Editing Benedict of Nursia (section)

==Later life==
Gregory tells little of Benedict's later life. He now speaks of Benedict no longer as a youth ({{lang|la|puer}}), but as a man ({{lang|la|vir}}) of God. [[Romanus of Subiaco|Romanus]], Gregory states, served Benedict in every way he could. The monk apparently visited him frequently, and on fixed days brought him food.<ref name=Crawley/><!-- Image with questionable fair-use claim removed: [[File:it238th.jpg|right]] -->

During these three years of solitude, broken only by occasional communications with the outer world and by the visits of Romanus, Benedict matured both in mind and character, in knowledge of himself and of his fellow-man, and at the same time he became not merely known to, but secured the respect of, those about him; so much so that on the death of the abbot of a monastery in the neighbourhood (identified by some with [[Vicovaro]]), the community came to him and begged him to become its abbot. Benedict was acquainted with the life and discipline of the monastery, and knew that "their manners were diverse from his and therefore that they would never agree together: yet, at length, overcome with their entreaty, he gave his consent".<ref name="dialogues book two"/>{{rp|3}} The experiment failed; the monks tried to poison him. The legend goes that they first tried to poison his drink. He prayed a blessing over the cup and the cup shattered. Thus he left the group and went back to his cave at Subiaco. 

There lived in the neighborhood a priest called Florentius who, moved by envy, tried to ruin him. He tried to poison him with poisoned bread. When he prayed a blessing over the bread, a raven swept in and took the loaf away. From this time his miracles seem to have become frequent, and many people, attracted by his sanctity and character, came to Subiaco to be under his guidance. Having failed by sending him poisonous bread, Florentius tried to seduce his monks with some prostitutes. To avoid further temptations, in about 530 Benedict left Subiaco.<ref>[[Matthew Bunson|Bunson, M.]], Bunson, M., & Bunson, S., ''Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints'' ([[Huntington, Indiana|Huntington IN]]: [[Our Sunday Visitor]], 2014), p. 125.</ref> He founded 12 monasteries in the vicinity of Subiaco, and, eventually, in 530 he founded the great Benedictine monastery of [[Monte Cassino]], which lies on a hilltop between Rome and Naples.<ref name=tbl>[https://www.bl.uk/people/st-benedict-of-nursia "St Benedict of Nursia", the British Library]</ref>

[[File:Totila e San Benedetto.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Totila]] and Saint Benedict, painted by [[Spinello Aretino]]. According to Pope Gregory, King Totila ordered a general to wear his kingly robes in order to see whether Benedict would discover the truth. Immediately Benedict detected the impersonation, and Totila came to pay him due respect.]]