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For the purposes of the new edition, every poem has been assigned a unique short title. The original short titles, taken eclectically from a number of sources, are retained as alternative short titles.
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CSM Number : 404
Short name: The Priest who was Healed by the Virgin’s Milk Alternative: Lacte suo sanat BV: clericum qui sibi linguam et labia praesciderat
Incipit: Non é sen guisa d’ enfermos sãar
Refrain: Non é sen guisa d’ enfermos sãar/ o santo leite que Deus quis mamar.
Summary of narrative
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Setting: unspecified Protagonist(s): a sinful priest

A priest of good lineage, was handsome and generous and could sing and read well.

Nevertheless, he gave the devil competition in doing evil deeds.

Even so, he loved the Virgin and was devoted to her. Whenever he saw an altar of hers, on which her image was enshrined, he said a prayer, blessing and praising her.

Because of his sins he became very ill. He was delirious and in his madness, ate his own tongue and tried to eat his lips. His mouth was so swollen, it was impossible to tell where his face ended and his neck began.

As he lay dying, an angel appeared to him. The angel pleaded with Mary to remember the love the priest had shown her, and to have mercy on him. The angel, who was the priest’s own guardian, begged Mary not to let the devil take his soul to Hell.

While the angel was speaking, the Virgin arrived. She uncovered her breasts and annointed the priest’s face and chest with her milk. He was cured and slept like a healthy man.

Metrical data
Stanza: 10 10 10 10 Refrain: 10 10
No. of Stanzas: 20
Rhyme scheme: AA | bbba Zejel: Yes
MS locations:
To76
Poncelet reference
Clericus quidam B.Virginis devotus; cui cum per ecclesiam (184)
Keywords
angels, anoint, apparition, breast, lips, milk (of Virgin Mary), mouth, swelling, tongue, pitch, devils, dog
Discography
Click HERE for a list of recordings of this poem
Miracle Collection
Milk: Tongue and Lips Restored Vincent de Beauvais
Milk: Tongue and Lips Restored BL Mariale 3
(London, BL, Additional MS 35112, ff. 21-80; 90-94)
Milk: Tongue and Lips Restored Miraculorum B. Mariae. libri III
(Reims 1400)
Milk: Tongue and Lips Restored BL Mariale 5
(London, BL, Additional MS 15723, Collection 2, ff. 70-92)
Milk: Tongue and Lips Restored Jean Gobi
Milk: Tongue and Lips Restored Vendôme Collection
(Vendôme, Bibliothèque Publique MS 185)
Milk: Tongue and Lips Restored Johannes Herolt
Milk: Tongue and Lips Restored Paris Mariale 1
(Paris Bibliothèque Nationale 14463)
BITAGAP ID
3849
Bibliography
Reflexiones sobre las “Cantigas de Santa María” y su relación con otros mariales romances
Fidalgo Francisco, Elvira
The Miracles Came in Two by Two: Paired Narratives in the Cantigas de Santa Maria
Parkinson, Stephen
Cantigas de Santa Maria de Afonso X, O Sábio: aspectos culturais e literários
Vaz Leão, Angela