Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 9 : § 2.6-7

Chapter 9 : The Eighth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is the strong and valiant defender of her children

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré’s Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 2.  How the Holy Virgin protects her children against physical dangers and external threats 

 6   Justus Lipsius[1], a most distinguished man of letters, has left us the following remarkable story:

Having heard the English had once more made an incursion into France, the Count of Saint-Paul left his stronghold in la Cartelière in order to visit Compiègne. Three or four members of his household set off ahead to arrange accommodation for him and on the way they came across a band of some sixty to seventy enemy soldiers making their way through the district and ravaging everything they could. This encounter made them ride back immediately to warn their master of what was happening. The Count did not know the meaning of fear and ordered his men to mount up immediately without saying anything to them beyond the following few words: 

“All those of you who love me and also have faith, follow me now.”

Each man responded to this call to duty in the best way he could and in his own time but, as the Count did not have the patience to wait for them he set off and they followed after him in small groups of two or three. They made up a total of no more than eighty horsemen – a poorly ordered little group to face an enemy which now numbered fifteen hundred men (after others had come to join the band we mentioned earlier). 

Amongst this small troop of French horsemen was a man called Jean Gertrud who loved his master the Count more than his own life – as events were to show. Having been unable to persuade his master to withdraw from this fight and leave it to his men, he placed himself in front of the Count to defend him as best he might. He was not able to do this for very long, however, for he was quickly wounded in the arm by two arrows and as he was turning to tell his master that he should withdraw and it was not safe to remain, a third arrow struck him in the neck and he fell from his horse. The Count realized it would be rash rather than brave for him to stay and he withdrew to the safety of a small town nearby. The memory of his faithful servant, whom he thought had been killed, kept coming back into his mind; but the Mother of mercy had been taking good care of him, and here is what she did.   

Jean Gertrud had heard tell of the miracles worked by Our Lady of Hal in Hainaut and she came into his thoughts just as he was being thrown to the ground. With love in his heart, he prayed she would come to his rescue and it was not long before he felt the helping hand of Heaven which gave him the strength and determination to try and escape; but he was soon to encounter fresh dangers because three enemy soldiers came across him and took everything he had. Not content with that, they struck him several times on his head with their swords. The poor man, now half dead, earnestly commended himself to the Blessed Virgin and to St Barbara. With his hands joined in prayer, he asked the soldiers to allow him the opportunity to make his confession. The hearts of these cruel soldiers melted somewhat when they heard this prayer from a man whom they could see was covered in his own blood. By chance they noticed a priest not far from there and they asked him to hear the dying man’s confession. When the priest had finished, he tried to persuade them to leave it at that but, his efforts were in vain because these monsters were determined to kill Jean. One of them struck at his throat and left him for dead but the MOTHER OF GOD had parried the blow so that it only pierced Jean’s shirt.  

When the soldiers had left, the priest managed to get Jean to a nearby barn and began to tend to his wounds. Scarcely had he finished binding the wounds when the three brigands came back, and they were surprised that he was still alive. In their fury, they surrounded him once more and one of them aimed a blow at his head but succeeded only in striking him on the shoulder. At this, Jean feigned death and they dragged his body to a nearby river and threw him in. The Holy Virgin, however, held him up and bore him onto the shore of a small island. Jean had suffered nine sizeable wounds and he lay there for three hours without being able to move. 

Finally, the priest whom the Mother of gentleness had summoned to save the life of this poor man, seeing that no one was present, followed the traces of blood Jean’s body had left on the ground. When he came to the river, he looked around carefully and saw what looked like a body on the edge of the island. He called out in a loud voice asking if he was a Christian and to reply or to give him some sign. The wounded man heard the priest and raised his hand, whereupon the priest went into the river which came up to his neck and pulled John back onto the riverbank. The priest went in search of help and returned from a neighbouring village with a cart. Jean was taken back to the village where he was carefully bandaged. After several weeks he had recovered enough for him to make his way directly to Our Lady of Hal in order to offer his heartfelt thanks to his Holy Mother and he told everyone he met about the miracles wrought by the Mother of mercy. 

Footnotes

[1] Divæ Virg. Hallensis, c. 29.

 7   Although it was not my intention to give further examples concerning this theme where thousands may easily be found, I nevertheless cannot pass over in silence an incident which is not only famous because of its attendant circumstances but also because it has been juridically confirmed and deemed worthy of belief.  

In the year 1554, there was in the city of Valencia in Spain a knight called Antonio de Pisa who was making his way across Castile when he encountered seven men on horseback, his sworn enemies, who had no sooner caught sight of him than they began to cry out: 

“Kill him, kill the criminal! Kill the thief!” 

No man ever had a better reason to commend himself with a trusting heart to God and to the glorious Virgin than Antonio had at this point. He straight away fell to his knees, praying to the Blessed Virgin for whom he had a particularly devotion, begging her to come to his help in his extremity and pleading with her not to allow him to die without making his confession. He had scarcely finished his prayer than he heard an interior voice telling him that he would not die on this occasion, despite the danger in which he found himself. His enemies, however, threw themselves upon him like ravenous wolves. In order to make short work of the matter, they struck him with so many blows, most of them mortal, that you could almost say that his body had become one huge wound. One of the blows had split his head in two and another had opened up his chest, exposing his entrails. Seeing him covered in his own blood  and deeming him to be close to his end, they heaped insults upon him and left him there for dead.  

In the midst of all the blows he received, Antonio had not ceased calling upon the Holy Virgin and she sent an Angel to him who was dressed as a knight wearing white. The Angel placed him on his horse, supported him with his hands and gave him gentle encouragement as he took him to the house of a gentleman who was a close family member of his. He asked this man to take care of his relative in view of the state of his terrible injuries. The gentleman recognised Antonio and embraced him warmly, despite all his wounds. He later tried to find out the white knight who had brought him but this proved impossible. Meanwhile, as there was no time to lose, they sought out the most skilful surgeons to find one who could come to help – but there was not one of them willing to attend for they all thought that Antonio would remain the responsibility of the first to undertake the task. 

The wounded man, seeing that he had been abandoned by earthly physicians, wished now to think only of his soul. He sent for the priest who, having heard his confession and prepared him for his final journey, sent some pious widows to watch over him. He told them to summon him as soon as they noticed any signs the patient was approaching death. Antonio was complaining about the extreme pain he had in one of his arms which had been broken and he was praying unceasingly to the glorious Virgin when, on the stroke of midnight, she suddenly made her appearance in the sight of all those who were in the bed chamber. She looked like a great Lady radiant with majesty and gentleness. After greeting and tenderly encouraging Antonio, she took his wounded arm and rubbed a precious ointment on it which she had brought from Heaven. She did the same with all his other wounds and then – wonder of wonders! – at that moment Antonio found himself completely healed, so that no trace or feeling of any of his wounds remained.     

How could anybody fail to wonder at this Mother’s loving sweetness? Who will not be encouraged by stories such as these to have frequent recourse unto her? Who will not consider such incomparable generosity as an invitation to love her and to serve her? Who will not loudly proclaim how unworthy the human heart is of life which is not won over by the heartfelt love and generosity she shows towards her children ? 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor