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HO«, KOTKI ntMK A JiUNOli XikVnCit STS. 1859. -T*' ■^it •■"••■VMMMIIMIMIifl ■"*• ,4r*». ' \ V'A '>J r-rt^r mi^' '*■•, ■ -'*' miift iw. IHAVCIi* AM:> LOlM-D* SAl.K< fXI OOt l't^>K T8^ MIMIOJI or tuM. cu«mais. ^ 4.;- i -^ w/B '^^^^^^^f J/ ^<^ ♦ i s .\ vV/ n v.' A^ TIIK fife of St. jfrantis b.e Salts, BISHOP AND PBINCB Of OBKBVA. BY ROBERT ORNSBY, M. A. Nib) Sork: D. k J. SADLIER & CO., 164 WILLIAM ST. BOSTON :— m FEDERAL STREET. MOKTSBAL:— COB. MOTBB DAMB a rBANCIS XAVIBB STB. 1869. >->t ..^r' #- * »M iii 11 iii n liilKiBMiUMi • ' II 4,1* >WW »^ «M » .a » m .. « • i ii»Tii>f1|-— iii.ij " MaliAtaMiiiU i J/y^- THE LIFE 09 ST. FB -Wf VIW TOBXt D ft J. 8ABIIBB, ft 00.. 164 Wlllllir 8TREE1 bobtoh:— 198 v»n>vt &l-*tIiAvt. KOsnuuL : ooK. or xovAB-DAira axd ir. rusem xavucr sts. # ISG'J. ^ S ^} ir / -^ I Z t t <J, ^fyY^-^-" if V \ ^\ \ c^ /^. u '"**«. God neV^'.^m^^at^xi^^MJ^ alike. It is one of the privileges ot Omnipotence to show that, in adhering to the laws which It has Itself created, it is still those laws' Master. We, on the other hand, usually play the part of a machine. We can but repeat ourselves, and be the precise copy- ists of our own feebly-conceived and defectively- executed originals. We multiply repetitions of our works with the servile accuracy of a me- chanical apparatus. We first devise by the aid of the line, the rule, and the square; and tLen we can but return again and again to our first pattern, varying it only through infirmity, and counting ourselves most successful when we have reproduced it with a most painful geometric mi- nuteness. But He who created the world and the laws within whose limits we toil is as infinitely varied in the details of His works as those works them- selves are infinite in number. The stars difier from one another in glory. Of the uncounted * ^^m. TIU PRBFACB. varieties of flowers, no two arc alike. In all the bewildering myriads of the leaves of a forest, even our coarse perceptions can detect some slight va- riations in form. Every feature in nature, front an Alpine precipice to a crystallised fragment, * unlike any other. Such is the abyss of the wisdom of God in the creation of the organised universe. The same mysterious variety is found to pre- vail, not only in our own countenances and figures, in our intellects and emotions, as we are by nature, but in the most perfect works of Divine Grace. It is curious to think how different the ** Saints*' are from what they would have been if they had been all fashioned on a type invented by human ingenuity. It makes one smile to think what singular phenomena would have been turned out from a humanly-conducted laboratory, when con- trasted with the actual Saints, such as Almighty God has Himself made them. In matters of right and wrong, strictly speaking, we have all of us been taught by Almighty God ; and consequently our beau-ideal of a " Saint** implies the presence of all virtues in the heroic degree. But when we come to the outward clothing which this heroic sanctity should wear, it is certain that if we had the work to do, we should fabricate Saints after a fashion wonderfully unlike that which has of- '^ w Is M^ PREPACK. m ten been adopted by Eternal Wisdom. No doubt we tihould produce a good many varieties, ac- cording to our national and personal ideas of the KoXoKoyaBoVt — ** the good, the beautiful, and the true.*' The Englishman's Soint would be different from the Frenchman's, and the Frenchman's from the German's or the Italian's ; and all these again from the Negro's, or the Saint of the Japanese. Still, it may be assumed as an undoubted truth, that we are generally more or less sur- prised to find that the externals of sanctity are so different from those which we should have anticipated. With all that we say — and Lulieve also — on the subject of *• hidden Saints," and of the essentially retiring and modest nature of sanctity, there are few persons who do not ex- pect that the heroic virtue of a real Saint should show itself in some quiet way or other, so as to be cognisable by an ordinary Christian of fair good sense and piety. Still more do we expect that Saints shall have nothing about them which, as the saying is, shall " run into us." We look for such an absence of infirmities in those things which are solely and entirely natural, that the Saint may at once interest and please the Chris- tian, and silence the silly ill-nature of the un« believer. ^^If X PHEFACE. When, then, we turn to the aciual lives of the Saints, it is striking to find how seldom they have been suspected to be Saints even by the general run of good Catholics, and still less by the common crowd. Sometimes their extraordinary graces have been known to so few, that it may be said that they were almost literally unknown. So far as the ex- ternals of life were concerned, they have been for • the most part like other men. Grace left nature, in all things but sin, pretty much as it would have been if they had been nothing more than sim- ply gof>d Christians. And accordingly they have varied from one another in just the same variety which prevails among those who are not Saints. Not only their circumstances, rank, and influence have been very different in different cases, but they have been gifted with very different degrees of what we may call " attractiveness," as other persons so singularly differ in that peculiar gift. Nor is it any disparagement to the perfection of the work of God in them, that one Saint is of such a character as to attach to his memory a far larger number of devout clients than can ever be gained by another. Some men are made to be universal favourites in daily life, wherever they go. Others, quite their equals, sometimes their superiors, in every important quality, compara- PREPACK. J «^ tively stand apart, unbefricnded and alone. This is a result of that boundless variety which exists in the natural characters which God has given to us, following His own impenetrable wisdom. And so it is with the Saints. There are those to whom intercession is daily made by tens of thousands of Christians ; while others are known only by their place in the calendar, and are hon- oured by a devout rule rather than by the per- sonal choice of the individual Christian. We all have our '* favourite Saints." It is often difficult to say why we prefer to have recoursel^o one lather than to another, as it is hard to say why we enjoy one man's society, and care little for that of an- other. But so it is, and so it will be as long as the world lasts, and both the Saints, and we who honour them, are what we are. The Saint whose life has suggested these re- marks is perhaps — next, of course, to the Queen of Saints — the ** favourite Saint" of the whole calendar, wherever his writings are known and understood. There appears in the mind of St. Francis of Sales that union of sweetness and strength of manly power and feminine delicacy, of profound knowledge and practical dexterity, which constitute a character formed at once to win and subdue minds of almost every type and zfi PREFACE. age» As the rose among flowers, so is he among Saints. From the thorny, woody fibre of the brier comes forth that blossom which unites all that can make a flower lovely and attractive ; and from the hot and vehement nature of the young Savoyard came a spiritual bloom whose beauty and fragrance were perfect in an extraordinary degree. All things that command respect and attract love were found in Francis. High rank, polish of manner, geniality of disposition, shrewd- ness of head, vivacity of imagination, a capacity for profound theological studies, a rare felicity in the use of language, a captivating grace of manner, an almost unrivalled power as a director of souls, activity without bustle, mortification without sad- ness, — all these things won him a reputation and a body of affectionate friends while he lived, and r. cloud of clients since he died, which it would not be easy to parallel in the case of any other of the band of Saints. Few men, moreover, have pos- sessed such wisdom and candour in matters theo- logical and controversial. A lover of gentle means in an age of persecution ; a hearty Frenchman without Gallicanism ; an Ultramontane without exaggeration ; a spiritual guide who could con- duct souls with the reverent delicacy of a true mystic and the piercing shrewdness of a man of PREFACE. XUl tlie ?rld, — he still lives by his writings, to be accepted as at once one of the safest, the most satisfying, and the most profound teachers of that wisdom which is revealed to all the Saints; but which it is given to few to communicate with the fulness and beauty with which it ever flows from his lips. J. M. C. „ ^K CONTENTS. CHAB. VAOB 1 I. Early lifo and education of Francis de Sales . II. His vocation to the ecclesiastical state, and founda- tion qf the Confraternity of the Holy Cross . 20 III. His mission in the Chablais; its early difficulties . 27 lY. Gradual change in the state oC affairs, and final conversion of the Chablais 38 y. Appointment of Francis de Sales to the coadjutor- ship of Geneva ; his visit to Rome . . . 57 VI. Foundation of " the Holy House ;" Visit to Paris . 62 VII. Francis de Sales as Bishop of Geneva . . .73 VIII. Visit of Francis de Sales to Dijon ; his direction of Jane Frances de Chantal 82 IX. Organisation of the Order of the Visitation .• .103 X. Foundation of the Florimontane Academy; his Trea- tises of 77ie Introduction and 7^ Love of God . 117 XI. Visit to Paris with the Cardinal of Savoy; last yean of Francis de Soles . . . • • . 130 XII. Death of Francis de Soles 137 XIII. Character of St Francis de Sales . • • .148 s X \ THB LIFE OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. # "»»■• 'T. Francis de Sales be- longs to that class of Saints, the lustre of whose lineaffe, and whose conspicuous station in the world, have corre- sponded to their rank in the celestial king'dom. Scarcely any condition of life could be named that has not afforded the material of heroic sanctity. A labourer like St. Isidore, a merchant like St. Francis of Assisi, a soldier like St. Camillus of Lellis, a servant-girl like St. Zita, a shep- herdess like the Blessed Germaine Cousin, fuiTiish, in the more ordinary, or in the humblest walks of life, examples of the same holiness which, in St. Henry or St. Louis, adorned the crown of empire or royalty. The Saint of whose life we are about to give a sketch was not, indeed, of such exalted rank as these last ; still his birth placed bim in the highest class of society. He was the eldest son of one of the principal nobles of Savoy, — Jobn B % 3 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. Lord of Sales, of Boisy, of Balleyson, and of Villa- roget, usually styled by the second of those titles. His mother, FAnces, daughter of Melchior de Syonnaz, Lord of La Thuille and of Valli^res, came of no less noble stock. Francis was bom at their ancestral castle of Sales (a magnificent seat near Annecy, which was aftenvards destroyed by order of Louis XII I. duiing" his war with Savoy), on Aug*. 21, 1567. His biographers g^ive some curious anecdotes of his childish life, derived from his nurse, a good creature, who from the first believed she had charg-e of a saint. These stones are too minute for an outline like this ; but they show the germs of that sweet and beautiful charaqter which afterwards made his name, as it were, perfume the whole Church with its fragrance. Even before Francis could speak, his attendants found that he was never so happy as when they carried him into a church. Like most gi*eat and holy men, he had the blessing of having an excellent mother, who took care that the foundations of piety were well laid in his earliest years. His father appeare to have been a good specimen of the nobleman of the old school; honourable, single- minded, and chivalrous, dnd at the same time full of dignity and self-respect. He had a numerous family, all of them of lofty principle and interesting character. Our Saint was the eldest son; the second ana third were GaloysLord of Boisy, and Louis Lord of La Thuille; the former of whom was famous for his skill in reconciling those at variance, — a quality which, in those troubled times, he was often called on to exercise. Louis also lived a holy life in the world, and was the father of Chai'les Auguste, the pious biognipher of the Saint, and his second successor in the see of Geneva. Next came John Francis, who was his vicar-general, coadjutor, and immediate successor. The fifth brother was Bei-nard (there was an ancient afiinity between the house of Sales and that of the Saint of that name) Baron of Thorens, who married a daughter of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, and who died at an early age. Jar.us, tne 1 CII. I.I ST. FRAIYCI8 DB SALES. 8 sixtli brothftr, a kni^'bt of tho Order of St. John of Je- rusalem, is doTicnbea as a gallant cavalier of the olden days. There were two sisters: Gnsparde, married to the Lord of Comillon, a worthy lady, who followed the noble examples set by her brothers; and " Mademoiselle Jeanne," who died very young', after affording* great promise from her innocent and virtuous character. Altog-ether it was a noble household, fit to be headed by a saint. Francis was sent in early childhood to the college of La Hocho, and nftonvanls to that of Annecy. He was from tlie first marked ont among- his young com- panions for his superior manliness and gravity of de- meanour. Whilst the rest rambled abont in schoolboy fashion, hatless and unbuttoned, amusing themselves with boyish pursuits, he was always carefully dressed ; and, instead of joining in their amusements, would stay at hoiiie and read to the old lady at whose house he boarded. He was, however, well trained in all the ac- complishments which in those days were considered essential to the rank of a young noble ; he was taught to dance, to fence, and to ride; and these exercises he learnt well, being always particularly noticed for that graceful, dignified, and easy deportment, which is sel- dom atUiined without such ti*aining in early life. He was five years at the college of Annecy, and learned there the Latin language, and " made notable progress in the humanities;" by which phrase, now getting antiquated, the old school meant that geneitd cultiva- tion in polite literature which infonned and moulded the mind so as to be well furnished with tlie habits and ideas peculiarly belonging to " the scholar and the gentleman." He was a hard student, an early riser ; ut moderate in sitting up at night. At the age of eleven he entreated pel-mission of his father to take the tonsure, having at that early age decided to adopt the ecclesiastical life. M. de Boisy by no means desii-ed this, for his ambition was that his eldest son should make a great figure in the world ; but with that sort of • ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. management which men of great experience often pre- fer to violent measures, he permitted him to do as he pleased. The old lord knew that the tonsure did not bind his son finally to become an ecclesiastic ; and de- pended on the changes a young man's mind goes through, to dissipate this predilection. In most cases Iiis sngacity would not have been at fault ; but he did not as yet know that his son was a saint. The youthful Francis received the tonsure in Sept. 1578. To show how the simplest temptations sometimes affect heroic minds, we may mention that the youthful Saint felt a pang of extreme repugnance when his long and beau- tiful hair was about to be cut off. He generously made the sacrifice; but did not entirely regain his tranquillity till it was over. In 1580 he was sent to pursue his studies in the University of Paris. His father had intended to send liim to the college of Navari'e, which, out of the many in that famous university, was the chief resort of the young noblesse of Savoy ; but at the earnest entreaty of Francis, the college of the Jesuits was fixed upon for him. Here he remained five years, making great ac- quisitions in the various branches of the learned educa- tion of the age. He studied Greek under the P^re Sirmond, whose vast erudition in ecclesiastical anti- quity was evinced by many great works; theology under John Francis Suarez, doubtless an accomplished teacher, though not to be confounded with the more fa- mous theologian of that name. Another of his theolo- gical masters was Dandini, one of the greatest Aristo- telians of the day, who was aftenvards sent out as ApostoHc Nuncio to the Maronites of Mount Libanus. Francis was most diligent in taking notes of the lec- tures which he attended ; and his manuscripts, which still remain, ai*e a curiosity for their elegance and pre- cision. " From the first word to the last," says his most recent biographer, " every thing in them is of an exquisite neatness, exceedingly careml, perfectly dis- tinct and easy to read, provided one has acquired a CII. I.J BT. FRANCIS DE 9ALK8. 6 comnlrtc ncqnaintnnce nnd a sort of hnbitimtion with tlio ubbieviatiotis usod in it. All the mjirg-ins nro co- vered witli notices of tlie divisions and subdivisions, with the various heads of proof, and form, as it were, an analysis of the whole work ; finally, one recognises throug-liout not only the orderly mind which does every thing" well, but also the logical mind which clas- sifies its ideas, and furnishes itself with a clear and pre- cise account of them." One study, unusual in that age, to wliich he addicted himself, was the Hebrew language, which he learned under a celebrated teacher of the day, Gencbrard, who aftei-wards became Archbishop of Aix. His scriptural studies were very profound, as we find continually exemplified in his tlieological treatises, where he frequently illustrates the meaning of texts by reference to the Septuagint. His private tutor for this period, and indeed for the rest of his education also, was the Abbe Deage, a good man, but addicted to hold tlie reins of discipline rather tightly ; which brings out some amusing scenes, where his ill-temper, and yet the affectionate love with which he regamed his charge, contrasts with the heroic humility of the young noble. At Paris one of the most remarkable and critical events of his life took place, a terrible tempta- tion to despair, which came on suddenly and lasted for a consideraole time, but from which he was released in a wonderful manner. He was about the age of seven- teen when the idea took possession of his mind that he was not in a state of grace, and that consequently there was a frightful probability of his being eternally lost. His soul was over^vhelmed with feor, which he in vain tried to reason away. When he represented to himself the promises of Almighty God to help those wlio call upon Him, the consciousness of his own weakness came on to stifle the rising hope. He might full into mortal sin ; feeble as he was, it seemed to him certain he would do so if a dangerous occasion occurred. The g-ulf of hell thus seemed to open before him at the very time when scarcely a deliberate venial sin had stained his »T. FHANfl? UK AALKfl. innoronr^. Yot nt tlip vrrv time he \vu.s croinp* tlirnnp'h this nwi'iil coiiHict, lu» '/.ixo tl:ft iiiDst IM-Mifit'iil nusucis to the tcmntntions vliicii as-iiilfd liim. •*<> JiMV.I," lie cried, "if I niii not to see Tlu'c, lot mv i):iiii at U-ast Jinve this ussiinf»"f»ni('nt, — j»orimt nin not «'V«'r to cui-sie or l)hisr)hf'm«f Thp«». f) Lovo, Charity, Beauty, to whom I have vowed all my affections, am I n(?vt'r, then, to enjoy Thy delif^hts / am I never, then, to he ine- bnuted with the ahundance of the g-oods of Thy house? Am I never, then, to i)ass to the place of that ador- able tabenincle where my God dwells ? Vii-p^in all- lovin(r, thou whose charms cannot i-ejoice the rej;^ions of hell, am I never, then, to see thee in the king'dom of thy Son/ Denutiful ns the moon, shining' like tlie sun, nm I never to share in the immense benefit of the Re- suiTection '{ But did not my sweet Jesus die for me, as well as for the rest? Ah, be it as it may, Lord, if I cannot love Thee in the next Jife, since no one praises Thee in hell, may I at least profit by all the moments of my short existence here to love 'fhee!" He seems, if it were ])ossible, to have suftered the very agonies of Irell, without the loss of the love of God. It seem.s us though an angel had caught him by the hair, find held him over the very flames of that dark lake of end- less son-ow. Considering w hat he was to become in ai'ter-life, the guide and cojnfojter of such a multitude of minds, in every variety of spiritual suffering*, it was necessary, in order to give him the means for such uni- vei-sal sympathy, for himself to have suffered the same. Without supernatural means, indeed, a person of an- g-elic innocence like Francis could not have sounded those unusual depths of human ag-ony. The tempta- tions, as we have said, lasted for a long time, not less than six weeks; during which he was hardly ; ble to eat, or drink, or sleep. He lost his colour uud ]][< strength; he went about haggard and treml i >;,• I'l'o one whose whole energies were breaking up. ixiileed, it may be said that for him to have survived such a horrible impression at all, of itself showed that the im- U J ■ «; CH. I.J ST. FRANCIS DE flALKS. 7 prossion was »U|>' niatuml. Diirinff nil this timo he iKiver pive uj» any o( hiii usual »«xt'rci».«s of devotion; hut, on tho contiarv, iucrr,, • i\ thrm considcnihly, iiiid did his utmost to stn'r^tl, .n hi, m>u1 hv i>r.illmii- all tho various con^ ilatorv f'loni Huiv \V lit. '1 'u'lf^ still exists n pajK/r written by hini, mi whioh he rwn;')- tulatcs tlioso in u most t'luehint** mninnor. Ft is too loi. j* to be inserted here at leng'th; out a few sentmcf-* lioni tho commencement of it will sliow what a depth l>oth of intellect and of holiness there must have l)c<' i in t!iis youth of seventeen. "Prostrated at tho l'- r of .St. Augiistino and St. Thomas, prepnreil to be ..ruit of all thinffs, that I may know Him Who is t •■ Wisdom of the Father, Christ crucified; altiioujrh 1 dnubt not that the thin{^s which I have written are true, beeauso I see nothing- that can cause a doubt of r.'ieir solid truth; yet as I see not all thing-s, and > • liid««l('n a mystery is too bright to be looked at iixi !y by my dim eyes; if hereafter the contmry shou.d nppeur, which I suppose never will be — yea, if, whicii the Lord Jesus forbid, I knew that I were danmed by that will whicli Thomas declares to be in God, that I'e might show His justice, — I, willingly confounded, and looking" up to the Judg-e most hig;h, would say with t*io Pro- phet, Shall not my soul be subject to (jod i Yea, i'ather, for so it hath seemed good in Thy sight; Thy 'ill bo done. And this, in the bitterness of my soul, I vould Bay so often, till God, changing* my Ufe and Hi sen- teitce, would answer me : Be confident, my son; I desire not the death of the wicked, but rather that he liv-=» . . . . . thou shalt not -go down into hell; but thou -halt go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the liou •? of the God of Jacob." The temptation, however, tho igh so generously combated, remained for weeks, and his health began to fail under it. He became wasted t<» a skeleton, and moved about like a g'host; so that all his fi'iends became alai-med about him. At length this great cross disappeared as suddenly as it came. He one day entered the church of St. EtiennG-de3-Gr6s, 8 8T. FnANCIS DK SALE«. and knolt down hoforn nn imajre of tlio Blos«pd Virgin. His eye was cang-lit by a ta))Iot on the wsill, on wliicli was inscribed the famous pmyer of St. HfMnaid, the efficacy of which has been verified l)y sucii countless graces: "Remember, most lioly Virg-in Mary." He repeated it witli great emotion; and implored, throug'h the intercession of Mary, that it niig'ht ])lease God to restore his peace of mind. He also made a vow of perpetual chastity ; and [)romised to recite the chaplet of six decades daily in memory of it. All at once he fd'lthis soul in tramjuiliit / The dark thought^ which had hung; over him for so r^any weeks. secMmti to come off from his mind like the scales fror: a leper when miraculously cleansed. He came out from the church in that sweet and profound calmness of mind which lie never aftenvards lost. He fulfilled his reso- lution of reciting- the chaplet daily, and also added to it the 3Ic'morare, which he recommended to all his peni- tents. After having" spent five yeai-s at Paris with ^-eat profit, he returned home for a short visit. His father then decided on sending" him to finish his education at the University of Padua, the leg-al schools of which at that time had the hig"hest reputation throT'o-]joTit Europe. Thither he arrived at the ueg'inning" of tlie year 1587, and recommenced his studies under the care of professors of gTeat celebrity, the ])rincipal of whom was Guido Panziruolo, more generally known under the name of Pancirolus, whose fame is even yet not forg'otten by students of the civil law, on which he wrote some very elaboi-ute works. His spiritual director was a man not less reninrknble, the Jesuit Possevinus, who had retired to Padua nWov a g"reat career in ecclesiastical diplomacy. He had been aj)ostolic nuncio in Sweden, where he suc- ceeded in reconciling^ John III. to the Catholic Church; and had afterwards carried on important neg'otiations on behalf of the Holy See in Poland and Russia. His influence had a large share in the formation of the character of Francis de Salas. It was he who, after % h ■i I CH. I.] 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. t \\ lon^ deliberations and many pravers, finally decided that his holy disciple ought to adopt the ecclesiastical career in preference to the bar, whicli his father wished for him. He taug-ht him the Jesuit method of medita- tion, fresh from the traditions of the great St. Ignatius. He read with him the sacred Scriptures, being perliaps the first exegetical divine of that age ; and under his instniction Francis, learned above all to prize those three grent authoi-s, who throughout life were the chief sources of his lenrning, St. Thomas, St. Bonaventure, and Car- dinal Bellai'mine. At the University of Padua, his demeanour, of which we have comparatively abundant records, was such as to furnish quite an ideal for the Catholic stu- dent to aim at. The place was one of immense tempta- tions; the license of the mediieval universities still pre- vailed there, and virtue was in great danger. On two occasions he was brought into the veiy furnace of trial. A party of his fellow-students resolved to put his purity to the test, and made a regular conspiracy for this wicked purpose; taking him to what they pretended was the nouse of a newly-arrived professor ot jurispni- dence, where they had engaged a courtesan to allure him to sin. They introduced this miserable woman to him as if she were a lady of the family, and then left the room on one excuse or other. Presently she chang-ed her manner, and attempted to entice him by immodest gestures. The moment he perceived her real character, he rushed out of the room, spittinw* in her face when she attempted to detain him. Thus the temptation which these instruments of Satan had prepared to de- stroy his soul, only redounded to his glory, and covered them with shame. On another occasion, whilst at Padua, a lady of the loftiest rank of the nobility con- ceived a violent passion for him, and sought to lead him astray from the paths of virtue, bribing one of his fel- low-students to try to further her wicked designs by his persuasions. The holy youth treated the proposal with horror, sharply rebuked the base messenger, and 10 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. ordorpd him out of liis presence. The instantaneous s prese dignity of holinoss with which he repelled tliese tempta- tions, showed what a treasure of grace lie had acquired at that early and critical age. Whilst at Padua he made a plan of life for himself, which contains many remarkable points, and is w^ell worth the study of every young- man eng*Jiged in the academic cai-eer. It is nardly necessary to say, that reg-ularitv in meditation and in hearing* the holy 3Iass are the leading" rul'S which he adopts. The chief biog'raphical interest which attaches to them is to observe at what an early period he had developed in his mind the spiritual method which pervades the Introduction to a Decotit Life. He lays g-reat stress on what he calls " the exercise of preparation." His words are: " I will always give the preference above every thing* else to the exercise of preparation^ and I will perform it once at least in the day, viz. in the morning." He divides it into five parts : the invocation of the Divine help; the imagination or anticipation of what he has to do; the armngement of it; the making a resolution of not offending God; and finally, the recommendation of liis affairs to the Divine goodness. On the second head he says : " I will simply think of all those things which may occur to me; of the company in which 1 may be obliged to remain ; of the affairs which may arise ; of the {)laces in which I must be; of the occasions which may lappen to take me off my guard ; and thus, by the lielp of the Lord, I will meet difficulties wisely and prudontly." Then as to the arrangement of his actions : " I will consider and diligently inquire what are the best means of avoiding falls ; I will see what it is expedient to do, in what order I must proceed in this or that affair; what I ought to say in society. I will decide as to mv dress and demeanour, and determine what I must seek and what I must avoid." The rules, which are in Latin, are sometimes singularly expressed. Thus the passage vvliere we have given the word " society" is, " quid in consvetudine dicei'c debeam.'^ In Francis's own French 1! i CH. I.] 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES 11 version it is, "r/^ ce que je dirai en compaf/nir." Medi- tation lie calls, by a liig'hly refined metaphor, " tlic sleep of the soul," because it refreshes the mind as i*est does the body ; and again, as in bodily sleep the operations of tiie body do not act beyond themselves, but are restrained within the limits of the body, so, says the youthful saint, " I will keep all my spiritual faculties within tlie limits of the spirit." This is a passag-e full of the most sug- gestive wisdom, and contaming one of the choicest rules of meditation, inculcating that drawing-off the mind from things of sense which St. Catharine of Sienn^i called the building of a cell within her heart; and which another holy person, B. Leonardo Fattore, sig-nified by this exjiression, ** the land of faith." " The land of faith" was a certain state of the soul, calm, equable, and penetrated with the conviction of the truths of religion, in which he placed it occasionally when in the midst of the business and trials of life. To return, however, to Francis. If he cannot find time at the usual hour for this " most vigilant sleep of the soul," he resolves to deprive himself of a portion of his bodily sleep in order to it, either by remaining awake after lie goes to bed, or rousing himself after his first sleep, or rising earlier than usual. He provides beautiful thoughts for himself fi*oin the sacred Scriptures if he chances to wake during the night : " I will rouse my heart with the words : Mcdid node clamor factus est : Ecce sponsus venitf cjcitc obviam ei ; * At midnight there was a cry made : Behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet Him.' Then, from the consideration of the darkness outside of me, passing on to the inward darkness of my soul and of all sinners, thus 1 will pray during the night : llluminare his qui in tenebris, Sec. ; ' To enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the sha- dow of death, to direct our feet into the way of peace.' " He adds: " But since nightly terrors sometimes hinder the acts of sucli devotion, if I chance to be seized with them, I will deliver myself from them by thinking of my angel-guardian, saying, Dominus a dextris tneit ^ i 13 FT. FHANCIS 1)E SALES. cafy ne commoi'car ; which somo doctors hare intcr- pretecl of the ang'el-i^iiardian." Wo may ilhistrnto tliis curious j)assag'o from a letter of liis, in wliich he says to the rehg'ious sister to whom he writes : " Thf^y tell me, my very dear daug-hter, that you are afraid of ghosts. The supreme Spirit of our God is every where, without whose will and permission no spirit stirs. He who fears that Divine S[)irit oug-lit to fear no other spirit. I, when I was young*, was touched hy this I'an- tasy ; and to rid myself of it, I forced myself, little by little, to g'o alone, my heart armed with confidence in God, into places where my imagination threatened me with fear J and at last I strengthened myself so, that the darknesses and solitude ot the night are a delight to me, because of that omnipresence of God which one enjoys more at will in that solitude. The good angels are around you like a company of soldiers on watch. This assurance will be acquired by degrees, as the grace of God shall grow in you." {Letter iO?.) The subjects which he marks down for meditation, though not aifFering from those to be found in ordinary books (which, indeed, have ever since his time been much coloured by his writings), are expressed in a highly ori- ginal manner. Thus he resolves, when he has an oppor- tune time for this " holy quiet," to recal the pious emo- tions, longings, desires, resolutions, sweetnesses, and inspirations, which he has formerly received i'rom the Divine Majesty; and also to call to mind how great his obligation is to Almiffhty God, " in that in His mercy He has at times weakened my senses by some diseases and infirmities, which have been of no little advantage to me." There is also a short and admirable reflection on the excellence of Christian virtue, " which sanctifies a man, which changes him into an angel, which m^kes him a little God (ckmum), which in this life confers paradise on him." Lastly are some wonderful thoughts on the at- tributes of God. " I will contemplate," he says, " the in- finite wisdom, omnipotence, and incomprehensible good- ness of God J but I will specially aim at this, how these I n^ r en. I.J ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. H» excellent attributes shine forth in the sacred mysteries of the life, cleutli, and passion of our Loid Jesus Christ ; in the most eminent holiness of our Ladv, Dlessed Mary; and in the imitable perfections of the faithful servants of God. Passing" from hence to the empyrean heaven, I will marvel at the g'lory of paradise, the un- failing^ felicity of the ang-elic spiiits and of the souls of the blessed ; and how the most au|^ust Trinity, in the etenial rewards wherewith It remunerates this blessed multitude, shows Itself powerful, wise, and g^ood." There is also a set ot rules for his conduct in society, so hig'hly curious and interesting-, that We shall g;ive them almost at full leng-th. They are written in sin- g;ular and mther difficult Latin, of which the followinjj seems to be the result, expressed in the lang-ua^e of the present ape and in the third person, but, with that limi- tation, adnering; as closely as possible to the phraseology of the writer : 1. He first distinguishes between general society {cmigressits) and intimate friendship (consnetuclo). In the former, we see people only for a short time, and without any particular aemonstrations of affection ; in the latter, we often meet, we show familiarity, entertain affection, and visit our chosen friends, in order to live in a praiseworthy manner, and mutually advise with each other. 2. He resolves never to desjnse, or to give indi* cations that he absolutely avoids the society of any one whomsoever ; for this gives one the character of ueing proud, high, severe, airogant, censorious, ambitious, and excessive in the expression of these feelings. In society, he resolves to be very careful not to appeal' as the " great ally" of any one (ne cum aliqvo socimn anam), not even with his most intimate friends, if any chance to be present; for this would smack of levity to those who observe it. He will not allow himself in any impropriety of sixjech or action, lest, by too ready fa- miliarity, he get the chai-ncter of being impertinent. Above all, he resolves to avoid saying biting, pungent. \ 14 •T. FRANCIS DK SALES. or sarcastic things againrt pt^ople; for it is mere stupi- dity to tliink we can laug-li at people who have no rea- son for benringf with us, and yet not incur their liatred. He resolves to pay every one the honour due to him, to observe modesty, to speak little and well, that the com- Kany may retire rather with a desire to have more of is society than fatigiied with it. If the meeting" is hut momentary, and he has hainJly time to say more than '* How do you do?" (quamvis a mlutntione non aliud dicerem,) he will do so in a liberal, polite, and well-regulated manner, neither austere nor g-Ioomy. 3. Then^ as to his intimate friends, these shall be ^fetVf good, and honourable (because it is extremely difficult to succeed with many, or to avoid being* cor- rupted by associating" wirti the bad, or to be honoured except by the honourable). The grand precept he re- solves to observe, both as to general society and inti- mate friendsliip, is this : Amicus amnihuSy J'amiliari* pattcis. Judgment and prudence is every where needed. There is no rule without an exception, but that one rule which is the foundation of all the i-est : Nihil contra Deum. With his intimate friends he resolves to be modest without impertinence, easy without austerity, sweet without affectation, pliable without contradiction (unless there be good reason for it), and cordial without dissimulation (because men like to know those with whom they act). But he will open himself more or less to different friends, according to the degree of intimacy which exists between them. "There are melancholy pei'Son3, who nre delighted when any one reveals to them his defects ; but from such characters one ougiit rather to hide oneself; for their imagination being strong, tliey will j)hilosophise for ten yeai-s or more on the most trifling impei-fection. Further, why reveil imperfec- tions ? are they not visible enough of themselves i By no means, therefore, is it expedient to make them mani- fest; but it is good to confess them." He thus regu- lates his demeanour with regard to these three classes, the impertinent, the lil^ral or ^gentlemanly, and the CH. 1.] »T. KRANCIt* I)K dALCfl. ir> melanclioly : " To tlie imptM-tinent I will nhsolnt»^ly hide mvself. To tlie libernl, if only tliev fear God, I will absolutely reveal myself, and speak to them witii an open heait. To the melancholy I will mei-ely show myself, as the proverb has it, exfcnestrd, from behind the lattice ; that is, I will partly open myself to them (because such people have a great curiosity to see into the hearts of men, and where they see one too much restmined, they are suddenly suspicious); and I will partly conceal myself (because such persons are accus- tomed too closely to watch and philosophise on the cha- i-actei-s of those who associate with them)." 4. As he finds himself, for the most part, oblig-ed to meet pei-sons of very various ranks, he wishes to ad- just his manners accordingly. To his superiors in age, profession, or authority, he resolves to show an ex- quisitely |)olislied demeanour (nonnisi exqxtisiUtm os- tcndeJiavm est); to his equals, good manners; and a certiiin indifference towams his inferiors. The i-eason he g^ives for this distinction is, that great and wise per- sons nr(> fond of that exquisite polish which he resolves to use towards the fii*st class, whilst the second would only think it affectation, and the third a disagreeable gravity. If he finds himself brought into mtimate friendshij) with the great, he will then be particularly anxious (for they may be compared to hr^tf a good thino; to approach sometimes, but not to approach too nearly). Therefore, in their presence, he will show great modesty, tempered with an honourable freedom (t»ecause the great like to be loved and to be i-espected ; and love causes freedom, and modesty respect). It is therefore good tc use a little freedom in the society of the great, but not so as to omit respect; and the respect mu&it be greater than the freedom. Amongst equals, freedom and respect must be equal ; towai-ds inferioi*s, freedom must be greater than respect; but the con- trary must be observed with great and superior persons. Such were the wise maxims which this youth of eighteen or twenty laid down for his conduct in the Ifl •T. FRANCIH DK SALK4. world. Not greater insijrht into the human heart is displayed in an essay of tj^ml Bncon's, or a chaptiM* of the rlhetoric of Aristotle; not ni')n'iefiiied or suhtle ap- Ereciation of society is to he found in Chesterfield or la Bruy^re. People are too apt to imaj^ine that this ocuteness and polish cannot be conjoinecl with devo- tion or simplicity. They should study the character of Francis, who in the.se resolutions shows how completely the true Catholic, nav even the heroic and saintlv de- votee, may more than rival the courtier and the states- man in gfood breeding- and the most finished politeness. These maxims of Francis de Sales became known to his friends in the university, and they obtained copies of them, in order to g-uide their own manneiu on the pat- tern of his. Whilst at Padua, he was attncked with j\ violent fever, which broug-ht him to the brink of the g-rave, throug;hout which illness he showed the most heroic re- sig-nation. One very singular instance is recorded of his charity on this occasion. When asked by his tutor what were his wishes witli reg-jird to his funend, he re- plied, that he had only one request to make, which was, that his body raiffht be given to the medical students for dissection. When the Abb6 Deage exclaimed in horror at this proposal, the holy youth replied, that he would feel u a great consolation to think that, having" been so useless during* life, he should at least be of some service after he was dead, by supi)lying' the medical students with a subject not purchased at the cost of qiu^r- rels and murder. iMie fact was, that in the University of Padua the most terrible scenes used Xxi occur in conse- quence of this difficulty. The medical students, in tiieir eagerness to obtain su})jects for dissection, used to ritlo the churchyards; the townsmen nished, with arms in their hands, to prevent this, and sangTiinary conflicts and the bitterest feelings were the results. There was, there- fore, real wisdom in this proposal, which at first might have been thought the mere extravagance of delirium. He was perfectly serious in it ; and the sacnfice would I CH. I.] 8T. FRANCIS DB SALES. 17 probably linvo (\o\w miiclj to bring" nlwnt some ifer re- p-ulatiou ; liowevcr, it was not nceiled; for he soon after rftcoverefl, ahriost nuraculously, at the moment when he was thoudit to be in the very agonies of deatli. He completea his ecUicution at Fadua with extraordinary distinction ; and the ceremony of confeiTin"p on liim the dejiTee of doctor of hiws was celebmted with the most unusual pomp, and in a manner which showed that he was looked upon as the very brightest oi-nament of the university. It took place on September 5, 151)1, when Francis was twenty-four yeai-s of ag-e. Foi-ty-eight doctoi-s assemliled on the occasion ; and Pancirolus pre- sided and conducted the examination. The candidate answered in the most brilliant manner ; after which Pan- cirolus addressed him in a speech, in which he compli- mented him in the highest terms on his admirable career, alluding not only to his learning, but to the astonishing example of purity, goodness, and charity whicli he had afforded to the university. In the midst of a luxurious city he had. preserved himself imstained ; like the fountain of Arethusa in the old Grecian fable, which mingled its watei*s with the sea without contract- ing aught of their bitterness. Francis de Sales replied in an elegant oration, in which, after alluding to the benefits he had derived from his studies in the Univer- sity of Paris, — where, he said, " the very roofs and walls seemed to speak philosophy," — he expressed his deep sense of the ouligation he was under to the University of Padua for the legal wisdom which its schools aiforded, mentioning three professors to whom he was in par- ticular indebted, Pancirolus, Menochius, and Mathea- ceus. He concluded by rendering thanks to Jesus Christ, to our Blessed Lady, to liis angel-g^ardian, and to his holy patron, St. Francis of Assisi, — cvjtis nomine (said he) vocari phrhmtm delector. He then received from Pancirolus the doctor's cap and ring, amidst the applauses of all present ; and was conducted to his house by the entire assemlily, the city itself re- joicing as he passed by. The effect which his character. 18 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. even nt this very early ag'o, prodncofl upon nil who met him, is one of tiie most sing-iilar proofs of his pfreatness. Wo read that there was such a cliarm about his apj)oar- nnce, something so sweet and noble, that people u^sed to watch in the street for an opportunity to see him as he passed by. Tiie g'reatest things were expected from liim even at the very earliest stage of his career. He quitted Padua towards tlio end of the year ; and, previous to returning home, he made the pilgi-image to Rome and Loretto, visiting- also Venice, Milan, and other cities of particular interest in tlie north of It-ily. At Rome he fed his devotion with continual visit-^ to the various sanctuaries and relics of primitive anti(|uitv. A long list is given by his earliest biogi-npher of the chm-ches and other places which he visited with mo^; devotion. Tiiese were the Coliseum, and the church&ai of SS. Peter and Paul , St. Mary Major's, Santa Croc<3, and SS. Sebastian and LiV«^rence, every where honour- ing the holy relics which were preserved in tliese places respectively. He also thoroughly inspected all the re- mains of Roman grandeur in the Eternal City ; the cliief impression he derived from which was, the transitoriness ana emptiness of earthly greatness, an i its intrinsic weakness as opposed to the dominion of t)io Church which has overthrown it. Whilst at Rome he had a remarkable escape : he had been obliged to leave the lodgings he had taken, in consequence of the arrival of some noblemen of high rank, to whom the landlord was tempted to give the preference ; the very next night, the house and all who were in it were swept away by a sudden inundation of the Tiber. At Loi-etto his devo- tion was extraordinary ; and the Abb6 D^age,who saw him whilst he was praying in the Holy House, was so struck w^itli his demeanour and appearance, that evf-r after he regarded him with a degree of reverence wliicii approached to veneration : his face appeared actunlly in- flamed, and to dai't out rays of light like a star. Tlie same j)henomenon ap]>ears more tlian once in his subse- quent history. From Loretto he went to Ancona, where en. I.] 0T. FRANCIS DE SALES. 19 he found a ves.sel nljoiit to sail for Venice. A Nea- politan Indv nnd her suite had enjra^Td it ; but the master of the ship was willing also to take Francis and his party. When the ladv knew of this, she, in a iias- sionate manner, forbade tne ship-master to take tiieso additional passengers. Francis remonstrated with his usual high-bred courtesy, but in vain; the lady obliged the captain to set sail without them. Strange to say, before the ship had proceeded very far, and while Fran- cis was yet watching it, one of those sudden squalls common in the Mediterranean came on ; the ship wns engulfed, and every soul on board perished. Francis took the next opportunity to sail for Cattolica, a little town between Ancona and Venice. On this voyage he himself had a very narrow escape from shipwreck, but nn-ived safely at Cattolica, and from thence proceeded to Venice, where he remained some time. This com- pleted liis travels. He retui-ned homewards, passing DY Pavia, Milan, Turin, nnd aii'iving at his father^ chateau of La Thuille in the spring of the year 1592. < CHAPTER ir. WIS rOCATIOX TO TIIK ECCLESIASTICAL STATE— FOUKDATIOH OV TUB CONrRATKRNITT OF THE HOLY CK084. Francis de Sales was now twenty-five yenrs old, nnd ])erhaps one of the most finished g'entlemen tind leiuncd jurists of his nge, as most certainly in holiness he was surpassed by no one. By liis father's oi*der ho now took tlie title of Seigneur de Villarog-et, this bein^ one of the lordsliips in the possession of the family ; the title of which, as was customary at the time, wus home by the eldest son. He took an early opportunity, after his return, to call upon the venerable Bishop of Ge- nevn, Claude de Granier, — a visit which coloured the whole of his subsequent career; leading-, as it did, first to his being* nominated to the office of provost of the cathedral chapter of Geneva, next to that of coadjutor to the bishop, and finally to his own elevation to the see of Geneva. The ag-ed prelate received him with the utmost distinction. He had from the very fii-st u Presentiment, which he did not hesitate to express to is clergy, that this young" nobleman would live to be his successor in the episcopate. The idea even haunted his dreams ; and the old man saw, in prophetic vision, the career of the future saint iwefimired by mysterious emblems. He imagined he saw him engaged in the chase in the mountainsof Savo3',slnug'htering- the wolves, bears, and other fierce animals, which furnished but too faithful a type of the heresies which devastated the flock intrusted to his care. He made the youthi'ul Francis, though habited in his laical dress, and g^'rt with the sword, which indicated his rank in the world, assist at an assembly of theologians; and made him express his opinion on a difficult point which had em- barrassed all the disputants, and which he solved with m I m. II.] AT. FRANCIS DR SALES 01 tlmf luci«i cienn>os5 whicli was fucli a characteristic ot his niiml. 1 lioiigh tlu« vocation of Francis to tho priestliood waf< thus hecoiniiijif more and more niark(>(l eviMy d:iv , liis father was still hent uj)on carving" out for him a wiih'lv ditferont career. M. do IJoisv insisted upon his jH'oceediiijc to tiie har; and Francis did not consider it ids duty to resist. lie was n])|>ointed advocate in the supreme court or senate of Savoy, on Noveml>er 24, 150?. Tiie nomination was accompanied with circum- stances of extraordinary distinction : the iii}>hest ho- noui's in the state seemed ojM?ned hefore him; and he contracted with the most illustrious and leanied mem- ber of that profession in Savoy, Antoine Favre, a friendship so intimate, that they called each other by the name of brother. Francis hod only been colled to the bar a very short time, when a sing-ular incident occurred, in which he discerned the indication of tiie will of God leading him to a different path. In travelling- with the old juiest, his preceptor, tliioug-li the forest of Sonaz, near Annecy, his horse thrice stumbled, and threw liim, gallant ca- valier as he was, to the ground. He noticed, each time on rising-, that his sword had fallen out of th« scabbard, and the scabbard from off his baldrick ; and that all three times the sword and the scabbard had formed an exact cross on the g^-ound. Francis, thoui»-li the least superstitious of mankind, was much struck by the ciicumst:ince, which, trifling;' as it was, seemed to have a divine sig^iificance, wlien his thoughts were ahead}' so strongly setting- in the direction of the sacred ministry. He decided on entering- tlie ecclesias- tical state; but did not immediately confide his res-olu- tion to his i'ather, prefening to wait till Divine Provi- dence afforded him some favourable opportunity. Such an occasion very soon alterwards occurred. 31. de Ik)isv believed that he had secured a most favourable matcb for the youthful advocate. Mademoiselle de Vegy, the, lady on whom he fixed his choice, belonged to one of S2 ST. FRANCIS DE 8ALF.B. the noblest families in Savoy, was woaltliy, and in every way likely to have jn-omoted his son's worldly happiness. Francis seized the oj>portunity to declare to his father the fixed innpose which he Imd formed of becoming* u priest, llie kind-hearted but somewhnt ambitious old noble was deeply g;riev«'d lit this resolu- tion. Whil&t he was vainly endeavouring to combat it, another circumstance arose which added to the painful- ness of the sacrifice M. de Boisy was now called upon to make, as it showed very clearly that he was by no means mistaken in the lofty estimate he liad formed of his son's prospects of success. The court of Savov oftered, and even pressed upon the young lord of Vil- larog-et to accept the office of senator in the court of Chnmbery. It was the liighest distinction in the power of the government to give, and such as a man of the world could not have sacrificed for his son without acute mortification. The friends of Fmncis sought to soften the blow to M. de Boisy by obtaining for his son the ecclesiastical office of provost of the cathe- dral church of Geneva. This Francis accepted in the month of May 1593, and expressed to his father finallv that his mind was made up. A scene ensued whicli was exquisitely distressing to flesh nnd blood. M. de Boisy was completely overcome, Imt at last reconciled himself generously to the will of Almighty God, and g*ave his unreserved blessing to his son upon entering nis new career. However overwhelming the sacrifice might be at the time, it was soon made up to him a thousandfold ; and the public joy with which the whole city (tf Annecy received it was a type of the gladnes^s which the episcopate of Francis de oales was destined to diffuse over the wliole Church. lie received the minor orders on June 8th, 1593; nnd four days after, on the eve of Ti-inity Sunday, he was raised to be sub-deacon ; on the 18th of December of the same year ho was raised to the dignitv of the priestl.sod. Fi-om the verv first he commencea a most active missionary life; and his biography at this period of CH. II.] ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 53 his life is interesting" in a particuliir manner, as afford- ing- valuable details of a confraternity wliich lie founded throughout the diocese of Geneva. He relied very much on the advantac-es of these institutions, as ena- bling, by the force of combination, the weak to resist temptation, and affording to all the means of making rapid progi-ess in grace. The association which lie founded was called the " Confi-aternity of Penitents of the Holy Cross, of the Immaculate Conception, and of the Anostles St. Peter and St. Paul." Tlie idea of it was, that the members should do continual penance for their own sins and for those of others ; and as they w^ere living in a heretic country where the Holy Cross was continually outraged, it was to be an especial devo- tion with them to repair these insults by their adom- tion and love. The selection of the title of the Im- maculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin is one of tiie many instances of the far-reaching diameter of Francis's views. Every Catholic has heard of the im- mense tide of miraculous graces and favours which has attended in our own times the establishment of a con- fi-ateniity under the same invocation. The principal niles of the new Confraternity of the Holy Cross were the following. The memoers were to communi- cate on the Feasts of the Invention and of the Exalta- tion of the Holy Cross, of the Conception of the B. V., of the Apostles SS. Peter and Paul, and on the second Sunday of every month. On these festivals the Blessed Sacrament was to be exposed all day ; and there were always to be two brethren eng-aged in adoration for the space of an hour for certain special objects, among which were the preservation of the Faith and the con- version of heretics. Thus we see that he in some mea- sm'e anticipated the idea of the Confrateniities of Per- petual Adoration. We find also, in the niles which he established, traces of another devotion now greatly fa- voured in the Church. Once a dav they w^re to re- cite five Paters and five Axes in lionour of the five wounds of our Lord, kneeling and with head uncoreredy 94 ST. FHANCIS DE SALES. wherever they liappencd to be, even in the streets or public places. Then, on tiie festivals we have men- tioned there was to be a public procession of the ])ret!n-en, chanting prayei-s or reciting- the chaplet. The visiting of the sick, and the accompanying ot the Blessed Sacrament when it was brought to them; the reconciliation of such of the brethren as were at vari- ance or at law with each other, — were among the active works of mercy they were enjoined to perform. We see in the general spirit which pervades these rales, that practical, and at the same time that tender and considerate character, by which all the institutions and views of Francis were penetrated. No austerities are ap|X)inted, nothing that need alarm even the most sicklv and infirm ; but a considerable sacrifice of human respect, the practice of the works of mercy, and the ha- bitual use of certain devotions, which lon^- experience has shown to be the most calculated to advance souls a long way in a short time. His cheerful and kindly spirit is beautifully displayec^ in the history of a pil- grimage which he and his confi-atemity made to Aix in Savoy, whei*e a relic of the time Cross had for ages attittcted the devotion of the faithful. Never was the value of this holy practice of pilgiimages more strik- ingly shown than on this occasion : in tke joy with which all the devout penitents joined in the journev, singing litanies as they went ; in the order wliich tfie wise du-ector established throughout ; and in the hospi- talitv atfoi-ded them by a holy and religious nobleman, the 'Baron de Cusey. It was a fair and lovely picture of the antique Catholic life, which in our own days, «t places like Fouvi^res and La Salette, has been restored with such advantage and edification to the faithful. It is scarcely necessary to say that Fi-ancis applied himself with extraordinary diligence to all the duties of the seculav priest, ministering to the destitute, preach- ing, and hearing confessions incessantly. We shall in a lat«r portion of this volume endeavour to character- ise him in these capacities ; in this place we ' shall r I CH. II.] 9T. PHANCiS DE SALK9. 25 only mention an amusing" anecdote, in which tl:e old nobleman, liis father, expressed his opinion of the modern style of preaching:, which Francis de Sales was among' the first to introrluce. Fmncis himself, many years after, said to the IJisliop of Belloy : " I had the best father in the world ; but he had passed a ^reat part of his life at court and in military service, the maxims of whicli he knew better than theolog-v. Whilst I was provost, I preached on ever}' occasion, as well in the cathedi*al as in the parish-churches, and even in the humblest confrateniities. I knew not how to refuse, so dear to me was that woi*d of our Lord's, Omni pvtenti a te trihve — gnve to every one that asketh thee (Luke vi. 80). My -ood father, hearing- the bell ring* for the sermon, asked who preached; they said to him. Who should it be but your ^on ? One day he took me aside, and said to me : ' Provost, you preach too often ; I hear even on working'-days the bell ring; for the sermon ; and they always say to me, It is the provost, the provost. In my time it was not so ; predications were much more rare ; but also, what pre- dications they were ! God knows they were learned, well studied ; they spoke marvels ; they quoted more Latin and Greek in one of them than you do in ten; every body was delig:hted and edified with tliem ; they ran to them in crowds ; you would have said they were g-oing" to g-ather manna. Now-a-days you make this exercise so common, that nobody regiu-ds it, and they set no value on you.' Do you see (remarked Francis), tliis g-ood father spoke as he understood, and with all freedom ; he spoke accorf'ing- to the maxims of the world in which ne had been broug-ht up: but tlie evan- celical maxims are altogether of another stamp; Jesus Christ, the miiTor of perfection and the model of preachere, did not use all these circumspections, any more than the Apostles who followed His steps. Be- lieve me, people can never preach enoug;h : nvngvavi mtk dicitur qtiod nunqnam sath disciUir; above all, now-a-days and in the neighbourhood of hei-esy, which 26 ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. only maintains itself by the preches^ and will never be conquered but by preaching"." His conduct as a con- fessor was such as could only be expressed by meta- phors dmwn from the tenderness of a mother or the watcli fulness of an angrl-guardian. With re^rd to the whole office of the priesthood, he had formed, in his retreat preparatory to ordination, three resolutions by which he g-overned himself. One was, to make all his actions a contimral prepamtion for the sacrifice of the altar; so tliat if at any moment he was asked what he was about, he mig-ht sjiy with truth, " I am preparing* to say Mass." His second resolution was, never to ascend the altar except in the same fmme of mind he would have had if he were about to die. And the third, to unite himself in every thing to Jesus Christ, by the thought of His love and the imitation of His example. So great a soul as that of Francis de Sales, acting" upon maxims like these, could not but immediately produce the noblest fruits of edification; and a ministi-y like his would be worthy of remembrance, had it lasted but a week, and boen limited to the quiet scenes of the old Catholic provincial capital where lie lived. But he had scarcely laboured there half a year, before he was sum- moned to a wider sphere, where he earned even the rare appellation of apostle. ^ . :^-' CHAPTER m. HIS MISSION IN THE CIIABLAI8— ITS EAULT VlVFlCWTlZi- One could scarcely imagpine a moi-e interesting- study for the Catholic missioner of the present day, placed amidst vast masses of population alien to the fnith, than that which is afforded by Fmncis de Sales' mission to the districts on tlie Lake of Geneva, belonjjing- at that time partly to the house of Savoy, jiartly to P'nmce. These districts were the duchy of Chablais, and the bailiwicks of Gex, Ternier, and Gaillard. After the restless citizens of Geneva had thrown off the yoke both of their Prince-bishop and of his lay rival the Duke of Savoy, the possession of these provinces, lyingf along- the borders of their lake, and almost within view of their city, became natui-ally an object of their anxious ambition, and almost necessary to their political exist- ence. The war between Francis I. and Emmanuel- Philibert of Savoy supplied them with an op[)ortunity of seizing- on the coveted possessions ; and the Catholic religion was rooted up in them with all that sacrilegi- ous fury which characterised the pretended Reformation every where. Churches w^ere desecrated, abbeys de- molished, crosses overthrown; and a feeble rt anant of Catholics alona remained in what had but lately been a fine and richly-adorned portion of the Lord's vine- yard. The provinces were, indeed, again suiTendered by the Swiss to the Duke of Savoy when peace was concluded between Henry IL of France and Emmanuel- Pliilibcrt ; bat the treaty expressly guaranteed that the Catholic religion should not be re-established. The re- ligious conquest, therefore, survived, though the politi- cal dominion chanced ; and so matters went on, till, in the reign of Chanes-Lmmanuel, the son of the Ipst- mentioned prince, the Genevese seized the provinces for 28 BT. FRANCIS OE 8ALC9. the second time. This usurpation ended most fortu- nately for Catholicity ; since Divine Providence occa- sioned by tliat event the wonderful mission by wliich Francis de Sales brought buck those thickly- })eoj)led and beautiful regions to the Catholic faith. Ciiarles- Emmanuel very speedily reduced them to subjection ; and then, as he justly considered their revolt had re- leased him from the obligations of the treaty by which they were originally restored to his father, he deter- mined on effecting the re-establishment of the Catholic religion throu^chout those districts. Had he even used compulsion to make his su])jects renew their allegiance to the faith as well as to the goveniment from which they had revolted, Protestants at least would have had no right to complain ; since the so-called Reformation was undeniably canied by violence and rapine, and stood towards the sovereigns of Europe precisely as Socialism, its logical development, does at present. But, with that moderation and prudence which characterised for many generations the house of Savoy, Charles- Emmanuel resolved to adopt the method of gentleness rather than that of force ; and if he used the steel gauntlet, to swathe it in velvet. He accordingly de- sired the Bishop of Geneva to select a certain number of ecclesiastics of edifying life and adequate leaniing, to be sent as missionaries into the reconquered provinces. The bishop accordingly sent to Thonuu a w^ortliy and zealous priest named Bouchut, who encountered such difficulties on the part of the rude and intractable jjo- pulation, that he remained but a short time, and re- turned quite in despair of effecting any thing under existing circumstances. Ui)on this the bishop, alter ^me delay, called together an assembly of his clerjiy in the cathedral of Annecy, and asked their advice and assistance. His harangue, although recommended by his gentle piety and venerable old ap'e, seemed likelV to fail of response. The clergy remained in mournful silence; much like the Israelites of old, terrified by the imagination of the dangers which beset their entrance CH. III.] 8T. FHANCIH DK 8ALK8. 29 into the promised land. A niore dipcoui-npn'ngr prospect, indeed, it would have been iliflicult for tliem to Imve pictured to their minds. A population which for sixty veni-s had been aliejiatpd from the faitii ; among whom tttlvinism was rejiuiarly eatublished ; close to Ueneva, the vei-y liead-quarters, '^ the Rome of heresy," as Francis calls it, and identifying its profession of heresy with the political independence of which it had just been deprived. Every tiunjr seemed against success ; and the clrrgv uiigi.t iiuve tiiought that had St. John tiie Baptist risen from the dead, he had better have turned liis supernatural energ-y to any imdertaking for the g"Iory of God rather than to this. One man there was in that assembly, the youthful provost of Geneva, who gave way to no such discouragements. Francis de Sales felt his whole soul enkindle at the prospect from which the others shrank, and offered to lead the enterprise himself: he advised that the bishop should remain at home to help them, like another Moses, by his pniyers, and enter on the Held only when the har- vest was ready to be reaped ; for himself, he asked foi no assistants at present but his cousin Louis de Sales. The bishop gladly granted his request. Others seem to have considered it a Quixotic sort of enter- prise; and Francis had to resist not only the advice and commands of his father, but the anguish which he ve- hemently expressed on seeing his son engaged in w^hat he believed an impmdent, and perhaps even alarming enterprise, in which his life might at any moment be sacrificed to the fury of an heretical mob. Even to those of his friends who did not view the matter in this light, one can easily imagine how the highly-born ecclesiastic must have seemed to be " throwing himself away" in going to evangelise the narrow-minded magis- trates and uncultivated population of a counti-y-town and its vicinity ; among whom, as the result snowed, M. de Boisy was quite right in anticipating his son's life might be endangei*ed. Notwithstanding all oppo- sition, however, Francis and Louis de Sales, on Sept m 8T. FIIANCI9 DE SALKS. Otl), 1501, set out from Annocy, and procepded first to the cl»ntf'aii of Sides, whiclj Isiv in tiieir road. Here tliov SjHjnt ft few days, during* which thoy had to ennountor tlie con'itant remonstmnees of M. de Boisy. In spito of all thiri vexatious opposition, they made full prepara- tions ibr their great undei-taking" by fasting", prayer, mortifications, and a geneml confession. On the even- ing; of Sept. 18tli, Francis bade farewell to his mother, wlio, unlike his father, said nothing* to discourag-o her son from his heroic mission. They spent a largfe part of tlje nig-lit in prayer in the castle chaiiel, and started early on their march next morning, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holv Cross. Thev travelled on foot, in apostolic fashion, unencumbered with any lug-gage that could be spared, and can-ying no books but the Breviary, the Bibi*^, and Bellarmine's Controversies. Francis de Sales was dressed in somewhat secular attire, wearing his hair short, and his beard thick and bushy, in the fashion of the day. He found this gave him access where a more ecclesiastical garb would have alai-med people ; and he was not a man to sacrifice winning soul ■ to the Church for any feeling on matters not of vital importance. Tliey arrived at AUinges, a fortress on the frontiei-s of the Chablais, by which the Duke of Savoy kept the whole duchy in submission. It was commanded by a brave captain, the Baron d'Hermance, an old friend of the house of Sales, who received the chival- rous missionaries with great kindness, in obedience both to the orders of the Duke of Savoy, and from a regard for M. de Boisy. He led his guests to the platform of the castle, and showed them the scene of their future labours. On eveiy side of the beautifiil land- scape the Reformation had left traces of its baleful course over regions which were then fresh from the hands of the spoiler. Churches in ruins, crosses over- turned, castles and villages laid waste, — such were the dreary tokens of the sway of the enemy whom Francis was setting out to combat. At the distance of three hundred years, the delicate finger of time has invest43d CH. III.] 8T. FnANCIS OE SALKS. (Jl njonnstic ruins with ft sort of siMitinipntal Hi;(rm, at least to minds nh'cli look only sit t!ie cxtei-ior. no such clmrm coiih' , jssibly have existed in 161)4, when persons wore still livinji* who could recollect the timo when those fair ahheys had resounded with the praises of the L(M(1, and the kneeling^ faithful woi*sliinped at those croi^ses. The ruins .were but the raw ana bleed- ing* wounds of the Spouse of Christ. Francis could not restrain his tears at the sif»;lit, and bi-oke out into some of those mournful exclamations with which the ancient prophets bewailed the ruins of the holy city. Tiiev then debated on the })lim of action to be pur^ sued. Tlie baron drew a discouraging; picture of the po})ulation Francis de Sales was undertaking" to con- vert. They were good sort of people on tlie whole, but stupid and slow ; of the class into whose hend it is equally hard to g-et an idea conveyed, or, once con- veyed, to drive it out njmin : their whole teinporal in- terests too were involved, or they supposed them to be so, in keeping" g-ood friends with tlieir neig-hboui-s ot Geneva; and they reg'arded their liberties as co-existenfc with the exercise of the Calvinist religion. The baron recommended the missionni-ies to go warily to work, and with the utmost caution. He gave them lettei*s to the magistrates of the town ; and the two mission- aries went forward on their arduous mission, unac- com^,inied by any escort. He said that they coula not safely sleep in tlie town, but must return every nig-ht to the castle ; that, for the present, they oug-ht not to attempt more than preaching; at Thonon, for it would be useless to say Mass there; and he recom- mended them to sav it either in the castle chapel, or at Mai-iu, a place stilt Catholic, on the other side of the river Drance, or in an olil chapel of the monks of St. Bemard on the bordei-s of the lake. On aiTiving' at Tlionon, the}' found, on inquiry, that tliere were but seven Catholic families in the j)lace, amounting; to not more than fourteen or fifteen souls. They tissembled them tog^ether, and Francis addressed ST. FIIANCI9 DE 8ALF.9. t!iem with holy oxliorfiitions, announcing' himself ns their pasttH* ; nnd inviting" them in future to nsseinhlo ftt tlie chiirch of St. Hippolytus, which had been de- clared common for the service of both religions. They then presented their letters to the magistrates, and in the evening returned to Allinges. They returned next day, and so continued; preaching daily either in the town or the neighbouring villages, whither they went always on foot, and staff in hand, like the disciples of our Lord. It does not appear that at first they had to contend with more than complete indifference on the j)art of the Protestant inhabitants of Thonon. It w^as, mdeed, reported that the ministers of Geneva were cla- mouring to have the missionaries whipped out of the town ; but it is not likely any thing" ot the kind would have been thought of by the people of Thonon, with the castle of Allinges at the distance of only six miles. On several occasions, however, it is certain that Francis was in imminent danger of assassination. On Jan. 8, 1595, a fanatic (who aftenvards was converted to the faith) made three unsuccessful attempts to shoot him; ind aftei-wards y)Osted other assassins in various places intercept him, fi-om whose hands he miraculously •scaped. Similar attempts we shall have to record "'.irther on. At present, and long aftei-wards, the holy mission- iries had much anxiety for want of money. M. de Doisy, angry at what he considered his son's pertina- city in going on with the mission, would not assist -.hem ; and it was only by stealth Madame de Boisy 3ould send them supplies. Francis thouefht of leai-ning; i trade, like St. Paul, but goodhumourealy said he was ^oo dull to make any thing, except mend his clothes 1 little. Of the isolation in Avhich they lived, Francis gives us an idea, by playfully comparing a Catholic lady of Thonon, connected with his own family, o Ra- hab, except so far ae regarded her character. Liko Kuhfjb, she sheltered the spies of the people of tho Loi*d in the m' ^st of a whole citv full of enemies. ClI. III.] BT. VHAvriS |>K SVI.K;*. m^ 'J'liey ni:ii|(> lifflt^ propvs n frnininpr tho onr of tlip pcoplH I»y tli«''r scnnoii-'. In ii lerf»'r writft'n in tlio spi'inp: of l')0.'), aft<T he had hoim for s»n<Mi iiioiitlis rcsidinjr in Tlionon itsolf, Iio says that lift luid prraoht'd e-onrrally evfiry festival, and very often on w«,'ek-days, unt only three or four Hug-uenots on four or five occa- sions had att<>nded liis sermons ; that it wns wondeH'ul to see tiie hold wliich temporal interest had on tiieir minds, — an evil which seemed to admit of no remedy; for talk to them of hell, and they sheltered themselves under the mercy of God ; f.nd if further ])ressed, took themselves off at once. In short, they were cold, timid, nnd impracticable. Notwithstanding- all this, whilst at Allin«^es he walked i*egidarly every day to Thonon and back n^in, two long* leaprues, in the severest wea- ther, just as pmictually ns if he had tlie mont flou- rishing" mission on his hands that ever rewarded the toils of a Catholic priest. If we mij»'ht be allowed to illustrate relig-ion from politic.^, and to compare indivi- duals the most dissimilar it is possible to imagine, we aie reminded of O'Connell's persisting* in holding* his meetingfs; g-ravely moving* and seconding^ resolutions, and having" reports drawn up for the pai>ers, when onlv two or three strag^g'lers were present. He knew well enoug*h that he liad resources in himself, and that a party would be sure to g^row with his energ*y and prr- severance. So he surveyed the half- empty hall with the utmost cheerfulness, till in a few yeai-s he was abla to cover whole miles of the country with midtitudes from every quai*ter. The method of controvei-sy adopted by Francis de Sales rested on a few principles whicli, in these days, it is well to recal. One was, to avoid all abusive terms of the heretics or their doctrine. To use his own meta- phor, he concealed the lancet in wool, and inflicted the salutary wound almost before the application of the instrument was felt. Another was, that he pereuaded those with whom he discussed to admit this very rea- sonable preliminai'y> — tliat the debate should turn, not i on tilings they tliomsflv»«s allimcd to lip indiffMont, Imt only on jMiiuts rniUy rsscntiiil ; and siicli us alone could jiistily tlicii- M'|)nr!iti(»n from tiif Catl-olic Clmicli, mp- jKKsin^ their view to he noht. He I'nitlier demanded two otliei- conditions, which were equally fail-, viz. tliat they should not nccuse Catholics tor sui)j>oj«ed conse- nuences from doctrines, when these conscfiuences were flisavowed by the CutholicH themselves ; iinn lastly, that the authorities leferred to for Catholic doctrine should not be any private authoi's, but simply the recog^nisetl text-books of the Catholic Church liei-self, the Cate- chism and other formularies of the Council of Trent. No JM«)ti'>tant would venture to refuse these conditions, if he cured to profess himself a fair disputant, or se- riously intended a controversy for the sake of arriving' at truth. lie not only preached and convei-sed inces- santly, biit wrote at every spare moment he could find, nnd caused his papers to be distributed every week among" families, or posted up in the streets in the form of placards. These pa{K?rs he never lived to publish in a collected form ; though he intended to have based on them u w'ork on " the method of converting heretics by holy preaching." Writing to his friend the Arch- bishop of Vienne, on this design, he observes : " I would employ in it sevei-al meditations made during five years in the Chablais, where I pi-eached without other books than the Bible and those of the great Bcllarmine." 'J'he Mss. were lost sight of for a lono- time after his death, but were discovered, in 1658, by Charles Au- e-uste de Sales, in an old deal box in the chateau of La Thuille, and were edited under the title of Cvntro- cn-sc's de S. Frayj^is de Sales. They are dividf^d into four parts, treatini? respectively of missions, of the rule of faith, of the Sacniments, and of purgatory; and tliough they have only reached us in an imperfect form, furnish a most interesting study to the popular contro- versialist. They are often characterised uy a certain archness, which is amusing, and which belongs to the national temperament of Savoy. On his knowledge of L'H. III.] «T. I'HANClii UE S.il.Kt. th<Mr toinji^minfnf, nnrl ron«Jornw'nt sympnthy nitli th(» pcojilt' aniuii;.'" whom lie lulMMiird, Frniifis npiM'ius to liMvc i»'lirtl jmiicIj. n»' fwicr iilliul»"< to if in tliH tn't'iacc to tije ('onfntrrr/irM. *• Its nuit'ioil ami styl(^>," i(» iviiiaiks, "will not displHas*' yon, tor it is jtltog-f-tlior Savoyard ;" ami a^niin, vta-v beautifully, " Altlioufih von may !iavr» m-on several books better made and lK«tt»'i- ailonif'il, lot your ftttention rest u little on this, wiiicii will, ))crhn|)s^ bo more ag-reeablo to your bumonr than the others : tor it is altogtither Savoyard ; and one of the most salutary receipts and latest remedies is the return to one's mitivc air. Still, with all his g-entleness, he know the import- ance of using" at times a little jjarade and display of tlie streniitli of the Catholic ar^fument. Thus nt a later period of his mission, when the ministei's flinched from meeting- him in controversy, he writes to Favre : " I jMomised that in my next sermon I would denjon- strate the do<>;ma from the Scriptures more clearly than the lig^ht of noon-day; ana would maintain it with such a weig-ht of reasoning", that not one of my opponents shall Ije ig-norant that he has been blindeci bv the thickest darkness, unless he has bid farewell to humanity imd reiifon. They rig-htly perceive that by these rhod<>fiiontade proi)ositions they and their under- standinfis are challenged to the combat, nt the rij^k, if tiioy do no? come, of being; thought utter cowards for dreadinsr the onset of anv Catholic, of however smnll account." But we are anticipating* triumphs, of which there was for manv a weary month no visil)le indica- tion. Francis kept making- his daily pilgrimng-es to Thonon, notwithstsmding' gTOiit sutreriiig- irom the cold of an Alpine winter. Kemarkable <'<'c'urreiices nre re- corded, which showed his fortitude ind trust in Divine Providence. On one occasion, when t le missionaries had delayed their departure from tlie little town till near nig-htfall, they lost their way in returning* to A Hinges, and were denied admittance at every door of a Pro- testaiL^i village through which they passed, — the })eGple 80 ST. FRANCIS UE AALKS. having- a fsuperstitious dread of them infnsrd into their minds by the ministei's, wlio giive out that tlio Ca- thoh'c missionaries were sorcerei's, and had deaHng's witii the devil. «They only escajjed being* in all i>ro- bability frozen to death, by fortunately findings shelter in the vilhig-e bakehouse, the oveu of which was still wnrm. On another occasion, just as they were g'oinff out of the gTvtes, a Hug-uenot, who hud been struck witli tlie contmst betiu'een the apostolic patience and gentleness of PVancis, and the conduct of the ministers of his own sect, entreated to have a talk with him. Francis could not refuse, though there awaited him the dang'erous jouiTiey through the forest to be tmversed by night. The result of the conversation is not known; but the biographei's of the Saint give a most picturesque description of his return by niglit to Allinges, accom- l)an'ea only by his cousin and a sei'vant. They lose their way in the thick darkness ; the howling of wolves and bears is heard all around; the travellers at length, the moon breaking forth, see a large ruined buildino^ at a distance, which proves to be one of the many ancient churches which the Calvinists had overthrown. The missionaries take refuge in it; and whilst his com- })anions slept, Francis, like another Jeremias, poured brth his lamentations on the desecrated temple. What makes one more adm're this heroic endurance is, that he had at the same time so hard a fi^ht with the opposi- tion of friends. His father used all his entreaties and authority to make Francis resie-n what he considered a hopeless and dangerous undertaking', in which at best he was throwing himself away; and for a moment he even induced the Bishop of Geneva to consent to recal him. Antoine Favre visited Thonon to see how he got on; and on his retui-n writes a letter, in which he hints to Fi-ancis that, notwithstanding the extraordinary admiration en- tertained for his character, there was a general notion he was casting pearls before swine. About this time Fmncis wrote a noble letter to Favre, in which, after telling* him that the leading citizens, not trustinf!^ their CH. III.] ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 87 individual resolution to avoid him, had bound them- selves by a mutual engagement never to hear Catholic sermons, he adds, " 1 believe I see the object of these wretched men ; they want in a manner to compel us to CO away, by destroying all hope of doing any thing : but we, on the other hand, so long as the treaty and tl;e will of the ecclesiastical and secular princes shall jx'iniit, have wholly and most resolutely determined to a|)ply to the work, to leave not a stone unturned, to en- treat, to rebuke, in all the patience and devotion God has given us. But in my opinion, if we are to fight in this arena, we must have, not preaching only, but the sacrifice of the Mass as soon as possible, that the enemy may feel that he is not so much abating as increasing our courage by his arts ; but I see that great prudence is required in that matter." a n .s n e ir ir 38 6T. FHANCIs DL SALES, CIIAPTKIi IV. ORADUAI- CHANOK IN THK STATi: OF AFKAIU8, AND FINAL ONVIiitSION OK THE CIIAUI.AIS. Maxy months passed witli as littlo encourag'eraent as ever. At length a turn took place in the state of affairs ; and at first, as often luippens, in an indirect manner. The garrison at Alling'os had been remarkable for its excesses, especially in blasphemy, drunkenness, and duelling*. Francis made the reformation of these poor soldiers his by-woi-k in the midst of his giand undertaking* of Thoiwn. Allinges, as we have seen, Wiis his head- quarters, whither at first he returned every nfg'ht after the labours of the day among* tlie thankless citizens. Tired out as he might be with preaching*, arguing*, and walking* so many miles, in all weathers, over mountain- roads and through forests, he still heard the confessions, of the sokiiers; and gained such an ascendency over them, that the whole garrison became changed, and instead of being* the tenor of the surrounding districts, was now its wonder and edification. A beautiful story is told of his method of dealing* with these rugged hearts. One of the soldiers, who liad been touched by a sermon of the apostolic missionai*y, came and made his confession to him in agonies of remorse. All the penance Francis gave him was an " Our Father" and a " Hail Mai*y." The penitent expressed his amazement at what seemed to him extreme indulgence. Francis in reply bade him trust in the mei*cy of God, which was greater than all his iniquities, and said that he would bind himself Avith the surplus of liis penance. The soldier was so stiiick by this ang-elic cliai*ity, that a i'e\v weeks after he entered religion and became a Caithusian. We know* of no more instructive instance of what all must oi'ten have felt, viz. the extraordinary generosity of the Catholic CH. IV.] ST. FRANCIS 1»K SALES'. «n Clmreii. In lier there are no uphrnidinsrs. The sinner does penance, and tlie Precious lUood wiislies uwiiy hi:; sins ; tiie snnpHcity of the .satisfaction leaving- the soni in a kind of tranquil anuiaement, and deeply imhued with the feeling- that to Fin again, when forgiveness has been accorded with such lavish, such infinite love, would uM to tlie stain of sin an element of new anA stui)endous ingratitude. To retui-n, however, to our chief subject. The chanj>e wrouo'ht bv Francis on the gsu-rison of AUing-es, of course, was not long ni producing its eitect on tlie liearts of the peoj>Ie of Thonon; and though, even after this, Francis still had his jjutience tried for many months, from that time might be dated a ne^v epocli in his mission. Tlie next advantage g-Jiined was the conversion of an aged gentleman in the neighbourhood, whom Francis preventea fighting a duel, and in whom he elfecte I a tliorough alteration, not only of his mode of life, but oi • "s whole character. This gentleman's house lx?came a :oit of rendezvous for those who wislied to hear about the Catholic religion ; and there Fi-ancis held regular conferences, which soon beg-an to liave j»owerful eifeet. He had a particular gift in winning people by conversa- tion, in which his persuasiveness arose, first, from that real sweetness and kindness of heart, which may Ije said to be almost irresistible ; and secondly, from an al)sance of any thing like cmprcsf^cmcnt ; that is, he would never be over liasty or eager, always be ready patiently to hear what pc'ople had to say, and cpiietly to wait the ])roper opportunity for saying in his turn what was fitting ; and finally, he would never pursue an advan- tage too far, but knew hoNv to leave on just at the righ, moment. A man who had unrivalled charity, humility, and confidence in God, would naturally show those cha- racteristics in corivereation. The gentleness of his method of conducting contro- vei*sy, and the unexpected maiiher in which he brought cut strongly principles which the Calvinists thought })eculiai*ly their own property, caused e^eat surprise; 40 8T. FRANCIS DK 8ALE8. even ns in our day l^rotestants are astonished to find Thomas ji Kempis or R()dri<inpz so " evang-elical." ilow could one, brought up in " the ihirkness of popery," nay more, who was moving^ heaven aiul cartli to bring; tliat suppos'-^d darkness ag-ain upon the Chablais, speak so beaut' i.llv of the mediation of Christ I* Some 1 1 ied to explain this; however, by supposing^ that Francis iiad improved his views by being; so much with the Calvin- ists; and othei-s contenued that he was disguising- the ^eal tenets of the Catholic Cliurch. Francis put out n pamphlet on the subje<^t of the conferences, in which was shown that what he taug-ht was simply the doctrine of the Catechism of the Council of Trent, and that no one would aro-ue that tlie Council did not know n-hat Catholic theology was. He concluded by challeng-ing- the ministers to a disputation either l)y writing* or in public discussion. I'hey shrank, however, from accept- mg; the challeng-e, tmd did not venture a reply to his pamphlet. The fear with wliich he inspired them was made apparent soon after ])y a conspiracy to assassinate the g'entleman at whose liouse the conferences were held. His [)resence of mind and Ins g-enerosity, how- ever, were such, that the matter only ended in the con- version of the man who had intended to take his life ; the Catholic movement ag-ain took a fresh impulse; and people came in crowds to liear Francis de Sales, in spite of the rag-e and the prohibitions of their ministers. They now plotted to take the life of Fi-ancis himself; and on July 18th, 1595, two assassins actually waylaid him in the forest, as he was returning; as usual to Alling-es, with a very few companions. Francis behaved like our Lord, when St. Peter drew his sword to defend Him agninst the band of soldiers headed by the traitor. He for])ade h's attendants to use their weapons ; and ad- vancing- towards the assassins, he said, " My friends, YOU are mistaken. You surely would not act thus to- wards a man who, far from having- offended you, would yield up his life for 3'ou wirh all his heart.'* This heroic serenity of demeanour subdued the savage men who had en. IV.] IT. FRANCIS DE SALES. 41 Stationed fhernsplvos there to niurder him. Tiiey li'- mfiined stui)iHed for an instant, and ti.rew thcnist'lvcs at hi? I'eet, jM-otesting- that for the future he siiould iiave no servants more dovrled to liim than tliey. TJie holy missioncr ppoke kindly to them, and baJe them take care liow tliey fell in tile way of tlie Baron d'Hermance, who would net be so indul«>-ent to them as he was. Soon after this Francis decidea on removing to Tiionon; the number of converts increasing* so fast required him to be continually on the spot, and lie could no long-er afford the time lor his daily journeys. To reside in the place was, however, still a great risk ; and the Baron d'Hermance urp^ed him still to remain in the castle, as men who had attempted to murder him by daylight on the road would be likelv to find means of carrvinj*- their evil purpose into effect if he lived among" them by nig'ht as well as day. Francis, howev(;r, persisted, and was received at Thonon by his Catholic flock with great joy. One of his biogTanhers thus describes the mode of life led by Francis ana his faithful people : " Nothing* (he remarks) could bt; so like the early Church as the little church of Thonon ; the same charity for the brethren, the same zeal for the faith, un exactly similar purity of morals : for Francis m.' de little accoimt of a man's relinquishing* his erroi*s, if he did not change his life, — if grace did not superabound where sin had abounded; and the benediction which God had attached to his ministry went at once to enlighten the mind and to change the heart. But nothing so powerfully struck such heretics as were not ent''*ely hardened, as to see the way in w^hich the poor and tlie sick were succoured. FTancis used to employ all he had to live upon in this: so that after having fed others, he was himself often reduced to suffer hunger: he kept continually soliciting his relations and friends to help the poor faithful of the Chablais. He often received sums con- siderable in themselves, but which were trifling when measured by his charity. The Catholics seconded his' zeal to su(;li an extent as to content themselves merely 42 8T. FRANCIS DR SALES. witli wlmt was necessary; and a lioly economy was seen to prevail among: them, wliich liacl no other object in view but the relief of the destitute." (Marsollier s Life of St. Francis de Scdes^ book ii.) One is indeed re- minded \\evii of Catholic ways in times very widely ftj)art. ' 16 iieathen said : " See how these Chribtians love OP* nr*Jier!" In a beantifid chi.pter of tlie IVea- tisc on the Love of Godj Francis relates how St. Paco- mius, when yet a Pagan, received his fii-st impulses of admiration for the faith by seeing* the chaiity of the Christians in furnishing })rovisions for the distressed soldiers of Maxentius. In our own times, an exact ob- server tells us that the half-pagan population of Lon- don are led to entertain a special respect for the Catholic religion fro~i observing that poor Catholics in adversity are so often set on their legs again by t)ie charity of their brethren. (Vide London Labour and the London Poor.) The malignity of conscious and wilful heresy is, however, extraordinary. The jealousy and hatretl of the ministers increased in proportion to the way which Francis was making among the })eople, and they once more Slotted against his life. Late one night his house was eset by a party of aimed men ; the holy missioner, ac- cording to his custom, was at prayer, and heard the clash of arms and the noise of voices talking in an under-tone: he just had time to conceal himself, when they forced open the door, and ransacked the house to kill him. His hiding-place, however, seems to have been as well chosen as some of those " priests' holes" they show in G^d English Catholic houses ; the wretches failed to dis- cover him, and were obliged to retire, assistance having been unwillingly sent by the magistrates. Enraged at being tlms disappointed of their prey, they went about repeating their old story that Francis was a sorcerer, for he could not have escaped if he had not had the gift of making himself invisible. When Francis heard of this charge, he smiled, and making the sign of the cross, said, " Here are all the charms I own; and by this sip-n I hope to conquer hell, fai' from bemg on terms with it." CM. IV.] ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 43 :)e Now liiat he resided in Tlionon, nnd as vet it was not prudent to say Mass in the liown, lie went every morning- to offer the holy Sacrifice at Marin, a villag-e on the other side of the river Drance. In June 159(5, t'le bridg'e having- been broken by the Hoods, he was obliged to cross upon a plank, stretching* over a terrible chasm, and often as slipj)ery as glass with its coating- of ice. Yet rather than be deprived of saying* Ma.ss, he would creep on his hands and knees, at the ri^k of his life, across the frig^htful pass. Occasionally ha aho said Mass in the chapel of the monks of St. Bernard at Montjou, or in that of the castle of AUinges. When he visited the latter, he used to preach and «ive communion at the neighbouring" parish-church. On one c casion the congregation only amounted to seven ]>ei-sons, and lie was advised to save himself the trouble of prouching-. He replied, however, that he woidd preach if there were only one person present ; owed instruction to a little Hock as wrjll as to a great one. The sermon, which was on the invocation of saints, saved the faith of a gentleman who heard it, and who was on the very ve'-g-e of apostasy. He now ventured to preach, mounted on a chair, in the market-place of Thonon; when the people woukl break oUt business and listen to him, hushed in silence. He was indefatigable in visiting the sick ; and as he was in a heretic town, he made his flock underetand by his manner when he was carrying- the Blessed Sacrament about him, and they followed hiin reverently at a dis- tance. The signs of harvest beg-an now to thicken. In April 1500, Francis writes with great satisfaction to Favre, that the Baron d'Avully, one of the most important of tiie gentry of the place, too-ether with the " syndics," or magist) ates of the city, had very recently attended a ser- mon of his on the Real Presence ; and that othei-s, who did not dare to come openly, had endeavoured to hear wluit they could in a little back lane, where he was afraid his voice could not reach; and that he hod been told the Calvinists intended to publish " a confession of 44 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. tlieir fuitli," to serve us the basis of discussion with him. " The business ^is now safe," he triumphantly re- marks ; " for they have begim to parley, and, as the j)ro- verb has it, will next come to suirender." Res est in tnto: jam cnm adcoUoquia dcscendunt, moiV, itt vxpro- vcrbiOf ud (k'ditionem centuri. A ver^ interestinjjf reply from the Senator Favre to this letter is extant, in whicL he says there had been a report of Fnmcis's retui-ning to Annec}', which he had much hesitated to believe, and had wished pai-ticularly to heai* from him, in order to leara whether he had merely come to Annecy, or hud rcttimed thither. Like Reffulus of old, he might in- deed have visited his home; out with the full intention of keeping" his word, and going back to Carthage. He congi-atulates him warmly on the victories he was gain- in<^', and no longer among the dii minorum gentivm, but among those melioria noUBf some of whom he hears have been so overcome by the mere report of Francis's arguments, that they kept out of his way, and avoided meeting or seeing him, — " Good God ! how would it have been had they heard you speaking and disputing !" — and othei's had resolved to conduct the controvei-sy in writing, imagining, for which the senator thouglit them i-asli, that their paper, full of lies and inipudence as it might be, would not blush. Viret, the Galvinist minister of Thonon, and his brethren, began to find themselves called upon to take some public steps to counteract Fi-ancis. They challenged him to a public disputation, which he gladly accepted; but when the day came, only Viret attended, and made a shuffling excuse, on behalf of himself and the rest, for withdraw- ing their challenge, on pretence it might offend the Duke of Savoy. Fi-ancis obtained for them a written authorisation fi'om the Baron d'Hermance to hold the disputation; but they alleged fui'ther idle excuses, and (juitted the town witnout daring to face their formidable opponent. Two great and leading conversions followed soon after : one of them, that of an advocate of distinc- tion, named Poncet; the other, the Above-named Bai'on a. en. iv.j ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. ^ d'AvuUv, who became most iispf'ul to Frnncis h\ his nid nnd sufrji-e.'tions in ciUTyinjf on the work ot'cnthohcisin«j; tlie province. Francis considered this conversion of sncli g-rent iinim/tance, that he made a spcial commemo- ration of it once a year, on tiie 4th October, as h)ng- as lie lived. In the present day, when Pi-otestants are so fond of adopting- tlie system of passing" over in silence most convincing- treatises on the Catholic side, of " i^-- noiing" them, as tlie phrase is, it is interesting- to ob- serve that the Swiss Calvinists in Francis de Sales' time nsed precisely the same stratng-em towards him ; imitating" the silly bird in the fable, who, so long- as it hides its head from the fowler, thinks that its lodv is A controversial written bv Francis at secure. A controversial piper, D'AvuUy's request before his conversion, was sent to the niinistei-s of Berne and Geneva, and met with no sort of notice. Such a mode of proceedings of course only tended the more to open D'Avully's eyes to the weakness of the Calvinistic heresy, and to the strength of the Catholic arg-ument, from which they could only take rtfuge in stupid inaction. One instance, indeed, occurred, which showed that had they entered into either controversy or discussion, the result would have been the same. D'Avully jiei-suaded Francis to call on La Faye, a celebrated minister at Geneva, with who.^ lie had a long- conference at his own house. As in many such debates, the minister kept continually shii'ting" his ground when pressed on one point, iipmediately liyin^' to some other objection, and ending- in a torieint of the most outrageous invectives, which Francis bore with his usual serenity. Conversions now began to be numerous, and the success of Francis's mission became the object of g-ene- ral interest and applause. Pope Clement VIII. him- self wrote to express his approbation of the zeal and diligfence which Francis had shown ; and the Duke of Savoy ordered him to come to Tur*" to advise with him on the means of completing' the great work which was so happily begun. It was to be expected some 46 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. ci'oss woiiM occur in the midst of such a cnrrrr of suc- cess ; niul thi'io hnjjpcnod one of a kind paificularly tryiny to a ohfiiactHi- like tlint oi" Frnncis. Jii>t when he had leceived his (t.-dei* from tlm Dnko, n hiief, dated Ortoher 1, 1500, arrived from Pone Clement VIII., in M'hicli his Holiness intimated to tiancis de Sales, thiit he had commissioned a Capuchin friai-, Father Esprit de Ihinme, to acquaint him with a great desiij-n which he d(!sii-(!d him to undertake. This was no other than to attenipt the conversion of tlie celehrated heresiarch Bezn, who resided at (Jencva, as tlie successor of Cidvin, and chief of his sect. IJeza was now very old; and th? Holy Father prohably thoufj'ht that Francis's unrivalled ]>owers of persuasion, combined with that tenderness towai-ds early recollections which Beza niijiht ho ex- pected to have (for he had been a Catholic till long- past his early youth), would bo not unlikely to work a chan^'o. At a distance, the nndertaking* seemed invit- ing* ; but had his Holiness ))een on the spot, he would have perceived that the time w-as not yet arrived for Francis to turn his attention to anv thinir but carrvintr on the vnst work he had in hand. It was the most critical moment in the convei-sion of the province; it was very doubtfijl whether the Duke could be induced formally to establish the Catholic religion in the pro- vince; and if this opportunity were lost, the chance mig-ht never occur again. IVza, thougfh a great man, was but an .individual ; and the salvation of thousands depended on the decision of the Duke. Francis saw very distinctly that, althoug-h in appearance obedi- ence piompted him to g'o to Geneva, his real duty, which the Holy Father himself would have enjoined had he been present and known the facts, w-as to pro- ceed with the mission before him. He was in the posi- tion of an officer at a distance from his g-eneral, receiv- ing* orders which the g'eneral hiinself would reverse if he were at hand; he tlierefore boldly took the respon- sibility of acting" according; to the existing; circum- stances, which, after a good deal of haiassing' opposi- CH. iv.l ST. FRANCIS UE SALES. 47 tion, ovrn Father Espiit, with whom tlio convn-sion of ht'7.:\ was a jM-'t schciiu', at hist admittoii was tlie juoper and oiilv couis{» to he pniMU'd. Fiancis arrived at Turin in Decetnher 1590, after a perilous winter journey across tlie Alj)s. He was most ihitterinjilv received l)v the Duke and all the Com t ot" Piedmont, and was invitt'd to state im views hol'ore the Councih He imule a hmg" fspeech, of the most statesmanlike kind, and at the same time full of the ecclesinstical spirit, which lost none of its cfi'ect from his youthful appearance. He arj^ued tliat the time had at length arrived for the state to put fortli its ener<^i(»s in completinir the work of convei-sion. The Didie was unwillin;,^ to lia/ai-d the use of forcible mea- sures for fear of Geneva and Henry IV., who mio-ht take advuntagfo of any discontent in the dominions of Savoy. Francis did not recommend force; but he pointed out the dang'crous connection whicli always ex- isted between Calvinism and rebellion, and sliowcd that the bulk of the ])opulation diil not hold to Calvinism on conviction, but merely because Catholicity had been re- presented to them in false colours. The iiiinistei*s evi- dently maintained their ground on principles which had no claim to respect; for they refused to arg^ie the sub- ject, and had sought on two or three occasions to get rid of the difficulty by attempting" to have Francis as- sassinated. It seemed most unreasonable to allow the presence of such men to stand in the way of the conver- sion of a whole people. He thereibre recommended that all the Protestant ministers should be sent out of the country. He ftirther advised that state-patronag-e should be transferred from the Protestants to the Csi- tholics, so that no public offices should be lield except by Catholics. These were the two strongest points in a memorial which he presented to the govei-nment. The othei-s were, the suppression of Protestant books ; the establishment of a printing-press at Annecy for the cir- culation of Catholic publications ; the re-establisbment of the old paiislies tlux>ughout the duclij ; the restita- 48 ST. FRANCIS DE 8ALB8. I 1'^'? tion of usnri»e(l Chinch proptnty ; the restoration of the chinch of St. llipnolytus in the town of Thonon for pub- lic Cntliolic worship; the enii»lovinent of eiglit nctive missionaries to tiavel uhoiit the country and prencli in oil directions, to bo maintained otit oP funds hitiierto paid to Protestant ministers ; and finally, the establish- ment of a college o. Jesuits at Thonon, — that society being" practi.>-ed in controvei-sy, and l>est qualified to carry on so difficult a work. His great object was to use the strength of the state to secure a clear field for the action of Catholicity ; and at all events to make the people hear and see it. If only they eould be brought to this, he could leave the result in the hands of God. Thus, in an enrlier memorial, ho had recommended that "churches should be refitted in suitable localities, with altai's very handsomely adorned; and that the offices should be celebrated decently therein, and witli all the solemnities required for the mnjesty of the Divine ser- vice, even with organs, or other similar things, to fami- liarise the inhabitants with the exercise of the Catholic religion." It may be interesting here to mention, that ■ Fmncis, as we read in a letter of his to Madame de Chantal, " knew nothing whatever of music," though he " loved it extremely when it is apphed tu the pmises of our Lord." His plan for the restoration of Catholicity, from the political position of Savoy, was thought daiinr, especi- ally in the first two points, — the expulsion of tiie Cal- vinist ministers, and tne transference of state-patronage to the Catholics. These measures the Duke resened to a later period ; but the othei-s, after some discussion, were granted. If the Catholic religion was to be esta- blished at all, less than what Fi-ancis asked would not have sufficed. The principle of the state being of no religion, and distributing a certain amount of its assist- ance to all parties alike, was in those days not so much as thought of; and rulers believed themselves intrusted with power and patronage, not only for the temporal well-being of their subjects, but also for the direct ser- f CH. ivj ST. FRANLl*! UK f>Al.VA. 40 vioo of Almijifhtv (t<Ml. It*|K»<)|»N» mlinif tin* laiinpss of this view of '|Hil»lic tlv.ty, but still foinpluin of I'Vjincis cic Srtl('!»' projM)sitions Iwiiiir si-vfrc, t\tv\ have to s!iow in wlmt other manner any i-('lij;ion oonld have Immmj es- tablished. It was precisely a case in which the state luig'ht with the most jHJifect jMtuleiKe interfere ; for the people were so fur Catholic as to rc(piire only a slijrlit demonstnition of the will of the state to decide t " wavering" convictions, and many of them hesitated oniy because thev thoug-ht that will wa> not sutficiently shown. Atiuii-s being" m such a pi.«!ition, it wouK' have been intolemble if a handful of tanatics huu been al- lowed to check the Catholic t<'ndencies of the bulk of the i)opnlation, or to restrain them 'n the free exercise of that religitm which had been forcibly aisposse i-ed of its ancient rights little more than half a Cfnaii'j before. Francis returned to Thonon, and ft\i ■ ordering prayers for the good success of the ardu( us undertak- ing", took measures for the opening of the church of St. Hippolytus at the approncliing Christmas of 1690. 'J'lie announcement was the signal for an alarming sedi- tion, wliich was favoured by tlie magistrates themselves. The Calvinists closed the gates, to prevent assistance coming to the Catholics fi"om the country, suri"ounded the chiu'ch of St. Hippolytus, and threatened to bum Francis de Sales alive in the midst of the town. The Catholics, on their part, put themselves in a state of defence, occupied various stroic points, and placed a fl'uard at the house of their bel^^-o apostle. The crowd laving dispersed at nightfall, Francis at once sent work- men into the church. Disturbances again broke out in the morning ; and the two parties were on the point of coming to blows, when Fntncis, with that serene coui-age for wliich he was so remarkable, came between, and addressed the Calvinists in a firm but conciliatory speech; assuring them that it was no part of the Duke » plan to aepnve them of the liberty of conscience they enjoyed, but that he was detei-mined the Catholics 60 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. sliould at least have one clmrcli in which to exercise tlieir religion, and that he was merely putting thn Ca- tholics in jK>sse.s.«sion of whiit had been their own for many centuries. The Calvinii^ts hesitated ; and at length agreetl to a compromise, by which Francis was allowed to proceed, j)endinj>" an appeal from both parties to the Duke. Having" thus made ^ood his footing" in the chvn"ch, Francis worked with iiioonceivable dilisjence to p,et it leady, so as to celebrate Christmas with all the splendour possible under the circumstances. He effected tliis g-reat tiiumph ; all the Catholics from the neig-h- 'jouring" connti y p<)ured in to witness the sacred mys- teries, which hatf for iieaily two generations been ba- nished from the desecrated temples; eight liundred people received holy communion from his hands; and in the coiu-se of the octave, the inhabitants of three vil- lages came rn monf^e to abjure their heresy in his hands. The little s]>ark he had been fanning" so long^ was now indeed kimliing" into a llame; the harvest of conversions was now so abundant he could hardly ivatiier it in ; and the amount of labour in " sick-calls" became propor- tionately g"reat, as Thonon and the rest of the province woi"e g-radually becoming- Catholic, and no priests to attend to them but Francis, his brother, and a very few assistants. He preached, he taught, he conversed, he travei-sed the district incessantly, discharging" even tbe duties of leg"al adviser and physician as well as priest to his poor people, for which his education at Padua had made him highly competent. The day was not sufficient for his toils; for he preferred to can-y the Blessed Saci"ament to the sick by nig'ht, lest the heretics should insult It in the day-time, and so compel him to have recourse to secular assistance, which he was alwavs so anxious to use as little as possible. He lay down for but a short time, most frequent]}'- in his clothes, and s|)ent the rest of the night in prayer, or in preparing his instructions for the next day. Work like this told upon his constitution in the end. In one of his letters he remai'ks, that young people are apt to think they ' ' > ■■ i en. IV.] ST. FR;INCIS DE SALKS. 61 I cnri benr Ion"* watches, but that thev suffer for tlmm at a Inter jieriod ; and lie will not allow his penitents to sit up to meditate. When, however, he knew the ser- vice of God required it, he was not the man to spare himself. " It is not necessary," he said, " for me to live ; but ii is necessary for the Church to be served." The following- year, 1597, another field was opened for his zeal and prudence, similar to that which he had worked so well in the early days of his mission in the castle of Alling-es. A reg'iment commanded by the Count de Martinenpiie was sent by the Duke of t^a- voy to occupy Thonon, and to act under the advice of Francis. The wise and holy missioner only used tliis great power to secure goocl order among' the troops. They nocked to hear his sermons, which he now, instead of being' controversial, made to turn on the g'reat truths of the Christian religion, and on moral duties, which would come home to new and old Catholics alike. Most of them, officers as well as men, made g-eneral confessions ; and they were so delig-hted with the pre- cepts which Francis gnve them, esnecially relating' to tem[)tations that they should g-uara against iiereafter, that, at their entreaty, he put them into writing', and added a set of rules for a Clinstian life ada[)ted to the military state. It wodd be most interestins: if this were still to be found among' his writings. Mattei-r; were now so far settled at Thonon, that Fmncis thoug-ht himself able to undertake the task assigned to him b} the Holy Father, and endeavour to convert the great heresiarch of Geneva. It was a diffi- cult business even to get access to him ; for Beza was then an old man, and his house was daily so thronged by liis adherents, that it was hardly possible to have an interview with him without attracting' observation. Francis, however, resolved to make the attem])t, and prepared for it, as he did for all arduous offices, by much fasting' and prayer, and by writing- to his Bishop and cha})ter, and to all virtuous persons he knew who weie fit to be intrusted with the secret, to ask their 52 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. prayers for tlie happy termination of the enterprise. After several ineffectual attempts, he succeeded in ob- taining; an interview with Beza on Easter Tuesday, 1507. The old man received him with much courtesy ; and wsis g-reatly agitated durinj^ a part of the confer- ence, particulaily when Francis pressed upon him the question whether it was possible to be saved in the Ca- tholic Church; which Beza, after a severe struggle with himself, was obliged to admit, notwithstanding the ob- vious consequence that the Protestant schism was inde- fensible. They had two other interviews, in the last of which Beza showed himself much softened, having had a remarkable dream, in which it appeared to him lie was brought to the judgment-seat of God, and that he ob- tained a respite for penance by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. He also was deeply grateful for the prayers which the venerable Bishop of Geneva had for years offered up on his behalf. But the iron fetters in which his position held him were too strong to be broken bv these last impressions of grace. The here- siarch, whom a saint had laboured to convert, died as he had lived, an alien to the true fold. During this year, an act of extreme cnielty and injustice on the part of the Protestants contributed to strengthen the cause of Francis. A poor minister of the name of Galletin, ashamed of the shuffling of his brethren when challenged by Francis to meet him at Geneva, came to Thonon himself, and held many con- ferences with the Saint, Avhich ended in his conviction of tlie tmths of Catholicity, though not in his conver- sion. He had admitte/f, however, too nmch to be for- given by his co-religionists, who, on his return to Berne, as it is generally stated by the historians, procured his condemnation to death. Francis de Sales now had three energetic assistants sent him by his bishop ; tvvo of them Capuchins, Father Cherubin of Maurienne, and Father Esprit de Baume, previously mentioned, and a Jesuit from Chamberv, named Saunier. With these ecclesiastics and his cousin "» CH. IV.] 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. 63 Louis de Sales, lie held a council, to deliberate on his plan of action, at Annemasse, a place on the Lake of Geneva, about eig-hteen miles from Thonon, which had always remained faithful to Catholicity. Here, in Sep- tember of the same vein-, 1597, he celebmted a solemn Quarant' Ore, to wfiich no fewer than 30,000 j)eoplo resorted from all the vicinity. Fmncis himself, in sur- plice and stole, accompanied a grand procession, lu which they canied the ci-ucifix from Thonon to Anne- masse, singing; litanies and hymns as tliey marched, and being joined at each villag*e by fresh bands of con- verts. On this occasion he restored an ancient cross on the high-road from Annemasse to Geneva, which had been overthrown by the heretics, and attached to it a scroll, with the following verses written by himself: " Ce n'est la pierre ni le bois Que le Catholique adore; Mais le Koi qui, inort en crnix. ' l)e son sang la cmix honore." It may be interesting to mention, that among the meuns he used to attract the feelings of a simple and unlettered population, was that of the old mystery- plays. He made his cousin the Canon de Sales and his brother Louis compose a dramatic })iece of this kind on the sacrifice of Aomham; and when it was acted, he himself took the part of the Eternal Father. This, of course, would strike Protestants as irreverent; but it is an accusation they ought to be slow to bring against Francis de Sale.«. He doubtless felt in this, as in every thing he uttered, that he was speaking for God's greater o*lorv, and to do Him service. In tlie beginning of 1598 the Jesuits were esta- blished at Thonon, and all went on with the utmost activity. During a short interval, when Francis was absent at the castle of Sales in consequence of an attack of fever, the ministers ventured on holding a confer- ence with the Catholic clergy he left at Thonon ; but on his return, disgiiicefully sni-aiik &'om continuing the r»4 8T. FRAXCtS DE SALES. fHs])!itntions. The treaty of Vcrvin?!, ratified on I^Fay 2fl of tliis year, }»y which tlie possession of the Cha))lai3 and the })aili\vick ot Ternier v.vre ceded by France to Savoy, constitutes an epocli wliicli brings us nearly to the close of this gTe.at act in the career of Francis. ^ As this treaty remov; d all fears of these provinces fall- injr into the hands of the Protestants of Bar e, the Bishop determined to crlebrate a Quarant' Ore at Tho- non by way of thr nksniving*. After several delays, this solemnity was celebrated with great rejoicing" on September 20th ; during* the whole time ii lasted, pro- cession after procession entered Thonon from the neigh- bouring villages, composed of converts who wished pub- licly to renounce their heresy, and be received into the Catliolic Church. Conver ions on such a scale had probably never been witnessed since the miracles of Pentecost. Pontifical Mass was celebrated by the Bishop of Geneva in the church of St. Augustine, and the Blessed Sacrament was then can-ied in triunph througii the principal streets. On the first day there arrived successively bands of penitents from Taninge, Bellevaux, Boege, St. Cergues, Fessy, and Perrigny, clad in white, and most of them seeking to be recon- ciled to the Cliurch. On the following day came similar processions from Cluses, Sallanches, and the mountain- districts of Faucignv ; ♦hen a procession from Bonne- ville; then a procession of the nobility of the Cliablais, another from Evian, and, lu^tly, one from Ternier. On September 30th, the Duke of Savoy and the Cardinal de Medici (afteiwards Pope Leo XT.), who had been the chief negotiator in the treaty of Vervins, arrived in Thonon ; anrl the Quarant' Ore w,'>s solemnly renewed on October 1st, in the church of St. Augiis- tine, the duke and cardinal, with all the nobles of the court, assisting at the ceremonies, which were conducted with extraoi'dinary splendour. There were processions of the Blessed Sacrament through the streets, which were richly adorned with tapestry and verdure; and curious emblematical exhibitions, in the style of the CH. IV.] 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. 65 Ufi'o, were pfof up to expross tlie popular senso of flmnks- giviui^*. Hnndroils of jieople k«>pt Hocking" to ninke tlicir al»juration; and the Quamnt' Ore terminated with the inauguration of a crucifix in a street called, in Ca- tholic times, " Ci-oss Street," from a reniarkahle crucifix which had been overthrown by the heretics. Francis de Sales preached the sermon on this joyfid occasion ; and thenceforward the Chablais mi^ht be considered once more, what it iias continued ever since, a Catholic counti'V. The very few heretics who remained either yielded to tlie very modemte and reasonal)le exer> ise of the civil power, which at last the Duke thoug-Lt ii his duty to put forth, and which simply amounted to tlie establislnnent of Catholicity as the state religion, to the exclusion of Protestantism; or else sought reluge in the more cang'enial atmosphere of Bei-ne and Geneva. The sj)iritual conquests achieved by Francis, in the con- versions we have recorded, were commonly reckoned to amount to 72,000 souls. The holy missioner now retired to take rest for a short time at the castle of Sales. His father had lonff since acquiesced in his son's heroic undertaLing", and the castle had become a g-eneral refug-e for thc^e of the converts of Francis who were thrown npon the world. Whilst he war on this visit, the venerable Bishop of Genevi? eamcstly pressed him to accept the coadjutor- ship, which he had long" destined for him. Francis, like most of the saints who havo been called to the episcopal dignity, long* resisted ; and it was only after vehement entreaties on the part of the bishop, his clergy, and all his friends, that he at last perceived it was the will of Almig-hty God he should undertake this dreaded resjwnsibility. Shortly after this, he fell sick of a fever, from which, after his life for a time was despaired of, he wonderfully recovered. During* part of this illness he was afflicted with terrible temptations against the faith-, especially with a particular objection ng-;iinst the Real Presence of Jci-us Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, the solution to which he did not find out 66 8T. FUANCIS DE SALES. till after his recovery. This temptation he at the time overcame by frequent acts of faith, invocation of the Holy Name of Jesus, and. the use of the sign of tlie Cross. H'* always vpfu.sed to tell any one wlisit litis temptation wa-, excewt his cousin Louis de Sal* -, n.uluv a promise of secrocy, — fearing* lest weaker minils nuglit perceive the diff ••ulty more roadil} thari they ct'tld ltd answer. CH. V.J ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. 67 CHAPTER V. APrOlSTMEKT OF FRANCIS DE SALES TO THE COADJUT0H8H1P OF GENEVA — HIS VISIT TO ROME. On his recovery, Froncis de Sales started for Rome, in Feb. 1590, alonj^ with the Abh6 de Chiss6, nephew and vicar-gfeneral of tlie Bishop of Geneva. Having" arrived at the Holy City, he visited with the utmost ardour of devotion most of its great sanctuaries ; and, in particu- lar, his visit to the catacombs was noticed as having filled him with extmordinary sentiments of charity and consolation. On one occasion, the Abbe de Chiss^ found him in the catacombs in such an ecstasy of prayer, that he scarcely perceived what was passing; or who addressed him; he was shedding* teai-s so proftisely, that for a moment his friend thoug-ht that he must have had some bad tiding-s from home. This deep emotion in visiting* the catacombs constitutes a remark- able point of similarity between the spirit of St. Philip Neri and St. Francis de Sales. The holy founder of the Oratorians used to spend whole days in the cata- combs, in order to penetrate his whole soul w^th tho atmosphere • of the jprimitive ag-es of the Church; and it was there that Fmncis learnt to become the very image of the life of the early bishops and doctoi-s. Tlie visit to the catacombs which we have described was on the 13th of March; and it was on the following* day that Fiancis was first presented to the Pope by Cardi- nal de Medici, who, in introducing* liim, called liim by the title of " the Apostle of the Chablais." In this in- terview Francis presented to the Holy Father a great number of requests on the part of his Bishop, of which the most intei-esting* was a petition for the separation of the benefices of the Chablais from the military order of SS. Maui>ice and Lazarus. At the time wEen the 08 BT. FRANCIS 1)E 8ALE8. city of Geneva pxpellcd its Bishop, nnd Calvinism wM cstablislied thr ugiiout tiie ju-ovinco, Greg'orv XIII. had ndopted a vavy bold but saj>ncious exjjpdient lor keej)ing- the Church pro[)orty out of the hands of the Protestants; he transferred it provisionally fi'om the clerg"y to the Knig'hts of SS. ^Iaurice and 1 azarus ; their energy and tletermination not b(Mng likely to yield to tiie cupidity of the Protestants. They were to give up the ])ropertv, if over the Catholic religion should be restored, and meanwhile to pay the stipends of the small number of priests who were required i'ov the fli- minished Catholic jwpulation. The measure, in the end, was conij)letely successful ; but for a time, as we shall sec, the selfish desire of tlie knig'hts to detain the property after all reason for their ])rovisional tenure of it had ceased, gave a great deal of trotdjle. By other articles in his petition, the Bishop asked leave to devote a poi'tion ol' tlie tithes, offerings, and other revenues, to make up for the delkiencies in the stipends of the cures; and to support a certain number of ecclesiastics, to be called canons-theological, whose services in preachings would be especially necessary in a country like the Chablais, newly recovered from heresy. Various poweis of dispensation were asked for, in consideration of the great distance and poverty of the inhabitants. The most curiwis, however, of the articles, to the eye of an antiquarian, is one in which the Bishop demanded power to abolish the exaction of certain sei-vitudes from :he subjects of the diocese, wliich appeared insulting* and painful alike for a Christian bishop to exact, and for iiis subjects to render. One of these was an old cus- tom by which tlie inhabitants on the bordei-s of the lake were oblig-ed to keep watch to Under the fiogs from croaking", and thereby disturbing* t1 rest of the prelate. This was a relic of the feudal siraplicitv of the middle ages, which the times of course had long- outgrown, and which had become only an irritating; source of annoyance and humiliation. Among' other vexatious customs was the right of the Bishop to be CU. V. tT. FRANCIS OE SALES. 09 solo litMi' to tfstatdis who died childless. It was tho influence of Francis which broug-ht about tlio removal of these and similar burdens. At anotlH'r interview, the A1>1»l» <le Ciuss6 pre- ■-erit^'d to the Holy Father the Bishop's demand that Francis should be his coadjtitor, with the rifj'ht of suc- cession. This was g'i*ante(i in the most pfrucioui terms, and March the 2'2d was appointed for his examination. Francis, as usual at oil g-reat steps of his life, prepared for tiiis event by long meditations at the foot of the crucifix, by spending* almost tiie whole nig'ht in prayer, and bv vSaviny: JMass for tliat intention. In his final j>rayei*s on this occasion he made the heroic petition to our Lord, that, supposing he would be a useless servant in tlie episcopal oftic!), he might pass a bad examina- tion and be ovenvhelmed with confusion. The exa- mination, indeed, was of a kind to appal any one not possessed of considerable firmness as well as learning". It was held in a hall of the pontifical palace, in tlie I>resence of the Pope, seated on his throne and sur- rounded bv an auj>-ust assembly of Cardinals, among whom were Frederic Borromeo, Baronius, Borghese, and Medici. Bellarmine was also present, and a number of less known but still impoi-tant persons of the day. Such an effect had this grand sight upon a Spanish j)rel:jte, who was to be extimined on the same occasion, that lie fainted, and was obUged to be taken out. The utmost kindness was shown him, and leave was given for him to be consecrated w'ithout the usual exami- nation; hut he actually expired within a few houi-s. Francis de Sales was examined by the Pope himself, ^ and bv the other "neat tlieolodans whom we have named. Thirty-five questions wt re put to him on vari- ous subjects of the civil and canon law and of theology, only two of which have been preserved. The fii-st of these was fisked by Bellai'mine, and turned upon the formal cause of the beatitude of t!ie Saints, in regard to which Fmncis adopted the opinions of those who main- tain that it belongs to the intellect and the will, placing r VP 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. it in tlifi love of the superior good which is seen, and in the vision of the Superior Bein^ VVlio is h)ved. Tlie otlier, whicli was usked by the Holv Futher, related to the powers of dispensation enjoyed by Bishops, in which Francis expressed a view which his Holiness corrected, and which Francis at once modestly with- drew. The hig-iiest admiration was felt by all at the manner in which he passed the examination; and at its conclusion, Clement VlII., descending- from his throne, embraced the holy bishop elect, and said in a loud voice: BibCyfili mi, cujiunn ds cistemd tud, etjlucnta pittei ttii ; dcriventur fontea tvi foras, et in plateis aquas tuas divide (Prov. v. 15, 16). " Drink, my son, water out of thy own cisteni, and the streams of thy own well ; let thy fountains be conveyed abroad, and in the streets divide thy watei-s." The bulls appointing- Francis de Sales Bishop of Nicopolis and coadjutor of Geneva wc -e expedited on March 24th ; and the Holy Father sanctioned all the ai'rangements proposed by the holy prelate with reference to the affaire of the diocese, and the reconstruction of the religious esta- blishment of the Chablais. In this case, therefore, the delay habitual to the conduct of business in Rome was not extended very far j though, indeed, Francis praised that slowness, not only as a proof of the wisdom of the Holy See, but as giving time to strangers to satisfy their devotion in the sanctuaries of the Holy City. Whilst at Rome, Francis contracted intimate friend- ship with several of the great men then living there, such as Bellarmine, Baronius, and Giovenali Ancma, the last- mentioned of whom afterwards became Bishop of Sa- luzzo in Piedmont, and was visited thei-e by Francis. Ancina, like l{aronius,was among the most eminent dis- ciples of St. Philip Neri; and from them Francis imbibed much of the spirit of the Oratory, which he calls in his httei'Syprfcclanwiviveiidi modum. He left Rome on March yist, and returned to Piedmont, taking Loretto in his way, where he agam paid deep and ardent homage to the Blessed Virgin in the Holy House of Nazareui, CM. V. 8T. PiiA.vcis i>n RALr.<». (a ape eth, wlioro hfr mo«ir fnvoiirofl cliildron have ifcrivecl so ninny trmcf's, and olK'j'j'd ii}) so many vows. II«' ulso vi>itt'd ^liliiii, when? \u' obtainotl tlm '* lif»'" of St. Clinrh's Ilor- rniiii'o, to whom lie always had a iifroat (h'votioii, and by whose example he very much fj^uided himself. On niTivin*^ tit Annecy, the ilist jiftair lie had to transact was the difficult and thorny undertaking" of tmnsferrin','' the Church-property of the Clml)lais and the adjoining^ l)ailiwicks irom the kni^^-hts of SS. Laza- rus and Maurice to its original destination. Thoug-h tiie fact tliat these distncts were now almost entirely converted to t}ie Catholic faith was patent and imdeni- uble, and consecpiently no excuse could be otlered for maintainin*^ what from the first was only a provisional state of tlnng's, yet the knig'hts jwrtinaciouslv insisted that they provided yearly payment for a sufficient num- ber of jniests ; w hen it was evident that tlie Catiiolic j)opnliition re(piii"ed far more than they allowed. In the spirit of a mere corporation, they offered the most vexatious opposition; ana no less than twoyeai*s elaj)sed ])efore even the unwearied patience and w^onderful tact of Francis de Sales were able to carry out the oiTang-e- ments, for which he had obtained the sanction both of the Holy See and of the g-oveniment of Savoy. Another favourite scheme he had devised was, to remove the seat of the bishopric from Annecy to Tho- non; a change which would probably have had a g-reat effect in strengthening* the faith ot the newly-revived population. So many difficulties, however, attended the can-ying" out of this idea, that he was obliged to give it up. He succeeded, however, in founding a very remark- able institution, w- Inch he had meditated f' ; a long time, and the plan of which he had placed belbri the Holy See in his visit to Rome. This was an pi'leblishment, which, under the name of the " Holy House," was in- tended to assist those of the converts in the Chablais whose reconciliation to the Church had placed them in tempoml difficulties, as \i-ell as for other purposes which wc shall presently describe. ■Y. rUA.Nrid UB HALBt. CnAVTKR VI. rOCNPATION OF "THE HOLY HOUSE"— VISIT TO PARIS. It is obvious tliut when such a numbor of conversions hftd been etYected in the manner we have related, cases of g-reat imlividual suffering" ni ist often have occurred. Had the whole population been simultaneously recon- ciled to the Church, matters would, of coui-se, have e'one on after the conversions as they did before. J3ut the movement, altiioug;h ultimately taking' in the entire people, was, as we have seen, a very jp-adual affair, extending over a number of years. Converts, therefore, from time to time were thrown out of em- ployment, and families broken up ; so that an amount of distress was commonly witnessed of a similar kind to what has taken place in Eng-land dming the last ten yeare. Francis de Sales assisted the poor con- verts to the utmost of his power, and was in the habit of raising money fi'om his wealthier friends for the same purpose. The necessities, however, which were daily mcreasing, required some larger and more per- manent means of relief than private and occasional charity could supply. There was another reason also which made it very important that some means of em- ployment should be opened, adequate to provide for the convei-ts, and in the city of Thonon itself. The con- tinual communication with Geneva, for the sake of traffic, service, and business in general, w' as attended with gi'eat danger to the faith of the poor converts of Thonon. The lower classes resorted thither for mer- chandise, or to obtain places as servants, and the hip-her ranks of society for education. The authorities of Ge- neva, moreover, put a soi-t of premium on ajostasy, by holding out every kind of civil advantage as the it Ml. VI.] *T. FKAVCia DK SALES. C3 rownrd of n)i]nnnp- tlif» CatliDlic relijrion. On tlio oflior hand, thr [»ci>*'cutii»n to wliicli tlioM» iMlmbit;int.'< of (i»'- lu'va \V( i'f siil)i''ctt>il who ciulnjircd Cuthohcify, drovo many into «»xil(', or phmj^'-cd th«'n» into tlio depths of poverty. It was tlierefore (h'sirahlo, ns far as j)ossihl»«, to break the coiniection hetueen the newly-rechiinied piovinces and those hea«l-qnarters of hostihty to tlio CathoHc Church, by providin}*' for the new converts the means of liveliliood at home. Lastly, it wa.s now an oljject of tlie most pressing" importance, to educate ch-r^y for the spiritual provision of the tliousand: triitiiered indeed into the fold, but who were without any thing- like a sufficient staff of pastors to take care of tlu-m. The ^umber broug'ht over by Fmncis and his three or four assistants required a largo body of clergv through- out the province; and this, even when tiie difficulty of endowments was overcome, could not be supplied un- less an extensive .seminary were created. Tiie institu- tion which Francis de Sales founded to meet this j)ur- pose has been comparatively lost sight of in the lustre of the great religious order with which his name is associated. It was, nevertheless, one of the most in- teresting kind, and full of hints which may be studied with great advantage in our own times. "The Holy House," which name he probably ns- siffned to it from a devout reniembi-unce of the joy with which he had visited the hollowed shrine of Loretto, was a sort of combination of the university, the religious congregation, and the mechanics' guild. As a univer- sity, it was to supply the means of education which had been sought for at Geneva; as a religious congrega- tion, it was to train up a body of priests qualified for carrying' on the g^eat missionary work which he had begTin ; and as a mechanics' gniild, it was not only to teach various trades to those who might be out of em- loyment, but also to furnish a market for their laboui-s. n this respect, the idea of it reminds us of one of the most interesting of the numerous institutions of Catholic France at the present day, — we allude to the (Euwe ds I 64 8T. FUANCIS D£ SALES. S. Nicolas nt Paris, wliere poor boys ore tnug-lit Imndi- crnl't tvarles; and with sncli success, that the institute itself* is not only self-supportinL'-, Imt is etlVcting' won- ders for the amelioriition of v»ii;it are culled the dan- gerous classes. The Holy House, moreover, was in general to furnish a refug'e for those converts who mitiht be thrown upon the world, till some permanent situation coidd be found for tiiem. It were much to be wished that w^e had details as to tlie practical working** of the secular ))art of this insti- tution ; but of this we know little, althoug-h the infor- mation on record as to the ecclesiastical de{)artnient is both copious and interesting". The establishment w-as founded in virtue of aJbuU of Pope Clement VI H. What constitutes a very cu- rious and chai*acteristic feature of it is, that it wa? to be g'overnedby a ])refect and seven secular jniests, Wijo v.'ere to follow as much as possible the rules of the Ro- man Oratory. In the statutes drawn up for the Holy House by Francis, it is, in fact, called " the Oratory of our Lndy of Compassion of Thonon." The holy disciple of St. Philip Neri, Cardinal Baronius, was appointed its first protector ; Francis himself being its first prefect. It was constituted into a regular university, parti- cularly on the model of those of Bologna and Perugia, and divided into four sections, according to the purposes we have mentioned ; the first, which was, in fact, an ecclesiastical seminary, consisting of the above-men- tioned prefect and seven priests, and of seven choristers. The most important of their rules were as follow : The hour of rising was to be at four o'clock from Eaater to All Saints' day ; there was to be Mass every morning : the whole of the Divine Office to be chanted on fes- tivals of the firet class, and on those of the Blessed Virgin ; on other days they were to chant the tliree last little hours, with Vespers and Compline, and always to observe with the most scrupulous exactness the cere- monial of the Cathedral of Geneva. All the priests yrevQ to attend every Monday a conference on cases of «- 'VV en. VI.] ST. FRANCIS DK SALES. 