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Medieval Sourcebook:
The Conversion of Peter Waldo
And during the same year, that
is the 1173d since Lord's Incarnation, there was at Lyons in France a
certain citizen, Waldo by name, who had made himself much money by
wicked usury. One Sunday, when he had joined a crowd which he saw
gathered around a troubadour, he was smitten by his words and, taking
him to his house, he took care hear him at length. The passage he was
reciting was the holy Alexis died a blessed death in his father's house.
When morning had come the prudent citizen hurried to the schools of
theology to seek counsel for his soul, and when he was taught many ways
of going to God, he asked master what way was more certain and more
perfect than all others. The master answered him with this text: thou
wilt be perfect, go and sell all that thou hast," etc
Then Waldo went to his wife and gave
her the choice of keeping his personal property or his real estate,
namely, he had in ponds, groves and fields, houses, rents, vineyards,
mills, and fishing rights. She was much displeased at having to make
this choice, but she kept the real estate. From his personal property
he made restitution to those whom he had treated unjustly; a great part
of it he gave to his little daughters, who, without their mother's
knowledge he placed in the convent of Font Evrard; but the greatest of
his money he spent for the poor. A very great famine was then
oppressing France and Germany. The prudent citizen, Waldo, gave bread,
with vegetables and meat to every one who came to him for three days in
every week from Pentecost to the feast of St. Peter's bonds.
At the Assumption of the blessed
Virgin, casting some money among the village poor, he cried, "No man can
serve two masters, God and mammon." Then his fellow-citizens ran up,
thinking he had lost his mind. But going on to a higher place, he said.
" My fellow-citizens and friends, I not not insane, as you think, but I
am avenging myself on my enemies, who made me a slave, so that I was
always more careful of money than of God, and served the creature rather
than the Creator. I know that many will blame me that I act thus
openly. But I do it both on my own account and on yours; on my own, so
that those who see me henceforth possessing any money may say that I am
mad, and on yours, that you may learn to place hope in God and not in
riches."
On the next day, coming from the
church, he asked a in citizen, once his comrade, to give him something
to eat for God's sake. His friend, leading him to his house, "I will
give you whatever you need as long as I live." When this came to the
cars of his wife, |
