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St. Francis and the Wolf; The Shrine of St. Georgenberg; Legend of St. Ursula · Legends of the Saints

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  Section seven of Legends of the Saints by Mary Seymour. This LibriVox recording is
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  in the public domain. Read by Marie Christian. Legend of Saint Francis and
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  the Wolf. There was great fear in Gubio. The men were afraid and
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  troubled, and mothers clasped their little ones to their breasts and dismay because of
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  the terrible wolf who lurked in the forest on the hillside, which no hunter
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  had yet been able to destroy. Many an unguarded flock of sheep had been
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  attacked. Many a little cradle had been left empty and blood stained. And
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  at length the townsmen met together in the market place to consult as to how
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  they could capture the creature who was robbing them. Thus, as they stood
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  conversing with heavy hearts and anxious faces, the Holy Francis joined them in his
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  hood and habit of brown, and they told him their grief, My children.
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  He answered, our Lord will send relief. He never refuses the petitions
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  which are made to him. Come with me to yonder mountain. It was
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  a long procession. The old bowed down with infirmity, young men and maidens
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  from the vineyards, little children laughing from their play. And so they reached
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  the mountain, where Saint Francis stood still and called the wolf to appear.
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  Ah, why is it that the savage beast came down the mountain so peacefully
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  on towards Francis, and then, gazing at him, stood still. Children
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  shrank back with timid cries, women shuddered and turned pale, but all gazed
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  upon the saint with wonder. My brother wolf, he said, in a
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  low and gentle voice, Thou little knowest the how thou hast made here.
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  Thou hast devoured the young children and filled the mother's hearts with pain. Thou
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  hast brought loss and desolation into many a home. And yet in all this
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  I cannot blame THEE, for thou hast only followed the nature given THEE by
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  God. But now I must bid THEE to do the people of gubioh no
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  further harm. Thou must leave them to dwell in peace, while on their
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  part they promise to give THEE food. Then Francis turned to one of the
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  crowd and bade him bring some corn and brown bread, And as the wolf
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  ate it from the Saint's hand, a murmur of thanksgiving was heard from every
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  one. Good brother Wolf, we will now part, said Holy Francis.
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  As long as the men of gubioh are faithful to their promise, thou too
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  must hold to thine. Therefore, in token of this agreement, I bid
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  thee place thy paw in my hand. Wonderful power given by God to the
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  pure in heart, a power to overcome even the savage nature of the animal.
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  Slowly and gently it raises its paw and lays it in the hand of
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  the saint. From that day, regularly at noon the wolf came to that
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  spot for his food. And when at last it was left untouched and they
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  knew the creature had gone from the forest, the people mourned after it,
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  as if they had lost a friend. To this day, mothers tell their
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  children the wondrous story of the wolf upon that hillside, and the people of
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  Goobio pray that the blessed Saint, who help them in their distress, will
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  now and always keep misfortune from their town. End of Legend of Saint Francis
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  and the Wolf. Legend of the Shrine of Saint Jorgenburg. In former times,
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  there was a young nobleman who, having been enlightened by God to know
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  the emptiness of all earthly joy and honor, resolved to forsake home and friends
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  and riches and live in the wilderness alone with his Creator. He traveled far
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  until he had left behind the green and pleasant valleys of his native land and
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  reached a wild solitude, where he cut out of the rock a little cave
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  to shelter him, and there dwelt and prayed. Time passed, and he
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  felt a great desire to visit the shrines of the saints. So he took
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  his staff in hand and went on pilgrimage. And after a year's absence,
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  he returned to his solitude with a greater love for God in his heart and
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  a still more fervent desire to serve him perfectly. He had brought back with
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  him from Rome a beautiful picture of Christ's sweet Mother, and with his own
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  hands he wrought a little sanctuary to contain it, and from far and near
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  the peasants came to venerate the image of Mary. It chanced one day that
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  a young nobleman had gone hunting the chammis among those rocky heights, and seeing
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  many peasants toiling up a steep ascent, he took the same path, and
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  there in the rocky cell he found in the hermit his own elder brother,
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  who had given up all for God. The young man was overjoyed with this
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  unlooked for meeting, and in his happiness made a vow to build a chapel
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  on the spot in which pilgrims might kneel and pray. No sooner was his
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  project known than all the people of the surrounding valleys, both lords and peasants,
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  begged to be allowed to assist in his pious work, and it was
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  commenced immediately. But strange to say, it seemed as if God's blessing did
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  not rest upon their labors. Nothing prospers. There were constant accidents, and
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  the men were always hurting themselves with their tools. And more surprising still,
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  every day, two snow white doves flew down from heaven, and picking up
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  every chip and shaving upon which blood from the injured men's wounds had fallen,
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  carried them in their beaks and flew away. At length. The pious hermit,
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  whose name was Rinehold, resolved that he would follow the doves and see
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  what they were doing, And when after some search, he discovered their hiding
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  place. There lay before him a tiny but perfect model of a chapel,
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  neatly fashioned from the chips which the birds had carried away. This servant of
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  God recognized in this matter the divine will that he should remove from the spot
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  where he had dwelt so happily for seven years, and excepting the sacrifice,
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  he begged his brother to build a chapel in the place which the doves had
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  chosen for their resting place. His request was granted, and the little sanctuary
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  was soon erected and placed under the special protection of Saint George, and multitudes
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  flocked there to pray. Who had heard of the piety of Rhinehold and of
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  his wonderful chapel. Then many youths of high rank became so attracted by the
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  holy example of the hermit that they would not leave him, and in their
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  turn built little cells and huts close by, where they devoted themselves to a
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  life of prayer and penance. And thus, in later years a community of
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  holy monks was established who followed the rule of Saint Benedict and kept alive the
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  faith in that land and of legend of the Shrine of Saint Jorgenburg Legend of
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  Saint Ursula. A certain king and queen who dwelt in Brittany, had only
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  one daughter, whom they named Ursula and trained her in the fear and love
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  of God. The maiden grew up beautiful and learned, but far better than
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  all. She was full of virtue and piety, and had dedicated herself to
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  Christ forever. Not far from Brittany, on the other side of the Great
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  Ocean, there was a country called England, whose people were still in the
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  darkness of paganism. And the king of this land had an only son,
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  who, having heard of Ursula, desired to marry her. When the messengers
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  came to ask the King of Brittany for his daughter, he was very much
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  troubled because he feared to refuse the request of the young prince. And yet
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  he dared not consent, for he knew that Ursula had pledged herself to be
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  the spouse of Christ. So he delayed his answer and entertained the ambassadors very
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  sumptuously while he prayed God to deliver him from his great perplexity. He was
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  sitting apart when his daughter came to him and asked the cause of his gloom,
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  and upon being told what had occurred, she smiled and said, be
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  not afraid, my father, for if it pleases you, I will myself
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  answer these messengers of the great King. Next day, Ursula, with much
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  grace and modesty, went into the presence of the strangers, and, having
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  thanked them as the representatives of the King for the honor shown her, she
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  said that she would promise to look upon his son as her brother and bridegroom,
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  and never listen to another. But first she had three requests to make.