65 conf'cipnce uiul ciTcnionio.' ; and aiiotlier on Tuesday, on t!se spiritual and temporal administration of the house, and on the observance ot" the rules. They were to dine at a common table, never to leave the house without men- tioning" where tliey were going', and to retuni in the even- in"* at tlie rinsin"- of the Anwlus. There were to be two almoners cuargedwith the distribution of relief to the poor. The second department was devoted to preach- ing, and consisted of a certain number of Capucliin friars, who wore to go about and assist the secular clergy in that way. The educational department was at first placed under the care of the Jesuits ; al'terwards lay teachers held it for a time, but managed tie busi- ness very indifterentlv. The Barnabites were finally engaged for those duties, and in their hands the college prospered exceedingly. The remaining department of the college was devoted to the ntw converts, or to per- sons desirous of instruction. Here the poorest were tauglit trades and handicrafts, and put in the way of gaining their livelihood. Whilst Francis was thus engaged in the very thick of negotiation and practical labours, his pen was not idle. In the early part of the year IGOO he completed a great controversial work, tile Standard of the Huh/ Cross, in re})ly to a pamphlet, in which the Calvinist minister Lafaye had ])Oured out abuse against the liomage Catholics pay to the symbol of our redemi)tion. The book is richly l"urnished with authorities from the Sacred Scripture, from the fathers and doctors, and is an excellent storehouse of ar^^-uments for the Catholic rensoner; though less known, comparatively s|)eaking, than the devotional treatises of oiu* Saint. The same year, a collision between Fmnce and Savoy placed the ])acific conquests of the holy Bishop in great daiiger. By another treaty concluded at Paris between Henry IV. and the Duke of Savoy, the latter had en- gaged to cede to the kins; the marquisate of Saluzzo, a (listrL't the Dukes of Savoy had seized during the wai-s of the Leag-ue, on condition of receiving- the province of 06 ST. FRANCIS DE BALES. II I a Ln Bi'f'.sse nnd some other dif^puted possessions. Tlfiiry IV. hiiviiis^- fulfilled liis pni-t of the nj^reeinent, the Duke of Savoy refused to g-ive up Suluzjio ; and tha conse- quence was, that those provinces of S:ivoy adjoiniri«^' to Fiance, among: which were the Chahlais and Ternier, were immediately occupied by the French forces, under the command of the Duke of Lesdiguier^s, of whom we shall hear afterwards. The republic of Geneva, of comse, aided this invasion, and petitioned Henry IV. to extend the Edict of Nantes to their country, so as to restore the free exercise of the Protestant relig'ion, and in all probability destroy the results of the five years of toil which Francis had ])estowed upon them. The holy E relate soug'ht and obtained an interview with the great [enry at the castle of Annecy ; and such was the im- pression produced upon tliat wise monarch, both by the arguments which Francis de Sales urg-ed for the inte- rests of Catholicity, and Ijy the charm of his manners and ])reseuee, that the king- promised that no change should take j)lace in the ecclesiastical affaii-s of the Chablais. lie was treated by the king' with the hig-hest consideration ; and it was noticed even that Henry IV. held his hat in his hand during- the entire conference, — an extraordinary mark of respect in that ag'e of eti- miette and formality. During- the course of this wai-, Francis de Sales, having- occasion to visit the cnstle of Alling-es, in order to remonstrate with the g-overnor, whom the Calvinists had induced to seize on some of the Church-property, was taken prisoner by a party of the French soldiers. Their commander, the Marfjuis de Vitry, showed him the utmost reverence, and aided him in stopping* the further invasion of those rights which Henry IV. had g-uaranteed. During- the re- mainder of the year he was employed in ""Jie reconstruc- tion of the parishes in the converted districts; and suc- ceeded in settling- no fewer than twenty-five, in arrtKig-- ing- an excellent system of grouping- the aiflerent parishes in the manner of ruial deaneries, in distributino- jinmiiost them, in due proportion, the proceeds of the property I c I IH. v.] ST. FRANCIS DK SALES. 67 liitlioito lield 1)V tlio kniuhts of SS. M;iniicp nnd L;i^a- riis, and Insllv, in appointing- pi-icsts to e:ic)i ot" the jijirislies. In the spnng- of t\w. Iblirwing- VfMi-, IGOl, ije iuid the affliction of losing* liis fjitlier. The bmve old noble made a most Christian end; feeling-, indeed, that it was a sacrifice for him, a kniglit who had seen so many hard-foiig"ht fields, to die ing-loriously in his bed. Like Siward Earl of Northnmberiand, in our old history, he wanted to have his armour brought to him, that at least he might die in harness. But these human feeling's, the result of the chivalrous ideas in which he had been brought up, g'ave ])lace to holier thoug*hts. On taking" leave of his children, he charged them to re- vei-e Francis as their father, and died with the g'reatest resig'nation and piety, after having; devoutly i-eceived the last Sacraments. Francis was absent at the time of his deati), being- eng-ag-ed in })reaching- the Lent at An- necy. He received the news as he was ascending* the pulpit; but preached nevertheless with his usurd calm- ness, recommending", at the close of his sermon, the soul of his g"ood father to the prayers of his faithful Hock. The disp ites between France and Savoy were at length adjusted by a i'rcsh treaty contracted at Lyons, by which the latter government yielded to the formcj-, alnong" other possessions, the important territories to the north of the Lake of Geneva, callru the Pot/^ de Cit:i; belong"ing' to the diocese «)f Geur .a, and containing* thirty-sevea parishes, with about ;>0,000 inhabitants. The "bailiwick of Gaillard, a sm:dl district adjoininjr Thonon, was ceded to Savor by the sinne treaty, and the Catholic religion re-established in it without any great troidjle ; the conversion of the Chablais having" made the work generally much easier, and there being- still considerable ti-aces of the faith among" the j)eople, among" whom Calvinism had only ])r('vailed about sixty vears. The teriit(n"y of (icx })jes«'nte(l ii w.ow. ditiicuit business; the r*:puljlic of G«'neva iiakiiig" it a strcjng* point to obtain from Henry IV. the ratiilcntiun of theii* %y m BT. FRANCIS DE SALK8. I I unjust tpnure of revrral villng'es, of which tlipy had ioi)becl the catlicdnil chnpter of Geneva, and wliich would liave iurnislied so many centres of ])roselytii;m throuo-liont tlie province. The Bishop of Geneva sent Francis de Sales to Paris to counteract these claims of the Calvinist rep»iblic. He was accompanied on his joiu-ney by the President Favre, whose vast legal at- tainments and hig-h consideration in Savoy, no less than his ancient friendship for Francis de Sales, miule his ])resence valual)le on such a mission. They arrived at Paris on Jan. G2d, 1G02; and Francis remained tljoro several months^ as the neg^otiation proved a very tedious 0110. Francis presented an elaborate memorial to Henry IV., demanding the free exercise of the Catholic re- ligion in Gex, and tlie restitution of so much of the Church property as had been appropriated during- the late troubles. Henry IV. and liis politic minister Villeroi were very slow in meeting these demands ; and Fitincis had abundant oppoi-t unities for the practice of his unwearied patience and tact. Yet his stay at Paris was full of advantage lo the CImrch. The brilliant court of the French capital was completely carried away with admiration for the eloquence of the coad- jutor of Geneva, or by that indescribable charm which his veiy presence exercised on all who beheld him. At the request of Marie of Luxembourg-, Duchet^s of Mer- coeur, he preached in the church of Noti-e Dame a ser- mon fit the obsequies of her husband, Philij)- Emmanuel of Lorraine, before a princely aiTay of ciu'dinals, pre- lates, and the great noblesse of France; on which occa- sion not only the eloquence and piety of his woids were admired, but also the exquisite prudence he disjilayed in his eulogy of tiie deceased duke, who, as a c1iie+*of the League, had been a foi-midable enemy of Henry IV. Dui-ing his "vliole stay in Paris, whicli lasted for six momlis, Fi'ancis was continually preaching, leaving Ijimself hardly time to eat or gletp; and his zeal was rewarded by several great conversions among the Cal- viiiist noblesse. One of them was a Countess de Pei- ! Ml CH. VI.] 8T. PRANCIS DE SALES. rt9 di-enuviile, wlio received lier first impressions in favour ot" Catholicity' from a sermon preached by Francis on the J^ast Judi>-ment, witiioiit tlie introduction of anv controversial matter at all. Henry IV. hinii^elf, one of tile most sag'acious observers of his time, was exceed- ing-ly struck with the holy prelate, sma always spoke of lijm in terms of the utmost admimtion. " 31. de (xeneve," said he, "is the very ph«','nix of prelates. The rest have almost always their weak side : in one it IS learning', in another piety, in others birth ; whereas M. de Geneve unites all in the hiy-hest degree, both illustrious birth, and rare leai.'^ing, and eminent j»iety." lie pressed him to accept a bishopric in France, which Francis refused ; playfully observing, that he was already married to a poor wife, and must not forsake her for a richer one : he had taken the see of Geneva, distressed as it was, for better and for worse. Such was the de- sire of the French king- to secure him, that he repeated the offer no less than five times, and in vain brought in the influence of others to induce Francis to accept it. Had he done so, effects might have followed that are little thought of. Henry J V. seriously entertained the idea of sending him into England, with tiie view of at- tempting- the conversion ot James I. ; and at a later period, when it was known that that monarch had be- stowed high pniise on Fi-ancis' treatise On the Love of God, and wislied he could become actjuainted with its author, the lioly prelate eagerly caught at the prospect of his convei-sion, and would probably have taken the English mission, but for the Duke of Savoy's refusal to allow of his departure. The influence which Francis exercised on French society was, however, so gTeot, that his six-months' visit to Paris left a g-reater impress on it than other men could have given in a lifetime. He became the friend and adviser of the ])er3ons most distinguished at that time for virtue und leligion r such as the Cardinal de BeruUe, founder of the French oratory, Madame Acarie (afterwards Sister Mary of the Jncornation, who 70 ST. FRAXCIS DB SALES. was beatified by Pius VI.), the Duchess de Long^ieville, the celebrated Amauld, and otlieis of that stamp. It was at tiiis period tlmt several of those friendships were formed, to which we owe come of the most beautiful and vuluable portions of his correspondence ; such, for example, as that remarkable letter ho addressed, shortly after his return, to the abbess of the Hotel Dieu, a con- vent in wliicli the aristocmtic spirit of the ag-e had allowed distinctions to creep in, to the ruin of the mon- astic spirit of poverty; and which he points out with .mrivallcd delicacy and kindness, ana sug-g-ests the moans for accomplishing* the difficult undertaking* of a return to the ancient rule. It will be perceived that we have mentioned among his friends in the relig-ious world of Paris one or two who aftei-wards unhappily became entangled in the Jansenist party. We ought, however, to recollect, that it was many years before their real character develoi)ed itself as they now stand in ecclesiastical history. Yet the instinct of Francis, totally opposed as it always was to the least shadow of heresy, led him, long* bei'ore that fatal sjnrit had manifested itself, to reject the application of Angelique Arnanld to be admitted into the order of the Visitation. Nothing* definite, beyond a certain pride that showed itself in her disposition, seems to have determined him to this ; but it showed in a singular manner the unerring jiulgment by which si\ints anticipate and repel evil be- fore common eyes can detect it. In general society, too, a jiowerful effect was pro- duced by this short sojourn of a saint in a city which was then, as now, the vortex of dissipation, as well as the centre of religious action. Many of thoL;e immersed in the pleasures of the world, dated from his visit their return to the fear of God. "" ♦ith a patience that nothing* could weary out, wi+h a winning* sweetness that the hardest heart could not resist, he would watch his opportunity to edge in a word just at the moment when it would be felt; never saying too much, or hurrying on souls faster than Almighty God intended CH. VI.J ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 71 them to pfo. In short, the way in which he turned to vast account a pei-iod of time whicli, to otlier men, would have been but a tedious parenthesis, and accom- phshed a great by-work at intervals, when tiie work which brought him to Paris could not be proceeded with, is one of the most instructive passages in his life. However, his original mission to Paris did receive an accomplishment in some degree. After much harass and delay, in the coui*se of which Francis de Sales was falsely accused of sharing in a political conspii-acy against Henry IV., but out of which affair his dignity and innocence only apj)earod with tlie greater lusti-e, the French kmt^ ended by charging the Baron de Luz, governor of Burirundv, to re-establish the exercise of the Catholic religion throughout Gex, wherever there were a suificient number of Catholics ; only taking caro to proceed gradually, so as to avoid giving alarm to the Protestants. He also formally took the ecclesiastics of those districts under his sj)ecial patronage, and invited Francis de Sales to choose pastoi-s for the re-consti- tuted parishes, whose prudence and charity wouhl qua- lify them for the difficult position in whicli they woidd be placed. This was not all that had been asked : still it was something ; and Francis now decided to return into Savoy, especially as the failing health of the aged Bishop of Geneva made it necessary for him to hasten his consecration. The kind and noble old man, who, without any extraordinary ability, was a model of the patriarchal simplicity of bishops of tiie apostolic days, died before his saintly coadjutor reached home. Some time previous to his death, which took place in Sep- tember 1002, he had the consolation of celebrating the jubilee at Thonon, by which tlie history of its conver- sion was concluded and wound up with a sort of ecstasy of rejoicing and thanksgiving. Htmdreds of thousands of )i'grinis of all ranks, in masses numbering one, two, or even four thousiuids. e-.ich preceded witli crucifix and banner as they advanced, poured from all the country rouini, making the Alpine valley's i-esound with their 79 ST. FJIANCIS DE BALES. pious chants. More than a hundred confessors were engfag'ed continually at the tribunal of penance; and altogether 02,000 communions were made in the church of 1 lionon, where, but a few years before, it needed the heroic coui-ag;e*of a saint to venture over from the for- tress of Alling-es to minister to a handful of Catholics, who tri^mbling-ly kept olive the lamp of faith amidst the darkness of triumphant heresy. Dui-inir this joyful .festival, the " Holy House" was canonically erected by the bishop, ag^reeably to the bulls gi-anted by the Pope, and united in j)erpetuity to the church of St. Hippoly- tus, under the title of Our liody of Compassion, under whose invocation ho also placed the hig-h altar. After the ceremony, he caused to be inscnbed, in letters of g-old, on the vaulting* of the church, tliose words which on no occasion could more appropriately have been uttered : Oaude, Maria vh'ffo, eunch's luereses sola interemisti in vnicerso mvndo. Could a happier and holier termination be imagined for the long" toils with which this aged prelate, white with yeare, nad eanitd his overlasting' crown ? t CH. VII.] 8T. FRANCIS DB 5ALRI. 73 CHAPTER Vn. FRANCIS DE .lALKS AS BISHOP OF GENEVA. In returning" homewards, Francis do Sales took the Pays (l(! Gex in his way, where he re-estabhshed five parishes ; one of tliem the town of Gex itself, where he placed as pastor his cousin, Louis de Sales, who under- took the office without salary. lie then retired to the castle of Sulc:<, to rniiike a twenty-days' retreat pre- viously to receiving- conseeiiition. In this retreat he placed himself under the direction of one of the Jesuits from Thonon, Father Foirier ; he made a general con- fession, and, with much fasting and prayer, drew up a rule of life for conducting himself in the episcopal office. Tliis document, which enters into the minutest details, is still extant; and is alike interesting, both as throw- ing into strong re'-'-'f his pei-sonal character and habits, and as a be.autiial conception of the example which a bishop ought to exhibit to his flock. He fii-st regulates externals, such as his dress and household arrange- ments : as to the former, he resolves to wear no habits made of silk, or any more costly material than he had been accustomed to, but would have them neat and well-fitting ; he would never appear in public without rochet and mantle, and would always wear the beretta whether in public or private ; he excludes several ele- gances made use of in dress by high ecclesiastics of the day, and his only ornaments are the chnplet sus- pended at his girdle, which latter he allows to be made of silk, and the pastoral ling, which marked the indis- solu})le imion of the holy pastor to his church ; he re- solves that his tonsure shall always be in a state to be extremely noticeable; his beard round, not pointed, and without moustaches over the upper lip. As to his household, he I'esolves to have no useless or superfluous t n BT. FRANCIS DK SALE8. BPrvants: his honselioM shall consist of two ecclesi- astics, one for the manaj^omont of jitfaii's, nnd the oilier to assist in the Divinn Oftiee; tlioy must he plninly hahited in the Roman dic^s, or in that of the priests ot the seminary of V Ian, hcin^'- the least expensive. The remainder of the . -tahlishmcnt comjH'ises a secrf'taJV, two valets, a cuok nnd kitchen-hov, and a latk'.y, whose livery is to he tawny, with violet hordci-s. None of them are to wear feathers, swords, long" hair or moustaches, or j^ay colours, — the usual vanities of the rufflinff s(?rving-men of the time, such as would certainly have found no harbour in the house of the Hishop of Geneva. They were to confess and communicate onco n month, hear Mass every day, and the Divine Office on days of ohli^ation ; their hour for rising- was to be five X)'clock, tlien- bed-time ten; previous to which they were to att<.'nd the litanies, to be read by the Bishop : viz. on Sunday, that of the Name of Jesu<; on Mon- day, of the Saints ; on Tuesday, of the Angels ; on "Wednesday, of St. Peter the Ajwstle, patron of the church of Geneva ; on Thui-sday, of the Jilessed Sacra- ment ; on Friday, of our Lord's Passion ; and on Sa- tuiday, of the Ples.'-ed Virgin. He is particular in exacting* groat courtesy to be shown by his servants towards all, esT'^cially priests, whether of the inferior class or not. j'^t^y cliamber was to have an oratory, a hoiy-watei ihwc, some devout j)icture, and an Agnus Dei; *wo nhiv w.rc to be carpeted, one for strangers, the other a reif'ption-room. His table was to be fru- gal, but neat and decent ; the priests were to take it in turns to say grace; and some book of devotion was to be read till dinner was half over, after which conversa- tion was to j)roceed. The dinner-hour was to be ten ; that of supper, six. Alms were to be publicly given on certain days, both to the poor, ana to religious orders like the Capuchins and ti^e Poor Clares, and to the hospital. He lays stress on publicity, for the sake of exam})le. Special and extraordinary alms were to be administered as " the unction" — the grace imparted ! ;'t \ ■M"- 'V.' . -is cif. vri.] «T. FRANCIS DK SALES. 75 hy his conspciTition— shoiild sup-pt^sf. Thon follows n list of tlio (lays on wliioli the Bishoj) n'^olvo" to assist at t\m Divine ()rtic»»s in his cutho(hul, and of* varioui con tVatc'ini ties nt wliose iohg'ioi;'< exercises lie would he present as olte Th th da- come lions wnicM ih? niys down for his condtict intenmlly. As to stiidv, he wt)uld take care to he ahle to lenni soincthinn* (»very day of a proiitahle kind and suitable to ids profession. To this j)Ui'pos(» he would g-ener.dly devote tlio tinfie between seven and nine o'clock in the inorninfi*; besides which he would have u book of devo- tion read for half an hor r supper, which nn;»ht answer [)artly for stud' ' ' for meditation. He would nierlitate for an lii lorning". Then fol- low re.-olirions about th( of God, and about ejaculatory piayei-s (to whicii, by tlie way, he attached great impoitance, as an excellent means of makinp- up for lost tinu!, if any thing* hindered the usual medita- tions). He g'oos on to fix his hours for saying: the Divine Ofiico : he woidd say Mass at nine o'clock daily; hear confessions every two or three days, and occasion- ally himself g'o t^o confession publicly in the church, by way of example ; he would fast, besides the days com- manded by the Churcli, every Friday and Saturday, and on all vig-ils of the feasts of Our Lady. Every year he would make a retreat of eight days, in which he would review liis pi-ogress, confess his offences, con- fer with his confessor on his difficulties, make many prayers, especially mental, offer iind cause to be offered many Masses to obtain from Aimighty God the graces he required, and renew all the good purposes and de- signs with which Aliii'ghty God inspired him. Tl e time he thought best lor this retreat was the carnival; not only to avoid ])eholding' the license to which tl.e Sople g"ave way at that season, hut, like our Lord and is holy precursor, to emerge fioni tie desert to preaching- and good works : hut if there were hopes of wi'hdi awing- the people from their dissipation, then he wo'.dd take some of the weeks between Easter and IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // {./ ^ :^ 1.0 1.1 Ui|2i8 125 ■^ Uii 12.2 M IL25 HIU 1.6 -1 HiotograiJiic Sdences Corporation 33 WBT MAIN STRIIT WIUTH.N.y. I4SM (716) •72-4503 <i 76 ST. FRANCIS DB BALKS. Pentecost for the retreat, to have the ndvEintage of the grace of those holy feasts, and hecause affairs were then less pressing. Such was his rule of life, which was signed hy his director. Father John Forrier. But although he made out this exact distribution of time, OS an arrangement to which he always aimed at con- forming himself, still he did not allow it to entangle his conscience, or interfere with the service of his flock. He was too wise a man not to know that " the ton'ents of business," as he calls them in his letters, by which a bishop is overwhelmed, must often sweep away the best-devised regulation of hours , and that, on the other hand, nothing will be well done unless there is at least a constant enort to adhere to rule. By this means he kept clear both of scrupulosity and disorder. His consecration took place on December 8, 1603, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, at the parish church of Thonon, one of the noblest of the lordships belonging to the house of Sales. A vast concourse of the most distinguished people from every part of Savoy were present at this joyful ceremonial. The mother of the Saint had taken care to have this church magnifi- cently adorned ; and she too had pi-epai'ed by a retreat for this great day, expecting for herself an overflow of graces, when so much M'ould be bestowed on the child of benediction whom she had oflfered to our Lord before he was bora. The chief consecrating prelate was Ves- pasian Grimaldi, foimerly Archbishop of Vienna; but who for many years had led a retired and charitable hfe at Evian, on the boitiei's of the Lake of Geneva. The character of the ceremonial was felt by all to be pervaded by a superaaturol sweetness. The countenance of Francis de Sales appeared radiant like an angel's ; and he afterwards declared that he had beheld our Blessed Lady and the holy apostles Peter and Paul assisting him; and that at each step of the ceremony, — the imposition of hands, the unction, the conferring of the mitre, the gloves, the ring, and the cross, — he saw clearly and distinctly the Blessed Trinity workiog> in , CH. VII.J ■T. FRA1VCI8 DB SALB8. 77 1- his soul the effects symbolised by those ceremonies. When the consecration was over, he returned to the castle of Sales, where he spent a i'evr days more in retreat; and on Dec. 14th he made his solemn entry into his episcoml city of Annecy, where he was received by the authorities and the whole population with great rejoicings. He liad now entered on the career which made him what he is in the history of the Church, and previously to which, uotwitltstunding tlie great actions he had achieved, and the extensive influence he had acquired, the puqxtse for which such graces had been lavished upon him would not have been fulfilled. The rule of life, of which we have given an abstract, was cnn-ied out by him v ith that ming-led gootl sense and gentle- ness which gfovemed all his proceedings. He lived at Annecy in a hired house, preferring; to do so from mo- tives of humility, rather than to purchase one for him- self. Aftei-waitls, however, the President Favre, on leaving* that city, presented him with the mansion he had himself lived in. Every thing in his establishment was simple, but still elegant; and, considering the very small revenues he had, which did not amount to more than 3680 fr. a year (not equal to 150/. of our money), his appointments were even magnificent. In this respect he was the gfreatest contrast to St. Charles Borromeo, whom he reverenced so much, and who, with a vast in- come, lived in the utmost external as well as internal austerity. However, although Francis de Sales thought it right to adopt a certain degree of dignity in his household economy, he kept for him«eif a little dark and poorly-furnished apartment, v;hich he playfully called the room of "Fnmcis," the others being the rooms of " the bishop." llie house was the very abod^ of calmness and peace : it united the stillness and holi- ness of the monastery with the air of homeliness that became the palace of the bishop. He governed his household with that astonishing sweetness with which he did every thing, and of which he had spent many 78 •T. FRANCIS DK SALES. yenw in the pntient ncqnisition. Tliero nre beaiitifiil infjf.nnces of it as regards this part of his conduct; sucli as iii>i kindly allowinj^ liis old preceptor, the Abl)^ D^oge, who lived in his liouso, to reprove him, as if he wei-e still his pupil. He secured, however, as exact an observance ot his rules as could possibly have been obtained by the method of severity. Female servants he would not permit in his household, nor indeed any females to enter it, except in the {^llery and reception- room : when urged to relax this nile, at least so far as to allow some ap;'ed and resjiectable woman to superin- tend the linen, he replied, that he would not permit even his own mother to live in his house; for tnough she was his mother, all the women who would be cei-tain to come to see her were not. The first business which Francis took in hand after he was settled at Annecy, was to establish a confin- temity of Christian Doctrine, and to make catechetical instniction his strongest point. He opened it with solemn High Mass in the chui:ph of St. Dominic, and heard the classes himself eveiy Sunday. A more in- teresting sight there could not be than to behold him, seated in fi'ont of the altar, teaching the little ones, — the girls on one side, and the boys on the other. He took the greatest pains with it, making Bellarminie*s catechism his basis, and working it in eve^ possible way with the most familiar explanations jieating over and over again what he had said, till lie was rpiite satisfied the children understood it. He encouraged them with pi-izes, such as medals., rosai'ios, and prayer- books; and very seldom used reprcofs. The instruction ended with singing hymns in French, several of which, says our bioo^pher, "were of his own composition." St. Francis, however, says, in the preface to iiis Trea- tise on tlie Love of God, in speaking of Despoi-tes' metrical version of the Psalms, that he himself " had never so much ns thought of this style of writing." He may not, however, have considered the hvmns he had written for children worth mentioning as an ex CH. VII.] ST. PMANCI8 DB 8ALB8. 70 ception to this. Tlie catedieticnl instnictions becnnie very popnliir in Aiinecy, ami gfi-own-uj) people i-esoitecl to thnm in such lannbei-si, that lie was ohlig-ed tii-st to o])en the side-clmpels of the church of St. Dominic, nr.d nftenvards two other churches, to nccommodnte addi- tional classes. Twice a veai* he made a festival for the children, and went throu<;h the city with them proces- sionally, sing'in^ litanies. The influence his kmdness g^.iined over them was so g^eat, that ho never came forth without the childi-on iiinnin"^ out fi-om eveiT nook and corner of the streets to ask his blessings or kiss his robe. He was followed by troops of them, so that his friends complained of it, as the aisciples did to our Lord; and thev i-eceived A'om the holv bishop a similar answer : " Suffer them to come," he said ; " they ai-e my little people." He caused the piiests to give catechetical instnictions every Sunday throughout Lis dioces(t ; and exhorted such priests as were without benefices to de- vote themselves to this duty, giving* them lettei-s signed by himself to authonso them to catechise with permis- sion of the parish-priests. He toolc immense pains to secure gt>od priests for his parishes ; and would fill up no vacancies except by a conctd'stfgf or examination, conducted by a council of Ills' best and most leai-ned ecclesiastics. He drew up for the use of his clergy an admirable set of instruc- tions on the Sacrament of Penance, entitled A cartme- meriA nvx Conf'egsew'Sf which had also a wide circulation in France and Itidy; and he put foi-th an exact and well-devised ritual for the use of the diocese of Geneva, based on the Roman liturgy. During this fii-st yeai* of his episcopate, liis tact and wisdom wei-e shown in a wondei'fid manner by the re- foi-m he effected in the abbey of Sixt, an Augustinian monasteiy among the mountains of Faucigny, which had fallen into such a state of I'elaxation that tiie abbot did not even know whether he was commendotory or titJilnr, thau is, whetlier he was or was not bound to keq> the rales of his order; and the monks had no pi-ecise idea of i m m 60 ST. FIUTfOn DB 8 A LBS. the extent ot* their obligation!'. In spite of stron}^ oppo* sition on the part of the uhbot, he gi-ndually and g-ently rc-estabUshedf monsistic discipline in the community; thoug'hy as we shall see, iii'egularity ag^in ci'ept in^ and toward.^ the close of his life he was obli^d to renew his exertions to complete this reform. On Oct. 2d, 1000) he opened his first diocesan synod, at which he established a variety of excellent iiiles for the government of the diocese; one of the most important of wiiicli was, to divide it into twenty districts, called nuroeillanees. Over each of these ho placed one of the most experienced of the parish-priests, whose duty it was to visit all the parishes of the surveillance once in six months ; to hold a meeting" of all the parish-priests twice a year; and to give a half-yearly report to the bishop of the exact state of every church, every parish, and of the conduct of each pai'ish-priest. The result of tins and of the other statutes he issued was, that he acquired the most perfect knowledge of his widely-ex- tended diocese, ana brought its adjninistration to an extraordinary degpi-ee of perfection. It will be interesting here to mention the sources from which ho may be sup- posed to have derived his views of the duties of a bishop. Having occasion, in 1603, to give his advice to a newly- consecrated bishop, he recommends him first of all, for his individual improvement, to study the works of Gre- nada, "as his second Breviary;" to i-ead them "with reverence and devotion;" and to ruminate them chapter after chapter with much consideration and prayer. Next to Grenada, he advises the works of Stella and Arias, the Confessions of St. Augustine, Bellentani, a Capuchin writer, Costenis, the Spiritual Letters of Avila, and the Epistles of St. Jerome. In the conduct of affiiiitt, he recommends Caitlinal Toilet's Cases of Conscience, t^e Momls and Pastoral of St. Gi*egory, the Epistles and Books de Can^deratione of St. Bernard ; the Stimttlvs Pasfotiim of Bartholomew de Martyribus; the Deci-ees of the Church of Milan as indispensable ; the Life of St. Charles Bori'omeo; and above all, he advises him to ' m F<IANriS DB SALBj. <>1 CII. VII J have nlwavs in his hands tho Council of Trent and itn Catechism. Tliroughout this priod, and indeed during all his episcopate, the aflaii's of Gex stive him a gi-ent deal ot trouble ; the polio v of Henry 1 V., notwithstanding tliM favour with whicii he regarded Francis, and tho pio- miset} the holy Bishop managed to extort from l^im, being very much influenced by a fear of ofiendin^ his Protestant subjects and the neighbouring repubhc of Geneva. Hence it was with much difficulty and by slow degrees that Francis was enabled to reconstraoit a certain number of parishes in that district. 89 ■T. FRAMCI8 DK SALMM, CHAPTER Vm. VISIT OF PUAItCM DB SALES TO DIJOX — HIS DIRECTIOIf OF JA?IB FRANCES DE CHANTAL. In 1003, the echevins, or magistrates, of Dijon invited him to preach the Lent in that city ; an invitation which ho the rather accet)ted, as it gave him the opportunity of adjusting" some aifliculties connected with the Church- Eronerty in Gex, whicli Henry IV., forgetting the gi-ant e nad ah-eady made of them for the endowment of the parishes, assigned to Andr6 Fremiot, councillor of the parliament oi Dijon, whom he appointed Archbishop of Bourges. At Dijon, as at Paris, the preaching of Francis de Sales produced an impression unequalled in those times. The visit, ho'!\'iver, led othei-wise to re- sults which constitute it the most important epoch of his life, and to which we shall iind it necessary to devote a considerable space of this outline. Whilst he was preaching the Lent at Dijon in 1003; Francis de Sales first made the acquaintance of Jane Frances de Ghantal, in cnmliination with whom he afterwards founded the Uracr of the Visitation, which is the must perfect reflex of his spirit; and the history of which, even after his death, may be said to be a con- tinuation and development of his own. The characters and actions of the holy women who figure in its early history were so completely formed bv the teaching and example of the Saint, that whoever wishes to underatand liim must study their biographies, of which there are such copious materials, as much as his. The smallest anecdote relating to them throws light on Francis; for they lived in nis atmosphere, and, like Mary at the feet of Jesus, laid up in tneir hearts whatever he said. He founded the order in a twofold manner: first, by Btarting the idea of an institution so requisite as that -i^ OH. VIII.] IT. PRANCI9 DB SALES. 83 wfts in the Catholic Church ; and spcondly, by monlilin^ and directing another mind of kindred heroism to can-y out his idea. To us it appeal's that this circumstance throws his greatness into stronger relief tlian any thing else we have to tell of him. We judge best of the power of one mind by observing the calibre of other minds which it is able to influence and control. For instance, in the history of this world, great as the lii'st Napoleon is if considered by himself, he becomes far greater when we cniisider that his marshals and depen- dent kings were themselves gi'eat men, and yet mani- pulated by him as his instruments. In the rise of the Visitation, we see tlje wonderful sight of the gradual formation, and, so tu speak, the spiritual education, of one great saint, to execute a work projected by another. We have the whole process completely before us from the first; and it must not be supposed that the case is less extraordinary because a feminine mind might easily be captivated and subdued by the naturally supe- rior reason of a man. Jane Frances was one of those women of whom French history affoi-ds so many ex- amples, who in clearness of intellect, strength of will, ana greatness of character, were fully on a level with the loftiest minds of the stronger sex. As far as the possession of these characteristics goes, she might have ruled a kingdom ; and her letters show a frrace and an elegance, both of thought and style, hftt prove her powers needed only to have had a worldly instead of a spiritual direction, to have equalled in composition such a wiiter as Madame de Sevig^6, who was her grand- daughter. The lives of these two saints are so closely associated, that it is difficult to view them apai-t; and fi^m the time they mot to the death of Francis, who- ever would be the complete biographer of the one, must also record, almost equally at large, the actions of the other. Both of them had precisely the same settled object of life; and the one was far more the pixKluct and expression of the mind of the other, than the most per- fect picture is the image of the artist's soul : for in the * 8i BT. FRANCIS DE SALES. picture the artist himself alone strives to embodj his conceptions; the picture is inanimate; and cannot co- operate with the will of its inventor. But in exact proportion to the desire of the holy prelate to train and fashion the noble soul Almighty God intmsted to his care, so that she might best fulfil the work for which she was designed, did that soul of herself co-operate with his purposes, eagerly drink in the lessons of his wisdom, and strive to become the perfect copy of his snintliness. But the brief limits of the present sketch will not allow us to delay. We proceed to give an out- lino of the earlier years of Jane Frances, and of the ori- gin and leading features of the order of the Visitation. Jane Frances de Chantal was the daughter of Be- nigne Fremiot, president of the parliament of Dijon, an illustrious memoer of one of the best families of the noblesse de la robe, which was held in such considera- tion in old France. She was bom in 1672, and at an early age married the Baron de Chantal, a nobleman of Burgimdy. Their married life affords a beautifiil pic- ture of domestic society among the country noblesse of that period in France. The feudal manners are still visible; but softened by modem refinement, and yet more by the gentleness and diligence of the tme Catholic wife. Although in such high life, Madame de Chantal dressed very plainly, only in linen and woollen, except on festivals, when she wore the more splendid attira she had brought with her to her husbuid's house. And yet, when she wore nothmg but camlet and serge, " it was with such neatness, grace, and propriety, that she looked a hundred times better than inany others who ruin their families to wear head-dresses." She rose veiy early in the mor ling, and had completed all her household arrangements oefore her husband was up. She had the family chapel repaired, and Mass said in it regularly; always taking sracial care, if her husband had to go out nunting eariy on a summer's moiiiing, to make him and his attendants hear it before starting. She destroyed any bad books she found about the house; CH. Tin.] ST. PRANCI8 DB SALB8. her own usual reading was the Lives of the SnintSy and sometimes tlie Annals of France y or some other iiseiiil history. Her charity to the poor was unbounded, und known for miles lound the castle, especially durin^r a terrible famine, when she distributed food to tliem daily. A barrel of com and a little rye, which at one time was all she had left in the granaries, was miraculously mul- tiplied for six months. The fact was related to her biographer by some of the servants who knew of it, and also by Mad. de Chantal herself, when her nuns after^ wards entreated her to tell tiiem the whole story. She always ascribed the miracle to the devotion of a hu? v servant of hers, named Dame Jeanne, in whose prayers' she placed great confidence. A very pleasing instance of that feuoal tin^e to which we referred above, occurs in the anecdote of her releasing, during the night, pea- sants whom her husband had imprisoned in the damp dungeons of the castle, he, apparently, having what the good Baron Bradwardine called the right of ^' pit and gallows." Very early in the morning, before M. de Chantal was up, she would cause the prisoners to retire to their dismal quarters, and then beg her husband to let them off, which he generally did at her gentle en- treaties. She scarcely ever changed her servants; and her house, says the biographer, ''was the abode of peace, of honour, of politeness, of Christian piety, and of a trill j noble and innocent cheerfulness." After living thus happily for some years, Madame de Chantal was suddenly bereaved of the husband she loved so wnll. The baron happened to go out shooting one morning with a relative of his, M. d'Alzury; and having occasion to creep through some bushes in pursuit of his game, M. d'Alzury, at a distance, imagining it was a deer, drew his arquebuss m that direction (for guns were as yet rai-ely used), and M. de Chantal im- mediately fell mortally wounded. He survived a few days, and expii-ed in a most devout and Christian man- ner, wholly forgiving the friend who had unintentionally caused his death, and charging his widow to take no ^ m ac ST. FRANCIl Dl lALBl. iteps ncninrt him. Madame de Chantal, who was pa»- fcionat4>ly attached to lier husliand, was ovenv helmed with the mo8t ag'onising^ gjief, which continued for a lonff time. Tiiis was an immense sacnfice, and other trials were at hand. After a short visit to lier fnther's at Dijon, she and her four children removed to 'on* thelon, the seat of her father-in-law, the ohl Bai-on de ChuntiU. He was seventy-five years of u^e^ and of a most severe and i*epul8ive temper; add to which, he was completely under the control of an ill-conditioned servant, to whom he had intrusted the whole manage- ment of his house and affairs to such an extent, that Madame de Chantal, admirable as were her business talents and skill in the at)vernment of a family, was al- lowed no sort of authority in the place, not so much as to give a drink to a messenger without permission. This woman also had five children, who hac^ the run of the house, and were put on a level with those of Madame de Chantal. She set the mind of the weak and irritable old man acpainst his holy daughter-in-law ; and amoDffst them, the latter led sucfi a life, that her biographer culs it a purgatoiy of seven yeara and a half. Notwithstand- ing, she repaid good for evil, and took the trouble to teach the children of the housekeeper to read, and even sometimes washed and dressed them with her own hands. She was, however, allowed to continue her good offices to the poor ; and kept a store-room in the house, appropriated to her medicines, ointments, and other remedies, so neatly arranged, that it became a proverb throughout the country to say of any thing in particu- larly good onler, C^est provre et Hen rangiy comme la boutique de Madame de Chantal. A mind thus, like Madame de Chantars, corres- ponding with divine g^race, could not fail to be led on nirther ; and i-esplendent as her virtues were, she was as yet only at the commencement of her career. Yet, as the glories of the natural day are prefigured by the early rays which gild the distant mountain-summits, there were in her mind prophetic instincts which foretold en. VIII.] ST. FRANCIS DR SALES. 87 whnt wrut to come, nmi which received years after their fulHlnient and completion. She was haunted with an unlent, inextin&riiisihahle longing to find some wi^e di- rector who could tell her certainly what was the will of Gnd with regard to her, and whose counseki she migpht fellow with unhesitating obodienee. She had a vi.^ion of a very remarkable kino, in which it was not only shown to her that her wish would l^e accomplished, but she even fieheld the very {lerson who was destined to lead her tlirousrh the difficult paths which she was to traverse. One day, whilst riding in the fields, she saw standing at the fi)ot of a hill a man of amiable and august ap- pearance, habited in ecclesiastical dress, and holding a breviary in his hand. At the same moment it was re- vealed to her that she now beheld the director whom God intended for her. Long after this, on the first occasion when she saw Francis de Sales at Dijon, she recognised in him the very features of the person she had seen in her vision. Other revelations or superna- tural anticipations began to visit her. Thus it was conveyed to her mind, that '' through the gate of St. Chinde" she was to find peace and comfort. We shall see, as we go on, what those words meant, which she knew not at the time. Again, on another occasion, in the chapel of Bourbilly, she saw a brilliant array of de- vout vi^ns and widows, and was told that of that hea- venly company she was to be the mother. The fii-st of these propnetic dawnings of the future was so vivid, that, tnii'ty-five years afler, she remembered it as dis- tinctly as if she even then saw it with her bodily eyes. What makes all of these the more striking is, that aljout the same period Francis de Sales, with whom she was then quite unacquainted, had revelations of an ana- log^ous description, in which he beheld in prophetic vision the appearance of the holy foundress, ana received by divine illumination the idea of the order which he originated. After passing a long time in a state which woiild have been one <u fevariui anxiety and onoertainty, but fm 88 8T. FRANCIS DB BAL^.S. for that deep tranquillity which ever reigns in the in- most heart of the saints, Madame de Chantal was at leng;tli induced to place herself under the direction of u Capuchin monk, a {^ood ond leained man, but who proved himself sing-ularly wantin^* in that wisdom and discretion which is renuirea for the conduct of souls. He began by making ner take four vows : first, ever to obey him implicitly ; second, never to change him ; third, to keep secret all he told her ; and fourth, not to confer about her conscience with any one but himself. His method of direction was equally ill-advised. He burdened her with all sorts of observances, particular devotions, pray ei-s, fasts, vigils, which kept her continually hampered, and de- prived her of all the liberty of spirit essential to advance- ment in the spii-itual life. She had had from the fii-st a secret i-epugnanco against taking him for her director; and his narrow, harassing system, based as it was on a principle which no confessor had a right to dictate to nis penitent, kept her soul in a state of disquiet which, added to all her other crosses, was indeed a iiimace fit to try the purest gold. These very tn^ing circumstances lasted for about three years ; for Jane Frances, with that prudence which belongs to the saints, knew that we ought to be in no hurry to change any state in which we find ourselves placed, and which is not sinful. How- ever painful it might be, she patiently endured it, till she was quite clear that it was the will of God it should be changed, and changed, as is most usual where steps are taken agreeably to that will, not by any one sudden and violent act, but gradually and sweetly ; one event leading to, and as it wei'e melting into another, like the colours in a beautiiiil and harmonious landscape. The beginning of her release from this captivity was occasioned by Fmncis de Sales' visit to Dijon in 1603. He was S reaching the Lent in the cathedral of that city, and fndame de Chantal attended his sei*mons. She recog- nised in him the very pei-son whom, years before, she had seen in the vision we have related, as the appointed guide whom Almighty God intended to take char{^ OH. VIII.] ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 89 \\ of her soul. Francis noticed her particularly, fts she sat in front of the inilpit ; — a lady of that g-i-nce and dijr.jity which, .in tfiose days, distingniished her rank fi-om othei's as much almost as if tliey were diffci-ent classes of the creation, and yet habited in a widow's garb of the humblest materials. On his i-etum to the {)alace, he inquired of his hof t who she w::<s ; and the loly prelate was amused to find she was the sister of the Archoishop of Bourg-es, and the daug-hter of the Presi- dent Fremiot, of whom he asked the question. He seems at once to have singled her out, with that unerring eye by which saints know who are best qualified to aid them in carrying out their great pui-poses. On the very fii*st occasion on which he met her at the archbishop's, he tried her spirit of obedience by hinting to her to leave off, one after another, some of those ornaments which, though dressed in the gravest habit belonging to a lady of her rank, Madame de Chantal still returned. She immediately and joyfully complied. The entanglement of the vows which her unwise director had induced her to take, checked the ardent wish she almost directly en- tertained of o])ening to this wise and holy adviser the state of her conscience, and of asking his heaven-insp'.i-ed counsels. Could any cross be imagined more painfiil than for a holy soul to be in doubt of lier course, — to see before her, and to recognise, the person who had the clue to all her difficulties, andj^et to oe bound down and pri- soned-in with a fourfold vow taken in obedience ? It might have been thought that nothing could break through such a superincumbent weio;ht on the mind; yet, by the grace of Almighty Goa, the evil worked its own remedy. The director happened to be absent from the city; though, as if to demonstrate his unfitness for such an office as guiding a great soul in its way to heaven, he had leflb a pei'son in charge to watch his penitent, lest she sliould have recourse to any one but himself. Ma- dame de Chantal, however, being under extreme anxiety and distress, did what the inspiration of Heaven, as well as that libei'ty which no dii'ector could lawiiiUy restrain, <^' ' 00 ST. FRANCIS DE BALES. outliorised her in doing'; she Iiad an inteiTJew with Francis, in which, altuoug-li hindei-ed from speaking' half what she wished by the ten-oi-s of lier vow, she yet to some extent relievefl her mind, and instantly felt she had done right by tlie tranquillity which came u})on her spirit from the wise advice he gave, and from that at- mosphere of peace which reigned around him. Before his departure from Dijon she confessed to him, and re- ceived the holy communion at his hands. This she seems to have been allowed to do ; what ht r director had attempted to prevent was not her occasionally going; to another confessor, — for Father de Villars, rector of the Jesuits at Dijon, was her confessor, — but her placing her- self under any direction but his own. The change of directors was not accomplished without a good deal of delay. No state, not unlawful in itself, ought to be changed without a ^reat deal of consideration and prayer. Mad. de Chantal Knew this well, and would doubtless have endured throughout her whole life the martyr- dom of having a dii-ector who did not understand her, if she had known this was the will of God. Francis, moreover, was eminently hostile to any thing like haste' or flurry ; his favourite word was peaetentim, " ly de- giees ;' " soon enough if well enough." His method in this case, accordingly, was not to make any violent break in the existing' state of things, but to allow one fitnte to mer^einto another, making no visible alteration till the will of God was completely ascertained after long- continued prayer; in which he secured, according- to his wont, the co-operation of others. On his departure from Dijon, Madame de Chantal remained in tranmiillity, abandoning herself entirely into God's hands. However, on Whiteun-eve, forty days after he had gone, she was suddenly assailed by a storm of spuitual anguish, her soul being divided between an earaest longing to place herself under the guidance of Francis, and a sciiipulous fear of leaving her former director. Father do Villars, whom she consulted, with g;i-eat decision advised the former course. ** It is the f Vlll.] ST. FRANCIS DE 8ALB8. 91 A ill of God," he said, " that you place yourself under the direction of the Bishop of Geneva ; he, and not the ^lide you at present follow, is adapted for vou ; he has the spuit of God and of the Church, and i)ivine Pi*o- vidence wills something great from you in giving that terrestrial seraph for your conductor. Words like these showed what an extraordinary impression the holy Bishop produced on those who saw him. Father do Yillars, years after, in writing to Francis de Sales, said that God had given him " so strong an impulse to assure Madame de Chantal that it was hy the channel of liis lips that Heaven willed to give her the waters of the Samaritaness, that had the angels come to dissuade him from this, he did not think they could have succeeded, because the impression came from the Kinp of the an- gels." However, she remained under her first director for a few months, and. even, under obedience, renewed the vow he indiscreetly exacted from her. Tliese trials at length came to an end. On St. Baii;holomew's day, 1604, the two saints met at St. Claude, — thus fulfilling the vision in which it had been revealed to Mad. de Chan- tal, that by " the gate of St. Claude" she was to find rest ; though both were brought thither for other appa- rently accidental occasions. Madami do Chantal with great simplicity and candour revealed her whole soul to Francis. He listened attentively, made no answer what- ever, and thus they parted. Early next morning he called upon her, and said that, after having spent the whole night in prayer and reflection, he had concluded it was God's will he should undertake her direction, that her four vows were of no avail but to trouble her con- science, and that his long delay was only caused by his wish to know thoroughly the will of God, and to nave nothing done in the amir except by His hand. ** I heard him," said Mad. de Chantal in afber-times to her nuns, ''as if a voice from heaven had spoken to me ; he seemed to be in a ravishment, so recollected was he ; and he kept seeking for his words one after another, as having a difficulty in speaking." She then made her IT. FRANCIS DB SALES. general confession, and a vow of obedience to him ; and he wrote her out a method for jiassing- the dav devoutly, and changped her manner of meditation, which had been harassing and difficult. ** From this day (it was tlie festival of St. Louis, August 25) she began to enter into the interior repose of the children of God, into a great interior liberty, and was attracted to a sort of prayer, altogether cordial and intimate, which leads to a holy and respectful iiimiliarity of soul with the heavenly Sponsor." The letters which Francis wrote to Mad. de Chan- tal, and which from this period foi*m so large a part of his correspondence, are, as we need hardly tell our readers, a repertory of ascetical and practical wisdom, such as it would l)e hardly possible to find eoualled in the whole body of ecclesiastical literature. The rules of life which he proposes to her, and from time to time modifies as she needs it, the continual application and development of two or three grand maxims, the pru- dence with which difficulties and temptations ai'O con- stantly met, and the rich abundance with which traits of personal character come out, and the great and little trials of domestic life in the Catholic circles which sur- rounded the two^aints (for, as we shall see, their fami- lies became connected), — all give a wondei'fiil interest to these beautifiil old fVench letters. In May 1605, Mad. de Chantal paid a visit of four days at the chdteau of Sales, where she again had an opportunity of conferring with Francis on the state of her soul. On this, as on the former occasion, he drew out for her a set of rules regulating the whole method of her life, marking out her devotions, fixing her houi-s, and suggesting the principles on which she should en- counter temptations. Wnen she returned home, she almost immediately commenced the system he had pre- scribed to her. "We here s>3t down briefly her order of life, as she copied with the greatest exactness the idea of perfection which he suggested to her, as a lady still livmg in the world, and having all the cares of a family t i» Clf. VIII.J ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. M << l» u{)on lier. She rose every day at five, and coi-lier in summer, lighted her candle when it was needed, and went to her oratory, where she spent one hour in mental prayer, and said her daily prayei-s, after which she coin- pleted her toilette without attendance, and without a lire, no matter how cold it might 1)e. She then heard her children say their prayers, and afterwards went to bid gt>od momin{r to uer cross-sp^ined old father-in- law, and assisted him to di'ess, if ne was in the humour to allow her. She hcanl Mass every day, and on Sa- turdays had a special Mass said, which, with Francis' permission, she had vowed to the Blessed Virgin. A regular part of her daily occupation was to teach her children, and those of the housekeeper, from whom she had to suifer so much, their lessons and catechism. To S})iritual i-eading for herself she devoted half-an-hour a day. Each day she made a spiritual retreat into one of the Wounds ot om* Lord, re-entering into it especially in a short recollection before sup))er-time. She then said her chaplet, which, under a vow, she pei'severed in throughout her life. In the evening, after sup{ier, if there was no company, and the old baron allowed her, she assembled the household, and read some profitable instruction. She ended the day by saying with her children and attendants the Litany of our I^dy, and a De profundis for the i-epose of the soul of her deceased husband. Then came the examen of conscience, and the recommendation to the angel-guardian ; after which she g*ave holy water and the blessing to her children. She still remained at prayer for about half-an-hour, concluding all with reading the subject for the next day's meditation. Her favourite devotion was to visit in spirit each portion of the Church, concratulating that which is triumphant in heaven ; supplicating for the militant Church on earth; and applying for the Church suffering in purgatory her sunrages, prayers, and indulgences. The above-mentioned practice of re- tii'in^ each day into one of the Five Blessed Wounds, to whien she adaed the scars left by the Crown of Thorns, 94 8T. FRANCIS DE 8ALE6. was a soui-ce of special grace to her. " It enve her a spiritual view of God in all things, and a holy indiffer- ence, so as in all diversities of creatures, anairs, and events, to find her one only Good." Her daily reading at this time was the Exposition of the Gospels by the Carthusian Ludolfiis, called " the great Vita Chrteti ;" she also was particularly fond of the metrical version of the Psalms by Philippe Desportes, abbot of Tiron, from which Francis de Sales continually quotes ifk his Treatise on the Lave of Qod. She early began to entertain an ardent desu'e to leave the world, and addict herself to some religfious in- stitute. That of Mount Gai*mel suggested itself; and she often had ladies who wished to join that order stay- ing in her house. The holy director, however, follow- ing* his usual method, by no means encouraged a hasty decision. Ho implored the Divine light at the holy Sacrifice, and had prayers offered up by devout pei>8ons. All he could say at first was, that one day or other she should quit eveiy thing ; but whether to enter reliepion or not, he left undetermined. He said that he had never placed his oven inclination in a state of such indifference m in that question ; but, so far, ^' the * yes' could not fix itself in his heaii;, and the ' no' was present there with much fiimness." This state of unceitainty went on till the Whitsuntide of 1607, when Madame de Chantal went to Annecy to advise with him on her spi* ritual affairs. After keeping her some days in douot, he tried her obedience by proposing*, one after another, several religious oixlers and mstitutes for her to enter upon ; she luimbly accepted each apparent change of {mrpose he expressed ; and at last, when he had satisfied limself of her submissiveness to the will of God, he imfolded to her very fully the idea of the Oi'der after- wards called by the name of the Visitation, which he had matured in his mind, and in the foundation of which he knew Almighty God intended her to co- operate with him. It will be sufficient in this place to state briefly the „ CH. VIII.j 8T. FRANCIS DR SALES. Oft principal objects of this Order, which we shall after- wai*ds develope when we have gone through tho most interesting points connected with the history of its foundation. Francis intended it to supply what had hitherto been a deficiency in the conventual institu- tions. All that had hitherto existed were such as the delicate and wealthy could with difficulty enter; there were severe fasts or vigils, or other corjioral aus- terities, which no person of a feeble constitution could undei-take without danger. Thus a whole class of the most devout and lowly-minded women wei*e excluded fi-om all hope of the reli"^ous state, for which other- wise they might be excellently qualified. Francis do Sales, therefore, projected such an institution as woidd welcome the iniirm, the sickly, or the aged, as well as the robust ; which would make up, by works of cha- rity and tlie exereise of prayer, for those kinds of self- denial which the weakness of their health would not permit. Madame de Chantal joyfully acquiesced in the proposition, and felt that unmistakable serenity of soul which accompanies any great step in life taken in perfect accoinlance with the Divine will. " I suddenly felt," she said, " a great interior correspondence, with a sweet satisfaction and light, which assured me that this was the will of God ; which I had never felt as to other propositions, although my whole soul was entirely submittea to them." There wei*e, however, two g^nd difficulties in the design, — one, the family ties with which Madame de Chantal was entangled. She was a widoiw, with four children, still quite young ; and there were also the two old men, her father and father-in- law : the former with his whole soul wrapped up in his admirable daughter; the latter in the helplessness and peevishness of nis declme, requiring, perhaps more than ever, her tender and all-forgiving care. And next, there was the necessity of estabUshing the first house of the new institute at Annccv, whei*e it would be under the eye of its holy fouucler. To go to sufch a distance from her old provincial home, would seem to 0T. FRANCIS DE SALES. all Madame de Ghantars relatives a thing both cruel to her family and extravagant in itself. Wliat seemed at first a gi-eat misfortune, brought about the solution to these difficulties. After a visit to Annecy in 1607, Madame de Chantal brought awny with her Mademoiselle Jeanne, the youngest sister of our Saint, to stay with her in Burgundy. This youne ladv was only fifteen, and exceedingnr accomplished and. interesting. Francis had baptised her himself, and loved her witn the affection of a father as well as a brother. He reckoned much on what she was likely to do for the glory of God. However, she had not been long at Madame de Chantal's before she was carried off by a fever. The letter Francis wrote to the saintly baroness on receiving this sad news affords so touching and beautifiil a picture of Catholic family-life, that we must translate a part of it : " What, my dear daughter," he asks, '* is it not reasonable that the most hol^ will of God be fulfilled, as well in things that we cherish as in others ? But I must needs hasten to tell you that my good mother has drunk this chalice with an altogether Christian constancy; and her vu-tue, of which I had always had a good opinion, has far exceeded my estima- tion. On Sunday morning she sent to fetch my brother the canon; and because she had observed him very sad, and all the other brothers also, on the evening befora, she began to say to him : * I dreamed all the mght that my daughter Jeanne was dead ; tell me, I pray you, is it not ti-ue ?' My brother, who waited for my arrival to tell it to her, seeing this was a good opening to offer her the cross, ' Mother,' says he, * it is true,' and did not say any thing more; for he had not the power of saying another word. And, * God's will be done,' says my good mother ; and she wept abundantly for a space of time, and then calling her servant Mark : ' I will rise,* says she, * to go and pray God in the chapel for my poor daughter.' And immediately she did as she had said : not a single word of impatience, nor a siigle dis- quieted twinkling of the eye, u tliousand blessings upon CH. Till.] 8T. KRANCTS DE SALES. 07 God, and a thousand resignations to His will. Never did I see a more tranquil sorrow ; it was a wonder to see so many tears; but all tliis by simple tender gushes of the heart, without any sort of violence ; yet for all that it was her dear child. Well now, this mother of mine, ouff ht I not to love her well V Another letter brin^ out no less beautifully his own feelings on this bereavement : " You may think," he says, " nay dear daughter, how heartily I loved this little girl. I had begotten her for her Saviour, for I had baptised her with my own hand, above fourteen years ago ; she was the first creature on whom I exercised my priestly office. I was her spiritunl father; and I promised myself much to make something gY)od of her one day ; and what i-endered her very dear to me (but I s\)eak the truth) was that she was youi-s. But nevertheless, my dear daughter, in the midst of my heart of flesh, which has had so many throbbingps on account of this death, I perceive veiy sensibly a certain sweet tran* quillity, and a certain sweet repose of my spirit in Divine I^rovidenco, which diffuses on my soul a great content- ment in these sori'ows." Then he ^oes on to give direc- tions for his sistei*'s funeral ; he sencls Madame de Chantal an escutcheon of his sister's ai*morial beaiings, " to please her,*' and agrees that services be celebrated at tl:e place whera her body reposed; ** but without great pomp, only what Christian custom reqtrired;** for he loved simplicity in death as well as in Hfe. *^ We will pray God for her soul ; and we gladly render her her little honours." Ma- dame de Chantal, as might be supposed, took this death deeply to heart; indeed such had been her anguish during the illness of poor Jeanne, that she prayed God rather to take herself, or one of her own children, than her. When all was over, she made a vow to give to the house of Sales one of her daughters, in the place of this one who had died whilst under her I'oof. Whilst she made this vow, a sense of consolation came over her mind, and she per- ceived that it was the means Providence had chosen to fiujilitate her retirement to Annecy. Her daughter was 08 8T. FRANCIS DB 8ALR8. ▼ery yminff^ and she would have to accompany her there, and would thus becomo disconnected from the ties of home. It took much trouble to reconcile her relatives to this match ; the venerable President Fremiot beings greatly attached to his ^nd-dnughter, and unwilling to part with her from his house, although he reverenced the name of Francis de Sales, and valued the nobility of his illustrious house. On the other side, overtures had, some time before, been made to Madame de Chantal by the gpood Madame de Boisy, who had set her heart on her son, the Baron de Thorens, marrying a daughter of Mndamc do Chantal. The youthful pair were in fact affianced in the autumn of i6Q3; and a twelvemonth after, on Oct. 16, 1609, they were manied at Monthelon, the residence of the old Baron de Chantal. Madame de Boisy died before this union, to which she had looked forward with all the matenial pleasure of her simple and loving heart, had taken place. She died rather suddenly of a paralytic seizure, but retained her senses till neai'ly the last. Her dying moments were quite in keeping with the tranquil beauty which reigns through- out the whole history of the daint and his household. She held the cross in her trembling hands, and kissed it even when her eyesight was gone. When Francis ar- rived at the bedside of his expiring mother, she knew him; and although oppressed with blindness and le- thargy, shs caressed him much, and said, " This is my son and my father, — this one." Charles Augustus de Sales, in liis exquisite life of the Saint, describes the last scene with singular sweetness of expression. " At last," says he, " on the first day of the month of March, she yielded up to God her beautiful soul, gently and tranquilly, and with a greater constancy and lleauty than peimps she had ever had, remaining one of the finest corpses it was possible to behold, and exhaling no evil odoiu*. The great prelate had then courage, after having gpiven her his holy benediction, to close her lips and eyes, and to give her the last kiss of peace. After CH. Till.] tT. FRANCIS DE 8ALBS. 09 which his heart swelled very much, and he wept over that mother more than he had ever done since he was a churchman ; but it was without spiritual bitterness, as he afterwards protested. He rendered her the funeral honours and duties, and her body was placed to rest in the tomb of Sales in the church of Tborens." As we are writin;^ the life of Francis de Sales, and not that of Mde. de Chantol, constantly as the inci- dents of both are interwoven with each, we must neces- sarily pass over much of the latter on which it would be pleasing' to dwell. In this place we need only add, that the history of Mde. de ChantaPs external life, whilst she remained in the world, is a perfect study for those of her class, — ladies, namely, whose I'esourccs and leisiuv enable them to devote much of their time to the relief of the poor. Tlie whole metho<l she adopted, the sweet- ness and kindness she displayed in visiting^ them, at- tending those afflicted with sores so tenible that even to read of them would sicken the delicacy of many a sensi- tive person, cleaning and mending their clothes, washinff and laying- out the dead, — all was done well. And all this time she was still afflicted by the great domestic cross of the tyrannical and up8tai*t housekeeper whom we have mentioned. One anecdote on this subject is in the very spirit of the teaching of Francis de Sales. In the hearing of Mde. de Chantal some one said that when the ola baron was dead, they would cut off this woman's nose, and ditig her into the ditch. ''No," said the noble-minded lody, " I will be her safe- guard ; if God makes use of her to impose a cross u)K>n me, why should I wish her ill ?" One of her methods in visiting the sick was to imagine she was on pilgrim- age. She would say to her attendants : " We are ^oing to make a little pilg^mage ; we are going to visit our Lord on the Mount of Cuvary, in the Garaen of Olives, or at the Sepulchre." Wliilst thus devoted to the life of perfection, she took excellent care of her domestic affairs ; and managed the interests and fortunes of her children just as well, and hi better, than if she had 100 •T. FRANCIS DB BALES. Wn devoted to the world. She also did not negflect the usual elegnnt tasks of devout ladies of her rank, such IKS working ornaments for the altars of the neig-h- hourinf^ churches. On one occasion she spun some serrn to make a vestment for Francis de Sales, tmd had it dved violet. 