bridge-head with the procession; and anybody
who pays ten groschen can see it and get remission of thirty-three
sins besides, times being easier for every one then than they are
now, and sins much cheaper; so much cheaper that all except the
very poorest could afford them. Those were good days, but they are
gone and will not come any more, so every one says.
Yes, he put it in the bond, and the prior said he didn't want the
bridge built yet, but would soon appoint a day-perhaps in about a
week. There was an old monk wavering along between life and
death, and the prior told the watchers to keep a sharp eye out and
let him know as soon as they saw that the monk was actually dying.
Towards midnight the 9th of December the watchers brought him
word, and he summoned the Devil and the bridge was begun. All
the rest of the night the prior and the Brotherhood sat up and
prayed that the dying one might be given strength to rise up and
walk across the bridge at dawn-strength enough, but not too
much. The prayer was heard, and it made great excitement in
heaven; insomuch that all the heavenly host got up before dawn
and came down to see; and there they were, clouds and clouds of
angels filling all the air above the bridge; and the dying monk
tottered across, and just had strength to get over; then he fell dead
just as the Devil was reaching for him, and as his soul escaped the
angels swooped down and caught it and flew up to heaven with it,
laughing and jeering, and Satan found he hadn't anything but a
useless carcase.
He was very angry, and charged the prior with cheating him, and
said "this isn't a Christian," but the prior said "Yes it is, it's a dead
one." Then the prior and all the monks went through with a great
lot of mock ceremonies, pretending it was to assuage the Devil and
reconcile him, but really it was only to make fun of him and stir up
his bile more than ever. So at last he gave them all a solid good
cursing, they laughing at him all the time. Then he raised a black
storm of thunder and lightning and wind and flew away in it; and as he went the spike on the end of his tail caught on a capstone and
tore it away; and there it always lay, throughout the centuries, as
proof of what he had done. I have seen it myself, a thousand times.
Such things speak louder than written records; for written records
can lie, unless they are set down by a priest. The mock Assuaging
is repeated every 9th of December, to this day, in memory of that
holy thought of the prior's which rescued an imperiled Christian
soul from the odious Enemy of mankind.
There have been better priests, in some ways, than Father Adolf,
for he had his failings, but there was never one in our commune
who was held in more solemn and awful respect. This was because
he had absolutely no fear of the Devil. He was the only person I
have ever known of whom that could be truly said. People stood in
deep dread of him, on that account; for they thought there must be
something supernatural about him, else he could not be so bold and
so confident. All men speak in hitter disapproval of the Devil, but
they do it reverently, not flippantly; but Father Adolf's way was
very different; he called him by every vile and putrid name he
could lay his tongue to, and it made every one shudder that heard
him; and often he would even speak of him scornfully and scoffingly; then the people crossed themselves and went quickly out of
his presence, fearing that something fearful might happen; and this
was natural, for after all is said and done Satan is a sacred character,
being mentioned in the Bible, and it cannot be proper to utter
lightly the sacred names, lest heaven itself should resent it.
Father Adolf had actually met Satan face to face, more than
once, and defied him. This was known to be so. Father Adolf said it
himself. Ile never made any secret of it, but spoke it right out. And
that he was speaking true, there was proof, in
who pays ten groschen can see it and get remission of thirty-three
sins besides, times being easier for every one then than they are
now, and sins much cheaper; so much cheaper that all except the
very poorest could afford them. Those were good days, but they are
gone and will not come any more, so every one says.
Yes, he put it in the bond, and the prior said he didn't want the
bridge built yet, but would soon appoint a day-perhaps in about a
week. There was an old monk wavering along between life and
death, and the prior told the watchers to keep a sharp eye out and
let him know as soon as they saw that the monk was actually dying.
Towards midnight the 9th of December the watchers brought him
word, and he summoned the Devil and the bridge was begun. All
the rest of the night the prior and the Brotherhood sat up and
prayed that the dying one might be given strength to rise up and
walk across the bridge at dawn-strength enough, but not too
much. The prayer was heard, and it made great excitement in
heaven; insomuch that all the heavenly host got up before dawn
and came down to see; and there they were, clouds and clouds of
angels filling all the air above the bridge; and the dying monk
tottered across, and just had strength to get over; then he fell dead
just as the Devil was reaching for him, and as his soul escaped the
angels swooped down and caught it and flew up to heaven with it,
laughing and jeering, and Satan found he hadn't anything but a
useless carcase.
He was very angry, and charged the prior with cheating him, and
said "this isn't a Christian," but the prior said "Yes it is, it's a dead
one." Then the prior and all the monks went through with a great
lot of mock ceremonies, pretending it was to assuage the Devil and
reconcile him, but really it was only to make fun of him and stir up
his bile more than ever. So at last he gave them all a solid good
cursing, they laughing at him all the time. Then he raised a black
storm of thunder and lightning and wind and flew away in it; and as he went the spike on the end of his tail caught on a capstone and
tore it away; and there it always lay, throughout the centuries, as
proof of what he had done. I have seen it myself, a thousand times.
Such things speak louder than written records; for written records
can lie, unless they are set down by a priest. The mock Assuaging
is repeated every 9th of December, to this day, in memory of that
holy thought of the prior's which rescued an imperiled Christian
soul from the odious Enemy of mankind.
There have been better priests, in some ways, than Father Adolf,
for he had his failings, but there was never one in our commune
who was held in more solemn and awful respect. This was because
he had absolutely no fear of the Devil. He was the only person I
have ever known of whom that could be truly said. People stood in
deep dread of him, on that account; for they thought there must be
something supernatural about him, else he could not be so bold and
so confident. All men speak in hitter disapproval of the Devil, but
they do it reverently, not flippantly; but Father Adolf's way was
very different; he called him by every vile and putrid name he
could lay his tongue to, and it made every one shudder that heard
him; and often he would even speak of him scornfully and scoffingly; then the people crossed themselves and went quickly out of
his presence, fearing that something fearful might happen; and this
was natural, for after all is said and done Satan is a sacred character,
being mentioned in the Bible, and it cannot be proper to utter
lightly the sacred names, lest heaven itself should resent it.
Father Adolf had actually met Satan face to face, more than
once, and defied him. This was known to be so. Father Adolf said it
himself. Ile never made any secret of it, but spoke it right out. And
that he was speaking true, there was proof, in
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