A DICTIONARY OF MIRACLES DICTIONARY OF MIRACLES Imitative^ Realistic^ and Dogmatic WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE REV. E. COBHAM BREWER, LL.D. u r (The Fiftieth or Golden Year of his Authorship, 1884.) AUTHOR OF "guide TO SCIENCE** (tHREK HUNDRED AND EIGHTIETH THOUSAND) "history of France" (tenth edition); "history of Germany" "theology in science" (eighth edition); "reader's handbook" (third edition) "dictionary of phrase and fable" (sixteenth edition) "rules for ENGLISH SPELLING;" ETC., ETC PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. B /. 7 '. : : •: ••: .•.••• • « t c »' • ••*•••• TO MES. P. MILLS AND MES. HENEY STOEY WHO FIRST TAUGHT HIM, BY THEIR EXAMPLES, WHAT TRUE BENEVOLENCE AND KIND-HEARTEDNESS PRACTICALLY MEAN, CMtf Solume IS (without even asking PERMISSION, AND WHOLLY WITHOUT THEIR knowledge) DEDICATED ^ WITH UNFEIGNED ADMIRATION, BY THEIR NEIGHBOUR, THE AUTHOR. ^ 241176 CONTENTS. licnoDucnoH .. .. •• •• •• »• . Object of the Book •• •• . Infebbnces Deducible , , Chief Authorities cited iw thib Book „ ., „ Ecclesiastical Symbols explained Thaumatdbgists , Child-mabttrs canonized , ., Saints of the Nineteenth Centubt The Christian Fathers Dates of Ecclesiastical Customs, Dogmas, Titles, etc. . Instbuments of Tortube alluded to, with Illustbatioxts •• •• rAGB xi Xvii xix xxiv XXV XXX xxxU xxxiil XJKiT XXXV xl PART I. MIBAOLKS OF SAINTS IN IMITATION OF SOEIPTUBK MIBAOLES. PAGE Aaron's rod becomes a serpent . . . . 3 Abraham offers up his son Isaac . . . , 3 • promised a seed 3 Ahab covets Naboth's vineyard . . . . 4 Ananias and Sapphira 4 Angel of death sheathes his sword . . . . 5 visitants 6 Angels carry sonls to paradise . , . . 7 entertained unawares 8 have charge of the saints . . . . 8 sent to console 9 Angels' food given to man 14 Annunciation .. 14 Anointing the sick with oil 15 Apparitions of angels and saints. (See also pt. iii.) 15 to give directions about their dead bodies 28 Appearances soon after death . . . . 33 Army of martyrs 34 A ureola, glories, celestial lights, etc. . . 39 Balaam's infamous counsel 41 Balance of the sanctuary 41 Barren women the mothers of children . . 42 IMbliomancy, sortes, belomancy, etc. . . 44 Blindness miraculously cured . . . . 44 from birth cured 48 from demoniacal possession cured . . 49 Blood and water from a wound . . . . 49 Bun e shall not be brolcen 50 Book written within and without .. .. 61 Bound by the devil 51 Bowed by infirmities 51 Brazen serpent 61 Tirought Him ( Why have ye no€) . . , . 62 Budding rod 63 Burning bush 54 Camels' hair raiment 55 Cauldron innocuous. (See Fibb IvNOCUOUti» and Shaorach, etc.) 56 Chains faU off • .. 57 Chasm filled up 58 Christ accused of sorcery 58 as a child 69 consorting with sinners ., ..60 enters, the doors being shut . , . . 60 identifies Himself with the poor . . 61 Churlishness 63 Cloaks used for rafts 64 Cloudy pillar 66 Cockcrow 65 Compacts with Satan 66 Constantine and Asoka 67 Consumed but not diminished . . . . 67 Conversions in large numbers . . . . 68 Cornelius the centurion 69 Cripples, the halt and the maimed, cored . . 69 Cross in the sky 72 Cutting blocks with a razor 73 Daniel accused of prayer .74 David and the draught of water . . , . 74 — — in the cave of Adullam . . . . 75 Dead hearing, speaking, and moving . . 75 raised to life again 78 solution suggested .. ..87 Deaf made to hear 89 Dearth forestalled 89 Delilah 89 Delivenmce from prison 90 Demoniacs possessed with a spirit of truth 92 Devil defeated 93 full of mischief 95 taking men up into the air . . . . 96 Devils assume divers forms 96 cast out 100 recognizing persons 103 tell half-truths 104 tormented before their time ,. ,.104 Diana of the Ephesians ., ., .,.105 Dido and the bull's hide ^ .. .. lOf nil CONTENTS. PAGS Diseases of all sorts cared •• •• •• 106 Doves and pigeons 107 Dragons and serpents subjected •• .. 110 Dreams, warning and prophetic •• .. 117 Dry bones restored to life .. •• .. 120 Dumb made to speak 122 Election of bishops 124 Elijah and the priests of Baal .. ..124 and the widow of Zarephath . . . . 125 eats angels' food 126 fed by ravens 120 makes rain to fall or ceftse .. ..129 spirited away 131 Elijah's chariot 131 translation 132 Elisba and the axe 132 and the Moabite 133 called "bald-pate" 134 heals the water of Jericho . . . . 134 Eutychus restored to life 135 Fasts of forty days 138 Fig tree wltliered 136 Fire innocuous 136 quenched 141 Fish miracles 142 Flowers and fruits from paradise . . . . 144 Food multiplied 146 Garments touched or touching ,. .. 150 Gates opening spontaneously .. ., 152 Gehazi 152 Gideon's stratagem 154 Gift of tongues 154 Glastonbury tbom 156 God answering by fire 156 fights for His saints 156 talks with man 159 Goshen severed from the plagues , . .. 160 Gravitation submissive to saints . . . . 160 Guide 165 Hair a talisman 166 Haman caught in his own net . . . . 166 Head carried after decapitation. (Boethins may be added, see Gibbon, ch. zxxix.) 167 Healed by stripes 170 Herd of swine 170 Herod and the innocents 171 reproved 175 Herodias and the Baptist's head . . . . 176 Honour God's saints 176 Hospitality enjoined 177 Idols shattered 177 Impostures 180 Imputed merit. (See Vicabious Suffer- ing.) 204 Infants in the womb demonstrative . . 205 Jacob's ladder 205 pillar 206 Jephthah's rash vow 208 Jericho besieged 208 Jeroboam's withered hand 209 Jewels 209 Jews converted 209 Jezebel devoured by dogs 209 Job, the story of 210 impleaded by Satan 211 Jonah and the whale 212 Judas, the death of 213 labour in vain 213 Legion ., 214 Lifted up tn prayer, etc 215 PAOS Lions 219 Locusts 223 Lot's wife ^ ..223 Lunatics and maniacs .. •« .. 223 Malchus and Peter .. •« •• •« 224 Metamorphoses .. .. .. 224 Micaiah and king Ahab 224 Miracles not classified 225 of doubtful morality 228 of special saints 229 Moses and the rock 238 commissioned by (Jod . . . . 239 sweetens the waters of Marah .. 339 Naaman the leper 239 Nathanael 241 Natural marks ascribed to miracles . . 241 Nature disturbed at the crucifixion .. 242 Nazarites 243 Obedience better than sacrifice .. ..343 Oil 244 on troubled waters ., .. .. 344 Paralytics healed 346 Paul and Elymas 347 and the Jailer 347 and the viper 347 let down in a basket 848 Paul's route fixed by a vision .. ..348 voyage 348 Penitent thief 249 Peter denies Christ 250 Pharisee and publican 251 Pinnacle of the temple 352 Plague stayed 363 Pool of Bethesda 353 Post-prophetic intuition 353 Prodigal son 355 Prophetic warnings 356 Reconciliation before offerings .. ..256 Relics 257 curative 264 of the crucifixion 269 Rent garments 376 Retributive punishment 276 Rich fool 379 ruler 380 Ruler of Capernaum 380 Sabbatic rest 380 Samson and the Jawbone 381 Saul's [Paul's] conversion 383 Saul's [the king] Jealous 384 Sea obeys saints 384 Seven candlesticks 386 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego .. 386 Shibboleth 288 Ship miraculously brought to land . . 388 •♦Show me Thy glory" 388 Simeon and the Child Jesus . . . . 388 Sodom and the Dead Sea 389 Solomon's choice 389 Judgment 390 Speaking without a tongue .. .. 292 Speech ascribed to dumb animali .. . . 394 Spider's web 394 Spittle curative . . 394 Star at bhrth or death 296 Stephen's vision 297 Stones made bread 397 Sun submissive to saints (Joshua's mh-acle) 397 Susanna and the elders 3M CONTENTS. PAOB Temple a den of thieTM 301 Temptations 302 ToWt buries the dead 303 Tongues of fire 304 Touching foi the king's evil . . . . 306 Trance, ecstasy, etc 308 Tree of knowledge 314 Unchaste and unclean spirits .. .. 314 Urim and Thummim 316 Veronicas 316 Vicarious suffering 319 FAOB Violence offered to saints punished ,, 330 Visions and revelations 321 Voices from heaven . . 326 Walking on water 329 Water supplied , , 332 turned into wine . . . . , , 336 Waters divided and heaped up ,, ,. 337 Wise men of the East 340 Witches and familiar spirits .. .,341 World all seen at once .. ,, ,, 34S Zealous of the law .. ,. .. .. 340 PAKT II. REALISTIO MIBAOLES. Adulterers .. .. '. 349 Afar off 349 Almighty 349 Angels differ in glory 351 ministering spirits 353 Antediluvian longevity 353 '• Ask and receive " 354 Babes 355 Beasts of burden 357 Beasts, birds, and fishes preached to . . 357 confidino^ in saints 358 submissive to saints 360 Beaten with many stripes 367 Beauty of holiness 368 Bee-mouthed '..368 Bells and clocks. (See Gifts from Heaven.) 369 Birds telling the matter 370 Blood-money 371 Blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin . , 371 Bodies of saints incorruptible . . . . 372 Bonds cannot bind the Word of God . . 374 Braying to death in a mortar . . . . 375 Broad and narrow way 375 Burden of sin 375 Caiaphas's counsel to the Sanhedrim . . 376 Candles and lamps 377 Captives and prisoners set free . . . . 379 Carried and delivered 380 "Castthy bread on the waters'* .. ..380 Changelings 380 Charity its own reward 381 Chri-st before all 381 Christ's sorrows 382 Coals of fire 383 Contentment 383 Covetousness is idolatry 384 Crucify the Lord afresh 384 Darkness turned to light 384 Day for a year .. 384 Death at the door 385 Death-terrors 385 Desert made fertile 386 Destruction of the temple 386 Devil a liar 387 man's adversary 387 Disfigurement lor Christ's sake . , . . 388 Divided kingdom 390 Dumb idols 390 Enemies turned back or scattered . . 391 Engravrd on the heart 391 b'alls innocuous to saints 392 Fasts observed by Infants ., .. ,•892 Fire a test .^593 Fool. (See Rich Fool, pt. I.) .. .. 394 Foolishness of preaching 394 Fountain becomes a river 394 Fruitful harvests 396 Frustration of wicked devices . . . . 396 Gifts from heaven, etc 396 Giving to the poor. (See Lendino to the Lord.) 396 Glass and pottery miracles 396 God protects His saints 397 will provide 398 Hand sent from heaven 399 Happy in suffering 401 Harm warded off 402 Heart and treasure go together . . . . 410 Heathen gods are devils 410 Heaven of heavens 411 Hell 412 Holiness better than rubies . . . . 416 Honi soit qui mal y pense 416 Households set at variance by the gospel 416 Hundredfold returned 416 Idol-makers confounded 417 Innocency protected by God . . . . 41T Inspiration promised to saints ,. .. 41T Justice justified in forgiveness .. ..418 Lending to the Lord. (See Giving to the Poor.) 418 Liars frustrated 420 Life more than food 426 Light 420 Love your enemies 421 Luke the evangelist an artist . . . . 422 Mammon of unrighteousness . . . . 422 Marks of the Lord Jesus 423 Men like trees 427 More than conquerors 427 Mortify the body 428 Music heard at death 433 Nakedness of man 434 Nature subjected to faith 434 Nothing that defileth shall enter in . . 436 Oil and wine as a medicament . . . . 430 Paper from heaven , 430 Passing away 431 Plague 437 Poison innocuous to saints . . . . . . 438 Politeness of saints when dead .. .. 430 Portions given ••••>••• ^M CONTENTS. PAGE Prayer 440 Preparing the way 443 Rain obedient to saints 443 Repetitions vain 445 Resist the devil 446 Return not evil for evil 446 Reviled and persecuted 446 Rivers dried up or divided 447 Roses 447 Satan as an angel of light 45C falling from heaven 46C Sea giving up the dead 451 " Sell all thou hast " 451 Separation from Christ impossible . . 452 Serpent cursed . . . . . . . . 453 Sheep obedient to saints 453 Silence 453 Sins forgiven 456 Sleepers in death 456 Sores and blains cured 458 Soul of man. (See Doves, etc.) . . . . 458 Spider's web 461 Spoiling the Egyptians 461 PAOl Standing fast ,, 461 Stones crying out 463 obedient to saints, (SeeQBAVitATioir.) 403 Strength according to our day .. ,, 464 Sun warded off 454 Taught of God *[ 465 Thoughts discerned 466 " Thus far, but no further** ,, ..466 Tongue of man 467 Tormented by devils 407 ** Touch not Mine anointed " , , , , 469 Trees symbolize man 469 Triads .. 439 Two-edged sword \ 469 Ubiquity 470 Wants supplied 471 Water Innocuous to saints 471 White btone 471 Wings 472 Wolves and lambs 472 Women's apparel j .. 474 Words spoken J)y saints spread lar .. 474 Wounds healed 474 PART IIU MIRACLES TO PROVE CHURCH DOGMAS. Apparitions for ecclesiastical purposes . . 479 Body and Blood of Christ 489 Celibacy and married celibates . . . . 495 Crucifixes and Images moving, etc. . . 497 Dress prescribed 601 Guardian angels 503 Holy water 6O5 Incense 606 Monastic life and monasteries . . . . 506 " My flesh is meat indeed " 508 ALPHAnncAL Indsz bt Dovblx Estbt No faith to be kept with heretics ,. ., 610 Odour of (sanctity ... , , 510 Prayers for the ae» spread ? No doubt there is truth in what Gibbon says, ** If the eyes of the spectators have sometimes been deceived by fraud, the understanding of the readers has much more frequently been insulted by fiction," ♦ yet to attribute the legends of the saints one and all to lying craft and ocular deception if simply absurd. It seems to be a universal law in the history of man, whether considered as individuals or nations, that the dawn of intelligence is the dayspring of imagination. We find it so in children and in all uneducated classes. Hence the general belief in sorcery and the black arts, evil spirits and malignant Influences. Hence, too, all early history is full of fable. Even Livy believed in a personal Bomulus and Bemus, a Numa and all the seven kings of Rome. Our own history, till quite recent times, was based on the fables of the early chroniclers ; and Milton himself believed in the tale of Brute, the colony from Troy, and encounters with giants and magicians. The legends were not the inventions of the chroniclers, but traditions; they were the superstitions of a highly imaginative age; and the false etymology of names, with the highly figurative language employed, corroborated the error.f Superstition and fabulous tradition were further added to in the days of chivalry, when knights were called by the names of animals and flowers, when coat-armour became incor- porated with family history, when sin, or what was deemed sin, was spoken of as a dragon, and a moated grange as an enchanted castle. With these and such* like elements of fable, it soon became impossible to disentangle fiction from fact, device from real achievement. The language of the Church added no little to the same husbandry. Every sin, every heresy, every doubt, was believed to be the work of some demon. Sickness was produced by the indwelling of the same malignant spirits ; so were storms and tempests, floods and fires, earthquakes and gales. Hence to cure a • See Imfosturk, p. 180. f Thus, speaking of St. Angel, Mgr. On^rln says (roL ▼. p. 343), **0n vlt, dit-on, tomber des roses et des lis de sa bonche, pendant qn'il parlalt." So, again, when Mens. Breton, in his Ifutruction tur le Sacri CoBur de JUut, seeks to prove the antiquity of this very modem ** devotion," he says, ** St. Thomas speaks of the fuart of Jesus, fiiU of charity to man. St. Bonaventure speaks of the heart of Jesus, as the source of grace. St Bcrnardin says, Jesus shows us His hearty a furnace of love. Others speak of the heart of Jesus, aa a place of refuge." How such figures of speech can justify the concrete •* Sacr6 Coeur de Jesus" of Margaret Mary Alacoque must be left to Mons. Breton and his disciples. When, in Prov. xxiii. 28, it is said, *' My son, give me thy heart," we should think it Idiotic or childish to take this literally. Surius, speaking of the princess Hedwiges, says **her goodness was a fountain from which all M>uld draw water to their healing." Mgr. Guerin, in his life of St. Eatychu^ says, ** Quatre moincs furent mordus par le serpent de la Jalousie." N.B.— Once again it must be insisted on that it is no answer to say the Life quoted is spurious, provided it if accepted by such compilers as the BoUandists, Mgr. Guerin, and other hagiographert of the [Roman] Catholic Church. In the acts of canonization may be found statements quite at marvellous as those which historical purists call spurious ; and after all, spurious history is reallj « better index of popular credulity than any unvarnished statement of simple facts, which, of ooutm^ •now no popular belief at all. INTRODUCTION. xui glckness was, in many cases, synonymous with casting out a devil ; to break down a heathen altar was to dislodge a demon ; to drain a flood was to overcome the evil one ; and to combat a storm was to wage war with Satan. It is no part of the present volume to examine into the question whether such language has the sanction of Scripture or not ; suffice it to say it accounts for much of what now appears, to Protestants at least, and still more to the minute exactitude demanded by modern history and science, as fabulous and false, but which was by no means 80 intended and so employed. Far above all these sources of error was the dogma that God is glorified by miracles, and the more astounding.the miracle, the more it exalted the power of the Almighty. Not only is God glorified by showing Himself the Master of natu '6, and unfettered by natural laws, but man is supposed to be honoured also, when delegated to be His fellow-worker. Hence the encouragement given by the religious world to those who avouched a share in such performances,.And the eager willingness of all to believe every tale which magnified their faith and honoured its servants. When Placidus was dragged out of a river by Maurus, he told the abbot that he saw the hood of St. Benedict extended over him, as he was drawn from the water. Maurus modestly replied he had seen nothing of the kind ; whereupon the abbot remarked, " It is plain, therefore, that the merits of Placidus exceed thine, my son ; because he stands higher in God's favour than thou dost." This flattery paid to seers of visions and workers of wonders could not fail to have a very powei ful influence on religious enthusiasts ; they laid themselves open to delusion, and found ready hearers for every marvel.* If, instead of this adulation, all claims to the supernatural had been frowned down and discredited, as in Protestant countries at the present day, *he supply of miracles, without doubt, would soon have ceased. In corroboration thereof we may refer to the recent visions and miracles of Ballyraggett, in Ireland (1881). For a week or so the daily journals liked the novelty, and there were not lacking half-hour heroes who felt flattered to be paraded in print ; but when the archbishop of Amiens set his foot on the whole affair, and frowned it down with unmistakable disapproval, the apparitions ceased, and a rumour got abroad that the visions were produced by reflecting- glasses. Whether this was true or not is of small moment, but it is quite certain that the apparitions ceased as suddenly as they rose. If, on the other hand, the authorities of the Church and the general public had encouraged the delusion, there can be little doubt it would have continued, and probably grown in intensity, to meet the craving of the public appetite. In this, as in everything else, the supply meets the demand: as long as wonders are required by the credulous, there will not fail those who are ready to supply them ; but when the demand ceases, they become a drug not worth the trouble of production. * They were also severely rebuked for doubting the truth of a miracle. Thus, when St. Herme- land professed to see events occurring eighty miles off, and some of the younger monks thought h« was growing old and childish, they were brought to task for their want of faith, and severely punished. MiW INTRODUCTION. Of course theso remarks will bo met with the retort, How could such men ai the Gregorys, St. Jerome, St. Fnincis, St. Benedict, and many others, the very Bait of tlie earth, whose names are justly held in the highest veneration, be supposed to lend themselves to palpable delusions ? The reply is simply this : It was not miracles that made these men great, though the greatness of their namei gave currency to tlie belief in miracles. But admitting they were deluded, they were not the first who have been deceived, or have deceived themselves, by a popular belief.* Take, for example, the spiritualists of the present day, who number in their ranks men and women of high education, honour, rank, fortune, and talent, mathematicians and theologians, politicians and historians ; yet the scientific world will not admit their dogmas, and the religious world is more than half afraid of them. Take a far better case, that of witchcraft in the Middle Ages. Even bishop Jewell believed in it. Glanvil, the ecclesiastical writer, and one of the founders of the Royal Society, wrote a book to prove, "philosophically, theologically, and historically," that it is a sterling fact. Montesquieu was a believer in it. Addison and Blackstone only half doubted, and thought that such a power might have existed at one time. Pope Innocent VIII. published, in 1484, a bull, charging all true Catholics to search out, and put to death, " those who practised magic, sorcery, witciicraft, and enchantment." Alexander VI. (in 1494), Leo X. (in 1521), and Adrian VI. (in 1522) supple- mented the bull of pope Innocent; and to come nearer home, the Scotch Assembly, between 1640 and 1649, pabsed no less than five Acts against witches and wizards, each one more stringent than the former. In fact, history teem§ with delusions, and neither talent nor integrity, rank nor education, piety nor single-mindedness, religion nor law, nor all of them combined, have proved a safeguard against them. That some of the miraculous records in the lives of the saints are pure inventions is beyond a doubt. It would be mere waste of time to try any of them ut the tribunal of experience or probability, but in some cases they are mixed up with history, and the historical part may be critically examined. If this part fails, the miracles interwoven with the history must fall at the same time. Take an example : Aurelian is said to have subjected St. Savinian, in Gaul, to sundry barbaric torments, and at last, on Jan. 29, a.d. 275, to have led forth a squadron of soldiers to seize him and behead him. How does this accord with plain history? In 275 Aurelian was not in Gaul at all, but somewhere between Byzantium and Heraclea; and on the very day named (Jan. 29) he was assassi- nated. Hence the persecution of this saint, and all the wonders connected with it, must be mythical. Other anachronisms are noticed in the body of this volume.f * St. Gregory the Great (^Dialogues, bk. ii.) gives a remarkable instance. While St. Benedict was building the monastery of Mount Cassino. the monks thought the kitchen was on fire, and ran to tell St. Benedict, but the saint soon proved to them that the fire was wholly in their own Imaginations. t Samuel Harsnet, afterwards archbishop of York, says (1604), " What people, but you [Roman Catholics] were ever so bewitched as to be borne in hand that a house was carried in the ayre from Palestina to Loretto ; that a painted Image in a wall dothe worke as high miracles as wer ever pep INTRODUCTION. z? Aiiother source of legendary myths was the liabit of adaptation. It wai customary in religious houses for some one to read aloud during meal-time, and a favourite amusement was to adapt some heathen tale and spiritualize it. Popular adaptations would be remembered, and handed down ; and in time these traditions would be lifted into the national hagiography. Several of these adaptations appear in the body of this book. Again,* the dogma that the end sanctifies the means, could not fail to be pro- ductive of immense mischief. It would matter little or nothing what deception was practised, provided men were persuaded thereby to abandon their Idols and be baptized. Origen lays it down as an axiom that a " falsehood is quite lawful, when told to promote tlie cause of Christianity." After all, by far the most fruitful source of hypothetical miracles, especially those connected with names of undoubted honesty and holiness, is the unhealthy and abnormal lives led by the saints ; their unwholesome and insuflacient food ; the concentration of all their thoughts on one subject, and that a peculiarly sensational one ; and the limit of their reading to the "lives of saints," crowded with miracles. These combined could not fail to produce disordered vital action and visceral disturbance, which would, of course, act upon the imagination, and fatally handicap the discernment of the mind. It is common sense which first gives way ; and far short of lunacy or idiotcy the fancy may see things which are not. Macbeth was quite honest, when he told his wife he had seen a dagger in the air ; and Hamlet, when he believed he had seen his father's spirit. This dagger and this spirit were realities to the seers, as much so as any of the ordinary phenomena of common life. Their troubled minds informed thus to their eyes, whereas in a healthy brain the eyes inform the mind. These visions are of such stuflf as dreams are made of, but dreams are realities so long as the mental condition lasts which produced them. Without entering on the question of objective idealism, it is undoubtedly true in a very large sense that the mind formed by the eternall Sonne of God ; that the prints of St. Frauncis stripes, the tayle of oiu Saviour's asse, and the milke of our blessed Lady, are this day to be seen ? " * There cannot be a doubt that some men, either by legerdemain like Maskelyne and Cooke, oi by bodily training like the yogis and fakirs of India, acquire an apparent power over the laws ol nature, which to the uninitiated seems miraculous. Probably there is not a single " miracle of the saints " in all this book which they would not be able to imitate. Such things as " raising the dead" (p. 88), " healing diseases instantaneously," " floating in the air " (p. 215), " weighting article* so as to make them immovable, and releasing them as suddenly" (p. 160), "being apprised of events occurring many miles away, and guessing with marvellous accuracy future events " (called yog-vi-dya), are household tricks among Brahmins and Buddhists. Many an Englishman has seen them throw a rope into the air, climb up it, and suddenly disappear. Many an Englishman has seen a Brahmin stand on the bank of a river, render a pail of water quite immovable, and as suddenly release it. With magnetic or galvanic apparatus there is no difficulty in such a trick, but the Indian operator apparently has none. Many an Englishman has been told by an Indian of some event occur- ring miles away, which has proved correct. The " inexhaustible bottle " might pass for the multi- plication of food to those ignorant of its modus operandi ; and the common '• mango trick " is eveiy bit as amazing as any of the " tree and flower miracles " recorded of the saints. Photography, telegraphy, and chemistry have taught us to talk more modestly of the immutable laws of nalnriti They are immutable only till we know how to change them, xvi INTRODUCTION. of every man creates its own creation. The child and the idiot see a crown of gold in a tinsel cap, and a banquet of kings in a few fragments of broken food. The savage sees a god in a block or stone. Bel was a vital deity to the wise Cyrus till Daniel disillusioned him. Men and women need not be lunatics or savages to ste with the eyes of fancy or fashion. This sort of self-deception is quite compatible with honesty of mind, undoubted piety, irreproachable conduct, and intellect of the highest order ; but it accounts for the singular fact that one person may see or hear what fifty other bystanders fail in doing, although the attention of all is equally directed to the same object. The brooding mind cat create a pain in any part of the body, or inform the brain of anything it likes or loathes. This well-known pathological process will go far to account for the three subjects of this volume, that so many of the legends of the saints are IMITATIONS of Scripture stories ; that so many are realistic illustrations of striking texts ; and not a few are put forth to prove the dogmas of the [Roman] Catholic Church. Although, therefore, there may be some who will dislike to see the subject so anatomized and laid bare, it cannot be disputed that the subject is pathologically, theologically, socially, and morally one of the most important and interesting that can be ventilated. The word " Saint " appended to living characters is acknowledged to be an anachronism, as canonization never took place till after death, sometimes after thp lapse of a century or more ; but the appendage is convenient for Identification, and indeed in many cases a name would not be recognized without it. But St. Moses, St. Enoch, St. Abraham, St. David the sweet psalmist, St. Isaiah, and so on, strike strangely on the Protestant ear, and In such cases the prefix has been omitted. It must be borne In mind that the fame now attached to aut?iors was In the early and middle ages chiefly engrossed by saints. The profession of sanctity was the high-road to notoriety, and originality in this, as in authorship, was especially affected. *,* It is to be hoped that the novel rendering of '* Samaon and the Jawbone," ** Jothoa and tb« inn," etc.. will not be deemed oat of place. OBJECT OF THE BOOK, The object of this volume is to show by data alone a mode of thought which pre- vailed in Christendom for many centuries, and has not yet died out.* It was generally accepted in the early and mediaeval ages that this earth is the kingdom of God and of His Christ, and that whatever opposed this reign is the work of Satan and his angels. Taking this as an admitted fact, it would follow as a natural consequence that law and medicine, science and literature, are merely handmaids of divinity. Law being* legpl divinity ; leechcraft, medical divinity ; the arts, scientific divinity ; mathematics, magical divinity ; as- tronomy, astrological divinity ; and with- out divinity, even the beginning of wisdom could not exist. Law was not trying oifences by evi- dence, but by an appeal to God to defend the right. Hence some task was ap- pointed, it mattered little what, and God was expected to make the guilty person fail in accomplishing it. So in medicine, cures were not effected by drugs and minerals, but by charms and amulets, pilgrimages and relics, the sign of the cross and the name of Jesus. It was not the experimental physician who cured the sick, so much as the priest, the delegate of God. Nor was it otherwise in science, where magic and astrology were mainly relied on ; and as these were supposed by the clergy to be under the influence of Satan, science was not favoured by the Church. As the priest was the officer of God, his great aim was to sever himself as much as possible from earth — to stamp out every earthly wish, every earthly affection, every earthly ambition ; and the more he succeeded in emptying himself thus, the more perfect was he, as the servant of God. As the Bible was the only code and exemplar, the ambition of the religious was to imitate in all things the examples set before them there, hence the claim to miraculous powers, and hence the miracles ascribed to the saints are so often imitative of Bible ones. The first part of this volume is to show this ; and the plan adopted is as follows. Some miracle of the Bible is taken as a text, »nd then from the various hagiographies ve quoted corresponding examples. • 8m ArFARITIONS, pp. xiii.. 86. 476. Thus, suppose the text is " Elijah fed by ravens," the following are considered parallelisms : — Auxentius fed by a pigeon prince Cadoc fed by a mouse ;' Catherine of Alexandria fed by a dove ; St. Cuth- bert fed by rooks ; Dr. Moulins fed by a hen ; an old hermit fed by a lion ; Paul the hermit fed by a crow ; St. Sorus f td by a stag ; Wyat fed by a cat ; and so on. If the text is " Elisha's axe made to float on the surface of the water," the follow- ing miracles are cited as parallels : — St. Benedict makes an axe-head, which has fallen into a lake, rise to the surface, and fix itself firmly into its haft again ; St. Wulf ran makes a silver paten, accidentally dropped into the sea, float on the surface till it is rescued. The second part gives data illustra^'e of Scripture texts. Some text being taken, a number of miracles are set down to prove its literal truth. These are called in this volume " Realistic Miracles." For example : If the Bible says, *' Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes," it must be shown that babes have been wise where wise men have failed. If the Bible says, " I will make a covenant with the beasts of the field," it must be shown by data that saints have actually entered into compacts with wild beasts. If it is said, "Thou wilt not suffer Thy holy one to see corruption," it must be shown that the bodies of saints do not decay like other bodies. If it is said, ** Nothing shall by any means hurt you," it must be shown by examples that saints have been subjected to every sort of tor- ment, and yet have received no hurt. The third part consists of miracles to prove Roman Catholic dogmas. The whole is arranged in double alphabetical order ; that is, each head is in alphabetical order, and each item under the head is in alphabetical order likewise. As, how- ever, no conceivable plan could have been adopted to range data under heads, and yet give each name and subject a place easy to be found by every one, constant cross references are made, and an index, by double entry, is added, in which the names and particulars are arranged in strict alphabetical order wholly irrespective of the subject matter. Thus, if we have " Paul the hermit fed miraculously by a crow," we shaU find xviii OBJECT OF THE BOOK. this, and all its congeners, under the head of " Elijah fed by Ravens ; " but in the index under '* Paul the Hermit," and under " Crow " also. The arrangepient under heads is valuable for two reasons ; it shows at a glance what miracles are most frequently repeated, and also the shades of difference introduced ; while the index facilitates references to any name or item which may be required, and adds to each head many fresh examples interlaced with other subjects. A few passing observations have been occasionally introduced in small type ; but as a rule comment has been avoided, and the data left to speak for themselves. It may appear like vanity to say that the reading required has been Gargantuan, but laborious as this has been, the arrange- ment has been far more difficult, espe- cially in the second part. The book occupies entirely new ground, and how- ever startling some of the examples may appear, they one and all go to make up an irresistible truth of enormous historical importance. Without doubt, a book of this character must not be based on obscure writers, and authors out of date. The authorities here depended on are the highest possible : popes, archbishops, bishops, and abbots. First and foremost come the four series of the Acta Sanctorum^ the first of which brings the lives down to 1753, the second to 1782, the third to 1826, and the fourth to 1855. This magnificent monument of industry and learning (of course in Latin) takes a very high position in the [Roman] Catholic Church ; although certain Pro- testants doubt the judgment of some of the thirty-three collaborators. It is not, however, private judgment, like that ex- ercised by Alban Butler, that is required in such a work, half so much as a fearless and faithful delineation of what Roman Catholics themselves now believe, and ever have believed ; and this, no doubt, is broadly represented in the Acta Sanctorum. The next work relied on is the compilation of Mgr. Gue'rin, called Les Fetits Bollandistes (in French). The first edition of this huge work was, I think, in 1864 or 1865 ; the one here used is the seventh edition, corrected, and dated 1880. The author is the chamberlain of pope Leo XIII., and the work is sanc- tioned and recommended by the two popes, Pius IX. and Leo XIII. ; the three irchbishops of Alby, Bordeaux, and Tours ; and the nine bishops of Agen, Amiens, Angouleme, Langres, Mende, Nancy, Nantes, Poitiers, and Troyes (all between 1865 and 1879). The third staple work is called The Lives of the Saints^ translated by Edward Kinesman in 1623. The original of these lives was issued cum privilegio regias Majestatis of Philip of Castille and Aragon ; and Kinesman's translation has the following approbatio appended to it : — " Horvm 8anctomm Vit«, ex alijs linguis in Anglicam k D. Edouardo Kinesman versaa, tutb & cum fructu edi possunt. Audo- marop. 27 Maij m.dc.xxiii." (signed) Joan, Floydus Soc. lesu Theologus, Numerous other writers are referred to, but the three works above named would have been all-sufficient except for one thing, and that is, to show that the state- ments of these writers are in perfect harmony with all other hagiographers who fairly photograph the pressure at the saints whose lives and acts they profess to delineate. We do not want to know how the saints fed and clothed themselves, retired from the world, and lived lives of seclusion, half so much as to know how their religious training and teaching affected their belief, their acts, their imagination, their status, their influence, their estimation in the eyes of the general public. What they thought about the gifts of the Spirit, the power of the Church, the gift of miracles, visions, angelic and Satanic agencies, deity, redemption, and the life to come, — we learn next to nothing of all this in such lives as those given by Alban Butler; but these are the points especially pro- nounced in the Acta Sanctorum, the Fetits Bollandistes, and Kinesman ; and this fidelity to the realities of life renders their works so exceedingly valuable as indices of modes of thought. A few classical Illustrations hare been introduced. especially in connection with the Getta Romanorum. It must be remembered that not only were heathen temples converted into Christian churches, heathen customs adapted to Christian ways, and heathen festivals changed to Christian meniorials, but not unfrequently secular legends were spiritualized ; and occasionally an historical tale, nomine mutato, lias been made to do duty for an hypothetical saint. Instead of quoting books by contractions, as A'ot. Men. in Sac. S. Greg., or L. de Glor. Mart 11, c. 101, th« titles have been written out in full, because many of th« books referred to are not well known to the general public A list also of those most frequently referred to will be found pp. xxlv,, XXV., where all necessary information respecting them has been given. Writers referred to only once or twice, breviaries, offices, and propres, have l)ee» omitted from this list, that it might not be pedantically swollen to a great length. That no critic may refer to omissions it must be added that this volume contains exactly half the entire maai collected together ; but this half will suffice for every use- ful purpose, and more can be furnished If n»nn» U required. INFERENCES DRAWN FROM THE DATA CONTAINED IN THIS BOOK. (Be It most dlstinctlj understood that the autb *r neither endorses nor condemns any one of these Inferences. He simpl/ states what the data given seem to teach.) Acts of Merit. Almsgiving, confession, penance, vows, eonimunion, are acts of merit. Absolution by a priest is a positive absolution, and not the mere heraldic announcement or declaration of God's covenant of grace. The viaticum is an unspeakable benefit to the dying. To die under an anathema or interdict is to die without hope, unless the curse is removed by the pope. No salvation out of the Church of Rome. Baptism. Baptism is regeneration, and by bap- tism " sin is washed away." (See under ♦'SaTinian,"p. 465.) Celibacy. It is one of the highest possible merits to remain single. Chastity is one of the crowns of glory. It is meritorious in married life to live in Platonic love only. (See Thierry, p. 496.) It is meritorious even to break oft a marriage contract. Charity. Charity to the poor is certainly the most pronounced of all acts of merit. Wnen giving is indiscriminate it is alwajrs mischievousL >" Sell all thou hast, and give unto the poor," does not mean give indiscriminately to all beggars, for many beggars are far from poor, and such giving is a great evil. In the Lives of the Saints we are not told that the saints visited from house to house, searched into the con- ditions of the neighbouring huts, and helped the deserving poor ; but that the doors of the monasteries, and the cells of recluses, were daily beset with crowds of beggars, and food or alms was distributed promiscuously and often lavishly among them. Discreet almsgiving, no doubt, is an admirable Christian work, beyond all praise ; but the indiscreet giving of money or alms to beggars is much to be reprehended. Christ. Christ not unf requently visits the saints on earth, but generally in the form of an infant or little child. Sometimes in the guise of a beggar. Crucifix. The crucifix and the cross are not only remembrancers, but in some cases thoy act as spells. Occasionally they bleed, speak, move of themselves, and perform other acts of vitality. Devils. The world is divided into two unequal parts — the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of Satan. All that is not of tjie former belongs to the latter. The per- secuted [Roman] Catholic Church is the kingdom of light ; the persecuting world, the kingdom of darkness. Every newly baptized person renounces the devil, and joins the army of Christ. As Jews and Protestants, as well as Mahometans and heathens, belong to the kingdom of Satan, they are the natural enemies of the * ' Church of Christ ; " and to destroy them, by craft, war, persecu- tion, or in any other way, is as glorious as to trap a foe by ambush, or kill him in open fight. On the other hand, to per- secute a [Roman] Catholic is to per- secute Christ Himself, and to wage war against the kingdom of God. Dreams. God sometimes reveals His will by dreams or visions. Most dreams are visions. Apparitions of saints are common. Deceased saints may be invoked, and can accomplish, either directly or in- directly, what is required of them. Their tombs and relics possess miraculous virtues. Duty to Saints. Any injury done to a saint, or dis- respect shown to one, is done or shown to Christ, and is generally punished forthwith. It is meritorious for saints to injure and dishonour those who see not eye to eye with themselves, as Arians, Luther- ans, Calvinists, and other " heretics." For a Jew or "heretic" to injure a [Roman] Catholic is a sin; but for a saint to injure a Jew or "heretic" if meritorious, although often it IB % hazardous civil offence* XX INFERENCES DEDUCTBLE. Harsnet tells us that Cottam, Brian, and Campian, executed at Tyburn for treason in 1582, were canonized ; because Eliza jeth, whom they sought to dethrone and assassinate, was a Protestant. — Popish Impostures^ p. 118. Ecstasies. The fifteenth, sixteenth, and seven- teenth centuries were remarkable for ecstasies and visions ; the third, fourth, and fifth centuries were remarkable for astounding *' miracles " and marvels. The earlier centuries abound with en- counters with dragons : the latter centuries are more aesthetic , Eucharist. The elements of the mass are bona fide transubstantiated. They are food, possessed with miracu- lous sustaining power. Hence Nicholas of Flue lived for twenty years on the bread administered to him daily in the Eucharist. Silvinus lived forty years on the same food. God and Angels. Saints have personal intercourse with God, Christ, angels, and the Virgin Mary. Whatever opposes our abnegation and entire submission to God is from the personal interference of Satan and his demons. Sickness, storms at sea, land tempests, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other *' natural disturbances," are due to Satanic agency. Thus St. Genevifeve is represented in Christian art with a devil [the windj blowing out her candle, and an angel lighting it again. All the laws of nature are wholly sub- jiervient to the will of God, and God can alter them locally without throwing the whole system of the world out of gear. Health, fertility, good gifts, charity, benevolence, and all other Christian virtues, are due to the personal and active interference of good angels. Guardian Angels. Saints have one, two, or more guardian angels in constant attendance on them. Sometimes they become visible ; some- times they speak audibly ; sometimes they hold sustained conversations. Rosana, afterwards called " Sister Humility," had bwo attendant angels in constant 'waiting. and used to address them familiarly by their names. Hell. Hell is a place of material fire. The punishment is incessant and everlasting. Satan is the prince of hell, demons or devils are his angels, who can assume any form to do his bidding. Infants. The lives of very little children are glaringly told from the standpoint oi monks who know nothing about child - life. Their fasting from the breast, their voluntary seclusion, their fondness for church and prayer, their abstinence from all childish amusements and mirth, their ridiculous modesty, their prudery and priggishneas, are dwelt on with lingering praise. Indeed, everything said about little children is unchildlike, and very much is utterly repugnant. Stealing money to give to the poor, secreting part of their food for the same object, even deceit of more open character still, are actually praised and held forth for imita- tion by Mgr. Gue'rin in the life of St. Monica and others. Such acts are worthy only of censure, and are not, as the pope's chamberlain expresses it, a "doux ^clat de vertu naissante." Light and Nimbus. Those to whom Christ gives light within, often show it by radiant looks, luminous bodies, nimbus and glory. This "light of life" acts upon the material body in some cases by neutraliz- ing its gravity, so that a saint is some- times buoyed up into the air like a balloon, and floats there sustained by nothing, unless it be the invisible hands of angels. Generally this le^eritv is ascribed to personal sanctity, which either etherealizes the body, or fills it with "spirit" to make it lighter than the lower strata of air. Ijives of Saints. Self-denial, mortifications of the flesh, self-torment, suffering, martyrdom, all swell the merits of saints. Generally the lives of saints may be called the romantic ideals of perfection, from a [Roman] Catholic point of view.* To most Protestants they will appear a sad waste of enormous force, and a total forgetfulness of that prayer of Christ, " I pray not that Thou shouldest take thom • Sm Doto, p. nilL INFERENCES DEDUCIBLE. XX2 out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep th«m from the evil." To live out of the world, cut off from all the society of man, hidden out of sight, seems to have been considered the highest perfection of human sanctity. Of course, such absolute Beclusioc is not now possible, at least in Europe. Mgr. Ou^rin says of St. lifard. " II n'itait plus quo d« •orps sur la teir* " (roL tL p. 428). Merit. It is possible to oe meritorious, and even to accumulate merit. Saints can transfer any part of their merits to others. (See Imputed Merit, p. 204.) The demerits of a sinner may be trans- ferred to a saint, and balanced off. Miracles. It is a proof of merit to work a miracle. It is meritorious in some measure to ^3ee miracles and believe in them. At any rate, it is a demerit not to see them, to doubt them, or disbelieve them. Miracles can be performed by dead bodies, relics, and medals, as well as by living saints. The miraculous power of saints seems to wax weaker as time rolls on. Many a saint whose dead body was honoured by hosts of miracles, passes out of mind in a few months, and all miraculous power ceases or is latent. Monks and Nuns. Monks and nuns, as a rule, are the elect and beloved children of God ; certain of paradise, though not always without a term of purgatory. The term of purgatory may be shortened by the prayers, gifts, and penances, either of one's self while living, or of some substitute, or by private help, or by Church offices after death. Indulgences purchased by money help to shorten the term of purgatory, and in some cases to buy it off altogether. To break a vow of monastic life, to for- sake an *' order," to .return to secular life after having lived a " religious " one, is to be the child of the devil. Before such could be restored, they were some- times, if not always, exorcised. Mortification. It is meritorious to torment the body Jn all possible ways: by filth, by liga- tores, by standing for many years, by not lying down to sleep, by insufficient food, by unwholesome food, by scourg- ing, by wearing iron, by wearing hair shirts, by never changing one's linen, by wallowing amongst brambles or in the mire, by going without shoes and stock- ings, by washing the skin with soot and water, by producing sores, and so on. Those who torment themselves the most are the most meritorious. It is a demerit to live, eat, sleep, drink, dress, and act, like other folks. Eccentricity is much affected by saints. And that saint is lucky who can invent a self-mortification never thought of before. Natural Solutions. The constant repetition, with slight differences, of favourite " miracles "-^s proof positive against any natural solution. Thus, if one saint raises the dead, a hun- dred others do the same ; if St. Antony makes a dead man speak, a score other saints do the same ; if St. Denys carries off his head after death, so do many others ; if the roast pullets of the alcayde come to life, so did the fish and fowl of half a score more. Raising the dead, hanging clothes on sunbeams, turning water into wine, multiplying food, bringing water from dry ground, etc., are miracles of such constant repetition that the chief difficulty has been in selection. There can be no doubt that the miracles in mediaeval and modem times too have been looked on as historic facts by the "faithful," and not as allegories; al- though in some cases, as, for example, encounters with dragons, it is possible that allegorical language has been mis- leading. Obedience. Blind obedience to superiors is the first law of piety. No matter how absurd the order, how revolting, how difficult, it must be obeyed without a murmur, or look of disapproval. We read of monks and nuns sent to a great distance daily to water a dry dead stick, and of others sent to kiss an open sore. In monastic and conventual life, even vows to God had to give way to the vow of obedience. Odour of Sanctity. Sanctity exhales a material perfume of great sweetness, perceptible to the senses. This sweet odour increases at death ; and long after death— it may be weeks, months, years, or even centuries— tht fraf^rsnce remains. jczii INFERENCES DEDUCIBLE. On the other hand, sin emits an offen- sive smell, equally perceptible to th« senses ; so that when one dies in sin, the very stench of the body proclaims it to bystanders. Harsnet tells us that priests carried with them a divine odour quite recog- nizable. There may be some truth m this from their constant use of incense. Perfection The perfect! jn of a saint is when he has crushed out every natural affection, every earthly wish, every fleshly indul- gence, every natural propensity, even love to father and mother. Nothing of earth, its loves, its hopes, its ambitions, its charms, must remain ; the natural man must be clean swept out. A saint should read no secular book, think no secular thought, hope no secular good. He should eat and drink the least possible quantity, and that of the most unpalatable sort. He should sleep as little as possible, and that on the most uncom- fortable bed. He should wear as little as possible, and that of the most unbecom- ing and uncomfortable kind. He should wholly unfurnish the body, and empty it to receive the new or spiritual man. Punishments. It is wrong in civil magistrates to punish crimes by imprisonment, and a merit to release those who are imprisoned. The release of persons from prison is one of the most favourite "miracles" of saints. All punishment should be left to God and His Church. The Church, in the person of the pope, may issue anathemas, publish interdicts against whole nations for the offences of an individual, release subjects from allegiance, dethrone princes, organize wars against "heretics" and infidels, annul marriages, propagate new articles of faith, grant indulgences, open heaven or shut out therefrom, canonize saints, authenticate relics and miracles, deter- mine what is heresy and orthodoxy, and ex cathedra speak with an infallible voice. Some of this power claimed may be restrained by the civil arm, but neverthe- less the might and not the right of the civil arm is obeyed. Purgatory. Purgatory is for the remnant of sins not absolved or balanced off during life. Th«» term of purgatory can be shortened by the prayers of survivors, by mAsscg for the dead, or even at the option of some saint in light. In the life of Benedicta we are told that the Virgin Mary, at the prayer of Benedicta, de- livered "a thick cloud of souls" from purgatory, and took them up to paradise. Belies. Relics can be authenticated by any Church dignitary, such as pope, abbot, or bishop. They can even be multiplied or done in replica* Relics possess miraculous virtues, and these virtues are transferable, either by touch or inoculation. The size of a relic is of very small importance ; a fragment, a little filing, a crumbling dust, is all-sufficient. As a magnet can make a magnet, so a relic can make a relic. Sacraments. Baptism is " le sacrement de la T4g6n4 ration." — Les Petits BoUandiaUSy vol. vi. p. 612. Eucharist is a bona fide sacrifice, and it is called "The Sacrifice of the Mass,*' The sacred water is called "The Creator," and partaking thereof "receiving thy Creator." — Vies des Saints^ vol. vi. p. 623. Saints. Saints, after death, have the power of aiding their votaries — of interceding for them before the throne of grace, of curing diseases, and of visiting earth. The Virgin Mary is the highest of all saints, the most powerful, and the most merciful. The saints in paradise take an interest in the saints militant. They like to be invoked, like to be patronized, like to be honoured, like to be flattered, and even to be dressed up and decked with jewels. Salvation. Salvation is the reward of merit ; hence the common termination of saintly biographies : " He was called to heaven to receive the reward of his merits " (f je Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. vi. p. 90) : " Godivin fut appele' dans le ciel pour y recevoir la re'compense de ses vertus." Hundreds of similar examples occur in the Acta Sanctorum and other lives ol saints. Satan. Satan can assume any ihape ; and hA ECCLESIASTICAL SYMBOLS EXPLAINED. ZZT ** Records of Her Majesty's Commis- sioners for Causes Ecclesiastical," and all still extant. This odd little volume cost me £3. Goi>i)EN Legend (The), by James of Vora^^ine, or Varagine, archbishop of Geno^a (1230-1298), compiled from the Epitomy of the Lives of the Saints by Bartholomew of Bragj nza, in 1270 ; the Speoulum Historiale of Vincent of Beauvais, in 1264 ; he Legendary of Peter of Chiozza; the Bible of the Poor by James of Hanapes ; and the Historical Summary of Antony of Florence. Father Bollandus says, " I cannot approve of All that is written in the Golden Jjegend, but much of it is undou tedly taken from sources of unexceptio able authority ; and it is most unjust to condemn the book wholesale." As this book is only cited to furnish parallel examples or to supply some striking allegory, its authority is only supplementary, and the extra(*ts taken from it have been made for the purposes above stated. As the Apocrypha may serve to confirm when it runs parallel with canonical Scriptures, but has no authority of itself, so the Golden Legen'i is excellent in corrobora- tion of standard Lives, but has no weight in deciding points sub judice. The 101 other works consulted in Greek, Latin, French, and English, from Alban Butler to Baring-Gould, and from Gregory the Great to cardinal Wiseman. I forbear to mention. I had prepared a list, but have suppressed its publication at the last minute, fearing it might savour of vanity. This, however, I will dare to add : I have always gone to the best sources, and have endeavoured to represent every case honestly and witl?^ out exaggeration. Without doubt I have much abbreviated, but I have never mutilated or misrepresented, to the best of my knowledge. ECCLESIASTICAL SYMBOLS EXPLAINED. (i.) Crosses on Tombs (seven crosses, five jrosseSj one cross). Seven crosses jark the tomb of a bishop, five of a priest, and one of an ordinary Christian. There are seven sacraments, each of which derives its value from the cross of Christ. Only a bishop can administer all the seven sacra- ments, and only a bishop can impart to the faithful the graces which proceed from the seven virtues of the cross. A priest can impart to the faithful five sa- craments, and his tomb bears five crosses. An ordinary Christian has but one cross on his tomb, to indicate his faith and hope in the cross of Christ. Ecclesiastical Crosses — t The Latin cross. -f- Ihe Greek cross. f^ The Maltese cross. X St. Andrew's cross. 4^ The Lorrainese cross. T The Tau or Egyptian cross. Ter- tuJlian says, "Haec est litera Graecoruni r, nostra autem T , species crucis." ^ Constantine's cross : X P Chr|Tstos]. l.H.S. or I.H S. The Church anagram. Gk« Itttrov? *H/XCT€p09 XMTtip. Lat. Jesus, Hominum Salvator. Eng. Jesus, Heavenly Saviour. Ger. Jesus, Heiland Seligmacher, B The sign of the cross is made by carry- ing the right hand to the forehead, the stomach, the left shoulder, and the right shoulder, thus forming a Latin cross, •'.• (ii.) Crowns. Any virtue or merit of supereminent degree is supposed to be re- warded with a crown. Some saints have only one crown ; others have two, three, or more. Two of the most exalted crowns are Martyrdom and Virginity ; but Humility, Learning, Glory, etc., are also crowns. Thus we are told that St. Peter of Ravenna received at death the "triple crown of Virginity, Doctorate, and Martyrdom " (de la Virginite', du Doctorat, et du Marty re) » — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. V. p. 83. St. Cecilia, we are told, received the two crowns of Virginity and Martyrdom. Others received the three crowns of Martrydom, Virginity, and Glory ; or Virginity, Humility, and Glory. St. Angelus (1225) received the three crowns of Virginity, Preaching, and Martyrdom.— J>s Petits Bollandistes, vol. V, p.* 344. (iii.) The Three Theological Virtues. Faith, hope, and charity. (iv.) The Four Attributes of Glorified Bodies, Subtility, agility, luminositv, and immortality.— Mgr. Gu^rin, Vies aes SaintSy vol. ix, p. 669. (v.) ITie Four Cardinal Virtues, Forti- tude, justice, prudence, and temperanca. JCXVl ECCLESIASTICAL SYMBOLS EXPLAINED. The following seven have been also Bu^gested : — Conscientiousness, courage, justice or justness, modesty, reverence, and sympathy. (See The Seven Virtues.) {v\.) The Four Symbols. There are four symbols or formularies acknowledged in the [Roman] Catholic Church. 1. The Symbol of the Apostles, called by us '"The Apostles' Creed," because each of the twelve clauses is attributed to one of the apostles. 2. The Symbol of Nice, called by us " The Nicene Creed," because it was formulated in the famous Council of Nice, in a.d. 325. This creed was especially directed against Arianism. 3. The Symbol of Constantinople, so called because it was formulated at the Council of Constantinople, a.d. 331. It is the same as the Nicene Creed, with one exception, viz. the Holy Ghost '* pro- ceeding from the Father and the Son." In the [Roman] Catholic Church this is the creed recited by the priest in mass. 4. The Symbol of St. Athanasius, called by us " The Athanasian Creed," supposed to formulate the teaching of Athanasius against Arianism. It did not exist till A.D. 670, nearly three centuries after the death of Athanasius, who died a.d. 373. (vii.) The Four Vows of the Order of St, Francis of Paula. Poverty, chastity, obedience, and the quadragesimal life [or Lenten fastj. (viii.) The Five Christian Verities. 1. The Child Jesus, conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and called Jesus, was verily and indeed the Son of God, and the Second Person of the Trinity. 2. This Jesus is true God, one with the Father and the Holy Ghost. 3. The two perfect natures coexist in one only Person. The divine nature re- ceived from God the Father ; the human nature from His mother Mary. 4. All that pertains to the Person of Christ as a substance is unique; but all that pertains to His nature is double. 6. The Virgin Mary is veritably and properly the mother of God. — Mgr. Gu^rin, Vies des Saints, vol. iii. pp. 625, 626. (ix.) The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy. To bury the dead, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, to harbour the harbourless, visit the imprisoned, and administer to the sick. (x.) The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy, To admonish sinners, to bear wrongs patiently, to comfort the afflicted. counsel the rlonbtfiil, forgive oifences, instruct the ignorant, and pray for the living and the dead. (xi.) The Seven Deadly Sins, Anger, covetousness, eovy, gluttony, lust or luxury, pride, and sloth. In Oal. V. 19-21 St. Paul enumerates seventeen sins, and ends with "and such like." Pride and sloth are omitted in St. Paul's list. The small capitals pven below are the synonymous words in the " seven deadly sins." Adultery (lust), drunkenness (glut- tony), emulations (covetcusvess), envyings (envy), fornication (lust), hatred, heresies, idolatry, lasciviousness (lust), murder, revellings (gluttony), seditions, strife (anger), uncleannesd (lust), variance, wrath (anger), witch- craft. (xii.) The Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost. Counsel, the fear of the Lord, fortitude, piety, understanding, wisdom, and know- ledge. The distinction between undwttanding, wisdom, and knowledge is not very plain, but they are three degrees : (1) understanding. (2) wisdom, and (S) knowledge. Philip said to tlie euimch, " Understandest thou what thou readest?" Tlie ver>- first step in religion la to understand what it is that God has revealed. Tlie next step is wisdom. " The fear of the Lord is tlio beginning of wisdom." This is an advance on under- standing. The wise man not only understands what tlie Bible teaches, but honours that understanding by "fear- ing God and keeping His commandments." Wisdom, therefore, is understandinK carried into practice. Knowledge is one step higher still. "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him." A child may be wi*€ unto salvation, but only the " man in Christ Jesus " can know the length and breadth, the height and depth, of God's love, which is the fruit of long exi)eriftiice. Samuel could be taught l>y Eli to understand the priestly duties ; when a mere child he was wise in liis duties ; but he was a prophet taught by experience before he knew the whole will of God. (xiii.) The Seven Joys of Mary. Tht Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the adoration of the wise men, the pre- sentation in the temple, finding Christ amongst the doctors, and the Assumption. (xiv.) The Seven Sorrows of Mary, Simeon's prophecy, the flight into Egypt, Christ missed, the betrayal, the cruci- fixion, the taking down from the cross, and the Ascension when she was left alone. It will be observed that the " resurrection " is omitted from the " Joys of Mar}'," to make room for the "assump- Uon." (For "the seven sorrows of Christ," see art CHBlST'i SOBBOWa," p. 382.) (xv.) The Seven Orders of the Anglo^ Saxon Church. 1. The Ostiary, a kind of sexton, whose duty was to ring the bells and keep the church doors. 2. The Exorcist, whose office was by certain prayers to cast out devils. ECCLESIASTICAL SYMBOLS EXPLAINED. 3. The Lector or " Reader," who read the legsons at church. 4. The AcoLYTH or " Acolythist," who attended on the officiating priest, holding the candles while the Gospel was read and during the celebration of mass. 6. The SuBDEACOx, who prepared the holy ressels and attended the deacon at the altar. 6. The Deacon, who assisted the priest, laid the oblations on the altar, baptized children, and gave the Eucharist to the 'aity. 7. The Priest or ''Presbyter," who preached, baptized, and consecrated the Eucharist. Bishops and archbishops were merely higher grades of priests. (xvi.) The Seven Sacraments. Bap- tism, confirmation, the Eucharist or Lord's Supper, penitence or repentance, holy orders, marriage, and extreme unc- tion. Of these, confirmation and holy orders are restricted to bishops. Bap- tism may be performed, in emergency, even by laymen and women. (xvii.) The Seven Sorrows of Mary. (See under The Seven Joys of Mary.) (xviii.) The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy, (See The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy, p. xxvi. col. 1.) (xix.) The Seven Virtues. These are the contraries of the seven deadly sins, viz. : 1. Brotherly love (opposed to envy or hatred) ; 2. chastity (opposed to lust) ; 3. diligence (opposed to sloth) ; 4. hu- mility (opposed to pride) ; 5. liberality (opposed to covetousness) ; 6. meekness (opposed to anger) ; and 7. temperance (opposed to gluttony and self-indulgence). (See The Four Cardinal Virtues.) (xx.) The Eight Canonical Hcnirs. tThese consist of four great and four little ones (the great ones are in capitals). Matins, about midnight. On festivals and Sundays they consist of three psalms, three anthems, and three lessons. Laudes, sometimes immediately after matins, consist of five psalms, two or more capitules or Scripture extracts, prayers, and canticles. Prime (the first hour of the day), i.e, six o'clock in the morning. 1 ierce (the third hour of the day), i.e, nine in the morning. Sexte, midday (the sixth hour of the day). Nones (before vespers), three o'clock in the afternoon (the ninth hour of the day). Vespers, about three p.m. They con- wiat of fire psalms, a capitule or Scnpture XXTil extract, a hymn, the Magnificat^ one ot more anthems, and prayers. Complins, after vespers, consist of confession, one lesson, three psalms, one anthem, one hymn, one capitule or Scrip- ture extract, one short "response," the Nunc Dimittis^ and prayers. There are no complins in the Greelc Church. N.B.— Sometimes Matins and Laudes are Joined to- gether, and then the canonical hours mar ho called seren instead of eight. (xxi.) The Ten Virtues of the Virgin. 1. Chastity, because Mary is the queen of virgins. 2. Prudence, shown at the Annuncia- tion. 3. Humility. Even when chosen f(»r the mother of the Messiah, she called herself "the handmaid of the Lord." '^ 4. Faith. Mary believed and doubted not what the angel announced. 5. Piety, shown by her retirement, silence, and submission. 6. Obedience, in submitting to the wil» of God. 7. Poverty, in despising all the grandeu? and wealth of the world. 8. Patience, in bearing the pain of her travail. 9. Charity, in offering the sacriice of her Son for the salvation of man. 10. Compassion, in that a sword pierced her own heart out of compassion to her Son. {For this I am indebted to the kindness of the editors of the ''^ Oracle'' Aug. 25. 1883, p. 543.) [I must take this opportunity of thank- ing the learned conductors of this ex- cellent weekly for several acts of courtesy, and ever-ready help in this and some other of my books now in preparation. I would have written the name " Oracle *' at the foot of some other articles, but I fear they would be hardly recognized.] (xxii.) The Twelve Articles of tha Symbol. (That is, the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed. Said to have been suggested by them in a grotto of Mount Olivet before their final separation.) Peter — 1. I believe in God the Fathei Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. John — 2. [And] in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. James, Sen. — 3. Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, bom of the Virgin Mary. Andrew — i. Suffered under Pontmi Pilate ; was crucified, dead, and buried. Philip — 5. He descended into hell. (From the Creed of Aquilia.) xxTiii ECCLESIASTICAL SYMBOLS EXPLAINED. Thomas — 6. The third day He rose again from the dead. (Augustine is tlie authority. Ascribed to Thomas because b* required sensible proof of the Eeaurrection. ) James, Jun. — 7, He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. (See p. 252.) Matthew — 8. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. Nathanael — 9. I believe in the Holy Ghost. Simon— 10. Th€ Holy Catholic Church ; the communion of saints. (Added iu the sixth century.) Matthias— 11. The forgivaness of Bins. JuDB — 12. The resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. (The latter part of this symbol 8t Augustine attributes to SU Cyprian's time, 200-25a The former part, he tells us, was added in his own time, 354-430.) "Was crucified, dead, and buried," The word dead does not stand in the early forms of the creed, nor in the Oriental form. It is a comparatirely modern introduo tion, and is certainly of very doubtful granimatical construction. "Mortuus est," he died, not was dsad. We should hardly say. "Charles I. was beheaded, dead, and buried." The creed is given substantially by TertuUian (160-248). Is referred to by Irenaeus (i:V>-200), by Origen (185-353), by Gregory of Neocjesarea (202-270). and by Lucian the martyr (•-313). It was summarized by Itoiatius (•-116). The twelve apostles were anciently delineated, each holding a banderole, on which was inscribed the words of the symbol ascribed to him. Mr. Walcott, in his Sacred ArchcBology (1868), does not In all points agree with Mgr. Gu6rin. the chamberlain of pope Leo XIII., in his ascriptions of the several symbols. Thus Mr. Walcott gives Andrew, and Mgr. Gu6rin gives Jamet the Elder, for the third symbol. Mr. Walcott fives Thomas, and Mgr. Gu^rin gives Philip, for the fifth symbol Mr. Walcott gives Natha nael or Bartholomew^, and Mgr. Gu6rin, on the authority of St. Augustine, gives Thomas, for the sixth symbol. Mr. Walcott also divides the symbols somewhat differently. •#• When St. Peter of Ravenna was murdered, Mgr. Gu6rin says, "II r^cita le premier article du Symbols des ApAtres ; " and, dipping his finger in his own blood, he wrote upon the ground, " Credo in Deum" (Vies des Saints, vol v. p. 83). St Catherine of Siena with her blood wrote the same words, and died (ibid., p. 135). (xxiii.) The Twelve Fruits of the Holy Ohost, Nine of these are given in Gal, V. 22, 23. The three in italics are not in St. Paul's list. (I) Chastity; (2) faith or fidelity ; (3) gentleness ; (4) goodness ; (6) joy ; (6) long-suffering ; (7) love or charity; (8) meekness; (9) modesty ; (10) patience; (11) peace; and (12) temper- ance or continence. (xxiv.) The Twelve Numeric Eemem- brancers. Come teli me, truly tell, what truth Abides in number one ? In number one is unity, Which dwelleth all alone. What's brought to mind by number two ; Say truly, if you can ? * The HYPOSTATIC UNION Of Christ, both God and man. Come tell me, truly tell, what' truth Abides in number three f The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, That mystic trinity. Come tell me, truly tell, what truth Will number /owr afford ? The great evangelists, who wrote Of Jesus Christ the Lord. Come tell me truly to what thought Should number five be guide ? The WOUNDS of Christ in hands and fet tg And in His pierced side. And number «ar, what mystic truth Do wise men find therein ? As six, six, six, is Satan's mark. Six is the badge of sin. Seven tells us of the dying words Christ uitered on the cross ; And of the Holy Spirit's giftSy To which all else is dross. Tell me to what the wise in heart Say number eight alludes ? Those sacred maxims of the Lord, Called the beatitudes. What truth when number nine we see Should we remember most ? The ORDERS it should call to mind Of all the HEAVENLY HOST. What sho^d we call to mind whene'er We think of number ten'i The TEN COMMANDMENTS of the law By God to sinful men. Number eleven^ what event ' Does that recall, I pray? The true apostles of the Lord, When one had fallen away. Now, last of all comes number twelve^ And what should that recall ? The APOSTOLIC COLLEGE when Completed by St. Paul. E. CoBHAM Brewer. Matthias was not called by Christ, as the college of tne apostles were. (xxiv.) The Fifteen Mysteries, There are fifteen mysteries : five joyous, fire dolorous, and five glorious. 1. The Five Joyous Mysteries are these : (1) The annunciation and conception of the Word m the Virgin's womb ; (2) The visitation and influence of grace on John the Baptist, who " leaped in the womb ; " (3) the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem ; (4) the purification and offering made by Mary in the temple ; and (5) Christ's visit to the temple at the age of twelve years, when He was found by His mother among the doctors. 2. The Five Dolorous Mysteries ar« these: (1) The agony of Christ in th9 olive garden ; (2\ the scourging ; (3) the crown:ng with thorns ; (4) the burden of ECCLESIASTICAL SYMBOLS EXPLAINED. XXIX the cross borne to Calvary ; and (5) the crucifixion. 3. The Five Glorious Mysteries are these : (1) The Resurrection ; (2) the Ascension ; (3) the descent of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost; (4) the assump- tion of the Virgin, body and soul, to heaven ; (5) the consummation of her glory by her triple coronation of Grandeur, Power, and Goodness. (xxv.) The Ladder which reaches to Paradise, so zs 28 27 26 26 Zf 23 n 24 W Id ia 17 16 16 44 id if PARADISE Vcatk.Sbpe,&: Charity IheJPeau of &oci J^cyer-fnSujut ceasing Sobbbudtt Thcxniur Ixoht/. The death, ofihe/naiuraLman/ Smder-minjcUdneM. oronlu otic/ afhctiatvi "^ ^Uujuuor Cod,. VhcmdUmrnenbtf false hmmibUu Sc ike/ olaspfianu oCoUspair ordjouMy Pnde> vuUerUf crushed^ out/ Sdf-glmficatwrv uttcrU^ abandcntct/ Conquest cf /tar WaichAdness, the, Lamp ahnws hurruno Bsalmodt) Deaffvcf^camaJLnund/ "Ba/ertu as amosedytoihe, Zoye/ of Oixjustity ^ Temperance, Cpnquest oriALutesJt cfrrvCndLJe boda* TUsirainv xfcJl exaggaxHwro &. faUh ... represatixiiioti Shum/un^ slander & eviL Speaking Toi^dfuJbness oFxniuries EqvucmxmJbj Sorrow the seed, ofjou The oonetant ^wugTtb cfckaih/^ Penitence (rpoianct Obedience, Givir^up^IherJcmptfur QwngupaHearthlu^oodaitht^ Hepjouncemjent cfth& worCJh THE WORLD This Indder drawn by St John, surnained Cliniaciis {i. D* | S2B), is Tdry instrucUve, and lets iu a flood of light (xxvi.) A Ro&xry, A rosary is either a sacred office in honour of the Virgin Mary ; or a string of beads, fifteen of which are larger than the rest. The fifteen large beads are to tell off the Pater NosterSy and 150 other beads to tell off the Ave Marias. The office called a rosary begins with making the sign of the cross thrice: (1) to ward off the devil; (2) to implore the help of the Holy Trinity; (3) to bring to mind the cross of man's salva- tion. After crossing, " The Belief," called The Apostolic Symbol (or Symbol of the Apostles), is repeated. Then follows the Lord's Prayer ; and " Hail, Mary ! " is thrice repeated : once because God is her Father [father-^- law], once because Christ is her Son, and once because the Holy Ghost is her Spouse. These being done, the rosary proper begins. It consists of fifteen decades oi dizains divided into threes : five recount- ing the Joyous mysteries, five the Doloro^is mysteries, and five the Glorious mysteries (see xxiv.). These parts are called decades or dizains, because with each mystery "Hail, Mary!" is repeated ten times. That is, fifty times in the three Joyous Mysteries, fifty times in the Dolorous Mysteries, and fifty times in the three Glorious Mysteries ; altogether 150 times. As each mystery begins with a Pater Noster^ it follows that in the fifteen mysteries the Lord's Prayer is repeated fifteen times. For the proper recitation of the " Rosary" it is not enough to repeat the fifteen decades. There must be a medita- ti on on the mystery in honour of which the recitation is about to be made ; a prayer for the special grace appropriate to that particular mystery, and the dox- ology. The Greater Rosary takes m all the fifteen mysteries. The Lesser Rosary takes in one of the three decades. St. Dominic is supposed to have intro- duced the Rosary Office, (xxvii.) Tonsure. St. Peter's tonsure. This tonsure was quite round the head ; to resemble the Lord's crown of thorns. This is the ton- sure adopted I y the Roman Catholic clergy, St. PauVb tonsure. In this tonsure the whole head is shaved. This is called also " the Oriental tonsure." Simon Magus's tonsure, A semicircl* XXX TTTAITMATURGISTS. shaved from ear to ear above the fore- head, but not reaching to the hinder part of the head, on which the hair was allowed to remain. This sort of tonsure is that of natural baldness. Tonsures are mentioned by St. Diony- cius the Areopa^te, who died a.d. 95 {De Hierarchia, p. 2) ; by St. Anicet (a.d. 1 50-161), in a letter contained in Patrologia Grceca, vol. v. col. 1129. ^nd thej'^ were general in the fourth and fifth centuries. — Bede, Church History, bk. v. ch. 22. See also Mabillon's preface to his Acta Sanctorum St. Benedicti in ScBCuI&rum Classes Distrihita ; Fhwry ffistoire Eccl^- siastique (20 vols, m quarto), bk. xxxix. (xxviii.) Monumental Figures. Monumental figures in armour represent knights. with crosier, mitre, and pontificals, bishops. with hands on the breast and a chalice, priests. built into the wall, founders. east of the altar, and elevated, saintt and martyrs. east of the altars, and level with the pavement, holy men (not sainted). THAUMATUKGISTS. The present number of saints is, at least, thirty thousand, three-fourths of whom were' martyrs or ecclesiastics. Of craftsmen, the most numerous have been whitesmiths. Of the thaumaturgigts, twenty-one are almost unknown. Of saints, forty-nine have died a martyr's death in infancy ; but there are several infant martyrs not known even by name. Thaumaturgists (from b.c. 1667 to A.D. 1850). From the Old Testament the greatest wonder-workers are Moses, Jannes and Jambres, and Elisha. Dositheus, who taught Simon Magus, was a great thaumaturgist ; and Simon Magus is called in Acts viii. 10 the " Great Power of God." (A most graphic account of hU Imitative ascent of Elijah in the chariot of fire, is given from P. Francs In yotes and Quenet, Dec. 8. 1883, pp. 441, 443. It was in the presence of Nero and an immense crowd. He applied to himself many of the words uttered by the Lord, such as, *' Behold, I go to the Father. . . . I will prepare a seat for you at the foot of my throne. Thenoe will I pour out upon my elect of my celestial treasures. " And again, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, whoeo believeth In me shall not see death ; for in me is eternal life " And a«cain, " Remember that your eyes have seen the Word of God. I am the Beautiful One, the Paraclete, the Omnipotent, the great Pan, the Divine All." The multitude accepted tiini as the "Great Power of God," bowed themselves in awe before him. and kissed the hem of his garment) A.D. 3-98. Apollonius of Tyana. (Life byPhilostratos.) 205-270. St. Plotinus, and several other philoso- phers of Alexandria. (Porphyry, Vita Plo^ tint, A.D. ?01.) 212-270. St. Grboort, bishop of Neocaesarea, in Cappadocia. Called ♦'The Thaumatur- gist" 8rd cent. St. Dents or Diony- sius, patron saint of France 283. St. Quintus of iEolia, in Asia Minor 808. St. Romanus of An- tioch, martyr 811. St. Asclepias the Sa- bine. Martyred at Antinoe, in Egypt... 801-890. St. Macarius the Elder, of Egypt. SoUtary of Scet^ ... 810-^95. St. Macarius the Younger, of Alexan- dria. Also a solitary of Scete 816-897. St. Martin of Tours, who divided his cloak with a beggar. (Life by N. Gervaise) 410. St. Titus, martyr, while Rome was under the Goths 880-448. Germanus, bishoo of Auxerre (con feasor) 412-485. St. Proclus. Ma rinus, Vita Froclt^ 6th century 436-5^ St. Briqit of Ire- land, the thauma- turgist. Her cell was called " Kill Dara" 17 Nor. 9 Oct. 2 Mar. •9 Feb. 28 Jan. 15 Jan. 2 Jan. 11 Not. 16 Aug. 81 Jnlj !UOct / 4 THAUMATURGISTS. xxxi 670-667. St. Linus, pope and martyr 23 Sept. 668. Sr. CuTHiJKRT, the British thauniatur- j;ist ... ... 20 Mar. 7th cent. St. Joxas, priest af St. Sabas, in Pales- tine. Honoured by the Greek Church 21 Sept. 8th cent. St. Hesychius, soli- tary of St. An- drew's, in Bithynia. Honoured by the Greek Church ... 6 Mar. 8th cent. St. John, bishop of Poly bote, in Asia 6 Dec. 861. St. Isaac of Cordova, martyr 3 June 800-85(1. St. Aldric, bishop of Mans 7 Jan. 1091-1153. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, thaum a- turgist of the West 20 Aug. LI 10-1 170. St. Isidore of Ma- drid,f arm labourer. Honoured at Ma- drid. (Life by John of Damascus) ... 10 May 1170-1221. St. Dominic, foun- der of the Domini- cans 22 Jan. 1182-1226. St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscans ... 4 Oct. 1182-1267. St. Hyacinth, thau- maturgist of the 13th century ... 16 Aug. 1196-1231. St. Antony of Padua, apostle and thaum aturgist. He preached to the fishes 13 June 1347-1380. Ste. Catherine of Siena. (Not the one famous for the wheel) 30 April 1367-1419. St. Vincent Fer- RiER, a Spanish Dominican ... 6 April 1416-1507. St. Francis of Paula, founder of the Minims ... 2 April 1506-1652. St.FrancisXavier, apostle of the Indians 3 Dec. 1538-1664. St. Charles Bor- ROMEO, archbishop of Milan 4 Nov. 1676-1660. St. Vincent de Paul, founder of F«te4iV. the Lazarists and of the Sisters of Charity 19 July 1623-1662. Blaise Pascal, mathematician and philosopher. 1727-1779. Joseph Gassner of Bratz, in the Tyrol ; who treated all diseases as de- moniacal posses- sions, and therefore exorcised the sick, 1802. St. Filumena. Called the thaumaturgist of the 19th century 10 Aug. 1734-1849. Prince Alexander of ^ Hohenlohe. Neither the birth nor death date is known of the following thaumaturgists : — St. Aninas, an Asiatic anchorite. In Greek Menology St. Attalus the thaumaturgist. Honoured by the Greeks St. Eustratius of Nicomedia. Honoured by the Greeks St. Euthymius the thaumatur- gist, bishop of Madytes, on the Hellespont ... 2 and St. Felix. Honoured at Spo- leto St. George theYoung. Honoured at Constantinople St. Illyrius. Honoured by the Greek Church St. Jasimus. Honoured by the Greek Church St. Maurus. (Not the great Maurus of Glanfeuil.) Honoured at Sopeto ... 16 Juse St. Memnon, the hegumen. Honoured by the Greeks ... 28 April St. Peter, bishop of Argos ... 3 May St. Peter of Gallia Cisalpina. St. PniLOTHEUs, founder of the monastery of Mermecium, on the Bosphorus 15 Sept, St. Ritza of Coblentz 30 Aug. St. Sebastiana. Honoured by the Greek Church ... 7 June St. Stephen, the thaumaturgist, of the laura of St. Sabas, in Palestine IS July St. Tharasius of Lycaonia. (Not the patriarch of Con- stantinople) ... ... 25 Feb, St. Theocleta. Honoured by the Greek Church ... 21 Anc* 17 Feb 6 June 6 June 18 April 16 June 23 Mar. 3 April 4 Feb. xxxu CHILD-MARTYRS CANONIZED. St. Zanais, the thaumaturgist of Constantinople Fete-day. 6 June It will be seen that the great miracle-workers hare con> tinned uninterruptedly even to our own days. The miraclesof prince Alexandkr of HoHBNLOHB, bishop in partibua oi Sardinia, made a great noise in 1820-1821. He healed by prayer only, but it was essential for success that the sicli person should pray simultaneously with him. Distance was of no consequence. Apoixonius of T7ANA raised the dead ; healed the ■iclc ; cast out devils ; freed a young man from a lamia or vampire of which he was enamoured ; prophesied ; saw at Ephesus the assassination of Domitian at Rome ; and filled the world with his fame. He was a Pythagorean. Fhilostratus wrcte liis life. St. Filumsna was wholly unknown till 1802 ; but since then hiT giiost has told the story of her life. According to this authority, she was born at Rome, in the reign of Diocletian, and her father was a prince. Diocletian wanted to marry her, but she told liim she was the spoase of Christ, anl the tyrant nmrdered her. L'abb6 Migne says, "Cet r^vilations particulidres paraissent reunir toui les c»ract6rea d'une source divine."— Enoyclop6die Tftio' logique, vol. xli. p. 719. N.B. — One thing is very striking, and seems to demon- strate the low opinion held of miracles, and tliat is, that so many thaumaturgists are almost unknown. Neither the place of their birth, the field of theh: operations, tlie nature of their miracles, nor even the dates of their birth and death, are known. It looks u If a thaumatur- gist held a place no better than a religious conjuror. Child-Martyrs canonized (49 in number). Abundius of Aquileia, martyred under Diocletian AcHAS, honoured at Thourot, in Flanders; martyred 1220 ... Agapius, Fidklis, and Thko- ooxius, three brothers, all martyred at Edessa, under Maximian F«t«-day. 23 Aug. 11 June 21 Aug. (Their mother, St. Bassa, »w her chiklren murdered first, and was then beheaded henelf.) Andrew, crucified by Jews at Inspruck 12 July Andrew, martyred in Japan, 1622 2 Oct. Antony, Thomas Cozaki (and 25 others), martyred in Japan, 1597 6 Feb. (Canonized by Urban VIIL) Antonius, martyred at Capua, A.D. 302 8 Sept. Brixius, martyred at Esch, in Belgium 12 Nov. Candidus (an infant), martyred at Rome 1 June Celsus, martyred with his mother at Antinoe, in Egypt, a.d. 313 9 Jan. Claudius, Dionysius, Hypa- Tius, and Paulus, all martyred the same day at Byzantium, under Aurelian, a.d. 273. They were first cast into a furnace, which rain extinguished, and they were then beheaded ... 3 June CoMCORD and Theodore, mar- Pn^"lK^^l "herdsman," and armentarium the peg, pin, or crotch, on which he hangs the collars, yokes, and heavy harness of the oxen used in ploughing. Christantianus was drawn up by ropes, fastened rounu his legs and hands, till his feet were off the ground, and then his sides were singed with lighted torches. Primus was INSTRUMENTS OF TORTURE. xtt " hoisted by pulleys " to some such pro- jecting beams, and burned with torches also. After he had hung awhile, he was let down, and molten lead poured down his throat. Probably, instead of torches, a fire would be sometimes lighted under the feet. This sort of torture is still resorted to by some of the Indian tribes. Bastinado. According to Baronius, the bastinado was performed thus by the Romans : The tribune first touched the victim with his baton, and if he was a free man, all the soldiers in the camp ran upon him with staves and stones, beating him, for the most part, till he fell dead. If the victim was a slave, the soldiers used leaded knouts or flagra (p. xliv.) in- stead of sticks. No one was suifered to live in Rome after being bastinadoed ; so that if perchance he survived the punish- ment, he was outlawed. Boots. This instrument of torture consisted of a pair of iron boots, into which the legs of the victim were thrust up to the knees. Iron wedges were loosely inserted between the legs and the walls of the boots. A question was then asked the victim ; and if not answered satisfactorily, two inquisitors (one to each boot) drove home with a sledge- hammer one of the iron wedges. Again the question was put, and if the answer was still unsatisfactory, another wedge was driven into each boot ; and this was repeated, till the legs of the victim were crushed to a pulp. Dr. John Fian of Saltpans, near Edinburgh, was thus infa- mously tortured in the reign of James I. (See p. 342.) Bishop Burnet, in the History of his Own Times, and sir Walter Scott, in his Old Mortality, speak of this instrument of torture. Some- times the boots were made of wood instead of iron. Bishop Burnet speaks of a case (it was a lad in Orkney, 1596) in which fifty-seven wedges were struck home. In 1683 queen Elizabeth ordered Father Holt, a Jesuit, to be "put to the boots." St. Sergius was tortured by boots studded with sharp spikes, and made to run in them beside the emperor's chariot. Bull's Hide. In this torture the victim, being enclosed in a fresh bull's hide, was placed in the blazing sun, when the hide gradually shrank, stiffened, and squeezed the victim to death. (See St, Chrisantus, p. 403.) Burning Metal. Helmets of red-hot iron or brass were sometimes placed on the head of victims. This was a torture to which Savinian was subjected (p. 408). St. Thomas had plates of burning metal laid on his naked body (p. 408). Every one will remember the lines at the close of Goldsmith's Traveller: "Luke's iron crown, and Damien's bed of steel." The former was Luke Dosa, the Hungarian traitor, who was forced into a chair of red- hot iron for a throne, and then crowned with a burning metal crown. The earl of Athol, one of the murderers of James I. of Scotland, was also put to death with a red-hot iron crown. Francisca says usurers in hell are stretched on tables of red-hot brass (p. 412). It was not Luke, but his brother George, who was subjected to the punishment referred to by Goldsmith. Zeck the Hungarian was similarly tortured. For " bed of steel," see Catasta. Caltrop. The caltrop was an in- strument with four iron points, three of them, disposed in a triangular form, being on the ground, the fourth pointed up- wards. Used in war to lame the feet of an enemy's cavalry. Catasta, or Iron Bed. The catasta was an iron bedstead, not of one sheet of metal, but with cross-bars like a grid- iron. Under the bedstead fires in brasiersi were placed, and the victim was roasted alive. Che VALET, or Equuleus. Thechevalet was a kind of gibbet, furnished with screws and pulleys for racking the victim by stretching each individual limb. The victim was fastened by the hair to the uppermost beam, and the whole body tightly bound in a bent condition to the chevalet. He was thus raised on a sort of gibbet, and was wholly unable to move hand, foot, or head ; and every limb was racked. In order still further to intensify the agony, a fire held in a brasier was set under each of the feet. St. Jerome speaks of this instrument of torture {Letter 49), " Crines leguntur ad stipitem, et toto corpore ad equuleum fortius alli- gato, vicinus pedibus ignis apponitur, utrumque latus carnifex fodit." So that while the victim was thus tortured, "the executioner kept digging into the sides of the sufferer." Ammianus Marcellinua (bk. xviii.) says, *'Quanquam incurvu** sub equuleo staret, pertinaci negaba* instantia." So that it appears the head was poked forward as it would be in th« tlb INSTRUMENTS OF TORTURE. pillor}', but was held in its position by the hair. CoLUMBAR. Columbar, i.e, the pigeon- koles, w»i % pillory with three holes, one for the neck and two for the hands. The Greek pillory had five holes, one for the neck, two for the hands, and two for the feet. It was called the Pentesuringos FiDicuL^. The fidiculsB were pro- bably iron hooks, with which the body of a victim suspended on a chevalet was torn and lacerated. Fork, or Patibulum. The patibulum was an instrument shaped like a fork or -< placed round the neck of slaves and criminals of low de- gree. The two hands were bound fast to the prongs, and the patibula- tus was flogged through the streets to the place of execution. "Patibulum appensos statim exani- mat, crux autem suffixes diu cruciat." — Isidore. The Furca Ignominiosa w^as used for small offences, and consisted simply in carrying the furca, more or less weighted, about the city. The Furca Pcenalis was a much more severe punishment, as in this case the " patibulatus " or "furcatus" was whipped round some stated place, while his hands were bound to the fork. The Furca Capitalis was having the hands fastened to the fork, and being scourged to death. Hurdle (in Latin, «* Crates"). The hurdle was not unlike our hurdles. The victim was laid on his back on the ground under a hurdle, and stones were piled thereon, till the sufferer was gradually crushed to death. Iron Virgin i,The). A hollow wooden figure, representing a woman of Bavaria, It opened like a cupboard, and the front of it was studded with long sharp spikes. The victim was placed in the figure, and then the front or lid was gradually closed upon him. The spikes were so arranged as to pierce the eyes and least vital parts ; but when quite closed the victim was crushed, and lingeredinhorribletorture till actual agony exhausted his vital powers. KoBiLA. Two boards, one above the other; the head of the victim being bound to tjie higher board, the feet to the lower one, and the hands made to embrace the k obi la by bonds. The bare back of the sufferer is thus hollowed, and in this state the public scourger administered 101 lashes, unless the victim died before the comple- ment of blows had been given. (See St, AUDALDUS, p. 403.) Nervus, the stocks, a wooden frame in which the feet of slaves were thrust and fastened. Like the com pedes, it was sometimes made to move so as to stretch the legs further and further apart, till the thighs were out of joint. Also an ordinary stocks for the head and hands. The Question. The instrument called *'the question" was an iron frame with bars as sharp as scythes running across it ; and underneath it a fire was kindled, which made the metal red-hot. Examination by any sort of tcrtuie WM INSTRUMENrS Of TORTURK. xUh called " examination by the question ; " and to be put to **the question," means to be put to torture for the purpose of extorting evidence from an unwilling wit- ness, cf forcing a confession of guilt, or of compelling a person to unsaj'" something. Rachenteges. This instrument of torture was fastened to a beam, and had a sharp iron to go about a man's neck and throat, so that he could in no wise sit, or lie, or sleep, without bearing the entire weight of the iron. Rack. There were great varieties of racks, the most common being the hori- zontal rack, the vertical rack, and the roller rack. (1) The first of these is the ordinary- rack, made familiar to us by the Inquisi- tion. It consisted of an oblong horizontal frame, on which the accused was stretched, while cords, attached to the legs and arms, were gradually strained by a lever or windlass. The wrists and ankles were generally dislocated, sometimes the shoulders and thighs. (2) In the vertical rack the sufferer was raised to an upper beam, by a rope' passed under his arms, bound behind his back. Being thus raised, heavy stones were attached to his feet, and then the hoisting rope being suddenly loosened, the victim fell with a jerk to within a few inches of the earth. (3) The roller rack was a rack with a roller charged with spikes, over which the sufferer was drawn backwards and for- w.rds. Spanish Donkey (in Italian, "Cava- letto"). This was a wooden ma- chine of torture, which was a species of impale- ment. The vic- tim was made to sit on a sharp- pointed conical box, and in order to give weight to his body, and force the point of the seat further in, heavy weights were attached to the hands and feet of the suf- ferer. Not unf re- quently fires were lighted under the feet to increase yie agony, and sometimes the skin waM -^/ lacerated with iron hooks or currycombs. One of these implements is still shown in the old fortifications of Nuremberg castle. Straddles (in Latin, '* Compedes"). Straddles were two blocks of wood set in a frame. Each block opened like stocks to admit one of the victim's feet, and when shut the feet were fast and astride. In some cases the blocks moved gradually further and further apart till the thighs were out of joint. In hoc barathrum conjicit Truculentus hostls martyrem, Lignis que plantas inserit Divaricatis cruribus. That is, " In this dungeon the truculent enemy cast tha martyr, and set his feet in wooden straddles, the thigha being stretched asunder." (See Nkevus.) Thumbscrew. The thumbscrew was much used by the Inquisition in ^ain. The thumbs were placed in the parts marked A A, and the screw was turned. Wheel. The trochos was a Greek instrument of torture. We read of Ixion, in hell, being chained hand and foot by Hermes to a wheel, which rolled inces- santly in the air of the lower regions ; but the ordinary torture-wheel had six spokes, into which the head, arms, and legs were interlaced and bound. The wheel was then whirled round with great rapi- dity, till the victim lost either conscious- ness or life. The Catherine Wheel was a much more complex machine, devised by Maximinus II. for the torture of St. Catherine of Alexandria. The limbs were interlaced between the spokes as in the Greek tro- chos, but as the wheel revolved, it was met by several other wheels turning in different directions, some having keen sharp edges like razors, some teeth like saws, some fish-hooks or graters. Thew several wheels played on the body in turns, cutting it, sawing it, tearing it with hooks, grating the fresh wounds, and lacerating the flesh in every con- ceivable maimer. adT INSTRUMENTS OF TORTURE- Whips and Scourges ; Scorpion, etc. No. 1 is a scourge called in Latin •*Flagrnm." It consisted of a short Nu. J. No. 1. handle, to which was attached three or more short chains, having knots of metal %t the end. No. 2 is a whip composed of three or tton lonje lAshes of ox-hide» with bullets of load fastened to tlicm. Called in French lanieres plombecs. The scorpion men- tioned by Rehoboam (1 Kings xii. 11) was a whip with leather thongs set with sharp iron points or nails, called in Latin horribilia. Mgr. Gue'rin tells us this " lanierw plombe'e" is the Russian knout, which A. de Lamothe, in his Martyrs of Siberia (ch, xii.), describes thus: " Le knout est une longue et ^troite laniere, recuite dans une espece d'essence, et fortement enduite de limaille metallique. Ainsi prepare'e, la laniere acquiert une duretd et une pesan- teur extremes. Mais avant qu'elle ne se durcisse, on a le soin de replier sur eux- memes les bords, amincis a dessein, et qui forment de cette fa^on uno rainure dans toute la longueur de la courroi«, term in e par un petit crochet d(* fer. Si le bourreau sait son metier, le supplicid perd connaissance au troisifeme coup, et expire aprbs le cinquibme." The reader will instantly see that the kncut is a modification of No. 2. Respecting the scorpioni, Mgr. Gu^rin sajs (toI. A p. 686), " lis ^talent dos batons charg^ de nceuds, et arm^a par le bout de crochets de fer. lis ronipaient les os del patients, entraient bien evant dans leur chair, et en en- levalent des morceaus a chM^ae coup ; M qui ^unait uiM douteor !■ PART I. MIRACLES OF THE SAINTS, ANALOGOUS TO SCRIPTURE MIRACLES OR SECULAR STORIES DICTIONARY OF MIRACLES. Aaron's Rod becomes a Ser- pent. ExoT>. vii. 10-12. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. The magicians of Egypt, they also cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents. ExoD. iv. 1-4. The Lord said unto Moses, What is that in thine hand ? And Moses eaid, A rod. And the Lord said. Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent ; and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. The thong of a whip converted into a serpent (a.d. 303). St. Pelerin concealed himself near a fountain, where, being dis- covered by the Intaranians, he was made a captive. As he did not go along fast enough for their liking, one of them lifted up his whip to strike him, but the thong of the whip instantly slipped from the handle, turned into a serpent, and fled to the fountain, where it was soon lost to sight in the fissures of a rock. F. Meyniel, cur^ of Bouhy, writing to Mgr. Crosnier, Ticar-general of Nevers (Aug. 12, A.D. 1857), says, " II est un fait constant et av^r6 qui ne doit laisser aucun doute •ur la v^rit^ du fouet transform^ en serpent." In proof of this the vicar-general adds, There is a family in Entrains, descended from the very man wliose wliip was changed Into a serpent, and all the members of this family, from that time to this (303-1857) " portent sur leur corps le •tigiTvate du crime de leur anc^tre, c'est-a-dire un serpent qui \ti enlace." He furthermore adds. The very name of this familj is a living proof of tJie fact, or rather I should ■ay of the miruck, stated above. The cur6 of Bouhy speaks very positively, but still it would hav6 been more satisfactory if he had told us how became to know that all the descendants of this Intaranian for more than 1550 years were marked with a whip on their bodies, and also how the name of his family (which he does not give) can possibly be " une preuve vivante de oe fait, ou plutOt de ce miracle." Abraham promised a Seed. Gen. XV. 1-5. The word of the Lord came to Abram In a vision, saying. Fear not, Abram : I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great re- ward , . , And [God] brought him forth abroad, and eaid, Look now towards heaveJi and tell the stars, if thou be able t^-nmnber them; and He [the Lord] said. So inaU thy seed be. St, Fugendus, abbot of Condat (fifth century). At the age of six years God came in a vision to Eugendus, as he sat at the door of his house, facing the east. And the Lord, pointing to the sky, told the lad to count the stars if he was able, and then added, " So shall thy seed be." God then unrolled before the child the map of the future, and showed him a swarm of disciples. While Eugendus was still gazing with wonder on the innumerable crowd, the heavens opened, and a ladder like that which Jacob saw, was let down to earth, and angels appeared to be ascending and descending thereby, and ever as they moved they sang, " I am the way, the truth, and the life." This vision the child told to the very person who wrote his life, and who took down these words from the mouth of Eugendus him- self. This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things, and he knows that his testimony is true. — Pragmacius, a disciple of St. Eugendus. See also Lives of the Saints of Franche- Comte^ by the professors of the college of St. F. Xavier of Besan9on. This prophecy does not seem to have been very sati»- factorily fulfilled. Eugendus died A.D. 610. A villag* grew up around the monastery, and In the following cen- tury received the name of St. Claude. The name of Eugendus does not appear to have survived, and a doubt exists whether it was Eugendus or Oyendus. The abbey was at one time famous, but now the inhabitants of St. Claude do not reach 7000. The chief industry of the people is the manufacture of clocks and toys. Abraham offering up his Son Isaac. Gkn. xxll. Abraham, at the command cA God, laid his only son, Isaac, upon the altar, which he had made, intending to offer him op In sacrifice to Jehovah, when his hand wa« stayed by a voice from heaven : Abraham. Abraham, lay not thy hand upon the IM AHAB—ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA. [Pt. I. neither do thou anything unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God. And Abraham paw a ram caught in a thicket by the horns, and he offered it up as a burnt>offering instead of his son. Agamemnon offering up his daughter Iphigenia, When the Grecian fleet, on its way to Troy, was detained at Aulis by adverse winds, Agamemnon was com- manded by the prophet Calchas to appease the wrath of Diana by offering to her in sacrifice his only daughter, Iphigenia. The damsel was bound to the altar, and Calchas had made ready the knife, when the damsel was spirited away by Diana herself • and Calchas, seeing a stag, took and offered it up in sacrifice, in lieu of the king's daughter. — Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis, Not unlike to him [Jephthah] In folly, that great hero of the Greeks,— Whence on the altar Iphigenia mourned Her virgin beauty. Dante (Carey's), Paradise v. (See Jkputhah.) Ahab covets Naboth's Vine- yard. 1 KiKGS xxi. Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. And Ahab said to Nabotb, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house, and I will give thee for it a laetter vine- J'^ard, or will give thee the worth of it in money. Jut Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid that I should give unto thee the inheritance of my fathers. Then Ahab went to his house, heavy and dinpleaseu, and laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. When Jezebel discovered the cause of this ill-humour, she accused Naboth of treason, and he was stoned to death. Naboth being dead, Ahab took possession of the vineyard, but Elijah said to him. Hast thou killed, and also taken possession ? Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. T7ie empress Eudoxia covets and takes possession of the vineyard of a widow (about A.D. 400). There was a law in Constantinople that if the emperor or empress set foot on a plot of ground, and took a fancy to it, the owner must part with it at a valuation, provided the person who fancied it had partaken of its produce. The empress Eudoxia one day went into the vineyard belonging to the widow of Theognostes, greatly admired the site, E lucked a few grapes, and demanded to ave the vineyard, according to the law. St. Chrysostom interfered on the widow's behalf, and Eudoxia forbade the arch- bishop ever again to set foot in the royal palace. The fete of *' The Exaltation of the Cross " wag close at hand ; and when it arrived, the emperor Arcadius and his nobles entered the cathedral as usual, and departed when the service was over. St. Chrysostom now ordered the doors to be Closed and bolted ; but ssses8lon, and, keeping back a part of the purchase price, Ananias offered the rest to the apostles, pretending it was the whole, ht Peter said to him, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? While the possession remained, was it not thine own ? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Ananias hearing these words, fell down, and gave up the ghost. About three hours after, Sapphira came in ; and Peter asked her if they had sold the laud for so ANGEL OF DEATH— ANGEL VISITANTS. Pt. I.] much; and Sapphira said. Yea, for so mnch. Peter then reproved her, and she also fell down itad. The archbishop of Ravenna is struck deid for lying (a.d. 1150). Huntfrid, archbishop of Ravenna, was a moct abandoned prelate, living a licentious lite with harlots. He was anathematized by the pope in the Council of Verceil. The emperor ordered him to appear at Augsburg, to render up the preferments he had obtained by simony, and to make confession of his sins that he might receive absolution. As Huntfrid lay at the pope's feet, Leo IX. said to him, ** May God give you absolution according to the measure of your sincerity." The archbishop now rose to his feet, with a smile of mockery ; whereupon the pope, in tears, said to those standing by, "Alas! this wretched man is on the brink of the grave." The same day Hunt- frid was taken ill, and scarcely had he entered his palace at Ravenna, when he fell down dead. — Wibert, Life of St. Leo iX, bk. ii. chap. 7. The bishop of Sutri tried by false testi- mony to justify himself of simony^ and fell dead at the feet of pope Leo IX, (a.d. 1049). The bishop of Sutri being ac- cused of simony, was arraigned by pope Leo IX., when he denied the charge, and brought up false witnesses to support his defence ; but at the very moment of the lie, he fell down dead at the pope's feet, as Ananias fell at the feet of the apostle Peter.— Wibert, Life of St. Leo IX., bk. ii. chap. 3. Another instance. In the same visita- tion, pope Leo IX. went to Mayence, where Sibichon, bishop of Spire, was charged with simony, and for having broken his vow of celibacy. Sibichon boldly denied the charges brought against him, and volunteered to purge himself by the ordeal of the body and blood of Christ. In punishment of "this sacri- lege," his jaw became paralyzed, and re- mained so till he died. — Migne, Dictionary cf the Councils, vol. ii. col. 877. Angel of Death sheathing his Sw^ord. 1 Chron. xxi. 14-27. So the Lord sent Destilence upon Israel. . . . And God sent an angel to destroy the people. . . . And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. . . . And he said unto God . . . Let Thy hand, I pray Thee, be on me, but not on Thy people. . . . And the Lord commanded the angel, and he put up his sword again into its sheath. St, Gregory the Great and the St, Angelo, When Gregory the Great was consecrated pope, a terrible pestilence was devastating Rome. Gregory forth- with organized a grand religious pro- cession, in the forefront of which was borne a painting of the " glorious Virgin," the work of St. Luke, still preserved in the church of Santa Mari Maggiore. As the procession moved on, a thick cloud of corrupt air was seen to fly before the painting, and angels were distinctly heard, singing, Regina Cosli Icetare ; Allelujal Pope Gregory, we are assured, distinctly saw an angel above the castle put up his bloody sword into its scab- bard ; and the castle, which bef^e was called the "Moles Adriani," has ever since been called the '* St. Angelo." — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 185. Angel Visitants. Gkn. xix. 1-3. Lot entertains two angels. There came two angels to Sodom at even ; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom : and seeing the angels, rose up to meet them, . . . and they turned in unto him, and entered his house, and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. Gen. xviii. 1-8. Abraham entertains three angels. The Lord appeared unto Abraham iu the plains of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. And Abraham lift up his eyes, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away. . . . Let « little water ... be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; and I will fetch a morsel of bread, anii comfort ye your hearts. Alter that ye shall pass on. . . . And he hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said. Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And he ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto [his] young man, who hasted to dress it. And Abraham took butter, and milk, and the calf dressed, and set them before [the three angels], and stood by them under the tree [while] they did eat. JuDG. xiii. 3-20. An angel appeared to Manoah and his wife, and promised them a son. And Manoah entreated the heavenly visitant to wait while a kid was dressed : but the angel de- clined to eat anything, so Manoah offered the kid unto the Lord, and as the smoke of tho burnt offering ascended towards heaven, "the angel ascended also iu the flame of the fire." An angel teaches St, Anthony the Great how to make mats from palms (a.d. 261- 356). Besides cultivating his garden, St. Anthony used to make mats. One day, ANGEL VISITANTS TO IGNATIUS-MEINRAD. [Pt. 1 being very low spirited, because his manual toils prevented him from passing more time in divine contemplation, an angel came to him, and showed him how to make mats from palm leaves. The heavenly visitant repeated his visit fre- quently, and said on leaving, *' Do this, and thou shalt be saved." From that day St. Anthony did what the angel had taught him to do, and found it easy to keep his heart with God while his hands were well employed. So true is it that useful toil strengthens the body and in- vigorates the mind, but idleness ruins both.— Zes Petits Bollandistes (1880), vol. I. p. 429. Ab whatever tempts man to evil was esteemed in tlie larly and Middle Ages a deril, so whatever aided man in Che right way was considered an angel. The angel that taught St. Anthony mat-making is an example ; but St. Gregory the Great, in bis Dialogues (bk. ii.), gives a still more striking example. He says, "Two angels, in the form of two young men, showed St. Benedict tiie way from Subiaco to Mont Cassino, a distance of eighteen leaKues. Similarly two angels guided St. Aldegundis in her flight from home." (See Walking on thb Sxa.) Angels chant to St. Ignatius (a.d. 107). Eusebius of Caesarea, Socrates, and Baro- nius all say that St. Ignatius established •he custom of chanting the Psalms anti- phonally, and that the idea was suggested to him by two choirs of angels which appeared to him when he was bishop of Antioch, and in this manner chanted the praises of the Holy Trinity. Ignatiuf said the Church militant on earth ought to imitate the Church triumphant in heaven, and accordingly he introduced the singing in his church by alternate choirs. In Christian art the saint is represented with a harp, listening to angels on each side of him, singing antiphonally. Angels visit St. Martin. Angels used to visit St. Martin as guests, and hold familiar converse with him. One day two of his disciples heard conversation going on in St. Martin's cell, although they well knew no living being could possibly be there with him. When the monks met at night as usual, the two disciples begged their superior to inform them who it was he had been talking with, and he said he would do so, if they would promise on their part to tell no one what he was about to reveal. This they readily agreed to do, and St. Martin told them ' he had received a visit in his cell from the Mother of God, St. Agnes, and St. Thecla. He furthermore said that sometimes St. Peter and St. Paul vouchsafed to be his guests. — Sul- picius Severus, Life of S\ Martin. W« are cold in the Acta Sanctorum (BoUaadJ^ti). toL L June 2, that Erasmus, the recluse of Mount Liban, used to entertain angels (▲.D. 301). Jesus Christ and His tngels consecrate the monastery of Meinrail (Sept. 14, a.d. 948). The following is recounted in the bull of confirmation by Leo VIII., and has been corroborated by succeeding pontiffs from Leo VIII. to Leo XIII. ; so that no [Roman] Catholic can doubt its exact "historic truth." Eberhard built a church and monastery on Mount Etzel, in honour of St. Meinrad, and de- dicated it to the Virgin. On Sept. 14, A.D. 948, Conrad, bishop of Constance, came t J consecrate it, accompanied by the bishop of Augsburg and a large num- ber of pilgrims. At midnight preceding the 14th, as Conrad, the monks, and pil- grims were at prayer in the nocturne, all of a sudden the dead silence was broken by a sweet melody. On raising his eyes, the bishop of Constance saw a choir of angels, and noticed that they chantea the very psalms and hymns set down for the morrow. Jesus Christ, arrayed in violet, then appeared, and celebrated the Dedi- catory office. Beside him were St. Peter, St. Gregory, St. Augustine, St. Stephen, and St. Laurentius. In front of the altar sat the " Queen of Heaven on a throne of light." The angel choir continued singing, but modified the Sanctus thus : ** God, whose holiness is revealed in the sanctuary of the glorious Virgin Mary, have mercy on us ! Blessed be the Son of Mary, v' u has come down hither, and lives for ever and ever." In the Agnuh Dei they thrice repeated: "OLamb of God, who hast mercy on those that believe in Thee, have mercy upon us ! O Lamb of God, who hast pity on sinners who believe and hope, have mercy upon us ! O Lamb of God, who givest peace to the living and the dead, who reign with Thee ever- lastingly, grant us Thy peace ! " Jesua Christ then said, "Peace be with you," and the angels responded, " The Saviour is borne on the wings of the Seraphim ; the Saviour descends to the depths of the abj'ss." Before this service was over, tie time appointed for the consecration was fully come, and the crowd without became impatient, wondering why the doors were not thrown open. At length one went and told them the reason. The church was soon filled, expecting the service to begin, but a mysterious voice repeated thrice these words: "Forbear, forbear! the church has been consecrated already." All fell to the ground on hearing these words, ar.d felt assured that the churcii Pt. I.] ANGELS CARRY SOULS TO PARADISE. tiad indeed been consecrated by Christ and his angels. Conrad, bishop of Con- stance, who himself witnessed this cere- mony, recorded it in writing. The calen- dars of Einsiedeln, which go back to the remotest ages of the Christian Church, record the same on the 14th of September, called " The Miraculous Consecration ; " and the service appointed for that day is annually performed with great solemnity and pomp. The people call the fete Engel- weihe (the Angelic Consecration). Sixteen years afterwards, the bishop of Constance, the bishop of Augsburg, and a host of princes both lay and ecclesiastic, accom- panymg the emperor Otto and his empress Adelaide to Rome, were present while the above narrative was repeated to pope Leo VIIL They all gave their attestations in writing, and the pope issued a bull on the subject, beginning thus: "We, Leo . . . make known to all the faithful, now and to come, that our venerable brother Conrad, bishop of Constance, has sworn to us in the presence of our dear son the emperor Otto and of the empress Adelaide, and many of the high princes of the land, that on the 14th of September, A.D. 948, he went to the hermitage of Meinrad, for the purpose of consecrating a church dedicated to the incomparable Mother of God, always a virgin." . . . Then follows verbatim what has been already recited ; and, in conclusion, the pope forbids any bishop from that day forth for ever to consecrate the church, thus consecrated by Jesus Christ and his angels. The pilgrims and ecclesiastics present at the " miraculous consecration," spread abroad the news on their return to their respective abodes, and the fame of Meinrad's hermitage drew pilgrims to the spot from every part of the Christian world. It would far exceed the limits of this book to set down all the miracles said to have been performed at this hermitage, but it must not be omitted that the thousandth anniversary was celebrated on March 9th, 1861, when many miracles, attested by the best possible authority, were performed. (See Blindness, a.d. 1843; Paralysis, 1850; Halt, 1861.) — R. P. Dom Charles Brandes, Life of St, Meinrad (copied by Mgr. Gudrin in his l^etits BollandisteSf vol. i. pp. 624-626). This ' ' Miraculous Consecration " of St Meinrad's hermi- tage and cliurch lias the highest sanction that the [Roman] Catholic Church can give, it is no legend, but is set forth as an indisputable "fact." The dishonesty of Alban Butler cannot be better shown than by his entire omission of so all-important a Saint as Meinrad ; and his entire Kilenre about the "Miraculous Consecration." Even bai in,{-Gould, who ^ives the life of Meinrad, and is far more exact than Butler, omits this Important event alto< Angels carry Souls to Para- dise. (See Soul of Man.) LuKB xvi. 22. It came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by angels Into Abraham's bosom. I7ie soul of St. Barbara carried by angels into heaven. St. Barbara was beheaded by her own father, and as her head fell to the ground her soikl was carried by angels into Abraham's bosom. — Peter Galesmus, Apostolic Protonotary, St. Fructuosus and two others carried 6^ angels to paradise (a.d. 259). St. Fruc- tuosus and his two deacons, Augurius and Eulogius, were burnt to death by the command of Gallienus, in T^ragon. Babylas and Mygdonius, domestics of the governor, and also the daughter of Emilian the governor, affirm that they distinctly saw the three martyrs ascend- ing to heayen, escorted by a host of angels carrying crowns. Emilian could see nothing of the kind, although his attention was directed to the spot by his daughter. *' II ne vit rien, son infidelity Ten rendant indigne." — Les Petits Bol- landistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. i. p. 505. The soul of St. Paul the hermit carried by angels to paradise (a.d. 341). St. Antony left St. Paul the hermit to fetch a cloak ; and on his return, saw amidst a host of angels, prophets, and apostles, the spirit of the hermit, shining like the sun and white as driven snow, buoyed upwards, till the clouds received it out of sight. St. Antony, who was over ninety years of age, used to tell how he ran the rest of the way, or "rather flew as a bird," and entering the hermit's cave saw there the lifeless body. He wrapped it in the cloak, and would have buried it, but had no spade. Man's extremity is God's opportunity, for while Antony was pondering the matter over in his mind, lo ! two lions came running to the cave. Antony trembled with fear, but the wild beasts showed by unmistakable signs that they meant him no harm. They went to look at the dead body, and then retreated to a small distance, and proceeded to scratch a deep hole in the earth. When the hole was large enough and deep enough for a grave, the industrious beasts, twisting their tails around the dead body, carried it to the hole, and covered it with earth. Having finished their task, they went mournfully to St. Antony, licked his hands and feet, and lowered their 8 ANGELS HAVE CUARGE OF SAINTS. [Pt.L heads for a blessing. Antony gave them a blessing, and the lions slowly and mournfully returned to their forest lair. — St. Jerome, Vita S. Pauli, Eremitce^ a.d. 375. The executioner saw the soul of Peter the exorcist carried up to heaven. When St. Peter the exorcist and St. Marcelli- nus were beheaded, the executioner de- clared he saw their souls, arrayed in white, borne up to heaven by the hands of angels. — Archbishop Ado, Martyr- ology. The soul of St. Siviard carried to heavefi by St. Peter and St. Paul (a.d. 687). A sa mort [i.e. St. Siviard], un des frferes vit ea sainte ame, toute brillante de lu- mibre, entre les princes des apotres, St. Pierre et St. Paul, qui la conduisaient au ciel. — Les Petits bollandistes^ vol. iii. p. 89. St. Titus carried at death by angels to naradise. When St. Titus died, Peter de Natalibus tells us "he saw angels de- scend from heaven in a glorious train to fetch home his immortal soul, and the face of the dead saint was radiant at their approach." The body of St. Titus was kept for a time in the cathedral of Gor- tyna, but is now among the " sacred treasures" of St. Mark's, in Venice. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints^ vol. i. p. 66. AngelSi in the form of butterflies^ carry the soul of St. Vincent Ferrier to paradise (a.d. 1419). At the moment of the decease of St. Vincent Ferrier, the win- dows of his chamber flew open of their own accord, and a crowd of winged creatures, no bigger than butterflies, very beautiful and purely white, filled the whole house. As the saint gave his last sign, these winged creatures suddenly disappeared, leaving behind them an exquisite perfume. Every one was con- vinced they were angels, who had come to carry in triumph the soul of the saint to the paradise of God. — Les Petits Bol- landistes, vol. iv. p. 240. Angels entertained una^vares. Heb. xiii. 2. Be not forgetful to entertain Btrangers: for tliereby some have entertained angels unawares. Gkn. xviii. 3-33. Abraham in the plains of Mamre entertained three strangers, and dis- covered that his guests were three angels sent by God to overthrow the cities of the plain. Gen. xix. 2, etc. Lot entertained two stran- gers, which proved to be two angels sent to deliver him from the destruction of Sodom. St. CuthberU entertaining strangers^ entertains an angel unawares (seventh century). Eatas, abbot of Mailros, being called to govern the new abbey of Rip- pon, took Cuthbert with him, and com- mitted to him the very difficult task of entertaining strangers. Once at least, in the execution of this office, St. Cuthbert had the honour of entertaining an angel, who, in return of his hospitality, left on the table three loaves of bread, of such exquisite whiteness and taste, there could be no doubt of their being " br?ad from heaven." This was not the only time, oy many, that he enjoyed the good offices of angels, for he often saw them, often conversed with them, and was often fed by them. Before he entered the priory of Mailros, he was healed by an angel of an abscess in the knee, which prevented his walk- ing ; and on his return from Rippon to Mailros, he was, contrary' to all expecta- tion, cured by an angel of the plague. — Bede, Church History, bk. iv. chap. 27-32 ; Acta Sanctorum, March 20. Angels have Charge of the Saints. (See Susanna and the Elders.) Psalm xci. 11. He shall give His angels charge over tbee, to keep thee in all thy ways. PsALir xxxiv. 7. The angel of the I^oid encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them. Gkn. xix. 16. When God was about to destroy Sodom, His angels took Lot, and Lot's wife, and their two daughters by the band, and led them beyond the city that they might b« safe from harm. Dan. iii. 28. When Sh^drach, Meshach. and Abednego were cast into the fiery furnace by order of Nebuchadnezzar, the l^ord sent an angel " to deliver His servants who trusted in Him." Dan. vi. 22. When Daniel was cast into the lions' den, king Darius next morning went to the cave, and said, Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God . . . able to deliver thee from the lions? And Daniel replied, king ... my God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, [so] that they have not hurt me. Matt, xviii. 10, Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones ; for 1 say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven. St. Euphrasia protected by angels from the malignity of Satan (a.d. 412). St. Euphrasia was, on one occasion, pushed by the devil into a pond, but her good angel held her above water, till assistance came from the convent, and she was drawn out. On another occasion the devil pushed her from a third-story window to the Pt. I.J ANGELS SENT TO CONSOLE SAINTS. ijround, but she was neither hurt nor bruised ; for God gave His angels charge concerning her, to keep her in all her ways. — Surius, Lives of the Saints, vol. ii. Angels charged to keep St. Francis of Paula in all his ways (a.d. 1416-1507). While St. Francis of Paula offered him- salf a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable, the Almighty exempted him from the ills that flesh is heir to. He always went barefooted over burning sands, cold snow, sharp stones, rugged rocks, gnarled roots, prickly thorns, and defiling mud ; but hundreds testify that burning sands distressed him not, the sharpest stones wounded him not, the roughest rocks bruised him not, ice and snow chilled him not, thorns and briars pricked him not, and defiling mud soiled him not, because God gave His angels charge concerning him, to keep him in all his ways. Though he was always handling tools to assist his workmen, his hands were as delicate as if he had con- fined himself to his books. Though he never changed his habit, night or day, •it had no disagreeable smell, but exhaled, on the contrary, a delightful odour. Though he practised austerities almost incredible, his face was never pinched, but plump and rosy, his eyes brilliant, his countenance serene and benevolent, and even in old age he was neither wrinkled nor grey-headed. He was an Adam, and this earth was a paradise, where he talked and walked with God and His angels. — Antonio Staramella, Letter to Pope Leo X. An angel had charge of St. Francisca, eo keep her in all her ways (1384-1440). God had given St. Francisca a guardian angel not only to keep her from the power of evil spirits, but also to guide her in all her ways. The angel never left her for a single moment ; and some- times, by special favour, her eyes were opened to see him face to face. She says he was of incredible beauty, his counte- nance being whiter than snow and redder than the blush rose ; his eyes were always uplifted towards heaven ; his long curly hair was in colour like burnished gold ; his robe, which extended to the ground, was sometimes white, sometimes blue, and at other times a shining red. From his face proceeded a radiance so luminous, she oould see to read her matins thereby even at midnight. Her ghostly father commanded her to show him this angel, ■o she took the angel by the hand, and intxoduced him. Her father confesser, speaking thereof in the monastery, s&id, the proportions of the angel introduced to him by St. Francisca were those of a child five or six years old. — From the Acts of her Canonization, May 29, a.d. 1606. St. Marcellinus, bishop of Emhran, being pushed down a steep rock, is borne in t/ie arms of angels (a.d. 370). The Ariana were especially embittered against St. Marcellinus, bishop of Enibrun, because they knew him to be their most formid- able opponent. One day, a number of these "heretics" seized him, and, carry- ing him to the top of a steep rock, pushed him down ; but angels had charge of him, and bore him in their arms to the bottom, so that he received no sort of injury. — Mons. Depery, Hagiogmiphie de Gap. Angels hear up in their hands the infant Marianne de Jesus (a.d. 1618-1645). The reader must be warned beforehand that the following " historic fact " is recorded, for the edification of the Church, by no less an authority than the cham- berlain of pope Leo XIII., and the book it is extracted from is of the nine- teenth century (7th edit. 1880). Dom Jerome of Quito died while his daughter Marianne was a babe in arms. The mother, to solace her grief, retired from Quito to a country house, and carried her baby in her arms, riding on a mule. A brook or rivulet had to be forded, and as the water was much swollen, the mule stumbled, and the child was jerked from the mother's arms. Of course, the mother thought the babe had fallen into the stream, and as it could not be seen there, she supposed it had been carried away by the rapid current. Judge, however, of her surprise when she discovered that her babe was suspended in the air by the invisible hands of angels, and had never touched the water. — Vies des Saints^ vol. vi. p. 230. The chamberlain gives us his authority— J. F. Codes- card, who died in 1800, the translator of Alban Butler into French. The reader will not need to be told that the above is not taken from Butler. No ; it is given as a con- tinuation of Ribadeneira, who died in 1611, about seven years before this wonderful child was boriu Angels sent to give Consola.- tion. (See Harm, etc.; and Happy m Suffering.) Matt. iv. 11. After the temptations, we ar« told that the devil left Jesus, and angels came and ministered unto Him. Luke xxii. 43. In His agony in the gardeu, Christ prayed, saying. Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me : neverthelM* 10 ANGELS CONSOLE ANDEOL, CONCORD, ETC. [Pt. I. not My will, but Thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him. Angels sent to console St. Andeol in his terrible tortures (a.d. 208). When the em peror Severus was on his way to Great Britain, he stopped at Bergoiate, and, observing a great concourse of people, asked the reason. He was informed they had assembled to hear St. Andeol preach about the crucified Jesus, and he ordered him to be sent for. After trying various means to make the saint renounce his faith, and finding all his efforts ineffectual, he handed him to the torturers, who at a given signal threw him on the ground, tied ropes to his hands and feet, and by means of pulleys stretched the tendons to their very utmost, and then scourged him with rods charged with points of iron. This over, they tore his flesh from head to foot with red-hot iron hooks, and, while the body was bleeding, bound it on a wheel, beneath which was a fire fed with oil. Andeol betrayed no sign of pain, but said, as the wheel turned slowly round, " Blessed be the name of God, and my Saviour Jesus, who have thought me worthy to suffer thus. Leave me not, O my Saviour, nor suffer me for any pains of death to fall from Thee." Severus, who was present all this while, "despairing, but not vanquished," now ordered the martyr to be taken to prison, and reserved for other tortures on the morrow. At the suggestion of Cericius, tribune of the Roman legions, the suffering saint was thrust into the crypt of the temple of Mars, on the bank of the Rhone. At midnight, the guards were greatly alarmed by seeing this souterrain bril- liantly illuminated, and hearing thousands of voices in mysterious colloquy with the prisoner, or singing celestial music. They heard these words amongst others — " Courage, dear brother ; to-morrow thou shalt be with us in paradise." They then applied healing balm to his wounds ; and, when he was brought the next day to the tribunal, the emperor was amazed to find him in perfect health and joyous spirits. " Off with his head," roared Severus in a fury, *' or the magician will corrupt the whole city ! " A soldier, armed with a swcrd made of some very hard wood, Buch as those used by gladiators in the arena, cleft the head of the martyr *'in the form of a cross ; " and so he died. — Bollandists, Acta Sanctorum^ vol. i. pp. 38, 09, May 1. Tbii extract has an antiquarian interest. It shows that the swords used by gladiators were not of metal, bul some hard wood ; and furthermore, that Roman soldiers, in some cases at least, were armed with these swonia. We are told by antiquaries that in the early ages th« Roman swords were made of brass (or a mixed metal), and in later times of iron, but neither Adams nor Rich mentioni the wooden sword. St, Concord^ in torture^ consoled by an angel. St. Concord was condemned by Torquatus, governor of Umbria, to be beaten with clubs and then hung on " the little horse " (see Chevalet), a kind of rack. As he was led back to prison, heavily laden with chains on his hands and neck, he sang praises to God on the way. At night the angel of the Lord stood by him and said, '* Fear not, beloved one, but play the man ; for f am with thee. The God of Israel is thy strength ; His rod and His staff shall comfort thee." — See Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints (January, p. 6). ^S^ Euphemia in torture visited by an angel, St. Euphemia, in the rei^ of Diocletian, was martyred by Priscus, proconsul of Chalcedon. She was first impaled on the eculeus, or equileus (^.t>.), by which all her limbs were pulled out of joint ; then she was lashed to the wheel ; but God sent an angel to comfort her, and he not only broke the wheel, but also slew the officers who were torturing her. The friends of the officers, greatly enraged against Euphemia, now kindled a huge fire, and cast her into the midst ot it ; but again the angel interposed and quenched the fire, so that fihe received no harm. Being taken from the fire she was cast to the lions, which mercifully killed her, but neither devoured her body, nor so much as mangled it. — Ado (arch- bishop of Vienne), Martyrology. St. George of Diospolis comforted^ in torture, by an angel. After St. George had been racked on the wheel, by order of the emperor Diocletian, it was thought by the tormentors that he was dead ; and Diocletian, who was present, said scoff- ingly, "George, where is now thy God? Why does He not help thee ?" So saying he left the dungeon, and went to the temple of Apollo to pay his ad'^rations. Scarcely had he passed the prison gate, when a loud peal of thunder was heard, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, " Fear not, O man of God, for I am with thee. Stand fast in the faith, and many shall be brought to the knowledge of God by thy example." Then appeared to the martyr an angel, who loosed him from the wheel, healed his wounds, and bade him proceed without delay to the temple of I Apollo and show himself to the emperor. Ft. I.J ANGELS CONSOLE LAWRENCE, MARK, ETC. 11 Diocletian was thunderstruck at seeing him, and could scarcely believe his eyes ; but the empress Alexandra and the two chief captains of the imperial guard were converted to the faith, saying, *'No other god can deliver after this sort.*' — Pasicratea (an intimate friend of St. George, and an eye-witness of his sufferings). St. Julian comforted by angels. In the freat persecution of Diocletian, St. ulian was seized, and subjected to most cruel tortures. Between which the governor Marcian ordered him to be laden with chains and dragged about the city. In one of these parades the martyr was led past the school where the governor's son, Celsus, was placed, and the boys were turned out to see him pass. As he came down the street, Celsus cried aloud, " I see angels comforting him, and holding out to him a crown of glory." This vision had such an effect upon the lad, that he ran up to the martyr and 1 issed his feet. Marcian was furious, and ordered both Julian and Celsus to be thrust into a noisome dungeon ; but the dungeon was instantly redolent of celes- tial odours, and illuminated with a divine light, so that the keepers marvelled greatly, and became converts to the new foith, — The BoUandists, Acta Sanctorum. The writer says, " We set down what we ourselves saw with our own eyes." St. Lawrence, under torture, strength- ened by an angel. St. Lawrence was racked on the catasta (q.v.), in which the limbs are drawn back and then pulled out of joint. Romanus, a Roman soldier, who witnessed the torture, went up to the martyr and said, " Lawrence, I see a most beautiful young man standing beside thee, and wiping off the blood and sweat as they fall from thee in thine agony. • It is a blessed angel, Lawrence, sent from heaven to comfort and strengthen thee. There is no god like thy God, and I am resolved that thy God shall be my God, and Him only will I serve." When the martyr was taken from the rack, Romanus brought water, and was baptized by him. —Edward Kinesman (1623), Life of St. Lawrence, p. 6u5. Christ and seven angels come to console the brothers Mark and Marcel Han (a.d, 288). Mark and Marcellian were twins, of noble family and great wealth. They were both married and had families. Being converts of Sebastian, they were kept prisoners in the house of Nicostratus, and condtained to death unless they recanted. Thirty days' respite was ac- corded to them, during which interval their parents, wives, and children implored them to relent. They were furthermore promised high state offices and large rewards ; but St. Sebastian, on the other hand, exhorted them to remain faithful unto death, when they would receive a crown of glory and everlasting life. After St. Sebastian had finished bis exhortation, Christ Himself with seven angels descended into the prison, gave St* Sebastian the kiss of peace, and said to him, "Good and faithful servant, thou shalt be ever with Me.'^ Zoe, the wife of Nicostratus, had been dumb for six years, and was a great invalid. She saw the light and the angels ; and, falling at the feet of St. Sebastian, indicated by signs her wish to be baptized. St^^ebastian said to her, " If your wish is sincere, Jesus Christ will make you whole ; " and im- mediately her speech returned to her, and her health was re-established. Nico- stratus, seeing this miracle, was converted also, and said to Mark and Marcellian, "You are free to depart, and if the emperor insists on punishing me for this breach of duty, I will gladly lay down my life for your sake." Sebastian told Nicostratus to bring into the chamber all his other prisoners, and Claudius the jailer brought in sixteen malefactors heavily laden with chains. Sebastian addressed the assembly, and all were converted and baptized. At the end of the thirty days the converts were brought before Chromacius the prefect, when Chromacius and his son became converts. The end of this long story is this: Zoe was hung to the branch of a tree, and a fire was kindled under her feet; so she died, and her body was cast into the Tiber. Nicostratus and five others were drowned in the Tiber, Mark and Mar- cellian were nailed head downwards to a post, and stabbed with lances till they were dead ; when their bodies were buried in a sandpit two miles from the city. The son of Chromacius was thrown into a ditch and buried alive. Chromacius resigned his office and retired to Campania. As for St. Sebastian, being bound to a post, a company of archers discharged their arrows at him. It was supposed he was dead ; but when the widow of Castului went at night to bury him, she found him still alive, took him home, and in a few days he completely recovered. The Christians wished him to secrete himself, but he boldly went into the temple ot Jupiter, and accosted the emperor Dio- 12 ANGELS CONSOLE MEINllAD, SERGIUS, ETC. [Pt. I. cletian as he was about to enter. " emperor," he said, "your pontiffs deceive you. They invent many charges against us Christians ; but know, O emperor, the Christians are your best subjects, who never cease praying for your conversion." Diocletian was thunderstruck at being thus addressed by a man he supposed to be dead ; but, recovering from his sur- prise, he said, "What! is it you, Se- bastian ? I thought my archers had done their duty better." " Emperor," replied Sebastian, "Jesus Christ has spared my life a little while, that I may be a witness to the people of the true faith and of thy cruelty." " Off with the wretch," cried Diocletian in rage ; " off with him to the hippodrome, and there scourge the life out of him," So he was scourged to death, and his body cast into the city sewer. — The abbot Corblet, Hagiography of Amiens, An angel sent to console St. Meinrad tormented with devils (797-861). When St. Meinrad retired to his hermitage in Mount Etzel, he was beset by a band of black demons so thick and numberless that they shut from his sight the light of day. They rounded in his ears the most terrible threats, whirled about him in the most frightful postures, assumed the most hideous forms conceivable, and made such an uproar it seemed as if all the trees of the forest were being blown down with a crash. St. Meinrad re- mained calm, intrepid, and prayerful. Suddenly an angel descended, its face radiant, its countenance benignant. Smil- ing on the hermit, it said to him, " Courage, Meinrad, and trust in God ; those that set their love on Him, He will deliver. Those that call on Him, He will answer." So saying, he drove the devils into the abyss, and they never after returned to trouble the man of God. — R. P. Dom Charles Brandes, Life of St. Meinrad. St. Sergius in torture visited by an angel. Sergius was primicetius or chief secretary of the emperor Maximian ; but when Maximian learnt that he was a Christian, he plucked from him his gold chain, and, stripping him of his robes, had him arrayed in woman's garments. After sundry other torments, his feet being thrust into shoes studded with i»harp spikes, he was chained to the imperial chariot, and made to run nine miles. Blood gushed from his feet along the load, and the agony was indescrib- able ; but at night an angel came to comfort him and heal his wounds. Next day he was again subjected to the same torture, and again the angel came to heal his wounds. The tyrant, seeing himself thus foiled, commanded his victim to be beheaded. As the martyr knelt before the headsman, he heard a voice from heaven inviting him to paradise, and congratulating him on his victory ; and saw a company of shining ones with golden crowns in their hands waiting to receive him, as soon as he had sealed a life of holiness with a death of glory. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Livei of the Saints, pp. ^6-818. Mention U made of St Sergius in the Second Nicen* Council. Act T. St. Theodoras of Heraclea consoled m torture by an angel (a.d. 319). When Licinius was informed that his general Theodorus was a Christian, he sent foi him, and invited him to accompany the court to a grand sacrifice. Theodorua begged to see the gods before he adored them ; and the emperor, thinking he had won back his brave soldier, commanded the priests to take the idols to his house. No sooner were they left, than Theodorus broke them up, and distributed the gold and silver, of which they were made, to the poor. The emperor, of course, was mad with rage, and sent officers to punish him. They first laid him face down- wards on the ground, and gave him five hundred lashes on his back, with whips made of bulls' hide ; then, turning him round, administered fifty more. After this, they pummelled him with flagra or leaden plummets (see Flagrum). tore his flesh with hooks, and cauterized the wounds with torches and hot irons. Being well-nigh dead, the martyr was sent to prison to be reserved for fresh tortures. Here he was kept five days without food or water, and was then fixed to a gibbet, while men employed for the purpose stuck him constantly in all the most sensitive parts of the body, stoned him, and insulted him in every imagin- able way. When Licinius thought he was dead he left him, intending next morning to cast the body into the sea. At midnight an angel appeared to the martyr, healed his wounds, and said to him, "Rejoice, Theodorus, for Christ is with you, and will never leave you cr forsake you. Fight the good fight and faint not, for great will be your reward in heaven." Next day the emperor sent two centurions to take down the body and cast it into the cea \ but to their Pt. I. ] ANGELS CONSOLE VENANTIUS. 13 amazement they found the gibbet empty, and Tyjeodorua in t erfect liealth. The miracle was without ^jiinsaying, and both the centurions were converted, with eighty of the men under them. Licinius, being informed of the affair, sent Sextus, the proconsul, with three hundred soldiers to behead the centurions and their eighty converts ; but no sooner did this new company reach the spot, than they also were converted. The whole populace now took the side of Theodorus against the emperor, and shouted, " Long live the God of the Christians! The Lord He is God, and there is none else ! " They would have deposed Licinius, but Theodorus forbade them, saying, "Ven- geance belongeth unto God, and the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." Theodorus was now carried in triumph through the city, and as he passed the state prison the chains of the prisoners fell off, the gates flew open, and the prisoners were free. Licinius, fearing a sedition, sent men to behead Theodorus ; so he died, and his body was taken to Heraclea, and buried there. — Augard, Life of St. TJieodorus of Heraclea. Alban Butler gives a very expurgated account of this saint, and says, "The Greek Acts ot his martyrdom, under the name of Augarus, are of no authority ; " but a far better authority than Alban Butler, viz. Mgr. Gu6rin, chamber- lain of pope Leo XIII., flatly contradicts this assertion, and tells us, " Le martyre de saint Theodore fut ^crit par un auteur nomm^ Augard, qui s'y trouve present, et qui fut pri6 par le saint mfime de r6crire, et de faire porter ses reliques k Euchaite pour les ensevelir dans I'heritage de ses ancfitres ; et d'ordonner que, quand lui-m6me mour- rait, on le mlt dans son s^pulcre k sa gauche."— Fies des Saintes, Feb. 7, Angels sent to succour St. Venantius in his terrible tortures (a.d. 250). St. Ve- nantius, having reproved Antiochus for worshipping false gods, was given over to the governor's soldiers, who were commanded "de lui faire endurer tous les supplices imaginables." They first tied the young man to a post, and scourged him with such savage cruelty, that he must have died, if an angel had not come from heaven, to loose him from his bonds, and drive away the butchers ; but the soldiers, instead of bang touched by this marvel, only re- turned to their task with greater savagery. They hung the young martyr to a tree by his feet, and burned him all over with flaming torches ; then, forcing open his mouth, tried to suffocate him with the smoke of the stinking brands. Anastasius, the comicular, who was present, saw an angel, robed in white, untie the saint from the tree, and heal his wounds. This vision caused his conversion, and, being baptized by Porphyry, he died a martyr. Antiochus, supposing Vcnantiun to be dead, was not a little surprised to hear the way he had been delivered. Still hoping to bend his "obstinacy," because he was so young, he commanded him to be brought before him again ; but neither threats nor promises had the least effect, so the governor ordered hiui back to prison, and sent a soldier, nained Attalus, to try and win him over by guile. Attains pretended he had himself beeu a Christian, and had given up the sub- stantial good things of this life, for the shadowy promises of the life to come ; but it did not pay, and he had returned to his senses. The saint saw at once through the artifice, and told Attalus so. Antiochus, still more angry at this mis- carriage, had Venantius agailf brought before him, broke all his teeth, tore his gums from the jaws, and then bade hia soldiers cast him into the city sewer, expecting he would soon be suffocated. Here, however, an angel came to him, drew him out, and healed his wounds, that he might be prepared for still greater triumphs. The prefect, in the mean time, died suddenly, crying with his last breath, " Venantius's God is the only true God, and those of Rome are no gods." When Antiochus was told this, he exclaimed, " The fellow will corrupt half Camerino. Take him," he added to his soldiers, "and cast him to the lions." So he was cast into the amphitheatre ; but when the lions saw him, they lay fawning at his feet like lambs, and he stood in the arena, preaching the gospel of grace to the spectators, and converting many. No- thing could exceed the fury of Antiochus when he heard this, and he commanded his officers to drag the incorrigible wretch over thorns and brambles. This was done with such barbarity for two days, that he was more than half-dead; but again an angel came and healed his wounds, and again he was taken before the governor. " Cast him from the rock,'* roared Antiochus, "and break every bone in his skin." This punishment, however, was equally futile as the others, for angels bore him in their hands, and not a hair of him was hurt. " Away with him ! away with him!" cried the governor; " let me see his face no more. Drag him a thousand paces beyond the ^ates over the rocks, and have done with him." The men were so exhausted with this task that they fainted with fatigue, whereupon Venantius, making the sigu u ANGELS' FOOD GIVEN TO MAN, [Pr.L c»f the cross upon a large rock, there issued from the ground a spring of delicious water. This rock and this spring still exist to attest the truth of tLe miracle, and in the church of Camerino there is a carving of the saint, com- memorating the event. Hundreds were converted on seeing these things, and many of them suffered for their faith with their lives. At length Venantius died ; but, as he gave up his spirit, the earth quaked, thunder and lightning terrified the people, and Antiochus, fleeing from the city in affright, died miserably. The body of Venantius was buried with great honour, and the money of Camerino was stamped with his image and super- scription. Tills certainly is a most marvellous story, but Cardinal Baronius tells us all that is false or overstated in some accounts has been eliminated from this account by ttie Church, and that what is liere recorded may be depended on aa simple unvaniished truth. His words are. "II est Tral, que las Actes de 8t. Venaiit, martyr, qu'il a vus k Camerino, sont remplis de chos«s apocrypbe* ; mais I'^lise en a retranch^ les mensonges, et ne nous en a donn^ que ce qu'elle a jug6 6tre conforme k la v6rit6." — Remare too hard to be believed, if what remains b indeed "retranched from all falMhood," and nuule ** conformable to simple truth." Angels sent to comfort St, Vincent in his torture (a.d. 304). After being put to the "question" (q.v.) St. Vincent was carried back to his dungeon, and laid on broken potsherds ; but God sent angels to comfort him, and his cell was illuminated with light from heaven. Then his bonds fell from him, and the broken potsherds seemed a bed of roses and other fragrant flowers. — MetaphrastSs (from the origi- nal Acts by the Notaries of the Church). Angels' Food given to Man. Psalm Ixxviii. 25. Man did eat angeU' Ibod. Angels' food given by the Virgin Mary to St. Avoya, or Advtsa (a.d. 234). St. Avoya, being taken captive by the Huns, was confined in prison, because she re- fused to marry her captor ; but Christ, whom she had chosen for her Spouse, illumined her prison with celestial light, and sent an angel to tell her her martyr- dom was deferred, that by suffer- ing she might win a brighter crown of glory. The Saviour also told her that Sie Virgin Mary would be her foster- mother as long as she remained in prison. Accordingly, this Mother of God and Queen of Heaven sent to her every week three loaves of bread, kneaded by th€ hands of angels. The whiteness of this bread exceeded infinitely that used in the palace of her father Quintian, a petty king of Sicily, and its sweetness exceeded in delicacy and flavour any food made by mortals. In Christian art, St. Avoya is represented as receiving angels' bread, from the hand of the Virgin, through the iron grating of a prison cell. — Arthus du Moustier, Martyrologe des Saintea FemmeSm St, Clara has angels' food given to her (a.d. 1346). Meditating one day on the Saviour's fast, St. Clara resolved to drink nothing for forty days. When brought to the brink of the grave by this absti- nence, a cup of gold, filled with a celestial beverage, was brought to her from heaven, and drinking therefrom her thirst was entirely assuaged. Jesus Christ Himself brought her, at night, a sweet drink which sufficed for the last twelve years of her life, during all which time she drank nothing except the wine of the Eucharist, accomplissant ainsi les paroles du prophbte Jerdmie, " II y aura des per- sonnes qui ne pourront plus boire de vin ni d'eau; et qui n' auront soif que de r Agneau sans tache." — Les Petits Hollan- distesj vol. ii. p. 440. Melancthon's story about angels' food Melancthon used to assert that he " knew of a surety the following fact " : — A woman of Cignea sent her son in midwinter to fetch home her cattle feeding by the woodside. The boy did not return, and three days afterwards was found sitting in an open place of the wood where there was no snow. He did not know that three daj's had well-nigh passed since he left home, but said he was waiting for the night to come. When asked if he had eaten anything, he implied, "There came a man to me who gave me bread and cheese." Now follows the marvellous inference of Melancthon, who naively remarks, "This man who gave the boy food was undoubtedly an angel, for no human creature could have supplied him with bread and cheese in such a place in the middle of winter." It is a pity to be so prosaic as to ask why it was im- possible for some rustic to give the poor boy food. The boy certainly thought his good Samaritan was a man, and probably you and I think so too. The storv is told in Turner's History of Bemarkable Providences (1697). Annunciation. (See Bakrkk Women; Mothkbs; etcj rx. I.] ANOINTING THE SICK— APPARITIONS. 15 Luke i. 28-33. The angel Gabriel was sent from God io a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, and said to Mary, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. And, behold, thou shalt bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. Luke i. 11-14. An angel appeared to Zacha- rias, and said to him. Fear not, Zacharlas : for thy prayer Is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name JOHN. And thou shalt have joy and gladness, for many shall rejoice at his birth. Judges xiii. 2-5. The argel of the liord Appeared to the wife of Man)ah, and said to her. Thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarlte unto God, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philis- tines. Annunciation of an angel to the mother of Eucher (a.d. 687). While the mother of Eucher was in the church at Orleans, whtre she had gone to spend the day in prayer, a venerable man, clothed in white, said to her, ** God be with you, thou well- beloved of the Lord. Thou art carrying in thy womb a son, which God has elected from all eternity to be the bishop of this city Orleans." The woman knew it was an angel who had spoken to her, and prayed that God would bless the child about to be bom. — Les Petits BollandisteSy vol. ii. p. 603. Anointing the Sick -with Oil. Jambs v. 14, 15. Is any sick among you ? let him call for the elders of the Church ; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, . . . and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed Bins, they shall be forgiven him. Mark vi. 13. They cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. St. Melanius anoints with oil king Eusehius and Aspasia (sixth century). Eusebius, king of Vannes, having made an incursion into Comblessac, put out the eyes and cut off the hands of a large number of the inhabitants. The night following, he was tormented with in- tolerable pains, which his physicians were wholly unable to assuage. Soon after- wards his daughter, Aspasia, suffered convulsions so violent that they were ascribed to demoniacal possession. St. Melanius was sent for, and said, " O king, this affliction is not unto death, but is sent in chastisement, and to lead vou to ret)entance." Then, anointing the king three times with holy oil, he was re- stored to perfect health. After which Melanius went to Aspasia, prayed over her, and she also was cured. In re- ward of these services, the king gave St. Melanius all the land of Comblessac in support of his monastery of Platz. — Gui Alexis Lobineau, Histoire des Saintt de Bretagne (1724). Apparitions. Matt, xxvii. 52, 53. The graves were opened ; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of [thelrj graves, and went Into the holy city, and appeared to many. 1 COR. XV. 3-8. Christ died for our sins, . . . was burled, and rose again the third day : . . , and was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once ; . . . then of James ; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also. Acts x. 30-32. Four days ngo I was fasting until this hour ; and at the ninth hotff I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me In bri;2,ht clothing, and said, Cornelius, thy prayer Is heard. . . . Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter ; . . . who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee. Acts i. 10, 11. While they looked stead- fastly towards heaven, two men stood by them in white apparel, and said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go Into heaven. Matt, xxviii. 2-6. Behold, there was a great earthquake : for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow ; and he said to the women. Fear not: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here : for He is risen, as He said. Dan. X. (Too long to transcribe. ) Acts xvi. 9. A vision appeared to Paul at Troas In the night. There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. Without passing any opinion on the Biblical appari- tions, every one knows that either a defect of blood {ancBmia), or a superfluity thereof (hyperoemia), will account for almost all visions of ghosts. The unhealtliy diet of the saints would be amply sufficient to make t)i« following apparitions veritable trutht to the seers, but simply the effects of diseased function, from ausemia or hyperaemia, in the eye of a skilful medical man. The ghosts seen by Hamlet were of the former character, those seen by Macbeth of the latter. The mind or thought of the seer for the most part determines the form assumed in apparitions. There cannot be the slightest doubt about the truth of ghosts and apparitions ; but at the same time the cause is well known. Tliey are not the dead revisiting the earth, but the natural exhibits of an over-excited brain ; and remember it is the brain that sees, and not the eyes. The eyes act as a telegrapbie clock to set force in motion, but that force can be set Li motion without the clock in fifty ways. The ghost of an abbot appears to Ft, Peter Celestine (1221-1296). St. Peter Celestine, being at Faifola, had ^reat qualms of conscience about his worthiness to administer the holy sacrament, and 16 APPARITIONS OF AGATHA, AGNES, EXa tPr. I. had made up his mind to abandon the priestly office ; but the abbot of Faifola, who had recently died, appeared to him, and told him it was God's will he should continue to say mass. *'As to the scruple of merit," said the ghost, ** who, I ask, is wort;hy to administer a service so august? The angels themselves are not. Sacrifice, sacrifice, my son, but always with fear and reverence." Celes- tine told his confessor what the ghost had said to him, and the confessor ex- horted him to obey the heavenly vision, last haply he should be found fighting against God. Another instance. After this vision, in 1251, Celestine retired to Mount Majella with two disciples. Here, for three years, a mysterious dove, whiter than snow, used to light on his oratory ; the sound of celestial bells was often heard, espe- cially at the elevation of the host, and not unfrequently voices were heard sing- ing in the air. When his new church was dedicated, St. Peter Celestine saw angels, clothed in white raiments, and heard them say, *' Let us go to the dedica- tion ; " and while he was celebrating the office, one of the angels let fall upon his shoulders a garment like their own. — The Admirable Life of St, Peter Celestine^ pope. (From the press of the Celestines, B&T le Due.) St. Agatha appears to St, Lucy^ and heak Eutitia. Eutitia, the mother of St. Lucy, being afflicted with a bloody flux which no medical skill could cure, was induced by her daughter to visit the ••elics of St. Agatha in Catanea. When Eutitia and her daughter reached the tomb, Lucy prayed that the saint would vouchsafe to intercede for her mother, that she might be cured of her infirmity. While still in prayer, St. Agatha stood before her. She was accompanied with a heavenly host of angels, and said to the damsel, "Sister Lucy, why ask of me what you can yourself give unto your mother ? Make your petition to God, for be assured if He loves me. He no less loves you also. If He will hearken to my prayers, so will He unto thine. If I am honoured as a saint here in Catanea, you shall be honoured as a saint in Syracuse." When Lucy had seen the vision, she rose from her knees, and found her mother perfectly restored. They gave thanks to God and St. Agatha, and then returned, filled with joy, back to their home again. — Ado (archbishop of Vienne), Martyroloqy, CSee alco Bede.) Apparition of St, Agnes to her mother (a.d. 304). St. Agnes was brutally murdered, at the age of thirteen, by a Roman prefect, because she refused tc marry his son. Eight days after her death she appeared to her mother, en- compassed by a band of angelic virgins. She was dressed in a robe of gold cloth, studded with precious stones ; on hei head she wore a garland of pearls and diamonds, and in her arms she carried a lamb whiter than snow. She went to her mother and said, " Weep not for me, dear mother, as for the dead ; but rather re- joice with exceeding joy that I reign with Christ in the kingdom of heaven." So saying she vanished out of sight, accom- panied by her attendant virgins. — Mgr. Gue'rin (chamberlain to pope Leo XIIL), Life of the Saints^ vol. i. p. 611. An angel appears to St. Eleutherius, and brings him a pardon for king Clovis» When Clovis won the great victory of Tolbiac he was guilty of many barbarities, and Eleutherius met him at the door of the church, as he was about to enter to return thanks to God. "Seigneur king," said the bishop, " I know why you have come hither." Clovis protested he had nothing in particular to say to the bishop. *' Say not so, O king," replied Eleutherius. " You have sinned, and dare not avow it." Then the king, bursting into tears, implored the bishop to entreat God's pardon for him. Eleutherius spent the whole night in prayer, and next day, at the celebration of mass, just as the host was elevated, a brilliant light filled the church, and an angel came to the bishop and said, " Eleutherius, thou servant of the living God, thy prayers are heard." So saying he placed in his hands a writing, which was a pardon of the king's sins. Clovis, being thus absolved by God Him- self, rendered humble and hearty thankfl to the Almighty, and made many magnifi- cent gifts to the church at Toumai. — Lei Petits Bollandistes, vol. ii. p. 601. Mgr. Gu^rin subjoins this excellent remark : "The bold remonstrance of Eleutherius, the repentance of the king, the angel bringing a pardon from heaven, whether tru« or not, form an admirable picture of tlie popular mod* of thought at the period." ITiree angels appear to St, Nicholai de Flue (a.d. 1417-1487). While St. Nicholas de Flue, called by the Germani brother Klaus, was engaged on his house affairs (for he had a wife and ten children), three men of venerable mien addressed him : *' Tell us, Nicholas," said one oi them, *'will you place both your body and soul under our charge?" ''lean Pt. 1.1 OF BACCHUS, BARBARA, BARNABAS, BENEDICT. IT place them," he replied, ''only under the charge of the Lord God Omnipotent. I have long wished to live to Him alone." The three strangers looked at each other and sighed. "If," said the first speaker, " you will give yourself body and soul to God, I will promise you, when you are seventy years old, you shall be taken from the troubles of this world ; and as you have carried the cross with patience, you shall bear a banner in the army of God." So saying, the three men vanished from his sight.— ^Henry de Gundelfingen, Life of St. Nicholas de Flue (1488). The apparition of St. Bacchus appears to Sergius. St. Bacchus was beaten to death by lashes made of ox sinews, but after death appeared to his companion Sergius to exhort him to remain steadfast in the faith, nothing doubting. He shone with celestial glory and brightness, and spoke of the joys unspeakable which God had prepared for him, in recompense of the light afflictions which he had endured for Christ's sake upon earth. He earnestly entreated Sergius to bear patiently the martyrdom which awaited him, looking forward to the recompense of reward. — E. Kinesman, Lives of the Saints (1623, Oct. 9). *S'^. Barbara brings the eucharist to Kostka (1550-1568). While Stanislaus Kostka was preparing for his admission into the Society of Jesus, he was prostrated by a violent and dangerous sickness, which reduced him to such extremity that his physicians gave him over. The youn^ man was sore afflicted, not from any feat of death, but because he had no means of receiving the holy sacrament, as his hos- tess was a "heretic." In this perplxsxity he earnestly commended himseif to St. Barbara, praying with great fervour that he might not die without partaking of the blessed eucharist. As he lay awake upon his bed at midnight, St Barbara came to hirn, with two angels bearing the holy elements of bread and wine. The sick man received "his Saviour" from the hands of St. Barbara, assisted by the angels, ard from that moment began to amend. A similar story is told of him some- what later on. He happened one Sunday to enter a Protestant church in which the sacrament was administered. He had en- tered it by mistake, supposing it to be a [Roman] Catholic church ; but when he perceived he was in communion with heretics, he prayed God to pardon him and assist him in his difficulty. His prayer was heard as before; and God sent an angel of surpassing beauty to administer to him the sacred elements. — Peter liibadeneira. The Flower of the Lives of the Saints. In reading the lives or acts of the saints one thing Is very striking, and that is the constant repetition of the sama miracle. Thu3 in Theodosius the Ccenobiarch his sjt^cial miracle was the multiplication of food; in Stinislaui Kostka it is the eucharist ; in St Antony the Great it ■ contests with Satan ; in others the multiplication cf food), and so on. This is exactly what might be expected, on the solution suggested p. 15, viz. that each saint's idiosyncrasy detei mined the special mode or fashion of the illusion, whiV, the fact of some sort of illusion was due simply tr anaemia or hypersemia. St. Barnabas says where his dead body i« to be found. Barnabas the apostle, attor being stoned to death, was thrown mto a fierce fire, that his body might bfe con- sumed ; but the fire had no effect upon it, and St. Mark, carrying the^taJ body beyond the gates of the city wall of Cyprus, buried it. There it lemained till A.D. 485 (that is, 433 years), when, Nice- phorus Callistus assures us, the ghost appeared to Antemius^ tlphop of Cyprus, and told him where his body was to be found. The bishop went to the spot indicated, and ^ound the body, with the original MS. of '6t. Matthew's Gospel, the very MS. written by the hand of the evangelist iiimself. Both relics were taken to Constantinople, according to the ghost'ss request ; and a church was built in Cypru« on the site where these treasures wtert discovered. — Nicephorus Callistus ] (died 1350), Church History. (See also Metaphrastes, Lives, etc. ; St. Isidore, Lives of the Holy Fathers, ch. Ixxxii. ; Sigisbert, De Viris lllustribus, ch. xvii. ; •Bede, Retractations, at the end of the " Acts of the Apostles," ch. iv. ; etc.) This MS. ought to determine once for all the questions respecting St. Matthew's Gospel, such as (1) in what lan- guage was it written. Hebrew or Greek ? (2) is the Gospel which now goes by the evangelist's name the same as tlie " Original MS.," or greatly interpolated? (3) are any or all of the doubtful parts in the MS. ; if so, which are there and which are not ? If the MS. found is genuine, it should settle all these questions ; if not, it is altogether a gross and egregious fraud. St. Benedict appears to Bruno {Leo IX.) and cures him of a toad's venom (a.d. 1002-1054). Bruno, while at school, went to visit his parents, and while asleep, a toad jumped on his face, " sucked his breath," and injected its poison into his mouth. The boy woke with pain, jumped out of bed, and called for help. No one came to his call, and in the morning his face, throat, and breast were swollen to an extraordinary degree. Several remedies were tried, but for two months the boy hung on a thread between 18 APrAItlTIONS OF CHRIST [Pt. I life and death. At length the apparition of St. Benedict appeared to him. He held in his hand a crucifix, with which he touched the boy's mouth, and all the other parts affected by the poison. No ■sooner was this done than the swellings subsided, and the boy felt better. In a day or two the imposthumes behind the ears broke, discharged a large quantity of corrupt matter, and the restoration to health was tuen only a matter of time, iiruno always attributed his cure in this case t(. St. Benedict.— Wibert, Life of St Leo JX, One thing may be taken for granted, that the toad and At. Benedict had an equal share in this nialady and cure. The ghosts of St. Dominic and of Thomas Aquinas lift St. Andrew Avellin on his horse (a.d. 1608). Riding on a hired horse one day to visit the prince Stigliano, St. Andrew Avellin was thrown on the edge of a sharp stone and greatly hurt. His feet got entangled in the stirrups, and the horse, terrified, ran off, dragging the ecclesiastic along the stony road. In this predicament the ghosts of St. Dominic and Thomas Aquinas came to his help, extricated his feet, wiped the blood from his face, healed his wounds, and set him on his horse again. — Mgr. Gue'rin, Vies des Saints^ vol. xiii, p. 305. The ghost of Andreas Bobola requests to be made patron of the college of Pinsk (April 19, A.i>. 1702). The Jesuit college of Pinsk was threatened with destruction by the Cossacks of the Ukraine. And while the superior was pondering under whose protection to place the college, the ghost of Andreas Bobola appeared to hinj. It was dressed in the costume of the college, and said, *' You are in want of a patron and protector; why not choose me ? I am Andreas Bobola, put to death by the Cossacks in 1657, and you will find my body buried in your college." The rector searched the crypt of the college, but could find no such name as "Bobola;" so a night or two afterwards the ghost appeared to him again, and told him to look on the right-hand side of the high altar ; and there, sure enough, was found a coffin bearing the name of " Andreas Bobola." When the coffin was opened the grave-clothes fell to powder, but the body was entire, though ' ' wounded with a thousand wounds." The blood from the wounds was still fresh, the skin was soft, the flesh flexible, and the odour sweet and agreeable. '* Ce fut ainsi que Dieu, par les plus eclatants miracles, pre'serva lui-m^me k jamais de I'oubli la me'moire de son serviteur." — R. P. Oli- vaint. Notice Historique sur le Bienheureux Andre' Bobola de la Compagnie de Jesus. The murder of Bobola was so horrible that it must h% given in the iptinima verba of the biographer. " Les Co- saqueii I'attjictieiit a uii arbre, et ratcablent de coups. LU lui passent eiisuite uiie corde au cou, et I'attachent derri fire leurs chevaux, le conduisent k leur chef, & lanow. I,es r^ponses calines que le martyr fait h, ce^ barbares I'irritent et il repoit pour puiiition un grand coup de sabre sur la tSte. La main qu'il avait instinctivement lev^e en Tail fut presque d^tach^e du bras mais le pr^serva d'une mort inf.;'ilible. Alors les soldats se mirent de U partie. L'un lui arracha un cell, les autres le conduisirent chez uii boucher oh ils allum^reut des torches, et lui brdldrent diffdrentes parties du coi-ps en lui denmndant de renuncer k sa foi. Sur son refus. on I'dtrangla k deml avec de jeunes branches vertes tordues k I'avance ; on lui fit una tonsure en lui enlevant la peau de la tfite ; on le fnippa au visage de fa(;on k lui casaer les dents. Sous I'Lorrible et ddrisoire pr^t«xte de lui faire une chasuble, on lui arrach* la peau du dus. On essuie avec une torche de paille I0 sang qui coiile k flots de cette plaie atroce , et pour nchever de faire un nionstre de cet humme dont I'aspect ^pouvante ni£nie ses lK)urreaux, on lui enfonce des roseaux sous les ongles, afin de leur donner I'apparence de griffes. Apres lui avoir ensuite coup^ le nez et les l^vres, on le Jette sur un tas de fuinier. Le bienheureux n'^tait plus qu'une masse de chair informe et rei)oussante. Deux heures ai)rds, le capitaine, passant par Ik, Tacbeva d'ua coup de sabre 16 mai, 1657." (Bobola was beaUfied by Pius IX. in 1853.) Jesus Christ appears m person to Augus- tine ^ and gives him the name of " The Great Father'' (a.d. 354-430). Jesus Christ appeared in person to St. Augus- tine, afterwards bishop of Hippo, and addressed him as "The Great Father." The special occasion was while he was entertaining a number of poor folk as his guests. One of the guests said to the saint, " Magn** Pater Augustine, gaude, quia Filium Dei hodie in came videre et tangere meruisti. ' Having so spoken, he (disappeared. — St. Augustine, Con- fessions. Christ appears to St. Catherine of Sietui, and gives her a betrothal ring (a.d. 1317- 1380). One day, in the eve of Lent, when all the Christian world seemed mad with folly, Catherine was alone in her cell, and cried aloud in fervent prayer, " O Saviour, give me grace that nothing may separate me from Thy great love." A voice — it was that of her celestial Spouse — replied, " Be at peace, Catherine ; I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." With these words the cell was filled with heavenly visitants. There was Mary, patroness of all virgins both in heaven and earth ; John the evangelist, with the eyes of an eagle and the purity of a dovo ; St. Paul the victorious ; the learned and angelic Dominic ; and king David, the model of penitent love. The Virgin, placing the right hand of Catherine in that of her Son, asked Him to give her His mystic ring. The ring was of gold, with a large diamond, and four precioui Pt. I.J TO CATHERINE, CLARA, U.TGARDES. 10 •tones around it. The Saviour placed the ring on the maiden*8 finger, saying, *' I, thy Creator, with My Father which is in heaven — I, thy Redeemer and thy Spouse — will preserve thee pure, till that day when I come to claim thee as My heavenly bride." The vision then van- ished, but the ring remained on the saint's nnger. She, however, alone could see it ; to all others it was invisible. — Raymond of Capua (her confessor), Life of St. Catherine of Siena. As the ring yn& wholly subJectlTO, the creation of her uwn brain, and not objective, of course it was visible to herself alone, but to her it was as real as the dagger seen by Macbeth In the air. Christ appears to St. Catherine of Siena to comfort her (a.d. 1317-1380). St. Catherine of Siena was subject to fits of great despondency, followed by ecstasies. In one of these desponding fits the Saviour appeared to her, nailed to a cross, as He was on Calvary. "Where wert Thou, Saviour," cried St. Catherine, lov- ingly, " while my spirit within me was so utterly cast down ? " *' In thy heart, beloved one," replied Jesus ; " ravished by its fidelity. There was I to sustain thee in the battle, and to save thee in the great water-floods." — Raymond of Capua (her confessor), Life of St. Catherine of Siena. Jesus Christ and His apostles show them- selves to St. Clara (a.d. 1346). Jesus Christ one night appeared to St. Clara. He was seated on His throne of glory, surrounded by John the Baptist and the apostles, and He showed St. Clara the wound in His side. On another occasion, as she was praying before an image of the crucified Saviour, the image said to her, " I can refuse you nothing. Feel assured that those whom you love are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. ii. p. 440. Christ, as a beggar, appears to the mother of Columba (a.d. 1493). When Columba left her home clandestinely, being per- suaded to do so by the ghost of St. Dominic, her mother was greatly dis- tressed, and her cries brought together the neighbours to condole with her. On going over the house, they were amazed to find the door of Columba's chamber had not been opened. While this search was going on, a beggar presented himself, approached the disconsolate mother, and said, "Woman, I see your heart is very Borrcwful." "How so?" she replied. ^' 1 can see it," said the stranger ; " but, believe me, that which has occurred, has ^-^appened by the will of God. Your daughter has leaned on a staff that can never break. Be comforted, for you will soon see the hand of God in this affliction." " Aprfes ces paroles," ajoute leConfesseur de (jolomba, " cet homme disparut, et je 8oup9onne qu'il n'e'tait rien moins que le Sei^eur J^sus, qui dans sa compassion, avait voulu fortifier et consoler cette pauvre mfere." — Father Sebastian of Pe- rouse (Columba's confessor). Life of Columba of Bieti. This anecdote is very suggestive, and shows bow ready the confessor was to see a miracle, and deem it nothing extraordinary. There is no reason why this beggar should not have been a human being, but a thousand why it should not be Jesus Christ. Christ appears to the forty martyrs in prison (a.d. 320). The for^ martyrs were forty Christian soldiers of different countries in the "Thundering Legion." The command of the emperor Licinius sent to Agricola, governor of Lesser Armenia, for all his army to offer sacrifice, being communicated to the 12th or Thundering Legion, then lying in Se- baste, the forty Christian soldiers firmly refused so to dishonour Christ ; and, after being punished for insubordination, were sent to prison. Here, at night, Jesus Christ Himself came to them while they were at prayer, and said to them, " He that believeth in Me, though he dies, yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Fear not them that can torment the body only, but know this : to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God." — Acta Sanctorum. (This memoir is by Meta- phrastes. See the three Discourses of St. Gregory of Nyssa, vol. ii. p. 203 ; vol. iii. pp. 499, 604.) Jesus Christ and the Virgin often ap- peared to St. Lutgardes (a.d. 1246). St. Lutgardes was brought up in the convent of St. Catherine, near St. Trond, in Bra- bant ; but she had no true religious feeling till Jesus Christ appeared to her in person, and, opening His breast, said to her, " Look here, Lutgardes, how ought you not to love Me? Leave the vanities of the world, and you shall nnd in Me the delights of divine love." These words pierced the young maiden like an arrow, and wrought a total change in her. She now lived a life of such penitence and prayer, that the other inmates of the con- vent said her fervour must soon bum itself out. This made hcj very sad ; but the Virgin Mary came to console her, and iO APPARITIONS OP CHRIST Pt. L said, " Feel assured, my daughter, that those whom my Son have once received will never fall from grace." From this hour Lutgardes grew daily in greater familiarity with Christ. One day Christ asked her what wish He should accomplish for her, and she replied, " Give me Your heart." "Nay," said Christ, "rather give Me thine." "Take it. Lord, and Eurify it with the fire of Thy love," said lUtgardes ; and an exchange of hearts was made between them. " 11 se fit une union Bi ^troite et si parfaite de I'esprit cre'e' avec I'esprit incree', que Jesus etait tou- jours dans Lutgarde, et que Lutgarde e'tait tou jours hors d'elle-meme pour ne vivre qu'en Jesus et pour Je'sus.*' — Thomas de Cantimpr^, Vie de St, Lutgarde. Christ Himself appears to St, Honw^y and administers to him tfie eucJiarist (sixth century). St. Honore', on one occasion, went to St. Acheolus to assist in saying mass in the chapel of the Virgin, when Christ Himself appeared to him visibly, in human form, and administered to him the holy elements with His own hands, "lui accordant ainsi la meme grace qu'il avait faite aux Apotres, le soir de sa Pas- sion." In memory of this event, a divine hand is blazoned in the arms of the abbey of St. Acheolus. — Les Fetits BoUandisteSj vol. ▼. p. 676. Christ appears to a priest^ and bids him take food to St, Benedict, afterwards pa- triarch of the Western monks (a.d. 4^4). A holy priest of Mount Preclaro, about four miles from Subiaco, was just about to eat his Easter dinner, when Christ stood before him and said, " A servant of Mine is dying of hunger in a cavern, while you are about to indulge yourself on these dainties." The priest, hearing these words, rose at once, and, taking with him the food prepared, was conducted by the hand of God to the rocks near Subiaco, some fifty miles from Rome, and came to the cavern occupied by St. Benedict, and subsequently called " The Holy Grot." He found the saint, told him "God had sent him with food," and reminded him that Easter Day was no fast-day in the Church, So the two prayed and ate to- getiier ; and, after a day of devout com- munion, the priest returned to his parish and St. Benedict to his cavern. — St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues, bk, ii. ch. i. Christ crucified appears to St. Bosa of Viterbo (1236-1252). One day Jesus Christ appeared to St. Rosa, suspended on His cross, His hands and feet nailed, His head crowned with thorns, His face black and blue, His limbs dislocated. His flesh torn off to the bone, and His body covered with blood and sweat. St. Rosa screamed, shuddered, and fainted. When she came to herself she was still unable to speak for some time, and could only gaze on the victim before her. Her veins swelled, her nerves twitched, her heart beat high, and she seemed in a terrible agony. In- stinctively she beat her arms against each other, tore her hair, and, seizing a stone, struck herself on the breast and shoulders ; blood gushed from her mouth, and she cried aloud, " my Jesus, why art Thou reduced to this pitiable state? What inhuman monsters could have used Thee thus V Why — oh, why art Thou so cruelly mangled, so cruelly nailed to the cursed tree V " " 'Tis My love, My burn- ing love for man," He answered. "Your love for man ! " she exclaimed ; " then Your love for me has brought You to this pass. My sins — ah, miserable me ! — my sins have done all this." She shrieked, she stamped, she tore her hair, she struck herself, and broke one of her bones with the stone. — L'abbd Barascud, Life of St. Bosa of Viterbo, Christ and many saints in glory appear to St, Vincent Ferrier, In 1396 St. Vincent Ferrier fell ill, and every one thought he would die. The crisis occurred on Oct. 3, the vigil of the fete of St. Francis. Then was fulfilled the saying that is written, " When thou though test thyself on the point to die, then thou didst rise as the star of the morning." All of a sudden the sick-chamber was filled with light of celestial splendour, and the Saviour of the world, accompanied by a multitude of the heavenly host, and with the patri- archs St. Dominic and St. Francis, pre- sented Himself to the sick man, and said to him, " Vincent, rise up safe and sound, and go forth to preach against sin. For this end have I chosen thee. Warn sinners to be converted, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The Saviour then told him three things : first, that He would confirm him in grace, that his preaching might have free course and abound ; secondly, that he should come out un- scathed from all persecutions ; and thirdly, He gave him special directions how to exercise the apostleship committed to his charge. Then touclikig the saint's fact with His right hand. He said, " my Vincent, rise ;" and with these words the vision vanished. The sick man felt that he was restored to hciUth, and his heart 1*T. J.J TO JOHN-JOSEPH, THERESA. n was full of heavenly consolations. — Peter Ranzano (bishop of Lucera), Life of St. Vincent Ferrier, This apparition rerounted by Father Ranzano, the most ancient of the biographers of St. Vincent Ferrier, is Bubstantially repeated by the saint himself in a letter addressed to pope Benedict XIII., A.D. 1411. Apparitions of Christ and of the Virgin Mary to St. John-Joseph of the Cross (a.d. 1654-1734) . St. John- Joseph had frequent ecstasies, in which state he was dead to the outer world, neither seeing, hearing, nor feeling, but resting immovable as a statue, with his face burning bright as a live coal, and a nimbus surrounding his head. In one of these transports the Virgin appeared to him, and conversed with him. One Christmas Eve " I'enfant J^sus descendait dans ses bras, et y restait plusieurs heures de suite." (See St. Ca- JETAN, St. Coletta, pp. 25, 28.) — Car- dinal Wiseman, contributed to Migne's De'monstr^ations Evang^iques, vol. xvi. Sundry apparitions to Philip of Neri (a.d. 1515-1595). One Christmas Eve Christ showed Himself to Philip of Neri, in the form of a little child upon the altar. The beauty of the vision was surpassing thought. Philip often saw in the host a multitude of angels, and all the glory of paradise. He twice saw the Virgin Mary ; once when she held up the roof of the church at Vallicella, which threatened to fall upon the congregation ; and once, about a year afterwards, when he was sick, and she came to cure him. — Bull of Canonization by Gregory XV. There is a painting of the Virgin Mary holding up the roof of the church at Vallicella. Apparitions of Christ to St, Theresa (A.D. 1515-1582). (1) As the love of St. Theresa for God and Christ increased, the malignity of Satan to her increased also. She stated her case to five or six masters, who told her to take more food, to associate more with the sisterhood, and to shorten her religious exercises. She followed this advice for three years, but in this period the Saviour often came to console her ; and one day said to her, " Fear not, my daughter ; it is I who speak. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." These comforting words banished her doubts ; and, no longer fearing the devil, she defied him, saying, "Come on now, with, all your legion. As Christ is with me, I care not who may be agains*- me," TJiough Christ sometimes showed Him- self to her in a sensible form. He more frequently manifested Himsel* to her spiritual eyes. Her confessor and supe- rior, still believing these visitations to be Satanic, told her, when they appeared again, to make the sign of the cross, to turn her back, to quit her oratory, and change her place. She did as she was told ; but Christ, far from thinking her rude and unloving, only loved her the more, and said to her, "You have done well, my daughter, in obeying your directors ; but be assured it is I Myself who appear to you, and honour you with My presence." For two years the Saviour never left her side, but was ever with her to instruct, console, and fortify her. After the two years were ended, the whole Trinity abided with her for fourteen years, in a visible form — at least, so far as the immortal can be visible to a mortal. She>^as also visited by the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Dominic, St, Francis, St. Catherine, St. Clara, ten thousand martyrs, and many other saints of both sexes, (2) On one occasion God the Father appeared to her, and said, " My daughter, I have given to you My Son, the Holy Ghost, and the Blessed Virgin ; what more can I give ? " On another occasion, Jesus Christ appeared before her, and, putting His right hand, printed with tho nail, into her hand, said, *' See this nail- print. It is the sign of My marriage con- tract with you. Ere long you shall b*^ My bride, and nothing shall separate you from the love of God your Saviour." So full was her heart that she cried aloud. " O God, enlarge my heart, or it will burst with love." (3) When St. Theresa founded tho monastery of Seville, Jesus Christ came to visit her, and said, "Thou knowest, daughter, there is a marriage contract between thee and Me. Thou art Mine, and I am thine." (4) One day St. Theresa knelt in prayer before a picture of Christ, beseech- ing her heavenly Spouse to save her from ever offending Him, in thought, word, or deed. From this moment the Lord Jesus held fellowship with her ; often talking with her face to face, speaking in human speech in her own mother tongue, (5) Theresa being on one occasion at her devotions, the Lord appeared to her with St. Peter and St. Paul. He first showed her His hands, which shone with celestial splendour ; He then revealed His face ; and continued with her for the space of three days. (6) Being at mass on St, Paul's Da}', 22 APPARITIONS OF FILUMENA, [Pt. L Christ manifested Himself to her in His human form, but His body was glorified. This intercourse continued for three years, when a seraph came with a flaming dart and pierced her to the heart. The pain of this wound never left her to the hour of her death. — John (of Jesus Maria), Life of St. Theresa, (She left her auto- biography, which was carried to the year 1580, that is, within two years of her death.) St. Pilumenay a nineteenth-century saint^ asserts her identity. St. Filumena was wholly unknown till a.d. 1802, and where she lived, when she lived, what she did, and how she died, are wholly unknown. Never mind. In 1802 a ^rave was found in the cemetery of St. Pnscilla, and near it were three tiles, containing these ** words," in red letters — I LVMENA~| I PAXTE | \ CVMFI | By changing the position of the tiles we get PAXTE cuMFi LUMENA, and by separating the letters into words, we get PAX TECUM FILUMENA. That this is the correct rendering there can be no doubt, for the "virgin martyr " herself told a priest and a nun so in a dream. She told them she was called "Filumena" because she was " Fi[lia] Lumena," the daughter of the " Light of the World." * In confirmation of this revelation, when the bones were carried to Magnano, the Baint repaired her own skeleton, made her hair grow, and performed so many other miracles, that those who doubt the statement of the *' virgin martyr" would not be convinced even if they themselves had dreamt the dream. The ghosts of St. Hilary^ St. Martin^ and St, Agnan appear to St. Leontius to announce his dedth (a.d. 550). St. Leontius lived in the town of Mentenay, and was abbot of the monastery there. While he was still far from old age, the ghosts of St. Hilary, St. Martin, and St. Agnan appeared before him, as he was lying on his wretched pallet in the baptistery, and said to him, " Yet within three days, and we will come to carry you to paradise." On the third day they came again, and said, "All things are ready ; hasten to the feast." St. Leontius requested a reprieve of three days, that his dead body might be wrapped in a robe which had been promised him. The delay was accorded him, and he instantly sent his nephew to a noble dame to say, "Our father • The final a ig limplr the affix of "Lumen," taken as Leontius is about to quit this world, and has sent me for the mortuary rob«." "Fool that I am," said the dame, "it is not ready ; but our good father is still hale, and has many days before him. Tell him I will send the robe in three days." In three days the robe arrived. In three days the good abbot died. In three days the same three saints came, and carried his soul to paradise. — Ancient Breviary of Troyes, The ghost of St. John of Beverley confirms the claim of Edward I. to the lordship of Scotland. Edward I. founded his claim to the lordship of Scotland on these four pleas: (1) Ancient chronicles, which state that the Scotch kings paid homage to the sovereigns of England from time immemorial. Extracts in proof are given from St. Alban, Marianus Scotus, Ralph of Diceto, Roger of Hoveden, and William of Malmesbury ; (2) old charters of Scottish kings, as those of Edgar, son of Malcolm, William, and his son Alexander II. ; (3) papal rescripts, as those of Honorius III., Gregory IX., and Clement IV. ; (4) "The Life and Miracles of St. John of Beverley." The extract referred to in the last plea runs thus: "In the reign of Adelstan, the Scots invaded England, and committed great devasta- tion. Adelstan went to drive them back, and, on reaching the Tyne, found that the Scots had retreated. At midnight the ghost of St. John of Beverley appeared to Adelstan, and bade him cross the river at daybreak, for he should assuredly discomfit the foe. Adelstan obeyed the vision, and reduced the whole kingdom to subjection. On reaching Dunbar in his home march, Adelstan prayed that some lasting sign might be vouchsafed him to satisfy all ages that God, by the intercession of St. John of Beverley, had given to England the kingdom of Scot- land. Then struck he with his sword the basaltic rock near the coast, and the blade sank into the solid stone "as if it had been butter," cleaving it asunder an ell or more. As the cleft remains to the present hour, none can doubt or dispute the justice of the plea. — Ry mer, Foedera, vol. i. pt. ii. p. 771. The ghost of St. John Nepomuck pleads the cause of a woman unjustly condemned. A lady of noble birth was unjustly cast in a lawsuit, and memorialized the emperor Leopold. She put her memorial on the altar of St. John Nepomuck, while she attended mass ; and, ^er the service was over, she found her document had Pt. 1.] MARTIN, MICHAEL, JANUARIUS. 23 disappeared. Four days afterwards the lady put another memorial on the same altar ; and, when she returned to take it up, discovered in its stead her original paper, signed with the emperor's name, reversing the sentence. This schedule had gone fro Ji Prague to Vienna and back again in four days, which was impossible, except by miracle. On further inquiry it was found that St. John Nepomuck, who had been some time dead, had pleaded her cause, and obtained the emperor's signature to the lemonstrance. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollan- dists), vol. V. p. 600. I7ie ghost of St, Martin appears to Herveus of Tours (a.d. 1021). Herveus, having restored the grand basilica of Tours, prayed St. Martin to celebrate the day of opening with some great miracle. St. Martin appeared to him and said, "My very dear son, what you ask you shall receive, and more too ; but as for miracles, those already wrought will suffice for the present. Now is the reaping time, and your prayer should not be for miracles to convert souls, but for converted souls, fit for God's gamer. As for me, I will not cease to pray God on your behalf. Many are too much attached to the things of this world, and my prayers have obtained (with great difficulty) the salva- tion of some of these. In regard to yourself, my dear son, finish the work ^ you have taken in hand ; and believe me when I say, that it is a work most pleasing and acceptable to God." When the clergy were assembled for the dedication of the church, Herveus repeated to them the words of the apparition. — L'abbd Rolland (honorary canon of Tours), Life of Herveus, The archangel Michael appears to St. Hubert of Brittany (a.d. 714). After the death of his parents, St. Hubert longed to join them in paradise ; and one day while he was in his garden (since called St. Hubert's garden), he knelt on a stone, and prayed God to take him to Himself. The archangel Michael was instantly at his side, told him his prayer was heard, and that God would remove him from earth to heaven within three daj'^s. ilis joy was boundless, but when he told his vision to the monks, sorrow niled tneir hearts. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), ■vol. viii. May 30, St, Michael appears to the bishop of Siponto. By *'the apparition of St. Michael," the [Roman] Catholic Church means his appearance to the bishop of Siponto, when he commanded him to build a church and dedicate it to St. Michael. The legend is this: In the pontificate of Gelasius I. there was a man named Gargano, very rich in cattle, who happened to lose a bull. After long search, Gargano came to a cave, which the men with him refused to enter ; but one of them shot an arrow into the cave, and the arrow, after penetrating the cave, returned back to the shooter. This seemed very strange ; and the bishop of Siponto, who was one of the searchers, prayed and fasted for three days, that the mystery might be revealed to him. At the expiration of that time St. Michael appeared, and informed him that he (St. Michael) was himself in the cave when the arrow was discharged ^erein, and that it was he who had turned it back again by his own hand. He then com- manded the bishop to build a church on the site of this miracle, and dedicate it to " St. Michael and all angels." The bishop then entered the cave, and found it fitted up like a beautiful chapel ; so he celebrated mass in it, and many miracles made it noted. Subsequently a church was built on the site, called Mount Gargano, from Gargano, the farmer whose bull was lost, but the name was changed to St. Angelo's Mount, from the " appari- tion of St. Michael." This mount is in the Capitanate, near Manfredonia, in the kingdom of Naples. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints^ p. 311. St, Januarius appears to an old man according to a compact. A certain old man requested St. Januarius to leave hira some memento of his martyrdom, which Januarius promised to do. After he was beheaded, the saint made his appearance to this old man, and gave him the napkin wet with blood, which had been bound over his eyes at execution. The old man showed the napkin to the officers, who recognized it, and vouched for its identity. At the very hour of execution, the devil seized Timotheus, the governor of Beneventum, who had ordered Januarius to be put to death, and, after tormenting him, killed him, and cast him into the bottomless pit. The ir»other of Januarius saw in a vision the death of her son, and thanked God that he was deemed worthy of a martyr's crown. — The Roman Breviary and Martyrology, St, Peter appears to St, Amandus, and assigns him work in Gaul (a.d. 694-684). While St. Amandus was waiting for a 24 APPARITIONS OF THE VIRGIN MARY [Ft. I. ** call," he was shut up in a cell on the ramparts of Bourges. Here St. Peter appeared to him, surrounded with a great light. His face was that of an old man, but it was encompassed with a glory. **Amandus," said the apostle, "God desires you to go to the Gauls, and has promised you a great harv^est of souls." A^mandus obeyed without delay, and jettled in the pays de Gand. — Menjoulet (vicar- general of Bayonne), St, Amandy AyStre des Basques. St. Peter appears to St. Peter Nolasco (a.d. 1189-1256). St. Peter Nolasco, founder of the Order of Mercy, had always a great desire to go to Rome, to render homage to the tomb of his namesake. It was his intention to go barefoot ; but one day, as he was making arrangements for this pilgrimage, the " prince of the apostles " came to him, and said thrice, " Peter, as you have not been to see me, I have come to see you." Lifting up his eyes, he beheld the apostle in the very state in which he was crucified. *' Peter, uaid he, " all the good wishes of saints are not accomplished in this life. I wished to die with my head downwards, to make it known that superiors should conform their spirits and their thoughts to the necessities of their inferiors, in imitation of our Master, who bent His head to my feet when He condescended to wash them." From this day forth Nolasco did something every day in imi- tation of St. Peter, and sometimes got a monk to tie him by his feet to the head of his bed. When, however, his spiritual father was told thereof, he strictly for- bade it, as dangerous to health, if not hazardous to life. — R. P. F. Zumel, Life of St. Peter Nolasco (in Latin). Apparition of St. Philip of Neri to dame Drusina Fantina, and to Leonard Pouel (died 1595). After death, Philip of Neri appeared to several persons ; for example, to dame Drusina Fantina, who, having fallen from a considerable height, had her skull severely fractured, and her body much bruised. In a moment, the ghost of St. Philip was at her side, to comfort her and restore her to health. Another example, is his presence to Leonard Rouel, while at the point of death. St. Philip came to his bed, and merely said, *' My son, go in peace," when the dying man rose from his bed in perfect health. — Process of Canonization, (This "Process" is crammed with miracles, some during the life of the laint, and some after his death.) The ghost of St. Thomas of Canterbury appears to St. Catherine of Bologna (a.d. 1413-1463). One day St. Catherine, weary of work, fell asleep in her prayers, when St. Thomas of Canterbury ap- peared to her, clad in his pontifical robes, and told her that she was not to wear herself out, even with prayer and good works ; that she was now to relax a little, that she might renew her strength, and return with more vigour to her duties. He then gave her his hand to kiss, and vanished from her sight. — Paleotti (of the Order of St. Francis), Life of St. Catherine of Bologna. The ghost of St. Vaast extinguishes a fire (sixth century). Some years after the death of St. Vaast, bishop of Arras and Cambrai, a fire broke out in the house where he used to dwell, and threatened to destroy the whole town of Arras. A woman named Abita invoked the name of the deceased prelate to assist in putting out the conflagration. Where- upon she saw St. Vaast in the midst of the flames, commanding them to cease their ravages. Wonderful to relate, not only the chamber once occupied by the bishop was wholly uninjured, but the very bed and bedclothes were untouched. This "miracle" increased the honour m which the name of the late prelate was held. — Surius, Lives of the Saints, vol. i. (1670). The Virgin Mary appears to St. Agnes of Mount Pulciano (a.d. 1274-1317). When St. Agnes was only fourteen years old, the Virgin Mary appeared to her, and gave her three little stones of great beauty, saying to her, " My child, before you die, you will build a monastery in my honour. Take these little stones to remind you that this religious house must be founded on the faith and confession of the high and indivisible Trinity." * Anot/ier instance. On Assumption Eve the Virgin Mary brought to Agnes the infant Jesus, and placed Him in her arms. Agnes, beside herself with joy, took from His neck a crucifix studded with pearls. In Christian art, the infant Jesus is represented giving her the cross, as He leaves her arms. The Virgin Mary appears to St. Bont (A.D. 623-710). On the eve of the As- • Some time afterwards, an angel reminded Agnes of these three stones, and told her the time was fully come when she ought to begin the convent. He said she was to build it on the site whei-e she was attacked by the rooks (see DEVIL assumes, etc.), that she was to dt>dicat« it to "The Holy Trinity and the Incomparable Virgin," and that it was to be of the Onler of St. Dominic.— Bai)rmond of Capua. Life qfSt. Agn^a. Pt. I.J TO CAJETAN, CYRIL, THERESA, JULIAN. 25 sumption, St. Bont determined to pass the whole night in St. Michael's Church. While he was deep in prayer, the Virgin Mary appeared before him in great light, acoDmpanied by a host of saints and spirits of the just made perfect. These heavenly visitants forthwith got all things ready for celebrating mass ; and, when all was in order, the Virgin was asked who was to officiate. She replied, "St. Bont, who is already in the church." On hearing these words, St. Bont leaned a^^ainst one of the church pillars to hide himself, whereupon the stone pillar be- came instantly plastic, and the impression of the saint's body was left in it as an intaglio, which may be seen by any who choose to look for it. The angels soon found the bishop, and led him to the Virgin, who commanded him most gra- ciously to *' offer up the divine sacrifice." St. Bont instantly arrayed himself in his sacerdotal robes, and went to the altar. The saints assisted, and the angels took part with them in chanting the service. When mass was finished, the Virgin gave St. Bont a chasuble, and told him to take care of it as a pledge of her favour. This chasuble, a fine delicate material, re- mained at Clermont till 1793, when it was destroyed accidentally by fire. — Les Petits Bollandists (7th edit. 1880), vol. i. p. 361. The Virgin Mary appears to St. Caje- tan of Thienna (a.d. 1547). One Christ- mas Eve, while St. Cajetan was in the Basilica Liberienne, meditating on the Incarnation, the Virgin Mary appeared to him, and placed the infant Jesus between his arms. It is thus he is often re- presented in Christian art. (See St. John- Joseph, St. Coletta, pp. 21, 28.) — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. ix. p. 393. The Virgin Mary appears to St, Cyril., general of Mount Carmel (a.d. 1224). St. Cyril, afterwards general of Mount Carmel, greatly distressed at the heresies which had corrupted the Church, wished to withdraw himself entirely from the society of man, that he might have only God to do with. While revolving this matter in his mind, the Virgin Mary came to him, with a face majestic and brilliant as the sun, and said to him, " My son, if you would avoid the heresies of the Greeks, seek an asylum on Mount Carmel, and follow the course whicn shall be shown you there." In obedience to this vision, St. Cyril sold all his pos- •jesaions, gave the money to the poor, and started for Syria. At Jerasalem he met St. Brocard, prior-general of Mount Carmel, who took him to his cell, and the Virgin Mary again came to him, and told him it was here he ought to dwell, if he would escape the perils of heretical doctrines ; so next day he entered the brotherhood as a novitiate. Another appearance. When St. Cyril was made general of Mount Carmel he found the place almost a desert, but the Virgin came to him for the third time, and said, "Ere long many persons cf rank will join the order, and affiliated monasteries will arise in all directiciks, to the glory of God, and advantage of the Church." This prophetic promise was most amply redeemed. — Les Petits Bol- landistes^ vol. iii. pp. 200-202. The Virgin Mary and St, Joseph appear to St. \Theresa (a.d. 1515-1582). While St, Theresa was building a convent, the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph appeared to her, and promised assistance ; by their aid she overcame every obstacle, and brought her work to a successful issue. By the same divine assistance she was enabled to build fifteen religious houses, all well known in Spain. — John (of Jesus Maria), Life of St, Theresa, The Virgin Mary appears to St. Jviian^ bishop of ijuen^a^ on the day of his death (Jan. 28, 1207). St. Julian, being sick unto death, was laid in ashes on the floor of his cell. Presently the Virgin Mary, surrounded with angels and a company of virgins, entered the cell, singing these words: *'Lo! here the man of God, who lived not unto himself, but to the Lord! Allelujah ! " Then came the Virgin forward and said to him, "Beloved of my Son, take this lamp, the symbol of virginity, so well guarded by thee throughout all thy life, and enter into the joy of thy Lord." The words were scarcely uttered, when a palm branch proceeded from his mouth, whiter than snow. Up, up it shot, with marvellous rapidity, till it reached the sky, and its top was hidden out of sight. W^hen it pierced the sky, celestial music was distinctly heard. So died St. Julian, bishop of Cuen9a, Jan. 28, 1207.— Acta Sanctorum (Jan. 28). This life was abridged from the Bollandists by P. Giry. The chamberlain of pope Leo XIII. repeats the above in his Vies des Saints (7th edit. 1880), vol. ii. p. 90. One Is tempted to believe that the incidents abort recorded must be allegorical, but they are given by the authors referred to above as historic facts, and not thd slightest hint is made to lead the reader to supposa other- 26 APPARITIONS OF THE VIRGIN MARY LPt. I. The Virgin and Child appear to Stanis^ lausKostka (sixteenth century). During iickness, and tOH^ards the close of his life, the Virgin Marj' appeared to St. Stanislaus Kostka. She had her Child in her arms, and regarded the sick man with the sweetest graciousness. When she vanished, she placed the Child on Kostka's bed, and left Him there. From this moment he began to amend, at which the physicians marvelled ; but he went on gathering strength daily, till he was wholly convalescent. — Peter Riba- ieneira. The Flower of the Lives of Saints. The Virgin and Child appear to Jeanne Marie de Maill^ {a.d. 1332-1414). When Jeanne Marie de Maille' was only eleven years old, the Virgin Mary, bearing the infant Jesus on her left arm, appeared to her. In her right hand she carried a vessel filled with drops of the Saviour's blood, and sprinkled some of it on the young girl, who from that moment was more vividly alive to tlie mysteries of the cross, and the atoning suflferings of Christ. From that day Jeanne Marie carried in her bosom a crucifix painted on parchment, which she often wept over. — L*abb^ Rolland, Life of Jeanne Marie de Maille'. Apparition of t/ie Virgin to several children in Pontmain (Jan. 17, 1871). The last apparition of the Virgin Mary, if we except that of Ballyraggett, in Ireland, in 1881, was at the close of the Franco-Prussian War, Jan. 17, 1871. This case is recorded at length by Mgr. Gu^rin in his Vies des SaintSy vol. i. pp. 444-450, and is certified by M. Leon Guiller, secretary of the bishop of Laval, who writes this declaration : — (1) We decide '* Que I'lmmacule'e Vierge Marie, Mfere de l)ieu, a veritablement apparu, le 17 Janvier 1871, h, Eugfene Barbedette, Joseph Barbedette, Fran9oise Richer, et Jeanne Marie Leboss^, dans le hameau de Pontmain." (2) In consequence of this apparition he says, " Nous autorisons dans notre diocese le culte detla. bienheu- reuse Vierge Marie, sous le titre de Notre Dame d'Espe'rance de Pontmain. (3) Nous avons forme' le dessein d'elever un sanctuaire en I'honneur de Marie sur le terrain mime duquel EUe a daigne' appa- raitre." Mgr. Gue'rin's narrative is *'imprime'e avec la permission de Mgr. IMveque de Laval : " and Mgr. Gue'rin is himself " Came'rier de sa Saintete' Leon XIII." This, therefore, has the highest sanction which the Catholic Church can gire. It was previously submitted to certain " Docteurs-Medicens appele's ^ ^mettre leur jugement sur les circon- stances." Also to a commission "de the'ologiens charg^e d'etudier le fait pre'cite' au point de vue de la the'ologie." It was demonstrated by them that the apparition could not be attributed " ni k la fraude ou k Tim posture, ni h une hal- lucination, ni k un ^tat maladif des organes de la vue chez les enfants, ni k une illusion d'optique." Who were the persons who saw the apparition ? Let us see what the chamberlain says. Eugene Barbedette was the second son of a small farmer living in the village of Pontmain, in the diocese of Laval. He was twelve years old, and his brother Joseph was ten. The other two were children from neighbouring cottages, called in to witness the sight. The parents of the children, the pastor of the village. Sister Vitaline, the abbot Gue'rin, all present, could see nothing, nor could any of the neighbours of outlying villages who flocked to the place. Only the children mentioned, a sick child, and a babe in the arms of its grandmother, saw the apparition. Let us now see what it was these children saw. It was a bright starlight night,* crisp and frosty, when Eugfene Barbedette declared he could see, just above the roof of the opposite cottage, the Virgin Mery. She was very tall, robed in blue, and her robe studded with stars. Her shoes were also blue, but had red rosettes. Her face was covered with a black veil, wnicb floated to her shoulders. A crown of gold was on her head, but a red line was observed to run round the crown, sym- bolical of the blood shed by Christ for the sins of the world. Beneath her feet was a scroll, on which was written these words: "Mais priez, mes enfants, Dieu vous exaucera, en pen de temps mon fils se laisse toucher." The persons present sang a canticle, the Virgin beat time with her hand, and when the canticle was finished the vision vanished piece by piece. As we have already observed, only children saw the vision, the oldest being twelve years of age, and the youngest an infant in arms. Many men and women, from the abbot and pastor, the nuns and parents of the children, to the neighbours all around, looked in th« direction indicated, but saw nothing un- usual. Well, says the chamberlain in concluding his narrative, " pour se mani- fester aux hommes, la Sainte Vierge a choisi des yeax simples. Semblables k * The moon wai full en the 6th. Pt. I.J TO ST. ROBERT, HENRY, VERONICA, HERMANN. 27 des eaux troublees, les ames pecheressea eussent mal reflechi sa celeste image." This is no legend of antiq lity, no story from books, no hearsay incident ; it occurred in 1871, was searched into by men of science and theologians, abbots and nuns, pastors and people. The chamberlain of pope Leo XIII. wrote the narrative, the bishop of the diocese was satisfied with the evidence, and even ordained an annual " com- memoration " to be observed in perpetuity ; yet, I sup- pcse, few Protestants will feel satisfied, with all this array of testimony, that any " miraculous vision " appeared at ]p3ntmain. One thing is quite certain, the children did not all see alike ; for while £ug6na and others spoke of the vision as that of the Virgin, another child, three jrears old, called it Jems, "en souvenir du beau portrait que sa m^re lui avait fait du divin Enfant." Whether a fact or not matters little ; the narrative so attested and so related proves to demonstration that the "mode of thought " so prevalent in the Middle Ages has not yet ilied out, and that is all this book is concerned with. The Virgin Mary espouses St. Robert of Champagne before he was born (a.d. 1017). St. Robert of Champagne was the founder of Molesmes and of Citeaux. The Virgin Mary, a little before his birth, appeared to his mother Ermen- garde, and presented her with a gold ring, saying, " I wish the son which you now carry in your womb to be betrothed to me, with this ring, as my spouse." Hence St. Robert was always called the *' Spouse of Mary." (See St. Hermann.) — Guy de Molesmes, Life of St. Robert (also Acta Sanctorum by the Bollandists, April 29). The Virgin Mary appears to St. Henry Suzo (a.d. 1366). One morning, as St. Henry Suzo was singing Maria, stella maris, the Virgin Mary came to him and said, ** The more you love me on earth, the more I shall love you in heaven ; and the more your heart is joined to mine, the more unitedly shall you reign with me in the kingdom of my Son." In the time of the carnival, angels descended into his cell, singing, " Surge, illuminare, Jerusalem, quia venit lumen tuum, et gloria Domini super te orta est." — Pustet of Ratisbonne, The Life and Writings of Henry Suzo, surnamed " Amandus.*^ The Virgin Mary appears to St, Veronica, at Milan (a.d. 1497). Veronica wished greatly to become a nun, but was dis- qualified because she was unable to read. To remedy this obstacle, she toiled in her peasant's hut long into the night over her alphabet and spelling ; but found her labour great, and her progress extremely slow. One night, when quite disheartened, the Virgin Mary appeared before her. She was arrayed in dazzling blue, the colour of a summer sky. *' My child," she said, "trouble not yourself with scholarship. The disciples of Christ are not the great scholars, but the humble minded ; not those who know most, but those who believe most. Know, child, that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called, that no flesh may glory in God's presence. Let me give you three words, and ponder them in your heart — Faith, Hope, Charity, the greatest of which is charity." So saying, the holy mother vanished from sight, and Veronica, not long after, was admitted a sister in the convent of St. Martha, in Milan. — Isidore of Isolani, Life of St. Veronica of Milan (1618). The Virgin Mary takes St. Hermann for her spouse, and gives him the name ' ' Joseph '* (A.D. 1230). One night, while St. Her- mann was in prayer, the Virgin Mary appeared to him, at the foot of the high altar. She was accomparrfed by two angels of extraordinary beauty, and, call- ing to St. Hermann to approach, she vowed at the altar to take him for her spouse. While on earth, he was to represent Joseph, the spouse which she had on earth ; and in heaven, he was to reign with her as her equal. St. Hermann modestly resisted, but the two angels assured him that such was the will of God, and that he must no longer resist the high honour of accepting the name of " Joseph the spouse of Mary." He had no choice but to submit, and was ever after so called. Even his biographers from this point of his life call him "Joseph the spouse of Mary, the mother of the King of kings." — Life of St. Hermann of Steinfeld (Bollandists), April 7. Mgr. Gu^rin, refemng to this espousal in his Vies de$ SairUt, vol. iv. p. 276, says, " Une si admirable preroga- tive, que nous ne trouvons point avoir ^t^ accord^e a d'autres saints, lui procura," etc. The chamberlain perhaps forgot St. Robert. While he was still in the womb tlie Virgin said to his mother, " Volo filium quern gestas in utero ex isto mihi annulo desponiari" (Vita i.) (I wish to take for my spouse the son about to be born, and here is the espousal ring). The Virgin Mary lifts young Hermann into the gallery of Cologne' cathedral (a.d. 1230). One day when Hermann, still a boy, entered Cologne cathedral, he saw in the gallery which runs between the choir and the nave, the Virgin Mary, the four evangelists, and the infant Jesus, con- versing together in a most charming group. He longed to join them, but there was no ladder, and the gallery was locked. Presently the Virgin said to him, " Hermann, come up hither ! " He tried to do so, but was unable ; whereupon the divine mother, stretching out her hand, lifted him into the gallery, and set him next to her Son. Here he had the honour 28 APPARITIONS TO GIVE DIRECTIONS. [Pt. I of passing several hours in this divine society, which filled his soul with grace and sweetness. That this was not a dream or vision, but an actual and material fact, is manifest by a wound which he received from a nail in the balustrade. At night the Virgin lifted the boy down again, and he returned home to his parents. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), April 7. The Vir(/in Mary places the infant Jesus in the arms of St. Catherine of Bologna (A.D. 1413-1463). The Saviour and His ai( ther often appeared to St. Catherine of Bologna, and manifested towards her the K osit tender affection. One day the Virgin placed in the arms of the saint the infant Jesus. The sisters of the convent knew that God had vouchsafed to St. Catherine this favour, by her countenance, and the «weet odour which issued from her. She was also favoured by the three Persons of the Trinity, who explained to her this august mystery. — Paleotti (of the Order of St. Francis), Life of St. Catherine of Bolo(/na. The Virgin Mary places the infant Christ in Ute arm's of St. Coletta (a.d. 1380-1447). To recompense St. Coletta for her tender devotion to the sufferings of the Saviour, the Virgin Mary placed between her arms the body of Jesus, all bloody, as if just taken from the cross. From this moment she daily felt at midday the pangs of Calvary. (See St. Cajetan, p. 25.) — Acta Sanctorum^ vol. i. March, p. 553. Father Ignatius, in his Histoire det Maleurt iA bbevill«, p. 814. gives an engraved tablet from the church of St. Giles, Abbeville, with the following inacriptioD :— Sta. Colette, Vierge, Priant la Tr^s-sainte M^re de Dieu d'intercMer pour Les P^heurs envers son Fils, Elle hiy apparut tenant son petit enfant J^soa Tout sanglant dans un plat, et luy dit : Ck)mment prierai-je, mon flls, pour ceux qui te D^membrent par leurs oSencet. The Virgin Mary places the infant Jesus in the arms of St. Hermann (a.d. 1230), The Virgin Mary, having taken St. Her- mann for her spouse, and changed his name to Joseph (p. 27), enacted with him the early scene of Christ's childhood, to give reality to this espousal. Thus, as Joseph her real spouse nursed the child Jesus, the Virgin gave to Hermann the infant Jesus to nurse. As Joseph carried the infant Jesus into Egypt, the Virgin gave the infant Jesus for Hermann, her second spouse, to carry. The biographer says, "We find no other saint enjoyed the prerogative of being the accepted spouse of the Mother of God.''— Life of St. Her^ mann of Steinfeld (Bollandists), April 7. The souls of the dead appear to Henry Suzo (a.d. 1365). The souls of the dead used to come to Henry Suzo in the form of angels, and talk to him about heaven and. hell. Amongst others, the soul of Eckard visited him, and told him, saying, " I am in heaven, in joy unspeakable and full of glory, being transformed to the likeness of God Himself." Henry asked him what state on earth should be culti- vated in order to arrive at such blessed- ness. The soul of Eckard replied, " Re- nounce self, and confide blindly on God. Count everything that happens as sent by God, and nothing as sent from man, except as the messenger of God. Be patient, be loving even, to those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Trj^ to be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.'* Henry asked another soul what state on earth is the most lamentable, and it answered, "To be abandoned by God, and to live to please one's self rather than to please God." — Pustet of Ratisbonne, T/ie Life and Writ- ings of Henry Suzo, sumamed ^^ Amandus.'* The above instances are not a hundredth part of those I have met with in my readiitg, but with those inserteoolc will consider tliese apparitions to be objective and not subjective. There can t>e no doubt that the seers of the apparitions set down in this group actually saw what tliey described, as a traveller actually sees a lake in a desert when he loolu only on a mirage. It is not the sight tliat is deceived in these cases ; tlie wliole fault lies in the Judgment or mental inferences, which do not take into account all the fact« involved. A right Judgment which takes in the whole case forms a realistic inference, but a faulty judgment whicli has not exhaustively sifted the subject fonns a delusive inference. The traveller who sees a lake in • mirage, and the saint who sees the apparition of Christ, the Virgin, or some saint, honestly sees the phenomena, but his mental inferences are incorrect, because they do not take into account all the facts involved. Let the traveller tell his vision to a natural philosopher, and the seers of apparitions tell their visions to a medical man, and the former would instantly be told his lake was a mirage, and the latter would be told their apparitioni were abnormal functional action arising from diseased action. Mr. Green, in his HUtory of the Englith People, speak- ing of St. Dunstan, says, "A traveller coming in his white mantle over the hills to tend Cuthtiert, who had injured his knee, seemed to the lad to be an angel. The l>oy's shepherd life carried him to the bleak uplands, and hen meteors plunging into the night became to him rnmpaniee of angelic spirits carrying the soul of Aidan to heaven " (pp. 24. 26). Apparitions to give Directions about their Dead Bodies. The ghost of Patroclos appears to Achilles, to request that his body may be buried, Patroclos was killed in battle by Euphorbus and Hector. At night, while Achillas slept, the ghost of his friend came to him and said, "What! can you sleep, while your best friend lies in death uncared for ? Haste, and give me burial, that I may pass the gates o£ Hades. Pt. l.j OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, ANGELUS, FRUCTUOSUS. 29 Tliou art tnyself about to die under the walls of Troy, and refuse not my last request. Bury not wy bones apart from thine, but let us both b«. laid in one com- mon tomb." To this Achilles answered, "I will perform minutely all thou hast enjoined." Then, trying to embrace his friend, the ghost slipped from his touch, and vanished out of sight. — Homer, Iliady bk. xxiii. vers. 65, etc. To Protestants the extraordinary care taken by Ghristuuia to bury the dead,.to collect the bones and ashes of martyrs for interment, and the frequent apparitions of the deceased to secure for themselves the honour due to their dead bodies, are matters of wonderment ; but with [Roman] Catholics ' the burial of the dead " is the highest "corporal w^ork of mercy" (see Intro.), and this will fully account for the numerous miraculous appearances in defence of this dogma. In Egypt not to be buried was infamy ; the Greeks and Romans looked on the burial of a dead body as essential to its happiness in the world of tbadows. John tJie Baptist reveals the place where his head was buried. St. Jerome tells us that the disciples of John the Baptist buried the headless body in Sebaste, in Samaria, between Elias and Abdias. He adds that many miracles testified how highly God honoured the great forerunner of the gospel, for many who were sick were cured by the sacred relic, and many who were possessed were exorcised by it, Ruffinus, in his Ecclesiastical History^ informs us that Julian the Apostate, being annoyed by these constant miracles, had the body disinterred and burnt to ashes ; but that certain Christians secreted some of the bones, and sent them to Philip, bishop of Jerusalem, and Philip sent them to the patriarch of Alexandria. This is repeated in the Tripartite His- tory. The same historian (Ruffinus) tells us that Herodias buried the head of the Baptist in the palace of Herod, and there it remained hidden, till John the Baptist himself told some religious men where to find it. These men went to the place indicated, and found the decapitated head wrapped in the same garment of camel's hair which the prophet was accustomed to wear in the wilderness. Simeon Metaphrastfis and many others repeat this story, but none tell us how the camel-hair garment got there. It cannot be supposed that it was put on the charger when the head was handed to Salomd, nor can it be supposed that Herodias sent for it out of any reverence or superstitious regard for it. These "little" difficulties constantly crop up in these histories of the saints. How- ever, John the Baptist himself told the " finders" that the head was his, and what better authority can be required 1 If he had told you or me, should we not believe him? The ghost of St. Angelus gives directions about his funeral to the archbishop of Palermo (a.d. 1225). St. Angelus was DLUfdered by some assassins of count Berenger at Alicata, in Sicily, May 5, a.d. 1225, and his ghost appeared the same day to the archbishop of Palermo, in- forming him that he was gone to heaven, and requesting him to see that his dead body was properly interred in the very spot where he was murdered. The arch- bishop complied with this request, and made a funeral for the martyr consistent with his saintly reputation. — Mgr. Gudrin. Vies des Saints, vol. v. p. 344 (7th edit. 1880). St. Eleutherius appears to Si, TKecla to give directions about his relics (2i.r;th cen- tury) . One night St. Thecla saw a venerable old man come to her; he was of majestic port and great gravity. His hair was quite grey, and his clothing shone like the sun. It was St. Eleutherius, bishop of Tournai three centuries ago. Calling St. Thecla by her name, he bade her call on Heidilon, the then bishop, and tell him to go to Blandain, and take his relics from the grave, which he would find close by the altar of St. Peter. The aged Thecla, thinking this vision might be only a dream, prayed that God would make known to her His will on the sub- ject. St. Eleutherius appeared to her a second and a third time, when, no longer doubting the mission, she went to the bishop of Tournai, and told him what had passed. Heidilon received the com- munication with great joy, made it known to his principal clergy, and appointed a day to carry out the saint's request. Having called together many pre- lates, abbots, and other clergymen, they went in grand procession to Blandain, and raised from the earth the relics of the ancient bishop of Tournai, according to his bidding. Many miracles solemnized the event ; amongst others, the venerable Thecla, whose sight was dim with age, recovered the quick vision of her younger days. — L'abbe' Destombes, Vie des Saints de Cambria et d' Arras. St. Fructuosus appears to his brethren to command them to restore his ashes. St. Fructuosus, bishop of Tarragona, in Spain, after his martyrdom appeared to his brethren, and requested them to restore his ashes, which they had taken away as relics, that all might be laid in one place. — Acta Sanctorum (Jan. 21). Gamaliel tells Lucian the monk uihera to find the body of St. Stephen and others (a.d. 415). In the [Roman] Catholic Church, Aug. 3 is dedicated to the discovery of the bones of St. Stephen, the first martyr, 415 years after he waa 80 APPARITIONS TO GIVE DIRECTIONS. [Pt.L stoned to death. It cannot but be in- teresting to know how these bones were identified, and as such high authorities as St. Augustine, Orosius, and a dozen others Touch for the truth of the follow- ing "facts," the mouth of gainsayers must be stopped. The subjoined account is epitomized from the Rev. Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints^ vol. ii. pp. 183-186. The place of the burial of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was wholly unknown till the year a.d. 415, when it was revealed to a priest named Lucian, *' while sleeping in his bed in the baptis- tery of Caphargamala, in the diocese of Jerusalem.'* On Dec. 3, a.d. 415, at about nine o'clock at night, Lucian saw a tall, comely old man, with a long white beard, and a gold wand in his hand. He was clothed in a white robe edged with gold, and thickly covered with crosses. This ve- nerable apparition having informed the monk that he was Gamaliel, who had instructed Paul the apostle in the law, bade him go without delay, and tell bishop John to open certain graves in the vicinity, and he would find the relics of Stephen the first martyr, Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night, himself, and his younger son Abibas. As Lucian did not obey the order, the ghost repeated its visits on the two succeeding Fridays ; and Lucian, no longer in doubt, went to the bishop and revealed to him the vision. The bishop ordered search to be made amongst a heap of stones in the neighbourhood, but a monk named Migetius said the " tombs " were at Debatalia, and were those of an old man, a young man, and two others. Thither, therefore, the aearchers went, and found the four bodies, as Migetius had said. The four bodies were deposited in four coffins, and tlie names on the cofllins were Cheliel, Nasuam, Appan, and Dardan. There could not be a shadow of doubt that these names stood for " Stephen, Nicodemus, Abibas, and Gamaliel." True, they are not much alike, but that is of small moment; there were the four bodies, and they must be the four which the vision spoke to Lucian about in the baptistery. The bishop John had brought with him two other prelates, and on opening the coffin of Cheliel the '* odour of sanctity" was quite perceptible ; and the identity of Cheliel with Stephen was still further conlinned bv the number of miraclei performed by contact with the body. So Lucian and the three bishops were fully satisfied, and as they lived only 415 yean after the death of Stephen, it is manfestly unreasonable for persons living 1506 years later to doubt such respectable authority. But to continue. Bishop John claimed Cheliel's relics for the church of Jem* salem, and the three other coffins wer« left at Caphargamala. Now occurred another miracle to make assurance doubly sure. When Cheliel's {i.e. Stephen's) relics were taken from the " place of the four tombs " to Zion Church, at Jerusalem, *' a heavy rain fell." This extraordinary "miracle" removed every vestige of doubt. Butler tells us that this account ii given by Lucian himself ; that Lucian*i letter was translated into Spanish by Avitus, a friend of St. Jerome, and was attested by Chrysippus, a priest of Jeru- salem, the two chroniclers Idatius and MarceUinus, Basil bishop of Seleucia, St. Augustine in his City of Godj and many others. The discovery was made Dec. 3, a.d. 416, and therefore "the Invention of St. Stephen " is held on Aug, 8. They must l3e hard indeed to convince who doubt such a logical sequence of evidence as this. The whole tale occurs aim In Kinesman's Livei of th» Saint* (1623), where the "letter" of Lucian U given in 9xt0nto. The names In the letter are those mentioned above, and, to remove all doubt, Kinesman's narrative it avouched by John Floyd, pp. 560-564. Nicodemus and Gamaliel are respectable names, but no care seems to have been bestowed upon their relict. There was something ungrateful in this neglect, seeing it was Gamaliel who revealed the locality of the relics, although it roost be confessed he was not quite exact ; and had it not i>een for the monk Migetius the bodies would not have been found. Probably in these discreditable da}'8 some may be found who think Migetius should have been asked if he knew anything about "the vision." St, Hilary of Poitiers directs that a new tomb be made for him (a.d. 507). St. Hilary was deposited at death in a marble sepulchre between his wife and daughter, in the basilica of St. John and St. Paul, outside the city walls of Poitiers. This was A.D. 367. In the fifth century this church was entirely destroyed by the Goths and Vandals, and the sepulchre of St. Hilary was lost amidst the ruins. In 507 a ball of fire was observed to rise from the debris and move towards Clovis, who was encamped hard by. No further notice was then taken of the "meteor," for next morning was fought the great battle of Vougle. Not long after the battle St. Hilary appeared to the abbot Fridolin, the head of a mona«- Ft. I.J OF JANUARIUS, LOKGINUS, LUCIAN, MAURA. 3' tei y close by Poitiers, told him where his body was lying, and directed him to build a new tomb for it, with the assist- ance of Clovis and the bishop of Poitiers. The abbot obeyed, and when the tomb was ready, a grand ceremony was arranged for the interment. The body had been sought out previously and laid for the nonce in the crypt of the new church, but on the day appointed Ishe crypt was brilliantly illuminated and filled with a most delightful odour, and io ! the dead body raised itself, and was carried "no doubt by invisible angels," and laid in the new tomb. — Pierre Damien, Sermon on St. Hilary of Poi- tiers, St, Januarius tells his disciples to hunt up his missing finger (a.d. 305). When St. Januarius was executed, one of his lingers was cut off; and while the Christians were burying the body, his ghost appeared to them, and told them to go in search of the missing finger. By the guidance of the Holy Spirit they found it, and buried it with the rest of the body. — Edward Kinesman, Lives of the Saints, Sept. 19, p. 742 (1623). St. Longinus gives instructions to a poor blind woman about his head (first century). Longinus, the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with his spear, after- wards became a disciple, and was beheaded in Jerusalem. The decapitated head was taken to Pilate, and Pilate had it exposed over the gates of the city, after which it was cast into a sewer. Now, there lived at the time in Cappadocia, a poor old blind woman who had an only son, and this son led her by the hand to Jerusalem, under the hope that she might there re- cover her sight ; but no sooner had she set foot in the holy city than her son died. She now saw in a vision Longinus come to her. He commanded her to go in search of his head, which was covered with silt, and told her the moment she touched it she would recover her sight and see her son. Encouraged by this vision, she started on her search, found the head in a public sewer, and recovered her sight. The night following, Longinus appeared to her again, and showing to her her son in glory, said to her, *' Weep not for one m glory ; out now take my head and place it in a coffin with your son, and cease not Io praise God in His saints.*' So the woman buried the head and body of her son to- gether in the village of Sardial, where Longinus was born. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), March 15. (this is the subject of the one hundred and twenty- first figure of the Greek Menology.) St. Lucian the Syrian tells Glyceriug where to find his body (a.d. 312). St. Lucian was cruelly martyred by the Emperor Maximinus. After death, a heavy stone was tied to the right hand, and the body tossed into the sea. Fourteen days later the ghost of St. Lucian appeared to Glycerius, and told him, if he went to such and such a place, he would find the martyred body. Glycerius went with several companions to the place indicated, and there found a dolphin bringing the dead body on its back. The dolphin landed it safely and then died. This " fact" is mentioned in the hymn of St. Lucian, at one time sung by the [Roman] Catholic Church on Jan. 7, St. Lucian'a Day. Two of the lines run iiius — A dolphin brought to land the And died from its excess of pleasure. No corruption had passed on the body, though it had been mutilated by torture, and afterwards tossed about in the deep sea for fourteen days ; but the right hand had been wrenched off by the weight of the stone attached to it. This relic was, however, given up by the sea a few days later, and being laid near the corpse be- came miraculously united to it, so that the entire body, safe and sound, was restored to the disciples. Helena, the mother of Constantine, on her return from Jerusalem, built a city on the spot of sepulture, and called it Helenopolis. The place was previously called Drepan. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum, vol. i. Jan. 7. St. Maura and St. Britta give directions about their dead bodies. One day a man observed a strange light burning on a spot where popular tradition gave out that two virgins were buried. On approaching the light, it was found to proceed from a wax candle of marvellous whiteness. After standing in admiration at the phe- nomenon for some time, the man went and spoke of it to others. Soon afterwards two ghosts appeared to him. They were two virgins, who told him they were buried in the very spot where he had seen the candle burning, bade him clear away the brambles and nettles therefrom, and afford their bodies a decent burial. The man went about his business next day, and thought no more of the apparition ; but when night came on the two ghosts appeared to him again, and told him he should certainly die before the year was out, unless he obeyed their behests. Greatly alarmed at this threat, the man 82 APPARITIONS TO GIVE DIRECTIONS. LPt. L chopped away tlic l)ranil)les from the spot, »nd, having dug a few feet in depth, found two graves on which were great drops of perfumed wax. He cleared the graves, »nd built a little oratory over them. When his oratory was finished, he asked Euphra- sius bishop of Tours to come and conse- crate it, but the bishop wrote word back, " I am very aged, and as the weather is cold and stormy I dare not venture out." At night, the two virgins appeared to Euphrasius, and said to him, "Bishop, wherein have we offended you, that you refuse to consecrate the oratory raised ov«r our bodies ? Go, in the name of God, and perform the service required of you." Next day the bishop started on his mission. The rain ceased, the sun shone bright, the weather was delightful, and the bishop enjoy ea his trip. He often spoke about the two ghosts, and used to say one was lar^e and the other small, both were whiter than snow, and they told him their names were Maura and Britta. They are still venerated in Tours, and their fete is held annually on Jan. 28. The place where this occurred was then called Arciacum, but is now called Sainte Maure. — Les Petits BollandisteSj vol. ii. pp. 78, 79. St. Sebastian gives directions to a certain dame to bury his body in the catacombs. (a.d. 288). The emperor Diocletian ordered St. Sebastian to be beaten to death in the Roman hippodrome ; and that his body might not fall into the hands of the Christians, he commanded it to be thrown into the common sewer. But St. Sebastian's apparition appeared to a holy dame, and told her that his body was not washed away, seeing it was caught on a hook. He then directed her to rescue it, and bury it in the catacombs, near the entrance, at the feet of the two apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. The dame did as the ghost enjoined her, and continued thirty days in prayers for the dead, after her work was done. — The abbot Corblet, Hagiography of Amiens. St, Vincent informs a imaow where to find his body. St. Vincent was martyred A.D. 303. His relics are preserved in Lisbon to this day, and his " bloody stole " is still exhibited in the church of St. Vincent, in Paris. It cannot fail to be interesting to trace out these valued relics, especially as each adventure is set down with most marvellous minuteness, by [Roman] Catholic writers of undoubted repute. Well, we are told that after great tortures the saint was removed by Daciaa, the Roman proconsul of Spain, from his bed of torture to a soft pallet, on which he died. This was not done in mercy to the victim, but with a view of prolonging his slow martyrdom ; and Dacian, angry that his victim had escaped his grasp, had the dead body thrown "into a stinking ditch full of tho off- scouring of the city, not f&r from the gates." Here it was left unburied to be devoured by wild beasts and birds of prey ; but God sent a raven to watch over it, and this raven kept off the wolves and all other creatures that attempted to molest it. Dacian, being told of this extraordinary " fact," had the body wrapped in an ox-hide, heavily weighted with stones, and cast into the sea. Eu- morfius was employed to execute this order, and he carried the body several furlongs from shore, before he cast it overboard ; when, however, he reached land, there was the body safe enough, lying on the sands. Metaphrastds tells us that the sea, more merciful than man, rolled sand over the body and buried it. Not long afterwards, the ghost of tho saint appeared to a widow, and told her where he was buried ; so the widow went to the spot indicated, found the body, and carried it to Valencia. Here a church dedicated to the saint was built, and the body magnificently enshrined. In 713, the Saracens destroyed the city, and Habbaragman, king of Cordova, ordered the relics to be burnt ; but somehow tho body of the saint escaped, and was carried to Cape St. Vincent, where those who carried it thither intended to form a colony. Here they built a little chapel, and in- terred the body in a hole under the chapel floor. In the reign of Alonso Henrique* of Portugal, A.D. 1139, four kings made war on Portugal, and Alonso, having defeated them, adopted " the quoin for his derice." In this battle of the four kings, some Christian slaves were taken prisoners of war, amongst whom were some from the Cape St. Vincent, who told the king about the saint's body ; so Alonso sent a ship to the cape tc fetch it away. It was brought safely to Portugal, and in 1147 deposited in the great church at Lisbon. Here we have the utmost minuteness of dates and names, although, it must be confessed, the adventures are most roman- tic. The body was cast into the city stew and guarded by a raven ; it was then carried several furlongs from shore and cast into the deep sea, being first sewed in a sack and well weighted with stonos { Pt. I.] JOHN-JOSEPH DE LA CROIX. S$ being drifted ashore it was buried by the action of the waves in tne sand of the sea- shore. St. Vincent's ghost told a respect- able widow where to find the body, and the widow carried it to Valencia. Some four hundred years afterwards Valencia was taken by the Moors, who burnt all the Christian relics ; but the body of St. Vin- cent escaped, and was carried by some refugees to Cape St. Vincent, where it was buried beneath a chapel. Another period of four hundred years rolled by, when Alonso Henriquez, being told of the body by some prisoners of war, removed it to Lisbon. The Portuguese are satisfied that the body they have is that of St. Vin- cent, who died in 303, and Jan. 22 is set apart in honour of this wonderful saint. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, pp. 76-83. Kinesman tells us his authorities are St. Isidore. Pru- dent!ug,» Beda, and Metaphrastes ; but many others have written the life of this favourite saint. Alban Butler adds "that this account of St. Vincent is recorded by unexcep- tionable vouchers in Bollandus, p. 406; and tiiat Thonuks ab Incarnatione, in his Eccletiastical HUtory (1759), has a full and particular account of the whole." This history Ik comparatively modern, but Mgr. Gudrin, in his Viet ii-es Saints {7th edit. 1880), is still more near our own times, »nd he repeats the same (vol. i, p. 53.9. etc.). If great names, minute dates, and historic facts suffice, I know no tale better fortified than this of St. Vincent. The following authors have written the praises of St. Vincent: — St. Augustine, St. Bernard, St. Isidore, St. Leo (pope), Meta- phrastes, Prudentius, etc. All writers of martyrologies ; and many others. Charles the Bald gave the bishop of nesan9on two of the vertebrae of St. Vincent, a.d. 876. St. Germain de Pres was built by king Childebert in honour of St. Vincent, and he gave to it an arm of the holy martyr. The Church du Mans had the head of the martyr till the revolution, when it was lost. The dames religieuses du Charme have two bones of the saint, one of the arm and another of the leg. The heart was preserved in a silver reliquarj' in Dun-le-Roi, Berry, till 1562, when some Calvinists stole the reliquary and burnt the heart. Vitry le Franfois still possesses the • Mgr. Gu^rin tells us the widow's name was lonique. He also says the sack weighted with stones " nageait sur I'eau comme une Sponge." The waves, he tells us, did not scatter sand over the body, but " creusdrent une fosse, et le couvrirentdu lable de la mer pour lui donner la sepulture, jusqu'ii ce qu'il pldt k Dieu d'en disposer autrement"— Prudentius, Sermons, 27'i-'277. An old missal of Constance, printed 1504, contains tbis yroverb on Jan. 22— V lucent! festo, si sol radiat, memor esto } Tunc magnum fac vas. quia vitis dabit tibi uvms. If St. Vincent's Day be fine "Twill be a famous year for wine forearm, which was brought from Spain by king Childebert. — Mgr. Gudrin, Viea des Saints, vol. i. pp. 540, 541. Appearances soon after Death. 1 Cob. XV. 4-8. [Christ was dead, and buried, and rose again the third day], and was seen of Cephas ; then of the twelve ; after that, He was eeen of five hundred brethren at once ; then of James ; then of all the apostles ; and last of all by me also. Appearances of St, John-Joseph of the Cross after death (a.d. 1734). Scarcely had John-Joseph given back his soiil into the hands of God than he began to manifest himself in his spiritual state. At the very hour of his death he appeared to Diego Pignatelli, duke of Monte Leone, while he was walking about his private apartment. The duke had seen him at Naples, a day or two before, sick almost to death, but he now appeared in perfect health, and was encircled in light. Greatly astonished at the spectacle, the duke said, " Father John- Joseph, is that you? I am glad you have so quickly recovered." The saint replied, ** I am both well and happy," and then vanished. His grace then sent to Naples to make inquiries, and was informed that John- Joseph departed this life at the very hour he manifested himself to the duke. John-Joseph manifested himself in a manner still more remarkable to Innocent Valetta. While Innocent was asleep, he felt his arm pulled, and heard himself called aloud by name. He w.,ke in a fright, and perceived a cloud of glory, in the midst of which stood a "religious'* of the Order of St. Peter of Alcantara, considerably advanced in age. Valetta could not recognize the face of the apparition in consequence of the numerous rays of li^ht which dazzled his eyes. The apparition asked Valetta if he re- cognized him, and Valetta answered, "No." "I," said the apparition, "am John- Joseph of the Cross, just tnis moment delivered from the bondage of the flesh, and now on my way to paradise, where I will never cease to intercede for the house of Innocent Valetta. If you would like to see my mortal remains, you will find my body in the infirmary of St. Lucy of the Mount." So saying he vanished away, leaving Valetta filled with grief and great joy. Valettn hastened to St. Lucy of the Mount, and there found a great crowd, who announced the death of the saint, and were not a little amazed on hearing that Valetta S4 ARMY OF MARTYRS. [Pt. 1 had just seen him. This account was fiven to the council by Innocent Valetta inself, some thirty years after the decease of the saint, when the process of his canonization was being drawn out. Three days afterwards John- Joseph appeared to Father Buono, a monk of his own order, and bade him tell the superior to have the Gloria Patri chanted before the altar of the Saint-Sacrament, to render thanks to the Holy Trinit)'^ for the favours bestowed on him. A few days later he appeared to Mad. Mary Anne Boulei de Verme, who greatly desired spiritual comfort. After that, the baron Hassano, who was confined to his bed with a mortal sick- ness, was favoured with a visit from the saint, and was not only cured of his malady, but lived many years after- wards ; and when at last he died, it was of a complaint far diiferent from that which St. John-Joseph had miraculously cured. Sending for Father Buono, the baron recounted to him how St. John- Joseph had formerly cured him. — Cardinal Wiseman, communicated to Migne's Demonstrations Evang^liques, vol. xvi. Army of Martyrs. Rev. vi. 9. 1 saw under the altar the souls of them tbut were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. Rev. XX. 4. I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not wor- shipped the beast, neither his image. The following articles are interesting because they are martyrs in groups. The four crowned (Nov. 8, a.d. 304). In the reign of Diocletian four Roman citizens were scourged to death with whips loaded with plummets of lead, and were buried on the Lavian Way, three miles from Rome. Pope Melchiades put them in the catalogue of martyrs, but, not knowing their names, called them "The Four Crowned," and ap- pointed Nov. 8 as their fete-day. Afterwards (we are not told when) their names were revealed to a holy man (we jire not informed how or to whom). They were Carpophorus, Severianus, Severus, and Victorinus. — Ado (archbishop of Tr(ivo.s),Martyrology; Bosio, Subterranean i?(/;n6'(J632), bk. iii. 8. *^* Other four martyrs were the illustrious Roman knights, Basilides, Cyrinus, Nabor and Nazarius, in the reign of Diocletian. They were scourged \ivith scorpions {q,v.) by the prefect Aurelian, and after eight days were executed, June 12, a.d. 303. The five iinage-makerSy martyrs (Nov. 8, A.D. 304), During the persecution of Diocletian five carvers were put to death, for refusing to make idols. They suffered on the same day as "The Four Crowned" (^.tJ.), were buried in the same cemetery, their remains were trans- lated by Leo IV. into the same church, and they are honoured on the same day Their names are: Castorius, Claudius, Nicostratus, Simplicius, and Symphoria- nus. — Bosio, Boma Sotterranea. bk. iii. 8 (1632). The five Minorite friars^ martyred Jan, 16, 1220. Five Mmorites were sent by St. Francis to preach to the Mahometans of the West. They preached first to the Moors of Seville, but were banished from Spain. Passing into Morocco, they preached there the doctrine of the cross, and were again banished ; but they re- turned, were scourged, and burning oil mixed with vinegar was poured on their wounds. The kmg then caused them to be brought before him, and clove their heads asunder with his scimitar. — Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints, Jan. 16. These names, according to the Roman breriaiy, aret Acursius. Adjutus, Berard. Peter, and Otto. The seven martyrs of Persia (a.d. 341- 380). Sapor, king of Persia, was the most bloody of all the persecutors of the Christian Church. Sozomenes, in his Church History y reckons the number of martyrs in this reign at 16,000, but some writers set it as high as 200,000. The "seven martyrs of Persia " were : Azade, Acepsimas, Joseph, Aithala, Tarbula, Milles, and Barsabias. AzADft was the first to fall. He was Sapor's chief eunuch ; and the king was so distressed at his death, that he sent an edict to all the provinces, to confine the persecution to bishops, priests, and monks. AcKPSiMAa was an Assyrian bishop, eighty years of age; Joseph, a priest of Bethcatuba ; A'ithala, a deacon of Bethnuhadra. Acepsimas being first scourged, his joints were pulled the wrong way till he died under the torture. Joseph was treated in the same manner, but, being younger and stronger, survived, and died in prison six months afterwards. Aithala, after the most atrocious tortures, was executed. Tarbula was the sister of St. Simeon, archbishop of Seleucia. Being tied to Pt.I.] THE SEVEN, TEN, TWELVE, AND EIGHTEEN. 35 one post by tho neck, and to another by the feet, she was cut asunder with a saw. MiLLfis was once a soldier in the Persian army ; but left the service, and was appointed bishop of a small Persian city. Being brought before Horsmida, he so provoked him by his plain speaking, that the judge leaped from his tribunal, atd killed him on the spot. Barsabias was bishop of Susa. His legs were first broken off at the knees, then at the thighs. His arms were next I )pped off, then his ribs broken, his ears cut off, and his eyes knocked out, after which he was beheaded. — Assemani, Acts of the Oriental Martyrs, p. 66. The seven martyrs of Samosata (Dec. 8, A.D. 297) In A.D. 297 the emperor Maximian, returning victorious from Persia, celebrated the quinquennial games at Samosata, near the Euphrates ; and commanded all the inhabitants to repair to the temple of Fortune, in the middle of the city, to assist in public supplica- tions and sacrifices. Two of the chief magistrates, Hipparchus and Philotheus, had embraced the Christian faith for three years ; and five intimate friends, James, Habibus, LoUianus, Paragrus, andRomanus, young nobles, and senators, had only just become Christians. The emperor, being informed that the two magistrates had absented themselves, sent for them, and asked why they had not obeyed his command ; being told they were Christians, he ordered them to be beaten, and put in prison. In the mean time, the other five nobles were also apprehended, and put in chains till the end of the festival. At the close of the festival, they were all brought again before the emperor, and as they proved obdurate, cords were put across their mouths and they were led away to crucifixion. A reprieve for a few days was granted, that the two magistrates might make up their public accounts ; after which they were suspended on seven crosses. Hipparchus, a very old man, soon died ; James, Lollianus, and Komanus expired the next day ; the other three, being still alive, were then taken down, and nails were driven into their heads. The emperor commanded their bodies to be thrown into the Eu- phrates, but one Bassus, a rich Christian, having bribed the guards to give them up, buried them in his own farm. The acts of these seven martyrs were Mrritten by an eye- witness; anu his narrative is contained in Stephen Ajsemani"s Acta Martyrum, vol. ii. p. 123. (There ar« »l«o th« Mveu virgin nuurtjrn of An^fra, capital of Qalatia. Their names were : Alexandila, Ckudi*. Euphrasia, Julietta. Matrona, Pbaina, and Tecusa. Mar 18,A.D.303.) The ten martyrs of Crete (Dec. 23), In the persecution of Decius, Crete greatlj' suffered, but the ten martyrs of Crete were Agathopus, Bassilides, Cleomenes, Eunicianus, Euporus, Evares- tus, Gelasius, Saturninus, Theodulus, and Zolicus. Being apprehended, they were dragged on the ground, beaten, stoned, and spit upon. Their trial took place on Dec. 23, and they were ordered to offer sacrifice to the Cretan god Jupiter, whose festival it was. They replied, *' We are no strangers to Jupiter. We can show you his grave. He was a native of Crete, the tyrant of his country, and a man abandoned to every filthy lust. Those who worship Jupiter as a go^, ought to follow his example." Then were they, some of them, racked and torn with iron nails, so that the ground beneath was covered with great gobbets of flesh. Others were punctured all over with sharp stones, reeds, and stakes. Others were beaten with heavy plummets of lead. The martyrs bore it all without a murmur, and the proconsul, tired out, ordered their heads to be cut off. The fathers who composed the Council of Crete in 658, writing to the Emperor Leo, say that, through the intercession of these martyrs, their island has hitherto been preserved from heresy. — Creta Sacra. (Their martyrdom is given by Meta- phrastSs, Surius, Lipoman, and others.) The twelve brothers, martyrs (Sept. 2, A.D. 258). The twelve brothers were natives of Adrumetum, in Africa; after suffering grievous torments for the faith, they were sent to Benevento, in Italy, where they suffered martyrdom, in the persecution of Valerian. — Baronius, Roman Martyrology, Their names were: Arontius. Donatus, Felix (two), Fortunatus, Honoratus, Januarius. Repositua, Sabinianui^ Satyrus, Septiutius, and Vitalis. The eighteen martyrs of Saragossa (a.d, 303). Engracia was the daughter of a Portuguese princess, engaged in marriage to a duke of Gallia Narbonensis. Her father sent her with a companion named Julia, and sixteen nobles, to her betrothed, and the brilliant cortege stopped at Sara- gossa in the house of Lupercus, her uncle. W^hile here, Engracia was witness to one of the Christian butcheries of Diocletian and Maximian ; and, with heroic zeal, she went to Dacian to plead on behalf of her co-religioni8t0« She told Dacian her naica, ARMY OF MARTYRS. LPt.1 ner rank, and her mission; but the monster, instead of being moved to pity, commanded the beautiful young princess and all her suite to be cast into prison. Engracia was first beaten with clubs; then tied to the tail of a horse, and dragged through the streets of the city ; next day her body was torn with iron combs with such brutality, that some of her bowels were torn out and a part of her liver ; her left breast was then cut off, and the knife cut so deep that her heart was laid bare ; she was then taken back to prison, and died. Her companions w ere all beheaded. The eighteen martyrs who suffered with Engracia were lulia her friend. Lupercus her uncle, and the sixteen nobles : Apodeniiis, Cecilianus, Evotius, Felix, Fronto, Martial. OpUtua. Prlniitirus, Publius, QuintiUan. Satur. ninus (four of the name), Successua. and Urban. N.B.— In the persecution which followftd, the number that fell is unknown. They are celebrated on Nor. 3, under the title of "The Innumerable Martyrs of Sara- gossa."— Tamayus-Salazar, Spanish Martyrologn. The nineteen martyrs of Qorcum (July 9, 1572). Nineteen priests and religious men were taken by the Calvinists in Gor- icuin, and, after suffering many insults, frere hanged at Bril on account of their religion. Of these, eleven were Fran- ciscan friars, called '* Recollects," of the cofavent of Gorcum, one was a Norbertin, two were Dominicans, one was a canon regular of St. Austin, three were curates, and one a secular priest. — William Estius (Douay, 1603). See also Batavia Sacra^ pt. ii. p. 174. FrancUoant: Antony of Uomaire, near Gorcum; AntOfiy of Werden ; Cornelius of Doreatate (a lay brother) ; Godfrey of Merreille ; Jerome of Werden ; Nicaisiua Johnson of Heze ; Peter of Asca (a lay brother) ; Nicholas Pick ; Francis Rhodes of Brussels ; Tbeodorick of Em- beden ; and Wilhadd, a Dane. The other eight were: Godfrey Dunen of Gorcum, a curate; John Helvarenbeck, a Norbertin of Middle- burgh ; John, a Dominican of Cologne ; James Lacop, a Dominican of Munster ; Jolm Oosterwican ; Nicholas Poppet, a curate ; Leonard Vechel, a curate ; and Walter, a iecular priest of Heinort, near Dort The twenty-six Tnartyrs of Japan (Feb. f., 1597). St. Francis Xavier arrived in Japan in 1549, and baptized many. In 1587 there were in Japan above a quarter of a million Christians ; but in 1588 the emperor Cambacundono com- manded all Jesuits to leave Japan within six months ; many, however, still re- mained in the island. Tagcosama renewed the persecution ; and, in 1697, twenty- three men and three boys who acted as acolytes were martyred. They were put to death at Nangasaqui, in the follow- ing manner: — Twenty-six crosses were planted in a row, about four feet asunder ; the martyrs were fastened to these crosses by cords and chains about their arms and legs, and an iron collar about tlicir necks. The crosses were then lifted up, and planted in holes prepared to receive them. By each cross stood a spearman, who thrust his spear into the left side of the victim, immediately tiie cross stood up- right ; and the victim soon died. — Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints, Feb. 5. Besides these canonized martyrs there were many others who suffered martyrdom in Japan, notably the twenty- fiv« who were fastened to stakes and burnt allre, Sept. 2. 1621. Of these. Spinoln is the most noted. (Fct Jb« twenty martyrs of Nicomedia. see Index.) The forty martyrs of Acquujny, in }\^ar-- mandy (fourth century). Not mucb. is known of this army of martyrs, but in Acquigny is a black stone, kept in a glass case, containing the following words : — " HiC EST LOCUS MARTYRUM, KT RKLIQU.« 88. MARTYRUM MaXIMI ET VeNERANDI, ET SOCIORUM EORUM TRIGINTA ET OCTO." The tablet is not dated. Maximus and Venerandus were natives of Italy, born somewhere in the neighbourhood of Mola. They went into Gaul to preach to the barbarians there, and being seized at Acquigny, near Evreux, were put to death, it i» supposed from the tablet, with thirty-eight companions or con- verts. Maximus and Venerandus, we are told, were buried near the spot of their execution, and in 960, some six hundred years afterwards, their bodies were dis- covered by Amalbert, and deposited in a chapel built by Robert I. duke of Nor- mandy. — L'abbd Lebeurier, Notice sur la Commune d Acquigny, The time between the death and discorery would carry us back to Edward I., or even to the grant of Magna Charta, and no one knows who Amalbert is. Suppose a certain Mr. Smith were to say he has found the bodiM of two of the barons who were present at the signing of Magna Charta, or even two of the "rebels" who were cat down by Richard IL in Wat Tyler's gang, we should certainly demand very strong proof. The forty martyrs of the Thundering Legion (a.d. 320). Licinus gave an order for all his army to oflPer sacrifice. The 12th or Thundering Legion was at the time lying at Sebaste, in Lesser Armenia, and in this legion were forty Christians. When they heard of the imperial order, they told the governor Agricolaus that their religion forbade them to offer sacrifice to idols. Being punished for insubordina- tion they were imprisoned ; and as they still refused to obey the imperial edict, Agrico- laus condemned them to death. The cold in Armenia is very severe, especially in March ; and towards the end of winter, when the wind is north, the frost is almost unbearable. Now, under the walls of Sebastfe, there was a large pond, which at THE FORTY-EIGHT AND THE HUNDRED, Pt. I.] the time was frozen over, and the judge ordered the insubordinate soldiers to be exposed naked on the ice of this pond; but, under the hope that their sufferings might induce them to change their minds, he commanded warm baths to be placed on the margin, to which any of them might go if they relented. When brought fro Hi prison, they went joyfully to the pond and stripped themselves without a murmur. Most writers say that the ice was broken, and they stood in the water ; but St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nyssa affirm that they lay on the surface of the lake for three days, and all their limbs, one after another, were mortified by the frost. While thus exposed they made this prayer : *' Lord, we are forty who have engaged in this combat ; grant that we may be forty crowned, and that not one be wanting of that sacred number." One of the number, unable to bear the horrible suffering, ran to the baths ; but, ** as the devil always deceives his votaries, no sooner had he entered it than he died," This apostasy greatly afflicted the martyrs ; but they were quickly com- forted by seemg his place filled up. The sentinel was warming himself near the bath at the time, and saw a number of spirits descend from heaven on the mar- tyrs to comfort them. They had warm garments and crowns in their hands. He counted the crowns and found the number was only thirty-nine ; so, throwing off his clothes, he ran to the pond, crying, *' I also am now a Christian." Then was heard the prayer, " Grant there may be forty crowned, and that not one be want- ing of that sacred number." St. Ephrem says, "Thus was heard the prayer, though not in the manner it was imagined, and we ought to adore the impenetrable secrets of the Almighty. As Matthias took the place of the reprobate Judas, this sentinel was numbered with the thirty-nine in lieu of the apostate cow- ard." — St. Ephrem, Oration on the Forty Martyr Sy vol. ii. (The martyrdom of these forty will be found in all hagio- graphies.) See especially St. Basil, H&mily 20, vol. i. p. 452 ; St. Gregory of Nyssa, Discourses^ vol. ii. pp. 499-504 ; CuUistus, Church History^ bk. xiv. ch. 10 ; Tellemont, Memoirs serving for the Eccle- siastical History of the First Six Centuries^ vol. V. p. 518 ; Ruinart, Acts of the First MartyrSy p. 52o. The names of these forty martyrs are : Acacius. AStius, Alexander. Angias, Athanasius, Caius, CandidiuR, Chudion, Claudius, Cyril, Domitian, Ecditius, Eunoicus. Eutyches, taiychiui. Flaviua. Gorgonua, Htliaii. Ueliua. UeracUiu, Hysichius, John, Leonce, Lysimacus. Mellton, Hxalliu^ Nicholas, Philoctimon, Priscus, Quirion. Sacerdon, Severian, SiRinius, Smarigdus, Theodulus. Theophilus. Valens, Valerius, Vibian, and Xantbua. The forty-eight martyrs of Lyons (a.d. 177). Eusebius, in his Church Historyy gives an account of the martyrs of Lyons, and mentions some of their names. There is an inscription above a prison door in Lyons, running thus: *'The church of Lyons has alwaj^s venerated this cavern, as the prison where St. Pothin (its first bishop) was shut up with forty-eight Christians, and where he won the croif n of martyrdom." Gregory of Tours and Ado, archbishop of Treves, completed the list given by Eusebius. As the lists con- tain only forty-eight names, the bishop Pothin must be included in the words **fut enferme' avec quararjjp-huit Chre- tiens." There were twenty-seven men and twenty-one women. Of these, twenty- four were Roman citizens, and were be- headed ; six were exposed to wild beasts ; and eighteen died in the dungeon. (1) Those who died in the dungeon were: ApoUonius, Arescius, Cornelius, Gramnitus, Geminianus, Julius, Pothix (the bishop, aged ninety), Titus, Zolicus, Zozimus ; Emilia, Alumna, two named Antonia, Julia, Justa, Pompeia, and Tro- phima. (2) The twenty-four Roman citizens, beheaded, were: Alcibiades, Comminus, Geminus, Macarius, October, Philommus, Primus, Silvius, Ulpius, Vettius Epaga- thus, Vitalis, Zachariah ; iEmilia, Albina, Biblis or Bibliada, Grata, Helpis (also called Amnas), Julia, Matema, Pompeia, Posthumiana, Quinta, Rhodana, and Royala. (3) The six exposed to wild beasts were : Alexander of Phrygia, Attains of Pergamos, Muturus a neophyte, Ponticus a youth, Sanctus deacon of Vienne, and Blandina a female slave. See Saint Pothin *t tes eompagnom martyra. AIM Andr6 Gouilloud, Originei de CEalite de Lyon: ana D. Meynis, GrAnd* Souvenirs de l'BgIi*e de Lyon. St, Simeon, archbishop of Seleucia, with a hundred other Christians put to a martyr' $ death by Sapor^ king of Fersia (April 17, A.D. 345). St. Simeon, archbishop of Seleucia, being seized by order of Sapor, was brought before the shah, who gave him the choice of offering adoration to the sun or being put to death. St. Simeon refused to worship the creature instead of the Creator, He was beheaded, and a hundred other Christians with him. Of these, five were bishops, severa? wcrt priests or deacon*, and the rest laymen. ARMY OF MARTYRS. [Pt. L A day or two before, Guhsciatazades, ehief of the eunuchs, and first noble of the kingdom, had been beheaded for avow- ing himself a Christian. — Assemani, Acts of the Martyrs of the East^ vol. i. p. 1. The 120 martyrs of Iladiahena^ in Persia (A.D. 344). In the fifth year of the persecutions in Persia, king Sapor being m Seleucia, 120 Christians were arrested ; among which, were nine virgins, several priests, and a large number of the inferior clergy. They remained six months in filfhy dungeons, till tlie end of winter. Jazdundocta, a wealthy lady of Hadia- bena, supported them all the time. They were ultimately beheaded, and Jazdun- docta employed men to embalm their bodies and bury them. — Assemani, Acts of the Martyrs^ vol. i. p. 106. Tlie 275 martyrs of Persia (April 9, A.D. 862). The Persians took by siege the castle Bethzarbe, on the Tigris, massacred the garrison, and led away nine thousand captives, among which were three hundred Christians. When they arrived on the confines of Assyria, the option was given to these Christians either to adore the sun or sufi'er death. Twenty-five saved their lives by abjuring the Christian faith, but the remaining 276 witnessed by their blood a good con- fession. — Alban Butler, Lives of the SaintSy April 9. Tlie 6666 martyrs of the Theban Legion. The emperor Maximian had a legion of 6666 Christians, commanded by St. Maurice. This legion was raised in the Thebai's of Egypt, and had been baptized by Zabdus, bishop of Jerusalem. When Maximian was on his march to Gaul to put down a rebellion, this legion formed part of his army. Halting at Agaunum, the emperor ordered that the gods should be propitiated with sacrifice. St. Maurice and his Christian legion refused to be present at this heathen ceremony, and Maximian, considering their absence an act of mutinj', ordered the legion to pass under the yoke, and every tenth man to be cut down. The survivors still refused to be present at the sacrifice, and the emperor commanded them to be decimated again ; and when the residue still re- mained persistent, Maximian sent the other legions to hew them all to pieces. The 6666 martyrs were buried in pits ; but three hundred years afterwards their ghosts appeared to bishop Theodore, and iold him where they lay. Theodore com- manded the bodies to be disinterred, and •ent heir relief to sundry countries, where ' shrines or churches were erected to theif honour. Divers miracles, we are assured, have fully attested the favour with which God has regarded this army of martyrs. In the vestry of Toledo, in Spain, is shown the head of St. Maurice, colonel of the legion. — Usnard (died 1475), Martyrdogy; Metaphrastes (tenth century), Lives^ etc. ; Antonius (died 1586), Chronicon ; and many others. St. Ursula and her eleven thousand virgin martyrs (a.d. 237). St. Ursula, the daughter of Dianotus, a British king, was sought in marriage by Ilolofemes, a heathen prince. Dianotus consented to the alliance, but Ursula made it imperative that the prince should be baptized, and that three years should elapse before the marriage was consum- mated. During these three years Ursula was to travel with her eleven maidens, each attended with a thousand com- panions. The conditions being accepted, St. Ursula, with her suite, set sail, reached Cologne, and proceeded thence to Rome. Having visited the tombs of the apostles, Ursula, with the eleven thousand virgins, returned to Cologne, and fell into the hands of Attila and the Huns, by whom all were put to the sword, except Ursula, who was reserved as a prize for Attila. Subsequently Ursula also was put to death. God heard the voice of the martyrs crying from the ground, and sent a host of angels to smite the Huns, as the angel of death once smote the army of Sen- nacherib. The inhabitants of Cologne, being thus miraculously delivered from its invaders, built a church in honour of the virgin martyrs, and called it St. Ursula's. The bones of the martyrs, piled together in the wall, are still shown to visitors through glass windows ; but, undoubtedly, many of the bones shown are those of men and boys. Another version makes the tale a Christian parallel to the " Rape of the Sabines " m Roman story. Thus Geof- frey of Monmouth, in his British History, bk. V. ch. 15, 16, tells us that Maxi- mian, the British king, having con- quered Armorica, now called Brittany, gave it to Conan Meriadoc, his nephew. Being almost depopulated by war, Conan wished to find wives for himself and his soldiers, and induced Dianotus, brother and successor of Caradoc, king of Corn- wall, to assist him. Dianotus himsell had a daughter, named Ursula, and her he promised to Conan for wife. He ihea Pt. I.J AUREOLA OF iELRED, ANTONY. 89 summoned together all the chief men of his kingdom, and by their means got together eleven thousand maidens, all of whom, with his daughter Ursula, he shipped to Conan. Scarcely were the transports in the open sea, when contrary winds arose, drove them to Zealand and Holland, and thence to the mouth of the Rhine. Here a piratic force under Melga and Guanius, consisting chiefly of Picts and Huns, coasting about those parts, stumbled on the transports, and deter- mined to take the maidens to themselves ; but Ursula and the eleven thousand re- sisted the indignity. The pirates, infuri- ated at this resistance, fell on the women like wolves, and put them to the sword. Cordula escaped, but, being caught the next day, was put to death also. The bodies of the martyred virgins were afterwards carefully gathered together, and taken to CoUen [Cologne], where was erected a famous nunnery, but many were distributed, as holy relics, in other parts of Christendom. The slaughter of the eleven thousand is said to have oc- curred Oct. 21, A.D. 237. No sainta in the calendar have received more notice than St. Ursula and her virgins. The oldest account is given by Gaufrid bishop of St. Assaffe f Asaph^l Cardinal Baronius, and William Lindan bishop of JRuremund, took their accounts from the book of the W«ilsh bishop Gaufrid, preserved in the Vatican library. St. Ado, archbishop of Trdves, in his Martyrology, gives the following names as the most noted of the virgins: Ursula, and Cordula wiio escaped but was afterwards captured and put to death. Britula, dementia, Grat.a, Gregoria, Mardia (or Martha), Palladia, Pinnosa, Rabacia, Saturia (or Saturnia), Saturnina, Saula, and Sentia. Wandalbert, who died about; A.D. 590, gives an account of St. Ursula and her maidens; so does Sigelbert in his Chronicle (twelfth century) ; Rogerius Cisterciencis, Richardus Prsemonstratensis, Claudius de Rola, Bonfinius in his History of Hungary, Petrus de Natalibus, Polidore Virgil in his History of England, and Laurentius Surius (1570) in his Livet of the Saints, where the most detailed account is to be found. Aureola or Glory. (See Light, pt. ii.) ExoD. xxxlv. 29-35. When Moses came d>wn from the mount with the two tables of tostimony, "the skin of his face shone . . . and the children of Israel were afraid to come nigh him . , . [so] he put a veil upon his face." Matt. xvii. 2. When Jesus was transfigured " His face did shine as the sun." Rev. X. 1. I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven ... a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun. Acts vi. 15. All that eat in the council, looking steadfastly on Stephen, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. Many of the following sights of glory and luminous phenomena may be satisfactorily ascribed to morbid action in the encephalic sensory ganglia connected with the optic nerves, arising from derangement, centric or txcentric, of the circulation of the blood within the brain, or fioot orer-teuaion of the bruin or eye iMrve-tissife. Every one knows that In vertigo, for example, flashes of light before the eyes are as common as aerial sounds and buzzings in the ears. The face of St. JElred in infancy cast a shadow (1109-1166). The following I give in the exact words of Mgr. Guerin, as I fear any translation would be con- sidered apocryphal : " Lorsqu'il repo- sait, enfant, dans son berceau, son parent [Guillaume] s'approchant pour le con- siderer, fut tout h, coup saisi de respect et d'admiration, car il vit la figure du petit enfant briller comme le soleil ; elle rayonnait d'une telle lumiere, que Guil- laume en approchant sa main, elle faisait de I'ombre, et il se voyait dans ce visage comme dans un miror." — Les Petits Bol" landistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. i. p. 286. The expression "elle faisait de I'ombre " can only mean that William's hand threw a shadow on the child's fac« which shone like the sun ; but hdffan opaque body can throw a shadow on a luminous one is certainly a new phenomenon in optics. Think, of your hand, held before a burning lamp, throwing a shadow on the flame. The aureola of St, Africus^ bishop of Comminges (sixth century). One day when St. Africus was celebrating mass, an aureola or crown of fire encircled his head, '^ quam qui sanctissima synaxig digni erant, conspiciebant ; indignis autem non aspectabilem " (only the holiest of the congregation could see it, to the rest it was not visible). — L'abbe' Ser- viferes. Saints du Rouergue. Agbarus and the painter, Agbarus, hearing of the fame of Jesus, sent an artist to take the likeness of the divine Redeemer. When the artist saw Jesus and looked on His face to draw it, he found it was so radiant with divine splendour, and so dazzling in bright- ness, that he could not bear to fix his eyes on it, and he told Agbarus that no art could depict such brightness any more than it could paint the glory of the sun. — Nicephonis Callistus, Ecclesiastical History, The face of St. Antony of Padua seemed to Ancelinus like the face of an angel. When St. Antony of Padua reproved Ancelinus, tyrant of Padua, for his mis- deeds, all expected that the tyrant would command his instant execution. What was their amazement when they beheld Ancelinus run towards the man of God. fall at his feet, and promise amendment Ancelinus told his court that he saw a divine splendour come from the face of St. Antony, which he was afraid to look upon, and his heart within him lost its courage. — Edward Kinesman (1^23), Lives of the Saints^ p. 369. Ti'i^ body of St, Arsemus seetns to be on 40 AUREOLA OF ELEUTHERIUS, ETC. [Pt. 1. dre (a.d. 450). A brother, to whom God dad revealed some of His most chosen disciples, went to the cell of St. Arsenius, and looking through the window saw the eaint, as it seemed, all on fire. *' CV'tait I'ardeur dont son ame e'tait saintement embrase'e dans I'oraison, que Dieu voulait lui manif ester par ce prodige." — Michael Ange Marin, Lives of the Fathers of the Eastern Deserts. It Is said of 8t Radegonda (sixth century) " Aprds sa Biort. son corps brilla d'un ' encompassed his head, and all the people shouted. On his march towards the church a number of sick folk were healed of their infirmities, the dumb ■pake, the deaf had hearing restored, and many a cripple leaped for ioy. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. ii. p. 601. The face of St. Epiphanius luminous in infancy (a.d. 438). Epiphanius was the son of Marus and Focaria of Pavia, and was so called because a luminous glory surrounded his face when he was first put into his cradle. — Ennodius, Life of St. Epiphanius of Pavia. (This life is inserted m the Acta Sanctorum by Bol- landus.) Mgr. Gue'rin, in his Vies des Saints, saj-s of St. Epiphanius, **La lumiere ^clatante qui parut sur son corps, aprbs son de'cbs, fut une marque de la gloire de son ame" (vol. i. p. 518). The face of St. Francis Hieronimus too dazzling to be looked on (a.d. 1642-1716). Cardinal Wiseman says that St. Francis Hieronimus had frequent ecstasies ; and one day, when he was exhorting the people to the communion, his face actually burned with light ; in fact, like the face of Moses, " eblouissait les yeux de ceux qui le voyaient." (St. Francis was canonized in 1839.) St. Francis of Paula environed with an aureola in the form of three crowns (A.D. 1416-1507). One day, as St. Francis of Paula was praying at the foot of the high altar, while all the monks were present, two priests and a brother from another monastery saw him en- vironed in light, and having on his head three crowns of glory, like the pope's tiara. At another time, according to the memoirs of John de Milazza, one of his disciples, the archangel Michael ap- peared to him in great glory, and pre- sented to him a cartonch environed with rays, **comme une gloire de saint sacre- ment,"and containing the word Charity, in letters of celestial gold, on an azure field. St. Michael told him to adopt this device in his order. — Acts of Canonization, etc. (Father Giry). The face of St. Oringa shone at death with celestial light (a.d. 1310). St. Oringa was bom at Santa Croce. Oc- casionally she fell into ecstasies, and saw into futurity. She died at the age of seventy, of paralysis, and ** her face shone with a celeiitial light, as it had been the face of an angel." — Acta Sane- torum (reprinted from The L'fe of St. Oringa, by Silvanus Razzi). Whenever St. Philip of Neri received the sacrament his face became luminous (a.d. 1515-1595). In the sacrament of the mass, when the hand of St. Philip of Neri touched the chalice, his face glowed with mysterious light. And at the eleva- tion, his soul became so ravished that he could not lower his arms. Sometime! he was actually lifted off the ground in these ecstasies. So also in prayer, not only was his face luminous, but real sparks of fire flew from hii eyes. — Father Antony Galonio, Life of St. Philip of Neri. During the sacrifice of tfie mass the face of St. Samson seemed on fire (a.d. 565). While offering the sacrifice of the mass, after his consecration as bishop of Dol, near St. Malo, all the assistants re- marked that the face of St. Samson was on fire ; that flames of fire burst from his mouth, ears, and nostrils, and a luminous glory encircled his head with rays like those of the sun. His biographer adds, it was no unusual thing to see angels at his side, while he was serving at the altar. — Dom Lobineau, Lives of the Saints of Brittany. The face of Francis Xavier flashed with brightness (a.d. 1506-1552). Cardinal de Monte told pope Gregory XV. that flash- ing flames of heavenly brightness were often seen in the face of St. Francis Xavier while in communion with God in praj'er, showing not only the fire of his own devotion, but kindling a new fire of devotion in those who saw it. — Speech at the Canonization of Xavier, Jan. 19j a.d. 1622. The face of St. Yves of Auteuil i-com- Pt. I.J BALAAM'S COUNSEL— BALANCE. 41 passed with an aureola (a.d. 1040-1116). The love of God in the heart of St. Yves shed a divine light on his face ; so that, many a time and oft, a luminous glory was seen round his head, especially when he was administering the divine mys- teries. — L'abbd Sabatier, Saints de Beau» vais. Milton says — A thousand liveried angels lackey [the pure-mlndedl Driving far off each thing of sin and guilt . . . fill oft converse with heavenly habitants Begin to cast a beam on the outward shape . . And turns it by degrees to the soul's essence. Till all be made immortal. Comui. A celestial lijht surrounds the head of the venerable Antony Mary Zaccaria of Cremona (a.d. 1602-1539). When An- tony Mary Zaccaria offered up mass for tlie first time, a celestial light encom- passed him, and a multitude of angels formed a circle round him, assisting him in the august sacrifice. This was known to all in Cremona, and the young priest was called " The Man with the Angel," or ''The Angel of God."~R. P. Teppa, Life of the Venerable Zaccaria. The veiled prophet of Khorassan. This is only a tale, but the tale exhibits a very general belief. The story says that Mo- kanna imitated Moses by wearing a veil over his face when he appeared before his deluded followers. He gave out that lie did so, because his face was so daz- zling, that no one could look thereon and live. The real truth was this, his face was so hideous and so disfigured with scars, that he wore a veil to hide its re- pulsive ugliness. Thomas Moore has a poetical version of the legend in his Lalla Rookh, Balaam's Counsel to Balak. NcxB. xxxi. 16, and v. 8. Balaam was sent for by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the people led by Moses in the wilderness; but the prophet told Balak that God would not curse the people so long as they remained faithful to Him. He added, however, if they can be enticed to idolatry, that then God's anger would be roused, and the people would be destroyed. The question was, how could this infamous hint be carried out ? Balaam was ready with an answer; the Moabitish women, he said, were to be used for the purpose of enticing the people to sin. Let them be sent amongst the Israelites to hold dalliance with them, and allure the people to worship the Moabitish god Belphegor. Then (ch. xxv.) was 'rod's anger kindled against Israel ; and Moses said to the judges. Slay ye every one that has joined in sacrifice to Baal-peor. Scarcely had he spoken, when Phicehas saw one of the Israelites with a Midianitlsh woman, and he slew hoth the man and woman with a javelin. So the plague was stayed. King Antiochus tries to entice i/ie Hebrews to sin. Antiochus, who suc- ceeded Alexander the Great in Greece, made war on the Hebrews, took the city of Jerusalem, ransacked the temple, and laid the country waste. Following the example of Moab, he tried to entice the people from their allegiance to God, and commanded them, on pain of death, to eat swine's flesh, and to sacrifice to the Greek idols. Mattathias, the Jewish priest, one day saw a Hebrew approach- ing an altar with the intention of offering sacrifice, and thrust him through with his sword, so that he died. Antiochus insisted that Mattathias should himself offer sacrifice to Zeus^ but the priest threw down the altar, and then exhorted all who were on the Lord's side to follow him to the mountain outside the city. Hither many resorted, and there they fortified themselves. Ultimately the numbers greatly increased, and they made themselves masters of Jerusalem. — Maccabees, Balance of the Sanctuary. Dan. y. 27. Thou art weighed in the balance, and found wanting. Job xxxi. 6. Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity. The Chapel of the Balances^ in Brittany, The abbot of Soissons, in his Annals of the Diocese of Brittany, tells us there was in Brittany a " Chapel of the Balances," in which persons who came to be cured miraculously were weighed, to ascertain whether their weight di- minished, when prayer was made by the monks in their behalf. St. Quirinus and St. Arsacius both speak of a man weighed in a scale against the bread and cheese which he gave in alms to the poor. At Kierzy Church there was a similar *' balance." In the life of St. Hubert of Brittany, the Bollandists tell us of ft stranger who was making the foundation of a house, when the devil lifted him up and threw him into a deep pit. He was drawn out more than half dead, and had a black mark on his forehead. Being taken to the Chapel of the Balances, he was weighed, having been sentenced to give the monks as an offering as much wax to make into candles as would weigh down his own body. On p. 63 will be found the account of Peter the banker, who dreamed he was w«ighed against hii 42 BARREN WOMEN MOTHERS. [Pi. I. alms to the poor, and was so terrified at the results that he became a converted man. •«• Rohese, the mother of Tbonias Becket, used to weigh her boy every year, on his birthday, against the money, clothes, and provisions which the gare to the poor. Barren Women the Mothers of Children. 1 Sam. 1. 10-28. Hannah, one of tlie wives of Elkanah, had no child, and was very sorrow- ful. In the bitterness of her soul she went to the temple, and prayed. And she vowed a row, and said, Lord of hosts. If Thou wilt indeed loolc on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and give unto her a man child, then will I give bim unto the Lord. Kli, supposing her to be drunk, said to her, How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away wine from thee. And Hannah answered, No, my lord ... I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Jjord. . . . Then Eli .rhen search was made for the taint, he was nowhere to be found, being far on his way to the province of Bourbon nais, to a place where now stands Ville de St. Amand. — Menjoulet (vicar-general of Bayonne), Saint Atnand Apotre des Basques, (See St. Mayeul, p. 46.) The same U said of St. fiustadiola (seventh century) in the Propre de Bourget. A blind man, we are told. wa« cured by the water in which St. Psalinodlus bad washed his Itands {,Le$ Fetits BollundUtet, vol. vii. p. 00). Sevenil other examples might be added. St. Ausonius cures the blind beggar of Atujouleme (first and second centuries). A blind man, well known in Angouleme, where he lived on charity, was taken before St. Ausonius ; and, throwing himself at the saint's feet, he said to him, "Ausonius, thou servant of the living God, I know that thy prayers will open mine eyes." " Be it unto you," said Ausonius, "according to your faith ; " and immediately his eyes received their sight. As he was very poor and almost naked, Ausonius gave him alms also. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollan- dists), vol. V. May 22. St. Barnard, archbishop of Vienne, cures a blind mxin (a.d. 810). One day a blind man said he wanted to see St. Barnard. Those who heard him laughed at him, but he placed himself on the stairs of a chapel, saying, " If I can but touch him, I shall receive my sight and see him." At this moment a cry of joy announced the arrival of the saint, and the blind man threw himself at his feet. The archbishop, lifting his eyes to heaven, said to him, "Thy faith has given thee sight: give God thanks ; " and immediately the blind man saw clearly. — -Mgr. Depery, ffistoire ffagiologique du Diocese de Belley, St. Bridget and the blind girl (a.d. 436- 523). A blind girl named Daria came to St. Bridget, and prayed her to give sight to her blind eyeballs. St. Bridget said a benediction, and Daria received her sight. By the preaching of the saint Daria was converted, and then entreated St. Bridget to restore her blindness again, saying "the light of the body impeded the light of the soul." So St. Bridget closed her eyes again in darkness, accord- ing to the request of the blind girl. — Les Betits Bollandistes, vol. ii. p. 184. St, Frodobert gives sight to his mother. When Frodobert was a mere child he cured his mother's blindness, as, in the fulness of love and pity, he kissed her darkened eyes, and signed them with the sign of the cross. Not only was her sight restored, but the historian adds, "it was keener than ever." — Lupellus, Life of St, Brodobert (seventh century). 46 BLINDKESS CURED [Pt.I, St. Genevieve restored sight to a woman struck blind (a.d. 422-612). One day a woman, out of curiosity, went to the cell of St. Genevifeve to see how she passed her time there. No sooner did she peep through the window than she was struck with blindness. Her blindness lasted all Lent, when St. Genevieve took pity on her, made the sign of the cross upon her eyeballs, and immediately their sight was restored. — Les Petits Bollandistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. i. p. 96. In the legend of Lady Godiva of Coventry, who rode naked through the town to mitigate certain imposts on the people, a tailor, named Tom, determined to take a peep at tlie lady as she rode past, but his curiosity was punished by loss of sight It does not appear from the story that " Peeping Tom" ever recovered his sight again. St, John of Egypt cures a blind woman with holy oil (a.d. 305-394). The wife of a senator of Egypt, having lost her sight, incessantly urged her husband to take her to St. John, the Egytian hermit. The senator, who well knew that the saint never admitted a woman into his sight, went to St. John and told him his errand. The saint gave the senator a little holy oil, and directed that the ey^es of the lady should be anointed therewith. This was done, and the cure was instiintaneous and complete. — Ruffinus, Lives of the Fathers, bk. li. St. Lawrence cures a blind man, St. Lawrence, being on Mount Celion, in the house of Narcissus, cured a blind man by making the sign of the cross. The house of Narcissus stood in the fish-market, and was a well-known place of resort with all Christians. Another instance. When St. Lawrence was put in prison by Hippolitus, he found in the dungeon a fellow-prisoner, named Lucillus, who had lost his sight by continually weeping at the misery of his long confinement. St. Lawrence promised to restore his sight if he would become a Christian. Lucillus gladly made the promise, and St. Lawrence restored sight to the blind eyeballs by making on them the sign of the cross. When this miracle got noised abroad, many blind persons, both male and female, flocked to the prison, and St. Lawrence healed them. Hippolitus, seeing these miracu- lous cures, was himself converted, and he with all his house, to the number of nine- teen, were baptized. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, pp. 599-608. (St. Lawrencf" is put in thseanon of the mass.) The martyrdom of tnu saint {says Kinesman) is most certaine, being written by the notaries of Rome, and ac- cepted of many saints that doe recount it, as 8t Ambrost^ St. Leo, St. Augustine, St. Isidure, Prudentius, and otbanb from whom this account bad been collated, p. 699. St. Ludger cures Bernlef of his blindness (A.D. 809). While St. Ludger was in Fositeland, and was the guest of a noble lady, blind Bernlef was presented to him. He was greatly liked by the people, because he sang to them about the com- bats of kings, or told them about the times gone by. St. Ludger told Bernlef to meet him on the morrow in a place which he mentioned ; and immediately the saint saw the blind man coming he dismounted from his horse, heard his confession, made the sign of the cros« upon his eyes, and asked him if he could see. The blind man saw first the hands of the bishop, then the trees and roofs of the neighbouring cabins, then everything around him. Bernlef was afterwards baptized, and used to sing to the people the psalms of David. — Les Fetits Bollan- distes, vol. iv. St. Macarius gives sight to a blind hyena. One of the strangest miracles connected with blindness is that ascribed to St. Macarius of Alexandria (a.d. 394). In Christian art this saint is portrayed with an hyena and its cub as his companions. The story is as follows: — One day an hyena brought her cub to St. Lawrence, and laid it at his feet. Macarius, aston- ished at the act, examined the whelp, and found that it was blind. He touched the eyes with his finger, and immediately the creature received its sight. Next da^ the grateful dam brought a sheep- skin to the hermit's cell as a free-will oifering, and Macarius wore it ever after till the day of his death, when he gave it to St. Melania. — Baring-Gould, Lives of tlie Saints (Jan., p. 33), 1877. St. Martin restores Paulinus's eyesight. St. Martin cured Paulinus, over whose eyes was grown a thick film, which not only deprived him of sight, but also put him to great pain. St. Martin merely wiped the man's eyes with a napkin, and a perfect cure was instantly etfected. — Sulpicius Severus, Life of St. Martin. St. Mayeul, abbot of Cluny, cures a blind man with the sign of the cross (a.d. 906- 994). One day as St. Mayeul was in Notre-dame du Puy-en-Velay, a blind man came and said, " I have received a revelation from St. Peter, that I shall recover my sight, if I bathe my eyes with the water in which your honour has washed your hands." The abbot severely reprimanded the man, and sent him away. PT. I.] BY MEINEAD, THURIBIUS. 47 Finding on inquiry that the man had been begging his servants to give him some of this water, he strictly forbade their doing 80. The blind man, not discouraged, waited patiently, watching on the road the abbot's return from Puy ; and, when he came to Mont^Toie, took hold of the horse's bridle, and swore not to leave go without obtaining his demand. So saying, he poured water into a basin which hung on his neck, and handed it to the saint. The abbot dismounted, blessed the water, and, dipping his fingers into the basin, made the sign of the cross on the sightless eyes, and prayed the " Mother of Mercy " to take pity on the man. *' All right ! " cried the man ; "I can see plainly ! " " Then go," said the abbot, '*and thank the Mother of Mercy who has vouch- safed to take pity on you." — Les Petits BoUandisteSf vol. v. p. 463. (See p. 45.) Blindness (1843) cured by a visit to St. Meinrad's hermitage. The following is a faithful translation from the German of the abbot Ganeval : — *' My father, Claud Alexis Ganeval, merchant of Levier, chief city of the canton in the * Departement du Doubs,' having exhausted all the resources of science and art to effect the cure of Frances Caroline, his youngest daughter, aged three years, and stone- blind for above a year, was taken by her father to the hermitage of St. Meinrad, the last week of March, 1831. The father, as a pilgrim, entered the Chapel of the Virgin at five o'clock in the morning, and besought the Virgin to take pity on his child. Instantly the child received ner sight, and her eyes were so beautiful as to attract a crowd of strangers. The child died in 1843. Thousands of persons who knew the merchant and his daughter can attest this miracle, but it will be sufficient to give one name only, that of Sa Grandeur Monseigneur Caverot, bishop of St. Die." — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. i. p. 626. Blindness cured by kissing the feet of St. Melanius's dead body (a.d. 530). When the body of St. Melanius was carried in grand procession through Rennes, a woman who was stone-blind approached the bier, and falling to the earth kissed the feet of the dead saint. Immediately her sight was restored, and she gave to the Church, as a thank-offering, all her heritage. — Gui Alexis Lobineau (a contem porary ) , Eistoire des Saintes de Bretagne, 1724. Mondana^ mother of St. Sacerdos^ recovers her sight at the death of her son (a.d. 720). Mondana, the mother of St. Sacerdos, had been blind some years before her son'i death, but being told that his dead body was on the river Dordogne on its way to Calviac, she went to meet the mournful procession ; and God, wishing to testify His love for the deceased saint, restored her sight. Thus was it that St. Sacerdos raised his father to life to bestow on him the Viaticum ; and his sainted name restored, at his funeral, sight to his blind mother, *' Heureux le pere, heureuse la mere d'un tel fils ! " — Pergot, Life of St. Sacerdos, bishop of Limoges. St. Odilo restores a nobleman's eye which had been knocked out (a.d. 962-1049). A branch of a tree, having struck a noble- man, knocked out his right eye. St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny, being applied to, effected a perfect and instantaneous cure by sign- ing the sign of thff'cross over the injured part. — Acta Sanctorum^ vol. i. Jan. 1. St. Placidus cures a blind man. St. Placidus, being in Capua, healed a blind man by making the sign of the cross upon his sightless eyes. In Sicily he restored sight to one who had been blind for eight years. — Lauren- tius Surius, Lives of the Saints (1570). St. Thierry^ the son of a peasant^ cures king Thierry^ the son of Clovis^ of partial blindness (sixth century). The sanctity of St. Thierry reached the ears of the king, whose name was Thierry, one of the four sons of Clovis. The king, being nearly blind, sent for the abbot, received him with great honour, and told him his only hope was in the prayers of the saint, and if they failed him he must lose his eyesight. The abbot fell pros- trate to the earth and prayed; then, rising to his feet, signed, in the form of a cross, the eyes of the king with holy oil, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; whereupon the king **re9ut au meme moment une parfaite gu^rison, et recouvra entiferement la vue." — Billy (almoner of the abbey of St. Thierry), Life of St. Tliierry. St. Thuribius cures a blind dumb mo»» (second century). Savina, the wife of Caianus, was a Christian, and disciple of St. Thuribius ; but her husband, a de- voted partisan of the national religion, which was idolatry, confined her in a sort of domestic prison, and used all his in- fluence to drive St. Thuribius from Mans, where he was bishop. In punishment oi this offence, God struck Caianus both blind and dumb. He now released his wife, and got her to intercede with the bishop. Savina implored St. Thuribius to cure 48 BIRTH-BLINDNESS CURED. IPt.L her huBband, and the bishop, offering Erayer on hi» behalf, obtained the petition e desired. When Caianus recovered his speech and sight, he requested to be re- ceived into the Christian Church, and was duly baptized. — Les Fetits Bollandistes, vol. iv, p. 441, Two blind men cured by St, Uhaldus (a.d. 1084-1160). A man who had been blind for four years, recovered his sight by merely kissing the hand of St. Ubal- dus. Another, who had been blind for ten years, recovered his sight by simply invoking the saint's name. — L'abbe' Hunckler, Les Saints d' Alsace. St. Valentine cures the blind daughter of judge Asterius (a.d. 268). St. Valentine was brought before Asterius, the Roman judge, to be examined and punished for heresy. When he entered the court he prayed aloud that Christ, the true Light, would give him li^ht what to say. Said Asterius, '* What is that you say ? How can Jesus Christ, the malefactor, be the true Light? " ** He is not only the true Light, "answered Valentine, " but the only Light that lighteth every one who cometh into the world." " If so," said the judge, " let me see the proof, and I will believe. I hare a daughter who has been blind <8ver since she was two years old. If your Christ will give light to her eyes, I will believe Him to be what j'ou say He is.'* The damsel was brought to St. Valentine, who put his hands on her eyes, and said, "0 Jesus Christ, who art the true Light, give light to this Thy handmaid." While he still spake, the eyes of the damsel were opened, and she saw plainly. Asterius, his wife, and daughter threw themselves at the feet of the holy man, and entreated to be re- ceived into the society of the faithful. Whereupon St. Valentine instructed them what to do, and baptized Asterius and all his house, consisting of forty-six souls. — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. ii. p. 611. St. Virgily bishop of Aries, cures a blind man (a.d. 610). A man who had been blind for fifteen years induced a subdeacon, named Fulgence, to conduct him to the porch of the basilica of St. Stephen's. "There," said he, "I shall be sure to find his reverence, when he comes from matins." When St. Virgil left the church, the blind man threw him- self on his knees, and implored the bishop to intercede for him in prayer. The i>ishop, touched by this naive confidence , implored God to' restore his sight, and, making the sign of the cross on the man's eyes, their speculation returned, and he saw plainly. St. Virgil said to him, "See you tell no man;" but the man was too full of joy to remain silent, and ere the day was over the whole city knew of the miraculous cure. — Martyro- ^9y o/ France, Revised and Augment^. InsUnces of tbe cure of blindnesa hj salnte or their relics are so numerous in tbe Aeta Sanecorun, th*t thet lOM all interest. Blindness ftom Birth mireteu- lously cured. John ix. 1-38. Jesus saw a man which was blind from his birth, and He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said to him. Go, wash In the pool of Slloam. So he went and washed, and came [back to Jesus seeing. The neighbours and they which had seen him [before], said to him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered, A man called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said to me. Go to the pool of Slloam, and wash ; BO I went, and I received my sight. Then th^'y brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime wa« bllncC and the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. He said to tliem. He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. They say to the man again. What sayest thou of Him who opened thine eyes? The man uild. He Is a prophet. Then said they, Give God th« praise. We know this man is a sinner. The man answered. Whether He be a sinner or not, I know not : one thing I do know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did He to thee? How opened He tliine eyes ? The man answered them, I have told you already, wherefore would ye hear it again? Will ye »>e His disciples? Then they reviled liim and said. Thou art His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses, but as for this fellow, we know not from whence He is. The man an- swered. Why, herein Is a marvellous thing ; ye know not whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes. Since the world began it has not been heard that a man has opened the eyes of one bom blind. If this man were not of God* He could do nothing [of the kind]. The Pharisees said. Thou wast altogether born In ■Ins, and dost thou teach us ? And they cast him out [or excommunicated him]. St. Pantaleon cures a man that tva$ born blind. This miracle and the in- cidents connected with it closely re- semble the case mentioned in the Gospel of St. John (ch. ix.). While St. Pan- taleon was talking with his father, a man who had been blind from birth entered the house. He had already spent largely upon physicians, but had received no benefit from them. Pantaleon said to the blind man, '* What will you give me if your sight is restored ? " " All that I have left," said the blind man. St. Pan- taleon said in reply, **Give some of Pt. 1. 1 BLOOD AND WATER FROM WOUNDS. 49 your substance to the poor, and I will give you sight, in the name of the Lord." Then touched he the eyes of the blind man, calling on the name of Jesus ; and forthwith his eyes were opened, and his sight was perfect. The physicians were greatly amazed, and asked the man who had given him sight. The man replied, " Pantaleon." Thereupon the physicians, out of malice, accused Pantaleon of trea- son, for giving sight to an enemy of the emperor. Maxim ianus arrested the man who had been born blind, and demanded of him how Pantaleon had cured him. The man replied, " He called on the name of Jesus, and touched mine eyes." " Who do you say cured you," demanded the emperor; " Esculapius or Christ?" The man made answer, " The physicians called on Esculapius, but my sight was not restored ; St. Pantaleon called on the name of Jesus, and now I see." The emperor remarked, "If the fellow has re- ceived his bodily sight, he must be blind in understanding to say such things." The man answered boldly, "Surely they must be blind in understanding who can see this miracle and not confess that Christ is God." " Dost thou reprove us, fellow?" said the emperor, in gi*eat wrath. " Lictors, take him hence, and put him to instant death." — Simeon Metaphrastes (tenth century). Lives, etc. St. Maur gives sight to Linus, who was horn blind (a.d. 512-584). | A^man named Linus, who was born blind, lived twelve years in the porch of St. Maurice (Agaunimi), in the Alps. When he heard that St. Maur was about to enter the church, he cried aloud, " Thou sen^ant of the living God, have mercy on me ! " St. Maur stopped, and asked the man what he wanted of him. " That I may receive my sight," said the blind man. St. Maur then touched the sightless orbs, making as he did so the gi gr^ o f t-h^ cross, and immediately his eyes were opened, i The man, overwhelmed with joy, ioiiowed St. Maur into the church, and chanted the holy service, which he had learned by heart by living so long in the porch. Faustus, who tells this story, assures us that he was told it by the man himself, and adds that the man, from the time he received his sight, con- secrated himself to the service of the altar, and survived to a very advanced age. — ^Faustus (one of St. Maur's com- panions). Life of St. Maur, St. Odilo gives sight to a man bom blind (A.D. 962-1049). St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny, gave sight to the son of one of his tenants, blind from his birth. — Acta Sanc- torum, vol. i. Jan. 1. Blindness from Demoniacal Possession cured. Matt. xii. 22. There was brought to Jesus a man possessed v/ith a devil, blind and dumb ; and He healed him, Insomuch that the blind* dumb man both spake and saw. St. Remi exorcises a blind man (a.d. 449-545). St. Remi on one occasion was at Calmaciacum, where was a man pos- sessed with an evil spirit which made him blind. The saint prayed fervently, and, the evil spirit departing, the man re- ceived his sight. — Edward Kinesraan, Lives of the Saints (Oct. 1). It will be remembered that the disciples (John ix. 2), when they brought ascertain blind man to Jesus, asked this question, *' WhlTdid sin, this man or his parent«, that he was born blind ? " Tliey ascribed blindness to sin, and all sin was supposed to be from the devU. Hence to cast out the devil, or to forgive sin, was an effectual cure of its fatal consequences. Blood and "Water from a Wound. John xix. 34. When Jesus was on the cross, one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there-out blood and water. St. Cant, St. Cantian, and St. Can- tianilla, martyrs (a.d. 290). Cant, Can- tian, and Cantianilla were the two sons and daughter of the race of Anicius, and near relatives of the emperor Carin. They were put to death for being Chrs- tians by the command of Diocletian aod Maximian. When their heads were sut off by the executioners, the blood which flowed from them was the colour of milk. Mgr. Guerinadds, " On en voit encore lea traces de nos jours, sur la pierre place'e au lieu de leur martyr." Their lives were written b}' John Chauvin ; and Pierre le Gendre has composed an heroic poem in Latin, on their martyrdom, en- titled "Cantias" (seventh centur}-^). The following is almost a literal translation of the opening verse : — Champions by the headsman smitten. Over death and hell victorious, God your names with saints hath writter. Kings and priests, enthroned and glorious. All your combats now are ended, Low the tyrants laid, all their wrath expended. A remarkable combination of initial letters. Cant, Cantian, Cantianilla; Carin'i children; chronologer Chauvin; canticle "Cantias;" Christians. Milk flowed from the neck of St, Catherirte (Nov. 25, a.d. 310). St, Catherine was tied to a wheel, but the machine broke. She was then Ow- A BONE SHALL KoT BE BROKKX. [Pt. 1 headed ; but instead of blood, milk flowed from the wound. After her head had fallen to the sword of the executioner, angels came and carried her body to Mount Sinai, where they buried it. — Metaphrastes (died 911), Lives, etc. Milk instead of blood flows from the wounds of Secundina (a.d. 257). When St. Secundina was accused of magic on account of her miracles, the voices from heaven which attested her acceptableness with God, and the power of her prayers, ner guards told her either to sacrifice to the gods of Rome, or to prepare herself for the vengeance of the law. She replied she would not sacrifice to gods which were no Gods, and as ior prepara- tion, her Saviour had already prepared everything for her. The guards roughly stripped her, tore her body in a most ghastly manner, and finally cut off her head. But what struck her persecutors was this : instead of blood gushing from her wounds, a liquor white as milk and of an enchanting odour oozed gently from her body, diffusing delicious cool- ness and medicinal balm. At length the loud voice of an angel, audible to all, exclaimed, "Come, beloved! The Spirit and the Bride say, Come ! Receive the crown prepared for you from before the foundation of the world ! " — Les Petits BollandisteSy vol. ii. p. 247. Milk, instead of blood, flows from the wounds of seven holy women (a.d. 316). Seven w^omen who followed St. Blaise after his cruel scourging, were seized by the order of Agricola, governor of Cappadocia, and, being tied to posts, were lacerated from head to foot with iron combs. " Mais, O puissance infinie du Dieu vivant ! " instead of blood, milk flowed from their wounds, and angels came from heaven to console them and heal their wounds, saying, " Fear not, but bear thus much for Christ's sake. To those who overcome will He give crowns of glory." Agricola, seeing him- self foiled, commanded the women to be cast into a fierce fire, "mais elles en furent retirees par la main du Tout-Puissant, sans en avoir 4\4 atteintes." The governor then ordered them to be beheaded, and they died praising God, who thought them worthy to suffer death for His sake. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. iii. p. 228. A Bone of Him shall not be broken. PsAL>i xxxiv. 19, 20. Many are the aflaictioiiB •I' the righteous : but the Lord deli vera th him out of them alL He keepeth all his bones: not one ot them is broken. John xix. 33-36. When the soldiers came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they brake not His legs : but one of tlie soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there-out blood and water. These things were done that the Scnpture should be fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken. Dr. John Jahn. in his A rchasologia BibUca, p. 296, says, "When there wm not a prospect that the victims crucified would die on tiie day of crucifixion, the execu* doners liastened the extinction of life by kindUng a fire under the cross so as to suffocate tlieni witli the sniolce ; or by letting loose upon them wild beasts ; or by breaking tlieir bones upon tlie cross with a mallet ; or by piercing them with a 8pe.ir." In regard to the spear the doctor says, p. 298, " In order to ascertain whether Jesus was really dead, or had only fallen into a swoon, a soldier thrust his lance into His side (undoubtedly liis left side). If Christ had not >)een already dead, a wound of tliii liind would have put iin 6iul to Hb life, as has been shown both by the physician Kschenhach and by Gruner. The part pierced was the jtericurdium, hence the lymph which accompanied the blood. Ischen- biich, Opuscula Medic, de Serwitore non appirenter, $ed vere mortuo. Gruiirr, IHatertmtio Inaug. Aledicm d^Jetu CftrUti morte vera, non »yn'jptica(\&M),'* The bones of the forty martyrs, tlwugh beaten by mallets, were not broken (a.d. 320). Agricola, governor of Lesser Armenia, having exposed the forty martyrs quite naked for three days and three nights on the ice of a frozen pond, during the severe frosts of March, com- manded the victims to be beaten with mallets that their bones might be broken, and their death accelerated. They were still alive when the ofl[icers drew up the waggons to the edge of the pond, and when they saw the waggons they sang, in the words of the psalmist, '* Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers : the snare is broken, and we are escaped, because our help is in the name of the Lord" (cxxiv. 7, 8). They were all placed in the waggons except Melito, the youngest of them, who was less exhausted than the rest. The mother of Melito was present, and when she observed that her son was left behind, she carried him herself to one of the waggons, saying, "Go, go, my son, with your companions, that you may present yourself with them before the throne of God." Their bones being beaten with mallets, the victims were cast into k fierce fire and burnt to cinders, after which the ashes were collected together and thrown into the river. But "th*. Lord did wonderful things ; though beaten with mallets, their bones were not broken ; though their ashes were toss'^d into the river, they were not dispersed ; but the faithful were enabled to collo/:t them, and they are still preserved aa sacred relics." St. Gregory of Nvs.sa Pt. I.J BOOK— BOl ND— BRAZEN SERPENT. 51 Bays, •* There are but few countries in the whole Christian universe that do not possess some of these precious ashes." In France, Paris, Lyons, Reims, Bourges, Vienne, etc., all possess some of them. — Vitce Sanctorum. (The memoir is by Metaphrastes.) Book written "Within and "Without. Rbv. v. 1-5. I saw in the right liand of Him that sat on tlie throne a book written within and without, . . and I saw a strong angel pro- claiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book ? . . . And no man in heaven, nor in earth . . . was able to open the book, nor to look thereon. And I wept because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book. ... And one of the elders said to me. Weep not : behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda . . . hath prevailed to open the book. A book written within and without handed to St, Ephrem (a.d. 378). An old man was in the spirit, and behold ! a company of angels descending from heaven, holding a book written within and without ; and they said among them- selves, *' To whom shall we present this book ? " One suggested one person, and another another, as worthy to receive it. The angels, having examined into the merits of the persons named, said with one voice, " It is true they are all saints and servants of God, but none of them is worthy to receive the book." Other names were then spoken of, but the angels cried with one accord, " The book must be given to Ephrem only, the humble of heart." And to him they handed it. The old man then hastened to the church where Ephrem was about to preach, and when he heard him he said, "The words of his lips are those of the book, written by the hand of the Holy Ghost."— St. Gregory of Nyssa, Panegyrics, Bound by the Devil. Luke xili. 11-16. There was a womai which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. When .Tesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said unto her. Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity; . . . and im- mediately she was made straight. [When the ruler of the synagogue expressed his indigna- tion that this cure was effected on a sabbath day, Jesus said]. Ought not this woman, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath ray? S^ Donatus, bishop of Arezzo, looses a governor's son^ bound by the devil. The governor of Aprcnianua went to St. Donatus and St. Hilarian, and besought them to heal his son who was bound by the devil. The holy men commanded the devil to depart ; and as he went out he yelled with a loud shriek, " Donatus turneth me out of house and home ; " but immediately he was ^one out the young man was loosed of his infirmity, and his father received him perfectly restored. — Bede, Church History (a.d. 734). The acts of St. Donatus are mentioned in almost all Roman martyrologies. St, Hilarian looses a charioteer , bound by the devil. There was at Gaza a charioteer bound by the devil, in such sort that only his tongue was left free. Being brought to St. Hilarion, he said to the man, *' Believe in the Lord Jesus, and He wilMoose thee of thy bonds." The man answered, *' Sir, I believe that God has given thee power over unclean spirits, and to heal all manner of diseases." Then said Hilarion, " My son, be it unto thee even as thou wilt ; " and immedi- ately he was made whole, botib in mind and body. — St. Jerome, Vita Sancti Hilarionis (a.d. 390). by Infirmities. (See Bowed Cripple.) Luke xiii. 11-13. There was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, so that she could in no wise lift up herself. When Jesus saw her. He said to her. Woman, thou art loosed from thine in- firmity. And He laid His hands on her : aud immediately she was made straight. Blithmundy bowed by infirmity^ cured by St, Valery (a.d. 614). Blithmund, the son of illustrious parents, was paralyzed from birth, so that he could not stand upright, but his body was bowed together. The parents, having exhausted all medical skill without receiving any benefit, car- ried the child to Leuconaus, in Picardy, where was a monastery presided over by St. Valery, and earnestly implored the saint to take pity on the child. St. Valery prayed, and then taking the child by the hand, and stroking it from head to foot, the body was made straight, and delivered to its mother. — St. Attains (a contemporary). Acts of St. Valery, Brazen Serpent. Ndmb. xxl. 4-1 1. When tue children of Israeu came to Edom, they began to weary of their wanderings, and said to Moses, Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness ? God was angry at their murmur ing, and sent fiery serpents among the peopl«^ 52 rNOT BROUGHT HIM. [Pt. I. which bit many, »nd niaiiy died. So the people repented, atid implored Moses to intercede for them. Moses did so, and God said to him, Make thee a brazen serpent, and raise it on a pole in the Bight of all the people, and say unto tLem, Whoever looks upon the serpent shall live. Moses did as the l^ord commanded ; and it came to pass, if a man bitten by a serpent looked on the brazen serpent, the bite wm cured, and the man lived. Alexander tJie Great and the burning candle. Alexander the Great placed a burning candle in the hall of his palace, and made proclamation by heralds throughout Macedonia, that **any one guilty of treason should receive free pardon if he came into the hall boldly while the candle was burning, but those who feared to come, or neglected to do BO, should suffer the extreme penalty of the law." Many believed the proclama- tion, came, and went away free; thev were courteously received, well treated, and went home penitent ; but others feared or neglected to do so, and suffered ignominious deaths. — Gesta Romanorum^ xcvi. A Raman custom in sieges. The Romans had an ancient custom, when a city or castle was besieged, of burning a lighted candle, and as long as the candle lasted they were willing to receive overtures of peace ; but immediately the candle was burnt out, the time of ^race was over. — Gesta liomanorum, xcviii. The modern cuitom is to fix a time for oTertures, and to begin active operations at tlie expiration of the time fixed. Tims, in tt»e recent Egyptian war (1881), Admiral Seymour gave Arabi the Egyptian rebel a sUted time within which he would make tenns with him ; Arabl did not capitulate within the time fixed, and the British admiral instantly opened fire. Maclan of Glencoe (1692). William III. gave the Jacobites of Glencoe to the end of December, 1692, to make their submis- sion, but those who failed to do so were to suffer the death of rebels and traitors. Maclan was prevented by a heavy fall of snow from arriving within the appointed time, and Sir John Dalrymple (the master of Stair) sent Captain Campbell to put the chief, with thirty glenmen, to death. Sir John is generally blamed for this severity, but In rebellion, treason, and war, no margin must be given, no excuse for disobedience should be admitted. Suppoee, in the case of the brazen serpent, one of tlie sufferers had •aid* "The brazen serpent exposed to the full sun is ■o dazzling that it would blind me to look at it," his excuse would not have exempted him from the penalty of disobedience ; nor would it be otherwise if he had said, "1 was going to look, but night closed in and prevented my aeeing it." Many a case may appear hard, but the mischief would be enormous if excuses were accepted. Brought Him. JoHK vii. 44-47. Some of them would have taken r«8us» but no man laid hands on Him. Then came the officers to the chief prleits and the Pharisees, who said. Why have ye not brought Him r The ofiQcers answered, Never man spake like this man. Then said th« Pharisees, Are ye also deceived ? Pastor Jaenick's anecdote. The follow- ing is a marvellous parallel, and has the merit of being historical. Pastor Jaenick related the following fact to a company assembled in the house of Mr. Eisner. While Voltaire was In Berlin, a pious clergyman in one of the churches of that city protested strongly against " that viper, and enemy of all godliness." Frederick the Great, think- ing himself insulted by this language, sent one of his generals to arrest the clergyman, and lodge him in the state prison of Spandau. The general went accordingly, and said to the clergyman, " What is it you said in your sermon to affront his majesty?' Whereupon the good man spoke to the general with so much fervour and power, that the officer returned to the king without executing the order. When Frederick said, *' Whv, general, how is it you are back so soon r" the general replied, " I could not hurt a hair of that good man if it were to cost my life. Whereupon the king replied, ** Then go back, and tell him not to meddle with the subject again." Next Sunday the clergyman again exho^d his congregation to beware of the leaven of unbelief, and the king sent another of his generals to take the contumacious orator to Spandau, adding he was not to enter into conversation with him. The roads being" bad, travelling was slow work, and the general expressed his regret at the task imposed on him. On this hint the clergyman spoke earnestly of Christ crucified, and the great danger of indifference and infidelity. The general was melted, he had no heart left him to carry out his commission, and when half- way to Spandau ordered the driver to turn the horses and drive back to Berlin. Having set down his prisoner at his own door, the general went to the king and said, "Your majesty may order me on any other service, but I cannot fight against God. I would not, to save my life, hurt a hair of that good man. In fact, I could not if I would." — Henderson, Memorials of John Venning. Ihe captain of the galleys, with a com- pany of soldiers sent to arrest Francis of Faula^ falls down before him in reverence (a.d. 1416-1507). Ferdinand I., king of Naples, 80 hated St. Francis of Paula, Pt. J.J THE BUDDING ROD. 53 fch?it he sent one of his captains, with m Qomp^ny of soldiers, to arrest him. This news threw the whole city into consterna- tion ; and the chief citizens of Naples teied to dissuade the officer from laying hands on so holy a man. The captain paid no heed to this remonstrance, but proceeded to execute the king's order. St. Francis, in the mean time, entered tht cathedral as usual, and placed himself on his knees before the high altar. The captain and his band entered the church, but failed ^.o see the saint, because God had render sd him invisible. At length he came forward, and said to the captain, * ' Whom seek ye ? " The captain, instead of arresting the saint, fell at his feet, and begged pardon for having undertaken his Commission. St. Francis raised him from the ground, and said, *' Go and tell the king that unless he, the queen, and the princes amend their lives, the vengeance of God will fall upon their house." The message being reported to the court, the king was alarmed, and ceased from all further persecution. — Father Giry, Acts of Canonization^ etc. Budding Bod. Numb. xvii. When the election of a high priest was made, the twelve tribes took each a rod, and wrote "every man's name on his rod," and God said the man of His choice should be indicated by the budding of the rod which bore bis name. When Aaron was chosen high priest the twelve tribes took twelve rods, and the tribe of Levi wrote on their rod the name of Aaron, and this was the rod which budded ; so Aaron was appointed high priest. The Virgin Mary given to Joseph by the lot of the budding rod. When Mary was of marriageable age, the young men of Judah, who were of the lineage of David, took each a rod, and deposited them in the temple, with the understanding that he was to have her to wife whose rod budded. The rod of Joseph budded, and Mary became his espoused wife. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints^ p. The stick of St. Desiderius throws out leaves (a.d. 253). The bishop of Lan- gres being dead, the Church assembled in the oratory of St. John the Evangelist tr select a successor, and God told them He j had chosen Desiderius for that higl oflSce. No such person was known to any of them, and they sent to Rome for inforniation. As the deputation were returning home, they saw near Geneva a labourer named Desiderius, driving a cart, and asked him to come and speak to them. When he dismounted, he stuck his stick into the ground ; but judge of th»r amazement when they saw the stick sliW)t forth leaves and blossoms in great abundance. It was enough. The sign was indisputable, and Desiderius the labourer was elected bishop of I^ngres, — L'abbe' Mazelin, Saints de la Haute Marne. St. Orens accepted the bishopric of Avuch^ because his stick budded (fifth century). St. Orens, a solitary living in the cleft of a rock, was chosen bishop of Auch. When the deputation waited on him he declined the honour, and, taking up his staff, was about to leave the cave, but his staff rooted itself in the solid rock, and threw out leaves and branches. St. Orens, con- sidering this miracle an undeniable indi- cation of the will of God, went with the deputation, and no sooner did he set foot in the city, than all the sick were in- stantly restored to health, no matter with what malady they were afflicted. His biographer remarks, "ce second miracle acheva de lui gagner les coeurs." — Mcn- lezun, Histoire de Gascogne. Arnaud Colomiez tells us that at death a voice from heaven said to him, "Orens, Je t'accorde tout ceque tu me demandes en faveur de ceux qui se recommanderont k toy, lesquels invoquants ton secours en toutes les in- firmit^s, tribulations d'esprit, n^essitez, et angoi-sses en seront d^livrez, et ne manqueront jamais de biens tern- porels en leur besoin." — La Vie du CHorieux St. Orent, £vesque d'A uc'i. St. Paul chosen bishop of Trois-Chd- teaux by the budding of a dry stick (fifth century). Paul of Reims, in Champagne, was the son of poor Christian parents, and followed agricultural pursuits. As he was ploughing one day, a deputation from Trois-Chateaux presented them- selves before him and asked his name. " I am called Paul," he replied. " Then you are the person we seek," said the deputation. *' The Church at Trois- Chateaux has chosen you for their bishop." "Chosen me for a bishop?" exclaimed Paul. " Get away with you ; I certainly am not the Paul you are seek- ing for. You see I am only a common labourer." "We se6," said'the deputa- tion, "that you are a ploughman; but Amos of Tekoa, the prophet, was a herdsman, and St. Peter, the prince of the apc'sitles, was but a fisherman. God is nc respecter of persons, and you, Paul, are the person chosen to be our bish(»p.'* Paul could not be persuaded that some mistaif 2 had not been made, and, picking up a dry stick, thrust it into the ground, saying, " When this dry stick buds and brings forth dowers I will believe you, 54 THE BURNING BUSH. [Pt. I. and not till then." What, however, was his astonishment when he beheld the stick covered with leaves and flowers. The deputation was overjoyed. They saw at once that God Himself confirmed their choice, and Paul could no longer refuse to follow them. — L'abbe' Nadal, Hagiographic History of Valence, An annual festival is kept in Trois-Ch&teau on Feb. 1, hi commemoration of tlie budding stick of bishop Paul, th« ploughman ; when a stick, called aiguVlado, decorated with ribbons, leaves, and almond flowers, U carried in procession. The reader, of course, will be reminded not only of Amos of Tekoa, the herdsman, but of Cincinnatus, in Koman story, called from the plough to be dictator of Rome. The tale of Abdolonymus the gardener is not quite so familiar, but those who have read QuintusCurtius (iv. ch. i.) will remember that Alexander chose this poor man to be king of Sidon. The oven peel of St. Honoris nurse becomes a mulberry tree (seventh century). When the nurse of St. Honore heard that he was made a bishop, she was putting bread into an oven, and stood stupefied with amazement. " I don't believe it — I don't believe it!" she exclaimed, and sticking the peel, which she held in her hand, into the ground, she added, ** When that takes root, I will believe my boy is made a bishop." No sooner had she spoken, than the peel became a mulberry tree, full of leaves and fruit. In refei- ence to this "miracle," St. Honore is represented in Christian art with a peel, and hence the rhyme — Saint Honors Dans sa chapell* Avec sa pelle Est honoiv. — L'abbd Corblet, Origine du Patronage Liturgique des Boulangers. Au xvi. sI6cle, on montrait encore ce m&rier dan« {"ancien logis paternel du saint 6v6que.— L'abb6 Corblet. Pope Urban's budding staff and Tann- hduser. The following is only a tale, but it is of the nature of a legend. The ritter Tannhausen was a German knight, who won the love of Lisaura, a Mantuan lady. Hilario the philosopher often conversed with him on supernatural subjects, and promised that Venus herself should be his mistress if he had courage enough to enter Venusberg. Tannhauser had no lack of courage, and accordingly started off at once on the mysterious journey. Lisaura being told thereof, killed herself. At Venusberg the ritter gave full swing to pleasure ; but after a time returned to Mftntua, and made his confession to pope Urban. His holiness said to him, " Man, you can no more hope for pardon than I can expect this staff to put forth buds." So Tannhauser fled in despair to Venus- berg again. Meanwhile the pope's staff actually did bud, and Urban sent in all directions for the ritter, but to no pur- pose. He was nowhere to be found, and never again showed his face on this earth. — Tieck, Phantasus, This tale is an allegory, designed to show the boundless mercy of God—" All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men ; " yea, even if they have lived to pleasure in the city of Venusberg. Tannhtiuser is the penitent, whose better conviction is choked by the weeds which spring up with the good seed. He quits pleasure for a season, but finding his sudden repentance a matter of suspicion, falls back a^ain into the world. Uihnn is a warning to ministers not to measure God's infinite love and mercy by the finite scope of their own judgments. Forbear to judge ; leave that to God. A dead elm^ touched by the bier of St, Zanobij bursts into full foliage (a.d. 407). The bier of St. Zanobi nappened, in pass- ing, to touch an elm tree, dead and withered to the roots from old age. Th« moment it did so the whole tree burst into leaf, and was covered with flowers. This tree was looked on by the people with such reverence, that every one coveted a piece as a charmed relic, and the tree ere long was wholly cut away. A marble pillar was then erected on the spot, with an inscription stating what has been said above. When the bier reached the doorway of St. Saviour's Cathedral, it (the bier) became immov- able, and no power of man could force it further on, till bishop Andrew promised to found twelve chaplains to chant the praises of God in the chapel designed for the dead saint. — John Tortel (archpriest of Arezzo), Life of St. Zanobi (1433). This weighting of coffins, pillars, beams, and so on. is so common, and apparently so senseless, that even Mgr. Gu^rin. chaplain to pope LeoXlll., is struck with it ; and In apology says, "Notre intention n'est pas d'imposer une croyance aveugle en faveur de tel ou tel de ces /ait$ en particulier, nxais de renvoyer a I'histoUre de la transla- tion de sainte Pbilomdne la thaumaturge denotre ^piqu*. On y verra, qu'en plein xix. si^cle, s'est op^rd plusieurs fois. en pr6sence de milliers de t^moins, ce tnira^0 4» ViinmobUUi." (This was in 1802.) Burning Bush. ExoD. iii. 1-6. Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, priest of Midian : and he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. Apd the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of tire out of the midst ot a bush : and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, ami the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses, And he said. Here am I. And the Lord said. Draw not nigh hither : put oflf thy shoes from oflF thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. And Moses hid his face ; for he ivas afraid t« look upon God. Pt. L] CAMELS' HAIR RAIMENT. 50 A burning cnurch not injured by the fire (a.d. 1230). A great fire broke out in Cologne, which burnt down many houses. St. Hermann went to render assistance, and saw a church, wholly enveloped in Lames on every side, yet not injured in the least. While gazing at this strange spectacle, he observed the Lord Jesus suspended on His cross on the roof of the church ; and immediately perceived that the flames had forborne to injure the sacred edifice, out of respect to the sacred passion and crucifixion of the Lord. In fact, the flames durst not touch the build- ing which was thus protected. This conviction was confirmed, on noticing that the cross multiplied itself, in order to protect those parts of the church which the flames from time to time threatened most. This marvellous sight filled his soul with this sacred reflection : The best way of keeping the heart from being con- sumed by earthly passions is to impress on the memory the image of Christ crucified.— Xi/(e of St, Hermann (Bollan- dists), April 7. The burning thorn-bush in the suburbs of Chalons (March 24, a.d. 1400). March 24, 1400, a shepherd on the farm of Sainte Marie, and another from Courtisol, near Chalons-sur-Mame, while keeping sheep not far from the chapel of St. John the Baptist, observed, at a little distance from where they stood, a brilliant light in the midst of a great thorn-bush. The sheep in alarm ran away ; the lambs only ventured to approach the bush ! ! Curious to know the cause of this extraordinary light, the two shepherds were drawing near, when they were so dazzled by the light that they swooned, and were a long time before they came to themselves. When they did so, they found the cause of this brilliant light was an image of the Virgin Mary holding her Son in her arms ! I The light grew stronger after sunset, and crowds ran to see it from all the neighbourhood ; and, as the place is elevated, the burning bush was seen for ten leagues round. When the pheno- menon ceased, the bishop of Chalons, at the head of his whole chapter, the neigh- bouring clergy, and an enormous crowd of the inhabitants, went in procession to the bush, and found it covered with green leaves, notwithstanding th" flames which had been seen in the midst of it. The image was still in the bush, and was carried with reverence to the chapel of St. John the Baptist. The imaee is uiqeteen incbei in lieigtit. of grey earth. tolerably modelled, and painted throughout. In the Ro. volution it was placed under the care af the curA de I'Epine, and therefore escaped demolition The bush waa cut down to give place to the church, and no one knows the exact spot where it stood, but it is supposed to hav« been where the altar is placed.— Mgr. Gu4rin (chamber- lain of Leo XIII.), Vies dm Saints (7th edit. 1880). Ex- trait d'une notice sur Notre- Dame de I'Epine by th* curd of the place. Notre-Dame des Miracles at Mauriao (i\!.D. 507). One dark night Theode- childe, daughter of Clovis, noticed in Montselis' forest a brilliant light, which shone among the trees, but injured them not. The night following it appeared again. Greatly astonished at this strange phenomenon, she went to the spot, and found, in the very centre of the light, a wooden image, as black as coal, represent- ing the Madonna and her Infant. Theo- dechilde at once commanded a chapel to be 4uiilt on the spot, and there she de- posited the image. So numerous were the miracles which proceeded therefrom, that a town, named Mauriac, sprang up in the vicinity, and the chapel was called '* Notre-Dame des Miracles." The mi- racles were for the most part the or- dinary ones, of sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, casting out devils, and curing paralytics ; but the following is less common. One morning two men, in strange costume, were found at the chapel doors, fast asleep. On waking, they were evidently puzzled to make out where they were, and how they got there. Their tale was that they were two slaves from Spain, who prayed to Notre-Dame des Miracles to deliver them, and while they slept, the Virgin must have carried them from their prison in Spain, and deposited them in Mauriac, where they were found. " Tel est le fait raconte dans I'ofiice mgme (i.e. Propre de St. Flour), et que confirment les chaines subsistantes qu'on porte en procession devant la statue miraculeuse:" — Mgr. Guerin, Vies des Saints (7th edit. 1880), vol. V. p. 424. The "chains" carried In procession can be no confir- mation of this strange tale, any more than the stone er»- cased in the coronation chair is a proof of Jacob's dream in Bethel. Camels' Hair Raiment. Matt. ill. 4. John the Baptist was the son of prayer. St. Luke says that Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth were both righteous l)efore God, walKing in all the commandments and ordi- nances of the Lord blameless ; but they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren, and they were both well stricken in j^ears. One day, as Zacharias was executing his official duties, an angel appeared to him and said. Fear not, Zacharias : for thy prayer Is heard ; and thy wife iiUisabetb shall bear thee a ton, aiid tboa shalt CAaLDRON INNOCUOUS. [Pt. 1. call his name John. And thou shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth, for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord. — This same John came preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Baron de Tott tells us that the Tartars to the present day cover their wooden huts with a coarse clotli made of camel's hair. — Memoirs, pt. ii. p. 50. Sir J. Chardin says that the n)odeni dervlslies wear garments made of camel's hair, girt about the loins with a leather girdle, and that sometimes they feed on locusts, which John the Biiptist made his usual fare. — Note on 1 Sam. xxr. 4. •#• Probably the " cilice," or hair shirt worn by the taints, was more or less in imitation of the Baptist, but it must be borne in mind that raiments made of goats' or horses' hair were not uncommon among the Hebrews, and bid ij} reference whatever to penance. St. Genulph, like John the Baptist^ was the son of prajjer^ and had his raiment of earners hair (third century). Genitus and his wife Aclia were both pious Christians, who walked in all the commandments and ordinances of Christ blameless ; but they had no child, because Aclia was barren, and they were both well stricken in years. One day, having prayed with more than usual earnestness that God would vouchsafe to give them a son, a voice said to them, " Fear not : for your prayers are heard ; and Aclia shall bear a son, and ye shall call his name Genulph. And ye shall have joy and gladness in him ; yea, and many shall rejoice in his birth, for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord." In due time the child was born, and at the age of five years was given to St. Sixtus, to be brought up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. This same Genulph, like John the Bap- tist, had his raiment of camel's hair, wliich he wore always, except when he celebrated the " Holy Mysteries," on which solemn occasions he arrayed him- self in the finest linen and most costly robes, brilliant with gold and precious stones. In the territory of Cadurci (Ca- hors) he preached the Word, and ex- horted all men to repentance and faith. The fame of his sanctity drew many unto him, and he performed many miracles in the name of Jesus Christ. — BoUandus, Acta Sanctorum^ vol. ii, p. 83, etc. Cauldron Innocuous. (See Fire L\ NOCUOUS.) Hi B. xi. 32-34. The time would fail me to tell of those who through faith stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, and out of weakness were made strong. IsA. xlii! 2. When thou passest through w ater, I will be with thee ; and through rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou I walkest through fire, thou shall not be burned ; neither shall flame kindle upon thee. The following are varieties of tlic tale told of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. lii.), q.v, St. Boniface, after numerous tortures, is ordered to be thrown into boiling pitch, but escapes unhurt (fourth century). The emperor Diocletian appointed Simpliciu«j to stamp out Christianity in Cilicia. Amongst many others, St. Boniface was brought under his jurisdiction. He was first hung with his head downwards, and his flesh torn from his bones by iron hooks ; in his horrible torture he uttered not a groan. He was then taken down, ahd, after an hour's respite, sharp spikes were driven up his nails; but still he suffered in silence. The governor, irri- tated beyond measure at this apparent insensibility, now ordered his myrmidons to force his mouth open, and pour into it hot molten lead. At thii the crowd be- came so furious, that they took up stones to throw at the governor, who fled for his life. Next day Simplicius again took his seat on the tribunal, and com- manded the saint to be thrown head fore- most into a cauldron of boiling pitch. St. Boniface made the sign of the cross, the cauldron broke into fragments, and the boiling pitch burnt terribly the exe- cutioners, but never touched the saint at all. Simplicius, out of patience, then ordered the saint's head to be cut off. As this was done the earth quaked, and all present thought the world was come to an end. — Acta Sanctoi-um (Bollandists), vol. ii. May 14. Archbishop Ado gives a different version of the last incident. He says that Simplicius caused the martyr's head to be held in a cauldron full of seething pitch, oil, and resin ; but the martyr not only received no injurj- therefrom, he did not even suffer the slightesit pain. St. Cecilia exposed in a dry cauldron set over a huge fire, and yet unhurt. After the martyrdom of her husband Valerian, the Roman governor Almachius com- manded his oflRcers to place St. Cecilia in a dry cauldron, and place the cauldron over a fierce fire, till his victim was dried to a cinder. St. Cecilia was in the cauldron a day and a night, yet **felt no woe ;" yea, she declared afterwards, that she found her dry bath "delightfully refreshing." An exe-cutioner then came with orders to cut off her head. Three times he cut across her neck with his sword, but still left it dangling on her bosom by the skin. For three days the saint lived in this state. Many came to visit her, and she spoke to them words of consolation and good hope. Among CHAINS FALLING OFF PRISONERS. Pt. I.) others came Urban, and "the blessed martyr" gave to him full directions for the conversion of her house into a church. When she had completed her directions, she rose to her knees in prayer, and in this posture fell asleep in Jesus. — Simeon Metaphrastes. (See Chaucer, Canterbury Tales: ''The Second Nun's Tale.") St. Cyprian and St, Justina unharmed in a omldron of seething pitch. In the reigr. of Claudius II. of Rome, St. Cy- pri&r and St. Justina were first torn from head to foot by hooks and harrows, and then set naked in a cauldron full of seething pitch, tallow, and other matters. But, by the grace of God, these holy martyrs felt no discomfort in their bath ; and, being taken out uninjured, they were both beheaded. — Bede (a.d. 734). See also St. Gregory Nazianzenus, Orations against Julian^ 18 (a.d. 363). St. Erasmus, bishop of Campania, set in a cauldron of boiling pitch without injury (a.d. 301). St. Erasmus, in the reign of Diocletian, was first beaten with staves, then bastinadoed with knotty clubs, and then plunged into a cauldron filled with pitch, oil, and resin. The cauldron was set on a huge fire till the mass seethed ; and yet the saint received no harm, for the very fire was in league with him. Being taken from the seething pot, he was led back to prison and laden with chains ; but God sent His angel to deliver him. Afterwards he fell into the hands of Maximian, who put on him a corselet of red-hot iron ; but this also did him no harm, and again he was taken back to prison. The God who delivered him before sent another angel to lead him out of prison, and take him to Campania. A third time was he apprehended, and this time he was martyred, but we are not told how. — Ado (archbishop of Vienne), Martyrology. St. John the Divine cast into a cauldron of burning hot oil. When St. John the Evangelist was ninety years old, the em- peror Domitian commanded him to be cast into a cauldron of boiling hot oil. The place appointed for this torture was a large open field before the Latin gate. A huge cauldron was prepared and filled with oil, pitch, and resin, which were melted over a fire of wood ; and an enor- mous crowd assembled on the spot to see the spectacle. The evangelist, no doubt, was ^ourged first, according to the usual custom, and was then led forth into the field. More fire was piled up, and the cauldron began tjp seethe and overflow ; 67 then was he taken up, and let down into the midst of the boiling mass. The flames were so fierce and high aa wholly to conceal the martyr, but the crowd distinctly heard a voice singing in the cauldron. Every one was amazed, and waited impatiently to see the end. More and more fuel was piled on the fire, till the heat was unbearable for many yards' distance, and still the voice was heard singing hymns of praise. At length the fire burnt out, and the mul- titude crowded to the cauldron, when, lo ! there sat the aged apostle in the midst, wholly uninjured. The oil., the resin, and the pitch had all boiled away, the cauldron was quite dry ; but there sat the evangelist, not a hair of his head injured, but his face beaming like the siJft, and his aged body actually invigo- rated. The officers lifted him out of the cauldron, and led him back to prison. This tale is told by St. Jerome, who lived A.D. 345-420, In Jomanum, i. p. 14 ; by TertuUian, who lived 16O-5J40, Proscriptions agairut Heretics, ch. xxxvi. ; by Eusebius, who lived 265-338 ; and has been repeated in almost all Lives of the Saints. St. Lucy, being set in a cauldron of molten lead, receives no harm therefrom. St. Lucy, by the order of Diocletian and Maximian, was plunged up to her neck in a cauldron full of boiling pitch and molten lead. Here she remained for many hours, but received no sort of harm. Being taken out, she was haled by the hair through the streets, laden with gyves and fetters. As she was dragged past the door of Germinianua, a noted image-maker, all the idols in his warehouse fell to the ground, and were broken to pieces. This was the cause of his conversion, and he was beheaded with St. Lucy the same day. — Simeon Metaphrastes (died 911), Lives of the Saints. (See also Zonaras and Evagrius.) Chains falling off Prisoners. Acts xvi. 25, 26. When Paul and Silas were at Philippi they were cast into prison, but at midnight they prayed, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, and immediately every man's bonds were loosed. Acts xii. 7. When Peter was cast into prison oy Herod, an angel came to him, and " his chains fell off from his hands." At a glance from St. Benedict of Mouat Cassino, the bonds of a prisoner are broken (a.d. 480-643). A Gothic soldier cruelly tormented a peasant for money. The peasant said he had given all he possessed into the keeping of St. Benedict. Where- upon the Goth bound him with strong cords. 08 CHASM FILLED UP. [Pt. I, and made him walk in front of his horse, and conduct him to the abbey. They found the abbot alone, reading ; and the Goth, in a bullying tone, cried aloud, "Up, up, I say ! give this fellow the money he has teft with you." The saint, quite imper- turbable, went on reading, but in a few minutes glanced at the peasant. The instant his eye was fixed on the captive, the strong cords broke like tow, and left the man free. The Goth was frightened, and throwing himself at the feet of the man of God, implored his pardon. St. Benedict never spoke a word, but went on with his book. After a few minutes' silence, the saint very quietly said to one of the brothers, '*Give them to eat, and let them go." The bully was thoroughly cowed, and the peasant's money remained in safe custody. — St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues^ bk. ii. Chains of St. Chrisantus crumble into dust. When St. Chrisantus was cast into f)rison by the Roman tribune, he was oaded with gyves and fetters, and the floor of the prison was covered with foul and stinking things ; but, in the sight of the officers, the irons which they had used to bind him with turned to dust, and the stench which filled the cell was converted into a fragrant perfume. Verinus and Armenius, priests of St Stephen, pope and imr^, wrote the Li/e of St, Chrittintua; and Meta- phrastfis ex;miided It, Chrisantus is mentioned In the Moman Martyrology ; In the Martyrology of Usuardua ; and lu Surius, Live* of the SainU, vol. v. St^ Eleutherius released from prison by an an^el (a.d. 531). A contagion having broken out in Toumai, the people ascribed it to St. Eleutherius, the despiser of their gods. A company of soldiers was sent, therefore, to apprehend him, and he was cast into prison. At night the angel of God came to him, his chains fell off, the prison doors opened of their own accord, and the angel conducted him to Blandain. The governor of Toumai, convinced by this miracle that the Christian's God is the one true God, prayed St. Eleutherius to return to the city. This did he, and the same day the saint received into the fold 11,000 souls by baptism.— X^s Petits BollandisteSy vol. ii. p. 600. Chasm filled up. Mottius Curtius^ B.C. 362. We are told m Riiman story that a vast chasm, from Bome unknown cause, appeared in the Roman forum, and the soothsayers de- clared it would never be filled up, till Rome threw into it its best treasure. MettiusCurtiussaid, Rome's best treasure is a self-sacrificing devoted patriot; and mounting on his charger he leaped into the gulf, which immediately closed over him. — Valerius Maximus, Ve Factis Die- tisque MemorabUibus Civk nine books). A gully and hog filled up by the body of St. Leo (third century) . St. Leo, passing by the temple of Fortune, at Patara, in Lycia, saw it illuminated with lanterns, and broke as many as were within his reach. The governor ordered him to be brought before him, and asked why he had pro- faned the temple, and dishonoured the emperor. St. Leo replied that Fortune was no deity, and added, " There is but one God, the Creator of heaven and earth.'* The governor said, '* You are not here to preach Christianity, but to answer your indictment." As Leo persisted in dis- avowing the gods, the governor ordered him to be scourged, and then to be dragged over rocks and stones till he was dead. After death, his body was thrown from a precipice into a deep chasm or gully, the bottom of which was a dangerous bog, and immediately the chasm closed upon it, and the bog became firm ground, over which persons could walk without the least danger. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum^ vol. ii. February. (Alban Butler gives the life of St. Leo, with but little mutila- tion.) Christ accused of Satanic In- fluence. Mark ill. 23-30. The scribes which came down from Jerusalem said [of Christ], He bath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth He out devils. St, Maur accused of sorcery (512-684). After St. Maur had done many wonder- ful works at Glanfeuil, the devil inspired three artisans to accuse him of sorcery, giving out that he had come there only to make his fortune by deluding the people with false miracles ; but God signally punished these calumniators. The devil entered into them all, and tormented them with excruciating tor- tures, under which one of the three died. St. Maur, instead of rejoicing, prayed earnestly that God would pardon them. His prayer was heard, for God not only drove out the devil from the possessed, but also raised the dead man to life. St. Maur then bade them leave the neigh- bourhood, lest their presence should keep alive in memory the miracle which had been wrought. — Faustus (a companion of St. Maur), Life of St. Maw Ft. L] CHRIST AS A CHILD. 59 t. 1 We see In this the readiness of the " faithful " to believe in Uie miraculotiB. There is no shadow of proof that this beggar was anything niore tlian a human being. Another thought suggests iteelf. Is It possihle that the word •• angels " U iiaed In the sains Fense «• in the Revelation, where the minitters of the Asiatic Churclies are called ' ' angels ; " or does the word mean simply meuengertt That the word wai generally considered to mean "spirits from heaven" there can be no doubt, but the oriKinal bio- grapher may have simply adopted a term of Biblical authority, without the least intention of misleading. St. Gregory the Great^ feeding the poor, > had Christ for his guest (a.d. 640-604). Tlie charity of St. Gregory the Great was oiost exemplary. At every meal he had some beggars at his table. One day before the meal began he wished to give a beggar some water to wash in, but while he was absent the beggar vanished. During the night the Saviour came to him, and said, *' Ordinarily you receive Me in the poor who assemble at your board, but to-day you received Me personally." [Membra prius quasi me euscepisti, sed hodie me.] Another instance. On another occasion St. Gregory commanded his almoner to bring twelve poor men to his table, but wlien he sat down he noticed there were thirteen guests. He called his almoner and told him he had exceeded the number ; but the almoner replied, his holiness had commanded him to furnish twelve guests, and twelve only were assembled. St. Gregory saw at once there was some mysterj^ and kept his eye upon the thirteenth. He observed that the figure and countenance of this guest was con- stantly changing : at one time he looked like a child, then a young man, and last of all as a very old man. After the meal was over he called the mysterious stranger to him, and asked his name. *'Why would you know my name?" said the stranger ; "it is unutterable. I am an nngel, sent by God, to tell you how highly He approves of these acts of charity." Gregory now fell at his feet with his face to the earth, and said, " If God approves of such small services, I can well conceive how He will approve of greater. And henceforth I will increase my charities a hundredfold." And so he did. (See St. Julian, next col.) — John the deacon. Life of St. Gregory the Great (twelfth ctntury), written at the express command of pope Leo VIII. St, John of St. Facond gives the best of nis coats to a "beggar (a.d. 1430-1479). St. John of St. Facond was a native of Sahagun vas a very great saint. One day a naked beggar met him, and asked alms in the name of God. John had on two garments. and gave the better of them to the beggar At night he received a celestial visit sc extraordinary, that his whole heart and soul seemed filled with ineffable delight. "God only knows what I felt," said John, '• but such a fulness of joy I never felt before, and its remembrance will abide ^ith me for ever." — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. p. 616, June 12. St. Julian, bishop of Cuenga, entertains Christ amongst his pauper guests (a.d. 1207). St. Julian, bishop of Cuen^a, was accustomed to give dinner to several paupers every day. On one occasion there appeared at his table one more meanly clad than the rest, but his face and bearing showed he was no mean person. St. Julian took him aside, after the meal, and inquired into his ante- cedents ; when the pauper replied, " My dear Julian, I thank you for your hospi- tality to the poor, and promise you eternal life. Be well assured that whatever you do to the least of these My brethren, ye do unto Me." So saying, He vanished from human sight, and St. Julian knew it was the Lord. (See St. Gregory.) — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum, Jan. 28, vol. ii. St. Martin parts his cloak voith a beggar, St. Martin, at the age of eighteen, while serving in the Roman army, was stationed at Amiens during a very severe winter. One bitterly cold day, when many perished with cold, marching through the city they came upon a poor naked beggar, shaking and pinched. Martin, like all the other soldiers, was in armour, but over his steel he had a large military cloak. As none of his companions took notice of the beggar, Martin cut his cloak in two with his sword, and gave half of it to the beggar, the other half he threw over his shoulders as a scarf. Some of his companions laughed at him, but others felt ashamed that with larger means they had not relieved the vagrant. At night, Christ showed Himself to Martin in a vision. He was dressed in the parted cloak, and asked Martin if he recognized the garment, adding, " What is done to the poor in My name is done unto Me." Martin now resolved to be baptized, to leave the army, and devote the rest of his life to the service of Christ. Another example. This act was repeated, with modifications, when St. Martin was bishop of Tours. Being about to say mass, a poor naked man asked alms of him, and St. Martin bade his archdeacon go and buy a garment for the vagrant I*T. l.j CHURLISHNESS. 