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1. Tales of miracles involving the Host, or sacramental wafer used in Catholic services, were common in the Middle Ages. A story told in various forms in the 12th & 13th centuries involved a peasant who owned bees which were dying in great numbers. He was advised to place the Host among them, which would halt the disease and attract other bees to the hive. This was done, but then the bees, recognizing their Lord, built a little church of wax with an altar on which they laid the Host, and gathered around it making a wondrous melody. When the peasant discovered this, the bees stung him. A priest was called for and a miracle was declared. When all the parish had seen the marvel, the structure and the Host were carried to the church, the bees flying in ecstasy around it. In a variant of this tale, a peasant hid the Host in a tree and the same sort of marvelous manifestation happened. This church had tower and bells, with altar, chalice, and paten, and it was sent round the diocese, then to the Archbishop, the Emperor, and the Pope.

   —Tales of the Middle Ages

   • ‘Reverently eat and drink the same’

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