At the time of Pope Paul I (757-767), in the Burgundian kingdom9 of western Italy there lived a farmer named Sindulf. He himself was righteous and god-fearing but his wife was so shameful that she maintained a relationship with a clergyman.
The farmer heard of this, and one day while they sat by the garden fountain he confronted her with the matter. She denied it in the strongest terms, and he replied that while he didn’t feel he was the equal of her glib words and cleverness, he would let God’s judgment put an end to the disagreement. “If you think you are not guilty”, he said, “throw your gold ring into the spring. If it sinks then you’ve been slandered. If it floats as a leaf floats, then God himself will pronounce your shame.”
She followed his instruction, and the ring floated as a feather on the water. Sindulf declared that from that hour on, he would never go near her bed. His wife became so enraged with hate against her husband that she decided to murder him with the help of her courtesan. They carried out the bloody deed and the body was buried in the garden. To avoid inquiries, the wife told everyone that her husband was on a long trip.
However, God decided to make their crime public knowledge. Appearing in the dream of another farmer in the village who was a close friend, Sindulf told him how he had been murdered. “The garden in which I was murdered”, he added, “is cursed. The beautiful fountain in the garden is to be moved to your garden as payment for your true comradeship and neighborliness.”
The neighbor carried out the task as Sindulf had said. The body was found and reburied nearby in holy ground; no sooner was it done than miracles occurred over Sindulf’s grave. The wife also heard about the miracles and cynically said that if they were true, her own behind could also do miracles. But for these contemptible words she quickly incurred God’s wrath; ever since that day whenever she opened her mouth to speak, she loudly passed gas.
9The second Burgundian kingdom comprised today’s Switzerland, southeastern France and northwestern Italy.