68 The archdescon was so loirg gone, that Martin took off his own garment and gave it to the man. The archdeacon returned after a time, bringing a cheap, coarse, scant garment, which the bishop put on, and proceeded to say mass. As he elevated the host his arms were quite bare, but angels covered them with plates cf g"old. Hence arose the custom in some churches of putting nfianiples of silk or other delicate textures over the alb. (See UiiOTHsr. Giles, p. 61.) — Sulpicius oeverus. Dialogues^ ii. (Fortunatus says tte bare arms of the saint were covered with emeralds, and that the woid ' ' chapel " is derived from this little cape or zapella.) Feter the hanker and his dream ( a. d. 6 1 9) . St. John, patriarch of Alexandria, used to tell the following anecdote as a veri- table fact. Peter the banker was governor of all Africa. He was immensely rich, but so niggardly that he was nicknamed " Peter the Miser." One day a poor man, watching his opportunity, applied to him for bread, at the very moment the baker was delivering bread at his gate. Peter was present, as usual, to see the tale of bread delivered, and the beggar craved a loaf, pleading hunger. The banker was very savage, but, unable to refuse the man, flung a loaf at his head, with an oath. The beggar picked up the loaf, and showed it to his companions as a curiosity. Two days afterwards the banker fell ill, and saw in a vision the Ethiopians collecting into a scale all his misdeeds and shortcomings, and into the other scale his one act of charity, the loaf flung at the beggar with a cur&e. It was a frightfully light weight, and Peter woke in alarm. He now resolved to increase his credit, and give largely to the poor. Accord- ingly, next day he gave his coat to a naked beggar, bidding him keep it for his use. The beggar, however, immediately sold the coat, and the banker felt greatly annoyed. On his way home, Jesus Christ Himself met Peter ; He was clad in the very garment given to the beggar, and He said, "Peter, what you give to the poor in My name, you give unto Me. Seek neither gratitude nor glory in this world; your reward is in the world to come." So saying, He vanished out of sight. The miser was now thoroughly converted, and not only gave all that he had to the poor, but himself also to the service of Christ. — Leontius (bishop of Naples), Life of 8t. John the Almoner, St. Philip Berruyer^ archbishop of BourgeSy and his valet «*/ v themselves to clothe two naked beggars (a.t>. 1264). One day in midwinter, as Philip Berruyer, archbishop Of Bourges, was visiting his diocese, a beggar more than half naked asked alms of him. The archbishop, retiring out of sight, stripped himsc'f of his under garments, and gave them to ^he beggar. He had not gone far before another pauper accosted him, worse clad than the former. The primate, turning to his valet, asked him to assist in clothing this miserable creature ; and the valet, desirous of imitating his master, stripped off his under garments, and gave them to the beggar. This occurred in the vicinity of Vierzon, in Berri. —Les Petits Bollandistes (a.d. 1880), vol. i. p. 243. St. Zita lends her master^s cloak to a kpoor man, who proves to be Christ or an ' angel (a.d. 1218-1278). St. Zita was a servant-maid in the family of Signora Fatinelli. One Christmas night, when the cold was intense, and Zita was about to go to church, her master offered to lend her his cloak, but told her to take care of it, and not leave it behind. " Never fear, sir," she replied ; " I will take the greatest care of it." At the church door, Zita saw a poor man more than half naked, shaking with cold. " What's the matter, friend?" said Zita. The poor man touched the cloak, and looked wist- fully into Zita's face. It was too much ; the poor girl took off the cloak, and, casting it round the beggar, said to him, " Here, take this cloak till the service is over, but be sure to give it me back, for it is not mine." After the service, she went to look for the beggar, but he was nowhere to be found, and with fear and trembling Zita returned home. Her master was very angry ; but in the midst of his scolding the beggar was seen coming up the steps. He gave Zita the cloak, thanked her for the loan of it^ and vanished out of sight. Every one said the beggar was either Jesus Christ or an angel, and ever after the church door, where Zita encountered him, was called "The Angel's Door." — Acta Sanctorum (Papebroeck, the Bollandist), April 27 p. 497. ChurHshness. 1 Sam. XXV. Nabal was a very rich man, and when David was a fugitive in Padan, he sent ten young men to Nadab to assist bim with a ^'ft. but Nadab replied cliurlishljr. Who 13 David? and who is the son of Jesse? S' all 1 take my bread, and my water, and my flesh slain for my shearerg, and givo to men 64 CLOAKS USED FOR RAFTS. LPt. 1. whom I know not? So the young men re- turned and told David. And David was very angry, and would have fallen on the possessions of :Nadab and taken them by force, but Abigail (Nadab's wife) appeased his wrath with a timely present and soft words. ISA. xxxii. 1, 8. The instruments also of the churl are evil But the liberal deviseth liberal things ; and by liberal things shall he stand. Matt. v. 42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. The governor of Bayeux punished for his churlishness (fifth "century). When St. Germanus of Scotland was in France, he passed from La Hogue to Bayeux. Here he sent to the governor for a supply of food for himself and his companions, but the request was churlishly refused. Whereupon all the wine-tubs in the governor's cellar "se trouvferent ^puis^s jusqu'k la dernibre goutte." The con- traiy happened to another gentleman, named Gantius, who readily answered his appeal— "il re9ut, pour sa recompense, une abondante b^ne'diction sur toute sa famille ; " but the historian does not particularize the nature of this blcBsing. — Corblet, Hauioijraphie d' Amiens. St. Antony punished for churlishly refusing Macartus a palm-branch (a.d. 306-395). One day St» Antony had collected some beautiful palm-branches, and Macarius asked him to give him one. "Thou shalt not covet thj' neighbour's goods," was the churlish reply, and im- mediately all the branches withered and dried up, as if they had been passed through the fire. St. Antony, amazed at this miracle, confessed that Macarius was beloved of God, and was a chosen vessel of His Anointed. — Les Petits Bollandistes (1880), Jan. 2. A sister of Pharalldis refused to give alms of bread., and all her bread became stones. A woman begged bread for a hungry child of a sister of Pharaildis, but she replied, "I have none to give you ; in fjict, there is none in the house." The poor woman became more urgent, but the sister persisted that there was none in the house. Then said the woman, "If there is any in the house, may St. Pharaildis cnange it into stone." There were loaves in the house, and they were all converted into stones. In com- memoration of this miracle, St. Pharaildis is represented in Christian art with loaves of bread. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, vol. i. pp. 60, 61. Cloak-raft. 9 Kings ii. 8. El^ah took his mantle and, wrapping it together, smotp the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over Jordan on dry ground. St. Bernardin makes a ferry-boat of hii cloak (a.d. 1380-1444). St. Bernardin, having to pass a river in order to get to Mantua, where he was about to preach, could not induce the boatman to ferry him across, because he had no money. In this dilemma he threw his cloak on the surface of the river ; and, without so much as wetting it in the least, sailed on it across the stream. — Barnaby of Siena (a contemporary), Life of St. Bernardin. St. Francis of Paula sails on his cloak over the straits of Messina (a.d. 1416- 1507). When St. Francis of Paula was about to visit Sicily, he stopped a few minutes at the ferry opposite the pharos of Messina. The straits of Messina, ever}' one knows, are famous for the Gulf of Charybdis and the rock called Scylla. The poets used to say, if a navigator was lucky enough to escape the dangers of the gulf, he was almost sure to run foul of the rock. Well, being on the spot, St. Francis asked a ferryman to take him and his companions across for nothing. The ferryman laughed at the request, and seemed inclined to strike the saint. St. Francis made no moreadc, but simply^ threw his cloak in the sea, and, jumping on it, bade his six disciples follow his example ; and all seven sailed on this cloak across the strait. The sea trembled, but the saint did not tremble ; the waves respected and the winds obeyed him. Scylla and Charybdis, which threatened nobler barks with destruction, honoured this novel bark, " et Ton dit meme que, depuis ce temps-Ik, la mer y a ^t^ plus calme." The seven voyagers reached Messina in safety, where an enormous crowd was assembled, and received the saint as if he had been an angel sent from heaven. This marvellous tale is attested in th« acts of his canonization by many witnesses. The ferryman's name was Peter Colossus. We are told he acknow- ledged his fault in refusing to ferry the saint over the strait, and used to go to the church at Messina every day to bewail his folly, which deprived him of the honour of giving passage to so great a man. St. Isidore's wife crossed the river Xamara on a cloak. St. Isidore's wife was accused to him of infidelity, and said to her husband, " I perceive, my beloved, by your countenance that this slander Pf. I.] CLOUDY PILLAR— COCK CROW. distresses you ; but I am innocent. In proof whereof I am read}' to pass over this river, the Xamara, trusting to God to clear me of this foul imputation." So Baying, in the presence of her husband, several ecclesiastics, and hundreds of her neighbours, she spread her cloak upon the river, sat down upon it, and crossed over and back again in perfect safety, without even being wetted. This life of St. Isidore, in Spanish, is vouched for by the highest authority ; and Philip of Castile and Aragon gave letters-patent to John Heigham to print and publish it The " letters " are signed by Da Groote, and the book was printed at Brussels, June 18, 1625. It seems to me that the incident would prove the woman's "lightness," if it proved anything. St Raymund of Pennaforte sailed some 160 miles on his cloak (a.d. 1275). Kirg James was living in adultery with a lady of the court, and refused to dissolve the union, at the earnest entreaty of St. Raymund. The man of God declared that he would no longer abide in the court, a witness to such an open violation of God's law ; but the king strictly for- bade any shipper, under pain of death, to convey Raymund across the water in his vessel. In this dilemma the holy man spread his cloak upon the water, and jumping thereon, held up on his staff one corner of the cloak for sail, and in this way was wafted to Barcelona, a distance of fifty-three leagues. On reaching shore ne drew his cloak after him, found it was not even damp, and threw it across his shoulders. This "miracle" had so great an effect on the king, that he instantly dismissed his paramour, and lived a life more in accordance with Christian decency. (This incident is mentioned in the bull of his canonization, 1601.)— Leandre Alberti's Life of St, Raymund. (The miracles of St. Raymund fill sixteen folio pages of the BoUandists.) Cloudy Pillar. PSALM xcix. 7. [God] spake to them in the cloudy pillar. ExoD. xxxiii, 9. It came to pass, when Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the taber- nacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. ExoD. xiv. 19, 20. When Moses and the children of Israel came to the Red Sea, the angel of the Lord, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them, and it was a cloud of darkness to Pharaoh and his host, but gave light by night to Moses and the Israelites. St. Cadoc and the band of robbers (sixth century). When a band of robbers came to pillage Llancarvon, in Wales, St. Cadoc went against them with his monks, harping and singing. As they drew nigh, St. Cadoc and his monks were bathed in celestial light, but the robbers were en- veloped in such thick darkness that they turned back, and left the monastery un- molested. — Rees, Lives of the Cambrc- British Saints. God speaks to St. Basilissa out of the fiery pillar (a.d. 313). The emperor Maximinus II. renewed in the East the persecution set on foot by his predecessors Diocletian and Maxim ian, and the saints had a fearful looking forwards before them. It was at the beginning of this reign God told Basilissa that her husband Julian would pass through much tribula- tion before he entered int* glory, but that she herself would be taken from the evils coming on the saints. Basilissa, who was the superior of a large convent, told her " daughters " what had been revealed \o her, and exhorted them to purify them- selves, and trim their lamps, that they might be ready to meet the Bridegroom at whatever hour He might come. As she thus spake the ground shook under her, and a pillar of fire appeared, from the midst of which the voice of the Almighty spoke, saying, *'A11 these virgins, Basilissa, of which you are the superior, are beloved of Me. Come, ye blessed, and enjoy the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." This warning was not in vain, for Basilissa and all her saintly daughters, to the number of a thousand or there- abouts, died within six months ; and * scarcely had they been gathered into God's garner, when the fire of persecution broke out with great vehemence, and Julian, with most of his companions, witnessed the faith with their blood. — Les Petits Bollandistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. i. p. 235. Cock Crow. Matt. xxvi. 75. And Peter wmemberea the word of Jesus, which said, Belwr^c the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice^ And he went out, and wept bitterly. (Marl, says, " Be- fore the cock crow twice," etc.) Torello the hermit called to repentance by the crowing of a cock (a.d. 1282). Torello of Tuscany was broajht up by pious parents in the fear of the Lord, and in youth was a mode.' of piety ; but his father dying when*he was budding into manhood, he was led astray by evil com- panions, and lived a most disaolute life. One day while he was playing at bowls, a cock jumped on his shoulder and bej?an to crow. It seemed to Torello to COMPACTS WriH SATAK. [Pt. I. Bin/ " It is time to shake off the sleep of ' This it did thrice, and Torello was so profoundly impressed, that he im- mediately quitted his companions, went straight to the abbey of St. Fido, and with tears in his eyes begged to be admitted as a lay brother. The request was granted, and Torello soon showed himself so exemplary in all Christian duties, that *'savie sainte lui merita les faveurs celestes." — Les Petits Dollandistea (7th edit. 1880), vol. ill. p. 461. Compacts with Satan. (See Devil defeated.) Matt. vlil. 28-32. When Jesus was come to the country of the Qergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man could pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying. What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God ? art Thou come to torment us before the time ? Now there was a good way off from them a herd of swine feeding ; so the devils besought Him, saying, If Thou cast us out. Buffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And Jesus said. Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine; and, lo! the whole herd of Bwine ran violently down the steep into the sea, and perished in the waters. Giles of Portugal makes a compact with the devil (a.d. 1190-1266). [We have all read about men making compacts with the devil, and the tale of Dr. Faustus has been repeated in prose, rerse, and drama times out of mind ; but this biography of Giles of Portugal is given in all good hagioo^raphies, not as a tale, but a serious historic fact. It stands in the Acta Sanc- torum of the old Bollandists, and is re- peated as authentic history by Mgr. Gue'rin, chamberlain of pope Leo XI II., in the Petits BoUandistes (1880). Pope Benedict XIV. gives his sanction to the story, and the ancient journal of the kings of Portugal makes mention of this son of Vagliaditos, counsellor of his Majesty Sancho I. of Portugal. These remarks are necessary to show that what follows is accepted, not as a ] mere tale or legend, but as a serious and undoubted historic fact.] Egidius, or Giles, was the son of a Por- tuguese magnate, and, being the third son, was, according to Portuguese custom, destined for the Church, and in due time was admitted into the university of Coimbra. Here he greatly distinguished himself, and ultimately started for Paris to study medicine. On his road thither a person of tall stature and large bone accosted him. "Seignior," said the stranger, " good day. You have a long journey before you." ** Yes," said Giles ; " I am* going to Paris." " Exactly so," said the stranger ; " to study medicine, if I mistake not." Giles, greatly surprised that this stranger should know so much about him, expressed his astonishment; but the stranger remarked, " Oh, I know all the secrets of men's hearts, and can teach you to do the same, if you art willing to learn." The bait was too tempting to be rejected by a young student, and he at once closed with th« offer; whereupon the devil took him up as easily as if he had been a straw, and carried him to a high mountain, which opened of its own accord, and admitted both into an enormous cavern. Here Satan presented Giles with a schedule con- taining the terms of the contract. Satan was to teach Giles all the sciences known to man, and give him wealth as much as he desired, and Giles was to consign his soul to Satan, both in this life and in that which is to come. Having agreed to the bond, he opened a vein and signed it with his blood. He remained in the cavern seven years, learning diabolic secrets, and was then set at liberty to enjoy amongst men his wonderful know- ledge, and give full fling to his passions. Amidst all his carnal affections and diabolic pursuits, he never forgot the Virgin Mary, and was constantly repeat- ing his Ave Maria ; for^ amidst all his wealth and honour and self-indulgence, he was far from happy. One day, when the devils were more pressing than usual, he cried aloud, " Mary, save me I " The devils fled in affright, and voices in the air cried, "Allelujah! thou art saved ! " Egidius now burnt all his books, broke his alembics, and went to Valence, where he entered a monastery of the Dominican order, and for seven years was distinguished for his fastings, long Drayers, silence, tears, and penances, whereby he won the esteem of all the brothers ; and one night, while he was at prayer, the Virgin Mary brought him back the compact which he had signed. From this moment he was noted for his ecstasies, his miracles, and his preaching. After being looked on as the first of men, the honour of his order, and the favourite of the Virgin, he died the death of the righteous, in a.d. 1265. (See St. Theo- PHILU8 BREAKS HIS COMPACT WITH Satan, p. 94.) St. (xregory " Thaumaturgus ' gives Satan a diploma. St. Gregory, s\irnamed CONsmtED BUT NOT DIMINISHED. PtA,] *' Thaumaturg^us," cleared the temple of Apollo of "a huge company of devils ;" and when, next morning, the heathen priests were about to enter for their daily administration, they were met at the doors with the most hideous yells ; the devils clamouring, "We cannot enter with yod now, because Gregory has driven us out." They then told the priests which road the thaumaturg had taken, and where they would find him. So the priests and devils started together, and soon overtook him. Like the image- makers of Ephesus, they heaped abuse on him for spoiling their craft, and taking away their gains. St. Gregory answered them mildly, and asked for a writing tablet. When it was handed to him, he wrote on it these words : " Gre- gory to Satanas, enter ; " and, handing it to the priest of Apollo, told him to lay it on their altar, and with this diploma the devils returned into the temple, and the priests continued to give responses as before. — St. Gregory of Nyssa, Lives of Saints (a.d. 330-396). This is one of tlie most marvellous stories in the legends of the saints, and it is most perplexing to understand in what the merit of the act consists. Cer- tainly the licence given to the devil was not for the glory of God, and it looks very like a compromise with evil, to save personal inconvenience. St. Wodoal suffers the devil to abide in the river Aisne (a.d. 700). St. Wodoal was a native of Ireland, who went to Gaul, where he was generally called St. Vou^. At the time when he lived the devil possessed great power at Soissons, and carried off a thirteenth part of all those who passed down the " rue du Mont-Revers." St. Wodoal, resolved to put an end to this frightful state of affairs, marshalled the people, and com- manded them to pass him one by one. The first twelve passed, and nothing occurred ; when the thirteenth came up, Satan put in his claim, but St. Wodoal cried aloud, "Avaunt thee, Satan! Off with thee to hell, thy own abode." Forced to obey, the devil besought the saint not to cast him into the pit, but to grant him a dwelling-place less wretched; so St. Wodoal told him he might betake himself to the river Aisne, below the Tower Lardier. Ever after, a priest used to go every year to conjure the devil not to quit the tower. (Un pretre alia tous les ans conjurer le de'mon dans cette tour, ou il avait etabli sa re'sidence.) — L'abbe' P^cheur, Annales du Diocese de Soissons. Constantine and Asoka (the 67 parallelisms between them). (See Cross IN THE Sky.) Asoka, king of Megadha, the prototype of Constantine. The resemblance between Buddha and Christ, Buddhism and Chris- tianity, Asoka and Constantine, is so marvellous, that though history is pro- verbially known to repeat itself, yet no repetition of all history is more striking than this. Buddha, we are told, had an immaculate conception and miraculous incarnation. Buddha was said to be omniscient. Buddha worked miracles. Buddha had to struggle with the power of evil in the jungle of Uvuvela. Buddha was visited in infancy by wise men. The number in the case of Christ is not given, but those that visited Buddha were five. Continuing this repetition : Constantine ^ived about three hundred years after Christ ; Asoka lived about three hundred years after Buddha. Before the battle of Rubra, the Christian religion had been run down by frightful persecutions ; but Constantine, after his conversion, became its nursing father, and the religion of Christ spread rapidly in all directions. So Asoka, king of Magadha, began by being a relentless persecutor of the Buddhists ; but, being converted " by a miracle," he became a most zealous defender of the Buddhist faith. Like Constantine, he built religious houses, endowed viharas or monasteries ; and, under his fostering care, Buddhism spread rapidly in all directions. The life and gospel of Buddha may be seen in Mr. Rhys Davids' Buddhism. Eug6ne Burmouf and Professor WilaoD fix the advent of Buddha B.c. 600. Consumed but not diminished. (See Elijah and the Widow op Zarephath.) I Kings xvii. 14. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel u>f meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruise of oil fail, till the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. The candles burnt on the tomb of Euaher diminished not (a.d. 738). The body of St. Eucher was deposited in the abbey church of Orleans, and it was observed that the candles which burnt on his tomb dimin- ished not in burning, and that the oil of the lamps multiplied itself sensibly, and cured many afflicted with sundry diseases. — Les Fetits Bollandistes, vol. ii. p. 605. The candles set before the Lady at Arras never diminish. " The candles thatbume before the blessed shrine of our T^dy at Arras, doe burne without wasting or diminution, without receaving any addi- 68 CONVERSBDNS IN LARGE NUMBERS. [Pt. I. tion of matter to feede and preserve the light." — S. Ilarsnet (afterwards arch- bishop of York), Fopish Imposture (1604), p. 105. The candles burnt by St. Grande before the image of the Virgin wasted not (a.d. 1546-1600). John Grande was a native of Carmona, in Andalousia. He was an acolyte in the parish church, whose duty- was to light the candles on the Virgin's altar. He used in boyhood to prostrate himself so long before the image, that the sacristan scolded him for wasting the candles by his long prayers. " Blame me not," said the boy ; "do you not see that the candlrs, though they burn, diminish not? " The sacristan took minute observation, found it was even so, called others to witness, and the boy was ac- counted a young saint. — Les Petits Bollan- distesy vol. vi. p. 434. The lamp of St. Genevieve in St. Denis burns perpetually^ but the oil is not diminished. Mgr. Gue'riu, chamberlain of pope Leo XIII., tells us there is a lamp in St. Denis's Church before the shrine of St. Genevieve, the oil of which is always consumed but never diminished in quantity. This standing "miracle" is still more noteworthy, in that the priests constantly take of this oil for remedial purposes. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. i. p. 100. The wax candles of St Hermannf though consumed^ diminished not (a.d. 1230). When St. Hermann said mass he was generally in an ecstasy, and remained in silent prayer long after others ; some- times for three hours or more. Com- {)laints were made against him for need- cssly wasting the wax candles ; but it was proved beyond a doubt, that however long he remained ravished in communion with his God, the wax candles never burnt further than if they had been used for thirty minutes. Another thing was also proved beyond a doubt, viz. that although his infirmities were very great, they all left him the moment he ascended the »ltar. — Life of St. Hermann (Bollandists), April 7. St. Lidwina gives divers gifts which were not diminished by being consumed (a.d. 1380-1433). St. Lidwina was very chari- table, and her Spouse, Jesus Christ, wishing to show the world how greatly He approved of her liberality, made her gifts self -renewing. Thus, when she gave a fore-quarter of beef to thirty poor families, they fed daily on the meat, but the quantity never diminished. When she put a little wine in a bottle for a poor epileptic woman, the wine increased and filled the whole bottle. One of her brothers, who had charge of the family, died in debt. Lidwina, having some money for alms, put it into a purse, and told one of her relatives, named Nicholas, to pay off the debts. The whole amount of money that Lidwina put into the purse was eight francs ; but, after paying all the debts, the purse con- tained above forty francs, which was dis- tributed to the poor. The family called the purse La Bourse de Dieu. — Life of St. Lidwina. (Her life was compiled by John Gerlac her cousin, and John Walter her confessor.) See Acta Sanctorum by the Bollandists, April 14, vol. ii. p. 287. It is not according to our notions of honesty for Lid- wina to pay off her brother's debts with alms-inoney. If secretaries of religious or charitable societies did so in England. I suspect our magistrates would be down upon them pretty severely. Conversions in Large Num- bers. (See in Index.) After the three years' ministry of Christy with twelve apostles and seventy disciples as fellow-workers, and the power of miracles possessed by all^ we read (Acts i. 15), "The numbers of names together were about an hundred and twenty [converts]." After the preaching of Peter and the apostlSs on the day of Pentecost, we read (Acts ii. 41), "And the same day there were added unto the disciples about three thousand souls." Isa. Ix. 8. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their windows ? Conversions by St. Vincent Ferrier (a.d. 1357-1419). Let no one feel astonished that the preaching of St. Vincent Ferrier was with such power of the Holy Ghost, that whole nations were bom in a day. Thus we read of eighteen hundred Moors and Turks being converted by him ; of twenty-five thousand heretics and schis- matics being won by him to the true faith ; of countless thousands of peasants, ignorant of true religion as the heathen, taught the way of salvation more per- fectly ; of idiots and children taught to make the sign of the cross, and to repeat the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, the Ave, and g the Salve regina, and even to invoke the all-hallowed names of Jesus and of Mary. He won from their evil ways more than a hundred thousand evil livers ; he made many and many women of shameless character sinless as the saints in light ; finally, preaching at Tortosa against Benedict XIII., the schismatic pope, h« Pt. I.] CORNELIUS— CRIPPLES HEALED. 69 won over q[ueen Margaret, widow of don Martin, king of Aragon, who entered into the convent of Barcelona, and there ended her days in the practice of true humility and repentance. — Mgr. Gue'rin (1880), Vies des Saints^ voL iv. p. 230. Cornelius the Centurion. Acts x. 1-6. There was a certain man in Caeparea, called Cornelius, a centurion of the. Italian band, a devout man, and one that feared God. He saw in a vision evidently, about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God, saying to him, Cornelius, thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, and he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. An angel appears to St. Patrick. St. Patrick, in his Confession, says, " I was profoundly ignorant, and hated study from boyhood. A free and open life in the fields was my delight. But being made a captive, and sent to keep sheep, a desire of prayer came over me, and I passed whole days, and sometimes whole nights, in communion with God. Six years was I in captivity, yet was I happy. One night an angel of God appeared to me and said, 'Maun, thy prayers and thy fastings have come up for memorials before God. You shall return soon to your own land, for the days of your captivity are drawing to a close.' I now fled, and arrived at the coast, where I found a ship in which I embarked, and arrived in time at my native land." — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. March 17, pp. 633-535. Cripples healed. (See Bowed WITH Infirmities.) Acts xiv. 8-10. There sat a certain man at Lystra impotent in his feet, being a cripple who never had walked. The same heard Paul speak. And Paul, steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving he had fiiith to be healed, said with a loud voice. Stand upright on thy feet. And the cripple leaped and walked. Acts iii. 2-8. A certain man lame from his mother's womb was laid daily at the gate called Beautiful to ask alms of them that entered the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked alms. Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. Immediately his ankle-bones received strength, and leaping up he stood, and walked, and entered with Peter and John into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. Matt. xv. 30, 31. Great multitudes came to Jesus, having with them those that were lame, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at the feet of Jesus ; and He healed them ; Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the maimed whole, and the lame walk and they glorified the God of Israel. St. Ambrose of Siena, horn a cripple^ was an Adonis afterwards (a.d. 1220- 1286). When St. Ambrose of Siena was bom he was a fearful object ; his arms were glued to his sides, his legs to his thighs, and his face was so dark and out of proportion that his mother was horri- fied. He was confided to a wet nurse, named Flora, who covered up the child's face when she took it abroad, to conceal the little deformity from public gaze. When a year old the child's delight was to be in St. Madeleine's, the neighbouring church, and to hear the monks chanting the different services. He would cry to be carried there, and was inconsolable ^vhen taken away The monks and their assistants noticed this with curiosity and surprise. One day, as the child was in the chapel, he drew his arms, hitherto glued to his side, out of his swaddling- clothes, and lifted them towards heaven, saving quite distinctly three times, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." On hearing these exclamations many ran to the spot, drew off the swaddling-clothes, and found, not only the arms free, but the legs straight- ened, and the face so beautiful and fair that they deemed it the face of an angel. The nurse was overjoyed, and the mother gave large alms to the church. Till the age of seven his amusements were cutting out crosses, dressing oratories, singing hymns, and joining religious processions. He would never go to sleep without a Virgin to cuddle; and a book with the pictures of saints was an endless delight to him. — Le R. P. Jean Baptiste Feuillet, Amie'e Dominicaine, vol. iii. March 26. St. Anthony of Padua restores a man's leg which had been cut off (1195-1231). A man in the confessional told St. Anthony of Padua that he had kicked his mother ; whereupon the saint said to him sharply, " The foot that could kick one's mother ought to be cut oif." The man on his return home actually cut off his foot. When St. Anthony was told there- of, he ordered the maimed man to be brought to him, and, making the sign of the cross on the mutilated limb, the foot was restored again. (See St. Peter OF Verona, p. 71.) — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints. St. Augustine cures and restores the leg of Innocentius. While St. Augustine was in Carthage, he lived in the house of Innocentius, a deputy lieutenant, who was laid up of a sore leg. One part of 70 CRIPPLES HEALED. [Pt.I. the limb had been cut off, and the sur- geon was preparing to take off the whole leg to prevent the spread of the gangrene to vital parts. St. Augustine prayed, and the leg was not only instantly healed, but even the amputated part was restored. — Possidius (bishop of Calamentia), Life of St. Augustine. Catherine Vial, a cripple, healed miracu- lously in the chapel of Laus (a.d. 1665). Many miracles being reported to be wrought in the chapel of Laus (2 syl.), the ricar-general of the diocese, accompanied by several distinguished gentlemen, went to examine into the matter. While this examination was going on, Catherine Vial, a dreadful cripple, was brought to the church. Her limbs were entirely withered, and so folded back that they seemed stuck to her body. No sooner had she entered the chapel than she was completely cured ; and when, in October, a month afterwards, a procession was formed to thank the Virgin, Catherine Vial, the late cripple, carried the banner. The vicar-general, who was a personal witness of the miracle, made the proces- verbal, and had it signed by eye-wit- nesses. — Mgr. Gu^rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIIL), Vies des Saints, vol. v. p. 222. Giocanna Maronis, a cripple, was cured at the tonib of St. Charles Borromeo (July 19, A.I). 1604). Giovanna, daughter of Giovanni Baptista Maronis, citizen of Milan, had from her birth her legs and feet so paralyzed that she could in no wise use them. The joints of her knees were out of place, and nhe could twirl her logs this way or that, like ropes, toss them over her shoulders, and turn them about just as she pleased. When this sad cripple was four years old, her mother took her to the tomb of St. Charles Borromeo, and made her prayer to the saint. While she was still praying the child was cured ; and she ran home leaping and skipping, like an)' other robust and healthy child, full of animal spirits. — The Bull of Canonization, Margarita Montis, a cripple, cured by being laid on the tomb of St. Charles Borromeo (June 29, a,d. 1601). Mar- garita, daughter of Angello Montis, of Milan, was bom a cripple. Her legs were twisted together, so that the soles of the feet were turned upwards, and the insteps were turned under. When this sad cripple was five years old, her motiier carried her to the tomb of St. Charles Borromeo, and craved his help, offering at the same time a wax candle to th« saint. When the sick child set light to the candle her right foot was set straight and put in its place. After a time she went a second time, and lighted another candle, whereupon her left leg was set straight also. Both were now of one length, both were quite sound and well- formed ; but to the day of her death she carried a slight mark or scar to keep fresh in her nfemory the miracle by which she was made whole. — ITie Bull of Canonization. Peronne Rault, a cripple, healed by the intercession of St. Francis of Paula, in 1661. Peronne Rault of Calais was a dreadful cripple who went on crutches, and also required the help of an attendant. Many of her bones were out of joint, and one of her legs was six inches shorter than the other. She got worse instead of better, and for the last three month^ could only be moved about in a wheel- chair. This pitiable object resolved to keep a neuvaine in the chapel of St. Francis of Paula, in order to obtain his in- tercession. The royal physician strongly dissuaded her, and assured her that nothing could be of the least service to her. However, so fixed and so resolved. On the fourth day of the neuvaine, the octave of the saint's fete, after mass, the girl was seized with a sudden pain and extraordinary weakness, during which she felt her bones moving about, her muscles stretching, and a humour spread- ing all over her limbs. She heard a cracking noise as the bones got fitted into their sockets and her limb lengthened. Presently she found herself entirely healed ; and, after a second mass of gratitude, she left her crutches, walked home without assistance, and lived a fairly long life. Her crutches were long suspended in the chapel in remembrance of this miraculous cure. The bishop of Boulogne "fit faire une information juri- dique de ce grand e'v(?nement, et, apres avoir reconnu que c'e'tait un ve'ritable miracle, il en permit la publication, et une reconnaissance solennelle par un T6 Deurn.'' — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol, iv 169, 170. St. Gudula heals the cripple child of a poor woman (a.d. 712). One frosty morning St. Gudula, on leaving church, saw a poor mother carrying on her back a dumb child, who was also a cripple. The boy was bowed double, and could not even feed himself. St. Gudula, fastening her eyes upon the group, Luuk Pt. I.] CRIPPLES HEALED. 71 the cripple in her arms, and prayed God to have mercy on him. Immediately his stubborn joints became supple, his back straightened, and, his tongue being loosed, the child cried out aloud, " See, mother, see ! " and he leaped, and ran, and skipped, rejoicing in his new-found strength. St. Gudula begged the woman to tell no one, but she published it abroad, and all knew that it was St. Gudula who had wrought the miracu- lous cure. — Hubert (1047), Life of St, Gudula, St. Laumer heals a cripple (sixth century). Par la virtu du saint sacrifice de la messe, St. Laumer rendit I'usage parfait des jambes k un enfant qui e'tait extremement boiteux. — Les Petits Bollan- disteSy vol. i. p. 472. 2'he cripple Pancrace Schafhauser cured by St, Meinrad (1861). The following is a letter, written March 9, 1861, from Brunschofen, near Wyl, in the canton of St. Gall :— •' It gives me unspeakable pleasure, mj' dear uncle, to communicate to you the following news, which has filled the whole canton with joy. A child of the canton of St. Gall, eight years old, named Pancrace Schafhausen, was a cripple, wholly bedridden. His limbs were twisted the wrong way, and when he moved, he crawled about on all fours. Dr. W , of Wyl, attended him, but pronounced the case hopeless. He was taken to Einsieden, and made his petition to the Virgin on the 6th March, at eight o'clock in the morning. The same hour the child rose up, and stretching forth his hands, exclaimed, * Mother, see here ; I can walk now ! ' Many saw him, and all cried with one voice, *A miracle! a miracle ! ' Dr. W visited the child, and was astonished beyond measure when his patient ran to him and grasped his hands, saying, * Doctor, doctor, I can walk now ! ' ' Incredible ! ' cried the doctor. *I can scarcely believe my eyes ! ' But young Pancrace walks daily to school, and plays about like other children." — R. P. Dom Charles Brandes, Life of St, Meinrad, St. Peter of Verona restores a man*s foot which had been cut off (a.d. 1206- 1252). One day a man came to St. Peter of Verona, and, in his confession, acknow- ledged he had kicked his mother. St. Peter reprimanded him severely, and iaid, " The foot which could do that ought to be cut off." The penitent, on leaving the confessional, went and cut off his foot. When St. Peter heard what the man had done, he went to him, and, making the sign of the cross, restored the foot to its original state. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), April 29. The identical tale is told of St Antonr of Padua (1195-1231). see p. 69. (See index. ST. Eligids.) St, Odilo, the cripple healed by the Virgin Mary, When a little boy, Odilo was a perfect cripple, destitute of all power in his limbs, so that he could not move without help. One day his nurse left him with her bundles on the porch of St. Mary's Church, while she went to buy food. By some means the child contrived to crawl into the church, and even to touch the altar vestments. The Virgin took pity on him, and conde- scended to intercede on his behalf. Hia Viurse was greatly alarmed on her return, in not finding the child where she had laid him ; and, entering the church, what was her astonishment at seeing him scampering about the aisles, hiding be- hind the pillars, and immeasurably joyous in his new-found strength ! Jotsald tells us, "lest this incident should be thought incredible, I must inform you that I heard it from those to whom St. Odilo himself was wont to relate it." — Acta Sanctorum^ vol. i. Jan. 1. Cripples healed at the tomb of St. Rieul, St. Rieul, bishop of Aries and Senlis, died A.D. 130, and many miracles were performed at his tomb. A poor cripple from Auxerre, being carried to Senlis, and laid on the tomb of the saint, was instantly cured, and went into the church leaping and shouting for joy. So perfect was the cure, that the man walked back to Auxerre without fatigue. A lame man from Gatinais, and a poor girl from Senlis, so crippled in all her limbs that she moved about trailing her legs after her, were both completely healed in the same manner. —L'abb^ Corblet, Hagiographie du Diocese d" Amiens, All who have read Boccaccio's Decameron wiL remember that Novel 1 (Second Day) is the story of three mimics, who wanted to get into a crowded church at Triers to see the body of Arrigo the new saint. To accom- plish this one of them, named Martellino, feigned to be a helpless cripple, whom the other two had brought thither to be cured. Room was soon made for the party, and Martellino was laid on the dead body :.t Arrigo. Presently the mimic began to stretch his Bngers, then his arms and legs, and at last jumped up as effectually cured. The crowd shouted, " A miracle 1 a miracle 1 " but it wa« only a well-played trick. The sole merit of this tale is to show that such tricks were sometimes played, for otherwia* the story would be wholly without point. Of course, the obvious reply is, that the very existence of a counterfeit i« proof positive of a reality. This, however, is not correct. A counterfeit may be only an imitation of a popular belief, true or untrue, as one in the reign of James I. might pre tend to be « witch, »s witches were then a popular belief 72 CROSS IN THE SKY. [Pt. 1. and one In our d.ijrs might pretend to spiritism amongst ttiose wlto believe in such a power. Cros3 in the Sky. (See Saul's Conversion, article " Procopiiis.") Matt. xxiv. 30. Then shall appear the oign of the Son of man. Dan. vii. 13. I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came [in] the clouds of heaven. Achaius^ king of the Scots, and Ilungus, king of the Ficts, see a cross in the sky. A St. Andrew's cross appeared in the clouds to Achaius. king of the Scots, and Hungus, king of the Picts, the night before their engagement with Athelstane. As they won the victory, they went bare- foot to the kirk of St. Andrew, and vowed to adopt his cross as the national emblem. — J. Leslie, History of Scotland, A cross in the sky appears to Alonzo before tJie battle of Ourique (a.d. 1139). As Alonzo was drawing up his men in battle array against the Moors, the figure of a cross appeared in the eastern sky ; and Christ, suspended on the cross, promised the Christian king a complete victory over the infidels. After the battle, Alonzo assumed for the royal device, on a field argent five escutcheons azure, charged with five bezants, in memory of the five wounds of Christ. The emperor Constantine sees a a^oss in the skies. Constantine was on his march against Maxentius, who had declared war against him, and was at Rome with an army much superior in numbers. The emperor had marched from the Rhine, through Gaul, and was going to Rome by the way of Verona. He had passed the Alps, and was marching with part of his army towards Rome, when, a little before midday, he and those with him saw a bright cross of light in the clouds. In the night following, Christ appeared to him in his sleep. He had a cross in his hand, and commanded Constantine to have a standard made like it. Next morning the emperor gave orders for such a standard to be made, and called it the Laharum. It was a gilt pole with a cross- bar. The top of the pole was surmounted with a gold crown, set with precious stones, and in the midst of the crown ^ere two Greek letters, Chi and Eo (X, p), arranged thus >K. From the cross-bar hung a purple v^eil, spangled and dazzling. The emperor selected fifty of his best men to carry and guard this aanner. The battle was fought in the Quintian fields, near the Milvian bridge. The foe was utterlv defeated, and A.D. 312. Constantine now entered Rome in triumph, and always ascribed his victory to the cross. Phi- . ^ lostorgius, describing the LJl^^Q n: heavenly cross, says it con- tained in Greek words iicd letters this inscription '" By this conquer " (*Ev Toury NiKu). — Gibbon, Decline and Fall, ch. xix., note ; Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints, Sept. 14, note. Respecting the " I-'ibarum," the accounts given some- what ditfer. Tiie Roman veziUum. or cavalry fliig, was a small square piece of clotli fixed on a cross-bar at tiie top of a pole. It is said that Constantine preserved this general arrangement, but on the little flag devised a cross from opixtsite corners, and set a Greek P (■= an English R) at the centre, where the cross lines cut. Be- low the little flag he also attached a small cross-bar, which, with the pole, represented a I^itin cross. The cross or X •= the Greek letter Ch., which, with the centre letter R, would form the monogram Chr.» Christ. A cross seen in the sky soon after the inauguration of St. Cyril (A.r>. 386). St. Cyril wrote a description of this meteoric phenomenon to the emperor Constantine, and his letter is inserted in the works of Sozomenes, Theophanes, Eutychius, John of Nice, Glycas, and others. On May 7, about nine in the morning, a vast luminous body, in the form of a cross, appeared in the heavens, just over the holy Golgotha, reaching as far as the holy Mount of Olivet (about two miles). This was seen not by one or two persons only, but by the whole city, and it con- tinued for several hours, the light from it being more brilliant than that of the sun. "The whole city found in this phenomenon the truth of the Christian doctrine, to which the heavens bore visible witness." — Dr. Cave, Life of St. Cyril, vol. ii. p. 344. How this meteoric phenomenon should be a proof of the docti-ine of tlie cross, I am at a loss to iniiigine. I myself saw a very unusual phenomenon in the sky, Nov. 17, 1848. and sent an account to the papers. "The sky overhead seemed in flames, and bands of various colours of great brilliancy rose from the horizon to the north star, forming a luminous arch. This maKuificent appearance lasted in full splendour from seven till ten at night." If the cross in the sky was a proof of the Christian doctrine, this arch or crescent might beclaimed a£ft;>roof of the Turkish A cross in the sky seen when Julian attempted to rebuild the temple. When Julian recalled the Jews, and employed them in rebuilding the temple, the work was arrested b}"" fire from the ground, earthquakes, and lightnings. Then we are told that crosses were miraculously attached to the garments of the Jew* Pt. I.] CUTTING A WHETSTONE. 78 engaged in the building, and a luminous cross, enclosed in a circle, appeared in the clouds. — St. Gregory of Nazianzen, Oration iv., against Julian. (Theodoret tells us that the crosses miraculously attached to the garments of the Jews were black ; St. Gregory says they were luminous. The solution given by Mgr. Gu6rin is this, that the crosses were of a phosphoric nature, black ia daylight, but luminous in the dark.) A cross in the sky seen at Mign^, in the aiocese of Poitiers (Dec. 17, 1826). Dec. 17, 1826, at Migne, in the diocese of Poitiers, at the close of the jubilee, while a cross was being planted in the cemetery, i, luminous cross was seen in the clouds by some three thousand persons. The sun had set about an hour and a half. The length of the heavenly cross was forty feet, and the cross-bar between three and four feet. The whole crowd was seized with admiration, and instantly fell ony their knees ; some wept, some raised exclamations of wonder or delight, and others lifted their hands to heaven, invoking the Saviour. Mgr. de Bouille, bishop of Poitiers, published an account of "this miraculous apparition," and received two briefs from pope Lee XII. upon the subject. He also sent to the church of Migne a gold cross enclosing a piece of the true cross, and accorded plenary indulgence to all those who visited the church. The bishop fixed the third Sunday of Advent for the annual celebration of the phenomenon. — Mgr. Guerin, Vies des Saints (1880), note, vol. iii. p. 487. Surely there is no reason for supposing this vision miraculous. As I was travelling from London to Notting- ham, March 26, 1882, I was for a long time puzzled at seeing in the air, some hundred feet or more from the train, what seemed to me a gigantic carriage moving with great rapidity. After a little reflection I thought of the spectre of the Brocken in the Hartz mountains, and had no doubt that the spectre carriage was the one I was riding in, greatly magnified. We are told they were planting a cross in the cemetery when the spectre cross appeared in the air. St. Ouen sees a cross in the skies (a.d. 646). When St. Ouen, on his return journey from Spain, was in the midst of the country not far from Louviers, his mule stopped short and refused to move. Astonished at this unusual behaviour, St. Ouen lifted up his eyes to heaven, and there saw, above his head, a luminous cross very brilliant, the light of which shone all around. God told St. Ouen, at the same time, that He had destined the spot for His serrice, and wished to be honoured there. So St. Ouen traced a cross on the ground, and left some relics there. He then continued his journey, and the mule made no further resistance. All that night a pillar of fire, reac.iirg from earth to heaven, and more brilliant than the sun, appeared on the sacred spot, and all the inhabitants saw it. It was here that St. Leufroi, about a century later, built a church and a monastery, but St. Ouen had erected a wooden cross on the spot, which went by the name of " La Croix St. Ouen."— L'abbe Pdcheur, Annales du Diocese de Soissons. A cross in the sky seen by Waldemar II. of Denmark. Waldemar II. of Denmark is said to have seen a fiery cross in the sky, betokening his victory over the Esthonians, a.d. 1219. The king, like Constantine, adopted the cross as a standard, which was called the Danebrog or Danish Cloth, and instituted the Order of Danebrog in commemoration of this vision. This legend is differently told in some Scandinavian chronicles. It is said that the Danes lost their royal banner in the fight, but another dropped from the sky to supply its place. It was a red flag with a white cross. Immediately this banner fell into the hands ci the standard- bearer the army rallied, and won a signal victory. Those who explain legends tell us that the Danebrog was a consecrated banner sent to the king by the pope. Whatever its origin, it was long used as the royal standard. — Drs, Chrichton and Wheaton, Scandinavia, vol. i. p. 257. The emperor Augustus sees a Virgin and Child in the skies. Suidas tells us that, about the time of the Nativity, the famous oracle of Apollo of Delphos be- came mute, and gave no more responses. Augustus, demanding a reason for this silence, was told by a priest it was because a Hebrew child was born, who was the master of the gods, and he had commanded them to confine themselves to the infernal regions. Nicephorus adds, that Augustus, on his return to Rome, erected an altar in the Capitol with this inscription : " Ara Primogeniti Dei." Mgr. Guerin, chamberlain of pope Leo XIII., tells us ( Vies des Saints, vol. xiv. p. 463), D'autres auteurs ecrivent que Je meme empereur aper9ut dans les nue? une rierge tenant un enfant entre ses bras. Cutting a Whetstone with a Razor. Tarquinius Priscus of Rome wished to double the number of tribes ; but when he proposed his plan to the senate, it was resolutely opposed by Attus Navius, the augur, who said the number was fixed by 74 DANIEL— DAVID. IPt. I. the gods to three, and that no human power could alter it. The king indig- nantly replied, "What! do you pretend to read the mind of the gods, who cannot BO much as read the thoughts of a man ? Tell me, if you are really so very wise, whether I can do the thing I am now thinking of." '*Yea, king," replied the augur, *' thou canst." "Ha! ha!" rejoined Tarquin, *' I have you there. I was thinking if I could cut in twain that whetstone with a razor." " Cut boldly, king," said Navius, "and it is done." It is said that the king cut the whetstone, and had the good sense to give up his projected change in the constitu- tion. A statue was erected in the comi- tium on the steps of the senate-house, the place where this "miracle" was wrought, and beside the statue the whet- stone was preserved. This need in no wise be a miracle. I have often cleft a Mock of ice on a glass dish by touching the block with an ordinary sewing needle, and tapping the needle on the head with the handle of a penknife. Albert dC Ogna cuts through an anvil with a reap-hook (a.d. 1279). Albert d'Ogna was a farm labourer, and being one day employed as a supernumerary in the harvest-fields, the regular farm servants were jealous of him, because he worked faster than they did. In order to impede him, they placed an iron anvil in his walk ; but when Albert came to the spot, he went on reaping, and cut the anvil in twain with his reap-hook, just as if it had been a wisp of straw. In allusion to this miracle, Albert d'Ogna is repre- sented with a reap-hook in Christian art. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), May 13, vol. ii. Daniel accused of Prayer. Dan. vi. 4, 5. The presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concern- ing the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. 'J'hen said these men. We shall not find any occasion against him, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. [They then accused him of praying three times a day to God, and he was cast into the den of lions.] St. Isidore accused of prayer, St. Isidore was a farm labourer, who roused the jealousy of his fellow-workmen by going to mass every morning before he began his daily labour ; so they accused him to the farmer of coming late to work of a morning, and of wasting his time in prayer. The farmer resolved to watch him and if he found him neglecting his duty, to rebuke him sharply oi dismiss him. Early one morning, soon after- wards, the farmer went into the field which Isidore had been set to plough, but was amazed to find three ploughs at work instead of one ; two were guided by angels, and the third by Isidore. Instead of less work being done than he expected, there was fully thrice as much done, and done admirably well. The farmer was delighted, and falling down at his servant's feet, craved his pardon foi giving ear to false reports. Isidore replied, " Master, no time is ever lost by prayer, for those who pray are workers together with God." So the farmer departed, ashamed of his suspicion, and full of reverence to his holy labourer. As soon as the farmer was departed, the angels returned to their ploughs. — From the Spanish. David and the Draught of Water. 2 Sam. xxiii. 16-17. David, fighting against the Philistines, became so parched with thirst, that he cried out, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which Is by the gate ! And three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and brought water to the king. Nevertheless David would not drink it, but he poured it out unto the Lord. St, Thomas Aquinas and the fish (a.d. 1274). In his last illness Thomas Aquinas stopped at the castle of Maganza, the seat of his niece Francisca. He had quite lost his appetite, but one day expressed a wish for a little piece of a certain fish which he named. This fish was not to be found in Italy ; search, however, was made for it in all directions, and the dainty was procured. When cooked and brought to the dying man, he refused to eat it, but gave it as an offering to the Lord.— Alban Butler (1745), Lives of the Saints. Sir Philip Sidney and the draught of water. In the battle of Zutphen, Sir Philip Sidney, being severely wounded, suffered greatly from thirst; whereupon one of the host went and fetched him a little water in a helmet, at the hazard of his life. Sir Philip took the helmet, and as he was raising it to his lips, noticed a private lying beside him, who eyed the helmet with greedy eyes. "Poor fellow," said Sir Philip, " thy necessity is greater than mine ; " and he passed the helmet to the dying man. A similar anecdote is told of Alexander the Great in tb« desert of Gedrosia. qulntua Curtiua calla it " loca d«Mit« SusiUnonun." Pt. I.j DEAD HEARING, SPEAKING, ETC. 75 Edward I. of Enj^cl on one Of his Welsh campaigns, refused to drink of the one and only cask of wine which bad been saved from marauders. " It is I who have brought you into this strait," said he to his thirsty fellow-soldiers, and I will have no advantage of you in meat and drink." David in the Ca^'^ of Adullam (1 Sam. xxii. 1, 2). David saved by a cobweb. We are told in the Talmud, that when David, in his flight from Saul, took refuge in the cave of Adullam, a spider spun its web over the mouth of the cave. When Saul came up and saw the cobweb, he passed on, fully persuaded that no on© had recently entered that cave, or else the web would have been broken. St. Felix saved by a cobweb (third century). In the persecution which broke out again, soon after the death of Decius, St. Felix fled ; and, being closely pursued by officers sent to apprehend him, h^ crept through a small hole in a ruin. The officers came to the spot, but seeing a cobweb spun over the hole, they passed on, assured in their own minds that Felix had not gone that way. St. Gregory says, "This was the Lord's doing. He sent a little spider to drop his lines, and lace them together with the utmost rapidity over the place through which his servant had escaped."* Felix, finding among the ruins an old wall half dug, hid himself there for six months, and was fed daily by a devout Christian woman. In Christian art, St. Felix is sometimes represented with a spider spinning its web. — St. Gregory of Tours, De Gloria Martyrum, bk. i. ch. 104. Mahomet saved by a cobweb. When Mahomet fled from Mecca, like David, he hid in a cave, and a spider wove its net over the entrance. When the Koreish- ites came up and saw the cobweb, they passed on, feeling quite certain that no one could have recently entered the cave, or the cobweb would have been broken. Dead hearing, speaking, and moving. John v. 25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God. Heb. xi. 4. He [i.«. Abel] being dead yet speak eth. John xi. 43, 44. Jesus cried with a load voice, J Azarus, come forth. And he that was dead Ci me forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes. Luke viii. 54, 55. Jesus took her by the hand, saying. Maiden, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway. • Would St. Gregory extend tb« remark to Mahomet, " the false prophet," who was savea in precisely the same Ruuiner as the " true aaiat " I LuKK vii. 14, 15. Jesus came and touched the bier. And he said. Young man, I say unto thee. Arise. And he that was dead sat up and began to speak. Acts ix. 40. Peter, turning to the dead body, said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes : and when she saw Peter, nhe sat up. 1 Sam. xxviii. 11-20. The woman said. Whom shall I bring up [from the dead] unto thee? And Saul said. Bring me up Samuel. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up [from the grave] i And Saul answered, I am sore distressed, etc. A dead man declares that St. Antonyms father was not guilty of his death. While in Padua, it was revealed to St. Antony that his father was in danger of being put to death in Lisbon for manslaughter. An angel transported St. Antony from Padua to Lisbon, when his father's trial was on ; and the saint ordered the dead man to be brought into court. He then asked the dead man, " Is it true that my father is guilty of thy death ? " " Cer- tainly not," said the dead body; *'the accusation is false and malicious." The judges, on hearing this positive declara- tion from the dead man himself, dis- charged the prisoner at once, and St. Antony was retran sported to Padua the same night by the same angel. (See St. Macarius, etc., p. 77.) — Edward Kines- man (1623), Lives of the Saints. Basil, a monk, joins the singing after he was dead. St. Theodosius, the Coenobi- arch, having made a large sepulchre for the general use of the monastery, re- marked, " The tomb is now finished, but who of us will be the first to occupy it ? " Basil, falling on his knees, prayed earnestly that he might be allotted that honour, and within forty days he died, without pain or disease, as one taketh rest in sleep. For forty days afterwards St. Theodosius used to see the dead monk still occupying his usual place whenever the brethren joined together in singing praise to God. Only Theodosius saw the ghost, but Aetius distinctly heard its voice. Theodosius prayed that others beside himself might see Basil's appari- tion, and God opened the eyes of all the brethren, and all saw it. Aetius, in the fulness of his joy, ran to embrace the ghost, but it vanished, saying as it departed, " Stay, Aetius. God be with you, my father and brethren. Me shall ye see and hear no more." — Boman Mar- tyrology. (Cave tells us this life was written by Theodore, bishop of Pera.) Two dead nuns rise from their graves ana rush out of church. Two ladies of hii^h 76 DEAD HEARING, SPEAKING, ETC. [Pi. I. birtli 'nmates of a Benedictine convent, were accustomed to treat the rest of the sisters with extreme contempt, ai being of inferior clay to themselves. St. Benedict admonished them of this unseemly pride, and, as they did not amend, threatened to excommunicate them. Soon after this they both died, and were buried in the church. When the deacon said to the ordinary, "Let those who are ex- communicated depart hence," the nurse saw the two dead ladies leave their tombs, and fly out of the church. This occurred several times ; and the nurse, calling to mind the threat of excom- munication made by the abbot, told him what had occurred. Then St. Benedict took an offering, which he presented to God for the deceased ; after which their souls were laid, and slept in peace. — St. Gregory the Great, lJialo<]ues^ bk. ii. A woman named Catherine, being dead, told St Francis Ilieronimus she was in hell-fire (a.d. 1707). When St. Francis Hieronimus was preaching in Naples, a woman Lamed Catherine made herself conspicuous by interrupting him. The preacher took no notice of her at the time, but a few days afterwards, passing her house, found it closed. Askmg the neighbours the reason, he was told that Catherine had died suddenlv that morn- ing. "Dead? "cried the saint. "What! is she dead ? " and he requested leave to see her. The permission was granted, and, going into the chamber, he found the body swathed and laid out in the usual manner. The room was full, but great silence was observed. "Catherine," said HieroHimus, "say, where are you?" Twice he asked the question, but there was no answer. At the third time the eyes of the corpse opened, the lips trembled, and a feeble voice, which seemed to proceed out of the ground, replied, " In hell — in hell." All present were horrified, and rushed out of the room. "In hell? in hell?" cried the saint. " Great God, how terrible ! In hell ? in hell ? " This scene produced an immense impression, and many sinners were brought by it to repentance. — Cardinal Wiseman. (St. Francis was canonized in 1839.) This may be veijr graphic and sensational, but a toler- able ventriloquist could have made it appear that the four words came from under the floor; and one can hardly imagine that Cardinal Wiseman believed they proceeded from Jie dead soul in the bottomless pit St. Catherine of Bologna nineteen days mfter her death opens her eyes and speaks (A.t. 1463). Nineteen days after her burial, St. Catherine of Bologna was disinterred, and placed in a coffin. A crowd of persons came to look on the corpse, and were struck with the jo\ expressed in her face, and the saintly odour which came from the body. Amongst others, Leonora Poggi, a girl of eleven years old, came to look en the body, and forthwith the dead saint opened its eyes, and making a sign with its hand, said to the young girl, " Leo- nora, come hither." Leonora came up closer. Then St. Catherine added, " You will be a sister in this convent, where all will love you, and you sliall be the guardian of my body." Eight year? afterwards, Leonora refused the hand o* a wealthy suitor, took the veil, was appointed guardian of St. Catherine's body, and lived in the convent fifty-five years. — D. Paleotti (of the order of St. Francis), Life of St. Catherine of Bologna, Euphrosina answers from the grave the question of St. Donatus. Eustasius, re- ceiver-general of the revenues of Tuscany in the reign of Julian, being called away on a journey, left the public money which he had collected in the hands of his wife Euphrosina, who, for better security, buried it in the earth. Sho died suddenly, and no one knew where she had hidden it. Eustasius was almost beside himself, fearing to be charged with embezzlement. In his perplexity he asked advice of St. Donatus, bishop of Arezzo ; and the holy man, going to the grave of Euphrosina, said with a loud voice, in the hearing of many, " Euphrosina, let us know where thfru hast put the public money." The wom.in answered from the grave, and told the bishop where it was hidden. St. Donatus went with the receiver-general to the place indicated, and there found the money without difficulty. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints^ p. 691. (He tells us he compiled the life of St. Donatus from Bede and other martyr- ologies.) Melics join St. Gregory of Langres in singing (a.d. 641). One night a deacon watched St. Gregory of Langres, and saw him rise from his bed, and leave his dormitory at midnight. The deacon followed him unobserved, and saw him enter the baptistry, the door of which opened to him of its own acctrd. For a time dead silence prevailed, and then St. Gregory began to chant. Presently a host of voices joined in, and the sing- ing continued for three hours. ** I f>T. 1.] DEAD HEARING, SPEAKING, ETC. 77 think,*' says St. Gregory of Tours, naively, " the voices proceeded from the holy relics there preserved ; no doubt they revealed themselves to the saint, and joined him in singing praises to God." — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan., p. 59. Qy. Had echo nothing to do with it ? The dead body of St. Injurieux moves out of his own grave to repose in that of his wife Scholasiica (a.d. 388). Injurieux, a noble senator of Clermont, in Auvergne, married Scholastica, but from the day of their espousals they loved each other only with Platonic love, and mutually vowed to live together in chastity. St. Gregory of Tours tells us that Scholastica died first, and Injurieux, standing over her tomb, said, " I thank Thee, God, for the loan of this treasure, which ^ return to Your hands, without spot, eveh as I received it." The dead wife, smiling at these words, replied from the grave, "What need to speak of such matters, which concern no one but ourselves?" Scarcely was the wife buried, when the husband died, and was buried in a sepa- rate grave, at some considerable distance from that of his deceased wife. Next day it was found that Injurieux had left his own grave to repose in that of Scho- lastica. He was not disturbed, but to the present hour the senator and his wife are called the *'Two Lovers." This tale is told by several writers besides Gregory of Tours in his History of the Francs, bk. i. ch. 42. Guenier de Dumast has made it the subject of a poem, called " The Tomb of The Two Lovers of Clermont " (1836). At the corrimand of St. Macarius a dead man acquits an accused monk of any share in his murder (a.d. 304-394). A very similar tale to that of St. Antony and his father (p. 75) is told of St. Macarius of Egypt. One of the brothers of his own monastery was accused of murder, and as both accusers and defendant spoke with great positivity, St. Macarius took them to the grave of the deceased, and, speaking with a loud voice, said to the dead man, " The Lord Jesus Christ commands you to state whether this man, now accused of your murder, really com- mitted the crime or not?" The dead man resolutely answered, " No, he is innocent, and had no kand at all in my death." " Who, then," asked Macarius, "is the guilty party?" The dead man replied, "It is not for me to accuse; suffice it to know that the accused man is innocent. Leave the guilty in the hands of God. Who can say whether the All-merciful may not take pity on his soul and lead him to repentance ? " — Mgr. Gue'rin, Les Fetits BoilandisteSy vol. i. Jan. 2. This is related by the chamberlain of pope Leo XIIJ And his book, which has passed through seven editions, is avouched by a host of cardinals, archbishops, and bishops, all between the years 1873 and 1880. A similuf answer is given by a child just born, when asked if a cer- tain deacon was its father. (See Babes, pt. ii.) The dead body of Maria Madalena di Pazzi turns itself round (a.d. 1607). When Maria Madalena di Pazzi was dead, her body was wrapped in a tunic, a scapular, and a mantle of black taffeta. It was placed in the church, for the satis- faction of the seculars, with the face towards the sacristy ; but the corpse curned its head the other way, because " en cet endroit il y avait un horn me deljauche dont elle ne put souffrir les regards, meme apres sa mort." — Les Fetits Bollandistes, vol. vi. p. 173. St. Melor, after his head was cut off, spoke to his murde7^er (a.d. 411). St. Melor was the son of Melian, duke of Cornwall ; and his usurping uncle, Rainald, sent Cerialtan to cut off his head. While the murderer was carrying the head to his employer, he was so parched with thirst that he exclaimed, ' ' Oh for a drop of water ! I am dying with thirst." The head of the murdered prince, which was in his hand, made answer, " Cerialtan, strike the ground with your stick." This he did, and water immediately gushed forth to allay his thirst. Rainald received the boy's head with delight, but, dying within three days, the head was sent back to be buried with the trunk ; and both were preserved at Amesbury, in Wiltshire, as holy relics. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan., p. 44. St. Patrick commanded that the dead should be asked if they deserved to have a cross raised over their graves (a.d. 373- 464). St. Patrice commande a la mort de rendre ses victimes, afin que leur pro- pre bouche proclame devant le peuple la verite des doctrines qu'il leur annonce; ou bien il s'assure si son ordre de planter une croix sur la tombe des chre'tiens, et non des infideles, a e'te fidelement execute, en interrogeant les morts eux-memes, et en apprenant de leur bouche s'ils ont merite' ce consolant hommage. — Mgr. Gue'rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. iii. p. 476 (1880). At the command of St. Paul, bishop of Trois- Chateau, his predecessor declared from his grave that a Jew was vuxking a fB MAD RAISED TO LIFE AGAIN. rPT. I false claim (fifth century). When Paul was inaugurated bishop of Trois-Chateau, as he was returning from the council, a Jew came up to him, and demanded pay- ment of a sum of money lent, as he said, to Paul's predecessor, whose name was Torquat. In order to ascertain whether the claim was just or not, St. Paul, arrayed in full episcopal canonicals, went to the tomb of the late bishop, and, touching it with his pastoral staff, com- manded Torquat to inform him whether the loan spoken of had been repaid or not. A voice from the grave imme- diately replied, " I repaid the Jew his loan, and he knows it." Many heard the reply, and could testify that these things are true, for they know that they are true. — L'abbd Nadal, Hagiological History i>f Valence. St. Rheticus^ when dead, speaks to his Vuried wife (a.d. 334). St. Rheticus died May 15, a.d. 334. After the corpse ^ad been washed and shrouded, it was laid on the bier. Next morning, when the bearers attempted to lift the bier, thej^ found it quite immovable. Not all their combined force was able even to stir it. All the mourners were stupefied, but an old man called to mind a promise which Rheticus had made to his wife, when she was dying, that he would re- join her in the grave. Immediately this new arrangement was made the bier became quite light, and when it was set down at the grave of his deceased wife, the dead man sat up and said, " Do you remember, my dear wife, the request you made me on your death-bed? Here I am to fulfil my promise. Make room for me whom you have so long expected." At these words the deceased wife, who had been so long dead, revived, and, breaking the swaths which bound her, stretched forth her hands, made signs of approval, and beckoned to her husband to come and lie beside her. {Deprensa est Icevam protendens foemina palmamy invitans socium gestu viventis amoris.) The corpse was lowered, the grave shook, the deceased woman manifested every sign of joy, and the two lay in peace, waiting the resurrection of the just. — L'abbe' Migne, Appendix ad opera Juvenci^ Fatrologia, vol. xix. p. 381 (1860). St. Severinus asks a dead priest if he would like to return to life. St. Severin watched all night by the bier of Silvinus the priest. And at early dawn he bade the dead man, in the name of God, speak ti» the brethren Silvinus opened his eyes, and St. Severin asked him if he had any wish to return to life. The dead man answered fretfully, " Keep me no longer here, nor cheat me of that everlasting rest which those who sleep in the Lord enjoy." Then, closing his eyes, he slept again the sleep which knows no waking. — Eugippius, Life of St. Severin (A.D. 611). At the command of St. Stanislaus, one Peter, who was dead, rose from his grave and went into the law-court to certify the sale of an estate. St. Stanislaus, bishop of Cracow, in Poland, bought an estate of one Peter for the Church, but took no acquittance. Peter died three years after- wards, and his heirs claimed the in- heritance. As St. Stanislaus had nothing to show in proof of his right, he was condemned to restore the estate to the plaintiffs. The saint now fasted and prayed God to defend his cause ; then, going to the tomb of the dead man, he touched the body with his pastoral staff, and commanded it to arise. The dead man instantly obeyed the summons, and followed the bishop into the king's court. Stanislaus then said to the judge, "Here, my lord, is Peter himself, who sold me the estate. He has come from the grave to vindicate the truth." Peter confirmed the statement of the bishop in every par- ticular, and judgment was reversed. St. Stanislaus now asked Peter if he would like to remain alive for a few years ; but Peter replied he would rather return to his grave. He was in purgatory, he said, but nad almost purged away his sins, and ■was in near prospect of paradise. So he returned to his tomb, where he decently composed himself, and yielded up his breath a second time. — Ribadeneira, The Flowers of the Saints. Dead raised to Life again (with an account of human hibernation, etc.). (See Elisha and the Moabite.) Mark ▼. 3&-42. Jairus, ruler of the syna- gogue, besought Jesus to heal his daughter, but « messenger told Jairus he need not trouble the Master, as the damsel was dead. Jesus said to the ruler. Be not afraid, only believe ; and going to the ruler's house, he took the damsel by the hand, and said, Talitha cumi ; and straightway the maiden arose and walked, for she was of the age of twelve years. Luke vii. 11-15. When Jesus came to Nain, a dead man was being carried to his grave. It was an only son, and the mother was a widow. Jesus went to the bier and said. Young man, I say unto thee. Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak ; and Jesus deliver»Jl him to his mother. Pt. 1.1 AMANDUS, ARMENGOL, ATTALUS, AVITUS. ro John xi. 1-44. Lazarus died and was buried ; and his two sisters told Jesus. Jesus went to the grave where Lazarus had been laid for four days, and when the stone at the mouth of the vault was rolled away, He said with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth ! and he that was dead came forth bound in his grave-clothes; and Jesus said lo the standers-by. Loose him, and let him go. 3 KiKGS iv. 28-37. The son of a Shunammite woman, who had shown kindness to Elisha, died, and the mother besought the aid of the prophet. Elisha went into the chamber where the dead child was, shut the door, and prayed unto the Lord. Then he went and lay upon the child, putting mouth to mouth and hinds to hands, and the flesh of the dead child waxed warm. Then the prophet walked to and fro for a time; and the child sneezed seven times, and opened his eyes. Elisha then bade Gehazi to call the mother, and when she came, he said to her. Take up thy son ; and she took him up, and went out. St. Amandus restores to life a rttan executed for brigandage (a.d. 594-684). While St. Amandus was at Tournai, the governor, Dotton, sentenced a brigand to death ; and so well was the sentence de- served, that the whole court exclaimed with one voice, " Away with him, away with him ! he is not fit to live ! " St. Amandus entered the court at this moment, and implored the governor to accord to him the life of the prisoner ; but Dotton told him it could not be, and the executioners hung the criminal, and watched him till he was dead. Amandus at night cut the body down, and con- veyed it to his cell, when he fell on his face and implored the Lord of life to give back to this wretch his departed spirit. All at once the brigand raised himself, opened his eyes as if from a deep sleep, and seemed bewildered to find himself in the cell of the travelling bishop. Next morning St. Amandus called for water, washed the wounds of the resuscitated man, and having healed them all, bade the man return home and sin no more. Soon the noise of this mi- racle spread in all directions, and crowds fioeked to the saint for baptism. All Gand was converted, and in an incredible short time two monasteries arose, one at Gand and the other on Mont Blandin. Truly a whole people was bom in a day, and the name of the Lord was magnified, — Menjoulet (vicar-general of Bayonne), Saint Amandf Apdtre des Basques. Peter Armengol was suspended six days on a gallows^ and yet was taken down alive (a.d. 1304). Peter Armengol was a cor.verted captain of % band of robbers, wh ) spent his life in redeeming Christians made captives by the Moors. Hearing of the captivity of eighteen young men, h<» agreed with the Moors foi- their ransom, and gave himself up as a hostage till the money arrived. He had many oppor- tunities of preaching Christ crucified during his captivity, and not a few were converted by him. This greatly annoyed the Moslems, who pretended that the time of payment had expired, and hung him on a gibbet. He had been suspended for six days, when William Florentin arrived with the ransom-money, and was ex- tremely distressed to hear of the fate of his dear companion ; but what was his amazement, as he stood under the gibbet, to hear himself addressed with these words : " Dear brother, weep not ; I am alive ; the Virgin Mary has kept me all these days." Florentin cut him down in the presence of many spectators, and the ransom-money was laid out in re- deeming twenty-six more Christian slaves. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), April 27. St. Attalus raised two dead persons to life again (a.d. 627). Ariowald, king of Lombardy, was an Arian, and orthodox Christians were taught not to salute heretics. One day a monk of the Bobbio monastery, passing the king, neglected to salute him, and Ariowald employed an assassin to waylay the monk and murder him. This was done, but St. Attalus restored the dead man to life, and the devil, seizing the murderer, put him to horrible torments, from which Attalus alone was able to deliver him. Another monk, employed to root out the residue of paganism in Tortona, was seized by the natives, who threw him into the river, and piled huge stones over him. St. Attalus drew him from the water safe and sound, but his persecutors all met with violent deaths. — Jonas (a Scotchman and disciple of St. Attains), Life of St. Attalus. St. Avitus, abbot of St. Mesmin, raises one of his disciples from death (a.d. 530). St. Avitus was in the habit of retiring from time to time into a thick forest near his abbey. One day a religious, in his suite, died on the road, but besought his com- panions not to bury him till the abbot had seen him. One of the companions ran ibto the forest to announce the death to Avitus, and to tell him that the body had been carried into the church. Avitus instantly went to the church, and pros- trated himself in prayer. Then rising to his feet, he commanded the dead man 80 DEAD RAISED TO LIFE AGAIN. to awake from the dead. The dead man could not resist, and giving liis right hand to the abbot, he came from the bier, and immediately took part with the rest in chanting the service. This " miracle " made a great sensation ; and St. Lubin, bishop of Chartres, assures us he was told it by the very man who was resus- citated. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. vii. p. 110. This looks rery like a case of epilepsy. St, Benedict y abbot of Mount Cassino, restores to life a lad frightfully mangled by the fall of a wall (a.d. 480-543). While St. Benedict was building his monastery at Mount Cassino, he observed the devil busy at work also, and knew mischief was at hand. He accordingly called out aloud to the workmen, " Be on your guard, my brethren, for the devil is among you." Then the fiend, out of pure malice, knocked down a part of the wall, which fell on a young novice, the son of a nobleman ; and not only killed him, but crushed him most horribly. The monks were greatly grieved, and the abbot told them to carry the dead body into his cell. It was impossible to carry the body in their hands, because it was so mangled ; so they put it in a sack, and picked up carefully all the pieces. When they were brought into the cell, St. Benedict locked the door, prayed fer- vently, and lying on the dead body, put his mouth to the child's mouth. Presently the flesh of the young novice began to wax warm, the separate pieces drew to- gether, the crushed parts assumed their normal condition, the young man sneezed, opened his eyes, stood upon his feet. The resuscitation was com[)lete, as com- plete as if the accident had never hap- pened ; and St. Benedict, to prove his perfect triumph over Satan, bade the novice return to his work, and help to re- store the wall which had fallen upon him. — St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues^ bk. ii. St, Benedict of Mount Cassino resus- citates the child of a peasant (a.d. 480- 543). A peasant, having lost his only son, brought the dead body to Mount Cassino, and requested St. Benedict to restore it to life. Turning to his monks, the patriarch said, *' Let us retire; these peasants seek of us feeble creatures acts which pertain to apostles only. Let us retire, my brothers." Still the parents of the child ceased not their entreaties, and Bald they would not leave till the iaint granted their petition. St. Bene- LPt. 1. diet could resist no longer. So, placing himself beside the dead body, and lifting his hands to heaven, he said, " Lord, re- gard not my unworthiness, but behold the faith of this Thy servant, who implores the resuscitation of his child. If, Lord, it seems good in Thy sight, let the soul and the life return to this dead body." Immediately the dead body began to stir; the abbot took the hand, life was restored, and the child was delivered to his father in perfect health. (See ?t. Severin, p. 78.)— St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues^ bk. ii. St, Coletta, or Nicoletta^ raised a large number of the dead (1380-1447). St. Coletta resuscitated many dead bodies. For example, four grandees, who sur- vived for many years. Many hundreds of children, still-born. A child which had been buried. A nun of Poligny, which had died without absolution ; this woman was called back to life to make her confession, and receive supreme unc- tion, after which she was restored to the grave agairr, — Douillet, Vie de St, Collette, St. Cyril, general of Mount Carmel, re- stores to life a 7nan recently cured of blindness (a.d. 1191). St. Cyril gave alms to a blind man, and as soon as the man knew who had given him the money, he laid the coin upon his eyes, and re- ceived his sight. What is etill more re- markable is, that his soul was enlightened at the same instant, and he begged to be admitted into a religious house as an inmate. He was refused, because the prior was not at home, fell sick, and died within three days. Let Mgr. Gue'rin tell the rest : — On fit ses fune'- railles, et, quoiqu'il y eut longtemps qu'il f ut e'tendu dans sa bifere, et reconnu pour mort, etant tout pres d'etre mis en terre, il se releva, etdit k haute voix, " Que les prieres de Cyrille I'avaient ressuscit^, de meme que ses me'rites lui avaient rendu la vue du corps aussi bien que de Tame.' — Mgr. Gue'rin, Vies des SaintSy vol. iii. p. 201. St. Dominic restores to life the son oj a Roman matron. The son of a Roman matron died while his mother was listening to a sermon by St. Dominic The dead body was taken to the monk, and laid at his feet. The " blessed father," moved with compassion, made on the lad the sign of the cross, and taking him by the hand, the dead child rose, stood on his feet, and returned home in perfect health. St. Dominic restore ^ to life a carpentet Ft. l.J UOMLNiG, liLEUTilEKlUIS, IKAJSCIS, FURSY. 81 killed by a fall into a pit, A carpenter, working in the convent of St. Sistus, fell into a pit, and the earth falling on him crushed him to death. St. Dominic or- dered him to be dug out, prayed over him, and he returned to life wholly- unhurt. St. Dominic restores to life Neapolion^ killed by a fall from his horse. The nephew of cardinal Stephen, whose name was Neapolion, being thrown from his horse, had his neck broke, and was killed. St. Dominic, going to the spot of the accident, prayed thrice, saying the same words ; then, taking the young man by the hand, he said with a loud voice, " Neapolion, I say unto you, in the name of Christ, Arise." Forthwith he arose, and St. Dominic led him to his uncle. — Edward Kinesman (a.d. 1623), Live\of the Saints, pp. 673, 574. St. Eleutherius kills, and restores to life, the daughter of the governor of Tournai (a.d. 631). The daughter of the governor of Tournai, a pagan, conceived a violent affection for the young Eleutherius, and one day went to Blandain to make the avowal to him. " Unhappy woman ! " said Eleutherius; "did you never hear how Satan tempted the Saviour, and He repelled him ? In the name of the blessed I'linity I now command you to retire, and never again to come into my presence." On hearing these words the maiden fell dead, as if struck by a flash of light- ring. The father was greatly distressed, a.nd promised to become a Christian if hie daughter was restored to life. Eleu- therius fasted and prayed for many days ; then, going to the maiden's grave, he bade the bystanders roll away the stone, and c;ded thrice with a loud voice, "Damsel, I c )mmand you, in the name of Christ, Come f)rth;" and she came from the tomb in the sight of all, and was baptized. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. ii. p. 600. St. Francis of Paula raises his nephew frcym the dead (a.d. 1416-1607). Nicholas d'Alesso, the nephew of St. Francis of Paula, often expressed an ardent desire to be a monk, but his parents would not give their consent. While still young, he fell ill and died ; and his dead body was taken to his uncle's church to be buried. The funeral service was finished, and the body was about to be lowered into the grave, when St. Francis, " qui avait en ses mains les clefs de la vie et de la mort," stopped the bearers, and taking the dead body in his arms, carried it into his chamber ; and the same night, after many prayers and tears, it was restored to life. The mother came next day to weep over her lost child, when St. Francis asked her if she felt re- signed to the will of God, and if she would now consent to her son entering upon a religious life. " Alas ! " cried the mother, " he is past my consent now, and is in the hands of God. It is too late, too late now ; I shall never again see my Nicholas either a secular or a religious."^ "You consent, then," said St. Francis ; and so saying, led the mother into his chamber, and showed her the young man living. Nicholas took the habit of the order, and lived in his uncle's monastery for many years. — Au- tlientic Relation made in Consistory upon the Acts of his Canonization (compiled bv Father Giry). We all remember the supposed death and burial of Juliet, who wanted to have her own way against her paients' wishes. The son and daughter of king Brendin restated to life by St. Fursy (a.d. 650). King Brendin of Ultonia [Ulster] had a son and dauo;hter, twins, who died the same day. Brendin was not able to bury them, because the Irish were cannibals, and would have disinterred the bodies to eat them ; they were therefore thrown into the sea, but were washed ashore near the hermitage of their cousin, St. Fursy. The time when this occurred happened to coincide exactly with the hour that St. Fursy, according to his wont, was passing along the coast to church, and he saw his two cousins lying naked before him. He was greatly distressed, and said, " merciful Lord, grant that the spirits of these my dear cousins may return into their bodies." His prayer was granted, and the two cousins rose joyously to their feet ; but, being naked, they were ashamed. St. Fursy had pity on their shame, and clothed them both in suitable raiments. He then threw a stick into the sea, and told his cousins to follow it, nothing doubting. The rest must be told in the words of Mgr. Guerin, or no English reader will believe what follows has been accurately stated. "Or, ^outez une chose," says the chamberlain of pope Leo XIII., "e'coutez une chose qui doit emerveiller, et qui doit etre racontee pour la gloire de Notre Seigneur: Ic baton s'en alia devant comme s'il efit eu de I'entendement. Les enfants marche- rent [on the surface of the sea] hardiment k sa suite dans le sillage qu'il tra9ait, jusqu'k ce qu'ils arriverent en leur pays, o 83 DEAD RAISED TO LIFE AGAIN. rt*T. 1. ct reconnurent leur gens." — Les Petits Bollandistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. i. p. 401. We are told. In a note by Mgr. Gu^rin, that the life of Bt Fursy was written in 665 by a contemporary, and was Eublished bv Surius, vol. i. p. 259, etc. It was repeated y J. Holland (Jan. 15), and by Mabillon. voL iii. p. 299, etc. The venerable Bede. In his Church Eittory, bk. iil. ch. 19, gives an abstract of the life; but the best life is by tiie abbot Corblet, Haffiographie du Dioedte d'A miens, vol. ii. p. 260. With such high authority who can doubt the " sober facts " here set down T Irish cannibals two centuries after the death of St. Patrick 1! St. Francis Hieronimus raises a dead infant to life (a.d. 1642-1716). A poor woman lost her infant child, twelve months old ; but not having money enough to bury it, she placed it near the confes- sional of Father Francis. When the saint entered the church, he knew by inspiration where the child was lying, and told Mary Gassier to go and take charge of it. Mary instantly obeyed ; but, on lifting up the covering, she ex- claimed, " My father, the child is dead." *' No, no, Mary," he replied; " behold, it sleepeth." So saying, he made the sign of the cross on the child's forehead, and applied some holy water to its lips. Forthwith the child opened its eyes, and began to breathe. " Go, and call the mother," said St. Francis. The woman at first refused to come, and, when she saw a living child, would not believe it to be her own. Soon, however, the child recognized its mother, and her joy was complete. — Cardinal Wiseman. (St. Fran- cis was canonized in 1839.) St, Galla restores to life a maiden declared to he dead. One day a handmaid, who waited on St. Galla, going to fetch water, fell, and hurt herself so severely that all thought she was dead. Galla ordered the maiden to be taken into her cell, and, kneeling in prayer, she cried aloud, " Lord, heal her ! " The words were hardly uttered when the handmaid rose ; and all who saw it exclaimed, " See, what mighty 'DOwer the Lord and Saviour hath com- nitted to His saints ! " — Les Petits Bollan- iistesy vol. ii. p. 199. St. George of Cappadocia calls a dead man from his grave. Diocletian, by the advice of Athanasius, a magician, gave St. George a deadly poison, but it did the saint no harm. When the emperor ex- pressed surprise, St. George said to him, ** The God whom I adore can not only preserve life. He can also restore it." ** This is it," rejoined the emperor: ** if, now, one came from the dead, we should believe." St. George replied, "Then fol- low me," and led the way to a cemetery filled with graves. Standing before one of them, he prayed that God would show forth His powei to confound gainsayers. Immediately the cave where he stood opened, and one came forth with his grave-clothes ; and, falling at the feet of St. George, returned him humble and hearty thanks. The emperor declared it was the work of necromancy, but Athana- sius, the magician, replied, " Not so, my sovereign liege ; none but the great God can do after this sort." — Pasicrates (an intimate friend of St. George, and eye- witness of his deeds). St. Gildas the Wise restores to life Tri- fina^ about to be a mother (494-570). Trifina, daughter of Guerech, was de- manded in marriage by Conomor, who had been married often before, but always killed his wives as soon as they conceived. As he was a very powerful monarch, Guerech durst not refuse him, and so Trifina became his wife. When she was about to become a mother, Conomor mur- dered her, as he had murdered his other wives. St. Gildas heard of this brutal act, and raised the princess to life again. In time the child was bom. It was « boy-child, and was named Trech-meui (Death- won). — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. ii. p. 106. At the invocation of St. Godard a pro- cession of dead m^n walked through the cathedral of HUdesheim (a.d. 1038). Thi» marvellous story must be given in the ipsissima verba of Mgr. Gu^rin, chamber- lain of pope Leo Xfll. He prefaces the anecdote with the words. Though many miracles are ascribed to St. Godard, bishop of Hildesheim, the following most strikes the imagination of the masses, and serves as a characteristic of our saint in Christian art. " II avait excommunie' certains dc ses dioce'sains : or, un jour qu'il se pr^pa- rait k c^^rer les saints mystferes, il les vit entrer dans Teglise, en de'pit de I'ex- communication. Invoquant le pouvoir de Dieu, il ordonna aux morts de se lever de leurs tombeaux, et de donner I'exemple de I'obe'issance aux transgresseurs de ses ordonnances. Ceux-ci, soulevant le cou- vercle de leurs s^pulcres, organiserent une procession, et sortirent de re'glise.'*— F»«t des Saints, vol. v. p. 324 (7th edit. 1880). St. Rilarion restores to life the three sons of a nobleman. A noble lady, returning from a visit to St. Anthony with her three sons, came to Gaza, where all her song sickened and died. The mother, beside herself with grief, went to the cell of St. Hilarion, accompanied with two hand- Pt.I.J HILARY, JULIAN, LABAN. 88 maids, and said to him, *' O man of God, have pity on me for Christ's sake ! man of God, look on my misery and pity me I O man of God, come with me to Gaza, I implore you ; come with me, and restore me my three sons who are lying dead. Come, O man of God, and God will be magnified in thee." St. Hilarion replied that he never left his cell. Whereupon the mother, frantic with grief, fell at his feet, weeping most bitterly. " servant of the living God, give me back my sons ! " she cried, " give me back my sons ! servant of the living God, give me back my sons Her two handmaids added k their voices, and wept also. Hilarion was no stock or stone, and could resist no longer. He went to Gaza as the sun was setting, called on the name of the Lord, said to the mother, "The Lord kill%fch, and maketh alive ; He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up." Then lift- ing up his eyes to heaven, uttered a short prayer, and the three sons who were dead arose, and were led to their mother. — St. Jerome, Vita St. Hilarionis Eremitas (a.d. 390). 8t, Hilary restores to life an unbapiized infant (fourth century). St. Hilary, after his return from exile into Phrygia, was received in Poitiers with unbounded joy, and commemorated his return with this miracle. An infant died before baptism, and St. Hilary, moved to compassion at the grief of the parents, restored the child to life ; it was then baptized, and " new- ness of life was given to its soul." This miracle is memorialized by sculpture still extant in Poitiers cathedral. — Dom Coustant, Vita Sancti Hilarii. Fictaviensis. St, James of Tarentaise induces by his tears a dead man to return to life (fifth century) . After one of his missionary tours, St. James of the county of Tarentaise went to visit the grave of a very dear friend who had died during his absence. The saint wept so bitterly over the grave, that the dead man could not resist the force of his deep, deep grief ; and as Lazarus came from the grave at the voice of Christ, so this friend returned to life at the tears of St. James. — Gui of Burgundy (afterwards Calixtus II.), Life of St. James of Taren- taise. St. Julian restores to life the son of Anastasius (a.d. 117). When St. Julian went to Mans, what greatly contributed to the conversion of the people was the following " miracle." The son of Anas- tasius, one of the chief citizens, died, and the father said to Julian, " If, now, you could raise this lad from death, I would confess Jesus Christ, whom you preach, to be the true God, and would renounce at once the gods which I now worship.** St. Julian went to the dead body, took it by the hand, and raising his eyes to heaven, implored Him who raised Lazarus from the dead to do the like in this case, to the end that this resurrection of the body might be the spiritual resurrection of a great multitude. Forthwith the lad who was dead arose, and his parents received him in their arms with unspeak- able joy. Anastasius and all his house being then baptized, the name of the Lord was magnified. — D. Piolin, Histoire de VEglise du Mans (10 vols.). St. Julian restores Jovian to life (a.d. 117). When St. Julian was in Champagne, he met a funeral procession conducted by the druids. The person who was carried to his grave was one Jovian, a young man of the chief family in the neighbourhood, St. Julian addressed himself to the father and asked whether he would confess Jesu* Christ to be the true God, if through His name the young man was restored to life. Then raising his eyes to heaven, he prayed, and as he prayed the young man revived, and cried with a loud voice, *' The God of Julian is indeed the true God." Then, turning to his father, he said, " We have been worshipping demons all this while. I saw them with these eyes in hell, where they suffer ineffable torments." The fame of this miracle soon got noised abroad, and multitudes were baptized into ^the new faith. — D. Piolin, Histoire de VEglise du Mans, In this narrative we are forcibly struck with Its want of harmony with druidical times. It breathes throughout of Roman Catholic times and dogmas, and if we omit the word druidt, would be far more in accordance with the twelfth or thirteenth century than with the second. St. Julian, bishop of Mans, restores to life the son of Pruila Leguilla of Gaul (a.d. 117). While St. Julian was in Gaul, he entered the house of Pruih; Leguilla, whc was a pagan, and had asked him to be her guest. Just as he entered, the son of his hostess died. Never mind, he abode in the house notwithstanding. The saint passed the night in prayer, and next morning presented the young man alive and well to his mother. The whole house and many of the neighbours who witnessed the miracle were immediately baptized, confessing the God of Julian to be, God indeed. — D. Piolin, Histoire de I'Eglise du Mans, Laban returns to life to receive the Viatic 84 DEAD RAISED TO LIFE AGAIN. [Pr. I. cum (seventh century). While St. Sacerdos was at prayer with his monks, a messenger arrived, to announce to him the death of his father Laban. At the time, Sacerdos was so absorbed in prayer that he did not hear what the messenger said. When he came to himself, and understood that his father was dead, he went with all haste to the house of mourning, and leamt to his great grief that Laban had died so suddenly there had been no opportunity of giving him the Viaticum. Kneeling at the bedside, in the presence of all assem- bled, Sacerdos took the hand of the dead man, and called him twice by his name. At the voice Laban sat up, as if aroused from sleep, and looking on the bystanders said, *' I died at the second hour of the day, but have returned to life, in virtue of the merits of my son." Sacerdos then administered to him the Viaticum, and asked for his blessing. Laban, having blessed his son, rendered back his soul to God a second time. — Pergot, Life of St. Sacerdos^ Bishop of Limoges, Marianne de Jesus of Quito raises the dead (A.D. 1618-1645). (1) Jane was confided by her mother to the care of her aunt Marianne of Quito, and one day, while the child was playing with the mules, she received a severe kick, which fractured her skull. Marianne ordered the child to be brought to her cell, and praying over l*t, she healed the wound instantaneously, so that none could tell where the fracture had been made. (See Zanobi, p. 86.) (2) An Indian, in the service of donna Geromine "where Marianne lived, jealous of his wife, dragged her to a wood, strangled her, and threw the dead body over a precipice. Marianne saw the whole in a vision, sent a man to the place where the body lay, and told him to bring it to her room secretly. When this was done, Marianne rubbed the dead body with some rose-leaves, and almost instantly the woman " a recouvr^ la vie, la santd, et les forces." — Mgr. Gu^rin, Vies des Saints^ vol. vi. 233. St. Martin restores to life a catechumen. A young man of Poitiers, who was a catechumen, died suddenly ; and just as the body was about to be buried, St. Martin arrived. He entered the chamber where the body was laid out, sent all away, and shut the chamber door. He remained in prayer for the space of two hours, when he that was dead began to revive. Life came back at first very gradually, but ulti- mately the catechumen left the chamber wholly restored to his usual health. St. Martin restores to life a man vohc had hanged himself. St. Martin restored to life a man who had hanged himself. The dead man not only received newness of life to his body by the prayers of the saint, but what is far better, his mind was delivered from that despondency which had driven him to commit this great crime, and he was restored to a sound mind in a sound body. St. Martin restores to life the son of a poor widow. When St. Martin was bishop he restored to life the son of a poor widow of Chartres. He prayed, and the dead man lived again, to the great joy of his mother. — Seveius Su!- picius, Jjialogues. St. Martin used to say to his disciples. " Before I was made a bishop I restored two dead men to life. I>i.( since my elevation only one. So God gave me a double measure of His grace when I was nothing ; but when He bosiowed on me honours. He diminished His gift of grace. St. Melanius restores to life the son of an old man. One day an old man of Vannes besought St. Melanius to resus- citate his son, who had just died. The holy bishop, turning to the crowd and those carrying the bier, said, "Ye men of Vannes, what is the good of showing you the power of God by signs and wonders, unless ye believe?" Some of the followers replied, '*13e assured, O man of God, if you raise this man from the dead, we will all believe that the God you preach is the Lord indeed." Then Melanius laid his crucifix on the dead man's breast, and said, " In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, young man, I say unto you. Arise." And immediately he who was dead arose ; and all the whole country received baptism, and professed the catholic apostolic faith. — Dom Lobineau, Life of St. Melanius. (Lobineau was his contemporary.) Martin^ a monk of Pomposa^ raised to life for three days. Martin, one of the brothers of the monastery of Pomposa, died some three or four leagues away from home, and his body was carried to Pomposa for inter- ment. When the body was being lowered into the grave, signs of life were observed, and suddenly the dead man called aloud for St. Guido, the abbot. The abbot asked Martin whence he came, what hs had seen, and what had caused his return to life. He replied, " I have seen hell, a place of indescribable horrors, where I saw many of my kinsmen and acquaintances. As I looked on them with consternation, St. Michael appeared to me, and gave me a little honey to taste. It v/as of eK/;raordi • Pt. I.] PHILIP, POPPO, ISEKVASIUS, ETC., VALERY. 86 nary sweetness ; and he commanded me to return to my body for three days." Brother Martin lived for three days, and the taste of that honey never left him. At the end of the three days the abbot gave him his blessing, and he died in peace. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), March 31. St. Philip of Neri raised Paul Fahricius from the dead. Paul Fahricius, of the house of the Massimi, died without the consolation of seeing Philip of Neri, whom he had greatly desired to see. When St. Philip arrived, he called Paul Fahricius to life again. The resuscitated man made his confession to the saint, and then died a second time ; preferring to go to heaven and be with Christ, than to remain on earth exposed to tempta- tions, and in danger of falling from etgjjial grace. — Father Antonio Galonio, Life of St. Philip di Neri. St. Poppo restores to life a shepherd mangled by a wolf (a. d. 978-1 048) . While St. Poppo was on his way to the emperor Henry, he sat down to eat his breakfast ; but scarcely was he seated, when he saw a wolf steal from a thicket with a shep- herd in its mouth. Rising on his feet, St. Poppo vowed he would not touch food till he had rescued the shepherd. Guided by the blood, he tracked the wolf to a swamp, and found the man horribly mangled and quite dead. Falling on his knees, St. Poppo prayed, and the dead man came to life, and partook of the saint's breakfast. The shepherd carried to the grave a scar on his neck of the wolfs teeth. Everheilm informs us he was told this anecdote by St. Poppo him- self ; and in memory of this "miracle," the town of Stavelot, of which he was abbot, has a wolf in its arms. — Bollandus, vol. iii. p. 251, etc. (This life was written by. Everheilm.) St, Servasius delivered from the Huns (a.d. 384). As St. Servasius was journeying from Liege to Rome, he fell into the hands of the Huns, who were ravaging Italy. They threw him into a deep ditch till they made up their minds what to do with him. At midnight, the Huns were much alarmed by seeing a great light in the ditch, and resolved to set their captive free; but greater still was their amazement when they saw that the light proceeded from the face of their captive, and that an eagle hovered over him, covering him with one wing while he slept, and fanning him with the other. Manv of the Huns were converted when they saw these marvels, and St. Servasius was set at liberty at Qnce. — Father Giles Buchere, Gestes des Eveques de Tongres, etc., ch. iv. St. Severin restores a woman to life (a.d. 482). A woman, having died after a long illness, was laid at the door of St. Severin's cell. "What is it that you want?" asked the saint; and the people replied, "We have brought this woman here that you may restore her to her family." "Who am I," said the saint, "that I should make alive whom the Lord hath taken away?" "We know," rejoined the people, "that God heareth you, and if you ask. He will deny you nothing." Then the saint prayed, and the woman, being restored to life, went about her daily work. " Know ye," said Severin, " this miracle is not due to my merits, but to your faith. Only believe, and nothing ia impossible with God." (See St. Bene- dict, p. 80.) — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. i. p. 219. St. Severus raised to life a dead man, in order to confess him and absolve him (sixth century). While St. Severus was pruning his vine, he was sent for to confer the sacrament of penitence on a dying man. He did not go immediately, and when he reached the house the man was dead. St. Severus was horrified ; threw himself on the earth ; accused himself of mortal sin ; and said he was worse than a murderer, as he had murdered the man's soul. All of a sudden the dead man began to breathe again, he sat up, and received the sacrament. St. Severus wept with joy, and thanked God. The man lived seven days, and then died again in a better hope of a joyful resurrection. (See Laban, p. 83.) — Propre de Treves, St, Valery raises to life a mxin who had been hanged (a.d. 619). When St. Valery of Luxeul was at Gamaches, a nobleman named Sigobard had just condemned a man to death, and the sentence was im- mediately executed. St. Valery saw the man suspended by the cord, and hastened to the gallows. The executioners drove him back ; but, paying no attention to them, he cut the man down, and laying himself on the body, face to face, and hand to hand, he prayed God to restore the man to life. His prayer was heard ; the man revived, and stood on his feet full of strength and vitality. St. Valery now supplicated Sigobard to let the man go ; but he refused, and ordered the fellow to be hanged again. Valery ex- 56 DEAD RAISED TO LIFE AGAIN. [Pt. 1 postulated, and said, "You have already punished him with death for his offences, aud cannot in justice punish him twice for the same crimes. God has given him a new life, and in this new life he is yet innocent." Sigobard, seeing the force of the appeal, set the man free, and he lived many years. A chapel stands on the spot where this occurred. — Besan9on (1854), Les Saints de Franche Canity. St, Vincent Ferrier raised a dead man to life again (a.d. 1357-1419). St. Vin- cent Ferrier, preaching one day at Sala- manca to many thousands of people, stopped short suddenly, and then, to the amazement of all, exclaimed, ** I am the angel spoken of by St. John in the Apocalypse — the angel which was to preach to all peoples and nations and tongues, and to say unto them. Fear God and give Him honour, for the day of judgment is at hand." Then, seeing the vast assembly astonished, he said again, " I am the angel of the Apocalypse, and will prove it. Some of you go to St. Paul's gate, and you will find a dead man borne on men's shoulders to his grave. Bring him in hither, and you shall hear the proof of what I tell you." Some did as the saint commanded, and set the bier in a position to be seen by all. St. Vin- cent then bade the dead man return to life, and when he sat up, he asked him, " Who am I ?" The man replied, " You, Father Vincent, are the angel of the Apocalypse, as you have already told this vast assembly." St. Vincent tiien asked if the man preferred to die or live. " To live," he replied. " Then be it so," said the saint, and the man lived for many years. — Mgr. Guerin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII., 1880), Vies des Saints, vol. iv. p. 240. St. Vincent Ferrier restores to life a Jew, who forthwith becomes a convert (a.d. 1357-1419). Abraham Ezija of Anda- lusia, a very rich Jew, went once out of curiosity to hear St. Vincent Ferrier preach ; but not liking his discourse, he rose in anger to leave the church. The people at the door opposed his passage. " Let him go," cried St. Vincent ; " come away all of you at once, and leave the passage free." Just as the Jew was leaving, the porch fell on him and crushed him to death. Then the saint, rising from his chair, knelt in prayer, and resuscitated the dead man, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The first words the Jew spoke when he came to life were these : " The religion of the Jews is not the true faith; the tiae faith is that of Christians." Being baptized, Ezija, in memory of this event, established a pious foundation in this church. (See Devils recognizing, "That which Ambrose preaches is true.") — Peter Ran- zano (bishop of Lucera), Life of St. Vincent Ferrier. St. Wulfran restores to life a lad named Ovon, who had been sacrificed to the gods of the Frisons (a.d. 647-720). The Prisons offered human victims to their gods, and these victims were selected by lot. One day the lot fell on a lad named Ovon, and St. Wulfran entreated king Radbod to forbid the sacrifice. Radbod replied that he durst not interfere with the laws of the land, and accordingly, Ovon was haiiged on a gibbet and strangled, in the presence of a great multitude. St. Wul- fran now prayed the Lord to magnify His name m the midst of this crowd of idolaters, that the people might be turned from the error of their ways, to serve the living God. Two hours after the execu- tion the rope broke, and Ovon fell to the ground. St. Wulfran, running np, said with a loud voice, "Ovon, I command you, in the name of Jesus Christ, stand up." The lad stood up. His life was restored, and, what is more, spiritual life was given him at the same moment, and many of the Frisons were converted. — L'abbe Corblet, Bagiography of the Diocese of Amiens. St. Zanobiy bishop of Florence, raises five persons from death to life (a.d. 407). (1) The first person was the son of a Gallic lady, passmg through Florence to Rome. She left her sick son in the charge of Zanobi, hoping he would be well by the time she returned ; but on the day of her return he died. As he was her only child, her grief was very great, and she implored Zanobi with manj'^ tears to restore him to life. Zanobi, by his Erayer and the sign of the cross, restored im to life, and handed him to his mother. (See Marianne deJesus, p.84.) (2) The second instance was that of a young man whom Zanobi encountered in the faubourgs of Florence. He was being carried to his grave. The parents said to the saint, *'You have had com- passion on a stranger, and have given her son to her from the dead ; you cannot refuse the same grace to one of your own people." Zanobi came up, touched the dead man, raised his eyes to heaven, and immediately life returned to the inanimate bodv. Pt. I.] SOLUTION SUGGESTED. 87 (3) The third case was that of Sim- plicius, an envoy of St. Ambrose, who fell from his horse down a precipice, and was frightfully mangled. Zanobi not only restored his life, but rehabilitated the bodj'" so entirely that no vestige of the accident was discernible. (4) The fourth instance was the infant child of a noble family, who had been run over by a carriage, while playing before St. Saviour's Cathedral. It so happened that St. Eugenius and St. Crescentius were present at the time, and joined Zanobi in prayer for the resusci- tation of the child. Their prayers were l.sard, and the child was restored to perfect health, as if the accident had ncTer happened. (6) The fifth case was the father of St. Eugenius, who had died in m^tal sin without the sacraments. Zanobi, moved to pity at the grief of Eugenius, told him to sprinkle the dead body with holy water. This did he, and the dead man was restored to life. — John Tortel (arch priest of Arezzo), Life of St, Zanobi (1433). Simon Magus volunteered to be buried, and said he would rise again on the third day, Simon Magus volunteered to be buried alive, and declared he would rise again on the third day. His disci pies buried him in a deep trench, but to this day, says Hippolytus, '* they await his resurrection." — Milman, History of Chris- tianityj vol. ii. p. 61, note. An attempt to explain this phenomenon in tome eaeet. No miracle in hagiography is more common than that of resuscitating the dead. It is spoken of in so off-hand a manner in many cases, that it presumes familiarity. The examples given above stand out from the ordinary run by some speciality, or by some mariied resemblance to Scriptureincidents. Other examples might have been added to an almost indefinite amount. It would be childish to set down all these phenomena to imposition on the part of the operator or saint, but at the same time it cannot be depied that the resuscitation of the dead was at one time, and is still in the East, one of the commonest frauds of beggars and charlatans 1 (See ST. Gregory's Rochet.) It is well known that one mode of extorting money in Hindustan is by feigning death. The imitator is laid on a light native bed, and wounds, sores, and bruises are neatly painted on the body, Confederates bring the apparently dead body where they hope to excite sympathy, tell their tale of woe, and collect what money they are able for funeral expenses. Lieutenant Bacon* assures us, if the trick is new to the beholders," an ample shower of coins will be given," and the moment the money has been picked up the party decamps. He tells us he was once staying at a house when such a " dead man " was brought in. So well was the trick played, that although a wound was given by a spectator with a billiard cue, j-t li', in- dication of pain was manifested. Lieutenant oacon, being suspicious, poured scalding hot water on one of the Teet, when the " dead man " started up, and made oflF with all possible speed. Probably some of the numerous in- stances of resuscitation recorded may be referred to this category; and it can well be imagined how the • Firat Imprea$ion$ and Studiee from Mature in BindAstan. trick would be vastly more dramatic. If the body was laid at the feet of some saint, whom it would be good policy to flatter by making him the instrument of an apparent miracle. Voluntary asphyxia and death. Professor Huxley tells us a man may voluntarily produce asphyxia and "death " with the help of the diaphragm, as follows :— " If, the lungs being distended, the mouth and nose are closed, and a strong expiratory ettbrt is then made, the heart's action may be stopped. And the same result occurs if, the lungs being partially emptied, and the nose and mouth closed, a strong Inspiratory effort is m&Ae."— Elementary Physiology, p. 102. Lieutenant Boileau, in his Narrative of a Journey in Rajwarra (1835), tells us of men who by long practice acquired the power of " holding their breath for a consider- able time, first suspending it for a short period, say while one could count fifty, and gradually increasing the interval to two or more hundreds, as pearl-divers do." One man he mentions possessed the power of shutting his mouth, and stopping the interior opening of the nostrils with his tongue. He tells us that the West Indian slaves, when « suffering under the lash, sometimes kill themselves thus. A fourth means of suspending animation is by mesmerism. A fifth by anaesthetics, such as chloroform, ether, eta A sixth by hypnotism, which produces stupor simply by acting on the nerves through the eyes. It differs from mesmerism, in that no "animal magnetism" is infused. Epilepqr may be added, and various forms of asphyxia. The following extract from Paullnus, the deacon and biographer of St. Ambrose, is to the same point Speaking of the Arians, he says, "They calumniated the miracles of St. Ambrose, and stoutly maintained that he hired persons to feign themselves blind, and lame, and dead, that when they were brought to him he might have the credit of miraculously healing them." The remark is suggestive, even if we acquit the archbishop of complicity. Most certainly, if the dogma that " the end justifies the means " is admitted, even deception may be meritorious; and indeed is so, when thereby the power of the Church and " the glory of God " are supposed to be magnified. St. Servants '■ dead bird. The following anecdote further elucidates the same point. St. Servan had a pet robin which was wont to feed out of his hand and perch on his shoulder; and when Servan chanted the pailms, his little redbreast would flap its wings and chirp most lustily. The boys under him, jealous of one Kentigern. the favourite pupil of the old saint, one day wrung the robin's neck, and laid the charge on Kentigern. Kentigern cried bitterly when he heard the bird was dead, and taking it up, signed it with the sign of the cross, praying earnestly that God would restore it to life. When St. Servan returned from church, the robin hopped to meet him as usual, flapping its wings and chirping joyously. This is recorded as a " miracle," but it by no means needs be so. I myself once had a favourite canary very tame indeed; but one day, being frightened by the sudden entrance of strangers, it flew into the garden, and took refuge in a tall lime tree. Several neighbours came to help me to recapture my little favourite, and one of them, without my knowledge, threw a small stick at it, knocked it on the head, and it fell down on the ground. All thought the bird was dead, and a medical gentleman, who happened to be in the house at the time, pronounced it " undoubtedly dead." However, I laid it in wadding near the fire. For several hours no sign of life appeared, but next day the bird was alive, and lived many years after- wards. Restoration of life by Semiramis. This l^end is a manifest fraud, and yet may be typical of other legends. At the village of Ara, the king of Armenia inspirerl Semiramis, queen of Assyria, with a fatal passion, but he refused an alliance of marriage ; so the queen declared war against the Armenians, but strictly enjoined her soldiers on no account to injure the young king. Not- withstanding this injunction, the king was mortally wounded in the battle, and the queen obtained possession of the dead body, intending to restore it to life by magical incantations. It is needless to say that her in- cantations were powerless ; but she induced one of her favourites to personate the dead king, and then gave out that she had restored him to life by the special favour of her gods, who "had licked his wounds and cured them." In corroboration of this " miracle," the village where this happened was ever after called Lezk (Lick«d).'~The Con- stantinople Messenger, June 15, 1881. Simulated deaths. That fraud very early had crept in \b not left to conjecture, we have the strongest and clearest •ridexce possible. Take^ for example^ tb* am of St S8 DEAD RESUSCITATED: HUMAN HIBERNATION. [Pt. I. Epiphanius (310-403). He is represented in Ciiristian art as causing the actual death of an impjostor who feigned himself dead, and his accomplice is represented as demanding of the saint his restoration to life. This was In the fourth century, and without the possibility of a doubt the fraud was neither new nor unknown. In this case Epiphanius is represented as having detected and punished the fraud, but this appe.ars to be exceptional, and it is no great demand on human vanity to believe that hundreds would be willingly or unwillingly imposed upon, laying the flattering unction to their souls that God is glorified by the miraculous gifts of His iiaints. The following cases of voluntary hibernation are to the same point : — Human hibernation^ or simulated death by a Hindu fakir. The fakir Harodas had frequently exhibited his voluntary power of hibernation to the natives ; but in the following instance, quoted by Dr. Braid, it was exhibited to European officers before the maharajah and his principal sirdars. Harodas previously prepared himself by *' forcing his breath into his brain; whereupon the lungs collapsed, and the heart ceased to beat." Being ready, he was put into a linen bag sealed by the maharajah's private seal, and tiie bag containing the fakir was deposited in a deal box, which was locked, sealed, and buried in a deep grave. Earth was piled over the box several feet deep, and was well trodden down. Sentries were now set to watch the spot all day and night, and the man remained thus buried in the earth for six weeks. After the expiration of the forty days the box was disinterred, the eyes and moutii of the fakir were moistened, and the man revived. The case is related by captain W. G. Osborne in the book entitled The Court and Camp of Runjeet Singh (1840). It occurred at Lahore in 1837. Dr. Braid mentions other instances, and Meric Casaubon, D.D., gives several examples in his Treatise concerning En- thusiasm, as an Effect of Nature, but mistaken by many for Divine Inspiration or Diabolical Possession. The case oi' Harodjis is well known, and rests on un- doubted authority, such as that of sir Claude Martin Wade, acting political agent at the court of maharajah Runjeet Singh, at Lahore ; and vouched for by sir C E. Trevelyan, Dr. J. M. Honigberger, formerly physician to Runjeet Bingh, and by general Ventura. Human hibernation, or simulated death among the Hindus. Colonel Eraser states that the following case of simulated death was officially reported to the Indian government by an engineer officer. He says it occurred in the presence of him- self and another officer, at the court of Runjeet Singh, the Lion of Lahore. The faster was a Hindu fakir, who objected ko *'die and be buried" till commanded by Runjeet Singh. The fakir was a lean, middle-aged man. After bathing he was wrapped in a light warm cloth, his tongue was drawn back to the gullet, and he was laid on his back on a hard litter with a mat under him. Meanwhile slabs of stone were prepared and fitted together, and on them he was laid. He was then hermetically built in with solid masonry, for he was anxious no opening should be' left, lest the ants should get at him. The tomb of masonry was bound round with tape, and sealed with the ruj put's signet, which was handed to the officers. Six weeks afterwards the seals were broken, and the tomb opened. The body was found in the same position, but was somewhat leaner. The man's tongue was then drawn forwards, and warm milk being poured in small quantities down his throat, he revived in about an hour. This is a more recent case than that of Harodas. Lieutenant Boileau's case of voluntary hibernation. Lieutenant Boileau, in his Narrative of a Journey in Bajwarra (1835) j tells us of a man, about thirty years of age, who travelled about the country to Ajmeer, Katah, etc., and allowed himself to be buried for weeks, or even months, by any person who paid him handsomely. For some days before his inhumation he abstained from all food except milk, that he might not be inconvenienced by the contents of his stomach. His powers of abstinence were wonderful, and it is said his hair ceased to grow. This man was put to the test at Pooshikur by an officer, who suspended him for thirteen days enclosed in a wooden box, open to in- spection on all sides. The result proved to demonstration that the man was not an impostor. The same man was buried in a walled grave covered with largo stone slabs, and strictly guarded. He was exhumed after being interred for ten days, in the presence of credible witnesses. The appearance of the body was as follows : — '* Eyes closed, hands cramped and powerless, stomach shrunken, teeth jammed together so fast it was needful to employ an iron instrument to open the mouth that a little water might be poured down the throat. He revived gradually, and spoke in a feeble voice, as if weak ; but so far from being distressed in mind from his long interment, he said he was quite willing to be buried again, and that for a twelvemonth, if desired." A case of voluntary human hibernation recorded by Mr, Braids Mr. Braid men- Pt. I.l DEAF CURED— DEARTH— DELILAH. tions a case of voluntary human hiberna- tion made under the direct superinten- dence of a British officer. A period of nine days was stipulated for on the part of the devotee ; but was reduced to three at the desire of the officer, who feared he might incur blame if the result proved fatal. The appearance of the body when firnt disinterred was quite corpse-like in every respect. No pulsation at the heart could be detected, and no respiration was perceptible. The means of restoration employed were chiefly warmth to the vertex, and friction to the body and limbs. — Observations on Trance^ or Human Hibernation (1850). Colonel Townshend had the power of voluntary hibernation. Colonel Town- shend and Phul, rajah of Puttiali, in the Punjaub, had the power of voluntary hibernation. Colonel Townshend^ould *' die " whenever he pleased, as many persons can faint at will. His heart would cease to beat; there was no per- ceptible respiration ; the body became cold and rigid, the eyes glassy, and the features cadaverous. The colonel would continue "dead" for several hours, and then revive. Dr. Cheyne, who gives an account of this strange power, says that colonel Townshend told him "he could expire whenever he liked, and by an effort of his own will come to life again." On one occasion he performed the ex- periment in the presence of three medical men, one of whom kept his hand on the colonel's heart, another held bis fingers at the colonel's wrist-pulse, and the third held a mirror before the colonel's mouth. They found all traces of pulsation and respiration ceased entirely, and really believed that the colonel had actually died ; but he revived in due time, to the amazement of all. Deaf made to hear. Mark vii. 32-35. They bring unto Jesus one that was deaf, . . . and He put His fingers into his ears, . . . and looking up to heaven, He sighed, and saith, Ephphatha (that is. Be opened) ; and straightway hia eans were opened. St. Genevieve cures a lawyer who had been deaf for four years (a.d. 422-512). An advocate of Paris, who had been quite deaf for four years, applied to St. Gene- vieve for a cure of his infirmity. The saint made the sign of the cross on his ears, and forthwith he heard plainly. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum (Vita Geno- vefe), vol. i. Jan. 3. The cure of the deaf is too common a ndrade In hagio- gnphjr to tiare the least interest, and of course deafness and dumbness are so easily ajsumed if an impcstor baa any object in view to be gained thereby Dearth forestalled. Gen. xli. Joseph, having forewarned Pharaoh that seven years of plenty would be succeeded by seven years of dearth, lays up com to provide against famine. St. JRemi in Reims follows the example of Joseph in Eyypt, and forestalls a dearth (sixth century) . When St. Remi was well stricken in ag^e, it was revealed to him in a dream that certain years of plenty would be followed by a dearth ; so he stored up corn in Celtum against the years of famine. The villagers, supposing he was going to make a market of his corn to their great loss, set fire to his granaries. While the fires were still blazing, the old primate made his appearance on the scene, and said to the people, " Be sure of this, that God will not forget to punish those who have done this mischief ; " and im- mediately the peasants who had fired the granaries became humpty — a mark which God set on all their posterity also. Arch- bishop Hincmar naively remarks, ** I, the author of this Life of St. Eemij can vouch for the truth of this miracle, for I have often seen the peasants of Celtum, some of whom have certainly crooked backs." — Hincmar (archbishop of Reims), Lifs of St. JRemi. The logic of the archbishop is not very strong. St Remi died in 545, and Hincmar in 882. He does not tell us who kept the genealogy of the peasants for the thre* centuries intervening between St Remi and himself, nor does he so much as say that the villagers told him that the fathers and grandfathers of these deformed peasants were humpty, but simply, " I have often seen deformed persons in Celtum, and God, three hundred years ago, punished some of the natives of this place with deformity, so the deformed persons I have seen must be the descend ants of those whom God punished, and hence the corn collected by St. Remi was really destroyed, and the workers of the mischief were really punished." Q.E.D. Delilah. Judges xvi. 4-20. Samson fell in love witk Delilah, who was enticed by the Philistines to betray him. So Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, the secret of thy strength, and whereby thou mayest be bound to aflQict thee. Samson replied, if he was bound with seven green withs, he would be no stronger than another man. Delilah procured the withs, bound him, and called forth the Philistines, who were lying in wait to take him prisoner ; bu* Samson broke the withs as tow, and the Philis- tines did not dare to molest him. Delilah chid the strong man for his deception, and coaxed him again to tell his secret Said Samson, If I were bound with new ropes, I should be pownr- less as other men. So Delilah procured new ropes and bound him ; but when the Philistines entered, he broke the ropes as he had snapped the withs, and the Philistines laid no hands on him. Again Delilah asked him wherein hit 90 DELIVERED FROM PRISON. [Pt. I. ttrength lay, and how he might be bound ; and she told him he had mocked her, and had told her what was not true. Samson now told her. Baying, If you were to weave seven locks of my hiir with a web, I should lose all my strength. So Delilah fastened his hair with a pin, and cried, The Philistines be upon thee, S tmson. And he awoke, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web. How canst thou say thou lovest me, said Delilah, and yet mock me thus ? And she pressed him day after day, and urged him, till his " soul was vexed unto death." So at last he told her that he was a Nazarite, and consequently his hair had never been cut, and so long as this was the case his strength would rf-niain unabated ; but if he broke his vow and his hair was shorn, he would lose his strength, and be no better than ordinary men. Then Delilah watched her opportunity, and one day, when he fell asleep with his head In her lap, she cut off his seven locks of hair, and called for the Philistines to come and bind him. So they bound him, put out his eyes, and sent him to grind in the prison-house of Gaza. Jonathan^ the youngest son of king Darius, wheedled out of his three talismans bj/ a woman, Darius, on bis death-bed, bequeathed his kingdom to his eldest son, his personals to his second son, and three magical gifts (a ring, a necklace, and a piece of cloth) to the youngest. Jonathan being, at the time of his father's death, too ^oung to be entrusted with these magical treasures, they were given to his mother to take care of for him. When Jonathan became a young man, his mother gave him one of the three talismans, viz. tiie ring, which had these two virtues — it rendered the wearer invisible, and sup- Elied him with everything he wanted. On anding it to the young prince, she said to him, "Wear it, my son, but beware of the wiles of women." So Jonathan went into the wide world, and fell in love with a Delilah. The woman, greatly amazed at his inexhaustible wealth, wheedled the secret out of him, and induced him to give the ring into her keeping, lest he should lose it. The love-sick youth did so ; but when he wanted it again to supply his necessities, she swore that some one had stolen it. Being in great destitution, he returned to his mother, and told her of his loss. *' My son," she said, ** I cautioned you against the wiles of women, but it is of no use fretting over spilt milk." She then gave him his second treasure, the magical necklace, the virtues of which were the same as those of the ring — it made the wearer invisible, and supplied all his wants. Jonathan took the necklace, and went his way as before. When his old flame saw (See he was as well off as ever, she soon re- turned to him again, and ultimately coaxed him out of the necklace ; and when asked to return it, with small ingenuity of invention she insisted that it had been stolen, like the ring. Jonathan told his mother of this second loss, and she sharply rebuked him before handing to him his third gift, a piece of cloth, which would transport those who sat on it, in a moment, to any place they liked. Again his Delilah joined him, and was told of the virtues of the rug. Then, sitting beside him on the magic cloth, she wished to be transported to the middle of a desert, and while the young prince was asleep, drew the cloth from under him, transported herself back, and left Jonathan in the desert. As Samson recovered his strength, and brought down destruction on the Philistines, so prince Jonathan recovered his three talismans, and saw his deceitful mistress die in excruciating agony. — Gesta Bomanorumf cxx. Delivered ftom Prison. Paul and the Jailer.) Acts xll. »-lO. Herod, having seized Peter, put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him ; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison : but prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him. And when Herod would havs brought him forth, the same night Pet^^r was sleeping betweeti two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold ! the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison : and the angel smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying. Arise up quickly. And his chains fell oflf. And the angel said to him. Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And the angel said to him. Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, following the angel. When they were past the first and second ward, they came to the iron gate that leadeth to the city, which opened to them of its own accord : and they went out, and passed on through one street ; and forthwith the angel departed from him. Peter then went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many dis^iplea were gathered together. /Sf. Apollo and others delivered from prison hi^ an angel (a.d. 395). St. Apollo went with his monks to visit his brother, who was imprisoned for conscience' sake in Upper Egypt, in the days of Julian the Apostate. The tribune happened to enter the prison while these monks were there, and ordered the gates to be shut upon them, vowing he would enlist the Pt. I.] FELIX, GERMAN US, ETC., PETER THE EXOKCIST. U\ I whole lot in the imperial army. At night, while engaged in prayer, an angel came to them, bearing a lamp, opened the prison doors, and led them forth, bid- ding them flee into the desert. They obeyed the voice of their divine deliverer, and all of them escaped from further mo- lestation. — Palladius, Historia Lausiaca, (Palladius was a person^ friend.) St. Felix delivered from prison by an angel (third century). St. Felix, being seized, was heavily laden with iron chains, and cast into a dungeon strewed with broken crockery, into which no ray of light could enter. At midnight an angel entered the dungeon, and bade Felix depart, and search for Maximus, bishop of Nola, who was dying of cold and hunger in the mountains. Immediately his chains fell off his neck, handfi, and feet ; the doors opened of their own accord ; and, guided by the angel, Felix was brought to the hiding-place of the aged bishop, whom he found utterly exhausted, speechless, and apparently dying. St. Felix moistened the lips of the old prelate with wine, forced a little food down his throat, and chafed his frozen limbs. By slow degrees Maximus revived, and then Felix carried him home on his shoulders, and put him under the charge of a good old woman to take care of him. In a.d. 251 the Church had rest for a while by the death of Decius. In Christian art, St. Felix is represented with an angel striking off his chains ; and sometimes as bearing Maximus, the aged bishop, either on his shoulder or in his arms. — St. Gregory of Tours, De Gloria Marty rum^ bk. i. ch. 104. St. Germanus of Scotland obtains the release of twenty-four prisoners (fifth century). When St. Germanus was at Bayeux he asked the governor to release his prisoners, and was refused. So he left the town in anger, and striking his feet against the city wall to shake off the dust of his shoes, he kicked down a large part of the rampart into the foss. How- ever, his anger being over, he returned to the city, and raised a dead man to life. These miracles induced the magistrates to relent, and they gave him the prisoners he demanded, to the number of twenty- four. — Corblet, Hagiographie d Amiens. St. Joseph of Arimathcea delivered from prison by an angel (a.d. 33). Gregory of Tours and Boronius, in his Annals, vol. i., tells us that the high priest was so angry with Joseph of Arimathaea for entombing Jesus, that he arrested him and put him in prison. On the day of the resurrec- tion, an angel released Joseph from prison ; and when the Jews reproached the guard for allowing the body of Jesus to be stolen from the tomb, they replied, *' Do you deliver into our hands Joseph, and we will deliver into yours Christ ; but as you cannot give into our hands the friend of Christ, we cannot give into yours the Son of God." — Baronius, Annals, vol. i. St. Julian of Antioch released from prison by an angel (a.d. 313). The governor Marcian had confined St. Julian and his own son Celsus in a noisome dungeon ; but at midnight, one Antony, with seven of his scholars, entered the prison. Presently an angel made its appearance, and bade all of them follow him. He led them through the prison, and they came to the great iron gates, which opened to them of their own accord, and they passed through. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandus), vol. i. Jan. 9. Peter the Holy Exorcist and Marcellinus delivered from prison by an angel. In the reign of Diocletian, Peter the Holy Exorcist was apprehended in Rome by judge Serenus, laden with fetters, and locked in a dark dungeon with bolts of iron. Artemius, the prison-keeper, had a daughter possessed with an evil spirit, and Peter said to him, *' If you would believe on Jesus Christ the Son of God, your daughter would be made whole, Artemius." The prison-keeper laughed at the remark, and replied, " If your God cannot deliver you from prison, Peter, how should He be able to deliver my daughter from the power of Satan?" Peter said, *' The God I serve can do both one and the other." "I will put Him to the test this very night," said Artemius. "So be it," replied Peter. ** This night, then," continued the keeper, ** I will put you into the inner dungeon, lock and bolt the door myself, double the chains that hold you, and double the watch also ; then, if your God can deliver you, I will believe in Him." "Be it so, Artemius," said Peter. At midnight, lo ! Peter, notwithstanding the precautions employed, left his dungeon, and presented himself before the jailer and his wife Candida. He was clad in white, and carried in his hand a cross. When Artemius and his wife saw Peter, they fell at his feet and exclaimed, " Truly there is but one God who can do after this sort, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ whom you serv^e." Peter DEMONIACS WITH SPIRITS OF TRUTH. [Pt. 1. then commanded the devil to come out of Paulina, the jailer's daughter, and forthwith she was made whole. Above three hundred persons witnessed these miracles, and all of them received baptism, and continued steadfast in the faith to their lives' end. Then Artemius delivered Peter from his chains, and took him into his own house. When the knowledge of these things came to the ears of the judge, he commanded that Peter should be sent again to the dungeon, and his feet made fast in the stocks. A ^priest, named Marcellinus, was also a prisoner in the same cell. At night an angel came into the dungeon while they were praying, and delivered them both. Being set free by the angel, Peter and Marcellinus went to the house of Artemius the jailer, where the new converts were met together, and tarried there certain days, instructing them more fully in the way of Christ. Ultimately, Peter and Marcellinus, Artemius and his wife Candida, were all beheaded. The exe- cutioner declared, when he cut off the heads of Pet^r and Marcellinus, that he distinctly saw their souls, arrayed in white, borne up to heaven by the hands of angels. (SeeALEXANDERand Hermes, p. 69, almost identical.) — Ado (arch- bishop of Treves), Martyrology, (Bede has written the lives of these two martyrs. See also L'abbd Daras, Vies des Saints.) St, Peter 11.^ archbishop of Tarentaise^ miraculously delivers three prisoners (a.d. 1103-1174). While St. Peter, the arch- bishop of Tarentaise, was at St. Claude, a crowd pressed upon him to obtain some of the graces which he so freely bestowed. Amongst others appeared three strangers, who came to thank him for delivering them from prison. " We were shut up in prison," they said, " in Lausanne. Here the recital of your virtues and miracles arrested our attention, and led us to repentance. We invoked your name, as one would invoke a saint in heaven. You appeared to us in our cell, broke our chains, gave us your hand, and led us out of prison without being seen by any one, or disturbing the guard on watch," — Geoffrey (abbot of Hautecomb), Life of St. Peter //., etc. (written nine years after his death by order of pope Lucius III.). Bt. Peter does not ttrmm to hare known what the prisoners tell him. It appears that, being invoked, hia " double " went to Lausanne, just as the duplicate of St. Werulus went to Mussjr to deliver a child from a house on Robert de Sill(f delivered from prison by the Virgin Mary (a.d. 1356). When Jean le Bon, king of France, fell a cap- tive into the hands of the Black Prince, the sieur Robert de Si He' was also taken prisoner, and the English demanded three thousand florins for ransom-money. As his wife, Jeanne Marie de Mailld, could not raise this sum, she prayed earnestly to the Virgin to come and help her. Her prayer was heard, and the Virgin Mary^ entering the cell of Robert, broke of! his chams and set him free. — Pfere de Boisgaultier (her confessor), Life of Jeanne Marie de Maill€. Ordinary history says simply that he broke flrom prison and made his escape. The prison walls of Rennes fall down when the dead body of St. Melanius passes by (a.d. 630). When the dead body of St. Melanius was carried in grand pro- cession through Rennes, the chanting was heard in the prison, where twelve thieves were confined. The thieves joined in the chant, and the prison walls, though built of stone and very stout, were rent from the top to the bottom. The thieves being thus released invoked the mercy of God, and were numbered with the elect. — Dom Lobineau (a con- temporary), Life of St. Melani (or Melaine). Demoniacs possessed "with Spirits of Truth. Mark lii. 11, 12. Uncloan spirit*, when they saw .lesus, fell down before Him, and cried, saying. Thou art tlie Son of God. And Jesus straitly charged them that they should not make Him linowa. Mark v. 2-13. When Jesus came to the country of the Gadarenes there met Him a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs ; and when he saw Jesus ifar ofi, he ran and worshipped Him, and cried with a loud voice, What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the most high God ? Luke iv. 33-35. In the synagogue there was a man which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and he cried with a loud voice. Let as alone. Thou Jesus of Nazareth. I know The** who Thou art ; the Holy One of God. The devil tells Mme. de Bermond why he hates her. Mme. de Bermond was especially obnoxious to the devil. On one occasion she found herself uncon- sciously in the presence of a demoniac, and the demon tried to leap on her, crying with a loud yell, *' Off, off ! you burn me ! " Mme. de Bermond, quite fearless, went up to the demoniac, «nd spat in his face, to show her contempt. The demon, furious, said to her, '' I will Pt. L] DEVIL DEFEATED. 93 direct all my efforts and all my craft against thee and thy hated daughters, even more than against other religious orders." " Why so, wretch ? " demanded Mme. de Bermond. "Why? — ask me why?" screamed the foul fiend; "be- cause the instructions which you give to these children wean them from me and mine. So, look out, I say, for my hatred and rage shall be employed to the utmost, to keep children from joining the Ursulines." — Lcs Petits Bollandistes^ vol. fi. p. 338. Demoniacs reveal the place where St. Solemnius was buried (a.d. 609). St. Solemnius assisted St. Remi in the baptism of Clovis, and died at Maille in the year 509. He was buried where he died, in the crypt of the church dedicated to the Holy Virgin. This church was destroyed by pagans, and the body of the bishop, by the close of the century, was wholly forgotten. The subject cropped up suddenly by some curious phenomena which excited public atten- tion. It was observed that every Sunday night a mysterious light was seen on the top of the mountain where the church of the Holy Virgin used to stand, and while men were speculating on the cause of these mysterious flames, two demoniacs from the basilica of St. Martin came to the mountain, crying out, " Here rests Solemnius, in a crypt below. Open up the tomb, and honour the friend of God according to his deserts. Do this, and your country will reap the benefit." The people accordingly took spades and opened the earth, till they uncovered the crypt and found the tomb, which the demoniacs declared to be that of Solem- nius. The truth of the matter was proved by the many miracles performed by the relics thus discovered. In the eleventh century it was determined to remove the body to Chartres, but on arriving at Blois, the body was deposited for a night in St. Peter^'s chapel there, with the intention of renewing the journey on the morrow ; but when the bearers next morning attempted to lift the coffin, it was found to be so heavy that no human strength could move it. This miracle was considered to be a plain indication of the will of God that the body was to remain where it was. So the old chapel of St. Peter of Blois was rebuilt, and dedicated to St. Solemnius. In 1568 the Huguenots burnt the body, but some of the bones being rescued were carried to Chartres, and the head was preserved in St. Mary's of Blois, till the time of the revolution. Even to th« present day September 25 is observed as the anniversary of the saint's death.— Dunre, Notices sur lea Saintes de Blois, Possessed by a cat. The following is taken from the North China Herald^ Nov. 1, 1881. It is very generally be- lieved in China that if any person kills an animal from wantonness or cruelty, the soul of the dead animal will tak« possession of the murderer's body till the guilt has been expiated. An instance oJf this is said to have occurred recently at Yangchow. It is as follows; — "A man and his wife had a favourite cat, and this cat gave birth to three kittens. Like most other domestic animals, this feline family had its thievish propensities, and was constantly stealing sundry titbits which the servant girl had put aside for her own private eating. At last the girl got so exasperated that she killed both cat and kittens, one after another, in different ways. In a short time the girl was taken violently ill, mewing and scratching like a cat, and displaying all the symptoms of rabies. Her mistress, suspecting the true cause of the girl's attack, apostrophized the dead mother- cat, demanding why it had come to haunt the body of the girl. The cat, speaking through the girl's mouth, then recounted the ill treatment it had received, and said how its little ones had been killed. One had been drowned, another worried by a dog, and a third burnt to death. All this was said by the girl herself, in the character of the cat. At last the girl died in convulsions, at the feet of her mistress." Stories of this description are firmly believed in by the Chinese. — Notes and Queries^ July 29, 1882. Devil defeated. (See Compacts WITH Satan.) Eph. vi. 11-13. Put on the whole armour ol God, that ye may be able to stand against the wilesof the devil. For we wrestle . . . against principalities, against powers, against the rulera of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Rom. v. 20. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Mark iii. 28. Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and [all] blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme. Peter denied Christ, even with cursing and swearing, but Peter was a chosen vessel unto honour. 94 DEVIL DEFEATED. [Pt. Saul was called to be the apostle Paul while In the very act of breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. Luke x. 18. I beheld Satan as lightning fell f^mn heaven. John xii. 31, Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (See also xvl. 11.) Rkv. xii. 9. The great dragon was cast out, hat old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, vnich deceiveth the whole world, was cast out, «nd his angels with him. The devil put to flight by St. Benedict . with a whip (a.d. 480-643). A certain iionk felt an irresistible aversion to the long mental prayers of the Benedictine monks, so when the psalmody and office were finished, he used to steal out of the oratory and go to active work. The superior had often admonished him, but all to no purpose, so at last be took him before St. Benedict. The refractory brother promised amendment, but his resolution lasted only two days, and the superior again complained to the abbot. St. Benedict appointed Maur to be his companion, and when prayer-time arrived, the brothers said to the superior, *' Look there ; do you see that little black imp which keeps pulling at the cloke of Maur's companion?" "No," said the superior. " Then we will pray that God will open your eyes." In two days the superior saw the imp pulling the monk by the sleeve. St. Benedict followed with a whip, and flogged the monk till he scourged the offending Adam out of him. The cure was quite effectual, for never more did the imp return to tempt the monk, and the monk no longer shirked his religious duties. — St. Gregory the Great, Dialogttes^ bk. ii. St. Dunstan and the devil (a.d. 925- 988). St. Dunstan was not only a theo- logian and statesman, he was also a good painter, architect, and musician, a founder of metals, and skilled workman in gold and silver. One day, while he was occupied on some work in silver, the lyre suspended on the walls of his cell began to play spontaneously, as if struck by the handji of angels. The tune it played vNras the Magnificat.* On another occasion, while working at his forge, the devil, that enemy of all good men, kept wandering round the anvil, hindering Dunstan in his work. Dunstan, greatly annoyed, took his tongs, red hot out of the furnace, and seized the intruder by the nose. Father Cahier tells us < f *' une vieille chappe conserve'e * Probably thii lyre reaemblod in its mechanism a musical en Angleterre, oil ce fait est represents." — MfF. Gudrin (chamberlain of pop« L«(» XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. Yu p. 20. Dr. Freeman probably refers to this legend, when b« says (Old English History, p. 164), "Many strange stories are told of [St. Dunstan^ especially one very silly one." To this 1 cannot agree. Th>se who study tbe lives of the saints will know, tliat whatever impeded good work was called a devil, whether dog or horse, wind or accident, man or what not. A loafer loitering about tlie smithy would, in the language of the times, be called a devil, and it is quite in character with St. Dunstan t<» turn him out with his red-hot forceps or tongs. St. Patrick drives away the demons that tried to oppose his larvding in Ireland, When St. Patrick went to Ireland, the devils, knowing he would be a formidable adversary, formed a ring round the island to keep him off ; but the saint raised his right hand on high, made the sign of the cross, and they fled. We are told that he alone could see the infernal cohort. — Jocelin (twelfth centurj'), Life of St. Patrick. St. TheophUus breaks his compact with the devil (sixth century). Mgr. GuSrin, from whom the following narrative is abridged, introduces the life of St. Theo^ilus with these words : ** Nous Tavouons, ce sera avec plaisir que nous Scrirons ici I'histoire de St. The'ophile, penitent, puisqu'elle fera parfaitement connaitre au lecteur combien la sainte Vierge est misdricordieuse envers les pe'cheurs, et combien elle a de pouvoir pour les retirer des abimes de Tenfer, oil ils seraient pre'cipitSs par leurs vices, et par la violence des tentations." From these words we infer that, in the opinion of the chamberlain of pope Leo XIII., the narrative which ensues is strictly historical. And as his work is highly commended by the chief dignitaries of the [Roman] Catholic Church, we may conclude that there is nothing in the narrative out of harmony with their faith. And, thirdly, as the seventh edition bears the date of 1880, no charge of obsoleteness can be laid against it. In A.D. 638 Theophilus was treasurer of the Church of Adna, in Cilicia, and discharged his duties so honourably that he was elected bishop, but declined to accept the office. Now came a great change. He was slanderously accused tc the new bishop, deprived of his office as treasurer, and retire-i into private life, boiling with anger and longing for vengeance. A certain Jew, who lived by sorcery, hap- pened to reside in the neighbourhood, and, working on the evil spirit of thf man, induced him to make a compact Jt»T. l.J DEVIL t'ULL O^ ALL MISCHIEF. t»6 with the deviL To this end he had to abjure the Christian faith, deny Christ and the Virgin, and sign the compact with his blood. In the mean time, the new bishop having discovered that the charge against the late treasurer was false, reinstated Theophilus, declared him innocent of every charge brought against him, and heaped honour upon honour on him. Theophilus now bitterly repented of his compact v/ith the devil, and prayed for forgiveness. The *'Holy Spirit advised him to apply to Marj', the fountain of mercy," and to Mary he cried for mercy. Forty days he made his supplication, with fasting and penance, when " the mother of God " vouchsafed to appear to him, robed like a queen, full of majesty, but with dis- pleasure plainly marked upon hec^ace. *' Why, wretch," she said, " do you address yourself to me? Would it not have been bad enough if you had insulted me, but must you blaspheme my Son also? I can well pardon offences, but blasphemy against my Son is far more heinous." Theophilus pleaded hard for mercy, spoke of the Ninevites who obtained mercy, of Rahab and David, of Peter and Paul, of Cy^^rian too, who practised the black art, and was yet a martyr and a saint. The holy Virgin, touched with his contrition, bade him confess his sins, and then promised to bring back word what Christ said on the subject. Next night she returned, told Theophilus that his prayers and tears were accepted, and if he continued faith- ful to the end her Son would give him eternal life. Theophilus now implored that the contract he had signed might be restored to him ; and in three days he found it on his breast, as he was getting out of bed. It was Sunday ; he went to early prayers, and gave the document to the bishop, telling him the whole story. The bishop heard him, absolved him, and made the confession the subject of his sermon. The peroration of this dis- course was a masterpiece of eloquence, setting forth the boundless mercy of God, the resistless intercession of the Virgin Mary, and ever abiding hope of the true penitent that all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and all the blas- phemies wherewith soever they shall have blasphemed, for wher:, sin hath abounded, frace hath much iftpre abounded. The ishop then bade Theophilus approacJi the altar, and receive his God ; but Theopkilos would not rise from the ground till the bishop had burnt tht contract. "Qui n'admirerait ici les merveilles de la divine Providence ; et qui ne craindrait, voyant jusqu'en quel abime pent tomber un homme accable de tristesse, et emportd par la tentation ? Mais qui ne benirait k jamais la bonte de Dieu de nous avoir donne une trfes-puissante mediatrice en la sainte Vierge, Mere de Misdricorde, et asile assure de tons les pe'cheurs qui rinvoquent avec un de'sir sincere de se convertir ! " (See Giles of Portugal, p. 66.) This story is told in a " Vitrail de Laon," in a " verriira de Beauvais," and in a " petit tympan " of Notre Dame de Paris. " On voit fat Notre DameJ k la linge inf^rieure le d^sesp6r6 qui s'abouche avec un magicien puis avec un d^mon. Pr6s de 1& il se prosterne devant une image de Marie, et obtient que le diable soit forc6 de se dessaisir du billet sign6 par lui. Au sommet le penitent fait I'aveu de son crime, et prie I'^vSque de lire devant tout le monde la c6dule accusatrice. (Le P6re Chahier a reproduit ce tympan, A.D. 1864.) "—Viet de» Saints, vol. ii. pp. 255-256. Devil full of All Mischief. In the first chapter of the Book of Job, Satan is represented as the instrument of all his evils, the loss of his flocks and herds, the death of his children, the destruction of his houses and barns, and the frightful boils and blains with which his body was afflicted. Ma.uk ix. 22. Ofttimes the evil spirit hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him. (See also 1 Chron. xxi. 1.) St, Euphrasia ill treated by the devil (a.d. 412). The devil, being unable to attack the soul of St. Euphrasia, tried to disqualify her body from performing her daily tasks. With this object in view, one day, as the young maiden went to draw water from a pond, the devil pushed her in, and she would certainly have been drowned, if her good angel had not held her above the water till assistance came from the convent. Hear- ing her cry, several of the sisters ran to the pond, and drew her out. " Satan," said she with a smile, when safely landed, "I pray the Lord Jesus Christ that you may never triumph over me." Another time, in cutting wood, she cut her foot with the bill-hook, and the pain was so great that she fainted. Some of the sisters came, and carried her into the convent. When she came round, she returned to her task, being resolved w fight with her great adversary as long as life remained to her. Another time, Satan pushed her from a third-story window to the ground ; but by the guardia.i care of her good angel, she was picked up safe and sound. On one occasion, while cooking vege- tables, the evil spirit overturned on her DEVIL TAKING MEN UP INTO THE All:. [Px. J. the boiler full of boiling water. The sisters fully expected she would be scalded most terribly ; but Euphrasia protested to them that the water felt quite cold, and had not hurt her in the least. *^* Mgr. Gue'rin remarks, "L'epoux cdleste permettait que le ddmon ^prouvat ainsi la personne de sa bien-aime'e, afin de la rendre plus illustre, et de nous donner h. connaitre que le d^mon ne peut rien contre ceux qui sont secourus et fortifies de sa main toute-puissante." — Les Petits Bollandisies (7th edit. 1880), vol. iii. p. 391. These are good examples of the "mode of reliKious thought " at tlie time. We should call these "accidents," ur the "results of carelessness, clumsiness, or want of skill." Euphrasia call them " the works of the devil. " As St. Germanus of Scotland was cross- ing the Channel, the devil tried to drown him (fifth century). When St. Germanus crossed over to France the second time, the devil mounted the poop while the saint was asleep, and so overweighted the vessel that it nearly heeled over. Ger- manus, being roused from his sleep, saw the cause of the mischief in a moment, made the sign of the cross, the vessel righted, and the devil was tipped *' dans les abimes de Tenfer." — Corblet, Ilagio- graphie d* Amiens, Devil taking Men up into the Air. Matt. iv. 5, 8. The devil takcth Jesus up Into the holy city, and setieth Him on a pinnacle of the temple. Again, the devil taketh Jesus up into an exceeding high mountain. [When the devil left, angels came and ministered to Jesus.] Satan carries up Sister Benedicta to inaccessible rocks, church spires, and otJier lofty eminences (a.d. 1643-1718). Some- times the devil would set Sister Benedicta on the top of an inaccessible rock, and leave her there ; but her guardian angel always helped her down again, and carried her safely home. More than twenty times, the foul fiend left her on the roof of the chapel of Notre Dame de I'Erable, but her angel not only lifted her down, but also opened the chapel doors, that she might there recite her rosary with him. Once she was left for two whole days " sur le roc, oil I'aigle niche, oil Satan I'avait rudement laisse'e tomber." — Mgr. Gue'rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. v. pp. 226, 227. (Mgr. Barnadon, bishop of Gap, is collecting such data as these to effect the canonization of Sister Benedicta, 1883.) The devil carries St, Gertrude von Oosten up into the air (a.d. 1358). The devil was not likely to witness the extra* ordinary virtues of St. Gertrude von Oosten without jealousy, but being wholly unable to trouble her thoughts with vile suggestions, he carried her up into the air, and then left hold of her, so that she fell violently through the air to the ground. No doubt she would have been dashed to pieces, if God had not given His angels charge concerning her, to bear her in their hands. — Vita Sanctorum, Jan. 6. Devils assume Divers Forms. Gkn. iii. The devil assumes the form of a serpent, or entering into the body of a serpent employs that animal as his agent. In fiev. xii. 9 he is called " that old serpent, the devil, which deceiveth the whole world." 1 Pet. v. 8. He is likened to a lion. The apostle says of this wicked spirit, " As aroaiing lion he walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Rkv. xii. 1. He is represented as a dragon. "There was war in lieaven : Michael and his angels fought against the dragon." IsA. xxvii. 1, Ueis caWedleviathan. "In that day the Lord shall punish leviathan, that crooked serpent." LuKK X. 18. The Lord says, '• I beheld Satan, as lightning, fall from heaven." He hides himself in maniacs, epileptics, and other diseased folks. Sometimes assumes the semblance of an angel of light Sometimes enters into the bodies of prophets to make them propiiesy falsely. Whatever tempts to sin is called his work, whether lying, covetous- ness, anger, or any other evil ; nay. more, whatever opposes or prevents religious duties is ascril)ed to diabolic agency. Thus we read : " Quelquefois il a excite des temp6tes, et fait parattre en I'air des nuages noirs et ^pals, prdts k se r^soudre en pluie et en gr£le, afln que le monde qui . 1. DKVILS IN DIVERS FORMS. come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt saj", I have no pleasure in them." And so the tempter left him. A nother instance. Not long afterwards, the tempter appeared before St. Vincent again. This time he had taken the guise of an Ethiopian, and threatened him with war to the death. St. Vincent merely replied, " Satan, He who has commenced a good work in me will give me courage to proceed. In Him is my trust." — L'abbe A. Bavle, Life of St. Vincent Ferrier (ISSS).* The devil ^ in the guise of a Uackhird, uppears to St. Benedict (a.d. 480— ■)43). When St. Benedict, afterwards abbot of Mount Cassino, first retired to the cavern in Subiaco, some fifty miles west of Rome, Satan resolved to stamp out at once one who would otherwise prove a great enemy to his kingdom upon earth. Wit^ this object in view he transformed himself into a blackbird, and began to flutter round the hermit : sometimes approach- ing so near, that Benedict might have caught it easily if he had put out his hand. The young solitary, however, being suspicious, made the sign of the cross, and this showed him that his suspicion was well founded, for the bird instantly disappeared. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), March 21. The devil assumes the guise of a black horse to disturb the congregation assembled to hear St. Peter of Verona preach (a.d. 1206-1252). The devil was very angry because such vast crowds gathered to- gether to hear St. Peter of Verona preach. One day, when the crowd was greater than usual, the devil, in the form of a black horse, rushed into the midst, stamp- ing upon many, and frightening more. The saint simply made the sign of the cross, when the phantom vanished, and air the people saw it permeate the air like Bmoke. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollan- dista), April 29. A devil, which assumes the part of a brawler, cast out by St. Giles. One Sunday at church, a man possessed with a devil made such a brawling noise that the voice of the preacher could not be heard. St. Giles prayed, and, the devil going forth, the man remained to the end of the service peaceable and devout. — Gilbertus (bishop of Carnotum), Life of St. Giles (abbot). The devil, in the guise of a bull, tries to kill Catherine of Sweden (fourteenth cen- tury). St. Catherine of Sweden was the daughter of prince Ulpho, and was sent 5 in early childhood to be brought up in the nunnery of Risburgh. One night, while the abbess was at matins, the devil, assuming the form of a bull, tossed the child out of its cradle, and left her half dead in the middle of the chamber. The abbess, on her return, picked up the child, and the bull said to her, " Oh that I had accomplished my work, which I assuredly should have done, if (Jod had permitted me." — Ulpho (a Brigittine friar). Life of St. Catherine of Sweden (written thirty years after her death, a.d. 1411). Dativus, running away from the abbey of Lauconne, is accosted by the devil in the guise of a Jewomac (a.d. 480). Dativus, one of the monks of Lauconne, in the Jura, being seduced by the devil, deter- mined to quit the abbey and return to the world. With all his worldly goods packed in a bundle, and thrown over his shoulder, he started for Tours. He came to the basilica of St. Martin with the intention of offering there a morning prayer, but was accosted at the door by a demoniac, who said to him, " Dativus ? Why, it is our monk of the Jura, I declare ! Good day, my good fellow ; I am very glad you are now one of us." Dativus trembled to find himself thus recognized, and thinking himself mocked by the demon, sighed bitterly ; and, after having prayed for a few minutes, hastened back to the monastery, imploring to be admitted again. — St. Gregory of Tours, Lives of the Fathers, ch. i. I think the " devil " in this story is simply the personiH- cation of the monk's own thoughts. Devils in the guise of dogs attack St. Peter the apostle. Samuel Harsnet, afterwards archbishop of York, Bays : *' Thyraeus doth tel it out of oneMartinus a saint, that Simon Magus the sorcerer sent unto Peter the apostle certaine devils in the likenes of dogges, to devoure him. The apostle being taken on a suddaine, not looking for such currish guests, con- secrates for the nonce some morsels of bread, and throwes them to the dogge- devils, and by the power of that bread, they were all put to flight." — Popish ■Impostures, pp. 97, 98. The devil, in the form of a dog, visits St. Stanislaus Kostka. When St. Stanislaus Kostka was preparing himself for admis- sion into the society of Jesus, he was visited with a dangerous sickness ; at the beginning of which the devil appeared to him in the guise of a great black dog, horrible and fearful to behold. The foul fiend took the sick man thrice by the DEVILS IK DIVKKS FOKMS. [Pt. I thioat, trying to throttle him ; but Stanis- laus, with the sign of the cross, not only resisted him manfully, but even drove him away, and he never again disturbed this faithful soldier of Christ Jesus. — Peter Ribadeneira, The Flower of the Lives of the Saints (2 vols., fol.). The devil f in the form of a dragoUy tries to destroy St. Martinian's celt (a. p. 830). St. Martinian, at the early a^e of ei^^hteen, became a hermit, and lived m the vicinity of Cesarea. The devil, jealous of his virtue, sought to frighten him with visions, noises, and apparitions. On one occasion, this enemy of all righteousness assumed the form of a dragon, and began scratching at the foundations of St. Martinian's cell, in order to destroy it and the hermit within. St. Martinian was at his orisons at the time, and said to the dragon-formed devil, " Your labour is in vain. You cannot frighten me while I have Christ at my side." At the word Christ, the devil fled in a whirlwind, crying, " Wait a bit, Martinian ; I will make vou submit yet, and drive you from this cell." Martinian was not easily frightened, and remained in his hermitage, doing battle with the devil, for five and twenty years. — Metaphrastes (a personal friend of St. Martinian), Lives of Saints. (Also in Joseph Assemani, Universal Calendar^ vol. vi. p. 145, etc.) The devilf under the form of an Ethio- pian, asks pardon of St. John of Egypt. Devils used to torment St. John of Egypt at night, and appear to him under divers sensible forms, and ask pardon for dis- turbing him. On one occasion, when the samt had fasted two whole days, the devil, disguised as an Ethiopian of hideous look, threw himself at his feet, and said with insulting mockery, "Pardon me, 1 pray, for having troubled vou to carry me through this long fast. St. John now saw that his fast was simply a temptation. — Cassian, Fathers of the Desert. True or not, this certainly is a rtrj sensible story. It Is to be feared that many » fast has more ot ranity than holiness to its support The devil, in the guise of a gentlemctn, visits St. Andrew Corsini (1302-1373). When St. Andrew Corsini entered the order of Carmelites, in Tuscany, he was made porter, or doorkeeper. One day, at dinner-time, a knockmg was heard at the outer gate, and Andrew, open- ing the little wicket, saw a well-dressed gentleman with several attendants, who exclaimed imperiously, " Open the gate. caitiff, and that immediately. Tout father sent me to you with a message, and I have no time to waste on beggars." Says Andrew, "I open to no strangers without permission. You say you come from my father, but I never set eyes on vou before." *' Don't stand prating there, but open the gate ; I have something im- portant to communicate, which the prior must not hear." Andrew, on hearing this, made the sign of the cross, and the tempter disappeared like a flash, leaving behind a filthy smell of fire and brim- stone. Andrew thanked God, who had given him grace to resist the wiles of the devil, and felt the truth of that divino injunction, *' Resist the devil, and he will flee from thee." — Surius, Lives of the Saints (6 vols., fol.), 1670. Devils assume the form of jonchets to frifjhten St. Catherine of Sweden in childhood (fourteenth century). When Catherine, daughter of prince Ulpho of Sweden, was seven years old, she had a game of jonchets (or knuckle- bones) with other girls of the same age. The children went on playing, to tiie neglect of their religious duties ; but the Spouse of the Church, who intended to make Catherine a saint, left not this dereliction of duty without due correc- tion. At night, certain devils, in the form of jonchets, appear to the child, and whip her so severely, to wean her from her childish sports, that she never after- wards would play jonchets with her companions. — Ulpho (a Brigittine monk). Life of St. Cat/ierine of Sweden (a.d. 1411). This seems a most marvellous story. Why should these devils wish to wean the child from her sports, and whip her 80 severely for not being a better Christian? One would think they would have encouraged her to live moie and more to the world and its vanities, and not ha^e driven her to deny herself these pleasures. Devils, " in the form of Jonchets," loolc lilce a childish dream, and the "whipping" seems like the reproof of conscience for having neglected duty for play. Devils, in the guise of rooks or crows, annoy St. Agnes of Mount Pulciano (a.d. 1274-1317). One day, in her ninth year, St. Agnes proposed to her companions a pilgrimage to Mount Pulciano. The proposal was joyfully accepted; but as the party approached the ramparts of the city, a number of rooks attacked St. Agnes furiously with their beaks, claws, and wings. The young girl, with great Sresence of mind, invoked the name of esus, and the whole flock flew away. The biographer says, "No doubt these rooks were an army of demons, lodging in the contiguous house, which was ^ :^^ rr. l.J DEVILS IN DIVERS FORMS. 99 public brothel ; and the presence of this ' angelic child ' troubled the evil spirits." — I^ymond of Capua, Life of St. Agnes, The devily in the form of two worms, comes out of the ears of Jean de la Roque (fifteenth century). Jean de la Roque was a nobleman and an ecclesiastic of Corigliano, who led a most scandalous life. He was on his road to Spezzia to meet a harlot, when St. Francis of Paula was told about it by revelation. The saint instantly sent a porter to lay hold of the young man, bring him to the con- vent, and lock him up. This was done, and Roque was furious, vowing ven- geance, and making all the noise he could. When he was tired of beating the door and calling out, he threw him- self on the floor, utterly exhausted, and fell asleep. Then St. Francis quietly entered the chamber, and waking the young man, said to him very coldly, *' How now, friend ; what thinkest thou ? Pull from your ear that which torments you so." The young man, not knowing whether he was asleep or awake, put his hand to his right ear, and drew from it a hideous hairy worm of monstrous size. Then putting his hand to his left ear, he drew from it another worm of the same sort. The devil being thus taken from him, the young man returned to himself. All his base lust was gone, and throwing himself at the saint's feet, he prayed that he might be admitted as a disciple. He remained in the monastery till 1520, when he died. This was twelve years after the death of St. Francis himself. — Acts of his Canonization (compiled by Father Giry). The devil, in the form of a monk, and in the form of a young woman, tempts St, Ambrose of Siena (a.d. 1220-1286). '* Une fois qu'il n'avait pas voulu se trou- ver k des noces oil on I'avait invite, ce monstre infernal, I'ennemi de notre salut lui apparat en form de religieux, et, sous pretexte de I'entretenir de quelque dis- cours spirituel, il lui releva jusqu'au ciel Te'tat du mariage, afin de lui donner en vie de s'y engager. Une autre fois, il se fit voir au milieu d'un bois, sous la figure d'une jeune fille d'une beautd ravissante, qui implorait son assistance ; mais le saint jeune homme, de'couvrant le piege cache' sous ces artifices, se munit I'une et I'autre fois du signe de la croix, et aussit6t ces spectres et ces fantomes disparurent."