This tale shows all the signs of a tall one – the man left alone does battle with an active corpse while there is no one else to verify the story. But again, the closeness of this tale to the Slavic vampire concept is remarkable, and leads one to suspect that such tales were already circulating more widely than just within the Balkans.
The fourth and last tale from William of Newburgh is below:
“[4] Another event, also, not unlike this, but more pernicious in its
effects, happened at the castle which is called Anantis, as I have heard from
an aged monk who lived in honour and authority in those parts, and who related
this event as having occurred in his own presence. A certain man of evil conduct
flying, through fear of his enemies or the law, out of the province of York,
to the lord of the before-named castle, took up his abode there, and having
cast upon a service befitting his humour, laboured hard to increase rather
than correct his own evil propensities. He married a wife, to his own ruin
indeed, as it afterwards appeared; for, hearing certain rumours respecting
her, he was vexed with the spirit of Jealousy. Anxious to ascertain the truth
of these reports, he pretended to be going on a journey from which he would
not return for some days; but coming back in the evening, he was privily introduced
into his bedroom by a maid-servant, who was in the secret, and lay hidden
on a beam overhanging, his wife's chamber, that he might prove with his own
eyes if anything were done to the dishonour of his marriage-bed. Thereupon
beholding his wife in the act of fornication with a young man of the neighbourhood,
and in his indignation forgetful of his purpose, he fell, and was dashed heavily
to the ground, near where they were lying.
“[5] The adulterer himself leaped up and escaped; but the wife, cunningly
dissembling the fact, busied herself in gently raising her fallen husband
from the earth. As soon as he had partially recovered, he upbraided her with
her adultery, and threatened punishment; but she answering, "Explain
yourself, my lord," said she; "you are speaking unbecomingly which
must be imputed not to you, but to the sickness with which you are troubled."
Being much shaken by the fall, and his whole body stupefied, he was attacked
with a disease, insomuch that the man whom I have mentioned as having related
these facts to me visiting him in the pious discharge of his duties, admonished
him to make confession of his sins, and receive the Christian Eucharist in
proper form: but as he was occupied in thinking about what had happened to
him, and what his wife had said, put off the wholesome advice until the morrow
– that morrow which in this world he was fated never to behold! –
for the next night, destitute of Christian grace, and a prey to his well-earned
misfortunes, he shared the deep slumber of death. A Christian burial, indeed,
he received, though unworthy of it; but it did not much benefit him: for issuing,
by the handiwork of Satan, from his grave at night-time, and pursued by a
pack of dogs with horrible barkings, he wandered through the courts and around
the houses while all men made fast their doors, and did not dare to go abroad
on any errand whatever from the beginning of the night until the sunrise,
for fear of meeting and being beaten black and blue by this vagrant monster.
But those precautions were of no avail; for the atmosphere, poisoned by the
vagaries of this foul carcass, filled every house with disease and death by
its pestiferous breath.