CHAP. VII.
Of divers saints and holy persons, which were exceeding bawdy and lecherous, and by certain miraculous meanes became chaste.
CAssianus writeth, that S. Syren being of body very lecherous, and of mind wonderfull religious, fasted and prayed; to the end his body might be reduced miraculously to chastity. At length came an angel un∣to him by night, and cut out of his flesh certaine kernels, which were the sparkes of concupiscence; so as afterwards he never had any more motions of the flesh. It is also reported, that the abbat Equiciu; being na∣turally as unchaste as the other, fell to his beads so devoutly for recovery of honesty, that there came an angell unto him in an apparation, that seemed ••o geld him, and after that (forsooth) he was as chaste as though he had never a stone in his breech; and before that time being a ruler over monkes, he became afterwards a governour over nunnes. Even as it is said Helias the holy monke gathered thirty virgins into a monastery, over whom he ruled and reigned by the space of two yeares, and grew so proud and hot in the cod-peece, that he was fain to forsake his holy house, and fly to a desert, where he fasted and prayed two daies, saying; Lord quench my hot lecherous humors, or kill me. Whereupon in the night following, there came unto him three angels, and demanded of him why he forsook his charge: but the holy man was ashamed to tell them. Howbeit they asked him further, saying; Wilt thou returne to these damsels, if we free thee from all concupiscence? Yea (quoth he) with all my heart. And when they had sworne him solemnly so to do, they took him up, and gelded him; and one of them holding his hands, and another his ••eet, the third cut out his stones. But the story saith it was not so ended, but in a vision. Which I beleeve, because within five dayes he returned to his minions, who pitiously mourned for him all this while, and joyfully embraced his sweet company at his returne. The like story doth Nider write of Thomas, whom two angels cured of that lecherous disease; by putting about him a girdle, which they brought down with them from heaven.