— Le R. P. Jean Baptiste Feuillet, Ann^e Dominicaine, vol. iii. March 26. This extract throws a flood of light upon the Satania legends of the early and middle ages. Every thought and wish of evil, every one who tempts to evil, everything that allures (the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life), being considered "a phase of Satan." helps to unravel many a tale which otherwise seems astounding. The words spoken by any tempter are to he accounted the words of the devil, and hence the exclama- tions of idolatrous priests are called those of the devil. Some might call this personification a figure of speech, but to [Roman] Catholics it is a veritable reality, and an Important element in their hagiography. The devil assails St. Pascal Baylan under divers ^ forms (a.d. 1540-1692). The celestial favours shown to St. Pascal made the devils mad with rage, and they beset him in divers ways. Sometimes they rushed upon him in the form of lions and tigers, seeking to devour him ; some- times they tried to scare him by assum- ing horrible shapes ; sometimes they beat him till all his body was black and blue, and his shrieks were heard through the whole house; but the saint, well accus- tomed to these attacks, was never alarmed. Then, changing their tactics, the devils suggested to him sentiments of vanity, or appeared under the guise of celestial visitants or guardian angels, sometimes as St. Francis of Assisi, and sometimes even as the Virgin Mary, in order to stir up his vanity, in making him believe he was a great saint, honoured by the visit of angels. When Pascal discovered this artifice, the devils tried another tack, and offered to impress upon his body the marks of the divine wounds, and made crosses of blood all over his body ; but Pascal, discovering this ruse also, said to the foul fiend, "You raven- ing wolf, how dare you take on yourself the clothing of a lamb ? Off with you ! " And the fiend, terrified at these words, fled. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol- iv. May 17. A devil, which assumes the character of a ravenous young man, is cast out by St. Macarius (a.d. 804-394). One day an Egyptian woman brought to St. Macarius her son, and told him the young fellow was possessed of a ravenous devil. "He eats," she said, "every day a sack of com made into bread,* and drinks proportionately ! When I have no more food," she continued, "he seizes any- thing he can lay his hands on, and devours it. What, however, is very strange, whatever he eats se re'sout en fumee, qu'on voit sortir de son estomac." The mother, in great distress, prayed Macarius to do something for her. The saint asked what quantity of food wf'uld she consider reasonable. The woman replied, * A sack of flour — S80 lbs., will make 360 \\a. of bread i that iiy niiiatj quartern or 180 two-pound loaves. 100 DEVILS CAST Ot.T. r^T. I. *'Ten pounds a day." "That is too much," rejoined Macarius ; and then, luming to the young man, he commanded him to fast for seven days, and ever after to limit himself to two pounds* a day, which he was not to take from his mother, but to earn by the labour of his own hands. — Les Petits BoUandistes (1880), vol. i. Jan. 2. (This tale is told by Palladus as a fact.) The devil assumes the form and takes the place of St, Leufredus, The monks of La Croix were extremely fervent, and most of them rose before matins, and passed an hour or more in private meditation. Generally St. Leufredus was the first at church, but one day affairs of the monas- tery detained him, and the devil took his place. As the fiend had assumed the dress and form of Leufredus, the monks saluted him. The devil took the abbot's chair with great mock modesty, and seemed very devout. All went smoothly till one of the brothers, who had just left the saint in his room, was amazed to see his double in a chair at the altar. At this moment God told St. Leufredus what had happened, and he went with all haste to the church; but before he entered he marked the doors and windows with the sign of the cross. When he entered, the devil was furious with rage, and, being unable to make his escape either by the doors or windows, ran up the bell-ropes, and escaped through the belfry. — Mgr. Gu^rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIIL), Vies des Saints (7th edit. 1880). Devils cast out. ' 1 Sam. xvi. 23. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp, and played with his hand : so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. Matt. viii. 16. When even was come, they brought unto Jesus many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word. Matt. viii. 28. When Jesus was come into the country of the Ger^esenes, there met Him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man could pass that way. [Jesus delivered the man, but allowed the devils to enter into a herd of swine.] Mark says of this man that he had often been bo\md wiih fetters and chains, but the chains were plucked asunder, and the fetters broken in pieces by him (ver. 4). Matt. xvii. 14-18. There came to Jesus a certain man, kneeling down to Him, and saying. Lord, have mercy on my son : for he is lunatick, and sore vexed : for ofttimes he falleth into the • The allowance of a British soldier is one pound of bvMtd and three quarters of a pound of fresh meat. fire, and oft into the water. Then Jesus re- buked the devil ; and he departed out of him : and the child was cured from that very hour. A child employed by a priest to exorcise a devil (1600). "You must be enformcd of a f arre greater f oyle sustained by the devil at the hands of a young child, by the vertue of a holy candel holden in his hand. Heare the miraclists report in his owne gracious idiome : ' Sara [Williams] being set on a chaire, shee raged more then ere shee did before, especially at the presence of an infant holding a holy candell, crying oft with terrible voyce and countenance, / will eate thee. But the childe nothing abashed thereat, was brought to hold the candell to her nose, in order to put the devil to silence.' " To this Harsnet remarks, " catholicam fidem ! O fidem catholicam ! that hast such a check and soveraignty over all the powers of hel, as that thy priests leade about devils after them, as men doe beares, and enduest thy young infants with such heroic magnanimitie, as that they dare play the devil, and crie aloud, * Jack deviU ! IIo devill ! Blow out the candell, devill!' and the devill stands like a mute on a blacke sanctus, not daring to speake a word." — Samuel Harsnet (afterwards archbishop of York), Popish Impostures (1604), p. 107. A devil, through fear of the priest Dih- dale, sneaks out of Tray ford's ear, Samuel Harsnet, afterwards archbishop of York, says of Hilcho, the devil which possessed William Trayford, the manservant of Edmund Peckham, that when Dibdale the priest drew near, "finding his comer too hot he [the devil] would fain have come out at Trayford's mouth ; but peeping out, and finding the priest's mouth somewhat too near, he suddenly drew back again, and was fain to slip out closely at his right ear." Dibdale the priest did not know this ; but Sara, a maidservant in the same house, saw the attempt of the devil to come forth ; saw his "bandie backe againe;" saw his going out at the man's ear, in the shape of a mouse ; and discovered that the true cause why the fiend did not make his exit through the man's mouth was on account of the nearness of the priest's mouth to that of the possessed. — A Declaration of Popish Impostures^ pp. 67, 68 (1604). It was supposed that priesta exhaled through their whole bodies the odour of sanctity ; and as their bodies were the temples of the Holy Ghost, that their breatb >»'a.s imbued with tb« Divine Spirit within them. * Pt. I.] DEVILS CAST OUT. 10] St, Euphrasia casts out a devil from a nun in the same convent (a.d. 412). The abbess of a convent in the Thebai'd, having remarked the great power which St. Euphrasia had over devils, com- manded her to pray for one of the sisters who was possessed. Euphrasia, of course, obeyed, and said to the demoniac, *' May the Saviour Jesus Christ who made you heal you." At the word the impure spirit came out of the sister, making terrific bellowings, and foaming horribly at her mouth. — Surius, Lives of the Saints, vol. ii. St, Gaily a native of Ireland, casts out the devils of Bregentz (a.d. 646). While St. Gall was at Bregentz, he heard the mountain demon cry out to the demon of the lake, "Come to my rescue, that we may chase this stranger hence ; fj^r he has broken my idols, driven me from my f temple, and is weaning the people from my service." The demon of Lake Constance made answer, " I suffer the same as you, dear mountain spirit ; for this stranger has devastated my dominions also, and I can do nothing against him, for he has always the name divine in his mouth, and laughs at my snares." St. Gall cried aloud, " In the name of Jesus Christ, I adjure you to quit this neigh- bourhood, and do no harm to any one." Then was heard on the mountains a great roaring and groaning ; it was the expres- sion of rage made by the demons on being evicted. When St. Gall heard it, he thanked God and took courage. — Vie des Saints de Franche-Comte, by the pro- fessors of St. Xavier's college at Besan9on. St, Galla casts out the devil from a man who had insulted her. The devil entered into a man who insulted St. Galla while visiting the sick and needy. On her way home she observed the insolent writhing in convulsions ; and, stopping before him, she said, " O God, have mercy on him, for he is made in Thy likeness. O Lord, have mercy on him, for he knew not what he said. O Jesus, Saviour of sinners, have mercy on him, for Thou didst die for him." Then made she the sign of the cross, and cried with a loud voice, "Thou unclean spirit, I command thee, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, come out of him, and enter no more in." On hearing these words the demoniac wallowed in the dust, the devil came out of him, and left the man peaceful and in his right mind. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. ii. p. 200. St, Gregory the Great evicts a devil from his horse (a.d. 540-604). St. Gregory excommunicated a Roman knight for adultery, and the knight in revenge applied to magicians to encompass the pontiff with enchantment. Hearing that St. Gregory was about to take a journey, these magicians sent an evil spirit into his horse, commanding the demon to throw the pontiff, and then trample him to death. When the pontiff mounted, his horse reared and started, and behaved in such an unusual manner, that St. Gregory discovered it was possessed. So, making the sign of the cross, he drove the devil out of the horse. The magicians being struck blind, repented, abandoned their magic, and received the sacrament of baptism. St. Gregory baptized them, but declined to restore their sight, lest they should return to their diabolical arts and lose their souls. — John the deacon, Life of St, Gregorij the Great (twelfth century). Written at the ex- press command of pope John VIII. St. Laum^r evicts a devil by the sign of the cross (sixth century), St. Laumer, by the sign of the cross made with holy oil, delivered a man possessed with a devil, so furious that it was necessary to constrain him with chains. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. i. p. 472. St, Marcellinus casts out a devil from a man who struck him with a whip (a.d. 374). The emperor Constantius was an Arian, and hearing that Marcellinus, bishop of Embrun, had opposed the doctrines of Arius in several councils, sent to arrest him. The myrmidons of the law came upon him unawares ; and one of them, lifting his hand to strike the bishop about the face with a whip, found his arm paralyzed ; and he rolled on the ground, gnashing his teeth. Marcellinus went up to the man, and the devil in him cried out, "Marcellinus, is it not enough that you have driven us from the coast of Africa, but you must come to Gaul also to trouble us ? " " Silence ! " cried the saint ; " and come out of him, thou foul and unclean spirit." The demon durst not disobey, and the man, being restored to his right mind, lamented his crime, craved to be baptized, and bowed his heart to the yoke of Christ. — Mgr. Depery, Hagiographie de Gap. Marwood exorcised by the touch of Campion's halter (a.d. 1602). Campion, a Jesuit, was hanged at Tyburn for treason ; but as queen Elizabeth was ^ Protestant, his death was called a 10- DEVILS CAST OUT. [Pt. I. martyrdom by those of his own order. It so happened that one Marwood was pronounced by Father Edmunds to be possessed, and after sundry attempts had been made to exorcise him, one of the 6tanders-by touched his mouth with the halter. Says Ilarsnet, the devil " teares it with his mouth, bites it with his teeth, and spits upon it amaine." Says Ed- munds, "Thou wicked fiend, tell true, what is the cause thou art so cruelly tormented with this rope, who doost not care for the potentest thinges that are in the world ? " The devil in Marwood made answer, *' Jerusalem knowes whose halter it is. Tiburne (the place where Father Campion receaved his crowne of martyrdome) is wel acquainted with it." On this Edmunds calls aloud to the standers-by, "Beare witnes, my maisters, of Father Campions most glorious martyrdome, whose smallest cord hath cast the devil into such an heate." To this Harsnet subjoins, " See heere three most grave and authentike witnesses of a Romish saint, viz. Jerusalem, Tyburne, and the devil." — Popish ImpostureSy pp. 84, 86. St. Paul the Simple exorcises a demoniac (fourth century). One day a young man possessed of a devil very fierce and obstinate was brought to St. Paul the Simple. The young man uttered most horrible blasphemies, and tore every one who approached him. The saint prayed long and fervently, but in vain. Then calling to mind the words of Christ, " Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting," he vowed to touch no food and drmk no water till the man was made whole. *' Et aussitot, coiiime si Dieu eut craint de deplaire k une personne qui Taimait avec tendresse, et (jui lui etait si chere, le possede fut delivre." — Roman martyrology (lilarch 7). See also Vies des Feres des Deserts d" Orient, St, Sulpice the Pious evicts the devil from the Gour de Plevre (seventh century). Near Vierzon is a river, called Y('vre, at one time noted for a very dangerous gulf. In heathen times it was held sacred; but at the introduction of Christianity the *' devil made his abode there, and watched day and night to spite the obnoxious race of Christians, and drag all he could into the abyss." St. Sulpice went in grand pomp to the borders of the river, threw into the gulf a little holy oil and chrism, and ever after the gulf has been perfectly safe, insomuch that fishers are wont to fish there. We are told many wonderful tales of this "Gour de ITfevre." One is that it has no bottom ; another, that it boils and bubbles on all the fetes of the Virgin ; another, that the fish always swim about in it so as to describe a cross. We are further told that the sound of church-bells may be distinctly heard in the water ; and that one day a diver, named Perlas, saw at the bottom of the river a beautiful church full of the most costly articles ; that he heard there the tinkling of a little bell, and saw tke image of the holy Virgin. — Kaynal, Histoire du Berri, vol. i. p. 267. " Hoc quoque pnetereundam non est, quod VirMonensl in territorio giirgitum quem olim pa^ani lustralem habuerant, quemqiie ob hoc In christianorum invidiam ita pessiinus ohsidebat daemon, ut sicjuis eo transisset. tuffocatum prsecipitaret ac perderet. Iiijecto vir Dei chrismate, quod luodica diluerat aqua, Elizel prophetn iisus benedictione, meabilem eoe reddidiUtque piscabi* lemr—Nov. Bibl., U- 42. St. Victor de Plancy exorcises a thief (sixth century). One day St. Victor the hermit of Satumiac, in the diocese of Troyes, sent some labourers to sow wheat, when one of them purloined two bushels of the seed. Instantly he was possessed by a devil, who made smoke and fire issue from the mouth of the thief. St. Victor took pity on the man, and making on him the sign of the cross, the devil left him. The man, fully aware that the calamity had fallen on him because of the theft, confessed his sin with many tears, and made restitution. — St. Bernard, Sermon on the Fete-day of St. Victor (Feb. 26). St. Zeno exorcises the daughter of the emperor Gallienus (third century). The daughter of the emperor Gallienus was most grievously tormented by the devil ; and one day, when she was well-nigh suifocated, she cried aloud, *' I can never be relieved of this torture but by Zeno." The devil added, " And I will never quit my abode here unless com- pelled to do so by Zeno." The emperor, touched by the sufferings of his daughter, sent for the saint, and immediately he entered the chamber, the devil cried out, *' Zeno, you are come to drive me out, for here I cannot abide in the presence of thy holiness." " In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ," said the saint, *' I command thee to quit the body of this young maiden." The devil came out, but said as he left the chamber, *' Good- bye, Zeno; I am off to Verona, and Pt. I.] DEVILS RECOGISIZING PERSONS. lOd there you will find me on your return.** The emperor, in gratitude, took the royal crown from his head, and put it on Zeno's, saying, "This crown cannot be Bet on a worthier brow." Zeno sold the crown, that he might distribute the money to the poor, and Gallienus ceased to persecute the Church of Christ. — Peter and Jerome Ballerini, Life of St. Zeno^ Bishop of Verona (compiled from his own writings and other monuments). Exorcism by burning a picture of the devil. The fifth canon given by Mengus in his Fustus is by drawing a picture of the devil and burning it. " Exorcista projiciat imaginem pictam in ignem." This was tried on Sara Williams, and is thus reported by Harsnet : " The priest having placed Sara in a chayre, he comaundeth the devill to teil. his name. The devill answered Bon j our, and began to make a shew of speaking French. The exorcist then reviling the devill, and calling him asne (in French), the devill exclaimed, ' I am no asse, and I will not be mocked.' Now, when Maho [the devil] trifled, and mocked the priest, and would by no dint of adjuration be brought to tel his name, the exorcist caused to be drawne uppon a peece of paper the picture of Vice in a play, and the same he caused to be burned with halowed brimstone. Whereat, the devill cryed out, as beeing grievously tor- mented." — S. Harsnet (afterwards arch- bishop of York), Popish Impostures (1604), p. 113. Exorcism by nicknaming and black- guarding the devil (1600). Mengus wrote a book called A Clm for Exorcising Demoniacs. The way of blackguarding tlie devil is his fourth canon, and runs thus : " If after masse has been celebrated, and the possessed has been signed with the five crosses, sprinkled with holy water, and there have been invocated over her the name of the Father, sonne, and Holy Ghost, the devill still shews him- selfe refractarie, and will neither depart, nor tel his name, — then you must come upon him with as many nicknames as you can possiblie devise, and thou shalt say : * Heare thou sencelesse, false, and lewd spirit, maister of devils, miserable creature, tempter of men, deceaver of bad angels, defrauder of souls, captaine of heretiques, father of lyes, bestial ninnie, drunkard, infemall theef e, wicked iserpent, ravening wolfe, leane hunger- bitten sow, seely beast, truculent beast, cruell beast, bloody beast, beast of all beasts the most bestiall, Acherontall spirit, smoakie spirit, Tartareous spirit, and so on, I command thee to tel me thy name, and to depart hence into thyne owne place.' " — S. Harsnet (after- wards archbishop of York), Popish Im- postures (1604), pp. 112, 113. Mengus's Fustus, or Devil-mastix, Is In Latin, and that the reader may know the fidelity of Harsnet' s translation, the original Latin is here subscribed : " Audi igitur insen- sate, false, reprobe : dsemonum majrister, miserrima creatura, tentator hominum, deceptor malorum angelorum, fallax animaru, dux hsereticoru, pater mendacij, fatue, bestialia, insipiens, ebriose, prasdo infernalis, serpens iniquissime. lupe rapassime, sus macra, famelica, immun- dissima, bestia scabiosa, bestia truculentissima. bestia crudelis, bestia cruenta. bestia omniu bestiarO bestialis- sima, spi>'itus Acherontine, spiritus fullginose, spiritus Tkrtaree . Devils recognizing Persons. l^ABK 1. 23—26. There was In the synagogue a man with an unclean spirit ; and he cried out, saying. Let us alone ; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art Thou come to destroy us ? I know Thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying. Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the uncleanspirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. A devil yells out, " That which Ambrose preaches is the truth." A man possessed of a devil was a great calumniator of St. Ambrose, but God caused him to retract his calumnies, and the man yelled out amidst a crowd of people, " That which Ambrose preaches is the truth, but that which Arius preaches is false." Some Arians, hearing these words, threw the man into a pond, and he was drowned. (See St. Julian restores Jovian to Life, p. 83 ; Vincent Ferrier restores A Jew to Life, p. 86.) — Paulinus, deacon and biographer of St. Ambrose. If it is true that the " devil is a liar, and the father of lies " (John viii. 44). his testimony against Arianism b not worth much. St. Hilarion recognized by an evil spirit. When St. Hilarion passed from Africa to Cycile, there met him in the mountain a man possessed with an evil spirit, who cried out, *' Let us alone, Hilarion ; art thou come hither to torment us? We know thee who thou art, the servant of God in Cycile." Thus was made known the presence of this holy saint; and diseased persons from every part came to him to be healed of their infirmities. St. Hilarion, seeing he could not remain in that place unknown, went to Dalmatia. — St. Jerome (a.d. 390), Vita St. Bilarionis Eremites. Devils recognize St. Marcuiphu m the court of king Childebert (a.d. 658). While St. Marculphus was living in his solitude. 104 DEVILS TELL HALF-TRUTHS. [Pt. I. God sent an angel to bid him go to Childe- bert I., king of France, and demand of him a place named Nanteiiil for a monastery. Marculphus went forthwith to Paris, and reached the city while the king and queen were attending mass. He entered the chapel, and retired out of si^ht, but some demoniacs, being present, cried with affright, " Marculphus, thou servant of the living God, have pity on us, for thy presence is torture to us." These screams amazed the king and his court, and Childebert sent to find out to whom the devils referred. Marculphus being thus discovered, and brought before the king, told him the object of his coming, and who had sent him. Chil- debert readily gave what was required, and promised to assist in building the monastery ; but requested Marculphus to exorcise the demoniacs. Making the sign of the cross, the saint commanded the evil spirits to come out. This they did, but left the men half-dead. How- ever, in a few miuutes they came to themselves, and arose in perfect health. — Acta Sanctorum (Papebroch the Bol- landist), May 1. Devils ten Half-truths. Matt. Iv. 6. When the devil quoted Psalm xcl. 11, 12, to JesHS in the temptation, be omitted half verse 11. The whole verse runs thus : " He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." The devil tells St. Antony truths which are half falsehoods (fourth century). St. Antony said one day to his disciples, " I heard lately a great knocking at my cell door, and going to see who was there, found a man so prodigiously tall that his head reached the skies. I demanded who he was ; and he made answer, ' I am Satan, and am come to ask you why all Christians speak so ill of me.' I replied, ' With good reason, Satan, because it is by you they are tempted to sin.' Satan said, ' i3ut I ought not to be charged with the sins of man, seeing every one is a free agent and can do as he likes. It is not I who should be blamed if simpletons bite at my bait. It is man who makes war with man ; it is man who wrongs his neighbour ; it is man who builds cities, and dwells in them without God in the world. Only in deserts can saints and hermits be found, who sacrifice themselves to serve the Lord.* I was delighted to hear the father of lies compelled for once to speak the truth, although I knew what he said was half a lie. When, at last, I made the sign of the cross, and pronounced the name of Jesus, the phantom vanished from my sight." — Les Fetits Bollandistes (1880), vol.^ i. p. 427. In order to see this fallacy, take a very simple case. A j child, no doubt, is free to do what is told him, or to abstain from doing it ; but if a stronger mind and older person tempts the child to do wrong, tlie tempter deserves tne greater blame. The tempter piactises on the child's ignorance, inexperience, and weakness ; sometimes on his fears, his natural passions, and his hopes ; but who would exonerate the tempter, because the cliild is, in a sense, a free agent, and does what it is told, and even likes to doit! The devil tells St. Maur ^^ a lie which is half a lie" (512-584). When, in his old age, St. Maur retired from the active duties of Glanfeuil, one night the devil I came to him and said, " You have been I a long time toiling to drive me and my fellows out of this country, but don't suppose you have trampled us in the dust. You will yet live to see your work come to naught. I tell you, of all these monks which you have gathered together, scarcely one will escape from our hands." So saying, he left the man of God to meditate on what he had been told. St. Maur was greatly distressed, and prayed earnestly that God would avert so intense an evil. Whereupon, an angel came and said, " Fear not. Why art thou so cast down? Trust in God. The devil has spoken a truth which is half a truth, and a lie which is half a lie. The truth is that a plague shall desolate thy house ; but thy brethren shall be gathered into the bosom of Abraham, and dwell for ever in paradise." St. Maur felt com- forted, and warned his brethen of the impending evil. In due time the plague came, when one hundred and sixteen of the monks fell victims to the scourge, and not long after St. Maur also was gathered to his fathers, at the age of seventy-two. — Faustus (a companion of St. Maur), Life of St. Maur. Devils tormented before their Time. Matt, xxviil. 28, 29. When Jesus came to the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, who cried out, saying, Jesus, Thou Son of God, art Thou come hither to torment us before the time ? A devil speaks to St. Victor of Plancy before he was horn (sixth century). While St. Victor was still in his mother's womb, a devil publicly cried out to him, " Victor, thou holy one of God, why do you torment us even before you are born?" — Le sieur des Guerrois, Ilistoire Ecclesiastique. Pt. I.] DIANA— DIDO— DISEASES CURED. 105 Diana of Ephesus (the image which fell from Jupiter). Acts xix. 35. When the town-clerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Kpbesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a wor- shipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Many cities have boasted of statues of gods sent directly from heaven. The Palladiicm of Troy was an image of Pallas Minerva said to have fallen from heaven. Numa's Ancilia (or sacred shields) descended from heaven. Herodian tells us that the Phenician statue of the sun was a large stone, circular below, and conical It was quite black, and was said to have fallen from heaven. Without doubt it was a meteorite, like the Diana of Ephesus. The ancient Mexicans worshipped a similar meteorite. An image of the Virgin in Avignonet sent down from heaven (a.d. 1283). In conse- quence of disputes between the ' ' orthodox " party and the inhabitants of Avignonet, where the "heretics," called Albi^enses, abounded, the parish, after mostTiorrible slaughter, was laid under an interdict, and the church shut up for forty years. Alexander IV. removed the interdict, and the same day the church doors opened of their own accord, and the bells rang all day and night spon- taneously. These "facts" are stated in a bull of Paul III., dated Rome, 1537, and still shown to any Visitors who wish to see it. The unpardonable sin of the Albigenses was their denial that the Virgin Mary was the mother of God ; so, when the interdict was removed from Avignonet, there was an especial sig- nificance in the following " miracle." The inhabitants rose one morning and discovered that an image from heaven of the Virgin Mary had been set up in the church porch. " Quel artiste avait con9u et execute cette belle ceuvre? Quelle main I'avait depose'e Ih, ? On e'tait passe' cent fois par jour, et pendant de longues anne'es, sur la place occupe'e par la merveilleuse image. Cette apparition fut, comme un avertissement du ciel. II etait evident que IMarie voulait etre honore'e la oil Ton avait vomi contre elle les plus abominables blasphemes, et rehausser par un miracle le merite des defenseurs de son culte, et de sa divine maternite'." The inhabitants of Avignonet were at once convinced that this image came from heaven, and demanded that a day should be consecrated as an annual memorial of the gift. The demand was approved of by the pope, and confirmed " par plusieurs souverains pontifes, en- richie d' indulgences." The day is called *' La solennite de Notre Dame des Miracles," and is held the first Tuesday of every new year. — Mgr. Guerin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. vi. p. 298. If the chambe'-lain of pope Leo XIII. and several popes maintain that this sculptured image fell or was brough from heaven, can we be surprised that the Ephesiani worshipped a meteoiic stone as a goddess, which Ihej dubbed Diana? Dido and the Bull's Hide. When Dido came to Africa she bought of the natives "as much land as could be encompassed with a bull's hide." The agreement being made. Dido cut the hide into thongs, so as to enclose suf- ficient space for a citadel, which she called "Byrsi," the hide. Mercatique solum facti de nomine Byrsam, Taurino quantum possent circumdare tergo. Virgil, ^neid, i. lines 367, 368. The Yakutsks, The Yakutsks granted the Russian explorers as much land as they could encompass with a cow's hide ; but the Russians, cutting the hide into thin strips, covered with it land enough for the town and fort which they called Yakutsk. (Our term "hide of land" has no connection what- ever with the tales about Byrsa and Yakutsk. In Saxon English A.vdan (to hide or conceal) gyves hydels (a den), hyddern (a hiding-place), and a hyd is the covering which hides the animal. A hyd or hide seems to have been used for a manor-house as well as a den ; and a hide of land means as much land as would suffice to maL«t«in the hide or manor-house. The exact quantity wa»< determined by local usage ; in some cases it was sixty acres, in some eighty, and in others as much as a hundred acres went to the hide. When a person was created a knight, his overlord gave him ten hides of land to cover the expenses of military service. In later times persons possessing ten or more hides of land were compelled to be knights.) Pepin d'Heristal gives Rigohert as much land as he couid walk over in a given time (a.d. 650-743). Pepin d'Heristal, one day hunting, came to the cell of St. Rigobert, who received him courteously, and set before him the best repast hia cell afforded. Pepin was so pleased with the hermit, that he offered to give him whatever he asked for. Rigobert asked Pepin to bestow on him as much land as he could walk over while his highness took his midday nap. The request was granted, and the footprints of the saint remained in the land unobliterated. The grass which grew on this plot of land never withered. The frost of winter pinched it not, the heat of summer parched it not, and no lightning ever seared it. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum, vol. i. Jan. 4. Diseases of All Sorts cured. Matt. iv. 23. Jesus went about Galilee ... healing all manner of feickness and all manner of 4istase among tlie i)eople. 106 DISEASES OF ALL SORTS CURED. Pt. I. St. Clarej abbot of St. Ferr^ot, cures divers diseases (seventh century). (1) The superior of Santa Bland ina being, as was supposed, at the point of death, St. Clare entered the sick-room, touched the hand of the dying man, and in the presence of the whole house he sat up, restored to perfect health. (2) At another time St. Clare cured the colic, from which one of the brothers was suflPering, merely by signing the sufferer with holy oil. (3) Once when the river Rhone was full to overflowing, one of the monks -of St. Ferre'ol fell into the river, and was in imminent danger of being carried away by its current, which is exceedingly rapid. St. Clare made the sign of the cross, and the river lifted the man upon the bank, and he returned to the abbey wholly without injury. — Les Petits BollandisteSf vol. i. p. 31. (See Prater, " Isidore buoyed up by the water of a well ; •• and WATER OBEDIENT.) St. Clara heals all manner of diseases by the sign of the cross (a.d. 1193-1253). St. Francis d'Assisi once sent to St. Clara a sick man to heal. She made on him the sign of the cross, and he re- covered forthwith. This happened not to this man only, but to many. In fact, all who had infirmities resorted to the convent of St. Clara, and she healed them with the sign of the cross. — Life of St, Clara (written by the express order of pope Alexander V.). St, Lawrence, by laying his hand on Jier forehead^ cures Cyriaca of headache. St. Lawrence lodged for a time on Mount Celius with a widow named Cyriaca, who entertained all Christians that wanted refuge. Cyriaca had a violent chronic headache, which greatly distressed her ; but St. Lawrence, laying his hands on her forehead, and calling on the name of Jesus, completely cured her, and the pain never more returned. — From the PubliG Registers, (This saint is in the canon of the mass.) St. Marculphus cures the son of GenaiSj who had been bitten by a wolf (a.d. 658). A seigneur, named Genais, came to Nanteuil with his son, who had been frightfully bitten by a wolf. His whole body was lacerated, and his death ex- pected every minute. St. Marculphus, touched with pity, perfectly healed all the wounds simply by the sign of the cross. — Acta Sanctorum (Papebroch the Bollandist), May 1. St. Marculphus ii vtrjr otlabntad in France. by him was accorded to the kings of France *' the gift of healing scrofula;" hence called "the king's evil" (See Benedict XIV. On the Canonization of Haintt, bk. ir. ch. 111. No. 21.) We are told that Henri IV. cured fifteen hundred in the year 1609 ; Louis XIV. cured two thousand in tlie garden of St Reini's abbey in 1664 ; Charles X., as late as 18:26, "touched" many. Edward the Confessor left the same "gift" to his successon in England, and Dr. Samuel Johnson, in 1712, wai " touched " by queen Anne when he was only thirty months old. The Scottish kings also "touched;" and Shakespeare, in bis Macbeth, makes Malcolm say he had often seen the good king do this "miraculous work" on " strangely risited people, all swoln and ulcerous," and adds— " Tis spoken. To the succeeding royalty he leares The healing benediction." Carte, the historian, tells as of a young man named Lovel who was cured by tlie Pretender, which would be quite fatal to the theory that the virtue is communicated to kings with the anointing oil at their coronation. St. Flacidus, by laying his hand on Zona's headf cures his headache, Zoifa, chief secretary of the Church at Capua, was a martyr to headache, and entreated St. Placidus, then only twenty-five years old, to lay his hand on him and cure him. Placidus, out of diffidence, wished ZoflFa to apply to St. Benedict, alleging that he was himself too young to work miracles. The bishop Germanus, who was present at the time, bade the young man do what was asked ; accordingly, he laid his hand on ZofPa's forehead, and prayed that God would vouchsafe to restore His servant to health and ease. Immediately the headache went away, and never again returned. — Laurentius Surius (1570), Lives of the Saints, St. Sebastian cures gout by baptism. Tranquillinus was bowed together with gout, which had drawn one side of his body quite awry. When, however, St. Sebastian baptized him, he was in- stantly made whole. He came to the saint halting painfully on crutches, but quitted his presence leaping joyfully and needing no support. Another example. When Cromatius, governor of Rome, who suffered from the some infirmity, saw the cure wrought on Tranquillinus, he also went to St. Sebastian, and promised to become a Christian, if the saint would release him from the gout to which he had been a martyr for many years. While he was still speaking, an angel came, and said, "Cromatius, Jesus Christ hath sent me to thee, that all thy limbs may be re- stored to thee whole and sound." In a moment the governor, who before could scarcely put his feet to the ground, leaped up in perfect health. Then, falling at the feet of St. Sebastian, he entreated that both he and his son Tiburtius might be baptized. That very day, not Pt. I.] DOVES : ALBERT— CATHERINE. 107 only ihe goveraor and his son, but all his house, including slaves, to the number of fourteen hundred souls, were added to the Church. After his baptism the governor gave liberty to all his slaves, and half his goods he distributed to the poor. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, Doves. (See Soul.) Matt. lit. 16, Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water : and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove, and lighted on Him. A dove brings Albert d* Ogna the Viaticum (a.d. 1279). When Albert d'Ogna was at the point of death, as the monk delayed to bring him the Viaticum, a doy^flew to him, holding it in its beak. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), May 13. A dove brings a veil to St. Aldegundis when she becomes a nun (630-689). St. Aldegundis, daughter of prince Walbert of Hainaut, made a vow to be the spotless bride of Christ, and when prince Eudo pressed his suit of marriage, she fled to the monastery of Hautmont and told her tale. The reverend fathers highly com- mended her, and advised her at once to take the veil of virginity, which she readily consented to do. So they proceeded to the ceremony forthwith; but when they were about to present the veil, they found they had none at hand, for the veil with other vestments had been left on the altar of St. Vaast. It was a fatal mishap, and would have obliged them to defer the service ; but, in the very midst of their perplexity, they saw a dove bringing a veil in its beak. Carrying it to St. Aldegundis, the dove dropped it over her head. Nothing could be better. Every one was ravished at the spectacle, and all agreed that St. Aldegundis had sacrificed herself to perpetual virginity with the palpable approval of God. — L'abb^ Delbos, Life of St. Aldegundis. The Holy Ghost, like a dove, descends on St. Ambrose of Siena (a.d. 1220-1286). The Holy Ghost, in the form of a dove, was often seen to descend on the head of St. Ambrose of Siena, in Tuscany, while he was preaching. This gave his words such power, that not only were hardened sinners pricked to the heart, and the most obstinate softened, but even the wise ones whose wisdom was not seasoned with grace learned humility, and felt that, after all, the love of God is the beginning of true wisdom. — Le R. P. Jean Baptiste Fouillet, Ann^e Dominicaine^ voL iii. March 26. Th£ Holy Ghost, like a dove, descends at birth on the head of St. Austrebertha (630- 704). St. Austrebertha was the daughter of prayer, and her name was given her by the angel who announced to her parents that God had heard their prayer, and would give them a child " who would be the mother of many." At the moment of her birth the chamber was filled with a heavenly odour, and a white dove which hovered awhile above the house flew into the chamber, and settled on the head of the infant. As Austrebertha grew to years of dis- cretion, one day a veil fell from heaven on her head while she was looking in a fountain in her father's garden. She knew this was a call from God for her to take the veil, and dedicate herself to His service. — Surius, Lives of the Saints^ vol. i. A beam of fire and a dove appear when St. Basil IS baptized. When St. Basil came to the river, he stripped, and went down straightway into the water, where Maximus, bishop of Jerusalem, baptized him. And there descended on him a beam of light from which flew a dove. The dove touched the water with its wings, and then flying upwards straight into the clouds, was lost to sight. This was seen by all those who were present at the time. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints^ p. 374. The Holy Ghost, in the form of a dove, descends on St. Braulio (died 646). The Holy Ghost, wishing to sanction the doctrines propagated by St. Braulio, bishop of Saragossa, descended on his shoulder in the visible form of a dove, and seemed before all the people to whisper in his ears the words he uttered, according to that promise, " It shall be given you in that same hour what you ought to say." — St. Ildefonsa, Book of Illustrious Men, A dove rests on the head of St. Briocus (sixth century). While Briocus of Car- digan was receiving the communion for the first time, a dove white as snow- settled on his head, and the abbot knew that the young boy was a chosen vessel of honour. — Dom Lobineau, Lives of the British Saints. The Spirit of God sits, as a white dove, on the head of St. Catherine. As St. Catherine of Siena refused to wear fine clothes, and deck herself bravely accord- 108 DOVES : CATHERINE—FABIAN. [Pt. 1. ing to her station in society, her mother relegated her to the kitchen. One day her father, having occasion to go into the kitchen, saw his daughter at prayer, and on her head sat brooding a dove whiter than snow. Immediately he entered the dove flew away, and he asked Catherine what dove it was he saw sitting on her head. " I know of no dove," she replied. So the father knew it was the Holy Ghost. — Laurentius Surius (1570), Lives of the Saints. Catherine of Racconigi receives celestial wine from a dove (a.d. 1486-1547). Catherine of Racconigi was the daughter of poor parents, but from infancy showed great veneration for the Virgin Mary. When she was only five years old, a dove, white as snow, flew into her chamber, and lighted on her shoulder. Thinking it might be the devil, she made the sign of the cross, and cried out, *^* Jesus, .Jesus ! " Then a ray of light came from the dove's beak and entered her mouth, and she heard these words : "Take, my little daughter, and drink this wine ; by virtue of which you will never thirst again, but will feel thy hunger and thirst for the love of God grow daily stronger in thy soul." When she had tasted the wine, she found it of heavenly sweetness, and forthwith there appeared to her a lady clad in a white robe and black mantle. " Let the name of my Son be always in thy heart, my child," said the lady. " Who are you?" asked Catherine ; " and how came you here, seeing the door is shut?" " I am the mother of Jesus," she replied, *' and I wish you to give yourself wholly to my Son." " Where is your Son ? " inquired the child. *' You shall see Him soon," said the lady ; " but as delicate plants die from cold, so love in the heart dies without grace. Give thyself to my Son, and His grace shall abide with you for ever." "Poor as I am, what have I to give?" asked the child. " Thy heart, my daughter ; give Him thy heart," said the lady, and vanished out of sight. — Les Fetits BoUandistes, vol. x. p. 508. A dove brings a phial of holy oil for the baptism of king Ciovis. When Clovis was baptized, the church and all its approaches were so densely crowded it was impos- sible to move about ; but when the king approached the font, it was discovered that the holy oil had been forgotten. It would have been most unseemly to have detained the king while one of the priests wormed his way through the crowd to the vestry and back again, so St. Remi besought the Lord to pardon the neglect, and to send help in this time of need, lest His holy servants became a byword, and His sacrament a jest of the scornful. While still he prayed, lo ! a dove entered the church through an open window, carrying in its bill a phial of holy oil, which it placed in the hands of the officiating prelate, and then flew away. St. Remi gave hearty thanks to Almighty God for His timesome gift, and anointed the king with oil from paradise. When the phial was opened, and the body of the king was anointed, the perfume which filled the church was ravishing, and none could doubt that St. Remi's God was indeed the God of gods and King of kings. — Hincmar, archbishop of Reims (died 882), Life of St. Remi. A dove lights on the head of St. Dunstan (a.d. 925-988). St. Dunstan poured out all the vials of his wrath on forgers and false moneyers, because the injury they did was immeasurable. One day, even on the feast of Pentecost, he made one of these forgers a public example ; and "God showed, by a miracle, that He approved thereof ; " for while Dunstan was saying mass, a dove lighted on his head, remained there till the sacrament was over, and then flew to the tomb of the late archbishop Odo. — Osbert of Canterbury, Life of St. Dunstan. A dove lighting on the head of St. Fabian, he was chosen bishop (a.d. 236- 250). Fabian, a Roman soldier, happened to enter the church at Rome the very moment the synod was met together for the election of a pope to succeed Anteros. No candidate had at present been nomi- nated, and the electors were in doubt whom to choose. Suddenly a dove flew down through the louvre of the catacomb, and, fluttering about for a few moments, lighted on the head of Fabian. It was a repetition of the descent of the Holy Ghost on the head of Jesus at the river Jordan, and all the assembly cried at once, " He is worthy ! he is worthy ! he is the elect of God ! " and he was accordingly led up to the episcopal chair, and seated thereon. A souvenir of this incident is preserved in the catacombs ; and Bosio found at Aringhi a bas-relief in which the papal chair was surmounted with a dove. Fabian was the first layman ever elected pope, and his life certainly justified the choice, for no man more "worthy" ever ruled the church. (See St. Severus, p. 110.) — Eusebius, St. Jerome, Paul Pt.1.] DOVES : GEORGIA— MAURlLmS. 109 Orosius, and Chrysostom in his Annals of Alexandria, all mention this incident, " He is worthy ! " were the words used at the election of bishops, in much the same way as "God iiave the kingl " is shouted in regal elections. 8t, Georgia of Clermont, in Auvergne, was honoured at death by a large flight of pigeons (sixth century). The one desire of St. Georgia's life was to mortify her body, " pour en faire un reliquaire de la virginite'." When her body, "plus pur qu'un beau lis," was carried to the grave, a great flight of pigeons, "whiter than cygnets," followed the funeral procession and settled on a roof till the funeral service was over, when they flew upwards straight into heaven, and were lost to sight. "C'e'tait, sans doute, una legion d'anges descendus du ciel pour hou )rer les obse'ques de cette e'pouse de Jesu*. Christ qui avait vecu dans une purete' semblable a la leur." — Jacques Branche, Saincts d'Auvergne, This is a suggestive example of an Inference drawn according to a preconceived notion, and may help to explain some of the phenomena called miracles in the lives of the saints. Whether these pigeons were angels or not rests solely on the sans doute of Messire Branche. A dove was seen whispering to St» Gregory the Great his inspired writings (a.d. 640- 604). Sabinian, the successor of St. Gregory, said that the great pontiff had wasted shamefully the finances of the see, and left an empty exchequer behind. This charge so irritated the people, that they collected together the writings of the saint to burn them. Many were thrown into the bonfire, but his Dialogues, and some other of his writings, were saved by Peter the deacon, who declared be saw a dove whisper in the ear of St. Gregory the words of his inspired, writings, and that to burn his books would be to burn the inspired words of God. These words completely changed the mind of the people ; and the pontiff who a little before was regarded as a prodigal, was now esteemed an inspired saint. In allusion to this story, painters in Christian art represent a white dove near the ear of St. Gregory the Great, to signify that the Holy Spirit inspired his writings. — John the deacon. Life of St. Gregory the Great, (Written in the twelfth century by order of pope John VIII.) Peter the deacon is the person introduced in the four books of Dialogues as the interlocutor of St. Gregory. The other writings of St. Gregory extant are (1) his Pastoral, in four parts ; (2) his Sacramentary, a missal and ritual of the Church of Rome ; (3) Homilies on Job ; (4) Letters ; (5) an Exposition of the Book of Canticles ; ani (6) Fugitive Pieces. All his works are collected by Han» Migne in his Patrologia. A dove sits on the head of St. Hilary to indicate that God had chosen him for the archbishopric of Aries (a.d. 401-449). St. Hilary attended the death-bed of St. Honorat, archbishop of Aries, and fearing lest he should be chosen his successor, fled and hid himself in a desert. Castus, the governor of the city, tracked him, and sent a troop of his militia to bring him back. When placed before the convoca- tion he protested against being elected, but a dove, whiter than snow, descended and sat on his head. All the assembly considered this a direct indication of God's choice, and Hilary could no longer resist. He was only twenty-nine years old at the time, but his extreme youth only rendered his great virtues the more conspicuous. — Honorat (bishop of Marseille), De Viris Illustribus, ch. ix. The soul of Julia, in the semblance of a dove, leaves her body (fifth century). St, Julia was crucified by Felix, governor of Corsica ; and as she died, her soul, under the figure of a dove, ascended to heaven. In Christian art she is represented with a dove coming out of her mouth. — Dom Ruinart, Acts of St. Julia. When Erasmus died (a.d. 301), his spirit flew from his body in the form of a dove of brilliant whiteness.— ^ era Sanctorum (Bollandists), June 2. When St. Medard died, two doves came from heaven (a.d. 545). When St. Medard died, just before he was placed in his tomb, two doves descended from heaven, and a third, whiter than snow, came out of the saint's mouth. The two doves were angels, and the* third dove was the soul which they had come to accompany to heaven. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. June 8. There is something very noteworthy in this extract St. Medard had been dead some days. He died at Noyon, and had been carried on men's shoulders to Soissons ; so that the soul must have remained all this time in the dead body. It is quite certain, therefore, that life and soul are as independent as soul and body are. It is also certain that the soul does not always leave the body at the moment of death. Of course, I mean these inferences must follow from this story. The Holy Spirit, in the likeness of a dove, descends on St. Maurilius (a.d. 426). While St. Martin was consecrating Maurilius bishop of Angers, a dove whiter than snow lighted on his head, and remained there till the service was over. St. Martin declared, to his personal knowledge, that not only did he see the Holy Ghost descend, as a dove, on the head of the new bishop, but he beheld a whole company of angels present at the ceremony. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists). Sept. 13. 110 DRAGONS SUBJECTED OR SUBDUED. [Pt. I. Lwes sent to point out a site for a new monastery^ projected hy Peter the hermit (a.d. 1098). Peter the hermit was promised, by the lords of the Apennines, the means of building a monastery. He laid the foundation, and raised the walls some six feet from the ground, when the Virgin, displeased that he had not first consulted her, overthrew the whole in one night. The hermit was stupefied, and instituted a religious procession to appease God and the saints. When the proces- sion reached Vallombrosa, a flock of doves picked up some grains of wheat, and dropped them on the ground in advance of the procession, so as to form the words Ave^ Maria. St. Peter, con- cluding that this was the spot which the Virgin Mary had selected, built his monastery there. — Acta Sanctorum^ vol. ii. April 12, pp. 101, 102. A beam of tight from heaven rested on the head of St. Remi when he was chosen bishop of Reims. When the people of Reims wished to make St. Remi their bishop he refused the office, because he was only twenty-two years old ; but the people persisted in their choice. While the variance still continued, a great beam of light burst from heaven, and rested on St. Remi's head, a holy dew bathed him with divine baptism, and an odour sweeter than any earthly fragrance filled the place of the assembly. The people could no longer doubt that God Himself had confirmed their choice, and even St. Remi durst no longer resist, lest haply he should seem to be fighting against God.--Hincmar (died 882), Lxfe of St. Remi. When St. Samson was elected bishop^ a dove rested on his head (a.d. 665). When St. Samson was elected bishop of the ancient see of Dol, near St. Malo, immediately he was seated on the throne, a white dove, "luminous and visible to all the congregation," settled on his head, and remained there till the close of the service, unscared even by the noise and movement of the crowd. — Dom Lobineau, Lives of the Saints of Brittany. St. Severus of Ravenna and the dove (A.D. 389). On the death of Apolli- narius, the Christian community of Ra- venna fasted three days, and then assem- bled in the church to select a successor. A dove, whiter than snow, perched on the head of Severus, and the assembly said at once that Severus was the elect of God. A few, however, shocked at his rags and tattersa drovt him out of the church. The same prodigy occurred the next day, and again the day following. Resistance was no longer possible, and Severus was consecrated to the high and holy office. (See A Dove lighting on St. Fabian, p. 108.)— Zes Fetits Bollandistes (1880), vol. ii. p. 205. A dove lights on the head of St. Yves (a.d. 1253-1303). On one occasion, when St. Yves was saying mass, a dove, all shilling, lighted on his head, then flew to the high altar, and almost immediately disappeared. Another example. Another day, as he was dining with a *arge number of the poor, a dove entered the room, fluttered round him, and then lighted on his head; nor would it fly away till St. Yves had given it his blessing. — Dom Lobineau, Xivea of Vie Saints of Great Britain. Mahomefs dove. A dove was taught by Mahomet to pick seed placed in his ear. The bird would perch upon the prophet's shoulder, and thrust its beak into his ear to find the seed ; but Mahomet gave out that it was the Holy Ghost, in the form of a dove, come to impart to him the counsels of God. — Dr. Prideaux (1G97), Life of Mahomet (see also Raleigh's History of the Worlds bk. i. chap. i. 6). St- Peter Celestine, pope (1S21-1296). had also a dove that pecked bU ear. and waa 8upi)08ed to be whisper- iug to bini the inspirations of iieaven. Id Christian art be li often drawn with a dove wht.sperlng in bis ear. — Mgr Gu^riu. Vie* det SainU, voL vi. p. 20. Dragons subjected or subdued. MxftK zvi. 17, 18. These signs shall follow them that believe . . . they shall take up ser- pents. Luke x. 19. Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions. PbALM xci. 13. Thou slialt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon Shalt thou trample under leet. Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him. Acts xxvlil. 1-8. When Paul was ship- wrecked, and cast on the island of Melita, the people showed him and his companions no little kindness. As it was wet and cold, Paul assisted in gathering sticks for a fire, when a viper, warmed by the heat, fastened on his hand. The barbarians instantly said among tliemselves. No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he bath escaped the sea, yet vengeance BuflFereth not to live. Paul shook the viper into the fire, and when the people saw he suffered no harm from the venomous beast, they changed their minds concerning him, and said, Ue is a god. Rev. xii. 7, 8. And there was war in heaven : MicbaeJl and his angels fought against the Ft. I.] DRAGONS: ANTONY, BEKNARD. Ill dragon ; and the dragon and his angels fought, but prevailed not. IsA. xi. 8, 9. The sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice" den. IsA. xiii. 21, 22. Wild beasts of the desert shall be there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures [ochini] ; and . . . satyrs shall dance there ; and the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragoni in their pleasant places. Bel and the dragon. There was a great dragon which they of Babylon worshipped ; and king Cyrus said to Daniel, "Wilt thou say that this is of brass? Lo ! he liveth, he eateth, and drinketh. Thou canst not say that this dragon is no god, therefore worship him." Then said Daniel to the king, " I will worship the Lord my God, for He is the living God. But give me leave^O king, and i will slay this dragon without either sword or staff." The king said, "I give thee leave." ^ Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and Lair, and did seethe them to- gether, and made lumps thereof. This he put into the dragon's mouth, and so the dragon burst asunder. And Daniel said, *'Lo! these be the gods you wor- ship." — Apocrypha ; Bel and the Dragon, 23-27. A hippocentaur and satyr are seen by St. Antony the hermit (a.d. 342). St. Jerome gives the following, not as a poetical fancy, but a sober historical fact. Antony, thinking he was the only hermit in the world, was told in a vision that he was neither the only nor yet the oldest anchorite, for one was living older and better than he, whom it was his bounden duty to hunt up. He was ninety years old at the time, and knew neither the name nor the whereabouts of this hermit ; but at break of day he took his staff, and began his journey, fully believing that God who sent the vision would also guide him in the right path. Scarcely had he started when he saw a hippocentaur (half a man and half a horse), and crossing himself he cried aloud, *' Ho, there ! where dwells this man of God that I am to find out?" The monster muttered, "How should I know anything of the barbarian ? " yet he pointed out the road, and flew on as if he had wings. St. Jerome naively adds, no doubt it was the devil who assumed this guise to frighten the saint. St. Antony was astonished but not alarmed, and walked on till he met a satyr, a creature partly human, but not wholly BO. He was very diminutive in size, but strong ; his nose was hooked, and horns grew out of his forehead, as in a goat. Antony was amazed, but the creature tried to win his confidence by offering him dates. Antony fell into conversation with his strange companion ; and the creature told Antony he was what men call a satyr, and was sent by his fellows to meet Antony, to entreat his prayers, and learn from him some- thing about the Saviour of the world. After a little further discourse the satyr set off running, and fled out of sight swifter than a stag. So passed the first day of his jour- ney. The second dawned, but still he knew not whither he was to go. On, still on he trudged, wearily, heavily, till nightfall, when he fell to the earth in prayer, and continued so till break of day. He now saw a she-wolf, panting with thirst, creeping down the slope of a high mountain. He followed the creature with his eye, and saw it enter a cavern in the side of the mountain. Thither went Antony ; and, coming to the place, found a deep cavern, dark and intricate. Wholly without fear he entered ; and, having penetrated about half-way, saw a distant light. To make a long story short, here dwelt the hermit he was in search of ; he was called Paul the Eremite. They met, saluted, and conversed. Next day Paul prayed his brother hermit to go and fetch St. Athanasius^s cloak to wrap round him, and while he was gone on thia errand, Paul died. The life of St, Paul, the first hermit^ by St. Jerome, has never been doubted, and is certainly authentic. St. Bernard of Menthon subdues the dragon of the Alps (a.d. 923-1008). Richard de la Val d'lsere, the successor of St. Bernard of Menthon, often called the *' Great," says he was himself eye-wit- ness of the following miracle. St. Ber- nard left at the bottom of the Alps the bishop, clergy, and procession, which had followed him thither ; and with nine pil- grims ascended the mountain, where was Sie brigand Procus, called the "Giant," and worshipped as a god. St. Bernard and his companions came up to the giant, and saw hard by a huge dragon ready to devour them. Bernard made the sign of the cross, and then threw his stole over the monster's neck. The stole instantly changed itself into an iron chain, except the two ends held in the saint's hands. " C'est ainsi qu'un zele accompagn^ de la pri^re et de !« conflance en Dieu desarme 112 DKAGOi^S; CALUPPA— GEOKGE. [Pt. I. fenfer." The nine pilgrims killed the dragon, and the two ends of ilie stole are preserved in the treasury of the abbej^ of St. Maurice-en-Valais. * It is from this event that St. Bernard, in Christian art, is represented holding in hand a chained devil. The body of this monster was buried in a cave near the monastery, and not long since a stone was disinterred bearing this inscription: *'Ci-git un MAGICIEN, APPELE PrOCUS, MINISTRE DU DEMON." St. Caluppa of Auvergne puts to flight two dragons (a.d. 57G). St. Caluppa constructed for himself an oratory in Auvergne, where one day two enormous dragons encountered him. The larger of the two lifted up its head with open mouth against the face of the saint, as if it was going to say something, but Caluppa, horror-struck, was unable to move hand or foot, and stood stupefied. So the two remained for several minutes ; at length the saint recovered himself sufficiently to make the sign of the cross, on his face, and, speech returning, he said to the dragon, "Are not you the serpent who appeared to Eve in Uie garden of Eden? Avaunt! the cross of Jesus Christ is your destruction." Then the dragon slunk away, and hid itself in the earth. In the mean time the other and smaller beast rolled itself round the legs of the saint, but Caluppa, taking courage by his victory, said, ** Off, Satan ! Touch me not ; I am the servant of Jesus Christ." At these words this dragon also rolled away, and never afterwards was the saint annoyed by dragon or serpent. — St. Grego^ of Tours, Historg^ bk. v. ch. 9. St, l>omitian delivers Huy from a for- midable dragon (a.d. 560). St. Domitian was bishop of INIaestricht, and is noted for having delivered the inhabitants of Huy from a formidable dragon, which caused most frightful ravages. In Chris- tian art, St. Domitian is represented with a dragon at his feet ; and a yearly pro- cession is still made to the fountain where the dragon was slain. This looks extremely like an allegory, Domitian killed the dragon of idolatry, by baptizing tlie people in the fountain. St. Eutychus extirpates the serpents of Castoria (a.d. 640). The neighbourhood of Castoria was greatly infested with serpents ; but Eutychus jprayed that God would extirpate them, and thev vrere all destroyed by lightning. " TheV are well dead," said St. Florent, *' but who shall remove them out of our sight ? " "I will send a clond of birds to devour them," said the Lord. And it was so. — Gregory the Great, Dialogues^ bk. iii. ch. 15. St. Fronton commands a dragon to die (a.d. 74). St. Fronton of Lycaonia, quitting Beauvaisis, came to Soissons, and here he was informed of a hideous dragon which committed great havoc, and spread terror through all the neigh- bourhood. The Christians of Soissons implored him to kill the monster, so he proceeded at once to Nogeliac, the dragon's haunt. As St. Fronton ap- proached, the dragon retreated, evidently afraid. On went the saint fearlessly , the dragon stopped, raised its head^ uttered an indescribable but frightful hissing noise, and its whole attitude spoke mischief. *' In the name of Jesus Christ," said St. Fronton, *'I command you to die." The words fell like a thunderbolt, and the monster died on the spot. The people of the country, amazed at *Jtie " miracle," demanded to be baptized, and numbers were added daily to the Church. — Pergot, Life of St. Front (or Fronton), This is manifestly an allegory. The dragon dies at the words (or preaching) of St. Fronton, and when tlie dragon is dead, the people are baptized. No further bint is required. St. George of Lydda kills a dragon (a.d. 280-303). St. George, the patron saint of England, is not George of Cappadocia, the Arian bishop of Alexandria, as Gibbon says, but St. George of Lydda, the son of wealthy parents, his father being in the imperial service. At the age of seventeen St. George entered the army of Diocletian, and was raised to the rank of military chiliarch or tribune of the imperial guards ; but when Diocletian began his persecu- tions against the Christians, St. George sold all his goods to give in alms to the poor, liberated his slaves, and boldly rebuked the emperor for his cruelty. This drew upon him the anger of the emperor, and he was beheaded, April 23, A.D. 303. St. George is the patron saint of soldiers, and is honoured in the Greek Church as a " Great Martyr." He was the first patron saint of Genoa. In the crusades, he was a great favourite with our own kings ; in 1322, it was determined by the National Council, held at Oxford, to keep April 23 in his honour; and in 1330, when Edward III. instituted the Order of the Garter, St. George was selected as its patron and protector. Jean Darche, in her History of St, George, published in 1866, has devoted above a Pt. I.] DRAGONS: GERMANUS, HILARION. 118 hundred pages to the Story of the Dragon, and considered it an historical fact. The tale of the dragon given in Percy's lieliques, III. iii. 2, is not told of St. George of Lydda, the patron saint of England, but of St. George of Coventry, called the son of lord Albert. This St. George was stolen in infancy by the "weird lady of the woods," who brought him up to deeds of arms. His body had three marks, viz. a dragon on the breast, a garter round one of the legs, and a blood-red cross on the right arm. When St. George of Coventry grew to manhood, he fought against the Saracens. In Libya he heard of a huge dragon to which a damsel was daily given for food ; and it so happened that when he arrived, the victim was Sabra, the king's daughter. She was already tied to the stake when St. George came up. On came the dragon ; but thi*'knight, thrusting his lance into the monster's mouth, killed it on the spot. Sabra, being brought to England, became the wife of her deliverer, and they lived happily in Coventry till death. This tale is comparatively modern ; certainly not earlier than the second half of the fourteenth century. George of Lydda died in A.D. 303. and was at death under twenty- three years of age. Many, like Gibbon, insist that our patron saint is George of Cappadocia, who died A.D. 361, and certainly was no saint. His father was a fuller, and, according to St. Gregory of Nazianzen, the son dis- tinguished himself, in early age, as a parasite of so mean a type that he would sell himself for a cake. By these arts he obtained the contract for supplying bacon to the troops ; but he fulfilled its terms so ill, that he with difficulty escaped being torn to pieces by the soldiers. He then fled to Alexandria, where he entered the public service, embraced Christianity, and finally became Arian bishop of that city. On taking possession of his see, he joined the hue and cry against the Trinitarians, but was obliged to flee for his life. Ultimately, the people rose up against him, dragged him out of the prison to which he had fled for refuge, paraded him through the streets on the back of a camel, and, after tearing him to pieces, burnt his remains. It must be remembered, fii-st, that this account is drawn up by his enemies the Trinitarians, who thought nothing too bad to say against the Arians, and would not admit any good at all in them. Secondly, the persecutors who tore George of Cappadocia to pieces were set on by the Trinitarians, who tried to justify themselves by vilifying the Arians, whom they hunted down. Nothing in all history is more deplorable than this long religious conten- tion between the Arians and Trinitarians. It would b« flattery to call it disgraceful ; it was infinitely worae. Of course, Papebroch and Heylyn deny that this Arlati bishop is St. George of England. (See Acta Sanctorum and History of St. George.) It is very difficult to get the story of the dragon to fit on the young soldier ; and if the Arian bishop is fatheied with it, the dragon must mean the Trinitarians; but in that case the dragon slew St. George, and not St George the dragon. The Jegend of George and the dragon seems like a crusader's tale tacked on the life of the crusaders' patron and protector. The reason why St. George took so high a place with the crusaders is this : When the Christian army was before Antioch, his ghost came to their aid, and the success of the siege was always ascribed to this saint by Godfrey of Bouillon. Hence the European choice of the young military martyr. This devotion was confirmed by the apparition of St George to Richard Lion- heart, assuring him of victory. In Christian art, St. George Is represented on horseback tilting at a great dragon. Jean Darche, in his Vie de St. George (published 1866), has given above a hundred pages to prove that this dragon was a real animal, but Alban Butler, in his Lives of the Saints, says, "The dragon is only an emblematical figure of the devil, which St. George overcame by his faith and fortitude." If so, there is no special propriety in tlie emblem ; for all the thousands and tens of thousands ol saints did the same, or tliey were no saints at all. Indeed, a very large part of hagiology is only a repetition of this conflict, described by Bunyan as a battle between Chris- tian and Apollyon. If St. George is simply meant for an emblem of a young Christian, the dragon may be an emblem of the temptations which beset him ; but if he was a young soldier, who died at the early age of twenty- three, it is no less than ridiculous to make him the typical hero of the Christian athlete fighting the fight of faith. Hundreds of saints, such as St. Antony, St Francis, St Martin, St. Hilarion, and so on, would have been im> measurably preferable for such a purpose. St. Germanus of Scotland leads a dragon to a deep pit, and throws it in (fifth cen- tury). When St. Germanus of Scotland reached Dieppe, he there saw a dragon of prodigious size ravaging the whole country. It had just killed a child, and was the terror of the neighbourhood. The saint first restored the child to life, and then, going to the dragon's lair, a deep cavern, threw his handkerchief about its neck, led it quietly to a deep pit, and pushed it in. This miracle so amazed the people, that five hundred of them were converted and baptized. (See note to St. Paul, etc., p. 115.) — Corblet, Haiiographie d' Amiens. St. Hilarion commands the dragon Boa to walk into a fire, and he burnt to death* Dalmatia was troubled with a dragon called Boa, which destroyed all the country round about, devoured the oxen and other beasts, and killed the husband- men and shepherds. St. Hilarion looked on the people with compassion, and bade them pile up a huge stack of wood. This being done, he commanded the dragon to go into the stack, which was then set fire to. The monster could not resist, and was therefore burnt to death in the sighfc of all the people. — St. Jerome, Vita St, Hilarionis Eremitce (a.d. 390). See also Nicephorus Callistus (died 1350), Eccle- siastical History, Probably this would be, in plain prose, St Hilarion persuaded the people of Dalmfttia to burn their nationiU idoL I 124 DRAGONS : HONORATUS— MARCEU [Pt. I. St. HonoratuSy bishop of ArteSj clears the isle of Lerins of serpents. The isle of Lerins in the fourth century was a mere desert, rendered inaccessible by the number of serpents which swarmed there. In 410 St. Honoratus landed on the island, and the serpents soon j^ielded to him. Hence, in Christian art, he is represented as expelling serpents from the isle with his pastoral staff. — St. Hilary, Life of Honoratus. St. Hilary adds, the desert soon bloKomed like the roae, the isle became peopled with angels, and grew into the city of God and colony of Jesus Christ. St. Honoratus clianged the whole face of the island, and made what wai once a wilderness a veritable paradise, rich in verdure, enamelled with flowers, filled with perfumes, and alive with a race of God-loving and God-fearing people. St. Hilary y bishop of Poitiers^ clears Gal- linaria of serpents (a.d. 367). When St. Hilary set foot on Gallinaria, he found the island uninhabitable, from its great abundance of deadly serpents ; but they all retired before the saint, fleeing as he chased them in the name of Jesus Christ. He then planted his stick in a certain spot of the island, and commanded them never again to pass that boundary, and they obeyed him. — Dom Constant, Vita Sancti Hilarii Fictaviensis, etc. No doubt this Is an allegorj; the seipents being the aborigines of the island, who were confined to certain fixed limits. St. llerius destroys the dragon of the Tarn (seventh century). St. Enimia, daughter of Clotai'-e II., king of France, being cured of leprosy by the waters of the Fontaine de Burle, constructed a monastery in the vicinity ; but the devil, indignant at this new asylum for in- nocence and virtue, assumed the form of a dragon, and every Saturday night kicked down what had been constructed during the week. The princess told her grief to St. llerius, bishop of Mende, who promised his assistance. A few days afterwards the infernal dragon, more furious than ever, ran against the new building and utterly destroyed it; so the bishop went without further delay to encounter the demon. On his way he picked up two sticks, which he tied together in the form of a cross, and im- mediately the dragon saw this instrument of man*s redemption, it retreated to a deep gorge and was never seen again. — Propre du Diocese de Mende (1619). There can be little doubt that the above is an allegory. The dragon is the spirit of opposition in the men of the Beighbourfaood. who kicked down the walls of the monas- teiy as fast as they were built up. At length the bishop of Mende interfered, and by the influence of the doctrine of the cross allayed this sphit of opposition, so that the motk was no longer interrupted St. Lifard kills a huge dragon without touching it (sixth century). St. Lifard lived the life of a recluse in the ruins ol an old chateau near the town of Mehun sur la Loire, a few miles from Orleans, Here was a dreadful dragon greatly feared by the inhabitants, but St. Lifard at once destroj^ed it. Urbicus had followed him to this retreat, and the saint told him to go and plant a stick near the mouth of the dragon's lair. Urbicus was greatly afraid, but nevertheless went, in obedience to his master, and stuck the stick in the ground where the monster could not help seeing it. Scarcely had' he left the spot when the dragon came from his lair, attacked the stick, and, try- ing to pull it down, it snapped in pieces, wounding the dragon so severely that it bled to deathv The demons which had made their abode in the dragon, and used it a^; their instrument of mischief, fled with hideous howls, crying aloud, as they flew into the air, " Lifard ! Lifard ! " The inhabitants of the neighbourhood heard the cries, knew tliat they were delivered from the monster, and thanked the saint with tears of gratitude. — Acta Sanctorum (BollandistsJ, June 3. St. Marcel banishes from Paris a vam- pire dragon (a.d. 136). There was in raris a dame of high rank who had lived a very abandoned life, and died in her sins. Being a Christian and not excom- municated, she was buried in consecrated ground ; but the same night that she was interred, a dragon of monstrous figure and size came from a desert to Paris, hollowed out a great hole for its retreat, and began to feed on the dead body. It did not devour the whole at once, but returned to the hateful banquet over and over again. As the breath of the monster infected the air, those dwelling near the churchyard were so greatly alarmed that they left their houses ; and the saint was petitioned to come to the rescue. St. Marcel, armed with arrows and spears, went to the churchyard; and when the dragon drew nigh knocked it on the head three times with his cross ; then, throwing his cloak round the creature's neck, he led it four miles beyond the city gates, and said to it, "Either promise hereafter never to quit this wood, or I will cast you at once into the sea." The dragon made the required promise, and was never after seen in Paris or its neighbourhood. — Gregory of Tours. The dngon was •roused by burying a notorious evil-liver In consecrated This is without doubt an allegonr. s edl-ll Pt. I] DRAGONS: MARTHA— PAUL DE LEON. 115 grojind, because she was of high rank. It was subdued by three blows of the cross, and couimauded never again to enter Paris. Any one can apply the allegory and fill it up. Martha^ the sister of Lazarus, subdues the dragon of Tarascon (a.d. 84). Mgr. Gu^rin tells us that, after the Ascension, the Jews laid hands on Martha, the sister of Lazarus, and sent her adrift in a boat without sails, rudder, oars, or provisions ; and that the boat carried her to Marseilles, whers she landed, and introduced the gospel. About the same time a horrible dragon, half beast and half fish, caused dreadful havoc, for it used to hide under the waters of the Rhone, and upset the vessels, in order to prey upon the passengers and sailors. Sometimes it made incursions into the neighbouring forests, and devoured every one it en- countered. The inhabitants befog told about Martha represented their case to her, and Martha went at once into the forest indicated and saw the dragon «ating a man. She made the sign of the cross (!!), she sprinkled holy water on the beast (!!), and the dragon became so submissive, that Martha led it like a lamb with her girdle, and gave it to the people, who forthwith killed it with lances and stones. "On dit que le nom de Taras- con" was given to the place, "h, cause de ce dragon, parce que Tarasque, en proven9al, signine une chose horrible.^'' — Les Petits BoUandisteSy vol. ix. p. 96. ^ According to Greek mythology the place received its name from Taras, son of Neptune. As the river Rhone might be called "the son of the sea," there is just as much likelitiood in this tlerivationas in the other, and no more. Holy water was unknown till a.d. 683, and the sign of the cross was probably not used in the first two centuries as a curative symbol. Eusebius tells us it was so used iu the fourth century to lu« own personal know- ledge. St. Patrick expels the serpents from Ireland (fifth century). St. Patrick drove all the serpents out of Ireland ; and hence he is represented in Christian art with a serpent coiled round a pastoral staff. This probably was only an allegorical way of expressing his triumph over paganism; subsequently interpreted more literally. Ireland exempt from venomous reptiles. It is said that Ireland is exempt from serpents and other venomous reptiles, because of St. Patrick's staff, called "The Staff of Jesus," given by St. Patrick, and kept with great veneration in Dublin.— Ralph Higden (1360), Poly- chronicon (published by Gale). The isle of Malta is said to derive a like privilege from St. Paul, who was there bitten by a viper (Acts xxviii. 1-6). St. Patrick overreaches a cunning old serpent. There is a current legend that when St. Patrick ordered the serpents of Ireland into the sea, one of the older reptiles refused to obey ; but the saint overmastered it by stratagem, lie made a box, and invited the serpent to enter in, pretending it would be a nice place for it to sleep in. The serpent said the box was too small, but St. Patrick maintained it was quite large enough. So high at length the contest rose, that the serpent got into the box to prove it was too small ; whereupon St. Patrick clapped down the lid, and threw the box into the sea. This story is only given as a legend, but it is marvel- lously like a story in the Arabian Nights' Entertain' ments. A fisherman, we are told, drew up in his net a box, and on opening it, an evil genius stepped forth, threatening the fisherman with death. Said the fisher- man to the genius, "Where did you come from?" "Where did I come from?" said thegenius; "why, out of that box, to be sure; where else should 1 come from?" "Nonsense," replied the fisherman; "you cannot gam- mon me, old fellow. You don't mean to tell me you came out of that box." "Yes, I did," rejoined the genius. " No, you didn't," persisted the man. " I say I did," exclaimed the genius, waxing in a rage, "i say you couldn't," retorted the fisher ; "it is too small to hold half of you." "But I say I did," said the genius ; and, to prove his point, he turned himself into smoke, and, enter- ing the box, said to the man, " Who now is right, you or I?" but the moment the genius was fairly in, the fisher- man slammed down the lid, and threw the box back into the sea. — The Fisherman. St. Paul, bishop of Leon, commands a dragon to precipitate itself into the sea (A.D. 492-573). While St. Paul was at Witur, the count asked him to free the island of a terrible dragon which com- mitted great ravages, and devoured human beings. The saint undertook the adventure, and passed the night in prayer with the priests of the island. Then, after celebrating mass, arrayed in his episcopal robes, he went to the dragon's cave, and commanded the beast to come forth. The dragon obeyed, and Paul, placing his stole about its neck, led it to the coast on the north side of the isle, and commanded the beast to precipitate itself at once into the sea. This did it, and in testimony thereof the place is called " The Dragon's Abyss " to this day, and the sea there always makes a terrible roaring noise like the howl of an angry dragon in agony. In reward of this great service, the count gave Paul his palace and its dependencies for a monas- tery ; and there the saint lived with twelve priests and several laymen, who renounced the world and lived to God. — Mgr. Gue'rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XI II.), Vies des Saints, vol. iii. p. 359. M. de Fr^mlnville thinks this dngon was a crocodile or monstrous serpent. Dom Lobineau fancies the dract^n means paeaiiism. wtiicb the saint extirpated. But netttMkr 116 DRAGONS: PACOMIUS— SIMON AND JUDE. [Pt. l. of these BUggestlons will wholly satisfy tlie particulars of the legend, although the latter is far more likely than the former. Tlie human beings devoured by the dragon would be men and women sacrificed to idols. (See ST. Gbrmamus. p. 113.) St, Pacomius trod on serpents and dra- qonM without injuria (a.d. 292-348). St. Pacomius was able to tread on serpents ^Tithout injury ; to crush scorpions under bis feet : and when he visited the monas- teries along the Nile, crocodiles took him on thdr backs across the river. Though hfc lived to the age of fiftj'^-six years, he scarcely ever ate anything, and never went to bed ; the only sleep he allowed himself was taken sitting on a stone. In Christian art St. Pacomius is represented as being carried across the Nile on the back of a crocodile. — His life, by a monk of Tabenna, his disciple. In 188-2 the Madhl, or False Prophet of the Soudan, who made war on the troops of the Khedive, was said to have been carried across the Nile on a crocodile's back. St. Pavacius rids Cenomania of a monstrous dragon (e'poque unknown). A dragon of portentous size and prodi- giously fierce appeared in Cenomania, and spread such terror in the neighbourhood, that the inhabitants fled, and sought safety in distant lands. This monster spared neither man nor beast, and its very breath was pestilential. The terror increased more and more every day, and none, not even the bravest of the brave, durst encounter it, or even show himself abroad. St. Pavacius resolved to rid the country of this plague ; so, going to the dragon's lair, he terrified the beast by the sign of the cross, and entangled it in the folds of his garment ; then he called together those who had followed him, but had hitherto remained far off, from fear. When they came up the look of the dragon curdled their blood ; but the saint bade them take courage, and come forward to witness what would follow. He then knelt in prayer, the earth opened, and the dragon, falling into the chasm, never again made its appearance in Ceno- mania. — L'abbe' Blin, Vies des Saints du Diocese de Se'ez. The apostle Philip kills the dragon of Hierapolis. In Hierapolis, a city of Phrygia, was a temple in which was a terrible dragon. It was a natural living creature into which the devil had entered, as he entered into the serpent in paradise. The people used to adore this reptile, and offer sacrifice to it as to a god. It was, however, the death of many innocent people, for when malefactors failed, innocent people were given it by lots for food. St. Philip, moved to indignation at this cruel idolatry, went up to the venomous beast, prayed to God, and the creature dropped down dead. A great crowd witnessed the miracle, and all rejoiced that the city was freed from the dreaded monster. — Simeon Metaphrastes, LiveSf etc. St. Romanus destroys a horrible dragon (a.d. 639). What renders the name of St. Romanus especially memorable in all France, is his victory at Rouen over a horrible dragon, of a shape and size hitherto unknown. It was a man-eater, and also devoured much cattle, causing sad desolation. Romanus resolved to attack this monster in his lair ; but as no one would assist him in such a dangerous enterprise, he took with him, as assist- ants, a murderer condemned to death, and a thief. The thief, being panic- stnick, ran away ; but the murderer proved true steel. Romanus went to the dragon's den, and, making the sign of the cross, walked in, and threw a net over the beast's neck. The murderer, then taking the net in his two hands, dragged the monster through the town into the market-place, where was a huge bonfire. Into this bonfire he led the beast, there was it burnt to death, and then thrown into the Seine. All the people thanked the saint for delivering them from this pest, the murderer was set at liberty, and Romanus appointed a day of public thanksgivings. — Propre de Rouen. St. Sampson of Wales destroys a dragon of Brittany (a.d. 480-565). St. Sampson delivered a village in Brittany of a very venomous dragon which had taken up its abode in a great cave. Near the spot he afterwards built a monastery, which he called Dole. His biographer tells us he had seen a cross sculptured on a very hard stone by the saint. In Christian art, St. Sampson of Wales is represented chasing a dragon. — Lobineau, Lives of the Saints of Brittany. St. Simon and St. Jude make serpents obey their word. When the apostles Simon and Jude were at Babylon, the royal enchanters, Zaroes and Arphazar, who had been driven by St. Matthew out of of India, caused serpents to appear while they stood before the king. Their inten- tion was to terrify the apostles, but the men of God commanded the serpents to fall on the enchanters. This they did, putting them to great torment. Zaroes and Arphazar, being thus shamed in the sight of the king, fled from Babylon, Pt. I.] DRAGONS-DREAMS. 117 as they had done from India. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 852. A boa-constrictor submissive to St. Thecla Haimant. The Abyssinians believe in saints and miracles. Their calendar, in fact, is crammed full of saints ; and the days of the year by no means suffice to honour them all. Among their saints are Balaam and his ass, Pontius Pilate and his wife, and many local celebrities who have from time to time astounded the Abyssinians with their miracles, particularly Thecla Hai- mant, who* converted the devil, and induced him to become a monk. The devil continued a monk for forty days, but what then became of him we are not told. Thecla, wishing to ascend a steep moun- tain with almost perpendicular si^s, like the Guimb, prayed for help, when a boa- constrictor took him on its back, and set him down safely on the summit. — Dufton, Journey through Abyssinia. St. Theodorus of Heraclea slays a dragon (a.d. 319). St. Theodorus, general of the forces of Licinius, encountered a furious dragon in Thrace. This dragon lived in a cave, and used to issue forth every morning and devour any one it could find. Theodorus resolved to en- counter the beast, trusting to the name of Jesus Christ and the power of the cross. Accordingly, he went boldly to the cave, and conjuring the monster in the name of God, bade it come out from its lair. When the beast came forth, St. Theodorus pierced it with his sword, and laid it dead at his horse's feet. Many Thracians by this act were converted to the faith of Christ crucified. In Christian art, St. Theodorus of Heraclea is represented on horseback with a dragon at his feet, like St. George. — Augard, Life of St: Theo- dorus of Heraclea. (SeealsoSurius,vol. i.) A dragon threatens to devour a recal- citrant monk (fifth century). A monk of Mount Cassino demanded of St. Benedict permission to leave the society, that he might return and live in the world. The abbot refused for a long time this sinful demand, but as the monk persisted, and was determined to have his own way, he lived so scandalously in the monastery he was of necessity turned out. Scarcelv had he passed the abbey gates when he saw a huge dragon with open moutn waiting to devour him. The monk in terror shrieked for help. The brothers, running out, declared they saw nothing ; but the monk, trembling and shrieking, requested them to take him back. They took him into the monastery, soothed him, and he ever after remained a con- sistent brother, most grateful to the abbot who had opened his eyes to see the dragon.— St. Gregory the Great, Dia- logues, bk. ii. No doubt many tales about dragons are allegorical, and probably "figures of speech" would go far to reduce the number of "miracles'* ascribed to the saints. Many a wonder began in an allegory and ended in being received literally. Thus Mgr. Gudrin, by no means chary of tlie miraculous gifts of saints, says of St. Rioc, "II est censd avoir tu^ un dragon, image des efforts qu'a dft faire lb christianism pour d^blayer le sol de la Bretagne de toutes lea superstitions druidiques " ( Vies des Saints, vol. ii. p. 480) ; and in ms life of St. Anastase (vol. v. p. 55) he uses language which, taken literally, would make the saint a dragon-slayer : " Anastase, ayant vu le monstre de I'erreur lever sa t6te f uneste, se h^ta de lui porter un coup mortel ; il fit taire tons les slfflements de I'hydre." All that is meant by this grandiloquence is that Anastasius opposed eflfectually the heresy of Origen. Dreams, Warning and Pro- phetic. Gen. xli. 17-45 {Pharaoh warned of famine). Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the banks of the Nile, and suddenly there appeared before him seven hine, which seemed to come out of the river. They were fat fleshed and well favoured, and went to feed in a meadow. Afterwards came forth seven lean kine, as ill favoured as possible ; and these lean beasts, falling foul of the fat ones, devoured them, yet remained as lean as they were before. That was the dream. Joseph, being asked the mean ing of it, told the king it was an intimation from God that there would be in Egypt seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. He told Pharaoh, therefore, to husband the corn of the seven years of plenty, to tide over those of scarcity. Pharaoh took the hint, and appointed Joseph to carry out the sugges tion. Gen. xl. 1-19 (Pharaoh's butler and baker). Pharaoh's chief butler and baker having offended the king were committed to prison, and had each of them a dream, which they told to Joseph their fellow-prisoner. The chief butler dreamt he saw a vine with three branches full of fruit of a most luxuriant kind. Plucking off some of the rich clusters, he squeezed them into the royal tankard, and handed it to the king. Such was the dreara, which Joseph interpreted thus : — The three branches are three days, and as the king took the cup, it signifies that within three days he will restore the royal butler to his office again. The chief baker now told what he had dreamt. He thought he was carrying on his head three baskets full of cates for the king's table; but the birds pouncing on them devoured the contents of the upper- most basket. Joseph said this was an ill- omened dreara, and that it foreboded the baker's death. " Within three days," said Joseph, " the king will hang you on a tree, and leave your dead body to the birds of prey." Both these interpretations proved true ; the Sutler waJ restored to his office within the stated t'm», and the baker was hanged, as Jose})h had said. Dan. ii. 31-45 (Nebuchadnezzar's dream). 118 DREAMS t m GREEK MYTHOLOGY. [Pt. I. Nebtichadnezzar, in the second year of his reign, dreamt that he saw a great image, brilliant to look at, but of teiTible aspect. The head was of gold, the legs of iron, the feet of clay, the arms and breast of silver, and the rest of brass. A stone, cut without hands from a quarry, fell on the image, and broke it to pieces, and the fragments were blown away by a strong wind, BO that no part of the image remained. The stone, on the other band, grew and grew, till it first became a mountain, and then filled the whole earth. Such was the dream, which Daniel pronounced to be an historical allegory. "The image," he said, "represents different kingdoms. Chaldea is the golden head; the silver arms and breasts represent the empire of the Medes and Persians; the brass part of the image represents the kingdom of Macedonia; the iron legs the Roman empire ; and the feet, with ten toes, all of clay, are the ten parts into which the Roman empire, at its fall, will be Bubdivided : viz. (1) the Hungarians, (2) the Ostrogoths, (3) the Visigoths, (4) the Sweves and Alains, (5) the Vandals in Africa, (6) the Franks, (7) the Burgundians, ^8) the Heruli, (9) the Anglish in England, and flO) the Lom- bards." Now for the stone which broke in pieces the image. It was cut without hands out of a mountain. The prophet tells us this stone allegorized the " kingdom of Christ." It was no part of the image of earth's monarchies, but wholly independent. No hand of man cut it out, but it came of itself from the mount of Ood ; and grew and grew in power and extent, till it filled the whole earth. This certainly is a most marvellous allegory. Said to hare been made some six hundred years before the birth of Christ. Philip I. was king of Macedonia at the time, and the empire lasted four hundred and tifty years afterwards. Ronie was almost unknown ; it was just struggling into notice under its early kings. As for the ten kingdonu of clay, they were for remote, only looming, like the king- dom of the Messiah, in the dim obscurity of future history. Porphyry maiittains and St. Jerome admits that thig marvellous vision was post-historic, written in the dayi of Antiochus Epiphanes : "Contra prophetam Diuiielem duodecimum librum scripsit Porphyrius ; nolens eum ab ipso cujus inscriptus est nomine esse compositum ; sed a quodam, qui temporibus Antiochi qui appellatus est Epifihanei, fuerit in Judaea." Antiochus died B.C. 164, and, of course, by that time most of the " prophecy" was history. As for tlie " stone cut out of the mountains with- out hands," it must be borne in mind that the kingdom of the Messiah was a general belief among the Jews, and a simiLir belief has existed hi many nations, as Gemmujr, England. Scandinavia, France, etc., etc Gen. XX. 2-16 (Abimelech's dream). When Abraham went to Egypt, he told his wife to say she was his sister, otherwise he might be Plain in order that some Egyptian might marry her. Abimelech, king of Gerar, hearing that she was the sister of Abraham, sent for her, intending to make her his wife ; but was warned in a dream not to do so, as the lady, though half-sister, was also the wife of Abraham. Abimelech now sent for Abraham, and re- proved him for his equivocation ; but gave him a royal present of sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants, together with a thousand nieces of silver, and said to him. My land is oefore thee ; dwell where it pleaseth thee. Gkn. xxxvii. 5-10 (Joseph's dream). Joseph dreamt that he and his brothers were in a field binding sheaves, and. that nisown eheaf arose and stood upright ; while his brothers' sheaves, which were round about, bowed to his sheaf, and made obeisance. When Joseph told his brothers of his dream, they were very indignant, and cried in scorn. What! are you to reign * over us ? are you, the younger , to have dominion over us, who are your elders? And they hated him for his dream. Not long after h« had another dream, which he told his brothers. Baying. I dreamt that the sun, moon, and stars made obeisance to me. The brothers now reported what Joseph had told them to their father; and Jacob rebuked the lud, say- ing. Shall I and your mother, with all your brothers, bow down to you as our superior? But the time came when they did so, for Joseph rose to be viceroy of Egypt, and Jacob, with all his house, removed to Egypt, and gladly submitted to the rule of Pharaoh's favourite. Matt. ii. 13-22 (tfie dreams of Joseph, htisband of the Virgin Mary). Joseph had three dreams: one bidding him to flee from Judsea with his wife and child, because Herod the king was seeking to take the life of the young child ; one when he was in Egypt, telling him that Herod was dead, and there- fore he might return to his own country ; and the third, which bade him not to take up his abode in Judeea, but in Galilee. There are sereral other warning or prophetic dreamt In the Bible ; but these will suffice for the present purpoM. Dreams, among the Greeks, supposed to be sent by the gods. There were three words for dreams among the ancient Greeks : Chrcmatismog, Horama, and OniroB. In the first of these the gods themselves, or some departed spirit, or some living being, came and conversed with men in their sleep. In the second, the sleeper saw the event about to occur performed before his sleeping eyes. In the third he saw a type, figure, or allegory of what was about to come to pass. Agamemnon (Iliad, ii.) dreamed that Nestor came to him and bade him give the Trojans battle, on the assurance of success. Pindar dreamed that Proser- pine appeared to him, and complained that, though he had written hymns to th€ other deities, he had written none in hei honour (Pausanias). These are examples of the Chrematismos (a business matter, from Chrsma, a matter of business). Of this nature were the dreams of Joseph mentioned by St. Matthew (ii. 13-22), in which angels appeared to him, and told him directly what he was to do or to avoid doing. Of the second sort, Horama (a vision, from hordo, to see), was the dream of Alexander the Great ( Valerius Maximus, i. 7), when he dreamed that he was murdered by Cassander. So was that of Croesus, king of Lydia, when he dreamed Pt, I.] DREAMS: BRUNO, CONSTANTINE, SENNADIUS. 119 that his son Atys would be slain by a spear {Herodotus, i. 34) ; and that of Penelope concerning her son Telemachos, when searching for his father (Odus., iv. 838). The third sort was the Oniros, or dream- riddle (from OniroSf the god of dreams). These were typical dreams, allegories, and figures. Such was Hecuba's dream, that the child about to be born was a fire- brand. Of this nature were Pharaoh's dreams about the fat and lean kine ; Joseph's dream about the bowing wheat- sheaves, and the sun, moon, and stars ; the dreams of Pharaoh's butler and baker, which Joseph interpreted ; the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar, etc. The god of dreams, in Greek mythology, had three attendants, named Morpheus, Phobetor, Phantasos. The first counter- feited human forms ; the secTThd, the likeness of brutes; and the last, the forms of inanimate objects. There were, among the Greeks, pro- fessional interpreters of dreams and a large dream-literature. Geminus Pyrius wrote three books on the subject; Artemon the Milesian, twenty-two books. There were also the dream-books of Achin^s son of Scyrimos, Alexander the Myndian, Antipuo of Athens, Artemidoros, As- trampsychos, Demetrios the Phalerean, Nicephoros, Nicostratos the Ephesian, Panyasis of Halicamassos, Philo Judaeus, Phoebos of Antioch, and many more. Bruno {Leo /X), by a dream, is shown the ill condition of the Church, and its reform (a.d. 1002-1054). One day Bruno, bishop of Toul, saw in his dream a deformed old woman, who haunted him with great persistency, and treated him with great familiarity. She was hideously ugly, clothed in filthy rags, her hair dishevelled, and altogether one could scarcely recognize in her the human form. Disgusted with her general appearance, the bishop tried to avoid her; but the more he shrunk from her, the more she clung to him. Annoyed by this impor- tunity, Bruno made the sign of the cross ; whereupon she fell to the earth as dead, and rose up again lovely as an angel. While pondering on the meaning of this vision, the abbot Odilo, lately dead, came before him, and said, *' Happy man, you have delivered her soul from death." Wibert, the biographer of our saint, ann his contemporary, informs us that tho. old woman represented the Church, wnicn at the time was in a most deplorable state, but Bruno in his pontificate was employed by God to restore it to its original beauty. — Wibert, Life of St. Leo IX., bk. i. chap. 1. This was the time of the schism, tihen thwre were three concurrent popes : Benedict IX., Sylvester III., and Gregonr VI. Bruno {Leo IX,), bishop of Toul, has a dream which symbolized to him his eleva- tion to the popedom (a.d. 1002-1054). One night Bruno, bishop of Toul, dreamt he was transported to the cathedral of Worms, where were assembled a host of persons clothed in white raiments. Bruno asked one of them who they were, and was told, "These are the saints who lived and died in the service of St. Peter." Scarcely had the words been uttered, when the apostle Peter, and Stephen the first martyr, led him to the altar, while the heavenly visitants sang "an ineffable melody." Bruno was, ordered to admin- ister the communion to all the assembly. This being done, St. Peter presented him with five gold chalices, " trois h, un autre qui le suivait, et un seul k un troisifeme." He now awoke, and found he had been elected pope in the cathedral of Worms. — L'abbe Guillaume, Histoire de VEglise de Toul, Constantino assured in a dream of the innocence of three men con/Jemned, Three officers, named Nepotian, Ursus, and Herpilion, being falsely accused to Con- stantine, were condemned to death. At night, St. Nicholas appeared to the emperor and his judge Ablavius, and said to them, "Those three men are innocent; and, unless they are released in the morning, war shall desolate the land, and thou and all thine shall perish by the sword. I, Nicholas of Myra, forewarn you." So saying, he vanished. When the emperor and judge met next morning, they conferred together of tht vision, and caused the three officers to be brought before them. "Tell me," said the emperor, "have any of you three any skill in necromancy?" They answered, "No." The emperor then rehearsed to them the vision ; and the three officers, kneeling down, kissed the ground, and yielded hearty thanks to God for their deliverance. The emperor then sent them to St. Nicholas with a present, consisting of the four Gospels in letters of gold, and a gold thurible; and charged them with this message, " The emperor begs St. Nicholas not to threaten him, but to pray for him." — Motaphrast§s, Lives, etc. Sennadius's dream to prove that man ha» two natures. The dream of Seonaditu 120 DREAMS: THEIR RATIONALE. [Pt. I. was to prove that man consists of a material body and a something indepen- dent thereof, generally called a soul. The dream is told by St. Augustine to his friend Evadius, and is as follows : — Sennadius was a physician, who dis- believed the duality of man's nature, and consequently a future life ; but one night, in a dream, an angel appeared to him, and bade him follow. The angel took him to the confines of a city, where he was ravished with celestial music, which, fche angel told him, proceeded from the voices of spirits made perfect. Sen- nadius thought no more about the dream ; but 80 one time afterwards the angel ap- peared to him again, recalled to his memory the former visit, and then asked him if the vision had occurred while he was awake or during sleep. Sennadius replied, *' During sleep." "Just so," said the angel ; *' what you saw and heard was not by your bodily senses then, for your eves and ears were closed in sleep." "True*," said the physician. "Then," continued the angel, "with what eyes did you see, and with what ears did you hear ? " Sennadius could not answer this question ; and the angel said, "It must be evident, if you see when your bodily eyes are shut, and hear when your bodily ears are closed in sleep, that you must have other eyes and ears besides those of your material body. When, therefore, your body sleeps, that other something may be awake ; and when your body dies, that other something may live on. Yes, Sennadius, there is indeed a some- thing in man which sleep cannot lull into oblivion, and death can never touch. Think of these things." — St. Augustine, Epistles^ 169. This argument Is in a measure plausible, but would scarcely touch the diflBculty which modern Sennadiitses feeL The eye does not see, nor does the ear hear. They are the mere telegraphs of the brain, which convey messages tliereto ; but the brain can both see and hear without this machinery ; and although the eyes and ears often inform the brain, the brain not unfrequently in- forms the eyes and ears. Thus Macbeth saw a dagger, the creation of his brain, and we often hear sounds which proceed from within and not from without. This does not prove tlie existence of a second self, independent of the body, but only that the brain can act without its ordinary servants, called the senses. To a sceptic, the tile would be an argument to prove the very contniry of tiie duality of man. An attempt to explain prophetic dreams. That suo» cession of periods, called "time," is a part of mortahty. With God there is no past or futtire, but all is known, idl is visibly present The history of man may be compared to a drama, or vast panorama. Tlie spectator sees each scene and act gradually and successively developed, but God knows the whole drama, even before it is put on the stage, or the whole panorama before it is unrolled. To the spectator, who sees piece by piece, what he has seen or heard is past, what he now sees and heai-s is present, what he is alwut to see and hear is future ; but to one who knows the whole drama or panorama there is no such succession ; all is known, all is present to the mind, and h« can tell exactly what actors are to come on, and what each is to say or do. In sleep, when the body is dormant, sights and sounds often present themselves distinctly ; not sights of things present to the body, nor sounds which the bodily ears could hear, but sights and sounds perceptible to the "spirit man;" and if the "spirit man" could wholly shake off the l>ody, it would see more of the drama of life, or panorama of history, about to be unfolded. This sight into the unfolded is what we call " prophetic," because it is a glimpse into the drama or panorama lieyond that part which the sj.ectiitors are looking at. Often at the approach of death tliis spiritual perception is very keen, and visions or sounds are present, wholly unrevealed to others. In fact, the "spirit man" is looking into the everlasting Now, and is no loTiger circumscribed to that order of succeiision which belongs to time. He u stepping Into that state of being where "time shall be no more." This view of the matter will show how It is possible for God to see the future; and, in fact, what man calls " future '• is no future with God, to whom the whole drama of life is known, the whole panorama of history Is unrolled. It will also explain how men who have emptied themselves of earth by self-denial and holiness, may, as it were, stand on tiptoe and look over the wall of present time, so as to catch a glance of the panorama yet unrolled, or the drama not yet set on the stage of actual Ufe. Dry Bones restored to Life. EzRK. xxxvii. 1-10. Ezekiel waa taken by the Spirit into a valley full of dry bones, and was commanded to prophesy upon them, and bid them live ; •* and as I prophesied, there was a noise ; and behold ! a shaking ; and the bones came tt>gethcr, bone to bone. And I beheld the sinews and the flesh come upon them, and the skin covered them. But as yet there was no breath." Then the prophet was commanded to bid the four winds to breathe upon these life- less bodies; and, when he did so, they lived, and stood ujwn their feet, an exceeding great army. I'he body of St. Stanislaus, bishop of Cracow, cut piecemeal, is restored. King Bolislaus sent officers to St. Michael's church to drag Stanislaus from the altar. The emissaries would have done their bidding, but a celestial light, shining on the bishop who was celebrating mass, so frightened them, that they drew back, and fell to the ground. Other officers were then sent, but they also were un- able to lay hands on him. A third com- pany met with no better success. Then the king himself rose up in a fury, and, rushing into the church, clave in two th« head of the bishop, making his brains fly out against the wall. This done, the officers around the king hacked and hewed the body into gobbets, and flung them to the carrion-birds. Four eagles came, and watched over them till sunset, when bone came to bone, sinew to sin^w, and limb to limb, till the whole body was pieced together, as if it had never been divided ; indeed, says our author, "not so much as a scar or seam could be detected." Some Christians who had come to collect the fragments, saw this marvellous restoration, and, taking the Pt. I.] DRY BONES. CHILD, COOKED BIRDS. 121 body to St. Michael's church, buried it. Ten years afterwards it was removed to Cracow, and interred in the castle church with great solemnity (a.d. 1079). — Ribadeneira (died 1611), Flower of the Lives of Saints. A child cut up and fried or roasted re- stored by St. Vincent Ferrier (a.d. 1357- 1419). One of the most astounding miracles on record is that of St. Vincent Ferrier, who restored a child which its mother, in a fit of madness, had cut up info small pieces and roasted or fried. Thf) father of the child lodged St. Vincent in his missionary visit ; and one day, after attending the saint's sermon, re- turned home and saw this horrible sight. He was almost beside himself, but St. Vincent comforted him, by the assurance that God had suffered this frightful tragedy for His own glorification^ Then, placing the pieces together, they united, and by the sign of the cross the body thus restored recovered life, and he handed the living child to its father. Father Ranzano, who relates this as a fact, adds, "so singular a prodigy is scarcely paralleled in Church history." The scene of this *' miracle " is laid in Gascony. Ranzano (Life of St. Ferrier, Acta Sanctorum, April 5, vol. i.) gives this marvellous tale as the eight hundred and sixtieth miracle brought forward at the canonization of the saint. It is recorded, " dans la quatri- ime antienne de Laudes de I'oflfice St. Vincent Ferrier dans la liturgie Dominicaine." Mgr. Gu^rin (1880), chamber- lain of pope Leo XIII., repeats it as an undoubted fact in his Vies des Saints, vol. iv. p. 228. There is not an incident in Church history better attested, and its constant repetition shows it to have been a favourite " miracle." The cooked pullets of the alcayde of La Calzada restored to life. Some pilgrims, on their road to Compostella, stopped at a hospice in La Calzada. The daughter of the innkeeper solicited a young French- man to pass the night with her, but he refused ; so she put in his wallet a silver ei^p, and, when he was on the road, accused him to the alcayde of theft. As the property was found in his possession, the alcayde ordered him to be hung. His parents continued their pilgrimage, and, after eight days, returned to La Calzada, when, to their amazement, they found their son still alive. The mother went instantly to inform the alcayde, but he replied, "Woman, you are mad ! I would as soon believe these pullets which i am about to eat are alive, as that s* man who has been gibbeted for eight days is not dead." No sooner had he spoken, than the two pullets on the dish before him actually rose up alive. The alcayde was terribly frightened, and was about to rush out of doors, when he wan met by the heads and feathers of the two pullets scampering in to complete the resuscitation. The cock and hen thus restored to life were taken in grand pro- cession to St. James*s church of Com- postella, where they survived for seven * years, in which time the hen hatched only two eggs, a cock and a hen. These in turn lived also seven years, and did the same. This has continued uninter- ruptedly to this day, and pilgrims to Com- postella receive feathers from these birds as holy relics ; but no matter how many feathers are thus disposed of, the full plumage of the birds is never deficient. This legend is seriously related by bishop Patrick, Paro67-« of the Pilgrims, xxxv. 430-434. Udal ap Rhys repeats it in his Tour through Spain and Portugal, 35-38. It is inserted by the BoUandists in the A eta Sanctorum, vol. vi. p. 45 ; and pope Calixtus mentions it aniong the miracles of Santiago. Mgr. Gudrin (1880) says, " Cette histoire !! a iXi racont6 par un grand nombre d'auteurs. Les peintes- verriers du moyen Age I'ont souvent reproduite. On frappa des m6dailles comm^moratives de I'^vdnent. Une de ces m6dailles a 4t4 retrouvde, de nos jours, dans la Seine, Paris " (vol. v. p. 504). The subjoined is the Latin version : — *' Galium capiunt et gallinam, et in ecclesiarn transferunt magne solemnitate. Quse ibi clause resadmirables et Deipotentiam testificantes obsenrantur.ubi septennio vivunt; hunc enim terminum Deus illis instituit ; et in fine septennii antequam morian- tur, puUum relinquunt et pullam sui coloris et maenitM- dinis ; et hoc fit in ecclesia quolibet septennio. Magnn quoque admirationis est, quod omnes per banc urbem transeuntes peregrini, qui sunt innumerabiles. galli hujus et gallinse plumam capiunt, et nunquam illis plumse defi- ciunt. Hac EGO TESTOR, propterea VIDI et interfui."— Lucius Marineus Siculus, Rerum Bispanicarum Scrip- tores, ii. 805. (St. Dominic of Calzada (1109) is represented in Christian art with a cock and hen, which he holds in one hand, and a " corde de pendu " in the other. Of course, the allusion is to this most extraordinary "histoire," as the pope's chamberlain calls it.) St. Aldehrand makes a roast partridge fly away (twelfth century). St. Aide- brand, bishop of Fossombrone, abstained from meat all his life. Being greatly reduced, and in failing health, a roast partridge was brought him for dinner. Without saying a word to those who brought it, the saint blessed the bird, and bade it fly away. So it flew from the dish through the window, and joined its companions in the open air. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), May 1, p. 162. Andrew of Segni restores to life some cooked birds (a.d. 1302). Andrew of Segni was extremely compassionate and kind-hearted. One day, being ill, some roast birds, killed in a chase [a la cfiasse'] , were brought for him to eat. "Poor birds," said Andrew, *'how I pity you, who have been deprived of your life, in order to give me pleasure ! " Then, mak- ing the sign of the cross over them, ** les oiseaux commencferent k s'agiter, battirent des ailes, et s'envolferent." — Breviaire m DRY BONES RESTORED TO LIFE. [Pt. r. Franciscain, (The same tale is told in the Palmier S^raphique.) Sc, Francis of Paula restores some fried fish to life (A.D. 1416-1607). When St. Francis of Paula passed through Naples on his way to Tours, whither he was going • at the invitation of Louis XI. and at the command of pope Sixtus IV., he was entertained in the palace of Ferdinand I. His highness asked the saint to breakfast at the royal table, but he refused, saying it would not be suitable. For dinner the king sent him some fried fish, but the saint, after blessing them, restored them to life, and sent them back by the page who brought them ; ** ce qu'il fit pour corriger sa defiance, sachant bien qu'il ne lui avait envoyd ce plat que pour r^prouver." — Mgr. Gu^rin (chamberlain cf pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints^ vol. iv. p. 165 (1880). St, Nicholas of Tollentino served with a boiled chicken which flew away (1307). St. Nicholas of Tollentino fell into a grievous infirmity, which brought him to the brink of the grave, whereupon his physicians told him, if he would recover his health, he must eat meat. Nicholas replied, this would be saving his body at the peril of his soul. The prior, being appesJed to, commanded the sick man to obey the doctor, and sent him into his cell a boiled chicken. When the fowl was set before him, *'the blessed man" prayed that God would help him out of his dilemma. If he ate the fowl, he broke his vow ; if he refused to eat it, he disobeyed the prior, and also broke his vow. He was soon relieved of his per- plexity, for the boiled chicken came to life, flew from the platter, and escaped out of the window. We are told that '*all present were astonished, and the sick man was jocund and glad." — Antony (archbishop of Florence), Life of St. Nicholas of Tollentino, ThU tale is repeated by half a dozen writen as a fact. A young child boiled without injury (a.d. 117). The following must be given in the exact words of the historian, or the English reader might fancy the trans- lation to be incorrect. When St. Julian was carried to his grave, " une femrae qui lavait son enfant dans une chaudiere place'e sur le feu [!!], Toublie, et court se joindre k la foule qui accompagne le corps de St. Julian. En son absence, la flamme grandit, enveloppe la chaudiere, I'eau boulUonne, et ddborde. La pense'e de son Aift, qu'elle a laissd expose S un si grand p^ril, traverse le coeur de la m^re. EUe accourt, et le trouve sans effroi et sans souff ranee [!!]. Elle jette alors des cris, et attire un grand nombre de personnes pour etre temoins de son bonheur, et de prodige." — D. Piolin, Histoire de I'lljlise du Mans (10 vols.). Precisely the sacM tale U told of St Antony of Padua (see next article). A babe left in boiling water and not hurt (twelfth century). A "pious" woman, hearing that St. Antony of Padua was going to preach in her village, was almost beside herself with joy, and, being pressed for time, "au lieu de coucher son enfant dans son petit berceau, elle Ic d^posa sans y prendre garde dans une chaudifere pleine d'eau bouillante" (!!). When the sermon was over, some of the neighbours asked her where she had left her child, and instantly it flashed across her that something was not right. She ran home, and found the cradle empty ; but what was her astonishment on finding she had put the babe in the boiler, the water of which was boiling furiously I Still greater was her surprise on finding the child laughing at the bubbling water, and holding out its arms to its mother. She fell on her knees, thanked God, and attributed the miracle to St. Antony. — L'abbd Gaudry, Life of St, Antony of Padua, In some respects this tale is eren more marvellous than the preceding one. In the preceding tale, the motlier was washing the child and set it on the Are. In this case she intended to put it Into thecradle. but made a mistake, and put it into the boiler. The tale is seriously told as a tact, and is repeated by rieht reverend authority. A child rescued by St. Didacus from a heated oven (a.d. 1463). At Seville, a child, out of fear of its mother, concealed itself in an oven, and the woman, not knowing it, filled the oven with fagots, and set fire to them in order to heat it. The child was asleep, but the flames woke it, and it screamed dreadfully. The woman, in her terror, ran to tell her neighbours ; but St. Didacus passing by, no sooner heard the woman's tale, than he went into the flaming oven, and brought out the child safe and uninjured. The neighbours formed a procession, and carried the child in triumph to the church, where the canons in their surplices received it, and took it to the lady's chapel, chantfng and offering up thanits. — R. P. Cahier, Caract^ristiquesdes Saints, Dumb made to Speak. (See also under Devils.) Mark vii. 32-35. When Jesus was In Deca polls, the people brought to Him a man deaf Pt.I.J GALLA, MAUR, REMI, SEBASTIAN. 125 who had also an impediment In his speech, and besought Him to cure him. Jesus took him aside, put His fingers into his ears, and He spit and touched his tongue, saying, Ephphatha [Be opened] ; and straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plainly. Mark ix. lT-27. One of the multitude said, Master, I have brought my son which hath a , iumb spirit ; and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him : and he foameth, and gnasheth his teeth, and he pineth away. When brought to Jesus, the spirit tare the young man, and he fell on the ground, and wallowed, foaming. Then Jesus rebuked the foul spirit, saying to It, Thou dumb and deaf spirit. I charge thee come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit came out of him ; and the young man was as one dead, insomuch that many said. He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up ; and he arose. Matt. ix. 32, 33. They brought unto Jesus a dumb man possessed with a devil; and when the devil was cast out, the dumb spak^ St. Galla cures a child both dumb and deaf. St. Galla went into a house full of sick folk. Amongst others was a child both deaf and dumb. St. Galla took a glass of water, blessed it, and gave it to the child; whereupon its ears were im- mediately opened, and the string of its tongtte was loosed. — Les Petits Bollan- (Ugfs, vol. ii. p. 200. r v^ St. Maur gives speech to a child that was ^^bom dumb (a.d. 512-584). One day, while St. Benedict was absent, a child, dumb and lame, was brought to the abbey to be healed. The prior was referred to, but he rebuked the monks in anger, say- ing, " Am I God, to make alive, and to heal ?" In this dilemma St. Maur, falling prostrate, said, *'Thou God alone, it is true, can make alive and heal, bring down to the grave and bring up ; I beseech thee, hare pity on this child, and magnify Thy great name." Then, rising from his knees, he placed the corner of his stole on the child's head, and niade the sign of Jh(B cross over the child's limbs, saying asTSe ara^o, "In the name of the blessed Trinity, and through the merits of my master St. Benedict, I command you to rise up in perfect health.'* The child obeyed, for it was cured, to the delight and wonder of the whole house.-^Bollan- duB, Acta Sanctorum, Jan. 15. St. Peter the martyr gives speech to a man who had been dumb for ten years. St. Peter of Gallia Cisalpina did many miracles. One day, preaching in Milan, some devout people brought to him a man who had been dumb for ten years. The holy man put his finger in the dumb man's mouth, touched tiie tongue, and cried, " Be opened ! " whereupon the man spake plainly. — Thomas Lentinus, Life of St. Peter the Martyr. St. Remi casts a dumb and deaf spirit out of a young girl. In the church of St. John the Baptist, at Reims, a damsel possessed of the devil was brought to St. Remi, that he might drive the spirit out. The holy man said to it, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, in thft name of Jesus Christ, whose I am and whom I serve, to come out of her, and enter no more in." As the devil went out, he so tore and afflicted the damsel, that all present declared she was dead ; but St. Remi, taking her by the hand, said to her, " Damsel, I say unto thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, arise, and go into thy house." And immediately the damsel arose in the presence of all, and went to her house. — Hincmar (archbishop of Reims, who died a.d. 882), Life of St. Remi, St. Sebastian restores speech to Zoe, whose torque had been paralyzed for six years (a.d. 303). St. Sebastian, com- mander of the first Roman cohort, was a Christian, and ventured to enter the house of Nicostratus, a Roman magistrate, to exhort sixteen prisoners to hold fast to the end. Zoe, the wife of the magistrate, was present, and knelt before the Chris- tian soldier, looking steadfastly in his face, but without uttering a word, for her tongue had been paralyzed for six years. Sebastian, raising his hand, signed her mouth with the sign of the cross, saying, *' If I am a true servant and soldier of God, He will restore thy speech to you, even as He opened the mouth of His prophet Zachariah." The words were hardly uttered before Zoe exclaimed, " Blessed art thou, and all who believe on the Lord Jesus ! " When Nicostratus heard his wife speak, he fell at the saint's feet, and gave the Christian prisoners under his charge the free range of his house. Claudius, the jailer, had two sons of infirm bodies, one being dropsical and the other a cripple. When he heard of the cure of Zoe, he took his two sons to the house of Nicostratus, and besought of Sebastian that he and his two boys might be admitted by baptism into the Christian communion. Polycarp, who was present, baptized them, together with Traniuillinus, who suffered agony from gout. As the newly baptized roie from the water, all were healed of their several infirmities; and the prefect of Rome, whose name was Chromatius, 224 ELECTION— ELIJAH AND THE PROPHETS. [Pr. I. being informed of these miracles, was also converted, laid down his high office, and retired into private life. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints^ Jan., pp. 300-302. A dumb woman wishes three things, of which St. Vincent Ferrier accords two (a.d. 1357-1419). At Valentia a woman infirm and dumb presented herself to St. Vincent Ferrier, who made the sign of the cross on her forehead and mouth, and then asked her what he should do for her. "Grant me," she said, "three things — health to my infirm body, daily bread, and the use of speech." The man of God replied, *'Two of these requests I will grant, but the third is not for thy soul's good." The woman said Amen, and went away dumb as before. — Peter Kanzano, Life of St, Vincent Ferrier. The proverb gives point to this grant : " Remplissez voire bouche d'eau, et il vous arrevera ce qu'a dit St. Vincent" (i.e. silence). The tale la that a woman with a very Irritating tongue asked St. Vincent what she could do to keep her husband at home, and moderate his 111 temper. He replied, * ' Order your servant to bring you % cup of cold water, and when your husband returns take a mouthful and hold it in your mouth without swallow- liig It." •»• The dumb woman speaking Is rather odd, but perhaps the saint communicated this power for the nonce. An image of the Virain Mary restores the voice of St. Peter Tnomxxs (a.d. 1366). St. Peter Thomas reached the cathedral of Notre-dame du Puy, in Velay ; but found himself so hoarse, that, when he rose to address the congregation, he was unable to utter a syllable that could be heard. Then, turning his eyes on the image of the Virgin, full of earnest en- treaty, he immediately recovered his voice, and ' ' never before was he so clear, 80 sonorous, and so eloquent." — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. i. p. 167. Election of a Bishop. Acts i. 24. The apostles prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which Icnovvest the hearts of all, show whether of these two Thou hast chosen. Election of Nicholas as bishop of Myra. When Nicholas came to Myra, the bishops and clergy were assembled to chose a prelate for the see, and they made prayer to God to direct their choice aright. During the preceding night one of "the aged bishops had a revelation, that the first person who entered the church would be the man sent by God. The convoca- tion was in prayer, and the old prelate stood at the church door to see who would be the first to enter. St. Nicholas presented himself, and the old bishop, taking him by the hand, led him to the tisembled clergy, and said to them, " Men and brethren, this is the man sent by God to fill the vacant see of Myra." So they consecrated him then and there ; and all rejoiced that God had sent so eminent a saint to live among them. — Metaphrastes, Lives, etc. Election of William to the archbishopric of Bourges (a.d. 1209). On the death of Henry de Sully, archbishop of Bourges, the clergy could not agree upon a successor; so Eudo, bishop of Paris, resolved to commit the choice to God. To this end the clergy vrere requested to write on slips of paper any names they thought proper, and the bishop, cele- brating mass, asked God to show which of the names He had chosen. When mass was over, the bishop put his hand beneath the corporal, and drew forth one of the slips of paper which had been placed there. Then, opening the billet, he read the name of William, abbot of Challis ; so this abbot was elevated to the vacant throne. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan., p. 139. Elijah and the Prophets of B£tal. 1 Kings xvlli. 17-39. Elijah, being reproved by king Ahab for bringing a famine on Israel, replied that he did not bring the famine, but it was sent by God, because the king and the feople had forsaken the Lord to worship Baal, n proof whereof he told the king to gather together on Mount Carmel the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of the groves, and he would meet them there. &> Ahab sent for the prophets, and Elijah said to the people. How long halt ye between two opinions? If tlie Lord is God, follow Him ; but if Baal is God, follow Baal. He then proposed to prove experimentally which of the two is God indeed. The prophets of Baal were to oflFer a bullock to Baal, and Elijah would do the same to Jehovah, and the God whicli answered by sending fire to consume the sacrifice was to be received as the true God. The priests of Baal made their sacrifice, but no fire was sent from heaven to consume it. Elijah then offered a bullock to Jehovah, and fire was sent from the Lord to consume, not only the sacrifice, but the wood and the dust, and to lick up the water in the trench. When the people saw it they said, The Lord, He i* God ; the Lord, He is God. St. Alexander proves to JRabbulus the truth of the story about Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Rabbulus often sent for St. Alexander ; and one day, when Alexander was telling him the wondrous story of Elijah and the priests of Baal, Rabbulus said to him, " If the God of whom you speak wrought these wonders in the reign of Ahab, He can do the same Pt. I.] ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW. 121 now. Cry unto him as Elijah did, and ^ bid Him send fire, that I may see and believe." At the word there fell fire from heaven, and consumed the mats that were in the room, but hurt nothing else. Then the governor bowed his head, and cried, "The Lord, He is God, and traly there is none beside Him." And he, with all his house, received baptism at the hands of St. Alexander. — Baring- Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan., p. 229. St, Pantaleon arraigns the priests of Rome, St. Pantaleon, being arraigned before the emperor Maximian, said, " My Lord, if it has been told you that I am a Christian, know you and all men that I worship Him who created heaven and earth, raiseth the dead, and cureth the leper. If you credit not what I say, cause a sick body, whose life is 4gspaired of, to be brought into thy presence, and assemble hither the chief pontiff and all his priests. Let them call on their gods to restore the sick man, and I will call on the name of Jesus Christ ; and let him that healeth the sick body be accepted as the true God." The proposal pleased the emperor; and a man sick of the palsy was brought forth. The priests called, some on Jupiter, some on Escula- pius, and others on Diana ; but all in vain. St. Pantaleon scoffed at them, and bade them call louder; but they retorted, saying, " Call you on your God Jesus." Then Pantaleon, lifting up his eyes to heaven, said, "0 Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto Thee. Show this people that Thou art God, and there is none beside Thee." Having so aaid, he took the sick man by the hand, and said unto him, "In the name of Jesus Christ, stand on thy feet, and be ye whole." So the man arose, stood on his feet, and leaped, and went to his house joyful, for he was made whole. — Metaphrastes, Lives, etc. Elijah and the "Widow of Zarephath. (See Food multiplied.) 1 Kings xvii. 8-16. After Elijah left Cherith, where he was fed by ravens, he went to Zidon. When he came to the gate of Zarephath, he saw a woman gathering sticks, and said to her. Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said. Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. The woman said. As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but [only] a handful of meal ' in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruise : and, behold, I am gathering two [or three] sticks, that I may go and dress it for me and my son, theX we may eat it, and die. Elijah said to her. Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and afterwards make for thyself and for thy son; for thus saith the Lord God ol Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruise of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. So she went and diii according to the saying of Elijah ; and she, and he, and her house did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruise of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which He spake by Elijah. ^ St. Blaise and the poor womarCs hog. A poor woman had a hog, which was all her earthly store, and a wolf stole it. The woman told her tale of sorrow to St. Blaise, and he said to her, '* Woman, be of good comfort ; the hog shall be brought to thee again." And so it was ; for the wolf brought it back, and it had received no injury at all. When St. Blaise was in prison, the poor woman came to com- fort him, and brought him a part of the hog, which had been killed for food. Blaise received it at her hands, and said to her, " Never from this day forth shall food fail thee ; " and never from that day did she lack anything needful for her daily life. — Metaphrastes, Life of St. Blaise, St. Isidore and the empty pot. St. Isidore was a farm labourer. One day, returning home after his day's work, he found a poor pilgrim at his cottage door, asking for food. Isidore told his wife to give the man something to eat, but the woman said sadly, *' Alack, alack! there is nothing in the house." Isidore bade his wife look into the pot, but she replied, "It is quite empty; for I have just rinsed it, and set it by." " Go, wife, and fetch it," said the saint. So she went to fetch it, and found it very heavy. On taking off the lid, she was amazed at seeing the pot full to the very top of most excellent meat, cooked and hot, and fit for immediate use. So she gave liberally to the poor pilgrim, and set before her husband, but still the store was not diminished. — Edward Kincsman, The Miraculous Life, etc., of St. Isidore, patron of Madrid, lately canonized by pope Gregory XV. Abridged from the Spanish. Authorized by Philip, king of Castile, etc, and signed by his minister , Dts Groote. St, Lupicin supplies the abbey oj Law- conne with a sheaf of wheat which wasted not (a.d. 480). Sometimes the abbey grounds of Laucoune, in the Jura, always more or less sterile, would not supply 126 ELIJAH: ELIJAH FED BY RAVENS. [Pt.I. com enough for the monastery over which St. Lupicin presided. At such times the holy abbot used to lay his case before God, and always found that lie who remembered the sparrows forgot not His own children. One year the abbey was unusually crowded, for a large number of seculars had sought an asylum there, so that scarcity had set in. The steward told the abbot that the resources would be utterly exhausted in fifteen days, but that the harvest would not be gathered in for three months at least. The abbot heard the announce- ment undisturbed, and said to his monks, "Come, my children, let us enter the granary, where we have still some sheaves left. Have we not renounced the world to follow Christ ? '* Then, having entered the granary and fallen on their knees, St. Lupicin said, "O Jesu Christ, Thou hast said, No one shall ^uit for My sake house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or goods, but shall receive a hundredfold in this world. Now send us Thy help. O God, who made that the barrel of meal should not waste, nor the cruise of oil fail, when Thy ser- vant Elijah was with the widow of Zarephath, in Zidonia, now look upon us Thy servants, who have placed ourselves under the protection of Thy Son, our Lord ; and as Thou hast given us freely the bread of life, vouchsafe to give us also the bread whereby we live. All the brothers cried Ainen, Then, turning to the steward, St. Lupicin said, "Place these sheaves in one bundle ; for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The sheaves shall supply food, and shall not waste, till the harvest be gathered in." So the sheaves were piled together, and wasted not, and all the brothers and strangers fed thereon for more than three months. Many have testified to this miracle, amongst others St. Oyend, then a novice in the monastery, but afterwards abbot of Condat, from whom the historian of Condat was told the details given above. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), March 21; Tillemont, vol. xvL p. 142; St. Gregory of Tours, De Vita Patrum^ ch. i. ; Belley, Hagiography ; Longueval, History of the Gallican Churchy vol, ii. bk. 4 ; etc. Two Christians fed by Eusticus on pork, and tlie pork diminished not. Two Chris- tian pilgrims travelling in Poland came to the door of Rusticus, a heathen peasant who had ju«t killed a fat hog, to celebrate the birth ol hia only son. The pilgrims, being invited to partake of the feast, pronounced a blessing on what was left, and this remainder of the hog nevei diminished in size or weight from that day forth, although all the family fed on it freely every day. — J. Brady, Clavii Calandaria, p. 183. This reminds one of the hog Schrimner, in Scandina- rian mythology, on which tiie gods and goddesses of Val- halla f^ daily, yet the dish never decreases in quantity. Elijah eats Angels' Food. (See My Flesh is Meat indeed, pt. iii.) 1 Kings xix. 6-8. As Elijah lay under a Juniper tree, behold, an angel touched him, and said unto him. Arise and eat. . . . And he arose, and did eat and drink; and he went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nighta unto Horeb the mount of Gtod. St, Aiberty fed by the Virgin Mary, receives a force which lasted all the rest of his life (A.D. 1060-1140). A great flood of water having encircled the cell of St. Albert, he was for many days deprived of food. Then the Virgin Mary came to him, and put in his mouth a morsel of bread of such extraordinary virtue, that it imparted to him a vigour which lasted all the rest of his life, that is, twenty-two years, during all which time he had never more need of bread to eat, but only a few herbs and roots ; and for twenty years he drank nothing at all. — Robert (archdeacon of Ostrevand), Life of St, Albert, Elijah fed by Ravens. 1 Kivos xvii. 6. While Elijah was at the brook Cherlth, in concealment, ravens brought him bread and flesh In the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening. Gen. xxii. 14. Jehovah-Jhreh, "the Lord will provide." A pigeon brings food to St. Auxentius (a.d. 470). While St. Auxentius was in Slope, near Chalcedon, the Christians, amazed at the tales told of his abstinence, determined to put him to the proof. With this intent, they placed in his cell baskets full of roots, dates, and other foods, lighted a candle, and set a nhild to watch him. After several days they found the candle still burning, and observed that it had not diminished. The food in the baskets had not been touched, and the child, being asked what the saint had lived on, replied, ** A pigeon came daily and brought him food." — Life of St. AuxeniiuSy by his disciple Vendimian. (There is an excellent MS. life of this saint in the Bibliothfeque de la me Richelieu, in Paris.) Prince Cadoc and the rhetorician fed 6i» Pt. 1.] ELIJAH FED: CALAIS— THE FOUR HERMITS. 127 I a mouse (sixth century.) Prince Cadoc went to finish his education under a famous ihetorician who had more pupils than money. Indted, so poor was the learned scholar, that he often had no food in the house. One day, at the hour of breakfast, the prince observed a white mouse jump on the table, and deposit there a single grain of wheat. Cadoc watched the mouse, and followed it. He found that it ran into a cellar, one of those old Keltic subterranean granaries, remains of which are still to be seen in Wales. In this cellar Cadoc discovered a vast store of corn, which served to feed both master and pupils for many weeks. (See St. GoNTRAN.) — Rees, Lives of the Cambro- British Saints, St. Calais fed by a sparrow (a.d. 545). One day St. Calais was working^in his vineyard, and being very warm, huhg his cloak on a tree. At sunset he felt fatigued and hungry, but had nothing to eat. He went to the tree to take down his cloak, and found that a sparrow had laid in it an egg. The egg afforded him suffi- cient nourishment, and more joy, for he felt it was a gift sent from God. — Dom Paul Piolin, Histoire de VEglise du Mans, St, Catherine of Alexandria fed by a dove. Maxentius the emperor ordered St. Catherine of Alexandria to be scourged, and then confined without food in a dark dungeon. Here she remained twelve days. Angels came to heal her wounds, and a dove provided her every day with needful food. — Metaphrast^s (died 911), LiveSj etc. St, Cuthbertj in the isle of Farne^ fed by rooks (seventh century). When St, Cuthbert first retired to Fame, the isle was absolutely without inhabitant, without a tree, and without water. It was wholly barren of food, and provided nothing which could be converted into sustenance. It will be asked, how then did he exist ? The answer is this : by prayer he obtained a spring of most delicious water, and rooks brought him food daily, till the barley he had sown was gathered in. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. iii. p. 550. St, Cuthbert fed by an eagle. When St. Cuthbert was labouring to convert the Northumbrians, he was driven, on one occasion, by a severe snow-storm to the coast of Fife. "Never," said he to his despondent companions, " did man die of hunger who served God faithfully, for it is written, ' I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.' " While he was still speak- ing, an eagle overhead dropped a large fish at his feet. — Green, A Short History of the English People ^ p. 25. (See p. 128.) Another instance. At another time, being overtaken at sea by a terrible storm which kept them out in the deep for several days, food failed, and both St. Cuthbert and those with him must have died, if God had not sent them three large morsels of a dolphin, which served them well with food for three entire days. — Les Petits BollandisteSy vol. iii. p. 550. God fed St, Didacus miraculously on a journey (a.d. 1463). While St. Didacus was journeying from Cerraya to St. Luc de Barramfede he was unable to procure any food on the road, and both he and his companion were so faint with hunger, they were unable to continue their journey. They prayed for succour, and as they rose they found close by a cloth spread on the grass with bread, fish, citrons, and a bottle of wine. They looked about to see if any one was near ; they waited awhile, but no one came ; they felt certain that God had made them this feast in the wilderness ; they ate, their strength was renewed, and they continued their journey, giving God thanks. — R. P. Cahier, Caracteristiques des Saints, Brother Giles miraculously supplied with food (a.d. 1272). Brother Giles, making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, was one day so overcome with hunger and fatigue that he dropped on the ground and fell asleep. On waking, he found, close to his head, a mysterious loaf of bread. In fact, God had sent it him, as He sent bread and flesh to Elijah by His messengers, the ravens. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), April 23. Four hermits supplied daily with bread by invisible hands (fourth century). St. Paphnucius, having buried Onuphrius, the old anchorite, wandered four days till he came to a hill, where an old hoary recluse met him, addressed him by name, and said he was glad to have the honour of greeting the saint who had buried Father Onuphrius. Three other hermits came up, and greeted him warmly. They told him they had been sixty years in the desert, and that he was the only humaq being, except themselves, they had seen in all those years. Being asked how they obtained food, they replied that God sent it them miraculously, they knew not how, but every day they found in their cell four loaves of bread, very delicate 128 ELIJAH FED: MARINUS— SORUS. rPr.l, and very white. They now led Paph- nucius to their cavern, and lo ! live loaves were deposited there, but no one had seen the bringer. — Les Petits Bollan- disteSf vol. vi. p. 691. St. Marinus fed by two bears (a.d. 731). St. Marinus was a monk in the monastery sacred to the Virgin, in Moriana, in Italy. He left the monastery, retired to a cell y on the edge of a rock, and sanctified it by a three days' fast. He would have continued his fast, but God sent two bears, vach with a honeycomb full of honey, which they laid at his feet ; then, crouch- ing down, they proceeded to lick his feet, as if inviting him to taste the food they had brought him. This he did, and told the bears to come again another day. These bears ever after came daily to the cell, bringing to the hermit two little loaves of bread ; and every day, for the space of four years, these wild beasts behaved like lambs, and showed the recluse every mark of reverence. — L'abbe' Auber, Vie des Saints du Diocese do Poitiers. Dr. Moulins fed by a hen. During the dreadful Bartholomew slaughter. Dr. Moulins lay hid from the cut-throats for many weeks in a cave; but every day a hen came, and laid an egg there, by which means the doctor escaped starva- tion, and lived to record this marvellous interposition. The old hermit of SirtMi fed by a lion (fourth century). When St. Simeon went to Sinai, an old hermit told him that he and a brother hermit had come to live together in a cave on the mount. His companion having died, a lion had come daily ever since, bringing to the cave's mouth a bunch of dates. — Theodoret, PhilotheuSf c. 6. St. Paul the hermit fed for sixty years by a crow (a.d. 341). When St. Antony was ninety years old he went to visit St. Paul the hermit, who was 113, and lived in the Lower Thebaid. While conversing together, a crow settled on a bough, and presently alighting, laid at the hermit's feet a loaf of bread. "Ah!" said St. Paul, ' ' the Lord is ever mindful and loving. For sixty years the bird has brought me daily only half a loaf, but now you are come God hath doubled the allowance." — St. Jerome (a.d. 375), Life of Paul^ the First Hermit of Egypt, It is % pity we are not told how much the loaf was heavier than the bii-d, and how the crow carried it. In the case of Elijah the same difficulty does not occur, for it ia not one raven that carrie died a.d. 720. For 967 years " miracles" had honoured his shrine, and have not yet ceased. Father Giry says, "All Picardy knows about the mira- culous cure of the daii^^hter of Monchy, baron of Nismes. This young lady had been paralyzed for several months, and was wholly unable to move or speak. In this state she was carried to the shrin« of St. Wulfran to pay her devotions. While thus employed her limbs recovered their full strength, and her tongue its speech, so that she returned to the con- vent of Bertaucourt in perfect health." Father Giry saw her himself, and relates this miracle. At St. Wulfran's, Abbeville, there was formerly a tapestn- hanging in twenty-five compartments, each com- partment perpetuating a miracle of this saint, with » doTgerel explanation. The following is tlie twenty-filth tableau, and a fair specimen of the verses attached :— One who by headache lost her sight Is by the saint restored to light ; The parents, greatly marvelling. Offerings to St. Wulfran bring. This piece of tapestry in the ffite of the Revolution waa used to decorate the autelde la PatrU. It was then torn into tatters, thrown into a cemeteiy, and no one cared to gather up the fragments. Elisha caUed Bald-pate. 2 Kings ii. 23, 24. Elisha went to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, who said to him. Go up, thou bald head ; go up, thou bald head. And Elisha turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them In the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of tbem. St. Leufredus called bald-pate (a.d. 738). One day St. Leufredus was fishing in the Eure, which ran close by his monastery, when a woman muttered to herself, *' This bald-pate will exhaust the river, so that there will be no more fishing." She never thought the saint would hear her, but God brought the words to the ears of the fisher, deeming every insult to His ser- vants an insult to Himself. " Woman," said Leufredus, "why envy me a good common to all ; and why mock me for baldness, which is no fault of mine, but a work of nature. Pray God that you and all your race be as bare of hair behind your head as I am on the pate." This curse immediately took effect : the woman was instantly bald on the hind part of her head, and the same disfigurement was hereditary. — Mgr. Gue'rin, Vies des Saints, vol. vii. p. 189. Elisha heals the Water of Jericho. 2 Kings ii. 1^22. When Elisha wan at Jericho, and was told the water was not lit v P r. T. I EUTYCHUS RESTORED TO LIFE. 135 drink, lie \>&de the man who told him to fetch a new cruse, and put salt therein. Then went Elisha to the spring of water, and cast the salt therein, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. Frajicis Xavier heals sea-water and makes it fit to drink, " Many more and strange miracles were wrought of Xavier, as when, with the sign of the cross, he turned salt sea-water into fresh sweet water, that he and those with him might not perish of thirst, in a dry land where there was no water. . . . Many like things did he, as may be read at large in the narrative made in the Consistory." — Cardinal de Monte', Speech before Gregory XV, at the Process of Uanonizcitiony Tan. 19, 1622. V Butychus restored to Life. Acts xx. 9-12. While Paul was at Troas, he preached to the disciples; and there sat in a window a certain young man, named Eutychus. As the sermon was very long, Eutychus fell asleep, and tumbled out of the window, which was in the third story, into the street. He was taken up dead ; but Paul went to him, fell on him, and embracing him, said to the bystanders, Trouble not yourselves, for the life is in him. And the disciples brought the young man alive [into the house], and were not a little com- forted. St, Catherine of Sweden restores to life a coachman who had fallen from his box (fourteenth century). A man in the suite of St. Catherine of Sweden, over- taken with sleep, fell from his coach-box on his head, and the wheels of the carriage went over him. The princess, being told of the accident, went to the man, touched his hand, and he rose im- mediately, safe and sound. At another time a workman fell from the roof of a house on the pavement, and was so mutilated by the fall that he could not be removed. St. Catherine simply touched the body, and the man was perfectly restored, insomuch that he was able to return to his work the same day. — Ulpho (a Brigittine monk). Life of St. Catherine of Sweden (written 1411 ; thirty years after her death). St. Maur restores a broken arm, shattered by a fall from a high tower (a.d. 612- 684). St. Maur was sent by St. Benedict, abbot of Mount Cassiuo, to found the monastery of Glanf euil. When he reached Verceil, one of his companions, named Harderade, went to inspect a high tower, «nd fell from the top to the bottom. The biographers of St. Maur sav, " No doubt he was pushed down by the malice of Satan." Dreadfully bruised, and more than half dead, he was taken to the town, and the physicians unanimously declared he must lose his arm, which was so fractured in several places as to be past all hope of remedy. St. Maur went to see his companion. He touched '* with a morsel of the true cross, given him as a souvenir by St. Benedict," the several parts of his friend's arm and body which had received injury, and no sooner had he done so, than the wounds, bruises, and fractures were all healed, and Harderade rose to his feet perfectly cured. This miracle soon got blazed abroad, and so great was the crowd which assembled daily to see St. Maur, that he deemed it expedient to withdraw from Verceil with- out delay. — Odo of Glanfeuil, Life of St, Maur (a.d. 868). St. Maur restores to life a boy who had fallen frcytn a scaffold (a.d. 512-684). While the monastery at Bertulfe was a- building, a boy only eight years of aj^e, the son of Florus, viscount of Austrasia, fell from a high scaffold on a heap of building stones. Every one thought he was killed, for blood poured from several parts of his mangled body. St. Maur, kneeling beside the lad, prayed, and made over him the sign of the cross ; where- upon the lad rose up, perfectly restored. The father overjoyed, exclaimed, " O father, thou art indeed a worthy disciple of St. Benedict. We have never before seen the like of this." — Odo of Glanfeuil, Life of St. Maur (a.d. 868). The restoration of life to persons who had faUen from a height was the speciality of St Maur ; as the multiplica- tion of food was the speciality of St. Theodosius the Coenobiarch ; the reception of the eucharist from the hands of angels was that of Stanislaus Kostka ; and so on. Besides the examples given, was the restoration of Sergiua. who fell from his horse while crossing the Alps : St. Maur restored him to health instantaneously, merely by making over him the sign of the cross. St. Tiburtius restores to life a young man killed by a fall. St. Tiburtius saw a young man who had fallen from a great height, and was so mutilated that his father and mother were about to bury him. St. Tiburtius coming up, said to the parents, " Give me leave to speak a word or two to your son ; it seems to m* that all hope of his recovery must not be abandoned." Then, saying the Pater Noster and the Credo over the young man, he had the satisfaction of seeing him revive, stand on his feet, and go to his parents la perfect health.— Zi/. xxxiv. 28. And Moses was there [on the mount] forty days and forty nights. He did neither eat bread, nor drink water. Deut. ix. 18. After the tables of the law were broken, Moses says, I fell down before the Lord, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water. The possibility of fasting forty days and forty nights, without miraculous aid, was proved in 1880 by Dr. Tanner of New Yorlc, who undoubtedly took no food during all that time. After the ftist be ate ravenously, and soon recovered', his full strength. Of Moses it is saidL he not only took no food, but also that '* he drank no water." Dr. Tanner was allowed to drink water, but not to take food. It was a bet which he fairly won. Tlie records of the Tower mention a Scotchman, imprisoned for felony, and strictly watched in that fortress for six weeks, wlio took no food whatever, and on this account obtaiiie's. Simeon Stylites fasts forty day s and forty nights. Simeon, the pillar saint, retired to a hut in Telanassus, and tried to in- duce St. Blaise to close up the door, and leave him there for forty days and forty nights. St. Blaise warned him, that to die by one's own act is no virtue, but a crime. *' Put, then, ten loaves and a cruse of water in the room ; and if I find myself sinking, I will partake of them." At the end of forty days, the hut was opened, but the bread and water were untouched. Simeon lay motionless, un- able to move or speak ; but Blaise moistened his lips, gave him the eucharist, and he revived. — Baring- Gould, Lives of the Saints^ Jan., p. 74. Fig Tree withered. Matt. xxl. 19. Jesus said to the fig tree, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth for ever, And presently the fig tree withered away. St. Levbais curses an alder tree and all the alders die (a.d. 640). One day St. Leubais, wishing to cross a river, entered a ferry-boat made of alder-wood. While he was in the boat the sides gave way, and the saint was thrown into the river. He was much incommoded by the accident, and said, " Let no alder tree grow in this neighbourhood henceforth for ever." And presently all the aldei trees of the whole commune withered away. The abbot Holland says this is " une tradition populaire," but adds, " ce qui est certain, c'est qu'on n'y voit un seul arbre de cette espfece dans tout le territoire de la commune, et que tons ceux qu'on a essaye' d'y planter sont morts." — L'abb(* Rolland, 'Letter to Mgr. Gv^rin^ March 18, 1879. At St. Valery^s bidding a young monk touches a huge oak^ and it falls with a crash (a.d. 619). Not far from Bresle St. Valery observed an enormous oak, on which were cut a number of pagan images, which were held in adoration by the people in the vicinity. St. Valery told a young monk who was with him to go and push the tree down. The young disciple had daily witnessed so many miracles performed by his master, that he went at once, and, touching the tree with his finger, it fell with a tremendous crash. The people in the neighbourhood were stupefied ; but after a while, arming themselves with hatchets and sticks, they ran to assail the two Christians. St. Valery moved not, but stood perfectly quiet and composed. The fury of the mob subsided, and the saint, availing himself of this change of temper, preached to them Christ and Him crucified. His preaching was with power, the whole mob was converted, and a Christian church was forthwith erected on the spot where the oak had stood.— Besan9on (1854), Les Saints de Francht Coint€. Pire Innocuous. (SeeSHADRACH.) Isa. xliii. 2. When thou walkest througli the fire, thou shalt not be burnt ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee Pr.I.] FIRE INNOCUOUS. 137 Ftre innocuous to St, Catherine of Siena (A.D. 1317-1380). Once, when St. Catherine was sitting before a large fire watching the roast, she fell to the floor in an ecstasj''. Her sister-in-law was by at the time, but, having often seen her in these fits, took no notice of her. In due time the meat was served in the refectory, and the sister-in-law, on coming back to the kitchen, saw Catherine sitting on the fire. She fully expected to find her dreadfully burnt ; but, to her amazement, not only was Catherine uninjured, but even her clothes were not singed. Her biographer naively remarks, " The fire of holiness, which blazed in her heart, neutralized the heat of the burning fuel." — Raymond of Capua (her confessor), Life of St, Catherine of Siena, One Is wholly at a loss to understand^ow such an insane act as this, presuming it to be True, can be justified, much less commended as a proof of holiness. St, Cottherine of Siena, pushed into the fire, receives no injury (a.d. 1817-1380). One day Satan, in his rage against St. Catherine, pushed her into a roasting fire. All who saw it screamed with fright, and ran to pull her out ; but St. Catherine, with the utmost calmness, walked from the flames, and even her clothes were not injured. — Raymond of Capua (her con- fesssor). Life of St, Catherine of Siena. St. Francis of Paula, when a boy, carried about fire in his frock (a.d. 1429). One day the sacristan of St. Mark's sent St. Francis, then a boy of thirteen years old, to fetch fire for the censors, but gave him nothing to hold it in. Francis held out his frock, and carried it thus to the sacristan, and his frock received no sort of injur}'. — The Bull and other Documents of the Canonization of St, Francis (com- piled by Father Giry), St, Nofletta carries about fire in her apron (a.d. 653). St. Longis was a young man living at his monastery in Boisselifere, and St. Nofletta or Agnefletta was a young woman who fled to him to escape being married to a young man selected by her parents as suitable. St. Longis took her in and heard her tale, "il encouragea sa resolution, et comme elle n'avait point d'asile, il la re9ut dans son monast^re." This, of course, soon raised a scandal, and king Clotaire sent for them to hear their defence. It was midwinter when they went to present themselves before the king, and when they reached the palace Clotaire was out hunting. While waiting for his return, St. Longis complained bitterly of the cold, and St. Nofletta ran to a baker*a shop, asking him to give her a few live coals. The baker said, *' Here is fire, but you have nothing to carry it in.' St. Nofletta told him to put it in her apron ; and, wrapping it up, she took it to St. Longis, "et quand le froid qu'il ressentait fut soulag^, Noflette reprit dans son manteau les charbons encore brftlants, et les reporta au four." When Clotaire returned from the chase, and heard of this miracle, he not only quashed the charge, but gave large presents to St. Longis. " Aprfes cela nos deux saints quittbrent le palais, et revinrent k leur monastfere," and the mouth of scandal was for ever silenced. — Vita Sancti Lenogisili, No. 7 (from dom Piolin's version Lglise du Mans), St, Francis of Paula holds fire in his hands without injury (a.d. 1416-1607). The many cures effected miraculously by St. Francis of Paula stirred up against him the physicians of the neighbourhood, who found their clients leaving them in all directions. They employed Father Scozetta to preach against him, and charge him with charlatanism. After preaching for a time against the saint. Father Scozetta determined to go to the saint's cell, and there charge him face to face with imposture. St. Francis received the reverend father with great courtesy, but the preacher was very violent and abusive. When he had done, St. Francis very quietly took two handf uls of red-hot coals in his hands, and, taking them to his visitor, said, " Father Antony, warm yourself, for you have great need." Father Scozetta was amazed to see the saint hold fire in his hand without being burnt, and, casting himself at his feet, begged pardon. St. Francis gave him his hand, bade him rise to his feet, and kissed him, saying, " Brother Antony, man of himself is but a feeble creature indeed, but, God helping, he can do all things.** Another instance. In 1469 pope Paul II. sent one of his chamberlains to ascer- tain if the wonderful things told of St. Francis were true or not. The chamber- lain addressed himself to the archbishop of Cosenza, and the archbishop sent Charles Pyrrho, a canon of Cosenza, to attend the chamberlain to Paula. The saint was at work, as usual, with his workmen when the strangers arrived; and when the chamberlain was about to salute him by kissing his hand, St. Francis cried out. "It would not b« 138 FIRE INNOCUOUS: FRANCIS— LEONARD. [Pt. 1 Beemly for the pope's chamberlain, who has said mass for tuirty years, to kiss the hand of such a humble individual as I am." The chamberlain was amazed that St. Francis knew him, and accompanied the saint into his cell. Here the chamber- lain spoke very learnedly of the illusions of miracles, and the danger of deluding one's self in such a matter. Then St. Francis, walking up to the fire, took two handfuls of hot burning coals to the chamberlain, and bads him warm himself. The chamberlain was wholly disconcerted at this ; but St. Francis quietly remarked, *' All creatures obey those who serve God with a perfect heart." Which golden words are inserted by Leo X. in the bull of canonization. The chamberlain re- turned to Rome, and told his holiness that the sanctity of St. Francis exceeded all that had been said of him, and that his gift of miracles could not be exaggerated. — Acts of Canonization (compiled by Father Giry). St. Francis of Paula enters a kiln to repair ity vjhile it was enveloped xoith flatnes (A.D. 1416-1607). A lime-kiln which had been lighted twenty-four hours, being out of repair, the flames burst through the chinks, and threatened to destroy the kiln. This would have destroyed the lime, and done considerable damage to the workmen's huts. The masons, greatly distressed, raised a crj" of alarm, which brought St. Francis de Paula to the spot. Seeing the imminent danger, and know- ing how important the lime was for the monastery he was building, he instantly set to work to repair the kiln, but for this purpose it was necessary to enter the burning furnace, and stop the holes from the inside. When the workmen returned from dinner, they found the kiln in thorough repair, and the saint washing his hands. To all appearances he was as fresh and uninjured as if he had come from his study. The bull of his canoniza- tion mentions this miracle ; and the disciple who wrote his life, and the sixth witness of the process conducted at Cosenza, in connection with the canoni- zation, not only mention the incident, but add that this lime miraculously renewed itself as fast as it was used, and lasted till the work was finished. — Acts of Canonization (compiled by Father Giry). St, Martina, bound to the stake, was unharmed by the fire (a.d. 226). St. Martina, after having been subjected to unheard-of cruelties for her steadfast f »ith in Christ, was, by the order of Alexander Severus, tied to a stake in the midst oi a fierce fire; but God sent a torrent of rain to quench the fire, and a high wind to disperse the fuel. As the burning fuel flew about in all directions, many of the heathen spectators were burnt to death, but the saint herself received no injury. The emperor insisted that St. Martina was protected by magic, and, fancying that the charm was lodged in her hair, commanded that every atom of it should be shaved off. After a lapse of three days she was conducted again to th€ temple of Diana, where she was locked in for three days and nights without food of any kind. Still she remained firm, and the emperor, tired of the struggle, commanded her head to be cul off. — BoUandus, Acta Sanctorum, vol. i. Jan. 1. (Surius wrote a life of St. Mar- tina.) A hermit stands unhurt on live coals during vespers. One day a solitary came to the cell of St. PalsBmon, and asked permission to join his fraternity in vespers, and he proposed that they should all stand on live coals while at prayer. " Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," said Palaemon ; but the stranger persisted, and stood unhurt on red-hot cinders during the whole office. The writer ascribes the miracle *' to the craft of Satan," but it is a dangerous distinc- tion to introduce. (See Peter Gonzalez.) — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan., p. 150. St. Peter Gonzalez reproves a harlot by standing in afire (a.d. 1190-1248). Some Spanish libertines hired a harlot to go and tempt St. Peter Gonzalez. She went to the saint, and begged to consult him on an affair of great moment ; but when alone with him, she embraced his knees and pretended to weep; but all of a Budden threw off her mask, and employed all her artifices to seduce him. Gonzalez bade her follow him into an inner chamber. Here he lighted a fire, and placed him- self in the midst thereof. The harlot screamed with terror — said he would burn himself to death ; but the saint replied, *' What is this to hell-fire, to which you would allure me ? " The harlot, struck to the heart, was converted, and ever after remained a consistent Christian, who reverenced the very shadow of Gon- zalez. (See above, A Hermit stands, etc.) — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. April 14. Fire would not bwr^ the body of Xeonani Pt. I.] FIRE INNOCUOUS: LUCY— SABA3. 189 Keyser, Leonard Keyser of Bavaria was one of the Reformed Church in the time of Zwingli and Luther. He was an ardent propagandist of the new views, and, being arrested by the bishop of Passau, was condemned to th« stake. When he came to the fields outside the town, he bent over the cart, gathered a flower, and said to the judge, who rode on horseback beside the cart, "My lord, I have plucked this flower. If you can bum me and this flower in my hand, then believe you have condemned me righteously ; but if you can burn neither me nor the flower, then reflect on what you are doing, and repent." >Vhen the procession reached the ap- pointed place, tiie judge and his three officials threw an extra number of fagots on the pile, in order to increase its heat, and reduce the victim to ^shes ; but when all the wood was con^med, the body of the martyr was taken from the stake wholly unhurt. The three prin- cipals and their menials then brought fresh wood, and made a much larger fire ; but Btill the body remained unbumt, the hair only being slightly singed, and the nails somewhat darkened. The ashes being brushed from the body, the skin was found to be smooth and of its natural colour, and the flower in the martyr's hand was unfaded, and wholly uninjured by the flames. The executioners then cut the body into pieces, and threw the gobbets into a fresh fire, but again the fire burnt out, and the pieces were not con- sumed. Lastly, they took the pieces and threw them into a running stream, called the Inn, The judge was so terrified, that he threw up his oflfice, and the chief executioner joined the Moravian brethren. It was from the mouth of this convert that the narrative given above was taken down. — Van Braght, The Bloody Theatre^ or Martyrs' Mirror. Sebastian Frank, in his Chronicle of the Roman Heresies (letter Z), gives substantially the same tale ; and Martin Luther, who records the martyrdom of Keyser, seems more inclined to credit the story than not At any rate he does not deny it. St. Lucy stands in the midst of a fierce pre wholly uninjured (Dec. 13, 305). raschasius, governor of Syracuse, com- manded that fagots, steeped in rosin, pitch, and oil, should be piled round St. Lucy, the holy virgin, and ignited ; but she stood uninjured in the midst of the burning pile. Paschasius then caused a sword to be thrust down her throat, which wounded her mortally ; but, before she died, she exhorted those spectators who were Christians to stand fast in the faith delivered to the saints, and those who were not, to flee from the wrath to come. — Ado (archbishop of Trfeves), Marty r^ ology. (The acts of St. Lucy find place in Bede, Sigisbert, the Roman Martyr- ology, etc.) (One of the hands of St. Lucy is shown in the vestry ot the church of Toledo ; the rest of her body is said to be in Venice.) Fire would not hum the body of St. Menas, Menas was a Roman soldier, in the army of Diocletian. Because he was a Chris- tian he was put to death, and his body cast into a great fire to be consumed ; but the fire refused to injure it ; and some devout Christians obtained possession of it, and buried it. — Metaphrastes, Lives* St. Polycarp stood unharmed at the stake (a.d. 167). In the sixth year of Marcus Aurelius, Polycarp, at the age of eighty- six, was seized by Herod, chief magistrate of Smyrna, and set in the midst of a pile of wood and other combustibles. The mass, being set alight, blazed up with great fury, but instead of attacking the body of the saint, formed a canopy "like the sails of a ship inflated by the wind." There stood the aged disciple of St. John in his canopy of fire, bright as silver purified in a furnace, while from his body there issued a fragrance sweeter than incense. The executioners, greatly exasperated at this spectacle, pierced him with spears, and the blood which spouted from the wounds of the martyr quenched the fire in which he stood. — Roman Martyr- ology (written by the Church of Smyrna, at the time of the martyrdom). See also Nicephorus Callistus, Church History, bk. iii. ch. 30-34. Fire would not hum the bodies of the wise Roman converts. When Maxentius sum- moned the wisest men of the empire to a disputation with St. Catherine of Alexandria, they not only acknowledged themselves beaten in argument, but con- fessed themselves to be converted. Whereupon the emperor ordered them all to be burnt alive. They died in the flames ; but the fire did not consume their bodies ; nay, we are told not a hair of their heads was singed. — Metaphrastes (died 911), Lives^ etc. St. Sabas enters an oven without injury, while the fagots are blazing. St. Sabas oi Cappadocia did a kind act to a baker. The baker had put his clothes in his oven to dry, but forgetting he had done so. stuffed the oven with fagots, and set fir*» to them to heat it. He then remembered he lia4 left his clothes in the oven, and 140 FIRE INNOCUOUS. made great lamentation over his loss. 8t. Sebastian, being told of the mischance, went into the flaming ov^en, rescued the clothes, and returned wholly uninjured by the blazing fagots. — Cyril (the monk). Life of St. Sabas. St. Silvester enters a blazing oven to rescue a baker's shovel (a.d. 1185). A dimilar legend to that of St. Sabas (p. 139) is told of St. Silvester. He entered a baker's furnace when fully heated "to scrape together the living embers" — for what? — because the baker had stupidly left his shovel in the furnace to be burnt up by the blazing, fagots. It is to be presumed that the embers being ''scraped together," the shovel was miraculously restored sound and whole, though Baring- Gould does not say so, but otherwise the incident would have no point at all. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan., p. 37. St. Theda, set in the midst of a large fire, receives no hurt therefrom. St. Thecla, being converted by the preaching of Paul the apostle, refused to marry Tamarus, to whom she had been betrothed. So Tamarus told the proconsul that a foreigner was perverting the minds of the people, and bringing in strange gods. Paul, upon this charge, was scourged, and banished from Iconium ; and Thecla, who still adhered to the new persuasion, was condemned to be burnt to death. The fire was kindled, and Thecla set in the midst of the burning fagots, in the presence of an immense throng of spectators ; but, to the utter amazement of all, the fire did her no harm ; and from a cloudless sky there suddenl}'^ fell such torrents of rain, amidst thunder and lightning, that the fire was extinguished and the crowd dispersed. Whereupon St. Thecla deliberately walked from the smouldering pile to the house of Onesi- phorus, where she found Paul and some other Christians. — Ado (archbishop of Treves), Martyrology, St. Thuribius of Astorga proves his innocence of a charge by holding fire in his hand (a.d. 460). St. Thuribius, bishop of Astorga, was charged with an enormous crime by a deacon ; but the bishop, to prove his innocence, took burning coals into his hand, and, placing them on his rochet, carried them to the church, and showed them to the people. As neither he nor his rochet received injury from the fire, his innocence was established by the judgment of God. — Tamayus-Salazar Spanish Martyrology. [Pr.L St. Tiburtius walks barefoot over liv6 coals, and receives no injury. Fabianus, the Roman governor, commanded to kindle a great fire of coals on the ground, and said to Tiburtius, "Choose now which you will do : put incense on these coals to the immortal gods, or walk over them barefoot." Tiburtius made the sign of the cross, and then walked over the red- hot coals, as if they had been a carpet of rose-leaves and other flowers. — Life of St. Sebastian (from the public registers). Fire shows reverence to Sister Benedicta's bed (a.d. 1850). Mgr. Depe'ry restored the cottage of Sister Benedicta; but on Jan. 28, a.d. 1850, a fire burnt down almost the whole village of St. Etienne. The flames attacked the cottage restored by Mgr. Depe'ry, destroyed the thatch, but stopped, "as if pushed back by some invisible hand," when they reached the alcove containing the bed of Sister Bene- dicta. The debris which the fire re- spected was carefully collected as relics, and used in constructing a new cottage. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. t. p. 228. (Mgr. Bamadou, bishop of Gap, is collecting such data as these to effect the canonization of Sister Benedicta, 1884.) The bed of St. Cunegunda caught fire but no mischief was done (1040). One night, after long prayer, St. Cunegunda, wife of Henry II., emperor of Germany, fell asleep and was lifted into bed. Her reader fell asleep soon afterwards, and, dropping her candle, set fire to the palliasse and bedclothes. The empress and her reader were roused from sleep by the noise and heat of the fire, and, making the sign of the cross, the fire instantly dropped out. Although the empress was lying on a bed blazing with fire, and the flames burnt fiercely all around her, yet her night-clothes were not touched, nor did she suffer any injury whatever. — The Bull of Canonization by Innocent III,, A.D. 1200. Without going to miracles, allowing for a little exaggera- tion, the circumstance that Cunegonda's night-clothes did not catch fire may be accounted for. We are told she slept in a horse-hair gown, on a palliasse covered with a horse-hair quilt ; so some of the articles on the bed might catch fire, but would not be likely to set fire to the horse* hair very rapidly. -S'^ Drogo uninjured by a fire which burnt down his cell (a.d. 1118-1189). St. Drogo lived for forty years against the church at Seburg, in Hainault. One day a fire broke out in the church, and burnt hii cell to the ground, but though St. Drogo remained there all the time, he received no injury. Papebroch (p. 441) says, Pt. I.J FIRE QUENCHED. 