'I'ho manner in which he acknow- ledges tfiis gift, is a remarkable example of the way in which he worke^l up the commonest incidents intx) devo- tional lessons. She had osked him to give the value of it to the |)oor; he waives this as a soil; uf scrupulosity : she was quite i-ight in working for herself or her friends at leisure hours, but she must not feel herself under an obligation to give an equivalent sum to the poor; it would interfere with that holy libeHy which must pre- vail every where. Then, if he were to pay the value of it to the no«r, he asks, with elegant milfery, how was he to estimate the value? If he was to give a sum enual to what he thought the value, it would ruin him. Tne vestment had given him a thousand glad thoughts; and one of them was when he wore it in a procession in the Octave of Corpus Christi. " Do you see," he says, ''I adored Him whom I was bearing; and it came into my heart that He was the true Lamb of God^ who taketk away th sin of the world. Holy and Divine Lamb, — this is what I said, — how wretched am I without Thee! Alas, I am not clod, save in Thy wool, which covers my misery before the face of Thy Father. Upon this thought, behold it is Isnias who saith that our Lord, in His Passion, was dtnnb as a lamb before his shearer. And what is that divine fleece, but the merit, but the example, but the mys- teries of the Cress ? It seems to me, then, that the Cress is the fair distaff of the holy Spouse of the Cnn- ticles, of that devout Sunamite; the wool of tLj in .uniite Lamb is preciously fastened to it, — that mc -ir, i' / ' -• ample, that mystery." Then he advises i.i\ oo aipin continually on this distaff the threads of holy aspira- ticns, drawing fi'om the spindle of her heart tliat white an^l deb'cate wool ; and toe rebes mode from it would en. ▼III.] IIT. PRANCtfl DR SALKS. 101 d(»f«»nd her from rr»nfujiion in tho Any of hrr drnth. " T' wishwl ymi thfreujK»u '>P"«"*iii^-s u tliou><an<UtoI(i ; un<l that, At the y:n:at liav of jiiiii^inent, wt> mifrlit :ill tititi ourselves ^vell-chid '^nw in the <»|«s('o|ml ronimait, others in wulowhooil, or in tlt^ weiKieii state*; othecs in the garb of Capuchins; others Je*uits; others rine- drestsers: but every habit made of the Mitno wliite and red wool, which nre the colours of the Sfwuse." On the day after the niarria|^» at 3Iont!H'U)n, Fran- cis do S.iles, the I'lvsiident Fi-emiot, aa»d the Arch- bishop of Bourses, held a sort of council ^> decide upon the vocation of Madame de Chantel. When invited by them to explain her views, she showed with such clear- ness the good order in which she would leav«> her affairs on quittin^ir the world, and the excellent armng'ements she had made for the education of her children, who mi^ht even be brought up under her own eye in the event of the institution being establis led at Annecy, that, deeply as the sacrifice was felt h} her father, he could not but recosnise the finger of Got.' in the design which she was undertaking. He gave his consent ; and after a few hours' delay, she finally partet. with her re- lations. The separation was unusually aofonising, in proportion to the extraordinary love ond[ re -erence with which she had inspired them all ; but having heroically overcome these last trials, she proceeded to Annecy, where, on Trinity Sunday, June Gth, whic i was also the Feast of St. Claude, the new institute, called at fii'st that of the Ladies of St. Mary, and afiei-wards the Order of the Visitation of our Laay the mos>t glorious Vii'n^ Mary, was solenmly openecl by its li<ily patri- arcu. There were at first three Sisters, Madame de Chantal herself, Charlotte de Br^chard, a young lady of noble birth from the province of Nivemois, whose delicate health had obliged her to leave the order of Mount Carmel, and Marie-Jacqueline Favre, a daughter of the President Favre, Francis's ancient fi-iend. To them was added a lay-sister, as touribre, Anne Jacque- line Coste, a humble and good soul, who had beesi a 109 ST. FRANCIS OE SALES. servant in a hotel in Geneva, having* taken that place from a wish to serve the ecclesiastics and other Catho- lics who liad occasion to resort to that heretical city. We shall att^impt in the following" chapter to give the reader a more detailed description of the purpose and organisation of the new Order. i CH. IX.] ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. 108 CHAPTER IX. OROANISATION OP THE ORDER OF THE VISITATION. The idea of the Onler of the Visitation seems to have originated partly in the circumstances of the times, partly from the character of Francis himself. A great chang-e had indeed come over the world since the days when St. Antony assembled his thousands of her- mits in the deserts of Egypt, or St. Bei-nard retired from the feudal castle to the unreclaimed solitudes of Citeaux. Th:» steraness of the feudal world required a coiTesponding sternness in the discipline of that life which those aimed at who left it, and the saint of the middle ag-es bore a certain analog-y to the mail-clad knig'ht. But a revolution in the whole system of the monastic life of the middle ag-es had been broug-ht about by St. Ignatius. It came upon the world like an original and fertile discovery, that the mortification of the will may be turned to as great and even more extensive account than the mortification of the body. Very few constitutions indeed could sustain the tre- mendous discipline of the Cistercian fast ; and in our own times we believe it has been asceitained that out of a community consisting of twenty or thirty, there are scarce six who are not oblig-ed to avail themselves of dispensations. No dispensation is required in a sys- tem which is based on the mortification of the will. In such n system the most delicate can be as perfect as the strong-est; corporeal mortifications must, moreover, in every case arrive at a speedy limit, whilst the occasions of every moment of conscious existence migpht, if re- quired, be turned into mortifications of the will. There is also another reason why, in modem times, the latter, as a spiritual method, is superior to the former. As cul- tivation advances, temptations become much less simple, or belongs more to the intellect or to the heart than to >, i 104 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. the senses. Kiule and savag'e natures ai-e tempted by wealtii and in(lul«>;ence, whilst the more refined org;ani- sation of a hig-'nly-educated mind is more apt to ^ve way to pride, to a refined melancholy, or to a morbid pro})ensity to look in u{jon itself and analyse its own action ; in a word, the ancient or simple ag-e is tempted by that which is without, the cultivated, or modern age, by that which is within. The special remedy ibr tlie former would consist in external suftering-, in stern fasts, in long" vigils, in s^cvere penances; the remedy for the latter in the |)erpetual subjection of the individual to the will of u superior. As soon as the idea we have at- tempted to develop had been enunciated to the world, it of course more or less affected the rules of every new religious institute; and we shall be enabled to tmce i*s presence, to a very considerable extent, in the consti- tutions of the Visitation. The kindly nature of Francis de Sales, and that special tenderness with wliich he re- garded the infirm or the afflicted ; and again, that pre- ference which he seems always to have had for what he calls the little virtues which grow at the foot of the cross, were another important element of the institution which he founded. His system as a confessor had gra- dually formed many characters in the high society of France and Savoy, who required the formation of anew order to give them scope and operation. They were ladies, who to the courtly graces of an earlier age added that intellectual culture wliich reached its highest per- fection in the reign of Louis XIV. It was evident that for charactei-s like these the simplicity of the Francis- can or the Dominican rule required considerable modi- fications ; the mode of life which, under his direction, Jane Frances de Chantid had adopted in the world, must of itself have sugge ted to him the idea of utilising it, of turning it to account in such a manner as to act, not only on her immediate circle, but on society generally ; and, as we have seen, she was surrounded by many friends, who emulated her virtues, and were ready to follow where she led. As may perhaps be said of every en. IX.J ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 105 ^eat movemeiit, she might be compared to the beauti- ful crest of the wave ; liigher, indeed, and more resplen- dent than the otlier drops which formed it, but of the same material. Just as in Spain, before the Society of Jesus was instituted, Avila had conceived a very similar idea, which he heroically sacrificed when he beheld it mirrored in the more capacious soul of Ignatius, so there wei'e in France holy and humble souls, which were in- deed akin to this great foundress, and which, had she been absent, one might imagine would have been equal to a similar work; such was Madame d'AuxeiTe, of whom we know little, except that people said she was in Lyons what Madame de Chantal was in Annecy ; such were many of the fii'st Sisters of the Visitation, Mademoiselle Favre, Mademoiselle de Brechard,' the venerable Mai-ie Aim^e de Blonay, and others of the same community, whose lives constitute one of the richest and most beauti- ful chapters in that most interesting study — the Catholic memoirs of France. But with all this abundant mate- rial before him, there was one difficulty, which on the old system could not have been met : all of these ladies had oeen delicately reared in the highest French re- finement of the day ; very many of them were feeble in health and constitution ; if, therefore, the religious life was to be precisely that of the daughtei*s of St. Cathe- me or St. Clare, all this material would seem to have been, not indeed thrown away, but planted in a soil where it could not fructify and spread abroad its branches. Here then the great discovery made by St. Ignatius seemed precisely what was needed to meet the emer- gency ; it was possible to devise a mode of life such as those most tenderly brought up and most infirm in health could undertake, the perfection of which should nevertheless not fall short of that of the most austere ordei'S of earlier times. We now come to a fourth element in the constitution Francis had pi-ojected, — this was a certain reminiscence of the primitive life of the early Christians. In the early Chnstian Church religious' oitiers of women were not cloistered ; though n ^# 106 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. ppt apart to God, and livinj:: ii lifn of the strictest seclu- sion, tlicv still rernaiiipd under the roof of tl«»* faniilv. Tiifi Sisters of tlie Visitation, tiioug^h strictly nunss, and livinji" in a convent, were also, in their orig-inal system, n.it cloistered; that is to say, a certain section oftlie relijii-ioiis went out, as the Sisters of Mercy and Cha- rity do now, to visit the sick and destitute. Another point of difference was, that o: iofinally they took only what are called the simple, and not the solemn vows. Under the simple vows, they had the power of return- ing" to the world, if dispensed, for sufficient reasons, by tlieir lawful superior; under the solemn vows this lihei'tv would of course be impossible. The primitive idea of the Visitation was thus only a step beyond that of the third orders ; flie third oi-dei-s j»ave a rule, but often left their members in the world ; the Visitation re- moved them from the world, but did not est:iblish that abrupt separation from it which chai-acterises other reli- g;ious institutes. In this respect it bore an obvious resemblance to the institute of the Oratory ; for which, as we have already seen, Francis had a great admi- ration, and the spirit of which may be traced in many det-.iils of the constitutions which ho gfave to this order. This orig-inal idea, however, in a few years under- went a great and vital alteration. The Archbishop of Lyons, Denis de Marquemont, when a house of the in- stitute was being" founded in the ca|)ital city of his dio- cese, urg-ed very strongly on Francis the prudence of bringing the Visitation into the category of the regni- lar monastic oi*dei'S, that is, of establishing the cloister, and substituting the solemn for the simple vows. His view was, that however useful the comparatively lax system might Ije, so long as the early fervour of a newly-established order remained, it would bo certain to grow into abuses as soon as that fervour began to diminish. It is evident that this suggestion tended completely to change the features of the stiucture as it came from Francis's hand. His object w-as of one kind, the purely monastic system was of another ; the ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 107 OH. IX.J latter might be much greflter, but it wns not precisely the same; for example^ the estabHshment ot tlie en- closure would entii-ely destroy what had nt fii-st been an almost necessary element in Francis's idea. He had wished to combine the two examples of Martim and Mary • so strongly was he impressed with this view, that he even wished to place his oi'der by name under the patrcnage of the former saint. If the enclosure wns established; the poor could no longer be visited, and the institute could no longer act directly upon society ; it would close one important sphere of spiritual action, which was, perhaps, what constituted the principal charm of the order to minds like those of Madame de Chantal and her earliest companions. But never was there a Saint who was moi*e ready to defer to othere in all mattera not involving right and wrong than Fi-ancis de Sales. His view remained the same ; out he at once conceded the alteration demanded by the Archbishop. The institute accoi-dingly was erected into a regular mo- nastic order, with enclosure and under the solemn vows, in the year 1618, in virtue of a bull from Pope Paul V. The constitutions given to the new order were thoset of St. Augustine, which were adapted to the existing age, and penetrated with what we may call the Sale- sian spirit. In the body of regulations called the Du'ectory is contained perhaps as copious and su'^- gestive a collection of nints for the development of the religious life as can be found in any poi-tion of the literature of the Church. We see in it at once the legislative spirit and personal influence combined. The writer speaks indeed with the voice of law ; but speaks like the tenderest and kindest father, entreating i-ather than commanding, and setting forth the duties of the religious life rather by painting the ideal of the perfect religious than bv sternly dictating t "This you shall do; this you shall not do." Never did the founder of a religious order bequeath to his children a more pdifect transcript of his own mind, a more perpetual memoi-y 108 ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. of liis presence, or so easy a means of enablinj^ encli iTiemher of his institute to curry out, both in the i»j)irit and the letter, tlie great though simple principle wliich it was his mission to convey. To give a complete ana- lysis of the Constitutions and Directory of our Suint would far exceed the limits of the present sketch. We shall, however, endeavour to select those |M)ints which seem most chaiticteristic of the Suint personally, and most distinctly to mark off his institute from that of all others. In so doing, we describe the Visitation as it was finally settled after the establishment of the enclosure. Each house consisted of three classes : the Sisters of the Choir, who were obliged to say office ; the Asso- ciate Sisters, who were not under tnat obligation ; and the Domestic Sistei-s, who were concerned in the duties of the house. Their breviaiy consisted only of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin ; one reason he had for this limitation, was the great difficulty of teaching ladies to chant Latin with a proper accent, to which he attached much importance, and in which he found the natives of France peculiarly deficient. The choral music of the Visitation became however exceedingly beautiful, and he speaks of this in his letters with gi'eat delight. In writing to Cardinal Bellarmine, he says, 'Hhat the chant was so happily formed according to the rules of piety, that he can hai*dly tell whether its sweetness is surpassed by its gravity, or its gitivi^ by its sweetness." The age at which postulants could be admitted was not to fall short of sixteen; but widows ' and ladies even of extreme old age might be admitted, OS also those of the most delicate and weakly constitu- tions, and those even who laboured under pei-sonal de- formity, pmvided these afflictions were not such as to interfere with their joining in the service of the depart- ment in which they were placed. The austerities, as may be supposed, were not extreme; and so much kind- ness is shown to those of delicate constitution, that it is expressly said they must not make a scruple to eat out CH. IX.] 8T. FRANCIS DC AALK8. lOfl of mnal-time if they i-eally requiiTd it; but they woi-o ordered never to leave tul)le without having at leusi moi'tified themselves in something. Each community of the Visitation consisted of thirty-three, of whom twenty were Choir-sistei's, nine Associates, and four Domestic-sisters ; the Superioress must have been professed for five years, and Y)e not less than thirty years of age ; she is assisted in the govern- ment of the house by' a council of four coadjutors, whose opinion, though she is bound to consult, she is not necessarily to adopt. From among them or the rest of the Sisters she was to choose two, called Sunril- lanteSj whose business it is to observe any faults that are committed, and confer with the Superioress on the ))est remedies to apply. A beautiful spirit of matemity reigns throughout the instructions which the Saint gives for the guidance of the Superioi-ess. The Sistei-s are to repose in her precisely that sweet confidence which an infant reposies in its mother ; and as an infant woidd fiy to its mother if it were torn by a brier or stung by a bee, so every sori-ow, little and great, must find a remedy in the sweet wisdom of the gentle and nrudent Superioress. In fact, what an infidel author iiQ.s said is the first human need, namely, true guidance, in return for loving obedience, was exemplified in the relations of the Supcriorass and her nuns. The i^cond functionary in a Visitation convent whs the Assisttmt ; her oflice was to act for the Superioress in her absence, and to superintend the due perfoi-mance of the choi-al service ; to take care of the books of the convent, to see that none were used unless authorised by the spiritiuil Father or Confessor, and to keep the proper order on days of co:' fession and communion. The nuties of the Directress or Mistress of the novices are beautifully ex- plained ; she is to exercise them in obedience, sw^eetness, and modesty, and to clear away fi-om their chui-actei-s all those follies, tendernesses, and sickly humours, by which minds, especially of women, are often made lan- guid and enfeetled : she instructs them in the best ■m 110 9T. PIUN«M9 DE SALES. i t ; metliods of jiniy(?r Jiurl mt'clitution, and otlier j^piritiial exercises ; t^he tenclies tliem how to cont"e^^s in the man- ner most culciilsited for tlieir spiritnal protit, how to em- j)loy their coiito.s.sions and communions to the best ad- vantag'c, and in particular to see that they carry out to tliH utmost that n-reat business of all convents, inter- cessory prayer : lier mind must be humble, g-enerous, noble, and universal, — by which last qualification wfl understand the founder to mean, that liberal and hirge- mindetl capacity of entering" into the feelings and ditfi- cidties of othei-s, so as not to be discouraged even when a disposition api)ears somewhat rude and unmanageable at first sight; sbe is patiently to cultivate and train such wild plants, till they are completely brought into order and reclaimed, so as to grace and adorn the gar- den of the Lord. One of the rules for this office shows in a ])articular manner Francis's insight iato character. He says : " She will take care not to amuse herself with the outward appearances of the novices, which often de- pend only on a gracefid demeanour and elegant style of manners, or on the quickness of the intellect and pro- priety of language ; but she will as far as possible pene- trate into the very depths of their hearts, so as to dis- cern their faults, and to know with what hand to guide them." He elsewhere cautions the Superioress to take care to be on her guard against any mere natural incli- nation, founded on the noble extraction of the nuns, the gentleness of their characters, their elegant manners, or other attractive quahties. One can in tact easily under- stand how the j)olished mannere and soft demeanour, learnc d in a society like that of France in those days, might bear an external resemblance to the true gentle- ness produced by the Christian character ; just as the buoyancy of youth, the ardour of imagination, the reso- luteness of merely physical coui-age, produce results which, where the character is to a considerable extent influenced by grace, might be mistaken for the higher manifestations of the spiritual life. Another imjwrtant office in the community was that I*'* en. IX. j PT. FRANCIS Dn SALES. Ill cnllcd tho Aide of the Su|M?noress. T^is w ns u iSi-for clios»n by tlie Superioress hei-selt', who^ jusiiiess it was to warn her of the faults that she committed, uiid to whom all the Sistei*s were to address themselves if they saw any thing" in tlic Superioress which ref|uired atlmonition. In this, as in many other parts ot tlu- constitutions, we discern the element of Christian friendsliip to be larg-ely made use of. The Sister in charj^e of tho liousehold 1ms her duties marked out in a manner which sliows the most thorough husiuess- talents on tho j)artof the foimder; indeed, this chapter, as well as tho.e whicli rehite to the SujH'rioiess and the Directress, nn'gflit be studied with great advantaj^e by mothers of families, and all who have charg-e of household affairs. Every mm who studied the consti- tutions, no matter v.hat her rank, from the Suporioiess down to the Portress or humblest lay-sister, nuist have felt that the founder yave to everv one of the otftces an equal share of his attention. Eveiy thing* in its own depai-tment is accounted good ; and no vocation is to be despised. To letum, liowever, to the Sister whom, for want of a ])etter Eng-lish word, we must call the house- keeper. She was to undertake this duty with a special fidelity and gladness, in imitation of the holy women who followed our Loi-d and the Apostles, to provide them with what they required. She was to copy the dili- g-ence and fervour of St. Martha, but to avoid her anx- iety and cmpri'fiwment, — a fault ag-ainst which, as every reader of St. Francis must have observed, the Saint is continually preaching*. The housekeeper was to see to the storage of all the provisions of the house in their proper season, and to look at them from time to time, to see that nothing* was si)oiling*. Twice a year she was to g-o over the whole establishment with the Surveillantes, to make a report on it to the Superioress i^ she was to keep exact accounts and inventories of afi* that came under her charge, to distribute to the Sisters the mate- rials for work, and to take care that the lay-sisters were . neither overcharged with toil nor allowed to be idle. t ■ r lis ST. PnANCIS DK 9ALR8. The instructions for the sacristy afford us a g-ood insijfht into Francis's views as rp«r:n*ds ritual mattei-s. lie in- si^.t.H very particularly on tiie nojitness, cleanliness, and g'ood order of the church, of all the ornaments, vest- ments, and furniture of the altar. The sister-sacristan is to remember, that our Lord always loved neatness and cleanliness, and that Joseph and Nicodemus were j)raised for having; buried His Ijody carefully and tieatly with pei-fumes and precious unguents. Throughout the houseiiold there reig'ned the utmost simplicity ; but at the same time the most jjerfect neatness and cleanliness. On this he lays particular stress ; and one reason for it undoubtedly was, that the institution was intended for Indies who had been accustomed in the world to the refinements and eleganjes of life. These indeed they were to sacrifice ; but it was not part of the idea of his institute that the inortification ot slovenliness and dis- comfort should be adopted : for instance, though he for- bids silver jilate it. geneml, he allows them to have spoons made of that metal for the sake of neatnes-*, " A cause de VlionnStete,^^ and also because St. Augustine, on whose rules their institute was based, used no other silver plate except these. But whatever restrictions there might be as to expensive furn.'tuie in the house, the altar was to be as rich and precious as they could with pnidence make it, " for the honour and glory of God, who resides there in a most special and admirable manner." One curious inile he lays down is, that they shall throughout the whole house make no images like dolls (povpees), still less put any upon the altar, either to represent our Lord, or our Lady, or the angels, or any thing ; that they shall have images well made and ap- proved of by the spiritual father, especially those they put upon the altar. However, he regards all the busi- ness of the sacristan, and the proper arrangement of the church, to be of such extreme impoi-tance, that a sepa- rate directory should be made for the sacnstan, which she was to have always before her eyes, and read over once a month, so as to fail in nothing that was written i ] 4^ CH. IX.] AT. FRAXriS 1)R SAL/'-Sw 111 I 1 it. His C'Ml'.T.'JTfition, PX|»rp?s!on " 1. he is jiartieiilHrly stronp: : " T! ays, " have nn inooinjmralilo intrrr tliui tliia clinrjTP slitill Ik* ptiMwnatcly well cxorciseti." The otfire of the InHrmnrian brings us to a very clm- mcteiistic department of the institute. We have seen that the sick and the ng-ed were not excluded from the life of perfection whicli Francis marked out. The niles for the comfort and well-ljeinj^ of tliese Sisters are strikingly beautiful. " The Infirmarian is to breathe nothing but charity, not only in order to servo tlie sick Sistera well, but to bear with the fancies, distresses, and ill-humour the poor sick |)eople often derive from their infirmities. She is to divert their disagreeable impres- sions in the softest and most dexterous way she can, without ever showing hei'self disgusted or annoyed. She is to have a list to help her memory of every thing re- quired for the comfort and good order of the infirmary, and to take care that the rooms shall be neat, clean, and nicely oraamented with pictures, green leuve^', and dowel's, according as the season shall permit " Thus we see, that in some degree the idea of the Visitation resem- bled that of Les Petites Sctiirs des PauvreSj except that the sick were themselves religious, and not so far infirm as to be incapable of adhering to the rules. Their pre- sence in the convent was of course the same advantage to those Sisters who were in health as the objects of their angelic charity are to the holy order to which we have alluded. They would furnish them with examples of patience, with the living copy of the sufferings of our Lord ; and by waiting on tnem without goinsp out of their enclosure, they might add the virtues of Martha to those of Mary. In a Convent of Mei-cy with which we are acouainted, the good Sisters have for this veiy purpose takei^ into their house, as an inmate, a poor creature afflicted with cancer. The sweet resignation and the unfailing pi-ayers of this poor woman are a per- petual edificatioi) to the good Sisters ; her intercession is wonderfully eiHcacious, and we believe a whole chapter might be filled with iilast^'Ationi^ of the fj^ood resiiltH de- -iw 1U 8T. FRANCIS DK AAI.R8. ,i . I! iivp«l from tlip ronstsint witno^xinp' ofsnrh paMt'r.ce in iiH icfion. But to rptum to tlie Visitntion. TIh» idoa su«.'«i(?stpd in the c)in{)t«>r on tlie Infirninrinn, shoit, us it is, scfins to ♦'nibo<ly the vcrv jjrineiple of the orders entr:»j»ed in active charity. iMioso constitutions which n'h»t(! to tlio smnHer offices of the house, such nn the Keeper of tlie wiirdrohe and the hiu'*di y, are eipuiily interesting- in their way. Those whicii jfive rules for th(( hty-sisters, whetlier domestics or tourirnM, contain a kind of sketdi of the duties of the Caitholic servant, and afford another iHnstration of that most useful action on society which all the reli|^ious orders possess, hut which, in a particular deg:ree, we discern in the Visita- tion. One rule is worth (pjotinsr "t leno'th. " The Sis- ters employed in the kitchen and the other household service will do it with cheerfulness and consolation, re- collectingf what St. Martha did, and representing" to tliemselves those little but sweet meditations which St. Catherine of Sienna made use of, who, in the midst of such tasks, did not cease her ecstatic contemplations of God. Thus oug-ht the Sisters as far as |)ossihle to hold their hearts recollected in the g"oodness of God, Who, if they are faithful, will one day declare before the whole world, that what they did for His servants was done for Ilira." Before quitting* the subject of the g-overnmeiit of the house, we should notice that special feature of it which consists in the office of the spiritual father. The supreme authority over the congreg^ation was that of the bishop, which Francis preferred to that of the father- general, which is more usual in otlier orders, because any abuses or any decay in the spirit of the institution was more likely to be checked by the frenuent change in the depositary of the chief authority, Avnere this was held by the bisliop of the diocese. But whatever ad- vantage was derived in a spiritual point of view from the office of the father-g-eneral, he still retained ])y insti- tuting* that of the s|)iritual father. This officer was a))pointed by the bishoi), and his duty was to take care that lue rules were well observed, and that no change t. i ij ni. ix.J 8T. FnANCIS I)R 8AI.F.S. 115 \ or a1»n^e vns introduced. Ho was to vi!4it the hotiso oncrt li y«';ir, in coiniiany witlj :wiot!uM- t'('closi;i«;tic ot'i'ipo n«fo, virtiioiis iind tli^crfi't. He w:is to he jH-e-^'nt at the eleefinns ol'tiie Snp«»r dress and onlinurv confessor; was to si;^n |M»rniissions when any extnionhnary reason madi' it neee-^sary tor a lister to ^o out of the convent ; and tt> liim l)oth the Sn|>«»rioress and the other Sisters w«»i'e to have ivcoin*se, wlienever tliero was occasion for special j»ni(h»nce or foresight. With repTird to the ordinary confessor, tlio rules which Francis lavs down for his choice are such as niijrht l)e -ni»)K>se<i from tlie importance of the office. He was to discharpfe the office of the s|>intnal father in his ahsence, as rejrarded jrrant- inir disj)ensations and jyivinii- advice in any qnestions that nii«rl»t arise. One point which Francis njuwai-s to have provided for with consid(>ra)>le anxiety in the rnles of this office is, that the confessor should he thorou«rhIy imbued with tlie spirit of the institute ; he was to take particular care to avoid doin<>: any thinjr, either by the ini)K)sition of extmordinary penances, or hy the counsels and advice piven in confession, which miq-ht disturb the order and the routine of the monastcrv. The holy foimder carefully secuj'es for the Sisteis tlie privile«je of confessing: or confeiring" on the state of their conscience with any peison of known character, without the Supe- rioress askinjj; why the Sister wishes to do so. Yet if she frequently demands it, then the Superioress will in- form the spiritual father, who will dexterously ])rovent the holy li))erty of confession from deg-enerating" into a source of disquiet, melancholy, avei-sion to the ordinary confessor, or a vain preference for individuals. The prentlo spirit of these constitutions was much attacked by the rig-orists of the ag'e, wdio, complain- infr of the deficiency of exterior austerities, said that '* t lieso reli«?ious had found out the secret of g'oing" to Pai*:Kliso by a road sown with roses without thoms, of en+erinc into it by another door than that of the Cross, and with another key than that which the Son of David carried on His shoulders." there nick-named the in- 116 8T. FRANCIS DE BALES. stitute the " Confraternity of the Descent of the Cross,*' and othei-s said that the bishop was founding* a lios- pital rather than a monastery. The proper answer to all these olyections is affordea by the multitude of holy souls who were nurtured by this institution, and who would othei'wise have had no assistance of that kind to enable them to reach the pei'fcction intended for them ; and by the rapidity with which it spread throu";hout tlie Catholic Church, showinpf that it met the needs of reli- gion at that time. The Church itself has placed the winning* gentleness of the Salesian spirit beyond the reach of dispute, by permitting it to influence as it has done the method of direction ever since. Before the death of Francis de Sales, houses of the Visitation were founded, under his auspices, at Lyons, Moulins, Grenoble, Bourgcs, Paris, Orleans, and Dijon; and in less than sixty yeare from the first foundation the order reckoned no fewer than 120 monasteries. Here the limits of this biography oblige us to leave this subject; and we proceed to trace the general life of the Saint from the period when we interrupted it to give con- tinuously the history of this, his principal foundation. 1 \ <ir» kt Ci^. CII. X.] 8T. FRANCIS DB SALES. 117 I CHAPTER X. POU?IDATIO?« OP THE FLORIMONTaNE ACADEMY — THE TRFtATISGS OF '*THE introduction" AND ** THK LOVE OP GOD." In 1C05 and 1606 he made a g^eneral visitation of his whole diocese, undergoing^ excessive f'atigiie, and orten great dang;er, in ti-aveisin^- the Alpine disti-icts, which lormed the g^'eatest part ot it, and every wliere preach- ing;, catechising', and hearing* confessions, with the utmost zeal and assiduity. Tlie results of this visitation he embodied in a report to the Holy Father, which forms a most copious and interesting^ record of his apostolic labours, and of those business details, the possession of which is so essential to the g-ood g-ovei-nmcnt of a diocese, and which his talents peculiarly fitted him to acquire, widely distinct as at tii-st sight a mind of heroic charity like his seems to be from that whicii is best qualihed to conduct the transactions of tl.(^ world. In 1607, in combination with the Pi-esident Favre, bo founded a literary institution at Annecy, called tlie Florimontane Academy. The rules which he enacted for it are among; the most curious of his opvandn. Only Catholics of grood character were to be admitted mem- bers of it, and each on admission was to deliver a dis- course in prose or verse to the assembly. At the gene- ral meeting^s, eminent men in the various bmnches of art were to be admitted, such as paintere, sculptors, mechanics, and architects; lectures were to be g-iven on mathematics, cosmography, philosophy, and rlietoiic (excluding' theology and |)olitics), and on the cultivation fo languages, especially the French language. Tiie style of speaking was to be prose, polished ana full, witiiout affectation ; and the lecturers were as much as TM>ssible to dispose of one subject in each lecture, and do tiieir utmost "to teach well, much, and in a shoi-t time." Besides the lectures, there were to be discourses in a < 1 1 I A 118 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. more ornamented style, imj)lying' tlie use of the oratorical art. Persons of rank, such as nobles and prelates, v ere to have a place to themselves at the meeting-s. The officers were to be the president, a man of distinction and virtues, zealous for the g^ood of the academy ; his assessors; the secretaiy, who was to be " a man of clear, acute, ready and g-enerous wit, and versed in literature;'' the censors, who were to be thorouo;hly well versed in every thing", and "like an encyclopaeaia;" the treasurer, and n paid attendant. In the following- year, 1C08, he brought out the work by which he is best known, and which contains in the most popular form the results of his experience in the conduct of souls. This is the Introduction to the tSpinfual Life, a book which, notwithstanding all the chan«»'es of mannei-s, remains unequalled as a mamial of i)ractical instructions for those who are endeavouring' to lead a holy life in the world. The possession of this book, and the oi-ace to studv it, are a blessing second only to that of being v^Xev tlie gtiidance of a wise and holy director. Nothing is omitted in it : the method of metlitation, of confession, of receiving" holy communion, the arrangement of one's day, the means of arriving at the different virtues, and the choice of them ; rules on the promotion of fiiendship, the kind and degree of amusements to be permitted, the method of dealing" with temptations, advice as to periodical renewal of one's good resolutions, — the whole system of the spiritual life is here laid down with a richness of experience and an in- 3io;ht into the heart which has never been surpassed, riie only book at all to be compared with it is Rom-iguee on ChriHtian Perfection ; but there is a certain sweet and g"enial simplicity peculiar to Francis de Sales, which recommends ins book even more than that treasury of spiritual wisdom to persons living in the world. The Int-^odvction to the Devout Life was dniwn up by Francis chiefly from letters he had written to one of his penitents, Madame de Charmoisy. These lettera irere handed about in manuscript, and were so admired, I I If \ \ en. x.j 8T FRANCIS DE SALE3. 119 < 5 i that his friends urg-ed uj)on liim the publication of a com- plt'te work emhodying" their i-esults. The book innne- diatt'Iy obtained a vast circuhition throu}>liout Eur.)jH>, and even became known in Englantl soon after its ap- pearance, a copy havinji; been sent by Marie de .Meilicis to James I., wiio was exceedinj,''ly struck with it, and expressed his surprise that no such work ever came from the pen of his bishops. The moderation of tlie view taken by the lioly writer as to the worldly amuse- ments of balls and dancing", raised some controversy among' tiie rigorist school, one of whom went so far as to declaim ag-ainst the book from the pulpit, and actually to tear it in pieces in the middle of his sermon. Never was an attack more unjust; for there are few pei-sons indiv^d wiio could calmly read the chapter in the /n- troduction on the subject of balls, and not rather be powerfully detached from those amusements than en- couraged to adopt them. Francis allows only that " in their own nature they are inditferent ;" but devotes a long- dis(|uisition to show that they are "usually dangerous, dissipate the spirit of devotion, weaken stren"th, chill charity, and awaken in the soul innu- memble evil affections; so that gi-eat prudence is re- quired in their use." In 1609 he was engaged in effecting" reforms in the Benedictine Abbey of Talloires, and of those monas- teries which, like that of Sixt, had in the course of ag-es fallen into a lax and irregidar state. He completely succeeded in bringing^ it not only into conformity with the rules, but to be a most fen-ent and edifving- commu- nity. Soon afterwards he went to Gex, wfiither he was summoned by oruer of Henry IV. to confer with the Baron de Luz, the king's lieutenant-genei-al in Bur- ^ndy, on the religious affairs of Gex. On this occa- sion the Rhone was flooded; he boldly passed thro ug-h the city of Geneva in his episcopal habit, and styling* himself to the officer at the g-ate as the bishop of the diocese. Xhe officer did not seem to imdei-stand the expression ; and Fnmcis remained a whole hour in the 120 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. city without molestation. Durine this visit to Gex he succeeded in restorinff to Catholic wci-ship eight I»ttrish-churche8, and made a great number of conver- sions. The same year was marked by an event whicii had very great eifect, not so much on his life as in providing an observer of that life, who has handed down a singu- larly minute and beautiiiil picture of it. This was the consecration of Peter Camus, Bishop of Belley, at which Francis de Sales officiated, and which was the commencement of a fi-iendship between the two pre- lates lasting till Francis's death. As their dioceses were close to each other, and the Bishop of Belley, both fi-om his youth (he was but twenty-live years old when consecrated) and from his ardent and revci*ential dis- position, began immediately to look up to Francis as nis spiritual father and oTiide, he saw him very Ire- 3uentlv, and asked his advice whenever he was in any ifficulty. Once a year the two bishops made it a rule to spend a week in retreat at each otlier's house; and the Bishop of Belley took the fullest advantage of the many opportunities he had to keep a copious record of the conversations of Fmncis. These reminiscences he col- lected into the book entitled V Esprit de S. Franks de Sales, perhaps the most interesting* and valuable, as it is one of the most curious compilations ever written. The only work at all resembling it — though of course we only compare them in a purely secular and literaiy point of view — is Boswell's Life of Johnson. The latter oiography is often considered as something perfectly unique, and without any thing either equal or similar to it as a complete portrait of the life and character of an individual. Pei-sons who so speak of Boswell's Johnson cannot have read L'Ufiprit de S. Franqafs de Sales, a record nearly as voluminous, and show- ing quite as much of that genius for singling out a hero, and dwelling on his ctiaracter till the minutest feature of it is represented with the fidelity ef the most life-like painting. J I I ' CM. X.] 8T. FUANCrS I>R SALES. V2\ In 1010 Francis de Sales lind t\iv afflirfion ot* losini? his old precfiptor the Abbe Dwjfjo, whose declininfr yrai-s he had soothed with Hliitl kindness. It may he n>en- tioned us an instance of the sweet and affectionate clia- rocter of the Saint, that when he said Mass for the re- pose of the old man's soul, on reachinw" the " Our Fa- ther," he was so overcome hy the recollection that tiie |)Oor Abb6 had fii-st taujj-ht fiim to say the " Our Fa- ther," that he was almost unable to proceed. I'he same year he had another trreat loss, thoug-h not by death, in the promotion of Antoine Favre to the presidentship of the senate of Chambery, and liis consequent with- dmwal from Annecy, where he had lived in the most intimate friendship with the holy bishop. As reg^arded his episcopal labours, the life of Francis about this period seems to liave been crowded witli work, and, like every other part of his career, full of incidents characterising' his untiring- sweetness and diligence. He made two or three remai'kable conversions this year, one of them a Calvinist lady of Geneva, Madame de Ste. Sergiies, who was so conspicuous for her bitteraess against Catholicity, and her activity on behalf of her sect, that she used to go by the nickname of 'Hhe Arch-ministress." Another was a Baron de Monthelon, whose first impulse towards the faith was given by the reading" of the Introduction. A third was a poor apos- tate friar, named Bartholonio, who, much like some melancholy cases in the present day had abandoned the faith merely for the indulgence of his passions. He had recourse to Francis de Sales, as the common father of prodigal children, and was charitably brought back to the true fold. Besides the general business of the diocese, Fran- cis had at this time a good deal of correspondence with the Holy See; among^ other objects, to procure the canonisation of Amadeus III., Duke of Savoy, whose memory was held in the highest veneration in those Srovinces. The question of the authorit of the Holy ee in temporal matters was at the sanr r-^od hotly 1 oo ST. FRAXCIS DB SALES. contested tlirouofhout EurojM*. Dellannine, in his cele- brated work. Dc Romano Pontificey liad maintained the theory that the Pope lias, hy Divine Hght, an in<li- rect power even in tempomls, — a view whicli at Home was thonglit too modemt(;, and by the Gallican theo- logians too strong. In France the controversy was vehe- mently ap^itated on botli sides, much to the distress of Fmncis ue Sales, whose gfentle spirit saw no advantagre in thus letting^ out the watei-s of strife. The coiu*se which he eaiTiestly recommended was silence, on the ffroimd, to use Irs homely similitude, that in those difficult times there was trouble enoug-h in defending tlie brood of the Churcli from the kite whicli incessantly hovei-ed over them, without allowing* tlie chickens themselves to be pecking" at each other. He even disapproved of the extent to which Bellarmine had openeci the dispute; not that he passed any judgment as to whether he was right or wrong", but simply from the deep conviction whicli he entertained, both by reason and from his na- tural disposition, of the necessity of peace. He looked upon tlie question as easily settled, practically, by those who acted in the spirit of charity ; but difficult in the midst of such violent contention, and useless, because there was, in fact, no disposition on the part of the Pope to interfere with the tempoi-al rights of sovemgns, — no- thing to call for the question being opened at the risk of ruining the peace and unanimity of Catholics. In an able memoir addressed to Cardinal CafFarelli Bor- ghese, he developed this conciliatory policy, recommend- ing the Holy See to invite the French goveniment to impose silence on the seditious controvei-sialists, whose writings were the prelude to the unhappy variance be- tween the two powere in the reign of Louis XIV. On the Catholic side, he advised that pi*eacliei*s should be oi-dered to inculcate with calmness the duty of sub- mission to the Holy See, and that in replying' to the opponents of the papal authority, writei-s should adopt the indirect mther than the dii-ect method, and point out gently the unreasonableness of such attacks. He en. X.] ST. FRANCIS I)E SALES. 138 fiirthrr urprM tbf* importance of nctinp: so bs to brinp about ft bettrr undci'standinj^ between tbe Sorl)onne and the Society of Jeifius, the centres of these conflict- injur views ; to soothe the former of these bodies and the French jweiacy g-enerally, by addi-essing* tli?m with briefs drawn up in a winnin*:^ tone ; but in the first in- stance to liave the affair discussed by the nuncio, the French cardinals, and the government, showing", on the part of tlie Holy See, an earnest wish for the cessa- tion of these disputes. The bitterness of the foes of the Church was probably too violent to liave yielded to the oil thus thrown upon its waters, even could the experiment have been fully tried ; but the lesson given by the gentleness of the Saint will always remain a profitable study for those who seek to convince otiiers of the truth. He set forth the charity of the Church, as such men as St. Greg;ory VII. exhibited her un- bending firmness ; and even in Francis de Sales the one did not exist without the other. In the spring of 1613, Francis de Sales made a journey to Milan, in order to visit the tomb of St. Charles Bonomeo, which pilgrimage he had undertaken by vow, on occasion of the illness of Madame de Chantal. Important business also necessitated his proceeding to Turin. He sought to obtain the patronage of the Duke of Savoy for the Order of the Visitation, and several houtes of that institute which he contemplated esta- blishing; to demand permission to place ecclesiastical instructors in the college of Annecy in the room of the lay-teachers, who had mismanaged it ; and finally, to defend a number of pereons of rank who had been unjustly accused of assassinating the secretary of the Duke of Nemours. He was accompanied on his journey by a large company of ecclesiastics and laics of distinc- tion, one of the latter of whom has left a beautiful de- scription of his conversation in travelling, in which he relates what kind and wise admonitions the Saint gave him for his conduct in life, as a courtier and man of the world, encouraging him to the practice ol* religion, 124 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. as sweet, easy, and attractive, pointing' to the exam- ples of those who were sanctified in coui-ts and camps, such as David, Judas Maccabeus, and St. Louis, and warning" him of the vanity of the world, and the incon- stancy of fortune. At Tm-in he was honourably re- ceived by the Duke of Savoy, who, except in the ques- tion of tiie accused peraons for whom he pleaded, wil- lingly acceded to all his demands. At Mflan, where he was welcomed by the cousin and successor of St. C.'inrles, Cardinal Frederick Borromeo, he had the happiness of saying Mass at the tomb of St. Charles, and remained for houre in contemplation before the body of the Saint, entreating' his intercession to obtain him grace to govern Geneva as St. Charles had governed Milan. So deeply was he buried in these reflections, that when his com- S anions, on coming* out of the gflorious Cathedml of lilan, were expressin"* their wonder at its magnificence, he declared that he had seen nothing' but the relics of the holy archbishop. The incident reminds one of the story of St. Beiiiard travelling" a whole day by the lake of Geneva, and being all the time so absorbed in divine contemplation, as never once to notice the marvels of natui*e which are thci*e so beautiiiilly displayed. Both nature and art are insignificant in the presence of the splendour of faith. This visit of Francis to Milan was characterised by another incident, which bi-ought out strikingly not only the intensity of his faith, but also the loving- and trustiiil spirit by which it was adorned. Cardinal Borromeo having permitted him to officiate in the ceremony of exposing to public venera- tion the holy napkin or stidarivm preserved at Milan, the heat and pi-essui-e in the church being extremely gTeat, Francis's face was so drenched witn |)erspira- tion, that a few drops fell on the holy relic he held with passionate devotion oefore him. The occurrence greatly distressed the Cardinal, who even sharply reproved the Saint for carelessness. Francis, however, in the confi- dence of the love which he felt for his Lord, showed no uneasiness; but affectionately seized on the beau- CH. X.J 8T. FRANCIS DK 8ALK8. 105 tiful significance of the circumstance, as showing the goodne;i>s of our Lord, who allows us to ming'Ie our sweat with that which fell from His hol^ body, and to consecratt) all our toils by a continual reference to His. Francis returned tx)' Annecy by the end of May, and occupied himself with various important aiiiiirs, among wnich were the reconstruction of ei^ht more parishes in the province of Gez? the establisnment of the Bamabites as teachers in the College of Annecy, and of the Laibhusians in the Abbey of Ripailles. In 1614 he received an invitation from the Emperor Mathias I. to attend, as prince of the empire, a diet to bo held at Ratisbonne the following y^ar. This event is wox-thy of notice as an historical curiosity. The bishops of Geneva had now, for nearly a century, been excluded by their rebellious subjects from occupy- ing the city, to the sovereignty of wmch they had never ceased to assert their, right. The Holy Roman Empire, the very representative of prescription, order, and law, disdained to recognise tb-B Caivinist republic ; and on every occasion when the princes were convoked to the imperial assemblies, sent a courier to Geneva to notify to the bishop, who was still supposed to be there, that his attendance was requested by the emperor. The courier reported his compulsory absence ; and thus the ancient rights of the bishops were never allowed to become dormant. The reply of Francis to the em- peror is still preserved, in which he excuses himself in simple but dignified terms, on the ground of the poverty of his see. The same year he paid a visit to his friend the Archbishop of Lyons, whicn was attended T/ith the important results to which we have already adveited, of th3 establishment of a Convent of the Visitation at Lyons, and in the altwation of the constitutions of that institute, the ai'chbishop strongly advising to place it on the footing of a regular cloistered order. Next year, 1616, the Archbishop returned Francis's visit by ^nding a short time at Annecy; and thus these holy prelates revived the old custom by which, in 120 BT. FRANCIS DB SALEd. primitive times, nei<rhboni'in^ bisho])«i wore wont to ad- vise with each othrr about the aftaii-s of their dimM'ses. The Duke of Savoy, as on many other occasions, f«>nnd in this friendsliip with a biHJioj) with whose sovereiifn he was at "ivah-y, the matenTiig of ung-enei-ons suspicion of the loyalty of his illustrious subject, who had to remove them l)y explaining", what the duke mig-ht surely by this time have known, that no jiolitical purpose what<'ver entered into conferences like tliese. In the coui-se of the some year he was enabled to place the Bamnbites at Thonon in charg-e of the educational department of the Holy House; and the office of Vicar-g«neral of the diocese }iapi>ening; to fall vacant, he selected to fill it his brother, John Francis de Sales, then canon of the Cathedral of Annecy, who aftei-wards became his coad- jutor, and upon his deatli succeeded him as Bishop of Geneva. John Francis de Sales was in temper a great contrast to his brother, his g'oodness being of the gi-ave and austere kind, somewhat allied to sadness, of which there was not the slightest trace in the Saint ; and it often happened that the gentleness and sweetness of the one interposed to remedy the sternness of the other, as equity comes in to temper justice. During all this time, and subsequently, Francis was effecting great re- forms in the episcopal administration, particularly in the appointment of parish-priests. Hitherto abuses had crept in from the higlily aristocratical spirit of the age ana country ; and men had been placed in the care of souls who had little to recommend them but the splen- dour of their birth. Francis, however, as we have seen, resolutely cairied out the principle of giving away the incumbencies by concursus, that is, to the candidate of the greatest merit, as tested by an examination. This regulation frequently occasioned the most violent dis- satisfaction on the part of ecclesiastics and their rela- tives, who obstinately refused to comprehend the new nnangement ; and the sweetness of the Saint was oi"*;en put to the proof in a manner which would have be eir too much for any patience but such as his, by disap- en. X.] ST. FRAXCIft DP. AALKS. le? {►ointftd cljuinnntM or their fii«'n<ls rjillin«r uimn liirn, nnd vi'iitin^'- their rnp-e hy tlie nn»t vi<ih'iit iiihI ahiisiv«» ex- pressions. At this tune, it not untVeinienlly occ»irr(»<l that i)eoj)le whom his un))enilinj,- nerise of justice iinil (lispleiised, wonhl beset liis liouse durin*;' the nig-ht with deafening* noises, hh)wini^ honis, and nnikingf their dog's bark and howl. Insults of this kind Fmncis de Sales knew how to set at rest, by passinu" them over without the least notice; and it g'enerally hapfiened that those who thus far forg-ot themselves, took i-efuc^e from the stin«^ of their conscience in his un«relic spirit of forgiveness, and made the humblest a|)olognes for the insults which, like stones flung" upwards to the sky, only fell back on the heads of tiiose who threw them, and made them feel conscious of tlieir own meanness when they looked on the untroul)led mirror of his sanc- tity. Early in 1010 he broug-ht to a completion his greatest work, the famous Treatiac on the Loir of GoiL It is a book which possesses an interest resembling" that of the heroic actions of the Stiint, much of it havine" been written, not like ordinary theolog'ical works, but in actual ecstasies of that love towards God of which he is the historian and the teacher. His manuscript was blotted with his tears, and the treatise doubtless abounds with thouj^hts directly sugg"estpd to his mind by the Holy Spirit. When he was meditating" on the commencement of tlie work, on March 25, 1014, he was visited by this inspiration, manifesting" itself even visibly : a g"lobe of fire descended on him, and dividing" itself into a multitude of little flames, played harm- lessly around him, and rendered his face radiant like a star. His brother, Louis de Sales, entered the room, just when this manifestation had disapr)eared, and j)er- ceiving" his face as thoug-h it were on nre, the Saint, in reply to his startled inquiries, told him, trem))ling" all over, what had occuiTed. In memory of this event, Fi-ancis de Sales wrote these words in a book which he always caiiied about with him : Die viffe&imd quintd 1SB ST. VRAKCIfl DR SALRfl. , ii 3farfijf, hodir j^rrrttm. jtuum Frnnchnfm nihcrirorditer vijtifari ihfinatun pat Dominun, Tho TrentiAr on the Love of God is perhaps little read in this country, the common tmnfllation being very indifferent, and the qnnint old French of the orij*inal not heinjf very easy to ordinary readers ; but a greater mine of rich and beautiful tnouprhtii does not exisit in the devotional lite- rature of the Church. This treatise was also sent to James I. of Enprland, who, as we have already men- tioned, expressed the highest admiration for it, and wished he could see the noly author. When this was told Francis de Sales, he said, with all the fire of apos- tolic zeal, " Oh, who will give me wings like the dove, and I will .£y to the king into that fair island, once the land of saints, and now the domain of en'or ! Ah, living God, if the prince allows me, I will go to that new mission : I will speak to the king, and praach the truth to him at the peril of my life !" Had tne Apostle of the Chablais been enabled to carry out these aspira- tions, who knows how different might have been the face of things in England at this day ! In the Advent of 1016 and the Lent of 1617, Fran- cis preached at Grenoble by invitation of the parliament of Dauphiny. The first of these courses was attended by a remarkable person, the Marshal Duke de Lesdi- giiidres, then governor of the province, — one of those proud and stem Calvinist nobles whose stubbornness af- forded so complete a parallel to that of the Puritans in England ; yet the invincible sweetness, and still more perhaps the dignity of Francis, produced a singular im- pression on the haughty old marshal, who often invited the holy bishop to his table, and delighted to hear his conversation. The Calvinist ministers of the neighbour- hood persuaded a nobleman of their party to remon- strate with the duke on this dangerous friendship ; he made a most characteristic reply : " Tell these gentle- men," he said, " that I am old enough to know what to do. It is not for these young upstarts to teach a man of my age and quality how to conduct himself; I know CH. Z.] ■T. PIUIVC18 DR 8ALB9. 129 how bishops ong-ht to bo trratod ; it is rerv different with our ministfr?*, who nt Wst answer to tm nwik of rareAf since they have r»'j«»ctf'd the epi^cojml dignity, although so well-founde<I in Scripture : wlieu I wt) «ov«»- i-eig^n princes, the sons and brothers of king^, U>coine ministers, as I now see them con>-ider it a distinction to )>e bishops, archbishops, and cardinals, I shall consider what honour I am to pay to the ministers." Ulti- mately, in 1622, the duke was reconcileti to the Catholic Church ; his reason had long been convinced by the ar- guments of Francis, but he could not be |)ersuaded to break off a connection which, as in so many other cases, had far more to do with his hesitation than any controvei'sial difficulties. Many other conversions re- sulted fi-om these missions at Grenoble, and also the es- tablishniont of a house of the Visitation, the locality for which was selected in the midst of the wild mountain- scenery of the vicinity. On returning from his second visit to Grenoble, Francis took the op|K)rtunity of stav- ing a few days at the Grande Chartreuse, where tne steniest asnect of nature haimonises so well with the Eenitential lessons taught by the lives of the simple und oly monks who dwell there. All the neighbourliood of Gi*enoble, thus consecrated by the footsteps of a Saint, has lately become the chosen home of a far more intense devotion. La Salette, the scene of the latest apparition of the Queen of Saints, whither the eyes of Catholics are now turned from the most distant coruera of the world, is at no gi'eat distance from Grenoble. The year 1617 was marked by sevi^re afflictions for the affectionate soul of Francis. His brother, the Baron de Thorens, was carried off by fever whilst with the anny, and his young* widow, the daughter of Madame de Chantal, was so overwhelmed with the bereavement, that it brought on a premature confinement, of which she died ; though having hud the happiness of receiving the last Sacraments, and ot being invested on her death* be<l with the habit of the \'isitatiou. ; M 130 8T. FRVNCI8 1)« SALES. CHAPTER XI. VISIT TO PARIS WITH THE CAUDINAL OF SAVOY — LAST TEARS O? FKANCIS T/H SALES. Is 1618 Francis was cliosen by the Duke of Savoy to accoinjiany tlie embassy to Paris headed by tlie Ciudi- nal-prince his brotlier, and commissioned to neg'otiiite the marriagre of his son, the Prince of Piedmont, with Christine of France, daughter of Henrv IV., and sister of Louis XIII If, on the occasion of his former visit, the astonishing achievement of converting' a whole pro- vince from heresy to Catholicity had directed towards hira the interest of all Paris, fully equnl was the adiniration now awaiting him as the author of tlie Introduction and the treatise On the Lace of God, whicli g-reat jud^-es did not hesitate to place on a level witli the works of the Ambroses and Aug-ustines. The neg'oti- ations of the embassy lasted for nearly a year, during which Francis received incessant invitations to preach, which he did almost daily : the people never tiring* of listening; to him; altliough neither his elocution nor his style was such as might have been expected to attract those highly-polisheil audiences. The secret lay in the exquisite charm of Divine g'roce, which even visibly rayed out from him. The churches were so crowded, that it more than once happened that a ladder had to be broug'ht for the preacher to enter by the window, tlie dooi*s being" completely blocked up. People ran to gaze at him, or to touch his robe as he passed in the streets ; and they even bribed his barber to g;ive them his hair to keep as relics. He was consulted on all hands by those of every rank, from the prince down to the captive in the dung^eon, who were in difficulties or distress of mind ; and his prudence never failed to remove the doubts which weighed upon them. His unruffled se- CII. XI.] 0T. FRANCIS DE SALES. 181 r^Tiiry was pornfitimos put to tlie proof by impertiiHnit visitors, who, witli that nuleness whicli seems insepii- rablo from lieresy, came with rpiestions they imn«;ined would embarniss him; but they alwiiys left liim uith re-pert and g'oodwill. Among; the leadinji" per^()Il.^ wiio fiequented liis society, we must not omit to incn- tl(»ii Vincent of Paul, whom he was in tiie habit of .<tyliii««- " tlie worthic.-t pnest he had ever known," and under whose direction he placed a community of the Visitation which he established in Paris. Great efforts were again made at this time by the French court to induce him to remain in France. Caidinal de Hetz, Bishop of Paris, had set his heart on having him for his coadjutor, and offered him a rich pension, the entire conti-ol of liis diocese, and the appointment of his brother, John Francis de Sales, to succeed him at Geneva, if he would consent to come ; but all was in vain. Nothing* . but the will of God, evidenced by a command from the Holy Father himself, woidd have induced Francis de Sales to quit the see where Providence had originally placed him. The negotiations beinpj at leng-th completed, — for which result the diplomatists were in a oreat measure indebted to the tact and prudence of Francis, — the royal marriage was celebrated, and the embassy quitted Paris. Francis de Sales, in reward for his services, was com[)limented with the ofiice of gi'and almoner to the Princess of Savoy, which he only accepted on condition of not being asked to reside out of his diocese, and re- signed almost immediately, so far as implied any active duties. His brother, John Francis de Sales, was invited to Tiu-in to discharge them in his stead. The influence of the court of Savoy soon afterwards obtained from the Holy See the appointment of John Francis as co- adjutor of Geneva, with future succession. He was consecrated on January 17th, 1021, under the title ot Bishop of Chalcedon; and after a short interval, was permitted by the couii; of Turin to undertake his duties at Annecy. Francis regularly educated his brother 133 8T. FRANCIS DB SALES. ■ i, \\ :f r i ! I for the office of bishop, both forming" his Ciiarncter nnd communicntinj^ to him those wise maxim.s of ejiiscopul govei-nment, of the method of preaching-, ;ind ol the in- terpretation of Scripture, and putting him in possession of those stores of detailed infoi-mation about the state of the diocese, which he had accumulated durina" years of labour and vigilance. Every day he devoted some horn's to the task of imparting this instruction ; and thus, long after his death, the spirit as well as the name of tliis ^eat Saint continued to rule the Church of Geneva. For even his second successor, Chai'les Auguste, was a member of the house of Sales, a nephew and disciple of the Saint, who had perceived in his early youtn the promise of unusual holiness; and having taken him under his special chai'ge shoi-tlj before his death, he was able to give his mind that en- during impress which a g^eat man needs only a very short space of time to convey. We are now drawing to the close of his career, which, full of activity as it was in every pail; of it, was never more energetic than in the two or three years im- mediately preceding his death, when his failing health and frame, shattered by such incessant toil, would have induced any one else to take repose. During the years 1&18-20, he made several tedious journeys, and underwent gpi'eat exei-tions, in order to re- establish discipline in the abbey of Sixt, a community which had got into an unsatisfactoiy state, and on which, at an early period of his episcopate, he had bestowed g^at pains ; but which again and again relapsed into its for- mer relaxation. During one of his visits to this abbey, he wrought a miracle which was attested by six witnesses in the processes of his canonisation. Great numbei-s of people had resoi-ted to the place to ask his counsel, as they constantly did ; and the increased consumption of food weighed heavily on the resom-ces of the abbev. Francis prayed, and the river produced such a supply of fish as Iiad never been remembered up to that tune ; the usual quantity of bread baked for the community I ' i CII. XI. J 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. ia3 J suffict'd for the lultlitional mouths, nnd tlie c.vk of wine from which they drew for all the strangers su&tained no increased diminution. In 1630 he enacted constitutions for the hermitag^e of Mont Voiron, a holy institute which had long* flou- rished on the north of the Lake of Geneva, till Calvinist barbarity had overthrown it. Several devout relig"ious, and among* them one named Rigaud, who had adopted the eremitical life after having* been many years ac- tively engaged in the political world, restored the as- sociations of the place, and besought Francis de Sales to devise a rule for them. This he accomplished with his usual prudence, and was according-ly considerad as the foimder of the congregation. In 1631 he was engaged in the business of negoti- ating a refonn in a convent of Bemardine nuns, at St. Catherine's, near Annecy. It proved a tedious nnd difficult undertaking, from the opposition of the abbess, who headed a party in the community opposed to re- formation. As usual in such cases, this party sup- ported itself by the civil power. The holy bishop's correspondence about this simple affair reached above a hundi-ed letters. The matter at length ended in the foundation of a separate convent for the nuns who wei* anxious to live up to the nile. Francis de Sales drew up constitutions for them ; and the reformed institute became a flourishing stock, from which several com- munities branched off. One of the last public proceedings of the Saint, and which, from the circumstances attending it, derived a peculiarly touching interest, was the translation of the relics of St. Germain from the nave to the high altar of the abbey of Talloii-cs. This is a beautifiil spot nenr the lake of Annecy, where were the ruins of the her- mitage of St. Germain, which Francis had caused to be rebuilt. At the ceremony of the translation he spoke at ci'eat length on the devotion inculcated by the Church for saints and relics, and on the virtues of the holy hermit whose abode, laid waste by hei-etical violence, 1.34 ST. FRANCIS DE SALI^S. hi he had j>i<>nsly repaired. When all was over, he visited tiif lieiiiiifii<^«', and ^^aaed with delig^ht on the exqui- site prosjM'ft iiround him, the calm lake mid the over- han«^ing- inonntains, and his own helived little city of \nnfcy in the di>>^t;nice. He said t!iat, if it were oui* ix»rd's will, he should wish to come thtre, to enjoy an interval ot* rest ; he would leave the burden and heat of t\w. day to his coadjutor, and with his rosary rnd his pen he would perve God and the Church in that peace- ful heiTuitag-e. " What a delicious site !" he exclaimed, with the feeling no less of a poet than a saint. " How great and beautiful thoughts will fall around us, thick and soft, as the snows come down in winter !" It was not a passing- fancy, but apparently a settled plan, which he had fully matured in his mind. He guve orders the same day to the prior of T illoires to have five or six cells built for him, and announced his intention to set- tle there as soon as he could arrange to transfer the diocese to his brother. "And then," he said, "we will serve God with the breviary, the rosary, and the pen ; we shall enjoy a lioly leisure to trace out for the glory of God and the instruction of souls what I have oeen turning over in my mind these thirty years and more, and which I have used in my sermons, mstniciions, and meditations ; I have abundance of materials, and be- sides, God w'll inspire me. Oh, who vill give me the wings of a dove, to fiy into this sacred desert, and breathe awhile under tlie shadow of the Cross !" He had in his mind plans enough to have occupied more than a life-time. There was to be a historv of Jesus Christ in four books ; the tirst, a sort of diatessaron, or harmony of the four gospels ; the second, a treatise on the evidences, drawn from the words of our Lord in the gosj)el ; the third, on the Christian virtues, as set forth in the gospel ; tlie fourth, a history of the primitive Church, drawn from the Acts of the Apostles ; besides a similar work on the Epistles of St. Paul. Then another treatise, supposin/^ all this completed, " on the love of our neighbour,"" would have served as tlie pendant to It en. XI.] 91. rRA.NCIS DE SALES. 