Page:Anecdotescatechi00spiruoft.djvu/102

 not wish  any  one  to  inherit  his  property. Then he went  back  to  bed. When the  doctor  came  the  next day, he  found  his  patient  had  taken  an  unexpected turn for  the  better. On hearing  this,  the  miser  was aghast, thinking  of  what  he  had  done. He did,  in fact,  recover  wonderfully  soon,  and  the  money  which he had  remaining  did  not  last  long. In a few weeks’ time  he  had  to  beg  his  bread. Thus he  had been his  own  worst  enemy.

St. Thomas  in  his  youth  was  bent  on  embracing the religious  state,  but  his  people  opposed  the  idea. They even  went  so  far  as  to  employ a dissolute woman to  make  an  attempt  on  his  virtue. No sooner had she  entered  his  apartment  than  the  holy  youth snatched up  a red-hot  poker  and  sent  her  screaming from the  room. Kneeling down  then  he  thanked God and  renewed  his  vow  of  perpetual  chastity. Presently he  fell  into  a deep  sleep,  and  in  a dream beheld two  angels  approach  and  bind  him  about  the loins with  a cincture. From that  time  forth  he  was free from  all  impure  temptations. Every temptation we  reject  we  are  made  stronger  against  the  next assault.

Anger makes  a man  blind  to  reason. A Turkish sultan, Bajazet,  while  carrying  on  war  with  the