Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1842-04-12
TlaE POPE,S. CORNER.
POPIsH IMPOSITIONs.

The following is extracted from the same source
from which we supplied the "Pope's Corner" last
week, l. c. MCavin's Protestant Let it be recol-
lected that the great mass of believers in Roman
Catholicism are the most ignorant and superst-
tous of mortals-juSt suited to credit such absur-
dities as the subioned, and the Churchis just suit
ed to fashion its absurdities just to su ALL these
circumstances We have ourselves heard little
ignorant Irish boys with all the gravity and awe
they were capable of exhibiting, repeat stories as
preposterous as this is which 'thc praste" or their
mothers had told them and no insult was so keen
ly felt or quickly resented by them as to laugh at
their ridiculous ditties. Superstition and igno-
rance are the bulwarks of defence to the Roman
Catholic Church
l shall here indulge the reader with one ofthe
least offensive of the stories which are recorded OF
the Virgin Mary, in order to impress the people
with an idea of the miraculous power which she
possessed and to encourage all to put their trust in
her. The famous Convent of Montserrat owes its
origin to the following miraculous incident The
first count of Barcelona had an exceedingly hand
some daughter, but she had the misfortune to be
possessed with devil The count one day car
ried her to holy man in the neighborhood, called
Friar John Guern, who was understood to have
the power of casting out devils, in order that he
might cast this out of his daughter. The holy
man soon did the job; but for fear the devil should
return, he advised the count to leave his daughter
for some time in his keeping, which, like d fool as
he was he had agreed to- Friar John, thus left
alone with the young lady, fell in love with her,
seduced her, and afterwards murdered her, at the
instigation, as we said, of devil disguised like
a hermit Having been guilty of these horrible
fba LoJ,, iOhtf IN
confessed himself to the pope, who, instead ofsend-
ing him to the gallows, as he deserved, merely Or
derd him for renance, to return oMontserrat upon
all four like beast as he was, and not to speaka
word, and not to offer to get upon his legs, till
child about three months old should bid him rise,
and tell him God had pardoned his offence
Seven years after this the count of Barcelona was
a hunting, when some of his men found out this
friar in den, all over hairy like bear, whom
they took and chained, and brought away with
them to the castle of Barcelona where he was tied
up in a stable like monster. The count soon
after made great feast and to divert his company
the monster was brought forth; whom as soon as
the earps child saw, that was there in the nurses
arms it said distinctly these words =" rise upon
thy feet Friar John Guerin for God has pardoned
thy offence" And Immediately the friar come
to himself began to speak, and tell the whole so-
ry. Upon which the count told him, that since
God had pardoned him, he could do no less but
he desired to know where he had buried his daugh-
ter, that he might take up her bones, and bury
them in his fathers sepulchre. The good friar
conducted the counts servants to the place where
he had inferred the lady, and opening the ground
they found her alive and WELL as fresh and as well
as ever, excepting little kind of streak like a
scarlet thread about her neck, where the mortal
wound had been inflicted The maid spoke and
told them that she owed her life to the blessed vir-
gin, to whom she had been consecrated, and who
had miraculousy preserved her There they
built convent of which this young lady was the
abbess, and Friar John Guerin the confessor-
Near this place, in a certain grotto, was found an
image of the blessed virgin, exceeding bright and
luminous,a and perfumed with excellent sweets, which
was discovered by angels melody, that were wor
shipping it in a cave; this image, they that found
it were for carrying away but when they came
as far as the place where the lady had been buried
itgrew so heavy on their hands that they were
glad to leave it there with all their hearts There
they built a chapel over it, though it was iese.t
place. and mighty inconvenient for the pilgrims e.
sorting thher-and this is the rise of that fam Jus
chapel where so mrny miracles and famous things
have been done
nao no;,, sc IL