135 his great work on the Love of Go.i. Ijastlv, in a series of letters on tlie Pastoral Office, lie would have tlirown tojretiier tiie results of his vast and unexampled ex- |)erience as •. missionary-priest and bishop. It was, of coui-se, obvious that, even if years of health had been still afforded him, these designs were too vast for him to expect to acomplish them. Of this he was peHectly conscious ; but he remarked, with profound practical wisdom, that " to give scope to the activity of tlie mind, we ought to form designs as great as if we had a long life before us, but not to reckon on doing more than if we had to die to-mon-ow." The only part of his designs which the holy bishop was enabled in some degree t6 accomplish, was the superintendence of the education of his nephew and future successor, Charles Auguste de Sales, whose residence in the house- hold and under the care of the holy prelate during the last twelvemonth of his life gave him, as we have already mentioned, impressions which were never obliterated, and were the means of his worthily keeping up, both by imitating and by writing the life of his uncle, those heroic vii-tues whicn became almost the hereditary pos- session of his race. In May 1622 he was coiamissioned by the Holy See to preside at a chapter of the oi-der of Feuillants, held at Pignerol, there heing ac the time considerable disputes in the order relative to the election of a geneial, on w^hich they were unable to agree. By the address and charity of Francis these dissensions were happily appeased, and harmor"" restored. The cxei-tionc, how- ever, which he went through in managing this difficult affair wert^ more than his strength was adequate to sus- tain. He was now lifty-four yeai-s of age, and the infir- mities of age began to weigh heavily on him. He suf- fered greatly from weakness of the chest, violent pains in the head and stomachy, swelling and inflammation of the le^, — all these symptoms indicatino;^ a general break- up in his constitution. Yet he still held on,— tlie energy of his soul rising suptn-ior to the decay of the body. On 136 iT. FRANCIS DB BALB9. leaving" Pii^fnerol he visited Turin, wliitlier he wns in. vited l>y the coui-t. Thei-e lie stayed a short time, lodg"- ing" in a small and stifling- cell in the monastery of tlie Feuillants; though handsome accommodation was eagerly offered him on all sides. The archbishopric of Turin hu ' ' ig fallen vacant, that rich and splendia appointment w; pressed upon him in vain. He wished te hasten hk return to Annecy, as a scarcity was prevailing in the country which he hrped to relieve. The court at length unwillingly let him go ; and on his departure the Princess of Piedmont presented him with a magnificent diamond ring of the value of 3000 francs. He accepted it gladly for the sake of his poor people ; and he was no sooner in Annecy than he pawned it to the jewellere, in order to obtain the means of can'ying on his charities. The nng was speedily redeemed by his friends, and re- turned to him ; and he would again put it in pawn, till it became a proverb in the town, much like the snuff- boxes and watches which, in our own days, are passed in charitable circulation from one i*affle to another. CII. XII.1 ST. FRANCIS DK SALES. 137 CHAPTER XII. DEATU OF PIUNCU DK SALBi. Towards the close of the year, he was invited hy tlie Duke of Savoy to attend him at AvigTion, whei-e he was to meet Louis XI!!., in order to congratulate that prince on his successes ag^ainst the Hug^uenot faction. Fiancis had a })resentiment that this journey would be his last ; but he did not think it rig-ht to decline t? 3 invitation of his sovereign, especially as it was likely to alford him the opportunity of negotiating for the interests of reli- gion. Accordingly he made preparation, with the utmost calmness, as if he 'ere to return no more. He made his Avill, charging the. i to bury him in the nave of the Church of the Visitation at Annecy ; but if he died out of his diocese, leaving the place ot' his sepulture at the choice of those who sliould attenu him at the time. He limited the adornments of his funeral to thirteen candles, and would have no other escutcheons than the holy Name of Jesus. On November 7th, he made his general confes- sion, and in the afteinoon handed to his brother and co- adjutor a mass of papere relating to the business of the diocese J after which he sad cheerfully, that he seemed to rest on ea; th with one foot only, the other was raised in the air, and ready to go. On November 8th, he bade farewell to his relatives and friends, to the canons, and to his dear community of the Visitation, for which he had thought and toiled so much. One of them, an in- nocent and holy soul, Sister Simplicienne, had foretold that he would not outlive the year. As he parted with another of them, Sister Anne-Jacqueline Coste, slie wept as she had never done before on any of his jf>nr- neys. "When he asked her why was this, she said ihat her heart told hei' they would see each other no more. 138 8T. FRANCIS DK SALES. Francis, who, in tlie spirit of prophecy, foresaw tliat the uood Sister Iiei*self was not destined \on'^ to sun'ive him, i-(!phed tiiat his lieart also tohi liiin that they would see ciich other much sooner than site thought. On tlie 9th of Noveml)er he set out on his journey, iiniidsi tlie teai-s of the whole city, and proc(?eded to Avi'.'-non by way of Belley and Lyon^. At Lyons a tiillin{^ incident happened, which is worth relating* as an example of his sweet and g^entle demeanour. As he was g^oing" on board the boat, the boatman refused to receive him without his passport. When his attendants* were angry at the delay, the bishop remarked, " Let him alone ; he knows his business of boatman, and fulfils it : we don't know that of travellers." He had to wait an hour for the passport under a bitterly cold wind, but showed a calmness which diihised itself over his in-itated iollowei-s. When at last they got on board, he went and sat next the boatman who had been so tiresome, obsicrving, " I wish to make friends with this good man, and to talk to him a little of our Lord." A similar example of the manners of this Christian traveller occun-ed on their arrival at Avignon. The city lieing crowded with the retinue of the two courts of France and Savoy, Fi-ancis and his company could find no room at the first hotel at which they applied, and had to go on foot to another through torrents of rain. The holy bishop, as he went along, catechised the f»oor man who served as their g^iide ; and when they parted at the doer of the hotel, said he would remember him next day at the Holy Sacrifice. If we consider all the circumstances, his shattered health and lameness, and the great fatigue he had undergone, equanimity like this will appear so unusual as to desei-ve a record in a lite every action of which was heroic. At Avignon he held aloof from all the magTiificence which the reunion of two courts in that splendid age so lavishly displayed. He would not even go to the window to look at the triumphant entry of Louis XII L and the two queens, Marie de Medicis and Anne of ifl .. m a mcG ag-e I the 11. of CH. XII.J 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. 130 Aiistnn. lie 5»pont his time in praypr, in ronfrrpnco witli rrliffious pei>ons, nn<l in visitinii" the vauDiis places of (ievotion in the city. Un Noveniher i?ot!i, the royal visit()i*s miittinpr Avi^on, Fnmcis accompanied their tniin. When they an-iveil at Lyons, offers of ho«»pi- tality poured in iimm him fi-om various qunrt«TS ; hut he insisted on takmg* a little room in the house of the g-ai-dener of the Convent of the Visitation, ft was a comfortless place, beinpf full of dmughts, and with a smoky chimney. Francis, however, maintained that it would suit him quite well, and that he wished to be away from the noii^e of the court. Here was held the last intei*view between Jane Frances de Chantal and her holy director. She had been visitinj,^ the convents of her order at DiJDU and elsewhere, and came to Lyons to advise with him. With difficulty he found time to receive her, such was the press of people who besiepfed him for counsel and consolation. When, however, he at leng-th was enabled to release himself, the first thing* he asked her was, which of the two should beg-in to speak, as they had but a few hours at liberty. Madame cle Cliantal, anxious to tell him of her spiritual affaii-s, said : '* I, if you please, father ; my befiH has great need of being" i-e- vised by you." He g-ently reproved her eagerness, as contrary to his favourite lesson of avoluing* all excited feelings, all self-will. Madame de Chantal at once shut up the memoranda she had prepared about the state ot her soul during the three-and-a-half years which had elapsed since she last had seen the Saint ; and she opened instead of them her papei*s about the Institute. They talked of it for four houi-s, and Francis de Sales gave her his last instructions for the govei-nment of his order; in particular insisting" that tliey should never place themselves under the management of a General, out always be subject to the Bishop of the diocese whore they were placed. He then commanded her to visit some convents he mentioned, and dismissed her with his blessing, to meet no more in this life. 140 ST. FIIANCIS DK 8ALK8. Amonpr the |>oj-sons of distinction who frcqupntrd the society of I'mncis at the cIo>in{j |)cii()(l of iiis life was Jacques Olier, one of the higli inagistiiicy of Lyons, and father of tlie Jean-Jacques Olier who nttrr- wards hecnrne so famous as the founder of St. Sulpice. The latter was at this time still a child, and utl'ordcd no promise of his future holiness, being exceedingly self-willed and unmanageable. Yet Francis de Sales predicted, with the utmost confidence, that Almighty God had chosen him for the advantage and glor^ of the Church, and he bade his parents change their ieiu-s into acts of thanksgiving. Thci'e seemed to be an impression amongst all that his end was approaching, and his friends oi)enly ex- pressed to him their belief that he would be canonised. He did not disclaim this, his humility being such as not to be weakened by a consciousness of his own saintli- ness, unlike many others ii-om whom such knowledge has been withheld. A lady of the court, whom he met at the Princess of Soissons', said : " Ileally, my lord, if you were in red robes, one would take you for St. Charles." He rieplied : " Madame, it is of little use to have red robes ; but it would be very desirable to be a St. Charles in one's w^orks, if not in one's dress." A Jesuit father, in convereation with him, speuking of the different chamcteristics of St. Fi-ancis of Assisi, St. Francis of Paul, and St. Francis Xavier, he exclaimed : " Yes, either it will cost me my hfe, or I shall one day be fi fourth St. Francis." It now drew near Christmas ; and in spite of hia sufferings, he had been toiling in his apostolic ministry with extraordinary energy, preaching wherever lie was asked. He said his Midnight-Mass at the Church of the Visitation, and preached on the Nativity with a feiTour which surprised all who heard him. The Mke de Blonay was so struck by it, that she ventured to ask him if he had not received some special gi-ace at the Mass, remarking that it seemed to her tliat she beheld the archangel Gabriel at his side when he in- •■ en. xir.i ST. FRANCIS OE SALK8. 141 toned the Gloria inrjcrhiti. Ho (li»l not dpnr tlmt lie Imd henitl witli liis ears the lioly mehniy of the tmgi^ls, nnd had seen with his e]?^s the Divine Infnnt nnd those blessed spirit* sun-oiuulinfi; Him. He then heard tlio confession of the Prince and Princess of Piedmont, und suid t)ie'' Aurora" Ma^s for the ii in the Dominican church. He then heard three otiicr Masses, and did not say his own third Mass till near mid-day, alter which he dined, and then g::ive the luibit to two no %- ices of the Visitation, preached at the ceremony, gBve them a conference, received several visitoi-s, an<l nftenvards waited on the Queen Marie de Aledicis, who was to leave Lvons the next day. Yet he was actually a dying man when he thus crowded such astonishing' exertions into one day. Next day, the Feast of St. Stephen, he bade his last farewell to the nuns of the Visitation, and spoke to them for nearly two hourai, chiefly on Divine love, on confession and communion, repeating- much of those practical lessons by wliich he throughout his life had im]>arted to so many minds the moans of obtaining serenity and repose. It grew late, and his servants came with torches to liirht him to his house. Obedience called him, he said, and he must go. The Sui)erioi*es3 asked him, before he departed, to tell them what he wished should remain most (leej»ly engraven in their hearts. " My dear daughter," replied the dying bishop, " desire nofhinff, rrj'vfsc nothing. Enough is said m that word." And he illustrated it by the example of the Infant Jesus in the ciib, receiving poverty, nnd nakedness, and cold, without stretching forth His hands to ask for any thing; leaving Himself entirely to the care of His Mother, yet not refusing her allevijitions, nor those of St. Joseph, nor the adoration of the kings ; yet all with an equal indifference. " But, my lord," said one of the nuns, " oimht one to warm oneself when one feels very cold?" The simplicity of the question only brings out with the greater clearness the dep h and Eractical wisdom of his answer : " When the fire is lit," e replied, *^ we see that obedience Intends one to worm 142 «T. PRANCIH DP. SALES. on»»sflf, provided it l)e n(»t (lono with tmi frront onpor* nesH." riuis in his hist words hw oxpresH»d the ^ri'ut muxim winch ho proachcd throii^rhouf his life, to avoid empn'Mnumf, Uy ohst»rv« n ciMtain holy (•(luality and serenity of mind, to accept and to do witfi calmness and thanktnlness what Divine Providence int<Mids for ns at the moment, and to avoid that flurry, that haste, that over-anxiety, so natund to human frailty, ever j)ressini^ fonvai-d in advance of (iod's will. " 8tep by ftep, ' was his philosophy; and it was taught him by tiie Spu-it of Truth. Next mornlnpf was the Feast of St. John the Evan- gelist. He felt his sij^ht weaker when he rose, and remarked to his attendants it was a symptom of his departure. He confessed, said Mass, and gave com- munion to the nuns. The Superioress noticed his altered looks; he only observed that every thing turns out well to those who love God, and in giving her his blessing said, " Adieu, my daughter ; I leave you my spirit and my heart." Outside the church he talked for some time with the Duke of Bellegarde and another noble- man. It was cold and foggy, and he felt a chill, in spite of which he went on to call on the Prince of Pied- mont. By the <lme he got home he was excessively fatigued and ill ; but sat down to write lettei-s, and re- ceived sevend visitor. On their departure his servant came in, and began to tell him about a sermon he had been heai'ing, in which the preacher exhorted the queen to love her sei-vants. Francis, like our Lord, said, " And you, do you love me well ?" The good servant could not speak for weeping. The Saint continued: " And I, too, love you well; but let us love God more, who is our Great Blaster." As he said these words he fainted away; and an aiwplexy soon after came on, with symptoms of the most alarming kind. He was removed to bed, and remedies adopted in order to rouse him. He retained his consciousness, and frequently repeated the acts of faith, hope, charity, and contrition. He made his profession of faith, and after it said, '' I wish , 8T. PnANCIS DF. (»AI.F.S. 14:) ril. XI I.J to di«» in t}u» fjiitli of tlu» (Jlmrrh Tiitliolic, r»j><M«Tolic iiml Roiniii), th(> only ^'lKMl ifliirion ; so I swcur it iiihI I protl'Hs it." In tlio coiirso of tl»' dav li»* r<inf«»sxr«l, himI Hskod to nroivo Kxtr<»njc rnrtion, wliicli tli»»y jravi' liim »l>out ono oVIikU in the niorniu^*; Init without tli»' \'ia- tii'iiiM, in conjicqnrnrc of his sirkn*»ss. Ili* then ininle tiiiMii phire his chiijilrt on his nnn, iind hh>st innial^ Were attacliod to it, which he had hroufrht fnnn liojiie nrid liOictto. Ni'xt niornin<r he rerrivi'd sev( visittu*^, the Itishop of Daniasnis, the Duke of Nemoiu-s, and 31:id:inu' (Miei- and h<'r <'hiKh-i'i!. His former director, K tlier Forrier, liavinjc nsked him if lie reinendicred him, he repli (I, " Si oblitUH f'licro tuiy ohliv'wni ^lifitr dixtcra nu"\:^* " If I forjivt tiiee, let my rij^lit hand be fo' rotten." The p-ootl rriest invited him to .^ay, like St. Martin, " Lor 1, if I am still necessary to Tiiy people, I reluse not i.i\, labour." The Saint, in reply, n'peatcd thrice, *' Sri vutt i«»//''m, inufilif<, ifnifiliA: •' A useless servciu. useless, usel *." He seems to have replied to alm« it e/ery question in the words of Seriptm-e, g-enerally the Psalms. Fi-e- Suently he uttered that passajjfe of the Canticles : " In- ira mihiy dihcte mi, voi pasena ft cvbt'Jt in vwridie:* " Show me, Thou whom my soul lovetli, wliere Thou feedest, where Thou liest in the mid-day." The symptoms, however, g-ot worse : lie constantly relapsed into drowsiness; and to remove this, the j)hy- sicians resorted to all the expedient? used in the bar- barous surgery of that aji'e ; not only blistera on the head, but the application of a hot iron to the nape of the neck, and even of an ir '.'-.inent shaped like a button, heated red-hot, and pressed on the crown of his head till it was burnt to the very bone. The saintly patient bore all this cinel tori are with the most perfect serenitv, callings on the dear names of Jesus and Mary. As mig-ht be expected, he gi-adually sunk after sutferings so excru- ciating* ; yet the few words he still uttered were all of them worthy of record. A nun who was in attendance, thinkinj2f to gratify him, told him his brother, the Bishop 144 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. of Chalc?don, had iirrived, which was not tnie. He sfjd to her, " My sister, one sliould never tell lies." When asked if he was not soiTy to part with his daug-h- tei*s of tlie Visitation, just when the institution was at its commencement, he said thrice, " Qui ccrpit opus^ ipjfc pei'ficiety perficii'ty perfictet:^* " He who hath begim the work will perfect it, will perfect it, will perfect it ;" words which he i*epeated, auer an interval, when he was asked whether he did not fear to be vannuished in the last combat. Then turaing- to a friend, ana g'i*asping' his hand, he said, " Adoesperascit, et inclinata est jam dies:^* " It is towards evening", and the day is now far s|)ent." Then, after uttering the Name of Jesus, he lost the power of speech, the faint movement of lips and eyes still in- dicating that his sowl was in prayer. Those present now knelt down, and recited the " Recommendation for a de- parting soul." When they came to the invocation, " Om- nen Sancti Innocenfes, orate jyro eo" "All ye Holy Inno- cents, pray for him," they repeated it twice, in honour of the festival. At the third invocation he breathed forth his innocent soul with the utmost tranquillity and sweet- ness, dying at eight o*clock in the evening, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, December 28th, 1C22, in the fifty-sixth year of his age and the twentieth of his epis- copate. His death was supematurally made known on the same day to several of liis friends at a distance. Madame de Chantal, whilst praying for him, heard an interior voice saying to her, " He is no more ;" words which at the time she took to signify his life being absorbed in God. Charles Augiiste de Sales had been so afflicted at liis departure, that he fell sick, and was believed to be past recovery. On the Feast of the Holy Innocents, hoAvever, a sweet sleep suddenly came on him, during which he dreamed that the bishop had come from Lyons to bless and to heal him. On waking, he exclaimed tliat his uncle was dead. A holy priest at Annecy, whilst celebrating Mass, saw the face of Francis de Sales sun'ounded with rays, and knew in his own mind thut t en. XII.] ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 145 / he hnd departed ; and the same revehition was made to Nool Perg-ord, an advocate at tlie court of Chnmhery, in a dream, in whicli he heliehl a dove of dazzling" white- ness hover round him, when lie heard a voice say, " I may not touch the earth any long-cr;" and the dove immediately flew towards the sky. Other holy souls had similar revelations. When the body of the holy prelate was owned to be embalmed, the operators found in the gall, which was completely dried up, a great quantity of small stones, SOI... round and others triangidar, heaped toge- ther in the form of a ciiaplet. The physicians ascribed this phenomenon to the constant violence he had used in subduing his anger, to which passion he was naturally inclined. His heart, after being placed in a silver coffer, was g-iven to the Church of the Visitation at Lyons. His body, after some oprwsition raised by the authori- ties of Lyons, was brougnt to Annecy, where it was re- ceived by the whole population with extmordinary vene- ration. It was magnificently enshrined in the Church of the Visitation, and has ever since been considered the choicest possession of the city. At the time of the first French Revolution, when churches in almost all quarters of France and the adjoining countries were ransacked by the impious and sacrilegious hands of the infidels, some devout Catholics, to guard against the danger of these holy relics being' insulted, secretly removed them from their tomb, leaving another body in the silver shrine instead of him, — a proceeding which may be used in illustration of the well-Known controversy about the relics of St. Cuthbert at Durham. Soon after the Con- cordat in 1804, the Bishop of Chambery verified the document in whicli the facts were stated by tliese cou- rageous persons at the time of the transference ; and he exposfd the relics to public veneration. In 1806 they were removed with gTeat solemnity to the cathedral chui'ch of St. Peter's at Annecy ; and on Aug. 21, 1825, thoy wei-e finally translated to the Church of the Visita- tion, which had )»een rebuilt by Maria Christina, Queen 146 ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. of Sardinia. The ceremony was of sucli magnificence as to show that the spirit of Francis de Sales still pre- vailed with all his ancient |»ower over the land he had loved so well. The king" and queen were present ; nine bishops and 632 priests assisted at the functions ; and the concourse of people who flocked to Annecy to vene- rate the holy relics on that day, and thi-ou^h tlie octave, was declared to amount to 36,000. The splendid silver shiine in which the relics were placed was contributed by those of the family of Sales who had survived the storms of the revolution. It is interesting" to add, that it was a descendant of that noble house, the Countess of Divoniie, who afforded hospitality not many years since to the worthy successor of Francis, Monsig-nor de Marilley, Bishop of Lausanne and Geneva, when exiled from his see by the infidel goveniment of the latter city. The general voice of the faithful, as was to be ex- pected, began immediately after his death to invoke the intercession of Fi-ancis ; and miracles of the most asto- nishing- kind continually attested his title to be ranked among- the Saints. Limbs distorted from infancy were made straight ; sight was restored to the blind ; diseases at which the beholders shuddered were completely ban- ished ; the dead weie restored to life bv his power with Almighty God. The assembly of the French clergy in 1625 addressed to Pope Urban VIII. a letter soliciting his beatification, and reitei-ated this petition on four oc- casions, up tc the year 1661. Great exertions were made by Jane Frances de Chantal to urge foi-ward the cause, and bring evidence as to his life and miracles. The inquiry, which was unusually exact and extensive, was intn ted to a committee, consisting of her brother, the Archbishop of Bourges, the Bishop of Belley, and a doctoi* of Louvain, George Namus. As continually happens in similar cases, difficulties interfered with the Erosecution of the cause, and were singularly removed y tiie providence of Almighty God. It was reserved for Alexander VIL, formerly Cai-dinal Chigi, whose great CH. XII.] ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 147 career had been foretold to him by the Saint himself, to place this resplendent lig-ht upon the altars of the Church. His beatification was announced in 1C62, and his canon- isation in 10C5 by the same Pope, who apjwinted Jan. 29th to 1)6 observed as the festival of St. Francis de Sales. ., ►. us 8T. FRANCIS DB AALUS. CHAPTER XIlI. CHARACTER OF BT. FRANCIS DE SALB. In concludinp this outline, it will be ? •ten^stin«»- to review in g-enjint' the clmracter of the Saint, as it ajt- psare from tha details we luive gfiven, and from those abundant sources of infonnation which our limits have enabled us scarcely to do more than indicate. It is, of course, obvious to any one, that the leading feature of his character was the mo«=t exquisite, invincible sweet- ness. He was sweetness itself: he mio;ht almost have been styled that quality itself invested with a visible form ; and the eleg-ance of his appearance and air was the fit expression of the serenity which dwelt within. This sweetness, hov/evor, seems not so much to have been the result of natural dir position, as of loig" eirbrts and watchfiilness over himself. He spent yeai-s in ac- 3 Hiring- it, and for a long" time hardly thought of any ling' else. The philosopher Seneca tells us that no one can hope completely to subdue any natural failing"; but he may so far bring it within bounds, that no one but the pei"son himself shall be aware of its existence. Grace can effect wonders unknown in the sphere of simply natural virtues; but the remark holds good to this extent, that the natural failing" will be the trial destined to bring out the peculiar excellence which the character ought to possess. We often see, moreover, in the mind a singular balance of opposite qualities, in- tended by the Creator to limit each oilier, and to afford the soul the means of developing its special grace. Thus it was in the case of our Saint. The very last failing under which he might have been imagined to suffer, was that of anger ; and yet he assured tlie Bi- shop of Belley that this was one of his severest tempta- tions. There were two passions he felt assail him the most strongly, anger and love. The latter he could •' * «? CH. XIII.] IT. PI1.4NCIS DB SALES. 149 subdue by mnnaj^ement, by giving" it a rig-ht nnd lioly direction ; but as for anger^ he had '' to take his heuit in both hands/' in order to stifle it. We have seen the same expression used some where in St. Francis's works, in advismg^ a person as to the proper way of su1)duing aversions. In the Jntroditctian to a Devout Lif'ej he gives some precepts of great interest and value on the proper means of I'estraining' angler, which sliow that this metaphor of "taking the heart in both hanils*' must be undei-stood on what we may rail the Salesian principle of calmness, and the absence of any thing like flurry and haste. He says : " But how am J to renel anger ? you will say to me. It is necessary, my Phuo- thea, that at the flrst feeling' you have of it you should promptly coll.ict your forces, not by any means roug-hly or impetuously, but sweetly, and nevertheless seriously. For as one sees in the audiences of many senates and parliaments, that the beadles ciying * Silence ! silence ! ' make more noise than those whom they wish to hold their peace, so it happens full oft that, wishing with impetuosity to repress our ang'er, we raise more trouble in our heai-t than the auger itself haH done, and the heart, being thus troubled, can no more be master of itself.'* He then goes on to advise that ejaculations should bo made to Almighty God to calm the storm; but observes thai " the prayer made against present and pressing- anger ought always to be practised, sweetly, tranquilly, and not violently." Another rule which accompanies this is, that the very moment you perceive you have committed an act of anger, you should " repair the faul*: by an act of sweetness, exercised promptly to- wards the same pei-son against whom you were in-itated. For as a sovereign remedy against lying is at once to recal the lie the moment you perceive you have said it, so it is a good remedy against anger to repair it sud- denly by a contrary act of sweetness ; for, as they say, fresh wounds aie most easily remedied." Lastly, he gives this most useful precept : " When you are in ti-an- quilliiy, and without any subject of anger, lay in 150 ST. FRANCIS DB SALBfl. great ptore of swoetness and mo pkness, uttoring" nil your words and perioiTning- nil your notions, little and great, in the swpfttest manner you |>o«siblv can.'' O-,*: ii.>ns- lator rendoi*s this, 'so as to be able to utter all ; crrr words," Sic; ! ut this is (juit<; missing" ^he pji.'.t of ilie passage. St. I Vnncis means, that in traiquii i.ours we should »r/juire n habit of gentler- ss, bv s[»ftk' ig' j^.d acting gently, and then in Doment-* of t«?n})ttition we shall bo bett<^!r able to resist the assjr.ilts ol ung-er. There are many most benvtiful stones in the EUprit^ which appear to il^ to justify St. Fi-aneis's own account of his character. His gentleness w as of too positiv e u kind to allow one to suppose it w?^ merely r-ivi:!' ' by th(j ab?enc(.' of the element of an^er in his mmd. Aii^er, or whntever ])rincipIo it is on V'hich the sreniei virtues di'!?f'nd, bo doul'dess had; but this was kept in the most (•o'i IrjH srJjJection by the action of gjace on his atferrt (;-,nt!:! luiut and clear serene reason. The same coml)malion, aided by his illustrious Itirth and early faiiiiliaiity with high life, even had grace not formed liis whole manner, would doubtless ot itsdf have made him one of the most finished g-entlemen of the ag-e. There is something" exceedingly chivalroui- in his cha- racter, which meets one curiously now and then through- out his works. For example, in the Introduction^ how i-edolent is the following passage of the days of Chris- tian chivalry : "The blessed Elzear, Count of Arian, in Provence, having been long absent from his devout and chaste Deljihina, she sent him an express to hear news of his health, and he mj.de reply to her: 'I am right well, my dear wife ; but if you would see me, seek me in the w-ound of the Side of our sweet Jesus ; for 'tis there where I dwell, and where you will find me : elsewhere you will seek me in vain.* This was a Christian knight indeed." {Introd. ii. 12.) The readei-s of the Life of St. Francis of Assisi will recollect that beautifid passage where that great mediaeval Saint, in his early youth, dreamed he was in a vast hall hung round -with rich ai'mour; and every helm and corelet and buckler bor« CH. XI 11.] ST. FRANCIS DE 8ALES. 151 on it tli«» stamp of tlio cross. In thf> life of his imrno- sake, St. Fmncis de Sales, we find tmces of this rnurtiul spirit, which is so nohly worked out in tiie Spiritunl JRj'i'rci^i'K. Such is that scene where, when a {<iiest in early life at the Bishop of Geneva's, he was invited to sit, layman as he was, and cirt with his sword, in an assemfdy of ecclesiastics, and solved subtle (piestions in theolog-y, on which the wisest there could not acree. Such, too, is that other beautiful anecdote we nave already given of his travellinpf with his preceptor in the forest of Sonnaz, when his sword and scabbard thrico fell from his baldrick, and formed the figiue of a cross ujwn the ground. The whole picture of the old priest and the youthful no))le riding in the for«^sr, his eye arrested })y the si^n of the cross accidentally formed by the sword, and liis tracing in the occurrence an indication of God's will — all leads one to those soft and holy scenes we meet with, in the midst of so much of a different character, in sucli a romance as the Mort d^ Arthur. When we reflect that, to a naturally, pure and noble disposition, there was in St. Francis de Sales added that dignity, which among his class in old Euro[)e before the revolutionary times was almost a second nature, and that this was the material which Divine gi-ace moulded into a supernatural form, and seemed to rejoice in lavishing its richest ornaments upon it, we can well fancy that the result must have been something extraordinary. People imagine St. Francis de Sales' character to have been marked chiefly by a sort of sugary and somewhat cloying sweetness. We have shown what a mistake this is. There is a sweetness which is the result of a certain childishness of mind, and which becomes fretful- ness the moment really trying circumstances appear. His was the disciplined sweetness of a gracious soul, at peace with itself and full of the light of heaven. Had it been any thing else, people would not have stood in awe of him as they did. The Bishop of Belley, wlio obsei'ved him with more than the vigilance and accuracy 159 ST. FRANCIS DB BALES. of a Bofiwoll, writes on this sii1)ject in singularly strik- ing- terms, which nre worth quoting at length. " Our Saint," he says, "with this aid ot jirace, knew how to unite in himself these two admirable qualities of gmvity and sweetness. He knew how to accompany with so much affability and sweetness that ray ol ma esty and honour which gri-ace diffused over his brow, that you would have snid it was a, Moses, who was veiling* his luminous visage to converse familiarly with his brctbren. If he had attractions to make himself loved, he had also so much gravity and modesty that one could not choose, but fear, or at least inspect iiim ; but with a respect so full of love, that I know many people who trembled on approaching him, not so much for fear of displeasing him (for nothing displeased him, and the modest were always well received by him), but for fear of not pleasing him enough. I have known persons of high quality, whose ordinary conversation was with the greatest pi-inces and princesses, who declared to me that they composed themselves with more attention when they were in his presence than they did when in the presence of those eoas of the earth ; it being their opinion that God had set in his visage a ray of His light, which penetrated them even to the heai-t." {Esmity xiv. 7.) Of this dignity of demeanour, which is indeed a quality more rarely to be found than greatness of mind, tlie Bishop of Belley gives a most curious illustration. Having made it his uusiness to watch Francis, and note down all his sayings and customs, it occun-ed to the good bishop that it would be extremely interesting to know how Francis conducted himself when alone. He resorted to a very simple expedient to discover this, which he relates with much mitcete. " I must here tell you one of my tricks. When he came to see me at my residence, and to pass his usual octave there, which he never failed to do every year, I had purposely made holes in certain places, to watch him when he was re- tired alone in his chamber, to see how he carried him- self in study, at prayer, in reading, in meditation, in en. Xllt.] ST. FRANCIS DB lALEt. IbS sitting', in walking*, in lying-duwn, in risinr, in writing, and, to be brief, in the most tinfling occasions wherein, when alone, one oftf>n g^ves oneself liberty. Never- theless, I never observed him dispense himself from tlie most exact law '^t* modesty : such he wns alone as in company, such m company as alone; an equality of bodily aemeanour similar to that of his heart. Being* alone, he wns as composed as if in a great assembly. If he was praying-, you would have said ho was in tfio {n'esence of the angels ond of all the blessed. Motion- ess as a dove, and with a countenance full of awe, I even took notice, seeing* him by himself, whether he crossed his legs, or whether he placed his knees over each other, or whether he rested Iiis head on his elbow. Never. Always a gravity, accompanied with such a sweetness, that filled all tfiose who looked at him with love and reverence." (Uspritf iv. 1.) For such a les- son one can forgive the good bishop for his astonish- ing* infringement of the usual laws of hospitality and food breeding. After all, to have such a pei-son as 'rancis in the house, was like entertaining a supenor being. Other witnesses speak hi just the same way. Jane Frances de Chantnl, in that beautiful letter in which she describes his character, speaks of " the great splendour of his countenance" when he said Mass ; and how, when he can-ied the Blessed Saci-ament in proces- sion, " you would have seen him like a cherubim, all luminous." " Jesus !" she exclaims, " how admirable was the order which God had placed in that blessed soul ! Every thing was so an-anged, so calm, and the light of God so clear, that he saw even the least atoms of its movements. That soul was more pure than the sun, and more white than snow, in its actions, in its resolutions, in its designs and affections." And, coming more to the subject of that external grandeur so natui-ai to such a soul, she gives us another key to it in the value the Saint put upon his office as bishop : " As for his dignity," she says, ^'what honour and i*espect did he bear to it! Certainly his humility by no means 164 •T. KR \NCI8 DP. HALES. hiiulprrd t!u» cxiTci-c of tin* frnivity, innj«'sty, and rcvp- rence due to Ins cmnlity ot' hi'liop. My (iud ! iniulit I dare to s:»\ if/ I <iiv it, if I may: it siinply seems to nie tliat my IJN'ssetl l^'atliei-wasu livinjr imnpr, in wliicli the 8onof(iod our Lonl was |»aiiited ; for truly, tlie oilier and the economy of that holy soul was altogetiier supernatural and divine." His natural character had a considerable tlng-e of the country in which he lived,— simple, beautiful, and yet d, like the Alp H( f (lelifi- cons<M0 icms to have lim a spe mountam or his country, and sec ed in it, and to have felt that it g*ave cial iuHuence. Thus, we have seen how touching-ly he l»ing;s this out in the dedication of his controvei-sinl woi'k to the inhabitants of Thonon, where he f^nys that the air of his book is " wholly Savoyard ; and it is a salutary recipe and last remedy, since it is the return to your iiitive air." This beautiful metaphor must have g'one to the hearts of those to whom it was ad- dressed. The Catholic Church was their nativi; home, whither they should retire to be refreshed, as witli the cool mountain-breezes of their infancy. Wi-iting* to the governor of Savoy, to remove some jealousy that the Duke mij^ht feel in the then state of affairs between Savoy and France, in consequence of a visit he had made to Lyons, Fmncis says, "I am essentially a Savoyard, both I and all mine; and I could never be any thing* else." It is interesting" to notice all tliis, because of the refutation it gives to the notion that Catholicity interferes witli the wannest attachment to country and kindred. He loved his own people, and was thoroug'hly at home with them. The very boat- men on the Lnke of Annecy called him " Father." In a cliarraing" chapter of the Exprit, where the Bishop of Belley tells us of a sailing excui-sion they had on the lake, we read how he was repi-oved by Francis when he wanted the boatmen to call the holy prelate " My Lord" instead of the endearing" name of " Father." His works and cunvei'sations abound in illustrations derived from the PH. XII!. |>T. PRAN'Cm DP. t)ALP.!«. 156 A!|»iiH» sc«'n»'rv. Tlie following" is a vt-ry i)l<'.'iJ*injr in- >tai:c'»«. Writing- to a frirrul, 1h? saVH : "I j»iot»'>t to von, that on ri'ccivinp; your IcttiT, it sernu'd to nu- that I was giitlu^rin^i; flow«'iN of in('on)|Mirul)lt> swo«'tiH's8 ou th«» summits of our njoMiifain.-<,wluM«» I tln'invas." Ag-ain, in rf'lating- tlio hi.^tory of n visitation lie had niatie throu<rli his diocese: " I oven found (mm! full of sweet- nos and g-entlenesa amon^ our hig-hest tind roug-hest mountains, where manv simple sotds were cherishinji^ and adoring" Ilim in all truth and sincerity ; and the roes and chamois were running* liither and thither amidst the frig'litful g"Iaciei-s to proclaim His praises : it is true that, for want of devotion, I only understood n few words of their lang"uag"es ; hut it seemed to me that they said heautiful thing-s. Your St. Aui?ustino woidd have understood them well if he had been theie." In the same letter he relates the deep impression he re- ceived from an accident that had taken place " in this country of the g'hiciers" during" his journey. A shep- lierd was goings al)out the g-laciers to recover a stray heifer; ho missed his footinp^, and fell into a deep cre- vasse ; people came to rescue him ; and one of his neigh- boui-s caused liimself to bo lowered by a cord down tlie frightful precipice, wliere lie found tho poor man dead and frozen ; and they drew him up in all haste, witli the corpse in his arms, lest he too should perish in the icy chasm. The Saint is profoundly struck with every circumstance : the shepherdwanderine; about those terrible paths to regrain one stray heifer ; his eag-erness in the pui*suit, which makes him forg:(;t his own safety ; the alacrity of his neighbour, v i;o f 'escends into the abyss that he may rescue his fH' n-i !vom his peril. It was like a parable of our Lord's In actual life. He does not enlarge on it. but says simply, ^' Quel aiffuUlon pour moi, ma chh'e ^jille r One sees the influence of the scenery upon his style; his fondness for introducing metaphors from the frequent changes of the atmosphere in a mountainous region ; from the vintages, from bees, from birds, fi-om flowers, and similar natural objects, 156 •T. PRANCIS DB 8ALB«. of which he was evidpntly a groat obsprvpr. One cw- rious chnractoristic of his style is his hnhit of drjiwing* iihistrntions from th« son^^ps oftnsto nnd snjplI,of\vliich n familinr instance has passed from his writings into many relig-ious hooks; we alhtde to that of making un from his morninj^'s meditation a spiritual Ijounuet witn which to refresh liimself during- the day. Another favourite set of comparisons ho draws from the old treatises of natuml history, in wliich he seems to have taken great delight, suci as the legends ahout the hal- cyon, the hirds of Pai-ndise, the formation of pearls from the dew-drops, and imagery of that fancifiil yet heautiful description. Occasionally there is a most poetic spirit in his illustrations ; for exami)le, in the preface to the Treathc on the Love of Goa, where he compares the pleasing eifect produced on his mind, amidst the pressure of business, by always keeping be- fore him the plan of some pious treatise or other, to the repose wliich engravers and jewellei*8 find is afforded to their wearied eyes, by looking from time to time on some beautiful emerald. This sweetness of style, how. ever, does not deceive us; for in eveiy page ne shows so keen an insight into the heart, that he keeps us, as it were, in awe, whilst he attracts us by his gentleness. This is singularly shown in a set of questions for self- examination to be found among his smaller ti*eatises, where the shortness and the simplicity of his questions, coming straight to the conscience like the piercing of a sword, show one that Francis de Sales, with all his gentleness, was not a man to be trifled with, and that his sweetness in reality derives its essential character from that burning hatred for sin with which one who loved God so ardently was of necessity imbued. His life possesses the charm of singulai' unity. Many holy men have fallen in some period of their lives, and have exhibited wondei-ful examples of the power of penance to bring back holiness even greater than innocence. Many good men, without being be- trayed into actual sin, have yet strayed more or lest CH. XIII. J ST. PIANCIft Dr. tALEt. 167 fmni tlip |>nth originnllv iiitendod for them bv Divin« )'!-«>> i(l(Mif(*, Imvc tukfn lncult^i(l<•l1lt«; ^to|>s, onJ Pinhar* n^^^•'^l flieir curerr. But tl»t*ru i» in tlie lili) of Fraucitt d(> ^Siilefl H completeness and humiony, which distin- piishcs it no less from the chiss of heroic penitents than t'loiu tiiH chefiuered scene of nii:itAkes and corrections, of falling- nnd rising* again, which characterises the Hfe of most: men. He never lost baptismal innocence ; each great action of his life is prtH^eded, accompanied, and followed by prayer. His days are full ; he docs all thinirs " passionately well," infusing* into the calmness nnd (leliberntcness of n coMi>e witich never steps an inch in advance of God's will, an intensity far greater than tljo vehemence which liighly-exoited feelings could im- part to those who act from merely natural motives. In these times, and t(» Pi-otestant readei-s", his life and works arc peculiarly instructive, for this reason, that whilst none can deny his singidar holiness, it is equally impos^sible to deny 1 hat that holiness was from beginning to end the pi-oduct of the mo^t complete fuith in tlie teaching of the Cutiiolic Churah. It must always be remembeitd, remarked an Anglican paper,* in reviewing a volume of translations fi-om his works which ap]ieared some time since (Practical Piety set forth by St. Francis dv Sah»), "that St. Francis de Sales was a thorough Roman Catholic." Nothing can be more true. Whilst it would be easy for Angli- cans to " adapt" his writinjjps, or consideraole parts of them, as Thomas ti Kerapis may be abridged or al- tered, it could never be concealed, that such chai'acter- istics as the most tender devotion to the Blessed Vii^in and St. Joseph, and to the i-elics of Saints, the continual application of the Holy SacriHce of the Mass, and the presence of that sacrificial view of daily actions which is derived from it, the constant i-ecollection of the suffering Church in purgator}', the devotion to the Five Blessed Wounds and to the Sncred Heai-t of Jesus, and, in fine, ^ * Ihu (juarditin. 168 8T. FRANCIS DB 8ALBI. all that people consider as most distinctively " Romiin Catholic," pervades the whole ofhis teaching' and works, as much as they do those of St. Philip Neri and his dis- ciples. His life is thus one great Testimony to the tnith of Catholicity, inasmuch as it all hangps indissolubly to- gether, and you cannot separate his charity from his faith. If tliese few notices, aided by the powerful in- tercession of the Blessed Saint, lead even one soul to per- ceive the force of this argument, or in any way promote the study of the teaching of St. Francis, or extend moro widely the devotion towards him, richly indeed will the writer feel that his labours have been rewarded. SELECTIONS fRUM THI " SPIRIT OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES," BY THE BISHOP OF BELLEY. 1 Ir has been our g-ood fortune to have had transmitted to us more abundant memorials of this most swfet and charming Saint than perhaps of any other in the calendar. What with his writings and letters, we seem to have a thorough and familiar acquaintance with every linea- ment of his character ; while, to complete the portrait, we enjoy the benefit of the reminiscences of a contem- porary and intimate friend, John PieiTe Camus, Bishop of Belley, himself remarkable for a high degi-ee of sanctity, and upon whom St. Francis had laid his holy hands in consecration. Prom the work containing these recollections, en- titled "The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales," and which is usually prefixei'. to the Saint's writings, a few selections have been ma le, as forming an appropriate complement to his life. As M. de Belley adopted no systematic plan in the memorial of his friend s virtues which he has becjueathed to us, so neither will it be necessary to. follow iiitn in the exact order which he has chanced to observe. Forced by limited space to make a selection,* * The extracU have been put together, under the direction of one of the Editora of the strieii, by way of an Appendix to iM?. Orusby'd Life of the ^^aint. 100 ST. PRANCli DE SALES. the ti*nn?lator has tljorefore thoug^ht it best to group the passag-es in their most natiiml connection. TUB BAINT'S 8WKKTNE8S, CHARITT, AND PRACTICK Or FRATERNAL CORRECTION. The spirit of St. Francis was pre-eminently a spirit of sweetness — super vul dulcis ; that supernatunU sweet- ness which is, as it were, tlie cream and the flower of chinity. But its ])reciousness is best felt when exhi- bited in combination and harmony with those other Christian virtues and g-i-aces wiiich the Saint possessed in so eminent a deforce; for such is one of the distin- g^iiishing' marks of suju'raatui-al virtue, that its promi- nence never implies any on|)osit,e defect, but the veiy reverse ; wliereas it is seldom that any purely natural qiij'.lify, when very remarkable, is not accompanied by some at lenst slight defect in what may be called the counterbalancing- quality. It is as though one pole could not be raised without the depression ot its opposite. The quotations which follow will exhibit this beautiful harmony in the Sahit's character. Of the hig-h esteem in which St. Francis held the virtue of g-entleness, we have an example in » he follow- ing- anecdote related by M. de Belley : " A young; man was once broug-ht to him for the fmrpose of receiving a severe reprimand ; nevertheless, le spoke to him with his habitual sweetness, and per- ceiving- tlie youth's obdui-acy, he only shed tears, re- marking- that his hard and unyielding; heart would bring; him to n bad end. Being; told that his mother had cursed him, he said, * C h ! this is sad indeed. If the poor woman is taken at her word, in vain will she afterwards eui-se her own cui-se. Unhappy mother of a still more wretched son !' " The Saint proved too true a prophet ; for the youth perislied, not long* after, in a mi.serable duel : his body ST. IHAMC'IS DK !*ALES. 101 bpcame the prey of tlop-s nnd wolves, and Ills moflier died of grief. " In reply to those who found fault with him for having; reproved with too nmeh gentleness on this oc- casion, he said, ' What would yon have had me ilo .'* I did mv best to arm mvself with an anjfer free from sin; I took niv heart in both m}' hands [a favouriti? expression of the Saint's, us has been seen], an'! t \i\t[ not tli« resolution to throw it at his head. Vir*. s utli to say, I was afraid of letting" that little drop j. ;^tk- ness, which it has taken nie twenty-two yeai^ labour to store up like dew in the vessel of my heart, run off in a quarter of an hour. The bees are several months making- a little honey, which a man will swallow down in a mouthful. Besides, what is the use of speaking when we are not listened to? This youth was inac- cessible to i-emonstrances, for tlie lippht of his eyes — his judgment, I mean — was not with him. I should have done him no g"ood, and myself, perhaps, much harm, — like one who is drowned in his attempt to save another. Charity must be prudent and judicious.* " It was seldom, however, that the heart of the sin- ner was proof against his g^entlene**. Among other anecdotes of a like nature, the Bishop relates the fol- lowing; : " While eng-agfcid in one of his diocesan visitations, gTeat complaints were made to him of an ecclesiastic who g-ave scandal by his life, and whose habits hut ill accorded with the theoloj^ical science for which he was remarkable. This ecclesiastic presented liimself before the holy ]>relate with as much boldness as if he had been perfectly innocent of all that had been laid to his chaig-e, and loudly treated the matter as a calufimy. The S lint g-ave him a very gracious reception, chanic- terised by his acouetomed benig-nity ; but when he beheld the effrontf y with which the offender justified himself, he blushed in his presence. The very change of countenance, unaccompanied by any other correc- tion, touched the heart of this impenitent sinner. Ho 109 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 1 resolved to disaiin liis judge by confession, nnd begg-ed the holy Bishop to hear him in the tribunal of penance. Immediately, not an ear only, but still more a heart, was oj)en to him, and he came out of this health-<:iving pool iik«? ]N"aaman from the waters of tlie Jordan ; his fftce suHPjised with that holy shame which conducts to glory. " * Well, monseig-neur,* lie said, ' what think you of the frreatest sinner upon earth i" ' That God has poured His abundant mercy on you,' rej)lied the holy man ; * 3'ou are all resplendent with «race in my eyes.' * But you know what I really am,' he rejoined. ' You are such as I have said.' ' I mean, what I have been.' * Of that,' replied the Saint, ' I have no recollection. Why should I keej) up the memory of what God has consi^'ned to oblivion / Would vou take me for that Pharisee who esteemed jMnj^'dalen according to what she had been, not according* to what she was when washing- her Savioiu's feet with her tears ? And to prove to you,' he added, ' that I look upon you as re- {)lenished with heavenly graces, of which your heart las received a fidl measiue and runiiing' over, I beg' you to make me a partaker of it by giving* me youj* blessing'.' So saying-, he threw himself at th«i ecclesi- astic's fct, to the exceeding' g'reat confusion of the latter. * No,' said the Saint, ' I am in earnest; I en- treat you to fender ma the same office I have )>er- formed for you. and to hear my conf»•8^;ioM.' The other refused, but he constrained him to acquiesce ; and it is im[K)Ssible to express how g-i-eatly he was edified therfby. And further to con\''HV5e kim that he was perfectly sirK;ere in the esteem he j/v<>fe»«ed tor him, he m»de his confession to him two or tbrts* ti'iies consecu- tively in sig'ht of th« ji^^iWic, wIm) scarc^-y knew which to udmhe most, the prodig'ious hvmUhv ot ^hto ■^A\fiX\y Bislioj', w the mii*acul<)U8 coiivevsiow of fl>f #»c^Wiai»ti€. " Oxw A'Ay a j)e}-son came to -^^ to cooiWssioii who detailed hi- sirj!* with so muf'h lx>t4>tes!«, no* to sav im- pudence, and «'itli such a total waot of all feelii^ or ■• ST. FRANCIf* DE SALES. 1C3 compunction, that he mif^ht luive born supjiosed to be narrating- a story, and to be even listenin<i- to him- self discoiu-sing- with a cei tain self-coni|jhicency. 'I'lie Saint, who, from the to!i.3 in whicli the {wnitent epoke, knew the inward indisposition of his soul, since of the three conditions for the sacmment ^f penance he broug-ht but one, confesj ion, and that of u very inr.per- fect kind, bcingf devoid of that modesty and holy shame which ougiit to accompany it, without interrupting- Ids narration, bejian to weep and sigh and sob. 1 he other asked him wi-at was the matter, and if he was ill. * Alas ! my brother,' he replied, * I am very well, thank God ; but you are very ill.' The other bohlly an- swered that he too was in good health. * Well,' said the holy man, * go on.' The man continued, in the same oit'-hand manner, relating* shocking" thintys with- out any sense of sorrow, and the Saint's tears redoubled. Ag-ain the penitent asked him what he was weeping* for. * Alas !' he replied, * I weep because you weep not.' He who had been insensible to the first prick — the hour of grace, as we have reason to believe, having* now come — was not callous to the second; and *he rock, struck Ijy this rod, suddenly giving* forth water, he exclaimed, * wretched man tliat I am ! who feel no sorrow for my enormous sins, which draw teal's from him who is innocent.' So powerfully was he touched, that he was very near faintin{^, had liot the Saint con- soled him ; thi. n instinicting him how to make his act of contrition, which the penitent performed with won- derftil compunction, he put him in a proper state to receive the grace of the sacrament. From that moment this man gave himself entirely to God, and became a model of penance. " The penitent confided all this to one of his inti- mate friends (who related the circumstance without mentioning the individual's name), but with the addi- tion of the following rather pleasing remark : * Other confessors,* he said, * sometimes make their penitents weep; but as for me, I made my confosMJi' weep. It Id4 ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. is tnie, he paid it me back to tlie full ; and God grant, for my sours sulvution, that the change may have bern genuine, and that I may never lose the g^race which his enediction then conferred upon me.' " Here is an instance of his leniency to oifenders : " An ecclesiastic belonging to his diocese had been imprisone<l for some scandalous offence. The Saint was urgently entieated by his officers to allow him to be punished as the law enjoined. His g^entlene-s accord- mgly submitted to compulsion, and Tie let them have their way. Besides the penances which the culnrit had to undei-go in prison, he was interdicted from all eccle- tiasticul functions for six month % So far fi-om being amended by this ti'eatment, he, on the conti-nry, grew worse, and it was found necessary to dfiprive him of his benefice and expel him from the diocese. While in prison no one could seem more docile, more humble, and more penitent; he wept, he entreated, he promised, he protested. When threatened with bein^ deprived of his benefice, he promised to amend; but after having eluded justice so many times, he found the door of mercy closed against him. Some months aftei*wards, another ecclesiastic was imprisoned for faults no less serioiis. The officers wished to treat him similarly, and hinder him from having recourse to the mercy of the blessed Francis, his bishop, to whom he was con- tinually appealing, protpsting that he was willing to give up his charge, provided it were at his feet, confi- dent that he would be able to read the sincerity of his repentance in his eves. The Saint commanded him to be bi-ought before fum. Hisofficera objected. * Well,' he said, ' if you will not let him appear before me, you cannot foL*bi(i my ap|)enring befor*^ him. You will not allow hiiii to leave iiis pn^ •)n, suffer me, then, to enter within its walls and shar: his captivity with him. We must indeed console this deai> brother who calls upon us. I give you my word that he shall not come forth without your consent.' He accordingly visited him in his prison, accompanied by his officei-s. Scarcely did ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 165 '<!■ lie behold this miserable man at his feet, when he fell upon his neck, batlied in tear?, and lovin^»-ly embraced and kissed iiim ; then, turning- to iiis uHicers, ' Is it |)os>ihh^' he said to them, ' tliat vou do not jterccive that God has aheady forgiven this man .' li there any condemnation for tliose who are in Christ Jesus / If God justifies him, who is he tliat siiall condemn him / Assuredly not I. Go, my brother,' he said to the guilty man, — * go in peace, and sin no more ; I know that you are truly penitent.' The officei-s told him he was a hypocrite; that the fonner offender, whom it had been found necessary to depose, made much titronj^-er demonstrations of repentance tlian this one. * Perhaps,* rejoined the Saint, * lie would have been truly converted if you had treated him with more lenit\'. flave a care lest his soul may be asked at your liands some day. As for me, I am willing to be security for this man, if vou will accept of me as such. I am pei-suaded that his heart is truly touched ; and if he is deceiving me, he will injure himself more than me.' The offender, bursting into teni's, begged that any penance judged fitting should be laid upon liim in prison ; that he a\ as prepared for any thing, his sorrow giving him more pain than any penance could ; and that he would him- self vohmtarily re ign his benefice, if the Bishop thought proper. * I she aid )je very sorry you should do so,' replied the Saint ; ' the more so, as t hope that, even as the falling* stee[)le crushed the church by the scandal it gave, so, rej)laced upon its base, it shail hencefoith adorn it by its virtues.' The officei-s yielded, and the piison- doors were thrown oj^en. After being sus|)ended it dieinist for a month, he resumed the exercise of his charge, in which he subsequently gtive so holy an ex- ample, that the Saint's prediction was fiilfilled. As the convei-sation turned one day in his prestiice u|)on the purversion of the one and the convei-sion of the other, he uttered these memoralile words : ' Better make penitents hy gentleness tlian hypocrites by severity.' " Zeal wa."? consequently a virtue which he regarded 166 ST. FRANCIS DR SALBS. •■»■! with much suspicion : " Kepping" pencock?," he would ^^Yf " g'ood mnnag«i'8 U>\\ us, cost<* more in a cotintiy- ])lnce than it profits ; for altlioug-h tliey devour s'piilers, caterpillars, mice, and such>Iike vermin, on the other liand they injure roofs, scare away the pig;eons hy their screams, anrf heat the otiier fowls." " Speakings of fratei-nal correction," says M. do Belley, " our olessed Francis often g-ave me an import- ant lesson ; I say often, because he repeated and in- culcated it frequently, that he might imjwint it deeply on mv memory. Thi^ excellent maxim may be useful to all, but especially to those who rule or who have the charge of othei'S. ' That tnith,' he said, ' which is not charitable proceeds from a charity which is not true.' A faithful saying*, worthy to be received and deeply pondered. " He had been infcrrr.ed, by the sui*e report of wit- nesses who had both heard and seen what they related, that when I entered on my episcopal charge I mani- fested, in my diocesan visits, a zeal both severe and excessive, or, to speak more clearly, which was deficient both in discretion and in science ; and that in this spirit I administered harsh reproofs couched in bitter words. He one day seized a proper opportunity, with his ac- customed prudence, discretion, and skill, which were no less admirable than his gentleness, to insinuate into my jnind this golden saying, which has eve since remained so deeply engraven there that 1 have never forgotten it. " 1 asked our Saint, one day, how we might be able to recognise whether the correction we gave pro- ceeded from charity. He replied, with that solidity of judgment which served as a guide to all his actions and as a light to all his words, * Truth proceeds from charity when we speak it only from the love of God and for the good of him whom we rejn-ove. It is better to be silent than to speak a tnith ungraciously ; for tliis would be to pi-esent a good dish badly cooked, or to administer medicine uns^^osonably.' * But is not this to detain truth a prisoner unjustly?' * Certainly I. I «T. FHANCIB DP. SALK8. Irt7 not : to act othei"\%'i.se would be to bring" it forth un- justly ; l>ccause the real justice of trutii, and the truth of justice, resides in charity. A judicious silence i« always preferable to an uncharitable truth.' " On another occasion, inquiring; of our Saint for some other indtrk bv which we raig-ht know wlien a re- proof was animatecf by charity, he, whoso heart wps (so to say) altogether steejwd in swectnt^ss, replied, accord- ing- to the sj)irit of the «rre»t Apostle, * When it is mode in the xpirit of vurloit JtJ< /^risii. vi. 1). Gentleness is, in fact, tlio g'reat friend of t liurity, ami its inseparable conipanion,' He recommended the imitation of the {iood !Samnrifan, who j)()ure(l oil and wine into the poor man's woimds. It was a i'avoinite sa.inj^ with him, that to make a frood salad there sl.ould l)o more oil than vineg-ar or salt. " Here is. another of his renin: kable sayings on this subject, which he rejieated to nie seveml times : * Be as gentle always as possilile \ and remember that you will catch more flies with a spoonl'ul of honey than th a hundred barrels of vineg-ar ; if we must fall into one exti-eme or the other, let it be into that of sweet- ness ; no sauce was ever spoilt by too much sucixr. Such is the nature of the human mind, it rebels against seventy, but g-entleness renders it amenable to every Ihin"-. A soft word appeases ang-er, as water extin- guishes fire. No soil so ungrateful but kindness can make it bear fiiiit. To speak ti*uths sweetly is to throw burning' coals, or rathei* roses, into a pei-son's face. How can any one be ang^'y with another who fights him with pearls and diamonds ? Reproof is in its na- ture a hai-sh thing-; but cooked in sweetness, and so roasted at the fire of chanty, it becomes a pleasant and delicious cordial.' *' * But,' said I, ' triith is always tioith, however it may be spoken, or however it may be received ;' and I armed myself with that text of St. Paul to Timothy, Preach the word; be instant in seasan, out oj' season; reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience atul doctrine M. 108 ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. (9 Tim. iv. 2). *The pith of this apostolic lessr" ,' he repl d, * consists in tliese two woms, in all ptttiencr mul iloctrine. Doctrine sijj^ifie.H tn ?;, and this tnith is to be spoken with all patience ; tiiut is to say, we must endura repulse, nnd not funcv that it is iilwnys to l>e received with npplnuse ; for if tfio Son of God wns iiu object of contradiction, His doctrine, which is th it of truth, must be signed with the same innik. Every man who would instruct others in the way of justice must make up his mind to bear their capnce and in- justice, an.l to i-eceive ingratitude as his payment.' " While 50 careful to avoid the faults into which tho pnietice of this difficult duty is apt to lead, St. Fmncis well understood and fuItiUed the obligatitm of fraternal correction. " This }.^ood futher," observes the Bishop, " often reproved me for my faults : and then ho would say, * I expect you to be very much obli«>:ed to me for this ; it is t!ie wreatest mark of friendship I can g'ive you ; and I sliouhl look upon it as a jiroof of your love if you would do the like for me in return. But in this respect T Hnd you very cohl; youai-e too cautious; lovo has a baiKiaffe on its eyes, and is not so nice ; it goes sti-aij^^ht 6Q withont so many reflections. It is because I love you so much, that I cannot endure the least imper for Lion in you. I should wish my son to be such as St. Paul aesii«d to see Timothy, blameless. Things which I should account as flies in one who was not so dear to me, look like elephants in you whom I truly love, as God knows I do. Woidd not that surgpeon be to blame, and be rather cruel than compassionate, who should allow a man to die for want of the resolution to dress his woiud ? A stroke of the tongue in season is sometimes as profitable for the soul's health as a cut of the lancet for that of the body. It requires some- times but a judicious bleeding to save a man's life, or a timely reproof to preserve a soul from eternal death.' " A few examples of St. Francis's loving correction, in which the good Bishop gives himself up to justice in I i 1 KT. FMAlfCIS UE 6ALBS. \ IdO a most drlicioti^ mnnner, in order U> exliiliit tlie merits and illustrate the spirit of his i-everwl t'ntlicr, may prove both instructive and entertmnin;,^. '' He had been told that I wus extremely long- in mnkin*'' my preparation for saying- Mnss, which wjis n great inconvenience to ev»;ry one. Of this he desin'd to corrt'ct m»'. He had come to see me at Belley, oc- cordinff to onr nnnu.il custom of viiiitin^ each otiie* . It so li.-ip' ' that while at my bouse, he had ' nn mornin' '>ff a number of despatches, wh.?h detnineu )wn room to n late hour. It was nearly ele k, and be had not yet said Ma>:$, whicfi he iiever omitted any day, unless be was pre- vented by illne.