Martin Drives Out Demons

At the same time, a servant of Tetradius, a man of proconsular rank, was seized by a demon and tormented with the most wretched results. Martin was asked to lay his hands on him, and he ordered the servant to be brought to him. But there was no way to bring the evil spirit out of the room where the man was kept, for he showed himself so terrifying, baring his savage teeth at anyone who tried to come near. Then Tetradius threw himself at the holy man’s feet, begging him to come down himself to the house where the possessed man was kept. But Martin declared that he could not visit the house of an unconverted pagan, for Tetradius was at that time still caught up in the errors of paganism. So Tetradius gave his word that if the demon were driven out of the boy, he would become a Christian. Then Martin laid his hand on the boy and cast the evil spirit out of him. When he saw this, Tetradius believed in the Lord Jesus. He at once became a catechumen, and not long afterward he was baptized; and he always regarded Martin with extraordinary affection as the one who had brought about his salvation. [a]

About the same time Martin entered the house of a certain householder in the same town. He stopped short at the very threshold and said that he saw a horrible demon in the courtyard of the house. When Martin ordered it to leave, it seized a member of the household who was staying in the inner part of the house, and the poor wretch at once began to rage with his teeth and to tear at whoever he met. The house was thrown into disorder, the household was in confusion, and the people there fled. Martin threw himself in the way of the frenzied man and first of all commanded him to stand still. But he went on gnashing his teeth and, with his mouth gaping, threatened to bite. So Martin put his fingers into his mouth and said: “If you have any power, devour these.” Then, as if red-hot iron had entered his jaws, he drew his teeth far back and took care not to touch the holy man’s fingers. And when the demon was forced by punishments and torments to flee out of the possessed body, but had no power to escape by the mouth, it was driven out through the bowels in a discharge, leaving disgusting traces behind it.