¹ Blessed Petroc, a Cumbrian by nation, sprung of royal stock, so lived from boyhood that, as a follower of the faith and an imitator of the works of the prince of the apostles — as though by a certain presage divinely perceived from the designation of his own name — he professed himself also to be a rock, upon which the Truth itself promised to build his church. God had conferred on him such grace that he appeared well-pleasing and acceptable in the eyes of all. For he was modest, humble, a cheerful giver; fervent with continual charity, prompt to all works of religion. Now when his father the king died, all the nobles, with the concordant acclamation of the people, strove to make him king by hereditary right. But he, neglecting the royal pomp, took with him sixty companions and entering a monastery received the habit of religion.

² Some years having passed, setting out for Ireland he gave himself for twenty years to the disciplines of letters and of sacred scripture. At length purposing to return to his country, on the seashore he found the boat which long before he had there left with no keeper save God, whole and loosed in no joint. And spreading his sails and committing the ship to the wind, he landed prosperously in Britain. When his disciples had gone out of the ship, the reapers working there spoke bitterly to them; and moreover importunately asked that the servant of God would draw for them a spring of sweet water from the crag to restrain their thirst — either to mock the stranger, or to learn his holiness by such a trial. But he, who was wont to give what was asked to those who petitioned, begged God’s clemency and struck the rock with his staff: and soon a spring of sweet and clear water began to gush from there, and ceases not to flow even to this day. The barbarians (utterly ignorant of the Christian religion) marvelled at these sights, and to the servant of God asking whether any worshipper of religion was in that province, they pointed out a certain holy Sampson; and told him of his solitary life and parsimony, his labour, vigils and prayers, and how he fed only on a sparing diet of barley bread. The servant of God hearing this, when he had gazed upon Sampson, poured out prayers to God that he might not depart from that place until he should deserve to have converse with him. The Lord straightway granted him his soul’s desire, adding to his prayer that for which he had not presumed to pray. For Sampson straightway grew so rigid in his limbs that he could not move with his hand the tool wherewith he used to turn the earth, bound by the bond of the man of God’s prayer. And as Petroc approached, at his greeting Sampson was loosed from that stony rigour; and giving each other the kiss of peace, they gave thanks and praises to God.

³ And Petroc made his dwelling with his companions in a place thereabouts. For thirty years he led so innocent a life there that he did to none what he would not have done to himself. He so afflicted his flesh with fasts and vigils and cold that, to repress the unlawful motions of pleasure, he passed the night naked in the midst of a torrent from cockcrow to dawn. He so tamed gluttony that he not only sought no dainty dishes, but even rejoiced only in a diet of bread. On the Lord’s days, for reverence of the Lord’s resurrection, he soberly tasted some morsel, that hunger being repelled, the dryness of his sinews might not render him too weak for the Lord’s service.

⁴ When therefore thirty years had run their course, having set out on pilgrimage to Rome and been driven back into Cornwall, there arose a great storm of winds and a very great rain. And when his disciples had complained of this, the man of God restrained their murmuring, promising serenity of air the next day and that the journey would be prosperous. And when the next day the rain had not ceased, the man of God began to grieve, and accused himself of presumption in that he had promised otherwise than God had provided. At length the tempest being stilled on the third day, he openly confessed that he would go to Rome, because his tongue had been rash and had falsely prophesied against God’s disposition. When he had arrived there and visited the holy places, he set out even to Jerusalem. And when he had poured out pious prayers and tears at the Lord’s sepulchre, he began to hasten his journey towards India. At length passing through many perils of robbers and rivers and coming even to the eastern ocean, worn out with much weariness he slept alone on the shore. And awaking from sleep, he saw a vessel carried to him through the sea, bright within, capable of holding one man only. And seeing the vessel, he confidently entered it: and carried across the sea’s flood with a single pilot, he joyfully landed on a certain island, where for seven years he led the contemplative life, fed on a single fish only, set before him at fitting hours by God’s ordinance.