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  One that he would give her ten noble maidens for her ladies and companions,
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  and to each of these, and to herself a thousand virgins to wait
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  upon them. The second that the Prince should give her three years to remain
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  unmarried, with the permission to visit the holy shrines of the Saints in company
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  with her attendants. The third demand was that the Prince and all his courtiers
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  should be baptized Christians. The ambassadors returned to their own country with such accounts
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  of the beauty and dignity of the princess that the King of England thought no
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  conditions too hard by which his son should gain this lovely bride. So he
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  was at once baptized with his courtiers, and sent commands to all his dukes
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  and barons, desiring them to find for him the required number of pure and
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  spotless maidens to wait upon the Princess Ursula, who was to wed his heir,
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  the young Prince. The noble virgins came from all parts and were welcomed
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  gladly by Ursula, and so much wonder was caused in all the countries round
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  about by the assembly that people gathered together to view them. Then all the
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  young maidens were brought to Brittany. Ursula desired them to meet her in a
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  meadow near the city, and there she spoke to them with so much earnestness
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  of the purity and beauty of a life wholly consecrated to God, that they
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  promised to follow wherever she should leave them, and many who had not been
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  baptized received that holy sacrament immediately. Then Ursula wrote to the prince, saying
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  that having performed the engagement, he had her leave to wait upon her as
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  a true knight. So he came at once to her father's court to visit
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  her, whereupon she said, my gracious Consort, it has been made known
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  to me in a vision, that I and my maidens must go to visit
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  the Holy City of Rome. And in the meantime, do thou remain here
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  to console and assist my father. And if aught happens otherwise to me,
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  this kingdom shall be your own. So Ursula, with her multitude of lovely
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  virgins, embarked on board ships prepared for them, many holy prelates going in
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  their company. There were no seamen in the vessels, for the good providence
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  of God was their guide, and took them northward instead of south, to
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  the mouth of the Rhine. After proceeding some distance up the river, they
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  landed and crossed the snowy Alps with six angels for their guides, who went
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  before to clear the path from obstacles and to provide them tents in which to
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  repose at night. Thus they journeyed to the Holy City. The Bishop of
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  Rome then was Cirrissius, and hearing of the approach of these eleven thousand maidens,
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  he was somewhat troubled, not knowing what it could mean. But he
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  gathered together his clergy and went out to meet them, and, giving them
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  his blessing, commanded that they should be honorably lodged. Meanwhile, the affiant
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  spouse of Ursula, had journeyed to Rome by another way, in the hope
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  of getting tidings of his bride, and there he learned to aspire only to
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  the martyr's crown, and looked to rejoicing with Ursula in heaven alone. Having
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  visited the shrines of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the time had come for
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  the maidens to return to their own country, and Cirysius accompanied them as far
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  as the shore of the river, where they should embark. But on their
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  arrival at the city of Cologne, they found it full of barbarians who rushed
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  to destroy the Holy Company, and one of the first who fell was the
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  young Prince of England. Then the Holy Bishop and several prelates sank upon the
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  earth or perished in the stream. Seeing the danger of her friends, Ursula
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  passed among them, encouraging them to meet death without fear, and by hundreds
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  and thousands they perished meekly, resigned to the will of God. The plain
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  was strewn with martyred bodies, the river ran red with blood. But the
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  barbarians feared to strike down Ursula, so they carried her to their prince,
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  who declared he would make her his queen, the richest queen in all Germany.
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  But Ursula defied him, saying, dost thou think I desire to live
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  when my innocent sisters have died by the sword. I scorn thee and him
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  whom thou servest, and I will never become thy queen. When the pagan
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  heard these words, he was enraged, and, bending his bow, pierced
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  her breast with three arrows, so that her spirit ascended to heaven with her
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  glorious band of virgin martyrs, where they stand ever in the presence of their
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  divine spouse, blessing and praising him. End of Legend of Saint Ursula,
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  end of section seven.