>^8 or other serious impediment. Down he came, then, to the chapel in his rochet and mozetta ; and after bis morning' salutations to tiie persons lie found there, be proceeded to the altar, where he made a short pniyer, then vested himself and said Mass. When it was over, lie knelt down again, made anotlier short prayer, and rejoined the company with a fac« so serene that be looked to me like nn ang-el, and con- tinued conversing^ with us till we were shortly after summoned to table. I, who was in the habit of closely observing all bis actions, felt surprised at the briefness of this preparation ; tul thanksgiving". When alone with liim that evening", i said to him, with the confidence of a son, * My father, for a man of vour stature, vou seem to me to go lather fast. I noticed yoiu* propai-ation and thanksgiving this morning, and thought them both very short.' " * How mucb pleasure you give me !'* he exclaimed, embrncing me, * by telling mo what you think fi-nnkly. For these three or four lays I have had something of a like sort on my mind to say to you, and scarcely * O Dieit ! que vous mefailea plaiair ! The exclamation, here and elsewhere, is omitted where in English it would give quite another chui'act(>r to the observation. The nume of God is used in French, without the smallest irreverence, on common occa- sionn, whert auumgst us, it wuuld «iithc'r impart an nir of no- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) ,,^..^!^ 1.0 1.1 Its m |22 ■" |» 12.0 6" Hiotographic Sciences Corporation L<>' <> ^. ^. 23 WIST MAM STRHT VniSTn,N.Y. USM (7U)«7a-4S0S '^"^V ^^^ ^ 6^ <> 170 8T. PRAlfCIS DB SALES. knew how to introduce the subject. Come, what have you to say for your own lengthinesses, which weaiy people to death? Everybody makes loud complaints of them ; possibly, however, this has never reoched your ears, so few persons are there who venture to speak the tiiith to tueir prelates. No doubt it is .be- cause no one hera loves you as well ns I do that the commission has been entrusted to me: you may i-ely upon it I have very sufficient nuthority to support me wiiiiout gfiving up my credentials. A little of your excess would do us lioth a s'l-ent deal of good ; you would get on somewhat quicker, and I should not go so fiist. Is it not a good joke tiiat the Bishop of IJj'lley should reprove the Bishop of Geneva for getting on too fust, nnd the Bishop of Geneva blame the Bishop of Helley for jroing too slow/ Is not this the world turned upside down 't But do just think how little all your fine at/iv*f and all those suifrages and acts with which you me busied in your oratory in the sacristy, suit the ]>eonlewho hnve couie to hear your Mass; still less those wlio H^e waitinpr to speak to you on business when Mnss is over.' * But, my father,' I rejoined, ' how is one to m-epnre oneself properly for oflfeiing the Hcly Sacrifice 'r • Why do you not make yoiu* pre- {lamtion,* he i-eplied, * early in the morning, when I enow, or nt least I believe, you never fail in the exer- cise of pi-ayerf I told him that in summer I rose at four, and did not say Mass till nine or ten o'clock. * Do you imagine,' he i-eplied, * that an interval of four or five honi-s is a very long space in His eyes with whom a thousand years ai-e but as the day that has passed V 'But the thanksgiving — what of that?' 'Wait for your evenmg devotions to make it. Would you not, lemnitjr not in accordance with the intention of the speaker, or strike the ear, perhaps, as an undue familiarity. Whatever may be the cause of this discrepancy between the "English and most foreign tongues, it is an indisputable fact, which must be taken into account in translutijns whkh would render the true spirit of the originals. I ST. ritANCTS t>R SALES. 171 indeed, feel it necef^sary to consider how so important an action liad lieen ))ei-ibrmed, when making your ex- amination of conscience ? — and does not thanksgiving form a uart of exainien / Doth these duties, then, can be disciinrgcd, and tiiat with more leisure and tran- quillity, in tiie morning and evening; this puts no one to any inconvenience, and enables you to acquit your- self of them better and more thoroughly, without mter- fering witli the functions belonging to your charge or wearying your neighbotu*.' * But,* I still objected, * will it not have a disedifying effect to see all this despatched so <|uickly, since God aoes not wish to be woi'shi|rped on the run?' *We may in vain ran,* he said; * God runs faster than we do. Tie is a Spiiit, who, rising in the east, sliines at the same in tant in the west. All is present to Him ; with Him there is neither past nor future ; whither can we go fi'om His Spirit ? I ac- quiesced in his advice, and have found the advantage of it. ^'One day I was complaining to our Saint of some giievous wrong that had been done me. The thing was so very manifest, that he agi'eed to the trath of what I saidi. Finding myself so strongly sup}K)rted, I felt ti-iumphant, and grew very eloquent in dwellinjj upon the justice of my cause. The Saint, to put a stop to all this supei-fluous discoui-so, observed, * It is true that they were in every wa}* to blame for treating you in this manner; such conduct was quite unworthy of them, particularly towanls a man of your condition. I see but one circumstance in the wiiole affair to vour dis- advantage.' * What is that V I asked. * I'hat you have but to show your superior wisdom by holding your tong-ue.' This answer so struck me, thiit I was silent at once, and had not a woitl to offer m reply. " It was his opinion, that the true servant of God seldom complainedf^ and still more rarely desired to be pitietl by others; observing that those who complain to their friends, that they may be pitied m retui-n, are like childi*en, who, when they have huit a finger, are 178 ST. FRANCIS DB 8ALKS. soothed wlien their Durae hns blown upon it, or pretended to cry too. ** One day I was complaining' of some gfrent nnd notable aifi-ont I had received. * To any one else but yourself/ he raplied, ' I should try and administer some MXJthing dose of consolation; but your i-ank and tiio love I bear you dispense me from this little piece of politeness. I have no oil for your wound ; ])erliu])s if 1 tried to assuage it, I might aggravate the inllamma- tion ; I htive nothing but salt and vinegar to apply to it. You concbided your complaint by saying that it i-e- (piires a prodigious patience, proof against every thing, to suffer such assaults in silence. Certainly yours is not of a very firm quality, since you make such loud lamentations.' ^ But, my father,' I rejoined, * it is only in your bosom and to the ear of your hejut. To whom shall a child have rccoui'se when he is vexed, if not to his kind father ?' * trae child, indeed ! how long will you love childishness ? Does it become him who is a father to others, to whom God has given the rank of a fntiier in His Church, to play the child himself'^ St. Paul tells us, that as long as we ore children, we may s))eak OS such ; but that, when gi-own up, the stammer- ing tongue which suits a sucking infant is unbecoming in him who is no longer a child. Would you have me give you milV d uroth instead of solid meat, and blow upon yo lUrt like a nuree? Have you not strong enough teeth to chew bread — nay, even bawl bi-end — the bread of affliction? It is a fine thing, in- deed, ^0 see you complaining to an earthly father, you who ought to say to your heavenly Father, / ira* dumby and I optiied not my 7nouth, because TItou bant (lane it.* But you will say, it is not God but men, and the assembly of the malit/nant. f What ! can you not discern the permissive will of God, which makes use of the malice of men either to coii'ect you or to cxeraise you in viitue? Job had more discern- * Ps. xxxviil 1(K t Pt. Ixiii. 2. •T. FRANCIS DK SALK^ 1?3 ment ; for he said, Tlie Lord ffai-ff and the Lord hath tahen away.* He does not say, the devils and the thieves; he looks only to the hand of Go<U who per- foims all things by whatever instruments He pleases. You are very mi* fi-om the spirit of him who said that the rod and staff with which God struck him were his consolation ; and that he was as one that was deaf and dumb, who refinined even from g;ood words, which might have served tn Justify him and prove his inno- cence. jBut, my fiitlier, vou will say, since when Imve you become so severe, and changed your gentleness into cmelty ? as Jobf said to God. Wliere are Thy ancient inerciea'iX Certainly my compassion is as fi-esh and new as ever; for God knows it I love you, or if I love myself )>etter than you; and the reproach I make to vou is what I should make to my own soul, if it had broken out in tlie same way. Well, I forgive you, as a matter of indulgence, to use the Apostle's terms ; hut on condition that you will be more com-ageous for the future, and i^ut up such-like favours, when God shall vouchsafe them to you, in the strong box of silence, without letting their perfume evaporate, giving thanks in your heart to your heavenly Father for bestowing upon you a small particle of His Son's cross. What 1 vou take pleasure in wearing a golden ci'oss on yoiur Ijosom, and you cannot bear a little one on your heart without manifesting it by your complaints ? And then, when they escape you, you make n wonderful appeal to patience, and would have me esteem you patient, for- sootli, while listening to your lamentations, as if the gi'eat effect of patience wera to hinder one from taking revenge, and not to stop complaints. But as for that, I do think you commit an error in invoking the aid of Ko great a power as patience in the insult you have re- ceived. It is too noule a second for so contemptible a duel. A little modesty and silenoe might suffice you.' \ Job i. ai. *' Thou art changed to be cruel tot%ard me." Ft. IxxxviiL 50 ZXX.21. 174 8T. FRANCIS DB BALES, And so he dismissed me with this brief mortification, but so fortified by my rebntf, that it seemed to me, as I left him, that nil the affronts in the world could not have extracted a word from me. ** To a woman who complained to him that when- ever her husband enjoyed good health he went to the wars, and that when he was wounded or sick he came back, and was so fretful as to be quite unbearable, he replied, ' What sauce can we find to suit you ? When he is well, he cannot bear to stay with you, nur you with him when he is ill. If you loved each other only in God, you would not be subject to these changes ; your affection would be always the same, whether abswnt or present. Beg this ffrace eaiiiestly of Ood, other- wise I have little hope tnat you will enjoy any peace.' " But if the chaiity of St. Francis was displayed alike in the sweetness and the sincerity of his reproofs, so also was it manifested in tender regard for the reputa- tion of his neighbour, and in his unwillingness to be- lieve evil of any one. ** His goodness of heart," says M. de Belley, ** was so great as to prevent him nrom thinking ill even of the bad. He did all he could to cover the defects of his neighbour, sometimes alleg^g human infirmity, some- times the violence of temptation, sometimes the number of those who were guilty of similar faults. When these sins were so public ana evident that it was impossible to throw a veil over them, he took refuge in the future. ' Who knows,* he would say, ' whether he will not be converted ? and who are we that we should judge our brethren ? If God did not uphold us with His grace, we sliould do worse, and our souls would already be dwellers in hell. The gi'eat«st sinners sometimes be- come the g^'eatest penitents, witness David and so many others ; and their penitence edifies more persons than the scandal they gave destroyed. God knows how to raise up from stones children to Abraham. The won- derful changes which His right hand effects causes vessels of ignominy to become vessels of honour.' He ST. FHANTIS DE SALES. 17ft never would hear of despair of sinners* conversion to their verv last breathy saying*, that tliis life is the rond of our pilgrimac^, in which those who stand inny fnll, and those who fall may hy grace rise again. He went still further; for even when dead, he would not pei-mit an evil judgment to be formed of such as had led :in evil life, save in the case of those whose damnation is evident from Scripture With this exception, he would have us not seek to enter into the secret of God, which He has reserved to His wisdom and power. His prin- cipal reason was this, that as the nrst grace was not within the reach of mei-it, so also the last grace, final Perseverance, was not accoi*ded to merit: Who hath na/vn the judgments of the Lordy and rvho hath been His cotmstUor !^ Accoitlinffly, even after the last breath had been drawn, he would have us hope the best of the deceased, however bad a death he might seem to have made, because we could but gi'ound our con- jectures on outward appearances, which may deceive the most acute. Aprcmos to this, he related to me the following anecdote : ' A preacher of an indulgent dis- position, speaking of the heresiarohf who caused the 1*6- volt of the Church of Geneva, said, that we must not speak decisively of the damnation of any one after death, save of those whom Scripture has declared to be reprobate, not even of that heresiarch who was the author of so much evil by his errors. For who knows, he said, whether God may not have touched his heaii; at the moment of death, and whether he may not have been converted ? It is true, he continued, that out of the Ghui-ch, and without tme faith, there is no salvation ; but who knows if he did not in his heart acknowledge the truth of the faith he had opposed, and. at the last die truly penitent ? After having kept his audience thus in suspense, he concluded by saying. We ous'lit, indeed, to iiave very high sentiments of the gooaness of God. Jesus Christ offered His |)eace. His love and salvation, * Rom. xi. 34. t Calvin. 176 ST. FRANCIS DB 8ALVS. j; even to tlie tmitor who Ijetroyed Him with n kiss; why may He not have offered the snme grace to this wretched heresiarch ? Is God's arm shortened ? Is He become lesii kind and less merciful, He who is mercy itself, and mercy without number* measure, or limit: But, he added, believe me, and I can a.«8ure you I speak but the truth, — if he was not damned* he had as nai-row an es- ca\w as ever man had ; and if he was saved from that everlasting shi{»wreck, ju* owed us handsome a candle* to God as ever did any one of his sort.' This lively and quite unexpected conclusion did not draw many tears fi-om the eyes of his auditors. " Our Snint was in the habit of saying, that the soul of our neighbour is the tree of the Icnowledge of good and evil, v. hich we are forbidden to touch under pain of chastisement, because God has reserved the judgment thereof to Hims^elf. He observed an inconsistency veiy common amongst men, who are by nature inclined to judge in a matter ■''here they are ignorant — namely, the interior of othen^, while they are averse to judging of what thev do know, or ought to know — their own interior. The fii-st is forbidden, the second is com- manded. In this they itisemble a certain woman, who, having made a point all her life of doing precisely the contrary to what her husband desired, was at last drowned in a river. Her husband being foimd fault with for looking for her body in the contranr direction to the current, * Do you believe,' he replied, * that death will have deprived her of her spirit of contradic- tion V To avoid this vice, our Saint gave the following excellent ntle : If an act may be viewed in a hundi-ed different lights, to look at it always in its fairest. If we cannot excuse an action, we may soften it by ex- cusing the intention ; if that be not possible, we must lay it to the force of temptation, or ignorance, or siu*- prise, or human weakness, so as at least to strive to diminish the scandal. In Bhort, he said, those who * An allusion to the votiw offerings ncade by sailors escaped front peril. ST. FRANCIS DB SALKS. 177 keen a watch over their conscience seldom commit the fault of msh jiidg'ment?. It is the net of an idle soul which has no uccupution within itself, to stop to scruti- nise other people's actions." Here is a specimen of his skill in ezcusinff' his neighhours. " I was finding' fault to him one day/ says M. do Delley, ''with some little countiy-gentlenien, who, althoufi^h as poor as Joh, played the gi'eat lords, talking contmunlly of their nohility and the high det'ds of their ancestors. He replied with wonderful grace, 'What would you have? Do you wish these \wov people to be doubly poor? If they are rich in honour, at any rate they think less of their poverty ; like tluit young Athenian who was under the mental delusion that he was the richest man in the country, and having been cured of his madness by the ewe of his friends, caused them to be prosecuted Tor having robbed him of his pleasing imagination. What woula you have ? It belongs to nobility to bear up with a high spirit against ill-fortune. Like the elastic palm, it rebounds under its burden. Would to God they may never have worse (faults! It is of those miserable and detestable duels we should complain ;' and he said this with a sigh. "One day, as persons were exclaiming and even using vehement invectives against a very scandalous fault, although one of infiiinity, committed by a mem- ber of a religious community, he said nothing, except, ' human mif>ery ! human misery !' at nnoUier time, ' how encoi I'Qssed we are with infirmity !' and again, *What can wu do of ourselves but sin?' and, * We should perha{)s do worse, if God did not hold us by the right hand, and lead us according to His will.' He was in the habit of saying, that if the world were fi-eed fjom evil-speaking, it would be fi'eed from a very lai-ge portion of its sins, for of all sins which may be classed under the heads of thought, word, and deed, the most frequent and the most dangerous sometimes are those of word ; and this for many reasons. First, because sins of thought are hurtful only to him who commits 178 •T. PRANCI6 OK 8ALR«. them, nnd are the orcnsion of nuitiier scnndal, irritation, nor had example to otiiers, b(Mn<>; known only to Qod whom they offend ; and so a loving* nnd ]>enitent return to God eifac<>s them : but those of the tongue reach ftu'ther ; the word once pronounced can be recalled only by a humble retractation ; and yet our neighbour s heart has none the less been infected and poisoned through his ear. Secondly, sins of deed, if of any note, are liable to public chastisement : but slander, unless it be very atrocious and disgraceful, is not amenable to punishment ; hence numbers of persons fall into this sin. The third reason is the rareness of restitution and reparation in this matter ; those who have the conduct of souls being too indulgent, not to say remiss, in this respect. " It pained him to hear any one call a peraon bad on account of some single reprehensible act, because virtuous habits, he said, are not extinguished by one contrary act; for instance, we cannot call a man a drunkai'd on account of one solitary act of intemperance, and so of the other vices. Hence, when he heard any one for a single sin taxed with the convsponding vice, he gently remonstrated against the accusation, and ob- served that there was a wide difference between vice and sin, the former signifying a habit, the latter an act ; and that as one swallow does not make a summer, so one solitary sinful act does not render a person vicious, that is, habituated to the vice an act of which he has per- formed. But if so, it was objected, we may not, on the other hand, conclude that a person is in a state of grace, and possesses charity, however holy he may ap- Sear in his actions. He replied, that if fiuth, as St. ames teaches, is known by works, much more is cha- rity, which is a far more active viiiue, works being, in I'elation to it, like sparks which reveal the existence of fire ; and although, when we witness a sin confessedly mortal, we may affirm that the pei'son committing it. forfeited the grace of God, how can we tell whether God, a momient after, did not touch his heart ? nnd whether kT. FlMVt It bK «.4LK«. 179 he did not turn from his evil way by an oct of con- trition ? We must, tliereforu, be very fearful of judg* inp" ill of otliem; but .as for judfrin}r well, we nmy act with ))erfect freedom ; beciiU5'e chnrity lielieves and hopes all ^ood of it» neig-hlM)ur, thinks no evil, and rejoices in tnitli and sroodness, but not in iniquity." but if St. Francis was an enemy to slander and rash judgments, so also was he to the uncharitable practice of fiersonal ridicule. " When in society," says M. de Belley, " he heard any one throwing ridicule on another, his countenance testiHed his dislike of the conversation ; he would in- traduce another topic to create a diveraion, and when he could not succeed by this method, he would rise and Mtiy, ^This is trnmplinpf too much on the good man, and posses all reasonable bounds. Who gives us the right to amuse oui-selves in this way at the ex|)ense of otners ? Should we like to be treated thus, and have all our foibles dissected by the razor of the tongue ? To bear with our neighbour and his imperfections is a great perfection, and it is a g^>eat imperfection to cut him up in this way by ridicule.' With reference to this practice, he said that it was one of the worst dis- Eositions a mind could hi.ve; that God exceedingly ntes this vice, and punishes it in remarkable ways. One day a yonng lady was amusing herself in his hear- ing with quizzing another's want of beauty, and was laughing at some natural blemishes with which she had been boi-n; ujran which he quietly obsei'ved, that it was God who had made us, and not we ourselves ; and that His works ui'e perfect. But the lady laughing still more at his saying that God's works were perfect, ' Believe me,* he said, * her soul is more upright, more beautiful and well-propoi'tioned ; be satisfied that I know this for certain; and so he silenced her. On another occasion, some one laughing in his presence at the deformed appearance of an absent person, who had not only a hump on his back but one in front, — he immediately took his part, alleging the same Scripture 180 IT. PRAMCIS DM SALKti i t»nvin^% thnt G<h1'8 works nve perfect. * How perfect/ rejoined tlin other, ' witli 80 imperfect a {ilm|)0 V The Suint sweetly answered, ' Wlmt ! do you not believe thai there are iierfect humpbacks as well as persons perfectly straigi ?* Being requested to explain to what kind of pertuttion he alluded, interior or exterior, he replied, * It is enoug-lt; what I have said is true; let us taiK of something better/ ''There are no floater enemies to human society than those obstinate and self-opinionated people who are continually contradicting; others ; they are the pest of conversation, the Fcoium* of social intercourse, and sowers of dissension. Mild, condescending, yielding, and tractable tem|)ers, on the other hand, who readily pve way, aro living charms to attract and win every body. Our Saint commended much St. Louis's advice, never to contradict unv onn, unl<>s8 sin or some con- siderable damn go would be the result of abstaining. This holy king did not say this from human prudence, of which he was the enemy, nor according to toe pagan emperor's maxim, that no one ought to leave the prince's presence discontented, but from a tiiily Christian spirit to shun disputes, according t^) the Apostle's counsel, who would have us oirefully avoid all contention." It was St. Francis s opinion, that few persons aro extremely taciturn from a virtuous motive. Here, as in all else, his sweet and gentle spirit led him to adopt the tnie mean. " One day, persons were talking befora him of a certain individual who would pass tor a great roan by dint of silence. * If so,' said our Saint, * he has dis- coverad the secret of acquiring a reputation at a cheap rate ;' and then, after a pause, he added, * No one re- sembles a wise man so much as a fool when he holds his tongue. Wisdom does not consist in not speaking, but in speaking as and when we ought, and in holding our peace in proper time and place.' Some persons, out of a conscientious but unenlightened zeal, tlie moment they desire to give themselves to the practice of devo- (>T. VNAXCIb DK HALF.S. 181 tion, fancy tlicy must shim nil compnnr nnd convenn> tiuii, na uwJM avoid the day-birds, and hy this strange and austere behaviour iuspire others with an aversion to devotion, instead of rendering it pleasing* and attractivts Our Saint did not approve of this, but wished those w'lio practised devotion to be the ligitt of the world by th(Mr gootl exam|ile, and the salt of the earth, to im|)ai't a tnste for pietv to such as lucked it. But, it may be said, if the salt ivturns to the ocean from whence il was drawn, it will melt and Wcome dissolved. Tnie, but also if you do not mix it with meats, they will have no savour. ^' To a good soul who nsked him if such as desire to live with some perfection may mix with the world, he made this reply : * Perfection does not consist in not seeing the world, bn' in not luiving a taste or rt^lisii for it. AH that sight brings is danger, for he who lioholds it runs some risk of loving it ; but to him who is forti- fied by a good nud firm rB:»oIution, it does no hnim. In a word, the (lerfection of chtirity is the iierfcction of life ; for the life of oiu* soul is charity. Tne primitive Christians lived in tiie world in body but not in heart, and were nevertheless very perfect.* " Our Saint, by the help of gitice, knew how to unite in his |)erson two admirable qualities, — gravity and sweetness. He knew huw to bleud with the my of majesty and honour, which grace had poured upon his brow, so mil '!i affabilicy and sweetness, that you would have said it was another Moses who veiled his beam- ing face when he would converse familiarly with his brethren. If he pos:>«es5ed nttinctions which drew })er- sons to love him, he had also so much gravity and modesty, that they could not help fearing, or at least rospectmg him. !But this respect was so full of love, that I knew of many who quite trembled when they spoke to him ; not so much from the fear of displeasing him (for nothing displeased him, and he received the nidost persons graciously), but for fear of not pleasing him enough, j will canciidly own that I took so much 18^ ST. FHAXCI9 DJ2 BALIS. I cielipflit in doinf*- any tilings to please hirn, tliat when lift evincr-d any Siitisl'nction with me, my lieud was up in the stars; and if he iiad not tauglit me to ret'er all ultimately to Ciod. witiiont stopping; sljoz-t at hiinselt', manv of mv actions would have come to a stand in the midst of their coui*se. As lor his sweetness, it was unknown only to those to whom he himself was not known. In him this viitue seemed to have clothed itself with a human form; and you would have said he was gentleness itself, rather than n man endowed with that quality. Hence he possessed such powerful in- flunnce over men's minds, that all cuve way to him ; and as he condescended to each individually, makinn; liimself all things to all men, so, on the other hand, all acquiesced in his desire, which was no other than to behold them nil embarked in the service of God and the ways of salvation." THK SAINT'S OPINIONS ABOUT PRBACHINO AND CONTROVERSY, AND HIS METHOD IN DEALING WITH HERETICS. Any notice of the spirit of St. Francis of Sales would be incomplete without a few extmcts regarding these points, whicli are naturally connected with each other. His extraordinary success a* a preacher makes every hint on this subject extremely valuable. Here, as in every thing else which appertains to him, we find the same spirit of sweetness, simplicity, and sincerity. A few anecdotes will illustrate these characteristics. We will head them by an amusing incident related by the candid Bishoji, who, in his admiration for the model before him, fell into the mistake of labouring after an exteiiial copy of the Saint's manner in the pulpit. " I entertained so high an esteem of him, that all his ways enchanted me. I took it into my head to imitate his style of preaching. Do not imagine, how- ever, that I aspired to imitate him in the height of his thoughts, in the profundity of his doctrine, in the power ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 183 of his reasoninp", in tlie soundness of liis jiulfrmenr, in the tenderness of his Iunjnin«»;e, in the |)cifect oi(K»r ;ind connection wliich reig*ned in Iiis sermons, and in thnt incompnrable sweetness which coidd i-emove the very rocks fi-om their foundations. All thntwns beyord my reach. I was like those flies which, unable to whiK on the polislied surface of a mirror, Imtake thomsi'Ives to the fmme. I amused myself, and, as you will hear, I deceived myself, in striving* to adopt his extei-nal ac- tion, his g-estures, and pronunciation. In him all this w as slow and quiet ; mine being naturally the reverse, I underwent so strangle a metamorphosis, that no one would have known me ; it was no long-er 1 myself. 1 had spoilt my own orig-inal, to make a very bad co|)y of him whom I wished to imitate. Our Saint, who had been informed of all this proceeding, said to me one day, after making approaches to the subject for some time, * Apropos to sermons, I have heard a piece of news : I am told you have taken a fancy to mimic tlie Bishop of Geneva's preaching.' I defencled myself from this charge by rei)lying, * Well, and have I chosen so bad a jwtteni after all 'i Do you not think he preaches better than I do V * Ah ! come,* he rejoined, * here is a pei-sonal attack. Well, certainly, he does not ]ireach ill; but the worst is, that I am told that you imitate him so badly, that people can make nothing of it but a very imperfect attemj)t, which spoils the Bisliop of Belley, witliout representing the Bishop of Geneva ; so that it would be necessary to follow the example of that bad painter, who used to write the names of the f>ei*sons whose j)orti-aits he had taken under the faces le had daubed.* 'Let him alone,* I retorted, *and you will see that by liegrees he will rise from the nink of apprentice to that of a master ; and that in the end his copies will pass for originals.' * Joking apart,' he re- "ied, 'you spoil yourself, and pull down a good build- to reconstmct another against all the rules of na- ]^ »n^» ture and art; besides, at your age, supposing you have contracted a bad crease, like a piece of cloth, you will 184 •T. FUAIfCIS DB SALES. |. not find it easy to g;et i-id of it. 0, if it trere possible to exchrtngpe qualities, what would I not pfive for yours ! I do what I can to move and stir myself up to a little rai)idity ; but the more I labour, the slower I ffet on. I liave n difficulty in findings words; more still in pro- nouncing* them. I am heavier than the old stump of a tree ; I can move neither myself nor others j I perspire, it is true, a great deal, but make very little way. You get on full sail, I by dint of oare ; you fly, I crawl or creep along like a tortoise ; you have more fire in your fingei-s' ends than I have in my whole body, — a won- derful rapidity, and the liveliness of a bii'd; and now I hear that you weigh your words, measure yoiu- periods, drag your wings; that you droop and flag, and make your hearers do the same.' I can tell you that this dose was so effectual, that it freed me from this plea- sant eiTor, and sent me back to my old ways. ' His love of a holy simplicity and sincerity is dis- played in several other charitable lessons which the good Bishop records as having I'eceived at his hands. " One day I was to pveacn at the Visitation ; and being aware that r ar Saint would be present, and that a large concourse was ex{)ected, I must own that I had felt a little pei'sonal anxiety on the occasion, and had {>repared in good earnest. When we had retired to his jouse, and wei-e alone together, * Well,* he said, * you have given general satisfaction to-day; people went away exclaiming mirabilia at your fine and eloquent panegyric. I only met with one individual who was not satisfied.' * What can I have said,' I replied, ' to shock this person's mind ? for I have no desire to know his name.' * But I, for my part,* he i-ejoined, * have a great desire to tell it you.' * Who is he, then, that I may endeavour to give him satisfaction V ' If I had not great confidence in you, I should not name him ; but as I know vou well, t willingly do so. Do you see him here?' I looked roimd, and saw no one but him- self. * It is you, then,' I said. * Myself,' he replied. ' Certainly/ I rejoined ; * I should have valued your »T. FIIANCIS DB SALES. 185 e i- l. ir single approbation more than that of the wliole conp^re- gntion. Thank God, I have fallen into the hands of one who wounds only that he may heal ! What, tlien, did 3'ou find fault with ? for I know tiiat your indul- gence will not excuse any thing in me.' * I love you too much,' he resumed, *to flatter you; and if you had loved our sisters after this fashion, you would not have amused yourself in puffing up their minds, instead of edifying them ; in praising their state in life, instead of teaching them some humiliating and more salutary doctiine. It is with the food of the mind as with that of the bodj'. Flatteiy is windy; and windy food, like vegetables, is innutritions. We ought in preaching to provide, not empty food, the memory of which perisiies with its utterance, but meat which will endure to life everlasting. We must never, indeed, ascend the pulpit, without the special object of building up some corner or other of the walls of Jerusalem, by tenching the practice of some virtue, or the avoiding" of some vice; for the whole fruit of preaching consists in the eradi- cating of sin, and the planting of justice. Lord, ex- claimed David, I will tench the vnjust Thy fvays^ and the wicked shall be concerted vnfo 77iee.** * What sort of convei-sion,' I retorted, * could I preach to souls delivered from the hnnds of their enemies, the devil, the flesh, and the world, and serving God in holiness ?' * You ought to have taught them,' he said, * to take heed, since tliey stand, not to fall ; to work out their solvation, according to the counsel of the Hdly Spirit, with fear and trembling ; and not t^ be witliout fear, even with respect to forgiven sin. You described them to us as so many saints; it costs you nothing to ca- nonise the living. You must not place pillows under elbows in this way, nor give milk to those who need bitter herbs and woi-mwood.' * My object,' I said, 'was to encourage and fortify them in their holy undertak- ing.' * We must encourage,' he replied, * without i-un- • Psalm 1. IS. 180 ST. FIIANCIS DE SALES. i . ninii- tiie risk of excitinp* presumption and vanity. It is iilways siif'er to Ijumbie our heaiei's, than to exalt tiiein to liig-li oncl admirable things above their reach. I feel ])ei-suaded that another time you will be cautious in this respect.' " The next day he made me preach at a convent of the nuns of St. dlare. He was present, and the con- g^re^-ntion was not less numerous than on the preceding' d:iy. I took care to avoid the pitfall he had pointed out to me: my discourse was very simple, both in words nnd ideas, aiming* at nothings except edification. I nroceeded with much method, and pressed home my suoject. Our Saunt, on our return, cnme to see me in my apnrtment, which, in fact, was his own; for when I was on a visit to him, he always grave roe up his room. After tenderly embrftcingp me, 'Truly,' he said, * I loved you dearly yesterday, but much more to-duy. You ar<», indeed, quite after my own heart ; and if I am not much mistiiken, you are also according" to God's heart, who, I believe, has been pleased with your sacri- fice. 1 could not have believed you would have been so yielding" and condescending*. It is a true saying*, that the obedient man shall speah of victory* You have conquered youi*self to-day. Do you know tliat most of vour hearers said, "To-dav is verv unlike yesterday," and they were not as nmch plesised this tin)e as the last ; but the individual who was not satis- fied yesterday is wonderfully i)leased to-day. I giant you hereupon a plenary indulgence for all your p{it«t faults. You have fulfilled nil mv wishes to-da_v ; nnd if you persevere, you will do much semce for the Loi-d of the vineyard. Preaching must not seek its strength in the words and the notions of human wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. If you faithfully a<lhere to this method, God will give to your lal)oui"s a full and honoui-able increase ; you will become prudent in the words of mystical wisdom, and will po3- • Trov. xxi. 28. ST. FRANCIS DK SAI.R9. 187 sess the science of the saints, the science tlint ninkes saints. What, after uii, do we ilesire to know, save Jesus, and Jesus crucified !' " When he heard i)eo|)lo talk of preachere who did wonders, he would ask, 'llow many hns their preacliing" converted ? for the convei-sion of souls is n inoi-e mini- culous work than the resun'ection of the dead, since it is a passage from the death of sin to the life of prace.* If it was replied, that the wondei-s alluded to were elo- <]uence, science, memory, striking* manner, and other ciiaracteristics of a gi*eat speaker, — 'These qualities,' he would say, 'are those of a worldly orator, and can be acquired by human diligence ; but they np])ertain not to those on whom the Holy Spirit, which has been conferred upon them, has poured the science of tiie lan- guag-e of heaven, which is t)ie science of salvation and of the saints.* "When any one said a preacher was succeeding" very well, he wouhi ask in what virtues he exct .le<l, whether in humility, in mortification, in sweetness, in courage, in devotion, and such like. On being told that it was good y»reaching which was meant, 'That,* ho would rejoin, ' is saying, not doing. The one is much easier than the other. How many there are who say, and do not — ^who pull down by their bad examjile, what they have built up with their tongue! Is not that man a very monster, whose tongue is longer than his arm V Some one observed of a preacher, ' He has done wonders to-day.' He replied, ' He who has done wonders is the man who is found without S|K>t — who has not followed after gold, nor placed his hope in worldly treasure.' To another, w^ho said of a certain preacher that he had even soai*ed above himself, ' What interior self-sacrifice has he achieved ?' was his reply ; 'what injury has he endured? It is upon such-like occasions that we sui-mount oui-selves. Would you know whence I infer the excellence and merit of a preacher? It is when tlioso who come nwav strike their breasts, saying, / tvill do trell ; not, lloie well Id8 BT. FRANCIS DE SALES. i he has do)Ui! When the sermon is over, do not nmuse Tourseit' with attending to those vnin popular plaudits, I low well he has acquitted himself! What an eloquent tx)ngue ! What profound knowledge ! What an admirable memory ! What a fascinating preacher ! What a pleasure it is to listen to such a man f I never had such a treat in all my life ! All this is empty babble, pi'oceeding from minds that lack judgment. Christian preachers, St. Jerome tells us, ought not to have recourse to tho arts of the rhetorician, but should use the simple lan- guage of fishermen ; that is, of the Apostles. If St. Paul condemns hearers with itching ears, how much more preachei's who scratch them by their choice woi'ds, nnmded peiiods, and i^tudied comi)ositions ! But if, upon coming out from the sermon, you should meet with any who, like the centurion, say, Truly this man is of God ; he praaches Jesus Chiist crucified, not him- self; he teaciies us to repent of our sins ; it will not be his fault if we do not turn from om* evil ways ; this sermon will rise against us at the day of judgment, if we do not profit by it : or if they sav, 0, how neces- sary is penance for salvation ! how lovely is virtue ! how sweet is the burden of the cross ! how light tho yoke of God*s law ! how hideous and detestable a thing is sin ! i-ather let us die than sin : or if, without using so msmy words, the hearei*s testify to the ft-uit of the preaching by amendment of life, you may then judge of the goodness and efficiency of the pitcher, not to his glory, but to the glory of Him that sent him,— to the glorv of God, who speaks by his mouth, and fills him with His Spirit.' "In proof of this, he told me the following anec- dote : * A very celebrated preacher came to Annecy ; I begged him to preach ; he consented ; luid setting off in a high style, he propounded his sublime notions in such [>onipous language, and with such a display of eloquence, that our good mountaineei's were quite as- tonished. As they came out, nothing was to be heard but expressions of delight and adniiration. Never was ST. FRANCIS DE BAhKB. 180 hO much incense of pmise offpred to moitnl rnnn : tliey Tied with encli other in their applause, and in crving* him up to the skies. Knowing well how much tiiis (liscotirse was above the comprehension of its admirei's, I took some of them aside, and questioned them, to discover how much they had retained of it, and what particular profit they had derived from it. Not one of them could tell me a woitl. One more ingenuous than the i «st re- ])lied : "If I had undei-stood it, and could i*etuil it to yon, that would show that he had said nothins' uncommon. It is our igTiorance which excites our nomiraiion ; for he tnlked of such high and lofty things, that they were quite beyond our reach ; and tiiis makes us have a greater esteem for the mysteries of our reliffion." ' Our Saint praised his candour, and acknowledged that he had derived some sort of profit from the seniKtu. Spring flowers are not enough, if they are not followed by au- tumn fruit. The preacher who has only the leaves of language and fine thoughts, is in peril of being classed among those unfruitful ti-ees who ai-e threatened in the Gospel with the axe and the fire. I have chosen i/oti, said our Loi*d to His Apostles, that you should go and bring forth fniit J and your frvit should remmn.*^' M. de Belley mentioi.^. that in the early days of his episcopate, being yer, as he says, " very green" (having by the special dispensation of the Pope been consecrated under the age prescribed by the canons), and having his mind yet freshly stored with his school knowledge and with elegant lifernture, for which he had a particular turn, he biought forth a redundancy of such matter from the treasures of his memorv. It was upon the occasion of his being invited, in 1610, to ])reach the Lent before the Senate of Savoy, in Chambery, the capital city of that province, that it was reported to our Saint, who was at his episcopal residence at Annecy, only seven leagues distant, that (to conticue in the Bishop's own words) his " discour- • Jolin XV. l«. IW) ST. FH«NCIS DB 9AhKH. sea were nil riowere nrwl pe if iinie, M'hicli attracted ciuwds of liearei-s, like bees wliicli cluster round sugnr nnd ho- ney. He, however, who jndg-ed after quite n ditferent faithion, and who was well skilled in this art, would have desired to see me diiiw more u]K)n the divine Scrip- tures than on human lettei-s ; he would have wished for more of the solid spirit of piety than display of spiritual expressions eloquent with human wisdom. Whereupon he wrote me a beautiful letter, in which he apprii^ed me, that the odour which my sweet spices exhaled had reached even to him, so that he compared himself to Alexander, who, sailin*;' towards the Fortunate Islands, was matle aware of their neighbourhood by the fm- grance which the wind, sweepings over the smooth sur- face of the sea, wafted to his vessels. After having thus concealed the point of his lancet in this oiled and perfumed cotton, he stuck it in by tellings me that, after so many messengei-s, who every day brougfht him word that our bed,was all strewed with verdure, our furni- ture of cedar and C3'prus, — that our blossoming' vines were spreading* their sweetness on all sides, — that our garden was full of nothing but flowers, — that it was laughing sprinsr-time all around us, — he was expecting othei-s to give him news of summer and autumn, of the harvest and the vintage. ' I am li;. tening,' he said, ' to hear (in^floresfntcttisparttmnnt'j* telling me that, ai'ter all, he rwtvised me to strip my vine of its superfluous tendrils of belles-Iettrex — tempus putationis vimt;\ to pnme and retrench from it so many foreign ornaments ; and that, although it was allowable to use the vuses of the Egyptians for the service of the tabernacle, t ought to be with sober moderation ; that Rachel was indeed fairer than Lia, but that Lia was more fruitful ; that tiie Gospel ought to be expounded in conformity with its own style and simplicity; that red nrxi white paint ill be- came the face of theology; nnd that we ought to bewaw of adulterating the Word of God much more than tii« * Whether the flowers ara brinp;injj forth fruitA. f *' The tirac of pruning isi come." (.\iitu-.Ie:i ii. 12. IT. FRANCIS DK XALKS. 191 cuirent coin ; to wliich he mldrd nmny otlier similnr in- stmctions, wliicli had the eiiect vf niukiiif^ ine much more reserved, much less libera? of those viands which nre ratlier empty thnn soHd. nnd much more cni'efnl to labour for that meat which perishes not, nnd Vthich the Gospel so strongly reoorninends to us. *' It was his opinion, that it was not sufficient that the preacher shouhl liave a g-enei-al intention of in- structin|>* in the ways of God, but that jje shouM aim at some special object ; for instance, the knowledgre of some mystery, the exposition of some article of taith, the destruction of some vice, or the establishment of some virtue. ' You would hardly believe,* he said, *how imiiortant is this advice, and how many laboured and studied sermons are profitless for want of point. If you will follow this maxim, your sermons will pro- duce much fruit; if you neg-lect it, you may reap «d- mirution for youi-self, but othei's will derive no l)e- nefit." " He approved extremely of shortness in sermons, and said that leng-thiness was the most general defect of the preachers of his day. * Do you call that a de- fect,' said I, * and thus give to plenty the name of scarcity/* * When the vme/ he replied, ' produces a gi'eat deal of wood, then it is that it bears the least fruit. A multitude of wor Is never produces a g:i*ent effect. Observe all the homilies and sermons of -the ancient fatliei-s — how short they are ; but how much more efficacious they were than oiirs ! The good St. Fmncis, in his rule, enjoins upon the preachei-s of his Order to be brief, and adduces this reason —that God had made a short word vpon the earth.* Believe me,* he said, ' I speak from experience, and from very long expei-ience ; the more you say, the less will be remembered; the more you say, the less will your hearei-s profit. By dint of overloading theii* memory, you make it break down ; as lamps aro put out by too • Rom. ix. »». o 102 ST. FRANCIS DF. SALES. much uil^ and plnnts nve stifled by too much watoring. Wiien a sermon is too long*, the end makes us forget the middle, and the middle tlie beginning. Pi'eachers of very modemte ))owei-s nra endumble, provided ihey we biief ; while such as ui-e excellent Wome bniiien- some when they are too long. A preacher cnnnot have a more oiTensive fault than lengthiness. You must say little, and timt good, and inculcate it diligently, not ninking the least account of those fastidious minds who are displeased when a prencJjer repeats a thing, and goes over the same <;-round agtiin. What ! is it not necessary in making a work of iron to heat it over and over ap^ain ,: and in pn nting to touch and retouch re- peatedly 'i How much more, then, is it needful, in order to imprint eternal truths in hearts confiimed in evil, and on hardened intellects V " Not only did St. Francis approve of shoii sermons, but he haa a pi-edilectiun for a limited audience, as M. de Belley thus relates : *^ * Rejoice,' said our Saint, ' wlien in asccndinsp the pulpit you see few people, and that you have but a thinly-scattered .audience.' * But,' said I, * it costs no more trouble to teach many than few.' * It is from a thirty yeai-s' ex|)erienee in this matter,' he replied, * that I speak; and 1 have always seen gi'cater results for God's service from sermons I hrve preached before small than before lorge congre^^ations. At tlte time I was provost, I was sent by tlie bishop, my predecessor, to preach. One Sunday, when the w-eather was very bad, there were only seven persons in the chui-ch, so that some one observed to me, that it was not worth while to give any sennon. I replied, that neither did a large audience encoumge, nor a small one dishearten me ; that provided one single individual was edified, it was enough. I accordingly mounted the pulpit, and I reraemlier my sermon w-as on pmyer to the saints. I treated t\ia subject very simply ; I said nothing either pathetic or vehement ; however, one of the congrega- tion began to weei) bittt'rly, and even to sob and ^igb RT. PIIANCM DR MLKS. mi »r b quitA nudibly. 1 tiioiig-ht )ih was ill, so I be«>-g'(>d him not to put any constraint u{M)n Iiim!)elf ; that I was alxMit to finish, and wonld ronic nnd help him if Iik nf>ede<l any thing*. Ho replinl tlint iin w«s (piit*) well in Inxly, and bej^g^eil me to g-o on, sayinc: that I was dressing the wound which re(|iiii*e<l it. When the Mormon, which was short, was over, he rnme and threw himself at my feet, exclaiminc^, ' M. le Provost, I owe mv life to you ; you have saved my soul to-duy. lUessecf he the hour when I came here and heard you ! it has been worth an eternity to me.' He then toUl me, that having been conferring with some (Protestant) ministers concerning praver to the saints, which they represented as lioirible idolatry, he had fixed the following Thui-sday for his abjuration of the Catholic religion ; Init that ]ie had been so well instructed by the i^ermon he hod Just heard, and his doulits had been so completely removed, that he detested tlie pi-omi^^e he had made, and vowed obe- dience anew to the Roman Chui*ch. I cannot tell you what an impression this example, occuiTing* amongst so small a number of people, praduced throug-k the wliole neighbourhood, and how docile and ready to receive the Word of Goil it rendered the hearts of othei-8.' " A very learaed jneacber, who took great pains with his seimons, but who was not much followed, often employed the best part of his discoui'se in com- plaining* of the neglin^ence of those who did not come to hear tlie Word ot God, and even went so far as to threaten to throw all up and forsake his pulpit. The Saint, who had been present, said to one of his con- fidential friends, as they came out of church, ' Whom is tiiis .uood pel-son angry with? He has scolded us for a fault w^e have not committed, for we were pre- sent. Would he have had us cut om-selves up mto bits to fill the empty places 'f It is the absent he was displeased with, ana tliey will not be the more punctual in consequence, for they did not hear him. If he wished to address them, he ought to have gone about the street* 104 ST. FRANCIS DB lALBS. and ]iiiblic plnces, to compel those wlio fre<|uented them to come to his hanqiiet. As it is, he inveip^''d at the innocent, ond let the pfiiilty nione.* " Disputes on relig-ioiis matten were ve^'V disagree- able to Iiim, imrticuliirly uf tahU and after dinner; these were not, he said, WitcljB topics. I repHed, one day, taking: up his expression, that if a bottle of this kin(l was occoi^ionally broken, it wm to g-ive forth the hiinn of truth, wliich is all Hre and flame. * Ves, in* deea,' he rejoine(i, * fire and flames of nn«^er Mnd alter- cation, which yieM only smoke and blncknes ,. .oiJ very little light.' He also particularly disnj)»Mo\ cd urcui.tro- vpi-sial subjects being mtroduced into sci uions, preai^hing being ordained mther to edify thiut to ^iu.[ lown; ana for instruction in morals, ratiier ♦• r ■ for settling those disputes conceiming the faith \vh) -ii arise among such as are external to the Ciiurch. But it will be urg^d, ])erhapR, that it is for th<' purpose of confirming Catholics m their belief that the arguments of their adversaries are overthrown in their pres<>nce. A plausible reason, but of which experience pi-ovds the futility; because, not to speak of tiie thorny difficulties with which these distressing contestations are beset, the human mind, owing to its natural corruption, has so great a pro- pensity to evil, that it will fix its attention on the objection rather than on its solution, and choose the ser|>ent in place of the bread. His method, both in preaching and in private conferences with Protestants, was to expound with that clearness and facility for which he was so remarkable the simple and naked truths of faith ; for truth, he said, in its native sim- plicity, had charms and attractions capable of winning « the most rebellious souls. This plan he found to succeed 80 admirably, tl; 't, ]irovided he could get a Protestant to give him a cui:\ ;• d quiet l»*»fiving, nut onlv did he make his wea-ioi's ;; '.« Vum his ..uods by thus disposing of his ohjectioiib oefore he had made them, but if he did not gain him over at once, he made so deep an im- pression that the pei'son was sure to return verj soon ST. PIUNCtJ OB tALBt. 196 be lira- U> s«»€k a henlinjf romwly from th« Stnd which hn<l in- flictwl so hiippv a wound. " 'I'iiti exitmpleut' rlii<< ^-rt>at 8toirit is the more ap|)Osite, thut it will l»»'ri'ineiiil"«'it'tl 1h» w.is rulIiHl to rule a flock suiToiindfNl iind intctniini»lv»i with heretics. His ndvioe, tIi»'i>'f'oi«s on this lieud mii\ he r^cpivcil uhsohitely, nn(i doei« not rifHj»uit» modit *^«t!oJi from any nmt^M-iid dirtVr- eiicc in the (ircimi^tancfs in whirl *♦» oui-selvrs arc placed. Now this poat Saint consi. "•d that this nie- tlnnl had four n^rabh' advnntng"**^ : 1, •: hides the ]^\u\t of the lancet m cotton; 1?, it av( ds thr winnnt^s and importunity *^ inch t^onendly »cconn my ti t!iu. .t\ path of ci»nti'oveis\ ; .'1, it takes it** hnuv'^ Sui dy hy sur- prise, and malies tliem receive the tnit not «..'iiy w ithout dilHculty, hut with pleasure; i simp is i is, it pos- sesses in its simplicity a woniU'iful v. ■-;. hnng-ing" offensive into defensive wea{)ons, and d»in\ nj; >u(d"s for the defence of trutii from the very ohji id" those who ttn: in en jr. M. de Bejjey goes on to exemplify • ni< nner in which the Saint practised this method: "The answ« IS which Catholics are in f hahit of g-iving" to the objections which Protestant nakn from passages of Scripnu-e, being* conformable t* tli truths which are taught jy the Church, ve have o> to bring fonvard the solution fii-st, w^hich being exj' iicd and reasoned out, withrut making it figure as an iswer to an objection, the jt issage upon which the ili < idty is grounded comes by this means to furnish a pr<)< t the truth laid down. Tlius it was that the Saint i.iinself exjdained it to me. Here is an example which will make the matter clear : " Protestants comnionly quote this passage of Scrip- ture against the Real Presence : * It is the spirit ivkich (jh'tth life: tJu\ffesh prq/iteth nothing-^ to which we malce two replies, — the one from St. Chrysostom, the other from St. Augustine : first, that the nesh without the sj)irit — that is, without the Divinity — would profit nothing; ^eoondly, that the carnal and gross way in 196 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. which the Capharnaites undei-stood Him profited no- thing. In pursuance of the ohject we have in view, we Iiave only to point out the weakness of the flosli hy it- self, without being" united to the Divinity jind sinoiuted by it, jind to show that it is the Divinity wli'ch imparts to the humanity the power it possesses of coniDiuni- cating to the faithful who ore its membei's that grnce which itself has received as the head ; and thus it is this spirit of the Divinity and this Sacred Flesh which vivi- fies souls who become partakere thereof in cummuniun. According to the second interpretation, we have only to rejM-esent how gi'oss and tmworthy of the majesty of this mystery was the notion of tlie Ca])harnaites, and how far removed from it is the Catholic faith on this point, and hence conclude how true are these words of the Saviour, that the tiesii, taken in these two senses, would protit nothing ; by this means availing oui'selves, in conhrmation of tlie orthodox doctrine, of that which is employed to oj>pose it. He told me that he had for a long tmie employed this method, and that it threw so coni])lete a disguise over controverey, that, although one might preach nothing else, hearei-s would scarcely bo aware ot the fact unless it were pointed out to them. He preached an Advent and Lent at (Jrenoble, where there are numbers of Protestants, who were more dili- gent in their attendance on his j)reaching than on that of their own ministei"s, because, they said, he was i'vee from the spirit of contention ; and yet he always em- j)loyed the fii-st part of his discoiu-se in setting forth the truths of Catholic doctrine, but in the manner I have described, the latter part being devoted to moi-al and de- votional application : the Protestants meanwhile, who never perceived the art of his method, wondering mucli at seeing him establish the faith of the Roman Chuich by the very same Scripture texts by Avhich they sup- ported their principal objections. ''Our Saint one day, while at Paris, preached a sermon on the last judgment, to which God gave so much power and ethcacy, that certain Protestants who ST. FRANCIS DR SALES. 107 a ;o had come to henr him from curiosity were so derply moved, that thev conceived a desire to confer with him on some points of faith ; the result heing their conij)lete satisfaction, and the convei-sion of an entire family of much note, whp were received into the hosom of tlie Catholic Church. " Here is the Saint's own account of the fact : * Being* at Paris, and preaching' in the queen's chapel upon tho subject of t'lo day of jud}rment (it was not a controver- sial sermon), it liiippcmed tljat Madame de Perdreauville was ])re8ent, having como from curiosity. Siie was caught in the snare, and in consequence of that sermon came to the resolution of seeking instruction; three weeks afterwards she brought her wliole family to me to con- fession, and stood godmother to them all at confirmation. See how this sermon, which was not aimed at heresy, was endued with such |)ower against it; for God at that time vouchsafed me that grace to my words in favour of these souls. " ' I have always saicl ever since that who ever pi'eaches with love, preaches sufficiently against heresy, although he may not utter a single woi-d of controvei*sy against it. For these thirty-three years that God has called me to the sacred office of breaking the bread of His Word to the people, I have certainly remarked that practical sermons, where the subject is treated with devotion and with zeal, are so many buniing coals thi*own in the faces of the Protestants who hear them ; that they are always pleased and edified by them, and are thereby rendered more docile and reasonable when we come to confer with them on disputed points. This is not my opinion alone, but that of the most celebrated preachers whom I have known ; and every one agi'ees that the pulpit ouglit not to be made the battle-groimd of controvei-sy, and that we demolish more than we build up, if we attempt any thing beyond a ])assing allusion to it.* " If a Saint's opinion on this point is worthy of no- tice, how much more of one who gathered into the Chnrch's boriom so many of her lost sheep! 198 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. " Onr Saint," says M. de Belley, " had received from liefiven n special grace for converting; sinners with- in the Cinncii, and for bringing* back tliose witliout to the bosom of tliat Mother, separated from whom wo cannot have God for our Father. As respects these, not to speak of tlie restoration of the Chaulais to the true Church, in which he co6|)erated in the convereion of from forty to fifty thousand souls, he was besides per- sonally instrumental in reclaiming^ some fifteen or six- teen thousand persons from Protestantism. This special gift for converting; was the occasion of an observation which the great Cardinal du Perron, of literary cele- brity, made one day, — that if it was a question merely oi confoitndimj hei-etics, he thoug;ht he possessed the secret ; but to convert them, they must be sent to the Bishop of Geneva, who had a commission fi*om heaven for that work. The Cardinal de Berulle was of the same opinion, and openly declared that the hand of God was witli the blessed Francis." We are not to suppose, however, that he shrank from controversy where the honour of relig-ion and the g'ood of souls required that the truth should be pub- licly vindicated. Here is an instance recorded by M. de Belley, which exemplifies his holy boldness, and at the same time manifests its source,— a perfect confidence in God, whose glory he sought alone, and a spirit of humble self-renunciation : " The Saint, when preaching Lent and Advent at Grenoble, drew such crow'ded congregations, not only of Catholics, but of Protestants belonging to the Gene- van sect, that the sermons of their own ministers were left unattended. One of these men, a turbulent spirit, seeing his pulpit deserted, after indulging in many in- vectives and injurious declamations against the Saint, defied him to a public conference. The challenge was accepted. A pei*son of merit, who did not think it ad- visable that the Saint should expose himself to this con- tost, represented to him the insolent temper of this minister, who had a hellish mouth, and the most vitupe- 8T. FHANCI8 DB SALES. 100 riitive nnd abusive of tonn'ues. * Good,' saitl tlie Saint ; * this is JMSt uliat we want.' And ns liis friend went on to rejuesent to Ijini tlmt lie would receive the most un- worthy treatment from this man, who would siiow him no more consideration than if lie was the lowest of Iho people, * Better still,' replied the holy Blshoj); *this is what I seek. What g'lory shall accrue to God from my conftu<ion !' ' But,* rejoined the other, * wouhl you expose the rank yoii hold to ignominy /' ' Our Lord,* answered the Saint, * suffered far urea ter insults Was lie not satiated with oppiobrium .'" * 0,' replied his friend, 'you are aimin»' too hij'h.' 'What shall I say/* continued the Saint. M hope tliat God will give me the grace to enilure more insults than this man can offer me ; and if we are deeply humbled, God will be g-loi iously exalted. You will see heaps of conversions after that, — a thousand falling" on the left hand and ten thousand on the riirht. It is God's wav to draw His own honoiu* from our humiliation. Did not the Apostles come forth joyfidly from those assemblies where they -had endiued affronts for the name of Jesus? Let us take courage, and God will help us. Such as hope in Him want tor nothing', and are never confounded.' " The enem}', however, who feared that this might prove a losing; game, suggested so many prudential considerations to the minister's adherents, who mis- trusted his powers, that they got the king's lieutenant, who at that time still belong-ed to tlieir sect, to prevent the conference from taking* place." d- TUE SAINT 8 LOTS OF HUMILITY AKD SIMFLICITY. " St. Gregory has well said, that when we praise a wise man in his presence, we nfilict his eai-s and pain his heart. Such was our Saint. He who so lovingly em- braced those who spoke abusive words against him was more disjtosed himself to g'ive abusive words to tho^e who offered him the slightest praise. One day, preach- 200 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. I in^' before liiin at Annccy, sind cfilling' to mind a saying' of tlie Bishop of Suluces, Tu sal eg, cffo vero iwqm' sal ncque lux,* I wjis betrayed into making; a little albi- sion to his name, observing" that he was the salt {mles) which se:ison-;d the whole mass of the people. He was so extremely disedified by this pmise, tliat when we had retuined home he reproved me in a tone and wiiii a manner that would have been severe, had he been capable of severity. * You were g^oing; on so steadily,' he said, ' and running; so well ; wTiat possessed you to be g;uilty of that sally ? Do you know you spoilt it all, and that one word was sufficient to make you lose the credit of your whole sermon ? Is it not to mix with alloy the pure g-old of the word of God to introduce the word of men ? What is the praise of the living; but the word of men ? Is it not written, Praise not any vmn before death't\ I am a fine salt indeed, — an insipid and savourless salt, fit only to be cast into the streets and trodden under foot. 1 grieve for so much good seed choked with a handful of cockle. Certainly if you said that to put me to shame, you have found out the true way.' " It was impossible that he could be ignorant of the hig'h esteem wnich not only his flock but the whole world entertained of his piety. It was to him the occa- sion of often humbling; himself before God, and of fre- quently blushing; before men, when he either saw or heard that he was accounted a holy man, and a faith- ful servant of God. ' Do you see,' he said ; ' these g'ood i)eople, with all their praises and hig-h esteem, will be the cause of my g-athering- very bitter fruit from their friendship. They will make me langiiish in purgatory for lack of pi-ayei's offered to God for my poor soul after my death, fmicyinff that it has g-one straig'ht to heaven. This is all the good I shall get of this reputation.' " It was not his habit to use expressions of humility in speaking of himself; he avoided such language, as * Thuu art salt; I, indeed, am neither salt nor liglit. f Ecclus. xi- SO. ST. FRANCIS DE 8ALE8. i?01 one of tlie c'lilfs in which that virtue is npt to suffer shipureck. IIf» so strictly adliered to this pmctice, that notliing" but stringent necessity ever le»i him to say good or evil of himself, even in the most indifferent matters. He sometimes snid that it was as difficult a feat to speak of one's self as to walk along* a tight-rope; and that a strong balance as well as wonderful circumspection was requisite to avoid a fall. He did not like to hear |>eople talking very huml)ly of themselves, unless their words proceeded from a thoroughly sfncei-e inwaiti feeling. He said that such words were the quintessence, the cream, the elixir, of the most subtle pride. The truly humble man did not desire to apj)ear humble, but to be humble. Humility is so fragile that she feai-s her own shadow, and cannot hear her own name mentioned without nin- ning the risk of perishing. He who blames himself is indirectly aiming at j)raise, and is like the rower who turns his back on the cpiarter which all his strength is employed to reach. He would be very sorry if we were to believe all the evil he says of himself; and it is his pride which makes him desire to be reckoned humble. He would often take those who used humble expi*es- sions in his hearing at their woi-d, and even add to them, in order to inflict a salutary mortification upon t|5e speaker, and give him ^ hint not to exjiose himself to the like again ; being* well ])ei'suaded that the great majority of those who say these things would be very sorry to be believed such as tliev describe themselves. " He distinguislied two kinds of humility, — external and internal. H'the former is not produced, or atlrast accompanied, by the latter, it is very dangerous, for it is nothing more than a bark, an outside coating, a de- ceitful and hypocritical appearance; whereas, if itsprinji-s from inward humility, it is verv good, and serves to edify our neighbour. He also subdivided inward humility into that of the understanding, and that of the will. The fii st is common enough ; for who is there who knows not that he is nothing? Hence so much fine talk of the nothingness of self and of creatures. The second saap 80a KT. FRANCIS DR BALES. ! ; is very rnre, because few j)ersons love liiiniiliation. Tin's Iiittei* port lius (lirt'erent dcfrreo.s ; the fii-st is to love it, the second to desire it, the tliird to practise it, nhethf i- by seeking; occasions for hinubling; our.-elves, or In' re- ceiving" wiihn<*"Iy those which ha|){>en to us. Our Saint set n much ljii>lu'r vakie on the Inst, because there is much more abjection in suffering", loving", embraciiip", and receiving" with joy, the humiliations wiiich come to us unsought, than those which are of our own choosing*; for in things of our own choice we are much more ex- posed to the assaults of self-love, unless our intention is very single and pure; and also, because where there is less of our own, there is more of the will of God. * The crosses we carve for ourselves,' he said, * are al- ways more delicate than the others ;' and he set more value on an ovmce of suffering" than on several pounds of action, good as it mig;ht be, which ])roceeded from our own will. He desired that humility, whether of the nndei-standing; or of the will, should be animated In' charity ; for otherwise, he said, we were but practising" png-an virtue. He also desired that it should be accom- panied by obedience, quoting tliat saying of St. Piiul, that our Lord had humbled Hitmelfj hecvming obedi- ent.''^ *See,' he observed, * the true measure of humi- lity, obedience. If you obey jnomptly, i'rankly, with- out murmuring, joyfully, without hesitation, and with out rej>ly, you are truly humble; and without humility it is difficult to be truly obedient; for obedience im- plies submission, and the truly humble looks upon him- self as inferior and subject to every creature for the lov<' of Jesus Chi-ist.' He recommended us to steep all our actions in the spirit of humility, and to hide our good works as much as possible from the eyes of men, desiring that they should' be seen by God alone. Ne- vertheless, he would not have us put such a constniint upon oui'selves as to do no good action in the sight of men. He loved a noljle, generous, and courageous liumility, not such as is shrinking and cowardly. He • Philip, ii. 8. ST. PHA.NCH DE fALBA. 