From Magnificat ‘s summary of the life of St. Martin, an Italian hermit from the 6th century:
Martin’s peace, however, was soon disturbed by the appearance of a mysterious serpent that menaced him, stretching itself out before him as he prayed and slithering beside him in his sleep. Sensing that the creature was of unnatural origin, he refused to be driven from the cave by it and even dared it to bite him. Finally, after three years, the serpent suddenly rushed out of the cave, hissing furiously as it hurtled down the mountainside, setting ablaze all the shrubbery in its path with fire that shot from its body. The spectacle conformed Martin’s conviction that the creature was in fact a demon.
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