The school of the Eucharist established upon the miraculous respects and acknowledgments, which beasts, birds, and insects, upon several occasions, have rendred to the Holy Sacrament of the altar : whence Catholicks may increase in devotion towards this divine mystery, and hereticks find there their confusion / by F. Toussain Bridoul ... ; printed in French at Lille, 1672, and now made English, and published ; with a preface concerning the testimony of miracles.

J.

Jumens. Mares adore the H. Sacrament.

IN the year 1317, and the 25th of July, in a place called Vivieres, nigh to the Town of Fumay, in the County of Looz; the Vicar of the fore∣named place, was required to carry the Sacrament to a Sick person. He went thither, and being arrived at the House, he layd down the Box (or Pix) in which the Host was, upon a Table, to go and hear the Confession of the Dying Person. Mean while some of the house, not duly considera∣tive, came round the Pix, opened it, and there touched the Host with very great irreverence, and after shut it up again. The Priest after he had disposed his Penitent, took up the Pix, and came back to him to Com∣municate him. Upon the opening of it, he perceived that the Host had issued out blood, and was stained with it, and stuck to the Linnen that was within. This sight cast him into a great fright, so that he durst not com∣municate his Sick man, but having comforted him, and respited the Com∣munion to another time, he carried back the Pix and the Host to the Church. The Parish Priest knowing what had passed, commanded his Vi∣car to carry the Host to the Monastery of Herkenorode to consult with a venerable and knowing Priest, who lived there: he did so; but as he was upon the rode to accomplish it, the Mares, Asses and other Beasts that passed in the Fields where he went, paid their acknowledgments to their Creator, adoring him with bended knees; and the Vicar arriving at the Church of the Monastery, two Bells in the Steeple, rang of their own accord, the Beasts and other animate things, bearing more respect to the H. Sacra∣ment,

than Men had done. At his arrival they Sung the Mass of the 1st. of August, (S. Petri ad vincula) the Priest that celebrated knowing no∣thing of what had past, yet went back a little from the Altar, to adore the H. Sacrament with a low bowing of his head. Whilst he did thus, our Lord appeared to him in a humane form, with a certain Crown upon his head: which was not seen by any but himself: at the same time one possessed was delivered from the evil Spirit, and since that time the H. Sacrament has not ceased, nor now ceases to produce some miraculous Effects. Bened. Conan. in histor. Euchar. l. d. c. 82. ex Chrysost. Henriquez in Menol. Cisterc. ad 29 Julii.

Mares and Oxen passing through a Marsh, adore our Lord in the H. Eucharist.

IN the year 1399, a Woman and her Daughter that served a Jew at Pos∣nanie in higher Poland, engaged themselves for a great Summ of Money, to deliver consecrated Hosts to the Jews. To effect this, on the day of the Virgins Assumption, they lay hid in the Church of the F. F. Dominicans, and when the Friers were gone to Dinner, the Daughter being upon the watch, the Mother went towards the Tabernacle, and thô the first and second time of her approach she fell backwards, being repuls'd by a divine force, yet she came on the third time and opened it: she took out of the Pix three Hosts which they delivered to the miserable Jews, after they of this Sect had assembled together in a Cellar under-ground, they threw them down contemptuously upon a Table, and after they had uttered many Blasphe∣mies, they stabb'd them with a Dagger, from whence issued out great quan∣tity of Blood, and the first mans face was so covered therewith, that he could never wipe it away, but by the flames of his Punishment; the Cellar also was all full of Blood, which they could not neither any ways get off. The Jews being frighted with these wonders, charged two among them, to hide these Hosts in the Marishes out of the Town: During this journey many Miracles happened.

On Sunday the Octave of the Assumption, a Neat-herd and his Son; led the Mares and Oxen they had the charge of, to these Marishes; the Father left his Son there, whilst he went to be present at the Divine offices. This youth named Paul, saw these three Hosts lifted up in the Air, and fly like Butterflies, which the Mares that passed there, adored kneeling; and the Father at his return saw the same, his Oxen kneeling also down to adore their Creator.

The Neat-herd returning to the Town, reported to the Magistrate that which he had seen, but instead of being believed; he was thrown in Prison for a Fool; where he crying to Heaven for succour, the Prison gates opened

of themselves, and he went out, and presented himself again before the Magistrate, who having observed, that he was no man of tricks, made their report of it to the Bishop, who went thither with great Pomp and Procession; the Hosts were gathered up by a Priest at the Bishops command, and search being made the hardened Jews were burnt, and their Goods confiscated. Ʋladislaus King of Poland caused a Church to be built in that place, under the Title of the Body of Jesus Christ, where God wrought Miracles of all sorts: among which they reckoned 36 raised from the dead, and from the beginning of these Miracles, to the year 1604, their number arrived to 382. This History was written by Tho. Treterus, Almoner to Cardinal Rosius, and afterward Canon and Sacrist of Varme in Poland. Bzovius reports this history in his 5th Tome in the year above noted.

A Woman appeared in form of a Mare, for her negligence in frequenting the Communion.

A Magician not being able by his Charms to corrupt the Chastity of a Woman, in favour of a young Man, who hired him thereto, he be∣witched her, in such sort, that she was seen by her Husband and by all o∣thers in the shape of a Mare: She was brought to S. Macarius who took a∣way the Charm with Holy-Water, and told her, that this misfortune had happened to her, for having omitted to frequent the Communion, which she had abstained from for several Weeks. Palladius in S. Maca••ius life, where that excellent Sentence of the Council of Nice is brought, viz.

We excite and exhort the faithful to their Combat, and that they may not be left naked, we put on and arm them with the protection of the Body and Blood of the Lord: And since the Eucharist is most profitable for the defence of those that receive it, we desiring their Security against the Adversary, let us arm them with the defence of our Lords whol∣some Viande, which the Council calls Munimentum dominicae salubritatis.

Notes

• Jument. A Mare.