Benedict of Peterborough, Miracles of St Thomas Becket
Source text
Collection of stories documenting over 275 miracles attributed to Becket, written by Benedict of Peterborough between 1171-73. Benedict was a monk of Canterbury who became prior of Canterbury (1175-77) and then abbot of Peterborough (1177-93). Benedict was in Canterbury when Becket was killed (1170), and saw the beginning of the pilgrimage to Becket's tomb in the days and months after the murder.
Translations by Rachel Koopmans. Full publication available online.
Items referenced
The items below have references to this source text
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The Dropsical Goditha of Hayes
book III, chapter 69
The swelling of dropsy had possessed the whole of the little body of Goditha of Hayes. All of the beauty of the human form had been removed from all of her limbs. There was no health in her from the sole of her foot to the top of her head. When she arrived at the aforesaid place, a drink of the water of Canterbury was the sole means by which she was drained of fluid. It was as if by tasting the most efficacious draught, a laxative for the stomach had been procured for her. Then she went to Canterbury, the universal and solemn refuge of the wretched. The same laxative persisted through five days, until her limbs were made slender and thin and she left slight and wholly slimmed down.
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Eilward of Westoning, panel 3
book IV, chapter 2
He was taken to the place of punishment, deprived of his eyes, and his genitals were mutilated. They tore out the entire left eye right away, but they were hardly able to extract the right eye, lacerating it and cutting it into pieces. They buried the members that had been cut off under the turf […] leaving him half dead. Not a small crowd of people had come to the spectacle, some compelled there in the name of public power, some by the tug of curiosity.
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Eilward of Westoning, panel 4
book IV, chapter 2
“Do not despair, but rather put your trust in God and the blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Thomas, who comes to visit you.” […] A female servant said to him, as if she were a messenger of a good omen, “Eilward, last night I saw in a dream that you would receive sight in both of your eyes.” And he said, “This may happen, when it pleases God and his blessed martyr Thomas.” When evening began to fall and the day was nearly done, the lids of his left eye became itchy. In order to scratch them, he removed the wax poultice that had been put on his empty eye sockets to draw out the corruption or to keep the eyelids closed. Opening his eyelids, by the wonderful power of God it seemed to him that the opposite wall of the house was lit up as if with the brightness of a lamp. It was in fact a red ray of the sun, which was almost at the point of setting.
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Eilward of Westoning, panel 5
book IV, chapter 2
He then left and took up the journey to Thomas, the author of his salvation. Wherever he went, a great multitude of the people followed him, for his fame preceded him and roused everyone to meet him. Whatever gifts were given to him, he distributed to the poor for the love of the martyr. When he had gone about four miles, he put his hand down to scratch an itch on the scrotum of his testicles, and he discovered that his members had also been restored to him.
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Eilward of Westoning, panel 6
book IV, chapter 2
“Let it be known to the convent of Canterbury, and all catholic people, that God has worked a marvelous and remarkable miracle in Bedford through the merits of the most holy martyr Thomas.”