n pretence of its not having been paid for. He
promised to support their demand, and to cause it to be restored to
them. Thus these three gentlemen had the bishop cited to appear before
the king, who was then at Solech, occupied in rendering justice under
some tents in the country, according to the ancient custom of the
land, in the general assembly of the nation. The bishop was cited
before the king, and maintained that he had bought and paid for the
estate in question. The day was beginning to close, and the bishop ran
great risk of being condemned by the king and his counselors.
Suddenly, as if inspired by the Divine Spirit, he promised the king to
bring him in three days Pierre, of whom he had bought it, and the
condition was accepted mockingly, as a thing impossible to be
executed.

The holy bishop repairs to Pictravin, remains in prayer, and keeps
fast with his household for three days; on the third day he goes in
his pontifical robes, accompanied by his clergy and a multitude of
people, causes the grave-stone to be raised, and makes them dig until
they found the corpse of the defunct all fleshless and corrupted. The
saint commands him to come forth and bear witness to the truth before
the king's tribunal. He rises; they cover him with a cloak; the saint
takes him by the hand, and leads him alive to the feet of the king. No
one had the boldness to interrogate him; but he took the word, and
declared that he had in good faith sold the estate to the prelate, and
that he had received the value of it; after which he severely
reprimanded his sons, who had so maliciously accused the holy bishop.

Stanislaus asked Pierre if he wished to remain alive to do penance. He
thanked him, and said he would not anew expose himself to the danger
of sinning. Stanislaus reconducted him to his tomb, and being arrived
there, he again fell asleep in the Lord. It may be supposed that such
a scene had an infinite number of witnesses, and that all Poland was
quickly informed of it. The king was only the more irritated against
the saint. He some time after killed him with his own hand, as he was
coming from the altar, and had his body cut into seventy-two parts, in
order that they might never more be collected together in order to pay
them the worship which was due to them as the body of a martyr for the
truth and for pastoral liberty.

Now then let us come to that which is the principal subject of these
researches, the vampires, or _reve