20^5 In-eous He would not have us say any tliiri«:f for so empty an olijrct as uraise ; but ncitliPi" wonld lie liuve us al)sta5in fVoni do- ing* ffood for fear of obtainin'r esteem and admiration." The fol!owin<»- anecdote will ilhi>tnite his spirit of humility, and his avei-sion to any thing; that could bear the semblance of ostentation in piety ; and at the same time will serve to show in how much hig-her esteem he held the virtue of cliaritable condescension than the practice of cori»orol mortification : " A prelate," relates M. de Belley, " coming* to visit our Saint, he received him, as was his wont, very gra- ciously, and detained him as his g-uest a few days. One Friday evening* he soug-ht him in his apartment, to ask him to come down to supper, which was ready. * Sup- per !' exclaimed the prelate ; ' this is no time for sn|iper : surely the least one can do is to fast once a week.' The Saint did not press the matter, but, retiring", gave orders for his g^uest's collation to be served him in his own room, while he himself went down to the com- mon room to sup with the prelate's chajdains and the other persons of his household. The chaplains told him that the prelate was so exact and strict in his religious exercises, whether of prayer, fasting;, or such-like, that, no matter what company he had with him, he wonld omit nothing;; not but that he would sit at talde with them on the days when he was in the habit of fast- injr. but he would eat nothing bevond fastinj»-.fare. One day, when we w-ere convei-sing" together about li- berty of spirit, he related this incident to me, ^nd told me that condescension was the daun-hter of charitv, even as fasting; is the sister of obedience; that if obedi- ence was better than sacrifice, we oug;ht to make no scruple of pi-efen-ing* condescension and hospitality to fasting". * Do you see,' he added, * we must not be so strong-ly attached even to the most pious exei-cises as to be unwilling upon occasions to lay them aside ; other- wise, under the pretext of firmness of mind and fidelity, a refined s|)ecies of self-love will introduce itself, which will lead us to substitute the means for the end; for in- n: i : C'04 8T. PRANCIfl DB SALI8. sti'ud of making; God our object, wo fix our affections on the means wliicli lead to Go(i. And as far as concerns the fact of wiiicii we are speaiting", a Friday's fast thus interruj>ted would have served to conceal something better; fur there is no less merit in hiding; such virtues than in the virtues themselves. God is a hidden God, who loves to be served, sought, and adored in secret, as we learn from the Gosjiel. You know what hap- pened to that imprudent king* of Israel for having; dis- jilayed his treasures to the ambassadors of a barbarian monarch, who came with a powerful army and carried them all away. Crede wihi, ome mii Intuit, bene vixit.* Anv one who had seen iiim eat liis supper on Friday would never have guessed that it was Iris custom to observe that day as a fast; while he himself could very well have put it off to the nrxt day, or the following week, or even omitted the last altog;ether, to practise in its place the virtue of condescension. I malce an ex- ception in the case of the existence of a vow, for then we must be faithfiil unto death, and not trouble our heads what men will say, provided God be served.' " To the love of humility St. Francis joined an equal esteem of the virtue of simplicity. " * I know not,' he said, * what this poor virtue of prudence has done to displease me, but I have to make an effort to love it, and if I do love it, it is of pure necessity, seeing; that it is the salt and torch of life. But the beauty of sim- plicity charms me, and I would at any time give a hun- dred serpents for one dove.' He laboured not only to banish from reIig;ious houses the pest of sing;idarity, but also to lead those j)ei-sons who niake a profession of devotion in the world to avoid it ; saying; that this defect rendered their piety not only offensive but ridi- culous. He wished people to conform externnliy, as much as possible, to tJie mode of life of those who fol- lowed the same profession, without affecting* to make themselves remarkal!:' by any sing-ularity ; proposing; the example of our Saviour, who in the days of His * Believe uie he Mbu hides well lives well. 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. 206 ns us ie» •et, ap- iis- -ian I'ied nt* day a to very Ying isein a ex- tlien our a 01 » " t. mortal life wa» pleased to make Himself m all tinners like to His brethren, sin only excepted. The Saint was most careful to practise this lesson in his own j)ei*S(>n ; and durin}>' fourteen years that I was under his guid- ance, and studiously observed his behaviour, and even his most tnAing- g^estures as well as his words, I never perceived any thing" in him the least ap|)roachin«^ to singularity. He has often told me that our outward demeanoiu" oug-ht to resemble water, wliich, tlie better it is, the clearer, the purer from admixture, and the moi-e devoid of taste it is. Nevertheless, altliough there was nothing of singularity in him, he appeared to me so singular in this very thing" of having no sing'ularity in him, that every thing" in him was in my eyes singular. I have always remembered what an eminent and pious individual said to me one day at Paris, tliat nothing reminded him so strongly of the convei-sation of our Lord among" men as the presence of the angelic coun- tenance of this blessed prelate, of whom it mig"l^t be said that he was not only clothed but altogether filled with Jesus Christ." The following little incident may be taken as an ex- ample of his gi'eat love of this virtue. " Our Saint, after preaching Advent and Lent at Grenoble, conceived a desire to visit the Grande Chartreuse, distant only three lea^ies. Dom Bruno d' Affringues, a native of St. Omer in rlandei-s, a pei-son of profound learning and hu- mility, and of still more profound simj)licity, was at that time prior and geneml of the whole order. He received our Saint with a welcome becoming his piety, candour, and sincerity, of which you are going to hear an in- stance which our Saint praised up to the skies. After having conducted him to one of the rooms allotted to guests, and suitable to his rank, and after convening with him on heavenly mattei-s, he took his leave to go and prepare himself for matins. The Saint approved his punctuality highly ; the good j)rior moreover adding in excuse that it was the feast of a Saint much honoured in his oi'der. Leave having been taken with all due I i '.. 1 21)0 gX. PUANClXri DB HALBM, coniplimont^ of honour nnd respect, ns the pnor wns re tii-iiiff to his cell, lie was mot l»y one of the piormntoi-a of the honsi', who n^kcd him whitlier he wns |ioiij«r, nnd wliero lie Ijiid left Monseigneiir of Geneva. ' I lelt him in liis room,' replied the juior, 'and have taken leavi) of him, that I may <^o nnd jnepare myself in my cell for matins, on account of to-morrow's feast.' ' Really, reverend father,' rejoined the religious, * you are very ijinorant of worldly proprieties. What ! it is question merely of a feast of our order, «nd have we then every day the opportunity of receiving- ])relates of such ex- alted merit in our desert? Do you not know that God takes pleasure in the sacrifices of hospitality ? You will always have jilenty of time to sin«f the jjraises of God and matins in uhundance; hut who can entertain so great a prela*^e as well as yourself? What a disg-racc to the house tliat you should leave him hy himself in this way !' * My child,' replied the reverend iathei', * I believe you are rig-ht, and that I have done wrong.' And he immediately went back to the Bishop of Geneva, and said to him with the most perfect in- g-eiii.ousness, ' Monseigneur, ns I was going away, I mrt one of our officers, who j)ointed out to me that I had committed a fault in leaving you alone ; that I should have other opportunities of attending matins, but that it is not every day that we have MonseigTieur of Geneva. I thought he was right, and so I came back at once to entreat yoin* pardon, and to beg you to ex- cuse my fault, for I am telling you the truth when I say that I committed it throuoh inadvei-tence.' The Saint was quite charmed with tliis singular instance of frankness, candour, ingenuousness, and simplicity ; and a.ssui>ed me he was more delighted with it than if he had witnessed a miracle." The extreme simplicity which in St. Francis himself was united to the profoundest humility is further ex- hibited by M. de Bellev. '* I have known," he says, " great servants of Gocf whom nothing could have in- duced to allow any one tjo t^ke thci)' portrait, believing •T. PKA!«r UB ML' m re Ol"S md lim cell aiy, irery ition very I ux- God I will God in so gvncc self in atlier, vong.' lop of !Ct in- ray, I tlmt I that I 18, but leiu* of [e back to ex- lien I The ince of ; and if he himself her ex- says, lave in- ^lieving tlmt Mich nn net would v soihh H^t of VMnity or dangiTOUs coinj)laisnuce. > m. ^ inf , •. f.o made hiin'-clt ull thiti<'-s to all men, niadu no dithculry ahotit tiic iiuit- ter. His reaison was this, that ns th« law of ciiarity olilig'08 us to communicate to our neig-iibour the picture of our mind, imparting* to iiim frankly and withotit j;Tud";ingf all we have learnt with resjwct to the science of salvation, we ong'ht not to make any greater ob- jection to g-ive our friends the satisfaction thev desire of havin<^ uefore their eyes, through the medium of painting, the re{)resentation of our outward man. ]f we see, not onlv without annoyance, but evfn with pleasure, our books, which are the portraits of our minds, m the hands (if our nei«»;hbours, why grudge them the features of our face, if the {)os£iession of them will con- tribute an}' thing to their pleasure? These are his own words, writing on the subject to a friend : * Hei-e, at any rate, is the i)orti-ait of this eaithly man, so little am 1 able to refuse you any thin«jf you desire. I am told that it is the best likeness that was ever tflken of me, hut I think that matters very little : In imaifine per- transit homo, Acd et fniittra contin-batur.* J had to borrow it in order to give it you, for I have none of my own. Would that the likeness of my Creator did but shine forth in mv mind ! — with what i»leasui-e would you behold it ! O fent^ tuo hminc\ tvo rcdfmptoH mn{jumt'y mntty refovCy perpc^j tibi conformed fjffice. Amen.'^ " Whereu|)on take notice of his ingenuity in draw- ing profit from, and refening to Goal's glory, every thing that occurred; taking occasion of this portrait to teitch so beautiful a lesson of humihty and modesty, both to the pei^^on to whom he was sending it and to himself, after having first given the former a ju-oof of his ready condescension. A man of a constrained and * " Man pssseth u an image ; yea, and is disquieted in vain." Psalm xxxviii. 7. ■)■ () Jesus, by Thy light, heal, rt- new, make perfect tbosu who have been redeemed by Thy blood, and make them conformable to Thee. Amen. 208 8T. FRANCIS DR SALES. <> I ♦ [ timid s|»int would have stiffened himself, nnd would Imve raflior chosen some jj^reut moi-tiHcntion tlinn liiive jtllowpjl his liki'ness to he taken. And why? To pre- seivo immilitv, or for fejir of offend injjf nguinst it ; ;ind liere in u Saint wiio finds tin op|M)rtunity in the verv sjime thing" for the exercise of humility, and that witli so g-ood a ^race that it is iiard to say which is the mo!!it uniiseworthy in this action, the g-enerosity displayed in his hnmilitv, or the humility evinced in his genero^iitv." The following" little anecdote is also to the p)int. " In the year 1010 he accompanied his Eminence the Ciirdinal of Savoy to Pans, who went thither to he pro- sent at tlie marriage of the Prince of Piedmont, his hrother, with Madame the King's sister, Christine of France. A man of the new religion asked to suenk with him one day, and was sltown into his room. This individual walking in, asked him at once, without the preface of salutation or compliment, * Are you the per- son they call the Bishop of Geneva T *' ' Sir,' re[)lied our prelate, * I am so styled.' " * I want you to tell me, since you are reckoned every where to be an apostolic man, if the Apostles drove ahout in carriag'es.' " Our Saint was a little taken by surpHse at this attack ; hut collecting himself, he remembered what is related of St. Philip in the Acts of the Apostles, who mounted the chariot or carnage of the eunuch of Can- dace, queen of Ethiopia, which suggested to him the reply, that they made use of carriages when it suited their convenience, and as opportunity presented itself. " The other shook his nead, and said, ' I should like you to give me Scripture proof of that ;' upon which he referred to the example just mentioned. * But that carriage,' replied the other, * did not belong to him, but to the eunucli who invited him into it.' " * I did not say that the camag-e belonged to him ; but only that when the opportunity presented itself, they drove in carriages.* *'* * But in gilded embroidered can-iages, so gorge- HT. FRANCIS DR SALES. son lipon him, tself, jrge- ous, nnd dr-wn l»y such splendid liorses, nnd dnvfn liv coaclimnn in »nrU handsninu li varies, that the kiii^ hiiiw fielf wouhi not tiiin out u jrninder enuipajfe .' — this wo do not rend, and this is wliut scandidises nio in von who pluy the saint nnd are rejHited sueh. Certainly these nve tine saints who journey to Parudise (juite at their ease.' " * Alas ! sir,' replied our Saint, * they of f Jeneva who keep possession of the property of my hishonric have cut tlio p*rass so close, that it is all I fan d<> f(? live in a small and poor way upon the re^ i iieviT had a carriage of my own, or tin < '.toping one. "'Then that grand and magnificent e(jnipage in which I constantly see you is not your own ! " ' No,' replied the TJishop, * and you may well call it gi'and, for it belongs to his majesty, and is one of those which the king lias allotted for the |)ersons wlio, like myself, are in the suite of the })rinces of Savoy ; you may know them by the king's livery which the coachman wears.' " * Well, I am very glad of it, and I like you the better. You are poor, then, it seems f " *I do not complain of my [wvevty, since T hnvc enough for a decent maintenance witliout superfluit\ ; nnd even if I suifeied something from straitened circuii- stunces, I should do wrong to complain of what Jesn Chnst chose for His life-long })ortion, living a'ul d ii .: in the arms of poverty. However, the family to whicli I belong owing allegiance to the house of Savoy, 1 liav*- esteemed it an honour to accompany the Cardinal <ii Savoy on this journey, and to be present at tlie cele- bration of the alliance which his brother, the Prince of Piedmont, contracts with France by his mairiage with Madame the King's sister' "The Protestant was so well satisfied with tliis ex Elanation, that he declared to him he would lienceloi rh old him in esteem, and took his leave highly pli nsfd, " It was the Saint's opinion that we fchuuld take 210 8T. PRANCr? DE SALES. care of our rppTitation, more for God's service tlinn for our own liononr, nnd rntlicr to avoid scandal tlian to nngrnent our own credit. He compared reput.»tion to tobacco, wliicli may be of service wljen used in modera- tion, and but seldom ; but wbicb injures and offuscatcs tbe brain wlien indulj^ed in too often, and without mode- ration. * Wliat,' be exclaimed one day, ' is reputation, that so many should sacrifice themsi»iv«'.^ to this idol? After nil, it is but a dream, a shadow, an opinion, a smoke, a praise, the memory whereof perishes witli the sound — an esteem sometimes so false, that many take pleasure in hearing; themselves lauded for virtues, of which they all the while know they have the opposite vices ; and blamed for faults with which they are not charo-cable. Those who complain of calumny ai-e very sensitive. It is a little cross of woixls, whicii the wind dispei*ses. I do not like to hear a person say, * That expression wounded me,' in allusion to something- of- fensive which has been said to him ; for there is a g-reat deal of difference between the humming" of a bee and its sting". We must have a very delicate ear, and a very thin skin, if the one cannot endure the buzzing" of a fly, and if the other is pricked by the mere sound of it. Was ever a reputation so torn to ]>ieces as that of Jesus Christ ? What insult but was heajied upon Him ? What calumny with which He was not assaile<l ? And yet the Father has g-iven Him a Name which is above every name, and has exalted Him in projwrtion to His abasement. And did not the Apostles g-o forth jovfully from those assemblies where they had received affronts for the name of Jesus ? Oh, but it is a glory to 'suffer in so noble a cause ! I understand — we must have no- thinaf but illustrious persecutions, that our lig^ht may be displayed in dai'kness, and our vain-gloiy shine in the midst of our suffering's ! We must be gloriously cnicified ! But do you suppose that, when the mai tvrs endured such cruel tortures, they were pmir^ed bv.tlio spectntoi"S, tmd not, on the contrary, cursed and held in execration? Ah, how few ])ei'sons there ai'e who are ST. FRANCIS DK SALES. 211 ready to sncnfict* tlw'n- ipjnit.-ition, to promote tlie:t'''Y the jilory ot" Him who di«*(l so i^iiomiiiiously upon the cross, to merit for lis u gloiy tliat >hiill have no end !' '* As I was about to repair to Paris, to |)reach tlie Lent, he rehited to me the I'oUowing: anecdote, in order to teacii me to make h'ttle account of what people mi^^ht say of me. The superior of il coUeg-e had given a good old man the charg^e of a clock, to prevent time from hano-ing- heav}' on his hands. But the old man, after a wliile, found he had never iiad so worrying* and trou- blesome an office imposed upon him. * Wliat !' said the superior, ' do you mean the trouble of winding; it up twice a-day ?' 'Oh, no !' he rej)lied ; * I mean the being; bothered on all sides.' * How so?' rejoined the su|>erior. * It is,' replied the other, * because when the clock is rather slow, those who work at the colleg;e complain ; and so, to please them, I put it on a little. Then the townspeople fall upon me, and say the clock gains ; and if I put it back to satisfy them, then I have the othei-s renewing" theii complaints; so that my liead is just like the metal upon which the hammer of the cIock stiikes, and I am quite bewildered with all this fault-finding-.* The superior, to comfort him, said, * I will give you a cood j)iece of advice, which will keep them all quiet. When the clock gains, and people find fault, say : I^eave it to me, I will see and put it oack.' ' But the othei-s,' exclaimed the good man, ' will come oj)en-mouthed at me.' ' Say to them,' replied the superior, 'Children, let me alone ; I will see that it does not lose. But in the mean time leave the clock alone to go as best it may; only give good and quieting words, and all will be satis- fied, and you yourself in peace.' " * Do you see,* said our Saint to me, 'you are about to be the butt of many contradictoiy judgments. If you attend to what people say of vou, there will be no end of it. What is to be done, tlien? Give them all good and kind words, but, after all, go your own way; follow your own bias ; do not attempt to change it in consequence of all the many hints— most of them con- 212 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. trarv to oncli other — wliicli vou mav receive ; look to , and abandon yourself freely to the leading's of His pprace. It ouf»;ht to be a very small matter to us to be judged of men, since it is not our object to please them ; it is God who is our Judg'e, and who sees tlie ground of our hearts, and penetrates the darkness of its most hidden recesses.' " THE 8 VINT 8 DOCTRINE OF PERFECTION, AND MODE OF ijPIKITUAL DIRECTION. " * I hear,* said our Saint sometimes, * evei-y one talking about perfection, but I see very few persons who practise it. Each has his own notion of it ; some place it in austerity of dress, others in that of eating*, others in almsgiving", others in the frequentation of tlie sacraments, others in prayer, others in a certain species of passive' and exalted contemplation, others in those extraordinary g-races which are called gratuitous ; but all these deceive themselves, mistaking the means or the effects for the cause. As for me, I know of no other perfection than the loving God with all our heart, and our neighbour as oui-selves. All other perfection without this is a false perfection. Charity is the one bond of y)erfection among Christians, and the only vir- tue which unites us truly with God and with our neigh- hour, which is our end and ultimate perfection. This is the end of all perfection, and the perfection of every end. I know that ar.sterities, prayer, and other vir- tuous exercises are excellent means to advance in per- fection, provided they are done in chaiity, and through the motive of charity. We must not, however, ]>lace perfection in the means, but in the end to which the means conduct, otherwise it would be a stopping short in the middle of our road before we had reached the goal.* "Our Saint set a high value on desires, and said ST. FRANCIS DK SALK8. 213 that upon the c-ood use of them (lej)ended all proirress of the spiritual edifice. To uinke ^leat pro|^icss in divine love, wherein consists ail onr perfection, we must have a perpetual desire to love Him moi*e and more, and must resemhle tliose birds which the projiliet saw, which always ilew rig-ht on without ever returning", and that g-reat Apostle who always jH'essed fbrwsu'ds with- out looking" hack, and without reckoning that he had ever attained the g'oaj, becati&e in spiritual thinji-s, and in divine love, nothing must ever suffice us ; sutticiency here consisting p-.incipidly in a desire of greater ahimd- ance, since in this world charitv can always increase, liowever great we may Im!l^lne it to he; its permanent and full-grown state being reserved for heaven. Oh, how -n'eatly did he admire those words of St. Bernard, A mo quia amo, amo ut cnru'in.* He does not love God enough, who does not desire to love Him more. One who has a generous spirit is not satisfied with loving Him with all his heart, because, knowing that God is greater than his heart, lie would wish to have a larger heart, to Iovh Him more. " He said that the most serious occupation of a true and faithful Christian was, to aim unceasingly at the perfection of fjis own state; tiiat is, to perfect himself more and m<n"e in the state of life in which he finds* himself. ]\ow, the perfecticm of the state of each one of us is, to proportion the means well to the end, and to make use of such as are suited, in our sttue, to ad- vance us in cliarity, in whicli alone consists tlie true and essential j)erfection of Christianitv, and without which nothing" can be called |)erfect. Our Saint i"«H'om- raended, above all things, to avoid the fault of ovn-- eagerness, which he called the capital enemy and tiie l)est of true devotion. It is better, he said to do a little, and that well, than to undertake much, and exe- cute it imperfectly. It is not, he observed, by tie multiplicity of the things which we do, that we advance * I love God because I love Him, and I luvu 11 im in order to love Him still better. 214 ST. rnANCIS DR BALES. in perfection, but by tbe tervom* mul purity of intention with wjjicli we do tliern. Wlience we condude, ** 1st. i hat our progress in perfection depends, not 80 much on the nndtititde of our tictions, as on the fer- vour of lioly love with which wo perform them. "2d. I'iiat » good action, performed with great fervour, is more meritorious, and more pleasing* to God, than many of the same sort performed with tepidity and remissness. *' 3d. That purity of intention raises the merit of a ffood action verv hijfh ; because, as the end of an ac- tion IS what imparts to it its value, the more pure and excellent that end is, the more exquisite is the action. Now, what wv)rthier end can wc nave in our actions than that of God's g'lory / " In familiar conversations he would have us speak little and ivell, — that was his constant rule ; and in action he would have us not attempt so much, but i)er- form what little we did with great perfection. Ho lii""hly a|)proved of that saying of an ancient einj)eror, Ii'stina lente.^ Another of his favourite mottoes was, * Soon enouj^h, if well enough.* " And when it was objected to him. What, then, is to become of that insatiable love of which the masters of the spiritual life sjieak — that love which never says it is enoug-h, which never thinks it has reached its goal, but which is always pushing- on with quick steps / — ho replied : * It is by the roots we must make progress in this love, rather than bv the branches.' Which he ex- plained thus : * To grow in branches is to perform a midtitude of virtuous actions, of which many are not only defective, but often superfluous, and like those use- less vine-branches which must be pruned to enrich the fruit ; and to grow in i*oot is to perform few works, but with much perfection, that is, with much love of God, wherein consists all the perfection of a Christian. It is to this that the Apostle exhorts us, when he tells uo to be rooted and founded in chanty, if we would knom *he * ]Mskc hast* slrtwly. ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 215 chart f if ofCJiristy which stirpa^seth hnotrlrthjc* But it may be stud : Can we do too much for God .' and must we not make haste to press on before the nij'ht of death comes, when no one can work ; must we not do nil the good we can, wliile we have the time? All the«e :u*e adorable truths, and worthy of our deep consideration ; but they are not contrary to tiiis maxim, rather to perform a few good and perfect actions than many im[)erfect ones. To make a solid pio^ress in perfection, it is not so much question of mulliplymjr exercises as increftsinj»f the fer- vour, the strength, and the purity of divine love in our ordinary actions, since a small virtue animated by an ardent, strons", and pure charity, is incomparably more pleasing" to God, and gives Him more glory, than a more shining* one performed with a tardy, weak, and less puriHed cliarity.' *' Our Saint, with reference to this subject, told us one day tliat some good nuns had once said to him, ' What shtdl we do, sir, this year ? Last year we fasted three times in the week, and took the discipline as often. What shall we do now ? for of coui*sc we must do something" more this year, both as an ncknowled""- ment of gratitude to God for the past, and also that we ma}' continually advance in His service.* * You are quite right,' I replied, * in saying that we must be con- tinually advancing ; but our j)rogress is not effected, as you imag le, by the multitude of our pious exercises, I)ut by the perfection with w^hich we perform them, ever placing more confidence in God and feeling greater mistrust of oui'selves. Last year you fasted three times a week and took the discipline three times; if you wish always to double your exercises, you must give tlie whole week to them this year; but what will you do next year/ You will have to make nine days in the week, or make a double fast each day. Great is their folly who amuse themselves with desiring to go and be martyred in the Indies, and meanwhile do not upj)ly themselves to the duties of their own state ; but * Eph. iii. 17, 10. 216 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. »*■*;; ^reat also is tlie delusion of those who would eat more than tliey can dig-est. We have not enough spiritual warmth to di{>'est well all that we take in hand for our perfection, and yet we will not lay aside tin's anxioua spirit which possesses us of desiring to do a great deal/ " Devotion, he said, was a gentle and tranquil fer- vour, while eagerness was an indiscreet and turhulent bubble, and pulls down while it thinks to build up. Of all the various species of eagerness, he above all blamed that of tryinjj to do several things at once. He compared it to endeavouring to thread more than one needle at the same time. He who undertakes two works at once succeeds in neither. When he was doing any thing, or speaking of any matter, he gave his whole rnind to it, as if that were his only business, and as if it were tlie last work he should have to per- form in this world. Sometimes, when he was seen to spend even whole hours with person j of no conse- quence, who were talking to him of things of trifling importance, he would say, * These mattei-s ap|)ear to them weighty, and they desire to be comforted, as if they were so in fact. God knows, I do not require any higher employment. All occupations are equal to me, provided tney concern His service. While I am en- gaged in these little works, I am not bound to be doing any thing else. Is not the doing God's will a suffi- ciently great work ? We make little actions great by performing them with a great desire to please God; the merit of our services consisting not in the excel- lency of the work, but in the love which accompanies them, and the merit of that love in its purity, and of that purity in its unity of intention.' " Although our Saint possessed the most eminent virtues, nevertheless he had a tender love for the smallest, that is for those which appear such in men's ey^s; for there are none, especially of tlie infused, which are not great in tl»e sight of God. * Every body,* he said, * desires to possess the splendid and striking virtues whicluare attached to the summit of the cross^ ST. FRANCIS DK SALES. 217 that they mnv be visible from afar and admired of men. But few seek to gjither those which, Hke the sweet thyme, grow at the foot and in the shadow of this tree of life. And ye*, these are the most fi-ag-rant, and have been more abundantly watered with the Saviour's Blood, who taug^ht Christians, as their fii*st lesson, to learn of Him, who was tneek and humble of /wart.* Every one is not called upon to exercise the heroic virtues of fortitude, ma{>7ianimity, magnificence, mar- tyrdom, endurance, constancy, valour. 'J'he opportu- nities for practising these are rare ; and yet all aspire to them, oecause they are striking and g-lorious ; and often it will happen that pei'sons, imagining' they are capable of them, become puffed up with a vain self- cor.^idence, and when the time for action comes, tumble upon their noses. We do not meet with opportunities for making large sums of money every day, but every day we can gain farthings and pence ; and by econo- mising well these little profits, we may in time giow rich. We should heap up great spiritual riches, and lay up much treasure in heaven, if we employed in the service of the holy love of God all the trivial occa- sions which are presenting themselves every moment. It is not sufficient to perform actions of great virtue, if we do not perform them with great charity ; for it is this virtue which gives the foundation, the weight, the price, and the value to good works in the sight of God ; and an action of small virtue (for all virtues are not equal in their nature) performed with much love of God, is far more excellent than one of a higher virtue done with less love of God. A cup of cold water given with this great love is meritorious of eteraal life. Two pieces of money of very trifling value, given with this same love by a poor widow, were piefeiTed by Jesus Ciirist Himself to the costly presents which tlie rich cast into the treasury. People set little value on those slight acts of condescension to the tiresome hu- * St. Matthew xi. 29. }18 ST. FRANCIS DE SALSf. niours of our nci^libom*, on bearing his imperfections with sweetness, and modestly putting up with his dis- agi'eeable behaviour ; on the Ipve of contempt and of our own humihation; on patience under some slight injustice, or preference of otiiei-s to oui-selves, or aifront received, or on the performance of lowly actions be- neath our condition ; on receiving thankful 1}' ; on hum- bling oui-selves to equals and inferiors, and treating our servants with consideration and kindness : all this seems very pitiful to those whose heni-t is lofty, and whose eyes are exalted. We would have nothing but showy sind well-di-essed virtues, which reflect credit on us, without considering that they >\ ho would please men are not the servants of God, and that the friendship of the world makes us the enemies of God.' " It wjis consistent with these views that this great Saint shouldjiave attached much higher importance to internal than to exterior mortification, and that his method was to be^fin from within, laying a solid foun- dation for the s|)iritual life, and drawing persons on gently to those external renunciations which were the fruit of a genuine humility and love of God. " He was in the habit of saying," observes M. de Belley, " that gi-ace in general imitates nature and not art, which only works exteiiially, as, for instance, in painting and sculpture, whereas nature begins its woiks from within j hence the saying, that the heart is th" first to live, and the last to die. When endeavouring to lend souls to a Christian life, and to get them to give \ip their worldly habits, he did not talk to them of ex- ternals, neither of their hair, nor their dress, nor such like thing-s ; he spoke only to the heart and of the heart ; knowing well that if that fortress was gained, the rest would never hold out. * See, when a house is on fire,* he said, Miow people throw all the iumiture out at the windows. When the true love of God gains possession of a heaj-t, all which is not God seems but little worth.' Some one expressing surprise, one day, that a distin- guished lady of great piety, who was under his dii'ec- 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. 219 tion, hod not even left off wenring* ear-rings, lie replied, ' I assure you I do not so much as know whether she has any eurs; for she comes to confession with her hend so completely covered up, or with a great scarf so thrown over it, that I do not know how she is dressed. Besides, I believe that that holy woman, He))ecca, who was quite as virtuous as she is, lost nothing of her holiness by weai-ing the ear-rings which Eliezer pre- sented her on the part of Isaac* This same ladv, having caused some diamonds to be set upon a gold cross she wore, was accused to the holy Bishop of vanity on this account, wMio replied, that what was reprehended as an instance of vanity, was to him matter of much edification. * Would,* he said, * that all the crosses in the world were covered with diamonds and all manner of precious stones: is not this to devote the spoils of the Egyptians to the service of the tabei-nacle, and to glory in the cross of Jesus Christ ? What better use can she make of her jewels than to adorn with them the standard of our redemption?' All through love, nothing through constraint : this was his great motto, and the mainspring of his direction. I have often heai"d him make this beautiful observation : * In the voynl gal- ley of divine love there is no galley-slave ; all the row- ei-s are volunteei-s.' Upon this prmciple he never gave a command except in the form of persuasion or i-equest. He desired that m matters of spiritual government men should deal with souls according to tiie mode observed by God and His angels, — leading them by inspirations, suggestions, illumiiiations, remonstrances, entreaties, so- licitations, in all patience and doctrine ; knocking Ike the spouse at the door of hearts, gently pressing a<rainst them that they may open ; if so be they o[)en, intro- ducing salvation into them with joy ; if they refuse, bearing the denial with gentleness. ** As I complained to the Saint of the opposition I met with, in my diocesan visits, to the good I wished to etfoct ; * What a domineer ">g spirit you have !' he said. * You want to walk n\ the wings of tlie wind } 220 ST. FRANCIS DR SALES. you let your zeal carry you away. You want tc .0 more than Got!, and constmin the wills ot" creutuies whom God has made free. You deal summarily, as if the wills of your priests were all in yotir hands. But God, in whose hands are the hearts of all men, docs not act thus. He bears with resistance and rel)elIion against the light He gives; ]Ie allows His inspirations to bu opposed, even to the grieving of His Spirit ; and finally sutfera those to destroy themselves wlio, through the hardness of their impenitent hearts, heap up treasures of wrath against the day of venjjfcance. Nevertheless, He ceases not to send tliem ins{)n-ations, although men resist His attractions, and say to Him : Depart from us ; we will not follow your ways. Our guardian angels imitate His behaviour in this respect; and though we abandon God by our iniquities, they do not abandon us. Do you desire better examples for the regulation of your conauct ?' " He was frequently employed to brin"* about the reform of religious houses; but his methorlwai. to ad- vance very gently, practising his own device of nif king haste slowly ; for though divine gi'ace does not love delays, nevertheless he would not have one push on with an injudicious fervour, which is always going into extremes, and fails of doing good from wishing to do too much at once. He desired to advance step by step, often repeating that saying of the wise man, that ' the path of the just an a shining light goeth forwards and incrcaseth even to perfect day.^* ' True progress/ he said, 'is from the less to the gi-eater. God Himself, who has no need of time to bring thing's to perfection, although He powerfully accomplishes iTie end He pro- poses to Himself, effects it by such gentle methods, that they are almost imperceptiole.* He did not follow the example of those who begin reformation by the ex- terior, in order to arrive, as tliey say, at the interior, and stop so long at the ba/k, that they Ibrget the pith. In introducing a reform int 3 monasteries, he insisted in • ProT. iv. 18. IT. FRANCIS DE 8ALK8. OOI tliosfl of men only on two points,— tlio rxcrcisp of me- tal prayer, wi:h its insepnmble companion, spiiifiiiil reading, and thp frequenting of the two sacraments of penance and the Holy Eiiciiarist. * Witli these,' he said, ' all will bo brought about without effort and without contradiction, gently and gi-aduolly.' For women, ho required but two things : one corpond, the other spi- ntual. 1. Enclosure, as enjoined by the Council of Tivnt : without tho observance of this rule, he did not think they could live with reputation, or safety to their honour. 2. Mental prayer twice a day, half an hour each time. * With attention to these points,* he said, * a convent of women can be very easily brought back to their duty and the observance of their nde.* Of austerities and corporal moiiiificutions he said nothing, recommending no fasts beyond those of the Church, neither bare feet, nor abstinence from meat, nor disuse of linen, nor night- wateliings, nor so many other mortifications ; — holy practices, it is true, but which in themselves regard only the exterior. Being consulted one day upon t'^.e intro- duction of bare feet into a religious nouse, he I'eplied, * Wliy don't they leave their shoes and stockings alone ? it is the head that wants reforming, not the feet.' He considered that indiscreet austerities are one of the snares into which those who are entering on a devout life are apt to fall. They fancy they can never do too much, as if they would by main force repair their past faults ; and they never think they are domg so well as when they are spoiling every thing. The evil spirit, who can fashion his aiTows against us out of all kinds of wood, makes use of these immoderate fervours to ren- der them subsequently unfit for the service of God, for want of bodily vigour. We ought to be more discreet, and remember that God desires of us a reasonable ser- vice. St. Bernard, in the early days of his convei-sion, stumbled upon that stone ; and towards the end of his life he blamed his past austerities as others blame their excesses, and in his humility called them the eirors of his youth. To a nun who, from a motive of penance, Stii! BT. FRANC IS UB 8ALBS. h.ul iinderfakpii more hmriy jiii«*toiiti>s tlinn lier deli- cntv iind teehlo constitution could support, our Saint piive this counsel, worthy of iiis g-entleness nnd pru- dence : ' Do not burden your weak body with any aus- terity beyond wlint your nile imposes. Preserve your bodilv strength to serve God in spiritual exercises, wliicli we are often obliged to retrencli when we linvo indiscreetly overladen tiie soul's fellow-lnbouier in their performance. Very few pei*sons, even nuiong" such m are spiritual, hold tiio balance fairly in this mutt(.>r; the 8|)irit, which is willing, almost always overloading the flesh, which is weak. They do not reflect that as the spirit cannot bear the flesh when it is too well fed, neither can the flesh support the spiiit when it is kept too \ow' " Interior moi-tificati<ms are incomparably more ex- cellent than external ones, and they are not subject, like the latter, to hyiwcrisv, vanity, and indiscretion. And those which Goa sends us, or which come to us on the part of men by His permission, are always more pre- cious than such as are the ofl^spring of our own will. These prove a stumbling-block to many who embrace with eagerness the mortifications which their inclina- tion sugges^ts, and which, notwithstanding their appa- rent severity, are no gi-eat trouble to them, on account of the facility which their own predilection imparts; lut when they encounter some which jnoceed from nnotlitn- cause, they find them insupportable, however slight they may be. For instance, such a one will have a s-trong inclination for the discipline, for hair-shirts, fasts, and sackcloth, but will be so sensitive withal aljout his repu- tation, that the most trifling jest or unfavourable obser- vation will put him out of breath, and will ti-ouble his peace of mind and prejudice his reason, canying him on to deplorable extremities. Another will apply himself with ardour to the exercises of pi-ayei* and penance and the [n-actice of silence, who will give way to excessive impatience and anw-er, and fly out in unmeasured la- mentations at the loss of a law-suit, or some trifling damage to property. A third will give alms liberally, ST. PRANCI8 DB SALB9. 22S Jind found ninfiniHccnt rharitalilo fstiildislinifiit'-, nlm will ln'cak toifli in j^roruis :»ml tipmlile witli li'ui- ut the sli^litest iiiHrniity oi's.jkiipss, nnd tVom wlioni tin* most tnHin;>' l>odily |>ain di-a^. s untold and intniniinaMu la- nx'ntations. According- as each is severally attaclied to tlie g^ood tliinjj^s which minister to honour, profit, or pleasure, they bear with more or loss patience the ills which are contrary to these si)ecies of jroods, without considering- that it is the hancl of God wliicii bestows and takes them away, nccordin;»; to His pleasure. It is, in tiict, that we wish to serve God, not according- to His Will, but accuiding- to our own; in our way, not His. Do you think this is just? " To cure this malady of the soul, our Saint ad- dresses it in these terms : ' Kiss frequently in your heart the crosses which our Lord Himself has laid u[)on you. Do not stop to examine if the wood of which they are com|)osed is precious or odoriferous. They are more frequently crosses when they are of n common, vile, nnd unfra<*-mnt wood. It is n {»;ood thing- that this thouglit should be ever recurring- to me, nnd that it should be the only songf I know ; doubtless it is the song- of the Lainb; it is somewhat snd, but it is sweet audliar- inonious : Father, not an J will., hut an lliou wilt. Mag'dalen seeks our Lord while holding Him. She in- quires for Him of Himself. She did not see Him in the form she desired, and so she was not satisfied with seeing- Him thus ; she sought Him, that she might find Him otherwise. She desired to see Him in His robe of glory, and not in the mean habit of a "gardener. Ne- vertlieless, she knew Him when He saiil to her Manj. Do you see it is our Lord in the g-ardener's dress whom you meet every day here and there in the little common mortifications which happen to you ? you wouhl wish Him to offer you more bi-illiant mortifications. my Lord, the most brilliant are not the best. Do vou not believe that He says to you, Mary, Mary? JNo, be- fore you Ijehold Him in His glory. He wishes to plant in your gparden many little lowly flow-el's, but flowers 234 ST. FnANCIS DE SALES. mucli to His taste ; tliis is why He wears this attire. Mfty oiir hearts he ever united to His, and our wills to His p-ood pleasure !' " Our Saint was in the habit of blaming- a rather common mistake arnong'st persons making- a special pro- fession of piety, who frequently apply themselves to tlie practice of the virtues least conformable to their state, and neglect those which are the most suited to it. ' This disorder,* he said, * proceeds from the distaste which men very commonly feel for the occupations which their du- ties impose upon them. As relaxation gradually finds its way into convents when their inmates wish to limit themselves to the practice of the virtues belonging to the secular state ; so, on the other hand, it is a source of no less trouble in private families, where an indiscreet and injudicious devotion would seek to introduce into them the exercises of the cloister. Some persons fancy they are highly extolling a secular household, when they say it resembles a religious house, and that the life led within it is quite conventual ; forgetting that this is to seek to gather figs on thom-bushes, or grapes on brambles. Not but that these exercises are good and holy ; but we must consider and take into account the circumstances of place, time, pei-sons, and condition. An ill-ordered charity is no longer chaiity ; it is a fish out of water, and a tree transplanted into a soil which is not fit for it.' He compared this inconsistency of mind, which exhibits so great a deficiency of good sense and judgment, to the caprice of those epicures who wish to have fresh cherries at Christmas, and ice in the month of August, not being satisfied with eating of each thing in its proper season. " There is nothing so common in the world, and perhaps out of the world, as dissatisfaction with om* state in life. When the enemy cannot induce us to sin by open temptations, he attacks us on one side, and when he cannot make us stumble, he does all he can to disturb us ; and tiiere are no more vexatious subjects of disquietude, or productive of more bitterness, than ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 005 those which indine us to dissatisfaction with our state in life. The Holy Spirit sneakinc' in the Scriptui-es cries to us, Let every one abiae in the state to whieh God has called him; and the evil spirit sujjj^ests nothing; so mucli to us as to leave and change it. This is why i\m ffi'eat secret is to stick firmly hy th# boat in which God has placed us, that we may make a prosperous voyjiire through life to the harbour of a blessed eternity. Sncii was our Saint's opinion, which he thus expressed : ' Do not amuse your mind with other mattei-s. Do not sow your desires in other men's fields ; be contented with cultivatiag" your own well. Desire not to be what you are not, but desire to be excellently well what you Jire. Let your thoug-hts be occupied with perfecting- yourself in this, and in bearing* the crosses, be they g"reat or small, which you meet therein. Believe me, this is the g-reat secret, and the least understood of tlie spiritual life. Each loves according to his taste, few according; to their duty and our Lord s taste. What is tiie use ot building; castles in Sj)ain (castles in the air), if our lot is cast in Fmnce ? It is my old lesson. You know it well.'" To sum up, as g;iven by M. de Belley, the opinions of St. Francis upon the relative importance of tJie vir- tues as conducing" to our perfecti<m : " 1. He preferi-ed those the practice of which is the most frequent and common, to such as arc seldomer called into exercise. " 2. He would not have us judge of the comparative supernatural merit of a virtue by the greatness of its external act ; inasmuch as a virtue apparently small may be practised with much g;i'ace and charity, and a more s|)lendid one with a very feeble degree of the love of God, which nevertheless is the rule and the measui-e of their true value in His sig;ht. " y. He preferred the more imivei-sal virtues to such as are more limited in their reach, charity always excepted. Foi instance, he had a hig-her esteem ior prayer, which is the torch of all the rest; for devotion, 2QG 8T. FRANCIS DB SALES. wliicli consecnites all our actions to the service of God ; for Imiuility, which makes us have a low opinion of ourselves and of our actions; for "gentleness, which makes us j-ield to every one ; for patience, which makes us endure all thing's; than for magnanimity, magnifi- cence, or liberality, both because they rej^ard few^er ob- jects, and because they have less scope. *' 4. The siiining" virtues were regarded by him with a little suspicion; for their splendour, he observed, gives a strong* handle to vain-glory, which is the very poison of all virtue. . ** 5. He blamed those who esteem virtues only ac- cording to the value set upon them by the genei-ality of men, who are very bad judges of that kind of mer- chandise. Thus, they will prefer temporal to spiritual alms; hair-shirts, fasting, and bodily austerities, to meekness, modest}', and mortification of htart, which are nevertheless far more excellent. *'C. He reproved also those who wouVi vs y prac- tise the virtues which were conformable to iheir ttiste, without troubling themselves about those which more especially belonged to their office and the duties of their state, serving God according to their own fashion, not according' to His will ; which is so frequent an abuse, that we see numbei-s of persons, and these among the devout, who are carried away by it." TUB saint's mortification, and his opinions upon this SUBJECT AND THAT OF PRATES. " It was a golden saying of our Saint, and one I have sometimes heard from his own lips, that he who mortifies the moi>t his natural inclinations, attiacts the greater abundnnce of supernatural inspii-ations ; and assuredly interior and exterior mortification are a great means to draw down upon us the favours of heaven, pravided they Ije practised in and by chai'ity. As the so-. FHANCI4 DK !»Al.Et>. liQ7 henrenly mnnnn wns not pfiven to Isrnel in tlie dcsoit unil tljev limi consnineil nil the flour tliev Inid bn uiilit out of Egypt, so Jilso the divine fuvoiii's uiv. schloiu vouchsfufed to those wlio nve still ioliowiny; their worldly inclinations. It wns his opinion, that mortificntion with- out pi-nyer wns a body without a soul; and prayer with- out mortification a soul without a body. lie wished these two to be never sejmrated, but that, like Martija and Mni-y, they should, without disputing', combine to SQrve the Lord. He compared them to the two scales of a balance, of which the one iises when the other sinks. To raise the mind by prayer, the body must be kept down by mortificiition, otherwise the flesh will weig-li down the spirit, and hin<ler it from raising- itself to God. The lily and the rose of priiver and contem- plation are ])reserved and r "Mrished w*»ll only amidst the thorns of mortification. '>'e ascend the hill of in- cense, the symbol of pmyer, i 'v by the mountain of the myrrh of mortification. J ense itself, which re- presents prayer, exhales its fi-agTance only when it is burnt; neither can prayer ascend to heaver with a sweet odour, unless it proceeds from a mortified person. When we ai*e dead to ourselves and our passions, it is then that we live to God, and that He feeds us in time of prayer with the bread of life and Hg'ht, and with the manna of His inspirations. " Our Saint had a remarkable saying on this sub- ject : * We must live in this world as if our spirits were in heaven, and our bodies in the tomb. We miist live,* he said, * a dying* death, and die a living" and life-giving death, in the life of our king, our flower, our sweetest Saviour. To live a dying death, is to live, not accord- ing to the senses and na^ n-al inclinations, bit according to the spirit and the supematural inclinntions. It is a death according to nature, Imt a life according to the spirit. It is to cause the old man to die in us, that the new man may arise fiom his ashes. And to die a living and life-giving death is, to mortify and crucifv the flesh, w;th its desires ; to cause the s]>irit to live ol' the life of i I i t >i 298 ST. FRANCIS DH SALES. Brace, wliich has been merited for us by the life and neath of Jesus Christ, who knows how to extract hfe from death, as Samson drew the honeycomb and the meat from the jaw of the devouring* lion. And as- suredly, unless we die with Jesus Ciiiist, we shall not live with Him ; and if w« do not suffer with Him, we shall not reign with Him.' " He was so adroit during Irs lifetime in his use and concealment of instruments of penance, that the servant who waited on him at rising" and going" to bed never perceived them ; and deat i alone revealed this secret, and manifested what he had always so carefully hidden. One instance may suffice. His servant found a little water left in a basin of a reddish hue, as if tinged with blood ; not being* able to guess the cause — for it was some water he had broug-ht the Saint to wash lu's hands — he observed him so closely, that he ascertained that he washed his discipline, which was tinged with blood, in this basin, and then having thrown away the water, a little remained at the bottom, which had given rise to the suspicion. " He often rej)eated this Gospel maxim, Eat stick thint/8 as are set before you,* inferring that it was a greater mortification to be ready to accommodate one's taste to every thing, than always to choose t)je woi-st. The choicest dishes are often, for all that, not the most to our taste; and to receive them, therefore, without testifying any aversion, is no small mortification. It inconveniences him alone who thus puts a constitiint upon himself. He considered that there was a want of politeness, when at table, in taking or asking for some dish not near you, declining what is in your ir.imediate neighbourhood. This, he said, was to betray a mind attentive to dishes and sauces. But if this be done, not from sensuality, but in order to choose the com- monest food, thei*e is in this proceeding a spice of af- fectation, which is as inseparable from ostentation as • Luke X. 8. ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. smoku is from fire. As it is quite possible to bo g'lut- tonoiis on a cabbage, so also may we be tem|)orate upon purtriilg-es ; but to be indifferent to both i$> to exhibit a mortification of the taste which is by rio means com- mon. It is a more difficult act to eat of dainty fl>od without relishing* it, than to restrict ourselves to coarse fare of which wc partake with satisfaction. "One day he bad been dii.j'p- on eggs noacheu in water ; and when he had finiaLed them, he oegan dip- ping his bread in the water, as he had done in the eggs. Those who were at table with him smiled at observins* this inadvertence, and having asked the cause, he said, * You oertainly were very wrong to undeceive me of so agreeable an illusion; for I assure you J never ate a sauce with gi-eater relish. My good appetite, perhaps, had not a little share in it ; so tiote is tiie proverb, that hunger is the best sauce.' This little incident reminds us of St. Bernard, who drank some oil believins; it to be wine, so little attention did he pay to what he was eating or drinking. " One day, when i had helped him to rather a deli- cate moi-sel, and observed that he had quietly pushed it into a corner of his plate, and waf< eating something' common, ' I have caught you out,' I exclaimed ; * what becomes of the evangelical precept, £at svch thing* as are set before i/ou T He replied very sweetly, * You don't know, perhaps, that I have a very rustic stomach, like a peasant's ; if I do not eat something solid and coarse, I feel as if I had taken no nourishment ; these delicacies seem like nothing at all, and do not support me.' * My father.' I replied, * this is one of your tiicks; these are the veils which you throw over your austeri- ties.' ^I am really using no disguise,' he rejoined; ' X speak with all frankness and sincerity. However, to tell you my full mind without reserve or conceal- ment, I do not deny that delicate meats are more pleas- ing to my taste than coai-ser food. I do not wish for high salting, spicing, and flavouring, to make the wine taste better; we Savoyards relish 't sufficiently without 1?30 8T. FRANCIS DR SAI.ES. tlint ; but as we sit down to table rather to sustain our bodies tlmii to giatity our sensuality, I take whut I know nourishes me most and suiis me best ; for you know we must eat to I've, not live to eat, tliat is, to be an epicure about choice bits, and to give our attention to dishes, and the variety of ibod before us. However, to do honour to your good cheer, if you will wait pn- tiently, I will satisfy you ; for after laying" the founda- tion of the repast by these more solid and nutritious viands, I will roof it in with the slates of the more deli- cate morsels which you please to give me.* How many virtues go to form this apparently trivial action ! Sin- cerity, truth, cjindoui-, sinii)licity, temperance, sobriety, condescendence, benevolence, prudence, equanimity. Gracious souls, whose actions ar*^ all performed by the movements of grace, produce nothing; trifling"; for the works of God are perfect, especially the works of His grace, and so they have glory for their crown. IV/ie titer you eat or diinhy or whatsoever else you do, says the Apostle, do all to the (jlovy of God.* " Our Saint set a great value on a common mode of life ; for this reason, he woidd not have the daugh- ters of the Visitation, which he founded, practise • ny extraordinary austerities in dress, sleeping, or food ; the ndes he laid down for their food, fasts, and clothing being similar to those observed by such as would live a Christian life in the world. In which respect these good daughtei-s are imitators of Jesus Christ, of His holy Mother, and of the Apostles, who followed this mode of life, leaving it to the judgment and discretion of superiors to permit or prescribe extraordinary mor- tifications, according to tne needs of individuals who may require this treatment. Not btit that our Saint valued bodily austerities; but he wished them to be made use of with a zeal accompanied by knowledge, thus preserving the purity of the body without ruining the health. In a word, he prefen-ed the life of Jesus • 1 Cor. X. 31. 8T. FRANCIS DK BALKS. 231 Clirist to tliat of Jo!in tlie Bnptist. To hwtv how to abotind, and hoir to Huffer tninf, nccoidinii- to tlic j>uy- ina: of St. Paul, was n favourite text with liim. He said that it was more diificult to know how to ahounil than how to suffer want. A thousand fall at the left hand of advei-sity, but ten thousand at the ri«ht of prosperity; so hard is it to keej) a straif'-ht coui*se when we want for nothing* : which made Solomon say, Oire vie neither beggary nor riches ; give me only the necex- (sariea of life* He who can kiss with an equahle mind each hand of God, has attained a hig-'' *v)int of Chris- tian perfection, and shall find salvatio.. .ri the Lord. " He never took recreation for his own pleasure, but only from r» spirit of condescension. He had no o-nden attached *o the two houses which he occupied duri no- bis episcopacy ; and he never took a walk except when coni|vinj' necessitated his doinof so, or the doctor had ordered it for his health ; for he was very punctual in his obedience to such directions. Herein his practice resembled the austerity of St. Charles Borromeo, who could not endure that, after meals, the company he received should amuse themselves by spending- their time in useless conversations, saying" that it was un- worthy of a pastor charp^ed with so larg-e and weighty a diocese, and who had so many better occupations. This was natural in a saint whose life was an especial patteiTi of severity ; so that no one thought it strang-e when he broke off the convei-sation on such occasions, to seek elsewhere wherewithal to employ that g-reat zeal for souls and for the house of Goa which consumed him. Our Saint was of a moi-e indidgent sj)ivit, and did not M^ithdraw from conversation after meals. When I was on a visit to him, he used to seek to recreate me after the labour of preaching". He would takg me out in a boat on that beautiful lake which bathes the walls of A.nnecy, or to walk in some pleasant g"ardens on it:< fair banks. When he came to see me at Belley, he did ♦ Prov. xxx. 8. "% 232 ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. not decline siinilnr recreations, in whicli I invited liira to inrhil^'e ; Init he never proposed them, or soug-ht them of his own nccord. Agiiin, when persons 8]K)ke to him of Imiiding^, paintingfs, music, hunting, birds, plants, gardening*, flowers, he did not blame those who took an interest in these things, but he would have desired that they should make use of these occupations us so manv means to raise themselves to God ; and he hims(;lf set the example, by drawing from all these subjects motives for heavenly aspirations. If beautiful plants were pointed out to him, * We are,* he would observe, * the field which God cultivates.' If some magnificent and splendidly-adorned church, *We ai-e the temples,' he would say, ' of the living God. that om* souls were as richly adorned with virtues!' If flowers, * When shall our flowei"s yield fruit V If rare and exquisite paintings, ''I'here is.nothing so fair as the soul, which is made to the image of God.' If taken into a garden, he would exclaim, * when shall the garden of our soul be sown with flowei-s, and filled with fruit, weeded, dressed, and trimmed ? When shall it be fenced in, and closed against every thing which is displeasing to the heavenly Gardener ? On beholding fountains, * When shall we possess within our hearts the source of living water, springing up to life ever- lasting ? How long* shall wo forsake the source of life, to dig for oui"selves leaking cisterns ? 0, when shall we draw to our content from the Saviour's foun- tains r " M. de Belley gives other similar instances, and concludes with these words : " Thus he beheld God in all things, and all things in God ; or rather, he beheld but one tiling — God only. " Our Saint used to say that by interior recollection we retired into God, or drew God within ourselves. * But when and where can we liave recouree to it ? At all times and in all places. Neither repast, nor company, nor change, nor occupation, can hinder it, as neither does it hinder or interfere with any action ; en the contrary, ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 2:]8 it is a salt which seasons every kind of meat, or nitiier a sugar which spoils no sauce. It consists only in in- terior looks between the soul and God, — of our souls towards God nnd of God upon our souls ; and the simpler this recolhjction is, the better. As for aspinition<), tla«y are short butnrdent bounds towards God ; and the more vehement and loving* tm aspiration is, the better it is. All these bounds or nsitirutioiis are so much the l)etter, as they are shorter. That of St. Bruno seems to me very excellent for its brevity : ' goodness !* — as also that of St. Francis : * My God, my all !'— of St. Augus- tine : * To love 1 to die to self! to attain to God !' These two exercises are mutually connected, and succeed each other, as do the acts of inhalin<^ and exhaling. For even as when we inhale we draw tlie fi-esh air from with- out into our lungs, and in exhaling we breathe forth warm air, so inhaling by recollection wo draw God within us, and by aspiration we cast oui-selves into the arms of His fj-oodness. Happy the soul whicii thus inhnles and exhales ; for by this means it dwells in God and God in it. ** There are pei-sons who become discouraged in prayer, and are even led to discontinue it, not on ac- count c*' the difficulties they meet with, but because, as they say, they are unfaitlil'ul to the resolutions formed at that time, nnd drend incurring more guilt than if they formed none at all. Our Saint looked upon this as a very dangerous stratagem of the eneni}'. * Men wait,' he said, * a wliole year to reap an ear of com from a grain they have cast into the enrth ; and many yeai-s to eat apples fi-om a pij) they have sown. "We must never leave the exercise of prayer except to attend to more important work ; and even then we must repair the loss by frequent aspirations. And we must never give over making resolutions during this exercise, for they are the special fruit of prayer ; and although we may not at once put them in execution, and may give in and draw back on tiie fii-st occasions, nevertheless those seeds do not fail to take root in our hearts, and ?04 ST. FRANCIS DE 8ALKS. to Ijoar fniit at another ueason, even wlu'n we Imvo no recollection of Laving' made tiicin. And supposin*^' we accumplisiied nothing fiirther by tiiese rcsoh(tion.s tiian exercising ourselves in spiritual coui-o^-e, these acts of goodwill would still be pleasing to Goil, who vnder- gtaniLt otir thomjhtg afar off\ and whoM'arclws out our path and our lin/'.* Supposing we did no more than the pupils who take lessons in a reading or fencing- school, it would still be something ; and such an one, un the old saying has it, will run away to-day, who will fight valiantly at some future time. We must never, then, lose heart, but sav with the prophet. In the Lord I put my truHt : how then do you say to my soul, Get thw array from hence to the mountain lihe a sparrow /f- Why art tlwu cast down, O my soul, ana why dost thou disquiet ine ? Hope thou in God.l Yes, we will indeed still give praise to Him, and serve Him some day, for He is my salvation, my strength, and my ti-ue God.' '^ I asked our Saint one day if it was not better to choose one single point for the subject of our prayer, and to dmw from it one affection only and one resolu- tion. He replied, that unity and simplicity in all thing's, but more particularly in spiritual exercises, was always preferable to multiplicity ; that it was onl}' beginners who were advised to take several for the subject of their meditation. With regard to the multiplicity of affec- tions and resolutions, he said tiiat when spring was pro- digal of flowers, then it was that the bees made less honey, inasmuch its, taking pleasure in hovering about over this abundance, thev did not allow themselves time to extract the juice and essence of which their hone\- comb is formed. Drones, he added, make a «reat deal of noise and very little profit. When asked whether it was not better to return frequently to the same affec- tion and resolution, the better to imprint them on the soul, he said that we ought to imitate painters and sculptors, who accomplish their work by means of re- • Ps. cxxxviii. 3. t Ps. x. I. J Pi. xlL 12. ST. PUAVrlS I)K SAI.KS. itrnitfd strokes of tlio ix-ncil mul tlio eliiM'l ; ni.tl tlrt to make a depp iminossion on imr hearts it uus luccs- wuv often to repent the ^nlne thin^". He aihh'il, th:it OS in s\vimniin{y those wlio tljrow their ajins and U'vs rapidly about sink, wliereas tliey oug-ht to move fhrni j^ently and leisurely, so also tJjose who nro too eaj»«'r in prayer consume themselves in vain reflections, and their dissipated thoug;hts torment their hearts.* " In reply to the question, how we are to understand the saying", attributed l)y our Saint to the pfreat St. Anthony,- that he who is en«»-a|;'ed in prayer ought to have his attention so completely occupied witli God that he oug-ht even to forget he is praying, inasmuch as this reflection upon l:is act implies attention, and if not in itself a distraction, is at least an occasion of dis- traction, by opening the door to it, I reply by our Saint's doctrine on this subject, that we must keep our soul steadily fixed in ]>rayer, without allowing it to cast otf upon itself to observe what it is about, or if it is pray- ing to its own satisfaction. Alas ! our satisfactions and consolations do not satisfy the eyes of God, but only tlmt miserable love and care which we bestow upon ourselves, in which God and con'^ideration for Him nave no pait. Children certainly, whom our Lord points out to us as the models of our perfection, have, generally speaking, none of this solicitude, particularly in tlj<?ir parents* company ; they cling to them, without turning round to contem- plate their own satisfactions or consolations, which they enjoy, it is true, but in all sim])licity, and without cu- riously considering their causes and effects ; love being suflicient occupation to them, and allowing them to do nothing else. He who is very attentive lovingly to ijlease the heavenly Lover, has neither the heart nor the leisure to contemplate himself, his mind continually turn- ing in tlie direction in which love impels him. He did not approve of minds which were given to too much reflec- tion, making tviundred considerations upon trifling mat- Tliey Mbmble, he said, silkworms, which im- tei*s. • Job xvii. 11, 236 ST. FRANCIS DK 8ALE9. prison nnd pntnn^-le themselves in their own work. Thesfl |)erpctiml reflections upon self nnd our own nctions take up a g'rootdcnl of time, wliich might bo more profitohly employed than in lo'Qking so constantly at what we ara ahout. Dy dint of looking to see if we are doing things w«>Il, we do them ill. Each occupation has its apjiro- priate time ; thera is a time for action, and a time for reflecting on our actions. The ])aintcr does not stop at every stroke of his brush to judge of his work, but only at intervals. *' Our Saint was so great a friend to unity, that all multiplicity was, if not disag>reeable to him, at any rate suspicious. He approved highly of the advice attn- buted to St. Thomas, to make some one book our spe- cial study, if we would study to advantage. Accord- ingly, he applauded those who for their spiritual guid- ance attached themselves to some one book of devotion, such as 77ie Spiritual Combat, his own favourite book; TVie Method of Sermng God, which with his sanction I chose for myself; The Following of J emu Chnst; Louis of Granada's Guide, or his Memorial, nnd such- like ; not that he would set aside others, but he wished them to come in as accessories, and as it were com- mentaiies on the chief book. He was of the same opinion with respect to spiritual exercises. He wished ]>ei*8on9 to choose one of these exercises for more frequent prac- tice ; either the presence of God, which he specially re- commended ; or purity of intention, which he much approved ; or submission to the will of God, which he highly esteemed ; or self-abandonment into God's hands, and self-renunciation, which he valued much, as in- cluding generally all Christian perfection. In like man- ner he would have us choose some particular vii-tue, as humility, gentleness, patience, mortification, prayer, mercy, anii such-like, for special practice ; just as reli- gious institutes, which cultivate some distinguishing virtue, which constitutes their spirit, wi^ut neglecting the otliers. Upon this principle he dioWot augur well of those pei>sons whom he saw fluttering from one exer- ST. FIlANri.H DK SAI.KS. 0« 2:\7 ci?P to nnothor, from onn book to nnotlipr, from onp imw- tice to another; coin|mrin<r tlicm to drones, who uli^ht on overv tiowor without cxtriictinjr honov fmni anv; ever Ifnrninjr. without pvjm* iittaininj,^ to th«» true science of suintH; always g'athorinir, collcrtinjr, and heajiinp^up, without lx'coniin«»- rich, Wnuse they put every tiling into A bag' with a hole in it, and dii;* cir.tern.s for them- selves which ' :'l not hold water; restless spirits, who, seeking peaof. . spiritual inches, find it not, — like p<M*- sons smitten witii the maladv of icalousv, to whom every thing* ftu-nishes materials for its maintenance, and nothin*^ givos relief. With reference to this subject of rntdtiplicity, he told me he preferred one ejaculatory prayer u* aspiration repeated a hundred times to a hun- dred f jrtculati'ns oacli said once, oUeging the examj>le of the saints as St. Francis, who sometimes passed whole days ii;id week? in re|)eatinj;' • My Oo<l is my All !