Chapter 22

Of Godric the butcher.

Now when the plantation which the heavenly Father had planted -- to wit the aforesaid church -- rose higher, and the fame of the virtue of the apostle resounded everywhere among the neighbours, Rahere joined to himself a certain old man, Alfune by name, in whom there seemed to be seriousness with age, and, with seriousness, the wisdom of age. The same old man not long before had built the church of St. Giles at the gate of the City which is called in the English tongue Cripplesgate, but in Latin Porta Contractorum, and had brought that good work to a happy conclusion. Thinking then that this man would be useful to him, he appointed him his colleague and with his counsel and help arranged and perfected what was to be done.
It was the custom of the said Alfune, with officers of the church, to go about the City and neighbourhood of the church and busily to seek necessaries for the relief of the poor who lay in the hospital and of those who were hired for building the church [literally Basilica, i.e. a metropolitan church or cathedral], and faithfully to bring home what was entrusted to him and to divide it amongst them as each had need.

There was then a certain butcher, Godric by name, a man of excessive sternness and of a mind niggardly beyond what was becoming, who was wont not only to give nothing to those that asked of him, but even to insult them with scornful words. Now it happened on a certain day that while the said Alfune went round to the butchers one by one, he came to this man also after the others and, as according to the apostle it is fitting to make good and honourable suggestions in season and out of season, he persistently urged him -- unwilling to give anything -- that he should not let him go empty-handed. And when the old man perceived that neither by fear, nor for love of God, nor indeed by human feeling of shame, could the obstinacy of his hardened heart be softened, even a little, from its rigour, he broke out into these words --

"Oh, thou unhappy man! How art thou ungrateful to the Giver of all good things and art not willing to share the gifts of the heavenly goodness with the poor of Christ? I beseech thee, wretch, lay aside the obstinacy of thy unfaithful heart, and now at this present time make trial of the virtue of the glorious apostle, trusting in whom I promise thee that of whatsoever heap thou affordest me a portion of flesh, the same heap shall be sold sooner than the others, and thou shalt lose nothing of its price."

What need for many words? He, moved not by the instinct of charity, but overcome by the importunity of the asker, drew out a single piece of food from the cheaper heap and threw it at the priests and. calling them vagrants, bade them depart from him speedily. Alfune replied that he would not go away until his saying was fulfilled. Straightway, a certain citizen came up who, desiring to obtain meat for himself and his family, bought -- at the desire of the seller -- that heap of which Alfune had before spoken, and carried off his purchase with him. And when this thing was reported through the meat market, it was held -- as was fitting -- to be a remarkable miracle. Thenceforth they began to be more ready and more fervent in the giving of alms, and to strive to anticipate each other in giving, but especially he, the hardness of whose faithless heart the virtue of Christ, who even promised that a cup of cold water given in the name of His disciple should not lack its reward, turned to piety.

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