Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 58

GREGORY: Felix, surnamed Curvus (the Bent), whom you yourself well know, who was recently prior of that same monastery, used to tell me many wonderful things about the brethren of that same monastery: of which I pass over some that come to memory, because I hasten on to other matters. But one I will tell, which, having been narrated by him, I judge by no means to be passed over. In that same monastery there was a certain monk of great life, who was a gardener. Now a thief was accustomed to come, to climb over the hedge, and secretly to carry off the vegetables. And when he planted much and found the less of it, and saw some trampled underfoot, some plundered, going all around the garden, he found the path by which the thief was wont to come.

Walking about in that same garden, he found also a serpent, to which, commanding, he said: «Follow me»; and coming to the entrance of the thief, he commanded the serpent, saying: «In the name of Jesus I command you to guard this entrance, and not to permit the thief to enter here.» At once the serpent stretched itself right across the path, and the monk returned to his cell. And when at noontide all the brethren were resting, the thief came as was his wont, climbed the hedge; and as he was setting his foot into the garden, he suddenly saw that the outstretched serpent had closed the way; and terrified, he fell back behind himself, and his foot, by its sandal, stuck fast on a stake of the hedge, and so, until the gardener should return, he hung head-downward.

At the accustomed hour the gardener came, found the thief hanging on the hedge, and said to the serpent: «Thanks be to God, you have fulfilled what I commanded; now withdraw.» It at once departed. But coming to the thief, he said: «What is this, brother? God has delivered you to me. Why have you so many times presumed to commit theft against the labour of the monks?» And saying this, he loosed the man's foot from the hedge in which it had stuck, and set him down without injury. He said to him: «Follow me.» And leading him as he followed to the entrance of the garden, he offered him with great sweetness the vegetables which he had sought to carry off by theft, saying: «Go, and after this do not commit theft; but when you have need, come in here to me, and what you labour to take with sin, I will devotedly give you.» PETER:

Up till now, as I find, I falsely supposed that there were no Fathers in Italy who wrought signs.