* and St. Bruno, *0 Goodness!' and St. Teresa, 'AH that 13 ^lot God is iiothin<jf.' And he added, that the longjr a bee tarries on a flower, the more honey it ex- tracts." With reg-ard to dryness and aridity in prayer, the Saint's opinions are recorded several times by M. de Belley : " * We always love,' he said, * the sweetness and delightful suavity of consolations ; nevertheless, the rig-our of aridities is more rich m fruit ; and though St. Peter loved the mountain of Thabor, and fled from that of Calvary, tlie latter nevertheless is the most profitable, and the blood shed upon the one is more desirable than the brijrhtness which environs the other. It is better to eat bread without sug-ar, than sugar without bread. Blessed is that soul which remains faithful in the midst of drynesses and deprivation of all senr^ible consolations. T-^ey form the crucible in wliich the pure g-old of charity is perfectly refined. Happy he who bears this trial with patience; for having" been tried and purified in this manner, lie shall receive the crown which God has promised to those whom He loves and who love Him. When God,' he said, ' deprives us sometimes of those i r 238 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. :5on>()liitions, and of the sense of His presence, it is in Xihn' that our heart should cleave to nothing" sensihle, but to Him only and His good ])leasure ; as He dealt with her who desirjid to embrace and clinff to His feet, seiiilinf^ her elsewhere with these words, Tavch me not ; but f/o till my brethren^ &c. Jacob certainly was able to tiike off the skin with which his mother had covered his neck nnd hands, because it did not adhere to him ; but if any one had endeavoured to tear off Esau's, it would have been very painful, and would have made him cry rnit. So also when we ciy out upon God's withdrawing sensible consolations, it is a sign that they clav«5 to our henrt, or that our heart was attached to them ; but when we bear this privation without com|)Iainrng', it is a very evident mark that God alone is the portion of oiu* heart, and that the creature does not snare it with Him. Blessed is the soul of which God only is the lord and the possessor.' " t TUB saint's love OV HIS ENEMIES.— PATIENCE AND KINDNESS. " A friend of his having- confessed to him that he found no duty of Christianity so difficult to practise as that of the love of enemies, * As for me,* he said, * I don't know how my heart is constituted, or if it has pleased God to make me an altogether new one, but I not only exijerience no difficulty in complying; with this command, but I have such a pleasure in it, and feel so delightful and peculiar a sweetness in it, that if God had forbidden me to love them, I should find it very hard to obey Him.' " Having received a notable insult from an in- dividual, and bavins' endeavoured to appease him by urging" several e"ood reasons with incomparable sweet- ness, he concluded by saying", * After all, I would have you to know, that if you had put out one of my eyes, J would look at you with the other as affectionately as if you were the Ijest friend I {assessed.' ' Shall we not 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. 2ll\ l»onr,' he would say, 'with those whom (lod Tlimsel heai-s, havini>; hefore our eyes that fiieat example, Ji'su Christ, praying; on the cross for Ilis enemies? Wiu would not love him, this dear enemy for whom Jesus Christ prayed, and for whom He died !' '* People would occasionally come and tell him tha he was evil spoken of by some pers^ons who asserted strangle thinq-s of him. Instead of excusinji];: and de- fending" himself, lie would r«'j)ly with sweetness, * Is tluit all they say t really, they don't know all. Thev Hatter me, tliev spare me, I see thev have more i>ity for me than envy, and wish me to he better than am. Well, God be j)raised ! I must correct myself; if I do not deserve bhime in this matter, I deserve it in some other ; it is anv how treating: me witii mercv to be so lenient of censure.' If some one undertook his justification, and said the accusation was false, * Well,' lie would reply, * it is a warning- to me to take care not to make it true. Is^t not a favour to caution me to turn aside from this pitfall 'f But who has ever told us that we were irreprehensible ? Perhaps they disceni my faults better than I do myself, or those who love me. We often call ti-uths evil-speaking when they are distasteful to us. What harm do j)eople do us by having" an ill opinion of us ? Ought we not to think ill of ourselves ? Such persons are not our adversaries, but our partisans, for they join with us to work the destruction of our self-love. Why be angry with those who come to om* aid against so powerful an enemy ?' It wa-< thus he made light of calumnies and insults, considering that silence and modesty were quite suffi- cient defence, without calling patience to our support against such a trifle. " Among the virtues, he highly esteemed that which makes us bear with sweetness the importimity of our neighbour. * A little gentleness, moderation, and mo- desty,' he said, * are sufficient for this puijmse. People talk as if patience was to be exercised only in bearing those afflictions which reflect ciedit on v TTowevp** 240 ST. FRANClb T)E SALES. n-Iiile awaiting' these ^eat unci signal occasions, which come but seldom dui-ing* our life, we neglect the lesser ; and so far from making' any account of bearing with our neighbour's importunity, we, on the contrary, reckon tliose pereons as weak who put up with them* We imagine that our patience is equal to the endurance of great sufferings and signal insults, and we give way to impatience at the mosi trifling aniioyance. It seems to us as if we could assist, serve, and* relieve our neigh- bour in gi'eat and prolonged illness, — and we cannot bear with his tiresome humours, his want of polish, liis incivility, but above all with his importunities, when lie comes unreasonably and unseasonauly to take up our time with what appear to us trifling and frivolous mat- ters. To excuse our impatience we triumphantly allege the value of time, of which an ancient writer has said that it is pniiseworthy to be avaricious; and we fail to observe that we oui-selves consume it in so many vainer ways'than in bearing with our neighbour, and po^sihly in things which are in themselves less important tlan those he would occupy us with, and which we call loss of time. When convei-sing with our neighbour, we ought to take pleasure in it, and show that we do so ; and when we are alone we must take pleasure in soli- tude. But the misfortune is, that our minds are so restless, that we are always looking behind us ; in com- pany longing for solitude, and in solitude, instead of en- joying its sweetness, desiring conversation. We ouglit to have a more even and i-easonable temper of mind, and in the time allotted to recreation love recreation ; and in like manner love reading, praver, and work at the times appropriated to them, as weft as silence when commanded by the rule and by obedience. Thus we may say with the proj>l»et, I will bless the Lord at all timt'Sf His praise shall he ever in my month ; for it is to bless an<l praise the Lord at all times, to refer to His glory all our actions, whether good or indif- ferent.'" We have already seen St. Francis exhibiting this i 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. 241 h ( virtue in a striking manner in his own practice. Here is a further instance reconled by M. de Belley : " During^ the last visit he made to Paris, where he remained about eig-ht months, he was in such request on all sides, that he had to jireach almost every day ; this brought on an illness, which, though of short duration, was very dangerous. Some of his friends, anxious for his health, warned him that he was under- taking too much for his strength ; to which he made answer, that they whose office constituted them the lights of the world, ought, like torches, to consume themselves in order to illuminate others. But, not satisfied with this, they added, that it rendered tiie word of God less precious in his mouth, the world only valuing what is rare ; every one runs to look at the moon, but no one gets up earlier to see the sun rise, and yet it is much the most admirable luminary of the two. * I should certainly, then,* replied the good Bishop, * have to appoint a vicar to refuse for me ; for the veiy word I announce, teaching me that we are debtoi*s to all men, and that we must not only lend but give our- selves to all who ask for us, and that true charitv nei- ther seeks nor consults its own interests but those of God and its neighbour, how could I bring myself to disappoint and send away sucli as ask for me ? Not to speak of the rudeness, it aj>pears to me that it would be a great defect of fi-atemal love. How far removed are we still from the class of those two gi-eat saints, one of whom was willing to be blotted out of the book of life for his brethren, and the other to be anathema and separated from Jesus Christ, which comes to the same thing !* " On one occasion he was asked to preach on a festival ; he immediately acquiesced ; and upon one of his servants reminding him that some days previously he had promised to preacl^ elsewhere the same day, ' Never mind,' he saicl ; ' God will give us the grace to multiply our bread. He is rich in mercy to such as call upon Him.' " M. de Belley adds that, " Being 242 ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. assailed with entreaties to consider his henltli, he cut the matter short by saying, * I assure you, that if I had been asked for a third Hermon the same day, I should have less trouble of mind an.l body in delivering- them all, tluiU in refusing. Must we not consume ourselves, body and soul, for tliis dear neighbour whom our Lord so lovod as '0 d'e of love for him ?' " M. de Bellty tells us that he practised literally, both in temporal and spiiitual things, the Gospel in- junction to give to whoever asks of us, and assures us, from his own experience, that he never made a just re- quest of him but he granted it, or gave him a refusal more just than his request, and more just even accord- ing to his own judgment; his refusals, moreover, being seasoned with so much graciousness tliat they were infinitely more pleasing than the favours of many who grant them so ungraciously as to make them no favoui-s at all. '' And I never heard," he continues, " of his having ever refused any reasonable service which was requested of him." The accessible disposition of this sweetest of saints encoiu'iigt'd numbers of women to have recoui-se to his spiritual advice, and to seek his direction. This was made matter of reproach to him, and the Bishop of Beliey relates how some one abruptly taxed him, one day, with being constantly surrounded by them. " The Saint gently reminded him that so it was with our Lord, and that many murmured at it. * But/ resumed his assailant, who had made this remark leather lightly, * I really don't know what amusement they find in it, for I do not perceive that you keep the conversation up very briskh', or that you say any gi-eat nmtt«)r to them.' ' And do you reckon for notliing,' replied the Saint, * letting them have their say ? The}' most certainly want ears to listen to them, more than tongues to reply. They talk enough for themselves and for me too; possibly it is this readiness to listen to them which forms their attraction, for there is nothing a loquacious person likes so much as a quiet and patie.t listener.' The other, ,■>.'. ST. PRASnS DE 8ALS9. 343 . com inning- tlie same fi-eedora of obsei-vation, said that lie iiiul watched liis contessional, and had taken notice that for one man tliore were crowds of women w!io be- sieged it. ' What wonder .'' he nqjlied ; * this sex is more disposed to pietv ; this is whv the Church apphes to it the epithet oi' decout. W« iild to God tliat men, who commit mncli worse sins, liad as much inclination for penance !' The other, getting- bohler everv minute, now asked liim if more women wei*e saved than men. * Seriously sju'aking,' said the Saint, ' it is not for us to j)ry into the secrets of (jlod, or to be His coimselloi-s ;* and by this answor ho cv short the convei-sation." 'Jhat he, nevertheless, well knew how to unite cir- cumspection with kindness, is thus exemplified : " There was a prelate who would not })ermit any woman, no matter who slie might be, to enter his house, gTounding his conduct ujmn the example and counsel of St. Augustine. He bad accordingly caused a kind of parlour to he constiiicted, with a species of griUe, in a chapel, where he spoke to them. The Saint, who loved this prelate, without blaming this sevei ity, limited i imself to laughing pleasantly at it, saying, that this bishop was only half a pastor, since he separate*' himself thus from the moiery of his tioek. Upon the complaints which were made to him on the subject, he j)ron)ise(l to speak to the prelate. The bishop, in his defence, alleged his age (for he was still young), his fear of calumnious tongues and of the snare into which such convei-sation led, the advice of the ancient fathei-s, the good example thus held out to other ecclesiastics, and many sucli-like reasons. Our Saint praised his zeal and caution, but observed that, without practising this external severity, there was an easier, surer, and less inconvenient means, and one le«s subject to censure or interference. ' Never speak to women,' he said, *■ but in the ])resence of othei-s ; and charge 3'our at- tendants never to lose sight of you when you have \o confer with them. I do not mean that it is necessary they should invariably hear what you say; for that 244 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. would not be always expedient, as these matters often ivg^unl the conscience ; uut let them be within si«»:ht, and witnesse*« of yoiir behaviour ; and if you will com- mission one of your el:aplp'ns, the same to whom you commit tlte ch lif^e of yotr interior, to admonish you concerning' vou, Jepoitmeni'; ; ad actions, believe me thjit tin's will b<[» worth .>]] ^\e jrri' .ig^ in the world, wen* it even of irou and bristiing^ v* itL spikes.* Now the {idvice he gave was vhat he himself practised ; for though his house Wii: open to every one, he never spoke to women, wherever he mijrht be, without lacing" attentively watched. He p^'xve s^iotlier piece (;f advice touching lettei-s. * Do not write to women,' he said, 'excej)t in answer to their !etTfi*s, unless i u ve be some urgent necessity ; but never of your -nvn accord, save in the case of indi- viduals beyond suspicion, such as a motlier, a sister, or a very oJd person ; and let your lettei-s even then be only occasional and brief " The needy never applied to him in vain, and his purse, poorly fiimished as it ever was, never closed at the voice ;f the suppliant. We have a specimen here of his readiness to give, and his unwillingness to refuse even those whom some might have considered little worthy of his liberality : " A person made bold to beg" him to lend him twelve crowns, and insisted on giving liim a written promise of payment, in spite of the Saint's disinclination, who not only did not require it but objected to having it, and this promise by the borrower's own desire was limited to the term of a month. Tiie month was pro- longed to a year, at the end of which time the person returned, and without alluding to the twelve crowns already lent, asked for ten. The Saint, begging him to wait in the reception-room, went to fetch the written engagement, and rejoining him, said, ' You beg me to lend you only ten crowns, here are twelve, which I wil- lingly ffive you ;' so saying, he returned him his promise. " Another begged to borrow twenty crowns, and desired to give his written acknowledgment. The Saint 8T. FRANCIS UK SALES. 245 had not always so Inro^e a sum at liis disposal ; never- theless, he had so kind a iieart, that he v.-^wld have cut himself into pieces for his noi";hhour. He beti:oug-ht him- self, therefore, of a (l«'\ ice which would relieve the peti- tioner, and yet render his liberality proportionate to his means. He went to look for ten crowns, and returning-, said, ' J have hit upon an expedient which will make us both g-ain ten crowns to-day, if you will only believe me.* ' How is that to ])e done, Monseigneur V asked the man. * We have only,' he replied, * you and I, both of us, to open our hands. Here are ten crowns, which I give you as a pure donation, instead of lending" you twenty; you gain those ten, and as for me, 1 shall reckon the other ten as g-ood as g-ained if you will ex- cuse me from lending you them.' " Condescensiou to the humours of othere, and the sweet but most reasonable endurance of our neighbour, were his cherished and special virtues ; and he was con- stantly recommending* tnem tc his dear children. He often said to me, ' how much shoiter work it is to accommodate ourselves to others, than to wish to bend every one to our own humours and opinions ! The human mind is a time min-or, which easily assumes all the colours presented to it ; the impoiliant point is, that we should not resemble the cameleon, which is sus- ceptible of all except white ; for a conde.^icension which is not accompanied by candour and purity is a danger- ous condescension, and cannot be too diligently shunned. We must condescend in every thing, even to the very altar, that is, up to the point where God is not offended : here are the limits of tme condescension.' " Never did he utter a word of menace, or use an angry expression to his servants ; and when they were guilty of faults, he seasoned his reproofs with so much sweetness, that they con-ected themselves from love, without dreading a rod of iron, which they knew well ho had not in his hand. One day, conversing with him about the manner in which servants ought to be treated, and observing that familiarity was apt to breed con- 240 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. tcmpf, 'Yes/ he ^jiid, ' unbeconiinjr, course, nnd repre. lieiisible laniilisuitv , but never that which is civil, cor- dial, proper, and virtuous ; for as it proceeds fi-om love, love produces its like ; and true love is never without esteem, and consecpiently without respect for the person loved, seeing' that our love is, in fact, founded upon the esteem in which wc hold him.' 'But,' said I, 'we must then ^ve up every thing; to them, and let them do as they like. ' No ; I only say that if churitv reig-ns in oiu* hearts, she will know how to allot their proj)er parts to discretion, pnidence, justice, moderation, mag'naniniitv, as well as to humilitv, abjection, pa- tience, endui'ance, and g-entleness. With regard to servants, I must say, after all, they are our neighbours and lowly brethren, whom charity obliges us to love as ourselves; let us then love them as we do oui-selves, these dear neighbours who are so near to us and so truly our neigiibours, and who live under the same roof with us and eat of our bread ; and let us treat them as oiu'- selves, or rather as we should wish to be treated if we were in their place and condition ; this is the best way to behave to servants. It is true, we must not overlook their faults when they are considerable, nor spare to correct them ; but we must at the same time recognise the service tliey render us ; and it is well occasionally to testify our satisfaction with it, and our confidence in them, and to show them that we account them as brethren, or r ^ friends, whose necessities we wish to re- lieve, and whose welfare we desire to promote. As a puff of wind in the sails of a galley out at sea fetches it on more than a hundred strokes of the oar, so also we must admit that a friendly word and a token of kindness will get more service out of a servant than a huneiied gi-ave, threatening, and severe injunctions.' Accoixling to hi.s great maxim of asking for nothing and refusing nothing, he was in the ha])it of not declin- ing little presents which the poor people would bring him even on occasions of the administration of the sacm- raents. It was quite edifying at such times to observe ST. PRAMCIS DG SALES. 247 . Ae coiintPiinncft nnd kindness uitli whicli lie would nccopt a handful of nuts, «'iiestn«its, or a|»|>lo<, or little clieeses or <'}?g^, wliicii childrnn or poor people would offer him. Othei-s would f^ive liiui {n-nee or farthings, which he would accept, humbly tliankin^>- them. He M'ould rec^ve dven three or four jK«nce (half-|)ence, Enji-lish) sent him i'vom some villajfe for masses, which he would he most punctiud in offerinfr. The money which was g-iven him, he distrilmted to the poor, whom ho met coming- out of church ; but the eatables he re- ceived he carried away in his rochet or in his [Hx'kets, settinji^ them on some little platters in his room, or hand- ing* tiiem over to his steward, nnd directing; him to serve thom uj) at table; saying* f«onietimes, Lahores mnnmnn tvarum qnia manducabis; heatus es, et bene tibi ('fit* He had a special regard for innkeefiers who receive travellei-s ; and if they were but civil and obligMng", he reckoned them quite saints. He said that he saw no condition in life which furnished gi-eater means of serv- ing- God in our neig'hbour and advancing- heavenward, because it keeps a man continually engiig^ed in woi-ks of mercy, althoug-h, like the physician, he receives his salftT}'. On one occasion, as he was entertaining us after dinner by way of i-ecreation with ngi-eeable topics, the conversation having- turned Uf)on innkeejjers, and each having* given his opinion freely on the subject, one of the party put fonvard the ])i*oposition, that inns were regtdar places of pillage. The Saint was not pleased with this observation ; but as it was neither the time nor the place for administering a i-eproof, — and, more- over, the person in question would not have received it well,— he reserved it jwssibly for a more favoumble o|>- portunity, and turned off the convei*sation by relating to us the following anecdote : * A Spanish pilgrim,' he said, ' with a pui-so not overloaded, arrived at an inn, * " For thou sbalt eat the labours of thy hands ; blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee." Ps. cxxvii. 2. 248 8T. FRANCIS OE SALR8* where, having; fined hut ill, he had to pny so highly for the little he had hml, that he called heaven and earth to witness that he was ini|)oscd upon. There was nothing" for it, however, but to pay ; and, being; the weakest, he was ohlijied, into the barg-ain, to sinji" small. Ho issued from the inn in a trreat state of llidig-nation, like a man who has had his pockets picke<l. This inn stood where two ways met, and with another house ot entertainment facing it, a cross standing" in the centre. This sug'gested to liim an idea wherewithal to relieve his vexation. •* Truly," he exclaimed, " this place is a Calvary, where our Lord has been crucified between two thieves," meaning" the landlords of the two inns. The master of the house at which he had not lodg-ed, liaj)pened to be standiu}^ at his door, and, excusing; him in consideration of his distress, quietly asked him what wrong' he had done him, that he should ap|)ly such an epithet to him. The pilgrim, whose capacity was not limited to the use of his staff, answered quickly, * H:ivo done, brother, have done ; you shall bo the good one,' in allusion to there being" a good and a bad thief, one on each side of our Lord. " I reckon you the good one, for you have done me no wrong ; but what would you have me call your neighbour, who has skinned me alive ?" * After relating this story, he took occasion to say gently thnt this j)oor pilgrim finished his outbreak of anger with this civil turn ; Out that we must neverthe- less avoid, as a general rule, passing a sweeping censure upon nations or professions, calling them rascals, in- solent fellows, or traitoi*s ; for although we might have no one in particular in our eye, still the individuals belonging to those nations or professions felt themselves imphcated in such blame, and did not like being treated in that manner. " Our Saint, I must t^ll you, was so partial to inn- keepei-s, that, when on a journey, he very expressly forbade his attendants to bargain with them about the price of any thing, and would have them put up with any injustice rather than give them offence; and when 8T. FRANCIS UE 8AI.E8. 240 informed tluit thoy wer« quiti' uiimisonuble, cliargingf double and tr<;l)l«' the womi of thing's, lio wouK( rt'ply, * We must not look merely to that; what account are you taking" of their attention, their trouble, their loss of rest, and oblijfing; behaviour.^ We certainly cannot puy too hirhly for all that.* The result of this kind- ness of our Saint, combined with the univei-sal renura- tion of his piety, was, that the innkeej)er8 who knew him would very commonly make no charge at all, leavingf their remunemtion to his discretion, which almost always awarded them more than they would have asked. " The saintly prelate had stich a tender love for the poor, that in this res[)ect alone did he appear to make some distinction of jiersons, preferring" them to the rich, whether in spiritual or corjwral matters, acting" like j)hysicians who hasten to attend those who need it most. One day I was waiting" with many others for my turn, while he was hearing the confession of a poor blind old woman who begged her bread from door to door, and as T expressed my surpnse afterwards at the length of time she had detained him, he said, ' She sees the thing's of God more clearly than many who enjoy good eye-sight.* Another day I was boating with him on the lake at Annccy, and the rowers called him Father, and conversed familiarly with him. * Do you see these good |)eople,* he observed to me, * they call me Father, and they tmly love me as such ; how much lietter do they please me tlian those compliment-payei-s who call me Monseigneur !' " He suffered the pains of sickness with a patience acconr)| anied with so much love and sweetness, that the sligJitcst complaint was never heard to escaix! his lips, TiOT the smallest desire which was not conK)rmal)le to the divine will. He never expressed the least regret for the services which he might have rendered to God and his neighbour had he been in health. He was willing to suffer because such was God's good will. ' He knows better/ he would say, ' than I do what suits 260 •T. FMANCI8 DB SALES. me; Int us not interfero with Him; it is tlie Lord, let Him Uo what fwins g-ood in His eves. Lord, Tiiy will }hi (lon<», not mine. Even so, lienvenly Fiitlier, it is my will sinco it seems |>-ood in Thine eyes. Yes, Lord, I will it ; may Thy hw and Tliy w;il he for ever ong"raven in my heart !' If he was asked whether he would take some medicine, or some hi*oth, or whether he consented to be bled, lie wouhi make no other reply than, ' Do what you will with the sick man ; God lias placed me in tiie hands of the physicians.' Never was any thing- like his simplicity and obedience, for he honoured God in physicians, and knew that God has giv(;n medicine its virtue, and commands us to honour the physician, an honour which implies obedience. He stated his malady without exag'g'erating' it by excessive complaints, and without diminisiiins^ it by dissimulation. The fii-st he reckoned to be cowaraice ; the second, du- plicity. When the inferior pai-t was under the pressure of acute pain, one might read in the expression of his countenance, and above all of his eyes, the serenity of the superior reg-ion, which shone through the clouds of suffering" which oppressed his body. " The Saint feeing at Pai-is in the year 1619, a nobleman of distinction who had accompanied the princes of Savoy on their visit to that city, fell so dangerously ill, that the physicians did not think he could recover. The nobleman in this state desired to be assisted by our Saint ; he boreithe pains of his illness with considerable fortitude, but his mind w^as disturbed about matters of trivial importance. Upon which the Saint said to me, ' how (teplomble is human weakness ! this man has the reputation of a great soldier and statesman, and is reckoned to possess an excellent judgment ; yet you see with what trifles his mind is engrossed. He did not lament so much being ill and about to die, as the being ill and dying away from his country and home. He deplored the loss of his wife's regrets and assist- ance, and the absence of his childran, on whom he might have bestowed his blessing. Sometimes he ST. FHANCIM DB BALES. efil ' lonswl for lii« onlinnry pliysicinn, who un(loi*to(tcl Ins constifution from ntfendance on liini for so in;iny vtnrs. At other times he particuhnly enjoiru'd, iiuikiii;.'- it his enrnest reiniest, that he sliouhl not he htuied nt Paris, hut that liis hody shouhl he taken hack to his own country, to he Iai({ in the sepulchre of liis ancestors. Tlien ««»'iiin lie j»ave directions al)out his epitaph, aliout the arranfjements for his removal, and the ceremony of his funeral. He complained of the air of Paris, of the water, of his medicines, of the physicians, surpeons, and apothecaries, of his servants, of his lodj»"in{»', ol his room, of his hed, of every thinjj^. In short, he could not die in peace lecnuse he was not dying* in the place where he wished to die. When he was told that he liad every possihle assistance he could desire hoth for hody and soul, that those whose ahsence he regretted would hut liave added to his grief hy their presence, — to every topic of consolation proposed he had admirahle answers ready wherehy to ag-g-ravat^ his suifei-inw-s and add poig-nancy to Lis sorrow, such ingenuity did he display in tormenting" himself. He expired at last, fortifiea hy the sacraments and tolerahly resigned to the will of God.* The Saint made this comment to me, * It is not sufficient to will what God wills; we must will it in the manner He wills, and in every one of its circum- stances. For instance, when ill, we must will to he m since such is God's pleasure, and we must will to suffer this particular complaint and not another, in this special place, and at this time, as well as among; such jjei-sons as it shall please God. In fine, our law in every thin^ must he the most holy will of God. Such is the lesson I learnt on this occasion.* • " Our Saint was in the habit of saying" that the meanest of all temptations was the temptation to dis- courag"ement. When the enemy has mnde us lose nil heart for our progress in virtue, he makes cheap woik of us, and soon pushes us to the precipice of sin. To correct this fault, the Saint said one day t« some one, * Be patient with all, but s|)ecially with youi-self; I 252 ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. f ^ inefin that you oug-ht never to be disturbed at your im- perfections, and must always arise a-^ain with renewed courage. There is no better way of accomplishing the 6j)iritual life than always beg-innin^ again, never think- ing' we have done enough. And m fact, how shall we ever bear with patience our nei^'hbours' defects, if we are impatient with our own? How shall we be able to reprove others in a >^L)irit of sweetness, if we correct ourselves with spite, sharpness, and ill-temper. He who is disquieted at the sight of his own imperfections will never correct himself ; for correction, to be profit- able, must proceed from a tranquil and sedate spirit.' " Common minds," observes M. de Belley in an- other place, " live well when all goes according to their wishes ; but true virtue shows itself in the midst of contradictions. The more contradictions our Saint met with, the greater was his ti-anquillifcy, and, like the palm-tree, tlie more he was beaten by the winds, the deeper he struck his roots. Here are his own expressions on the subject : * For some time past, full of oppositions and contradictions which have come to break: in upon my tranquillity, I have seemed to derive from them a sweet and delightful peace, which nothing can surpass, and I see in this a presage of the approaching establish- ment of my soul in its God, which is truly not merely the gi-eat, but the only ambition and passionate desir« of my heart.' " TOE saint's detachment feom earthly things, and his LOVE OP POVERTT. • " There are earthly desires and heavenly desires. Of these last we cannot have too great abundance ; they are so many wings which raise us to God j they are those wings of the dove which the prophet asked of God, to fly after eternal rest. For the others, which regard onl}' temporary and perishable things, and which bind us to earth, we cannot have too few. St. BT. FRANCIS DK SALES. 258 HIS A-Ugiistine calls them the glue of the spiritiml winprs. From these sort of desires our Saint was exceedinufly free. Here are his own words : * I wish for verv little, and what I wish for I wish very little. I have scarcely any desires ; and if I had to he^n life ag'ain, I should wish to have none. Earth, indeed, i? of little value, rather I should say of none, to him who aspires to heaven, and time hut a shadow to him who is tending to eternity.* " Some one speaking-, one day, in presence of our Saint, of a prelate of hig-h rank in the Church, said that he was setting* all his sails to reach the dignity of cardinal, and that his absence was the cause of some confusion in his diocese. 'Would to God he were a cardinal already !' said the Saint. I asked him why. ' Because,' he replied, * he would then think of some- thing better.' * What !' I exclaimed, • * of becoming Pope next ? And who is to absolve him from such a sin as that V * That is not what I mean, but the care of souls, the art of arts, in the exercise of which we can do the Lord the gi-eatest service.' ' But will not this dignity,' I replied, ' interfere with his attention to it V * It need not,' he rejoined ; * since in our days St. Charles has so eminently succeeded ; but what I mean is, that, no longer having the pursuit of this honour in his head, his heart woula recal him, and he would bethink himself of his pastoral obligations, which are of divine right, and would attend to them with undistmcted atten- tion, which would give gTcat edification to the Church.' " M. de Belley adds, that St. Francis's prognostic proved a true one. " Having attained when he least expected it the coveted honour, this prelate valued it little, and recalling to mind the importance of his epis- copal duties, was about to return to devote himself to them, when God, accepting his good will, called him from this world, after he had enjoyed, with little satis- faction for six months, what he had sought and laboured for incessantly for thirty vears." St. Francis, when free to choose, was as desirous to 254 ST. FRANCIS DB SALES. shun, ns this prelate was to seek, the dangers and re- sponsibilities of exalted station. If he had roturned from Lyons, where lie died, we learn from M. de Belley that he entertained the desig^n of retiring-into solitude, and after employing* so many years in the functions of Martha, giving up the rest of nis days to the vocation of Mary, resigning his bishopric to his brother, who already acted as his coadjutor. " ' When we are in our retreat,' he says, writing to the prior of a monastery near his contemplated hermit- age, ' we will serve God with breviary, rosary, and pen. who will give me the wings of a dove to ny away to this sacred rest, and to breathe a little under the shadow of the cross ! There shall I await the moment of my change : Exvectaho donee veniat immutatio mea.'* " Alas !" adds M. de Belley, " God was preparing for him a far other rest, the fruit of his labours. " In the year 1619, when he visited Paris with the princes of Savoy, he made a stay of eight months, during which time it is impossible to tell the amount of the services which, to the glory of God, he rendered to souls. The sweetness of his character and conversa- tion, which attracted every one like some heavenly per- fume, so charmed the Cardinal de Retz (Archbishop of Paris), that he desired to make him his coadjutor Not expecting any opposition from oui oaint, he pre- disposed the king in favour of his project. But the holy bishop knew how to divert this ijlow with such consummate skill, that he left the cardinal, though dis- appointed at his refusal, full of admiration of his virtue. He alleged various excuses for his declining the offer ; among others the following, which pleases me much ; that he did not think he ought to change a poor wife for a rich one ; and that if he left his wife, it would not be to take another, but to be without one, according to the counsel of the apostle, Art thou loosed from a mfe? Keek not a mfe;f adding, that having bestowed all his * " I will expect until my change come." Job xiv. 14. t I Cor. vii. 27 •T. FRANTI?* DK SALK8. V?00 ^IS affections upon his church, he could not conceive any or another. " His bishopric (as has ])epn observed), owing* to the depredations ofheresy, was extrenielv poor. To liim this was matter of rejoicing", and we find him on one occasion adroitly refusing- a pension which the king- (Henry IV,) pressed upon his acceptance. An ecclesiastic, lie was m the habit of saying (and St. Paul declares the same of every Christian), who ha:: . od and raiment, and is cot satisfied therewith, do- 'ot deserve the name of an ecclesiastic, nor to hav' ? ' lor the portion of his inheritance and of his cup. ' My bishopric,' he said, * is worth as much to me as the archbisho, ic of Toledo ; for it is worth to me heaven or hell, evt,.. as that of Toledo to its archbishop, according as we each of us acquit ourselves of our obligations. Godliness with con- tentment is great gain.* My revenue suffices for my necessities. Any thing* more would be too much. Those who have more, only have it to keep a larger establish- ment. They themselves, therefore, do not profit by it, but their servants, who often eat without doino* any thin^ for the interests of our crucified Lord. He who Las less, has less account to give. He who has less superfluity, has less to give, and less solicitude to reflect to whom he shouid give. For the King of glory will )ie served and honoured with judgment. Those who have great revenues, sometimes spend so much that they are as poor as I am by the end of the year, if tiiey do not run into debt into the bargain. If we df sire only what nature requu-es, we shall never be poor; if wliat opinion requires, we shall never be rich. To get rich in a short lime and with very little trouble, we must not heap up money, but dimmish cupidity, imitating sculptors, who perform their work by retrenching-, and not paintei-s, who execute theirs by adding, lie will never have enough to whom enough suffices not.' Above all, he corld not bear to hear an ecclesiastic complaining of poverty ; * for,' said he, * he entered into orders with • 1 Tim. vi. 6. \ 250 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. ft benefice, or with n, patrimonial title sufficient for his muintenanco. Sncli being' tlie casn, wlmt cause of com- plaint has be ? If lie produced a I'also title, or accei)te(l an insufficient benefice, wbat be oug-bt to complain of is bis own deceit or imprudence, not his poverty. But let bim, alter all, remember that when be received the tonsure be declared, in presence of the Churc'i tri- umphant and militant, that God was the portion of his inheritance ; and what can he want who has God and His providence for bis portion ? Wbat can suffice bim to whom God is not sufficient V " Although they of Geneva withneld from bim nearly all the revenue of bis bishopric aid that of his chapter, I never heard him make any ci^mplaiiit; so little were his affections fixed on eartlily things, nay, so little attention did he pay them. He knew bow to be satisfied with the slender remnant of bis bishopric. ' Is not twelve hundred crowns of rent, after all, a g*ood deal?' he would say. 'Are not these fine leavings? The apostles, who were much better bishops than we are, had not so much. We are not worthy to serve God at our own expense.' He long-ed only ibr the conversion of these souls, rebellious to the light of truth which shines only in the true Church. Sometimes, speaking- of his Geneva, his * poor, dear Geneva,' as be always called it, notwithstanding its rebellion, he would say, Bigbing-, ' Give me the persons, and take the rest. Would to God we had lost the remainder, so as the Catholic religion had as free an entrance into Geneva fts it has into La Hochelle, and that we had a little tflxi^j there' (this was many years before the capturo of tiic latter place). This sweet hope he ever eherishfd in his )y'V>m, ' It would then soon make progress.' Kevei' wer« those words of the Psalm Super jiuviina JBaM^« (hj the viators of Babylon) sung in choii, l>ut \\m t\i')\.'/\,*i^ fev*>?ted to that unhappy city, the see lA til* bisbof^ iiis predecewwis ; not that ha desired to be Jii»«talled ti^ere in their !«mp and wealth, for he eeteefttftd tl»« %iihayi> of the csoss above all the riches ST. FRANCIS DK 9ALBS. 267 , > of EpTN'pt, but bpcauso lie was toiched with inwnnl pn'ipf onuMit tor the loss of so many souls. AVlion lie said liis office in jirivato, and iocit<»d this same I'salni wita his chaplain, tears tlowrd from his eyes. " I was wondmng", one day, how he could support MS house with so lender 68 a revenue. * It is God,' ho ?air, 'who multiplies the five loaves.* Pressinpf him to explain to me how this took place, ' It would he no miracle,' he replied very sweetly, * if I could explain it. Are not we in a blessed condition to live thus by miracle ? It is the mercies of the Lord that we are not conmnned.^* " One day he said to me, showing me a coat which had been made for him, and which i)e woi*e under his cassock, * My people work little miracles, for out of an old coat they have made me quite a new one; have not they macle a smart one V ^ This miracle,' I replied, ' seems an improvement upon that which the children of Israel experienced, whose clothes did not weai' out during* the forty yeai's they abode in the desert; for here we have old ones made new again.' " He said that the covetoasness of the eyes had this evil in it, that it never looked below itself, but always above ; and so those who were infected with it never enjoyed any peace or solid content. The moment a man desires to be greater or richer than he is, the dignity and property he possesses seems as nothino" to him ; and when he has attained the object of his wishes, his api)etite is sharpened by indulg'ence, and his mental dropsy makes him increase his thii*st by drinking* ; so that he is constantly moving on without ever reaching the goal, death coming sooner than the accomplishment of his ambition and his hopes. The Saint had not only set bounds to his desires, but either he had no desire for exaltation, or he looked upon his station as much above his desires. He often marvelled (such was his humility) that God should have permitted him to be raised to the dignity 1 e held, setting so high a value • Lam. iii. 22. 268 8T. FRANCIS DE SALES. on it that he trembled when he reflected upon tlie bur- den which liad been hiid upon him. As lie entoitained a frreat esteem for his neighbour, he wondered at be- holding* himself placed as superior over persons whom he believed to be better fitted and more worthy than himself." THE SAIKT'S PIETT AND SPECIAL DEVOTIOKS. " It was a saying of the Saint, ' We must never talk of God nor of the thingrs which concern His ser- vice, — that is, of religion, — at random, and by way of a topic, and to make conversation, but always witli deep respect, hiph esteem, and genuine feelinc".' Again, * Speak always of God as God, that is, with reverence ana piety ; not to give yourself importance or to set yourself up to preach, but in a spirit of sweetness, cha- rity, and humility.' The firet piece of advice is ad- dressed to those who speak of religious matters as of any other subject of conversation, without regard to time, place, or pei-sons, and with no other object than to talk and pass away time ; a wretched abuse, of which St. Jerome complains in his day, saying, that all the arts and sciences had their adepts, to whom alone it appertained to speak with authority about them ; it was only Holy Scripture and theoloo-y, which is the root of science, which were so unwoithilv treated, that you heard people at table deciding questions relating* to them, and that not only in private houses but even in taverns ; hair-brained youths, ionorant mechanics, silly old men, — in short, the vulg^ar of all cla'jses, — taking upon themselves to give their opinion on the deepest mysteries of the faith. The second counsel is for tiiose, whether men or women, who affect to pass in society for being' very learned and df^eply versed in spiritual and mystical science, maintainiii|r their opinions with warm til, ill -temper, sharpness, irritation, obstinacy, pride, making more noise than those who are more in 8T. FIIANCIS UK SAM'S. 250 the rlg-lit than themselves, but wlio havo not snch htrong; heads and loud voices; as it' it added any thing* to the solidity of an arg^uuient to make a great hlusttT. The Saint concluded by saying, * Never, then, speak of God or of i-eligion formally or as a topic of conversation, but always with attention and devotion ; and this I say to correct a notable vanity observable in many per- sons, who make a profession of piety, and who on every occasion utter holy and fervent words in a conventional manner and without giving them any tliou^-ht; and after having uttered them they fancy themselves to be such as their words testify while it is no such thing.' " He considered that among the marks of j)re- destination, one of the strongest was a love of hearing- the word of God according to the teaching of Jesus Christ.* To hearken to the voice of the She[>herd is the mark of a good sheep, who will one day be placed at the right hand to hear those w^ords, Come, ye blcmd of My PatJiey. But he would not have us to be idle and profitless hearers of this word. He would have us put it in practice ; and he said that God was j)repan'd to grant our prayers in proportion to our efforts to perform what he set before us by the mouth of the ambassadors of His will. Among those who take a pleasure in hearing the word of God, he remarked that a defect is apt to insinuate itself, namely, acceptance of Eersons ; * as if this salutary bread and this water of eavenly wisdom were not as profitable to the soul when brought by a raven as by an angel, I mean by a dis- agreeable and bad preacher as by a good and pleasing one.* St. Charles Borromeo always read the Scriptures on his knees, as though he had been listening to God speaking from Mount Sinai in the midst of lightnings and thunders ; and our Saint, whether speaking in public or writing or reading in jirivate, desired that we should ever handle it with the very grt^atest reverence. He did not like a preacher plunging at once into the mystical sense before he had first expounded tlie literal j * John viii. 47; xiv. 21. 200 8T. FRANCIS DE SALKS. tliis, he said, was to constnict tlie roof of a liouse before luring' its foundation. Holy Sci-ipture was to be ti-euted witli more solidity and reverence." M. de Belley proceeds to relate an instance of his exactness in the apj)lication of any text of Scripture. " Preaching- one day before him, I happened to apply to the contag-ious example of bad company that saying' of the prophet, With the holy thou wilt he holy., und with the pei'verse thou wilt he perverted ;* a very common application. I perceived at once thnt he was not satisfied ; and when we were alone he asked me why I had so strained this passage, knowing well that such was not the literal meaning-. I replied that it was in the way of allusion. ' So I undei'stand it,' he replied ; * but you ought at least to have noticed that that wns not the literal sense ; for according- to the letter it refers to God, who is g-ood — that is, merciful — towards those who are good, and evil — that is, severe — towards those who are evil ; punishing- the one, and showing- mercy to the others.' Conclude how exact he himself was when handling- the wo)"d of God, since he was so strict with others, — he who was incomparably more indulgent towards others than towards himself. " He recommended spiritual reading- as a food of the soul, which was at hand every where and at all times, and which could never fail us ; wherens we cannot alwnys hear preaching, or have guides and spiritual directors, nor can our memory always recall exactly all we have heard in sermons and in public or private exhortations. He wished us to provide ourselves with books of piety, as so manv matches of holv love, and never to let a day g;o by ■;» ithout making use of them. He would have us read with great respect and devotion, regarding them as so many missive lettere sent by the saints in h(5aven to point us out the w'ay thither and encourage us on our journey, ft must be confessed, that there ai-e no safer directois than those departed ones who speak For the • Psalm xvii, 2G, 27, with such a living voice in their writings. ST. FRANCIS DK 3ALKS. 'J61 mo~t jxiit, tlicy wow tlie intorjirotrrs ot'tlio will of rind, nii:l His !Mnl)assnflt)i\s for dixjXMi^inj,* His woid, t!io l)rfi;i!l of wliich tliov broke to little ones with tlit'ir toiijues, which were to them ns ju-ns ; while, :irrt'r dentil, their pens serve as tonjfues hy w- iiiclt they spcrik to us. If any obscurity or difficulty is to be met with in their works, we may have recour-e, for its umlei- stfindinj^- and elucidation, to the assistaneo of scmie aide an<i experienced ])erson. He stronj^ly reoouuneinhnl reading; tlie lives of the saints ; saying", that it was the Gospel in ja-actice. We shall at the least dciivo from th«>ir perusal a fiieat love for juety, pnnided we read with Ijiunility and a de>ire to imitate the saints. Like the manna, we find therein whtitever flavoiu* ple:ises our taste. From st) many different flowers it is en^y to extract, like industrious bees, the honeycoml) of ex- cellent ])iety. Althoug-li the lineaments of the Spirit ofljod in souls are as various, and even more so, than the features of our faces, still it is true that we can draw from tliem something" to imitate, or at any rate wherewithal to admire the g-race of God, which has Morked such g-reat thing's in and by them. And if this admiration should be all that we derive, would not this be an excellent way of praising* God and the oj)erations of His grace ? " He was in the habit of saying, speaking; of the two sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist, that tiiey were like the two poles of the Christian life : that l)y the fii'st wo renounced all sin, surmounted all tfniptations, and stripped oui-selves of the old man ; and that by the second we put on the new man, Jesus (jhrist, to walk in justice and holiness, g'oing" on from virtue to virtue to the mountain of perfect ion. He admired much that tliought of St. Bernard, who wished his relig-ious to attribute to the frequent use of this saci-ament of life all the victories they {gained over their vices, and all the prog'ress they made in virtue, saying that it was there that they drew water with jov from the Saviour's fountains. He said, that those wfjo soutrbt excuses to 202 ST. FnANCIS DB SALES. dispfinsp ?;»ern from fronirnt cnmimmion, were like tlioso 1! vi('v{ g-uests in the jt;irul)le wlio excited the imj^er of the innster of the house, silthoujiij their reasons of refusal seemed tolernblv nhiusihle. So ne sav tliev are not sufficiently perfect ; and how are they to become so, if they keep away from the souire of jdl perfection ? others plead their weakness, but twis is the bread of the strong"; others, infirmity, but here is the physicinn; others, tliat they fire not worthy, but do(!s not the Church put these words into the mouths of the holiest: Lordy I am not wortlnj tluit Tlwu /ihoi h/cst en fa' vn- dcr my roof?* othei-s, tiint they are overwholmerl with business, but here is One who cries to them, Come to Me all you that labour and are burdened, and I jrill rejresh you ;t others, that they I'ear to receive to tlieir condenination, but have thoy not reason to fear being* condemned for not receiving-? others allege humility, but this is often a false humility, like that of Achaz, which was op|)osed to the glory of God while feigning; to fear to tempt Ilim. And how are we to learn how to receive Jesus Christ well except by receiving- Him, as we learn how to do every thing- else well by dint of doing- it? His sentiments with reg-ard to the com- nnmion of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of tlie Eucharist were very sweet and tender ; and reverential fear was so temj)ered by divine love, that it no way inteifered with confidence, or confidence with reverence. He ardently desired tliat we should annihilate ourselves in receiving- the Holy Eucharist, after the ])attern of the Suviou'-'s self-an- nihilation in communicating- Himself to us ; bowing- the heavens of His g-reatness, that he may accommodate and unite Himself to our lowness. " Having- been horn during- the octavo of the As- sumption of the Blessed Virg-in, he had always a pecti- liar devotion towards lier. From his tenderest yeai-s, we learn from his life, he devoted himself to honour her, both by special suffrag-es and by a sini^ular love •^ Matt. viii. 8. f Matt xi. 28. k •T. FRANCIS nr 8ALK3. 203 le » ir le • for purity, consocmtiiij*" himself to God l)v ft vow of perpetual virjj^inity under the protection and aid of this Queen of Vir«^ins. You know that it was on the feast of the Immaculate Conception that ho received epis- copal consecmtiou, and duringf this holy ceremony that interior unction 9fwhicii mer* .•, is made in iiis life. I have often heard him pir lou or« the glories of the Mother of God; and I n' . ir.fj's that his incom- parable sweetness seemed tpeci.ii.y to fit him to dis- course of this Mother of all benediction. And, indeed, there was nothinj^ he so stronji'ly reconiTneiided his spiritual children as dcfvotion to tiu; Blessed Virg-in. *' It was a common staying- of his, * We do not suf- ficiently bear our dead in mind, our dear departed ones ; and the proof of this is, we do not talk often enoug-h of them. We turn away from the siibject as g-loomy ; we let the dead bury their dead; with us their memory dies away with the sound of the tolling* bell, and we never reflect that a friend>inp which death can dissolve never was a genuine friendship, Scripture even tellinj;^ us that true love is strong"er than deatli. Then it is that praise can no longer be susj)ected of flattery ; and as theie is a species of impiety in lacerating- the reputation of the dead like wild-beasts who disinter bodies to devour them, so is it a mark of piety to re- cord their g"oo(l qualities, for we nre thus stirred up to imitate them.' When any of his friends or acipiaint- ance died, he was insatiable in speaking" well of them and recommending; them to the prayei*s of ever}' one. lie was in the liabit of saying', that in this one act of mercy the other thirteen were included: 'Is it not,' he snid, ' in a manner to visit the sick, to obtain by our ]>rayers the relief of these jioor souls in purg-atory ? Is it not to g'ive drink to those who so intensely thirst for the vision of God, and who are in tlie midst of those fierce flames, to g-ive them a share of the dew of our proyers? Is it not to feed the hung'ry, to forward their deliver- ance by the means which faith suggests to us ? Is it not tndy to ransom prisoners? Is it not to clothe the IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ ^ s 1.0 1.1 11.25 ■yuu |,l-4 1 1.6 HiotograiJiic Sciences Corporation 23 WBT MAIN STRHT WUSTIR.N.Y. USM (7l*)l7a-4S03 ^^^ 2Qi ST. FRANCIS DB 8 ALES. naked, to procure for them a garment of light, even the light of glory ? Is it not to exercise a singular hospitality, to obtain their introduction into the heavenly Jeinisalem, and render them citizens of the saints and of the household of God in the eternal Sion ? Ts it not a gi'eater service to place souls in heaven than to buiT bodies in the earth r As for the spiritual works, is it not a work the merit of which may l>e compared to givinfic counsel to the simple, coiTCCting those who eir, teachmg the iQ;norant, forgiving offences, and bearing injuries/ And what consolation can we give to the soiTOwful of this world, comparable to that which our prayers affoi-d to those poor souls which are under the pressure of so heavy an affliction ? '' His opinion, however, was, that we might draw more consolation than teiror fi-om the thoughts of pur- gatoiy. * Most of those,* he said, * who so much drend purgatory, dread it irom intei-ested motives, and irom the love they bear themselves, more than from regard to the interests of God ; and this comes from the practice of preachers who generally dwell upon the suffeiings endlured there, ratner than upon the happiness and ))eace uf the suffenng souls. It is true that their pains are so great, that the most excruciating torments of this lite are not to be compared to them ; but at the same time the inwai-d consolations they enjoy are also so gi'eat, that no prosperity or earthly enjoyment can equal it. 1. The souls enjoy an abiding union with God. 2. They are pei-fectly resigned to the Divine Will, or rather, tlieir will is so entirely transformed into that of God, that they can only will what God wills ; so that weie Paradise thrown oj)en to them, they would rather ]>hmg-e into hell than ap{)enr before God with the stains tliey still behold upon themselves. 3. They underoo a loving and voluntary purification, because such is the good will of God. 4. They desira to be tvhere tliey are, in the manner which is pleasing to God, and for as long* as He pleases. 5. They are impeccable, and in- capable of tne least movement of impatience or the ive ler ins jlie as lin> ST. PRAN'CIS DE SALES. 265 least shade of imperfection. 6. They love God better than themselves or any other thing-, with a perfect, pure, and disinterested love. 7. They are comforted by ang-els. 8. They are secure of their salvation, in the possession of a no{)e whose expectation cannot l)e con- founded. 0. Their exceeding* bitterness is accompanied with a profound peace. 10. If as respects pain it is a species of hell, it is a heaven as rcs|)ects the sweetness which charity diffuses in their hearts ; a chanty stroiig'er than death and more ixiwerful than hell, whose lamps are fire and flames. 11. Happy state, more to be de- sired than dreaded, since its names are ilames of love and charity. 12. Tenable, nevertheless, since they de- lay the soul's ultimate consummation, which consists in seeing- God and loving* Him ; and seeing and loving' Him, to praise and glorify Him for all eternity.' lie i«commended strongly on this subject the admirable treatise on purgatory of the blessed Catherine of Genoa. I often read and re-read it by his advice attentively, and always with a new relish and fresh light ; and 1 must own that I never read any thing whicii satisfied me so thoroughly. I even recommended it to some Pro- testants, who were much pleased with it; and one learned man, in particular, told me that had this treatise been placed in his hands before his conversion, he should hf»v» l)ef»n more moved by it than by all the argiimentfl lie had heard upon the subject. " But if this be so, it is said, why be so desii*Ous to assist the oouls in purgatory? Because, notwith- standing these advantages, the state of these souls is one of gi'eat affliction, and truly worthy of our com- passion ; besides which, it is Ijecause the glory they will give to God in heaven is retarded. These two motives ought to stir us up to obtain for them a speedy release by our prayers, our fasts, our alms, and every kind of cw)d work, but particularly by oflering for them the Holy Sacrifice of^the Mass. " He advised the pei*sons who consulted him to join all the confrateinities of the places in which they found S66 8T. PRAirciS DB SALES. themselves, in order to participate in all the good works performed by them. He re-assured them as to the mistaken fear they entertained of sinning, if they did not acquit themsrslvos of cei-tain practices which are rather recommended than commanded by tlie rules of these confraternities. ' For/ said he, * if some of the rules of religious orders do not bind under pain of mortal or even of venial sin, how much less the statutes of confraternities ! What is recommended to the mem- bers of them is of counsel, not of precept. There are in- dulgences for those who perform them, which those who neglect them lose ; but this loss is altogether ex- empt fi*om sin. There is much to gain, and nothing to lose.' He wondered at so few pei*sons joining them. He Attributed it to two causes. Some refrain A-om scrupulosity, feaiing to take upon themselves a yoke they could not bear ; others, from want of piety, looking upon those who .joined them as hypocrites. ** It was one of his maxims, that great fidelity towaitls God was displayed in fidelity in little things. * He who is economical of pence and. fni-things,' he said, * how much more so will he be of crowns and pistoles !' And what he taught he pi'actised carefully, for he was the most punctual man that was ever seen. Not only in the celebration of the services of the Churah, at the altar, a*^*' in choir, but also when he said his office in priv he observed the minutest ceremonies ac- curate!) und faithfully. He followed the same i-ule in his ciemonstrations of civility ; he never omitted any thing. One day that I complained to him of his show- ing me too much honour, 'What account do you take,' he replied, * of Jesus Christ, whom I honour in your person ?' Above all he recommended me to study the Pontificate. ' It is for the pastors,' he said, * who are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, to show themselves patteins in all things.' He had oflen in his mouth that admirable saying of St. Paul, Let ail thingn be done decently and according to order"* • I Cor. xiv. 40. , i I ST. PRAKCIS DB SALES. 267 We cannot better conclude than with a reference to his favourite exercise of the presence of God, and to the abundance of consolations with which this eminent Saint was favoured. ** He set such a high value on the exercise of the presence of God, that he recommended it as our daily oread. I say daily bread, because, as in feeding our bodies we add bread to all our other viands, so also is tliera no spiritual exercise which combines more con- veniently and profitably with all our actions than that of the presence of God. ^ Ah,' he exclaimed, * this is the delightful exercise of the blessed, or rather the per- petual exercise of their beatitude, accord ingp to those words of our Lord, Their angeU always see thejace of My Father mho is in heaven* For if the Queen of Saba considered the servants and courtiers of Solomon as very happy from being always in his presence, listening to the words of wisdom which fell from his lips, how much grater is the happiness of those who are continually attentive to the holy presence of Him on whom the angels demre to lookyf although they con- tinually behold Him ! a desire which keeps up in them a perpetual hunger to behold more and more Him whom they contemplate ; for the more they behold Him whom they desire, the more they desira to behold Him, never becoming satiated with their continual satiety.' Our Saint believed that the majority of the failings in their dutr, of which pious persons are guilty, proceed fi-om their not keeping themselves sufliciently in the presence of God." The following confession abundantly proves that in that holy pi'esence he found the iitia of his life and an anticipated Paradise. ** * If you knew,' he said one day to an intimate friend, * how God troats my heart, you would thank His goodness for it, and beseech Him to give me the spirit of coimsel and of fortitude to execute the inspira- tions of wisdom and of understanding that He gives • Matt, xviii. 10. t I PeL i. 19L 208 ST. TRANCI8 DB SALES. me.* He frequently «aid the same thinr to myself, thoug>h in other words. ' 0, how good/ ne exclaimed sometimes, * is the Ood of Israel to tiiem that are of a riffht heaH, since He is so to those who have such a miserable one as I have, which gives so little heed to His |2ni-ace and is so bent down to eaith ! 0, how sweet is His spirit to the souls that love Him, and who se«k Him with all their power ! Truly Ilts name is as oil poured out. There is no need to wonder if many courasi'eous hearts follow Him with so much devotion, that IS, run with such swiftness and delight after the odour of IFis ver fumes. 0, what gi-eat things does tiia unction of Goa teach us ; and that with so sweet a light, that it is difficult for us to discern whether the sweet- ness is more agreeable than the light, or the light than the sweetness ! I tremble, however, from fear lest God should be giving me my paradise in this world. I do not really know what advereity is. I never saw the face of {loverty. The pains I have suffered have been no more than scratches, which have only ruffled the skin. Calumnies are crosses formed of wind, whose memory perishes with the sound. It is little to have been free from afflictions, but I am also gorged with temporal aud spiritual goods ; I am up to my eyes in them ; and in the midst of it all I remain insensible and ungi'ateful. 0, I beg of you, help me sometimes to thank God, and to beseech Him that I may not eat my choice moi*sel (literally, white bread) fii-st ! He well knows my frailty and my weakness, and therefore He treats me as a child, giving me sweet things along with milk instead of more solid food. When will He give me grace, after having enjoyed so much of His favour, to sigh for a little under the cross? since to reign with Him we must suifer with Him. We must indeed either love Him or die ; or rather, we must love Him in order to die, that is, we must die to all other love to live for His love alone, and to live for Him alone who died that we might live an eternal life in the arms of His love. what a blessed thing it is to live in God only, to V 8T. FRANCIS DB SALES. 260 labour for God cnlj, and to rmoice only in God ! Henceforward, with the help of Uod's grace, no one shall have any hold upon me, and no one shall be any thing to me, sare in God and for God only. I hope to arrive at this when I shall have been truly humbled before Him. Live, God ! it seems to me that all is as nothing to rae save in God, in whom and for whom I love souls with the greater tenderness. 0, when will this natural love of kmdred, of worldly proprieties and considerations, of correspondence, of sympatliies, and of gitices, be purified and reduced to the perfect obedience of piu« love, and of the good pleasure of God ? When shall this self-love no longer sigh after sensible pre- sence, proofs of affection, and external demonstrations, but remain fully satisfied with the unvarying and im- mutable assurance that God abideth for ever? What can presence add to a love which God has made, and which He sustains and preserves? What marks of perseverance can one require in a state of unity which IS God's work? Presence or distance will make no change in the solidity of a love which God Himself has formed.' ** I confess," adds the good Bishop, " that my heart, when listening^ to all these words from the mouth of our Saint, burned within me, like the hearts of the disciples goin^ to Emmaus ; for was not this indeed to fling coals ot fire into my faCe? 0, when shall the time come when in heaven we shall love unchangeably and without intermission Him who has loved us with an everlasting love, and who has drawn us to His love, having compassion upon us 1" THE XBID to