196 ROC; E It OF WEXDOVER. [Λ.η. 1200. man, who had his head hound to a post, and his hands and leet on each side made fast to stakes. The bishop blessed some water which was brought him, and when the insane man put out his tongue as if deriding him, he sprinkled some of the water on it ; he then read over the madman the part of the Gospel. " In the beginning was the word," and after giving him his blessing departed. When he was gone, the diseased man began to sleep, and when he awoke he was restored to his former state of health. About this time this pious priest happened to be at Lincoln, assisting in the work of the mother church there, which he hail nobly built from its 'foundations ; and whilst he was carrying stones and mortar in a hod on his shoulders, as was often his custom, a certain man, lame in both legs, came leaning on two sticks, and most earnestly begged to carry the same hod, hoping to recover his soundness of limb by the merits of this blessed man ; at length he obtained permission from the master of the work for the hod to be given to him, and, leaning on his sticks, he began to carry stones and mortar in it. But after a few days bad elapsed, he gave up one stick, and soon afterwards the other, and after a little while, becoming strong and upright, he carried the same hod in working at the church without the support of any stick ; and after he was well he so loved that hod, that he declared that it should never be taken away from him. At another time in the same city it happened that a certain citizen fell into such a state of insanity that eight men were appointed to take charge of him, and he was confined by bonds, for he was excited by such frenzy, that he threatened to tear his wife and his own children to pieces with his teeth : at length he was brought tied in a cart to the man of God, who, on seeing him, immediately sprinkled holy water on him, and adjured the evil spirit to come out of him and not to trouble him any more. The insane man suddenly fell lo the ground like ono dying, and the holy man then poured the blessed water on him in large quantities. Immediately afterwards the madman got up, and, raising his tied hands towards heaven, gave thanks to God, and to the blessed priest, on which the bonds were taken oil* him and he went away a sound man. Also a certain woman of Lincoln had two sons, one of whom whilst he was yet a boy had a large swelling in his side ; his mother,