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History of the Franks
St Gregory of Tours, tr. Dalton, 1927
Book 8, And of that Which He Told of the Miracles of the Holy Martin
And when I besought him to narrate some of the miracles which the blessed Martin had wrought in that place, he told me the following story: ‘A certain Frank of very noble family among that people had a son who was deaf and dumb. The boy was brought by his parents to this church, and I bade him lie down within the sacred walls upon a bed, near my deacon and another servant of the church. By day he applied himself to prayer; by night, as I say, he slept in the church itself. And at length God took compassion, and the blessed Martin appeared to me in a vision and said: “Put forth thy lamb from the church, for he is made whole.” In the morning, as I was thinking upon this dream, the boy came to me, and spoke. He began to give thanks to God, then, turning to me, he said: “I give thanks to Almighty God who hath restored to me both speech and hearing.” Thereafter he was wholly cured, and returned home. Another man who was often implicated in thefts and divers other crimes, but cleared himself by swearing falsely, was once accused of theft by certain persons. Whereon he said: “I will go to the church of the blessed Martin, and clear myself by oaths, and so be proven innocent.” But upon his entering in, his axe slipped from his hand, and he fell upon the threshold, stricken with sharp pain at the heart. Thereupon the wretch confessed with his own lips the very thing of which he had come to absolve himself by a false oath. Another, in like manner, accused of burning his neighbour’s house, said: “I will go to the church of Saint Martin, attest my good faith, and return free from the charge.” Now it was most plain that he had set fire to that house. As he went to take oath, I turned to him and said: “Thy neighbours declare that thou wilt not prove innocent of this ill deed. But God is present everywhere, and His power is the same here without doors as within. If the vain trust possess thee that God or His saints take not vengeance on the perjurer, behold His holy temple before thee; swear here if thou wilt, but thou shalt not be suffered to tread the hallowed threshold.” Then he lifted up his hands and said: “By Almighty God, and by the power of the blessed Martin His bishop, I deny that I caused this fire.” Having thus sworn, he withdrew; but he seemed to himself to be as it were girt with fire, and straightway he fell to earth, and began to cry aloud that the holy bishop burned him with fierce flame. And the miserable wretch kept repeating: “I call God to witness that I saw fire fall from heaven which now surroundeth me and burneth me with mighty vapours.” As he spoke thus, he gave up the ghost. And this was a lesson to many, that thereafter they should not swear falsely in this place.’ This deacon told me of very many other miracles, which to recount I deem too long a task.