The xxxvii. Chapter.
A pleasant miracle wrought by a popish preest.
W HAT time the WaldensesIn speculo exemplorum, dist. 6. ex lib. exemplorum, Cæsariis, exempl. 69. heresies beganne to spring, certeine wicked men, being upheld and mainteined by diabolicall vertue, shewed certeine signes and woonders, wherby they strengthened and confirmed their heresies, and perverted in faith many faithfull men; for they walked on the water and were not drowned. But a certeine catholike preest seeing the same, and knowing that true signes could not be joined with false doctrine, brought the bodie of our Lord, with the pix, to the water,Memorandum, it is confessed in poperie that true miracles cannot be joined with false doctrine: Ergo neither papist, witch, nor conjuror can worke miracles. where they shewed their power and vertue to the people, and said in the hearing of all that were present: I conjure thee O divell, by him, whom I carrie in my hands, that thou exercise not these great visions and phantasies by these men, to the drowning of this people. Notwithstanding these words, when they walked still on the water, as they did before, the preest in a rage threw the bodie of our Lord, with the pix into the river, and by and by, so soone as the sacrament touched the element, the phantasie gave place to the veritie; and they being prooved and made false, did sinke like lead to the bottome, and were drowned; the pix with the sacrament immediatlie was taken awaie by an angell. The preest seeing all these things, was verie glad of the miracle, but for the losse of the sacrament he was verie pensive, passing awaie the whole night in teares and moorning: in the morning he found the pix with the sacrament upon the altar.//