etired into a desert. He was
prevailed upon to undertake the government of a monastery in the isle of
Lupocavio, in the territory of Pisa, but not being able to bear with the
tepidity and irregularity of his monks, he withdrew, and settled on
Mount Pruno, till, finding disciples there no less indocile to the
severity of his discipline than the former, he was determined to pursue
himself that rigorous plan of life which he had hitherto unsuccessfully
proposed to others. He pitched upon a desolate valley for this purpose,
the very sight of which was sufficient to strike the most resolute with
horror. It was then called the Stable of Rhodes, but since, Maleval; and
is situated in the territory of Sienna, in the diocese of Grosseto. He
entered this frightful solitude in September, 1155, and had no other
lodging than a cave in the ground, till being discovered some months
after, the lord of Buriano built him a cell. During the first four
months, he had no other company than that of wild beasts eating only the
herbs on which they fed. {394} On the feast of the Epiphany, in the
beginning of the year 1156, he was joined by a disciple or companion,
called Albert, who lived with him to his death, which happened thirteen
months after, and who has recorded the last circumstances of his life.
The saint, discoursing with others, always treated himself as the most
infamous of criminals, and deserving the worst of deaths; and that these
were his real sentiments, appeared from that extreme severity which he
exercised upon himself. He lay on the bare ground: though he fed on the
coarsest fare, and drank nothing but water, he was very sparing in the
use of each; saying, sensuality was to be feared even in the most
ordinary food. Prayer, divine contemplation, and manual labor, employed
his whole time. It was at his work that he instructed his disciple in
his maxims of penance and perfection, which he taught him the most
effectually by his own example, though in many respects so much raised
above the common, that it was fitter to be admired than imitated. He had
the gift of miracles, and that of prophecy. Seeing his end draw near, he
received the sacraments from a priest of the neighboring town of
Chatillon, and died on the 10th of February, in 1157, on which day he is
named in the Roman and other martyrologies.

* * * * *

Divine Providence moved one Renauld, a physician, to join Albert, a
little before the