VM 4.11

English

But why be surprised if he who restores men who have been troubled by adversity to their right minds often turns sterility into fecundity? A certain Blideric, a citizen of the territory of Chartres had married a wife and was praying that he might be enriched by a gift from God, that is, by a child of his own begetting, but he did not deserve to receive any offspring from her.

When his wife had passed her thirtieth year and was still sterile, the man took thought in a most healthy manner for the good of his soul, and said to his wife: "Look, our life in this world is going by and no child has been born to us, who, when we are grow frail, should possess the result of our work. I shall go," he said, "to the basilica of holy Martin and make it my heir, so that, if we are denied children, I may in the future possess together with the holy church whatever I am able to have." The woman wisely agreed with her prudent husband's decision.

At once, he went to the basilica of the holy man, poured forth a prayer, and asked its abbot to come home with him. When he had come, he made all his possessions over to him, saying: "Let all these things which I seem to possess belong to the holy Martin, and from now on let my only claim on them be that I am supported from them while I am in this life." When the transaction of the properties had been signed and sealed, he insisted that the abbot stay there overnight.

Wonderful to recount is that although, as we said, she had passed her thirtieth year, when he knew his wife in the very night after he had transferred his properties to the basilica, she conceived and bore a son! After that he had others too, which was undoubtedly brought about for him by the power of the holy man. However, when he had received sons, he did not break his promise but gave them other places and confirmed his previous gift to the holy man.

Latin

Sed quid mirum, si sensa adversitate turbata reddat hominibus, qui saepius sterilitatem in fecunditate convertit? Blidericus quidam Carnoteni terretorii civis, accepta uxore, ut dono Dei procreationis suae prole ditaretur, orabat; sed nihil ex ea germinis merebatur accipere. Tricisimus etenim annus curriculum expedierat, uxore sterili permanente, cum vir, saluberrime pro animae commodum tractans, ait uxori: 'Ecce saeculum, quod utimur, praeteriens est, et nulla inter nos subolis gignitur, qui, nobis deficientibus, congestum laboris nostri debeat possedere. Accedam', inquit, 'ad basilicam sancti Martini et eam faciam heredem mihi, ut, liberis abnegatis, vel cum eadem quae habere potero possedeam in futuro'. Consensit mulier sapiens viri prudentis consilio. Nec mora, proceditur ad basilicam sancti, fusaquc oratione, invitat abbatem secum domi accedere. Quo accedente, tradidit ei omnem possessionem suam, dicens: 'Sint haec omnia penes sancti Martini ditione quae habere videor, et hoc tantum exinde utar, ut de his, dum vixero, alar'. Consignatisque rebus, coegit abbatem manere ibi. Mirum dictu! Post 30, ut diximus, annorum curricula, in ipsa qua res suas basilicae tradidit nocte cognovit uxorem suam, quae concipiens peperit filium. Sed et deinceps alios habuit, quod non ambigitur, haec virtute sancti praestitum huic viro fuisse. Verumtamen non refragavit, acceptis filiis, promissionem homo ille, sed eis alia loca tribuens, quae primum sancto largitus fuerat confirmavit.