THE BEATO TORELLO DA POPPI
In that time in which the portion of Tuscany called Casentino was not
yet subject to the Florentines, but was ruled by its own counts, in the
lands of Poppi, an important place in that valley through which runs the
river Arno, and not far from its source, a son was born to a certain
good man named Paolo, to whom he gave the name of Torello, and whom,
when a suitable age, he not only taught to fear God, and to lead a
Christian life, but sent to school, that he might learn the first
principles of letters--which he soon did--and to avoid evil companions
and imitate the good. The young Torello, being accustomed to this life,
and his father dying, for some time proceeded from good to better.
But that not pleasing our common enemy, who always goes about seeking
whom he may devour, he so tempted Torello--God permitting it, for future
and greater good--that he abandoned a virtuous life, and gave himself to
the pursuit of the pleasures of the world; so that instead of being
praised for his blameless and religious life, he was censured by all,
and had become the very opposite of what he had at first been.
But the blessed Lord--who had never abandoned him, though He had left
him to wander, in order to permit him to become a true mirror of
penitence--called him to himself in this manner; as he was one day
wandering and seeking amusement with his idle companions, a cock that
was on a perch outside a window suddenly fell, and alighted on his
shoulder, and crowed three times, and then flew back to the perch.
Torello, calling to mind how the Apostle Peter had in a similar manner
been made to gee his guilt, awaked from his sleep of vice and sin in a
state of wonder and fear; and thinking that this could have happened
only by divine Providence, and to show him that he was in the power of
the devil, left his companions instantly, and in penitence and tears
sought the Abbot of Poppi, of the order of Vallombrosa; and commending
himself to his prayers, threw himself at his feet, humbly begging for
the robe of a mendicant friar, since he desired to serve God in the
humblest manner. The abbot wondered much, knowing by common report
Torello to be a youth of most incorrect life, to see him thus kneeling
in contrition before him, and endeavoured, together with the monks, to
persuade him to take their habit of St. John Gualberto. But at last,
seeing he had no heart for it, and remained constant to his first
request, he at last granted it; and he became a poor brother, and almost
a desert hermit, for having received the benediction of the abbot,
without communicating with either his family or friends, he left that
country and took his way toward the most desert and savage places of the
mountains, wandering among them for eight days, and passing the night
wherever it chanced to overtake him. But having at last come to a great
rock, near a place called Avellanato, he remained there, adopting it for
a cell eight days more, weeping for his sins, praying, and imploring God
to pardon him; living all this time on three small loaves, which he had
brought with him, and on wild herbs like the animals; and being much
pleased with the place, he determined to make a cell under that great
rock, and there spend all the days of this life, serving God with fasts,
vigils, discipline, and prayers, and bitterly lamenting his past sins
and evil life.
Having taken this resolution, he went to his own country to put his
affairs in order; and all his relatives and friends came about him,
praying him with much earnestness, if he sought to serve God, to leave
this life of a wild beast and join some order, living like other monks.
But all was of no avail; and selling all his goods, he gave the price to
the poor, reserving to himself only a small sum of money to build a
cell. And he returned to his solitude with a mason, who made for him a
miserable cell under that same rock; and he bought near it enough land
for a small garden, and there established himself, practising the most
severe austerities.
Having now spoken of the penitence and life of the Beato Torello, we
must make mention of the great gifts and grace which he received from
God during his life, and which were often granted to him in behalf of
those who commended themselves to him in faith and devotion.
A poor woman of Poppi, who had only one son, three years old, going to
the spring to wash her clothes, took him with her; and he having strayed
from her a little way while she was washing, a savage wolf seized him
and carried him away, and the poor woman's shrieks could be heard almost
at Poppi, while she could do nothing but commend the child to God. While
the wolf was escaping with his prey between his teeth, he came, as it
pleased God--who thus began to make known the reward of his service--to
the cell of the Beato Torello; who, when he saw this, instantly ordered
the wolf, in God's name, to lay the child on the ground, safe and sound;
which command the wolf no sooner heard than he came to him immediately,
and laid the child at his feet. And after he had, with evident humility,
received the directions of the holy father, that neither he, nor any of
the wolves his companions, should do any harm to any person of that
country, he departed, and returned to the forest; and the servant of God
took the half-dead child into his cell, where he made a prayer to the
Lord, and he was immediately healed of the wounds the wolf's teeth had
made in his throat. And when his mother came seeking him with great
lamentation and sorrow, he graciously restored him to her alive and
well, but with the command that while he lived she should never reveal
this miracle.
