Was this intended as a true story or was this a dig at Geoffrey? As I
remember--always shakey at best--Gerald never had much use for Geoffrey,
scoffed at his *Historia* and considered it a pack of lies. This would be
a great way of demeaning Geoffrey and his hypothetical sources in
comparison to the holy truths found in the Biblia Sacra.
Clint
Clinton Atchley
University of Washington
[log in to unmask]
On Fri, 27 Feb 1998, Bill East wrote:
>
> >A novel cure...
> >
> Giraldus Cambrensis tells of another novel experiment in casting out demons.
> When a certain man was possessed by demons (spiritibus immundis nimis eidem
> insultantibus) the Gospel of St John was placed on his breast; immediately
> the devils vanished, like birds flying away. Then, by way of experiment
> (experiendi causa) the Historia Britonum of Geoffrey of Monmouth was placed
> on his breast. Immediately the devils came back far worse than before, and
> perched not only on his body, but on the book (non solum corpori ipsius
> toti, sed etiam libro superposito, longe solito crebrius et taediosius
> insederunt).
>
> Giraldus Cambrensis, Opera, ed. J.S. Brewer, Rolls Series, 7 volumes
> 1861-1877; vol 6 p. 58.
>
>
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