141 " God repeated, in St. Drogo's favour, the miracle of the three children in the fiery furance of Babylon." — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), April 16. A fire respects the house of St. Galla^ and injures it not. A fire broke out in the house next to that in which St. Galla lived. It was very fierce, and spread so rapidly that all thought the saint's house must inevitably be destroyed. St. Galla, without leaving her room, fell on her knees in prayer, and the flames, starting back, gathered themselves together, and dropped out suddenly. A vast concourse had collected to assist in extinguishing it; and when they saw "the miracle," they stood stupefied with amazement. — Les Fetits BoUandtstes, vol. ii. p. 199. St. Melanius's cerements uninjured by fire. When the church of RenneSv was con- sumed by fire, the ceremenrs of St. Melanius, although especially combus- tible, were wholly uninjured. So sayg St. Gregory of Tours, who lived only a century after the event. Fire refuses to touch the statue of Minerva of Ilium. Many authors tell us that when the Fimbrians burnt Ilium, the statue of Pallas Minerva stood in the midst of a heap of ashes wholly un- injured. This prodigy was perpetuated on medals. Fire quenched. Numb. xi. 1-3. When the people complained, the Lord heard it, and His anger was kindled ; and the tire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in tlie uttermost parts of the camp. And Moses prayed unto the Lord, and the fire was quenched. And Moses called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burnt among them. Heb. xi. 34. The time would fail me to tell of [those] who through faith quenched the violence of fire. ' The ghost of St. Gertrude^ abbess of J^livelles, quenches a fire in the monastery. Ten years after her death, the ghost of St. Gertrude "appeared visibly" in the refectory of the college of Nivelles, for the purpose of putting out a fire which threatened to destroy the whole pile of buildings. — Surius, Lives of the Saints. St. Godeberta quenches a fire by the sign of the cross (a.d. 676). In a.d. 676 a violent fire threatened to burn down the whole city of Noyon. St. Godeberta was confined to her bed at the time. The fire spread rapidly, and reached the basilica of St. Mary, built by St. Medard. Gode- berta caused herself to be carried in a chair into the very heart of the flames, and, making the sign of the cross, the fire instantly subsided, and the church was saved. — Radbod II. (bishop of Noyon, A.D. 1167), Life of St. Godeberta. Fire extinguished by St. Lupus with the sign of the cross (a.d. 610). A horrible fire broke out in Chalons in the year 610, and destroyed half the city. No human means availed to arrest its progress, and the whole city must have been reduced to ashes, if the people had not sought the intercession of St. Lupus. Immediately the saint was solicited to interfere, he rose from his bed, and, placing himself right in front of the run of the fire, made the sign of the cross. The flames, as if by magic, stood upright and then sank into the earth, doing no more mischief ; and thus the rest of the city was saved from destruction. — Legendaire d'Autun. A fire walked out by St. JRemi (a.d. 449-645). On one occasion, while St. Remi was at Reims, lodging in the house of the church of St. Nicasius, a great fire burst out, and destroyed a large part thereof, threatening the whole city with destruction. St. Remi made the sign of the cross against the conflagration, which approached towards him with rapid strides, but stopped suddenly, and then slov/ly retreated. The holy man followed it, and still it retreated. Thus did he till the fire came to the city gates, when it rolled itself into a ball, passed throujgh the gates without injuring them, and rolling into the open fields was soon spent, to the amazement of the whole city which had assembled together, and were witnesses of this great miracle. — Hincmar (archbishop of Reims, 806-882), Life of St. Remi. St. Wodoal's stick puts out a fire (a.d. 700). An angel gave St. Wodoal a staff, which was called his " crossillon," and which had the virtue of extinguishing fire. If, therefore, a fire broke out at Soissons or the neighbourhood, it was usual to hold up this rod and bid it cease to burn. Many and many a fire was put out in the monastery by this means. Mme. d'Harcourt, abbess of Soissons, tells us that a fire once broke out in the kitchen chimney with great violence, when she took up the crossillon, and made with it the sign of the cross on the chimney- place. Immediately the fire fell with a great thud upon the kitchen floor, and greatly alarmed those present ; but, being dead, it was soon cast out into the yard. Ever after, it was customary on Feb. 5, after grand mass, for th€ u^ FISH MIkaCLES head ^.acristan with the crossillon, fol- lowed by the second sacristan with a wax taper, and then by all the inmates of the house singing, to march through the abbey, when the kitchen chimney-place was first marked with a cross by the magic rod, and then other parts of the buildings. Fire extinguished by St. WodoaVs hood. One day, a fire having broke out in the abbey, one of the monks, who was sick of a fever at the time, ran and told St. Wodoal. St. Wodoal gave his hood to the man, and told him to follow the fire till it retreated from the premises. This he did, and no mischief occurred. — L'abb^ Pe'cheur, Annates du Diocese de Soissons. The fire which fell down the chimney with a thud, looks rery much like a fall of soot dislodged from a foul •himney by the tap of the stick., Fish Miracles. (See also Jonah.) Matt. xvii. 27. Peter, being asked to pay tribute, told Jesus of the demand ; and Jesus said to bim, Go to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up ; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money : that take, and give for Me and thee. St. Cadoc of Wales finds his lost Virgil in a salmon (sixth century). St. Cadoc was passionately fond of the Latin poet Virgil. One day, walking with Gildas the historian, he put his Virgil under his arm, and began to weep at the thought that his beloved poet might perhaps, at that very moment, be with Satan and his angels. A sudden gust of wind caused him to lift his arm, and his book was blown into the sea. The loss was an unspeakable grief to him ; but next morning a fisherman brought him a fine salmon as a present, and in the fish was the very Virgil he had lost the previous day, and what completed his joy was to find the book wholly uninjured. — Rees, Lives of the Cambro- British Saints. A fish restores to St. Egwin of Worces- ter the key of his fetters (a.d. 720). When St. Egwin of Worcester went on his pilgrimage to Rome, "to expiate his sins," he loaded his ankles with iron fetters, and, having locked the irons, threw the key into the Avon. As he neared Italy, a large fish floundered upon the ship's deck, and, being prepared for table, the key which Egwin had thrown into the Avon was found in its stomach. St. Egwin considered this as an intima- tion from God that he was to release himself of his fetters. Accordingly he unlocked them, and continued his pil- [Pt.L grimage foot free. — St. Brithwald (arch- bishop of Canterbury), Life of St. Egwin, It would have been interesting to know what sort of fish this was to which the fresh water of the Avon and the salt water of the sea were equally congenial. It does not say a "salmon," which certainly is a stranger in the Avon. Miss Elton of Stratford recovers a ring by a codfish (1696). A knight passing by a cottage heard the cries of a woman in travail, and knew by his skill in the occult sciences that the infant was des- tined to be his future wife ; but he deter- mined to elude his destiny. When the child was of marriageable age, the knight took her to the seaside, intending to drown her, but relented ; and, throwing his signet-ring into the sea, he com- manded her never more to see his face, upon pain of death, till she brought back with her that ring. The damsel then went as cook to a noble family, and one day, as she was preparing a codfish for dinner, she found the ring in the fish, took it to the knight, and thus became the wife of sir John Berry. The Berry arms show a fish, and in the dexter chief a ring, in record of this legend. The arms of the city of Glasgow. The arms of the city of Glasgow show an oak tree with a bird above it, and a bell hanging from one of the branches. At the foot of the tree is a salmon with a ring in its mouth. The symbols are explained thus: St. Kentigern built the city, and hung a bell in the oak to summon the men to work. So much for the '*oak and the bell," Now for the *' salmon and the ring." We are told that a queen of Scotland formed an illicit attachment to a young soldier, and gave him the ring which her husband had presented to her as a betrothal or love gift. It coming to the knowledge of the king that the queen had parted with this ring, lie contrived to abstract it from the soldier while he was asleep, threw it into the Clyde, and then asked the queen to show it him. The queen in consterna- tion ran to St. Kentigern, and, confessing her crime, entreated his help. The father confessor went forthwith to the Clyde, and drew out a salmon with the ring in its mouth. He handed the ring to the queen, and by this means prevented a great scandal, saved the lives of two persons, and reformed the repentant lady. Jocelyn (bishop of Glasgow), in his Life of St. Kentigern (1125), mentions this ; and in Christian art the saint is represented with a salmon and a ring: in the foreground. Pt.l.] MAtJRiLltJS, P£T£R GONZALEZ, P0LYCRAT:^S. U The keys of a reliquary discovered in a fish (a.d. 426). While St. Maurilius was bishop of Angers, a woman sent to him to come and baptize her child, who was dangerously ill. He was saying mass at the time, and no one duret interrupt him. When mass was over the child was dead, and not having been baptized, St. Maurilius accused himself of being the cause of the child's perdition. This so preyed upon his mind that he resolved to throw up his office, and live the rest of his life in private and in penitence. So, starting from Angers, he journeyed to the coast ; and, while he waited for a vessel bound for England, wrote on a rock these words: "Here Maurilius, bishop of Angers, embarked. Qoasimodo, a.d. 412." When he had got out of sight of land, he found he had taken with him the keys of the reliq^es of the church, and as he held them in his hand, thinking how to send them back, the devil knocked them into the sea. The saint was greatly distressed, and vowed he would never more return to Angers till these keys were restored. On reach- ing England, he hired himself out as a gentleman's gardener, and the crops he raised, his admirable industry, his modest behaviour, and saintly piety, made him a great favourite with his master and his family. When the people of Angers discovered that their bishop was gone, they were much grieved, and four of the monks were appointed to go in search of him. For seven years they searched without finding a trace, and then dis- covered the writing on the rock : " Here Maurilius, bishop of Angers, embarked. Quasimodo, a.d. 412." Hope dawned ; they embarked for England, and had a capital passage ; but as they ran through the sea, a fish leaped on deck, was caught, apd prepared for dinner. As it was opened, the keys of the relics, labelled, were found in it. The monks first thought the bishop had been drowned, but an angel told them in a vision he was alive, and they would find him when they came ashore. Immediately they alighted, the angel guided them to the gentleman's garden, and there they discovered the lost bishop. Maurilius told them of his loss, and said he had made a vow never to return till he had found the lost keys. The monks then produced the keys, and informed the bishop how they had come by them. Maurilius, no longer doubt- ing God's will, ac(juiesced in their desire. When he had again embarked, an angel appeared to him, and said, " Mauriliup return to your people, and in reward c your virtues God will restore to life th infant that died seven years ago un baptized." The first thing the bishoj did when he reached Angers was to go to the grave of this infant, and lo ! it revived, and received the name of Ren^ (bom again). — Acta Sanctorum (Bollan- dists), Sept. 13. Fishes, called by St. Peter Gor/jalez, came and gave themselves up to supply his table (a.d. 1190-1248). St. Peter Gon- zalez built several religious houses, and was often at a loss to find food for the numerous workmen. On such occasions it was his wont to go to the nearest river, and tell the fishes, who immediately threw themselves on the banks in great numbers, and offered themselves volun- tarily to death. — Acta Sanctorum (Bol- landists), vol. ii. April 15. A bell found in a fish given to St. Paul, bishop of Leon (a.d. 492-673). St. Paul, bishop of Leon, requested king Mark to give him a certain bell, but his demand was refused. Not long afterwards, being in the mansion of the count de Witur, a person made him a present of the head of a very fine fish. On preparing it for dinner, the very bell which the king had refused him was found in the fish, and is still preserved in the cathedral of Leon. It is quadrangular, but the sides are not all the same size, two being large, and two smaller. It is nine inches in height, and seems to have been beaten into shape by a hammer. The metal of which it is made is a mixture of copper and silver. Miraculous virtues are attributed to this bell. — Lobineau, Lives of the Saints of Brittany ; and for description of the bell see Antiquites de la Bretagne, Finisterre, pt. i. PolycrateSy tyrant of Samos, recovers a ring from the sea. Polycrates was so prosperous in all things, that Amias advised him to part with some treasure dearly cherished in order to avert iL fortune. Accordingly, the king rowed into the open sea, and, pulling off a very valuable emerald signet-ring, threw i* into the sea. The following week a fisher- man presented the king with a fish o, extraordinary size, and, on opening it there was the signet-ring. Polycrates thinking the circumstance of sufficient importance, and a memorable instance of divine interposition, wrote an account of it, and sent his narrative to Egypt. Herodotus, the Greek historian, was told 144 FLOWERS AND FRUITS FROM PARADISE. rpr.i. it in Egypt, and from him it has conie down to our knowledge. — Herodotus, History^ iii. 40. A cooked fish reproves Theodoric for murder (a.d. 626). Theodoric, suspicious of treason, and *' blinded by heresy," put to death Boethius and Symmachus, two illustrious senators. Then, seizing upon pope John, he shut him in prison, and starved him to death. He then made a Jew his chief minister, and filled all the churches with Arians. Scarcely was this done, when, like Arius, he was aflflicted with a bloody flux, and Procopius, the historian, says the officers of Theodoric happened* to serve him one day with a cod's head and shoulders. Theodoric was terribly frightened. Nothing would persuade him that the cod's head was not the head of the senator Symmachus. He thought he saw the fish bite its lip, and glare at him furiously. He shuddered with fright, and was carried up to bed, trembling from head to foot. His phy- sician was sent for, and found him crying like a child for the death of Symmachus and Boethius. — See Liber Fontificalis. A crab briiigs to Francis Aavier his crucifix. As Francis Xarier was sailing from Ambionum, a city of the Molucca islands, to Baranula, he was overtaken with a storm, which threatened to wreck the vessel in which he sailed. Xavier took from his neck his crucifix, and held it in the raging sea in order to still the billows, but as tJtie vessel lurched suddenly, he dropped it in the water. The ship next d^ arrived safely at Baranula ; and when Xavier went ashore, a great crab leaped out of the sea, carrying the crucifix "devoutly, and in an upright direction between its fins." The crab made its way direct to Xavier, delivered to him the crucifix, and returned to the sea. Xavier was unspeakably thankful, and crossing his arms, he fell prostrate on the ground, where he remained for half an hour in devout prayer. — Cardinal de Months speech before Gregory XV, ^ on the canonization of Francis Aaviery Jan. 19, 1622. Flowers and Fruits from Para- dise. (See Celibacy.) Gen. ii 8, 9. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there put He the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasai^t to the sight and good for food. Luke xxiii. 43. Jesus on the cross said to the penitent thief, This day shalt thou be with lie in paradise [or the garden]. The Virgin Mary brings flowers from paradise to Sister Benedicta (a.d. 164S- 1718). Some workmen volunteered to dress the vineyard of Sister Benedicta's mother, who was very poor. The Virgin Mry filled the apron of Benedicta with roses from paradise, to distribute to these workmen in reward of their neigh- bourly kindness. There can be no doubt that the roses came from paradise, in- asmuch as it was only the middle of March, when there were no roses in the alpine climate of the Valley of the Lake (Laus, 2 syL). — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. V. p. 226. (Mgr. Barnadou, bishop of Gap. is collecting such data as these to effect the canoaization of Sister Benedicta, 1884J Theophilus the lawyer receives flowers and fruits from paradise (a.d. 304). As St. Dorothy of Cesarea, in Cappadocia, was led to execution, Theophilus, a lawyer, who had been present at her examination, and heard her say to the judge, " I thank thee, for this day shall I be with my spouse in paradise," cried in ridicule, "Going to paradise, Dorothy? Well, send me some of its fruits and flowers ; good-bye." " Gladly, Theo- philus," said the martyr, *'will I do what you request." She then knelt in prayer, and forthwith appeared a child, some four years old, who had in a cloth three different fruits, and three magnifi- cent roses. " Take these," said Dorothy to the child, **to Theophilus, and say here are the fruits and flowers from paradise which you asked for." And so saying, her head fell to the sword of the executioner. In the mean time Theophilus was telling his companions of his joke, and the maiden's answer. The laugh was loud, and the pleasantry applauded up- roariously, when ths child entered with the fruits and flowers. Going up straight to Theophilus, he said, "These are the fruits and flowers you asked the holy Dorothy to send you. I have brought them at her request from the garden of her divine spouse." So saying, the child vanished. Theophilus was amazed, and was at once convinced that the God of Dorothy is the only true God. The lawyer's boon companions tried to laugh him out of his conviction, but Theophilus replied, " It is midwinter. There are no fruits and flowers like these in February. Our gardens are barren, and our fruit trees leafless." The evidence was too strong to be gainsaid, and spoke irresist- Pr.LJ FOOD MULTIPLIED: AGNES— BRIGIT. 145 ibly to the lawyer. Nothing could shake him, and, being accused before the j udge of being a convert to the new religion, he witnessed a good confession and died a aartyr's death. — Acta Sanctorum (Bol- jtndus). Food multiplied and repro- duced. (See Elijah and the Widow, etc.) Matt. xir. 15-21. When it was evening, the disciples said to Jesus, This is a desert place, and the time is now past ; send the multitude •way, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said to the disciples. They need not depart ; give ye them to eat. The disciples say unto Him, We have here but five loaves, and two tishes. Jesus said, Bring them hither to Me. And He commanded th« multitude to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fishes, and blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to His disciples, and His disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled : and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (The total would not be less than fifteen thousand altogether.) Matt. xv. 32-38. Jesus called His disciples unto Him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because th y have been with Me three days, and have nothing to eat. His dis- ciples say to Him, Whence should we buy bread in the wilderness, to fill so great a multi- tude? Jesus saith to them. How many loaves have ye? And they said. Seven, and a few fishes. And Jesus commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And all did eat, and were filled. And they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children. (The total would not be less than twelve thousand altogether.) 2 Kings iv. 42-44. There came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought Elisha twenty loaves of barlej' ; and Elisha said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. And the servitor said, What ! should I set this before a hundred men ? Elisha said again. Give the people, that they may eat : for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. So the servitor set the food before the people, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord. (See St. Claka, p. 146.) 2 Kings iv. 1-7. A widow, being in debt, told Elisha that her creditors had threatened to sell her and her children to satisfy their claims. Elisha asked the woman what she had in the house. Nothing, she replied, save & little oil in a pot. Go, said the propnet to her, and borrow vessels of all thy neighbours, empty vessels, not a few. And she did so. . , . Pour 7 off thy oil now into all these vessels till tbey are full. And she did so. Now, said the prophet, go, sell the oil ; and when thou hast paid thy debts, live thou and thy children on the rest. St. Agnes supplies bread, and causes it to multiply (a.d. 1274—1317). St. Agnes built a convent on Mount Pulciano, where twenty sisters lived. For three days the house was wholly without food, and Agnes said, " blessed Saviour, tender Father, O my everlasting Spouse, at Thy command have I built this house, and wilt Thou leave Thy servants to die here for want of bread? Good Master, give us food, or we perish. Send us five loaves of bread. Our wants are not great, but great is Thy power, and infinite Thy love." One of the sisters now entered the cell, and Agnes told her to go into the tower, and bring out the bread which Christ had just sent. When the bread was set on the table, it multiplied as fast as it was eaten, and supplied the whol« convent for many days. — La Vierge de Sienne, Dialogue 149. St, Austregisilf bishop of Bourges, multi' plies wine (a.d. 551-624). One vintage St. Austregisil went into the cellar of the monastery of the Chateau k Bourges to examine the vats, and take a register of their contents. He found all the tubs full, except one which held twenty gallons ; this tub had a pint or so in it, but not more. St. Austregisil, making on it the sign of the cross, passed on. Next day the cellarer, on going into the vault, observed that the aforesaid cask was full to over- flowing, and informed Austregisil ; but the saint told the cellarer not to talk about the matter, for it was God's doing. Another instance. On another occasion St. Austregisil, being in Geneva, saw on the borders of the lake a chapel half in ruins. There was neither priest nor clerk, guardian nor any other person to say mass there. The doors of the chapel weie wide open, but the sacristy was fast locked. Austregisil bade his reader go and fetch some water ; but the reader, being unable to find any, returned to the chapel, when he beheld the sacristy door open, and the bishop saying mass. Two cups were on the altar table, one of water and the other of wine. — Legendes du Berry. St. Brigit of Kildare causes a cow to give three pailfuls of milk (a.d. 430-523 ) . St. Brigit on one occasion was visited by several bishops, but had no food to give them. She sent to milk a cow which had been already milked twice that same day, 146 FOOD MULTIPLIED: CLARA-JOHN FRANCIS. [Pt. L bu; now gave freely milk enough to fill three large pails. Pilgrimages are made to Hamay, in Belgium, by cowkeepers, in honour of this saint, that their cows may be prolific. The peasants of Fosses, in the diocese of Namur, are accustomed, on Feb. 1, every year, " benir des baguettes avec lesqu^^lles on touche les vaches malades p^^r les gu^rir." — Mgr. Gudrin, Vies des Saintes, voL ii. pp. 186, 187. St. Clara feeds fifty nuns with half a loaf of bread. On one occasion there happened to be in the nunnery over which St. Clara presided only a single loaf of bread, and no other food whatever, for the fifty nuns. St. Clara ordered the loaf to be divided into two equal parts, one of which was given in alms to the begging friars. When dinner-time arrived, the fifty nuns took their seats, and St. Clara, holding the half-loaf in her hands, blessed and broke it. The broken bread was then handed to the nuns, and all ate thereof and were filled, declaring that they had never enjoyed so good a meal in all their lives. — Life of St. Clara (written by command of pope Alexander V.). See 2 Kings iv. 42-44. St. Euthymius multiplies food to feed four hundred Armenians (a.d. 376-473). One day four hundred Armenians, who had lost their way, came to the monaster}' of St. Euthymius and craved food. There was not at the time food enough in the monaster}' to last the usual inmates a single day ; but Euthymius ordered food to be set at once before the travellers. When the monks, in obedience to this order, opened the larder, it was literally piled up to the very ceiling with food ; indeed, so fall was it, they found it hard to open the door. The wine and oil were similarly multiplied, so that after the four hundred strangers had made a hearty meal, there was left a large store of provisions for the use of the monks. — Cyrillus, Life of St. Euthymius, (See also Surius, and the annotations of Bollandus.) St. Francis of Paula feeds forty soldiers with two small loaves and one pint of wine. Ferdinand L, king of Naples, sent a captain with forty soldiers to arrest St. Francis of Paula. When the officer came into the presence of the saint, he was so awe-struck that he fell at his feet and craved pardon. St. Francis ordered a collation to be Mt before the captain and his band. There were but two small loaves and a single pint of wine at hand ; but St. Francis blessed them, and there was not only enough to satisfy forty-ont hearty soldiers, who ate and drank most liberally, but at the close there was more bread and wine left than there wa« before the meal began. — Father Giry, Acts of Canonization^ etc. St. Francis of Paula feeds nine men for three dai/s with a morsel of bread (a.d. 1416-1507). When St. Francis of Paula was on his way to Sicily, he miraculously fed nine persons for three days with a little piece of bread left in the wallet of one of the travellers. — Father Giry, Act$ of Canonization^ etc. St. Gerard reproduces the loaves he had given away (a.d. 994). St. Gerard retired to his cabinet just before dinner to pray, according to his usual custom. While there he heard the voice of beggars asking for bread ; and, going into th<» refectory, took three loaves oft' the table, and handed them to the beggars through the window. When he came to dinner he saw the three loaves had been re- placed, and asked the steward who had done it. The man protested that no on«. had touched the table since it was laid, and that no bread had been replaced at all. When Gerard told the steward he had given three of the loaves to some beggars, the steward replied, then God must have replaced them, for he was 2uite certain no one in the house had one so. — Father Benedict, Life of St. Gerard (1700). The testimony of thU steward b not worth much, for he evidently did not know Umt Gerard bad taken three loaves off the table. •»• A somewhat similar Incident is told of All>ert d'Ogna In 1279. One day he gave everything on the dinner-table, provided for himself and family, to some beggars. His wife was very angry ; but, on going into the dining-room, she found the table refurnished with every- thing afresh.— il eta Sanctorum (Bollandists), May 13. WTwat multiplied by St. John Francis Regis (a.d. 1597-1640). St. John Francis Regis, the Jesuit, kept a granary of wheat for distribution to the poor, and placed it under the charge of Margaret Baud. One day Margaret announced that the granary was quite empty, but St. Regis, notwithstanding, sent a poor woman, who had a large family, with an order for wheat. Margaret, surprised at this, went and told St. Regis the chamber wan quite empty, insomuch that it would not be possible to scrape together so much as a handful of com, much less a pokeful, •*Go," said Regis, *'and fill the poke which this poor woman has brought.'* Margaret persisted there was not a (Tain left. "Do as I bid you," said Pt. I.] FOOD MULTIPLIED: GRANDE— ISIDORE. 14/ Regis. So she went to the granary, and, to her utter amazement, found it full of wheat even to the ceiling. This miracle was repeated several times afterwards. — Father Daubenton (Jesuit), Life of St, John Francis Regis, Food placed by John Grande before an image of the Virgin multiplied (a.d. 1546- 1600). In 1579 a dreadful famine oc- curred in Spain ; bread failed, and the distress was frightful. John Grande was at Xeres, and exerted himself nobly in rendering assistance to the starving people; but so many presented them- selves that all his resources were at length exhausted, Man's extremity is God's opportunity. John Grandd put a small piece of bread and meat before the image of the Virgin, and from that moment the more he gave the more he had to give. Neither bread \ot meat failed him so long as the famine lasted. - ~Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. vi. p. 437. Guilberty founder of the congregation of Vallombrosa^ creates pike for the entertain- ment of Leo IX, (A.D. 1049). While pope Leo IX. was visiting the Churches, he told Guilbert, founder of the con- gregation of Vallombrosa, he should dine with him in his monastery of Passigno. Guilbert found there was no fish, so he told two of the novices to cast their lines in the neighbouring lake and get some. The novices replied, " There are no fish at all in the lake ; " but the abbot rebuked them, saying it was not their place to rejionstrate, but to obey. So they went to the lake, and presently returned, bringing with them two magnificent pike, which amply s'lpplied the pope and all his retinue. — Wibert, Life of St. Leo IX., bk. ii. 8t, Bermeland multiplies wine (a.d. 718). The count of Nantes et Rennes, doubting the miraculous powers of St. Hermeland, resolved to put them to the proof. So he called on the saint, and St. Hermeland, by his benediction only, multiplied a sip of wine presented to the count in a glass, and obliged him by this miracle to throw himself at the saint's feet and beg his pardon. After that, the count listened with more attention to the ghostly instructions of the saint. Another instance. While on a visit at Coutances, in Normandy, a rich in- nabitant of the place, named Laun^, received the saint under his roof. There was only one pint of wine in the house, but St. Hermeland gave of it to a large multitude of persons who had assembled on all sides to see him. Hundreds and hundreds drank of this wine, and still it failed not ; yea, after all had drunk and were satisfied, there was more left in the vessel than at first. — Bulteau, History of the Monks of the East, bk. i. ch. 37. St, Hermeland produces a lamprey which feeds a whole monastery (a.d. 718), While St. Hermeland was at Aindrette on the Loire, a monk spoke to him of a little fish, called a lamprey, which he had seen in the bishop's palace at Nantes. Says St. Hermeland, *' Do you suppose that God cannot send such fish here ? " And while he was speaking a lamprey jumped out of the Loire, and threw itself on the bank close by the monk. St. Herme- land divided it into three pieces ; one he kept for himself, and the other two he sent to the monastery, and they sufficed to feed all the brothers there assembled. — Bulteau, History of the Monks of the East, bk. i. ch. ai. St. Hilarion feeds three thousand with a hundred measures of grapes, and has three hundred measures left, St. Hilarion, visiting his monasteries, came to one which was occupied by a very miserly man. This vineyard was attached to a monastery, and the tenant had placed watchmen in it to keep out the crowd. St. Hilarion, passing by this vineyard, went into another, and the crowd followed him. The saint blessed the vineyard, and the multitude ate. This vineyard usually yielded a hundred measures of wine annually, but this year, when about three thousand persons had eaten of the grapes as much as they wished, it yielded, within twenty days, more than three hundred measures of wine. The other vineyard yielded much less than usual, and the fruit it bore did not ripen, so that the grapes thereof were sour. — St. Jerome (a.d, 399), Vita St. Hilarionis, See also Nicephorus Callistus (died 1350), Ecclesiastical History. St. Isidore feeds a great crowd with the portion of food set aside for himself. One night St. Isidore returned home later than usual, because he had entered a church on his way to pray there. When he reached the homestead of farmer Vargas, for whom he worked, supper was over, but a small portion had been set aside for him. Isidore took it to the door, where a great crowd of poor people and pilgrims was assembled, dis- tributed to each as much as he would, and alJ went away filled and fully satisfied^ so greatly had the food been 148 FOOD MULTIPLIED: ISIDORR-NICTTOLAS. [Pt. I. multiplied. — From the Spanish Life of 8t, Isidore, Another example. St. Isidore joined the confraternity of the Rosary of Our Blessed Lady, where, on certain days, a distribution of bread and wine was made to the "sodales." Isidore always gave his quota to the poor. On one occasion it was larger than usual, so he invited all the poor round about to come and receive his dole of bread and wine. Above three hundred assembled ; and, as he distributed, the bread and wine kept multiplying, so that all the three hundred were filled ; and as they, returned home, they blessed God for His miraculous liberality. The llfo of St Isidore Is vouched for bj the highest possible authority, and the version used in these extracts is a translation printed at Brussels, June 18, 1626. by John Heigtiam, by letters of authorization from Philip, king of Castile and Ara^on, countersigned by his minister. Da Groote. St. John Baptist de la Conception multiplies food (1561-1613). St. John Baptist de la Conception was head of the reformed Trinitarians in the new convent of Val de Pegnas. On one occasion, being wholly without food, a gift of twelve loaves was sent to the convent. Ten of these he gave to the poor, leaving only two for the convent, which con- tained some hundreds of inmates. He commanded the steward to break the two loaves into small pieces and hand round. All made a hearty repast, and there remained over and above sufficient for the evening meal. On another occasion, being without food of any kind, the saint told the inmates they must perforce observe the day as a veritable fast. As he spoke two young men knocked at the gate, and gave in food of divers kinds '* truly appetizing." When the porter demanded from whom the gift came, the young men made answer, "Take, take, and give God thanks." So saying, they de- parted, and were no more seen. — Godes- card,- Vie des Sainies (continued by Darras). St, Jordanus feeds some fifty persons with two small loaves (a.d. 1237). St. Jordanus of Saxony on one occasion went to the village of Ursace, in the Alps, in company with two brothers and a secular clerk. Hungry and tired, thej' entered the village inn, and asked for something to eat. Mine host informed them he nad nothing in the house but two small loaves, which he required for his own family. St. Jordanus requested the man to bring what he had, and mI before them. He then invited the pooi of the neighbourhood to come to the inn, and soon thirty poor folks gathered before the door. The host remonstrated ; said it would not be possible to get food in that place ; and wanted to send the poor away. But St. Jordanus distributed the bread first to the thirty poor folks, till all were filled ; then to his throe companions, till they were satisfied ; then to the host and all his house ; and lastly to himself. Mine host was stupefied, and exclaimed, *' This man is a saint." — Acta Sanctorum, (Bollandus), vol. ii. Feb. St. Julian, bishop ofCuenga, miraculousli/ supplied with fooa {a.d. 1207). St. Julian, bishop of Cuen9a, used daily to give dinner to a large number of paupers, and God used to multiply his food mira- culously to enable him to continue his charities. Sometimes he would find the com in his granaries multiplied, especially in times of scarcity. On one occasion, having exhausted his provisions, a long train of mules, without a single driver, stood at his gates. Each mule was laden with corn, and, after being unloaded, departed, no one knows whither. As there was no driver, there was no one to pay, and St. Julian felt persuaded that the gift came from God. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandus), Jan. 28. St. Maur multiples wine to supply gv£sts with it (a.d. 512-684). On one occasion St. Maur had to entertain unexpectedly the archdeacon of Angers and more than sixty strangers. He had no wine in the house, except a few drops in a bottle ; but these few drops he multiplied so abundantly that all his guests had as much as they desired, and more was left than the original quantity. Faustus (a companion of St. Maur), Life of St. Maur, St. Maidoc of Ferns reproduces six sheepf eaten by wolves (a.d. 632). On one occasion St. Maidoc fed six hungry wolves with six fat sheep, and then reproduced the sheep in their former state of life and fatness. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan. 31. Baring-Crould apologizes for the prodigies set down to St Maidoc, saying '* they are incredible ; " but he ought to have told us where to draw the line between credibl* and incredible miracles. St. Nicholas levies corn, and the levies are miraculously restored. During a great dearth in Lycia, St. Nicholas induced every ship laden with com on its way to Constantinople to give him a FOOD MULTIPLIED: ODILO—THEODOSIUS. Pr. I.] hundred measures of the wheat (= four sacks), under promise that when the ship reached the docks the crew would find the gift replaced. With this volun- tary levy, St. Nicholas kept the Lycians well supplied with food ; for not only were the hundred measures miraculously restored to the various ships, but the quantity given was always miraculously increased according to the necessities of the people. There never was too little, and there never was too much. (See Exod. xvi. 17, 18.) — Metaphrastes (died 911), Lives J etc. St. Odilo, bishop of Cluny, feeds a large number of visitors with a little fish (a.d. 962-1049). One day St. Odilo was in St. Martin's monastery when an unusual number of visitors arrived, and there was nothing in the house to eat except a little fish. Odilo caused it to come to pass that this little fish supplied a bountiful meal to all the guests, all the inmates of the house, and all the poor who came for alms. Another instance. On another occasion he ordered that a number of travellers, who unexpectedly arrived at the monas- tery of Orval, should be served with the wine and food provided for the inmates. This was done, and though the hungry and thirsty travellers ate and drank to their hearts' content, yet the refection was not diminished, so that the wine- bottles and dishes seemed as if they had not been touched. — Acta Sanctorum (Bol- landus), vol. i. Jan. 1. St. Richard^ bishop of Chichester, feeds three thousand poor folk with one loaf of bread (a.d. 1253). One day St. Richard, bishop of Chichester, distributing a single loaf of bread, all that he had, satisfied therewith three thousand hungrj' paupers, and after a hearty meal there was enough left to feed a hundred more. His bio- grapher says he frequently multiplied food in a similar way. — J. Capprave, Legends of England. St. Sortis, from three ripe grapes, makes three barrels of wine (a.d. 600-580). Gontran, kin^ of Burgundy, with a large following went to Aquitaine, in the pro- vince of Perigord, to be cured by St. Sorus of leprosy. After the cure was effected, the saint invited the king and all his suite to a repast, and told his steward to spread a table suitable to such honoured guests. The steward told St. Sorus there was no wine, and that none could be procured in time. ** Well," •aid he, " what of that ? the hand of the 149 Lord is not shortened. Go into the vine- yard, and you will find three grapes plump and ripe; pluck them, and bring them to me." The steward did as he was bidden, and brought to the hermit the three grapes. "Now," said the saint, *' bring hither three empty barrels, and squeeze the three grapes into the three barrels." This did he, and the barrels overflowed with most excellent wine. When the table was laid, the king and his courtiers commended the wine, greatly enjoyed the food set before them, and praised the hospitality of the hermit. King Gontran, to show his gratitude, built a monastery for poor travellers, which he endowed right royally, and placed under the charge of his saintly host. The monastery was built, endowed with immense revenues, and provided with everything necessary both within and without; for when kings acknowledge a benefit received, they acknowledge it like kings. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol, ii. p. 194. St. Theresa d'Avila multiplies food (a.d. 1515-1582). St. Theresa of Avila, founder of the barefooted Carmelites, found that the flour in her convent of Villeneuve would not last above a month longer, so she multiplied it into enough to last the whole community for six months, and at the end of that time there was more left than the original quantity. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. xii. p. 375. St. Tlieodosius the Coenobiarch feeds thousands in a famine (a.d. 423-529). During a great famine the monastery over which Theodosius presided was so crowded, that the porters closed the doors, and refused any further admittance. Still throngs crowded round the doors, craving bread. St. Theodosius ordered food to be distributed daily to all who applied for it, and God provided that the food given was as rapidly replenished. On the feast of the Virgin, the number of applicants was many thousands, but food was given to them all, as much as they liked ; and after all had eaten and were filled, each took away as much as could be carried. It was a veritable repetition of our Saviour's miracle in the desert, when with five small loaves and two fishes He fed five thousand men besides women and children ; or with seven loaves and a few fishes He fed four thousand men besides women and children. — The Romnn Marty rology. (Cave tells us this life was written by Theodore, bishop of Pera.) 160 GARMENT TOUCHED: AMBROSE— AQUINAS. [Pt. L Another example. One day St. Theo- dosius and several of his disciples called on Marcian, a monk, and asked him to «et food before them. Marcian brought forth a plate of lentils, and said he had no bread in the cell. St. Theodosius, observing a small crumb of bread on the monk's habit, said, *' How say you, brother, there is no bread in the cell ? " and handed him the crumb. The monk took it in his hand and carried it to the larder, whereupon it became bread suf- ficient to set before his guests ; and next day it had so multiplied that it filled the larder and ran out through the door in fjreat abundance. — Acta Sanctorum (Bol- andus), vol. i. Jan. 1. Food multiplied by St, Vincent Ferrier (a.d. 1357-1419). Time would fail us if we told of the sick folk healed by St. Vincent Ferrier, the blind he gave sight to, the deaf he gave hearing to, the dumb he gave speech to, the women he relieved from the pains of childbirth, the palsied he restored to strength, and the dead he raised to life ; but we must not •mit to mention that many a time and oft he multiplied bread and wine so prodigiously as to supply two thousand, four thousand, and even six thousand persons with a single loaf of bread and a single pint of wine ; and after the multitude had eaten and drunk to satiety, ^e residve left was manifold more than the original quantity. This shows us that even our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ **n'opfere pas de moindres miracles par ses serviteurs que ceux qu'il a faits par lui-meme." — R. P. Pradel, Vie du Saint Vincent Ferrier, An incident mentioned by Raymond, the oonfenor of Bt Catiierine of Siena, on tiie life of tliat saint, will explain some of the "miracles" of the multiplication or supply of food. He says. "One day SL Catherine went to visit a poor widow woman confined to her bed, and moved to compassion by her extreme poverty determined to supply food without being seen or known. She filled her lap, loaded her shoulders, and her hands, with wine, corn, and oil, to the p-mount of a hundred pounds. On opening the cottage door one of the bags fell from her shoulder and woke the woman, who caught sight of Catherine's robe as she ran off. and recognized her." Had this not been the case, the food would have been put down to a miraculous supply instead of a secret private charity. Garment touched or touching. Matt, ix, 20, 21. A woman which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve yeai« came behind Jesus, and touched the hem of Uis garment; for she said within herself, If I may but touch His garment I shall be whole. (See Numb, xv. 38, 39.) Matt. xiv. 36. All the country of Genne- saret went to see Jesus, and brought to him •'1 ^hat were diseased, and besought Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment; and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. Acts xix, 11, 12. God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul : so that from his body were brought unto the sick hand- kerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and evil spirits went out of them. A paralytic cured by kissing the hem of St. Ambrose's garment. When St. Ambrose, at his sister's request, went to visit a great lady, he saw, sitting on a chair, a palsied woman. His sister called his attention to her, and as he approached the chair the paralytic kissed the hem of his garment, and was instantly made whole. — F&nl the deacon, Life of St. Ambrose, The touch of St. Angelus's cope restores a child to life (a.d. 1225). St. Angelus, at the age of twenty-six, went to Jerusalem to take priest's orders, and while there, a woman brought her dead son to him, laid the body at his feet, and implored him to restore it to life. Angelus resisted for a time, saying he was too young and too unworthy to ask so great a favour of God ; but the woman persisted, and the young priest yielded to her importunity. He threw his cope over the child, and as he prayed, the child returned to life, publishing abroad the glory of the Almighty and the merits of the young priest.— Z^s Fetits BollandisteSy vol. v. pp. 342, 343. A demoniac cured as soon as the garment of St. Antony of Padua touched him (a.d. 1195-1231). St. Antony of Padua was called to see a brother monk who was ill ; he was screaming horribly, laughing, and tossing himself about. It occurred to St. Antony that the man was possessed, so he threw his mantle over him. Immedi- ately the garment touched the demoniac, the devil left him, and he was cured. Another instance. When St. Antony was in the abbey of Solignac, one of the inmates, tormented by the devil, prayed him to intercede on his behalf. St. Antony took off his cloak and put it on the shoulders of the demoniac ; where- upon the impure spirit departed, and never returned again. — L'abbe' Guyard, Life of St. Antony of Padua, A woman with a bloody flux healed by touching the hem of Aquinas's garment, William of Tocco tells us, that while Thomas Aquinas was coming out of St. Peter's church on Easter Sunday, a woman who was diseased of a bloody flux came behind, and touched the hem of hU Ft, 1.] GARMENT TOUCHED : BERNARDIN— JOHN JOSEPH. IM garment. No sooner had she done so Sian she was entirely cured. Alban Butler repeats this tradition as not too extravagant even for his expurgated calendar of saints (March 7). A woman healed by touching the garment of St, Bernardin (1380-1444). A woman, suffering from a sore which was pro- nounced by physicians incurable, touched the edge of the garment of St. Bernardin, and was instantly made whole. Another instance. St. Bernardin gave a pair of his shoes to a poor leper, and immediately the leper put them on, his leprosy left him, and he became as well as if he had never been afflicted. — Barnaby of Siena (a contemporary), Life of St. Bernardin. St, Charles Borromeo^s cloak cures Sister Candida of a disease pronounced\to be in- curable (the day of St. Peter and St. Paul, 1601). Sister Candida, of the con- vent of the Capucinesses, in Milan, had been sick for three years, and her disease was pronounced to be incurable. After receiving the " last sacrament," she made a vow to St. Charles Borromeo, and bade her attendants lay over her the deceased saint's gown, which he was accustomed to wear in his private cell. Immediately the gown touched the invalid she recovered, rose out of bed, and carried the gown in her own hands back to the church. This miracle is attested by all the sisters of the convent, and filled them with amaze- ment. — Francis Penia, Abridgment of the Life of St. Charles Borromeo. St. Giles's cloak cures a sick beggar. One day St. Giles saw in the street a sick man, who asked alms of him. St. Giles replied, '* Silver and gold have I none ; but such as I have, give I unto thee." So saying, he stripped off his outer garment and gave it to the beggar. No sooner had the beggar put on the cloak than he was entirely cured of his infirmity. — Gilbertus (bishop of Carnotum), Life of St. Giles. St. Gregory's rochet kills a Jew (a.d. 26 1) . Two Jews plotted together to over- reach St. Gregory (Thaumaturgus), whom they saw approaching. One laid himself on the ground, pretending to be dead, and the other pretended to be bewailing tb« sudden death of his companion. Wxion St. Gregory came up, the "live" man said to him, " O man of God, help me in my misery. This my companion has just fallen down dead, and I have nothing to wrap him in." St. Gregory, taking off his rochet, laid it over the man on the ground, and went his way. " Come along, old fellow," said the other Jew; "up with you ; the man is gone, and we have not made a bad market ; " but his com- panion stirred not. " Up, I say ; no one is near, let us be off," persisted the "living" Jew. Still his companion answered not a word. In fact, he was dead. He died the moment the rochet touched him. Likt Ananias and Sapphira, he consented to a lie, and the judgment of the Lord was upon him. — St. Gregory of Nyssa, Life of St. Gregory Thauma- turgus. A leper healed by the touch of St, Hugh's cloak (A.D. 1024-1109). St. Hugh, abbot of Cluny, went one day to visit the monasteries of Gascony, and saw on the road a leper. This leper was once very rich and of excellent social standing, but he fled from society, and buried himself in solitude. Hugh entered his cabin, spoke kindly to him, and throwing his cloak over the man's shoulders, the leprosy left him. — Lorain, History of the Abbey of Cluny. Two children cured by being touched with a rag cut from the garment of John Francis Regis, the Jesuit (a.d. 15»7-1640). A woman of Marlhes, seeing the garment of St. Regis in holes, asked to be allowed to mend it ; to which the saint readily assented. The woman had two sick children at the time ; one was ill of dropsy, and the other of scarlet fever. She laid on each child a piece cut from the garment which she had repaired, and immediately both the children were restored to perfect health. — Father Dau- benton (Jesuit), Life of St, John Francis Regis, Touching the garment of St. John Joseph sanative (a.d. 1664-1734). Car- dinal Wiseman says many were healed by merely touching the garments of St. John Joseph of the Cross, and many by touching St. John Joseph. For example, the mother of a madman held his mantk before her son, and the madman instantly leaped out of the window into the street. Every one expected he would have been crushed to death, for the window was in an upper story ; but not only was he uninjurea, he was actually restored to his right mind. Again. Casimir Avellon healed his wife of spasms in the shoulders, whicii had resisted all the remedies hitherto tried, by simplj placing on the part affected a small piece of one of the gar- ments of St. John Joseph. 152 GARMENT TOUCHED— GATES OPEN. [Pt. 1. A lady suffering from neuralgia in the head was cured by touching the saint's hands. Similarly a blind man was cured, and an infant of three years old who was a cripple. — ^Migne, Demonstrations Evaiv- g^iquesy vol. xvi. A demoniac cured by touching the hem of St, Lubin's garment (a.d. 557). Among the many miracles wrought by St. Lubin, bishop of Chartres, we are told that a damsel, possessed of an evil spirit, was delivered b}'^ touching the hem of his garment. — Dupre', Saints de Blois. A bloody flux staunched by touching the garment of St. Pacomius (a.d. 292-348). A woman, afflicted with a bloody flux, induced a monk to permit her to stand in the church where she could touch St. Pacomius when he went to the altar. As the abbot passed bj^ the woman touched the hem of his garment, and was instantly made whole. — His life by one of the monks of Tabenna, a contemporary, A woman with a cancer cured by touching the garment of St. Theodositts the Cceno^ hiarch (a.d. 423-529). One day, when St. Theodosius the Coenobiarch was preaching in the church of Jerusalem, a woman with a horrible cancer waited for him outside the church ; for she said within herself, *• If I can but touch his garment I shall be made whole." When St. Theodosius passed by the woman, she touched his garment, and straightway was made whole. — The Roman Martyrology. (Cave says the life of St. Theodosius in this martyrology was written by Theodore, bishop of Pera.) A woman cured of ague by her beads, which had touched against the tomb of St, Alfonso Bodriquez (a.d. 1526-1617). Some four days after the death of St. Alfonso Rodriquez, a woman sick of an ague sent her son, a boy of seven years old, to touch the tomb of the saint with her beads. The boy having done so, took the beads to his mother ; and the woman placing them round her neck, the fever left her. She lived many years afterwards, and enjoyed far better health than she had before. — Michael Julian, Life of St. Alfonso Rodriquez. A piece of the cassock of St. Alfonso Rodriquez cures an issue of blood (a.d. ^.526-1617). Two days after the death of St. Alfonso Rodriquez, there came a woman afflicted with an issue of blood, whose life was despaired of, insomuch that a father had been sent for to assist at her expected death. Before the father arrived, a piece of the cassock of Alfonso Rodriquez was laid on her, and the moment it touched her, she cried out with a loud voice, "Praise be to God, I am cured ! " The flux was staunched, and the ague from which she was suffering left her. The woman lived after this miraculous cure for many years. — Michael Julian, Life of St, Alfonso Rodriquez, A cancer cured by a piece of the cloak of St. Alfonso Rodriquez (1526-1617). A woman suffering from cancer in the breast laid a piece of the cloak of St. Alfonso Rodriquez on the part affected. The moment the cloth totiched her, a stream of corrupt matter ran from the breast; the wound healed in two days ; and on the third day she had an abundance of pure milk to give her young babe. This miracle was sworn to by an eye- witness. — Michael Julian, Life of St. Alfonso Rodriquez. a holy father of the Society of Jesus tells us that dalljr at the tomb of this saint miracles were wrought, and if he attempted to particularize each one, he might adopt the laiiKuage of John the Evangelist, " 1 suppose that eren the world itself could not contain the boolcs that should be written ; " or, in otlier words, that the number of books which would he required for the purpose would exceed all the books then extant. Gates opening of their Own Accord. Acts xll. 10. When they were past the first and second ward, they came unto the Iron gate that leadeth unto the city, which opened to them ofits own accord. Acts xvI. 25, 26. At midnight Paul and Silas prayed . . . and suddenly there was a great earthquake . . . and all the doors wer« opened. T/ie gates of Paris open of their own accord to St. Genevieve, King Childeric had great respect for St. Genevifeve, and was unable to refuse her when she pre- ferred a petition. On one occasion, when the king was about to put to death a number of captives taken in war, he commanded the city gates to be closed, lest St. Genevifeve should come and inter- cede for their liberation. When the saint heard thereof, she hurried to the city, and, touching the gates, they instantly flew open to her, though they were both locked and bolted. Going at once to the king, she fell on her knees before him, and refused to rise till she obtained her petition. So the captives were released, and the deed of blood was stayed. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan., p. 60. For other examples conialt the index. Gehazi. 2 KiKOS f . 20-27 When Naaman was cored GEHAZI: PRESENTS TAMPERED WITH. Pr.L] of his leprosy he wanted to reward Elisha with gold and other gifts; but the prophet refused to take anything. Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, resolved to profit by his master's in- dependence, and ran after the Syrian captain. Baying, My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from Mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets : give them, 1 pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment. Naaman said. Be content, take two talents. So they beund for him two talents of silver in two bags, and sent two servants with him, bearing two changes of garments. Before they reached the tower, Gehazi took the garments himself, and sent the Syrian servants back again. When Gehazi showed himself to his master, Klisha said to him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi ? And Gehazi answered. Thy servant has been no whither ? Then said Elisha to him. Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee .? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments ? The leprosy therefoie of Naaman shall cleave unto thee and thy seed for ever. And Gehazi went out from the presence of Elisha a leper white aB snow. St. Benedict reproved one of his disciples for receivincj a present from some nuns (A.D. 480-543). One day, when St. Benedict was engaged on a missionary- tour, he sent one of his disciples to a nunnery to deliver the exhortation for him. The nuns hegged the monk to ac- cept some handkerchiefs which they had made, and he hid them in his bosom. On his return to the monastery, the patriarch met him, and said to him severely, "How is this, my brother, that you have suffered iniquity to enter into your bosom ? " The monk was amazed at this reproof, and could not at once tell what the saint referred to. " Was I not with 3'^ou when j'ou received the handkerchiefs which you hid in your bosom ? Is this the way you keep 3^our vows of poverty and obedi- ence ? " These words fell on the monk like a clap of thunder, and, falling at the feet of the abbot, he demanded penance, and threw away the handkerchiefs which had been given him. — St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues, bk. ii, John, the successor of St. Macarius, ap- propriated to himself the revenues of the abbey, and became a leper (fourth century). John succeeded Macarius, abbot of Alex- andria, A.D. 394. St. Macarius, knowing his great foible, had said to him, "Brother, your great temptation is avarice. Resist it, or be assured the lot of Gehazi will be yours also." Instead of profiting by this advice, as soon as Macarius was dead, and John succeeded to the abbacy, he appro- onated to himself the revenues which 153 belonged to the poor, and became a leper, covered with elephantiasis, " qu'on ne trouvait pas en tout son corps la largenr d'un doight qui n'en fut gate'." — Les Fetits Bollandiste. (1880), Jan. 2. A stolen bottle of wine converted into a serpent. A man of high condition sent St. Benedict two flagons of wine, but the valet stole one, and hid it under a tree. When he delivered the other at the abbey of Mount Cassino, the saint received it courteously, but said to the manservant, "On your return home, my man, don't forget the flagon under the tree ; but before you put it into your mouth, look well into it. Adieu." When the man picked up the flagon which he had stolen, and looked into it, instead of wir.e, he found therein a deadly asp. This miracle had such an effect on the young valet, that he turned monk, and St. Benedict called him " Brother Exhilaratus." — St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues, bk. ii. ch. 1. This "miracle" is repeated in the life of St. Dominic of Sora, about 540 years later. (See next two articles.) Stolen fish converted by St. Dominic into a serpent (a.d. 1031). A certain person sent to St. Dominic of Sora some fish, but the man charged with the commission stole part, and hid it under a tree. When he delivered the residue at the monastery, St. Dominic said to the man, "Don't forget the fish under the linden tree." When the man arrived at the spot, b<^ found, instead of a fish, a nest ol serpents, and fled in fear of his life. — Cardinal Alberic II., Life of St. Dominic of Sora ; also Acta Sanctorum, rol. iii. p. 56. (See the articles above and below.) Stolen bread and wine converted into poison and a serpent by St. Valery (a.d. 619). A pious lady sent by her son some food and wine to St. Valery of Luxeuil, but the lad hid a part, intending on his return to feast thereon. When he delivered the present to the saint, St. Valery said to him, " We thank God for the bounties sent by your hand ; but when you return home, my son, take care how you put to your mouth what you hid in coming, for the food is poisoned, and a serpent is in the flagon." When the lad reached the spot where he had secreted what he had purloined, the food was quite uneatable, and a snake had crept into the flagon. The boy in terror ran back to St. Valery, fell at his feet, and begged pardon for his offence. (See the two pre- ceding legends.) — Besan^on (1854), Lei Saints de Franche Comt^, 164 GIDEON'S STRATAGEM— GIFIS OF TONGUES [Ft. I. A thief y having stolen some millstones^ was punished by St, Leufredus (a.d. 738). A thief, having stolen some millstones from Leufredus's monastery, was taken by the saint before the ma^strate of the district. Here he behaved like a man beside himself, and called Leufredus a liar and a slanderer. Leufredus simply answered, " May God judge between thee and me ; " and at the selfsame hour all the teeth of the thief broke in his two jaws. As the leprosy of Gehazi was en- tailed on his posterity for ever, so were the broken teeth of this thief ; for, as the chamberlain of pope Leo XI IL says, *' toute sa posterity n'a point eu de dents." — Mgr Gudrin Vies des Saints^ vol. vii. p. 189. One could well wish to know the chamberlain's proof of this toothless entail. The occurrence " took place" In the diocese of Evreux, somewhere about A.D. 730, say eleTen hundred years ago. Does ^Igr, Gudrin know any of theM teethlesa creatures? and has he any proof whatever thai the race has been so for eleven hundred years? If so, the " miracle " might be regarded as aomething better than an old wives', tale. Gideon's Stratagem* Judo. vii. 16-28. When Gideon went against the allied Midianites and Amalekitcs, he selected three hundred men, which he divided into three companies, and told the men to conceal a lamp in a pitcher, and to take a trumpet. His scheme was to surprise the foe, and spread a panic among them. So Gideon with the three companies, at the beginning of the middle watch, stole towards the camp of the foe, and all of a sudden erery man blew his trumpet, brake the pitcher which concealed his lamp, and shouted, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon 1 The Midianites and their allies -ose in terror and" fled, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, so the overthrow was complete. Michael, king of the Bulgarians, subdues an army of rebels by wax candles (a.d. 866). The Bulgarians revolted, because Michael their king had forsaken the national faith, and became a Christian. Marching against the rebels, the king obtained an easy victory, by availing himself of a panic. The rebels either saw, or- thought they saw, seven clerks with wax candles setting fire to a house, and feared lest the burning house should fall upon them, and the king's cavalry trample them to death. Too terrified to flee, they lay on the earth trembling, and, of course, there was no difficulty in reducing them to submission. — Henschenius, Lives of St. Cyril and St. Methodius (March 9). Gift of Tongues. Acn ii. 1-11. When the day of Pentecost was fully come . . . there were in Jerusalem devout men out of every nation under heaven . . . and they were confounded, because every man heard [the apostles] speak in bis own language . . . Farthians, and Medcs, and Elam- ites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Kome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, heard in their own tongues the apostles speak of the wonderful works of God. 1 C!oB. xii. 4-11. There are diversities of gifts ... to one is given the word of wisdom, to another the gift of healing, to arctber the working of miracles, to another dive' t kind of tongues. St. Antony of Padua had the gift of tongues. St. Antony of Padua had, together with his other endowments, th« flf t of tongues, clear, pleasant, and shrill, hough thousands of every nation under heaven came to hear him, yet all under- stood him. As it happened in Rome: when a crowd of foreigners stood around him, and he preached in Italian, all affirmed that they heard him speak in their own native language. The same thing happened when the apostles, on the day of Pentecost, spoke in Jerusalem to the men there gathered together out of every nation under heaven. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 367. St. Bemardin preached to the Greeks in Italian, and what they heard was Greek (a.d. 1380-1444). St. Bemardin on one occasion had to preach to Greeks, but not knowing the Greek language, he preached in his native Italian, and was understood as well as if he had spoken in Greek the wonderful works of God. — Bamaby of Siena (a contemporary), Life of St. Bemardin. St. Pacomius inspired in a moment with the Greek and Latin languages (a.d. 292- 348). St. Pacomius knew only one language, his native Egyptian; but one day a religious from Italj"^ came to con- sult him on a case of conscience ; ana Pacomius, kneeling in prayer, wid, ** O God, if the knowledge of languages is essential, in order that I may make known Thy will to strangers, why hast Thou not given me this ^ft? If it seemeth good in Thy sight give me now the gift of tongues, that I may be useful to this stranger." So saying, he rose from his knees, and found himself a perfect master of the Greek and Latin languages. — His Life, by a monk of Tabenna, one of his disciples. When St, Vincent .Terrier preached, aU Pt. I.] GLASTONBURY THORN. 155 foreigneis understood him (a.d. 1357- J4I9). St. Vincent Ferrier went about fiieachmg. He was accompanied by fifty priests, a large number of Tertiaries of the order of St. Dominic, and a multitude of penitents. The audience of strangers amounted often to ten thousand, but though the crowd was so enormous, the persons furthest off heard him as dis- tinctly as those near him ; and although all nationalities were amongst the hearers, Fr*3nchmen and Italians, Germans and English, Spaniards and Portuguese, all understood every word that was uttered, as if it had been spoken in their own tongue. — Peter Ranzano (bishop of Lucera), Life of St. Vincent Ferrier. We are again told, in the same life, that St. Vincent went to Genoa in 1405, and though he preached in Spanish, the strangers of all nationalities, ^ho had assem- bled at that Important mart, understoodlhim as well as if each had been addressed in his own native language. — Mgr. Guirin, Vies det Saints, vol. iv. p. 232. St. Francis Xavier had the gift of tongues. As soon as Xavier came into any of those strange countries where he preached the gospel, he spoke the language of the people instinctively, were it ever so different from any other language of the globe. Not only so, but he spoke it as fluently and elegantly as if he had been a native brought up by the chiefs ; so that every nation and tribe heard him in its own tongue ; and if persons of divers languages hearkened to him at one and the same time, each one heard the sermon in his own mother tongue. — Cardinal de Month's speech before Gregory XV., at the canonization of Francis Xavier, Jan. 19, A.D. 1622. Glastonbury Thorn. The legend of the Glastonbury thorn is, that it sprang from the staff of Joseph of Arimathaea, who was sent by the apostle Philip to preach the gospel in Britain. On reaching Yniswitcin, after- wards called Glastonbury, he stuck his staff in the ground, to indicate that he meant to abide there, and the staff put forth leaves and branches ; and every year, on Old Christmas, it blossoms. This thorn, till the reign of queen Elizabeth, had two trunks, but a Puritan attempted to cut it down. However, he was punished ; for not only did he cut his leg severely, but also lost one of his eyes, by a chip of the thorn striking it. The multilated trunk still flourished, and afterwards, when carted into a ditch, took root and bloomed. A year after it was cast into the ditch, half of it was carried oft*, but still the remaining part flourished, and the part stolen was carried into distant parts of the island and grew. In the reign of Charles I., the original tree was all cut down, but still there are several plants aboat Glastonbury reared from the old stock, and in mild winters, like that of 1881, they certainly flower. The legend is told by William of Malmesbury» who died A.D. 1142. In Withering'g British Plants, vol* iii. p. 696, article " Crataegus," we read : *' In a lane beyond the churchyard, on the opposite side of the street, near a pit, grows a very old tree [of the Glastonburi- ensis species]. A woman ninety years of age never remembers it otherwise than as it now appears. *' Another tree of the same kind may oe seen two or three miles from Glastonbury. It has been reported to have uo thorns, but that I found to be a mistake ; it has thorns, like other hawthorns, but, as in other aged trees, they are few in number. "There is also a full-sized tree of this kind in the garden at Piper's Inn. This variety blossoms twice a year : the winter blossoms, which are about the size of a sixpence, appear about Christ- mas-time ; it may occasionally happen on Christmas Day, but it is sometimes sooner. This variety produces no fruit. The berries contain only one seed, and there seems to be only one pistil, but it was late in the season when I examined it (Oct. 1792). I was informed that the berries when sown produce plants nowisft differing from the common hawthorn." *' Probably the tree which gave birth to the tradition of its having sprung from the staff of Joseph of Arimathaea grew within the abbey, and may have died from age, or been destroyed in the Reformation. However that may be, the existence of this lusus natures is un- questionable, and is not, as Dr. Hunter asserts, ' a sanctified deceit, sunk into discredit even with the meanest of the vulgar.' " — Sylvia, vol. i. p. 178. The following is from the Rev, K. Warner, F.A.S. (History of the Abbey of Glaston, 4to, 1826) :— "The Holy Thorn has been introduced into many parts, and is now found in various gardens of Glastonbury and its vicinity. Pilgrim- ages continued to be made to this wonder- ful tree even in Mr. Eyston's time (died 1721), and its scions were sought for with the greatest avidity both by the pious of the RoiLish Church, and the 156 GOD ANSWERING BY FIRE. [Pt.I. Buperstitioii8 of other systems of faith, till within these eighty years." In the Evening Post, London, Jan. 1763, we read: "A vast concourse of people attended the noted thorn on Christ- mas Day (new style) ; but, to their great disappointment, there was no appearance of its blowing, which made them watch it narrowly till Jan. 5 (Christmas Day, old style), when it blowed as usual." Strype records that one of Henry VIII.'s "visiters" sent up, with various relics, "two flowers (wrapped in white and black sarcenet), v/hich on Christen- mass even, ln36, hora ipsa qua Christus natus fucrat will spring, and burgen, and bare blossomes." We are furthermore told that the spot on which St. Joseph planted his staff was on the south ridge of Wearj'-all-hill, now called Werrall Park. The Avalonian Guide states that "about the year MAO the stump of the original thorn was seen, but that nothing now remains except grafts from it, growing in different places. The oldest of these grafts stands near St. John's churchyard at Glastonbury, and is a large tree, which still blossoms twice a year." Tfie Cadenham Oak, near Lyndhurst, in the New Forest. The Cadenham Oak has been known for more than two cen- turies to bud every year in the depth of winter, or, as the foresters insist, on Old Christmas Day, and then only. Dr. Withering, vol. ii. p. 508, says, "Many leaves do certainly appear on this oak about Christmas-time, but the progress of germination is soon checked in in- clement weather, and in summer its foliage resembles that of other oak trees." In the same forest, near Rufus's monu- ment, is another tree remarkable for its winter vegetation, and Camden assures us that the very tree against which the arrow of Tyrrel glanced is noted for the same peculiarity. A tree in the churchyard of Ham burst into jioxcer when St. Gudula was hurled. St. Gudula was buried Jan. 8, a.d. 710. When her body reached Ham, a tree standing in the churchyard burst into flower, although it was midwinter. The body of the saint was subsequently moved from Ham to St. Saviour's, Moorsel ; whereupon the tree transplanted itself, all covered with flowers, and rooted itself firmly in the earth right opposite the church door. — Nicholas of Durham, Life 9f St. Gudula. An olive tree planted by St, Torquatus blossoms every year on May 15. St. Tor- quatus, the apostle of Cadiz, lived in the nrst Christian century, and planted an olive tree before the church d^icated to him in Cadiz. This tree is always in full bloom on the fete-day of Torquatus, May 15. — Propre d'Espagne. God answering by Sire. Lev. ix. 24. Moses having prepared a bullock and a ram for a peace offering, the^* came a fire out from before the Lord, and con- sumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat; which, when the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. 1 Kings xviii. 38. 39. When Elijah chal- lenged the priests of Baal, and it was his turn to offer sacrifice, fire of the I^rd fell, and con- sumed the burnt sacrifice; and all the people said, The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God! Judo. vi. 19-21. When Gideon wanted a sign that it was God who bade him go against the Midianites, he made ready a kid, and un- leavened cakes. The flesh he put iu a basket, and the broth in a pot. Then the angel touched the flesh and the cakes with the staff that was in his hand ; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the cakes. 1 Chron. xxl. 26. When David bought the threshing-floor of Oman the Jebusite, and built an altar to the Lord, because the plague was stayed, God showed his approval by sending fire from heaven upon the altar to consume the sacrifice. 2 Chron. vil. 1. When Solomon dedicated his temple, fire came down from heaven, and consumed his burnt offering and the sacrifice. When St. Theodosius the Cosnobiarch was seeking a site for a monastery, God indicated by fire the spot he had chosen. St. Theodosius the Coenobiarch wished to build a large monastery, but requested God to point out to him a suitable site. So, taking a censer filled with incense and charcoal not lighted, he prayed that when he came to the right spot, God would indicate it by setting fire to the charcoal. St. Theodosius walked from place to place, censer in hand, but there was no sign. After reaching Gutilla, on the shores of the Dead Sea, he turned homewards, and, as he approached his own cave, the smoke of the incense showed that the charcoal was kindled. Here, therefore, he built his monastery, and it was soon filled with inmates. — The Roman Martyrology. (Cave says this life of St. Theodosius the Coenobiarch was written by Theodore, bishop of Pera.) God fights for His Saints. ExoD. xxlil. 20-28. Behold I send an anftl Ft. I.] before thee, to keep theo In the way. . . . If thou obey his voice . . . then I will be an enemy to thino enemifs, and an adversary to thine adversaries ; for Mine angel shall go before thee. Josh. v. 13, 14. When Joshua was by Jericho . . . behold, there stood a man over against him with a sword drawn In his hand. Joshua said to him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries ? And he said. As captain of the hosts of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship. Dan. X. 13. The prince of the kingdom oi Persia withstood me one and twenty days ; but, lo ! Michael came to help me. Rev. vi. 2. I saw, and behold! a white horse ; and He that sat on him had a bow ; and He went forth conquering, and to conquer. Jo6ii. X. 11. Five kings came up against Joshua, but they fled before Israel, and the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them. They were more which died with hail- stones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. ^ 2 Kings xviii. 13-37; xix. Sennatherib sent a vast army to invade the kingdom of Judah In the reign of Hezekiah ; but the king prayed, and God sent His angel to destroy the Assyrian army. In one night the angel slew a hundred fourscore and five thousand (185,000). And whon the men of Judah rose next morning, behold, the whole Assyrian army lay dead before them. Castor and Pollux at the battle of lake Begillus. In the battle at lake Regillus between the allies, who wanted to restore Tarquin, and the Romans (b.c. 499), while victory was still doubtful, the Romans beheld two white horses, and they that sat on them went against the allies, conquering and to conquer. It was Castor and Pollux on their white chargers. Their arms were so mighty in fight that they broke the arrow and the bow, the sword, the shield, and the battle. The allies fled on all sides, and the victory- rested with the Romans. In gratitude for this aid, the Romans reared a temple to the honour of Castor and Pollux ; and there, ever after, gifts were made and sacrifices offered, on the anniversary of the battle, to the riders of those white horses. — Roman Story. St. Isidore's ghost shows don Alfonso a path by means of which he could surprise the Moors and conquer them (a.d. 1211). In 1211, don Alfonso, king of Castile, making war on the Moors, in the defile of Navas de Tolosa, searched in vain for a path by which he could come upon them by surprise. The ghost of St. Isidore showed him a path unknown to Qis army; and the king, falling on the foe unawares, gained a signal victory. For this service, th« kings of Spain GOD FIGHTS FOR HIS SAINTS. 157 interested themselves in the canonization of the saint, but a variety of circumstances caused its delay till March 12, a.d. 1622, when Gregory XV. added St. Isidore, with four others, to the calendar. — Act of Canonization. Jesus Christy St. Peter^ and St. Paul, with a host of angels^ win the battle of Lepantoover the Turks (Oct. 7, a.d. 1571). Selim II., sultan of the Turks, met with a most disastrous naval defeat near the habour of Lepanto, Oct. 7, a.d. 1571. This great victory is always ascribed to pope Pius v., and is mentioned in his canonization, a.d. 1712. At the hour of battle, the procession of the Rosary began its march to the church of Minerva. The pope was there, and all of a sudden opened a window, stood for some time listening, then, returning to the cardinals, said to them, "It is now time to give thanks to God for the great victory He has granted to our arms." The time when this was spoken was compared afterwards with the official report of the victory, and was found to accord pre- cisely. The prisoners avowed that they saw in the air Jesus Christ, St. Peter, and St. Paul, with a multitude of angels sword in hand, fighting against the Turks, and blinding them with the smoke of their own cannons. This "miracle" forms a conspicuous feature in the picture descriptive of the battle in the Vatican, — Pfere Giry, Eistoire de Saint Pie V. St. Jam£S the Elder^ on his white horse, assists king Fernando in the siege of Coimbra (a.d. 1040-1099). When king Fernando lay before Coimbra, there came from Greece to Santiago a pilgrim named Estiano, who was a bishop. As the bishop was praying in the church, he heard certain of the townsfolk telling the pilgrims that St. James was wont to appear in the Spanish battles in their aid, and that he always appeared as a knight on a white horse. The bishop, on hearing this, said to them, " Friends, call not St. James a knight, but a fisher- man." When Estiano fell asleep, St. James appeared to him, holding in his hands a bunch of keys, and said to him, "You think it a fable, bishop, that I come to assist the Christians in their battles against the Moors ; but know I am a knight in the army of Christ Jesus." While he was speaking, a white horse was brought him ; and the apostle, clad in bright armour, mounting thereon, said to the bishop, " I am going to the help of king Fernando, who has lain thes« 158 GOD FIGHTS FOR HIS SAINTS. seven months before Coimbra ; and to- morrow, with these keys, will I open to him the city gates, and deliver Coimbra into his hands." Next morning the bishop heard that the gates of Coimbra had been opened to the king at the hour of tierce (nine o'clock in the morning). — Southey, Chronicles of the Cid^ bk. i. 4. St. James the Elder^ on his white horse^ > terns for Spain the battle of Logrono (tenth century). Th^ battle of Logrono was fought in the reign of Ramiro II., king of Asturias. It was in this battle that St. James of Compostella, mounted on his white horse, overthrew the Arabs under Abderrahman II. In consequence of this great victory numerous pilgrim- ages were made to Compostella, and the town became very celebrated. — Bouillet, Bictionnaire d'Histoire^ etc. St. James the Elder^ on his white horse^ in the battle of Mexico (a.d. 1521). In the conquest of Mexico, a mysterious rider on a white horse appeared amidst the Castilian troops, and led them on to victory. It was St. James of Com- postella. Bernal Diaz, who was present m the battle, saw the mysterious rider, but calls the charger a " grey horse," and fancies the rider was Francisco de Morla, though he confesses it might be the florious apostle St. James for aught he new. Certainly many more believe the victory was due to St. James than to Francisco de Morla. St. James the Elder ^ on his white horse^ wins the battle of Xeres. In 1237, Alfonso, the "infant" of Ferdinand III., the saintly king of Leon and Castille, at the head of fifteen hundred men, won the famous battle of Xeres over Aben- hud, the formidable Moor, king of Seville. The Moors were above seven times more numerous than the Christians, but the victory cost Alfonso onlj' ten men. The captive Moors being asked how it came to pass that so great a victory was won by so small a force, at so insigni- ficant a loss, deposed that they saw the apostle James on his white horse, and in full armour, at the head of the Christian army, and they could not fight against God'. Many of the Christian soldiers asserted that they also saw the same thing. — L'abb^ Caillet, Vie des Saints. Ferdinand II. wins the battle of Weis- senburg by the good offices of St. John Nepomuck (a.d. 1620). St. John Nepo- mucfc was martyred by Wenceslaus, in 1383 ; and in 1618 the Thirty Years' War '^gan, by a revolt in Bohemia. This iPr. I. war was one between the " Protestants ** of Bohemia and the [Roman] Catholics of Germany ; and the first battle, generally called **the Battle of Prague," was woin over the Bohemians by Maximilian, duke of Bavaria. The night before the battle the ghost of St. John Nepomuck appeared in the cathedral of Prague. It radiated light, like as it had been the sun, and f)romised victory. Maximilian, a relent- ess enemy of the Bohemian " heretics,* felt confident of success after this vision, gained the battle, and recovered Bohemia. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), May 16, This victory was no great matter after all. for the con- test still continued. In 1630 Gustavus Adolphus jolney them with the earth. He then gives directions to Noah about the ark. Gen. ix. 1-17. After the flood God spake to Noah again, and said, I will establish My covenant with you ; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood : neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. Gen. xii. 1-3. The Lord said to Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, unto a land that I will show thee. (A score of texts might be quoted iu which God b said to talk with man.) God talks with St. Coletta or I^icoletta (a.d. 1380-1447). St. Coletta lamenting for the sins of the world, God said to her, "My daughter, what would you I should do? Every day the sins of man cry unto nie from the earth. They blaspheme My name and despise My command- ments." — Douillet, Vie de St. Colette. Goshen severed from the Plagues. ExoD. viil. 22. When God brought the plagues on the land of Egypt, He severed the land of Goshen In which His people dwelt. The land of a prayerless man severed from God's protection. Eugippius, in his Life of St. Severin (a.d. 511), relates that a poor man, who went to drive locusts from his patch of com instead of going to church to worship God, found next morning that his was the only crop devoured by the locusts ; all the other fields having been protected from them by the hand of the Almighty. Gravitation increased or diminished. (See Elisha and the Axe.) Zkch. v. 5-11. The angel that talked with me iaid. See what Is this that goeth forth. And I said. What is it ? And the angel saM, This Is an ephah. And, behold, there was lifted up a LPr-t. weighty piece of lead : and this is a woman that sitteth In the midst of the ephah. And the angel said. This is wickedness. And he cast It Into the midst of the ephah, and the lead on the mouth thereof. And, behold, two women with wings lifted Up the ephah between earth and heaven. Then said 1 to the angel, Whither do these women carry the ephah ? And the angel said to me. To build a house in the land of Shinar. St. Benedict exorcises a stone which a devil had made too heavy to lift (a.d. 448 543). The devil ceased not to annoy St. Benedict. It was not in visions or dreamy; that he showed himself, but face to face, besotting the saint persistently in all he did, and crying out, *' Benedict ! Benedict ! " from time to time. If the saint pretended not to hear, this enemy of the soul would cry out, *' Maledict not Benedict, cursed fool not saint, what \% your business in these quarters ? What right have you to interfere with mo? What pleasure can it give you to annoy me ? " When all these railings were with- out effect, his satanic majesty harassed the saint by obstructing the builders em- ployed by St. Benedict in constructing his monasteries. One day the builders went to carry a stone prepared for a certain part, but when they attempted to lift it, they found all their united effort! wholly ineffectual. The stone could not be moved. No power of man could lift it. They went and told St. Benedict, who instantly knew that the devil was hanging on it ; so he made on the stone the sign of the cross, and the stone which before was too heavy for six or eight men to stir, became so light that St. Benedict alone lifted it with ease, and carried it to the place required. This very stone is still shown at Mount Cassino, so there can be no doubt of the fact. — St. Gregory the Great, Dialoguei^ bk. ii. All that the presence of this stone can prove is simpljr this, that the stone to which a certain tradition is attached Ls still at Mount Cassino, and that is all. It can no more prove any tradition attached to it, than our coronation chair can prove that Jacob saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, or that the Scone stone was the stone pillar on which he laid his head when the visi'>Q appeared to him. Two pillars for a church in Constantinople become too heavy to he moved. A large church was being built at Constantinople in honour of the Virgin Mary. Two pillars intended for the church suddenly became so heavy that the workmen could not more them, to set them up in their places ; but the Virgin Mary with two helpers came to assist the workmen, when GRAVITATION OBEDIENT TO SAINTS. Pr. I.] lO ! the masjsive columns became as light as two straws, and of course were set up without the slightest difficulty. (See below.) — Mariali Magno. (See Notes and Queries, June 25, 1881, p. 514.) The devil makes two marble pillars too heavy to he mx)ved (a.d. 610). While St. Virgile, bishop of Aries, was building his superb basilica, the workmen on one occasion found themselves unable to raise some magnificent marble pillars. In their perplexity they went as usual to the bishop, and the bishop at once per- ceived that the devil was in the pillars. So, going to the spot, he first offered up a short prayer, and then cried aloud, *' Wretch ! how dare you impede the work of God ? Be off with you ! " The work- men now lifted the pillars easily, and carried them to their respective places. (See above.) — Les Petits Bollcmdistes, vol. iii. p. 162. The devil having seated himself on a stone to make it immovable, St. Francis of Paula compelled him to get off (a.d. 1416-1507). While St. Francis of Paula was building his monastery at Calabria, the devil seated himself on a stone designed for the main entrance of the church, and made it too heavy to be moved. St. Francis compelled the foul fiend to budge, and carry the stone himself to the required spot. St. Christianna suspends a heavy pillar in the air (third century), Christianna was a Christian slave, who converted the king and queen of Iberia, who at once set about building a church. Three columns were to be placed in the fa9ade. Two were erected, but the third was so heavy that neither men nor oxen were able to move it. St. Christianna, the cap- tive maiden, knelt beside it, and besought God's help ; when, presently, the column rose up, of its own accord, on its base, and then into the air, wholly unsupported, within a foot of the place where it was to bo fixed. This was at midnight, and when the builders went to work in the morning they saw the pillar waiting to be guided by their hands. At a touch it descended slowly, and placed itself erect in the required spot. The Iberians saw it, and were confirmed in the Christian faith.— Rufinus, History, bk. i. St. Franks of Paula arrests a rock which threatened to roll down upon his monastery and destroy it (a.d. 1416-1507). While St. Francis of Paula was building his monastery at Calabria, a huge rock, detached from the neighbouring moun- 161 tain, came rolling down with prodigious velocity, threatening to destroy the build- ing and crush the workmen employed. The danger was most imminent, and a cry of fright rose from the men ; but the saint, quite calmly, arrested the rock with a word, then, going up to it, struck his staff in the ground before it, bidding it roll no further. There it stayed till hundreds had seen it, when it was split up and employed in the building. St. Francis of Paula suspends a rock on a snag. St. Francis on another occasion, by the sign of the cross, suspended a huge rock on the projecting horn of a precipice. This rock is suspended in a situation and manner which seems a natural impossi- bility. It seems that it must fall, but there it hangs still. — Acts of Canonization (compiled by Father Giry). St. Francis of Paula removes a rock which many men could neither stir nor split (a.d. 1416-1607). When St. Francis of Paula was building his great monastery, a huge rock stood in the spot designed for a dormitory. Many men together tried to push it out of the way, but could not stir it. They tried to cleave it that it might be moved piecemeal, but it resisted all their efforts. St. Francis himself took the task in hand, and carried the rock clean away. He also carried into the spire a wrought stone which four strong men could not lift. He drew, by his own unaided strength, trees from the forest where they had been cut down, and these trees were so large that many men, with their united efforts, could not move them. He laid beams of enormous size on the backs of his workmen, and made it that the men were not even conscious of their weight. '* It was as if angels had borne the weight, or at least had assisted in doing so." He straightened trees which were twisted ; shaped joists and fixed them in their proper places ; hollowed ditches, dug foundations, " a sa seule parole, et sans y employer le travail des hommes, ni le secours des instruments." — Acts of Canonization (compiled by Father Girj^), A sarcophagus becomes light when em* ployed for the body of St. Francis of Paula (a.d. 1507). St. Francis of Paula died at Plessis les Tours, and the duchesse de Bourbon gave a stone sarcophagus for his coffin. This sarcophagus was given to her by the commander of the com- 162 GRAVITATION OBEDIENT TO SAIN IS. [Pt. 1, mandery of Balan, but had been left on the road fivm its great weight, eighteen oxen (dix-huit de w£ufs) being unable to move it. Immediately the duchesse com- municated her intention to give it as a coffin to St. Francis, the sarcophagus became so light that a single joke of bullocks drew it easily (d^ hoeufs la trainerent fort facUement), — Mgr. Gudrin, Vies des Saints^ vol. iv. p. 166. St, Francis of FatUa sets a man with neuralgia in the thigh to carry a beam which two strong oxen could not draw (a.d. 1416-1507). the sixteenth witness in the process of canonization at Cosenza asserted that he was suffering from a stiff thigh brought on by neuralgia^ and applied to St. Francis of Paula for a cure. The saint set him to carry on his back a beam of wood which two oxen could not more. The witness says he expostulated with the saint, urging the physical im- Eossibility of the task. " Even if in robust ealth," he said, " with the aid of many men, I could not so much as lift the beam ; how, then, can I be expected to do it alone, when my health is broken down ? " *' Do what I say," was the reply; " God will give the power in the day of His grace." Accordingly, he charged himself urith the beam, carried it on his back to the place required, and his thigh was perfectly cured. — T/ie Bull and otJier Docu- ments of the Canonization (compiled by Father Giry). We are told that " ce genre de miracle, de rendre lei pierreset le bois Id^^ers, quelqiie pes&nU qu'iU fussent, et de les lever, ou de lea fuire lever sans difficult^, lui fut ordinaire dans tout le coun*de cette construction [<.«, bU churcbj.** St. Fridian lifts a stone which many men could not stir (sixth centurj'). St. Fridian, bishop of Lucca, built twenty-eight churches. On one occasion, a large stone was required to be lifted on the wall of one of the churches he was building. Several men with their united strength tried to lift it, but were wholly unable to stir it in the least degree. The bishop then took it up without the least diffi- culty, and carried it with ease to the place required. — Ecclesiastical History of Lucca (1736). The heavy slip of paper given to St. Gonsalvo. St. Gonsiedvo, wishing to build a bridge over the Tamego, applied to a neighbouring count for a subscription. The nobleman, thinking the scheme vision- ary, in order to get rid of the importunate cliurchman, scribbled a couple of lines on B scrao of paper, and told Gonsalvo to take it to the countess, his wife. It was a long way he had to go, and when the lady opened the letter, she read aloud these words : " The poor fool, the bearer of this letter, wants to build a bridge. Let him have in cash the weight of this slip of paper." "So be it," cr'^d Gonsalvo. Accordingly, the lady pu^ the letter into a scale, but to her amazement found it balanced a very large sum of money, which she handed to Gonsalvo, and the bridge was built. — Didacus de Rosario, Life of St, Gonsalvo, A small slip of paper weighs down a whole basketful of fruit (tifteenth century). An inhabitant of Florence presented St. An- tonine, the archbishop, with a basket of fruit as a new year's gift, under the hope of receiving, in return, some substantial spiritual gift ; but the saint only said to the giver, " May God reward you," and the man left, greatly and visibly disap- pointed. The archbishop, ob8er^'ing this, called him back, and putting the basket of fruit in one scale, and a slip of paper containing the words " May God reward you " in the other, found the slip of paper greatly outweighed the gift. The man, thoroughly ashamed, asled pardon, and was practically taught that it is not the present, but the mind and motive of the ^iver, which God considers and weighs in the balance of the sanctuarj'. — Surius, Lives of tJie Saints^ vol. iii. In Christian art. St. Antonlne is represented holding a crozier in his left hand, and weighing the basket of fruit in the other. A wooden statue of the Virgin Mary suddenly becomes too heavy to be moved (a.d. 1380). A merchant was transport- ing to Antwerp a wooden image of the Virgin Mary, but when he reached Schie- dam the image made itself too heavy to be moved. All the inhabitants ran to see this "miracle," and every one came to the conclusion that it was the Virgin's wish to remain in Schiedam. The merchant was consulted, and sold the image to the people, who set it up in the church of St. John the Baptist.— Xi/^o/Zu:?io27ia, written by John Gerlac (cousin) and John Walter (confessor). The dead body of St, Drogo makes itself too heavy to be moved from Seburg, %n ffainault (a.d. 1189). St. Drogo died at Seburg, in Hainault, where he had lived six years as a shepherd, and forty years as a recluse. He was bom at Epinoy, in Artois, and, at his death, his kinsmen living at Epinoy demanded his body. When the cart came lo take it away, iA Pt.LJ GRAVITATION: FRITZ— MARTIN. 168 i was found too heavy to be lifted from the ground. Not all the power of several strong men could move it ; the relatives were therefore obliged to leave it at Sebur^, where it was buried. St. Drogo's tomb IS shown in Seburg church to the present day. It is in the great nave, near the font. The place where the cart drew up to carry away the body is still called "Mount Jcie St. Drogo."* In the thirteenth century his relics were removed to Binche, and an annual proces- sion is still made to the place on Trinity Sunday, — Acta Sanctorum (Papebroke), vol. ii. April 16. At Seburg persons are shown the "Fountain of St. Drogo," where the holy shepherd watered his sheep ; "St, Drogo's Road," where stands a stone cross ; and, close by the church, a spot called the " Cell or Cabin of St. Drogo." Tlie body of St, Fritz becomes s^fddenly too heavy to be moved (eighth century). St. Fritz fell in the battle of Lupiac, and his body remained for a long time undis- covered ; but one day a herdsman was struck at seeing a cow licking a stone in the midst of some brushwood. He ob- served that this was repeated daily, and the cow was better liking and gave more milk than any other in the dairy. This singular circumstance soon attracted general attention, and persons went to examine the stone. On lifting it up, they were induced to dig about the spot, and soon came upon a body ; it was that of a warrior in full armour, and no sooner was it raised from the ground than a miraculous spring of water issued from the spot. This is certain, inasmuch as the spring remains to the present day, and is well known for its healing virtues. The body thus discovered was the body of St. Fritz, and the monks resolved to remove it into the neighbouring town. When, however, they attempted to carry it away, it was found to be so heavy that several yoke of oxen were unable to stir the bier on which it was laid. At length some one suggested to try the cow, and immediately the cow was yoked in, she drew the bier along with the utmost ease to the top of a high hill, but then refused to move another step. Nothing would induce her to stir a step further, and the monks concluded that the saint did not wish to be taken into the town ; so a chapel was built on the hill-top, and there the body of the saint was deposited in a marble tomb. In regard to the fountain, although its waters have heal- A funny combination, as Mount Joie is a corruption •f Mount Jovis, the Mount of Jupiter. I ing virtues they can never be used for culinary purposes. Every one knows, says our authority, that "une femme d'Andreou, qui avait voulu employer I'eau de cette fontaine pour faire du pain, I'avait vue se changer en sang." (See AvENTiNE, p. 167.) — L'abbeGuilhempey, Histoire de Bassoues et de la Chapelle de St, Fritz ^ 1858. This brochure is sold on the spot to visitors for the benefit of the chapel.) The dead body of St, Gudula suddenly becomes too heavy to be moved (a.d. 710). When the dead body of St. Gudula wa>j on its way to the village of Ham, a tree in the vicinity put forth leaves and flowers, although it was midwinter [Jan. 8]. It was the intention of the monks to convey the body to the college of Nivelle, but when the cortege reached Ham, it was found that no human power could bear the weight of the coffin. They then resolved to change their route, and instead of carrying the body to Nivelle, to deposit it in St. Saviour's chapel at Moorsel. On attempting now to lift the coffin, it was found to be light as a feather, plainly indicating the wish of the deceased. On reaching Moorsel, what was the astonishment of all to find that the tree which had put forth its leaves and flowers in honour of the saint, had removed from Ham, and planted it- self before St. Saviour's chapel, right in front of the main entrance. It was completely covered with a rich green verdure, and full of beautiful flowers, the admiration of everj'* one who saw it. This miracle was so "well attested" that Charlemagne built a religious house close by in honour of St. Gudula. To complete the "miracles," it must be added, that one day the king was out hunting, when a bear of prodigious size took refuge in this religious house. No sooner, however, had it done so than its whole nature was completely changed. It was no longer fierce and wild, but lived with the nuns as meek and playful as a pet lamb. — Hubert (1047), Life of St. Gudule, St, John- Joseph of the Cross (a.d. 1654-1734). When St. John-Joseph was carried to the grave, cardinal Wiseman says, " II semblait moins etre porte' par les porteurs que les porter euxmemes."— Migne, Demonstrations Evang^liques, vol. xvi. The coffin of St, Martin too heavy to be lifted (fifth century). The church built by St. Brice over the tomb &f St. Martin t64 GRAVITATION OBEDIENT TO SAINTS. {Pt. 1. being too small, St. Perpetuus, bishop of Tours (a.d. 461-494), built a much larger one. On the day of its consecration (a.d. 491) an attempt was made to remove the body of the saint into the new church ; but it was found to be too heavy for men to lift. A young clerk suggested that two days later would be the anniversary of St. Martin's consecration as bishop of Tours, and probably the saint would not choose to be moved till then. Acting on this suggestion, the ceremonj' was deferred for two days. Another attempt was then made to carry the body into the new basilica, but it was equally unsuc- cessful as the former one. An old man, dressed like an abbot, now came forward and said, " Do you not see that St. Martin himself is ready to help you?" So saying, he threw his cloak on the ground, and lifting up the coffin without the slightest difficulty, carried it from St. Brice's church, and laid it solemnly and reverently in the place assigned for it in the new church, under the altar in the apse. The old liturgy of Tours adds, " Every one believes that the old man who carried the coffin from St. Brice's church was an angel sent from heaven for the express purpose." [It appears to me that the "old man " was St. Martin himself.] — L'abbd Holland, Life of St. Perpet (bishop of Tours). Tlie bier of St. Medard refused to he moved till king Clotaire promised to give the whole borough of Crouy to the new church (a.d. 545). When St. Medard died, the king (Clotaire I.) was one of the bearers, and promised to build a new church at Soissons as a suitable monu- ment to the saint, who died at Noyon. When the procession reached Aisne k Attichy, on the skirts of Crouy (about two hundred paces from Soissons), the bier became wholly immovable ; no one could lift it on one side or the other. The king then promised to give half the borough of Crouy to the new church. On trying again to lift the bier, it was found that the half facing the part given to the church was loose and could be moved, but the other half was as fast as ever. Clotaire now promised to bestow the whole borough on the church, and the bier instantly became so light that it could be lifted and carried about without tlie slightest difficulty. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. June 8. These mercenary miracles are always suspicious. I was once supping with Mr. Guppy, a noted "spiritist," and during supper ^e called my attention to a spirit rapping. After the usual formula was gone tlirough, the mesang* received was, "Give Mrs. Guppy a new gown." St. Patrick floats on a stone. St. Patrick, we are told, floated to Ireland on an altar-stone. Amongst other wonder- ful things he converted a marauder into a wolf, and lighted a fire with icicles. — James A. Froude, Reminiscences of the High Church Revival (Letter v.). The dead bodies of Quirinus and Balbina too heavy to lift (second century). Pope Leo IX., at the earnest solicitation of his sister Pepa, abbess of Nuyss, gave her the bodies of Quirinus and Balbina (his daughter) to enrich her convent. When the mule bearing the dead bodies reached Dabo, it refused to stir another step, and the drivers were compelled to unload it. Next day they intended to continue their journey, but found the dead bodies so heavy that all their efforts could not raise them from the ground. Pepa, recognizing therein the hand of the Almighty, built a chapel on the spot, where she left the two bodies, but carried their heads to Nuyss. — Vagner (1847), Conversion and Martyrdom of St. Quirinus and his Dawjhter Balbina. The dead body of St. Remi becomes too heavy to be lifted (a.d. 545). St. Remi died Jan. 13, 545, but his festival is kept on Oct. 1, for this reason ; He was buried in the church of St. Christopher, in Reims ; but as this church was small, and pilgrims to it very numerous, it was enlarged, and a costly shrine was provided for the saint. When all was completed, and the priests attempted to raise the body to deposit it in the new shrine, it was found to be so heavy that no human power could lift it ; so the clergy and people betook themselves to prayer, and prayed till they fell asleep. While they slept, angels came and lifted the body into the shrine. This occurred on Oct. 1, so the "day" of St. Remi was removed from Jan. 13, the day of his death, to Oct. 1, the da^ of his transla- tion. — Hincmar (archbishop of Reims, who died 882), Life of St. Remi. Of course, it will occur to every one, if all were asleep, how could it be known that the body was lifted into its shrine by angels? It is the old question of the Roman guard and the stealing of the body of Jesus. The dead bodies of three saints refuse to be moved from Amiens (sixth century). At the consecration of St. Honor^ to the see of Amiens, Lupicin, a priest, gave out that he had been informed by revela- tion where the three martjrs Fuscian, Victorius, and Gentian were buried. Pt. I.] GUIDE: GREGORY— ORINGA. 16d They had been dead above three hundred years, but Lupicin discovered the bodies m the place indicated ; and the chant which was sung on the discovery was heard by St. Honore' six miles off. King Childebert II. sent commissioners to Amiens to remove the bodies to Paris, but they made themselves too heavy to be lifted, and were of necessity left at Amiens. The king, being told of this *' miracle," sent rich presents to the cathedral of Amiens in honour of the new-found saints. — Morliere, Antiquities of Amiens. St. Valery^s dead bodj/ too heavy to be lifted (seventh century). St. Valery was buried at Leuconaiis, but Berchont, wish- ing to honour him, employed workmen to remove the body to Amiens. No strength of man could, however, lift the dead body from its grave! *' Une puissance irresistible paralysa tons les efforts ; on ne put venir k bout de le soulever de terre." Thus was it that the saint showed he did not wish to be removed from the spot in which he was already interred. — Besanfon, Les Saints de Franche Comt^. St, Macarius of Egypt overweighted (A.D. 304-394). St. Macarius of Egypt used to hire himself out as a porter. One day, being overweighted, he sat on the roadside and cried, saying, "0 Lord, Thou knowest all things ; Thou knowest now that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." No sooner had he uttered these words, than he found himself with his burden at the place to which he was bound. — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. i. p. 62, Quide. Psalm xlviii. 14. This God is our God. He will be our Guide even unto death. Matt. it. 9, Lo! the star, which the wise men saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. According to an ancient commentary on Matthew's Gospel, the star had the form of a radiant child bearing a Bceptxe and cross ; and it is so depicted in some early ludian frescoes. It was shaped, O wondrous sight I Like a radiant child of light. Holding sign of liingly might. With a cross combining. Neh. ix. 12. Thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein til ay should go (Exod. xiv. 19, 20). St. William Firmatus of Tours guided by a crow (a.d. 1103). One day, St. William Firmatus having lost his way, ^d sent ft crow to guide bim into the right path. The bird went before, and by its voice and the clapping of its wings, induced the saint to follow. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum, Feb. 28. Those seeking St. Gregory the Great guided by a pillar of fire. Nauclerus tells us, when St. Gregory the Great heard he was likely to be appointed pope, he fled to a certain mountain, and lay perdu. Persons were sent to hunt him up, and saw a pillar of fire descend from heaven, which led them direct to the mountain, and then stood over the place where Gregory lay concealed ; so they found him, and conducted him to Rome, as it were by violence. — Chronicles (1501). A heavenly light went before Jeanne Marie de Maille to guide her in the dark. When Jeanne Marie de Maille' lost her husband, she was turned out of house and home by her late husband's relatives, and went as an assistant to St. Anne's chapel. Whenever she went in the dark of night to the chapel, or returned from it, a heavenly light went before her as a lamp unto her feet and a light unto her path. — Pfere de Boisgaultier (her con- fessor), Life of Jeanne Marie de Maille. St. Oringa guided by a hare (a.d. 1310). St. Oringa, having lost her parents, fell under the charge of her brothers, who tried to compel her to marry ; as, how- ever, she had vowed to be the bride of Christ, and her brothers would not relent, she fled from their roof. Ere long she came to a deep river ; but, full of faith, she walked on, and the river, dividing, left her a dry path across. On, on she went, and came to a large meadow, when darkness overtook her, and she lay down to sleep. A timid hare came and cuddled beside her. Next morning she followed the guidance of her bed- fellow, and came to Lucques, where she entered the service of a good man. Another instance. St. Oringa remained in the service of her employer a certain time, when the devil disturbed the peace of the house, and again she took herself to flight, intending to go on pilgrimage to Mount Gargano. Having lost her way, the archangel Michael, under the form of a young deacon, put her in the right road, supplied her with food, and then left her. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. li. p. 675. In this second legend we liave a characteristic example of the mode of thought in the Middle Ages. Although the guide was, to all appearances, a young deacon, he must be transposed into the archangel Michael, because he does a good or kind act, and perhapi to prevent scandal. 166 HAIR— HAMAN CAUGHT IN HIS OWN NET. ?T. I. Hair a Talisman. Jddg. xvi. 17, etc. Samson said to Delilah, There hath not come a razor upon mine head, for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb. If I were to be shaven, ti)en my strength would go from me, and I should become weak, and be like any other man. Ver. 22. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven [and with his growing hair his enormous strength re- turned]. Hence it is quite certain that the strength of Samson was in some mysterious way bound up with his hair, and not with bis vow. Hair supposed by the emperor Alexander Severus to he a talisman. St. Martina, being bound to the stake by order of the emperor Alexander Severus, was wholly uninjured by the fire, and the emperor, thinking this was due to magic, and that the charm was lodged in her hair, com- manded every atom of it to be cut oif. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum^ vol. i. Jan. 1. Many nations have supposed that acme special virtue resides in the hair. The Nazarites vowed not to cut their hair {Numb. vL 6, 9). In Greece and Rome the hair was cut at adolescence, and offered to the gods. The Greeks, just before niarria^, cut off their hair, and offered it to tlieir favourite deity ; the liair of tlie dead was also hung on the door of tlie deceased before interment, as an offering to the infemnls. Both Greelcs and Romans supposed that no person could die till a lock of hair had been cut off; but this act was supposed to be done by Isis, Mercury, Tlianatos, or some other divine messenger (Virgil, ^fJneid, iv. 694). The Syrians (we are told by Lucian) offered their hair to tlie gods. It was by no means unusual to make vows never u^ cut the hair till some stated object had been accomplished. Thus, Civilis vowed never to cut his hair till he had defeated the Roman legions (Tacitus, HUtory, bk. iv.). Every one knows that three hairs of a dog which has bitten one will prevent any evil consequences from the bite. Take the hair, it is well written. Of the dog by which you're bitten. Ath«nau*, Probably It was something more than a mere figure of speech when it was said that the strongest affirmation of Zeus or Jupiter was a shake of his ambrosial hair, and that the hair of Apollo gave light, heat, and pestilence. Haman caught in his o"wti Net. EsTH. iv., vi., vii. Haman, the high steward of king Ahasuerus, hated Mordecai, uncle of queen Esther, because he refused to fawn on him and flatter him. He carried his hatred so far as to plot the death of all the Jews in Persia. The plot was revealed to Esther, who contrived to break it up in the following manner. She made a great feast, to which she invited the king and Haman. The steward was greatly delighted; and feeling sure of his game, had a gallows erected, fifty cubits high (seventy-five feet), to hang Mordecai on the day after the banquet. Now, it so happened that Mordecai some years previously had re- vealed to the king a plot by two eunuchs to assassinate him. and the affair was duly registered in the national records. The night i before the feast, the king, feeling restless, had, i for amusement sake, the records of his own reign read to him ; and when he came to Mordecai, he said. How was that man re- warded '< Being told he had received no reward at all, the king deuianded who was in the court ; and was told Haman, the high steward, was at hand. At this very moment Haman entered, and the king said to him, Haman, what shall be done to the man that the king de- lighteth to honour? Haman, feeling sure that he himself was the man referred to, replied. Let him be arrayed in royal apparel, set on the king's charger, and conducted through the city by the highest officers of the realm ; while heralds proclaim from street to street, 'I'hus is it done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour. The thing pleased the king, and he bade Haman on the morrow to honour Mordecai as he had said. This, of course, was gall and wormwood to the jealous favourite, but he durst not disobey ; so Mordecai was arrayed in royal robes, set on the king's charger, and led through the city as the n)an whom the king delighted to honour. In the evening was the banquet, and Ahasuerus bade the queen ask of him whatever she liked, and it should bo granted her. Esther modestly replied. Then I pray your highness that my life may be spared, that I may devote it to my lord and master. The king was tiiunderstruck. Life ! spare your life ! And who has threatened ihe queen's life ; 'I'Jie queen then told him of Haman's plot to assassinate herself and Mordecai, and all the Jews of the whole realm. The king was so incensed that he rose from table, and went Into the palace gardens. While he was absent, Haman fell at the queen's feet, beseeching her to spare his life. The king returned suddenly, saw Haman beseeching the queen, and ex- claimed, Tlie villain ! What ! will he force the queen also, before my very face."" And, being directed to the gallows made for Mordecai, h<* commanded Haman to be hanged thereon. St, Haman was hanged on his own gallows, ap'l the king's wrath was pacified. In regard to the general massacre of a whole race, we have a modem example in Turkish history. In 1770, the grand signior, in full council, decreed that the whole Greek race should be exterminated ; but Hassan Pacha interfered, and obtained for them a general amnesty. — M. de Peysonnel, Voyages au Levant. (See also baron du Trott, p. 90.) The steward of the emperor Martin caught in his own trap. The steward of the emperor Martin was jealous of Ful- gentius, the emp)eror'8 nephew and cup- bearer, and laid a plot for his destruction He told the emperor that Fulgentius had spread abroad a scandalous report, that his majesty's breath was so offensive it almost poisoned him ; " but," said the steward, '^this is a most shameful false- hood, the pitiful slander of disaffection and dislike." The emperor was certainly astonished at these remarks, but the steward said the truth of his observation was capable of very easy proof. " If, for example, your highness will be pleased to notice Fulgentius to-morrow, when he Pt. I.] HEAD CARKIED AFTER DECAPITATION. 167 hands the cup to your highness, you will see that he turns his head on one side." Martin said he would not fail to watch his nephew when he handed him the cup. The steward now went to Fulgentius, and pretending great friendship for him, told him he heard the emperor say the breath of his cupbearer was so offensive, he hardly knew how to bear it, and he wished some kind friend would hint to his nephew to turn his head aside when he handed him the cup. Fulgentius thanked the steward ; and, when he handed the king the cup on the morrow, turned aside his head, as the steward had advised him to do. The emperor, greatly enraged at the supposed affront, kicked Fulgentius on the chest, and exclaimed, *' Out, caitiff ! out of my sight ; and let me never see you more!" Wl^n he was gone, the emperor asked the steward how he could contrive to make away with the slanderous valet without creating a scandal ; and the steward replied, " Let your highness command him to go at daybreak to the brick-makers, and ask them if they have done my lord's bidding. The rest your highness may leave to me." So the steward sent a sealed order, bear- ing the royal signet, to the master of the bnck-makers, commanding him to cast into the brick-kiln the person who first «aid to the brick-makers in the morning, " Have you done my lord's bidding ? " Fulgentius was charged with the message, and rose up early to execute it. On his *fB.y to the brick-fields, he heard the f.»iurch-bell calling to matins, and went to pay his devotions, saying to himself, ** Nothing is ever lost by prayer ; " and after matins he fell asleep, for in his dis- tress he had not closed his eyes all night. Meanwhile, the steward, anxious to hear of the death of Fulgentius, made his way to the brick-fields, and said to the men, "Well, my friends, and have you done my lord's bidding?" No sooner were the words uttered, than they seized the speaker, and threw him into the kiln, where he was presently burnt to death. Not long afterwards Fulgentius presented himself, and said to the brick-burners, *'His majesty has sent me to ask you, have you done my lord's bidding?" "Ay, ay," cried the man ; "tell the emperor it is all right." When Fulgentius appeared at court, Martin was astounded, and asked if he had been to the brick- fields. "Yes, my lord," said Fulgen- tius, "and the brick-burners bade me •ay to your highness, * Ay, ay, it is all right.' " He then informed his imperial uncle that the steward had gone to the fields first, and the men had cast him into the brick-kiln and burnt him to death. The emperor then asked his nephew if he had said what the steward had laid to his charge, and the whole truth came out. "The ways of the Lord," said the emperor, " are wonderful. The wicked- ness of the wicked hath come to an end. He made a pit, and digged it, and hath fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief hath returned on his own head, and his violent dealing hath come down on his own pate. Praise the Lord for His righteousness ; sing praises to the name of the Lord Most High." — Gesta Romano^ rum^ ch. xcviii. (See also Scott's Tales from the Arabic and Persian^ p. 53 ; and le Grand's Fabliaux, r, 74 (miracles of the Virgin). Head carried after Death. St. AphrodisiuSj bishop of Beziers, walks away with his head after it was cut off (April 28, A.D. 69). St. Aphrodisius, the first bishop of Beziers, met with great success in his preaching, and converted many from idolatry to the Christian faith ; but one day a number of pagans set upon him, and, after tossing him about from one to another, finished their sport by cutting off his head. St. Aphrodisius, raising himself up, took his head between his hands, and walking through the midst of the crowd, carried it to a certain chapel beyond the town, and buried it there. — Mgr. Gu^rin (chamberlain to pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. v. p. 61 (7th edit. 1880). St. Aventine walks away with his head after it was cut off (a.d. 778-813). St. Aventine, apostle of Gascony, was be- headed by the Saracens. They had hunted him a long time, as one hunteth a par- tridge in the mountains, and were drunk with j oy when they discovered him . They indulged all their rage upon him, and one of the barbarians drew his sabre, and cut off his head. The blood fell in nools upon the ground, and formed a long stream of blood ; but what was their amazement when they beheld the saint, holding his head between his hands, walk off with it in the direction of the town. They were so scared that they ran away, telling the story to all they met. In the mean time, the martyred saint continued his journey till he came to a valley where he had often preached, when he laid him* self dowi? "and die^" At night som* 168 HEAD CARRIED AFTER DECAPITATION. [Pr. I. of his converts buried him, and subse- quently a little monument, which remains to this day, was erected on the spot where he fell. Over the portal of the church of St. Aventine is a group of soldiers dis- puting with a man who holds his head in his hands. Mgr. Gu^rin, chamberlain of pope Leo XIII., evidently sees nothing improbable in this storj', for he adds, "La tradition la plus constante nous a conserve le r^cit fidfele de cette mort miraculeuse, et la reconnaissance du peuple la grava au xii® sifecle sur la pierre et le marbre." — Vies des Saints^ vol, vi. pp. 609, 610 (7th edit. 1880). The discovery of the saint's body was also marvellous. Mgr. Gii^rin, the chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.. says: " A bull was seen daily quitting the meadow, and with* (irawing from its companions, in spite of the vigilance of tiie herdsman. It went always to the same spot, when if began to bellow, and kick the ground with his fore feet. It was difficult to drive him away, even at niKbtfull. At length this strange conduct excited attention, and tlie bull Miw itself surrounded with a crowd of gazers, amongst whom were several priests. While all wondered what the bull meant, an angel cried aloud, 'In this spot lie the remain.s of Aventine of happy memory.' The crowd took up tlie cry of 'Aventine I Aventine 1 ' Tlie earth was re- moved, and the body and bead of the martyr were both found. An uns]>enkuble perfume filled the air — a per- fume unlike any earthly fragrance — and the whole crowd was embalmed with it." *' Desproc^-verbaux plus r<^cents nous apprennent que la v<5rification des reli(4ues fut faite jMir Mgr. Olivier Gabriel, «n 17H7 " (only 92>M years after the decejise : this would bring us alH)ut 107 years before the Conquest) ; *' une autre se fit en 1707, par" Mgr. d'Osmond; une troisidme en 18«»8 par M. Menganluque, cur6 de la paroisse ; la dernidreen 1837, [)ar Mgr. d'Astros, nrcheveque de Toulouse, qui fit placer es rcliqnes dans une belle clift&se en dW^ne que I'on porte nujourd'hui dans les processions solennelles." (Almost an identical tale ia told of St. Fritz, p. 163.) In so marvellous a narrative it is well to be fortified by good names, or "some" might doubt the possibility of walking off with one's be.od. St. Desiderius, bishop of Langres^ carries off his head after decapitation (a.d. 264). In the middle of the third centurj', a h«)rde of Allemans invaded Gaul, under a chief named Chrocus. They besieged Langres. and spared neither age nor sex. Desiderius, bishop of Langres, went to Chrocus, and prayed him to spare the people ; but the chief told one of his officers to cut off the fellow's head. As the head fell, Desiderius caught it in his hands ; and he is usually represented in Christian art carrying his head in his hands. The martyr, at the time of his decapitation, was holding a book, which, of course, was saturated with blo6d, but, strange to say, the letters remained quite legible; and Vincent de Beauvais informs us that when he saw it, a thousand years afterwards, the letters were wholly " in- tact." The man who cut off the saint's head went mad, drove his head against the city gates, and dashed out his brains. The stains of this man^s brains were suffered to remain on the gates as a standing testimony against him. As for Chrocus, we are told by St. Gregory of Tours he was taken prisoner at AVleg, carried about for a time in an iron cage, and then put to death. — L'abbe' Mazelin, Saints de la Haute Mame, Dionysius [St. Denis] the Areopaqite carries off his heady and hands it to (Jatulla (a.d, 117). Dionysius the Areopagite did many great miracles, such as restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, and so on ; but he is pre-eminently known for walking off with his head, after it had fallen to the sword of the executioner. The "historical" account is as follows: — Fescennius, governor of Gaul, having seized St. Dionysius and several other Christians, subjected them to many cruel torments in order to make them renounce the "Lord who bought them;" but, failing to shake their resolution, he ordered them to be executed on the Hill Mercury (now Montmartre). An immense crowd gathered together, for the victims were very numerous. Here St. Dionysius was decapitated ; but immedi- ately his head had fallen to the ground, he rose on his feet, picked up his head with his two hands, and v;alked off with it "in triumph." He carried it from ^lontmartre (near Paris) for about two leagues ; then, giving it to a pious woman named CatuUa, whom he met, fell to the earth at her feet. Catulla received the head with unspeakable joy, and hid it carefully in her house with those of St. Rusticus and St. Eleutherius. We are further told by the same writers that as Dionysius walked along with his head, angeis hovered about him, some singing Gloria tibi^ Domine^ and others respond- ing Alleluia I Alleluia I Alleluia I This story is repeated as a fact in the Greek Menologies, and by Simeon Metaphrastfis, Methodius, Hilduin, Hugh de St. Victor. Nicephorus Callixtus, Ckjelius Rhodigiruis, Suidas,Usuard, Michael Singelua, and others. Mgr. Gudrtn, in his Vies des Saint* (1880), repeats it ; and, indeed, no miracle of the saints has a greater crowd of attestators, nof any of higher autliority. The explanation sometimes offered that the legend arose from the device of some artist, who drew the body of the decapitated saint, and placed the head in front of the body between the martyr's hands, that his subject might be recognized, will not bear the slightest examination. Nothing can be more demonstrable than that the pictures represented the received opinions, and not that the legend sprang from any painting. Edward Kinesman (\fii-i) writes thus, and his words, no doubt, will oe in accord- ance with every faithful [Roman] Catholic who dares to be honest: "Although God permitted His servjint to be put to death, yet was He not forgetful of him; yea, because He would the more glorify him, and not suffer his body to be dishonoured, His will was to worke a wonderfull miracle in that place. The beadles body of the saint arosp on hit feet, and tooke up iu his hands bis owne bead, and ^ t-ui, ;,# Pt. I.] HEAD CARRIED: CHRYSOLIUS— LUCIAN. 169 In manir of triumph until] it mett a vertuous „ ...'coming out of her owne house, near what is now called St. Denis near Paris, and to her he delivered the head, which she received as a goodly Jewell." St Chrysolius walks off with his cranium^ which had been cleft from his skull by the sword of the executioner (a.d.^ 278). _ St. Chrysolius was a missionary in Belgium, And dwelt at Commines. He was un- expectedly seized by a company of soldiers, and ordered to lose his head for blaspheming th« national deities. The man appointed to cut off his head missed his neck, and cut off the cranium from ear to ear. The body fell weltering in blood, and the soldiers marched off. No sooner was this the case than St. Chry- solius picked up his cranium, and re- turned to Commines, where he was seen by hundreds. On his way, feeling thirsty, he bade water spring from the ground, and forthwith a spring of delicious water welled up. This miracle cannot be gain- said, inasmuch as the stream still flows to ;,he healing of the nations. — J. Cousin, History of Tournay. How the existence of a stream can prove its miraculous production must be left to the historian of Tournay. Some logicians would have us believe that the discovery of the word "Pharaoh" on some Egyptian ruins is a proof positive of the whole history recorded in the Book of Exodus ; but all that such a coincidence can prove is that Pharaoh was a name or title known to the Egyptians, and connected with their liistory. Similarly, the dis- covery of the word "Cleopatra" on the Rosetta stone is no proof that she melted a pearl in drinking to the health of Antony. St. Hilarian of Espalion carries his head to his mother^ after it was cut off (eighth century). St. Hilarian of Espalion was Charlemagne's confessor, and used to cross the Lot every day to go to Levignac. One day his mother said to him, "My son, you will end by leaving your head behind you one of these days." ''Well, mother," he replied, laughing, "if so, I will bring it to you." Not long after this he was seized by some of his per- secutors, who cut off his head. The *' valiant athlete of Christ " took it up in his hands, washed off the blood in a fountain, since called " Font-sange," and :;arried it to his mother, according to his promise. In the parish church of Espa- lion is a bas-relief representing this " fact."— L'abbe' I'Servieres, Saints du Bouergue. St. Leo^ archbishop of Rouen^ walks off with his head after death (a.d. 900). St. Leo, having converted the people of j&ayonne, greatly displeased the pirates, who plainly saw that Christianity and piracy could not exist in the same country ; so they leagued together, way- laid the man of God, and cut off his head. Two miracles then ensued : (1) his blood, on touching the ground, caused a spring of water to well up ; and (2) pick- ing up his head, he carried it more than a mile, and buried it. A chapel was after- wards built to his honour on the spot.— Vita Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. i. March. St. Lucanus of Aquitaine, being be- headed, walks off with his head (fifth century). St. Lucanus raised up his voice in Aquitaine against idolatry. He was hunted from place to place, till at length he was apprehended at Orleans, and brought to Paris, where he was condemned to death. After various tortures, the judge ordered his officer to cut off the saint's head. As his head fell to the axe, Lucanus stooped, picked it up, and walked off with it, "entre ses mains, et la porta comme en triomphe a une demi-lieue de I'endroit oil il avait e'te execute'." He then laid it carefully on a stone, which, in memory of this miracle, has ever since been called La Pierre de St. Lucain. The remains were buried by the faithful with great care. In 1666 they were inclosed in a coffer covered with plates of silver, and placed on the high altar of the cathedral of Paris. The reliquary is carried in pro- cession, in times of national calamities, with those of St. Marcel and St. Gene- vieve. At the present day Notre-Dame de Paris no longer possesses this treasure. [I suppose it was lost or destroyed in the Revolution.] — Mgr. Guerin (chamber- lain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints^ vol. xiii. p. 49 (7th edit. 1880). St. Lucian, being beheaded, walks off with his head (a.d. 67). After the head of St. Lucian had fallen to the sword of the executioner, the detruncated body deliberately picked up the fallen head from the ground, and walked off with it towards the town of Beauvais. Crossing the river of Therain a Miauroj", the body stopped some four leagues from the town of Beauvais, to intimate the spot where he wished his body to be buried. Here it received honourjvble sepulture, angels assisting at the funeral, and filling the air with heavenly odours. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum, vol. i. Jan. 8. Also mentioned by Odo, Life of St. Lucian ; Florus, Martyrology (ninth century) ; Louvet, History of the Antiquities of Beauvais ; and manj others. It will be observed that this story is dated lialf a century earlier than the similar one about St Denis or Dionysio* (se« preceding page). 170 HEALED BY STRIPES— HERD OF SWINE. [Pt. T, St, Prdba carries away her head after it had been cut off (fourth century). St. Proba was a native of Ireland, but to avoid a marriage arranged by her parents, cjhe fled to Gaul. Her retreat being discovered, she was taken back to Ireland, and, as she persisted in leading a single life, her parents cut off her head. The saint, we are told, picked it up, and carried it on a stone to Old St. Peter's Church. The stone is still shown in proof of this " miracle." — Doni Robert Wyard, Uistory of St. Vincent's Abbey of Laon (edition 1858, by the abbots Cardon and Mathieu), The stone must hare been a sort of pavement, which w(»uld serve the place of a dish or charger. St. Salangia walks away with her head after it was cut off (a.d. 880). The shepherdess Solangia was very beautiful, and the count of Poitiers, Bourges, and Auvergne offered her marriage in honour- able fashion. When, however, she de- clined the offer, he seized her, intending to carry her to his castle ; but, as they approached a stream, Solangia contrived to throw herself to the ground. The count, greatly irritated, drew his sword and cut off her head ; but Solangia caught it in her hands, and it thrice pronounced the name of Jesus. She carried her head from Villemont to St. Martin du Cros, where she was buried, and in 1281 a monument, in the form of an altar, was erected to her memory. In Christian art St. Solangia is represented walking off with her head in her hands. — Mgr. Gue'rin (Chamberlain of pope LeoJCIIL), Viesdes Saints (1880). (In tlie church of St. Solangia the life of this saint b lepresented In tapestry. In five compartments; and in St. Etienne de Bourges, in the nave, are five paintings of the win)e subject. Both represent her carrying off her head in her hands.) •»• Certjiinly the most strange legend under this group >s that of St. Winifride, a Welsh woman. One day Cradorus. or Caradoc, the son of Alan, king of North Wales, finding her alone in her father's house, offered her violence ; she fled, and the prince, pursuing, cut off her head. Where the head fell, a fountain sprang from the ground, called "Winifride's Well," or the "Holy Well," in Flintshire, St. Beno, her spiritual Intructor, now came lip, set the head adroitly on again, and St Winifride returned home safe and sound. Healed by Stripes. isA. liii. 5. With His stripes we are healed. Heb. ii. 10. Perfect through suffering. Matt. v. 30. It is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not that thy whole body be cast into hell. Heb. xii. 6. Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and sconrgetb every son whom He receiveth. 2 Ktngs XX. 13-19. Hezekiah, in a spirit of worldly vanity, showed the ambassadors of the king of Babylon all his precious tilings— the silver and the gold, etc. Then came Isaiah and said to him, The days come that all that is in thine house shall be carried to Babylon. And Hezekiah said, Good is the word of the Lord. Psalm cxix. 71. It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might learn Thy statutes. T/ie falcon, A certain Roman lady, in the days of Pompey the Great, was courted by a knight, whose joy of joys was to be near his lady-love. One day he craved of her a falcon which sat on her wrist, and she gave it him. He was 80 taken up with this bird that he dis- continued his visits to the lady, and she sent for him. The knight came with the falcon on his wrist, and the lady said to him, " Let me touch my old favourite ; " but no sooner was it in her hand than she wrenched its head off, and said to the knight, *' Grieve not at what I have done. That falcon weaned thy love from me, and caused thee to offend: now I have killed it, I shall again enjoy thy pre- sence." And it was so. — Gesta Romano- rum, Ixxxiv, This, of course, ii an allegory. The lady is God, the knight a worshipper of God, the falcon some Idol which weans his heart from Gud. God takes it away, and he saya with tlw psalmist, " It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might learn Thy atatutea.* Herd of Swine. Matt. viii. 28-32. In the country of the Gorgesenes two persons possessed with devils met Jesus, and cried out, saying, W^hat have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God ? Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time ? And they besought Him, saying. If Thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And Jesus said unto them. Go. And the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. At the command of St. Eegulus a devil cam£ out of a man possessed, and went into an ass (a.d. 130). St. Regulus was bishop of Aries and Senlis. One day he saw at Senlis a man possessed with a devil, and the devil besought him, saying, " If you cast me out, suffer me to enter into the body of this ass ; " and the bishop said, "Go." When the devil was about to enter into the ass, the beast, being apprised of his intention, made '^n the ground with his fore foot the sign of the cross, and the devil was obliged to pass on, and leave the ass unmolested. In Christian art, St. Regulus, in allusion to this "miracle," is represented with an asn crouching at his feet. — L'abbe' Collet. Bagiographie du Diocese d" Amiens, Pr. I.] HEROD AND THE INNOCENTS. 171 Herod and the Innocents. Matt, ii 16-18. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under. . . . Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning ; Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. Albert of Swirnazew, in Podolia, cmci- fied by Jews (a.d. 1598). Albert, a child of four years, "dont les yeux riaient tou jours, et toujours disaient bonjour," was crucified by Polish Jews, in 1589. His body was laid in the Jesuits' college of Lubin. — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. iy. p. 530. Andrew^ an orphan, crucifiednt Inspruck by Jews. Andrew lost his father when quite a babe, and was committed to the charge of his godfather. One day, while playing in the streets of Inspruck with his companions, some Jews who hap- ])ened to be passing by, struck with his beauty, asked to be permitted to adopt him, and gave the child's godfather a good round sum of money in order to obtain his consent. Being in possession of the child, they conducted him to a forest, *'et le circoncirent en profe'rant les plus horribles blasphemes contra Jesus Christ." The child screamed to attract attention ; the kidnappers opened his veins, and, having hung him to a tree with his arms extended in the form of a cross, took to flight. Soon as the murdered body was discovered it was buried at Rinn. M. Migneadds, "Les gudrisons miraculeuses qui s'ope'rferent k son tombeau y attirferent bient6t un grand concours de pterins." He was canonized, and July 12 was named as his day. — L'abbd Migne, Encyclop^die Th^ologique, vol. 40, p. 174 (1850). No datM are given, and the whole tale seema most Incredible. St. Hugh ofLincolny at the age of eleven, crucified by Jews (Aug. 27, a.d. 1256). Hugh was bom at Lincoln in 1244, and in his eleventh year was seized by the Jews of that city, under the leadership of Joppin. These Jews, we are told, paro- died on this child the whole tragedy of the sacred crucifixion of Christ. They spat in his face, they gcourged him with rods, they slit his nose and cut open his upper lip,' they knocked out his teeth, they crucified him ; and, while he hnng on the cross, they pierced his side with a spear. Joppin and seventeen others, all Jews of wealth and station, were arrested for this offence by order of Henry III., and brought before the parliament assembled at Reading. Being tied by the heels to j^oung horses, they were dragged about till they were half-dead, and were then gibbeted. — L'abbd Migne, Encyclop^die Th€ologique, p. 1380, vol. 40. There are several documents in Rymer's Faedera relative to this event, and there seems no reason to doubt that eighteen of the wealthiest Jews of Lincoln were con» demned to death for the offences alleged against them, before the parliament at Readmg. The story is told by Matthew Paris in his Chronicles. It is the subject of the Prie Jews is beyond a doubt ; the retort of the Jews on Christian children is very doubtful indeed. The infamous persecu- tion of the Jews in Russia in 1880-1881 roused the indig- nation of all Europe. A boy (name unknown) crucified in Bohemia by Jews (a.d. 1287). Albert Krantze, in his History of Vandalia, gives an account of a boy crucified at Prague, on Good Friday, a.d. 1287. He says the Jews there seized by craft a young child, and "practised on him all the cruelties which their forefathers had shown to Jesus Christ our Saviour." This lad, he says, bore the agonies of crucifixion with admirable patience, and more than human courage. The butchery was discovered, and the crime punished with the utmost rigour. So certain is this, that two churches were erected in honour of this boy-martyr. Hew of Mirryland stabbed, and cast into a well, by a Jewish damsel. This is a tale told in a ballad, inserted in Percy's Reliques, bk. i. 3, about a boy named Hew, whose mother was *' lady Hew of Mirryland" (? Milan). He was decoyed by an apple, given him by a Jewish maiden, who *' stabbed him with a pen- knife, rolled him in lead, and cast him into a well." Percy says, "It is founded upon the supposed practice of the Jewa in crucifying and otherwise murdering Christian children, out of hatred to the religion of their parents — a practice which hath always been alleged in excuse for the cruelties exercised upon that wretched 174 HEROD AND THE INNOCENTS. [Pt. I. people, but which probably never hap- pened in a single instance." The rain rins doun through Mirryland toune, Sae doia it doune the Pa \Po] ; Sue dois the lads of Mirryland toune Quhan they play at the ba' [bcUll, Titan out and cam the Jewis docbter, Said, " Will ye cum in and dine?"— " I winnae cum in, I cannae cum in, " Without my playferes nine." Bcho [the] powd an apple reid and whit* To iutice the 2ong thing in ; Bcho powd an apple white and reid. And that the sweit buiriie did win. And scho has taine out a little penknifo. And low down by her gair. Scho has twined tlie 2ong thing and hi« life ; A word he nevir spalc mair. Aad out and cam the thick thick bluid, And out and cam the thin ; And out and cam the bonny bert'a bluid,— Thair was nae life left in. Scho laid him on a dressing borde. And drest him like a swine. And laughing said. "Gae nou and pley " With 2our sweit playferes nine." Scho rowed him In a cake of lead. Bade him lie stil and sleip '^ Scho cast him in a deip drawwell. Was fifty fadom deip. Quhan bells wer rung, and mass was sung. And every lady went hame, — Than ilka lady bad her 2onK sonne. But lady Helen had nane. Bcho [i.e. lady Helen] rowd hir mantil hlr about. And sair salr gan she weip ; And she ran into the Jewis caste!', Quluui they wer all asleip. •• My bonny Sir Hew, my pretty Sir Hew, " I pray thee to me speik."— O lady, rinn to the deip drawwell. Gin 2e 2our sonne wad seiiu Lady Helen ran to the deep drawwell. And knelt upon her kne; "My bonny Sir Hew, an :^e be here. " I pray thee speik to me," •'The lead is wondrous heavy, mither, " The well U wondrous deip, ** A keen penknife sticks In my hert, " A word I dounae speik. "Gae hame, gae hame, my mither deir, " Fetch me my winding sheet, " And at the back o' Mirryland toun *' Its thair we twa sail meet" (Here the ballad breaks off.) A list of children given by the Bollandists WIS Jewish victims : — (1) At Bran, in Hungarj', 1522, the murder of Christian children caused the expulsion of the Jews from that country. (2) At Cracovia, in 1407, an infant of four years old, bought by the Jews for four florins, was crucified for their pMchal victim. (3) At Castille, in 1464, the ashes of an infant's heart, plucked out and calcined, were sprinkled by Jews on their paschal oread. This charge, followed by several others of the same kind, brought about the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, in 1459. (4) At DussENHOF, in the canton of Turgovia, in 1401, an infant four years old, bought by the Jews of a peasant for three florins, was crucified. (6) At MoTTA, in the Trevisan, in 1480, was a most savage butchery of an infant. (6) At Pfortzhelm, duchy of Baden, in 1261, a young girl of seven was sold to the Jews. Her blood was drawn from her body with awls, and the body then thrown into a tank of water, where it wag discovered. The dead body being taken to the town-hall, before the duke of Baden, seemed to recover life, and held out its arms for justice and vengeance. The Jews being taken up and brought into the court, blood spouted from all her veins, which was considered to be proof positive of their guilt. (7) At Poland, in 1547, 1569, 1690, 1696, 1697, etc., children were crucified by Jews. * (8) At Turin, in 1469, a Jew tried to assassinate a Christian child in the open street. Not being able to complete the crime, he cut off a part of the child's calf, and fled. (9) At Tyrnau, in 1494, three mur- ders of Christian children, about the same time, brought about the expulsion of the Jews from Hungary. (10) At Waltkirch, in Alsatia, a father sold his child, of the age of four, for ten florins to some Jews. The con- dition was, that the Jews were to draw a certain quantity of the blood, and then return the child to its parent. The child was bled to death, and the father was executed. ♦^* The Jews, we are told, after these horrible sacrifices, never buried their victims, because their law forbids a Jew to bury a Christian. Consequently, th« crime came to light more frequently than it would otherwise have done. Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), April 20, after the : " Albert of Swirnazew." Here will be found all tiie details connected with these several instances of alleged cruci- fixion. The only reason for giving this list is to show that the charge was very widely credited in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Indeed, hatred to a Jew was almost as much enjoined as charity to the poor. The Jews of Tisza-Eszlar, in Hungary^ accused of murdering a Christian girl for a passover sacrifice in 1883, In 1882, certain Hungarian Jews were charged with murdering Esther Solymosi, a Christian girl, fourteen years of age, at Tisza-Ksalar, in Hungary, and then Ft. I.J HEROD REPROVED. 175 throwing the dead body in the river Theiss. The girl had been sent by her mistress to fetch some whitewash, but never returned, and the rumour got abroad that the Jews could, if they chose, throw light on this mysterious disappear- ance The boy Moritz Scharf, aged four- teen, and the son of a Jewish butcher, now iame forward, and asserted that he saw through a keyhole his father and several other Jews cut the girl's throat in the forecourt of the synagogue after the morning service, and he observed that the blood trickled slowly from the cut. The accused Jews were thrown into prison, where they were confined for a year, and some of them subjected to torture. The trial took place in 1883, and in August all the accused were set at liberty, even the public prosecutor saying "he wished the |whole story could be erased from Hungarian history." The body of the girl was found in the river, but no wound could be detected on it. Many of the witnesses confessed to have taken bribes, and the girl had been seen alive some considerable time after that stated by the boy Scharf. What is so disgraceful is this, the vice-notary M. Bary (the examining judge), the deputies, public officials, and magistrates were all violent against the Jews, and would no doubt have given judgment the other way, if they could ; indeed, they both sought evidence against the Jews, and browbeat the witnesses on the other side. Dr. Eotvos, chief counsel for the defence, was nearly murdered by the mob ; but, in spite of all this prejudice, the Jews were fully acquitted, and the accusation was shown to be baseless and contradictory in every particular. The girl disappeared April 1, 1882. The trial began at Nyiregyhaza, June 19, 1883, and the accused were acquitted Aug. 3, 1883. The object of the accusation was to drive Uie Jews out of the village. Herod reproved. Matt. xiv. 8-11. John the Baptist reproved Herod for living in adultery with Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. One day Salome, daughter of Herodias, so pleased the king by her dancing, that he vowed he would give her whatever she chose to ask for, even to the half of his kingdom. Her mother told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist, their relent- less enemy. The king was vexed at the request, but for his oath's sake he sent an executioner to cut off the prophet's head, which was brought on a charger to the maiden ; and Salome handed it to her mother. 8t, Angelus loses his life for reproving count Berenger for living in incestiwus intercourse with his sister (a.d. 1225). When St. Angelus came to Sicily, he was greatly shocked to find the count de Berenger living with his sister, as man and wife. He at first expostulated in private with the count, but producing no effect, he denounced him in public, and threatened him with divine ven- geance unless he repented. The sister repented, confessed, and received abso- lution ; but the count vowed that the insolent priest should pay for his inter- ference with his life, and sent assassins to murder him. They attacked him while offering up mass, gave him five wounds, and he died repeating the fifth verse o£ the thirty-ffst psalm, "Into Thy hand I commit my spirit." As he breathed his last, all the assistants saw a ray of light, proceeding from his mouth, shoot upwards towards heaven, and a dove flew in the midst of the ray till it was lost to sight. — Mgr. Gue'rin, Vies des Saints J vol. v. p. 344 (7th edit. 1880). St. DesideriuSy bishop of Vienne^ mur- dered by Brunehaut (a.d. 608). Thierry II., king of Burgundj", received into his palace his grandmother Brunehaut when she was driven out of Austrasia, and she exercised over her grandson unbounded influence ; but his court was a nest of all unclean birds. St. Desiderius boldly said to the young king, " Chase these wicked women from thy court, and take to thyself a lawful wife, worthy of the throne of Burgundy." When Brunehaut heard thereof, she employed three assas- sins to waylay and murder the bishop. These ruffians fell upon him at Cormo- ranche, but he contrived to reach Prissig- nac, where he died from his wounds, May 23, a.d. 608, "comme un veri- table imitateur de St. Jean Baptiste et du prophfete Elie, dans la conduite qu'ils avaient tenue k I'egard d'He'rodiate et de Je'zabel." — Mgr. Depe'ry, Histoire Bagio^ logique du Diocese de Belley, In Christian art St Desiderius is represented reprovtng Brunehaut in the court of her grandson. The duke Gosbert reproved by St, Kilian for living in adultery (a.d. 689). When St. Kilian carried the gospel tidings to Wurtzburg, he reproved the duke Gosbert for living in adultery with Geilana, his brother's wife ; and Geilana persuaded the duke to put the missionary to death. — Canisius, Life of St, Kilian, vol. iv. p. 628. A don of Salamanca reproved for adiU^ tery by St, John of St. Facond (a.d. 1430-1479). When St. John of Sahagon 176 HERODIAS— HONOUR GOD^S SAINTS. was at Salamanca, he fearlessly reproved one of the nobles for his licentious mode of living. The don was so pricked by the words of the saint, that he dismissed his concubine ; but the woman was furious, and swore to be the death of the meddlesome priest before the year was out. She contrived, accordingly, to give him a slow poison, which caused him several months of pain, and ultimate!)'" killed him, June 11, a.d. 1479. In allusion to this, St. John of Sahagon is represented in Christian art with a cup eurmounted with a serpent. — Acta Sane- torum (Bollandists), vol. ii. June 12, p. 616. The wise and the unwise cock. The wife of Gordian's guard was an adulteress, and one of her lady's-maids professed to be skilled in the language of birds. While her gallant was with her, a cock in the courtyard began to crow, and the adulteress asked her maid what it had said. "It exclaimed," quoth the maid, *' * You insult your husband shamefully.' " "Wring its neck off this minute," cried her mistress. Presently another cock crowed, which the maid declared said this, " Hear and see, but always hold your tongue." "Run," said her mistress, "and give it a handful of com."— Cres^a Romanorum^ Ixviii. Ovid, in his Metamorp)w$et (bk. 11.), telU a tale with tlie same moral. He says tiiat ravens were once as large and white as swans ; but one day a raven told Apollo that Coronls, a Thessalonian nymph whom he passionately loved, was faitlUess. Tlie god shot tlie nymph ; but, hating the tell-tale bird, he blackened its plumage, and " bade bim prate in swun-whlte plumes no more. Herodias and the Head of John the Baptist. According to tradition, when Salomd received from Herod the Baptist's head, she took it to her mother ; and Herodias, in her spite, pulled out the tongue, and stabbed it through and through with her bodkin. Fulvia and the head of Cicero. When the head of Cicero, the great Roman orator, was delivered by Mark Antony, his wife Fulvia seized hold of it, pulled out the tongue, and stabbed it over and over again with her bodkin. Honour God's Saints. (See Violence offered to God's Ser- vants.) 1 Tim. t. 17. Let the elders that rule well be among them. Wherefore lift ye up yourselvei above the co igregation of the Ivord ? And the ground clave asunder under them, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and they perished from among the congre gation. King Clotaire punished with colic for making St. Germanus wait (a.d. 511). When Clotaire I. succeeded his brother Childebert on the throne of France, St. Germanus, bishop of Paris, called to pay his respects. Clotaire had been absent from Paris a long time, and not knowing anything about Germanus, made him wait so long at the door, that he left the palace without seeing the young king. The king was immediately seized with a violent colic, which racked him all night. He attributed his pain to his dis- courtesy to St. Germanus, and sent for him. When the bishop arrived, Clotaire fell at his feet, acknowledged his offence, and humbly kissed the bottom of the prelate's robe. St. Germanus touched the part affected, and the king was re- lieved of his pain. — Dom Ruinart, vol. i. (1708). Nizony bishop of Freisingen, struck dead for threatening Leo IX. (a.d. 1150). Leo IX., in his visitation, came to Ravenna, when Nizon, bishop of Freisingen, said, '* May this my throat be cut with a sword from ear to ear, if I do not depose this meddlesome pope from his apostolate." No sooner had he uttered these words than he felt an intolerable pain in his throat, and died within three days. — Wibert, Life of Leo /X, bk. iii. ch. 7. A horse, having carried St. John of Tus^ cany once, refused to carry any one else (a.d. 526). St. John of Tuscany having to pass over the isthmus of Corinth, when he was pope, borrowed a horse ; and the horse, which had been honoured by having a saint on its back, would never allow any other person to ride thereon. — Acta Sanctonim (Bollandists), vol. v. p. 239. A far better tale is told of Rudolph L, kaiser and king of Germany, One day a poor pnest, taking the holy elements to a dying man, was stopped by a brook, greatly woUen by recent rains. Rudolf, then a simple knight, happened to be riding by at the time, and seeing tha difficulty, instantly dismounted, and placed his horse at the disposal of the priest. When the man of God had crossed the stream, and was about to return the iteed to its owner, Rudolf iiegged him to accept it as a gift. ' ' Tak« it. father," said he: "I am not worthy to use it now, seeing it has been consecrated to the 8eiT»»e it God." A novice, neglecting to ask the blessing of St. Benedict, died and was rejected from her grave. A novice, longing to see hei Pr.I.J HOSPITALITY ENJOINED— IDOLS SHATTERED. 177 mother, left the convent on leave, but nejjlected to ask the blessing of St. Bene- dict. This was so great a breach of reverence, that she died on the road, and was buried ; but the very earth was -so horrified at the offence, that it thrice tossed the body out of the grave. Her parents, in great distress, applied to the abbot, and he gave them a consecrated wafer to lay on the stomach of the deceased. This talisman was all-suffi- cient, for the earth could no longer refuse to receive a body so protected and sanc- tified. — St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues^ bk. ii. A team of horses kneel when St. Francis Hieronimus holds a crucifix before them (a.d. 1642-1716). St. Francis Hieronimus on one occasion took his position before a notorious brothel in Naples, and a great crowd gathered round him to hear him preach. While he was preacliing, a car- riage and pair tried to pass through the crowd, but was stopped. The gentlemen within called to the coachman to drive on, but the preacher, holding out a crucifix, cried aloud, " holy Jesus, if these infidels have no respect for Thee, let their horses teach them better." As he spoke, the horses fell on their knees, and continued so till the sermon was over. — Cardinal Wiseman. (St. Francis was canonized in 1839.) The emperor Valentinian punished for neglecting to show respect to St. Martin, St. Martin had been greatly honoured by the emperor Maximus, whose empress used to wait on him, and hand him water for his hands. Valentinian II., the successor of Maximus, was an Arian, and therefore disliked the orthodox prelate. One day St. Martin came into the royal presence, but the emperor rose not from his seat to show him reverence. The bishop came nearer and nearer, but Valentinian remained seated. Presently the throne was found on fire, and burnt his majesty severely. Then rose he, went to the bishop, knelt humbly before him, and promised to grant him whatever he desired. — Severus Sulpicius, Dialogues. (St Martin would never sit In a church, but always knelt or stood. Being asked why, he replied, "Know ye not that the King of kings and Lord of lords is here ; and is it meet, think ye, to sit in the presence of the Majesty of •artb and heaven!") Hospitality enjoined. Heb. xili. 2. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares Matt. xxv. 35-40. I was an hungred, and ye {jave Me meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink : I was a stranger, and ye took Me in. . . . Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. (See also ver. 45.) Gen. xviii. 3, etc. Abraham entertained three strangers, who proved to be three angels or divine beings. Gen. xix. Lot entertained two strangers, who proved to be angels, and these angels helped him to escape when the cities of the plain were overthrown. Gen. xxiv. 31, etc. Laban entertained a stranger, who proved to be Abraham's servant, and this brought about the marriage of Isaac and Laban's daughter. ExoD. ii. 20, 21. Jethro entertained a stranger, who proved to be Moses, his future son-in-law. Job xxxi. 32. The stranger did not lodge in the street : I opened my doors to the traveller. St. Valery punishes a monk and a judge for refusing him hospitality (a.d. 619). One day, returning from Caldis (i.e. Cayeux), the cold was so intense that St. Valery asked a temporary asylum of a priest who dwelt on the road. As it happened, the judge of the district was there at the time. Instead of granting the hospitality asked for, these two " worthies " made the saint a subject of banter and obscene raillery. St. Valery sternly rebuked them, adding that for every idle word they would have to give an account in the day of judg- ment. This only increased the mirth of the two libertines. So, shaking off the dust of his feet, he left the house. On returning to their room, the priest dis- covered that he was blind, and the judge was stricken with a nameless malady. They now sent for the wanderer to come in and warm himself, but he refused to do so. The priest never after recovered his sight, and the judge died in agony from the "mal honteux qui I'avait atteint." — Les Petits BollandisteSy vol. iv, pp. 107, 108. Idols shattered. 1 Sam. V. 2-5. The Philistines took the aric of God to Ashdod, and placed it in the house of Dagon (the fish-god). When the people of Ashdod rose on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord ; and they took up Dagon, and set him in his place again. The morning after it had fallen on its face to the ground again, and the head, with both the hands, were knocked oflf on the threshold of the temple ; only the stump of the idol remained. ITie idol of Apollo broken, at the sign of the cross, by St. Martina (a.d. 226). St. Martina was the daughter of very honour- able parente at Rome. Her father had 178 IDOLS SHATTERED: CRETAN DIANA, MARS. [Pt. I. been thrice consul, but was dead, when the emperor Alexander Severus set on foot his Christian persecution. The young maiden, being taken to the temple of Apollo to offer incense to the god, made the sign of the cross, and commended herself in prayer to Jesus Christ. In- stantly the temple shook to its founda- tion, and the whole city felt the shock. A large part of the temple fell to the ground, and not only was the statue of Apollo broken to pieces, but all the priests and many of the idolaters present at the time were killed by the de'bris. The sequel of this " legend " is worth attention. After being torn with iron hooks and scourged, St. Martina was conducted to the temple of Diana; but the moment she passed the door the devil rushed from the temple, bellow- ing horribly, and fire from heaven burned down a part of the magnificent building. The walls and roof, falling on the priests and the idolaters, crushed hundreds of them to death. The emperor Alexander Severus, thoroughly alarmed, left the precincts, bidding Justin, the pre- sident, to carry out his orders, and not suffer a mere girl to set the whole nation at defiance. Accordingly, Justin gave orders for the fiesh of Martina to be torn to pieces with iron currycombs. While this was being done, the president stood over the martyr, saying, "Call on thy God, infidel, and let Him deliver thee, if He can." So horribly was Martina muti- lated by these combs, that on her breasts aloae she received 118 wounds. Justin thought she was dead, and was going away, when he saw her move. '* Martina, have you had enough ? " he said. " Will you now offer sacrifice, or will you wait for the apple ? " " Christ is my salva- tion," cried tiie damsel, *' and I will offer no sacrifice to devils." "Unbind her," roared the president, "and off with her to prison ! " Little did he expect to see her rise on her feet, and walk steadily away, wholly unassisted. When the em- peror was told of this, he commanded that she should be exposed in the amphi- theatre to the wild beasts. First came a furious lion rushing towards her, lashing his tail, bristling his mane, and roaring with anger. Every one expected he would tear her to pieces, and devour her ; but when he came near her, he stopped bhort, and his whole nature seemed changed. He dropped his mane, wagged his tail, crouched at her feet like a dog, and licked hei hands; but, as he was led back to his den, he rushed on Eumenus, the em- peror's father, who had instigated his son to this cruelty, and tore him to pieces.— Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum.^ vol. i. (ThiA is one of the lives of Surius.) The Cretan idol of Diana broken to pieces at the prayer of St, Titus (died A.D. 94). At the death of the apostle Paul, Titus went to Crete ; and one day, discoursing on the subject of faith in Christ, he found great opposition to the doctrine. He then prayed that God would witness his word with power ; and, at the same moment, the idol of Diana, adored in Crete, fell from its pedestal, and was broken to pieces. By this or* miracle five hundred Cretans were co2- verted, and, being baptized, were enrolled among the disciples. Another example. On another occasion, passing before the palace of Secundus the proconsul, Titus saw the temple of Jupiter had been lately rebuilt. He cursed the temple, and it fell with a crash to the ground. Secundus went to St. Titus, and implored him to indemnify him for this great loss, saying the emperor would hold him responsible. St. Titus bade the proconsul rebuild the temple, and dedicate it to Jesus Christ. This he did, and Secundus himself wa« the first to receive the sacrament of baptism in the new edifice. — L'abbd de Maistre, Lives of the Seventy-two Disciples. The idol of Mars shattered by the breath of St, LeOy archbishop of Rouen (a.d. 900). St. Leo, at Bayonne, preached in the temple of Mars on the folly and sin of wor- shipping idols. A great clamour arose, as when Paul was at Ephesus, when Demetrius and the craftsmen clamoured against him, because he asserted they be no gods which are made with hands (Acts xix.). Seeing the people would no longer listen to him, St. Leo ceased speaking, and began secret prayer, asking God to vindicate His honour and have pity on the people. Then, going up to the idol, he blew on it, and immediately it fell, and was reduced to powder. This miracle was the means of the conversion of many priests and not a few of the people in every rank of life. — Acta Sanc- torum (Bollandists), March, vol. i. The idol of Mars falls^ and is broken at the word of St. Xistus. When St. Xistus was c»me to tiie temple of Mars, he said to the idol of the war-god, " Christ, the Son of the living God, destroy thee ; " and all the Christians present cried, " Amen." Forthwith the idol fell from its pedestal* Pt. I.] IDOLS SHATTERED: SABINUS— ST. THOMAS, 179 and did considerable injury to the temple in so doing. — Life of 8t, Lawrence. The idols of Sahinus, a maker of idols, crashed by a peal of thunder. Sabinus was a maker of idols. On the loss of his second child, he said, " If it is Thou, the Almighty, who reignest indeed in heaven and earth, aB Christians tell me, destroy these idols which my hands have made, and which, although I have besought them by prayer and sacrifice, Iiave been unable or unwilling to save my children from death." As soon as these words were uttered, a peal of thunder shook the building, and all the idols, falling to the ground, were broken to pieces. Sabinus was converted, and many who witnessed the incident were baptized with him, confessing their sins. — Defer, Hagiology. St. Satyrus breathed on a\^ idol and it was broken to pieces. St. Satyrus breathed on an idol, and, making the sign of the cross, the idol fell down and was broken to pieces. This is stated as a fact in most martyrologies, but some place the event in Achaia, and others in Antioch. The idols of the great temple at Senlis shattered at the name of Jesus pronounced by St. Regulus (a.d. 130). St. Regulus entered the temple at Senlis. It was a magnificent edifice, most sumptuous, and full of idols. The moment he entered and uttered the word "Jesus," every idol fell to the ground and was broken to pieces. This disaster caused great- consternation among the assembivu worshippers ; but the saint took ad- vantage thereof to show that such fragile images could be no gods, and to direct the attention of the people to the one true God, invisible, omnipotent, the Creator of heaven and earth. The president and his wife were converted, hundreds pre- sented themselves for baptism, and, what is more, even the idolatrous priests were unable to resist the force of truth. After three days' purification, the temple was converted to the Holy Virgin, and is still called " Notre Damo des Miracles." Another instance. At Louvres, six leagues from Paris, St. Regulus entered the temple of Mercury, which was full of idolaters. He made the sign of the cross, touched with hib staff the image, pro- nounced the name of Jesus, and the idol fell with a crash, and was reduced to powder. St. Regulus took occasion from tkig incident to teach the vanity of trust- intj to such creatures, which have neither eyes nor ears, nor hands to help, nof power even to save themselves. The word was with such power, that all who heard him were converted and baptized. — L'abb^ C»rblet, Hagiogmphie du Diocese d'Amiens. The idol of Serapis broken to powder wJien St. Felix spits on it. St. Felix was apprehended by order of the emperor Diocletian, and taken to the temple of Serapis to offer sacrifice. When he stood before the idol he spat on it, and the metal image, falling from its pedestal, was literally broken to powder. The same befell the idols of Mercury and Diana, when St. Felix was haled into the temples of these deities with the same object. — Archbishop Ado, Martyr- ology. (See also Bede.) The idol of the sun turns to ashes before St. Faustinus and St. Jovitus (a.d. 121). The brothers Faustinus and Jovitus, of noble family, were Christians, and natives of Brescia, in Lombardy. The emperor Hadrian renewed the persecution begun by Trajan ; and, being in Brescia, these two brothers were brought before him. He commanded them to be taken to the temple of the sun, where was a splendid idol of the sun-god, whose head was surrounded with golden rays. The two brothers, placed before the idol, in- voked the name of Christ, and forthwith the face of the idol became black with soot, and the golden rays looked like ex- piring embers. Hadrian commanded the priests to clean the idol, but immediately they attempted to do so it crumbled to ashes. The emperor, furious with rage, ordered the two brothers to be thrown to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre, when four lions, with some leopards and bears, were let loose upon them ; but the wild beasts lay down peaceably beside them, licking their feet. Men were sent to enrage the beasts by burning their flanks ; whereupon they turned on their tormentors, and devoured them. — Les Petits Bollandistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. ii. p. 631. The idol of the sun broken to dust at the prayer of St. Thomas. The king of India commanded St. Thomas the apostle to be taken to the temple of the sun, to do honour to the statue of brass. The apostle fell on his knees, and besought God to break the idol in pieces, that the people might know that such gods are no gods. As he prayed, the brazen statue fell from its pedestal, and was broken into dust. The priests in their rage 180 IMPOSTURE: BEL AND THE DRAGON— ARCY. [Pt. I. rushed on the apostle, and killed him with their spears. — Metaphrastes, Lives^ . etc. (See also St. Isidore, Gregory of Tours, and others.) The statue of Venus falls, and is broken, when St. Porphyry passed in procession before the altar (a.d. 353-420). When St. Porphyry returned to Gaza from Con- stantinople, all the Christians went out to meet him, carrying crosses and singing hymns. At Four-ways-end was a marble altar surmounted by a statue of Venus ; this was held in considerable favour by the young women of Gaza, because it fras supposed to give them oracles respecting their future husbands. As the procession passed this altar, the idol fell down, and was shattered into fragments. Whereupon thirty-two men and seven women joined the Christians, and were baptized. — Mark (a companion), Life of St. Porphyry. Imposture. 1 KiKGs xxii. 21-23. When God had deter> mined on the death of king Abab, He said to the spirits. Who will persuade Ahab to go to the war, that he may die there? One spirit suggested one expedient, and another spirit another. At length there came forth one and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said. Wherewith? Then said the spirit, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth ot the prophets. And (.tod said. Thou shalt persuade him. Go, and do so. Accordingly, Ahab was persuaded, and fell dead by a random arrow. Those who have read Homer's Iliad will readily call to Blind the lying dream sent to Agamemnon, wliich assured him he should take Troy witliout further delay ; but the object of this deception was to distress the Greeks and please Thetis. " Zeus woke from sleep, and mused how he could slay the Grecians at the ships. At length this counsel pleased him best : viz. to despatch a lying dream to Agamemnon, assuring him tliat all the gods had at lengtli consented to deliver Troy Into his hands. Accord- higly Oneiros was sent to deceive the king, and the Greeks at once arrayed themselves for battle ; but Instead of taking Troy, the Trojaus everywhere distress the Greeks." — Bk. iL Bel and the Dragon. The Babylonians had an idol called Bel, and there were spent upon him every day twelve great measures of fine flour, and forty sheep, and six vessels of wine. And the king worshipped it, and went daily to adore it ; but Daniel worshipped God. And the king said to him, "Whj' dost thou not worship Bel ? " And Daniel an- swered, *' Because I may not worship idols made with [men's] hands." Then said the king to him, '* Thinkest thou not that Bel is a living God ? Seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh every day ? " Then Daniel smiled, and said, '* king, be not deceived ^ for this [idol] is but clay within and brass with- out, and did never eat or drink any- thing." [Then the king sent for the priests of Bel, and told them what Daniel had said.] And the priests said, " Lo ! we will go out, O king. Set on the meat, and make ready the wine, and shut the door [of the temple] fast, and seal it with thine own signet. And to-morrow when thou comest m, if thou findest not that Bel hath eaten up all, we will suffer death." Next morning betimes the king arose, and Daniel with him ; and the king said, "Daniel, are the seals whole ? " ** Yea, O king." And as soon as the door was opened, the king [saw the meat and the wine were gone], and cried with a loud voice, "Great art thou, Bel, and with thee is no deceit at all." Then laughed Daniel, and held the king that he should not go in, and said, "Behold the pavement, and mark well whose footsteps are these." And the king said, " I see the footsteps of men, women, and children." Then was the kin^ angry, and took the priests with their wives and children, who showed him the privy doors [under the table] where they came in, and consumed such things as were upon the table. Therefore the king slew them, and delivered Bel into Daniel's power; and Daniel destroyed both Bel and his temple. Etymology of the word " Arcy.'* With every desire to treat so important a sub- ject with gravity, the reader of the Acta Sanctorum occasionally runs against a statement so astounding, so utterly defiant of even " miraculous " propriety, that the words of Gibbon seem the only ones appropriate ; "If the eyes of the spectators have sometimes been deceived by fraud, the understanding of the readers has much more frequently been insulted by fiction." No doubt this is a hard thing to say, and, once admitting the possibility of miracles, it would be hard indeed to draw the line between the credible and the incredible; but the following statement is certainly a fiction "insulting the understanding." The body of St. Restituta remained at Sora till the middle of the ninth century ; then the Saracens made an irruption ir^to Italy, and this, with other relics, was carried to Rome. The pope applied to Lothaire for assistance, and the emperor sent an army which defeated the Saracens. The pope asked the general what reward would be most acceptable to him, and the general replied, " Th« i»ody of St. RestI Pt. I.] IMPOSTURE: THE WORKS OF BOETHIUS. 