Carlo, Count of Poppi, being very fond of the Beato Torello, sent him by
his steward, one evening in Carnival, a basket full of provisions,
praying the good father to accept it for love of him. The steward also
carried him many other gifts, which some good ladies, knowing where he
was going, took the opportunity to send by his hand.
Having arrived at the cell, he presented them all to the padre, who
thanked him much, and returned him the empty baskets; when he took
occasion to enquire, how he, being alone, could possibly eat so much in
one evening. And Torello, seeing that the steward thought him a great
eater, answered: "I am not alone, as you suppose; my companion will come
from the woods before long, who has a great appetite, and he will help
me." And the steward, hearing this, hid himself in the wood not far from
the hermitage, to see who this could be who the padre said had such a
fine appetite. He had not waited long when he saw a great wolf go
straight to the door of the saint's cell, who opened it for him, and fed
him until he had devoured everything that the steward had brought; and
he then began to caress the saint, as a faithful and affectionate dog
would his master; and this he continued to do until Torello gave him
permission to go, and reminded him that neither he, nor any of his
companions, should do any harm to the people of that place until they
were at such a distance as to be out of hearing of the bell of the
monastery, which the wolf promised to do and obey, by bowing his head.
The servant, having seen and heard this, returned home, and related it
to the count and the others, to their great amazement.
There was a lady of Bologna, named Vittoriana, who made a pilgrimage to
the holy place in Vernia, where the glorious St. Francis received the
stigmata; and there her two children fell ill with a violent and
dangerous fever; and being, in consequence, much distressed and
afflicted, she consulted with some ladies from Poppi, whose devotion had
also brought them to the same place, who advised her to take her
children, as soon as possible, to the blessed Torello, and commend them
to him, that by means of his prayers God would restore their health. And
going to him, she commended them to him with faith and tears and hope
beyond the power of words to describe. And truly it was not in vain; for
the holy man, who was most pitiful, kneeled down and prayed to the Lord
for her and her children as only the true servants of God pray; and
having so done, he took some water from the spring of which he usually
drank and gave it to the children, and they were entirely cured and
delivered from that fever. And what is more, the water of that fountain
is to this day called the fountain of St. Torello, and is a sovereign
remedy against every kind of fever to those who drink of it, as
experience has testified and still testifies.
But at last, in the year of our salvation twelve hundred and eighty-two,
the saint having reached the eightieth year of his life, and spent them
all in the service of God--many of his good works being unknown--an
angel brought him this message: "Rejoice, Torello, for the time is come
when thou shalt receive the crown of glory thou hast so long desired,
and the reward in paradise of ail thy labour in the service of God; for
thirty days from this time, on the sixteenth of March, thou shalt be
delivered from the prison of this world."
The blessed Torello, having heard this, continued all his devout
exercises until the end, which approaching, he went to the abbot and
confessed his sins for the last time, and received the holy communion
from his hands; and they embraced each other, and he returned to his
hermitage. And he took leave of one of his disciples, named Pietro, and
exhorted him to persevere in God's service; and having with many
affectionate prayers recommended his country and the people of it to the
blessing of God, praying especially that it should not be ravaged by
wolves, he departed in peace.
And all the people of the parishes around, hearing of his death,
hastened to the hermitage; and all desiring that his holy body should
repose in their church, a great controversy arose, and much scandal
would have ensued, had not the Abbot of Poppi passed into the midst of
them and convinced them it was the will of God it should be laid in his
monastery; to which they all finally agreed. And a wonderful and
miraculous event occurred; for while they were all standing around the
holy body, a wolf came in with a little pig in his mouth, and passing
through them without fear, placed it at the foot of the bier, and went
away.