to show
his judgment on them, and God sent to them a shameful token, for the
children that were born after in that place had tails, as it is said,
till they had repented them. It is said commonly that this fell at
Strood in Kent, but blessed be God at this day is no such deformity.
Item in another place there were certain people which would in no wise
give faith to his preaching ne his doctrine, but scorned and mocked him,
wherefore God took such vengeance that they burned with fire invisible,
so that their skin was red as blood, and suffered so great pain that
they were constrained to come and ask forgiveness of St. Austin, and
then he prayed God for them that they might be acceptable to him and
receive baptism and that he would release their pain, and then he
christened them and that burning heat was quenched and they were made
perfectly whole, and felt never after more thereof. On a time, as St.
Austin was in his prayers, our Lord appeared to him, and comforting him
with a gentle and familiar speech, said: O thou my good servant and
true, be thou comforted and do manly, for I thy Lord God am with thee in
all thine affection, and mine ears be open to thy prayers, and for whom
thou demandest any petition thou shalt have thy desire, and the gate of
everlasting life is open to thee, where thou shalt joy with me without
end. And in that same place where our Lord said these words he fixed his
staff into the ground, and a well of clear water sourded and sprang up
in that same place, the which well is called Cerne, and it is in the
country of Dorset, whereas now is builded a fair abbey, and is named
Cerne after the well. And the church is builded in the same place
whereas our Lord appeared to St. Austin. Also in the same country was a
young man that was lame, dumb, and deaf, and by the prayers of St.
Austin he was made whole, and then soon after he was dissolute and
wanton, and noyed and grieved the people with jangling and talking in
the church. And then God sent to him his old infirmity again, because of
his misguiding, and at the last he fell to repentance, and asked God
forgiveness and St. Austin. And St. Austin prayed for him and he was
made whole again the second time, and after that he continued in good
and virtuous living to his life's end.

And after this St. Austin, full of virtues, departed out of this world
unto our Lord God, and lieth buried at Canterbury in the abbey that he
founded there in the worship and ru