Life of St John Vianney.pdf - the Catholic Kingdom!

"My""""""124 THE CUK OF ARS.astonished in the morning to see them uninjured. Sometimes he pulled the chairs about, and disarranged ail thefurniture, as if he were hunting for something, calling atthe same time in a tone of mockery, Vianney, Vianney,thou eater of potatoes ! * we shall have thee yet! we shallhave thee yet! We have thee ! we have thee ! At othertimes he would howl in the court below,or imitate acharge of cavalry, or the tramp of an army on the march ;or he would seem to be hammering nails into the floor,cleaving wood, planing boards, or sawing, like a carpenterbusy at work in the inside of the house ;or he woulddrum upon the table, the chimney-piece, the water-jug, oron whatever would make the greatest noise.Sometimesit would seem to M. Vianney as if a whole flock of sheepwere driven over his head. Once, when he felt more thanusually worn out by the continual din, M. Vianuey said,God, I willingly make Thee the sacrifice of a fewhours of sleep for the conversion of sinners." The infernalflock instantly departed ;there was silence ;and he sleptin peace. At one time, for several successive nights, heheard a clamour of voices speaking in unknown tongues ;as if,"said he,troops of demons had been holdingtheir parliament in the courtyard."These occurrences were of course much talked of.They excited," says M. Monnin, many rumours andmuch contradiction. They had the disadvantage of takingplace in the night, which is the accomplice of error, andlends a vague uncertainty to the things it covers, whichcriticism and incredulity know how to turn to account ;while the profound solitude in which the Cure of Ars enveloped his life made examination difficult. Yet it wasnot to be supposed that M. Vianney was either deceived* Mangeur