Chapter XIII

And when our Holy Father pope had received this information with counsel of his brethren the cardinals, he made this man this Saint Gilbert. to be numbered and ascribed in the catalogue of saints. A catalogue is a sort of writing of saints in which writing is contained of what country the saint was and also his holy life. The pope commanded also that same time his feast be solemnised in the church and made collect to be said in his commemoration. He commanded also his body to be translated as it was fulfilled afterwards. For these causes this fathers day should be solemnised with the more devotion and with more business, because his life was holier, his doctrine more wholesome, his labour more fervent, his fruit more plenteous, his death more provable, his miracles more evident than some other, and therefore he in all likelihood hath before God more joy and before men more worship. Joy be made to our mother the Church of the joy to which her son is now newly brought and to her worship and profit of her children singing the praising of God and his own that through the prayer of her merits she might make peace with vices, put away adversities, bring in the strength of virtues, the profit and increase of very religion, over lands and countries God our maker granting, dispose in everlasting peace confirming that our Lord Jesus Christ to whom with the father and Holy Ghost be worship and joy. Amen.

Chapter XXIV

These be the miracles which our Lord wrought through his servant Gilbert while he lived in this bodily life. A canon of his (from Gilbert’s convent) that had been and was ever in his fellowship, when he went from one place to another. which man’s name was called Albyne, after a great feebleness that he had taken of labour in his journey fell in a grievous fever, so grievous that he might not go with his master as he was wont to do, so that our master was fayn to abide at a place which they call the Ylde; there abode he abiding this man’s recovering and went no further. And when our good father had lain there long and waxed weary  desiring to fulfil his journey, he sent a messenger on to this man commanding him in virtue of obedience that he should no more suffer the fever to come on to him, but that he should without any letting (in the sense of lett or hindrance) come on to his master in all haste. by the same messenger also he commanded unto the fevers that they should no more be bold to vex his servant. When this message was done, this same Albyne inclined his head to that precept as religious men should do, saying that he was ready to obey his master in all things. The next day came and also the hour in which the fevers were wont to take him, and all the tokens were come as shaking, aching of the head and such other; then spake this Albyne unto this sickness as to a living creature in such manner: “What meanest thou that thou wilt now vex me again? Hast thou no mind how that my master forbade thee that thou should no more vex me. But now I command thee in my master’s name that thou obey to his precept and busy thee no more to my vexation. Anon, as he said these words he blessed him with the sign of the holy cross and soon after he fell in a sweet sleep and after he woke he was delivered of that sickness, nor for years after was not he vexed with the fevers.

Extracts from Capgreave’s Life of St Gilbert

Transcribed from the Middle English text by Andrew Lee