The History of Richard Raynal, Solitary

In the winter of 1903‑04 a curious scholar finds himself wandering the narrow streets between Piazza Navona and Piazza Colonna, drawn into a modest religious house that has survived centuries of exile. While the priest‑librarian briefly steps away, he discovers a fragile, unbound manuscript—a 16th‑century account of an English hermit named Richard Raynal—marked with a star that hints at a lost French translation. Intrigued, he spends days copying the fragile pages, eventually producing a careful English rendering that brings the forgotten life back into view.

The manuscript opens with Raynal’s early devotion, his solitary contemplation, and his unexpected summons by Sir John, a court figure who seeks counsel from the hermit. It recounts Raynal’s first encounters with the bustling religious life of Westminster, his attendance at Mass in Saint Pancras, and a tense audience with the king that hints at both reverence and danger. As the hermit grapples with temptations and the “dark night of the soul,” the narrative offers a vivid portrait of medieval spirituality, intrigue, and the fragile line between earthly power and inner devotion.