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Byland Abbey: History
Byland Abbey: Buildings
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The miracle of the balsam
When his [Aelred’s] body
had been baptised … someone
brought to us in a vessel a little of the balsam which the father
had had as medicine. With this liquid, or rather drop of liquid,
for the
vessel which held it was hardly larger than an almond, I [Walter
Daniel]
held that three of the abbot’s fingers should be anointed,
the thumb, the first and the middle finger, because it was with
these that
he had written many things about God. Some, however, preferred
the tongue, others the face, although there did not seem to be
enough to anoint a
single joint. But when the venerable abbot Roger
of Byland had extracted
from the vessel by means of a tiny piece of wood nearly all the
ointment on to the tip of his thumb, he anointed the face of the
father, forehead,
ears, neck, eyes, nose and the whole of the head, and there still
seemed to be as much left as when he began. We were all amazed
at the abundance
of the ointment, and, as we were all marvelling, the abbot Roger
proceeded to anoint the father’s hands and he anointed as freely
as before – and
still we discern no less balsam than before. In the end we perceive
that much of the arms had also been sprinkled by the same; nor
was the anointing
ended, for the heavenly blessing of the plentiful infusion still
hung on the abbot’s fingers. But the convent of the brethren was
waiting. We hastened to carry the father to them, and at last the
abundance of the balsam ceased. (1)
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