⁵ When the space of seven years had been completed, the angel of the Lord stood by him in dreams, saying: “Come now, servant of God Petroc, the Lord bids you set forth, by whose nod that fish which fed you seven years remains whole, and the vessel in which you were carried is ready for your departing. And when you have crossed the sea, you will find a wolf standing by the staff which you left with your sheepskin, which the Lord has prepared for you as a companion to go before you on the way, until you come to the parts you know.” All things being found as had been told him by the angel, he came to western Britain. At that time reigned Teudric, a man savage and wild of manners, who for the punishment of thieves and the tortures of the guilty had, with brutal tyranny, caused serpents and every kind of noxious worm to be gathered into a pit. When he had died, and the son who succeeded him forbade this kind of torment, serpents of this kind, famished, rising up against one another wore each other down in frequent encounters with the livid tooth; so that of so great a number one alone remained, a horrible thing of enormous body, which with poisonous maw and savage jaws mangled cattle and men. And the man of God approaching there, and bending his knees to pray before them all, raised up a certain dead man, and ordered that monster, which from there was to hurt no one, to withdraw into deserts beyond the sea.

⁶ And taking twelve companions with him, he began to dwell in an arid solitude, and striking the earth with his staff brought forth from the ground a clear spring, flowing continually. On a certain day he saw a stag fleeing to him, which the huntsmen of a certain rich man Constantine followed with dogs. The saint preserved it unharmed with loving affection; and the huntsmen, fearing to touch the stag under the holy man’s protection, reported the matter in order to the rich man. Who, indignant and moved with sharp wrath, when he strove to strike God’s servant with a sword, was straightway stiffened with a stupor in all his limbs, until, humbled by the soldiers’ intercession, he was loosed by the saint’s pious prayers; and teaching the faith of Christ to him and his twenty soldiers, he rendered them mild instead of tyrants and Christians instead of pagans.

⁷ When the servant of God was feasting, a vessel of water set before him broke by accident, and the liquor being poured out showed the sign of the cross, and he received the vessel whole and full of water. Which being tasted and handed to the brethren, drinking they marvelled at the liquor’s sweetness. Once when he was intent on prayer in the open air, though it rained abundantly all around, not the least drop of rain touched him.

⁸ At a certain time, while the man of God was conversing with a certain holy bishop, look, a cloak of wondrous beauty descended from heaven between them. And when each in honour strove to outdo the other in offering it, and each with pious contention set forth reasons why it ought rather to be the other’s: straightway in their sight it was taken up into the sky, and suddenly two cloaks, sent from there to each of them, were seen to descend.

⁹ A certain tribune of the country was tormented with a most grievous pain: to whom in sleep blessed Petroc appeared, bidding him bring out of the prisons the guilty whom he held bound, and he should receive health. Which being loosed, he was restored to his former health.

¹⁰ A certain woman, having suffered a flux of blood for very many years, secretly touching the holy man’s garment, received perfect health for her faith’s merit.

¹¹ A certain great dragon, dwelling beside his cell in the desert, pierced in the right eye with a splinter, laying aside its savage hurtfulness hastened to the place where the saint was engaged in prayer, and with bowed head lay three days awaiting the saint’s protection. Which, at blessed Petroc’s command being sprinkled with water mingled with the pavement’s dust, straightway by the medicine’s force, the splinter being taken out of its eye, returned whole to its wonted wallowing-place.

¹² A certain woman, drinking a little serpent with water, when physicians could profit her nothing, was brought to the holy man. Who, making a mixture of earth and water, gave the woman drink. Which she having drunk, vomited the serpent, now three feet long but dead, and having received health in that same hour gave thanks to God.

¹³ At length calling his disciples together, he began diligently to instruct them in true religion, that they who had left the world’s business should reject seductive pleasures, repress fury, flee lies, execrate envy, and not only not detract, but not even suspect evil of their neighbour; that they should overcome pride, give place to the virtues, that they might prepare their hearts as clean habitations for God and deserve to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. And when he had given these and many teachings to his disciples, full of all holiness he deserved to enter the heavens, on the fourth of June.

A Further Incident #

¹ [Added in the Tiberius manuscript.] While Cunibert king of the Lombards, standing beside the window of his chamber, was taking counsel with a certain secretary of his how he might slay the soldier Aldo: there was present a certain great fly, which when the king wished to kill, he cut off only its foot with the knife which he then held in his hand. Meanwhile the same Aldo, ignorant of the king’s machination, made his way to the king’s court. A certain lame man leaning on a staff met him and spoke thus: “Beware for yourself, Aldo, for if you approach the king’s court, you shall die by his hand.” Hearing this, Aldo fled to the church. And being asked by the king why he did so, he answered that a certain lame man had certified him of his death. The king therefore knew that he had been a malignant being whose foot he had cut off in the shape of a fly, who had thus laid bare his secret; and so also he received Aldo back into grace.