeria that held a thief at his sepulchre ,,.... 143 his XXIII. Of the Abbot of Mount Preneste, and Priest 1, 14s XXIV, Of Theodorus, Clerk of St, Peter's Church in Rome 146 XXV. Of Abundius, Clerk of the same Church 147 vii 1 Contents CHAPTER XXVI. Of a solitary Monk 148 XXVII. Of forty country husbandmen, that were martyred because they would not eat flesh sacrificed to idols IS° XXVIII. Of a great multitude of captives, that were slain because they would not adore a goat's head . 15 XXIX. Of an Arian Bishop strooken blind . -152 XXX. Of a church of the Arians consecrated catholickly in the City of Rome ..... 153 XXXI. Of Hermigildus, the son of Leuigildus, King of the Visegoths, put to death by his father for the Catholic faith 155 XXXII. Of certain Bishops of Africk, that had (for the defence of the Catholic faith) their tongues cut out by the Arians ; and yet spake as perfectly as they did before . -157 KXXIII. Of the servant of God, Eleutherius . 159 XXXIV. How many kinds of compunction there be . 161 XXXV. Of Amantius, a Priest in the Country of Tuscania 163 XXXVI. Of Maximianus, Bishop of Syracusis . .164 XXXVII. Of Sanctulus, a Priest in the Province of Nursia . 166 XXXVIII. Of a vision which appeared to Redcmptus, Bishop of Ferenti ...... 173 Cbe JFoutti) IBoofe \J. That carnal men do the less believe eternal and spiritual things, because those of which they I hear, \ they know not by experience . 177 II. That infidel liveth an not without faith . 179 III. That there were three vital spirits created . 179 IV. Of that question of Solomon wherein it is said : That the death of a man and beasts is all one . 180 V. Of that question concerning the soul, which goeth invisibly out of the body : to wit, whether there be any such thing, when as it cannot be seen ••...... 184 VI. That as the life of the soul, whiles it remaineth in the body, is known by the motion of the so members : the life of the soul, after it is out of the body in Saints, is gathered by the virtue of miracles ...... igg VII. Of the departure of souls jg- viii 1 Contents CHAPTER pjjOK VIII. Of the departure of the soul of a monk called Speciosus . .188 IX. Of the soul of an Anchoret .... 188 X. Of the departure of the soul of an Abbot called Hope r . 189 XI. Of the departure of the soul of a Priest called Ursinus ....... 190 XII. Of the soul of Probus, Bishop of the City of Reati 192 XIII. Of the departure of a Nun called Galla . 192 XIV. Of the departure of Servulus, sick of the palsy . 194 XV. Of the departure of a Nun called Romula . 195 XVI. Of the departure of the virgin Tarsilla . 197 XVII. Of the departure of a young maid called Musa . 198 XVIII. How certain young children come not to heaven, through the fault of their parents : because they bring them up wickedly : as is shewed and afterward declared by the example of a blasphemous young boy ....