181 tuta." Tbe request was readily acceded yOj and the general intended to take the body to Moreuil, near Amiens. When he reached Florence, he lodged for a night in the house of a person whose son was just dead, and the body of St. Restituta was laid on the same bed ; but imme- diately this was done, the dead man returned to life. The general made his way to France without needless delay, intending to go through Soissons to MoT3uil; but when he reached Ffere-en- Tardenois, a fountain of water burst from the ground in honour of the saint, and has never ceased to flow ever since. A dead infant was brought to touch the body of Restituta, and instantly gave eigns of life; and when the body of the saint was taken up, to continue the journey, the resuscitated infant cried out in infant language, *' Art-^ ! Art-ci ! " meaning arretez ci (stop here). At the same time, the body made itself too neavy to be lifted ; so that the general had no choice left, and was obliged to leave his precious gift at Fere-en-Tarde- nois, where a church was erected over it. This church remains to this day, and is one of the most beautiful in the diocese of Soissons. The place has ever since been called Arcy from the infant cry "Art-ci" (stop here). I will not insult the reader by suggesting that the ety- mology of Arcy is Xrx, so called from the Roman fortress. In the French Revolution the relics of St. Restituta were burnt, but we are told that a few bones escaped, were carefully collected by the faithful, and authenticated, after the concordat, by Mgr. Leblanc de Beaulieu, bishop of Soissons. Continued. The narrative given above is very circum- stantial, but the inhabitants of Sora, In Naples, say it is all false, and that the body of St. Restituta never leit Sora. They affirm that the body given to the general was not that of Restituta at all, but, like the body given by pope Nicholas to the monks of St. Germain (p. 186), was some one else. The Bollandists (vol. vi. May 29, p. 635, etc.) devote a long chapter to this subject, and side witli the pretensions of Sora against Arcy, notwithstanding the attesting miracles in favour of the Soissonais. Father Cahier, in his Characteristics, throws the weight of his authority on the same side. Strange that these learned disputants do not see how utterly they discredit the value of miracles, and the integrity of their popes and prelates, by Buch controversies. Boethius claimed to he a Christian^ and several Christian treatises fathered on him (A.D. 470-526). Boethius, the great Roman statesman in the reign of Theodore the Goth, was doubtless one of the greatest geniuses of old Rome — a phil*^- sopher, mathematician, poet, and ript scholar. He incurred the jealousy of Theodoric, and was kept by him in prison, where he wrote, in the form of a dialogue, his f amove work De Consolatione Philo^ sophicBf in five books. The book, no doubt, is tlieistic» but affords no evidence whatever that the writer was a Christian, any more than Marcus Aurelius was. Boethius was called, in the Middle Ages, the " Augustine of Philosophy," but the Christian letters ascribed to him, on doctrinal points, are rejected by scholars as not authentic. Cassiodorus (a.d. 468- 668), a contemporary, has given a list of the writings of Boethius, but says nothing about his theological works, and omits entirely the treatises entitled (1) The Unity of the Trinity; (2) Are the Father^ Son, arid Holy Ghost substantialli/ God'? (3) A Brief Profession of Faith ; (4) ^ The Personality and the Two Natures ; and (5) The Substances, so far as they are Substances, are Good.'' The first of these runs to nine pages, the second to two pages, the third to five pages, the fourth to sixteen pages, and the fifth to four pages. These are not treatises, but are said to be extracts from letters to Sym- machus and John, afterwards pope ; but Cassiodorus omits all mention of any such letters, and competent scholars deny that these five tracts are by Boethius at all. Most certainly his last work, De Consola- tione, is not in harmony with these advanced dogmatical tracts. Well, not only does Cassiodorus, a contemporary, omit all mention of these theological tracts, but Isidore of Seville does so too. This Isidore died a.d. 636 (that is, sixty- eight years after Cassiodorus) ; he was the most profound scholar of his age, and carefully compiled a catalogue of "Ecclesiastical Writers." The first mention of any one of these tracts is by Honorius, bishop of Autun, in a.d. 1100 (that is, 574 years after the death of Boethius). Honorius says, "The consul Boethius wrote a book on The Trinity, and another on The Consolation of Philosophy.'' Now, The Consolation is a long work in five books, but no one pretends that the De Trinitate is a book at all. The utmost that is claimed for it is that it is part of a letter, and its whole extent is only nine pages. The insur- mountable objection to these theological papers is this : that in the last and great work of Boethius, there is nowhere to be found the name of Christ, there is no mention direct or indirect of the incar- nation and work of redemption, none of the existence of a Holy Ghost, nor the least hint of a Divine Trinity. So that, without doubt, the theological works of Boethius, like the decretals of Isidore, must be placed amongst the many " pious frauds " of the Middle Ages. 182 IMPOSTURE: TWELVE SIBYLS— THE DEVIL SHOT. 1?t. I. The tuelve sibyls and their prophecies. The mediaeval monks tell us there were twelve sibyls, and have given to each a distinct emblem and separate prophecy. (1) The Libyan sibyl : *' The day shall come when men shall see the King of all living things." Emblem^ a lighted taper. (2) The Samian sibyl: "The Rich One Bhall be bom of a pure virgin." Emblem^ a rose. (3) Sibylla Cumdna: "Jesus Christ ikall come from heaven, and live and reign in poverty on earth." Emblem, a crown. (4) Sibylla CumcB : " God shall be bom of a pure virgin, and hold converse with sinners." Emblem, a cradle. (5) Sibylla Erythrcsa: "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour." Emblem, a hom. (6) The Persian sibyl, " Satan shall be overcome bj^ a tme Prophet." Emblem, a dragon under the sibyl's feet, and a lantern. (7) The Tiburtine sibyl : " The Highest shall descend from heaven, and a virgin be shown in the valleys of the deserts." Emblem, a dove. (8) The Delphic sibyl: "The Prophet bom of the virgin shall be crowned with thorns." Emblem, a crown of thorns. (9) The Phrygian sibyl: "Our Lord shall rise again. Emblem, a banner and a cross. (10) The European sibyl : " A virgin and her Son shall flee into Egypt." Emblem, a sword. (11) Sibylla -4<7n/>pt7Mi; "Jesus Christ shall be outraged and scourged." Emblem, a whip. (12) The Hellespontic sibyl: "Jesus Christ shall suffer shame upon the cross." Emblem, a cross. Blondel, a French Protestant, pro- nounced these writings to be clumsy forgeries, 1649. They are manifestly a mere monkish invention of the sixteenth century, and never could deceive any one capable of judging such a matter. The pretended blood of Christ proved to be only honey and saffron. Joseph of Arimath8Ba is said to have been the first to bring into Britain the blood of Christ, which he did in two silver vessels. King Henry III. had a glass vessel containing iome of the blood of Christ, sent him by the master of the temple of Jerusalem ; this treasure the king committed to St. Peter's church, Westminster. The college of Bonhommes, Ashridge, and the abbey of Hales had some of the blood of Christ given by Richard, duke of Cornwall, king of the Romans. In 1513 this blood, being analyzed, was found to be only clarified honey coloured with saffron, and was exposed by the bishop of Rochester at St. Paul's Cross. The like discovery was made of the " blood of Christ " found among the relics of the abbey of Feschamp, in Normandy ; this "blood" was said to have been preserved by Nicodemus, when he took the body from the cross ; it was given to William, duke of Normandy. This imposition was exposed by Speed, who gives a relation of it. The devil shot. In 1824, in the village of Artes, near Hostabreich, about twelve miles from Barcelona, a constitutionalist sent to the parish priest to come and administer to him the last sacrament ; but the priest refused, saying the man "is damned without hope of mercy." The brother of the sick man asked the priest who told him so, and the priest replied, "Who told me? why, God, to be sure." "What?" said the brother, "has God Himself come down from heaven to tell you this?" "Yes," said the priest ; " He spoke to me during the sacrifice of the mass, and told me your brother was past the pale of absolution." The man died unabsolved, and when the brother reouested the parish priest to bury him, ne refused to do so, saying that God had told him devils would carry off the body that very night ; " and in forty days,'*' he added, "they will come and fetch you also." The Spaniard, armed with pistols, kept strict watch over his brother's body, and at dead of night a knocking was heard at the door. Being opened, " three devils, with horns, claws, and tails, entered the room." The Spaniard shot at them ; one died imme- diately, another lingered a few minutes, and the third tried to escape. Being unmasked, the two men shot were found to be the priest and his curate, and the third man was the sacristan of the village church, — Bay ley. Family Biblical Instructor, Duprat and the sheriffs wife. The sheriff of Orleans, having lost his wife, who was a Lutheran, wished to hare her buried in the family vault ; but the Franciscans induced a young man to enter the vaults, and, without speaking, to make all the uproar he was able. At the hour of the funeral ceremony, while the service was going on, a terrible upr^*'^ old glass vials, and the head of St. Januarius. The blood is congealed, and of a dark colour ; but when brought in sight of the head, it melts, bubbles up, and flows down the sides of the vials." Alban Butler says, " Certain Jesuits, sent by F. Bol- landus. were allowed by cardinal Philamurini to see this prodigy; and the minute description of the manner in which it is performed Is related by them in the life of Bollandus." The testimony of interested witnesses is quite worthless in such a matter. He furthermore informs us tiiat "pope Pius II. mentions it, in 14M. Angelus Cato, a physician, and many others mention it in the same century ; " but he does not say that Cato tested it In the modern acceptation of the word, nor indeed was the knowledge of any physician, in 1460, sufllcient to makesurh a test of this liquefaction as would satisfy any but those predisposed to believe it, Mgr. Gudrin, ciinniberlain of pope Leo XIII., in 1880, thus describes the phenomenon : " On met la tfite sur I'autel du c6t6 de I'dvangile, et les deux floles renfer- inants le sanu: du cdXA de I'^pttre. On a quelquefois trou v6 le sang liquide, mais en g^ndral il est solide. Lorsque les deux floles sont vis-d-vis de la tdte, le sang se liqu^fie, ou dans le moment mfime, ou en quelques minutes. Cette liquefaction est suivie d'une Ebullition. Quand on a retire le sang, et qu'il n'est plus en presence de la t£te, il redevlont solide. Quoiqu'il j ait plusieurs cierges sur I'autel. on trouve, en touchant les floles, qu'elles sont presque enti6rement froides. On les fait baiser au peuple en certaines occasions. Quelquefois le sang s'est liqu<^fie dans les mains de ceux qui tenaient les floles, quelquefois aussi il est redevenu solide, de liquide qu'il 6tait, aussitdt qu'on y touchait. La liquefaction a lieu Egalement lorsque les fioles sont en presence d'un ossement, ou de quelque autre partie du corps de St. Janvier. II est arrive quel- quefois que la liquefaction ne s'est pas faite ; ce que Ton a regarde comme une marque de la colore celeste. On met ensemble les deux floles sur lautel, et le sang se liquefie dans I'une et I'autre en m€me temps et dans le mSme degre, quoiqu'il y en ait peu dans la plus petite, et qu'il soit attache aux parois du verre." Januarius was put to death Sept. 19, A.D. 309. The head was given in 1036 by Charles II., duke of Anjou. The liquefaction takes place Sept 19, the first Sunday In May, and Dec. 16. We are told that king Roger in 1140 venerated the relics of St. Januarius. — Vies dea Saints, voL xi. p. 244. (See Acta Sanctorum, Sept. TOl. T.) Mons. Neumann of Berlin performed the " miracle " of the liquefaction of dried blood, with all the circumstances of the Neapolitan experiment Dr. Cumming did the came at Exeter Hall. London, and showed how the blood was made to flow. Dr. Cumming used ether, etc, to accomplish the liquefaction ; but other agents will pro- flnce the same effect. Now, we are told that Januarius was put to death on Sept 19, and this is the great anniversary of the " lique* faction." When Murat was king of Naples the blood would not liquefy; whereupon the Frenchman planted two cannons opposite St Geimaro, and told the bishop he would blow the church to pieces unless he performed the "miracle." The bishop protAsted it could not be done ; but seeing that Murat was in earnest, he produced the liquefaction as usuaL There is something degrading in this paltering with religion. The show may bring money to tiie church of St. Gennaro, but surely imposi- tion is very short-sigtited policy, especially in these days of free investigation, when "audax onmia perpeti gens humana ruit per vetitum nefas." The miraculous image of the mother of God, at Einsiedlen. J. Heinrich Zschokkc, a well-known author (a.d. 1770-1848), tells us, in his Autobiography, that at Einsiedlen, at the celebrated place of pilgrimage, he was shocked at the deso* lation and poverty of this once most prosperous place. Wishing to do some- thing towards its restoration, he was told that the most eifectual way would be to restore the " miraculous image of the mother of God to the altar. * But the image has been carried off to Paris,* I replied. * Very true,' was the answer, *yet the holv mother is still at Einsied- len.* * What ! ' said I, * both here and at Paris at the same time ? * * Undoubt- edly,' replied the capuchin ; and, lead- ing me to the sacristy, he unlocked a chest full of dolls, ready dressed, and lying side by side. All were exactly alike. All had the same bright black face ; but every one had a distinct dress and special ornaments. I now learned that the image had to be presentfed to the people in a different costume for each holiday, and that a number of dolls were kept ready for each occasion. I allowed one to be set up on the altar, and pilgrimages were soon renewed. I now saw that miracles were nowhere less believed in than by those who lived by them." Hose Tamisier and the bleeding picture of Christ (1850.) Rose Tamisier had been educated in a convent at Salon. Bouches du Rhone, where she made herself notorious. She gave out that she received constantly visits from the Virgin Mary, and that she was commissioned to convert infidel France. Having left the convent, she returned to her native village of Saignon, where she soon established a reputation as a miracle- worker, by causing the growth of a miraculous cabbage, sufficiently large to feed the whole village for several weeks. In the mean time she refused all food except consecrated wafers, which angeln Pt. I.] IMPOSTURE: LIVES OF SAINTS—RELICS. 186 Eurloined from the sacrad pyx, and rought to her. Her fame spread rapidly, and her body became marked with stig- mata ; not the ubaal nails and thorns, but a cross, a heart, a chalice, and sometimes a picture of the Virgin and Child. She now entered on her great achievement. There was in the little church of St. Satumin a picture of Christ descending from the cross, and this picture she caused to emit real blood. Her first exhibition was Nov. 10, 1850. The <*2niracle" was examined into rigidly, and pronounc«d to be genuine. At length Mons. Eugfene Colignon, a chemist of Apt, showed that human blood dis- gorged by a leech, having lost its fibrine, might easily be made to penetrate a picture, and produce the phenomenon of a bleeding picture. He imitated the *' miracle" with perfect Recess in the presence of constituted authorities, and a large number of scientific men. Not a doubt remained that a leech was the miracle-worker, and Rose Tamisier, being tried at Nismes in 1851 for imposture, after a long and patient investigation, was pronounced guilty of escroquerie et out- rage a la morale pvblique et religieuse^ and condemned to six months' imprisonment, with a fine of five hundred francs and costs. (See index, Bleeding). — Any of the French journals of the period. The lives of saints, M^r. Gue'rin accuses the Bollandists of foisting into their books false acts, and claims the right of private judgment in selecting the true from the false. These are very dangerous admissions and claims, which would go to the utter destruction of the whole work of the Bollandists and of Mgr. Gue'rin's Lives of the Saints also ; for all who deny the possibility of miracles would claim the right of private judg- ment, and make a clean sweep of the legends of the saints, never forgetting that all miracles must be submitted to one and the same standard. Mgr. Guerin says, "Apres avoir lu les 46 pages en folio que les BoUandistes consacrent k ces Martyrs [Alfio, Philadelphus, Cyrin, Thecla, Justina, and Isidora], notre con- viction est celle de ces savants hagio- graphes : c'est-k-dire que les Actes qui les concement ont 4t4 interpol^s, et qu'on ne sait rien de certain k leur ^gard, line seule chose est hors de doute, c'est la c^e'brit^ de leur culte chez les Siciliens et les Grecs. II fut un temps [third century] oil les Actes des Martyrs ^tai- ent un tnfeme k romans ! ! ceux des saints Adelphe [Alfio], Philadelphe, et Cyrin, ont eu la mauraise fortune de servir de trame k des broderies. De \h, la difli- cultd de distinguer le vrai du faux. Nous I'avons essay^, et nous pensons qu'on pent s'en tenir k notre re'cit abre'gd." This surely is wholly unj ustifiable. Why should the judgment of Mgr. Guerin (in 1880) be preferred to that of the Bollan- dists? The saints referred to all occur in May, and the May series consists of seven folio volumes. BoUandus and Henschenius edited the first five volumes (January and February). The next thirty-nine volumes were under the charge of Henschen, Papebroch, Jan- ninck, Baerts, SoUier, Pien or Pinius, Cuypers, Bosch, Stiltinck, Suyskene, Perier, and Stycker, and some eighty- eight years were spent by them on the work. The lives consulted were those usually accepted by the [Roman] (Ca- tholic Church, and their correspondence, like that of Mgr. Gudrin, was with the dignitaries of their Church. If these men tampered with their documents, who are to be trusted? And if Mgr. Guerin is permitted to cull from their lives by private judgment, then hair by hair nothing will be left. The lives, such as they are, reflect the opinions of the times when they were written, and must be taken as they stand, for better or for worse. It is, however, not a little startling that Mgr. Guerin should call the third century the most untrustworthy of all. See Vies des Saints^ vol. v. p. 443, note. Cardinal Baronius avows, in his Remarques, that the acts of St Venant, which he saw at Camerino, "sent remplis de choses apocryphes ; " but he says he has left out the " lies," "et ne nous en a donn6 que ce qu'elle a jug6 6tre conform^ h la v6rit6." (See St. Vknant.) The relics of Job, Mgr. Gue'rin says, "Les pretentions de ceux de I'Occident sur les reliques de Job ne paraissent pas avoir plus de f ondement. Ceux qui veu- lent qu'elles fussent k Rome dfes le vii. sifecle, ont neglige' de nous dire quand et comment elles y ^taient venues." The pope's chamberlain can see clearly enough the weak points when speaking of the Eastern Church, but admits relics of the Western Church utterly regardless of '*the when and how they were pro- cored." Let any one look over the few specimens here referred to (under the efore the fall shee had felt any sort of paine in her body. Shee confessed to him shee had sometimes a paine in the side ; ' Ah ! * quoth hee, * I thought as much. Out of all question you are possessed, and have been soe for a long time. That paine in the side, you speak of, is undoubtedly from some evill spirit.' Being over perswaded that shee really was possessed, they next told her they could doe nothing for her unless shee became a catholick. That while shee remained as shee was, shee was in a state of dam- nation. They reminded her that shee herselfe said in her owne creede that shee believed in the ' holy catholick church,' and not in the protestant church which was heretical ; in short, they induced her to i'oin the [Roman] catholicks, and have Ler baptisme amended. In amending her baptisme, they cast over her head a white cloth with a crosse on it, put salt into her mouth, and annointed her lippes, nose, eyes, and eares. They changed her name from Friswood to Francis, which they told her was common to both men and women. As the paine in her hip continued, and thev never ceased telling her it was certainly the devill, shee came to believe that shee was really possessed, but the doctors told her the paine was only a griefe of the spleene. \fter shee became a catholique the priests told her they would try to cast the devill out of her, and they proceeded thus : At the close of her first masse, maister Dibdale told her, they were going to make tryall of her, and shee must sit dowue in a chayre. Shee did as they told her. Then they bound her witii towells, whereat shee was cast into a great feare, not knowing what they meant to doe with her. Maister Dibdale then read frnm his booke of Exorcismes, and they forced on her their drinke, which was a pint of sack and sallet-oyle, mingled with spices. When shee had tasted their *holy potion,' as they termed it, it did 80 much dislike her, that her stomacke turned against it, and shee refused to drink it ; but the priests told her it was the devill in her which caused this mislike, for nothing the devill loathed so much as the holy potion. They then held her, and forced her to swallow the whole draught. Heereupon, shee was very sicke and giddie, her head reeled, and shee fel all over into a cold sweate, so terriblie bad did shee feele, that shee really believed it was the devill in her as they said, which caused her to be in such case ; but when shee came to herselfe, shee felt perswaded it was the drinke that had made her so sicke and bad. Between Christmas and Whitson- day this abuse was often repeated, and when shee proved restive, they did bumc brimstone in a chafing-dish and hold her face downe over the fumes, in which cases, no doubt, shee spake many things which shee could not recall to memorie. Whenever shee complained of their harde usage, the priests told her, It was not shee who spake, but the devill in her. If shee referred to the matter when shee was wel, they told her shee would by that meanes merit heaven, and gaine a crowne of glory. The priests, shee said, would often tell her about women possessed beyond the seas; how the devills in them never could abide the * holy potion,' or hallowed brimstone, or the application of reliques, or the touch of a true priest, or holy water, holy candels, or the blessed sacrament, — they would always start at such times, say they burned, rage, rail against the priest, and praise all protestant practices. By this meanes shee learnt what to say, so as to please the priests ; and accordingly, when they brought to her reliques, shee used to start, and sometimes shee pre- tended shee could not beare the presence of the sacrament; but after five or six weekes of this sort of thing shee got tired of it, and came to her senses. " Shee said on one occasion when shee was in the chayre, Maister Sherwood thrust a pinne into her shoulder, whereat shee screamed, but maister Sherwood only said * Doe you not heare the devill ? ' *It is not the devill,' exclaimed the examinate, * but myselfe who screamed.' Hee would not believe her, but persisted it was the devill in her which had cried out«** Pt. I.J IMPOSTURE- HUNTING THE DEVIL UPWARDS. 195 Needles in the leg. " In one of my fits, into which I was cast by the ' holy potion ' and hallowed brimstone, needels were thrust into my legge. On coming to myselfe I complained of it, and one of the priests got some holy reliques, and tyed them about my legge. I was then taken to the gallerie, and Maiiter Dibdale bade me let down my hose. Hee then with others untyed the reliques, looked upon the woundes, washed them with holy water, and gently closed the flesh. Then holding up the needles, he said to all present (the number was very great), ' see what the devil has done to our sister here.' The people were in a greate maze, but as soon as this was done I was taken out of the gallerie, and my legge began to amend." Belies thrust into the mouth. " The ex- aminate further said. The jyiests have a custom of thrusting things into the mouthes of such as they say are possessed. I wel remember their thrusting a relique into my mouth. I cried out, ' Why doe you put this filthy thing into my mouthe ? ' * Ah,' quoth they, ' hark how the devill hates a holy relique.' I was then asked if I knew what relique it was, I told them it was a piece of Cam- pion's thumbe ; whereupon maister Dib- dale said to the people, * See, how the devil knows all holy reliques.' But the truth is these reliques which they em- ployed were daily in our sight, and we were taught to know one from another, so that I knew in a moment every one of them, and could say readilie, ' This is a peece of Father Campion ; this of Maister Sherwin ; this of Maister Brian ; this of Maister Cottam; this of mistris Clithero ; ' and so on through all the lot. At another time I remember, when they thrust a relique into my mouth, they introduced a bigge rustie naile ; and when they pulled out the relique, and I was almost choked with the naile, they made me open my mouthe, and taking out the naile, told the people it had been drawn out of my stomack by the vertue of the relique." The knives and halter, "Alexander, an apothec^ie, on one occasion, brought with hi m from London to Denham a new halter and two large knife-blades. These hee laid upon the gallerie floare in my maister- his house. Next morning hee took occasion to goe with me into the gallerie, when, espying the halter and blades, I asked him what they were for. Hee pre- tended not to see them, but I pointed them out to him, they were not a yard© of [off], 'I cannot see them,' quoth the apothecarie. So I picked them up, and said, ' Look here.' ' Ah ! ' quoth hee, ' I see them now. No doubt the devill layd them there to worke some mischief.' Now, I know that Maister Alexander had brought them with him, for I noticed them in his pocket the night before, when hee drew out of it some wafer-cakes for masse. I told this to maister Dibdale, but hee replied, ' Ah ! it is not you that speake, I know very well, but the devill in you, and the devill was a lyar from the beginning.' I was made to paye smartly for what I said, for they had me in the chayre, and exor- cised me in somewhat a new manner. They bound me, sore against my will, in the chayre, forced down my throat the 'holy potion,' burnt brimstone under my nose, and pulling off my gowne, did whippe mee uppon my arms with ' St. Peter's girdle,' pretending it was to hunt the devill out of mee. They gave mee five blows in remembrance of the five wounds, seven blowes in honour of the seaven sacraments ; and three in memory of the blessed Trinitie. Being constrained to cry out, they all said, ' It is only th« devill that is crying out, because hee cannot abide the vertue of the holy girdle.' Certes, if it was the devill in mee that crj-^ed out, I assuredly bore the smart, and my arms were blacke for a month after." Hunting the devil upwards. " The ex- aminate further said. The priests have another custome : At the end of every exorcisme, they would say, * Ah ! the devill is gone downe into the foote, or great toe.' Then in the presence of the congregation they would bring the partie againe to the chayre, and make the devill shew himself. I was once so hunted before a crowd of people. Being bound in the chayre, the exorcist, holding a relique in his hand, (such as a bone or some other hard substance) grasped my legge, and asked me if I felt any paine. I re- plied *yes,' for the bone or other hard substance in his hand hurt me very much. ' Ah ! ' said the exorcist, ' so hee is beginning to stir, is hee?' Then hee went on pinching my legge two or three times ; when hee came to my knee, he did wring it so hard that I screeched. Then all the priests exclaimed, ' Now then, wee have got the devill into her body, God be praised.' Then I was given the holy potion to abate the force of the evUl spirit, lest it should teare mee a pieces.** 196 IMPOSTURE: EXAMINATION OF ANNE SMITH. LPt. Her complaint, ' ' One day sitting at m j' worke, I complained to Maister Sherwood, who thrust the pinn into my shoulder, of the harde usages I was put to, and told him I mervailed greatlie how hee and the others durst so deale with mee ; adding, if I were to complaine before a magistrate, they would all be hanged. Maister Sherwood wasf eared [frightened] , and was for dismissing mee from the house, but Maister Dibdale said that would not doe. They then both came to mee, and said, * The devil is not yet gone out.' Whereupon, they forced mee into the chayre, drugged mee horribly with their holy potion, and plagued mee with brimstone till I swound." Maister Richard Mainies seaven devils. ** I wel remember Maister Richard Mainie being exorcised on St. Georges day before a hundred people at the least. Hee cer- tainly was the most dissembling hypocrite on Gods earth. The priests averred hee was possessed of the seaven deadly sins, and as hee was exorcised these seaven devils showed themselves thus : Maister Mainy being bound in the chayre, did first lift up his head, loking contemptu- ously, and making gestures with his hands as if tricking himselfe with bravery. When this had been played out suffi- ciently, the priests said, * The devill now coming out of the possessed, is the spirit of Pride.' Hee next began to gape, and snort, and loll about, and the priests said, the devill now coming-out is the spirit of Sloth. Then hee fell to vomiting, and the priests said, the devill now coming out of the possessed is the spirit of Gluttony. Again the said Maister Mainy began to prate of money, and about so much per hundred, of leases, and forfeyts, and the priests said the devill now coming out is the spirit of Coretousnfiss. Thus hee and the priests went through all the searen deadly sins. Then did Maister Mainy highly praise the proiestants, especially the earle of Bedford (one that the priests greatlie abhorred), because they had all the seaven deadly sins ; and hee railed soundlie on the catholiques because they would not tolerate any of these sins, but cut them all of [oft] by the institution of confes- sion. In conclusion hee said, ' This is a greate daye at court. I will stay no longer amongst you raskall half -starved priests; but will hence away to my fellows. I am loved at court. ' They all are mine at court.'" — Harsnet, Popish Impostures^ Appendix, pp. 207-236. Her examination upon oath, March 2, 1598, Xjttore th« bishop of London, the dean of Westminster, Dr. Stanhop and Dr. Swule. (See above, p. 190.) The examination of Anne Smith on oathy March 12, 1598 (age about eighteen). Anne Smith had a sister in the service of lady Stafford, and some three weeks before Christmas she heard from her about Sara Williams and William Tray- ford being possessed, in Mr. Peckham's house. Her sister said she went down to Denham and saw both persons, but noticed nothing strange about either of them. On Christmas Eve Anne Smith went to Denham to call on her sister, and saw William Trayford, but "hee did not make any shew, as though hee was pos- sessed ; hee waited quite orderly on hi» maister. Sara Williams had gone to lord Vaux-his house, being taken thither by one Dibdale a priest. After I had beene at Denham about a moneth I attended upon Mistres Peckham to a churching, and had a return of my disease called the mother (histeria)j and one White, a priest that used much the house told mee I was possessed, and the next day Cornelius, Stamp, Thomson, Chris- topher Tulice, and some other priestg tooke upon themselves to exorcise me, and I was under their hands from morn- ing till towards night. As I did not recover mv health, I was sent to Mistris Mainy in Shannon Row, where I remained til the beginning of Lent. Here I became acquainted with Eliza Calthrope who was said to be possessed, and was removed to Greenes Alley, where she was exorcised by maister Mainj\ About three weekes after easter I consented to be exorcised hoping thereby to recover my health, but I always had a conceite in myselfe that I was not possessed. When, however, I told the priests so, they said it was the delusion of the devill within mee, who did not wish to be cast out. Maister Stamp carried mee to Denham, and wee •»fere accompanied by one Harris, maister Mainyes man. I was under the hands of the exorcists from Easter to Whitsontide. About a fortnight after Whitsontide, pursuivants came and carried to prison maister Dryland the priest, Ajexander the apothecary, Swythen Wells, James Stanborow (Maister Peckham's man), and two women. Soon afterwards Dibdale, Lowe, and Adams, were apprehended, and I was arraigned to give evidence, because it got wind that I did pretend to be possessed, and that the priests had dealt with mee. I was examined especially Pt. T.] IMPOSTURE: EXAMINATION OP SARA WILLIAMS. 197 touching the devils which possessed mee, and touching a peece of knife which the priests averred came out of nay body. When first I fell into the priestes hands I was about eighteen years old. The way I was exorcised was as follows : Cornelius and the rest did set mee in a chayre, and bind mee fast with towells. Then putting on his albe and stole, hee began to reade his exorcismes. I did greatlie shiver and quake at his words, and was strooke with a terrible feare lest the devill should teare mee a pieces, while I was fast bound. I thought if I could but have gotten under the altar- cloath, with a crosse in my mouth and a candel in my hand I should be safe, but I could not so much as move. They gave me some holy medicine which had rue and oyle in it to allay m^ fear. The drink was very ugly to behofd, and they did burn brimstone under my nose, which did take away my senses. This was re- peated some five or sixe times. My arms and body were so lamed by their holding, tying, and turmoyling of mee, that I was obliged to swathe my body for three yeeres afterwards. I mervail greatly how the priests can affirm that I said anything in my fits, seeing they always insisted that the devill in mee was a dumbe spirit, named Modion. After Cornelius had exorcised mee maister Edmunds the Jesuit [i.e. Weston] asked the devill in Mainy if I was possessed, and Mainyes devill answered that I was. Then quoth maister Edmunds, how is it hee could not be brought to speak the other day when Cornelius exorcised her ? Mainyes devill replied because Modion *vas sullen and dumbe. Maister Edmunds then asked the name of Mainyes devill, and the devill answered, his name was Boforce. " Finally, I wel remember the morning when Alexander the apothecarie went to London to fetch more priests. The day before I was exorcised, his horse praunced, and flung him. On his return backe hee insisted that it was the devill in mee which had troubled his horse, out of spite. When I laught at his words, he said, ' Ah, Anne, it is the devill in you that laughs at mee.' " — Samuel Harsnet (afterwards archbishop of York), Popish impostures, Appendix, pp. 237-245. It appears from the narrative that Alexander was exe- fluted at Holborn. Salisbury was also executed. Examination of Sara Williams, said to he possessed with Maho and all the devils of hell, April 24, 1602. Sara Williams, aged about sixteen, in the service of Mistris Edmund Peckham of Denham, Buckinghamshire, was said to be pos- sessed of the devil Maho. A number of priests, acting under Weston the Jesuit, undertook to exorcise her. She after- wards married William Trayford, Mr. Peckham's man, left the service of Mrs. Peckham, and returned to the protestant faith from which she had been converted, while she was in the service of Mrs. Peckham. Slie wholly denies that she ever was possessed, but Maister Dibdale, an exorcist, insisted that she was not only possessed, but that she lodged in her body all the devils of hell. The case was brought before her Majesty's Com- missioners for Ecclesiastical Causes, and tried before the bishop of London, the dean of Westminster (Dr. Andrews), Dr. Stanhope, and Dr. Mountford, and the following items are copied from the records of the court. The person called the Examinate is Sara Williams. The trial began by reading to the examinate, from Barnes's Booke of Miracles, the way it was said she first began to be possessed, and how she was exorcised. (i.) " It is stated in the book how Sara Williams had been diverse times scared with ugly visions : How sitting one night late by the fire three terrible cats sprauled about her, one of which leapt over her head, another crept betweene her legs : How a strange cat as big as a mastiffe stared uppon her with eyes as big as a saucer : And how afterward the same wicked spirit met her in the likenes of a cat, comming out of a hollow tree, as shee was seeking for eggs." Sara Williams's reply. "All these things thus written of mee are most false. From a child I could never endure the sight of a cat, and when in the service of Maister Maynie, at Denham, going one day into a wood, near the house, looking for some hennes, I espyed a cat comming out of a hedge, which did fear [frighten] mee greatly, the more so as I was alone. I told this to my Mistris and to certaine priests. As for ugly visions I declare upon oath I never had any. It is wholly false that a cat ever did leape over my head, or runne betwixt my legges, or that I ever saw any cat as big as a mastiffe, with eyes as bread as a saucer." (ii.) The next allegation m the book is as follows ; "On Oct. 12, 1585, being at supper in the house of Mislris Peck- 198 IMPOSTURE: EXAMINATION OF SARA WILLIAMS. [Pt. I. bam, Sara Williams did perceive a puffe of wind comming in at the doore ; and eaw a dog of two collours, blacke and greene : That therewith a spaniell of the house bayed once : Shee was then pulled by the eyes; and the thing that pulled her by the eyes, went into her mouth, and, resting at her heart, burnt her in- tolerablie : That thereupon shee cast away her knife, and would eat no more." Sara Williams's reply. "O Jesus, that anyone should report so of mee. What happened was as follows : Being at supper, there was a great storme of thunder and lightning ; and at one great clap of thunder, the dogges ran out of the hall barking. I was greatly alarmed, left nay supper, and felt sick. More then this I deny upon oath to bee true. " Shee further deposed, that after com- ming to Mistris Peckham, diverse men did attempt to offer her some injury, and among the rest Maister Dibdale the priest ; insomuch that when her Mistris would send her with water to his chamber, or uppon any other busines, and shee shewed herself unwilling to go, they said her unwillingnes did proceed from a wicked spirit that was in her. Shee could never endure to be ever in Maister Dibdales company, or to goe into his chamber." (iii.) The third allegation was this : *' That shee could not abide Maister Dibdales presence for burning, especially when hee laid his hand upon her diseased place. That shee said, her master had commaanded her not to bless herself e with the signe of the crosse ; and that shee could not indure a casket of reliques. That shee knew shee was possessed ; and that the devill was in her maister." Sara V/illiams's reply. *' When I came to live with Mistris Peckham, shee taught me to blesse myself in Latine, and at some words to make a crosse on my forhead, at others on my belly, at others on one of my shoulders, and with the last words upon my breast. Being dull to learne, it was a long time before I could doe these rightly. So that when mj'^ Mistris and Maister Dibdale wanted mee to blesse myself, and to use the signes of the crosse, being very evil at ease that night after the lightning, I could not hit upon the right words. Also in saying the Creed, I stumbled at the word 'Catholicke Church.' Otherwise I declare that all the particulars just read to mee are most false. (iv.) "It was alleged in the book that shee sijd, Her father and mother were j in a damnable state for going to the [protestant] church ; and that it was dangerous for little children to goe to I the church.*' ' Sara Williams's reply. " These charges are most false. On Oct. 17, the day stated, I was not then a recusant, nor disliked going to the church. It was about this time they began to give mee things to drink, which I could not endure, as they made mee sicke ; Maister Dib- dale told mee, 'it was not I who dis- liked the " holy water," but the devil within mee.' About a fortnight after, they prevailed on m.ee to become a [Roman] catholic, altho' at the time the devill was within mee, as they said. When I attended mass, the first time they told mee, I should see a blacke man standing at the doore, bcckning mee to come away ; and that at the elevation I should see nothing but priestes fingers. What I myself said I really do not know, for I often told them things which were untrue, after I saw that it pleased them. On Oct. 30 they bound mee in the chayre, and applyed their reliques to mee ; but whenever I came to the chayre, if I could have had my choice, I would rather have died than have gone into it." [It will be here necessary to explain what she meant by "going into the chayre." Chap. 9, p. 30-46. At the end of the first mass that ever she saw, Mr. Dibdale said he would now make trial of her, and bade her sit down in the chair. Several priests bound her with towels, at which she was terribly fright- ened, not knowing what they meant to do with her. Mr. Dibdale then began to read his "Booke of Exorcismes," and handed to her a pint of sack and sallet oil, mingled with spices ; but her stomach turned against the potion, and she de- clined to drink it. Then Dibdale told her, it was the devil in her which jaade her loathe the holy potion, for the devii hated nothing worse than this holy drink ; so she was held, and made to drink it all up. Hereupon, she grew very sick, giddy in the head, and covered all over with a cold sweat. Dibdale assured her it was the devil that tor- mented her thus. This was the first part of the " chayre busines." The next was, while her stomach was full of the "holy drink" to make her take brim- stone, burnt on a chafing dish. Her head was forcibly held over the fumes, and Richard Maynie says, when he loi»kcd Pt. I.]- IMPOSTURE : EXAMINATION OF SARA WILLIAMS. 199 on her, her face was blacker than that of a chimney-sweep, [Here six lines are lost in my copy, the paper not having received the impression of the type.] " The brimstone mixture is thus given in Flag. Daemon, p. 173. Accipiatur sul- phur, palbanum, etc. that is, ' Take brimstoiie, assafoetida, galbanum, St. John's wort, and rue. All these things are to be hallowed, and cast on a chafing dish, and the fumes thereof are to be received through the nostrils of the possessed.' This potion and these fumes did so intoxicate the examinate, that although two needles were thrust into her legs by one of the priests, she was not aware of it till after she had recovered. When she complained of this inhuman usage, they ' had her to the chayre again, and she swound.* On coming to herself, she told the priests if she liad the devill in her, for God's sake to cast him out, or else kill her outright, for she could not bear it any longer. She told the com- missioners she had no clear idea of the number of times she was set on the chair, but she added, ' I would much sooner have died, then have gone into it.' And she furthermore said, ' they used their holy brimstone so much, that the smell never got out of her chamber; and the loathsomeness of their potions and fumes did so stick in her mind, that to this very day she cannot endure the taste of any of the things with which she was then tormented.'"] She continued, "Being at Oxford a few days ago, one of my neighbours offered me a glass of sack, upon which I fell sick, and was obliged to goe to bed. While my head was held over the brimstone fumes, one of the priestes burnt feathers which made mee screame, and struggle to get away, till I fainted ; no doubt, she added, I babbled many foolish things in my sufferings. Being unable to bear this persecution, I attempted to run away, but was captured while crossing a brook half-a-yard deep of water, and was taken back by my tormentors." (v.) The next extract was this, p. 23. ** Shee could not speake till Dibdale or some other of the priests had signed her throat with the signe of the crosse, and apply ed holy reliques to it." Sara Williams's reply. " I have no recollection whatever of any such thing, but I think it is altogether untrue. If, however, I was at any time unable to speake, it was by reason of the said wnterB and fumes which they forced ipon mee. If again I was at any time silent, and did afterwards speake, it was not because the priestes did signe my throat with the signe of the crosse, or did apply reliques unto it. Whenever I did speak anything, the priestes always expounded my words according to their own liking, •nd either said they were the words of the devill, or that they were spoken by vertue of the holy potion." (ri.) The next allegation read to her was this : " Shee did affirm that she saw the devill, in the form of a man, go out of her on Al Saints day ; and when the devill left her, shee did use these words, * Credo sanctam ecclesiam catholicam.' " Sara Williams's reply. ** God forgive them the falsehood ! They well know it is all false ; and this I would swear even if all the priestes were here present." (vii.) The next extract read to her ran thus : " Shee, Sara Williams, did declare to Maister Dibdale and others, that a bird came to her : A blacke man at one time tried to persuade her to breake her necke downe a payre of staires, and at another time to cut her throat with a knife : That shee affirmed shee saw, on one occasion, the forme of a rough dog uppon the communion table ; And that shee felt within her a grunting like of swyne, and a croaking like of a toade: That shee confessed to having receeved her sight by the touch of the priestes fingers, or by their breathing uppon her." Sara Williams's reply, " It pittieth my hart that anyone who pretends to have any conscience should so write of mee. I confess that on one occasion a bird came suddenly flying in where I was, and I was scared ; but I stroke the bird, which was a robin redbreast, with my beades ; and it escaped through a hole in the boords. All the other statements are fabrications." (viii.) '* It is set down in the book that shee said, Shee wel remembered how William Trayford [the manservant] seemed one night to be greatly troubled ; and afterwards pretending to be sodainly wel, Maister Dibdale the priest having catched him in his armes : That shee saw the devill in the forme of a mouse offer to come out of Trayfordes mouth, but, being hindered by the priestes mouth, it made its way out at his right ear." Sara Williams's reply, ** These things are all fained and false. Shee furthermore added, I wel remember when I was with them, they spake many things of n:ee| 300 IMPOSTUKE: EXAMINATION OF SARA WILLIAMS. fPr. I. which I knew to be false, but I durst not say so, for fear of offending them." (ix.) " It is written of her in the book that shee said, — By crying upon God and the blessed Lady, and by casting holy water upon William Trayford, shee made the devill leave hold of him ; it was in the likenes of a toad, and shee catched it by the leg." Sara Williams's reply, "Jesus have mercy upon mee! God is my witnes that all this is a shamefull untruth." (x.) The following statement was then read to her: "The priests affirm that according to her own acknowledgment, they delivered her from these twenty- three devils, viz. Lustie Dick, Killico, Hob, Cornercup, Puffe, Purre, Frateretto, Fliberdigibet, Haberdicut, Cocobatto, Maho, Kellicocam, Wilkin, Smolkin, Nur, Lustie, Jolly Jenkin, Portericho, Pudding of Thame, Pourdieu, Bon jour, Motubizanto, Bemon, and Delicate." Sara Williams's reply. "There were verj' strange names, said to be those of spirits, written on the wals of Sir George Peckhames house. When the priests told me it was the devill who spoke in mee, and asked mee the name, in order to content them I devised one of these names as near as I could remember, for they were always running into my head ; I think, however, the priestes themselves must have amended my words. The name of Maho is very familiar to mee, from a tale in which the name occurs ; the name of Lustie Dick is also mentioned in the same tale. As for the three captaine devils, that the priests say went out of my eares, every one of the captaines having three hundred devils under him, all lodged in different parts of my body, I declare upon oath it is an abominable untruth, and I mervail much what thej' can refer to." (xi.) In regard to her running away from Mrs. Peckham's house, she said: "When I came to the brooke, meaning to run through it, I was catched and sent backe againe ; I was very diligently watched, and never at any time allowed to goe out of sight. The pretence of this watchfullness was least I should make away with myself e, which, thank God, never entered into my thoughts. Maister Peckham gave it out, after my return home, that I did runne all the way above ground, and the priestes in- sisted that devils carried mee through the air. This they make out to be a kind of miracle but I know it is only a wicked lye. It is true I ranne home as fast as I could, but a-s to flying it is a meer fable.** (xii.) " Concerning Captain Frateretto, with his three hundred evil spirits, as is set down in the booke, under date of Nov. 21, the examinate deposed. It is the custom of the priestes to talk of persons possessed beyond the seas, and to tell us the manner of theyr fits, I and what they say in them ; also what sights they see, sometimes ugly, and sometimes Joyfull. They also tel us how, when reliques are applyed to them, the persons would roare. Wee were often told that devills can never abide holy water, the sight of the sacrament, or an annointed priest of the true church, but that they love hereticks. They told us, whenever a priest touches a party possessed, the touch feels burning hot, and that devills know a priest by his smel. These things I heard so often that I learnt the way of pleasing the priests, and framed myselfe accordingly knowing well the reason why wee were told these things. At one time shee con- tinued, the priests did thrust into my mouth a relique, which was a piece of one of Campiones bones. I loathed it, thinking it against nature to have a dead manes [man's] bone thrust into my mouth ; but I could not help myselfe, as it was done by force." (xiii.) To deposition p. 36, the ex- aminate said : " I wel remember walking in the garden with one of the priestes, who led mee by the arme, because I was very weake. I began to complaine to himm of my hard usage, and told him I was no more possessed than hee was. Whereupon hee cast his head aside, and looking full into my face under my hatte, exclaimed, ' What ! can this bee Sara, or is it the devill in her that speaketh thus ? No, no ! It cannot bee Sara, it must bee the devill.' I instantly saw I could expect no relief at his hands, and I fell aweeping. The priest said, ' Alas ! these are the teares of the evil spirit in thee, Sara.' If I wept it was the devill, if I laught it was the devill. I was at mv wits end." (xiv.) " When I was at Denham, Maister Richard Maynie [a young gentleman P*»venteen years old] pretended to be possessed, and behaved himself in the presence of the priests, as though hee had been a sainte. It was mervaillous to see his pretended devotion. One time, at masse, at the time of the elevation, hee fel downe secretly backwards, and laye Pt. I.] IMPOSTURE : EXAMINATION OF SARA WILLIAMS. 201 I awhile as if in a traunce. When hee came to hiniBBlfe againe, hee said it was the glory hee saw about the altar which had struck him into the traunce. This young gentlemann tried to persuade mee to runn away with him in boyes clothing. At another time hee told mee to confess to him, and said hee had as good authority to hear confessions as the priestes had. I told Maister Dibdale of these things, and said if hee did not take good heed, Maister Maynie would bring them into trouble. Whereupon, Maister Dibdale said hee was sorry hee ever had any dealings with the youth." (xv.) "Thee times they pretended I had fits, were either when the mother fits were on mee, or when I had been con- strained to drinke their holy potions, or else when I was ill at ease by reason of their bad usage. They would then say, the wicked spirits had gone downe into my legges, and beginning with my foot they would hunt the devill upwards with their hands, pinching every inch of my body from my toe to my head, to make the devill goe forth from my mouthe, eares, or nose. As they ran their hands over mee I was put to much shame, especially when they desired to apply their reli'ques in a way no modest woman would allow. I perfectly loathe the memory of the way these priests treated mee [when only about sixteen years of age]." (xvi.) "While I was at Denham one Haines was a suter to mee, but Maister Dibdale commanded mee in no sort to entertain him. My sister brought mee a jet ring from Haines as a token. I putt it on, but as it was too smal, it caused my finger to swel. Maister Dibdale said, as I had acted contrary to his commaund the devill had got under the ring. Hee then wetted my finger with holy oyle, and making crosses on it pulled the ring of [off] little by little, and told mee the derill had no power to keepe it on, after those crosses had been made. " (xvii.) " One night when I was in bedde, there was a scratching in the seeling of my chamber. I thought it was a ratt, but Maister Cornelius, a priest, who occupied the next room, came into my chamber in his gowne, and declared it was an evill spirit. Hee then charged the devill, upon paine of many torments, to depart. Hee flung holy water on the wals, and used much holy exorcisme. Albeit the scratching continued, nor did it cease till Maister Cornelius knockt uppon the seeling with a stick. I then thought, and doe still, that it was a ratt, though the priest insisted it was a devill." (xviii.) "I was always obliged to tel the priests of a morning what I had dreamt about at nifjht. They called the dreams visions, and interpreted them as they thought proper. Many were mere toyes., I am sure, which came into my head on waking, and I much mervailed how the priestes could make such mightie matters of them." (xix.) " It is reported in the booke, that the examinate said, shee saw on Christmas night, at twelve o'clock, just as masse did begin, great beames of light issue from the sacrament; That uppon Newyeares day, shee saw fire flash in at the window ; and a browne dogge, as big as a bullock : That on the Sunday after the sacrament, shee could not see the patten by reason of a greate brightnes ; and that the priest seemed to her to be clothed in silver." Sara Williams's reply . " I am pers waded these bee all false reports of mee, or other- wise I must have a recollection of som of them. I remember such things were reported of Maister Richard Maynie ; but as for myself e, 1 feel sure I never saw any such things." (xx.) " It is reported that this examinate did say, On the 3rd Jan. shee saw Christ in his proper forme, when shee was receiving the sacrament : That shee re- ceived relief of pain by the application of a holy relique. And that shee flung away her beades, saying to the priestes, fie on you!" Sara Williams's reply, " Iwel remembei on one occasion when a priest offended mee, I threw my beades at him. I deny that I ever was relieved of paine by any relique applied to the parte afflicted. I deny that I ever saw, or said I saw, Christ in the sacrament. I might have said to a priest, * Fie on you,' knowing wel that they do not mislike such repremandes." (xxi.) It is written of this exami- nate, that on Jan. 6 "shee said shee saw after consecration, a little heade in the challice ; it was as it were the head of a child : That shee could tel a tale of a Mummerie which cam into herr chamber: That shee scoffed at the sacrament : That shee saw a propper man in a short blacke garment, girt about him, and having long turned-up haire, and great ruffes starched With blew starch : That shee complained the priestes hand did burne her, and his breath tormented herr." Sara Williams's reply, * ' I remember a* 202 IMPOSTURE: REPORT OF MENGUS. [Pr. !• rrt of all these things. I doe not believe ever said that I saw a little childes heade in the chalice. As for the Mum- mery I believe it to bee a made-up tale of som of the priestes. If, however, I eve. said anything of thee kind, I am perswaded it must have been either in a dreame or in a Christmas tale ; but I have wholly forgotten it, if indeed I ever said it." (xxii.) * * It is reported of the examinate : That shee said shee knew a peece of the Holy Crosse by the smel. That a priest put his finger into her mouth, and bade the devill bite it if hee durst, and the devill answered, hee durst not bite the priest-his finger, because it had touched the Lord." Sara Williams's reply, " I wel remem- ber hearing the priests talk about theyr having a piece of the true cross ; and if 1 said I should know it by the smel, I meant it would be kept in such fragrant spices, that the very perfume would tel how precious it was held to bee. No doubt I refused to bite the priest-his finger, for I well knew if I had done so, Maister Dibdale would have boxed my eares. I may have said, 'I would not bite the finger, because it has touched the Lord,' for I had been taught such reverence, but 1 do not remember to have said soe. " In conclusion, shee said shee had been often examined about these possessions, but would confess nothing, in consequence of which shee was much made-of. The priestes told her never to take an oathe, and then shee might say anything, true or untrue. They warned her never to say a worde that would compromise a priest, or scandalize the true church. They told her of a woman that did dis- honour the priests, and the devill entered her, and would never again leave herr, till hee had carried her into hell. Being married shee had got rid of her tyrants, and is very glad shee has now discharged her conscience, and unburdened her mind by telling the truth ; and shee hoped that the devill will never draw her into such courses againe." — Samuel Harsnet (afterwards archbishop of York), Appen- dix to Popish Impostures, pp. 173-206. The report of Mengus, and the unvar- nished fact (1602). Mengus in his Fustus^ or < • Devil-mastix," speaking of Sara \^^illiams, writes thus : "As she sate by the fire somewhat late with another maid- servant of the same house, both ready icr bed. they fel into a slumber, and as they dozed over the fire, there approached them three cats, making a horrible noise, and sprawling about the young maid [Sara] . One of the cats leaped over hei head, and another crept betwixt her legs. Whereat she looked suddenly behind her, and saw a strange huge catt as big as s mastiff, staring at her with eyes like fire, and of the bigness of a saucer," Such is the report, and the following is the fact. *'I was looking one day for eggs in a bush, near masteres house, when a cat suddenly jumped out of the bush, and startled me, but it certainly was not big as a mastiff, nor had it eyes of the size of saucers." Harsnet shall tell the rest. "At supper," says Mengus, "the cat aforesaid was turned into a dogge of two colours, blacke and greene, and therewithall a spaniel bayed. At another time the devill came downe the chimney to her in a Winde, and blew the soote about the roome. Sometimes he appeared to her in the likenes of a Man ; sometimes in the likenes of an Irish boy with black curlie locks ; sometimes as a great Blacke Dogge ; sometimes he came flying like a Sparrowe with a woodcockes bill ; gome- times like a Toade with the nose of a moale ; sometimes like a Mouse ; some- times like a Minister ; sometimes like an Ey without a head; sometimes like a Hufiian with curled haire ; sometimes like an Old Man with a long beard ; and sometimes he came in with a drumme and seaven motly vizards dauncing about the roome." This last was at the lord Vaux-his house at Hackney at the end of Christmasse tide. — A Declaration of Popish Impostures (1604), pp. 138, 139. When devils were cast out they were obliged to go in some visible form, Men- gus, in his DevU-mastiXy informs us, that when a devil is cast out, it is always obliged to depart in some visible form, and to leave some proof of its departure, such as a crack in a quarrie of a glass window, or the extinction of a candle. Harsnet remarks on this : " Breaking a square of glasse and blowing out a candel beeing two such supernaturall actions, as by a consorted conspirator with the exor- cist, without the helpe of a cherrystone, or a suddaine puffe of some wenches breath, cannot cleanly be conceived, it is no marvell they be made a demonstration that the devil is surely gone. In regard to the visible formes of devils in theyr exits, the first devill disseised was called Smolkin, it was Trayfordes spirit, which Sara espied to goe out at his right care Pt. I.] IMPOSTURE: PHYA, GODDESS OF WISDOM. 209 in the forme of a mouse. The next devil dispossessed was Hilcho at Uxbridge, who appeared at his going out, like a flame of fire, which lay glowing in the stove ir- Trayfords sight, till it had a new shange. The third devill was Haber- didance [Hoberdidance] , Saras dauncing devil, who appeared in the likenes of a whirlwind, and his voyce was heard by a cooke, as hee flew over the larder. Cap- taine Filpot [a devil] went his way in the likenes of smoke turning round up the chimney. Lusty Dicke, the devill, did slippe a button, and went out in a stench. The devils Delicate and Lusty Jolly Jenkin went out, one whirling like a snake and the other like a vapour. Lusty Huffcappe went out in the likeness of a cat. Killico, Hob, and Anonymos, all of them devil-captaines, went out in a gust of wind. Purre went out in a little whirlwind, Fratere^to in smoke." (See Mainy, p. 187.)— Harsnet, A Declaration of Popish Impostures (1604), pp. 140, 141, It must not be supposed that these devil -forms, sucb as enakes, flames, whirlwinds, and so on, were visible to spectators, for this was not the case. The person dispos- sessed alone saw the form assumed, and declared it, as Mainy did, when he described the forms of the seven deadly sins. The person exorcised was asked by the priest in what form the devil made bis exit, and he declared It openly, but no form appeared or disturbance took place '•"ognizable by others (p. 196). Effects of Popish imposture according to Samuel Harsnet. Samuel Harsnet, after- wards archbishop of York, writing at the close of the sixteenth century, gives a terrible description of the evil moral in- fluence of the [Roman] Catholic teaching respecting apparitions, demoniacal posses- sions, exorcisms, and devilry. He writes of his own times, as one who lived and moved and had his being among the very persons he describes. He wrote not, as we should now, of what he had read in books, but of scenes passing before his eyes ; and though it must be admitted he was a Protestant writing about Roman Catho- lics when the animosity between them was at fever heat, yet, all allowances being made, there is doubtless a broad basis of solid truth in his statements. In all the extracts I have made from him, I have carefully omitted his remarks of bitter- ness and irony, and have confined myself to his statements as an eye-witness or at least contemporary. ' ' Heere in England," he says, in the early years of Elizabeth's reign, "what time the popish mists be- fogged the eyes of the people, how were our children, old women, and maidens afraid to crosse a churchyeard, or a three-way ieet, or togoe for spoones-into the kitchin without a candle ? And no marveile ' first because the devill comes from a smoakie house, and either he or some lewd frier was at hand, with ougly homes on his head, fire in his mouth, a cowes tayle, eyes like a bason, fangs like a dog^e, skinne like a neger, and a voyce roarmg like a lyon, — then boh I in the dark was enough to make theyr haire stand upright. If a Peeter-penny or houzle-egge were behind, or a patch of tyth unpaid to the churche, then, Jesu Maria ! ware where you walke for f earo of bull-beggers, spirits, witches, urchins, elves, haggs, fairies, satyrs, pans, faunes, sylvans, Kit-with-a-candlesticke, Tri tons, centaurs, dwarffs, giants, impes, calcars, conjurers, nymphs, changlings, scritchowles, the mare, the man in the oak, helwayne, the firedrake, the puckle, Tomthumbe, hobgoblin, Tom-tumbler, Boneles, and the rest. And what girl, boye, or olde wisard, would be so hardy [as] to step over the threshold in the night for a halfpenny worth of mustard amongst this frightful crue, without a dosen Ave Maries^ two dosen crosses surely signed, and half a dosen Pater nosters ; and without commending himself to the tuition of St. Uncumber, or els our blessed ladie?" — Samuel Harsnet, Popish Intr' postures (1604), pp. 134, 135. For there as wont to walken was an elf. There walketh now the Limitor himself; In every bush, and under every tree, There nis none other incubus but he. Chaucer. Phya personates in Athens the goddess of wisdom (b.c. 638). Pisistratos, being banished from Athens, remained in exile for six years, when Megacles brought him back ; and, to obtain the consent of the Athenians to his return, devised a plan to make it appear that the goddess Athen^ or Wisdom was in favour of his restoration. His plan was this. He induced a woman of extraordinary stature and of handsome person, named Phya, to personate Athene, the goddess of wisdom and patron goddess of Athens. Having well drilled her, she was arrayed in armour, placed in a chariot, and paraded through the streets, preceded by heralds, who cried aloud from time to time, " Athenians, receive with favour Pisistratos, whom Athene herself has vouchsafed to bring back to the Acropolis." The news flew abroad throughout all Attica that the goddesa Athene had brought back Pisistratos. Divine honours were paid to Phya ; and Pisistratos, as the protege' of the goddess, 204 IMPUTED MERIT. [Pt. I. was received with acclamabons. — Hero- dotos, History^ bk. i. 60. Imputed Merit. (See Vicarious Suffering.) Acts xxvii, 20-44. Neither sun nor stars for many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, so that all hope that we should be saved was taken away. But after long absti- nence Paul stood forth, and said, Be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of life, but of the ship only; for there stood by me this night the angel of God, faying, Fear not, Paul, for lo! God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. There were in all in the ship two bundled threescore and sixteen souls. The ship was wrecked and broken to pieces, but all in it escaped safe to land. Gen. xviii. Three angels informed Abraham that they had come to destroy the cities of the plain, and Abraham intreuted them to spare the cities out of consideration for the righteous ones that were therein ; and one of the angels said to Abraham, If I find only ten righteous ones therein I will not destroy the cities for the ten's sake. The merits of Brother Giles redeem many souls from purgatory (a.d. 1272). A Dominican promised a brother of the same order, if he died first, to come and tell him what his lot was. He happened to die April 23, a.d. 1272, the very day that Brother Giles died. God allowed the man to fulfil his promise, and when he made his appearance, his friend said, " Well, and what lot has befallen you ? " " I am quite happy," replied the Domini- can, "because I died the same day that Brother Giles died ; and Christ, to recom- pense Brother Giles for his great sanctity, ^ave him leave to introduce into paradise all the souls he found in purgatory (! !). I was one of these souls, but have been delivered through the merits of Brother Giles." — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), April 23. A crowd given to St. John of Therou- anne^ when a bridge fell in (a.d. 1130). Near the church of Merckem was a par- vis, or fortified chateau, separated from the town by a deep foss, over which a bridge was thrown. St. John was in the chateau with his suite, for a grand ceremony had been arranged, and a vast crowd assembled in the church and parvis to witness it. The ceremony concluded with the consecration of the cemetery. As St. John went from the parvis, and was now in the middle of the bridge, some thirty-five or forty feet from the ground, he stopped a moment. The bridge was so crowded, it was difficult to move. All of « sudden it gave way with a terrible crash, and the whole of those on it were thrown into the foss below ; bishops and priests, nobles and commoners, old and young, were all precipitated into the ditch, and with them fell the fragments of the broken bridge. Fortunately St. John was among the fallen ; for as God gave to St. Paul the 270 souls that sailed in the ship with him, when it was wrecked off the coast of Malta, so God gave to St. John of Therouanne the crowd which fell with him into the foss, when the bridge of Merckem fell in ; so that not one of <; ill the vast crowd was even bruised, although the fall was some thirty-five or forty feet, amidst falling posts and rafters, masonry, and iron-work. St. John with a smile got on his feet again, shook off the debris, and thanked God for himself and those whom God had given him. — J. Colmieu (a contemporary), Life of St, John^ Bishop of Therouanne, St. Lidwina gives all her merits to her mothery and begins afresh (a.d. 1380- 1483). The strongest example of the transference of merit which I have met with, is in the life of St. Lidwina of Schiedam. At the age of fifteen she fell on the ice while skating, and broke a rib. An inward bruise developed into a gr«»at imposthume in the womb. Soon ulc^.rs consumed her lungs, and her whole body was covered with scorbutic sores. Be- sides these numerous ills, she suffered for nineteen years from dropsy, and was wholly unable to move in her bed ; wb^jn others moved her, it was necessary to bind her with cloths to keep her together. For thirty years she lived thus, scarcely touching any food at all. During this period a horrible leprosy broke out in Schiedam. Her mother was laid low by the disease, and like to die. Lidwina, not content with praying for her mother, "elle lui ce'da aussi le me'rite de toutes ses plaies, de toutes ses douleurs, de tous ses tourments, de toutes ses veilles, et de tous les autres exercises de vertu qu'elle avait pratiques depuis qu'elle etait sur la terre. Ainsi la mfere, enrichie des tre'sors de sa fille, fit une tres-belle fin ; mais la sainte elle meme, voyant qu'apres avoir cede' son tre'sor [i.e. of merit] k sa mfere, elle etait obligee de travailler de nouve^Hi, ajouta la mortification k la maladie, et s'entoura d'une grosse ceinture de crin rude et piquant, qu'elle ne quitta point jusqu'k la mort."— Mgr.Guerin (chamber* lain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints^ vol. iv. p. 403, Pt. I.] INFANTS DEMONSTRATIVE— JACOB'S LADDER. 20S We read again, p. 404, *' Elle avait un Bentiment particulier de devotion pour les ames du purgatoire ; elle en a d^ivrt^ pliisieurs qui s'e'taient recommande'es k ses prieres, et qui I'ont remercie'e depuis. Elle a souffert pour cela des tourments horribles." The merits of St. Patrick transferred to those who honour his memory. " Comme Dieu a promis a St. Patrice que ceux qui Beraient deVots k sa me'moire, et qui feraient quelques oeuvres de pie'te' en son bonneur au jour de sa fete, obtien iraient mise'ricorde k I'heure de la mor: et ne pe'riraient pas e'ternellement, il est extremement avantageux de se mettre sous sa protection." — Mgr. Gue'rin (cham- berlain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints (1880), vol. iii. p. 475. Edward III. and his queen Philippa of Hainault (a.d. 1347). After the siege of Calais, Edward granted mercy to the garrison on conditmn that six of the free citizens, with haiters on their necks, would voluntarily surrender themselves to death. Six devoted men were found, and came to the king's camp. Then queen Philippa fell at the king's feet, and implored him to spare the lives of the six patriots. " Lady," said the king, "you pray so tenderly, I cannot refuse you ; and though much against mjc will, I give these men to you." So saying, he took the six citizens to the queen by the halters, and released them all for the love of her. The good queen ordered them to be well fed and clothed, and then set to go their way, just as they might list. Infants in the "^ATomb demon- strative. Luke i. 41. It came to pass that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped lu her womb. St. Fursy^ while in the womb, reproves his grandfather JEdfind (a.d. 650) . Gelges was the daughter of iEdfind, a king of Ireland, then divided into six kingdoms ; and married clandestinely prince Fintan, son of Finloga, king of Momonia, one of the six kingdoms. From this union sprang Fursy, afterwards canonized. w(Edfind, perceiving that his daughter was about to give birth to a child, and learning by inquiry that its father was a Christian, was so enraged that he ordered Gelges at once to be burnt t© death, and went him- self to see the sentence carried out. As (jiuges was led away to execution, the child in her womb reproved its cruel grandfather with a loud voice and intel- ligible words. Mgr. Gudrin adds naively, *' Au moins, entendit-on des paroles ex- traordinaires qui venaient du cote de la princesse, et Ton ne sait pas si ce fut un ange ou I'enfant meme qui les pronon9a. Ce qui est plus certain, c'est que Gelges fut delivre'e des flammes par une pluie soudaine, et des sources miraculeuses qui les dteignirent." — Les Petits Bollandistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. i. p. 400. The anti-climax in tliis paragraph is delicious. If it was not the child in the womb that cried out, it was some angel ; but be this as it may, it is quite certain that a shower of rain fell, and put out the fire. Jacob's Ladder. Gek. xxvli. 10-20. Jacob, fleeing from the wrath of Esau, came to Haran, where he dreamt that he saw a ladder set on the earth, and the top reached to heaven. On this ladder he saw the angels of God ascending and descending. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillow, and set it up for a pillar, poured oil upon it. and called the name of the place Beth-el (the house of Gad). St. Maur sees a pathway from earth to heaven by which St. Benedict ascended. On the day St. Benedict died, which was a Good Friday, St. Maur, at the hour of nine in the morning, was carried in spirit from Auxerre, in France, to Mount Cassino, and there saw a bright path carpeted, and bordered with innumerable torches. The path began from the cell of St. Benedict and terminated in heaven. While St. Maur looked on this vision, a venerable old man, all glorious, said to him, "By this pathway St. Benedict, the servant of the living God, is gone to heaven." Two companions who were with St. Maur also saw the vision. — St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues, bk. ii. St. Perpetua sees a golden ^^ Jacob's ladder," While St. Perpetua was in prison, she saw in a vision a ladder of gold reaching from earth to heaven. It was so narrow that only one person at a time could ascend its steps, and from tcfp to bottom the sides were full of swords, lances, and hooks, ready to pierce and tear the flesh of those who ventured up it without due caution. At the foot lay a great dragon to deter those who wished to ascend from coming near the ladder. St. Perpetua saw her fellow- prisoners ascend this ladder ; and, having reached the top, she saw them beckon to her to follow. By pronouncing the name of Christ she quelled the dragon; and when she had set her foot on the first rung of the ladder she trod on the 206 JACOB'S PILLAR— THE SCONE STONE [Pt. L monster's head. Above, she found her- self in a spacious garden, where she saw a shepherd, with white hair, milking his ewes, and thousands of angels, arrayed in white, were around him. The shep- herd welcomed her, and gave her some curds, which she received with joined hands and ate, the white-robed angels Baying " Amen." At the word '* Amen " she woke, and the sweet savour of the curds still remained on her palate. The vision indicated that Perpetua and her companions were about to enter into glory by martyrdom.— J. C. Robertson, History of the Christian Church (1875), vol. i. p. 94. (This narrative was written by St. Perpetua herself.) St. Romuald saw a ^^ Jacobus ladder'^ on which monks ascended to heaven. When St. Romuald was 102 years old, he wished to pass the rest of his life in Bclitude, and accordingly retired to the Apennines. Here he had a dream, in which he saw a ladder that touched heaven and earth ; and on this ladder the monks of his several convents, all arrayed in white, ascended to heaven. Next day he went to count Malduli to crave the site for a convent, a request which was instantly granted, the count assuring the saint that he also had seen the same vision. The convent, being built, was called Ca-malduli (camp Mal- duli), from the name of the count; and the society was called the Order of the (yamaldulensians (a.d. 1009). — Ribade- neira. The Flower of the Lives of the Saints (died 1611). St. Sadoth, bishop of Seleuciay sees a ''Jacob's ladder'' (a.d. 342). In the persecution raised by Sapor II., St. Sadoth with several of his clergy lay hid awhile, tind during this retreat he had a vision which seemed to him prophetic of his death. "I saw," said he, "a ladder environed with light, and reaching from earth to heaven. St. Simeon my pre- decessor was at the top of it, in great glory. He looked on me as I stood at the bottom of the ladder, and said to me with a smiling countenance, * Mount up, Sadoth, and fear not. I mounted yester- day, and it is your turn now.' This means," continued Sadoth, " that St. Simeon was martyred last year and ascended to heaven, and that I shall be martyred this vear, and shall mount the ladder of life.'"''— Alban Butler, Lives of tlie Saints (Feb. 20). For other Muucples crauult the Index, article JACOB'S Jacob's Pillar. Gen. xxviii. 18, 19. Jacot had fraudulently obtained his father's blessing, and fled out of fear of his brother's vengeance. When he reached Luz he slept on the ground, and took one of the stones for his pillow. In his sleep he imagined he saw a ladder extending from earth to heaven, and angels seemed to him to be constantly ascending and descending thii ladder. The dream made a strong impression on him, and he felt persuaded it was a divine Tisf^n of deep meaning. When he rose next morning be took the stone he had made his pillow, and, setting it up for a pillar, pourrd oil on it. He also changed the name of the place from Luz {separation) to I3eth-el (^God'M house). Arthur's Bound Table. There is a table shown at Winchester, as "Arthur's Round Table ; " but it agrees in no respect with the table made by Merlin, at Carduel, for Uther the pendragon. Merlin's table would seat 150 knighti ; was given by Uther to Leodegraunce of Camelyard ; and passed to Arthur as a wedding gift, when he married Guinever, daughter of Leodegraunce. Round tables, however, were not uncommon. Thus, in the reign of Edward 1., Roger de Mortimer estab- lished at Kenil worth a Round Table "for the encouragement of military pastimes." Some seventy years later, Edward III. had his Round Table at Windsor ; it was two hundred feet in diameter. So enor- mous a table could only have been used in the open fields. A table of two hundred feet in diameter would seat four hundred guests. Besides the military tables, we are told of John o' Groat's Round Table, nuide to accommo- date his nine sons, to prevent their constant wrangling about precedency. The Scone stone and coronation chair. A relic like Jacob's stone pillar was not likely to be overlooked in the early days of Christianity, when the fever for relics ran high ; but it is passing strange that a fair traditional pedigree should connect this pillow-stone with our own coronation chair, and that actual history can trace the stone of our coronation chair up to A.D. 840, more than a thousand years. First, as to the traditional part, between Jacob and a.d. 840. According to tradi- tion, Jacob's pillow and pillar-stone wag carried into Egypt when Jacob went to reside there under the viceroyalty of his son Joseph ; but Gathelus, son of Cecrops, who had married Scota, Pharaoh's daughter, carried it to Bri- fmtia, in Spain, when he fled from gypt out of fear of the man Moses. Here it remained, till Simon Brech, the favourite son of Milo the Scot, removed Pt. I.] SCONE STONE IS JACOB'S PILLAR. 207 it to Ireland.* During a violent storm it wa4 thrown into the sea to appease its rage ; and, after the storm lulled, it was placed on the sacred hill of Tara, the capital of Bregia, and called the Lia Fail, or "Stone of Destiny." It was now used as the coronation chair of the Irish kings ; and, it is said, a groan, like thunder, was alwaj^s heard, if the person seated on it was only a pretender, who had no legal right to the crown, other- wise it was silent and uttered no sound. Fergus, the founder of the Scottish monarchy, removed the stone, as a palla- dium, to Dunstoffnage ; and, when the Scots migrated eastwards, the stone was carried with them by Kenneth II., and set up at Scone, a.d. 840. From this point actual history takes up the tale. A stone called the '* Fatale Marmor," on which the Scottish kings were crowned, was encased in a chair of wood, and set on the east side of thjp monastic cemetery ; and at coronations *it was the privilege of the earls of Fife to lead the new king up to the palladium-chair, and seat him thereon. Scone now became the sedes principalis of Scotland, insomuch that the kmgdom of Scotland was called the kingdom of Scone, and Perth (not Edin- burgh) was the metropolis. Edward I., by the battle of Dunbar, in 1296, con- quered Scotland, and removed the stone to London. It is still in Westminster Abbey, and has been used, from the time of Edward I., as our coronation chair. All agree that the stone is the " Fatale Marmor" of Scotland, but it is by no means certain that this " Fatale Marmor " of Scotland is the " Lia Fail " of Ireland. And as for the wooden chair set over it, while some insist that it is the original chair brought from Scone by Edward together with the stone, others protest that it is the chair used by Edward the Confessor at his coronation. Whether it was the Scone chair or the Confessor's, it is quite certain it was decorated by Walter, the painter employed in beauti- fving the " Painted Chamber." A stone BO venerable of course has also a pro- phetic virtue attached to it ; this is incorporated in the Latin distich — Nl faUat fatum, Scoti, quocunque locatum Invenient lapidem, regnare tenentur ibidem. [Where'er tiiis stone may be, such is the fates' decree, The sovereigns of that place shall be of Scottish race.] Whether the accession of the Stuarts cf a "taTOurite son of Milo the Scot," many read "» faYonirite son of Milo, head of the S<>oti," an •ncient Celtic tribe. TMa occurrad before the tmie of the fWnding of fioaa* after Elizabeth satisfies this prediction must be left an open question, which every one must decide according to indi- vidual fancy. One thing is certain : Ireland once had the " Lia Fail," and had kings ; Scotland once had the *' Fatale Marmor," and had kings ; both lost their palladium, and lost their kings. England has the Scotch stone now, and is the dominant power of both Ireland and Scotland. The Celts erected a mouolith, called a Tanitt Stone or Heir-apparent Stone, at a coronation, as other early nations did. Thus we read in Judges (ix. 6) of Abime- lech, that "a pillar was erected in Shechem" when he was made king. Again in 2 Kings (xi. 14) it is said that a pillar was raised when Joash was made king, " as the manner was." Besides these, there is the " Fatal Stone " or A rtizoe of the Persians, mentioned by Pliny ; the "Black Stone" of the Seids; the "Fatal Stone," de- scribed as a large mass of very rich grey silver ore, of an Indian South American tribe, removed from place to place, as the tribe fled before the Spanish invaders ; the "Caaba" of the Mussulmans, which Mahomet removed to Mecca. Probably the idol of Diana at Ephesus was a meteoric stone and looked on as a palladium. Another version. Mrs. G. A. Rogers tells a good story of the pillar of Bethel in her book entitled The Coronation Stone, The points of divergence are these : — (1) Mrs. Rogers says, as the pillow- stone was Jacob's title-deed, he took it with him wherever he went, and erected another as a memorial of his dream. The title or pillow stone was carried from Egypt, with Joseph's bones, to the promised land. David intended to use it in the temple, but it was "rejected by the builders," and became a type of Christ. At the Captivity it was left behind, as Nebuchadnezzar saw '* no beauty in it, that he should desire it ; " but on the return from captivity, the princess Tephi, as princess royal of Judah, had a right to the title-stone, and carried it with her, under the leader- ship of Jeremiah and Baruch, to Ulster, in Ireland, where she married Eochaid, king of that part of Ireland, and was crowned on the stone, called by the Irish Lia Fail, or " Stone of Destiny." Here we see a great divergence. The other tradition tells us it was not Tephi, tlie princess royal of Judah, who took it to Ireland, and married Eochaid ; but that Gatherus, son of Cecrops, who married Scota, Pharaoh's daughter, carried the stone to Spain, when he fled from Moses, and that Simon Brech, son of Milo the Scot; removed it to Ireland. (2) Mrs. Rogers fills up the story thus : At the beginning of the sixth century, Fergus I., king of Ireland, sailed to Scotland, and conquered Argyleshire. He slew king Coilus, and the kingdom of the Scots was established on Fergus and his posterity. Fergus now sent to 208 JEPHTHAH»S RASH VOW— JERICHO BESIEGED. [Pt. L Tara for the " Lia Fail," and, on its arrival, was crowned, sitting thereon. (3) Mrs. Rogers says, all the monarchs of England, except Mary, have been crowned on this pillar-stone anointed in Bethel ; and the present monarch of Great Britain, through the princess royal of .Tudali, is a lineal descendant of king David. Of course, the great sticking place is princess Tephi, Mrs. Rogers fails to give her authority for this scion of tlie house of bavid, her voyage to Ireland under tlie c.uiductof Jeremiah and Baruch, and her marriage with Kochaid, king of Ireland. However, the other tale about Soota, daughter of Pharaoh, and Simon Brech, son of Milo the Scot, is even a worse invention, and would make our reigning monarch a descendant of the Pharaohs, a elaim they would hardly wish to be allowed. The Mahometans insist that the stone called Jacob's pillar is preserved in the mosque of Omar. Regarding the " Lia Fail," It was a pillar nine feet high, not very easy for Jacob to raise up and move from place to place, and not easy to carry from Jerusalem to Spain, and Spain to Ireland, and Ireland to Scotland, and Scotland to London. It is, however, certain that the "Fatale Marmor" was not nine feet, but only twenty inches long, barely seventeen inches broad, and about ten inches thick. It Is sienite, and accords with Ponipey's Pillar at Alexandria. In Camden's time a tablet hung on the stone, now in Westminster, described it as " the ■tone on which Jacob lay his head at Bethel." Jephthah's Bash Vow. Judges xi. 29-40. When Jephthah went against the Ammonites, he vowed, il he returned victorious, to sacrifice, as a burnt offering, whatever first met him on his entrance Into his native city. He gained the victory, and, at the news thereof, his only daughter came forth dancing to give him welcome. The miserable father rent his clothes in the fulness of grief, but the noble daughter would not listen to a violation of the vow. She craved a short respite to bewail her blighted hopes, and then submitted to her sad lot. Idomeneus's rash vow, Idomeneus, king of Crete, on his return from Troy, made a vow in a tempest, if he escaped shipwreck and reached home safely, to offer to the sea-god the first living thing that met his eye on the Cretan shore. His own son was there to give him welcome, and he did unto him according to his vow. — Fdnelon, Tel^maquey bk. v. (This is a post-Homeric legend.) King OswVs rash vow. Oswi, king of Northumbria, in a.d. 655, met the pagan host in the field of Winwoed, by Leeds. The pagans were commanded by Penda, and costly gifts were offered him to avert his attack, Penda refused to accept the gifts. " Let us, then," cried Oswi, "affer them to One who will accept them ; " and he vowed, if his arms were successful against Penda, to dedi- cate his daughter to God. Victory declared for Oswi. Penda's army fled. The river, swollen by rains, swept away ^e fugitives. And O^wi did unto his daughter according to his vow. — Green, A Short History of the English People^ p. 24. Jericho besieged. Josh. vi. 1-21. When Joshua besieged Jericho, according to the command of God, seven priests with trumpets went about the city before the ark of the covenant. Armed men went before as the advanced guard, and the rearguard went after the seven trumpeters with the ark of the Ijord. The procession marched thus round the city for seven days, and on the seventh day at dawn they marched round the city seven times, and at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the army, Shout ; for the Lord hath given you the city. So th» army shouted, when the priests blew th» trumpets, and the wall of the city fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, and they took the city, and utterly destroyed all that were therein, both men and women, young and old, ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. JuDG. vii. 15-23. Gideon overcame the Midianites by surprising them in the middle night-watch. His three hundred men were furnished with pitchers which concealed lighted lamps, and at a given signal they all broke their pitchers and shouted, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon I The Midianites were panic- struck, and fled. Avallon in Burgundy besieged^ and its walls fall down as the ^^ Agnus Dei" is chanted (a.d. 1022). King Robert be- sieged Avallon, in Burgundy, for three months without being able to take it. At the fete of St. Aignan he left th« besiegers, and went to Orleans to keep the fete. While he was at the grand mass, dressed in a magnificent robe, and leading the choir, according to his custom, at the very moment the Agnus Dei was sung, the walls of Avallon fell down, and his army, marching into the city, took it. The king, in gratitude, made to the church of Saint-Croix, in Orleans, a present of a gold paten and chalice. He also rebuilt the church of St. Aignan, and greatly augmented its revenues. — Hel- gaud. Life of King Robert ; and also S. Guyon, History of the Church of Orleans. The Hallelujah Victory^ or Victoria Alleluiatica (March 30, a^d. 430). This is given by several ecclesiastical his- torians as a fact. St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, and Lupus, bishop of Troyes, came to Britain to advise the British bishops how to act in respect to the Pelagian heresy which was greatly spread- ing. While in the island they headed a British army against the allied Picts and Saxons. They marched into Flintshire, saw the foe encamped at Mold, and rushed upon them so tumultuously, shout' Pt. I.] JEROBOAM— JEWELS— JEWS— JEZEBEL. 209 ing ** Hallelujah ! " that the foe was panic-struck, and fled in the utmost dis- order. Jeroboam's "Withered Hand. 1 Kings xiii. 1-6. There came a man of God out of Judah unto Beth-el ; and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And the prophet cried against the altar. And when the king heard it, he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand dried up so that he could not pull it in again. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out. Then said the king to the prophet, Intreat now the Lord thy God that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. AureliarCs hand withered and restored by St. Vitus, St. Vitus, at the age of twelve years, was condemned by the emperor Aurelian to be scourged for worshipping Christ the crucified. The lictors ap- pointed for the purp9ee no sooner began to scourge the child than their arms dried up ; Aurelian also felt his arms and legs to be withered. Then said he to the father of St. Vitus, *' Thy son is a magician, for he has taken from me the use of my limbs." The child made answer, "1 am no magician, but a servant of the living God ; and it is the God I serve who has chastened thee for thy sins." Said Aurelian, " If God will restore me the use of my limbs, I will own Him to be a great God, and Him only will I serve." Then Vitus made a prayer, and forthwith Aurelian was made whole, and would have no more to do with that just child, but released him and let him go. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the SaintSy p. 381. Timotheus blinded and restored by St, Januarius. When Timotheus, governor of Benevento, ordered St. Januarius and his companions to be beheaded, he suddenly lost the sight of both his eyes. He therefore sent for St. Januarius and implored him to deliver him from this state of misery. The saint restored him his sight ; and the pagans being convinced of the power of God by this double miracle, five thousand of them were converted and baptized. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints^ p. 743. Jewels. One day a lady from Campania called upon Cornelia, the mother of Tiberius and Caius Gracchus, and, after showing her jewels, requested in return to see those of the famous daugb ter of the elder Scipio. Cornelia sent for her two sons, and, presenting them to tl/e visitor, said, "These, madam, are my jewels." — Roman Story. The treasures of the Christian Church, St. Lawrence was treasurer of the Christian Church in Rome, and the emperor Decius insisted on knowing where he had concealed the treasures. St. Lawrence begged three days' grace, and at the expiration of that time appeared before the emperor with all the Christians he could muster. Being asked if he had brought the treasures of the Church with him, he replied that he had ; then, turning to the Christian throng, he said aloud, "These, Decius, are the treasures of the Church." — Life of St, Lawrence (from the public registers). Jews converted. John xil. 11. Many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus. Acts xxi. 21. Thou teachest all the Jews to forsake Moses. St. Vincent Ferrier converts a whole synagogue of Jews (a.d. 1357-1419). One day St. Vincent Ferrier, at the invitation of a Jew, went into the syna- gogue of Salamanca. He entered, cruci- fix in hand, which greatly troubled the assistants. The saint, however, soon tranquillized them, by saying he was going to speak to the congregation on a matter of great importance. They thought he meant some matter of public interest, so when he began to speak they were all ear. Using soothing and gentle words, he spoke of the Christian faith, and dwelt especially on the passion and death of the Messiah. As he spoke of the cross of Christ, a number of crosses appeared miraculously, and one attached itself to the dress of each one present, women as well as men ; and, what is infinitely more important, every heart was converted to the Christian faith. St. Vincent, ravished at this outpouring of the Holy Spirit, baptized all present, and the synagogue became a Christian church, which went by the name of "The True Cross." — Les Fetits Bollandistes^ vol. iv. p. 241. Jezebel devoured by Dogs. 1 Kings xxi. 23; 2 Kings ix. 30-36. Of Jez'ibel the Lord said. Dogs shall eat Jezebel by )st forum Constantini, sicutantea dixi, et post n:*-ellum, quod est in porticu, etiamnum monstrantur; et cuntis prsetereuntibus digitum ad eas intendentibus, genus mortis Arii perpetuo memorabiie posteris reddunt."— Socratei. Ecclesiastical History, bk. L ch. 38 (turned into Latl» by Henry Valesius. Edition 1577). Labour in Vain. Luke v. 5. Master, we have toiled all th* night, and have taken nothing. 214 LABOUR IN VAIN— LEGION, [Pt. I. Prov. X. 2. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing. Job v. 12. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. A thief stole St. EmarCs horse, hut the horse moved not (a.d. 560). St. Eman, being invited to visit Bladiste, a grand seigneur of Chartres, was obliged to pass the night on the road, because the distance was too great for a single day's journey. , He found entertainment for himself in a house on the road, but none for his horse. So, making on it the sign of a cross, he turned it adrift, bidding it not to stray. A fellow named Abbon mounted the horse, with intent of stealing it ; but next morn- ing, the horse and thief stood at the door of the house where the saint slept. St. Eman politely thanked the thief for bringing the horse to the door, and gave him a piece of money, that if he was in distress, the temptation to steal might be taken away. (See Odilo, below.) — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. May 16, p. 595. The robbers who stole St. ffermelancTa eggs (a.d. 718). Some villagers stole a lot of eggs from St. Hermeland's abbey, and walked with them all night long, expecting to find themselves many miles away ; but what was their surprise, at sunrise, to find themselves still in the hen-house. Though they had walked all night, they had not stirred a single step, and, being found next morning, they were obliged to give back their plunder. — Bulteau, History of the Monks of the East, bk. i ch. 37.' The robbers who stole St. Latimer's ox, after driving it all night, found at day- break they were still in the ox-stall (sixth century). One day some robbers stole an ox from St. Laumer's monastery ; but after driving it all night, found, at day- break next day, they had never quitted tlie ox-yard. As the servants and monks were all astir, they then decamped, leav- ing the ox behind in the shed. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. i. p. 472. A robber who stole St. Odild's horse remained immovable all night. One night a robber stole St. Odilo's horse, but no sooner had he reached the outer gates of the monastery of Orval than both he and the horse became powerless to move. There they stood, like living statues, all the night through. At daybreak St. Odilo saw them, and, going up to the robber, said to him quizzically, " Friend, you have put yourself to a vast deal of trouble to stand guard here all night.** Then, casting towards him a small coin, he led the horse back into the stable. (See Eman, col. 1.) — BoUandus, Acta Sanctorum, vol. i. Jan. 1. The groom of Payen du Teil, having stolen his master's horse, travelled all night, and next morning found he had not left the yard (eleventh century). St. Bernard of Abbeville, with two companions, travelling from Nogent to Mortagne, met a chevalier named Payen du Teil, who invited them to sleep in his mansion. During the night, the groom stole his master's horse and rode off with it towards Bellesme, a town in the county of Perche, then at war with Mortagne. St. Bernard, who knew what was done, had recourse to prayer, and God led the groom a fool's chase ; for after riding all night, and expecting to find himself at Bellesme, at daybreak he discovered he was still in his master's stables ; and recognized at once that this was due to St. Bernard's prayers. — Corblet, Hagio- graphic d Amiens' (The life of St. Bernard was written 1137-1148 by Geof- froy le Gros, one of his disciples.) &t. Vincent Ferrier journeyed eastwards from Vannesall night, ar^ found next morn* ing he had not moved (a.d. 1419). When St. Vincent Ferrier was about to die, the people of Valentia entreated that he would return thither, and lay his bones among them. He was then at Vannes, and started with his five companions, at sun- set, to go to Spain. All night they travelled, taking a direction eastwards ; but, at sunrise next morning, they found, after twelve hours' walking, they were still on the spot from which they started. St. Vincent understood by this " miracle " that God intended he should die at Vannes ; and said to his companions, "You see, my brothers, God does not wish Valentia to have my bones, because that stiff necked people rejected the word of truth which I preached to them." When the inhabitants of Vannes heard of this, the churches rang out their joy-peals, and ten days afterwards the saint died, at the age of sixty years. — Peter Ranzano (bishop of Lucera), Life of St» Vincent Ferrier, Legion. LuKK viii. 27-38. When Jesus arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, there met Him • certain man which had a devil, and wore no clothes, and abode in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, What ha\-e I to dc Pt. I.] LEGION— LIFTED UP IN PRAYER. 215 with Thee, Jesus, Son of God ? I beseech Thee torment ine not. Jesus asked him, saying, What is tuy name? And he said. Legion. And they besought Jesus that He would not command them to go into the deep. Now, there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain, and the devils besought Him that he would suffer them to enter into the swine; and He suffered It. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine ; and the whole herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and there perished. Orion, possessed of a legioHy is delivered by St. liUarion. Orion was a very rich man, but he was possessed of a legion. While St. Hilarion was preaching, Orion, slipping from his keepers, ran up to him, and, seizing him in his arms, hoisted him up into the air. All the congrega- tion were terrified ; but Hilarion said, "Let be! I will deal with this man." Then, taking him by the hair, he threw him on the ground^^ftnd set his foot upon him. The man howled and yelled ; but the hermit said, "Ah ! Lord, deliver this wretch, unloose him, for it is as easy for Thee to vanquish a legion as one." So saying, Orion opened his mouth, and there issued from it sundry noises, like the stir of a moving crowd. Presently the noise ceased, and the man was cured. Next day, Orion brought rich presents to the monastery ; but Hilarion said to him, " Didst thou never hear what befell Gehazi and Simon Magus? The one sold the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the other thought to buy it; but both were severely punished. Go home, and do what you will with thy gifts, for I will in no wise touch them." Orion then besought the saint to take them in trust, as alms for the poor; but Hilarion de- clined to do so, for *' many," he said, " under the guise of alms, indulge their own greed. We are not only to do no evil, Orion ; we are not to let our good be evil spoken of, lest the name of Christ be blasphemed." Orion was vexed, but Hilarion said to him, ** My son, grieve not at my words. Were I to accept thy bounty, I should be doing wrong, and devils would no longer be obedient to me. Then would they return to thee, nercer and more numerous than before, and thy last state would be worse than thy first. Go to thy house rather, knd give to the poor, even as thy heart bids thee; for whoso giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord." (See Lunatics, etc, p. 223.)— St. Jerome, Vita St. Hilario- nis Eremitw (a.d. 390). See also Callistus (who died 1350), Ecclesiastical History, Ijifted up. EzKK. viil. 3. He put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head ; and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven. James iv. 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. Psalm cxlvii. 6. The Lord lifteth up the meek : He casteth the wicked down to the ground. 1 Sam. ii. 1. The Lord . . . bringeth low and lifteth up. St. Agnes was often lifted from tn, ground in the ecstasy of prayer (a.d. • 1274-1317). Even at the early age of fifteen, we are told, St. Agnes was often lifted five feet or more from the ground, in the ecstasy of prayer, and that "in the presence of all the inmates of the Convent del Sacco.*' — Raymond of Capua. Life of St. Agnes. St. Angela of Brescia^ founder of the Ursulines, lifted up (a.d. 1474-1540). On her return to Brescia, after the treaty of Cambrai, in 1529, St. Angela was at the "holy sacrifice," when she was suddenly and publicly entranced. Her body was lifted from the earth, in the sight of all the congregation, and re- mained suspended in the air a long time. *' Ce prodige fut aper9U d'un nombre infini de persones. EUe eut souvent des ravissements semblables." — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. vi. pp. 331, 332. St. Antoinette of Florence often lifted up in prayer (a. d. 1400-1472) . • ' Plusieurs fois on vit un globe de feu suspendu au- dessus de la tete de la Bienheureuse Antoinette, qui, dans Tobscurite, remplis- sait le saint temple de lumifere ; plusieurs fois aussi on la vit suspendue entre le ciel et la terre pendant qu'elle priait." — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. iii. p. 71. St, Arey, bishop of Gap, oftemlifted up in prayer (a.d. 535-604). Probus, a contemporary, tells us that St. Arey got a false key of the church, whereby he let himself in during the hours of sleep, and passed the time in prayer on the pavement of the church. Often and often, says Probus, during these vigils, the saint was ravished in spirit and carried before the throne of the Almighty, or lifted high into the air by the ministry of angels. At such times the whole church was a blaze of celestial Ught. — Histoire Hagiologique du Diocese de Gap. The spirits of St. Berard and his com- panions lifted up (a.d. 304). St. Berard and his companions tried to convert the Moors of Spain, but were cast into a 216 L.IFTED UP : JAMBLICHUS, CLARA, COLETTA, FRANCIS. [Pt. I. dark dungeon. This dungeon was in- stantly illuminated with light from heaven, and the guards saw the spirits of St. Berard and his companions lifted into the air, "comme si elles eussent de'jh mont^ au ciel." Forthwith they were miraculously set free, and again preached to the followers of the false prophet. Being again seized, they were scourged, dragged over broken glass and crockery till all their bodies were one vast wound. The wounds, being covered with salt and sprinkled with vinegar to irritate them, had boiling oil poured over them, but *'au milieu de tous ces out- rages, les saints montrbrent tant de con- stance qu'ils ne paraissaient pas etre sensible aux douleurs." — Les Petits Bol- landistes (1880), vol. i. p. 381. Jamblichus lifted up in prayer (fourth century). Jamblichus, the Neo-platonist, when he prayed, was raised ten cubits from the ground, and his body and dress too assumed the appearance of gold. — Eunapius, Jamblichus, St, Feter Celestine, saying masSj was lifted high into the air^ and remained so through the whole service (a.d. 1274). When St. Peter Celestine went to Rome to obtain the pope's, approval of the *' Order of Celestines," he was ordered to say mass. The officers who waited on the priests handed him the gorgeous robes and ornaments, but Peter requested he might retain his hermit's cloak. He did so, but angels came and covered his cloak with precious ornaments ; and, when he began mass, he was lifted by angels high in the air, where he remained suspended till the service was over. The pope, who was present, could not, after &iis, hesitate to confirm the new order, and accordingly granted the required bulls. Another example, Celestine V., after his abdication, was imprisoned by his successor, Boniface Vlll., in the castle of Fumone, and starved to death. No one was allowed access to him, and a strong guard was set over him. One day Boniface, being conscience-struck, sent three cardinals to console his prisoner. They found him saying mass for the dead ; and were not a little astonished to see him surrounded with light, and suspended in the air. When the cardinals asked him why he was saying mass for the dead, he replied, "It is for the king of Hungar}^ who died tills morning ; by the mass just laid, his soul has been delivered from :ory."—The Admirable Life of 8t, ^eter Celestine^ Pope, etc. (from the press of the Celestines, Bar le DucJ. St, Clara of Rimini goes from Assist to the church "c?c la Portioncule" without touching the ground (a.d. 1346). One day, as St. Clara went from Assisi to the church *' de la Portioncule" about a mile off, her companions noticed that her feet never once touched the ground ; in fact, "angels carried her to the church of their queen." — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. ii. p. 439. See p. 200, xi. St. Coletta or Nicoletta often lifted up by the Spirit (a.d. 1380-1447). One day, as St. Coletta was seated on the ground in the midst of her sisterhood, the twelve apostles, as twelve old men arrayed in white robes, stood round for some time, then rose into the air. St. Coletta rose with them, till she wholly disappeared from the sight of her companions. Often during her prayers was she lifted by the Spirit from the earth, sometimes so high as to be quite out of sight, At one time, " une flamme merveilleuse w'^chap- pant de sa bouche illuminait son oraloire." — Douillet, Vie de St. Colette, St. Francis of Paula lifted from the earth in prayer (a.d. 1416-1507). Louis XI. sent for St. Francis of Paula, and the pope (Sixtus IV.) commanded him to go. When he reached Naples, on his way to Tours, the whole city turned out to pay him honour, and the king (Ferdinand I.) entertained him in his palace. At night, his majesty, peeping through the crevices of the chamber door, saw the saint in prayer. He was encompassed with a great light, and was elevated many feet from the floor of the room. The king was greatly astonished, the more so as he thought the fatigues of the day would have overcome him ; but he knew not the man, or he would have known that in the multitude of his thoughts he would say unto God, " Thy comforts refresh my soul," — Father Giry, Acts of his Canoniza- tion, etc. St, Francis of Posadas often lifted from the earth in the sacrifice of the mass (a.d. 1644-1713). St. Francis of Posadas wept without ceasing during mass, and thought himself unworthy to touch his God. At the elevation of the host, his whole body trembled, and he could not restrain his sighs. One day he saw Christ Himself in the host, and his agitation was so great that his assistants were afraid he would break the host in his hands. Often he would fall into an ecstasy, and be caught Ft. I.] LIFTED UP : JOHN-JOSEPH— THERESA. tI7 up from the ground. When he came to himself he would say, "I cannot tell whether I left the earth or the earth with- drew from me." On one occasion, while pronouncing the words of consecration, his spirit left his body, and his body rose in the air, and remained suspended there. When he came down again, all the con- gregation saw he was encompassed with a great light, the wrinkles of his face disappeared, his skin looked transparent as crystal, and his cheeks were red as fire. On another occasion, while reading the Gospel of the day, rays of light issued from his mouth so as to lighten the missal he held in his hand. Twice, during Pentecost, such a brilliant light issued from his body that the whole altar was illuminated. — L'abbe Daras, The SaintSy etc., of the Eighteenth Century. St. John -Joseh of tlie Cross often lifted from the earth in hi^ ecstasies (a.d. 1654- 1784). St. John-uoseph of the Cross in his ecstasies was frequently lifted by the Spirit into the air, where he remained suspended. "Ses ravissements e'taient parf aitement connus ; plusieurs personnes qui assistaient h. sa messe en furent temoins. La meme chose arriva aussi d'une fa^on fort extraordinaire, dans le cours d'une procession." Another instance. While St. John- Joseph was building his monastery, he used to assist in carrying materials, such as bricks, mortar, or timber. On one occasion he was missed, and searchers, going into the chapel, found him there in an ecstasy. He was entirely lifted ofE the ground; indeed, so high was he suspended upon nothing, that his head touched the ceiling. — Cardinal Wiseman, contributed to Migne's Demonstrations EvangeliqueSy vol. xvi. St, Margaret of Hungary often lifted Hp by the Spirit (a.d. 1243-1271). One -pe of tlie Messiah, called " Tlie Lion of tlie tribe of Judah." Tlie bull of Basan and the Slotted leopard are emblems of the devil, whose very nature is enmity against God's people. Deiith, lilce sick- ness, lieing considered the worit of tlie devil, if Marciana was killed at all, it is quite in accord;ince with mediseval l>elief to kill her by some beast typical of sin and Satan. (N.B.— Sometimes bulls and leopards are represented at doing Chriatians no harm, in which cose another idea is embodied, viz. that Grod makes every living thing subject to His saints.) A fierce lioness sent against St. Myron does him no harm (a.d. 250). Anti pater, having received the government of Achaia, determined to root out the Christians. St. Myron, priest of the Church of Achaia, was accordingly seized, and brought be- fore the proconsul. He was first sus- pended on a beam, and his whole body cut with a scarifier, till the ground was one pool of blood. The savage governor then ordered a furnace to be lighted with pitch, oil, and dung, and when these were seething, the martyr was cut down and thrown thereon ; but instead of receiving any injury, he walked about the furnace, singing hymns, as if it had been a bed of roses, while hundreds, who stood near the furnace, fainted from the heat or died. Antipater was stupefied with amazement, and ordered the saint back to prison. Next day, being brought forth again, he was flayed from shoulder to foot ; but as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so he uttered not a word. In the midst of his torture, he threw a piece of his skin to the proconsul, crying out, "There, dr>g, I>T. 1.J LIONS: tAUL— I^RIMUS. 221 eat that." This so exasperated the governor, that he ordered the skinless body to be raked with iron hooks, till every morsel of flesh was torn from the bones. *'Help me, O Christ," cried the saint, "to bear all, and make me a sharer of Thy glory." "A place of peace is prepared for you," said a voice from heaven ; *' because you have fought a good fight, and remained faithful unto death." Antipater heard the voice, and ascribed it to sorcery. " Cursed wizard ! " said the governor, " sacrifice ! sacrifice, I say, or you shall be cast to the wild beasts." "Never," said Myron. He was then ordered back to prison, while the stadium was prepared. Next day he was brought out again, and the proconsul was amazed to see the saint's body was not only sound and vigorous, without a single trace of all he had undergone, but his face was like an angel's, and he stood in the fulness of ^anly beauty. "Thy magic, Myron, I own, is marvellous," said Antipater, "and I should be well content if you would renounce your art, and sacrifice to god Bacchus." The martyr answered not. So he was cast into the arena, and a fierce lioness let out upon him. The beast ran up, but suddenly her w^hole nature was changed. She licked his feet with her tongue, as if wishing to kiss him ; and having so done, she bit in twain the cords that bound him, and set him free. "The God of Myron is truly a great God!" shouted the spectators. "There is no god in all the earth but Myron's God, which can do after this sort ! " Antipater, fearing an insurrection among the people, had the saint secretly sent to Cyzicus, with private orders to the governor to cut off his head. — Actes des Martyrs^ by the Bene'dictins de la Congregation de France. St, Paul of Ptolemais and his sister Juliana unharmed by serpents (a.d. 274). The emperor Aurelian, havmg tried various torments on Paul of Ptolemais and his sister Juliana to turn them from the Christian faith, which he regarded as mere sorcery, ordered them to be cast into a dungeon with serpents, adders, asps, vipers, dragons, and other venomous reptiles. Here they were shut up for three nights and three days. The creatures crawled and glided to the two martyrs, but did them no harm. Thej'' looked at the two saints fixedly, and then lay quietly at their feet, while Paul and his sister sang together psalms and hymns and spiritual song 3. On the m >rn- ing of the third day, Aurelian went to see if the martyrs were devoured, and, look- ing through the dungeon window, heard singing, and saw three persons seated amidst the venomous beasts, the face of the third being that of an angel. He immediately commanded his magicians to take away the serpents and set the prisoners free. When, however, tho magicians opened the prison door to exe- cute the emperor's bidding, the reptile? sprang on them with fury, killed them, and escaped to the deserts. — Acts of the Martyrs, by the Bene'dictins de la Con- gregation de France. This is not a tale about lions, but it is so obviously like the story of Daniel and the lions that it is not out of place in this group. St. Primus and St, FcelicianuSf after sundry tortures, were cast to two lionSy imi were delivered, and God was glorified, St. Primus and St. Foelicianus, two Roman senators, seem to have been subjected to all the martyrdoms of the martyrology, in the reign of Diocletian, and by the command of judge Promotus. For ex ample : Foelicianus was nailed hand and foot to a post, which was then hoisted bv pulleys. There was he left three days ; but his constant song was, " In God put I my trust. I will not fear what man may do unto me." No, and he had no need of fear, for an angel was with him all the time to cheer and comfort him. Aftei the third day he was taken down, scourged, and cast into prison. It was now Primus's turn. He was first beaten with knotty clubs, then two lighted torches were applied to his sides. While thus tortured he sang, " Thou dost try me by fire as silver is tried, and thus shalt Thou purify me." Being then thrown on his back, molten lead was poured down his throat ; but God converted the liquid metal to a refreshing draught. Foelicianus was brought out to see the torment inflicted on his brother, and both being taken to the theatre in the street Numentana, two hungry lions were let loose upon them ; but the lions approached them like lambs, licked their wounds, and crouched lovingly at their feet. Then two terrible bears were sent against them, but they also fell at their feet, and ofl'ered them no violence. When the spectators saw these things, multitudes were con- verted to the Christian faith. Ultimately their heads were cut off, and their bodies, torn piecemeal, were thrown to wild dogs ; but the dogs refused to touch what God had consecrated to Himself, and at 222 UONS : PLACIDUS— TROPETIUS. [Pt. I. night the Christians picked up the pieces, anointed them, wrapped them in fine white linen, and buried them in the ar- senal near the Numentanian arches. A church was subsequently built on the spot, and June 9 was set apart by the Church in honour of these martyred saints. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the SaintSj pp. 350, etc. (Kinesman informs ) us he took the account from an ancient MS., but the Venerable Bede and other authors sufficiently confirm the narrative.) St. FlaciduSj the Roman general^ was cast to a Hon, hut received no harm, Placidus, the Roman general, having obtained a great victory, the emperor Trajan appointed a da)-^ of thanksgiving, when he and all the army were to offer sacrifice to the gods. Placidus said he could take no part in the ceremony, as he was a Christian ; and Trajan, interpreting this refusal as an act of rebellion or treason, commanded him with his whole family to be cast into the arena, and a ferocious lion to be let loose upon them. To the amazement of all the spectators, the lion did them no harm, but played with them, fawned on them, and held down his head to be patted by them. — Gesta Homanorumy ex. (See also Anto- nius, Chronicon; Metaphrastes, Lives, etcO ^Sr, Prisca, exposed to a lion, is not injured by tt (a.d. 60). Claudius, the emperor of Rome, ordered Prisca, a maiden of consular birth, to be beaten by the hands of his lictors, for refusing to sacrifice to the gods of Rome. On the morrow she was again brought up, and, as she remained obdurate, was beaten with rods. The third day she was exposed to a lion, but the beast only crouched at her feet, doing her no harm. — The Roman Martyrology. (Alban Butler erroneously places this incident under Claudius II., A.D. 275.) St. Sabas makes a covenant with a lion (A.D. 439-531). St. Sabas, having abandoned his monastery, retired to Scythopolis, in a desert, on the borders of the Gadara. Here he found a cavern, and resolved to make it his home. This cave happened to be the lair of a pro- digious lion, and, while the saint slept, the lion returned, saw the stranger, and, taking him up by his clothes, carried him out of the cave. When St. Sabas awoke, he saw this terrible creature standing over him, and, without the slightest symptom of fear, began his matins. The lion re- treated to A distance while the saint was at prayer, but when he rose and entered the cave, the lion entered also. *' Dear lion," said the saint, "this cave is quite big enough for you and me ; but if you prefer to live alone, look out for anothei lair, for it would not be seemly for one made in the likeness of God to yield to you who are not so formed." At these words the lion quietly walked away, leaving the cavern to the abbot. Here St. Sabas lived in peace for some time, but his reputation as a saint spread abroad, and many came to him as dis- ciples. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. xiv. p. 71. Two lions submissive to St. Simeon (fourth century). One day some travellers arrived at St. Simeon's cell, and begged to be directed to a certain fort which they named. The old hermit called two lions out of the desert, and bade them conduct the travellers to the fort ; and they did so. This incident was told to Theodoret by one of the travellers. — Theodoret, Philo theus, c. 6. Every one will call to mind the attendant lion of Una, in Spenser (Fairy (^ueen, bk. i.); but in tliis allegory Una is "Protestantism," and the lion '• Eitgland." In the case of Simeon, tlie writer evidently believei the two lions were wild beasts submissive to the hermit. St. Tropetius " o^ CcBsar's household'' exposed to a lion and a leopard (first cen- tury). St. Tropetius is said to be one of CsBsar's household, referred to by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Philippians. Nero committed him to the tender mercies of Sattelicus to be put to death for daring to believe in the divinity of Christ. Sattelicus thrust him in prison for two days without food, then bound him to a pillar, where he was scourged so in- humanly, that his whole body was cut to shreds. The pillar to which he was bound suddenly staggered and fell, crushing the judge and fifty others in its fall. Sylvin, the son of Sattelicus, now took his father's place, and condemned the martyr to the wheel, then to the wild beasts. A lion was first let out upon him, but died at his feet. A leopard was then sent against him, but fawned on him and caressed him. Evellius, one of Nero's counsellors, seeing these things, was made a convert, and died a martyr. Sylvin, mad with rage, being thus foiled in his impotent power, commanded the executioners to take the victim beyond the city gates, and cut off his head. This was done on the third calends of May. In Christian art St. Tropez has for his attributes a lion and a leopard.-^ ^r ; i LOCUSTS— LOT'S WIFE-LUNATICS. 2^3 Acij Sanctorum (Bollandists), voL iv. May 7. Si Vitus charms a savage lion by the sign ff the cross. When the emperor Dioc Wtian saw that the fiery furnace had no e^f set upon St. Vitus, he ordered him to be exposed to a savage lion, saying, "Here incantation will avail thee no- thing." As the lion came rushing towards him, St. Vitus made the sign of the cross, and the lion lay at the martyr's feet as quiet and playful as a lamb. St. Vitus called aloud to the emperor, "Behold, Diocletian! the beasts of the forest acknowledge the Lord, but thou art blinder in folly than the beasts." The emperor rose like a fury at this rebuke, and commanded his lictors to put the insolent to the catasta {vide Index), and in this terrible torture he died. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 383. Locusts. ExoD. viii. 22. I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarm of flies shall be there. ExoD. ix. 20, 21. He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his cattle flee into the house; but he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his cattle in the field. [The former was saved, the latter was destroyed by the plagne Rpnt.] St, Severin and the locusts (a.d. 482). When the country about Vienne was devastated by locusts, the people implored St. Severin to intercede on their behalf. He commanded them to keep at home for the whole of the next day, and to pass the time in humiliation, fasting, and prayer. All obeyed except one poor husbandman, who spent the time in trying to drive otf the locusts from his crops. The day following, when the people visited their fields, what was their astonishment to find all the locusts gone, and not a blade of corn or single tree- leaf injured, with one great exception, viz. the poor husbandman who would not obey the saint. Not a blade of grass remained in all his land ; not a leaf on any of his trees. His whole produce was devoured. Weeping, and wringing his hands, he went about saying he was ruined, quite ruined. St. Severin had compassion on him, and commanded all the others to contribute to his support, till his fields had time to recover. The saint was obeyed willingly ; and he said to the poor man, " Learn from the locusts this lesson: It is the Lord that maketh poor and maketh rich. He will keep the feet of His saints ; but the wicked shall be silent in darkness ; for by strength shall no man prevail." — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. i. p. 218. Lot's Wife. Gen. xix. 26. Lot's wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Two worldlings converted by St. Vincent Ferrier into two marble statues (a.i>. L357-1419). One day, as St. Vincent Ferrier was preaching at Pampeluna, he suddenly stopped, seized with a trance. On coming to himself he said, "God bids me leave off, and go without delay into the city, to a house which He will show me." He instantly started forth, followed by an immense crowd, and came to a splendid mansion. He touched the doors, and they instantly flew open of their own accord. The voices of two persons were now distinctly heard in licentious conversation. St. Vincent, without entering the room, rebuked them, and threatened them with the vengeance of God unless they desisted and repented. The young libertines laughed at him, and bade him go about his business. Whereupon they were both changed into two marble statues. When St. Vincent entered the room, he saw the two statues, and, moved with compas- sion, breathed into their mouths, and they returned to life, confessed their faults, received absolution, and fell down dead at the feet of the saint. — Les Petits BollandisteSf vol. iv. p. 238. Lunatics and Maniacs. Matt. xvii. 15, etc. Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic. And Jesus rebuked the devil, and he departed out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour. John x. 20. He hath a devil, and is mad. St. Hilarion cures Marsitas^ a maniac, Marsitas, the maniac, was so strong, he could carry on his back fifteen bushels of corn*(!!) Into this man the devil entered, and made him so fierce that he did much harm. It was in vain to bind him, for he broke his bonds asunder as if they had been pack-thread. One while he assailed this man, at another time he set upon that man. Sometimes he bit • Fifteen bushels of corn would be the produce of half an acre, or an acre and a quarter in America. It would be 3| sacks of four bushels each. Taking 60 lbs. w the average weight of a bushel, 15 bushels would equal 800 lbs The greatest average load a strong man can support on his shoulders is 330 Iba. We are told, in fable, that Mila could carry a bull calf. A Milo'a bull calf would probablj weigh about 600 lbs., giving about 340 lbs. of butcher i meat. 224 MALCHUS— METAMOKPHOSEiS— MICAIAH. [Pt. 1. ofE a finger, sometimes a nose or ear. St. Hilarion commanded the keepers to unbind him, and then with a very gentle voice he said to the maniac, "Marsitas, Marsitas, come hither to me." The man trembled from head to foot, hung down his head, fell on the ground, and licked the feet of the man of God, like a spaniel. Hilarion kept him with him for seven days, making constant prayer on his behalf, and then dismissed him, perfectly cured, and gentle as a lamb. (See Legion, p. 214.)— St. Jerome, Vita St. Hilarionis EremitoB (a.d. 390). See also Nicephorns Callistus (who died 1350), Ecclesiastical History, Malchus and Peter. Luke xxii. 50, 61. One of the disciples [Peter] smote [Malchus] the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus Bald [to Malchus], Suffer ye thus far. And He touched his ear, and healed him. St. Julian heals the eye of the governor's officer by a touch (a.d. 313). IVIarcian, governor of Antioch, having summoned Julian to his tribunal, commanded his lictors to scourge him, because he refused to offer incense to Jupiter. As they were scourging him, the lash struck one of the officers and knocked out his eye. Julian stepped up to the officer and said, *' Suffer me, I pray you." So saying, he touched the part affected, signing on it the sign of the cross, and immediately the eye was restored to perfect soundness. The officer was so affected by this miraculous cure, that he openlj' confessed the God of Julian to be the only God, for none of the idols could do after this sort. Marcian, greatly enraged, ordered his officer to be at once beheaded. Thus was he "baptized in his own blood;" and thus in a moment, like the dying thief, was he converted and taken to paradise. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. i. p. 236. Hands cut off joined on again. The following is told by John Damascene, Simeon Metaphrastes, Nicephorus, and others. When the Virgin IVIary was conveyed to the grave, a Jewish priest had the temerity to push the bier, in order to throw off the body, but his hands were instantly cut off at the wrists. The priest confessed his great fault, begged pardon, and St. Peter bade him put his stumps near the lopped-off hands. On so doing, the parts came together again, and the priest became a convert to the Christian faith. — See Assumption of the \'irgin Alary, Aug. 15. Metamorphoses. Lucian tells us that he anointed him- self all over with enchanted oil from Thessaly, and was turned into an ass, in which capacity he served for six or seven years under cruel masters who sorely ill treated him ; he served, for example, under a "gardener, a tyle man, a corier, and such like." Ultimately he was restored into his proper shape by eating roses, and wrote his adventures. St. Macarius, we are told, encountered an old woman that had been turned into a horse, and by sprinkling her with holy water he restored her to her proper shape. — See Harsnet, A Declaration of Popish Impostures (1604), p. 102. Of course every reader will call to mind the tale of Circd, who changed the companions of Ulysses into pigs ; Spenser's story of Acrasia, who turned her lovers Into all sorts of monsters ; and many others. John Bodhi, a Frenchman (1530-1596), In his La D4mo- nomanie, maintains tliat devils can transform themselves into any shape they like; that witches can, at will, assume the form of bird, beast, or fish ; fly In the air, transfer growing com from one field to another, and bring down hail, rain, wind, and lightning as they list He defends lycanthropla; believes in the objective reality of Circfi's transformation of Ulysses' men into swine ; and tells us, as a fact, of a woman who sold an Englishman an egg, and thereby transformed him into an ass, and made him her market-beast for three years, on which she rode to buy butter. This author was no fool, for be wrote a sufficiently learned work entitled De la Ripub- Uque, " A Commentary on Oppian," and JtlSthods pom £tudier tBi*toir4. Micaiah and King Ahab. 1 Kings xxil. 1-36. Ahab king of Israel allied himself witli Jehoshaphat Icing of Judah to war against Ramoth-Gilead. Before starting on the expedition, the king of Judah asked Ahab to consult his prophets, and the propliets all declared that the kings of Israel and Judah would be victorious. Not quite satisfied with this unanimous declaration, Jehoshaphat asked Ahab if he had convened all the prophets. All but one, named Micaiah, replied Ahab; but him I hate, for he is a croaking propliet, always foreboding evil. However, at the request of Jehoshaphat, Micaiah was sent for, and told the king-; plainly that they would be utterly defeated, and that Ahab would be slain. Ahab was exceedingly angry at this plain speaking, and ordered Micaiah to be thrust into prison, and fed on the bread and water of affliction till after the battle. The king of Syria proved victorious, as Micaiah had predicted, and Ahab was slain by a man " who drew his bow at a mere venture." -S'^. Isaac warns Valens not to wage war with the Goths, assurim] him it would not he to his honour ; and he was utterly routed by them at Hadrianople. St. Isaac, hear- ing that the Goths were ravaging Thrace, said to the emperor Valens, "Open, O emperor, the Christian churches which you have close i and God will prosper Pt. r.] your expedition against the Goths." The king treated these words as the raving of a fool, and took no notice of them. A day or two afterwards, Isaac again encountered the emperor, and said to him, *' Open, emperor, the Christian churches you have closed, and God will give you victory over the Goths." Valens, struck with this repetition, consulted his council, who laughed at the words ] and the emperor paid no further h2sd to them. A few daj's later, Isaac ugam said to the emperor the same thing, but Yalcns told his followers to throw the fellow into a thicket, and continued his way. Isaac, being extricated there- from, again stood before the emperor, and said, "You thought to stifle my voice, emperor, but the Lord has delivered me, and has commanded me to say in His name, 'Open the churches which you have closed, and He will de- liver the Goths into thy hands.'" Valens now committed the prophet into the hands of two senators to keep till after the battle. Whereupon St. Isaac cried aloud, in the words of the prophet Micaiah, "If ever, emperor, you return in peace, then the Lord hath not spoken by my mouth ; but be assured of this, you will give battle, be put to flight, and be burnt to death." And so it fell out. He gave battle, was routed, fled, hid himself in a hut which the Goths set fire to, and was burnt to a cinder. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), March 27. Miracles not classifi.ed. The walls of a church open that St. Antony of Padua may see the elevation of the host (1195-1231). One day St. Antony, who was born at Lisbon, was occupied on some humble work not far from the church, when he heard the bell ring to announce the elevation of the host. Instantly he fell on his knees ; and at the same moment the stone walls of the church opened, and showed him the officiating priest standing on the steps of the altar, accomplishing the holy sacri- fice. — L'abbd Guyard, Life of St. Antony of Padua. (See Sanctes of Urbino, p. 227.) St, Baudil's head leaps up three timesy and makes three fountains (second and third centuries). St. Baudil, the apostle of Nismes, was set on by a furious mob, and assassinated, praying with his last breath that his blood might prove the •eed of the Church. It is said, when the MIRACLES NOT CLASSIFIED. 225 head of the martyr fell, it leaped thrice from the ground, and at every bound a fountain of water sprang up. ['* La tete du Martyr, abattue par la hache dos sacrificateurs rebondit trois fois sur le sol, et chacun de ses bonds fit jaillir une source."] St. Baudil's spring still remains in testimony of this miracle, and a heal- ing virtue has been always attributed to it; but the three fountains are now united, because the rock has been levelled, and a chapel been built on the spot, so that the three springs run underground till they emerge united into a single stream. — Mgr. Gudrin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. vi. pp. 42, 43. ISt.] Peter Celestine, sent to cut green wheat ^ brings it hom^ quite ripe (a.d. 1221-1296). When Peter Celestine was a lad he was visited by angels and the Virgin Mary. His mother, being told of these visits, in order to test the truth, sent the boy into a field of green corn, and bade him harvest it. Peter obeyed, and brought home the wheat not only fully ripe, but of the best quality. — The Admirable Life of St, Peter Celestine, Pope, etc. (from the press of the Celestines, Bar le Due), Two children, seven years old, harnessed to a full-sized cart, draw it up Mont des Cygnes. A dispute having arisen between the count of Laon and one Erchinoald respecting the relics of St. Fursy (seventh century), it was agreed between them to refer the matter to God. So two children, only seven years old, were harnessed to a cart ; the relics of the saint were placed therein, and the children were told to drag the cart wherever they liked. This cart was no plaything, inasmuch as two strong oxen were unyoked from it to give place to the two boys. The children drew the cart to Mont des Cygnes, in Peronne ; so the relics fell to the lot of Erchinoald. There is some slight difficulty in this miracle, and tliat is how two children, only seven years old, could be harneased to a great cart usually drawn by two full sized oxen. The needful strength may be accounted for by " miraculous interposition," but the size ot the children must have puzzled the disputants. However, as Mgr. Gu6rin, the chamberlain of Leo XIII., vouches for the fact, and bis hoUness himself allows it, of course cela va tana dire. St, Dunstan pushes a church round with his shoulder (a.d. 925-988). St. Dunstan, having observed that a church had been built not due east and west, pushed it with his shoulder into the true direction. By this and other miracles he acquired such high reputation in England, that the Q 220 MinACLES NOT CLASSIFIED. [Pt. I. king, the prelates, and the peers called him the "Father" of the country. — Osbert of Canterbury, Life of St, Dun- Stan. St. Francis of Assist restores to its place the gable of a house which had started (a.d. 1182-1226). Two years before his death, St. Francis of Assisi was quite blind ; he went to Rome, and the pope sent his own private physician to attend him. One day, in conversation, the doctor happened to say that the gable of his house had started, and he feared his house would fall. St. Francis told the doctor to cut off a lock of his hair, and put it into the chink. This he did, and the ^able was restored to its place. — Chavin de Malin, Life of St, Francis of Assisi. St. Gerard enlarges a silver coffer with- out mechanical force (a.d. 994). Theo- doric, bishop of Metz, having restored Epinal monastery, invited St. Gerard, bishop of Toul, to perform the ceremony of the translation of St. Go6ric, the previous bishop of Metz. Theodoric had ordered a double coffer for the occasion, one of iron and one of silver, the former to fit in the latter. When they were sent in, it was found that the workman had made both of the same size. Theo- doric thought it would be necessary to defer the ceremony, which would have been very objectionable, as many of the nobles and gentry around had been invited to attend. St. Gerard came to the rescue. He prayed that God would honour his faithful servant GoCric, and not permit the ceremony to be put off for the carelessness of a workman ; then, taking the two coffers in his hand, he found that one fitted into the other exactly. The outer one enlarged itself so as to contain the other, as Theodoric had designed it should. — Father Benedict, Life of St. Gerard (1700). St. James of Tarentaise lengthens a water-pipe miraculously (fifth century). While St. James of Tarentaise was building a church, a gutter for carrying water from the roof was found to be five feet too short. This was very incon- venient, so St. James sprinkled holy water on it, and the gutter instantly stretched itself out to the required length. — Gui of Burgundy (afterwards pope Calixtos XL), Life of St. James of Taren- taise, St, Germana carries water tn a sieve without losing a drop (a.d. 451). St. Ger- uuina was carrying her pitcher to fetch water from a fountain, when some rough peasants took it into their heads to break the pitcher, and gave her an old sieve instead. Germana, without one word of reproof, took the sieve to the fountain, filled it with water, and brought it to the peasants without losing a drop. In allusion to this miracle, St. Germana is represented in Christian art with a Eitcher, and a sieve lying at her feet. — I'abbd Blampignon, Vie de Ste. Germaine, Travellers are still shown the road taken by St. Germans, and are told that no grass grows so rich and green, and no com so vigorous, as there. (St. Gennana was more Incky than the daughters of Dan&us, in classic story, who were compelled everlastingly to pour water Into a sieve, inane lymphce doHum funda pereuntU into,— Horace, Odet, bk. ill. ode 11, ver. '26.) The ring of St. Hemetherius and hand- kerchief of Celedon fly up to heaven. St. Hemetherius and St. Celedon were two Spaniards in the Roman army, but being Christians were dreadfully handled. After undergoing divers torments, they wero condemned to be beheaded. When taken to the place of execution, Hemetherius tossed his ring into the air, and Caledon his orarium {ke. a handkerchief for wiping the face). A wind wafted the two objects into the clouds in the sight of a crowd of spectators, and the executioner, amazed at the spectacle, delayed for a time his office ; but when the ring and orarium were shut from sight, he finished the triumph of the two martyrs. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), March 3. The lamp before the shrine of St. Isidore fed with water. The following " miracle," the biographers of St. Isidore assure us, "has been tested by thousands; and hundreds of thousands can bear witness to the fact : The lamp which hangs before his shrine has been over and over again lighted from heaven without fire. Nay, more ; when oil fails, water will do as well. Hundreds of curious or incredulous persons have tried it, and have always found that the wick bums as brightly with water as with oil." — Ribadeneira and D. A. Villegas, Extravagants, 'Bf means of burning glasses the Romans lighted th« flr* In the temple of Vesta when it went oat. By the same means Archimedds burnt the Roman fleet. In regard to water instead of oil, there is not the slightest difficulty in obtaining a brilliant flame. If a small quantity of the oil of turpentine was left in the lamp, the hydrogen gas of water (decomposetl) would generate a brilliant light This is Dr. Hare's famous light. A company was organized in 1868 for lighting Paris and London with water, and failed solely because the speculation was not likely to prove a commercial success. St, Ives multiplies oak trees (1221-1303). The geigneur of Rostemen gave St, Ivea permission to fell some oak trees in a forest for building the cathedral of Tre- Pi. I.] MIRACLES NOT CLASSIFIED. 227 guier. The steward complained that St. Ives had made too great havoc with the trees ; but when the seigneur was taken to see the devastation, he found two fine oaks growing for every one that had been felled. He severely reprimanded his steward, and told St. Ives he might have all the timber he required, — Dom Lobi- neau, Lives of the British Saints. St, Lucians vestments discovered, St. Lucian was beheaded in the first century. Eight hundred years afterwards, a few days before the feast of Pentecost, a bril- liant light was observed to burst suddenly in the abbatial church of Beauvais ; and some priests, on going to see the cause, found a part of the vestments of St. Lucian deposited under the altar. — Delettr^, History of the Diocese of Beau- vaiSj vol. i. p. 431. (A disbeliever in miracles might suggest that the ' ' light " proceeded from a lantern, and the clothes were deposited by some man who had access to the church. If so, pro- bably they had not been laid by for eight hundred years, and certainly the proof that they belonged to St. Lucian la sadly required.) St. Opportuna, the abbey ass, and the salted meadow (a.d. 770). One day St. Opportuna sent one of her servants with an ass to pick up wood in a neighbouring forest. The forester pounded the ass, and when the abbess demanded its release, the man replied he would release the ass when a meadow, which he pointed to with his finger, was covered with salt (meaning never). Next day, however, when the forester rose, he found the meadow was so covered. It was ever after called " The Salt Meadow," and at one time two pro- cessions were made to it every year. This tale has been represented in painting. — L'abbe' Gosset (cure' de Ste. Opportune), Life of St, Opportuna, St, Paul of the Cross taught by miracle not to dance (a.d. 1694-1775). During carnival, Paul of the Cross was invited by a gentleman to lead off a dance, and accordingly selected a partner. But, just as he led his partner out, all the strings of the instruments snapped, and a stop was put to the dancing.-r-Father Pius, Life of St. Paul of the Cross^ /'ounder of the Passionists, The walls of a church open, to show St, Sanctis of Urbino the host (a.d. 1390). St. Sanctis had a special devotion for the sacrifice of the altar. One day, being prevented by his duties from attending mass, he fell on his knees, when he heard the bell announce the elevation of the host ; and immediately the four walls of the church opened, so that^he might see the altar and the host, which were radiant with light. When the office was over the walls closed again without leaving a trace of their miraculous disjunction. — Annales Franciscaines, The same tale is told in the Palmier S^raphique, (See Antony of Padua, p. 225.) Why was it that " quatre murailles s'entr'ouvrirent " I If only one of the walls had unfolded it would have answered the purpose. A woman struck dead for intruding into the close of the hermitage of Simeon Stylites (fifth century). Simeon, the pillar-saint, would not suffer any woman to enter within the precincts of his her- mitage. One day a woman dared to set foot within this forbidden spot, but the very moment her foot touched the ground she fell down dead, in the presence of a large concourse of people. "Leaving a terrible example of the wrath of God against those who dared to violate the close of a religious sanctuary." — Me- taphrastes. Lives, etc. Miracles performed by the image of Mary and Child in Veols (twelfth century). In the parish church of Deols, in France, was an imag^ of the Virgin and Child, of which Father Labbe says, "Astruunt miraculorum veritatem reges, et prin- cipes, et occidentalis Europae fere universae multitude." The following is given in the ipsissima verba of Anseald of Bra- ban9on, a famous highwayman : — " Four years ago, in an expedition under count Richard, I was wounded in the upper jaw by an arrow. The doctors could not remove it, and the pain I felt was horrible. On June 21, a.d. 1187, suffer- ing like those in hell, I made my prayer to Our Lady of Deols, and said to the image, ' If you will heal me, and extract this cursed arrow, you shall be my queen, and I will give you every year a bit of silver.' Scarcely had I uttered this vow, when the arrowhead began to move; it then fell out of my jaw into my mouth without producing the least pain. I called for my horse, and with a little help, for I was weak, I got into the saddle and went to fetch my tribute. The monks requested me to deposit the arrowhead with them as a memorial of the ' miracle,' which, of course, I did willingly. Mounting the steps by the help of two comrades, I made my offering, and instantly my full strength was re- stored. I attended the next service, and told the people assembled this story, showed them the arrowhead, and handed it to the priests. I have renounced tL» t28 MIRACLES o^ Doubtful morauty. high-road, and mean to take Mary for my suzerain."— Father Labbc, Bibliotheca Niyva. Father Labb« Informs us that he has read in an ancient MS. of more than two hundred miradea performed by thisimag*. When St. SimpUcian was executed^ his head made a great hole in the earth (second century), Simplician of Poitiers was the son of Justin, a man of high rank, and governor of Poitiers under the Romans. Much to the horror of his father, his son becanrje a Christian, and was brought to the block. When his head fell to the axe, it made a great hole in the ground, which remained "j usque dans ces demiers temps," and numerous pilgrimages have been made to it. The faithful used to place their head over the hole, and were instantly cured of any malady they were afflicted with. More than twelve hundred cures are registered. The church built over the hole was destroyed in the Revolution. — L'abb^ Auber, Vie des Saints deTEglise de Poitiers, St. Wodoaldus assists two nuns to repair a cope (a.d. 700). One dav, when St. Wodoaldus was about to celebrate mass in a convent, he met two nuns in great distress, because *'elles avaient manque' la coupe d'une robe de grand prix qu*un seigneur de la cour avait prie Tabbesse de lui faire confectionner dans le con- vent." St. Wodoaldus made the sign of the cross upon the material, which im- mediately '' reprit sa premiere forme, et put etre taillee de nouveau avec de plus de precision." — L'abbd Pecheur, An- nates du Diocese de Soisso7is. Bow Eligius shod a restive horse. St. Eligius was shoeing a restive horse, and as the horse would not stand still, he quietly took off the animal's leg, put the shoe on the foot at his leisure, restored the limb, and the horse was none the irorse for the proceeding. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints. If for '* took off" we were to read " took up," or " took off [the ground]," the luirade would disappear, but pro* bably the trutl; would not be less. Miracles of Doubtful Morality. St. Antony of Padua by his prayers restores a woman's long hair (a.d. 1196- 1231). A woman employ^ed upon some commissions for the Minorites, got home 'ater than she was expected. Her husband was extremely angry, beat her, and cut ;ff her long hair, on which she greatly prided herself. Next day, St. Antony was miraculously told thereof by the Saviour ; so he went to see the woman, [^r.I. whom he found weeping for the loss of her hair. lie spoke comfort to her, ex- horted her to resignation, and promised to intercede on her behalf. On returning to the convent, he assembled all the brothers in the chapel, and prayed. " Au meme instant les cheveux de la femme renaissaient aussi beaux, et aussi longs que jamais." — L'abbd Guyard, Life of iS. Antony of Padita. This probabljr is the most frirolous mliad* on reoord. and jret the actors are the Saviour, St. Antonjr, and a whole convent of friars. Prayer and miracle are added, and the object to lengthen a woman's hair and gratify x'ersonal vanity. St. Hilary^ by j^ayer^ murders his daughter andl wife (died 367). St. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, had 8 daughter named Abra; and, when she was grown to marriageable age, he prayed that she might die, lest she should be corrupted by longer contact with this world. His prayer was heard, and his child died peaceably without pain. His wife, "jealous of her daughter's happiness," asked her husband to pray that she might join her daughter. This he did, and the wife died also. These two deaths, Mgr. Gu^rin, the pope's chamberlain, calls "miracles more extraordinary than rais- ing the dead to life."— Z«« Petits Bol- landisteSy vol. i. p. 304. St. Hilary ought to haTo remembered the Saviour's prayer : " I pray not that Thou shouldest take them'out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil of tlie world." It must be presumed that St. Hilary believed his prayers would bo efficacious to procure the deaths of his daughter and wife ; If so, he might have poisoned them or cut their throats with equal right. In fact, he deliberately murdered both his victims. St. Isidore gives away his master's com to feed the birds (a.d. 1170). One day, in winter, when the earth was covered with snow, his master sent Isidore to the mill with a sack of wheat to be ground. On the road he saw a flock of birds perched in the trees; so, untying his sack, he gave the com to the birds. Some neighbours coming up, bound also to the mill, laughed at him for what he had done, and all went to the mill together. On reaching the mill, Isidore set down his empty sack, but when the miller came up he found it full. All the com of the different sacks was duly ground, but Isidore's flour required two large sacks to hold it. — John (the deacon), Life of St. Isidore^ the Farm Labourer (1261), O^rtainly this labourer bad no rl^t to give away bis master's corn without leave. There is no charity in giving away what does not belong to you. Suppose a merchant sends his clerk with £1000 to the bank, and as he goes he gives the money to the poor ; would this not be felony, and worthy severe punishment > Whjr are bkds better thai, Pt. I.j MIRACLES OF SPECIAL SAINTS. 229 bum in beiaffs? Our Lord says a man is better than man ■parrowa. St. Nicholas and the pagan usurer. An army of Vandals, passing from Africa to Calabria, ravaged the country, and carried away great spoils. Amongst other things that fell into their hands, was an image of St. Nicholas. The Van- dal to whom this image fell was a usurer, and on one occasion, being called suddenly from home, he said to the image, "Re- member, Nicholas, to look well after the money-chests while I am away." When the usurer was gone, some thieves broke into the house, and stole his money ; and, on his return, he rated the image soundly for not protecting his master's goods better; and told the image it should assuredly be burnt, if the money were not restored within three days. At sunset St. Nicholas showed himself to the thieves, and threatened to punish them unless they restored the money ; so they took it back to the usurer, even to the ut- termost farthing. When the man found his money restored, he was converted to the Christian faith, and baptized. (All the ancient authors who have written the life of St. Nicholas mention this story ; and this was the reason why St. Nicholas was chosen the patron saint of thieves.) There are many moral objections against this tale. (1) Usury was itself illegal, and ought not to have been countenanced ; (2) bribery and corruption are no instru- ments of God's grace ; (3) St. Nicholas had no right to compound with thieves ; (4) it is no part of God (repre- sented by the image) to protect unlawful gains. St. Zita gives away her master^ s goods in charity (a.d. 1218-1278). St. Zita was a servant in the house of Pagano, seigneur of Fatinelli. Once, when there was a famine, Zita, touched with pity for the half-starved wretches who applied at the house for food, gave them the beans from her master's granary, without asking his permission. Not long afterwards, the seigneur, taking stock, went to measure his beans. Zita was terribly alarmed, and hid herself behind her mistress. Pagano found the measure all right, and Zita thanked God for restoring what she had taken for charity. — Stolz, Hagiography. I once heard an English clergyman, at a Church mii- sionary meeting, extol his little daughter, a child of about seven years of age, for taking a shilling, which did not belong to her, to put into the Church missionary box. The charity of Zita, mentioned above, is of precisely the same character ; but the miraculous replacing of the beans, to conccMtl the theft, is making God an accessory after the deed. St. Zita neglects her work to attend niatins (a.d. 1218-1278). It was the iuty of Zita, who was servant in the house of Pagano, seigneur of Fatinelli, to make the bread and prepare breakfast. One day she stopped so long at church, there was no time to make the bread and cook it for breakfast. Zita hastened home, and found, to her inexpressible joy, that an angel had done her work for her ; and the bread was both made and baked ready for use. — Vita Sanctorum (Papebroch the BoUandist), April 27, p. 497. Prayer and attendance at church, no doubt, are duties which should be duly aud diligently observed ; but a servant has no more right to neglect her duty to her master, whu pays for certain services, than she has to neglect prayer and public worship. If Zita nesrlected her duty, this angel taught her a very bad lesson by trammeling up the con- sequences. There are two tables of the law, and those who break either are equally guilty. It is passing strange that the words Laborare est orare (To labour is to pray^ were so often in the mouth of Zita that they are called "Zita's Proverb." It seems from the above that the proverb would be more correctly written in Zita's case Orare est laborare. Miracles of Special Saints. It would be impossible in some hundreds of pages of thl» book to give even a list of the names of the workers of miracles in the Roman calendar. As Mgr. Gu^rin says, ** Tons les grands predestines, I'illustre archev6que avait re<;u d'en haut le don de miracles." Hence in the lires of saints miracles are spoken of in the most oif-hand manner. Take, for example, St. William, by no means one of the great saints. Mgr. Guerin says of him, " Sans troubler lei elements, ses miracles salutaires assouplissaient les loia rigides de la Nature. C'6tait un enfant mourant qu'il remet- tait plein de vie et de force k sa mdre charm^e. Cetait un paralytic dont sa l>en6diction d6nouait les membres ; un inergumSne auquel il rendalt la paix du corps et de I'ftme ; un prlsonnier dont il brisait les chaines. Au seul contact de sa main les aveugles, les sourds, et les muets, rentraient en possassion de leur sons." This summary might l>e added to thousands of saints with equal appli- cability, but in this volume only those miracles are set down which have been recorded with sutficient circum- stance to give them interest and speciality. All muracles which can be classified under some head are noticed in their respective categories. Those which the author of this lxK)k has been unable so to arrange will be found here, or under the title of " Miracles not classified." What has been said of saints will apply also to relics and the tombs of saints. A saint can scarcely be carried to the grave wiChout miracles accompanying the coffin, and adorn- ing his tomb. Take, for example, the same St. WilUara referred to alwve. Mons. Raynal (History of Berri, vol. ii. p. 165) writes, as an appendix of his living miracles, ** Au seul contact de cette pierre sacr6e[i.e. his tombstone] les maladies et les blessures mortelles sont gurries ; les d^moniaques deiivr^s ; les insensds recouvrent la raison ; les muets parlent; les sourds «itendent; les aveugles voient ; les prisons s'ouvrent ; les chaines tombent ; des enfants ravis par des loups sont r^trouv^s sains et saufs, Jouant avec les petits, et dans la tani^re des bfites fauves. . ," etc. [Mons. Raynal has omitted to inform us how the "prisons" he refers to, the "chains," and the "infants ravished by wolves " came in " contact with the tomb of the saint." Undoubtedly the " pierre sacrde " means the tomb or tombstone, as the words immediately preceding are " innombrables miracles s'accomplirent sur le tombeao et par les m^rites de saint Guillaume. Au seul contact de cette pierre," etc.] Summary of the miracles of St. AldriCt bishop of Mans (a.d. 800-866). The con- temporaneous historians and disciples of St. Aldric say that three quires of paper would not suffice for a mere catalogue of his miracles ; and the prodigies which proceeded from his tomb indicated the gloiy to which he was advanced in heaven. 280 MIRACLES OF SPECIAL SAINTS; BORROMEO. [Pt. I. Our fathers have themselves seen a mira- culous oil of healing virtues ooze from his marble statue, and run down it in streams. — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. i. pp. 192, 193. Nummary of the miracles of St. Bernard of Abbeville (a.d. 1046-1117). Robert lies Moteis, a near neighbour of St. Ber- nard's abbey of Tiron, was a chevalier, but very poor. St. Bernard went to visit him, and "par sa seule presence, fit affluer dans le modeste castel une in^puisable richesse." Passing through St. Lubin de Chassant, he healed, with the sign of the cross, an infant bom blind ; and, with the same sign, delivered two of his own monks from malignant spirits. One har\'^est-time a young novice was knocked down by a cart drawn by ten bullocks, and was terribly crushed by the wheels, which ran over her. She was carried to the infirmary, as it was sup- posed, quite dead ; but St. Bernard, laying nis hands on her, bade her arise ; and she arose without the slightest trace of the late accident. Louis le Gros, king of France, for being cured by St. Bernard of a dangerous malady, gave to the abbey of Tiron the territory of Centray. At St. Bernard's death, all the monks of Tiron (except one) who had died since its foundation appeared round his bed, with glories ready to conduct his soul to paradise. The one exception was a monk who received the order of priest- hood without passing regularly through the lower degrees first. For this offence the devils carried his soul to the bottom- less pit. St. Bernard's death was known the same day to the allied monks in England and to those on the banks of the Rhine. This, of course, was by divine revelation. God, says his biographer, wishing to show by some signal prodigy His pleasure at the virtues of His servant, sent on him one day, when he was blessing the people, a shower of roses, "qui I'enveloppait de ses parfums." At another time, while he was celebrating mass, a white dew filled the air with a celestial odour. On another occasion, the saint, merely by a word, quenched a fierce fire, which had threatened to burn down all the cell. — Corblet, Hagiographie cTAmiens. (The life of St. Bernard of Abbeville was written in 1137-1148 by Geoffroy le Gros, one of his disciples.) Summary of the miracles of St. Brigit^ thaumaturge (a.d. 436-523). St. Brigit, or St. Bride, like St. Patrick, is patron saint of Ireland. She was the natural daughter of Duptac and a slave, and was a marvel of beauty. St. Brigit was a thaumatarge, and Baronius tells ua he read a record of her miracles which ran through twenty-five chapters, folio. Alban Butler says, "There are five modern lives of her, which are little else than enumerations of her wonderful miracles." Some account is contained in BoUandus, Acta Sanctorum, Feb., vol. i. p. 99, etc. ; and in St. Jerome's Martyrology. A reference to the index of thia rolume will give the reader a few specimens of her miracles. Summary of the miracles of Charles Borromeo [a.d. 1538-1584). (The miracles wrought by the Intercessioa and meritR of 8t Charles Borromeo are far too numerous to be given in detail ; several are dispersed In the volume under the dif- ferent heads. The fnllowing are also sanctioned and direcUy allowed by the bull of canonizaUon.) (1) He healed, by the virtue of prayer, John Pietro Stopano, archbishop of Matia, in the Valley of Telino, of a deadly disease, after being given up by his physicians. (2) He preserved, by the sign of the cross, the abbot Bernardino Tarusi and Joseph Cavallcrio from being drowned in the Ticino. (3) He saved, by the force of prayer, Julio Homatto from being killed, when thrown from his horse over a steep preci- pice. (4) He drove away, by the benediction of his hands, divers devils which had possessed a young man for a long time. (5) He healed, by his benediction, Margaret Vertua of a double tertian ague, which had afflicted her for eight months. This miracle was instantaneous, though Margaret had been brought so low by the ague that she was unable to move. (6) By his blessing, he healed a noble lady from a disease brought on her by witchcraft. After his death, (1) Dame Paula Jus- tina Casata, a nun in the great monas- tery of Milan, had been paralyzed for eight and a half years. Being given up by her medical attendants, she invoked the aid of St. Charles Borromeo, and was cured in an instant. This occurred on the day of St. John the Baptist, a.d. 1601. (2) Philip Nava, of Milan, had a son bom blind, and two strange tumours, as big as half-eggs, had sprung up under his eyes, so as wholly to bury those organs. The swellings increased daily • Pt. I.J MIRACLES OF SPECIAL SAINTS: DOMINIC. 231 and his mother, Lucina, implored the aid of St. Charles, especially as the child wag the saint's namesake. Instantly the ghost of St. Charles himself appeared in the chamber, and no sooner had he given his benediction, than the two tumours disappeared, sight was given to the child, and the boy was restored to perfect health (Oct. 1604). (3) Martha Vighia, of Milan, had been afflicted in her eyes for six years. Her pain had been great, and her sight had wholly perished. She prayed to St. Charles for help, and the saint came to her in her sleep, told her to visit his tomb, and he would answer her there. Next morning, which was Friday, Martha was led by the hand to the tomb of the saint, and, after making her prayer, she kissed the stone which covered his sepul- chre. As her lips touched the stone her sight was entirely restored, and she rose up in perfect health (Nov. 4, a.d. 1601). (4) John Jacques Lomati, a gentleman of Milan, had his legs eaten full of holes by scrofula. He was wholly unable to stand ; and the doctors said he could not possibly live the year out. One day the pain was so severe he begged to be taken to the tomb of Charles Borromeo, and there he earnestly implored the saint to send him some respite. As he made his invocation, he found himself completely healed, and all his sores were converted into sound flesh (Sept. 24, a.d. 1587). (6) John Baptista Tiron, a child five years old, fell into the Ticino ; but call- ing to mind the name of Charles Bor- romeo, to whose portrait he daily said his prayers, the saint came to his aid in a visible form, drew him out of the river, led him over its surface more than a hundred cubits, and set him safely on the bank. This was done in the sight of many who saw the accident. — Edward Kinesman, Lives of the Saints (1623), pp. 876-878. (He says that the life given has been taken from the Italian abridgment set forth by the Very Rey. Prelate Francis Penia, translated into French by Charles de Canda, prior of Domp Martin.) N.B.— The life of Charles Borromeo has been often written. For example, by Bimius (1585) ; Magnano (1587) ; Austin Valerio (1588) ; Possevino (1591) ; Bascap6 (1592). M«; Guissano (1610) ; Withius (1611) ; Munoz (162-4) ; Godeau (1648) ; Touron (1761) ; Stolz (1781) ; Olcese (1817) ; Alban Butler (1835) ; Chenevi6res (1840) ; Dragoni (1844) ; Dieringer (1846) ; Alexander Martin (1847) ; Mgr. Gu^rin (7th edit. 1880) ; and many others. St. Cuthhertf called the British Thau- maturge (seventh century). By the force of prayer only, St. Cuthbert quenched a fire which threatened to commit very serious damage. He also dissipated a f ~e in th«j.air, which the devil had con- jured up to deter the people from going to hear him preach. By prayer he quelled tempests and storms. By prayer he turned water into wine. By his mere presence he caused an un- chaste devil to quit the body of a woman which it had taken possession of. With water, oil, or hallowed bread, he healed divers sick folk given over by the doctors, some of whom were plague- stricken. By water which he had blessed he cured the wife of a noble thane, who lay speechless and senseless. By sending the girdle of a holy abbess*, called Elfleda, he healed a contraction of the muscles, and performed manv other remarkable cures. When he retired to the Fame islands, never before inhabited by man, because they were so infested by serpents, and so many demons had made it their retreat, he found the island he selected afforded him neither corn, fruit, nor water. He first drove the serpents into the sea, and evicted the demons ; then by prayer obtained a well of fresh water ; and by sowing barley, though wholly out of season, he obtained an abundant crop. During a plague at Lindisfarne he visited a poor woman who had just lost one of her sons, while another was on the point of death. St. Cuthbert took the child in his arms, kissed it, and said to the mother, " Be comforted ; the child shall live." And so it did, for it recovered from the plague from that very hour. — Bede, Church History, bk. iv. ch. 27-32 ; Acta Sanctorumy March 20. Summary of miracles attributed to St. Dominic (a.d. 1170-1221). One day, E reaching before a church against the eresies of the day, St. Dominic found himself, with a brother from the Cister- cian convent, suddenly transported into the church, without any one having opened the doors. At another time his valise and books fell into a river, and when, after several days, they were "fished up again," they were not even wetted. Often while travelling the rain fell in torrents, without one single drop falling on him, that he might reach hii journey's end quite dry. As he never took money about with hhn, he had to ask free passage across ferrie^. On one occasion the boatman refused to ferry him across without his fare ; so he lifted his eyes to heaven, and found at his feet the required money. In the convent of St. Vincent of Castres, the crucifix spoke to him, and told him to persevere io S82 MIRACLES OF SPECIAL SAINTS: FRANCIS. fPr. I. well-doinfr, and to remeniber that saints were irade perfect by suffering. In the same place, while at mass, his fervour was so great that he was lifted into the air full five feet from the ground, of which fact the prior himself and the canons were personal witnesses. He saved miraculously from drowning forty English pilgrims going to St. James's, who had entered a boat too weak and had been thrown into the Garonne. — Les Petits BollandisteSy vol. ix. p. 284. Summary of miracles of St. Francis d'Assisi (a'.d. 1182-1226). The astound- ing miracles wrought by St. Francis d'Assisi would fill a large volume. He cast out devils, healed the sick, raised the dead, and commanded the elements. Many of his wonderful works are set forth in the bull of canonization, demon- strating that all true [Roman] Catholics believe them to be authentic and genuine. — Xi/e, by Arrighetti, Peter d'Alva, St. Bonaventure, Chavin de Malan, etc St. Francis of Paula, thaumaturge (a.d. 1416-1507). Of all the saints, none but Vincent Ferrier have exceeded St. Francis of Paula in prophetic inspiration and miraculous gifts. In the acts of canonization we have this marvellous Bummarj' : — '* He [Francis of Paula] made huge beams of timber and enormous stones light, that his workmen might carry on their works at Patema more easily ; he entered burning furnaces with- out himself or his clothes being burned ; he stopped falling rocks, while rolling down the sides of mountains with im- petuosity, or stayed them in mid-air from falling ; he caused springs of water to well up from dry ground ; he found brick earth in parts where there was none; he burnt lime and bricks instan- taneously, without the aid of fire ; he often fed all his woikmen and disciples with food insufficient for the meal of one man ; he commanded devils, and even made them work for him ; he put seven chestnuts in the ground, and they in- stantly became seven large trees. This was done to appease the anger of a man who complained that St. Francis had cut down one of his chestnut trees without permission. The fact is, the man's wife had given the tree to the saint for his monastery. The fruit of these chestnut trees is sanative, and thousands hare been cured of divers complaints by eating it. He made wild bulls draw his ploughs, and they were as docile as oxen which bad been used to the yokes for ten vcars. An enormous tree, which stood in the middle of the road leading to his church, greatly incommoded the public ; so he split the tree in two by his word alone, and caused each moiety to retire right and left for several feet, leaving a clear wide road between. These two half-trees stood on each side of the road, as two perfect trees, and neither lost their ver- dure nor showed any sign of injury. They stood for many years, but the branches being much used for crucifixes and rosaries, only the bare trunks now remain. Then as for the healing of diseases. One of the witnesses examined in the consistory, at the canonization, affirmed that, to his own personal knowledge, St. Francis healed one hundred persons in one day. Other witnesses testified that he was always healing ; and the numbers of persons so benefited could not be counted ; they said, undoubtedly the saint held in his hands the keys of life and death. He brought down to the grave, and brought up therefrom. One day a child was bom without eyes and mouth, but St. Francis marked with his spittle the places where these features ought to have been, and then, making the sign of the cross, the infant became possessed of two brilliant eyes and a model mouth. He gave eyes to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb ; he made the halt to walk, the cripple to have the use of his limbs ; arid recalled six dead persons to life again. Thomas d'Yvre of Patema he twice restored to life ; once when he was crushed to death by a tree falling on him, and again when he fell from a steeple. This is the only instance on record of a person being raised from the dead twice. When he went to Messina on his cloak-raft (see p. 64), the first thing he did was to restore to life a man who had been hanged for three days on the public, gibbet. Persons are shown at Milazzo, above the main entrance of his church, two huge stones which, we are told, the saint lifted without aid, and placed where they are now seen. They are also shown a pit, which once contained salt water, but which St. Francis made fresh till the cistern was completed. — Father Giry, Bull of Leo X. and Acts of Canonization. Mgr. Gu^rin, chamberlain of pope Leo XIIL, »fter n- eounting the great miracles of St. Francis of Paula, con- cludes thus : " Combiea de fois a-t-il produit ou niultiplii du pain, du vin, des figues, et d'autres aliments semblablet, que la faim leur faisait demander ! Conibien de foie a-t-H foit cuire subitemeut, pour eus et pour d'autres i«r.Nove, or indeed for those of the nineteenth century ? The question is not one of veracity at all, but of credulity nursed by education and precon- ceptions. If anything the whole force should be in favour of more modern miracles, because more scientific investi- gation could be applied than in earlier ages, and deception would be more difficult Hindu method of acquiring complete com- mand over elementary matter. The Yoga or Panjantala school of philosophy main- tains the possibility and practicability, of acquiring the entire command over ele- mentary matter by ascetic privations. Yoga means, effecting a perfect union between the vital spirit in man and that which pervades all nature. When this union is effected, the Yogi is liberated from his body. He can then make himself lighter or heavier, larger or smaller, as he likes ; he can traverse all space ; animate c*yid bodies by transferring his own spirit into it; can render himself invisible; can become familiar with the past or future ; and know all that is being done in any part of the earth. The way to acquire this power is by long-continued suppression of respiration ; by inhaling and exhaling the breath in a' particular manner ; sitting in certain attitudes with the eyes fixed on the tip of the nose. H. H. Wilson, in the Ayeen Akhiri (vol. ii. p. 445), tells us he has seen many prac- tising "assum," that is, sitting with the eyes fixed on the nose, and he says it is perfectly astounding what command they acquire over their muscles, nerves, and bones. He names four who could hold their breath for an incredible length of time. Whether the saints by asceticism and constant contemplation acquired thii union of their own spirit with the amma mundiy I cannot say, but certainly Milton believed it possible. He says angels speak to the [saints] in dream or vision — Till oft converse with heavenly habitents Begin to cast a beam on the outward ihap* (The unpolluted temple of the mind) And turns it by degrees to the soul's essence. Till all be made inmiortal.— But when lust By uncha.ste looks, loo.se gestures, and foul talk Lets in defilement to the inward parts. The soui grows clotted by contagion, Imbodies and Imbrutes, till she quite lose The divine property of her first being. ComtM. Moses and the Rock. Numb. xx. 11. And Moses lifted up bia hand and smote the rock twice, and water came out abundantly ; and the congregation drank and their beasts also. St, Francis of Pavia brings water from a rock (a.d. 1416-1607). The third great miracle of St. Francis of Paula was to bring water from a rock in Calabria, simply by striking it with a rod. This miracle was performed to supply the workmen with water, which they much needed. Before this, the men had to go a considerable way to fetch water from the torrent. What renders the miracle still more striking is this: the saint caused the water to fall into a natural basin in the rock. This fountain has been examined, and no one has been able to discover any fissure in the rock, or whence the water proceeds ; but one thing is certain, it never fails, summer or winter. If the reservoir is emptied from any cause, such as washing, in about five hours it is full again. Any one who goes to Paula may see the reservoir, the water of which is sanative. Thus, on one occasion, St, Francis threw into it a dead trout, and the fish instantly recovered its life ; since then, cures without number have been effected by washing in it, or drinking it. Every' year, on April 1, an enormoui Pr. I.] MOSES SWEETENS WATER— NAAMAN THE LEPER. 289 crowd visit the rock, so that it is well known. — Bull and other Documents of his Canonization (compiled by Father Giry). Water trickling from a rock is by no means uncommon ; Iwt what requires proof is this : Did no water trickle from this particular rock before the fifteenth century? If this question can be answered, the next would be : Was nothing done to alter the physical condition of the rock ? Moses eommissioned by God. ExoD. iii. 7-14. God appeared to Moses near mount Horeb, told him He had seen the affliction of the Israelites in Egypt, and had appointed Moses to deliver them. Moses said, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? God said that He would Himself be with him, and when Moses asked by what name he should speak of the Almighty to his countrymen, God ■aid He was to be called I AM THAT I AM. Thou shalt say, I AM hath sent me. And He assured Moses that his mission should be suc- cessful. St. Angelus commissioned by God to preach the gospel (1669-1739). One day, while Angelus was at prayer, he heard a voice which said to him, "Fear not; I will give you the gift of preaching, and henceforth all thy labours shall be crowned with success." Astonished at these words, Angelus demanded, "Who art thou ? " The roice replied, " I AM THAT I AM. Henceforth thou shalt preach with convincing words, and power of the Holy Ghost." Seized with alarm, the young friar fell to the earth ; but, when he came to himself, he wrote down what he had heard, and went forth to preach. So powerful were his words, that the wisest heard him gladly, and the meanest under- stood him. — Life of Angelus of Acri (published at Rome in 1825). Moses s"vsreetens Water. ExoD. XV. 22-25. Moses having brought the children of Israel to the wilderness of Shur, they went three days' march, and found no water. When they came to Marah there was water in- deed, but they could not drink it, because it was bitter. The people murmured, but the Lord showed Moses a tree, which being cast into the water made it sweet. It is well known that many waters unfit to drink may be purified by wood ; thus — Water in sandy districts corrupted by vegetable matters has an offensive taste and smell, but may be purified by ciiips of oak wood thrown into it. The foul nxatter in this case is of an albuminous nature, which the tannin of the oak chips neutralizes, and the coagulates falling to the bottom, the water becomes not only sweet but clear. The marshy waters of India are purified by nuts of the Strychnos potatorum, of which travellers carry a supply. One or two of these nuts, rubbed to powder on the side of the earthen vessel into which the water is to be poured, will cause the impurities to subside. In Egypt the nmddy Nile water is clarified by nibbing the sides of the vessel with bitter ahnonds. The waters of tlie sandy Laudes of Bourdsaux are unfit to drink till purified by oak chips, which coagulnto the ftlbumtious matter, and carry all its impunities to the a If the waters of Marah contained albuminous mattor from decaying vegetables, an astringent plant would coagulate it, and purify the water. iNTaaman the Leper. 2 Kings v. The story of Naaman the leper. Matt. viii. 2, 3. There came a leper/ to Jesus, and worshipped him, saying. Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And imme- diately the leprosy was cleansed. Luke xvii. 12-14. As Jesus entered into a certain village, there met Him teii men tha* were lepers, which stood afar off, and said, .Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them He said unto them. Go, show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass that, as they went, they were cleansed. St. Ausonius cures Galfagius of a bloody flux (first and second centuries). Ualfagius, a rich Gallo-Roman living in a sumptuous mansion in the suburbs of AngoulSme. had been afflicted from boyhood with a bloody flux, which greatly reduced his strength and took away his energy. Medi- cines seemed powerless, although he waa attended by the most skilful physicians of the day. Being told of St. Ausonius, he went to him in his chariot, taking a large sum of money with him. One of his servants, named Arcadius, tried to dis- suade him from going, saying, " You have ppent enormous sums of money already on physicians, and it is mere wasting of good money to squander it on this priest, who cannot possibly know any- thing of medicine." Scarcely had he spoken, when he himself became afflicted with his master's disease. Galfagius drove off immediately to the saint, and, throw- ing himself at his feet, said to him, " Au- sonius, I crave baptism at thy hand, thou servant of the living God." Ausonius re- plied, "If you believe, Christ will hear your request." "I believe," said Galfa- gius, "that God is the Greator of the world, and that Jesus Ghrist, His Son, was crucified by Pontius Pilate, and rose again the third day." A profession so concise and exact was highly satis- factory, so water was brought, and Gal- fagius was baptized; and, as Naamao the Syrian was cured of his leprosy b> the waters of the Jordan, so this rich young nobleman was cured of his bloody flux by the water of baptism. Just at this moment Arcadius came up, with a train of servants, and was led to the saint. "0 man of God," said Galfagius, "I humbly beseech you to heal Arcadiua also. He is my mtendant." Then said Ausonius to the iutendant. " In the name 240 NAAMAN THE LEPER: BRIGIT— SORUS. [Ft. I. of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, he healed of thine infirmity." At these words he was cured, and, at a sign given by Calf agius, he laid great treasures at the feet of the saint. " These," said Ausonius, " I accept as an offering to the poor ; " and he handed them to his archdeacon. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. v. May 22. St. Brigit and the two lepers (a.d. 436- 623). Two lepers came to St. Brigit to be healed of their leprosy. The saint made the sign of the cross over a basin of water, and told each of the lepers to wash the other therewith. When the first was washed by his companion, and found his leprosy gone, he refused to render the like service to his companion ; but instantly his leprosy returned, and, at the same moment, his companion was cured. — Car- dinal Baronius, Roman Martyrology, St. Clare bids a beggar bathe in a neighbouring brook. He did so^ and was clean (seventh century). St. Clare one day encountered a poor beggar completely covered with leprous sores. The saint bade him go and bathe in the neighbour- ing brook. No sooner had he done so, than his sores were healed, and his fiesh came to him again, as fresh and healthv as that of a little child. — Les Petits BoU landisteSf vol. i. p. 31, St. Francis of Paula healed Marcellus Cardilla of leprosy (a.d. 1416-1507). Marcellus Cardilla of Cosenza was not only a leper, but a cripple in hands and feet, and his whole body was distorted. He had lost his speech, was black in the face, and indeed could scarcely be recog- nized as a human being. Being brought to St. Francis of Paula, the saint merely took him by the hand, and this terrible object stood on his feet, recovered his speech, became straight, and was made whole. — Father Giry, Life of St. Francis of Paula (chiefly taken from the bull of canonization and the original documents then brought forward). St. Martin cures a leper by kissing him. When St. Martin, bishop of Tours, was in Paris, he observed at the city gates a leper full of sores. Going up to him, he kissed him, and immediately the leprosy was healed. This leper was well known to the whole city, and next day he entered the city to return thanks to God for his miraculous recovery.— Sulpicius Severus, Dialogties. A leper healed with a kiss (tenth century). On his journey to Rome, one of his suite confessed to St. Mayeul that he had been guilty of a grave offence, and demanded absolution, with penance. " Are you in earnest," said the saint, "in your desire of penance?" "Doubtless," replied the erring brother. " Then," rejoined the abbot, " look on that leper there, who io seeking alms. Go to him, and ^ive him the kiss of peace." The brother instantly went to the leper, and kissed-him, and no sooner had he so done than tno leper was healed. — Les Petits BollandisteSy vol. v, p, 463. St. Romanus heals two lepers who had shoum him hospitality (a.d. 460). St. Romanus, going to visit the tomb of St. Maurice, was overtaken by night near Geneva, and retired into a cabin occupied by two lepers, who showed him hospitality. Next morning, the lepers found them- selves entirely cured, and proceeded to- wards Geneva, under the hope of finding their benefactor. This they failed to do ; but, being well known in those parts, their miraculous cure caused a great sensation. When St. Romanus returned from the tomb of St. Maurice, and reached Geneva, all the magistrates, clergy, and people of the place went to meet him, and brought him into the city in triumph. The two lepers followed, as if they had been cap- tives taken in war. — St. Gregory of Tours, the Bollandists, Mgr. Dep^ry {Hagio- graphe of Belley), and many others, have written the Life of St. Romanus, but are indebted to a life written by a contem- porary monk. St. Sorus heals king Qontran of leprosy (a.d. 600-680), Gontran, king of Bur- gundy, was a great man, but a leper. He prayed to God earnestly to heal him of his dreadful malady, and God sent an angel to say to him, " Rise, Gontran, and go at once to the blessed hermit who dwells in Aquitaine, in the province of P^rigord, whose name is Sorus. Lo ! God has given him charge to cure you of your leprosy." So the king rose, and departed at once, and came to the hermit's cell, where he prostrated himself to the earth, saying, " My soul is bowed down to the dust, and my body cleaveth to the earth. Arise to my help, and save me, Lord, according to Thy word." St. Sorus, coming out of his cell, saw the king with his face to the earth, and said, " Arise ; wherefore art thou come ? " "An angel of heaven told me." said the king. "You see before you, man of God, one grievously afflicted with leprosy, and he has no need to tell you what he desires at your hands." Then St. Sorus bade him fetch some water, which the Pt. I.J NATHANAELr-NATURAL MARKS. 241 saint blessed, and told the king to wash and be clean. Gontran obeyed the word of the man of God, and every part of his body which the water touched became fresh and healthy as the skin of a child. The king, overjoyed, blessed God and the saint who had shown him this grace, and returned to his own l&nd.—Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. ii. p. 193 (7th edit. 1880). A little maid said to HermeSy " Would God you had taken your son to St. Alex- ander, vicar of St, Peter's^ for he would have cured him,"" Hermes, governor of Caput Tauri, had a son at the gates of death ; and he carried the child to the temple of Jupiter, where he offered sacri- fice ; but his son died. A little maiden, nurse of the child, said to her mistress, "Would God my master had taken his son to St. Peter's vicar, for he would have recovered him." These words were told to the governor, who severely reproved the nurse; but so confident was she in her persuasion, that she herself took the dead child to St. Alexander, who prayed over it; and, before he had ended his prayer, the boy revived. Then Hermes tell at the feet of the man of God, and himself was baptized, with his whole house. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 285. Wathanael. John i. 47. Jesus saw Nathanael coining to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile ! The prior BoisiVs address to St, Cuthbert (seventh century). After St. Cuthbert had seen the soul of Aidan, bishop of Durham, carried by angels up to heaven, he resolved to quit the shepherd's life, and devote himself wholly to the service of God and his Christ. Accordingly, next morning, he went to the prior Boisil at Mailros, near Lindisfarne. When the prior saw the young man approaching, he exclaimed, " Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile ! " Cuthbert told the reason of his coming, and Boisil admitted him at once into the priory. He received the monastic habit at the ^ hands of Eatas, the abbot, and, on the death of Boisil, in a.d. 664, was appointed prior or provost in his place. — Bede, Church History, bk. iv. ch. 27-32. Natural Marks ascribed to Miracles. Josh. iv. 9. When Joshua crossed the Jordan, he set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests 11 which bare the ark of the covenant stood ; and they are there unto this day. The sacred writer does not appeal to the pile of stones In proof of the stated fact, but simply says such is the fact, and the stones set up in memorial remain still. This is a very different thing from saying that Humber was certainly drowned near Hull, because the river is still called the Humber ; or that Gog Magog was certainly brought in chains to London, because a statue of the giant stood at Guildhall till the great fire, and even still there is a stone elBgy of him. St. Antony's cross in OurLady^s Church, Portugal (a.d. 1195-1231). In Our Lady's Church, Portugal, is still preserved with religious care, a stone which served as one of the steps to the cathedral choir. It bears the mark of a cross, and we are told that St. Antony of Padua made this mark with his finger one day when the devil appeared to him in a formidable shape. This cross is as perfect now as it was in the twelfth century. — L'abbe' Guyard, Life of St, Antony of Padua, A footprint on the mount of Olives said to he that of Jesus Christ when He ascended into heaven. East of Jerusalem, on the flank of the mount of Olives, near the spot " where Jesus ascended into heaven," there is, on the ground, an impression of a footstep, which may still be seen. Here also in a grot, cut out of the rock, is shown where a dozen fishermen, by joining hands, formed a cross, " the im- mortal symbol of that faith which was to subdue the world." — Les Petits Bollan- distes (1880), vol. v. p. 166. The impression of St, Julian's footstep still shown in France. St. Julian died A.D. 117. When he was in Gaul his foot made a *' miraculous impression on a stone in Champagne." As the footprint is still shown, of course cela va sans dire. — D. Piolin, History of the Church of Mans (10 vols.). The foot-mark of St, Medard impressed on a boundary stone (a.d. 645) . The farmers of Picardy, having quarrelled about the boundaries of their respective lands, ap- plied to St. Medard to settle the dispute. Medard, having adjudicated the matter, had a large stone brought to mark the boundary ; and, to give greater authority to his judgment, set his foot on the stone, and the impression remained as durable as if the stone had been soft wax. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. June 8. The Rats' Run in the Seine, a proof that St, Valentine cleared the peninsula of Jumieges of rats (a.d. 273). In the twelfth century, the peninsula of Jumifeges was overrun with rats. The people in- voked St. Valentine (once bishop of Terni), and the saint drove the whole of Ui NATURAL MARKS— NATURE DISTURBED. LPt. I. the vermin into the river Seine. Visitors are still shown the spot where the rats ran into the river. The " run " is called the " Rats' Run " (cAemm), and the spot shown is called the " Rats' Hole " (trou), — Les Petits BollandisteSj vol. ii. p. 624, This Is not St. Valentine the letter-carrier'B plague. The post-office St. Valentine was a Roman priest, and generally called " The Martyr." Both sainta, however, are honoured on the same day, Feb. 14. A fissure in a Scotch rock proves that Scotland was a fief of England. When Edward I. laid claim to Scotland, as the fief of England, his chief plea was a fissure in a basaltic rock, attributed to a sword-cut. The tale runs thus, and is taken from the Life and Miracles of St, John of Beverley, Adelstan went to drive back the Scota, who had crossed the border. St. John of Beverley appeared to him, and bade him cross the Tyne at daybreak. Adelstan obeyed the saint, And reduced the whole kingdom to sub- mission. On reaching Dunbar, in the return march, he prayed that some per- manent sign might be vouchsafed to him, to testify to all ages that God had Himself delivered the nation into his hands ; whereupon the saint bade him strike the rock with his sword. Adelstan struck the rock, and his sword sank into it *' as if it had been butter," cleaving it asunder "an ell or more." As the cleft remains to the present day, why, of course, no more can be said ; and the wise council, consisting of the king, English and Scotch judges, prelartes, noblemen, and lawyers, adjudged that Scotland was undoubtedly a fief of the English crown. — Rymer, Fcedera. vol, ii. p. 771. The DeviPs Dyke, Brighton. The follow- ing story will serve to show the tendency of man to ascribe natural marks to some known event, and raise them into import- ance by making them the basis of a tale. Near Brighton there is a gorge, called the " Devil's Dyke," the story of which runs thus : As St. Cuthman was walking over the South Downs one day, thinking to himself how completely he had rescued the whole country from paganism, he was accosted by his sable majesty in person, "Ha, ha!" said the prince of darkness ; "so you think by these churches and convents to put me and mine to your ban, do you ? Poor fool ! why, this very night will I swamp the whole land with the sea." Forewarned is forearmed, thought Cuthman, and forth- with hies him to Sister Cecilia, superior of a cenvent which then stood on the site of the present Dyke House. " Sister," said the saint, " I love you well. This night, for the grace of God, keep lights burning at the convent windows from midnight to daybreak, and let masses be said by the holy sisterhood." At sundown came the devil with pickaxe and spade, mattock and shovel, and set to work in right good earnest to dig a dyke which should let the waters of the sea into the downs. " Fire and brimstone ! " he exclaimed, as a sound of voices rose and fell in sacred song. " Fire and brimstone ! What can be the matter with me?" Shoulders, feet, wrists, loins, all seemed paralyzed, Down went mattock and spade, pickaxe and shovel ; and just at that moment the lights at the convent windows burst forth, and the cock, mistaking the blaze for day- break, began to crow most lustily. Off flew the devil, and never again returned to complete his work. The small digging he effected still remains in witness of the truth of this legend of the "Devil's Dyke," It would be an easy matter to fill a Tolume with lucfa legends, but stories of this kind are no data of medlseval tliought, but simply inventions to amuse. They are parudies to saintly legends, and therefore stand on very different ground. Tiiey bear about the same relation to legend and tradition proper, as tiistoricul romance to history. Tliey would never have been Invented if current thought had not favoured the invention ; but no one believes them to be anything else tlian idle tales. Nature disturbed at the Cru- cifixion. Matt, xxvii. 60-63. Jesus, when He had cried again . . . yielded up the ghost; and behold! the veil of the temple was rent in twain . . . and the earth did quake, and the roclcs rent ; and the graves were opened ; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose. Earthquake at the death of St, Apian (a.d. 306). St. Apian, after being buf- feted on the face, beaten and kicked, wounded on every part of the body, and cuffed on the mouth, had his sides torn open till his entrails were exposed. The executioners were then ordered to appl}"^ to his feet lighted flax dipped in oil ; after which he was cast into the sea. What follows, Eusebius tell us, was seen by the inhabitants of Csesarea. "The body was no sooner thrown into the sea, than the whole city was shaken with an earthquake, and the sea, unable to endure the martyr's corpse, cast it up at the gates of the city. All Caesarea went to see the body, so that the prodigy cannot be gainsaid." — Eusebius (an eye-witness), De Martyribua PalcestincB, ch. It, Earthquake at the martyrdom of St, Pt. I.] NAZARITES— OBEDIENCE BEFORE SACRIFICE. 243 Boniface, When Simplicius beheaded Boniface in Tarsus, "there was a great earthcjuake in all the city, and every one said it was a judgment of God for the cruelty shown to Boniface, the stranger who had been put to death by Simplicius. The earthquake, however, was the voice of the Holy Ghost to many, who turned from their idols to serve the living God." — Ado (archbishop of Treves), Marty rology. Thunder and lightning disturbed the earth when the twenty martyrs fell. In the reign of Maximian, twenty Christians of Nico- media (a city of Bithynia) were condemned to be burnt alive at the same time (Sept. 8, A.D. 306). When their bodies were bound to the stakes and the fagots were set on fire, the sky was suddenly over- cast with thick darkness, thunder crashed dreadfully, lightning blazed, and thunder- bolts killed many pagans busied in burn- ing the martyrs. Many fled to save their lives ; but the Christians, observing that the fire was extinguished by the heavy rain, took courage to rescue the relics of the martyrs, and convey them to Byzan- tium. — ^Ado (archbishop of Treves), Mar- tyrology. Earthquake at the martyrdom of St. Philip the apostle. They took Philip the apostle, imprisoned, beat, wounded, and crucified him. They who committed this cruelty scoft'ed at him, wagging their heads, and rejoicing to see him suffer. But lo ! on a sudden, the eai-th began to quake and open in divers places, swallow- ing up houses, public buildings, and in- habitants together, especially those who had been concerned in putting the martyr to death. The Christians crowded to the spot where the cross stood, and entreated the apostle to save them from this danger and death ; so he prayed to God, and the earthquake ceased. His body, after death, was taken from Phrygia to Rome. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 263. (See also Isidore, Book of the Fathers, ch. 76 ; St. Jerome, De Vitis Jllustribus, ch. 6 ; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, bk. iii. ch. 30, 31 ; Dorotheus (bishop of Tyre) ; Metaphrast8s ; Usuand ; etc.) Earthquake, lightning, and thick dark- ness at the death of St. Vitus. St. Vitus was put to death in the catasta (q.v.), a machine of torture in which the victim is laid flat on the ground, and then every limb stretched till it is pulled from the socket. When the saint was put to this n achine the sky was quite cloudless, but it was suddenly overcast, and a thick darkness came over the city, with thunder, lightning, and earthquake. The idols in the temples were overthrown, and many pagans perished. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 383. Ifazarites. JuDG. X. 17. A Nazarite was a person who vowed to abstain from wine ; to let his hair grow wWiout ever cutting it ; to enter no house containing a dead body ; nor ever to be present at a funeral. The best-known example is that of Samson. James the Less was a Nazarite from birth, Eusebius Cesariensis, quoting from Ege- sippus, as an author close upon the times of the apostles, says of James the Less, '' He was sanctified in his mother's womb. In all his life he drank neither wine nor other strong drink ; he never ate the flesh of any animal, never cut his hair, nor was he ever anointed with any ointment. He was always clad in linen only, and always went to the temple crawling on his knees. Egesippus adds, that the knees of the Nazarite had become as hard as those of a camel. James the Less was so holy a man that he was allowed by the high priest to enter into the holy of holies, and was universally called * The Just.' " Obedience better than Sacri- fice. 1 Sam. XV. 1-22. God told king Saul to go and destroy the Amalekites. Instead of doing 80, he destroyed the refuse and mean, but saved alive the Icing A gag, and brought away with him the best of the cattle. When Samuel the prophet went to meet him on his return, Saul said boastingly. Blessed be thou of the Lord : I have performed the commandment of the Lord. But Samuel made answer, What then is this bleating of sheep and lowing of oxen which I hear.? Saul said they were for sacrifice; and Samuel exclaime<*. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearlcen than the fat of rams. Eph. v. 22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as uuto the Lord. Ccesar bade Pharnaces return to cke- dience before he made offerings. Phar- naces, king of Pontus, was called " the friend and ally of the Roman people ; " but when the civil war between Caesar and Pompey broke out, he seized the opportunity of reinstating himself, and made himself master of Colchis and Armenia. Pompey being defeated in the battle of Pharsalia, Pharnaces sent Caesar a golden crown, hoping thereby to con- ciliate him, and indicating that he acknowledged him the king of Rome. Caesar sent back the gift, with this mes^ 244 UlLr-UlL ON tROUBLEI) WATilUS. tl^T. 1. sage: "Return first to obedience, and then come and oifer thy gifts." No gift from a rebel could have any meaning but one, that of bribery to avert punishment ; but gifts from the obedient are marks of love and gratitude. Francisca miraculously taught the merit of wifely obedience (a.d. 1384-1440). It pleased the Lord, one day, to show, by an especial miracle, how acceptable to llim is wifely obedience. In saying the " Office of our Blessed Virgin," Francisca was called away four times by her hus- band, and four times she broke off the office at precisely the same verse. On returning to her chamber the fourth time, she found that her good angel had written out the verse, which was in com- mon print before, in letters of gold ; and St. Paul himself declared to her that God deemed obedience to superiors better than sacrifice, or any service to Himself. — John Mattiotti (her confessor), Life of St. Francisca (recited by Julius Ur- simus. May 29, 1606, in the process of canonization). Rita de Cascia set to water daily a dry stick (a.d. 1456). Rita is an abbreviation of Margarita. She was the daughter of respectable parents, and lived eighteen years in married life, when she craved to be admitted in the convent of St. Mary Magdalene, but was refused, because it was contrary to the rules of the convent to take in widows. However, the ap- paritions of St. Augustine (died 430), St. Nicholas de Tolentino (died 1306), and John the Baptist, came at night, opened the convent doors, and introduced her; after which, of course, she was admitted. To try her obedience she was sent to water, with great fatigue, a bit of dry stick in the convent garden. This she had to do daily, and did without a murmur. — Acta Sanctomm (Bollandists), voU v. May 22. Oil. Mabk ▼!. 13. The disciples anointtj with oil many that were sick, and healed them. (James v. 14.) 1 Kings xvii. 16. The barrel of meal [of the widow of Zarephath] wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of tlie Lord, which He spake by El^'ah. An empty muid or tun filled with oil by St. Benedict (a.d. 480-543). During a time of famine, Agapitus, a subdeacon of Mount Cassino, applied to St. Benedict for oil. It 80 happened that the monas- tery WM out of oil at the time, there being only a few dregs at the bottom of a bottle. The patriarch commanded the cellarer to give what there was to the sub- deacon ; but the cellarer, fearing to be wholly without oil, neglected to obey the order. When St. Benedict heard thereof, he threw the bottle out of the window upon the rocks ; but the bottle was not broken, nor was the oil spilled. He then assembled the whole house in full chapter, and reproved the cellarer severely for disobedience. When the chapter broke up, St. Benedict found a muid or hogshead quite full of oil of the best quality, and told the cellarer in future to remember that God's hand is not shortened; but, he added, "those who would receive liberally from Him must trust Him fully." — Gregory the Great, Dialogues^ bk. ii. The miraculous self -multiplying oil of St. Eugendus of Coridat (fifth century). St. Gregorj' of Tours assures us that an oil of miraculous potency flows from the tomb of St. Martin. St. Eugendus, abbot of Condat, had a flask of this oil, which he miraculously multiplied according to exigencies; as, for example, when the lamps required filling, when he anointed the sick, or when it was required for any other purpose. On one occasion, his abbey caught fire at midnight, and was entirely consumed, with all its furniture, all its instruments, and all its relics ; but, thanks to this huile de saint Martin^ next morning ever5'thing was restored intact. This miracle so operated on the neighbours, that they subscribed freely to replace the wooden edifice, " not made with hands," by one of more substantial materials, and to furnish it throughout with richer vestments and many more conveniences. — Pragmacius (a disciple). Life of St. Eugendus. (This life is in- serted in the Lives of the Saints of Franche Comte, by the professors of St. F. Xavier.) Respecting this self-multiplying oil of the abbot of Con- dat, it may be worth hinting that Condat is a great en- trep6t of oil, and contains mines of natural oil. It would not require miraculous powers to supply the abbey from these mines. Oil on Troubled Waters. The notion that oil will smooth troubled water is very old indeed. The Syrian fishermen have been wont, time out of mind, to pour oil on the sea, when caught in a storm far from land. The boatmen of the Persian Gulf have always been in the habit of towing, astern their frail I crafts, bladders filled with oil ; these Pt. I.] OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS. 245 bladders are pricked so as to permit a gentle leakage of oil in the wake of their boats. Pliny tells us that, in his day, the Mediterranean sponge-divers used oil to obtain a smooth surface when they rose from the bottom of the sea.* And ever since whale-hunting has been followed, it has been noticed that when a whale is "being made off," that is, "the blubber flensed," the oily sea is smooth, no matter how rough the waters beyond the range of the oil. Professor Horsford, by emptying a vial of oil upon the sea in a stiff breeze, stilled the sur- face ; and commodore Wilkes, of the United States, saw the same effect pro- duced in a violent storm off the Cape of Good Hope, by oil leaking from a whale- ship. Among the herring-fishers of Shetland, the pilchard-catchers of Corn- wall, in Northern Africa, in Samoa, and, indeed, all over the world, oil is used, more or less systematically, for soothing the sea. Sometimes a mop steeped in oil is hung in the water, sometimes pricked bladders. Mr. Shields laid perforated pipes under the dangerous bar across the mouth of Peterhead Harbour, and then pumped oil into them ; the effect was that huge billows from ten to twelve feet high were reduced to petty waves, which any vessel could ride over in perfect safety. Two Italians crossing the Atlantic from Buenos Ayres, in 1881, were caught in a rough sea, but, by the use of oil, rode through the waves without shipping a bucketful. We are told of a captain who declared his steamer would have been lost in the Bay of Biscay had he not lulled the waves by pouring oil on them. Another case is on record of a schooner off Sable Island, which was seen tearing her way through a sea lashed into white foam by a violent storm, simply by ladling out oil ; though other- wise she must have gone to the bottom. Once more, a vessel was caught in a hurricane, the breakers threatened to engulf the ship every minute, but oil was poured on the sea, and the vessel rode in safety. There seems to be no doubt of the fact, that oil does smooth the surface of troubled waters; let us now see what use hagiographers have made of this fact. A stormy sea allayed by a cruse of oil. The devil, as prince of the powers of the • Dr. E. Halley states that sponge-divers in tlie Archi- pelago descend to the bottom of the sea with a piece of sponge saturated with oil, and by squeezing a little from the sponge they obtain a clear surface, whereby they can ■ee much more dearly at the bottom. air, is the evil principle that works mis- chief by storms and tempests, earthquakes and destructive gales. The devils hated St. Nicholas for throwing down the temple of Diana, in Lycia ; and, when he was dead, used all their endeavours to prevent pilgrims from visiting his tomb. On one occasion a large number of pil- grims took ship for Myra ; and Satan, in the guise of an old woman, coming on board, said to the pilgrims, " I also wish to go to the tomb of St. Nicholas, but cannot do so now. Oblige me, therefore, by taking this cruse of oil, and burning ^ it in the lamps on the saint's sepulchre." This the pilgrims readily promised to do. When the ship was now in the middle of the sea, on the second day, a furious storm arose, and the crew expected the ship would be broken to pieces by the violence of the waves. Just at this juncture the spirit of St. Nicholas made its appearance, and said to the pilgrims, *' Fear not, for none here shall be lost ; but cast overboard the cruse of oil, for the * old woman ' who gave it you was the devil." As soon as the oil was thrown over into the deep, it blazed into a great flame, and sent forth an odious stench of sulphur and sin, proving to demonstra- tion that it came from hell. The wind dropped, the sky cleared, the sea lulled, and the ship ran merrily into the Lyciaa port. — Metaphrastes (died 911), Lives^ etc. St. GermanuSf bishop of Auxerre, lulls a storm at sea by som^ holy oil (fifteenth century). As Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, was sailing to Britain, a horrible tempest was raised by the devil, to drown the saint. He was fast asleep in the ship; but, being aroused by the shrieks of the perishing crew, he rebuked the storm. Then sprinkling, in the name of the Holy Trinity, a few drops of holy oil on the raging billows, immediately there was a great calm. — Dr. Jostin, BiisertationSf ii. p. 73. Vtta calm£d a rough sea by pouring some holy oil on it. Before Vtta, a holy man, went to fetch the bride of king Oswin, he called on bishop Aida, who told him he foresaw a tempest, and gave him a cruse of holy oil for stilling the waves. All fell out as the bishop said. The winds arose, lashed the waves into fury, and the ship would have been wrecked, had not Vtta poured on them the holy oil, and bade them subside into a calm. — Bede, Ecclesiastical History, CBede tells us he heard this story from Cymmund« 246 PARALYTICS HP:ALED. [Pt. I. " a very creditable man,*' who was told it by Vtta himself.) Paralytics healed. Matt. iv. 24. His fame went throughout all Syria ; and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and tor- ments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those which had the palsy, and He healed them. Acts viii. 6-7. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them , . . [and] unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them; and many taken with palsies, and [many] that were lame, were healed. Acts ix. 32, 33. As Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came to Lydda, and there found a certain man named ^neas, which had kept his bed eight years, being sick of the palsy. And Peter said to him, iEneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. St, Ausonius heals Caligia of general paralysis (first century). Caligia was the sister of Garrulus, count and prefect of AngoulSme. One day, walking with her companions along the Charente, she caught cold, which brought on a general paralysis of all her limbs. The count applied to Ausonius, and said to him, "Thou man of God, my sister is grievously sick ; come, I pray thee, and heal her." Ausonius went to the sick chamber, and saw that Caligia was at the point of death. Taking her by the hand, he said to her, ** In the name of the Lord Jesus, damsel, I say unto thee arise." In an instant she arose in sound health, and Ausonius led her to her brother. — L'abb^ Duchassaing (canon of Angouleme), Life of St, Ausoniris, St, Euthymius cures a paralytic (a.d. 376-473). Terebon, son of an Armenian chief, was paralyzed all down one side of his body, and neither medicine nor magic had availed to cure him. One night, in a dream, he was told, if he went to the cavern of Euthymius, he would be shown what he must do to be healed. Next day he started with his father to find the hermit, who made the sign of the cross upon the paralytic, and thus restored him to robust and perfect health. This miracle effected the conversion of the chief and all his tribe, who, being baptized, were one and all called Peter. — Cyrillus, Life of Euthymius, (See Surius and the annotations of BoUandus.) St. Germanus of Scotland heals Petronilla of the palsy (fifteenth century). When St. Germanus of Scotland was in Lower Normandy, the daughter of the governor of Montebourg, a paralytic, blind from her birth, was brought to him. She entreated St. Germanus to baptize her. This he did, calling her Petronilla, in honour of St. Peter. Immediately the "water of regeneration" touched her, her eyes were opened, and her limbs received their normal strength. This miracle, wrought on one so considerable, was the cause of the conversion of the entire province. — Corblet, Ilagiographie (T Amiens. St. Laumer cures a paralytic (575). St. Laumer, by the sign of the cross and a little holy oil, restored to perfect health a nobleman whose whole body was paralyzed. He did the same also for Ulphrada, who in recompense gave him two farms for the use of his monastery. — Les Petits Bollandistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. i. p. 472. Mary F, P^titot cured of paralysis by St. Meinrad (IS50). Mary Francis Pe'titot of Neuchatel, at the age of eleven, was paralyzed by sudden fright. His legs seemed glued together, and nothing that was tried would separate them or restore circulation. Dr. Marcou drove a pin up to its head in the flesh, but the child felt it not, and instead of blood there issued from the wound water slightly reddened. The paral3'sis resisted all medical skill. Thirty-two years after the stroke, the paralytic was taken in a pilgrim band to the hermitage of St. Meinrad, and arrived there May 11, 1850. Next day he was carried to the church, and immediately the host was elevated he felt his legs were free, that he could stand and walk, and, in short, that he was perfectly cured. The miracle could not but call to mind that performed by Peter and John on the cripple who was laid daily at the gate " Beautiful," in Jerusalem (Acts iii. 1-11). Francis Pe'titot has now been eleven years enjoying the full free use of his limbs, and every year has repeated his pilgrimage to Einsiedeln on the anniver- sary of his miraculous cure. — R. P. Dom Charles Brandes, Life of St. Meinrad. St, Thecla cured of the palsy ^ and St. Justina of blindness, by the sign of the cross (A.D. 260). St. Thecla was a paralytic for six years, and St. Justina by accident lost the use of her eyes. One day Aifio, Philadelphus, and Cyrin came to Lentini to visit the two virgins. They prayed, and, making the sign of the cross, Thecla recovered the use of her limbs, and Justina received her eyesight. — Les Petits Botlan- disteSf vol. v. p. 443. Pt. I.] PAUL AND ELYMAS; JAILER; VIPER. 247 Paul and Ely mas. Acts xiii. 7-12. Sergius Paulus, deputy of Cyprus, sent for Paul, desiroas to hear the Word of God. But there was in the governor's suite a Jew named Bar-jesus or Elymas, who withstood Paul, and sought to turn away the governor from the faith. Then the apostle, filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on the sorcerer, and said, full of all subtilty and mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord ? Behold, now, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind for a season. Immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some one to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. A mountebank struck dead for with" standing St. Amandus (a.d. 665). When seventy years of age, St. Amandus, preach- ing to the Basques, was mocked by a buf- foon, who imitated his voice and manner, turning all he said into ridicule. Aman- dus took no notice of the fellow, but went on with his discourse. Not so God. To ridicule God's ministers is to mock God, and the hand of the Almighty was instantly stretched upon the buffoon. As he went on grimacing, suddenly his whole body was contorted. He writhed in agony, shrieking with pain ; rolled to the earth; and, after most excruciating sufferings, died. The crowd was horror- struck, and many who had hitherto stood aloof were baptized. — Menjoulet (vicar- general of Bayonne), &imt Amand, Apotre des Basques, Paul and the Jailer. AcT^ xvi. 23-34. When Paul and Silas were at Philippi, they were assaulted by the people, and the magistrates sent them to prison for creating a street riot, and charged the jailer to keep them safe. The jailer, having this charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. At midnight there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, all the doors of the prison flew open, and the bands of the prisoners were all loosed. The keeper, supposing the prisoners to have fled, drew his sword with intent to kill himself; but Paul cried aloud. Do thyself no harm; we are all here. Then the jailer called for a light, snraag in. fell down before Paul and Silas, brought them out, and said. Sirs, what must I do to be saved ? On this, Paul and Silas spoke to him the Word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. The jailer then washed their stripes, and both he; and all his were straightway baptized. St. Valerian and Maximus his jailer^ Almachius, having apprehended Valerian and Tiburtius, his brother, for being Christians, caused them to be beaten with staves, and then delivered them to Maximus to be put to death. Now Maximus, being a mild man, felt pity for his noble prisoners, and tried to in- duce them to abjure the obnoxious faith ; but they answered, ** He who to save his life abjures the faith of Christ, the same shall lose it." Maximus, in admiration of this fidelity to Christ, took them to his hous«» ; and there Valerian opened up to him the Word of the Lord, and to all that were in the house. The result was that Maximus and all his house were converted and baptized. — Meta- phrastSs, Lives^ etc. Paul and the Viper. Acts xxviii. 1-8. Paul escaped from toe wreck and came to Melita, where the barbarous people showed him no little kindness, for they kindled a fire, because of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. When the barbarians saw the venomous creature fasten on his hand, they said among themselves. No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. Paul, however, shook the viper into the fire, and felt no harm. Now, the bar- barians looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly; but when they saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said he was a god. Mark xvi. 17, 18. These signs shall follow them that believe: In My name shall they cast out devils ; they shall take up serpents ; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and the sick shall recover. St, Hospitus supposed by the Lombards to he a murderer ^ then a god. In 675 the Lombards, a cruel and insolent race, invaded France, and put all to fire and sword. Having advanced to the tower of St. Hospitus, they were struck with the chains which were hung about the saint, and took him for a malefactor, either a parricide or other great criminal, cut off from the society of man. Question- ing the saint, he avowed that he was indeed a wretched sinner, unfit to live ; whereupon one of the barbarians raised his sword, intending to cleave his head asunder ; but his arm became paralyzed, and he was wholly unable to move it. The barbarians, struck with terror, now thought the hermit was a god, and fell at his feet, imploring him to succour their companion. St. Hospitus, with the sign of the cross, restored the man's arm, and the man forthwith cut off his long hair. 248 PAUL AND THE BASKET— PAUL'S ROUTE ; VOYAGE. [Pt. L and became a faithful disciple of the jaint. Gregory of Tours, who relates this story, says the man was alive when he wrote it, and was an excellent and most religious man. — Hiatoria Francory.m^ bk. vi. ch. 6. St, Julian and the serpent (a.d. 117). When St. Julian was at Artin, a crowd of idolaters gathered round him, with intent to kill him. Far from trembling at their rage, he walked deliberately into their temple, and, by simply naming the name of Jesus, the great idol fell from its pedestal, and was smashed into powder. Forthwith a serpent, falling on several of the idolaters, bit them severely, insomuch that they died. Then the barbarians changed their minds, and instead of threatening the apostle witii death, implored his succour; where- upon St. Julian made in their si^ht the sign of the cross, and, commandmg the reptile to do no further harm, it fled, in obedience to the word of the man of God. At this miracle all the people of Artin were converted and baptized, calling on the name of Jesus as the only Saviour. As the barbarians gathered round St. Julian to be baptized of him, a serpent twined itself on a child, and all fled with horror ; but St. Julian prayed, and forthwith the reptile burst asunder, and fell dead upon the ground. — D. Piolin, History of the Church of Mans. Paul let down in a Basket. Acts Ix. 26. Paul escaped from the Jews at Damascus by being let down over the city wall in a basket. St. Thomas Aquinas, let down in a basket, escapes from Rocca Secca, When St. Thomas Aquinas expressed his in- tention to join the order of St. Dominic, his mother, who was countess of Aquino, had him confined in Rocca Secca. Dur- ing the temporary absence of the countess, the Dominicans of Naples went in dis- guise, and, with the connivance of his sister, let him out of the tower in a basket ; and he made his escape to Naples. — Alban Butler, Lices of the Saints (March 7). Carolstadt made his escape by being let over the city wall in a basket (a.d. 1624). Carolstadt, the image-breaker, would have been captured at Rotenberg by his persecutors, in 1624, but he was let down in a basket over the city wall, and made his escape. — Milman, Ecclesiaatical His- tory, vol. iv. p. 266. Paul's Route assigned and changed by a Vision. Acts xvi. 6-9. When they had gone through- out Phrygia . . . and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the Word in Asia . . . they assayed to go into Hithynia : but the Spirit BuflFered them not ... So, passing by Mysia, they came to Troas, when a vision appeared to Paul in the night ; There stood a man of Mace- donia, and prayed him, saying, Qoma over into Macedonia, and help us. St, Cyril is commanded by the apparition of St. Basil to go into Armenia (a.d. 1181). While St. Cyril, afterwards general of Mount Carmel, was living as an obscure monk on the mount, St. Basil, bishop of Caesarea (who had been dead more than eight hundred years), appeared to him one night, and com- manded him, on the part of Jesus, to go into Armenia to preach the gospel, and rekindle the fire of faith which was nearly ^one out. St. Cyril communicated the vision to his superior, who instantly recognized it was from God, and not only gave Cyril permission to go, but also assigned to him Eusebius as a companion. So successful were the labours of these two missionaries, that all the Armenian nation, including the king, was converted, and submitted to pope Lucius III. in entire obedience. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. iii. p. 200. Paul's Voyage. Acts xxvll. 13-44. When St. Paul was on his voyage to Rome, as the chip drew near Crete, a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon, arose, caught the ship, and nearly wreclced it. And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, all hope of safety was abandoned. Paul then told the crew to be of good courage, for an angel had told him, saying, God hath given thee, Paul, all them that sail with thee. On the fourteenth night, the seamen, thinking they were near land, let down the boat, intending to escape; but Paul said to the centurion. Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. So the soldiers cut the ropes of the bout, and let her fall off. At daybreak, Paul besought all on the ship to take food, and when they had eaten enough they lightened the ship by casting the wheat into the sea. The pilot then tried to run the ship into a creek ; but she ran aground, and the hinder part was broken by the violence of the waves. The centurion then gave orders that all should save them- selves who could; and some swam to shore, others were drifted there on boards or other parts of the ship. In fine, of the 276 souls on board, all escaped safe to land, and not one was lost. The voyage of St. Amandus from Borne to France (a.d. 694-684). St. Amandus Pt. I.] PENITENT THIEF. 249 embarked at Rome for Gaul, but as the vessel drew near Civita Vecchia, then called Centum celle, a great storm arose. The skies were covered with heavy banks of clouds, the sea surged, the waves rose in mountains, and the winds blew fright- fully. The ship was blown about, and every moment it was thought it would be wrecked. In this terrible state t^e crew threw themselves at the feet of St. Amandus, imploring him to ask God to save them, for vain was the help of man. St. Amandus bade them be of good courage, assuring them that not one of them should be lost. "Now rest your- selves from your fatigues," he continued, "and take food." So they took food and retired to their hammocks, for it was night. St. Amandus took his place next me pilot, and when all was quiet St. Peter came to him, and said, "Amandus, God hath given thee all those who sail with thee." Then, turning to the sea, he said, " Peace ; be still ! " and immediately there was a great calm. At daybreak the sailors found the ship floating peacefully over the sea ; she soon reached shore, and blessed God who had saved them in such imminent danger. As for St. Amandus, he went to the monastery of Elnon, preaching the Word and teaching in all the countries round about. — Menjoulet (vicar-general of Bayonne), Saint Amand, Apdtre des Penitent Thief. LuKB xxiii. 39-43. One of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, If Thou be the Christ, save Thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost thou not fear God ? . . . And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said to him. Verily I say unto thee. To-day shalt thou be with Me in paiadise. BismaSf the penitent thief (a.d. 33). The tale about the two thieves, in Long- fellow's Golden Legend, is taken from St. Anselm, Meditations, xv., only he has changed the names from Dismas and Gestas into Titus and Dumachus. St. Anselm says, " Dismas lived in the forests of Egypt, and when the holy family fled to Egypt to escape from Herod, Dismas, with his band of robbers, started upon them from ambuscade ; but seeing only an old man, a young woman, and an infant in arms, the brigand forbore to rob or molest them, and, being struck with the divine beauty of the infant Jesus, he conducted the three fugitives into his cave, and set before them water to wash in and food to eat. Mary assured Dismas that be should receive a recompense for his kind- ness before he died. This promise was realized oi> the cross, when Jesus said to him, * This day shalt thou be with Me in paradise.'" Longfellow does not follow St. Anselm throughout. He says the holy family was set on by a band of robbers, one of whom, named Titus, said, " Let these good people go in peace;" but Dumachus, another of the band, insisted on being paid for their ransom. Where- upon Titus handed him the money, and the infant Jesus said to the good thief — When thirty years shall have goo* bf, I at Jerusalem shall die . . . On the accursed tree. Then on my right and my left side, These thieves shall both be crucifiet^ And Titus thenceforth shall abide In paradise with Me. There was a mediaeval charm, in Latin verse, which ran as follows: — Imparibus meritis pendent tria corpora ramis ; Dysmas, et Gestas, media est Divina Potestas ; Alta petit Dysmas, infelix infima Grestas ; Nos et res nostras conservet Summa Potesta& Hos versus dicas ne tu furto tua perdas. Of differing merits from three trees incline, Dismas, and Gestas, and the Power Divine ; Dismas seeks heaven, Gestas his own damnation. The Mid-one seeks our ransom and salvation. This charm your goods will save from spoliation. B^zierSy a great criminal^ converted by St, Vincent Ferrier, and taken to paradise (A.D. 1357-1419). When St. Vincent Ferrier was in France, he met with one Be'ziers, a man who had committed many great crimes, amongst others that of incest, so that he utterly despaired of God's mercy. While the saint was preach- ing in the town, this great criminal went to hear him, and was so arrested by the fire of his words, that he went to him in great contrition, and, falling at his feet, cried in agony of spirit, " What must I do to be saved ? " St. Vincent imposed on him a penitence of seven years. ** What, my father," he exclaimed, " only seven years of penitence for crimes so many and so great as mine ? " "Yes, my son," replied St. Vincent, "and I will reduce the seven years to three days on bread and water." The penitent was heart-broken with gratitude, he was wholly unable to utter a word, and St. Vincent added, "Go in peace, my son ; repeat thrice the Lord's Prayer, and your sins, which are many, shall be all forgiven you." Scarcely had B^ziers completed this easy task, when he fell down dead at St. Vincent's feet. At S80 PETER'S DENIAL OF CHRIST. [Pt. 1. night, his glorified soul appeared to the saint, and said to him, " By the abound- ing mercy of God my contrition has been accepted, and I am admitted into paradise Krithout passinej through the flames of purgatory." — Father Teoli, bk» ii. tratt. 2, c. 4. A courtesan, converted by St, Vincent Ferrier^ dies suddenly, and is taken to paradise (a.d. 1357-1419). A woman, who led a most scandalous life, once went into a church where St. Vincent Ferrier was preaching. Her object was not to hear the preacher, but to show off herself, and attract the eyes of the audience ; consequently, she was dressed in the height of fashion, and seated her- self in the most conspicuous place of the church. St. Vincent took for his subject, •* In like manner also I will that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety ; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array ; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works" (1 Tim. ii. 9, 10). He spoke strongly on the vanity of dress, and showed how dress bespoke the mind. He called it "the silent language of the heart;" and showed how utterly impos- sible it is to be vain in dress and sincere in good works. He then went on to show what are good works, without which none could hope for salvation. He was fervid, earnest, eloquent ; and his words, sharper than a two-edged sword, pierced the heart and marrow of the harlot. She wept most bitterly ; her sobs suffocated her ; she fell dead. All the congregation said it was a judgment of God ; but St. Vincent, addressing the crowd, said, "My dear hearers, this is, no doubt, an awful visitation, but not a visit of condemnation. I believe the contrition of our sister was so sincere and so bitter, that it broke her heart, and a broken heart God never can despise. Let us pray for her repose." At this moment a voice rang through the church, loud, clear, and awful, " It is not needful to pray for the repose of our sister's soul, for it is in paradise. Pray for your own souls, that your contrition for sins may be as sincere as hers."— L'abbd A. Bayle, Life of St. Vincent Ferrier (1855). A dying infidel saved in spite of himself (fourteenth century). One day St. Vincent Ferrier stood beside a dying man whose blasphemies were shocking to hear. St. Vincent, confiding in the coyenanted mercies of God, turned to the dying man and said, "I will save j^'ou in spite of yourself." He then ir.vited those present to invoke the Virgin and recite their rosary. Before the rosary was finished the " Mother of God " ap- peared, bearing in her arms the infant Jesus covered with His wounds, all bleeding. The dying man saw the vision, demanded pardon of God and man, and was numbered with the elect. This forms the subject of a painting. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. iv, p. 237. Peter's Denial of Christ. Mark xIv. 66-71. During the trial of Jesus, Peter crept into the Judgment-hall to see how it would all end. And, as he stood beneath in the palace, one of the maids of the high priest said to him. And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But Peter denied, saying, I know not. neither understand I what thou sayest. Shifting his place, he went into the porch, and the cock crew. A maid saw him in the porch, and said to the bystiinders, This is one of them. And he denied again. A little time after some of the bystanders said to him, S irely thon art one of them : for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. Then Peter began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. Cranmer, the archbishop, denies and recants. At the death of Edward VI., his half-sister Mary ascended the throne, and, being a rigid [Roman] Catholic, many Protestants were, by her mstigation, subjected to torture and death. Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, leaders of the Protestant party, were committed to the Tower, and afterwards removed to the Bocardo, a common jail in Oxford. They were all condemned as heretics, and their execution at the stake was resolved on. Cranmer was frightened at the sentence, and, to avoid it, recanted, not three times, like Peter, but six times. It has been well said, that " the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel." The recantation of the archbishop availed him nothing, for the sentence of death was not revoked, but formally fixed for May 21, 1556. It is said, when Cranmer came to the stake, he held his right hand in the flame till it was burnt off, saying, *' That unworthy hand ! that unworthy hand I " He cer- tainly underwent his sentence with un- daunted resolution. It is not for us to condemn the weakness of Peter, Marcel- linus, Jerome, and Cranmer, but, from their examples, to '* take heed lest we also fall." Jerome of Prague anathemxitizes the articles of Wiclif\ but afterwards recant* Pt. I.] PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN. 251 (Sept. 11, A.D. 1415). Jerome of Prague, frightened at the terrible death of his friend Huss, retracted his "heretical" doctrines. His retractation was, at first, somewhat ambiguous, like that of Peter, who said to the damsel who charged him with being a disciple of Christ, " I know not, neither do I understand what thou sayest ; " but when pressed by others, he *' began to curse, and to swear that he did not even know the Prisoner." So Jerome's retractations, which were at first equivocal, became more and more explicit and circumstantial as he was harder pressed. He then not only denied belief in the new doctrines, but anathematized the articles of Wiclif and Huss, and professed to believe everything the council believed, adding these words, "If in future any word shall escape me incon- sistent with this my recantation, may I be punished with everlasting perdition." The cock crew, and Peter, brought to himself, went out, and wept bitterly ; so, a few days' reflection in prison brought Jerome to his senses, and when next he stood before the council, he boldly said, * * I am not ashamed to confess my cowardice, before this august assembly. I tremble when I think of it. I tremble when I think that the fear of the stake induced me to condemn the doctrines of Wiclif and Huss, which in my heart I most firmly believe." He then dis- owned his retractation, denouncing it as the greatest of crimes, and declaring that, come what might, he would with his last breath adhere to the principles of those two men. He was then sent back to prison, and, not long after, sealed his fidelity at the stake. — Milman, History of the Church of Christ, vol. iii. pp. 370-375. (The comparison between Peter and Jerome li not in Milman's narrative.) The pope Marcellinus offers incense to Apollo, In the reign of Diocletian, the Roman emperor, Marcellinus, the pope, was apprehended, and threatened with terrible torments unless he abjured the Christian faith by offering incense to Apollo. Being a very timid man, he yielded through fear, and offered sacrifice; whereupon he was set free; and the emperor greatl}' rejoiced that he had won over the chief pontiff of the pernicious sect. A council being called at Sinuessa, the renegade appeared before it. There were three hundred bishops and thirty priests present, and they all resolved with one voice that there resided no power in man to depose a pope. The cag« of Peter was brought forward for their guidance, and it was urged that the apostles did not cut off Peter from his apostleship for denying Christ, but left him to be dealt with as God thought fit. So Marcellinus was not deposed. Afterwards he recanted, and was put to death. — Damasus, Life of Marcellinus, Tiie judgment was no guide for future councils. Euge- nius IV. was deposed by tiie Council of Basel in 1438. A still stronger case occurred in the reign of Kaiser Sigmund in 1414, when tlie Council of Constance deposed the three popes, John XXII., Gregory XlL.and Benedict XIII. Surely it must be obvious that either the dogma of the pope being an overlord, and God's vicar on earth, must be abandoned, or else there resides no power in man to depose him. Not all the powers of the state, except that of the king himself, can depose his viceroys ; and not all tt9 powers of the earth, except that of Christ, can depose His delegate. If the pope, therefore, is God's delegate, as he claims to be, no body of men can depose him ; it on the other hand, a council can depose him, be is only an officer of the Ciiurch, and not God's delegate. The position of king is radically different, k king is only a civil potentate, a chief magistrate of the state, just so long as the nation chooses to continue him in office. If we believe him to be "God's anointed," we must say with Shakespeare, " Show us the hand of God that hath dismissed us from His stewardship." A pope, if anything more than a president of brother bishops, cannot be deposed. Hence this dilemma : If the pope is God's delegate, man cannot depc ^ him ; if a council or king can depose him, he is only the officer of that council or king, and not ' ' God's vicar " at all. The Council of Sinuessa was consistent, those of Basel and Constance suicidal to their own dogma. Pharisee and Publican. Luke xviii. 10-14. Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself: God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, ui^just, adulterers, or even as this publican; I fast twice in the week ; I give tithes of all that I possess. The publican, standing afar oflF, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but emote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. Juno and her suitors. There is a legend or fable, no matter which, that Juno, on a grand festival, promised a great reward to the suitor who should bring her the most acceptable present. Amongst those who presented themselves Were a phy- sician, a poet, a merchant, a philosopher, and a beggar. The physician presented to her an elixir of life, whereby old age was restored to youth and beauty. The poet presented an ode on her favourite bird, the peacock. The merchant pre- sented a rare and valuable jewel for an earring. The philosopher handed her a book, in which he had discovered certain secrets of nature hitherto unknown. The poor quaking beggar had nothing, literally nothing ; and bending on his knees in abject humility, he cried with a broken voice, *^ Great queen, I hav« nothing, 252 PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE. [Pt. 1. nothing worthy of thy acceptance ; but have mercy on me, O great queen, and accept me, as the humblest of thy slaves." Juno took the beggar by the hand, bade him stand upon his feet, put a crown upon his head, and said, "The gods delight to honour the lowly-minded, and he that humbleth himself most shall be most exalted." The anchorite and the minstrel, A cer- tain anchorite had passed a long life in a cave of the Thebaid, remote from all communion with men. He fasted, and prayed, and performed many severe pen- ances. Having thus lived for threescore and ten years, he was puffed up with the notion of his sanctity, and, like St. Antony, besought the Lord, if any saint on earth was holier than himself, to point him out, that he might emulate him. The same night an angel appeared to him, and said, "If thou wouldst be more perfect, seek out the minstrel who passes daily through the streets of Thebes beg- ging, and learn of him." The anchorite, greatly amazed, nevertheless started, staff in hand, for Thebes, and soon found out the minstrel beggar, "Good brother," said the hermit, " what good works hast thou done, what time hast thou spent in prayer, and what penances have you performed, to make yourself so acceptable to God," The minstrel, amazed at these questions, hung down his head in great abasement. " I prithee do not mock me, thou man of God," he cried ; "I have done no good works, miserable sinner that I am, but earn my bread with my viol and flute." "Nay, nay," rejoined the hermit, "but amidst this thy carnal life, no doubt you have found time to do some good works, pleasant and acceptable to God." " Alas ! alas ! " said the min- strel, " I know nothing good that I have done." The hermit, wondering more and more, said to him, "You are a beggar. Have you spent your substance in riotous living, like most others of your class ? " " No," said the minstrel, " It is true that I once had a little, but I spent it to redeem the children of a poor widow, who had been sold to slavery to pay a debt ; but any one would have done that for a fellow-creature in distress." The hermit, hearing this, wept bitterly, and exclaimed, •*! have not done one-tenth so much as this poor beggar, and j^et men call me the holy anchorite," — St. Jerome. St, Theodulus a pillar-saint (fifth cen- tury). About a century after Simeon the pillar-saint, rose, in Edessa, Theodulus, who retired to a pillar as his hermitage. After living on his pillar many yearSj he said to Christ in pra3'er, " O Lord, if I have merited anything at Thy hand, let me know if there lives any one in the world who has done more than I have to earn eternal life." A voice said to him, "Yes, Theodulus, Cornelius the jester has." Theodulus immediately descended to hunt up this rival, and having found him, wrung from him in time this story : " A lady of fortune married ; and her husband, who was a great libertine, wasted her fortune in riotous living. He was imprisoned for debt, and the wife set herself to work to earn money to pay off his debts. One day I asked her how much she required. * Four hundred ecus* (£6 sterling), was the reply; so I sold everything I had, and raised thereby three hundred ecus. To complete the sum I sold my clothes, the collar which I wore round my neck, and a ring ; and, having amassed the four hundred ecus, gave them to the lady, saying, * There, lady, accept this offering, and redeem your husband.' " Theodulus returned to his column a better and a humbler man, but died in a few days.— -4c^a Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. vi. May 28. This seenis to be simply anottier version of the preced- ing tale, which in mj opinion is the better of the two. Pinnacle of the Temple. Matt. Iv. 6-7. The devil took Jesus into the holy city, and setting Him on a pinnacle of the temple, said to Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down : for it is written. He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee ; and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. St, James the Less or the Just set on a pinnacle of the temple. The Jews came to James the Just, and desired him to speak unto the people on the day of the Passover. So he said he would do what was fitting for him to do. The day being come, an infinite crowd was assembled ; and the scribes and Pharisees led James to the pinnacle of the temple, where all might see and hear him. Being there set, they propounded to him the question, *'What tliinkestihou of Christ?" Then spake James with a loud voice, saying, *' He is the Son of man who now si'tteth on the right hand of God, and He shall come hereafter to judge both the quick and dead." His voice was now drowned in the uproar, and the priests went in a body to the pinnacle, and threw him headlong to the ground. He was not killed by the fall, so they took up stones I'T. I.] PLAGUE STAtEt)~tOOL— tOST-PHOPHECIES. 253 to cast at him ; and St. James, getting on his knees, prayed God to pardon his murderers. His body was transferred to Rome, and laid beside the body of Philip, his fellow-apostle. His head, however, is in Galatia, in Spain. — Edward Kines- man (1623), Lives of the Saints^ pp. 267, 268. (Although Egesippus, Clemens Alexandrinus, Eusebius Cesariensis, and St. Jerome, all think that James, sur- named "Justus," is not the same as James the Less, yet tlie authority of pope Anacletus is sufficient to prove it, for he was pope of Home, and who shall gainsay him t) Plague stayed. 2 Sam. xxiv. 25. So the Lord was Intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel. Jonah li. 4-10. Jonah was commanded to announce to the people of Nineveh the utter destruction of the city within forty days ; but the king of Nineveh ordained a general fast, and bade that man and beast should be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God. So God repented of the evil, and the city was saved. St, Peter Thomas intreated the Lordj and a plague in Cyprus was stayed (a.d. 1358). St. Peter Thomas stayed a plague which desolated the whole island of Cyprus. He commanded the people to make a public procession. He himself headed it, clothed in sackcloth, with ashes on his head, a cord round his neck, and barefooted. When God saw the proces- sion, He was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed. Similarly, St. Peter Thomas arrested the plague in the island of Paphos. — Philip Mazzeri, Life of St, Peter Thomas, Fool of Bethesda. John v. 2-9. There is at Jerusalem by the sheep-market a pool . . . called Bethesda, having five porches, in [which] lay a great multitude of impotent folk, blind, halt, and withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water ; whoever then first stepped in was made whole of whatever disease he had. A certain man was there who had had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him, He said, Wilt thou be made whole ? . . . Rise ! take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, took up his bed, and walked. Acts iii. l-ll. Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of ppyer, and a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried and laid daily at the gate of the temple, called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked alms. Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, said, Silver and gold have I none ; but such as I have give I unto thee : In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And immediately his feet and ankle-bones received strength, and leaping up he stood, and walked, and entered the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. St. Marcian's porch, St. Marcian built a church dedicated to St. Isidore, which had a magnificent baptistery surrounded with five porches. This baptistery was more worthy of renown than the pool by the sheep-market in Jerusalem, in that greater miracles occurred there. To the pool in the sheep-market an angel descended, and that only once a year, and the water healed but one sick person at a time ; but to St. Marcian's baptistery, not an angel, but Christ Himself was wont to descend ; not once a year, but every day ; not to heal bodies only, but souls as well. — Simeon Metaphrastes (died a.d. 911), Lives^ etc. Post-prophetic Intuition and Second Sight. (We have not the words Epiphetic and Epiphecy to express the knowledge by inspiration of events just past ; but we want theni. The Hindd word is yog-vidya.) ISA. xli. 22. Show them the former things what they be, or declare us things for to come hereafter. John xi. 1-lY. Mary and Martha sent to tell Jesus that their brother Lazarus was sick ; but, notwithstandiuif, He remained two days longer in the same place. After that He saith to His disciples. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth. Then said His disciples. Lord, if he sleep he will do welL Howbeit He spake of his death. When Jesus had come to Bethany he found that Lazarus had been buried four days. St. Benedict in Mount Cassino sees the death of St. Germanus at Capua (sixth century). On the night of St. Germanus's death, Servantius, abbot of a monastery in Italy, went to Mount Cassino to confer with St. Benedict on spiritual matters. At night, Servantius retired to a chamber above that of St. Benedict, in the tower of the building. St. Benedict opened his casement to look at the starry heavens, and while he gazed, he beheld a light so brilliant, that the darkness was wholly chased away. It was lighter than mid- day, and the light was perfectly serene. And still he looked, rapt in admiration ; when lo ! he beheld the soul of St. Ger- manus, bishop of Capua, borne by angels to heaven in a globe or sphere of fire. He called to Servantius to come and see this marvel; but before he arrived, the vision was fading fast, and Servantius only saw the end of it. Next day, a messenger was sent express from Capua to announce the death of their bishop; 254 POST-PROPHETIC INTUITION. fPT. t and the hour of his decease exactly cor- responded with the time of the vision seen by St. Benedict from his chamber window. — St. Gregory the Great, Dia- logues^ bk. ii. St, Bernard of Abbeville sees the death vf the abbot Gervais by post-prophetic vision (a.d. 1096). Gervais was one of the abbots appointed by pope Urban II. to take part in the crusade of 1096. Mounted on his ass, and accompanied by numerous crosses, he was directing his course to- wards Jerusalem, when a lion sprang on him, and devoured him in the sight of his terrified companions. The very same day St. Bernard was apprised of the fatal event by revelation, and had funeral obsequies observed in his monastery. At the close of the war, when the crusaders returned to their country, St. Bernard was officially informed that the abbot had been killed by a lion on the very day that his obsequies had been observed. — Corblet, Bagiographie d' Amiens. (The life of St. Bernard was written 1137-1148 by Geof- frey le Gros, one of his disciples.) &t, Cuthbert knows of the death of king Egfrid by post-prophetic intuition. St. Cuthbert informed the queen of the death of king Egfrid on the very day that he was slain, fighting against the Picts. This he could have known only by inspiration, as he made the communication long before the swiftest messenger could have arrived from the field of battle (a.d. 685). — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), March 20. St, Francis Hieronimus knows by epiphetic inspiration of the murder of Francois Cassier (a.d. 1688). Fran9ois Cassier was a Protestant, who married a [Roman] Catholic, and had two daughters. When these daughters were grown up, the mother died, and the father resolved to go to Geneva, but insisted on his two daughters travelling in male attire. On the road, the two daughters shot their father with pistols, buried the body, and enlisted in the army of Charles II. of Spain. In an expedition against some brigands, one of the sisters was slain, and, to prevent exposure, the survivor buried her, enlisted in the army under the name of Charles Pimental, and after the extirpation of the brigands returned with the army to Naples. Here St. Francis Hieronimus saw her on guard in Chateau-Neuf, and made a sign to her to come and speak to him. "What in the world can that fellow want with me?" said the assumed Charles Pimental ; but M the saint still beckoned her, she went and asked what he wanted. ** I want 3'ou to confess your great sins," said the man of God. " Me ! to confess my great sins?" she cried in bravado. "I have none to confess, so prithee go about your business, and don't trouble me." *' No sin to confess ? " said St. Francis. *' Are you not a woman in soldier's attire ? Is not your name Mary Cassier? Were you not bom in Paris? Did you not, in conjunction with your sister, since dead, shoot your father Francois Cassier, and bury him? and did j-^ou not then assume the name of Charles Pimental, and j oin the army of Charles II. of Spain ? " Seeing her secret so minutely known, she still tried to brazen it out, and cried, in seeming astonishment, "Who in the world can have told you so absurd a story? However, I will see you to-morrow." The saint waited the morrow, but no one came ; he waited the next day, still "Charles Pimental" put in no appearance. On the third day he went, and said to her, "Is it thus you keep your word?" "Father," she replied, "believe me, I have not been able, and now we have marching orders for Tuscany." "No," said the saint, "you will not leave to- morrow ; and if what I tell you is true, swear by the name of Christ you will call on me to-morrow without fail." Scarcely was the father gone, when the order for departure was revoked, and the " soldier" went to the church of Gesu Nuow> to fulfil her promise. Immediately the saint saw her he exclaimed, " So you thought to escape from the hands of God, did you ? No bird can escape from that fowler." She then made her confession, received absolution, resumed her female attire, and was placed in a retreat by the marquis of Santo Stefano. — Cardinal Wiseman. (Mary Cassier gave these details "gooi la foi du serment pour le procbs de canonization de St. Francis Hieronimua/* in 1839.) St. Hermeland knows of the death of St, Maurontus, thoulogus. The bandage with which Christ was blindfolded (Mark xiv. B.*!). The bandage with which Christ was blindfolded by the soldiers was given by Charlemagne to St. Namphasus, who built the abbey of Marcillac, where he deposited the relic. It is now kept in a little country church called St. Julian of Lunegarde. It is a linen bandage, stained in many places with blood. The historian Dominicy writes, " Asservatur in ecclesia St. Juli- ani de Lunegarde (cujus praesentatio ad abbatem Marciliacensem pertinet) tenue velum ex lino iEgyptio ; idemque illud esse dicunt quo Christi faciem milites obduxere, dum per ludibrium colaphis caederetur. Est et in eadem ecclesia, frustum arundinis, ei in signum regni affectati, pro sceptre traditje." — Sudario Capitis Christi, p. 47. One would have thought that the face of Christ was wvered with a sudarium or pocket-handkerchief belonging to one of the soldiers or servants, and after the mockery was over that the cloth would be reclaimed by the owner. It is not the least likely that the Christians would buy up such relics, or even venture to pick them up at such a time of peril. There is no proof whatever that relics of Euch articles were diligently sought and preserved by the apostles and primitive Christians. The mania for relics Bet in during the reign of Constantine, when his mother Helena gave it an enormous impulse. The blood of Jesus Christ. We are assured that some of the blood of Christ is preserved at Mantua. It is said to have been preserved by Longinus, when he pierced the side of Jesus with his spear ; but it is more generally thought that this blood did not proceed from the body of the Saviour, but from crucifixes pierced in derision by Jews and other unbelievers. Alban Butler, in his Lives of the Saints (May 3), endorses this L^atement, and the chamberlain of pope Leo XIII. (1880) says, "Ces miracles'* (that is, bleeding crucifixes) " si touchants sont raconte's et etablis d'une maniere peremptoire dans des histoires fort authentiques." — See St. Thomas, bk. iii. p. 54, a. 2-5 ; and bk. v. 5. The holy blood of Billom, in France, This relic consists of a spoonful of blood, said to be brought from Syria, in the first crusade, by two canons, named Durand Albanelli and Peter Barbasta. The blood had preserved its colour and fluidity. Several vouchers accompanied the vessel containing the blood, one dated in the reign of Tiberius, and another in that of Valens. A bull of Eugenius IV. (a.d. 1444) established a confraternity in honour of the blood of Billom. Paul VI., Calixtus III., Leo X., and Clement VII., all attest that a great number of miracles were performed by virtue of this blood, which, we are told, was a specific for dysentery, hemorrhage, sore eyes, etc. It was lost in the Revolution. — Discours historique sur le sang precieux que Von revere dans V^glise collegiate et royale de St. Cerneuf de la ville de Billom, en Auvergne, 1757. The cross on which Christ was crucified discovered (a.d. 326). The cross of Christ is the great relic of the [Roman] Catholic Church, and ought to be au- thenticated by the most unimpeachable authority even from the daj^ of the cruci- fixion to the present hour ; but we hear nothing of it till the fourth century. And as it was made of deal, and buried in the earth, considerable decay must have taken place in three hundred years. The epoch of its discovery was as far from the time of the crucifixion as we are from Queen Elizabeth. But to the legend : — We are told that it was found by the empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, May 3, a.d. 326. She was nearly eighty years of age at the time. Ancient authors do not agree upon the way she was led to the discovery. Thus Nicephorus Callistus and Cassiodorus assert that she was directed to the spot by revelation, but the Roman breviary and most other authorities maintain that one Judas betrayed to her the place where this and other relics connected with it were buried. Alban Butler tells us it was customary for the Jews to bury whatever was used in an execution in a hole near the place of execution ; if so, it seems strange that the place was not generally known, and still more strange that the apostles and early Christians, who are represented to us by [Roman] Catholic Christians as great venerators of all relics relating to Christ, should have known this fact and not disinterred such ines- timable treasures. The place of conceal- ment was wrung from Judas involuntarily, but he told the empress to dig under a temple of Venus which stood close by the holy sepulchre. So the temple was knocked down, and men were employed to dig about the spot, and there were found three crosses, some nails, and a slab of wood which had been used for a title of accusation. St. Andrew of Crete, who died a.d. 722, in his Be Exaltatione Crucis, adds, the spear also, the sponge, the crown of thorns, the cloth with which Christ was blindfolded, the whip, th« 270 RELICS Of tH£ CRUCIFIXION: CHOWN OF THORNS, [^t. I. reed, and the pillar at which He was scourged, were not buried in the hole under the temple of Venus, but have all come to light no one knows how, and no one knows when. The next question is obviously, what became of these relics ? According to the same authorities there was a great difficulty in knowing which of th2 three crosses was the true cross. This perplexity was removed by Ma- carius, patriarch of Jerusalem, who advised the empress to test them by touching with them a body on the point of death. Writers differ as to the way this test was applied. Some say a sick woman was brought to the spot, and touched with the three crosses ; when those of the two malefactors touched her no effect was produced, but immediately the true cross touched her, she was re- stored to perfect health. Others, amongst whom is Alban Butler, tell us the three crosses were carried to the house of a sick lady of high rank, and the test applied at her house. All agree that the miracle revealed which was the true cross. The right cross being thus determined on, the empress seems to have cut it into three unequal parts, one of which she enshrined in a rich silver casket, and fave to Macarius, the patriarch of erusalem, one she sent to Con- stantinople, and one to Rome, for the church built in that city by herself and Constantine, ever since called the Church of the Holy Cross; this part is now enclosed in one of the four huge pillars which support the dome of St. Peter's church. The part sent to Constantinople was given by Baldwin II., with other relics, to St. Louis of France, who had paid off a very large debt, and they are still preserved in Paris. It was given out, however, that Baldwin had sent these relics away, because it was no longer safe to keep them in a place so subject to spoliation as Constantinople. St. Paulinus (in his Epistle to Sevenis) tells us that chips were almost daily cut from the cross, and given to devout persons, and yet that "the wood suffered no diminution." Cyril of Jerusalem endorses this statement, and adds, that within twenty-five j^ears of the "invention," pieces of the true cross were spread over the whole earth, "for its multiplication was like that of the loaves and fishes, when Jesus fed the multitude in the desert." Calvin says fifty men could not carry the wood of what is called " the true cross" scattered abroad. And Luther, a good authority, says there was wood enough to "build an immense house." Th3 following places are said to possets parts of the cross : Alx-la-Chapelle, Amiens, Angers, Aries. Arras, Autun, Avignon, Baug6, Bernay, BesanQon, Bologna, Bonifacio, Bordeaux, Bourbon Larchambault, Bourges, Brussels, Chalinargues, Chalons, Chamirey, Ch&tillon, Cheffes in Anjou, Chelles, Compitgne, Conques, Cortona, Coutral, Denmark, Dijon, Donawert, England, Faphine, Flume, Florence, Gand, Geneva, Grammont, Jaucourt, Jerusalem, Langres, Laon, Libourne, Lille, Limhourg, Longpont, Lorris, Lyons. M&^on, Maestricht, Marseilles, Milan, Mont Athos, Montepulciano, Naples, Nevers, Norway. Nuremberg, Padua, Paris, Pisa. Poitiers, Pontlgny, Ragusa, Riel-les-Eaux. Ilome, Royaumont, Saint Di6, Saint Florent, Saint Quentin, Sjiint Sepulclire, Sens, Siena, Tournay, Treves, Troye", Turin, Valcourt, Vainback, Venice, Venloo, and without doubt several othen, and many parts are lost. In 636 the part sent to Jerusalem was divided Into nineteen parts, four of which were kept at Jenisalem, three were sent to Constantinople <1 1), three to Antioch, two to Georgia, and one part to each of the five following places: Alexandria, Ascalon, Crete. Damascus, and Edessa. Three were sent to Constantinople because the part sent there by the empress Helena iiad been transferred to France (see Crown of Thorns). Without d( >ubt. the wood of the cross was sold at a ^od price, and this will account for its being cut up Into ao many pieces. "Denmark." It was Urban V. who gave a part of the cross to Waldemar III. of Denmark, because he consented to assist in a crusade. " Norway." King Sigur of Norway bad a part given him for his services at the siege of Sidon. This part was depositeil in the town of Kongliell. Ambrose, fhineral Oration of Theodotitu ; Cassiodorus, Tripartite History, bk. 1. ch. 4 ; St. Chrysostom ; St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Lecture* to Catechumens, x. ; Gregory of Tours ; St Isidore, Missal ; Nicephorus Callistus, Eccle- tiastical History, bk. viii. ch. 26 ; Ruflnus, Ecclesiastical History, ch. 20 ; St. Paulinus, Epistle to Severus, 7, 12 ; 8ocrate^ Xcclesiastical History; Sozomen, ditto; Sul- picius Severus, Sacred Uittory; Theodoret; and scores of more modern auUiors. •»• Gretrer says Uie column of the cross was fifteen feet, and the crosspiece to which the hands were nailed was between seven and eight feet Lipsius says the slab containing the accusations was three feet eight inches. The writing was in red letters. M. Rohault says the wood of the cross was deal or pine. Alexis Conmenus, writing to Rol)ert, count of Flanders, In 1100, tells him there were preserved at Constantinople the column of the cross, the whip with which Christ was scourged, the purple robe, the crown of thorns, tlie reed given for sceptre, the dress that Christ wore, the nails, and the linen napkins found In the tomb. The crown of thorns. The crown of thorns was not found in the hole with the cross, and there is no record or tradition extant of its discovery. In the thirteenth century Baldwin II., we are told, sent it for greater security to St. Louis, who built the Holy Chapel for its depository. In this chapel was also kept that part of the true cross which the empress Helena had sent to Constantinople. Alban Butler says, " Some of the thorns have been dis- tributed to other churches, and some have been made in imitation of the real ones, but the imitation thorns are usually very long." In the Hotel de Cluny, Paris, Is a ring containing a ■mail part of one of the thorns. Other like rings are pro- bably known. One would like to know something of this relic before Baldwin, in the twelfth century, sent it to Paris. How was it obtained ? How was it preserved during tbe si^e of Jerusalem t Where was it during Pr. 1.] RELICS OF THE CRUCIFIXION: CtJt»-NAlLS. 271 those troublesome times prior to the reign of Constantine? As the strength of a chain is only equal to its weakest link, so the authenticity of a relic is destroyed by an> flaw In its history. Then there is the crown of thorns preserved in the Santa Maria della Spina of Pisa. In regard to the Paris crown, it is not a crown of thorns, bu^ of " petits Jones r^unis en faisceaux," eight inches ii. diameter. Besides this entire crown, there are 103 churciies which profess to have parts of the true crown, especially Pisa, Treves, and Bruges. The Trdves relic professes to have come direct from the empress Helena, and that at Pisa is exactly like it. The cup or chalice of the Last Supper* The *' Sacro Catino " is sometimes identified with the " Holy Graal " of the poets of the Middle Aojes, but most Englishmen think the Holy Graal was the paten, not the chalice. The cup at Genoa, taken to Paris in 1816, was broken by its removals. It is of green glass, cast and cut with considerable care ; has two handles, and is of hexagonal form. Its diameter atop is 326 millimetres, and it will hold three litres of liquor. Quares- mius says this was the cup used by our Lord in the Last Supper; but most [Roman] Catholics think the cup which served tne Last Supper was the silver chalice at Valencia, in Spain. Most certainly the Holy Graal of Arthurian romance was a golden vessel, not a green glass cup ; and although the descriptions given are purposely obscure, there can be little doubt that it was either the consecrated bread converted into Christ., or the paten which held it. It seems, however, not to be any paten, nor ail consecrated bread, for it is always brought in either by a dove, or by a miraculous light "more clear by seven times than the light of day," or by a celestial damsel, and immediately the bread has been distributed, the graal vanishes. — See Morte cC Arthur, pt. iii. ch. 3, 4, 35, 102. The grave-clothes, I have not had time to invoice anything like all the places which claim to possess part or parts of the grave-clothes found in the rock sepulchre after the resurrection of the Lord ; but the following are the best known : — Aix-la-Chapellb contains some of the grave-clothes, Besan^on. Here was, at one time, shown part of the grave-clothes, but the relic was cast away at the great Revolu- tion. Cardinal Mathieu made great efforts to recover it or parts of it, but wholly without success. Cadouin, in the diocese of P^rigueux, is said to possess *' un suaire, de 2 m, 81, sur 1 m. 13. II est I'objet d'une description de'taillee, et nous off re un linge fort ome'e." Cahors is especially rich in the grave- clothes. It claims to possess the cloth which covered the head of Jesus. It is of fine Egyptian linen, " trois doubles superposes." It was examined and verified (! !) by Champollion (1790-1832). It has many blood-Btains ; two in particular have penetrated through the folds. Carcasso, in Italy, contains some of the grave-clothes. Chamb^ry. One of the cloths is deposited in a beautiful chapel at Cham- be'ry; where is also a glass window recording its history (sixteenth century). Mayencb contains some of the grave- clothes. Rome. Several churches lay claim to grave-clothes of the Christ. Toulouse contains some of the grave- clothes. Turin. Here is a suaire of linen, somewhat yellow, "et raye' comme du basin." It is four metres long. Has great spots of blood, some indicating blood from the head. The nails of the cross. The number of nail^emploved in crucifixion is uncertain. Thus Gregory Nazianzen (329-390) as- serts there were only three, one nail serv- ing for both the feet, which were placed one above the other. St. Cyprian (200- 258), who had been a personal witness to more than one crucifixion, says, in his De Fassione, each foot was nailed with a separate spike, and that the number U'3ed was four. Of the nails found in the hole where the cross was buried, one of them, at least, was sent to Rome,* and deposited in what was afterwards the Santa Croce ; two were sent by the empress Helena to her son Constantine, one of which was welded, as an amulet, to his helmet, and the other was set in his horse's headstall ; f a fourth the empress Helena threw into the gulf of Venice to allay a storm. These were the four nails ; but a nail, said to be one employed in the crucifixion, was set in the famous "iron crown of Lombardy," with which Charlemagne and Napoleon I. were crowned. Calvin enumerates four- teen or fifteen nails: — one in the Santa Croce, at Rome ; another in Siena ; a third at Venice ; a fourth in the church of the Carmelites, in Paris ; a fifth in the Holy Chapel ; a sixth at Draguignan ; a seventh at Tenaille ; an eighth at Treves ; a ninth at Monza, etc. ; and so on. Alban Butler, to explain this, tells us that nails made like the true nails were consecrated either by filings or by touching the genuine article ; and, in corroboration of this statement, he says that the nail in the Santa (3roce of Rome has been evi- dently filed, and is without a point. He * Some sajr more than one of the nails was sent te Rome. t Gregory of Tours says that two of the nails were set in the headstalls of Coustautiue's horse. 272 RELICS OF THE CRUCIFIXION : REED, ROBE, SPEAR. [Pr. I. further says that Charles de Borromeo had many nails made like that at Milan, and distributed, after touching the true nail. One nail so touched he gave to Philip II. Whether a nail made by a common blacksmith can be called a nail employed in the crucifixion of our Lord, merely because it has touched one of the nails so employed, must be left an open question. I very much fear neither Cal- vin nor Luther would be satisfied with Butler's explanation. (For authorities, see under The Cross, p. 270.) Mons. Rohault de Fleury assures us that "le cercle de fer de Monza, ot il y avait du vrai clou, le clou de Treves complete par celui de Toul, paraissent d'une authenticity Incontestable ; " but how can this possibly be, If one was thrown into the Adriatic, one was set in Constantino'* lielmet, one In his horse's headstall, and one was sent to Rome, the utmost number being only four? There can be no doubt that Magna Charta is a valuable relic, but I doubt very much if a copy of it could be called the original document, merely becnuse it was made to touch it. The seal of the Golden Bull is a v.aluable relic, but itr whole value would be destroyed, If the seal could be multiplied merely by touching it. Imitation relics, passed off as genuine articles, are neither more nor less than deceptions and impositions. The reed placed in the hands of Christ for sceptre. We are told that the reed and sponge which was filled with vinegar, and offered to Christ on the cross, were sent to Constantinople in 614, when Jerusalem was taken by the Persians. St. Gregory of Tours (544-595) tells us they were objects of veneration in Jeru- salem in his days ; but their removal to Constantinople does not correspond with the statement of the Venerable Bede (G72- 735), who says he saw the sponge in Jeru- salem, in a silver cup ; unless, indeed, it had been sent back again. A part of the reed is said to be in Florence ; a part in St. Julian's church of Lunegarde ; a larger piece in the convent of Andeschs, in Bavaria; and a still larger piece in the convent of Watoped, on Mount Athos. We are left wholly to conjecture respect- ing this very fragile and perishable article. The cross, the slab of wood, and the spear, we are told, were buried in a deep hole, and discovered in a.d. 326 by the empress Helena ; but no mention is made of the reed or the sponge. One would naturally suppose that the soldiers would throw the reed away after they had finished their practical joke. There were two reeds connected with the crucifixion ; one the reed sceptre, and the other the long reed which lifted the sponge {Matt. xxviL 48). The reed relic is called "le roseau de la royaut^ derisoire de J4sus Christ," so that no shadow of doubt is left as to which reed allusion is made. Of the long reed I can find no mention, and know of no church, chapel, or religious house which makes any claim to this important instrument of the crucifixion. The robe of our Saviour (John xix. 23). Two places lay claim to the seamless robe of Christ, Treves and Argenteuil. The holy robe of Treves is longer than that at Argenteuil, and we are told it was pre- sented by the empress Helena to Ay- vilius, then bishop of Treves ; but there is no document to show the authenticity of this tradition till the twelfth century. The archbishop John, in 119G, is said to have discovered the casket containing the holy robe. From 1512 to 1810 it saw many vicissitudes ; but, at the latter date, it returned to Treves. It is more delicate than the robe of Argenteuil, and intact. Its size is 1 m. 65 before^ and 1 m. 62 behind. The width at the chest is m. 73. At the lowest part, 1 m. 16. The holy robe of Argenteuil has a far better register, which is given by St. Gregory of Tours, who tells us it was bought of the soldier to whose lot it fell ; and was carried to a town in Galatia, where it was packed carefully in a wooden box. When Galatia was threatened by Persia, in 590, the relic was removed to Jaffa. In 594, it was taken in grand pro- cession to Jerusalem. Twenty years later, it was carried by ChosroCs to Persia ; but, in 627, Ileraclius recovered it, and took it, first to Constantinople, then back to Jerusalem, and then again to Constan- tinople. Irene, empress of Constantinople, sent it, with other rich presents, to Charlemagne ; and Charlemagne sent it to his daughter Theodrada, abbess of Argenteuil, a.d, 800. A cur^ of Argen- teuil cut the robe into several pieces, so that now it is not possible to piece the parts together into the original form. It IS a tissue of goat's hair without seam, and was originally 1 m. 35 long, by 1 m. 15 wide. The holy robe of Moscow. Moscow claims to have a robe of Christ; and numerous other places make a similar claim, as St. Prasseda, St. Roch, Rome, etc. Venice is said to possess a part of the white robe in which Christ was arrayed by Herod's soldiers ; and St. Francis of Philip Anagni, St. John de Lateran, and Santa Maria Maggiore are said to possess parts of the purple robe in which He was arrayed by the soldiers of Pilate. 2'he spear with which the side of Christ was pierced. A spear without a head is preserved in the basilica of St. Peter's, at Rome, said to be the shaft of the spear used by the Roman soldier Longinus, who pierced the side of our Lord, after his expiration on the cross. The emperor Baldwin II. sent the head of the spear to RELICS: SPONGE, STAIRCASE, TABLE, TITLE. Pt. I.J Venice, as a pledge for money ; and St. Louis, having redeemed it, took it to Paris, where it was kept, till the Revolution, in the Holy Chapel. Benedict XIV., wish- ing to know if the two fitted, sent for the head, and tried it on the shaft, when the fit was pronounced to be sufficiently satis- factory. The spear was first taken to Jerusalem ; but the Venerable Bede (672- 735) tells us, in his days, it was enclosed in a wooden cross, and kept in the porch of the church called the Martyr, built in Constantinople by the emperor Constan- tine. Gregory of Tours (544-595) speaks of its removal from Jerusalem to (Constan- tinople in the reign of Heraclius (610- 641). In 1492, the sultan Bajazet sent the shaft of the spear, in a costly case, to pope Innocent VIII., who placed it, as a precious relic, in one of the four huge piers which support the dome of the basilica of St. Peter's, where it is still an object of great veneration. Authors are not agreed where this spear was found. St. Andrew of Crete, who died a.d. 722, affirms, in his De Exaltatione Crucis, that it was buried together with the cross ; but though, as Alban Butler tells us, it might be customary with the Jews to bury what was used in an execution in a hole near the place of execution, there reems no reason why a Roman soldier should cast his spear in the hole ; * and certainh'' the spear is not included in any of the early lists of the relics discovered by the empress Helena. From the sixth century to the present time the register of the sacred spear is pretty satisfactory ; but, after all, the interval between the first and sixth century is far more im- portant, and this is just the period when our information is the most meagre and unsatisfactory. That frauds were sometimes practised by the Christians, even the most zealous of the [Roman] Catholic Church fieely acknowledge. Thus the chamberlain of Leo. XIII. (1880) tells us. "Mgr. Mislinad^nonc6unesupercheriedes Grecs. La cavity, qui est au sommet du calvaire, n'est }>as telle oil la crouc fut plant^e. Dans le bouleversement arrive dans I'incendie de 1808, ils enlev6rent la pierre dans laquelle avait ^t^ enfonc^e la vraie croix, pour la transporter a Constantinople, et mirent une autre pierre a la place, et la veritable fut perdue dans un naufrage." 77ie sponge. St. Gregory of Tours speaks of the holy sponge, as a relic publicly venerated at Jerusalem (together with the crown of thorns, the spear, and the reed), but he has omitted to state in • A soldier's sword, spear, and accoutrements belong to the state, and no private could dispose of these articles at will ; but if neither buried, nor sold, nor given away, how did the early Christians get it in possession T Galilean isliermen were not likrfy to gtand high fn favour with %rrogaikt Roman soldiers. 27S what place they were preserved. Th« Venerable Bede assures us that he him- self saw the holy sponge in a silver tankard, which he supposes was used by our Lord in the Last Supper. A part of this sponge is said to be preserved in France, with the other relics purchased by St. Louis. Other parts are shown at St. Jacques de Compi^gne ; at St. Sylvester, St. John de Lateran, St. Maria Maggiore, St. Mary in Transtevere, St. Mark, and St. Mary in Compitelli (all in Rome). The staircase of Pilate's judgment hall. The staircase of Pilate's judgment hall was sent to Rome by the empress Helena in A.D. 326, and deposited in St. John Lateran. In 850 pope Leo IV. estab- lished the practice of mounting these stairs on one's knees, but they got so worn that they were cased with wood. The staircase consists of twenty-eight stairs of white marble. The table used by Christ at the Last Supper. At St. John Lateran is preserved a table, said to be the one used by Christ at the Last Supper. Nothing is known about it, and probably very few believe it to be what it professes to be. The title of accusation nailed to the cross of Jesus. The title of accusation was not paper or parchment, but a board nailed to the top of the cross. This board, we are told, was sent to Rome, and deposited, like the nail, in the Santa Croce. Bozio (1548-1610), in his TV. de Cruce, bk. i. ch. 2, tells us that the title sent by queen Helena to Rome, and found in the hole with the three crosses, was deposited on the top of an arch ; and was discovered, in 1492, in a leaden case. It was in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, written in red letters on a slab of white wood. In 1492, the colour was not at all faded [though it had been buried in the earth for nearly three hundred years] , but when Bozio saw it, some sixty or seventy years afterwards, the colour was greatly faded, and the wood so worm-eaten, that the words Jesus and Judceum were both gone. Lipsius (1547-1606), in his De Grace, bk. iii. ch. 14, says the slab or board, when he saw it, was nine inches long, but must originally have been three feet longer. Two other titles. We are told of two other slabs. Thus Father Durand (1232- 1296), who lived in the reign of St. Louis, tells us that he saw in Paris the title of accusation, with the full inscription. The monk Antonine (1389-1459) asserta that he held in his own hands the slab bearing the accusation, when he visited J74 RELICS: WHIPPING-POST; DUPLICATES. [Pt.I. the Holy Sepulchre, at Jerusalem. Per- haps the empress Helena divided the slab into three parts, as she did the cross, only Father Durand states that the Paris slab bore the full inscription. Or perhaps, like the nails, two of the slabs were imitations ; or perhaps the slabs at Paris and Jerusalem were each a part of the real slab, and were supplemented, as we now restore churches. The title at Rome is certainly not the whole " title." The words read from right to left, and the Latin worda NAZARINV8 RE[xJ are quite legible In the lowest Une. In the middle line we have NAZAPENOYZ. And the uppermost line, which contained the Hebrew inscription. Is Quite faded. Of cmirse the entire Latin inscription was [Jexus] Nazarentis Re(x) [J udcBorum], but the board beitigcut into three parts, Jesii* and Jtuiceorum were cut off, one being at Paris and one at Jerusalem. Critics say that the little E in the Greek word is an anachronism, as well as the termination -oi/v for -ot. Othrrs say that to read Greek and Latin from right to left Is an error, which Pilate or his Roman officials would not have committed. Certainly an English mechanic would not print " Nazarenus** tunerazaN, and it seems unlikely that a Roman soldier would do so. That Gretzer and Mont- faucon have discovered such examples of writing from right to left seems by no means to justify the caise, unless they can show also that such was the usual custom in Pilate's time, for it may be taken for granted that the In- scription was written in the ordinary manner of the time. One of the most suspicious circumstances about these crucifixion relics is the astounding fact that they were all discovered by the empress Helena about three hundred years after the event. When a queen is known to be a relic-hunter, we all know that relics to any amount will be forthcoming, and an enthusiast of eighty Is not exactly ♦he person to discriminate between truth and fraud, •specially when all her sympathies are one way. The whipping-post of Christ. The post at which Christ was scourged used to be shown on Mount Sion, in the Holy Land, as St. Oregon'' Nazianzen informs us {Oration 1, In Julian). It is now at Rome, and is shown through iron railings in a little chapel in the church of St. Praxedes. Over the chapel is inscribed this information, that cardinal John Columna brought it to Rome in 1223 ; but the inscription does not state how the apostolic legate obtained it. The socle of the post is preserved in St. Mark's cathedral, at Venice. The post is of gray marble, one foot and a half long, by one foot in diameter at the bottom, and eight inches at the top, where there is an iron ring to which the victim was tied. The Jews scourged criminals first on their back, then on their belly, and then on each side. The post preserved at Rome, as the whipping-post of Christ, does not at all correspond with the description of St. Jerome. The bed of St. Gertrude^ abbess of NivetleSy multiplied. The abbess Agnes, who succeeded Wilfetrude, built a beau- tiful temple, in which she placed as a precious relic the little bed on which St. tkrtrude. a former abbes8| died. This bed was afterwards transported to another church, built by St. Beggha, her sister ; but that the monastery of Nivelles might not be deprived of so valued a relic, God multiplied the bed, one for St. Beggha, and the other for the temple built by Wilfetrude. — Surius, Lives of the Saints, The two heads of St. Agnes. The abbey of St. Ouen, at Rouen, glories in having the head of St. Agnes. The priory of St. Peter, at Abbeville, does the same. John Brady, in his list of relics, men- tions two heads of John the Baptist. The church of St. Sylvester, at Rome, claims tc hav* the " meilleure partie de son chef," says the chamberlain of pope Leo XIIL, yet— The cathedral of Amiens claims to have the part marked No. I, containing all the face from the forehead to the upper Up, both inclu- sive. This, we are told, was brought from Constantinople In 1206. The rest of the face. No. S, from the upper lip to the chin, both Inclusive, is raid to be in the chapel of the chateau of St. Chaumont, in the Lyonnais. The scalp was sold to St. Louis of France by Baldwin II. in 1S47. and is deposited in St. Chapelle, Paris. The brains are said to be in the abbey of Tyron. In 1515 they were placed in a skull borne by two angels. Turin. Aosta, Venice. Lyons, Nemours. Nola, Bressa. all claim to have parts of the head ; but how all these claims can be satisfied, and yet St. Sylvester, at Rome, tiave " la meilleure partie," is past understanding. The five legs of the ass on which Christ rode. A Dutchman having received from a priest a "leg of the ass on which Jesus rode to Jerusalem," discovered that the priest had already sold four other legs. Father Ferund, being told of it, gravely assured the Dutchman it was all right, for God could multiply and repro- duce as many legs as He thought proper for the edification of His chosen people. In fact, the more the legs the greater their value, as they must then be standing proofs of the productive power of the Almighty. — Eclectic Eeview{M.e\&ncthon). The wood of the cross multiplied. A priest being asked how it was that almost every church of note possessed a piece of the original cross, and yet the cross at Jerusalem was in no wise diminished, made answer that the cross was ne ordinary relic. It was true, he allowed, that if all the fragments of the cross scattered over Christendom were collected together there would be wood enough to build a man-of-war, but that Jesus, who could feed a multitude with a few loaves, could multiply relics of His cross for the benefit and consolation of the faithful over the whole Christian world. — Merry- weather, (jlimmerings in th« Dark, Ft. I.J RENT GARMENTS— RETRIBUTIVE PUNISHMENT. 274 In this anecdote are sereral inaccuracies. It wm not a priest, but St, Cyril, bisliop of Jerusalem, who made this answer (see p. 270). ARain, the entire cross never was at Jerusalem as a relic, byt only one of the arms, about four feet in length. The column was sent by St. Helena to Con itantinople, and one of the arms to Rome. St. Cyril, of course, did not say one word about ** a man-of-war, " but Luther said there would be " wood enough for a large D0U8e"(seep. 270). Belies taken from Constantinople when it fell into the hands of Dandolo and the Crusaders in 1204, (1) A piece of the true crtss. (2) An arm either of St. Gregory or Sc. George. [Rather funny there should be any doubt, as St. Gregory was sixty- one, and St. George was half that age at death.] (3) Part of the head of John the Baptist. [A part of the cranium is in the Ville du ray, the larger part of his head {chef) is in St. Sylvester at Rome, but the cathedral of Amiens glories in having also a large portion (with the upper lip, rose, eyes, and forehead). Baldwin, emperor of Constantinople, in 1247 gave or rather sold the upper part of the head (la partie sup^rieur du meme chef), and it was deposited in Ste. Chapelle, Paris. The abbot of Tyron has the nape of the neck. A part of the jaws is preserved in the chapel of the chateau de St. Chau- mont, in Lyonnais. Other parts of this wonderful head are in Turin, Aosta, and Venice ; other parts in Lyons and Nemours, in France. St. Paulin deposited a part in his church at Nola, and St. Gaudence in his church at Bresse. The finger with which the Baptist pointed out the Messiah is in Malta, and some of his ashes are in Genoa.] (4) A vial containing the blood of Christ, which flowed from a statue pierced by the Jews at Berytus. (5) A fragment of the pillar at which Christ was scourged. (6) A nail of the cross. (7) A prickle of the crown of thorns. (8) The bodies of St. Lucia, St. Agatha, and St. Simeon. Ramusio, Raccolta delle Navigazioni e Viaggi (1550-69), bk. iii. p. 131. Rent Garments. 1 Kings xl. 30, 31. Jeroboam was clad in a new garment; and Ahijah caught the new garment, and, rending it into twelve pieces, said to him, Take thee [sic] ten pieces ; for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee. 1 Sam. XV. 27, 28. As Samuel turned about to go away, Saul laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent And Samuel said unto Um, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neigh- bour of thine, that is better than thou. John xix. 23, 24. The coat [of Jesus] was without seam, woven from the top throughout. The soldiers said among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it. [This may sym- bolize that there should be no schism in the Church (1 Cor. xii. 25).] Jesus Christy in a torn garment.^ appears to St. Peter of Alexandria, Arius, the heresiarch, wished to succeed St. Peter, bishop of Alexandria, and schemed to this end. St. Peter says, touching this succession, " I was in prayer, as my custom is, when Jesus Christ, my Lord and God, appeared to me, in the likeness of a little child. The glory of His face could not be seen, by reason of its ex- ceedinp splendour. He was arrayed in a long garment reaching to the ground, but it was rent from the top to the bottom, and He held it together over the paps with His two hands. Then said I, * Ah, Lord, what is this I see ? How is Thy garment torn ! ' He answering, said to me, * Peter, thou talkest much of My torn garment, the Church, but doest nothing to repair the rent. Know, Peter, it is Arius that hath done this ; he it is that seeketh to rend IMy people from Me, even My people purchased with My blood. Go and tell Achillas and Alex- ander what thou hast seen, and say they, and not Arius, are to succeed thee ; and when they have so done, bid them anathematize and excommunicate that foul heretic, as thou hast done, that their souls may be saved.' So saying, He vanished out of sight." — St. Gregory Nazianzen (a.d. 363), Orations against Julian. (See also Eusebius, Church His- tory^ bk. viii. ch. 14, and bk. ix. chap. 6 ; Callistus, Church History ; The Tri- partite History ; Usuard ; Bede ; Ado ; The Council of Ephesus^ and Seventh General Synod.) Retributive Punishment. PsALH vii. 14-16. He made a pit and digged It, and is fallen into the liitch which he made. BUs mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own pate. EsTH. vii. Haman, annoyed because Mor- decai would not bow the knee to him, plotted the extirpation of the whole Jewish race, and raised a gallows fifty cubits high, on which he intended to hang Mordecai. His plot being betrayed to the king, Hamau himself was hanged on his own gallows. Dan. iii. 22. When Shadrach and his com- panions were condemned to be cast into the furnace, it was heated seven times m«re than it was wont, so that its intense heat slew 27b RETRIBUTIVE PUNISHMENT: CATHERINE'S WHEEL. iPr.h that took up the three servants of God, but those for whom it was heated walked about In the midst of the furnace, and received no harm. Dak. vl. 24. When Daniel was let down into the cave of lions for praying to God, the lions did him no injury ; but when his accusers were cast into the same cave, the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or [ere] ever they came to the bottom of the den. Instances of this retributive punishment in the lives of the saints are so numerous they would fill a large rolume. Only a few are here presented. Abraham unharmed by a fire which consumed two thousand men. Nimrod commanded Abraham to be bound, and cast into a huge fire at Ciitha; but he was preserved from all injury by the angel Gabriel, and only the cords which bound him were consumed. Yet so intense was the heat of the fire that above two thousand men were consumed by it. — Qospel of Barnabas^ xxviii. (See also Morgan's Mahom^tanism Explained^ V. i.4.) Si. Agnes uninjured by fire, but many of her tormentors mrnt to death (a.d. 304). The son of Sempronius the Roman go- vernor wanted to marry St. Agnes, who was only thirteen years of age. St. Agnes declined his suit; and said she had vowed to live and die the virgin bride of Jesus Christ. The governor, after many fruitless endeavours to make her change her mind, resolved to punish her on the plea of being a Christian, and commanded Aspasius his lieutenant to commit her to the flames. She was accordingly cast into the midst of a fierce fire, but "the flames parting asunder, she stood in the midst and received no harm." Not so those who clamoured against her, many of whom were burnt to death by the great heat. As St. Agnes stood, a flame on this side and a flame on that, she cried aloud, " Almighty Lord, I give Thee humble and hearty thanks for that I am delivered from the hands of the wicked, and that the fire kindled to consume me has done me no harm. They only, O Lord, who sought my life have felt the fury of the flames. So may all thine enemies perish, that men may know that Thou whose name is Jehovah art the most high over all the earth." As St. Agnes thus spoke the fire dropped out, and there remained no trace that it had ever been kindled on the spot; but Aspasius, beside himself with rage, struck the damsel with his Bwoid, and she was added to the army of martyrs. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Livrs of the Sainis, p. 76. (See also St. Jerome's Epistle viii. ; St. Austin's Sermon 274 ; St. Ambrose ; etc., etc.) .S'^ Barbara's father cut off her head^ and was struck dead by a thunderbolt, Marrianus, governor of Nicomedia, com- manded two lusty young fellows to tear the sides and breasts of St. Barbara with iron combs, then to set burning torches to both her sides, and beat her about the head with hammers. As these tortures did not shake her constancy to Christ, the governor bade his myrmidons c it ail the nipples of her breast, and then lead her naked through the public streets, scourging her as she passed along. Still the beautiful but mutilated maiden remained unshaken, and the governor gave orders for her head to be cut off. Her father, who could not forgive her foi being a Christian, begged that he might be commissioned to execute her, which request was readily granted. So she was led to the hill beyond the gates, the usual place of execution, and the father of the maiden cut off her head. No sooner had he done so, than he was struck dead by a thunderbolt. Angels came and carried the spirit of the martyr into paradise, but devils came and bore the spirit of the father into the bottom- less abyss. — Peter Galesinus (apostolic protonotary) ; also archbish#p Ado, Martyrology ; Metaphrastes, Lives, etc. St. Catherine uninjured by the wheel, but man^ others killed by it. The emperor Maxentius, being unable to make St. Catherine sacrifice to idols, was advised by a machinist to try a '* wheel " which he promised to produce in three days. This machine consisted in reality of foui wheels, armed with saws, knives, and teeth. Each of the four wheels turned *' one against the other, so that the saws, knives, and teeth met." It moved with a hideous noise, and the whole affair was truly diabolical. When the holy maid was bound on the machine, an angel loosed her, and she fell to the ground ; then striking the machine, it fell to pieces, and killed the inventor, with all those employed to work it, and many who had assembled to witness the novel torture. Those not killed ran away in consternation, crying aloud, "Great is the God of Christians ; He doeth won- drously both in the heavens above and in the earth beneath ! " — Metaphrastes (died 911), Livesy etc. BL Oatherine was not killed by the wheel, u most persons suppoae— indeed, she was in no wise injured bj tt ; Pt.L] RETRIBUTIVE PUNISHMENT: PATRICIU8. 277 but. After being delifered tnm the diabolical iiutrument, the was beheaded. Those who torment St, Faustinus and Jovita are themselves destroyed (a.d. 121). St. Faustinus and St. Jovita, brothers, were Christians of a noble family in Brescia, Lombardy. Hadrian commanded them to be thrown to the wild beasts in the amphitheatre ; and when the lions, leopards, and bears lay down quietly beside them, men were sent to enrage them by burning their flanks with lighted torches ; whereupon the beasts turned on their tormentors and devoured them. The martyrs were then taken to Milan. Here they were laid on their backs along the ground, and molten lead was poured through funnels into their mouths ; but the lead, instead of rolling down the throats of the martyrs, rolled on the executioners and burnt them horribly. St. Faustinus and his brother were now conducted to Rome, and cast into the sea, but Jesus Christ Himself delivered them from this death. Ultimately they were sent back to Brescia, and beheaded. — Les Petits BollandisUs (7th edit. 1880), vol. ii. pp. 632, 633. The forty martyrs^ struck about the mouth with stones, receive no hurt, hut the mouths of those who strike them lose their teeth. The emperor Licinius had in his army forty Christian soldiers of great valour; but while garrisoned in Capa- docia, Agricolaus the governor, who hated all Christians, ordered them to be brought before him, that he might find matter of accusation against them. They defended themselves so boldly, that the governor commanded his officers to strike them on the mouth with stones. And now, we are told, "a strange thing happened: the forty martyrs who were struck received no hurt whatsoever, but the mouths of those who struck them became all bloody, and they spat out their teeth on the floor of the court." When the governor saw this, he took up a stone in a towering rage, and flung it at the martyrs ; but the stone returned to Agricolaus, bruised his mouth grievously, and knocked out his teeth- — Metaphrastes, Lives, etc. certainly this is a very marvellous tale, and though there are no degrees in miracles, what Horace says of poets and painters may be applied to thera :— " Pictoribus atque poetis Quidlibet audendi semper fuit sequa potestas." Simus, et hanc veniam petimusque damusque Tidarim; Sed non ut placidis coeant immitia. non ut Serpentes avibus geminentur, tigribus agni . . . Denique sit quldvis simplex duntaxat et unum. Ar$ Poetiea, 9, etc. St. Januariui *tnharrned by fire which consumes many pagans, Diocletian com- manded that a furnace should be heated for three successive days with a continual fire, and that St. Januarius, bishop of Beneventum, should be cast down bound into the midst of the flames. It was done according to the emperor's com- mand, but the man of God walked amidst the fire, and received no harm. He was not alone, for angels walked with him, singing divine melodies. The soldiers reported this marvel to the emperor, and Diocletian ordered the mouth of the furnace to be thrown open, that it might be seen if the report of the guard was true ; but immediately this was done, huge flames burst through the mouth of the furnace and killed many pagans. As for St. Januarius, he was taken out uninjured, and reserved in prison for other torments. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 742. St. Pantaleon's cylinder does him no harm, but kills many others. The emperor Maxim ian caused a most cruel engine of torture to be made. It was a large cylinder full of spikes. On this cylinder was St. Pantaleon bound, and it was then trundled down a steep hill, that it might keep rolling over the martyr, and the spikes be driven into his body. But God loosed the martyr from his bonds, and the huge cylinder, bounding down the incline, rolled over hundreds of idolaters assembled to witness the spec- tacle, and killed them most miserably. — Metaphrastes, Lives, etc, St. Patricius of Prussia uninjured by scalding water, which kills his tormentors. St. Patricius, bishop of Prussia, was arrested and brought before Julian, the proconsul, for denying that Esculapius gave to the thermal waters of the place their, medicinal qualities. Said the pro- consul to the saint, " Do you mean to tell me that the man crucified by Pilate in Judaea communicates their hygeian properties to these waters?" "I mean to say," replied St. Patricius, "that the God I serve killeth and maketh alive ; He bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up." *' We will soon see as to the matter of that," said the proconsul, in a rage. Then, calling to his officers, he oade them cast Patricius into a cauldrou of boiling water. The moment the martyr was cast into the water it rose in a jet, and pouring down upon the officers burnt them dreadfully; but Patricius, the man of God, enjoyed the bath, which he found of a delightful S7S RETKIBUTIVE PUNISHMENT: THYRSUS. [Pt. I. temperature; and, when taken out, was greatly refreshed. The rage of Julian was now unbounded, and he sent soldiers to cut off the enchanter's head. — L'abb^ Migne, Encyclop^die Theologiquey vol. xli, p. 651 (1850). Penda's meUy who set the city of Bam,' borough on fire^ burnt to death. Penda, king of Mercia, was an irreconcilable enemy of all Christians. On one occasion he set fire to the royal city of Bam- borough. "See, Lord," cried Aidan from his hermit's cell in the island of Fame, " what ill Penda is doing.'* Forthwith an adverse wind arose, which drove the flames from the city towards Penda's army. So sudden the wind and so violent the flames, that the men employed to fire the city had no time to escape, and they were all burnt to death. — Green, Short History of the English People^ p. 23. Salome's head cut off by ice, Salom§, the daughter of Herodias, after pleasing Herod by her dancing, asked for reward the head of John the Baptist. The head was brought her in a dish, and she took it to her mother. Soon after this, Herod was dethroned, and Salome, passing a river frozen over, fell through the ice up to her neck. Being unable to extricate herself, the ice gradually closed in, first throttling her, and ultimately parting her head from her body. — Nicephorus Cal'is- tus, Ecclesiastical History, (Metaphracst^s tells the same story.) St, Thyrsus subjected to the most horrible tortures (a.d. 250). [Of all the lives of saints none can exceed in marvels that of St. Thyrsus. I assure the reader that I have in no wise exaggerated the nar- rative ; indeed, it would be difficult to do so. What is here transcribed is taken from Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. 2, pp. 90-92. The book bears the name of Mgr. (iue'rin, came'rier de Sa Saintet^ Leon XIII. It is most highly recommended by the chief dignitaries of the Catholic Church, and has the merit of being quite a modern book on the subject. The edition I quote from is the seventh, in seventeen massive volumes, a.d. 1880. It is needful to be thus precise, as the narrative subjoined is so startling it requires the sanction of pope and car- dinals, archbishops and bishops, abbots and priors, " to make it credible."] In the reign of the emperor Decius, one Leucius, who had committed the offence of being a Christian, was condemned to death. Thyrsus was one of the naccan officers employed to carry out the sen- tence; but, struck with the resignation and firmness of the martyr, he became a convert to the same faith, and dared boldly and publicly reproach the imperial proconsul for condemning Leucius to death ; and now the words applied to Pharaoh (Exod. ix. 16) may be applied to the proconsul Combratius, " In very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee My power ; and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth." Irritated at this insolence, Combratius delivered Thyrsus to the executioner. In vain was he scourged with whips charged with lead. In vain was he hung by his thumbs to a tree with a fine cord. In vain were his arms broken and his eyelashes plucked out. Thyrsus, the new convert, remained unshaken, and, what is most marvellous, he seemed to acquire new force from his very torments. Combratius would not be defied thus by one of his subordinate officers, and ordered the "rebel "to be stretched on an iron bed on his back, and lead, in a state of ebullition, to be poured down his throat ; but the victim was invulnerable. The lead meant for Thyrsus rolled on his tormentors, and caused them excru- ciating agony. Mad with rage, the pro- consul ordered the martyr to be cut to pieces; but the officer no sooner raised his sword to strike, than he was seized with vertigo, and the sword meant for Thyrsus stuck into the wall, where it remained fast ; and at the same moment the place where the assembly was held shook so violently with earthquake, that the thongs with which Thyrsus was bound snapped asunder, and he was taken back to the public prison. During the night an angel came to him, and having roused him from sleep, struck off his chains, and led him from his cell to the bishop Philias to be baptized. Having then administered to him the holy Eucharist, the angel con- ducted him back to prison, the gates and doors of which opened to them of their own accord. In the morning the prisoner was again taken before the proconsul, who had summoned Silvanus to his assistance. They commanded the "traitor" to be taken to the temple of Apollo and made to offer sacrifice ; but no sooner did he enter the temple, than the idol of the god fell to the ground and was smashed to nieces. This profanation was laid to the Pt. I.] RICH FOOL: BISHOP HALL'S EXAMPLE. 279 charge of Thyrsus, and the incorrigible Christian was ordered to be laden with the heaviest of chains ; but no sooner did the chains touch him than they crumbled into dust. He was now scourged, and held head downwards in a butt full of wine ; but the tub burst into a thousand pieces, and all the liquor was spilled. Not to be se*; at defiance, the two judges ordered their victim to be led to the brow of a steep cliff, and pushed down; but God gave His angels charge concerning him, and they bore him in their arms in gafety; whereas Vitalicus, who pushed him from the rock, fell head foremost, and was dashed to pieces. Combratius and Silvanus agreed that these things could not occur except by magic, and they ordered the supposed wizard to be laden with more chains of the strongest manufacture and greatest weight. But it was of no use; these chains fell to pieces and crumbled into dust. At the same moment the two judges were seized with a sudden fit, and taken to Apamea for medical aid ; but nothing could be done. They both died, and their bodies were cast into a ditch. There they would have been left to the beasts and birds of prey, but Thyrsus prayed that they might be buried, and the earth of its own accord covered them. It might be supposed that the ven- geance of man was now exhausted ; but Braudus, who succeeded Combratius, resolved to show that such conduct was not to be tolerated. Had not Thyrsus caused the death of Vitalicus, the pro- consul Combratius, and his assistant Silvanus? Had he not caused the destruction of the god Apollo ? Had he not by enchantment defied the strong arm of the law ? Was he not a traitor to the emperor Decius, and must he not be made an example of? So thought Braudus, and accordingly commanded the rebel Christian to be sewn in a sack and cast into the deep sea. But God is God of the sea as well as of the land. Both land and sea obey Him. When thrown from the ship, angels caught him in their arms and brought him to land in Bafety. Here he was again seized by thj new proconsul, and exposed in the amphi- theatre to wild beasts ; but the six bea^j and six leopards let out upon him walked gently towards him, licked his hands and his feet, fawned lovingly upon him, ani crouched beside him as if they had been lambs. Despairing of success by violence, the magistrate tried coaxing ; and taking the martyr to the temple of Bacchus, en- treated him to offer sacrifice. But the altar instantly fell down ; the image of the ^od fell with it, and both were broken to pieces. The magistrates of Apamea, being thus foiled in every attempt, sent their prisoner to Apollonia, where he was whipped till the flesh fell from his bones. While this punishment was going on, Braudus was seized with racking pains, and the temples of the gods being shaken by earthquake, the idols were all broken. The inhabitants of Apollonia, panic- struck, confessed there were gods more mighty than their own ; and the high priest, named Callinicus, renouncing paganism, reproved Braudus for his inhumanity. Nothing was able to shake the holy martyr, neither caresses, threats, nor tortures ; so at last he was beheaded, with fifteen priests of Apollonia, who had been converted, like Callinicus, by his example, and resolved to imitate his unflinching firmness. — See Roman Mar- tyrology, Jan. 28. Rich Fool. Luke xii. 20, 21. Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee : then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Psalm xlix. 16-19. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased ; for when he dieth he shall cany nothing away : his glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lived he blessed his soul, he shall go to the generation of his fathers, and shall never see light. Bishop HalVs anecdote on his eightieth birthday. " There was a great lord who kept a fool in his house, as many great men did in those days, for their amuse- ment and diversion. He presented his jester with a st^ff, and charged him to keep it till he met with a greater fool than himself. If such a one came across him, he was to deliver to him the bauble. Some few years afterwards his lord fell sick, and was indeed sick even unto death. His fool came to see him, and was told by the sick man that he must shortly Ica^^e him, * And where are you going to?* asked the jester. * Hto another world, sirrah,' said the lord. * And when will you come back again ? ' inquired the fool ; * within a week ? * * No,' said the lord. * Within a month ? ' *No.' * Within a year?' *No.' 'WTien, then? ' asked the fool. * Never,* said the lord. *And what provision nave yoa 280 RICH RULEK— SABBATIC REST. [Pt. 1. made for youf well-being in the new world to which you are going?* *None at all,' said the lord. * What I * said the jester, *none at all? Here, fclien, take my staff, for you are going away for ever, and hast laid up no store. Take my staff, I say. I may be a fool, but , «m not such a fool as that.'" (See * Golden Apple to the Greatest Fool,'* pt. ii., Mammon of Unrighteousness.) Rich Ruler. Luke xvlii. 18-23. A certain ruler asked Christ, saying. Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said unto him. Thou knowest the commandments? And the ruler said, All these things have I kept from my youth up. When Jesus heard this He said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing : sell all that thou hast, and di^stribute to the poor, and thou Shalt have treasure in heaven. When the ruler heard this, be was very sorrowful, for he was very rich. The miser, (1) It is reported of a wretched rich man, when he heard that his sickness was fatal, that he sent for bis money-bags, and hugging them in his arms, said, "Must I leave you? Oh, must I, must I leave you ? " And so he died. (2) Another on his death-bed called for his money-bags, and laid them next his heart. When any one attempted to remove them, he cried out, "It ^ ill not do! It will not do I" (3) A third, being on the point of death, stole a guinea, and secreted it in his mouth, chuckling to himself, '* I am wiser than some; I will take this with me; they will not see it; they will not take it from me." So saying, he swallowed the coin, it choked him, and he died. Ruler of Capernaum. John iv. 46-53. A certain nobleman, whose ■on was sick at Capernaum, besought Jesus to tome and iieal his son, who was at the point of death. Jesus said to him. Go thy way; thy «;on liveth. As the father was returning home, his servants met him, and said to him. Thy son liveth. Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said. Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. The father knew it was the very hour tliat Jesus had said to him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. St, Bernard says to a noble lady, *' Go thy way ; thy husband liveth," A great lady came to the monastery to see St. Bernard; and when St. Bernard had heard her request, she presented to him a large sum of money, and implored him to come to the house of her sick husband before he died. Bernard bade her go in peace, and added, "For th}*^ husband liveth." And so she found it. — William (abbot of St. Theodore), Life of St. Bernard. St. George says to a farmer , " Go thy way; thy ox liveth." While St. George was in prison, a farmer, named Glicerius, came to him, and told him his ox had just died. St. George, willing to help the poor in small troubles as well as in great, said to the farmer, '* Go thy way ; thy ox liveth." Glicerius returned home, and found it was so ; and himself believed, with his whole house. — Pasi- crates (an intimate friend, and witness of the miracles), Life of St, George of Cappa- docia. Sabbatic Rest. ExoD. XX. 10, 11. The seventh day h the sabbatli of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt do no \\ ork ; for in six days the lx)rd made heaven and earth, and rested the seventh day. Where- fore the lA>rd blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Nlmb. XV. 32-36. While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sjibbath day. And the I^ord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death. And all the congregation stoned him with stones, and he died. T/ie sabbath-breakers in the diocese of EvrexjLX (a.d. 7^8). One Sunday, as Leufredus went to celebrate mass, he saw some peasants tilling their fields, without any respect to the Lord's day of rest. •* O wretched sinners I " cried the saint ; **how can ye be guilty of so great a crime ? " Then, lifting his eyes to heaven, he said, *^May this land be evermore sterile, and never again bear fruit from this day forth for ever." As the fig tree, cursed by Jesus, withered away, so the produce of these lands withered from that hour, and ever since then these fields have borne only thorns and thistles, *' et on n'a pu meme y faire croitre des noyers ni d'autres arbres." — Mgr. Gu^rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII., 1880), Vies des Saints, vol. vii. p. 189. This assertion is capable of proof. Is any part of the diocese of Evreux hopelessly barren ? What I remember of Evreux are its botanical gardens, its vineyards, and it? very pretty garden-plots. I always thought the valley of the Iton was fertile and pleasant ; but, of course, Mgr. Gu^rin, being a Frenchman and the pope's chaml>erlain, does not write thus positively without gaod authority. A miller paralyzed for grinding on a Sunday (a.d. 645). When St. Ouen was returning from Spain, and had reached Anjou, he saw a miller, who was para- lyzed in one hand for working his mill Pt. I.j SAMSON AND THE JAWBONE. 281 on a Sunday, St. Oaen remonstrated with the man on the sanctity of the Lord's day, and as he appeared penitent for his sin, the saint made the sign of the cross, and healed him. — L'abbe Pecheur, Annales du Diocese de Soissons, (See Miracles op Special Saints, p. 234; a priest paralyzed for doing some secular work on a Sunday healed Dy St Germanus.) The sabbatic river. The Jewish rabbis tell us of a sabbatic river in Palestine, which ceases to flow on the Jewish sabbath. Pliny refers to this river, but says tba very contrary, viz. that it flows on the sabbath only, and ceases to flow the other six days.* Josephus says, *' Titus, passing between Area and Ra- ph&na, in the kingdom of Agrippa, came upon a river which flowed for six days in great abundance and a rapid course, but ceased to flow every seventh daj'. This it did incessantly, without ever deviat- ing from the established order, and hence it was called the Sabbatic River." Cal- met wants to make out that Josephus means the same as Pliny — that the river flows only on the sabbath, and ceases to flow the other six days. He translates thus : " Once in seven days it flows with a full stream into the sea, and hence is called the Sabbatic River." Mons. Arnaud d'Andilli translates the passage : " Aprfes avoir coule six jours en grande abondance, elle sfeche tout d'un coup, et recommence le lendemain k couler durant six autres jours comme auparavant, et a se se'cher le 7® jour, sans jamais changer cet ordre." Samson and the Jawbone. [It is with the utmost deference that I venture to suggest the following reading, which at any rate has the merit of grandeur, and is not without historic parallels. The reader must bear in mind the following Hebrew words and their meanings :— Chamob, an ass ; Lehi, a jaw- bone.] Juno. XV. 3-19. "While Israel was in bondage to the Philistines, Samson set fire to their corn- fields, and provoked them to war. So they E itched in Judah, and spread themselves in lEHi. The men of Judah, to prevent war, bound Samson, and brought him from the rock Etam. When he came to Lkhi, he broke the cords that bound him, and finding a moist "jaw- bone " of Chamor, he took it, and slew a thousand men therewith, and said, With the "jawbone" of Chamor have I slain a thousand. And it came to pass, when he felt thirsty, that God clave a hollow place in Lehi, and there came water thereout; and when Samson had drunk, he revived. The well thus made is in Lehi to this day. All that is required is not to translate Chamor and Lehi, but to retain the words as proper names, and the follow- tag paraphrase will not be far-fetched : — The men of Judah bound Samson, and * " In Judna.rlTui omnibui septam diebus siccatur.** brought him to Lehi, the summit of the hill called Chamor (the ass). Some thousands of the Philistines began to climb the hill with intent to take him captive ; but Samson, seeing a great boulder moist, with his enormous and miraculous strength, straining every nerve, loosened the boulder, upheaved it from its bed, and rolled it on the ascending foe. Down it bounded, crushing the Philistines, who fell backwards, "heaps upon heaps, heaps upon heaps," till the hill Chamor was cleared of them, and Samson cried exultingly, "With the boulder of Lehi of Chamor have I heaped heaps upon heaps. With the boulder of Lehi of Chamor I have slain a thousand." Being thirsty with his Titanic effort, he sought for water, and going to the hollow whence he had torn up the boulder, he found water [it was moist before] , and quenched his thirst. He called the hollow Ramath-Lehi (the place of the lif ted-out jawbone or boulder), but it was subsequently called En-hak- kore (the well of him that cried for water), and the well remains to the present day. The battle of Morgarten (a.d. 1315). Leopold, duke of Austria, being resolved to avenge upon the Swiss the insult offered by Tell in slaying Gessler, the governor set over them, entered the Forest Cantons at the head of fifteen thousand men. The Swiss could only muster some thirteen hundred to oppose this army ; but, nothing daunted, they took up their position on the mountain slopes of Mor- garten. At daybreak the Austrians, gleaming in purple and gold, began to climb the hill, in order to dislodge the mountaineers ; when fifty of the Swiss rolled down upon them huge boulders and fragments of rock. The horses were terrified, the foremost men were crushed to death, and falling on those behind, heaps upon heaps were heaped in slaughter. Confusion followed surprise, and before order could be restored, the Swiss poured down upon them like an avalanche. Counts, knights, nobles of all ranks, and the rank and file, the pride of Austrian manhood, fell in one common ruin. In one half-hour the thirteen thousand Austrians had been slain by a few hundred Swiss peasants. — History of Germany, Political, Social, and Literary, p. 120. Manlius saves the Roman Capitol (b.c. 361). The brennus of Gaul having l*id siege to Rome, wished, if possible, to ft2 SAUL'S CONVERSION: GARDINER, HUBERT, NORBERT. [Pt. I. assignation, suffered great agony of mind, and became a new man, leading ever after a life consistent with a Christian soldier.— Doddridge (1747), Life of Colonel Gardiner. This converaioD is rery graphically sketched tf sir Walter Scott in Waverl«y. Dr. Hibbert. in bis work On ApparitUyiu, attributes the vision to concussion oo th: bnun from a recent Call from his horse. raise the siege with credit. At this crisis of affairs some of his soldiers in- formed him they had discovered footsteps which led to the rock, and they believed that these footsteps would guide them to the way of surprising the fort. Accord- ingly, a chosen body of men were told off for this dangerous night-attack. The Gauls, in single file, tracked the foot- steps ; the foremost actually reached the wails, and the watch-dogs gave no notice, but some sacred geese, hearing the foot- balls, began to cackle, and alarmed the guard. Marcius Manlius was instantly -^n the alert, and, rushing to the rampart, ihrust headlong two Gauls down the precipice, and these men, in their fall, bore down others to the bottom of the steep, so that the danger was averted, and the brennus was glad to arrange with the Romans terms of peace. — Guide to Roman History, Saul's Conversion. Acts ix. 1-22. Saul, breathing out threaten- ings and slaughter against the disciples of the T^ord, went to the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus, that if he found any of Christ's disciples there, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he joumeyeSd, and came near the city, suddenly there shone round about him a light from heaven ; and he fell to the earth. A voice then addressed him, saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? And Saul said, Who art Thou, I^rd ? And the voice made answer, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad. Saul, trembling and astonished, then demanded what he should do, and was told to go into the city [Damascus] and there wait. In the mean time, Ananias was told to go to Saul. So he went, laid his hands upon his eyes, which had lost their sight in the vision for three days, and their sight returned. He was then baptized, and became the most active of all the apostles. Conversion of colonel Gardiner (July, 1719). Colonel Gardiner had been spending the day with some roistering companions, and had made an assignation with a married woman. The company broke up at eleven o'clock ; and, having some half an hour to spare, the colonel took up a book called The Christian Soldier^ to while away the time. Sud- denly he thought he saw a strong light fall on the book, and, lifting up his eyes, he beheld before him the Lord Jesus, and a voice said to him, " Sinner, did I suffer the shame and agony on the cross for thee? and is this thy gratitude?" Amazed, the colonel sank from his chair to the ground, insens/ble. When he came to himself, he abandoned his St. Hubert and the stag (a.d. 727). Hubert was the son of a nobleman of Aquitaine, and on one great Church festival, when all the faithful were gone to church, he went with his pack to hunt in the forest of Ardennes. Jesus Christ took this opportunity for his conversion. During the hunt a stag of great beauty showed herself to him, and as he looked at it, he was astonished to see a crucifix between the antlers. Presently a voice proceeded from the spot, saying, " Hubert, Hubert, how long will you spend your time chasing beasts in this forest, and neglecting the things which pertain unto your soul ? Do you suppose that God sent you into the world to hunt wild beasts, and not rather to know and honour thy Creator?" Hubert was stupe- fied on hearing these words, dismounted from his horse, prostrated himself on the ground, worshipped the cross which the stag bore, and vowed henceforth to abandon the world, and give himself to God. Forthwith he went to St. Lambert, bishop of Maastricht, who received him kindly, and from this point his remark- able life as a Christian saint begins. — L'abb^ Bertrand, Pelerinage de St, Hu- bert en Ardennes, (See Placidus, next page.) Sudden conversion of St, Norbertf arch- bishop of Magdeburg (a.d. 1080-1134). Norbert, son of the count of Genep, spent his youth like most other young German gentlemen of wealth, making the most of the pleasures and vanities of life, but at the age of thirty-three a change came over him like that which came over Saul of Tarsus in his journey to Damascus. Norbert was riding with his groom to Freten, in Westphalia, when all of a sudden the sky became overclouded, and a terrible tempest broke over them. The groom, greatly alarmed, entreated his master to return, as the hand of God was against him. At the same moment a voice in mid-air cried aloud, " Norbert, Norbert, why persecutest thou Me? I destined you to be a shining pillar in my Church, but your life is a scandal to the faithful." As these words wen Pt. 1.] SAUL'S CONVERSION: PLACIDUS, PROCOPIUS. 283 spoken, a thunderbolt fell at his feet, and made a great hole in the giound. Norbert was speechless for an hour ; then, coming somewhat to himself, he said, sighing, " Alas ! Lord, what wouldst Thou have me to do?" The voice replied, "Cease to do evil, learn to do well. Seek peace, and ensue it." Nor- bert resolved to quit the. court, and returned home. Conon, abbot of Seig- burg, came to him, taught him the rudi- ments of a religious life, and he became a shining pillar in the tabernacle of the Lord. — John Chrysostom Vande-Sterre, Life of St. Norbert, (There is a life in verse of this saint.) Conversion of Flacidus. Placidus, field- marshal of the emperor Trajan, was one day following a stag which had separated itself from the herd, and run into a thicket. Placidus followed, and as he drew near, saw a cross upon its brow, which seemed to shine like fire. While he gazed in astonishment, a voice seemed to proceed from the cross, and said to him, "Placidus, why persecutest thou Me?" Placidus, filled with terror, alighted from his horse at these mys- terious words, and, kneeling on the ground, said, "Who art Thou, Lord?" The voice replied, "I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. Jesus the Son of God, crucified for the salvation of man, but now exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on high." Placidus said, " Lord, I believe. What wilt Thou have me to do?" And the voice answered, "Be baptized straightway, thou, thy wife, and all thy house, and take up thy cross patiently, and thou shalt receive a crown of glory." So saying, the hart ran swiftly away, and departed out of sight. Placidus wondered greatly ; but God had converted him. His wife also had seen a vision, and she with her two sons were baptized with Placidus by the bishop of Rome, who changed the name Placidus into Eustacius. — Antoninus (bishop of Florence), Chronicon. (See also Gesta Romanorum^ ex.) This is very similar to the story of Hubert (see preceding page). The stag, in Christian art, Is a symbol of Jesus Christ, from the notion that it draws serpents by its breath out of their holes, and then tramples them to death. Pliny mentions this superstition in his Natural EUtory, bk. viii. 60. Conversion of St. Procopius of Jerv^ salem (a.d. 303). The emperor Diocle- tian gave Procopius two companies of soldiers to extirpate the Christians of Antioch. With these bands he departed for Antioch, and took his route through Alexandria. As he drew near the city, and was marching by night on account of the great heat, he felt suddenly the earth shake under him, and amidst thunder and lightning a voice said to him, " Neanius, whither goest thou, and against whom art thou marching with such fury?" "I am going on a com- mission of the emperor to hale to deatli the Galileans," said Procopius, "unless they consent to renounce Jesus Christ." " Then it is against Me," said the voice, "thou art going to make war." "And who, I pray, are You ? " said Procopius ; " I have not the honour of knowing You." At this moment a cross like crystal appeared to the captain, and the voice from the midst of the cross replied, "I am Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who was crucified." Procopius was astounded, but still had the hardihood to say, " I have heard from the emperor that the God of Christians never had a wife ; how then can You be His Son ? And if You are really so mighty and so noble, how is it You were condemned, scourged, crowned with thorns, and crucified ? " Christ instantly inspired the infidel with the mysteries of His generation, incarna- tion, and death to take way the sins of the world. He changed his heart, and made him a true Christian. The same night the new convert went to Scytho- polis, and, entering a jeweller's shop, ordered him to make for him a cross o gold and silver, according to the drawing which he left. The goldsmith refused at first, because crosses were the symbol of the Christian sect, and the emperor had strictly forbidden it; but on receiving the captain's word of honour that he would never betray him, he consented to execute the order; whereupon "par un grand miracle, I'image de Notre Seigneur se trouva gravee en haut, avec le mot Emmanuel, et aux deux cote's, les images de St. Michel et de St. Gabriel, avec leurs noms." — Mgr. Gue'rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIIL), Vies des Saints (7tb edit. 1880), vol. viii. p. 166. This exaggerated parody of Saul's conversion is given by Mgr. Gu6rin as a fact, and appears in the Acta Satic- torum of the Bollandists, It is quite impossible to read it and not pity the bad taste of the writer who concocted the story, for notwithsttinding the high and mighty names which vouch for it, no one can possibly believe it to be a fact. Alban Butler, with his usual want of fidelity, suppresses it, forgetting that his duty was to give the lives of the saints as he found them in books sanctioned by the pope and cardinals, and not to trim these biographies aooord- ing to bis own judgment, and pander to Psotestant "prejudices." 384 SAUL'S JEALOUSY— SEA OBEYS SAINTS. [Pt. L St, Audaldm arrested from relapsing into the world by meteoric marvels (a.d. 423). St. Audaldus lived as a solitary in the Pyrenees; but, being weary of a hermit's life, he resolved to abandon it, and return to the world. Going to bid his adieux to St. Pancras, while his hand was on the cell door, he heard the old man praying for him, that his faith might not fail him, and that he might have grace to finish his course with joy. Just at the same moment a brilliant light, like a star, settled on the head of St. Pancras, and a peal of thunder burst over him. Greatly terrified, the illusions of the j'oung man were scattered to the winds, and, casting himself on the ground, he implored the pardon of God for the thoughts of his heart; retired further into the desert, and disciplined himself with greater rigour. — L'abbe' Authier, Etudes Historiques et Heligieuses siir le Pays de la Haute Valine de VAriege (1870). The conversion of St, Francis d" Assist (I182-122r)). Francis d'Assisi, son of Pietro Bernadone, the rich merchant, was a gay worldling, who spent profusely, dressed fashionably, and fared sump- tuously every day. He was fond of fun, lived in gay society, and was altogether a "rich man about town." When Walter de Brienne laid claim to the kingdom of Sicily, Francis d'Assisi took up arms, and with horse and suit of mail joined the war party. At Spoleto he had a fever, and while struck down with fever heard a voice which bade him go home. This did he, but only to return to his previous way of living. One day after a revel, while standing with his boon companions, he suddenly stood stock still, with his face turned to the sky, and his companions jestingly asked him if he was looking for a bride among the stars. *' Yes," he said, ** I am look- ing for a bride, but a bride past your imaginations even to conceive." And from this moment his whole course of life was changed. His father was ex- tremely displeased, and Francis took refuge* with a poor priest. Thither his father followed him, and Francis, pulling off the clothes he had on, threw them down at his father's feet, saying, *' Thus I restore to Pietro Bernadone all that belongs to him. Up to this day I have called him father ; henceforth I have only one father, God the Father Almighty.'* The bishop, who was present, threw his mantle over the young man, who was taken into the kitchen of the monastery. where he remained a short time, and then began a wandering life, barefooted, without staff or scrip, with a cord fastened round his waist. His preaching soon gathered round him a knot of followers, and his first abiding-place was the little church at the Portiuncula. Such was the early career, the conversion, and the first start in religious life of St. Francis d'Assisi, founder of the Francis- can Order, sometimes called Minorites or Gray Friars, and one of the most remark- able men that ever lived. — Mrs. Oliphant, Life of St, Francis, BauPs Jealousy. I Sam. xviii. 6. After David had slain Goliath, and the army of the Philistines was routed, women came out of all cities of Israel, and cried, Saul hath slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands ! Saul was very wroth, and the saying greatly displeased him. They hav« ascribed to David ten thousands, said he, and to me only thousands. And Saul was Jealous of David. Kaiser Leopold's jealousy of Sobieski. When the Turks laid siege to Vienna, and Sobieski overthrew them utterly, the Pole, writing to his mother, says, " Wherever I went the people shouted, * Sobieski!' Mothers and children ran to touch me ; old men covered my hands with kisses ; and those who could not get through the crowd, waved their hats or handkerchiefs, shouting with one voice, * God save thee, Sobieski ! Welcome, Sobieski I * " But kaiser Leopold, who had taken no part in this great victory, greeted the conqueror with chilling politeness. He had deserted Vienna in the hour of danger, and felt humiliated that a minor king, Sobieski of Poland, should be more honoured than the kaiser of the Roman empire. — History of Germany, Political^ Social, and Literary, Sea obeys tlie Saints. Matt. viii. 26, 2t. Then Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and the sea. and there was a great calm ; but the men marvelled, saying. What manner of man is this, that even the sea obeys Him ? Psalm Ixxxix. 9. Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise. Thou stillest them. Psalm evil. 9. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Neptune stills a stormy sea. It is some- what beyond the immediate scope of this book to refer to classic authors, but every one who has read Virgil must call to mind the beautiful incident of Neptune f*T. 1.] SEA OBEDIENT: CASPOn-TlYACINTHA. 285 stilling the stormy waves, which had been lashed into fury by contrary winds : — Interea inagno misceri murmure pontum Emissamque hyemem sensit Neptunus, et imis Stagna refusa vadis. Graviter commotus, et alto Prospiciens, summa placidum caput extulit unda. Disjectam JEnese toto videt sequore classem, Fluctibus oppresses Troas, coelique rulna. Eurum ad se zephyrumque vocat. Dehinc talia fatur ; " Tantane vos generis tenuit fiducia vestri? " Jam coelum terramque, meo sine nuniine, Venti, •• Miscere, et tantus audetig toUere molest •• Quos ego Sed motos prsestat componere fluctus " Maturate fugam ..." Sic ait, et dicto citius tumida sequora placat, (^oUectasque fugat nubes, Solemque reducit, etc. j£n. i. 124, etc. This, of course, is poetry, but may not a highly poetical Imagination or diction help to account for some of the marvellous stories referred to in this section ? No stories but those of the Bible demand implicit belief, and what- ever helps to explain the rest is so much gain. St. Castor saves from wreck a barge laden with salt (a.d. 389). A barge laden with salt, passing down the Moselle, came close to Cardon, where St. Castor dwelt. Castor asked the bargemen to give him a little salt, but they refused, whereupon a high wind suddenly sprang up, and every one expected the barge would be capsized. The bargemen implored Castor to help them, and the priest, making the sign of the cross, stilled the wind, and saved both the cargo and the crew. — Les Fetits Bollandistes, vol. ii. p. 603. When St. Clement, pope and martyr, was carried out to sea for three miles, and thrown overboard, the sea retired three miles for seven days (a.d. 102). Aufidia- nus, in the reign of Trajan, banished St. Clement, the pope, to the Chersonese, and afterwards commanded him to be taken out to sea for three miles and drowned. The Christians on the Cher- sonese prayed that God would show them the body of the saint ; so the sea went back for three miles, and left the passage dry and firm. When the Christians went over this passage, they saw that a chapel had been raised, and in the chapel was found the body of the saint, with an anchor about his neck. The sea con- tinued in this state for seven days, and then returned to its strength. What adds greatly to the marvel is this, that the phenomenon was repeated annually, at the same period, and showed the chapel with the body of the saint. Simeon Meta- phrastes (who died seven hundred years afterwards) assures us that this miracle was seen annually even in his days. No miracle is better attested than this most astounding one. Besides Metaphrastfis, it is seriously given by Ephrem bishop of the Chersonese, the Venerable Bede, Gregory of Tours, Ado archbishop of Treves, and Nicephorus Callistus in his Church History. But the wonder does not •nd here, for we are furthermore assured by Ephrem hLihop of the Chersonese, and Gregory of Toun, that— A woman, going with an infant in arms A pilgrimage to this chapel in the deep sea, placed her child beside the body of the dead saint. It so happened that this was the last of the seven days, and the sea coming in fast, the woman ran for her life, leaving her infant child behind. She was very sorry to abandon her child thus, and next year, when the sea retired as usual, she paid another visit to the chapel, and found her son quietly sleeping where she left him. She caught him up frantically, and asked him what had become of him all the past year, while the deep sea waves were rolling over his head. The child replied he could not tell, for he had only that minute woke up from sleep. (St. Clement was drowned Nov. 23, A.D. 102. It is well these "facts" have been attested by eye-witnesses, bjr archbishops and bishops, confessors and historians, other- wise many of this incredulous age might halt to believe them.) St. Gregory Nazianzen, being in danger of shipwreck, makes a vow. While St. Gregory Nazianzen was sailing to Athens, a great storm arose, and the ship was on the point of being wrecked ; but Gregory made earnest prayer to God, and vowed, if the ship got safe to land, he would spend his whole life in His service. Forthwith *' there came a fair season," and all the passengers confessed that the God whom Gregory had invoked had delivered them, and was far more power- ful than the gods of Olympus. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 312. St. Eilarion commands the sea and it obeys him. While St. Hilarion was at Ragusium, the sea on one occasion swelled and rose out of all measure, insomuch that the people feared it would overwhelm the whole country. St. Hilarion, having made a cross in the sand, held up his hands, and immediately the swell ceased and the sea went back, to the utter amaze- ment of the whole country. Fathers still tell their children how the winds and the waves were obedient to St. Hilarion. — St. Jerome (a.d. 390), Vita St. Hilarionis Eremitce. (See also Nicephorus Callistus (died 1350), Ecclesiastical History.) St. Hyacintha Mariscott calms a tiovbled sea (a.d. 1640). Some Italians, being overtaken by a great storm, invoked the aid of St. Hyacintha, saying, " Oh, Sister Hyacintha, help us or we perish!" Instantly one of the nuns of St. Clara, dressed in spotless white, stilled the waves, and guided the vessel safe to shore. The men went in a body to the 2S6 SEVEN CANDLESTICKS— SHADRACH, ETC. [Pt. r. convent to return thanks. The abbess sent for Hyacintha, but was informed that the sister, who had saved the crew, was not to be found. **Elle s'enfuit, comme un coupable poursuivi par la justice, et s'en alia rouge de honte se cacher dans sa cellule." — Falmier S^ra- phique (12 vols., 8vo). St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra^ commands the sea and it obeys him. St. Nicholas (afterwards bishop of Myra) embarked for the Holy Land, intending to visit the holy places. The sky was beautifully clear, and the sea as calm as possible; but St. Nicholas told the sailors to prepare for a great storm, as he had seen the devil, sword in hand, enter the ship. Soon after this warning the storm broke, and the crew implored Nicholas to save the ship from wreck. St. Nicholas prayed, the winds fell, the sea lulled, and there was a great calm. On the home voyage, the mariners wanted to drive the ship into Alexandria ; but im- mediately St. Nicholas discovered this treachery he prayed, and, the wind shift- ing, the ship ran to Lycia, to which port St. Nicholas was bound, and where the master of the vessel had agreed to land him. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, (He tells us he has abridgea the life of St. Nicholas from the lives given by John the Deacon and Leonard Justinian.) St. Joseph Oriol stilU a storm at sea by the sign of the cross (a.d. 1660-1702). The ship in which Joseph Oriol embarked at Marseilles for Barcelona was caught in a violent storm. The saint made on the sea the sign of the cross, and immediately the winds dropped, the waves abated, and there was a calm. (See Prayer, pt. ii.) — Les Petits BoUandistes^ vol. iii. p. 616. Seven Candlesticks (The). Rkv. i, 10-20. I was In the Spirit on the Lord's day . . . and I turned to see the voice [iic] that spoke to me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks one like luito the Son of man. . . . The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand, and the seven candlesticks [is this] : The seven stars are the angels of the seven Churches [of Asia] ; and the seven candlesticks are the seven Churches. St. Francisca has a vision of seven candlesticks (a.d. 1384-1440). St. Fran- cisca had ninety-three visions in twelve years. In the fifty-third vision she nursed Jesus, in the form of a little lamb, on her lap. Close by she saw an altar magnificently decorated, and on the altar was a lamb bearing the stigmata of the five wounds. At the foot of the altar were a number of golden candlesticks arranged in four tiers. That farthest oflf contained seven, symbolical of the seven cardinal virtues. The next tier contained twelve candlesticks, significant of the twelve articles of the symbol. The third range had seven, emblematic of the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. And the fourth or nearest tier had seven candlesticks also, representing the seven sacraments of the Christian Church. (See Symbols.) — John Mattistti, Life of St. Francitoa, Shadraeh, Meshach, and Abednego. (See Cauldron Inno- cuous, p. 56 ; Fire Innocuous, p. 186 ; and Retributive Punishment, p. 275.) Dan. Iii. 22-27. When Shadraeh, Meshach. and Abednego were cast by king Darius into the fiery furnace, the flame of the fire in)ured them not. The fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was a hair uf their head singed, neitlier were their coats changed, nor bad th« smell of fire passed on them. St, Alexander ^ EventiuSy and Theodulutj being cast bound into a furnace, receive no hurt. Aurelian, one of the magistrates of Adrian, commanded Alexander and Eventius to be bound together, and cast into a great furnace, for being Christians. Pope Alexander was only thirty years old at the time, but Eventius was above eighty. They fell down bound into the midst of the fiames, but felt no hurt. Theodulus stood by, and Alexander cried to him aloud, "Come, brother, come to us ; the angel that walked with the three Hebrews is with us, and has kept a place for you." On hearing these words, TTieodulus broke from his guards and ran into the furnace, where all three stood on their feet, singing praises unto God. Aurelian was mad with rage, and com- manded Eventius and Theodulus to be beheaded, but pope Alexander he slew " with the pricks of needles." — The Roman Notaries, Life of Pope Alexander, May 3. The blood of St. Blaise a talisman against fire. After St. Blaise had been carded with iron combs by order of Agricolaus, as he was led back to prison, his blood sprinkled the ground over which he walked. Seven Christian women gathered up his blood in napkins, and anointed their eyes therewith. Agri- colaus, hearing thereof, commanded the women to be burnt to death. Accord* ingly, they were first beaten with clubs and then cast into a furnace ; but the fire Pt. I.] SHADHACH, ETC.: FAUSTINUS— VITUS. 287 did them no harm, nay, it was even quenched by the blood which fell from their wounds. Agricolaus, beside him- self with ra^e. then ordered them to be beheaded. — Metaphrastes, Lives, etc. St. Faustinus and St. Jovita, being cast into a furnace, were uninjured, Claudius II. caused a great furnace to be heated exceedingly hot, and had St. Faustinus and St. Jovita cast into the midst thereof. But the fire did them no harm, and they sang hymns to God in the midst of the furnace. When the emperor saw that the fire did his victims no harm, he cried out in a great rage that the men were magicians, and must be put to death ; so they were both beheaded. — Surius (died 1570), Lives of the Saints. A young Jewish lad, after partaking of the Eucharist, was unharmea by a fiery furnace. Menas, bishop of Constanti- nople, in order to demonstrate the sacred character of the Eucharist, mentions the following "fact" from personal know- ledge. A young Jew, the son of a glass- founder, seeing some of his schoolfellows going to church to take the sacrament, according to Greek custom, went with them and received the host. Being late at school, his father asked the cause, and the child innocently told him. The father, mad with rage, thrust the boy into his glass furnace, where he was shut up for three days. In the mean time his mother searched everywhere for the lad, filling the house with her cries. The boy, hearing them, answered from the fur- nace, and the mother, entering, rescued him. The boy told her that a beautiful lady, clothed in purple, had come to him in the furnace, quenched the flames, and fed him with delicious food. This pro- digy was known to all the city of Con- stantinople. The mother and boy both embraced the Christian faith ; but the father, who remained obstinate, was crucified by the order of Justinian the emperor. — Evagrius, Church History. St. Mamas unharmed in the fiery fur^ nace (a.d. 375). St. Mamas is ranked by the Greeks among their great martyrs. His death is placed under the emperor Aurelian and his minister Alexander, governor of Cappadocia. As Mamas refused to sacrifice to Apollo, Alexander ordered him to be thrown into a fiery furnace. Mamas made the sign of the cross, and abode in the furnace three days, not only without injury, but when, at the end of ^is period, he walked forth, he was more comely and lively than before. The preisident declared him to be a magician, and commanded him to be cast to the wild beasts. A bear and a leopard were let out against him. The bear laid itself down at his feet, and the leopard, putting its fore paws on his two shoulders, licked his face lovingly. He was now sent back to prison till a lion of unusual size and fierceness could be pro- cured from the forests. The news of this capture brought to the amphitheatre an immense crowd of spectators. The famished lion was let loose, burst from the arena to the spectators ; a panic spread on all sides, hundreds were trampled to death, some were torn to pieces by the lion. Men, women, chil- dren, tried to escape. The doors of the amphitheatre were shut, '* et gard^es par range du Seigneur." Blood flowed on all sides. The arena was a pool of blood. Suddenly the lion stood still, "il salue le saint avec admiration et respect." Mamas told the beast to do no more mischief. It instantly obeyed, returned to its mountain lair, and was no more seen. — L'abb^ Tin- celin. Vie de St. Mammes (or Mamas). St. Flacidus uninjured in the brazen bull, St. Placidus having gained a great victory, the emperor Trajan appointed a day of thanksgiving, in which sacrifice was to be offered to the gods. Placidus, who was a Christian, said he could take no part in such a ceremony ; whereupon Trajan commanded that he and all his family should be shut up in the brazen bull and baked alive. Three days were they in the furnace, but not a hair of their heads was injured, nor had the smell of fire come on their clothes. — Gesta Bomanorum, ex. St, Vitus uninjured in the midst of a fiery furnace. St. Vitus being in prison, a great light shone, and a voice bade him be of good cheer, as God was with him. The keepers told Diocletian, and the emperor sent for the young man. After the interview, Diocletian caused a great fire to be made in a furnace, filled with rosin, pitch, and lead; and when the ingredients were seething, Vitus was cast into the midst. " We shall see now," said Diocletian, "whether your boasted God can deliver you." St. Vitus, as he was let down into the furnace, made tho sign of the cross, and an angel descended to drive back the seething mass, so that St. Vitus received no hurt. There stood the martyr in the midst of the furnace in the sight of the whole multitude. His face was cheerful, and he was singing 288 SHIBBOLETH— SHIP— SHOW ME THY GLORY. LPt. L praises to his God. At len<;th he came forth as silver purified in the fire, not only uninjured, but ten times more beautiful than he was before. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 383. Dr. C. Wordsworth, bishop of Lincoln, on Dan. iiJ. 6, Bajrs : " When the kingdom passed into the hands of Persians, another mode of punishment [not the furnace] succeeded ; " tliis, he says, is " evidence of the genuineness of the book." To this I cannot agree. Any one well-read hi Persian history can cite many more examples of " cast- ing men into a furnace," than of " casting them to lions," which was more a Roman than a Persian custom. It is bad form to press into Christian evidence anything which kistory will not corroliorate. Shibboleth. JuDG. xii. 1-6. After Jephtbah had defeated the Ammonites, the men of Ephraim, out of Jealousy, complained that they had not been called to share in the enterprise. Jephtbah answered with moderation ; but the Ephraimites taunted the victorious men of Gilead so insult- ingly, that a war ensued between the men of Gilead and the men of Ephraim. The latter were discomfited, and guards were set at all the passes of Jordan to intercept their flight. If any man came to on*; of these passes, he was requested to pronounce the password "Shib- boleth." If be pronounced it Shibboleth, he was allowed to go his way, but if Sibboleth, he was an Ephraimite, and was put to the sword. By this test 42,000 were put to death. (In Xunib. I. 33. the entire number of the tribe, when that census was taken, was only 40,500.) The Danish Shibboleth on St. Bryce's Day (Nov. 13, a.d. 1002). In the great slaughter of the Danes on St. Bryce's Day, 1002, the test words were "Chi- chester Church." Those who pronounced the Mords in the ordinary way were allowed to pass ; but the Danes betrayed themselves by pronouncing the words Shish-shes-ter Sherch, and were merci- lessly put to death. The French Shibboleth in the Sicilian Vespers. In the Sicilian Vespers, some dried peas {ciceri) were shown to fugi- tives. He who called them che-cha-re was allowed to go his way, for he was a Sicilian ; but he who called them sis-sa- re was cut down, for he was an un- doubted Frenchman. Ship miraculously to Ijand. brought John vi. 18-21. The sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship ; and they were afraid. But Jesus said unto them, It is I ; be not afraid. Then they willingly received Him into the ship, and Immediately the ship was at the land whither they were bound. The ship in which St. Peter Thomas sailed transported by the Virgin from a stormy sea to a quiet lake (a.d. 1366). One day the ship in which St. Peter Thomas was sailing was caught in a sudden squall, and all thought it must go to the bottom ; but the saint prayed to the Virgin, and instantly the ship waa transported into a neighbouring lake, where it remained in perfect safety till the tempest had blown over. — Les Pet its BollandisteSf vol. i. p. 168. (We are told that on another occasion some Turkish pirates were bearing down upon tills sliip, wlien suddenly a thick cloud intervened, and hid the ves.'Hil from the pirates. See also PRATER, pt ii.) Show me Thy Glory ExoD. xxxiii. 18-20. And Moses said, 1 beseech Thee, show me Thy glory. And God said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee ; but thou canst not see My face, for no man shall see Me, and live. 27ie woman who nursed St. Clara said to her, *' Show me the queen of heaven.'' When St. Clara was dying, the woman who waited on her implored to be shown the queen of angels and mother of God. The dying saint replied, '' If it pleases the lady mother to show herself, I shall rejoice with exceeding great joy." At these words a number of virgins, arrayed in white, with crowns on their heads, entered the chamber, and with them the queen herself, from whose face proceeded such ineffable splendour, that daylight was eclipsed by it. The holy mother bowed courteously to St. Clara, and bade the virgins of her suite give her the rich mantle brought from paradise. St. Clara well knew that her hour was come ; and, as she breathed out her soul, the virgin train carried it with them into paradise. — Life of St. Clara (written at the expresa command of pope Alexander V.). Jamblichus showed spirits to his disciple* (fourth century). Jamblichus, the Neo- platonist, while he was at Gadara, drew from two fountains the guardian spirits, and showed them to his disciples. — £una- pius, Jamblichus (fourth century). Simeon and the Child Jesus. Luke ii. 25-35. When Mary kept her purifi- cation, an old man, named Simeon, came by the Spirit into the temple at the same time, and taking the infant Jesus in his arms, blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettestTliou Thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation. He then prophesied that the Child would grow up to be **a light to lighten th« Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel ; " but he told Mary that the Child would be *♦ for a sign which shall he spoken against." Pt. 1.] When Si> Dunstan's parents offered presents in Glastonbury church for the birth of their hoy^ an angel took the child, and prophesied that he would be a light in the world. When Dunstan was able to walk alone, his parents took him to Glas- tonbury church to offer presents for his birth. They passed the whole night in prayer ; and an angel, taking the boy's hand, led him through the church, and said to the parents, *' This child will grow up to lead many into the way everlasting, and will become a great saint ; but he will also be a sign which shall be spoken against," — Osbert of Canterbury, Life of St. Dunstan. Sodom and the Dead Sea. Gen. xix. 24, 25. Sodom, Gomorrha, Zeboim, and Admah were destroyed by fire from heaven, on account of their great wickedness. After- wards, the waters of the Jordan overflowed the site of these cities, and made the present Dead Sea, sometimes called the "Lake of Sodom." The prophet Jeremiah alludes to this lake (iv. 38, 40). The knighfs castle overflowed by a dead sea. A poor knight fell in love with a rich lady ; and, being told that his poverty was a bar to his marriage, murdered a rich duke, got possession of his wealth, and wedded the lady. For nearly thirty years all went smoothly ; but eight days before the completion of that period of time the knight made a great feast. During the banquet a bird flew into the h-all, the knight shot it, and in a moment the castle sank into the earth, and the site thereof became a spacious lake, on which no substance will float, and in whose waters no living plant or crea- ture can live. — Oesta Romanorum^ ch. IxxviiL. Solomon's Choice. 2 Chbon. i. 7-12. God gave Solomon the liberty of choosing what gift he liked best, whether wealth or wisdom, honour or dominion ; and Solomon said. Give me wisdom and know- ledge. And God replied, Because thou hast asked wisdom and not wealth, therefore wisdom and knowledge will I grant unto thee, besides riches and honour such as none of the kings have had before thee, neither shall there after thee have the like. Buod chooses wisdom inpreference to wealth (eleventh century). Kuod lived in the court of the king of Egypt, and, in return for valuable services, was offered by the king a choice of gifts, wisdom or wealth. Ruod chose the former, and tho Pharaoh 13 SODOM— SOLOMON^S CHOICE. t» appointed the twelve wisest men of th« realm for his instructors. He also sent him, from time to time, valuable jeweli concealed in manchets ; so that Ruod waa not only the wisest but also the richest man in all Egypt.^The Huodlieb (eleventh century). An apprentice chooses wise advice in pre- ference to wages, A loving couple at Cantire had one son ; but, being very poor, the man came to England, and took service with a farmer. Years rolled on, and the man resolved to return to Cantire. His master asked him which he would have, three bits of advice or wages, and the man chose the former. Then said the master, (1) *' Keep on the highway ; (2) lodge in no house where there is an old man married to a young wife ; and (3) do nothing rashly." On his way to Cantire, the man overtook a pedlar journeying the same road, and the pedlar told hini he would show him a short cut which would considerably shorten the way ; but the highlander, recalling his master's advice, resolved to keep to the high-road. The pedlar, therefore, parted company, foil among thieves, and was robbed of every- thing he possessed. They met again, and at nightfall the pedlar advised his companion to put up at a tavern well known to him ; but when the Scotchman found the landlord was an old man who had recently married a young wife, he passed on. In the night, the old man was murdered, and the pedlar was charged with the crime. At length our traveller reached Cantire, and saw his wife caress- ing a sturdy young man. In his rage, he would have killed the young man ; but, being determined to do nothing rashly, he went to some of the neighbours, in- quired who the young man was, and dis- covered it was his own son, who supported his mother with his daily toil. The father was greatly rejoiced, made himself known, and, on cutting up a cake which his master had sent as a present to the man's wife, he found therein the entire amount of wages due. The wise master had chosen this way of payment, to prevent the money being spent on the road before the man reached home. — CuthbertBede, The White Wife, and other Stories. A beggar chooses three bits of aavice in preference to three scudi. A poor man, not long married, started for Maremma to earn a living, and, after the lapse of aevenl years, returned homewards. On his w»y 290 SOLOMON'S CHOICE— SOLOMON'S JUDGMENT. [Ft. I. he asked a publican for alms, and the pub- lican said, ** Which, now, shall I give you, three scudi, or three bits of advice?" The man thought awhile, and then chose the latter. *' Well," said the publican, *' my three bits of advice are these : (1) Never interfere in matters which don't concern you; (2) never quit the high-road for what is called a short cut ; and (3) keep your wounded pride to cool till the sun has risen the next morning." On his way home, the poor man lodged for a night at a roadside house where a murder was committed ; but, not interfering in the matter, he was suffered to depart. On he trudged till he overtook a traveller going tiie same way. The traveller recommended a short cut, but the man, recalling the second bit of advice, deter- mined to keep to the high-road, and parted company. The traveller soon fell among thieves, who first robbed and then murdered him. At length the poor man reached home, and beheld his wife caress- ing a young priest. His anger was aroused, but he kept his wounded pride to cool till after sunrise next morning, and in the mean time ascertained that the young priest was his own son. The kind publican had given him a manchet for his wife, and, on opening it, three scudi were found concealed in the inside. — Nerucci, Sessanta Novelle Popolari* The emperor Domitian saves his life by three sentences of advice ^ bought of a mer- chant. The emperor bought of a merchant a talisman consisting of three sentences of advice, for which he paid the good round sum of a thousand florins. These three sentences thrice saved the emperor's life from the plots of conspirators to assas- sinate him. Thus, in one of the plots, a barber, hired to cut the emperor's throat, read on the towel this sentence, '* Think of the consequences^" and refused to run the risk of a regicide; by keeping the high-road, the emperor escaped an am- bush laid to take away his life ; and by refusing to stay in a house where there was a young wife married to an old man, he again evaded a conspiracy to cut him off. — Gesta Eomanorum^ ciii. There Is a Turkish tale, called The SuJtan, tJi0 Scfi, and tke Surgeon, to the same effect. The sultan bought of an abdal a tentence nf advice for which he paid a hundred dinaraa. Tte sentence was, " Think of the end ; " and this sentence the sultan had inscribed on his doors, his linen, and even on his crockery and plate. One day a barber-surgeon, hired to assassinate the sultan, read thew words on the imperial basin, clmnged his mind, and put- liiiK back the poisoned lancet, employed another. The (ultan, taking notice of this, asked the reason, and the barber-surgeon, on a promise of pardon, revealed the conspiracy. Solomon's Judgment. 1 KrnGS ill. 16-28. Two harlots came to Solomon for judgment. The case was this : The two women lived in one house, and both brought forth a male child within three days of each other, but one of the infants died. The mother of the dead child accused the other woman of stealing her living babe, and substituting the dead one. Solomon said, Bring me a sword. And they did so. Divide the living child, said the king, and give half to one, and half to the other. The mother of the dead child cried, Be it so. Let the child be neither mine nor hers. But the other woman cried, Not so, my lord ; give her the child, but in no wise slay it. Then answered the king. Hers is the child ; give It to her. A nd all Israel approved the wise judgment of the king. Susanna and thb Elders. (See p. 299.) Matt. xxii. 16-21. The Pharisees, wishing to entangle Jesus either with the Jews or tlie Roman government, artfully asked him whether In His Judgment it was lawful for God's people to pay tribute to Caesar. Jesus asked to look on the tribute-money, and demanded whose was the image struck upon it. Caesar's, said the Pharisees. Then Jesus said to them. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to Qod the things that are God's. Charles V, decides a dispute of pre- cedency. Two Spanish ladies of high rank disputed about a seat in church, each claiming *' the higher room." Charles V. sent for the two dames, and listened patiently while each explained her right of precedency. The case being stated, the emperor said, *' Let the greater fool go first." It is needless to state that neither lady contended for the honour. — ^Chevalier de Propiac, J>ictumnaire d Emulation, p. 230. Rowland Hill, preaching • charity •ermon, concluded thus: "Let no one who cannot i>a7 his debti i>ut anytlUng in the plate." St, Ives, the widow, and two swindlers. Two swindlers deposited a valise with a widow, which they asserted contained two hundred gold pistoles, and charged her not to give up the valise except they were both present. After the lapse of six days one of the men came for the bag, and carried it off, whereupon the other rogue brought the widow before the judge, and demanded either the bag or tie two hundred gold pistoles. The case seemed straightforward, and sentence was just about to be pronounced for the plaintiff, when St. Ives interfered, and said his client could not produce the valise unless both the claimants were present. The plaintiflp, therefore, must I, I . ".is f(>Ilnelief. The legitimate son of a king discovered by a wise judgment. A certain queen had four sons, three of whom were supposed to be illegitimate. When the king died, the question was, which of these four was the lawful successor. As they could not, of course, agree, they laid the case before a knight, in whose judgment they confided, and by whose award they swore to abide. The knight ordered the dead body of the late king to be disinterred, and bound to a tree ; and then command- ing each of the four sons to shoot at the body, promised to give his judgment. The first who discharged his arrow shot the right hand of the dead body ; the second arrow pierced the mouth ; the third, the heart. It was now the turn of the youngest to try his skill, but instead of shooting at the dead body, he burst into tears, and cried in agony, " Oh, father ! Oh, my poor father, have I lived to see thee thus abused ? Oh, my father, are we thy sons to make thee the butt of our ambition ? Let who will take the kingdom, I can never consent so to insult the dead." " He is the son ! " cried the knight ; and all the people echoed the wise judgment, and him, with one voice, they elected to the throne. — Gesta Momanorumy xlv. The judgment of the grand-vizier Cher- luli. In the first quarter of the eighteenth century, a Turkish merchant lost a purse containing two hundred gold pieces, and sent the public crier to offer half the amount to any one who would restore it to him. A sailor brought the purse back, but the merchant, to elude his promise, affirmed that the purse also contained an emerald of great value, and insisted on its being restored. The case was brought before Cherluli, the grand-vizier, who •aid tc the merchant, "You swear that the purse you lost contained two hundred gold pieces and an emerald of great valuer" "Yes, I swear it," replied the merchant. "And you," said the grand- vizier to the sailor, " swear that the purse you found contained two hundred gold pieces, but no emerald?" " I swear it," said the finder. " Then," continued the judge to the merchant, "it is quite obvious that this purse is not the one you lost. — Take it back," continued he to the sailor, "and if within forty days it is not duly claimed, keep the money for your own use." A similar judgment was made by Octal-khan, emperor of Tartarjr. Portia and Shylock. Doubtless the judgment of Portia is one of the shrewdest evasions on record. The Jew bargained with Antonio for a " pound of flesh ; " whereupon Portia remarked that the Jew, in the first place, must cut neither more nor less than a pound ; and, in the second place, it must be all flesh without one drop of blood. There are several similar tales. (1) AmURAT 1. AND THE TURK (1360-1389). A Turk lent a Christian a hundred ecus, on condition that if the loan was not returned at a stated time, the Turk should cut off two ounces of the defaulter's flesh. The time expired, the Christian could not repay the loan, and was haled before Amurat. The sultan tried at first to conciliate the claimant, but not succeeding in that, he told the Turk to take his bond, but reminded him that the terms were two ounces, neither more nor less, and if he cut either more or less than two ounces, he would himself be subject to the same penalty. The Mussulman, being brought to reason, extended the time of payment, and the Christian was enabled to return the loan. (2) Secchi and Samson Ceneda THE Jew. a merchant of Venice, hav- ing been informed by private letter that admiral Drake had taken and plundered St. Domingo, sent word of the capture to Samson Ceneda, a Jewish usurer. Samson would not believe it, and bet a pound of flesh the rumour was not true. When the report was confirmed by the pope, his holiness told Secchi he might lawfully claim his pound of flesh it he chose, but that he must take no blood, and must also cut exactly a pound of flesh, neither more nor less ; if either of these provisions was broken, the pope added that Secchi would be instantly fM SPteAklXG WiTftOtTt A tONGUfi. tt>T. 1. hanged on the nearest tree. — Gregorio Leti, Lifeof Sixtus V. (1666). The forged transfer. In the reign of Maximian, a certain knight wanted to buy a piece of land contiguous to his estate, but the owner refused to sell it. Not long afterwards the owner died, and the knight drew up a forged instrument, purporting to be the transfer of the land for value received. The instrument was duly attested by three witnesses. The son and heir disputed the instrument, and the judge commanded the three witnesses to be kept apart, and examined separately. The first witness was called, but the questions put to him were of no importance. The second was then placed at the bar, and, taking it for granted that his 'Companion had revealed the whole matter, made at once a clean breast of it. The third saw by the judge*8 face and manner that he knew all about it, and confirmed the statement of the previous witness. So the judge condemned the knight to death, and gave his estate to the young man he had tried to defraud. — Gesta Romanorum^ exxviii. The stolen horse. A Spaniard in his travels overtook an Indian in a desert. Both were mounted, but the Indian had the better horse. The Spaniard wanted him to change, and as he refused, set upon, mastered him, and took possession of the steed. The Indian rode peaceably to the next town, and then laid his com- plaint before the cadi. The Spaniard insisted the horse was his, and that the claim of the complainant was simply ridiculous. The Indian, throwing his scarf over the horse's head, requested the cadi to demand of the defendant, which of the horse's eyes was the blind one. "The right eye," cried the Spaniard. "Neither," shouted the Indian, and the cadi at once adjudged the horse to its rightful owner. Speaking without a Tongue. IsA. XXXV. 6. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the. tongue of the dumb sing. 2 Macc. vii. 1-19. Antiochus took seven Bons of one mother and commanded them to eat swine's flesh, and because they refused to disobey the law of Moses, they were scourged. Then one by one they were put to death. The first said to Antiochus, We are ready to die rather than to transgress the laws of our fathers. Then the king, being in a rage, commanded pans and cauldrons to be made hot, and, having cut out the tongue of his rktim a^d lopped off his extremities, he was fried in the pan. The brethren loi)kinp on, exhorted each other to die manfully. When the turn of the third son came, he put out his tongue when requireeech. Hence Cowper's lines— I shall not ask Jean Jacques RooatM If birds confabulate or no ; *Ti3 clear that they were always able To hold discourse,— at least in fable. Pairing-time anticipates. In the Frithjof Saga by Tegner. Ellida, Frithjof's ship, understood whatever its master said to it, and hence the son of Thorsten talks to it as to a companion. Spider's Web. Dr, Moulins protected in the Bartholo' mew slaughter by a spider's web. Jn the dreadful massacre of Huguenots in France on Bartholomew's Eve and the day fol- lowing. Dr. Moulins took refuge in a cold oven, A spider wove its web over the oven's mouth, and when the cut- throats came up and saw the unbroken web, they passed on. For David. Felix, and Mahomet, saved bgr cobweb^ seep. 75. Spittle curative. John ix. 6, 1. When He had thus spoken. He epat on the ground, and made clay of the Pt. I.] SPITTLE CURATIVE. 295 spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said to him. Go, wash in the pool of Siloam. The blind man went and washed, and came seeing. Mark vii. 32-35. They bring to Jesus cue that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech. And Jesus took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers into the man's ears, and He spit, and touched his tongue. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plainly. Mark viii. 22-24. Jesus cometh to Beth- saida : and they bring to Him a blind man, and besough* Him to touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw ought. And the man said, I see men as trees, walking. After that He put His hands again upon the man's eyes, and he saw clearly. " Ilia de sinu licium protulit varii coloris fills intortum, cervicemque vinxit meam : Mox turbatiiin sputo pulverem, medio sustulit digito, frontemque repugnantis signavit. Hoc peracto carmine, ter me jussit exspuere, terque la- pillos conjicere in sinum. quos ipsa prsecantatos purpura inrolrerat, . . . Petronius." Spittle used in baptism. After exorcisms, the priest [in Roman Catholic baptisms] puts salt in the mouth of the catechu- men, saj^ng, "M. or N., receive the salt of wisdom, that it may lead you to eternal life." The catechumen is then introduced into the Church, and the priest touches the ears and nose of the infant with spittle, saying, " Ephphatha, be opened." That is, may your ears be open to hear and receive the words of eternal life, and your nose to smell the sweet odour of sanctity. The Church, says St. Charles, *' demands that every one who is baptized should hear the voice of God and His commandments, and that the doctrines of Christ, entering through the ears, should go down into the heart, and smell as a sweet perfume." The nose is touched with spittle, ad discernandum bonum odorem a malo, sanam doctrinam a corrupta, that it may know to discern a good odour from a bad one, that is, a sound doctrine from an heretical one. — Mgr. Gu^rin, Vies des Saints^ vol. xvi. p. 619. Sti Attains heals a cut thumb, and cures a child with saliva (a.d. 627). A monk working in a iield about half a league from the monastery of Bobbio, cut off the thumb of his left hand, and applied to the abbot to heal the wound. St. Attains sent a man to search for the thumb, and anointing it with spittle, replaced it on the hand. It instantly attached itself, and the monk used it as if it had never been cut at all. St. Attains in the same way cured an infant which had been given over by the doctors. Jonas, a Scotchman, mentions both thesff miracles, and adds that he knows they arc true, as he was himself an eye-witness of both of them. — Jonas, a Scotchman, and disciple of St. Attains, Life of St, Attalus, Spittle kills a dragon, Sozomenus tells us of a saint named Donatus (not St. Donatus, bishop of Arezzo, but another of the same name) who slew a dragon by "signing the sign of the cross, and spitting into the dragon's mouth." St Francis of Paula mxikes two eyes and a mouth with his spittle (a.d. 1416-1507). One day a child which was bom without eyes or mouth was taken to St. Francis of Paula. St. Francis marked with his spittle the spots where these features ought to have been, then making the sign of the cross, the infant became in- stantly possessed of two most brilliant eyes and a model mouth. St. Hilarion cures a blind woman with his spittle. A woman who had been blind for ten years, and had spent all her substance on physicians without re- ceiving any benefit from their prescrip- tions, was at last brought to St. Hilarion. " Woman," said the hermit to her, '* if you had spent your substance on the poor, Jesus Christ would have cured you." He then anointed her eyes with spittle, and immediately her sight was restored. — St. Jerome, Vita St, Hilarionis Eremites (a.d. 890) ; Nicephorus Callistus (died 1350), Ecclesiastical His- tory. St. Peter II. y archbishop of Tarentaise, cures with his spittle a blind boy (a.d, 1103-1174). When St. Peter II., arch- bishop of Tarentaise, was at Chaumont, on the confines of Normandy, he was met by Henry II. of England and Louis VII. of France. In the immense crowd was a woman, leading by the hand her son, who was quite blind. She tried in vain to force her way to thethaumaturgist; but, finding this impossible, she cried with a loud voice, beseeching him to heal her son. The saint bade the lad come forward ; then, wetting his fingers with spittle, he rubbed them across the sightless eyes, making on them the sign of the cross. The kings and princes watched anxiously the result. All of a sudden the boy exclaimed, " Hurrah I hurrah ! I see my mother, I see the trees, I see men and women, I see every- thing." All the crowd was ravished. The mother, beside herself with jcy, fell 296 STAR AT BIRTH AND DEATH. [Pt. I. at the saint's feet, kissing them, and bathing them with her tears. The king of France fell prostrate before the boy, adoring the power divine, kissed the boy on his forehead, eyes, and cheek, and then put into his hand a rich offering. — Geoffrey (abbot of Hautecomb), Life of Peter 11.^ etc. (written nine years after his death by order of pope Lucius III.). St, Valery cures many with his spittle (a.d. 619). "On ne finirait pas si on voulait raconter combien St. Valery guerit de malades en faisant sur eux le signe de la croix, ou en les frottant de la salive." — Besanfon (1854), Les Saints de Franche Comte". Vespasian cures a blind man with spittle, Tacitus (Annals, bk. i. ch. 3) records many miracles done by the emperor Vespasian. *'Many miracles," he says, ''happened at Alexandria, manifesting the favour of the divine powers towards Vespasian. For example : a man of Alexandria, known to be blind, cast him- self at the emperor's feet, begging him, with tears, to spit upon his eyes. Another, who was maimed, besought Vespasian to stamp upon his hand. Both these things being done, ' statim conversa ad usum manus, et cceco reluxit dies,* the maimed man recovered the use of his hand, and the blind man the speculation of his eyes." Tacitus adds, "These things are testified to this day by eye- witnesses, to whom a falsehood could be of no advantage." — Tacitus, History , bk. ir. 81 ; Suetonius, Vespasian, vii. Tliere can be no doubt that spittle was considered a charm hy Jews, Greeks, Romans, and many other ancient nations. We trace it among the Indians, Eg>ptians, Africans, etc., and find that it still exists among our own pt'ople. Probably the "eye-salve" referred to in Rev. iii. 18 is spittle. Theocritus saylf* Thrice on my breast I spit to guard me safe from fascinating charms." Pliny tells us that spittle '*avertswitchcraft,"and was "once deemed a specific for ophthalmia" (xxviil. 7). and sir Thomas Browne mentions among "vulgar errors" the notion that "fasting spittle will kill snakes, and is an antidote to the poison of serpents." Persius (Satire ii. 31) informs us that nurses were wont to spit on new-born infants for luck ; when Mahomet was born, his grandfather Hassan " did spit in the child's mouth " (UUtory of theSaraceiu, Ii. 84) ; and Park tells us that the priest, when a Mandingo child is born, "spits three times in its face for luck." We all know that boys spit on gift-money for luck; fish women for the same reason "spit on their hansel." and boxers on the palms of their hands. Among the [Roman] Catholic ceremonies of baptism one of them is "to touch the nostrils and ears of the child with •pittle." Bale, in bis Interlude (1562). makes Idolatry eay~- I can work wjles In battle ; If I but ones [oncej do spattle, I can make corne and cattle That they shall never thrire. Star at Birtli or Death ; Guid- ing Star. Matt. U. l-U. Wbep Jesijs was Vern. t|jere came to Jerusalem certain wise men who had seen His star In the east. A star seen at the birth of St. Ambrose of Siena (a.d. 1220). The same day that St. Ambrose of Siena was bi ought into the world, two other saints were born of great note, viz. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. James of Menavia. The day was marked by three bright stars seen at middaj", "qui renfermaient chacun un religieux de St. Dominique, pour montrer que ces trois homines e'taient destines du ciel a e'clairer le monde par la lumifere de leur doctrine." — Mgr. Gue'rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints (1880), vol. iii. p. 653. Ambrose was born at Siena In Tuscany; Thomas Aquinas at Belcastro in Calabria, according to Barrius and at Aquino in Calabria, according to the Bollandists; and James of Menavia was born at Bisslgnano in Calabria, April 16. A.D. 1220. A fiam£ of fire seen on the house-roof when St. Francis of Paula was bom (a.d. 1416). St. Francis of Paula was the child of prayer, being born, like Isaac, Samson, Samuel, and John Baptist, when the mother was past the age of child- bearing. ^ His parents invoked St. Francis of Assisi for this blessing, and when their prayer was answered they recognized the grant by calling his name Francis. At the moment of his birth a flame of fire, like a lamp, was seen burning on the roof of the house. And this house has since been converted into a chapel, where the Minims of Paula celebrate the "sacrifice of the mass." — The Bull and other Documents of the Canonization (collected by Pfere Giry). Stars honour St. Theresa at death (six- teenth century). It pleased the Lord to show forth the holiness of St. Theresa by signs and wonders. For example : At the moment of her death, a certain religious woman saw two stars descend upon her cell. Another sister saw a bright star shining over the monastery, and one at the saint's chamber window, A religious woman of Valladolid saw the heavens open, and a glorious path pre- pared, reaching from earth to heaven, by which her soul ascended into paradise. A prioress of Segovia smelt at the same time an odour exceeding in sweetness any earthly perfume. Another sister saw a white dove issue from the mouth of the deceased, and fly upwards till lost to sight. All the convent saw a great light, and smelt a sweet odour. — John (of th# Order of Jesps), Life of St, Theresa Pt. I.] STEPHEN— STONES MADE BREAD— SUN SUBMISSIVE. 297 If the soul of St. Theresa flew out of her mouth in the form of a dove, and took it» flight direct to heaven, what was the use of the patli prepared, and reacliing from earth to heaven ? The Hghjt seen in the convent and the sweet odour may be accounted for by the custom of lighting candles aud burning incense. St. John the Silent sees and follows a guiding star (a.d. 464-558). St. John waa bishop of Colonia, in Armenia, but, longing for retirement, his mind was greatly troubled between duty and in- clination. One night while engaged in prayer, lifting his eyes to heaven, he saw a bright star in the form of a cross, and heard at the same time a voice in the air which said to him, '* If you would be saved, follow this star." He instantly rose, followed the star, and was conducted to the cells of St. Sabas, in Palestine, called " The Great Laura." Here he was received, and employed at first in fetch- ing water and carrying stones for the builders of a new hospital. Afterwards, he was promoted to the duties of receiving and entertaining strangers ; and then he was allowed a separate hermitage. — Cyril (a monk), Life of St. John the SUent, A laura is a kind of village of separate cells. The dif- ference between a monastery and laura is this: in a tnonattery all the monks live under one roof, and meet together at meals and canonical prayers ; but in a laura they live separately, each in his own ti.ut, cave, or ceD. St, Solangia had a star night and day which directed her in all things (a.d. 880). Every night and day a star appeared over the head of St. Solangia to guide her in all her ways, " a lamp unto her feet, and a light unto her path." This star advertised to her the hour of orison er psalmody. In fact, it seemed " com me si la lumiSre, qui invitait autrefois les saints rois Mages k aller reconnaitre et adorer J e'sus-Christ, eut e'te reproduite pour favoriser cette sainte bergere, et lui mdiquer les precieux moments auxquels le divine Epoux demandait ses adorations." In Christian art St, Solangia is repre- sented as a shepherd with a star above her head. — Alet, Vie de Ste, Solange^ p. 18, etc. Stephen's Vision. (See Visions.) .Acts vii. 55, 56. When Stephen was about to be stoned, he looked steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man stand- ing on the right hand of God. St. Attains^ at death, saw the heavens open (a.d. 627). When St. Attains was lying, he cried out, "Behold, I see the neavens opened, and a seat prepared for me in the preieuce of the Majesty on high." — Les Pctits Bollandistes^ voL L p. 106. St. Wulsin^ bishop of Sherborne ^ Dorset" shire, saw Jesus standing at God's right hand (a.d. 983). When St. Wulsin was on the point of death, he exclaimed, saying, "I see the heavens cpen, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." This he uttered without faltering, and then gave up the ghost. — Matthew of Westminster, L>e Gestis Fontijicorum An^ glorum, bk. ii. Stones made Bread. (See " Bread made a Stone" — Churlishness.) Matt. Iv. 3. If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Psalm Ixxviii. 25. Man did eat angels' food. A flower converted into bread. A nobleman of Maille, having lost his way in a chase, came to the cell of Jeanne Marie de Maille', and asked if she could give him a morsel of food. "Messire chevalier," she replied, *'of bread or other food I have none, but may it please you to accept this flower ? " A flower, he thought, was but poor repast for a hungry man ; nevertheless he took it graciously, stuck it in his bonnet, and rode on. He had not gone far when he was struck with the unusual weight of his cap, and, taking it off, perceived three small loaves of bread growing on the stem of the flower ; they were very delicious in flavour, and on arriving at his chateau he recorded how Jeanne Marie had given him angels' food. — Pfere de Boisgaultier (her confessor). Life of Jeanne Marie de Maille, (See Rose, pt. ii., " Bread converted into Roses.") Sun Submissive to the Saints. Josh. x. 12. The sun and moon stood still, at the bidding of Joshua, that he might com- plete his victory over the five allied kings who made war against the Gibeonites. 2 Kings xx. 8. The sun went back ten degrees to lengthen the days of the life of Hezekiah. Psalm civ. 4, His ministers a flaming fire. Joshua's miracle of the sun and moon, I am well aware of the dangerous ground they tread who attempt to suggest any interpretation of Scripture different to what is usually received ; but of late many inroads ' have been made, and though at first discredited, are now universally admitted : witness the move- ment of the earth, which brought Galileo into trouble, and the Mosaic cosmogony, which geology has compelled all meo to m SUN STANDING STILL— EXPLAINED. IPt.L modify. I have ventured to suggest a rendering of " Samson and the Jaw- bone" (p. 281), and would now, with all diffidence, hint at a rendering of the sun and moon miracle in the Book of Joshua. These new renderings in no wise touch upon the subjects of inspiration and miracles, but simply upon that of trans- lation or interpretation. I admit, at starting, that ver. 14 is a difficulty, but probably not insuperable, as I hope to show. What I would suggest is this: That the incident recorded in 2 Kings xviii. 17-40, respecting Elijah and the prophets of Baal, gives the true key of interpre- tation. The five kings mentioned by Joshua (ver. 3), like most if not all the people amongst whom the Israelites were about to dwell, were worshippers of the sun and moon, under the names of Astaroth, Astart^, Baal, or some other name ; and Joshua might wish to show the Israelites, on their first entrance into the land, how powerless are such false gods. If this was his purpose, his words (ver. 12) might be paraphrased thus: ** These men against whom you are fight- ing put their trust in the sun and moon, but I will show you the impotency of such a trust. I, a man, will command these gods of theirs to stand still, and not come to the aid of their worshippers. * Sun and moon, stand still, I command you. Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon. Moon, stand thou still upon Ajalon, while the children of Israel, the worship- pers of the true God, pursue thy votaries to Beth-horon and Makkedah.' So the sun stood still, and went not to the help of his worshippers, and the moon moved not to succour her devotees, and all Israel saw how powerless were such false deities as Astaroth and Astarte (sun and moon) ; and when they saw the idolaters struck down on all sides, they could not but exclaim, as the people cried in the days of Elijah, * The Lord, He is God ! the Lord, He is God ! '" By this render- ing, an enormous difficulty, far beyond that of a mere miracle, is got over ; and the people would be taught a most useful lesson — not to forsake the God which Moses taught them to worsuip, for the false gods of the people amongst whom they were henceforth about to live. " So Astaroth and Astarte stood still, and came not to the help of the five kings, while Israel avenged themselves upon their »nemies, who trusted to these false deities. Is nnt this written in the Book of Jasher ? " This last clause and ver. 14 were not, of course, written by Joshua, but, like the close of ver. 9, ch. iv., and ch. xxiv. 29-33, etc., were added by some subsequent editor or commentator. Of course, Joshua could not have written the words (ver. 14) " there was no day like that before it or after it," for it would have been nonsense for Joshua to have said so. This verse, therefore, does not belong to the original text, and need cause no difficulty. (As I said at the beginning, I do not wish to dogmatize — far from it ; I merely wish to hint what appears to be a not improbable solution of an enormous difficulty.) St. Deicola^ an Irish saint^ hangs his cloak on a sunbeam (seventh century), Weifhardt cruelly ill-treated St. Deicola, but soon afterwards fell sick ; and his wife, thinking his sickness a punishment for his ill-treatment of the hermit, sent for him. Deicola, mindful of the Christian precept of returning good for evil, hastened to the sick man. The day was very sultrj', and the hermit stripped off his mantle. When the servants of Weifhardt offered to take it from him, Deicola said to them, " Menservants and maidservants serve men and women, but the ser\'ants of God are served by God's servants." So saying, he threw his mantle on a sunbeam, and there it remained securely hung till he had finished his interview, and was about to leave the house. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, vol. i. p. 282. (See the Roman Martyrology, Jan. 18.) St. Goar, the hei-mit^ hangs his cloak on a sunbeam (a.d. 575). St. Goar wa* sent for by Rusticus, bishop of Trfeves, who had assembled a large number of his clergy in his palace, with intent of reproving the recluse for violating the rules laid down for the observance of hermits. The first thing the hermit did on his entry into Trbves was to enter the church, and commend himself to the caie of the Almighty. He then went to the bishop's palace, "avec une gravite' et une modestie ang^iques." Taking off his outer garment, he hung it on a sun- beam, " qu'il prit pour une barre ou une corde." The bishop, far from being influenced by this prodigy, accused the hermit of magic, and reproved him sharply for being in league with the devil. St. Goar appealed to God to vindicate him from this charge. At this moment a olerk entered the palac^ Pt. L] SUSANNA AND THE ELDERS. 299 bringing an infant which he found in the font. The bishop said if Goar would tell him who were the parents of this foundling he would believe him ; if not, he should tieat him as a son of Belial, for eating before the canonical hours. St. Goar asked the age of the child, and the clerk said it was about three days old. Then, addressing the babe, the hermit said to it, "I adjure you, in the name of the Holy Trinity, tell this company who are your father and mother." The babe, pointing to the bishop, said distinctly, '* My father is Rusticus and my mother Flavia." The bishop declared it was an infamous lie, but afterwards, being pricked to the heart, he confessed that the infant had told the truth. In Christian art St. Goar is represented hanging his cloak on a sunbeam. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), July 6. St. Gudula hangs a pair of gloves on a sunbeam (a.d. 652-710). St. Gudula, to render her prayers more efficacious, always imposed on herself some corporal punishment. Thus she went about with shoes without soles. One day a monk handed to her his gloves to set her feet on. Gudula thanked him for his kind- ness, but immediately his back was turned, she threw the gloves on one side ; when iol a striking miracle manifested itself , for the gloves were "hooked up by a sunbeam which penetrated the church window, and there they hung for more than an hour." As all present saw the gloves suspended on the sun- beam, there could be no deception in the matter. The sunbeam caught up the gloves which St. Gudula cast aside, and held them suspended till the service was over. — Hubert (eleventh century), Life of St, Gudula, St. Leonoras of Brittany hangs his mantle on a sunbeam (a.d. 609-660). One day king Childebert requested St. Leonorus to celebrate to him and his court the holy mysteries. The servant of God, before robing himself with the sacerdotal orna- ments, pulled off his mantle, and, wanting to hang it up, could not find a peg un- occupied. At that moment a ray of the sun burst through the window of the vestry, and to the amazement of all present, the saint hung his cloak on the ray, and there it remained till he resumed it again. In Christian art St. Leonorus iB sometimes represented hanging his cloak on a sunbeam. — Dom Lobineau, Lives of the Saints of Brittany, St. Eobert, abbot of Casa Dei, hangs a pair of gloves on a sunbeam (a.d. 1067), While St. Robert, abbot of Casa Dei, wa? preaching at Avignon, two giddy young men began tossing their gloves about as a ball, and distracting the attention of the audience. In one of the tossings, St. Robert caused the gloves to catch on a sunbeam, and hang there too high for the joung men to reach them, till the service was over. — Ada Sanctorum (BoUandists), April 24. This is a very favourite miracle of the saints, and re- corded of the following, among others ; — Alruna of Altaich, Amabilis (whose day is Oct. 19), Bridget (Feb. 1), Cune- gunda (July 24), Cuthman (Feb. 8), David abbot of Sweden (July 15), Deicola of Ireland (Jan. 18), Florence (Nov. 7). Goar (July 6), Gudula (Jan. 8), Hildevert of Meaux (May , 27), Leonorus (July 1), Lucanus (Oct. 30), Odo of Urgel (July 7), Robert of Casa Dei (April 24), Utho of Metten, etc. •«• In all these cases there must of necessity be a double miracle. Not only the sunbeam sustains the cloak, but it also stays in the same place. Any one with the slightest, observation must know that the sun shining tiirough a window soon moves across it; but in these cases the miracle of Joshua, "Sun, stand thou still," was repeated, not to discomfit an allied army, but to act the part of an ordinary cloak-peg. This very common "miracle" seems extraordinary to us Europeans, but any one who has been in India must have seen a man throw up a rope into the air, and then climb up the rope, dragging it after him, and disappearing at last in blue space. This "rope trick** is as common as the " mango trick" or " basket trick." It may be astonishing, but it is only a trick and not a miracle. Susanna and the Elders. Susanna and the elders. Susanna, the wife of Joacim, was very beautiful, and two elders fell in love with her. One day, as she went to bathe, they came upon her, and swore, if she refused to gratify their passion, thej'^ would accuse her of adultery ; and this, by the Jewish law, would be death to her. However, Susanna refused, and the two elders raised a great clamour, which brought her maidens to see what was the matter. Then said the elders, " We saw a young- man enter the bath-room, and rushed forward to seize him, but he contrived to escape." When Susanna was taken before the Sanhedrim, and the elders had stated their charge, she was at once condemned to death ; but Daniel commanded to put the two accusers apart, and one being placed at the bar, Daniel said to him, "Under what tree did you say you saw the accused keeping company with a young man?" "Under a mastic tree," was the ready lie. Being put aside, the other elder was produced, and asked the same question. " Under a holm tree," was his answer. Then cried the seventy with a loud voice, rose from their seats against the false accusers, and put them both to death, for they had leagued together to takeaway the life of a virtuous woman. — Apocrypha (Susanna and the Elders), 800 SUSANNA, ETC.: AGNES, COLUMBA, DARIA. [Pt. 1. St. Agnes protected by angels (a.d. 304). Procopins, the son of a Roman prefect, wanted to marry St. Agnes, a beautiful girl of thirteen, but Agnes told him she was Christ's bride, and could marry no other. Procopius fell sick, and the pre- fect, sending for Agnes, told her he would give her the choice of two things: to marry his son, or serve as a vestal virgin all the days of her life. Agnes replied she would do neither. As the bride of Christ she could not be given to another ; and as the servant of the living God, she would not serve idols. The prefect then ordered her to be led naked through the streets, proclaimed as a strumpet, and left in a brothel to be abused by strangers. God sent His angel to avert all these evils. In the first place. He caused her hair to grow so long and thick that it covered her whole body like a mantle ; and when she entered the brothel, an angel presented to her a white robe, whiter than any fuller could have whitened it ; and the chamber was brilliantly illuminated with celestial light. Many entered the chamber with evil intent, but went away converts to the new faith. Last of all Procopius entered ; and, walk- ing up to St. Agnes, laid his hands on her ; but instantly he fell down dead at her feet. When the prefect heard thereof, his heart was softened, and he implored Agnes to restore his son to life again. Agnes ordered all to withdraw, and then entreated God to resuscitate the young man. Her prayer was heard, and Procopius went home a chastened and a better man. — St. Ambrose wrote her acts. (See his J)e VirginibuSy bk. i.) A she-hear defends St. Columba from molestation (a.d. 274). Aurelian, finding that neither threats nor promises would induce Columba to forsake the religion of Christ, had her led in chains to the amphitheatre, to be confined there in a secret prison. Then, sending for a de- bauchee of a notoriously licentious cha- racter, he said, *' Go to the secret prison of the amphitheatre, and there you will find a maiden whom I abandon to you." The young scapegrace went at once, and entered the prison. *' Beware, young man," said Columba, "of the vengeance of God, and leave me, ere it is too late." Scarcely had she spoken, when a she- bear rushed into the prison, threw the young man to the ground, set its fore paw upon him, and looked towards Columba to know her will. Cclumba told it to do Ihe man no harm ; so, eavinghim terribly frightened, it went and laid itself down at the door, to prevent any one from going out or coming in. Then said Columba to the young man, " Promise to become a Christian, or I will set the bear upon you.** The young man promised to be baptized, and the bear allowed him to leave. (See St. Daria, below.) — L'abbe BrulMe, Life of St. Columba, This may be conversion in the eyes of the abbot BraUiib but I apprehend very few EngUsh readers will think to. A lion defends St. Daria. The follow- ing is certainly one of the most romantic stories in the lives and martyrologies of the [RomanTCatholic Church. Numerian, emperor of Rome, gave orders for Chri- santus to be cast into the prison called "Tullianum," and his wife Daria to be sent to the common stews. God, how- ever, changed the brothel into a holy chapel; and a lion, slipping his chain, broke from his den in the amphitheatre, entered the stews, and lay himself down at Daria's feet, making to her signs that he would be her guardian and defender. Presently a young Roman entered, a bold, insolent fellow ; but immediately he set foot in the room the lion knocked him down, and, setting one of its paws upon him, looked towards Daria to learn her will. Daria bade the beast do the gallant no harm, and then addressing the young man, she converted him to the Christian faith ; and he, on leaving the chamber, went about Rome preaching the gospel, and telling the people there was no god but the God of Christians. When the keepers of the lion entered the stews with the in- tent of capturing the lion, it fell on them with fury, cast them to the ground, and held them there till it had received in- structions from Daria. The holy woman preached to the terrified keepers Christ and Him crucified, and they also became converts, and faithful preachers of the Lord Jesiis. Celerinus, the prefect, being informed of all this, caused a fire to }^ kindled about the house to consume the saint and the lion ; but the lion, having received Daria's permission and blessing, bowing down its head most reverently, passed through the flames, and walked peacefully through the crowded streets of Rome without molesting any one. [We are not told what ultimately became of this wonderful lion, nor how Daria es- caped. That she did escape, however, is quite certain, as the biographer tells ni she was at last buried alive under a pile of stones.] (See St. Columba, above.)— Verinns and Armenius (priests of ^U Pt. 1.J TEMPLE A DEN OF THIEVES. 301 Stephen the pope) first wrote the lives of Chrisantus and Daria. Metaphrastos enlarged the biography, and both tjsandus in his Martyrology and Surius in his Lives of the Saints (vol. v.) give full accounts of these favourite saints. They also stand in the Roman Martyrology, St. Oringa delivered from evil men by St. Michael. St. Oringa, on her pilgrim- age to Mount Gargano, was attacked at dusk by some men with a view of dis- honouring her; but St. Michael flashed like lightning to her defence, and pro- tected her till she arrived in safety at the place of her destination. — Acta Sanctorum (reprinted from the Life of St. Oringa by Silvanus Razzi). Milton aajr»- So dear to Heaven is saintly chastity. That when a soul is found 'sincerely so, A thousand liveried angels laclcey her, Driving far off each thing of sin and guilt. Comut. An angel protects St. Susanna from ravishers. Diocletian wanted Susanna to marry his adopted son Maximian; but she told him she had devoted herself to Christ, and could marry no man. Maxi- mian, greatly disappointed, and deter- mined to indulge his passion, introduced himself clandestinely into her chamber, intending to defile her; but an angel stood by her, and the chamber was lighted with such dazzling brightness that the prince fled aghast, and told the emperor. Diocletian treated the matter with ridicule, and sent Curtius to see into it ; but Curtius returned more alarmed than the prince. The emperor declared the whole matter some devilish enchantment, and sent one of his lictors, named Macedonius, to put Susanna to death, if she refused to offer incense to Jupiter. Macedonius took an image of Jupiter with him, and com- manded the damsel to offer incense to it ; but the angel took the idol, and flung it out of the window into the street. So Macedonius, having scourged her as usual, cut off her head. — Acta Sanctorum. It must be presumed, I suppose, that the lictor did not ■ee the angel, but took it for granted that Susanna had thrown the idol into the street Temple a Den of Thieves. Matt. xxi. 12, 13. Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and said unto them. It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer ; but ye have made it a den of thieves. Old St, PauTs in the reign of Charles II. Besides booksellers, there were semp- stresses, tobacco merchants, vendors of fruit and provisions, Jews and general dealers, all of whom had stalls within the cathedral, and all of whom were making preparations for the business of the day. Shortly afterwards, numbers who came for recreation and amusement made their appearance, and, before ten o'clock, Paul's Walk (as the cathedral nave was termed) was thronged with ap- prentices, rufflers, porters, water-bearers, higglers with baskets on their heads or under their arms, fishwives, quack doctors, cutpurses, bona robas, merchants, lawyers, and serving-men who came to be hired, and who placed themselves near an oaken block attached to one of the pillars, called the " Serving-man's Log," from the use it was put to. Some of the crowd were smoking, some laughing, others gathering round a ballad-singer who was chanting licentious ditties. Some were buying nostrums ; while others were paying court to dames, many of whom were masked. Everything seemed to be got within the sacred edifice except devotion. Here, a man, mounted on the carved marble of a monument, bellowed forth the news of the Dutch war; while another, not far from him, announced from a bench the number of those who had died on the previous day of the pestilence. There, at the very font, was a usurer paying over a sum of money to a gallant, who was sealing the bond for thrice the amount of the loan. Elsewhere, a party of choristers, attended by a troop of boys, were pursuing one who had ventured into the cathe- dral booted and spurred, and were de- manding spur-money. An admirable picture of this curious scene has been given by bishop Earle, in his Microcosmo^ graphia, published in 1629. ''Paul's Walk," he writes, " is the land's epitome, or you may call it the lesser isle of Great Britain. It is more than this, it is the whole world's map, which you may here discern in its perfectest motion, jostling and turning. It is a heap of stones and men with a vast confusion of languages ; and, were the steeple not sanctified, no- thing could be liker Babel. The noise in it is like that of bees, a strange humming or buzzing, mixed of walking, tongues, and feet. It is a kind of still roar, or loud whisper. It is a great exchange of all discourse, and no business whatsoever but is here astir and afoot. It is the synod of all parts politic joined, and laid together in most gerious posture; and 802 TEMFTATIONS, [Pt.I. they in parliament are not half so busy with the affairs of the nation as the praters in Paul's Walk. It is the general mint of all lies, which are here coined, stamped, and uttered. All inventions are emptied here, and not a few pockets. The best sign of the Temple in it is, that it is the thieves' sanctuary, who rob more safely in a crowd than m a wilderness, while every pillar is a bush to hide them. It 's the other expense of the day, after plays and taverns ; and men have still oaths left to swear here. The principal inhabitants are stale knights and captains out of service, men of long rapiers and short purses, who, after all, turn mer- chants here, and traffic for news. St. Faith's Chapel and the crypt, with many other secret chambers in the walls, are ordinary receptacles of stolen goods, and serve as brothels for the libertine." — H. Ainsworth, Old St. Paul's^ vol. i. pp. 824-827. Temptations. Matt. iii. Before Christ began His public ministry, He fasted forty days in the wilderness of Judaea, and was then tempted by the devil. The temptations were : (1) to satisfy His hunger by turning stones into bread; (2) to establish His fame by casting himself down from a pinnacle of the templ*> in the sight of the people, who would at once acknowledge Him, if He received no injury by the fall ; (3) to establish His kingdom by making a league with the devil as His overlord. Christ resisted all the temptations; whereupon Satan left Him, and angels came to minister to Him. Kve was tempted : (1) By the " lust of the flesh : " she saw that the fruit " was good for food : " and to make stones good for food was Christ's first temptation. (2) By the *' pride of life : " she saw that the fruit was good " to malie one wise ; " and the vain-glory of casting Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple was the second tempta- tion of Jesus Ciirist. (3) By the " lust of the eyes : " Eve saw that the fruit "was pleasant to the eyes ; " and Satan showed Christ the glory of the kingdoms of the world as His third temptation, and promised to give them to Him if He woukl fall down and worship him. The three temptations of St. Antony the Great (fourth century). After Antony had sold all he possessed, and had given the proceeds to the poor, he retired into a wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil : (1) by the love of money ; (2) by the lust of vain-glory ; and (3) by carnal lust. In all these temptations he prevailed, as Christ had set him an ex- ample. In the first temptation Satan tried to impress upon the young recluse a vivid remembrance of the wealth he once enjoyed, and to stir up regret for its loss. In the second temptation the devil tried to arouse his self-conceit or self-com- |»lac3ncy at the great sacrifice he had made for Christ. "I have left all to follow Thee." In the third temptation Satan stirred up the young man's blood, and tortured him with the lust of the flesh. Being foiled in all these tempta- tions, the devil assumed the form of a black child, and said to Antony, "Young man, I have prevailed over many, but must confess myself discomfited by you." "Who art thou?" demanded Antony, " The Spirit of Impurity," was the reply. This was St. Antony's first contest and first victory over the powers of darkness. — St. Athanasius, Life of St. Antony the Great. The three temptations of St. Julian^ bishop of Cuenga (a.d. 1207). Eve was tempted by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Being tempted, she fell. Jesus Christ was tempted by the same allurements, and, being tempted, resisted to the last. St. Julian was also tempted by the same three tests : the lust of the appetite ; the pride of life ; and the lust of the flesh. Being hungry, the devil set before him a table of the most appetizing foods and drinks ; but St. Julian would none of them. Being very charitable, and in need of money to support his charities, the devil offered him gold and silver galore, and flattered him by the suggestion that the money was not for himself but for others, especially the poor and needy ; but Julian saw at once through the sophistry, and manfully refused the offer. Then came the last temptation, the lust of the eyes. He was quite alone, no one would see him, and a troop of naked women appeared in his cell ; but the man of God was proof against the seduction, and, holding up the cross, the phantoms fled. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum^ vol. ii, Jan. 28. The tempter was not very skilful, or he would have known that your true sportsman infinitely prefers the hare that has given him a good run, to the one that yields itself a voluntary sacrifice. The bishop in his Choice of Hercules was far wiser, who describes the enchantr«« Pleasure thus :— Her robe betrayed Through the clear texture every tender limb. Height'ning the charms it only seemed to shade. St, MacarittSj tempted in his hummer ^ re-- sists the temptation (a.d. 306-395). St. Macarius being in the desert, extremely enfeebled and faint from long abstinence, the tempter came to him and said, "Since you are the favoured serv^ant of God, ask Him to send nourishment to recruit your strength, that you may be the better able to serve Him." Macaaua Pt. 1.] T013IT BURIES THE DEAD. S(% replied, "God Himself is my strength and my glory ; and it is written, ' Thou ehait not tempt the Lord thy God.' " The devil then left him, but only to transform himself into a camel laden with loaves of bread. Macarius, suspect- ing the deception, fell to the earth in prayer, and immediately the phantom camel and its load vanished into thin air. — Les Fetits BoUandistes (1880), vol. i. Jan. 2. St. Waltruda tempted by the devil (a.d. 626-686). Waltruda was the wife of Madelgaire, count of Hainault, and the mother of four children. Two years after the death of her husband she retired from the world, and lived in a little cell at Castleplace, now Mons. Here the devil for a time greatly tormented her ; sometimes setting before her eyes the luxuries and honours she enjoyed as countess of Hainault, and which she might still enjoy, if she would return to her proper home. At other times, he pictured to her the love of her children, the affection of her husband, the delights of social life, with plenty and rank, and all the domestic comforts she once en- joyed. Then again he would draw with exaggerated outline the horrors of soli- tude, its privations, its dangers, its temp- tations. Sometimes he would present himself before her as a man, and even touch her; but by prayer, by fasting, tears, macerations, and the sign of the cross, she firmly resisted, and finally overcame. — Molan, Abridged Lives of the Saints of Flanders, James says (1. 14), " Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." The devil, in this example, looks very like the lingering recollec- tion of former times, mingled with regret. The human form seems to be some familiar acquaintance who trie! to persuade Waltruda to return, perhaps even to marry again. The Plague of Milan (a.d. 1630). A Milanese told Ripamonte, saying, "While I stood in front of the cathedral, I saw a chariot drawn by six white horses, and followed by a numerous attendance. In the chariot sat one of princely demeanour, though his dark, deep-burnt complexion, his long floating hair, the fire of his eyes, and the threatening expression of his lip, gave such an air to the countenance as I never saw before on any mortal face. The stranger stopped his chariot and bade me mount. 1 could not but obey, and the chariot carried me to a house where I saw many strange and wonderful things. la one part thick flashing light- liing dispelled the darkness, and I saw a spectral senate holding their meeting There were vast empty chambers and extensive gardens. The charioteer, after showing me many sights which well ex- cited my curiosity, took me to his treasury, and promised to give me all I saw, if I would bow the knee to him and do his bidding. I positively declined, and was suddenly transported back to the spot where I was taken up." — Ripamonte, De Feste Mediolaniy p. 17. In this plague 140.000 had died in three i Tobit buries the Dead. ToBiT i. 16-21 ; ii. 7, 8. Tobit was wont to give alms to his brethren ; and if he saw any of his nation dead, and cast behind the walls of Nineveh, he buried them. He also buried those slain by Sennacherib. On the Feast of Pentecost, his son told him of a Jew who had been strangled, and cast out in the market-place. Then Tobit left the feast untasted, to go and bury the dead ; but his neighbours mocked him, and said. This man is not afraid to be put to death for this matter. He fled away, but lo! be burieth the dead again. Burying the dead, in the [Roman] Catholic Church, is one of the " Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy " (see Index) ; and this will account for the extraordinary care talceu by mediaeval Christians to bury martyrs. Tiie ancient Egyptians made the want of interment a pott-mortem punishment for crimes of unusual atrocity. The Jews treated dead bodies with marlced respect, and Tobit evidently made it a special business and work of mercy. The ancient Greeks looked upon neglect to bury the dead as a crime of the deepest dye ; and every one who has read Honvce will call to mind the last two lines of his ode about the shipwrecked Archytas (bk. i. ode 28)— Quanquam festinas. non est mora longa ; iioebit Injecto ter pulvere, curras. See also Vii«il, ^neid, bk. vL line 365. The lords Abdon and Sennen bury many dead. St. Abdon and St. Senner were two Persian nobles, in the reign of Decius, emperor of Rome, and were Chris- tians. Decius, having obtained a great victory, thought to show his gratitude to the gods by a sacrifice of their enemies, the Christians ; so he put many of them to death, and forbade any one to bury them. The lords Abdon and Sennen, dis- regarding this prohibition, buried all who were put to death for the faith's sake. When Decius heard thereof, he was ex- ceedingly angry, and commanded the two noblemen to be brought before him. "Why have you dared to break our imperial edict?" said Decius. "I have strictly charged that none shall honour those who suffer death for dishonouring our immortal gods. Your disobedience of my proclamation shows me you are yourselves in the same vile ways." Ab- don and Sennen answered with firmne* and modesty: "True, O king, we have 304 TONGUES OF FIRE. [Pt.W buried those (/hristians put to death by thy decree, and we well knew your higli- ness had forbidden any one to bury them. But we fear God, and honour Him above all the kings of the earth. Know, too, O imperial Caesar, that we are Christians, and not ashamed to confess it." Decius ordered the two lords to be reserved in chains till he made his triumphal entry, and then to be led in his train as state prisoners, to deter others from following \heir example. This was done, and on the day of triumph, when Decius entered the senate-house, he commanded his two noble captives to atone for their offences by offering sacrifice to an idol of Mars placed before them by Claudius, the chief pontiff. This they refused to do, and were, therefore, cast to two fierce lions in the amphitheatre ; but the lions offered them no sort of violence. Then the sword-players were set upon them, and hewed them to pieces. — Edward Kines- man (1623), Lives of the Saints (July 30, A.D. ?53). St, Odilo covers two dead children with his cloak (A.D. 962-1049). St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny, going one day to St. Denis, near Paris, saw two children lying in the road, killed by the cold. Dismounting from his horse, he stripped off his serge cloak, and, wrapping it round the dead bodies, buried them decently with his own hands. — BoUandus, Acta Sanctorum^ Tol. i. Jan. 1. Tongues of Fire. (See Aureola.) Acts 11. 1-3. When the day of Pentecost was fully come, [the disciples] were all with one accord In one place; and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and It filled all the house where they were sitting; and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and It Sat upon each of them. A globe of fire sits on the head of St. Aldegundis (a.d. 689). Three days before her death, a globe of fire descended from heaven, and sat on the head of St. Alde- gundis ; Christ also, with a troop of angels, was seen around the dying saint. When tiie globe of fire vanished, an admirable luminosity took its place, playing round the bed on which the saint was lying. All present saw it, and were astonished. At last the light hovered like a bird up into the sky ; the soul of the saint had left her body, and her soul had returned to Him who l^ve it. — L'abbe' Delbos, Life of St, Aldciundii, A pillar of fire sits on the head of St, Brigit (a.d. 436-523). St. Brigit or Brid«, the patron saint with St. Patrick of Ireland, was the natural daughter of Duplac and a slave. When she took the veil, the bishop Mel, who gave it her, declared that he saw a pillar of fire settle on her head. She had lost an eye, but when she fell prostrate and kissed the step of the altar, she recovered hei eye, "et son visage reprit sa premiere beauts, k laquelle Notre Seigneur ajouta encore un nouvel ^clat, ne voulant pac que celle qui avait desire' pour son amour perdre la beautd de son corps, afin de conserver la purete de son ame, demeurat avec la moindre difformit^ corporelle." — Z«5 Petits Bollandistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. ii. p. 184. What Mgr. Gu^rin alludes to is thU: St Brigit was so very beautiful that shewas»oIicitee were forbidden to eat the fruit of this tree, lest they should be as gods, able to discern both good and evil. Buddha's Bo tree, a tree of knowledge. Buddha thought ignorance the source of all human ills, and that its removal would bring to nought the ills that flesh is heir to. Buddha himself attained to this perfect consummation while sitting under the tree of knowledge, called " Bodhidruma," or the Bo tree ; and the Buddhists assert that this tree marks the middle of the earth. Twelve hundred years after the death of Buddha, Hiouen-Thsang, the Chinese pilgrim, found the Bo tree ; *nd in 1812 a peepul tree, planted on the spot of the original Bo tree, was in full vigour, and apparently about a hundred years old. Unchaste and Unclean Spirits. Luke vill. 2. Mary, called Magdalene, out wi whom went seven devils. >^RK vii. 25-30. A woman, whose young daufsMter had an unclean spirit, came and fell at the feet of Jesus, and besought Him that He would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. And Jesus said. Go thy way ; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. [And so it was.] St. Antony the Great expels from a woman an unclean spirit (fourth centurj'). When St. Antony came to the city gate, a woman called after him, saying, " Wait, thou man of God. My daughter is grievously vexed with an unclean spirit." St. Antony, hearing himself called after, stopped till the woman and her daugliter came up to him, when the damsel dashed herself violently to the ground. St. Antony, moved with compassion, called on the name of Jesus, and said, '^ Thou foul and unclean spirit, come out of her, and enter no more therein." At the word the fiend came out, the maiden was made whole, and the mother blessed God that had given such power to His saints. — St. Athanasius, Life of St, Antony tlie Great. St. Bernard casts out an unclean spirit from a woman of Pavia, When St. Bernard was in Pavia, a woman with an unclean spirit was brought to him. The devil cried insolently, " Thou muncher of leeks and onions, thou shalt not cast me out." St. Bernard ordered the woman to be taken to St. Syrus's church. Then the devil began to jest and to scoff, say- ing, ** Ho, ho ! Little Syrus could not cast me out, neither shall Bernard." St. Bernard replied, *' Syrus cannot cast thee out, thou foul fiend, neither can Bernard; but Jesus Christ can, and in the name of Jesus Christ, I, Bernard, command thee to depart hence." Then the devil departed, and the woman waa freed from her tormentor. — William (abbot of Theodore), Life of St, Bernard. St. Bernard delivers a woman from an incubus. St. Bernard delivers a woman from an unclean spirit, called an in- cubtfs, which had kept carnal company with her for six months. The saint gave his staff to the woman, and she placed it in her chamber; after which the devil molested her no more. — William (abbot of Theodore), Life of St. Bernard, *' Incubes. Lea demonographes ont imaging des demoni incubes, qui tourmentaient, par des images obscdnes, et m€me des r^alit^s, les personnes qui avaient fait voeu du chastet^." Unchaste dreams are called '• Ephialtes."— Noel, Dictionnaire de la Fable. St, Cyriacus chases an unclean spirit from a princess (fourth century. The daughter of the emperor Diocletian wa* grievously tormented by an unclean ft. I.] UNCHASTE Si'iRITS: CYRIACUS, HILARION. fti5 spirit, and while her imperial father was one day lamenting her sad state, the devil cried out aloud, "Ah! and I will continue to torment her, and will never leave her, unless Cyriacus compels me." The emperor then sent for the saint, and Cyriacus went to the royal palace, ac- companied with Largus and Smaragdus. As Cyriacus approached the princess, he Baid, "Thou foul and unclean spirit, I command thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to come out of her, and never more enter in." The devil answered, "If thou wilt have me leave this abode, assign me another where I may abide." Then said Cyriacus, " Enter into me, if vou can." The devil answered, **You know very well I cannot, because you are a sealed vessel unto the Lord." Said Cyriacus, *' Thou foul and unclean spirit, I now command thee a second time, in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, to come out of this damsel, that she also may be a sealed vessel unto God." "O Cyriacus," cried the devil, " if you com- pel me to go out hence, I will compel you to go into Persia." Then said the saint a third time, " I tell thee, thou foul and unclean spirit, for the third time, come out, thou cursed devil, or suffer the penalty of your disobedience." The devil could parley no longer, and came out sullenly. The princess, being freed from her tormentor, fell on her knees at the saint's feet, and said to him, " Ser- vant of the living God, I beseech you to baptize me, for my earnest desite is to be a Christian," St. Largus and St. Smaragdus lifted her up, and set her on her feet; and her father, the emperor, seeing his daughter perfectly recovered, rejoiced with exceeding great joy, and held in Rome a magnificent triumph in celebration of the event. The damsel was duly baptized, with the entire con- sent of her mother Serena, who was also numbered with the elect. Diocletian sent costly presents to Cyriacus, appointed him a commodious house, and gave him a suitable retinue. — Life of St, Marcellus the Pope (from the public registers). This tale is also fathered on St. Vitus (see p. 316). St. Cyriacus chases an unclean spirit from the princess Jobia (fourth century). Baharam, king of Persia, being informed of the cure by Cyriacus of the daughter of Diocletian, emperor of Rome (see above), sent for him to come to Persia to heal the princess Jobia, who was also pos- fiessrd of an unclean spirit, which tor- mented her greatly. The emperor Dio- cletian broke the subject to the saint, and Cyriacus professed himself willing to undertake this long journey. Accor- dingly, the emperor of Rome provided for him a ship, fully equipped, and fur- nished with all things necessary. Largus and Smaragdus still bore him company. When the saint reached the shah's palace, he was very honourably entertained, and, being brought into Jobia's private apart- ments, the devil cried out to him, " Good day, Cyriacus. Are you tired with your long journey? I told you I would drag you to Persia, you remember, when you drove me from house and home in Diocletian's daughter. Well, well, so you are here now ; and pray, what can I do to serve you?" Cyriacus said sternly, "Thou foul and unclean spirit, forbear this insolence. And I command you, in the all-powerful name of Jesuf Christ, come out of this damsel, and never enter into her again." " With pleasure," said the devil, " will I oblige so kind a friend ; but, of course, you will assign me a body where I may abido unmolested for the future." " I will assign you nothing of the kind," said the saint sternly, " nor will I make any terms with you at all ; but I command you, now a second time, in the name of Christ, the ever-living God, leave this damsel without another word." Then the devil came out of her, and flew howling into the air, and crying as he went, " Terrible, dreadful name, that hath such power over me, and will never leave me at peace ! " When the devil was departed, Cyriacus made the princess a catechumen, and in due time baptized her, with 450 other converts. — Life of St, Marcellus the Pope (from the public registers). St. Hilarion casts out from a young woman an unchaste spirit. A young man of Gaza was enamoured of a damsel of high family, but found no encourage- ment ; so, going to Memphis, he obtained from the sorcerers of the temple of Esculapius a love-charm. It consisted of a brazen plate filled with cabalistic signs ; and was to be laid, with certain words, under the threshold of the damsel's house, wholly hidden from sight. This was duly done, and the result was that the maiden became shamelessly in love with the young man. Her father, quite shocked at her immodesty, took her to St. Hilarion, and the devil, howling, cried out, " I pray you, torment me not, 816 URIM AND THUMMIM— VERONICAS. [1»T. I. for I was compelled by the priests of Memphis to take up my abode here." Hilarion commanded the unchaste and un- clean spirit to depart, but the devil made answer, *' I cannot, till the charm which binds me to obedience is removed from the threshold of the door." Hilarion demanded how the foul fiend had dared 10 enter into the body of a handmaid of the Lord ; and the devil answered he did it to save the lady from evil. "Villain and liar ! " roared Hiiarion ; " come out this instant, I say." When the devil again implored the saint that the charm on him might be removed first, Hilarion refused to interfere with it, to show that no charm or magic can resist the will of God. So, howling and yelling, the devil departed ; and the damsel was restored to her right mind. — St. Jerome, Vita St, Hilarionis EreniitcB (a.d. 390). See also Nicephorus Callistus (who died 1350), Ecclesiastical History, St. Vitus chases an unclean spirit from a princess (fourth century). The emperor Diocletian had a daughter possessed of an unclean spirit ; and the devil said he would depart out of her, if Vitus com- manded it. So the emperor sent for St. Vitus, and requested him to exorcise the princess, his daughter. The man of God laid his hands upon her head, and said, * ' I command thee, thou wicked spirit, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, come out of her, and enter no more in." Then the devil departed with terrible bowlings, and hurt many pagans who had scoffed at the saint, not believing he had power over spirits of the other world. (See St. Cyriacus, p. 314.)— Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 382. (See the collections of Papebroch, vol. ii. p. 1013.) Edward Kinesman Bays, " This life of St Vitus Is taken out of an auncient MS., witti wtiich Venerable Bede accordeth, and other authours of martyrologes." Urim and Thummim. ExoD. xxviii. 30. The words Urim and ITiuinmim mean " light and perfection. " They \\ ere something in the breastplate of the high priest consulted by him on great national events. The high priest, when he consulted the Urim and Thummim, stood with his face to the curtain ■which divided the holy place from the holy of holies, and the king or his high oflBccrs stood at a distance, also facing the curtain, so the nigh priest, of course, stood with his back to the questioners. The question being put, the high priest consulted the Urim and Thummim, and gave his answer. Whether he obtained his response by drawing lots, or whether by some «pecial sparkle of the precious stones in his breastplate, or whether by some other revela- tion, nobody knows. The Urim and Thummim of Joseph Smith the Mormon. Joseph Smith, the Mormon- ite, called '• Urim and Thummim " the spectacles which, he asserts, were given him by an angel, to enable him to decipher the "reformed Egyptian characters " of the plates containing God's revelation to him. These plates, we are told, were hidden at the foot of a mountain in Ontario. The Urim and Thummim spec- tacles are described as "two transparent stones set in the rim on a bow fastened to a breastplate." Not a very clear de- scription, it must be confessed ; however, Joseph Smith, by the aid of these spec- tacles, deciphered the plates, and Oliver Cowdery took down the words, " because Smith was no scholar." There is literally no limit to the credulity of man on religious subjects. Wise men can be made to belierea block of wood or Ktone is a god ; that a crazy woman k the Holy Ghost ; that anything is anything, the more unliliely the better. Veronicaa. A " veronica " is a cloth bearing a likeness. Gregory of Tours ( Vit, Patr. c. 12) minted the word ie^niea from the Greek icon, an image, and the Latin vera (tnie). Vera- iconica, contracted into veronica, is applied especially to a kerchief or cloth stamped "miraculously" with the face of Jesus covered with sweat and blood, as He waa led to execution. The usual tale is this : A woman of position, living la the Via Dolorosa, broke tlirough the procession, when it stopi)ed a few moments to make Simon of Cyrend assist in carrying the cross, and wiped the face of Jesus with a cloth. The name of the woman was Serapliia, but she is not unfrequently called Veronica, as much us to say, "The woman who had the veronica " or holy face of Jesus. Some of the details of this story differ in different accounts. Thus some tell us Seraphia handed to Jesus the cloth, with which He wiped His own face and then returned ttie cloth to the woman with thanks. Some, again, say Seraphia did not live actually in the Via Dolorosa, but in the last house of a side street running into it. (From the Bollandists we find that *' St. Veronica" waa quite another person to the woman referred to above. Seraphia, we are told, died A.D. 70, and was a native of Jerusalem of good staUon ; whereas St Veronica was m villager of Milan, who died A.D. 1497. Mgr. Gu^rin tells us that the "proper name" is a Latin form of the Greek Berenice, as venio is from baino (Greek, to go). He, however, passes over the difficulty of the accentuated syllable and the changed vowel in the middle of the word, Berenicd, Veronica.] St. Seraphxa's veronica or holy face (a.d. 33). The following is a translation from The Dolorous Passion of Catherine Emmerich, a nun of the Augustine order in the convent of Dulmen (1774-1824). Of course, the tradition existed hundreds of years before the birth of this German visionarj", and may be traced back to the sixth century, but the narrative of Cathe- rine Emmerich is somewhat graphic, and has the merit of embodying the floating ideas of convent life upon the subject, presented under the form of a religious ▼ision. Hoif i'ar the visicn was a revel*- Pt. 1.] VERONICAS; ST. SERAPHIA. 311 tion must be left to the reader's judgment to determine. Speaking of the Saviour's passage to the place of execution, she says, "The procession which formed at the judgment hall entered a long street bearing to the left, into which ran several side streets. Many well-dressed persons, when they saw the crowd, retired, lest they should be defiled ; but there were some who pitied the bearer of the cross, fainting under a load too heavy for His strength. The cortege had not proceeded above two hundred steps, when a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, came up and assisted Jesus. As the procession stopped a few minutes to make this arrangement, a woman of tall stature and imposing aspect came from a large house on the left side of the street. She was closely veiled, had a cloth thrown over her shoulders, and led by the hand a little girl, not above nine years old. The child carried a small vase filled with aromatized wine, which the woman, whose name was Seraphia, had prepared. They made their way through the crowd, but were pushed back by the oflicers and archers. Nothing daunted, they persevered, passed through, and made their way straight to Jesus. Then, falling at His feet, Seraphia handed to the Man of Grief her cloth, saying, * Suffer me to wipe my Saviour's face.' Jesus took the cloth, wiped His face covered with sweat and blood, and returned it with thanks. Seraphia, after kissing it, put it under her mantle, and rose to her feet. The little girl now timidly presented the wine. It was too late ; the procession was ready to start again ; the intruders were rudely pushed on one side, and Jesus, with a blow from the Pharisees, was commanded to move on. Seraphia hurried with her companion into the house, laid the cloth on the table, and fainted. While the child, terribly alarmed, bent over her, crying, a neigh- bour dropped in, saw the cloth on the table, and observed that it bore the im- press of the face of Jesus. When Seraphia came to herself, and saw the likeness on the cloth, she wept bitterly, and, falling ' on her knees, exclaimed, ' Blessed be the name of God my Saviour, who has left me this memorial ! ' " This probably is a pretty faithful pic- ture of what is believed by " the faithful " of Seraphia and the veronica. Bernard de Breydenbach, dean of Mayence, went to Jerusalem in July 14, 1483, and passing down the Via Dolorosa, carefully measured the distances of the several "stations," and he informs us that the house of Seraphia, whom he calls Veronica, is a large house 550 paces* from the governor's palace. Adrichomius of Cologne says it was not in the row, but occupied an angle of a side street, the door of the house being round the comer. From this point to the spot where Jesus fell fainting the second time, he tells us, was exactly eleven feet more than 336 paces. Whatever credit or discredit may be placed on this stor^'-, it cannot but be interesting to know somewhat of the future history of this mysterious cloth, and happily different writers have fur- nished us with the minutest details. Thus Philip of Bergamo informs us how it came to Rome. He says that Tiberius Caesar, the emperor, sent his friend Volu- sian, a valiant soldier of the imperial guards, to escort Veronica to Rome. The emperor was ill at the time with a grievous malady, but the moment he set his eyes on the cloth he was completely cured. This miracle made a great impression on him, and he wanted to enrol Jesus among the Roman gods ; but the senate would not listen to the proposal, so he was obliged to content himself with a statue of the Nazarene, which he placed in his palace. Catherine Emmerich has described this interview between Tiberius Caesar and Seraphia also, and the reader no doubt will be glad to see what she calls her vision. She says, " Three years after the Ascension, I saw the Roman emperor send a messenger to Jerusalem to collect together all that he could learn about the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. When the imperial messenger returned to Rome, he took with him Nicodemus, Seraphia, and Epaphras, father of John Chuza. I saw Veronica intro- duced to the emperor. He was sick at the time, and confined to his bed. His bed was elevated on a dais, approached by two steps. The chamber was a large square one, with no window, light being admitted through the ceiling. Seraphia, when she entered the chamber, had with her the veronica or holy face, and another cloth impressed with the stripes of the flagellation. I saw her open the former, and show the emperor the im- pressed likeness. It was larger than life, because the cloth was moved about the Saviour's face, and wherever it touched the face it received an impression. The emperor never touched the cloth, but only • 1000 paces => a mila^ ii« VERONICAS AND ACHEROPITES. [Pt.I. looked at it ; and as the children of Israel "Were healed by looking on the brazen aerpent, the emblem and type of Christ, BO C«sar was cured by looking on the eloth impressed with the face of the Redeemer." Calcaginus, cited by Sandini, and re- produced by Pamelius, says, " The cloth bearing the likeness of Christ exists still, and is held in high veneration, not only on account of the miracles with which it is honoured, but more especially because there cannot be the slightest doubt of its genuineness." EoUandus informs us that it is the unanimous opinion of all sacred historians and the firm belief of all true Christians that the Veronica seu Vultus Domini, now at Rome, is the identical and veritable cloth offered to the Redeemer on his way to Calvary. It was placed in the Vatican by John VII. in a.d. 707 ; and is enshrined in one of the four huge piers which support the dome of St. Peter's church. The reronlca is mentioned in an ancient ceremonial of St. Peter's ot Rome, dedicated in 1143 to Celestin II., and published by Mabillon (Museum Ital., vol. ii. p. 122). In Matthew of Westminster's Flowers of Hittory, mention is made of the same, under Innocent III., who died in 1216. It is mentioned in a buU by Nicholas IV.. dated 1290; In a bull by Pius IV.. dated 1661 ; by Sixtus V., Benedict XIII., and Gregory XVI. The sixth tableau ofthe Via Dolorosa is " Veronica wiping the face of Jesus." Several festivals, ostcnsions, and pro- cessions have been appointed by different popes in honour of the holy face, from the tJme of Celestin II. to Gregory XIII. A book called The Stations of the Churches of Rome was published by Sixtus V., in which we read, "At the extremity of St. Peter's church, near the sacred door, is a chapel and altar of the holy cloth, in l)eautiful mosaics. The chapel was consecrated by John VII. to the Blessed Virgin. On the altar, in a marble coffer, is the holy cloth, called the veronica, with which Seraphia wiped the face of Jesus as He was led to execution. It was transferred to the Vatican in 1440, and is now enshrined In one of the huge pillars which support the dome of St. Peter's church." • Benedict XIV. says, " In the basilica of the Vatican is preserved the lance which pierced the side of Jesus, and the veronica t or cloth which still bears faint traces of the Baviour's face, bedewed with sweat and blood." The words of the hymn sung at the ostension of the reronica run thus: "All hail, thou holy face of our Redeemer, on which shone the light of heavenly splendour. All hail, thou holy face, imprinted on a cloth whiter than snow, in token of love. God, who at the request of "Thy servant Veronica hath left us this memorial of Thy like- ness, vouchsafe to us, who now adore this symbol of Thy love on earth, to enter into ,Thy joy with the nintg in heaven." To the present day cloths with a veronica are mana- factured and sold, each cloth being authenticated by the signature and seal of a canon. St. Brlgit, who lived in the sixth century, reproved, we •re told, many who doubted the genuineness of the holy face. Dant«, who lived 1265-1321, mentions the holy face in his Paradise. Jean Dorat (1507-1588) has a on the subject. And even to the present day the • It was moved from the altar either to the church of the Banto Splrito or to one dedicated to the Holy Virgin, and tu 1440 it was carried back to the Vatican. t The four pillars enshrine the spear, part of the cross, Itis bead of St. Andrew, and the veronica. ostension of the veronica is one of the most popular of the sabred festivals. It will be remembered that a statue of St Veronica (Seraphia) stands in the basilica of St. Peter's. Rom ;. She is represented as holding the holy face. It was the work of Mochi, an Italian sculptor of the seventeenth century. Near it are St. Helena with a huge cross, St. Longinus with a spear, and St. Andrew. In the marble cilwriums below the statues are pieces of the true cross the head of the sacred spear, and the veronica. A copy of the veronica was sent by Urban IV. to the Cistercian nunnery of Montreuil, where his sister was ao inmate. His letter is dated 1249. The Rev. A. J. C. Hare, in his Walks in Rome, says, "When I examined the head on the veronica handker- chief, it struck me as undoubtedly a work of early Byzan- tine art, perhaps of the seventh or eighth century, painted on linen." During the republican domination in 1849, It wa. rumoured that, about Easter, the canons of St. Peter sa>* the Volto-Santo turn pale when they looked on it 1 ! ft is exhibited for a few minutes to the people on Hol| Thursday and Good Friday, but from such a height that nothing can be distinguished. Acheropites. Acheropites are like- nesses not made by the hands of man. The East boasts of an acheropite, which, we are told, "is a face of Christ, which ' the Saviour Himself sent, photographed on a cloth, to Abgarus, king of Edessa. It is twice referred to in the Greek Meno- logy, on Aug. 16 and Oct. 11. In the former the cloth is held by an angel with outspread wings, with this inscription; *' In memory of the likeness of Christ not made by the hand of man." In the latter case the inscription is, "In memory of the seventh synod of Nice," a.d. 787. This council was convened against the Icono- clasts, and the acheropite was presented by two Fathers who attended the synod, in testimony of their veneration for pic- tures and images. This holy face, mentioned by Nicephorus, iSvagrius Scholasticus, and Procopius, was trans- ported from Constantinople to Rome, and according to Carletti is the one now in the church of St. Silvester. Constantine Porphyrogenetus says of this acheropite, *' All persons agree that the face of the Saviour has been miraculously impressed on this cloth, although it must be con- fessed all do not agree as to the time and details . . . but these are of very minor importance." Emerich David, in his famous History of the Paintings of the Middle Age (1842), comparing the two "holy faces," says their traits are perfectly distinct, as well as their history. The acheropite he de- scribes as "celle de toutes oii la tete de Jesus a le plus de dignity." Raoul Rochette the archaeologist (1789-1854) thinks it belongs to the sixth century, and that it was placed by John VII, in the basilica of the Vatican. The '^holy face'' of Jahen, in Spain, According to the History of Christ in Pt. I.] VICARIOUS SUFFERING. 819 Persian, this face ia not an acheropite, but a real veronica. We are told that Seraphia folded her napkin in three when she wiped the Saviour's face ; and when the cloth was spread open, a veri- table impression was found stamped on each of the three folds. One of the im- pressions is in the Vatican, and known as the veronica ; another is at Milan ; and the third at Jahen, in Spain. The ^^ holy face" of Lucca. Alban Butler speaks of the hoi)"" face of Lucca, which, he says, is a very ancient mira- culous crucifix in the chapel of the Holy Cross, in the cathedral dedicated to St. Martin, at Lucca. This is all he says upon the subject. — Lives of the Saints, Jan. 13 (note to " St. Veronica of Milan "). The face of Charles J. impressed on a cerecloth. In 1813, while a passage was being constructed under the choir of St. George's chapel, Windsor, an aperture was accidentally made in one of the walls of Henry VIII. 's vault. Three coffins were seen, and it was supposed that one of them might hold the remains of Charles I. The vault was examined in the presence of George IV. and other distinguished persons, among whom was Sir Henry Halford, who published "An Account of the Opening of the Coffin of Charles I. 4to, 1813." On opening the aforesaid coffin, the body was found wrapped in cerecloth, and the damp folds about the face adhered so closely, that, on being detached, the cloth was found to retain an impress of the royal counte- nance — a circumstance which to ardent loyalists would doubtless recall the le- gend of the Santa Veronica. — Notes and Queries^ March 3, 1883, p. 161. Vicarious Suffering. (See Im- puted Merit, and Justice Justified, pt. ii.) RoK. ix. 3. I could wish myself accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. ExoD. xxxii. 32. And Moses said. Oh, this people have sinned a great sin; yet now, if Thou wilt forgive them ; if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book. 1 Pet. ii. 24. Who His own self bare our eins in His own body on the tree. 1 Pet. iii. 18. Christ hath once suffered, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us unto God. St. Abraham the hermit and his niece Mary (a.d. 360). The tale of St. Abra- ham and his niece Mary ii one of the most touching stories in all the lives of the saints, and is told by St. Ephrem, deacon of Edessa, a contemporary and friend, with such simplicity and feeling that the reader feels there is unexagge- rated truth in the painful narrative. The tale itself is not to be reproduced in this volume, but only such a brief outline as may suffice to illustrate the dogma of vicarious punishment. St. Abraham the hermit was born at Chidana, in Mesopotamia, of wealthy and noble parents ; but he abandoned the world and became a hermit. His brother dying, left an only daughter, Mary, to his charge, and Abraham built a cell next to his own for her, and here he brought her up most carefully to a religious life. She grew up very beauti- ful, extremely attached to her uncle, and most devout; but a monk fell in love with her, visited Abraham under sundry pretences, and ultimately seduced hii niece. Mary, who was twenty years of age, now gave way to despair, quitted her cell, and for two years led a most abandoned life, trying to drown remorse in revelry. Abraham was inconsolable. " A wolf," he cried, in his agony, "has taken away my lamb. Christ, the Saviour of sinners, restore my Mary, my lamb; bring her back to the fold, and let not my grey hair go down in sorrow to the grave. God of all mercy, rescue my child from the mouth of the dragon." Being informed, after the lapse of two years, where his niece was living, Abraham dressed himself as a cavalier, and gained admission to her. When left alone he threw off his disguise, and was at once recognized. Mary was struck dumb, and the hermit cried with a break- ing heart, " O Mary, my daughter Mary, my poor pet lamb, why — oh, why do you not speak to me ? I am come to lead you into the fold again, mj^ dear lost lamb. I will charge myself with all your sins, O my daughter, my child. I will bear them when called to judgment. I will suffer for them. On me, on me, my Mary, shall be all thy misdeeds, a/1 thy shortcomings, and thou shalt be presented spotless before the throne. Mary, Mary, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." It is needless to add that Mary returned with her uncle, and, like another Magdalene, became a dis- tinguished saint, highly honoured and revered. — St. Ephrem, deacon of Edessa, Works, vol. ii. p. 1. St, Catherine of Bologna promised U 820 VIOLENCE OFFERED TO GOD'S SERVANTS. fPr.L bear in purgatory the penalties due to the sins of a jiovioe (a.d. 1413-1463). St. Catherine one day observed a novice greatly tormented by a devil, and said to her, "Sister, keep up your courage ; I am ready to satisfy for your sins in purga- tory. I will take on me to do penance for you, and will hand over to you a part of my merits, provided you remain in the > order." The novitiate, fortified by this assurance, continued in her vocation, and ultimately became the abbess. — Paleotti (about fifty years afterwards), Life of St. Catherine of Bologna (inserted in the Ecclesiastical AnnalSy vol. xvii.). St. Emiliana takes on herself the in- firmities of another (a.d. 1246). One day St. Emiliana went to visit a sick boy, and said to him, "My child, think not of your sufferings, but think what Christ suffered for your sake." *'Ah!" said the child, "but I cannot help thinking of the pain I feel." *'Will you give me your pain?" asked Emiliana. "Right willingly, if I knew how," replied the boy. Then said Emiliana, " God, if this sickness is sent in mercy for the child's salvation, Thy will be done ; if not, transfer it to me, and glorify Thy name." She then returned home, fell sick, and was told that the boy had perfectly recovered. The sickness she suffered from was erysipelas. — A. Stola, Acta Sanctorum^ May 19. There really is no miracle in catching erysipelas from another— it is often epidemic; nor is it miraculous that the fever, which not unfrequentljr accompanies eosipelas, should abate. St. John-Joseph de la Croix takes on himself the ulcers of Father Michel (a.d. 1654-1734). Father Michel, afterwards archbishop of Cosenza, suffered greatly from two ulcers in his legs. A painful operation was determined on, and Father Michel commended himself to the prayers of St. John-Joseph. John-Joseph prayed that the ulcers of Father Michel might be transferred to himself, and so it was ; for Michel was at once delivered from his infirmity, and the ulcers broke out in the legs of John-Joseph. They were .errible sores, and caused much agony, out it was borne without a murmur. Another example. One of the prince's Household, who had led a very abandoned iife, being struck with remorse, made his confession to St. John-Joseph. The con- fessor, moved at the penitence of the man, awarded him a very slight penance, and took on himself to work out the heavier penalty of the man's sins. — Migne, Demonstrations Evangdiques, vol. xvi. (Cardinal Wiseman is responsible for this life of John-Joseph, but a life of the saint had been already written by Father Diodato.) Whipping-boys. Whipping-boys were boys kept in royal and princely houses to be whipped when a prince deserved chastisement. Barnaby Fitzpatrick stood for Edward VI. ; D'Ossat and Du Perron, afterwards cardinals, were whipped by Clement VIII. for Henri IV. of France ; Mungo Murray stood for Charles I. ; Raptmel was flogged for the son of the marquis de Lagenez, but, not seeing the justice of this vicarious whipping, he ran tiw&y. Violence oflfered to God's Servants punished. (See Honour God's Saints.) 1 Kings xiii. l-«. There came a man of God out of Judah to Bi-thel, and Jeroboam stood by the altar of burnt incense. The man of God oried against the altar, and said, altar, altar, behold, a child shall be born, Josiah by name, and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon the* When the king heard this, he put forth his hand, saying. Lay hold on him. Ami his hand dried up, so that he could not pull it in again ; the altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out. Then said the king to the man of God, Entreat and pray for me that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the Icing's hand was restored him again. Then said the king to the man of God, Come home with me. and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. But the man of God said to the king. If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee. So he went another way. Barontus offered to strike the abbot MeneluSy ana his arm was paralyzed (seventh century). Barontus, a man of great wealth, wanted his daughter to marry Viance, the son of a serf; but when the day appointed for the nuptials drew near, the young lady fled to the abbey of Menat, and placed herself under the protection of Menelus. The father, in great anger, demanded that his daughter should be given up, and lifted his hand to strike the abbot, but it was instantly paralyzed. He would not ask Menelus to intercede for him, but he applied to Viance. So Viance prayed, and the palsied limb was restored to its former vigour. Barontus then gave to the abbey the dowry he had intended to bestow upon his daughter. — Herimbert, Life of St. Vicentian (written three months after the death of Vicentian, or Viance). One of the servants of Barontus para- Ft. l.J VISIONS AND REVELATIONS. 82] lyzed for attempting to lay hands on St. Viance (a.d. 620-674). St. Viance, the son of a serf, was Barontus's groom ; but, being ill-used by the rich man, he quitted his service, and retired to a desert, where he intended to live a hermit's life. Barontus, whose temper was most over- bearing, tracked the fugitive to his retreat, and one of his retainers, rushing into the cell, was about to seize Viance, when his arms became instantly para- lyzed. Barontus entreated his groom to restore the paralytic, but St. Viance replied, " Not yet, not yet. My day of death is not far off, and then will I entreat the Lord to show mercy on thy servant." Not long afterwards God took St. Viance to paradise, and the servant of Barontus was made whole on the self- same day. — Herimbert (written three months after the event), Life of St. Vicen- tian, or Viance. Eldebod lifted up his arm to strike St. Maximus^ and it was paralyzed (a.d. 583- 625). When St. Maximus succeeded to the abbacy of Limours, Eldebod the in- tendant sent for him, but the abbot sent word back, *' If the intendant wants me, ho must come to me, for I cannot leave my duties to wait upon Eldebod." The intendant, furious at this answer, went to the abbey, and was about to strike Maximus, but his hand became paralyzed. When Eldebod reached home, his house- hold were enraged beyond measure with the abbot, and proceeded in a body to the abbey to take vengeance on the insolent Churchman ; but no sooner had they reached the abbey court, than the whole party was struck blind. St. Maximus, coming out to them, exhorted them to repentance, and on their humiliation restored their sight. One of them, how- ever, named Gontram, ran the abbot through with his lance ; but vengeance was swift, for Gontram's whole body instantly became one universal putrefy- ing sore, and the man died within three days, like Herod, eaten up of worms. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum, vol. i. Jan. 2. G^ronce, mother of St. Genevieve^ slapped her child's face for crying to go to churchf and was struck blind (a.d. 422- 512). One day G^ronce, the mother of Genevifeve, dressed herself for church, and her young daughter begged hard to go with her. This being refused, the child began to cry, and G^ronce slapped her face. Immediately she had done so she became blind, and continued sight- lesg for twenty-one months. The bishop of Nanterre then interfered, and told the child to go to the river, and fill a bottle with clean water. When the water was brought to the bishop, he told the child to mark on the bottle with her finger the sign of the cross, and then bathe her mother's eyes with the water. This being done, G^ronce recovered her sight straightway.— L'abbd Saintyves (1846), Life of St. Genevieve. Visions and Revelations. (See Stephen's Vision.) Acts x. 9-16. Peter went up upon the he use- top to pray about the sixth hour, and fell into a trance, in which he saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet let down to earth ; In which sheet were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creep- ing things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him. Rise, Peter ; kill, and eat. But Peter said. Not so. Lord ; for I have nevei eaten anything common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice ; and the vessel was received up again into heaven. Joel ii. 28. It shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour My Spirit on all flesh ; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Psalm Ixxxix. 19. Thou spakest in visions to Thy holy one. IsA. i. 1 ; Dan. vil. 2 ; viii. 1 ; Nahdm I. 1 ; Acts xvi. 9 ; and many other texts. Rev. iv. 1. The voice which I heard was as It were a trumpet talking with me, which said. Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. St. Aldegundis^s vision of the devil (a.d. 689). God caused St. Aldegundis, towards the close of her life, to see the great adversary of man, under a most frightful form. St. Aldegundis de- manded of him why he had appeared; and he replied, " My great vexation is to see daily so many of the human race going the strait and narrow road, while my broad and pleasant one is neglected." The truth of these words revealed the malignity of the evil spirit, and made Aldegundis long more and more to join the glorious company of saints and angels in the paradise of God. She prayed that God would come quickly and take her home. So He sent a cancer to her right breast, which she bore with patience for some time, and then changed her mortal for immortality, and her corruptible for incorruption. — L'abb^ Delbos, Life of St. Aldegundis. St. Anastasius sees in a visian the cup of K2 VISIONS OF JEANira D'ARC. [Pt. I. martyrdom (a.d. 628). One night St. Anastasius had a vision, in which he saw a man present to him a golden cup en- riched with precious stones and full of red wine. The man, on presenting it, said to him, "Anastasius, take and drink." This did he, and his soul seemed filled with divine sweetness. The vision then left him, and he woke, feeling tssured he had seen the cup of his mar- tyrdom. — Acta Sanctorum, Jan. 22. {Metaphrastes wrote the life of this •aint.) Visions of Jeanne cTArCf la Fucelle dOrl^ans (a.d. 1412-1431). This is the statement given by Jeanne d'Arc herself : "Tout ce que j'ai fait de bien pour la France, je I'ai fait par la grace et d'aprfes Tordre de Dieu, le roi du ciel, comme il me I'a re'v^^ par ses anges et ses saints ; et tout ce que je sais, je le sais unique- ment par les re'v^ations divines. C'est Bur I'ordre de Dieu que je me suis rendue auprfes du roi Charles VII. . . . J'aurais mieux aime' etre ^cartelde par les chevaux que d'aller le trouver sans la permission de Dieu, dans la main duquel sont toutes mes actions. Sur Lui, et sur nul autre yeposait tout mon espoir ; tout ce que ses voix m'ont ordonne', je I'ai fait de mon mieux, selon mes forces et mon intelli- gence. Ces voix ne m'ont rien ordonnd gu'avec la permission et le bon plaisir de Dieu, et tout ce que j'ai fait en leur ob^issant, je crois Vavoir bien fait. Si je voulais dire tout ce que Dieu m'a ordonn^, huit jours ne suffiraient pas. II y a maintenant sept ans que les saints m'apparurent pour la premifere fois. C'e- tait un jour d'e'te', vers I'heure de midi. J'avais k peine treize ans, et j'^tais dans le jardin de mon pfere. J'entendis la voix k droite, du cotd de I'^glise ; je vis en meme temps une apparition entoure'e d'une grande clart^. Elle avait I'ext^- rieur d'un hommc trfes-bon et trfes-ver- tueux ; elle portrait des ailes et ^tait environn^e de tous cot^s de beaucoup de lumifere, et accoippagn^e des anges du ciel. C'^tait I'archange Michel. II me parut avoir une voix trfes respectable ; mais jMtais encore jeune enfant; j'eus grand peur de cette apparition, et je doutai fort que ce tht un ange. Ce fut seulement aprfes avoir entendu cette voix *Tois fois que je la reconnus pour la sienne. 11 m'enseigna, et me montra tant de choses qu'enfin je crus fermement que c'^tait lui. Je I'ai vu, lui et les anges, de mes propres yeux, aussi clairement que je vous rois, yous, mes jugee ; et je crois, d'une foi aussi ferme, ce qu.'il a dit et fait, que je crois k la Passion et k la mort de Jesus Christ, notre Sauveur, et ce qui me porte k la croire, ce sont lea bonnes doctrines, les bons avis, les se- cours avec lesquels il m'a toujoun assist^e. L'ange me disait qu'avant tout je devais €tre une bonne enfant, bien conduire ; et aller souvent k I'^glise, et que Dieu me soutiendrait. II me ra- contait la grande piti^ qui ^tait au roy aume de France, et comment io devais me bater d'aller secourir mon roi. II me disait aussi que sainte Catherine et sainte Marguerite viendraient vers moi, et que je devais faire tout ce qu'elles m'ordonne- raient, parce qu'elles ^taient envoy^es de Dieu pour me conduire, et m'aider de leurs conseils dans tout ce que j'avais k ex^cuter ; St, Catherine et St. Marguerite m'apparurent ensuite, comme l'ange I'avait pr^dit. Elles m'ordonn^rent d'aller trou- ver le sire Baudricourt, capitaine du roi k Vaucouleurs, lequel k la ve'rite', me re- pousserait plusieurs fois, mais finirait par me donner des gens pour me conduire dans I'int^rieur de la France auprfes de Charles VII., aprfes ouoi je ferais lever le siege d'OrMans. Je leur r^pondis que je n'etais qu'une pauvre fille qui ne savait ni chevaucher, ni conduire la guerre ; ellcs rdpliqu^rent que je devoirs porter hardiment ma bannifere, que Dieu m'as- sisterait, et que j'aiderais mon roi k re- couvrer malgr^ ses ennemis, tout son royaume. 'Va en toute confiance,' ajoutferent-elles, *et, quand tu seras devant ton roi, il se fera un beau signe pour qu'il croire k la mission et te fasse bon accueil.' Elles m'ont dirig^e pen- dant sept ans, et m'ont pr§td leur appui dans tous mes embarras et mes travaux, et maintenant il ne se passe pas de jour qu'elles ne me visitent. Je ne leur ai rien demand^, si ce n'est pour mon expedition, et que Dieu voulftt bien assister les Franijais, et prote'ger leu* ville ; pour moi, je ne leur ai pas de- mand^ d'autre recompense que le saint de mon ame. Dfes la premiere fois que j'entendis leurs voix, je promis libre- ment k Dieu de rester une vierge pure de corps et d'ftme, si cela lui etait agr^able, et elles me promirent, en retour, de me conduire dans le paradis, comme je les en ai prices." Thus siK)ke la Pucelle when she stood before Cauchon, bishop of Beauvais, appointed to be hex judge. We are told this infamous judge " mourut subitement entre les mains de son barbier." Of her other persecutors. Fr.l.] VISIONS : CATHERINE-FELIX, 828 Jean le Maistre "disparut d'entre les homines sans qu'on pdt savoir ce qu'il e'tait devenu;" Joseph d'Estivet " f ut trouve' mort sur un fumier devant Rouen ; " Nicholas I'Oiseleur, the villainous eccle- siastic employed by Cauchon to pretend friendship in order to induce the maid to confide in him and criminate herself, died suddenly in a church at Bale ; Nicholas Midy, " qui avait pr^chd avant I'ex^cution, fut emport^ par la Ifepre." The duke of Bedford, regent of France, *'mourut du chagrin et de honte dans ce meme chateau de Rouen cu Jeanne avait ete' enfermee ; " Henry V. died sud- denly at Rouen, whither he had gone to restore order, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, and the second of his marriage with Catherine the French princess ; and Henry VI. his son, *'au nom de qui la Pucelle fut immolee, se vit d^trone' deux fois, passa la plus grande partie de sa vie en captivity, et p^rit massacre'. Ainsi moururent ceux k qui Jeanne avait dit, * Vous ne me ferez pas ce dont vous me menacer, sans en ^prouver du dommage dans votre corps et dans votre ame.' " — See Quicherat, Histoire de Jeanne d'Arc. St. Catherine of Bologna sees in a vision her own exaltation (a.d. 1413-1463). St. Catherine was chosen abbess of Bologna, but was unwilling to accept the honour, till the Saviour told her by revelation that it was His Father's good pleasure that she should do so. At the same time she saw the heavens open, and beheld two geats of resplendent glory, one of which was both larger and more resplendent than the other. As St. Catherine con- templated these things with admiration, and asked for whom they were reserved, a heavenly voice replied, "The larger and grander seat is reserved for Catherine of Bologna." — D. Paleotti (of the order of St. Francis), Life of St. Catherine of Bologna. Vision of St. Catherine of Siena, aged six years (a.d. 1347-1380). One day, at the age of six, St. Catherine of Siena was sent with her brother Stephen, about a year older, to Sister Bonaventura. On their return, Catherine saw in the air, above the church of St. Dominic, a glorious throne, where sat the Lord Jesus, clothed in pontifical robes. St. Peter, St. Pa J, and St. John the evangelist stood beside him. The Saviour fixed His eyes on Catherine, His face beaming with majesty and kindness. Stephen ran to his sister, asking her why she did not come on. Catherine replied, " If you had seen the beautiful things I have seen, you also would have been transfixed with ecstasy." When she raised her eyes again, the vision was gone ; and she wept that she had ever taken her eyes off it. — Raymond of Capua (her confessor), Life of St. Catherine of Siena. Revelation of St. Cyril, general of Mount Carmel (a.d. 119*1). While cele- brating mass in Armenia on St. Hilarion's Day (Oct. 21), an angel appeared to St. Cyril, holding in his hand a rod decorated with a lily, and two silver tablets in- scribed with letters of gold in Greek characters. The writing was a revelation of things to come ; it told o£ the ruin of the Greek empire, and of the faith in the Eastern provinces. History justified the revelation. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. iii. p. 201. St. Dominions vision about himself and St. Francis. St. Dominic had one night a vision in which he saw Jesus Christ, He was very angry for the sins of the world, and resolved to destroy it, as hope- lessly bad. The virgin mother, kneel- ing before him to move His pity, pre- sented to Him St. Dominic and St. Francis, saying to Him, "By these two instruments a great reformation will be made." At these words the Saviour relented. So distinctly did St. Dominic see St. Francis in this vision, that when he subsequently saw him in Rome, he recognized him instantly ; and embracing him tenderly, recounted to him his vision. — St. Bonaventure, Life of St. Francis dAssisi, St. Felix de Valois sees the vision of a stag (A.D. 1127-1212). St. John de Matha was commanded to found an *' Order for the Redemption of Captives," and to obtain the co-operation of St, Felix de Valois. Accordingly he went to confer with him. The night pre- ceding St. Felix had a vision, which he could net then understand. Near the spring of water which he went to daily for his refection, he beheld a stag which came down to drilik, and between its antlers was a red and blue cross. While Felix was pondering over this vision, John de Matha arrived, and imparted to Felix what God had told him about instituting an " Order for the Redemption of Captives." Felix, not doubting that his vision of the red and blue cross was connected with this foundation, instantly set to work with John de Matha to Iraw up rules for the new order. The twd saints lived together for three years, 824 VISIONS: HILDEGARDES— MARY OF PAZZI. [Pt. 1. when they went to Rome, and laid their plan before the pope, who ratified the institution, Feb. 8. — R. P. Ignace Dillond, Vie des SS. Jean de Hatha et Felix de Vatois, The arms of the order are fleiir»4to-U« without number ; A red and blue cross " ea abyme ; * two stags for sup- porters. Visions of St, Hildegardes (a.d. 1098- 1179). Hildegardes was the daughter of the count of Spanheim, and from her girlhood had revelations, which the Holy Ghost told her to write down in a book. She neglected to do so for some time, but, being greatly afflicted in body and mind, she consulted a religious, who spoke to the abbot, and she was advised to keep a record of her revelations. These revelations, called "Scivias," fill three volumes ; there is also a book of "Visions on Theological Dogmas" in three parts ; a " Solution of Thirty-eight Knotty Points in Divinity ; " an " Exposition of the Symbol [or creed] of St. Athanasius ; '* nine books of " Subtilties of Divers Kind," 146 letters, and some other works, all of which may be seen in Migne's Fatrologie Latine, vol. cxcvii. It would be plainly impossible to give even a summary of these books in this volume, but it must be stated that they received the express sanction of pope Eugenius III.; and no less a person than St. Bernard, abbot of Clainraux, was commissioned, with others, to examine into the "revelations," and they pronounced them to be undoubtedly genuine. Of course, they justify and corroborate the dogmas and practices of the Roman Catholic Church throughout. A selection from them, with the visions of Catherine Emmerich, and some others, would form a not unsuitable supplement to this volume. Although we cannot here produce the visions of St. Hilde- gardes, we can give what she herself says of the way they were communicated to her. " From infancy," she tells us, "to the present day, being now seventy years old, I have received without cessation visions and divine revelations. In these divine communications I seem to be carried through the air to regions far, far away^ and I see in my mind's eye the marvels shown to me. I do not see them with my bodily eye, nor hear what is said by my bodily ears, nor do I discover them by the agency of any of my bodily •enses, nor do they come into my thoughts, nor arc they dreams, or trances, or ecstasies ; but I see them with my eyes •pen, while I am wide awake, sometimes in the night, and sometimes by day. What I see, I see in my soul ; and what I hear, I hear in my inner self." Her letters are addressed to Eugenius III., Anastasius IV., Adrian IV., Alexander III. ; the emperors Conrad III. and Frederick I. ; the bishops of Bamberg, Spire, Worms, Constance, Liege, Maas- tricht, Prague, etc., the bishop of Jeru- salem, all the bishops of Germany, and several prelates of other parts of Europe ; to numerous abbots, to St. Elizabeth, and to all men of literary repute in Europe. These letters are full of the mysteries and secrets which the Holy Ghost re- vealed to her. The answers are also given by Mons. Migne, the originals being carefully preserved in the monastery of St. Rupert. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollan- dists), vol. V. Sept. 17 ; Thierry, Life of St. Hildegardes ; Nicholas Serarius, History of Mayence^ bk. ii. ch. 37, etc. The visions of Ignatius Loyola (a.d. 1491- 1556). Ignatius Loyolahad frequent visits of angels, and frequent visions. On one occasion he was caught up b}' the Spirit, and saw a figure which represented to him quite clearly the mysterious Trinity. A little afterwards was shown him by revelation the design of Infinite Wisdom in the creation of the world, and in the special order of that great work, as re- corded in Gen. i. In another vision he was shown the literal verity of tran- substantiation, the Eucharist by conse- cration being verily and indeed changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. And in another vision, all the mysteries of the Christian faith were explained to him, especially those introduced since the times of the apostles, and therefore not mentioned in the Now Testament Scrip- tures. All these were so clearly mani- fested to him, and received such certain vindication in these visions, that Ignatius declared he would lay down his life in defence of any one of them, — Ada Sanctorum^ July 31. Visions of Mary Magdalene of Pazzi (a.d. 1566-1607). (1) While Mary Mag- dalene of Pazzi was praying at the tomb of Mary Bagnesi, she saw a glorious throne covered with precious stones, and was told that this throne was the virginity which she had kept immaculate ; and the precious stones thereon were the souls which had been brought to God by her means. (2) She then saw a religious woman carried up to paradise, after having been fifteen days in purgatory. Her detention Pt. l.J VISIONS: PATRICK— ROBERT OF LYONS. 829 in purgatory had been because she had done unnecessary work on festival days ; had not informed the mother prioress of certain irregularities in the convent to which she had been privy ; and had been too fond of her parents. (3) Her next vision was a sister who had died with the reputation of sanctity. She appeared all luminous except in her hands, which were black. This was because she had accepted little presents from secular persons. (4) Her fourth vision at the tomb was that of Lewie of Gonzaga, who shone in brilliant light. On seeing this vision, the saint cried aloud, " Oh, what glory, Lewis, son of Ignatius ! I could not have conceived it possible, if I had not been 9hownit." — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. V. May 23. Tlie vision of St. Patrick (a.d. 373- 464). St. Patrick, in his Confessions, says, "One night I saw before me a celestial visitant, holding a book in his hand. He said to me, * I am Victricius ; ' and he gave me the book, which was, in fact, a collection of letters. On the first page I read these words, * A voice from Ireland.' As I read on, methought I heard the woodmen of Foclutum address- ing me, and saying, ' We beseech you, man of God, come back to us, and teach us about the Saviour.' I was moved to tears by this appeal, and the rision ceased. Next night I heard celestial voices singing the songs of heaven, but saw no one, nor can I at all tell where the voices came from. I fell to prayer, and heard a voice whisper in my ear, ' I am lie who gave My life to redeem thine.' I felt as if some one had entered into me, and knew it was the Holy Ghost. Next day I told the vision to a friend, and he replied, ' One day you will be bishop of Ireland.* This remark threw me into a consternation, miserable sinner that I was ; nevertheless, it came to pass." — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. li March 17. Alban Butler says that St. Patrick "saw all the children of Ireland from the wombs of their mothers stretching out their hands, and piteously crying to him for relief." But the account given above is a literal trai slation of tiie words of St Patrick himselt St, Porphyry's vision by which he was restored to sound health (a.d. 353-420). While St. Porphyry abode in his cave near the river Jordan, he fell sick with a complicatien of disorders, which obliged him to return to Jerusalem. There he visited daily the holy places, leaning on his staff, for he was too weak to stand without support. Mark, who afterwards wrote his life, here made his acquaint- ance ; and one day, on offering him assistance, received for reply, "It is not right that I, who come hither in penance for my sins, should be relieved of the weight of that penance." Three months afterwards Mark saw him again. He was then quite well ; and, on Mark's expressing surprise at his complete re- covery, Porphyry said to him, " Forty days ago, being in extreme pain, 1 fainted away on reaching Calvary, and saw, in a kind of trance, the Saviour on the cross, and the penitent tb 5f. I said to Christ, * Lord, remembei me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom , ' Where- upon Christ ordered the thief to come to my assistance. He raised ne from the ground, and bade me go t» Christ; so I ran to Him, and He, cominrr down from the cross, said to me, ' Take up this wood [cross'] into thy keeping.' Methought I laid it on my shoulders, and carried it some considerable way. When I came to myself, I found the pain had all left me, and I was as v^ell as if I had never ailed anything." — Mark (a companion). Life of St. Porphyry. Robert of Lyons is shown a vision vf paradise (a.d. 1109). Robert, a student from Lyons, on a visit to Citeaux, askeU God to show him the path of heaven. So God showed him a vast table-lane^ on the top of an exceeding high moun- tain. In this table-land was a magnifi- cent city. The student wanted to enter it, but found it impossible so to do, in consequence of a large river which flowed between him and the city. Looking for a way across the river, he observed on the opposite bank twelve or fourteen poor men washing their garments. One of them had a robe of dazzling whiteness, and this shining One helped the others in their work. "Who are you?" said the student to the shining One. *' These poor ones," He replied, "are monks washing away their sins by repentance, and making their robes white in the river of tears. I am Jesus Christ, ever ready to help the truly penitent. The city that you see is paradise, where I reign with those who have washed their robes and made them white. Behold the road to heaven which you wanted to see." — Vincent de Beauvais, Speculum Majus, bk. xxr. ch. 106. (See Beulah (Land of) in the Index of this book.) A monk sees the Virgin Mary and thr» B26 VOICE FROM HEAVEN: APRONIUS, BENEZET. companies of virgins. Two monks went to administer the last rites to Pemenn, a shepherdess, who was sick of a fever. One of them, overcome by fatigue, fell into a trance, and saw in a vision three companies of virgins. The virgins of the first troop were magnificently dressed in gold brocade ; those of the second company were arrayed in dazzling white ; those of the third wore robes whiter than snow, trimmed with royal purple. The first company saluted him, and he re- turned the salute. At the head of the third company was a virgin of surpass- ing beautj", whose robe was completely covered with white and red roses. He saluted the lady profoundly, and asked her name. *' I am the queen of vii-gins," she graciously replied, "and accompany these troops of virgins from heaven. The first troop are those who debated in their minds whether they should marry or lead a virgin life, but decided upon the latter course. The next troop are those who vowed continence from the first, and kept themselves in chastity to the end. The third troop are those who have added the rose of martyrdom to the lily of chastity. We are now seeking the soul of a young shepherdess, which we are about to carry with us to heaven." The monk well knew the soul sought was Pemena's, and forthwith went with his brother monk to the cabin of the shepherdess. As they bent over the dying maiden, she said to them, " Oh, my fathers, that God would open your eyes to see the virgins from paradise which stand around me." The monks prayed that God would vouchsafe them this favour, and they saw the Virgin Mary place on Pemena's head a garland of flowers, which being done, the shepherdess breathed her last. — L'abb^ Chapia, Une Vie de Sainte par Jour. Voice from Heaven. Matt. iii. 17. When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of God was seen descending lilce a dove and lighting on Him; and lo! a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom 1 am well pleased. John xii. 28, 29. Father, glorify Thy name. Then came a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people that stood by said it thundered; but othei« said. An angel spake to Him. Acts ix. 4-7. When Saul [Paul] was on his way to Damascus, he heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? And Saul said. Who art Thou, Lord ? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest : U is hard for thee Ut kick against the pricks. [Pt. L And Saul said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do ? And the Lord said to him. Arise, and go fato the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. (See £xod. iii., and I Sam. iii.) Apronius hears a voice from heaven^ ana is converted. Apronius the judge, who in the reign of Diocletian committed Sisinius to prison, heard a voice from heaven which said to him, *' Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you," and was converted. The emperor, being informed of the conversion, commanded the judge to be at once beheaded. — Life of Mar- cellus the Pope (from the public registers). Jesus Christ speaks to St. Benezet^ and commands him to build a bridge across the Rhone (a.d. 1165-1184). Benezet was a poor shepherd, bom at Ilermillon, in Savoy, wholly uneducated, and wholly ignorant of the world. On Sept. 13, A.D. 1177, he was sent by his mother, who was a widow, to look after her sheep, and an eclipse of the sun occurred. All of a sudden, Benezet heard a voice say to him three times, *' Benezet, My son, hearken to the words of Jesus Christ." *' Who art Thou, Lord ? " replied the boy (then only twelve years old). *' I hear Your voice, but see no one." " I am Jesus Christ," said the voice, " who by a single word created the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that therein is." "And what. Lord," said the boy, "wilt Thou have me do ? " " Leave these few sheep," rejoined the voice, "and go, build a bridge across the Rhone." " But, Lord, I never heard of the Rhone, and know not where it is. And as for the sheep, they are my mother's ; and I dare not leave them." " Trust in Me," said the voice in reply; "I will gather the sheep into their fold, and will send one to conduct you on the way." "But, Lord," the boy objected, " I have only three oboli [ = fourpence] in the world, and one cannot build a bridge with that." " Obey, My son, and I will furnish the means." The sequel of this strange story is no less marvellous than the beg nning, and what is more strange still is this, there is certainly some thread of truth in the story that Benezet, the shepherd boy of Savoy, did build a bridge across the Rhone. This is attested by public muniments drawn up at the time, and still preserved at Avignon, where the story is known to every one. Beue/.n Pr. I.] VOICE FROM HEAVEN: CATHERINE, GERMANUS. 827 died at the early age of ninateen, was buried on the bridge, and the body was twice disinterred. Once in 1669, when a largo part of the bridge fell down ; the body was then found entire, without any signs of corruption ; *' even the bowels being sound." And again in 1674, when the body was translated with royal pomp into the church of the Celestines. A full description of this grand pageant is in the Acta Sanctorum of the Bollandists, vol. ii. April 14, pp. 958, 959. Now to continue the story. The boy started on his journey, not knowing whither he was going ; and was soon joined by an angel, in the guise of a pilgrim, who said to the boy, "Come with me, and I will show you where Jesus Christ wants you to build the bridge." ^Vhen the boy reached the river, he was aghast at its siz^ and cried in terror, "It is not possible to build a bridge across such a big river." " Fear not,** said the angel ; " but go to yon ferryman, and get him to row you across the stream ; then go to the bishop of Avignon, and tell him why you have come." So saying, the angel left him. Benezet made his way to the ferryman, who happened to be a Jew, and asked him to row him across the river for nothing, out of love to Jesus Christ and the Virgin. The Jew replied he cared nothing for Jesus Christ or the Virgin, and certainly would not unmoor his boat without being paid three oboli. This was every farthing the boy had, but he was obliged to part with them, in order to cross the ferry. Being set on the other side, he went at once to the cathedral, where the bishop was preaching ; and cried aloud, ** Listen to m*:- and hear what I have got to say. Jesus Christ has sent me hither to build a bridge across the Rhone." The bishop was most indignant at this unseemly interrup- tion from a boy, evidently a rustic, and commanded the provost to punish him for his insolence. The provost was a hard man, named Berenger, who at once apprehended the boy ; but the boy insisted that Jesus Christ had sent him to build a bridge across the Rhone. " Konsense ! " cried the provost; "how is a boy like you to build a bridge across this river, which even Charlemagne would not undertake to do ? " Still the boy insisted that Jesus Christ had sent him to build the bridge. The provost laughed at the absurdity, and said, "I wiU believe it when 1 see you c^rry off that stone," pointing to a huge f^tont thirty feet long and seventeen broad. Benezet walked up to the stone, made the sign of the cross, lifted the stone on his shoulders, and carried it to the spot where the bridge was to spring from. The provost, the bishop, the whoh people, were amazed. They no longer doubted the boy's tale. Money cam<« in on all sides, for every one was anxiou«« to be a fellow-worker with God, and the bridge was built. — L'abb^ Truchet, His- toire Uagiologique du Diocese de Maurienne. This boy, who died at the age of nineteen, was a thaumatur^t, and wrought numerous miracles. A voice from heaven addresses St, Catherine of Bologna (a.d. 1413-1463). A malefactor condemned to be burnt alive refused to confess, and rejected the services of the priest. St. Catherine of Bologna being informed thereof, pros- trated herself before the Holy Sacrament for a whole day and night. After matins, she said in her orison, " my God, I will not rise from my knees till You have granted me the soul of this malefactor, bought by Your precious blood." Then a voice from heaven answered, "I cannot refuse you this soul; thanks to your prayers it shall be saved." In the mean time, the malefactor sent for a priest to receive his confession ; he was truly penitent, and though burnt to death, ceased not to invoke the name of Jesus.— Paleotti, Life of St. Catherine of Bologna (inserted in vol. xvii. of the Ecclesiastical Annals). A voice from heaven speaks to St, Ger^ mantis J awot of Granfel (a.d. 666). Ca- tihe, duke of Alsace, greatly oppressed the monks and poor inhabitants of his dominion. St. Germanus remonstrated with him, and as the duke was one day plundering the people, at the head of a troop of soldiers, the abbot implored him to desist. Some of the soldiers after- wards met the abbot on his road to Gran- fel, and stripped him of his clothes. " I thank Thee, Lord of heaven and earth," said the saint, " that I am deemed worthy to suffer for Thy sake. Deign to admit me into the company of those who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb." A voice from heaven replied, " Come, faithful shepherd of My fold, the heavens are open to you ^ enter into the joy of thy lord." At this moment one of the soldiers pierced him with a lance, and he fell dead. — Bol- landus. Acta Sanctorum (written by Babolen, a coatemporary), vol. iii. Feb. 328 Vv^ICfc FROM HEAVEN : HENRY— PETER NOLASCO. [Pt. I. St. Henry of Norihumhcrland strength- ened in the right way by a voice from heaven (a.d. 1127). Henry of Northum- berland resolved to serve God in soli- tude; so, leaving his home, he went to Coquet Island, off the coast of Northum- berland. His parents went to fetch him back ; but Henry, casting himself before his crucifix, implored God to direct him. Then came a voice from heaven, which said to him, "Stay here, Henry. Play the man ; strengthen thy heart to resist, for I have called thee to My eternal pur- pose." So he remained in the island a solitary or hermit.— Capgrave, Life of Henry of Northumbet land. St. ilermylus of Belgrade hears in his martyrdom a voice from heaven (a.d. 315). St. Hermylus, being denounced to Lici- nius as a despiser of the gods of Rome, was arrested, and brought before the em- peror. The emperor said to him, *' Tell me, fellow, do you acknowledge yourself to be a Christian ? " "I not only acknow- ledge myself to be a Christian," replied Hermylus, '* but also a consecrated deacon in the service of Christ." Said the em- peror, " Abandon this foolery, and save vourself from the penalties of the law." I'he deacon made answer, "It is no foolery to adore the Maker of heaven and earth, but it is indeed foolery to worship stocks and stones, the work of men's hands." " Not so glib with your tongue, fellow," said the emperor; "obey, or endure the rewaar: .- /our obstinacy," " He that endureth to the end," said the deacon, "the y^r* shall be saved." " Saved, i' fait> .dughed Licinius ; " we'll soon »^ uoyf your gods can save you." So saying, he ordered the lictors to scourge the rogue well, and teach him to reverence the gods of his country. Six men then stripped him, threw him on the ground, and scourged him soundly, " Thou who didst endure before Pilate the mockery and the scourge," cried Her- mjaus, " strengthen me to endure, that I may finish my course with joy." Then was heard a voice from heaven, saj'ing to him, "Verily, verily, Hermylus, in three days shalt thou be with Me in paradise." Hearing these words, the deacon was filled with comfort ; but Li- cinius and his myrmidons were filled with consternation. — Metaphrastes, LiveSy etc. (compiled from the original acts). St. Ludan in his martyrdom hears a voice from heaven (eleventh century). When St. Lucian was led to execution, a great light encompassed him, and as his head fell to the axe, the executioneri heard a voice from heaven saying to him, " Well done, good and faithful servant ; receive the crown of glory prepared for you from before the foundation of the world." — Acta Sanctorum (Life of St, Lucianus). Voices from heaven frequently heard by St. Margaret of Cortona (a.d. 1297). One day, as St. Margaret was praying for twc artisans, whose apparitions had appearec to her, and told her they had been mur dered by robbers, without being allowes time to confess, although they grieved for their misdeeds, the Saviour said to her, "Tell the Minorites to remember the souls of the dead. They are so numerous as to pass man's understanding, yet very few are taken from purgatory through any prayers or gifts of then friends." At another time a voice told her tliat her mother had been delivered from pur- gatory after being there ten years, and her father would also be delivered, but his term was not yet ended. One day, as she was praying for her dead servant, her guardian an^el said to her, " Thy servant must remain in pur- gatory for a month, but her pains will be light, and then she will be transported to the choir of the cherubim." Christ said to her, on a day set apart for the purification of the Holy Virgin, "The three dead persons for whom you prayed this morning have been acquitted by their judges from everlasting per- dition, but they must suffer for their sins, and so great will be their torments, that unless their good angels sustain them, they will believe themselves outcasts. As on earth," He continued, "so in pur- gatory, there are separate cells. Some are purified in thick darkness, some in rapid torrents, seme in ice, and others in devouring fire." — BoUandus, Acta Sanc- torum^ vol. iii. Feb., p. 298. St. Peter Nolasco is encouraged to per- severe by a voice from heaven (a.d. 1189- 1256). 'St. Peter Nolasco, founder of the Order of Mercy, one Saturday night, being greatly distressed that his work progressed so slowly, cried aloud, " O Lord, how is it Thou art so bountiful to others, and so niggardly to Thy mother ? If my demerits are the cause, remove m« out of the way, and supply my place with one more worthy of the work which I have taken in hand." Then was heard in the church a voice which said, " Fear not, little flock ; it is My Father's good Pt. l.J VOICE FROM HEAVEN— WALKING ON WATER. 329 pleasure to give you the kingdom." These words filled all who heard them with amazement ; and Nolasco soon had the unspeakable consolation of seeing his order increase, and allied monasteries springing up in all directions. — R, P. F. Zumel, Life of St. Peter Nolasco, 8t, Peter of Verona hears a voice from heaven (a.d. 1206-1252). While St. Peter of Verona was at Milan, he em- ployed all his energies in the conversion of heretics. One day he found such obstinate resistance, that his heart failed him, and he resolved to abandon his work, which seemed quite hopeless. While praying, he heard a voice from heaven speak to him. It was the Virgin Mary, who said to him, " Peter, I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. He who putteth his hand to the plough and looketh back, is not worthy of the king- dom of God." Then was his courage revived, and he resolved to continue the fight of faith even to his life's end. — T. Lentino, Life of St. Peter the Martyr, St. Polycarp heard a voice from heaven^ when led to execution (a.d. 167). As St. Polycarp was led to execution, a voice from heaven was heard by many, saying to him, " Polycarp, My faithfnl servant, be of good courage, and play the man." — Written by the Church of Smyrna at the time of the martyrdom. St. Secundina hears at her exectition a voice from heaven (a.d. 257). When St. Secundina of Anagni, in Italy, was led from her cell to martyrdom, she prayed for herself and her enemies. While she prayed, a resplendent light shone round about her, and the whole multitude heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Ye all were within a finger's length of hell, but the prayer of My servant Secundina has ascended to the ears of the Lord of hosts, and through her prayers your lives are saved. Daughter, be of good cheer, for I am thine, and thou art Mine, and all thine are Mine." Eighteen of the guard and many of the crowd, on hearing these words, were baptized, confessing their sins. — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. ii. p. 247. A voice from heaven determines which bones are Peter's and which PavVs, In the reign of Heliogabalus (a.d. 218- 222), the bones of Peter and Paul were deposited by Christian converts in one tomb in the catacombs of Rome. This was some 130 or 140 years after their dtaths. Two hundred years later, the two bodiAf wexe transported to a gorgeous shrine beneath the church of the Vatican, When pope Sylvester, at the consecration of the great church of St. Peter, wished to place the sacred remains of St. Peter in an altar, it was found impossible to distinguish which of the bones were those of Peter, and which were those of Paul. After fasting and prayer, a divine voice revealed that the larger bones were those of the preacher, and the smaller ones those of the fisherman. This being deemed conclusive, the smaller bones were placed in St. Peter's church, and the larger ones in St. Paul's. — Dr. W. Smith, Dictionary of Christian Antiquities^ vol. i. p. 109. This account is not strictly correct. The two heads are in the basilica of St John Lateran. Under St. Peter's altar, thirty-eight feet fromithe ground, '* on voit une tente de velours cramoisi rehauss6 d'or. Ce pavillion recouvre une arche ou ciboire en marbre de Paros soutenu par quatre colonnes de marbre Egyptian avec des chapiteaux d'ordre Corinthien en bronze dor6. Ld sont renfenn6es les tStes des apfitres St. Pierre et St. Paul. Deux fois chaque ann^e, le Samedi Saint et le Mardi des Rogations, elles sont exposdes solennellement ^ la vdndration des fidfeles."— Mgr. Gudrin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. viiL p. 460. Alban Butler says, *' One half of the body of each apostle is deposited together in a ricli vault in the great church of St. Paul, on the Ostian road, and the other half of both bodies in a more stately vault in the Vatican church." —June 29. Anne Askew. Two views of the sam^ phe- nomenon (a.d. 1646). Anne Askew was a Protestant of Lincolnshire, in the reign of Henry VIII. She was taken before " the Quest," and committed to prison. After being confined there above a year, she was brought before the council, and set upon the rack. With a savagery dis- graceful to human nature, chancellor Wriothesley stripped off his robes of state, grasped the handle of the rack, and worked the torture till all thought the victim was dead. She was taken off the rack, and carried back to her dungeon, only to be burnt to death at Smithfield. When the torch was applied to the fagots, a few drops of rain fell, and a low peal of thunder was heard. ** She is damned to all eternity," said some of the spec- tators. *'God knows whether I may truly call it thunder," said one who was present ; *' but, for my own part, it seemed that the angels in heaven were singing their joy-song over another soul taken into bliss." — Dr. Wylie, History of Pro- testantismy vol. iii. pp. 406, 407. Walking on Water^ Matt. xiv. 24-32. Jesus, having fed five thousand men, besides women and children, with five barley loaves, bade His disciples to pass over the sea. And when the ship was in the midst of the sea, it was tossed with the 830 WALKING ON WATER: ALDEGUNDIS— MARY. [Pr.l, waves, for the winds were contrary. In the fourth watch of tlie night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him, they were troubled ; but Jesus spake unto them saying, Be of good cheer; it is 1; be not afraid. Peter then got out of the boat to join him, but, his courage failing him, he began to sink, when Jesus caught him, saying, thou q{ little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ? ;S'^. Aldegundis walks across the river Sambre (a.d. 630-689). St. Aldegundis, daughter of prince Wabert, was solicited in marriage by Eudon, an English prince. Aldegundis told her father sh\- ^ould not accept the proposal, as she had already betrothed herself to Christ ; but her father, unwilling to let slip so honour- able an offer, promised the prince his daughter's hand. In this extremity Aldegundis had recourse to her celestial spouse, who told her to flee from her father's roof ; so, in disguise, and covered by the shades of night, she made good her escape, and came to the river Sambre. There was no bridge, no boat, and the river was not fordable. Here, then, her flight was arrested ; but she again appealed for help to Him whose ears are ever open to our prayers. Immediately two angels appeared, and bade her fol- low them ; so she *' ran over the surface of the river like a bird, without even wetting the soles of her shoes." Having crossed the Sambre, she continued her flight to the forest, where she built a little chapel, and resolved never to quit it, unless her parents promised not to force her into any marriage with man. Her father discovered her retreat, made the required promise, and the maiden returned home. (See St. Austrebertha, below.) — L'abbe Delbos, Life of St. Aldegundis. Two angels, in the form of two young men, guided St. Benedict from Subiaco to Mont Cassino, a distance of eighteen leagues. (See Angei. VisrrANTS, p. &) St. Austrebertha walks across the river Canche (630-704). Austrebertha was the daughter of prince Badefroy and Frame- childe, both of roj'al blood. She vowed to make Christ her only spouse : \-^d when she heard that her father had promised her in marriage to a young prince, she induced her brother to accom- Eany her in her escape from her parents' ouse in Marconne to The'rouanne, where she hoped to hide herself till her father consented to the life she had chosen. When the brother and sister reached the river Canche, they found it so greatly swollen that it had swept away the bridge and n "» boat was at hand. Not to be de- terred ^y this impediment, Austrebertha, taking her brother by the hand, walked or boldly, and they crossed over, walking on the water, and arrived safely at thf monastery of Th^rouanne, presided ovei by St. Omer. Austrebertha told her tale, and the bishop consented without delay to give her the veil. He then took hei back to her parents, reconciled them to the choice which their daughter had madt, and committed her to the care of Burgo- fleda, abbess of a nunnery called Port. — Surius, Lives of the Saints. All this is a repetition, with a change of names, of th« story of Aldegundis ; and it is not a little remarliable that tlie date of the birth of both is 630. The very locality ii about the same, the river Canche being in the Pas d« Calais, and the monastery of Th6rou«nne in the nm« department. The horse and hearse bearing the body of St. Julian cross the river Sarthe (a d. 117). St. Julian died at Mans. When the funeral cortege reached the river Sarthe, it was so swollen with recent rains that it was no longer fordable. Never mind. Man's extremity is God's oppor- tunity. The horses continued their route, dragging the funeral car ; the procession followed, and all went safely on the surface of the water across the river, and reached without accident the other side. — D. Piolin, History of the Church of Mans. St. Juvenal, hearing that a ship wa$ in danger^ went walking on the sea to save it, St. Juvenal, bishop of Narnia, in Africa, hearing that a ship, containing three thousand souls, was in danger of being wrecked during a severe storm, went to its relief, walking on the sea. When he came to the ship the tempest ceased, and was followed by a great calm. — St. Gregory, Homily 87. (See also Usuard's Martyrology.) St. Mary of Egypt passes and repasses the river Jordan^ walking on its surface (A. D. 421). St. Mary of Egypt, the anchorite, in her interview with Father Zozimus, appointed to meet him at the river Jordan the first Thursday in Lent, to receive from his hands the holy sacra- ment. Father Zozimus went to the place appointed "with the instruments of our salvation," but not finding Mary there, began to be filled with fear lest she should not come. Lifting up his eyes, he saw her in the distance, and wondered how she would be able to cross the river to come to him. She came to the brink, made the sign of the cross, and stepping on the water with confidence walked across it. The father and the penitent praj^ed together ; he administered to hei ^•t. I.] WALKING ON WATER: MAURUS— WULFRAN. 881 the holy communion, and she repeated the words of the aged Simeon, " Lord, now let'^( st Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation." Mary then told Zozimus to come again next year to the same place, and bidding him fare- well, she repassed the Jordan in the same way as she had crossed it, and returned into the desert. Next year, when Zozimus returned to the Jordan, he found the body dead, with an inscription in the sand, to this effect : " Abbot Zozimus, bury the body of poor Mary, who died th^ same day that she received the holy Eucharist at your hands." She had been dead a year, but no corruption had taken place, and no wild beast of the desert had touched her. Zozimus buried her, and related her sad tale to his dis- ciples. — Les Petits BoUandistes^ vol. iv. p. 128. St. Maurus runs on the surface of a river to save St. Placidus (a.d. 584). St. Bene- dict sent Placidus to fetch water from a fiver ; but as he dipped the bucket into the stream, his foot slipped, and he fell head foremost into the water. St. Benedict, who saw the accident by revelation, bade Maurus run to his assistance. Maurus, coming to the river, saw the body carried down the stream, and, without stopping to reflect, ran on the surface of the river to rescue his companion. On drifted the body of Placidus, and on ran Maurus over the water to overtake it. He came up, he clutched hold of his friend, he pulled him out of the river, and took him safely to the abbey. Though Maurus had run nearly a mile on the surface of the stream, yet he sank not, nor were the soles of his shoes wetted. When Placidus told the abbot of his rescue, he said, " As I was lifted out of the water, I saw dis- tinctly the hood of St. Benedict held over the head of my rescuer." Maurus modestly replied he had not himself seen it; whereupon the abbot replied, *' Placi- dus, then, has won from God the greater grace, as his merits, in God's sight, are the more exalted." — St. Gregory, Dia- logueSt (See also Laurentius Sarins, Livea of the Saints.) St. Nazarius and St. Celsus, being cast into the sea, walk to shore. St. Nazarius was a very old man, and St. Celsus was a child committed to his charge, as Samuel was committed to Eli by his mother. Nero commanded that they should both be put to death for being Christians ; accordingly, they were taken to Ostia and put into a bark, and when several leagues from shore were both cast into the sea. Forthwith a violent storm arose, and the crew saw the two saints walking on the waves, and were sore afraid. In their terror the seamen implored the saints to intreat their God to save them. This did they ; the storm ceased, and the ship rode safe to shore. The saints followed, walking on the sea. All the crew became converts, and were numbered amongst the disciples. — Simeon Metaphrastes, Chronicon. St. Oringa, inflight, walks across a river (a. d. 1310). St. Oringa of Tuscany, being an orphan, was under the charge of her brothers, who wanted her to marry; and when she told them she was the betrothed of Jesus Christ, they ill- treated her, so that she fled from home. Coming to a river, " pleine de confiance, la jeune fille avance quand meme, et avcc le secours de Dieu la traverse k pied sec." On she went, not knowing whither. When night came on, she lay herself down in a meadow to sleep till daylight. A timid hare came and nestled beside her, and all but said, " Poor little dove ! trust yourself as I do to the care of God." Next day Oringa followed the hare as a guide, and came to Lucca, where she took service as a domestic. After a time she started on a pilgrimage to Mount Gargan, and lost her way, when St. Michael, *'sous la forme d'un jeune diacre," put her in the right road, served her with food, and then left her. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. ii. p. 576. St. Wulfran walks on the water to save two children offered to idols (a.d. 647-720). The Prisons used to offer human sacrifices to their gods. These sacrifices were made sometimes by strangulation, sometimes by the sword, sometimes by fire, some- times by water. One day the lot fell upon the two children of one mother, the ages of the children being five and seven years. St. Wulfran implored king Rad- bod to prohibit such cruelty, but Radbod replied he could not violate the laws he had sworn to preserve. The children were taken to a spot where two rivers disembogued into the sea, and the rush of water was very violent. St. Wulfran, amidst a crowd of idolaters, prayed God to save the children and magnify Hia name among the heathen. Then the waters of the two rivers stood like a wall round the two children, and Wulfran, walking on the sea, entered the precincts, and, taking up the two children, delivered WATER SUPPLIED: ANTONY— DUNSTAN. [Pt. 1. them to their mother. All were amazed, and many *'were regenerated by the water of baptism." — The abbd Corblet, Hagiography of the Diocese of Amiens, One thing must strike eveiy reader, and that is, the tust horror of the [Roman] Catholic Church at these luman sacrifices, and yet their more than wholesale slaughter in the Middle Ages of what they called "heretics." Here Wulfran very properly felt indignant that two chil- dren should be offered to the gods of the Frisons, but Charles V, and his son Felipe murdered ten times as many thousands, l)ecause they doubted some of the dogmas which they themselves believed. Water supplied. (See Elijah MAKES Rain, etc., p. 129.) Gen. xxi. 17-19. When Hagar and her sou «vere driven out by Abraham, they went into the wilderness, and the bottle of water being exhausted, Hagar laid her boy under a shrub, and* went herself a good way off, and wept. God had compassion on her distress, and opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the bottle, gave the lad drink, and he revived. ExoD. xvii. 1-7. When the wanderers from Egypt reached Rephldim, the people were angry with Moses, lx;cause there was no water. And Moses cried unto the Lord. 'J'hen said the Lord to him, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders, and smite the rock Horeb with thy rod, and there shall come water out of the rock, that the people may drink. JuDG. XV. 18, 19. After the great slaughter of a thousand Philistines with a jawbone, "fimson was athirst, and said. Now shall I die lor thirst, and fall into the hands of the uncir- cumcised. But God clave a hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout. And when Samson drank thereof, his spirit came again, and he revived. IsA. xli. 17, 18. When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of valleys : I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. Psalm cvii. 35. He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into water-epiings. St. Antony the Great supplies water in the African desert (fourth century). While St. Antony was dwelling in the desert, near the Red Sea, he was requested by fczne ■aionk« to visit their monastery. A Camel was 4vui ployed to carry bread and water for the journey, for there was no drinking-water between the saint's cell and the religious house to which they were going. On the joumej'- the supply of water failed, and the consequences would have been disastrous if St. Antony had not interfered. Going about a stone's throw from the caravan, the man of God knelt down in prayer, and forthwith the Lord capped a spring of water to bubble from the ground ; and all drank, and filled their vessels, and continued their route without further incident. — St. Athanasius, Life of St. Antony the Great, St. Benedict^ in Svbiaco, supplies a monastery with water. Some of St. Ben - diet's monasteries were built on the tops of hills. The monks of a monastery in Subiaco, being much troubled for want of water, all of which had to be fetched from a river in the valley below, went to St. Benedict, and begged to be removed into some place where water could be supplied with less labour. ?t. Benedict bade them return to t\ eir monastery, for God would supply them with water. Next night St. Benedict went mth fet. Placidus to the top of the hill, and laid in order three stones, one above the other, and then returned to their cells. When the monks saw him next da}', he said to them, *' Go to the top of the hill, and you will find three stones piled one above the other. Dig a small basin at the foot of these stones, and the water therein shall never fail." The monks went to the top of the hill, as St. Benedict told them, and dug a basin at the foot of the three stones, and it was instantly full of water, even to overflowing. From this fountain a stream of clear water ran at all times to the very bottom of the hill.— Surius (1571), Lives of the Saints. St. Clementypope and martyr ^ supplies two thousand Christians with water. St. Clement, being banished by order of Trajan to the Chersonese, found there two thousand Christians condemned to work in the quarries. These Christians suifered much from want of water, for there waa none within two miles. St. Clement prayed God to consider this necessity; and, lifting up his eyes, he saw, on* a hillock close by, a lamb which held up its right foot, and pointed to a certain spot. St. Clement knew the lamb waa Christ, the Lamb of God ; and, going to the spot indicated, he made a little hole, and there sprang up straightway a vein of pure water, clear as crystal and very abundant. — Metaphrastes, Lives, etc. St. Donatus brings water from dry land, Sozomenus tells us of a St. Donatus (not St. Donatus of Arezzo, but another) who was travelling with many others, when they suffered severely for want of *vater. Donatus prayed, and forthwith a fountain of clear water rose in a dry field which before had shown no indication of moisture. St. Dunstany archbishop of Canterbury Pi. I.] WATER SUPPLIED: FLORUS— GERTRUDE. raised a spring of water by knocking the earth (a.d. 925-988). St. Dunstan, by rapping the earth with his pastoral staff, caused a fountain of water to well up. This fountain was ever afterwards called St. Dunstan's well or St. Dunstan's fountain. — Osbert of Canterbury, Life of St. Dunstan. St. Flcrus makes water spring from dry land (first century). St. Florus was con- temporary with Jesus Christ, and a dis- ciple of St. Peter. He went to preach the gospel in Aquitainc, and coming with his companions to the top of a hill, they were parched with thirst, but there was no water to be found. St. Florus, in this emergency, stuck in the ground the staff which was in his hand, and instantly a spring of water burst through, which has never failed from that day to this. — Fropre de St. Flour et de Clermont. St. Firmatus brings a spring of water out of dry ground (a.d. 1103). When St. Firmatus returned to France, after his liberation from prison, he went to Vitre', in Brittany, where he stopped for a few days. At Dordenay he produced a spring of water merely by putting his stick into the ground. The inhabitants, out of gratitude, have ever since called this spring *' The Fountain of St. Firmatus." Another example. When St. Firmatus went in pilgrimage to Palestine, he was greatly distressed in a desert for want of water, so he prayed God to supply it, and forthwith a spring of delicious water bubbled from the dry sand. — BoUandus, Acta Sanctorum^ Feb. 28. St. Fursy^ with his abbatiat staff, brings water from dry ground to supply his monastery (a.d. 650). St. Fursy, having built at Lagny-en-Brie a monastery and three chapels, wanted a supply of water. In order to procure this, he drove his abbatial staff into the earth, and instantly there bubbled up a fountain of water possessing healing powers. ' ' This miracle is beyond dispute, inasmuch as the foun- tain still exists, and is more than suffi- cient to supply the whole town with most excellent water, and thither go hundreds to be healed of divers diseases. On Ascension Day, after the Magnificat, a procession is annually formed, and the relics of St. Fursy are carried to the f oun- tam.''—Les Petits Bollandistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. i. p. 405. We are told in Roman story that Romulus and Remus were placed in a cradle soon after birth; and exposed in the Tiber. The Tiber having overflowed, the cradle was drifted into the adjoining meadow, and when the water ftbated, th* cradle was left on dry laud. A wol^ hearing the cry of the two babes, suckled them, and brought them up. Now, what would the pope's chamberlain think, it any one were to say, " Tliis stoiy is beyond dispute, iiuw- much as the river Tiber still exists, and is a river of con- siderable importance, being in some parts three hundred feet wide and eighteen feet deep ; and that the very city, Rome (so called from Romulus), stands on its banks" f St, Gangulfus transports a fountain o^ water from Bassigny to Varennes (a.i, 760). This certainly is the most marvel' lous "miracle" recorded under this head. Returning to Burgundy, St. Gangulfus stopped at Chaumont, in Bassigny, to rest, and was much pleased with the water of a fountain, which he found clear and refreshing. He asked the owner if he would sell it, and the man, supposing it quite impossible to carry off a fountain, readily consented, and named his price. Gangulfus paid the money, and next day left Chaumont, and came to Varennes, some twenty-five miles south-east of that place. Sticking his staff in the ground, the fountain which he had bought immediately left the neighbourhood of Bassigny, and threw up a magnificent spring at Varenne, on the very spot where the saint had planted his staff. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), May 11. Water and wine fetched out of a rock by St. Gentius (twelfth century). St. Gen- tius retired to the desert of Bausset. One day, when the neighbours came to visit him, he had neither wine nor water to give them ; but by touching a rock close by, there came from it both water and wine. This miracle cannot be gain- said, for persons are shown the fountain even to this day. The water thereof is very abundant, and is an excellent specific in fevers. — Fropre d' Avignon. That there is a fountain of water at Bausset is doubt- less, but this fact does not prove that Gentius created it by touching a rock with his finger, nor does it prove that wine flowed from it. St. Gertrude of Vaux-en-Dieulet brings water from dry /awe? (fifth century). St. Gertrude retired to the Bois de Noe (now called the "Bout de Noe), west of Dieulet Here still flows the " Fountain of St. Gertrude," the origin of which is thus accounted for. St. Gertrude, on arriving at the valley of Argonne, which ter- minates the territory of Vaux, could find no water in the neighbourhood. Having a stick in her hand, she touched with it the earth, and a fountain of clear ^ater bubbled up, which still flows to perpetuate the saint's name. In Vaux- en-Dieulet is a painting of St. Gertrude touching the earth, and the water rising through it in obedience to her touch.— Les Fetits Bollandistes, vol. v. p. 232. Sd4 WATEH Sai>PLIED: HONORE— URSUS. [Pt. I, SU Honore supplies his disciples with water from a rock. When St. Honord landed on the isle of Lerina, a large number of disciples followed him ; but the island was deficient of water. Then St. Honord repeated the miracle of Moses, and brought water from a stony rock." — St. Hilary, Life of St. Honors. St. Isidore brings water from dry ground with his ox-goad. One hot summer's day, Vargas the farmer, going into his fields, was overcome with heat and thirst. He asked [St.] Isidore, one of his farm labourers, if he knew of any spring in the vicinity. Isidore directed him to a corner of the field, but the farmer re- turned in great anger, thinking the man had befooled him. The saint said to his master, " Come with me, and I will show you the spring." So they went both of them together. When they reached the spot indicated, sure enough there was no water ; but Isidore pricked the dry earth with his ox-goad, and forthwith there bubbled up l clear spring, not only refreshing, but of medicinal virtues. None can gainsay this miracle, inasmuch as the spring still flows near Madrid in a full stream, an infinite number of sick folk resort to it daily to be cured of their infirmities, and thousands of visitors have gone to see it. — From the Spanish. (This Life of St. Isidore is attested by the very highest authorities. Philip of Castile and Aragon, by letters patent, granted to John Heigham permission to Erint and publish it. The grant is signed y Da Groote, and the book was published June 18, 1625. I possess an original copy.) Ribadeneira and D. A. Villegas tells us that "all persons in Madrid and its suburbs bold tliis fountain In reverence. In fact, you will not find a bouse which has not some of its water in a bottle in case of sudden sickness, especially ague, blue-spots, or plague. Every one knows there is no such remedy known for these complaints, as the water of St. Isidore's fomitain.'* St. James brings water from the rock Puppim to supply the village (fifth century). St. James of Tarentaise built his epis- copal palace on the rock Puppim, and a chapel to St. Peter was annexed. A village in time sprang up around, but there was no water in the vicinity. So, as Moses struck the rock in Horeb, and supplied the Israelites with water for themselves and their cattle, St. James struck the rock Puppim and brought forth water for the service of the village St. Jacquemoz. — Gui of Burgundy (after- wards Calixtus II.), Life of St, James of Tartntaise. St. Julian^ first bishop of Mans^ brings water from dry ground with his pastoral staff (A.I). 117). St. Julian, who was born at Rome, cam« to Mans during a siege. The inhabitants, making a sortie, drove off the besiegers, but were greatly exhausted for want of water. In this emergency, St. Julian planted his pastori^J staff in the midst of a large plain, and forthwith there bubbled up a spring of water most abundant and refreshing. *'This is the more remarkable, in that the spot selected by the bishop was wholly destitute of natural springs." This fountain, called " St. Julian's Spring," still flows ; and in ecclesiastical art St. Julian is represented in pontifical robes, planting his staff ; and at his foot is a damsel, filling her pitcher with water. — D. Piolin, History of the Church of Mans. St. Lupus, bishop of Chalons^ brings water from dry land with his pastoral staff (seventh century). St. Lupus, bishop of Chalons, stood one day with his pastoral staff watching the haymakers. The sun was exceedingly fierce, and the men l^reatly exhausted. There was no water m the neighbourhood, so the bishop struck the dry ground with his staff, and forthwith there issued from the ground a spring of the clearest water, which con- tinues to this day. — See Canon Bright's History of the Church (1863). St. Ursus brings a fountain of water from a rock (sixth century). St. Ursus Was a native of Ireland, but quitted his native land and was made archdeacon of Aosta. One hot summer he heard the rustics of Busseia complaining of thirst, and lamenting the want of water in the neighbourhood. He called to mind the text that "all things are possible to him who belie veth," and forthwith struck with his staff the rock on which he was standing. Immediately there flowed from it a spring of delicious water, which runs in a liquid stream even to the present day, and is called " St. Bear's Fountain." Mention is made of it in the archives of the chapter under the title of 12^0, where it is stated that *'one Jacquemet gave to St. Bear's church a parcel of land situate in the locality of St. Ursus' Fountain." — Life of St. Ursus^ Archdeacon of Aosta il8Q8). In Christian art St. Ursns is sometimes represented striking the rock. Thus, in the cloister of the Coll^iale, he is represented on a marble column of the twelftk •entury, and below it is the inscription " FONS 8. Usu." St. Patrick and the triple miracle (fifth Pt. I.] WATER SUPPLIED— WATER MADE WINE. 836 century). A blind man, taking hold of St. Patrick's right hand, guidwi it into making on the ground a crops, when instantly three miracles ensued : (1) A spring of water bubbled from the dry ground ; (2) the blind man, bathing his eyes with this water, received his sight ; •nd (3) the man, who before could neither write nor read, was instantly inspired with both these gifts. — Thomas Massiugham, Florilegium Insula Sanc- torum. St. Pharalldis brings water from dry land xjoith her distaff (a.d. 710). St. Pharaildis produced a plentiful well- spring by striking the side of a hill with her distfttf. This fountain had healing virtues, especially for children's com- plaints ; and every Friday crowds come to Bruay to avail themselves of it. — Bol- landus. Acta Sanctorum^ vol. i. p. 170. Simeon Stylites brings water from dry ground (a.d. 459). Simeon, the pillar saint, made a fountain of water spring from dry ground to supply a certain locality where water was deficient. — Theodoret, History of the Holy Fathers (fifth century), St. Vinebaldj herdsman^ brings a spring of water from dry ground (seventii century) . When St. Vinebald was driving his oxen from Villeneuve la Lionne, he met a woman bringing water from the river, and asked her to give his beasts drink. She churlishly replied she had other duties in hand, and bade him look after his herd himself. A little further on he saw another woman who had been to the river to fetch water, and he asked her i,he same thing ; whereupon she gave water to all the beasts. Vinebald then •tuck his ox-goad into the ground, and said to the woman, "Henceforth this spring of water will save you the labour of going down to the river for water." A spring then issued from the ground, not only pure and excellent, but sanative also. In 1793, this spring was profaned by the villagers' washing their linen in it, and it nearly ceased flowing ; where- upon the magistrates forbade any one to desecrate the water, and the spring recovered its full force. Now, a place for washing linen has been built lower down, "et I'eau est toujours trfes abon- dante." — Les Fetits Bollandistes^ vol, iv. p. 120. Water supplied to a Christian army by the fountain of Elijah (thirteenth century). The river sources of the Ptolemaid baying been poisoned by the Saracens, the Christian army, as well as all the other dwellers in that district, were ii: danger of a cruel death. In this exi- gency, the chiefs of the Christian army sent a company of soldiers to protect the monks of Mount Carmel ; for it was well known that the fountain of Elijah there never failed while the monks were on the mount, but the moment they were driven away by the infidel the fountain dried up. By protecting the monks on the mountain, the Christian army was abundantly supplied with wholesome water, and was thus in a condition at any time to meet the foe. — Les Fetitt BollandisteSj vol, v, p. 590. Water turned into Wine. John li. l-ll. The first miracle that Jesns did was to turn water into wine. This was at a marriage banquet in Cana of Galilee, to which Jesus, with His mother and disciples, was invited. St. Adelm turns water into wine (eleventh century). Among the many miracles ascribed to St. Adelm, the following summary is mentioned in an off-hand manner by Mgr. Gue'rin, chamberlain of pope Leo XIII. : "He caused a serpent, which had glided into a man sleeping on the ground with his mouth open, to come out again ; he cured the queen of England of an incurable malady by sending to her a piece of bread which he had blessed ; he healed many sick of fevers in a similai way ; and he changed water into wine." — Les Fetits Bollandistes^ vol. ii. p. 134. St. Agnes converts a fountain of water into exquisite wine (a.d. 1274-1311). Amongst the many miracles of St. Agnes, one was to convert a fountain of watei into exquisite wine. — Raymond of Capua, Life of St. Agnes of Mount Puldano. St. Albert turns water into wine of a healing virtue (a.d, 1060-1140). Count Amoul, brother of Baldwin, count of Hainault, being attacked with a dangerous malady for which his physicians knew of no remedy, went to the hermitage ol St. Albert. After confession, the count begged the saint to give him something to drink, as he was extremely parched with fever. St. Albert said there was nothing but water in the hermitage, and went to draw some from the well. He blessed it, and handed it to the count ; but the saint's benediction was so potent, that the water was converted by it into a most generous wine, more delicious than any in the country. The draught made such a change on the count, thai S36 WATER MADE WINE: GERARD— VAAST. [Pr.L his fever left him, and he returned home in perfect health and spirits. — Robert (archdeacon of Ostrevand), Life of St, Albert. Water served to St. Gerard turned into wine (a.d. 994). St. Gerard, with twelve companions, made a pilgrimage to Rome, to visit the tombs of the two apostles, Peter and Paul. Here he made the acquaintance of Mayeul, bishop of Cluny, and Adalbert, the future bishop of Prague. Their interview was followed by a re- past, but as it was a fast day with St. Gerard, he whispered to the servitor to bring him water to drink. The servitor went to the fountain to fetch some water, but when he handed it to the prelate it was found to be most excellent wine. The saint told the servitor he had bid him bring water, and the servitor pro- tested he had brought it from the foun- tain. St. Gerard now confessed that God had turned the water into wine to honour his servants Mayeul and Adalbert ; but Mayeul and Adalbert returned the com- pliment, and said the water had been converted into wine in honour of their guest.— Father Benedict, Life of St, Gerard, A " miracle " of this sort la quite worthless. Every one k^ows how quick servants are In discerning an honoured guest, and how slcilfully they humour the vanity of such a person. St. Gorard was the guest of honour, and no flattery could be so pleasing as to make him tlie subject of a miracle. St, Gerlac the penitent turns water into wine (died 1170). One Sunday in Passion Week, the priest who usually said mass in a certain chapel, having brought with him some water to drink, found it thrice changed into wine. This miracle was the work of St. Gerlac the penitent, and it occurred a little before his death. — Les Petits Bollandistes (7th edit. 1880), vol. i, p. 149. St, (fuido converts water into wine (a.d. 1046). " C'e'tait une chose assez ordinaire que I'eau qu'on lui servait h, table se changeat en vin. Ce que de grands prelats ont meme ^prouv^ avec admira- tion."— M^jr. Gue'riri, Vies des Saints^ vol. ir. p. 77. Martha^ failing in wine to supply her guests^ saw repeated the miracle of Christ at the marriage feast (first century). Eutropius, one of the seventy disciples of Jesus, was a native of Egypt, but lived in Antioch, and after the ascension was sent with Trophimus and Maximin into Gaul. Eutropius fixed his home at Orange, Trophimus at Aries, and Maximin at Aix. One day they all met at Tarascon to convert the house inhabited by Martha into a basilica. Martha was the hostess, and as her guests were very numerous, her wine failed her. At her prayer the water of the waterpots was converted into wine, precisely as it had been done at the marriage feast at Cana of Galilee, — Faillon, Monuments in^ditsdei'Apostolai de Sainte Madeleine. Some water given to St. Odilo^ abbot of Clung f turned into wine (eleventh century). St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny, greatly re- duced by fasting, was served by one of the brothers of Orval with a cup of water ; but when it was handed to him, *' God had changed the water into wine." The saint emptied the cup into the piscina, and told the brother to bring him water, not wine. This was done thrice ; and then Odilo, perceiving it was God's doing, drank the draught, giving God thanks. — Bollandus^ Vita Sanctorumy vol. i. Jan. 1. Peter Celestine converts water into wine (a.d. 1221-1296). Peter Celestine, while dwelling as an anchorite in the desert of St. Barth^emy en Loge, changed water into wine for the celebration of tho holy mysteries.— Zea Petits Bollandistes^ vol. vi. p. 24. St. Peter the hermit turns water into wine (a.d. 1098). One day the lords of the Apennines being, on a hunting ex- pedition, very hungry and thirsty, ob- served the roof of St. Peter's hermitage, and made towards it with all haste, in hope of obtaining something to eat and drink. " Hark ye, good hermit," said the huntsmen, "can you give us any refreshment?" Without answering a word, Peter brought forth what food he had, and, going to a fountain of cleai water, he filled a large jug, which he changed to good wine, and set before the strangers. They ate and drank to their heart's content, and so pleased were they with the entertainment, that they gave the hermit all he required to build a monastery. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUan- dists), yo*l. ii. April 12, pp. 101, 102. St. Vaast, bishop of Arras and Cambraiy turns water into wine (a.d. 540). St. Vaast performed many miracles, such as exorcising demoniacs, and turning water into wine. The usual drink of the people of the district was a kind of beer, called cervisia, very intoxicating, and drunk at festivals in large quantities. Sometimes the genial bishop would turn the water of a poor cottager into cervisia ; but mi Pt. I.] WATERS DIVIDED OR HEAPED UP. 887 one occasion he certainly set liis face against the drinking habits of the people. Ocine was one of the chief leaders of Arras ; and one day, when king Clotaire was invited to dine with him, the seigneur asked St. Vaast to meet him. On enter- ing the hospitable mansion, the bishop, as usual, made the sign of the cross ; whereupon every hogshead of cervisia burst, and the liquor was all spilt. The king asked St. Vaast the reason of this waste, and the bishop replied, *' The devil, sire, could never abide the sign of the cross." — Surius (1570), Lives of the SaintSy vol. 1. St, Victor of Plancy turns water into wine (sixth century). St. Victor of Plancy lived as a hermit near Satumiac, in the diocese of Troyes. His reputation induced Chilperic, king of France, to pay him a visit. St. Victor received the king with a kiss of peace, and invited him to take some refreshment. Now, the hermit had only a little water in a vessel, but falling on his knees, he said, *'0 Lord, bless this water, and fill the vessel which holds it with heavenly dew." Then he made on the vessel the sign of the cross, and lo ! it was full to the brim of the most excellent wine. The king and all his suite drank thereof, and declared it to be of the very best quality. — Le sieur des Guerrois, Histoire Eccl^- siastique. (See also St. Bernard's Sermon on the Fete-day of St. Victor^ Feb. 26.) The water, given by St, Zita to a pilgrim, turned into wine (a.d. 1218-1278). One day a palmer, parched with heat and thirst, asked charity of St. Zita. She had absolutely nothing to give, but all of a sudden she said, " Stop a minute," and ran to fill a vessel with water. When she handed the mug to the palmer, she made the sign of the cross, and the palmer, putting the mug to his mouth, drank the contents with great relish, for the water had been turned into most delicious wine. — Vita Sanctorum (Pape- broch the Bollandist), April 27, p. 497. A pot of virgin honey turned into gold (a.d. 616). Nicetas Patricius, subpraetor of Africa, called one day on John, patri- arch of Alexandria, when servants were bringing into the house some jars of virgin honey. "I wish," said the sub- praetor to the patriarch, "you would give me a taste of your honey." "With all my heart," replied John ; and accordingly, when the subpraetor was at dinner, a pot of the honey was brought in. What, however, was his astonishment, on open- 15 ing the jar, to find it was full of gold. — Metaphrastes, Lives, etc. (John, patriarch of Alexandria). Metaphrastes, who tells the story, says the ** honey WM mhraculously converted into, gold," but Leontius Insinuates that the jars were really full of gold, labelled " Virgin HONKY," to prevent theft. This suggestion labours under a very serious difficulty, the diff"erence of weight between honey and gold. No one could lift a firkin filled with gold and believe it to be honey. The false Libel would only attract attention to the deceit, and could not possibly delude any one. However, every one will call to mind the stratagem of Hannibal, who hid his gold in the hollow statues which he carried about with huu as domestic gods. This he did because he Itnew the Car- thaginians were great thieves, and by leaving these gods exposed no suspicion arose that they were full of gold. This tale is told by Cornelius Nepos ; and the same ob- Jection might be urged against its probability as that urged above against the jars of honey. St, Benet the Moor finds several water~ tanks filled with fish (a.d. 1589). St. Benet the Moor was cuisier in the con- vent of St. Mary, near Palermo. One day, being snowed up, he was unable to buy food. Assisted by his brother cooks, he* filled several large vessels or tanks with water, and passed the night in prayer. In the morning, on going into the kitchen, all the vessels were found full of live fish, and so abundant was the supply there was enough for the whole house till the snow cleared away. Another instance. One Christmas Day, St. Benet the Moor was so absorbed in prayer, that he forgot to make prepara- tion for dinner, and the archbishop of Palermo was going to be a guest. At the time appointed the table was laid, and well furnished with food. " Miracles of this sort were often repeated in favour of St. Benet." — Acts of his Beatification, Tliese acts of St. Benet the Moor diflFer from th* "Multiplication of Food," (see p. 145), as the food In these cases is produced ex nihUo, Waters divided or heaped up. Psalm Ixxvii. 16. The waters saw Thee, God, the waters saw Thee, and were afraid. ExoD. xiv. 22. When Moses came to the Red Sea, the Lord caused the waters to divide. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Josh. lit. 16. When Joshua crossed the river Jordan, which overflowed its banks all the time of harvest, the waters which came down from above stood and rose up in a heap ; and those that ran into the sea failed, and were cut off, so that all the people passed over on dry ground. 2 Kings 11. 8. Elijah took his mantle, and, wrapping it together, smote the waters, and they divided hither and thither. So Elijah and Elisha went over on dry ground. 2 Kings ii. 14. Elisha did the same when &• rfturned. The Adige refuses to enter the chwch z 838 WATERS DIVIDED, ETC.: JORDAN— TAGUS. [Pt.L wJiere the body of St, Zeno was buried. St. Gregory the Great and several other "historians'' relate the following tale as an historic fact. One day, when the clergy and people of Verona were assembled to celebrate the fete of St. Zeno, the river Adige overflowed its banks, and the waters rolled in a flood to the church itself; but "though the doors of the church were wide open, the waters were afraid to enter" (! !). They rolled up to the open doors, piled themselves to the windows, menaced the assembly with death, not by flood, but starvation ; for as they formed a high wall round the church, no one could get out. Wonder followed wonder. This water- wall sup- plied needful drink for those shut up in the church ; so that, adds St. Gregory, " it served as drink, but made no attempt to enter the sacred edifice" (! !). Itarrested itself at the doors and windows, to demonstrate to all ages the merits of the saint there buried (! I). "It was a succour to the faithful, but reverenced the church, and did it no harm." St. Gregory then goes on to compare this flood of water to the fire mentioned by Daniel, which refused to injure Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. — St. Gregory, Dialogues^ bk. iii. ch. 19. (See next column.) Even Alban Butler is not afraid of repeating this storf AS a fact, and adds. "Tliis prodigy had as many witnesses ■a there were inhabitants in Verona." The Jordan divides to give a passage to St. Angelus (a.d. 1225). When Angelus was only twenty-six years old he was sent to Jerusalem to be ordained priest. He found the Jordan had so overflowed its banks that it was quite unfordable, but the duty of St. Angelus was to obey. To this end, he prayed to God that the river might not be allowed to prevent his keeping his vow, and commanded the waters, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, by the merits of Elijah and Elisha, and in considera- tion of his vow, to give him a passage. The river at once obeyed, by stopping the down current, and allowing the rest to flow on towards the sea. By this means a gap was made in the river, through which the saint and those with him crossed over to the other side, and continued their journey without further interruption to the city of Jerusalem, to which they were bound. — Baronius, Ecclesiastical Annals. The river Sarthe divides to give a passage to St. Sei micus (seventh century). St. SerenicuB wished to cross the river Sarthe, but had no boat. However, ht had recourse to prayer ; and then making the sign of the cross on the surface of the river, the waters divided, leaving a dry passage. The lad Flavart, who was following his master, stupefied with astonishment, let fall into the river the book he was carr3'ing, but so bewildered was he that he was not conscious of tho accident for some time. When he dis- covered it, he threw himself at the feet of the saint, imploring his forgiveness. Serenicus raised him from the ground, and, speaking kindly, said to him, "Be assured, Flavart, we shall find the book again sooner or later." And so it was, for six years afterwards the book was taken from the river wholly uninjured. Two hundred 3'ears later, this manuscript volume, preserved in the basilica built by St. Serenicus, was examined by the author of his life, who assures us he could see no indication at all that the book had ever been even wetted. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. May 7. The waters of the Seine afraid to enter the monastery where St. Genevieve^s bed stood (A.D. 422-512). One day the Seine overflowed its banks, and so deep was the inundation that the houses and churches were filled with water some ten feet deep. When the flood came to the monastery where St. Genevifeve died, and where her bed was carefully preserved, "it was afraid ; " and, instead of inundating the place, stood on heaps, so as to form a wall of defence round the house ; and the monastery not only was not flooded, it was not even moistened. When the waters had seen the bed on which the saint died, they reverently retired, and returned to their channel again. — Mgr. Paul Gu^rin (chamberlain of pope I^o XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. i. p. 100 (7th edit. 1880). This tale is ten like that told by Gregory the Great of 8t. Zeno, ncbo lived in the third century (tee preceding St, Adelelm and a whole army pass over the Tagus, when swollen with rain (eleventh century). Alfonso VI. of Castile and Leon told his wife Constance to write to St. Adelelm, and implore him to come to Spain to assist in putting down the Moors, who were Mahometans. On arriving at the Ta^us, St Adelelm found the king there with his army; and, as the river was very deep, and greatly swollen with rains, the king knew not how to transport his army across. St. Adelelm said to Alfonso, "Some put Pt. I.J WATERS DIVIDED, ETC.: UBAYE— THORETTA. 339 their trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God " (Ps. xx. 7). Then mounting his ass, he rode right into the river, and passed over, though the bed was deep and the current very strong. All the army followed, some on horses, some on foot, and all reached the opposite bank without accident of any kind. The king, ravished with admiration, fell at the feet of the holy man, kissed them, and implored him to take up his abode with them. This he consented to do, and Alfonso built for him, at Burgos, a monastery, which was dedicated to St. John. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. ii. pp. 134, 135. (It does not, from the narrative, appear that the waters of the Tagus actually divided and left a dry passage ; it seems rather to imply that the deep swollen river was miraculously rendered fordable so that an ass and men on foot could ford it.) The river Uhaye divides to give a passage to St. Marcellinus (a.d. 374). The people of Seynes asked St. Marcellinus, bishop of Embrun, to come over and consecrate a church. The bishop left Embrun with a great crowd of followers, but when they reached the river Ubaye they found it so swollen with the late rains, that it was not possible to ford it. Marcellinus told the people not to be disheartened, for God would find them a way. Then, making the sign of the cross, he bade the waters remember how they had given a passage to Moses, Joshua, and Elijah. Instantly the down current stopped, and the river was divided, leaving a dry passage for the bishop and his followers. This miracle, says the biographer, was attested by a large number of eye- witnesses, and made a vast sensation in the province. — Mgr. Depdry, Hagio- graphie de Oap, The waters of a lake retreat to give St, Blaise a dry passage (a.d. 289). Agrico- laus, governor of Cappadocia, told St. Blaise, if he persisted in his refusal to sacrifice to the Roman gods, he should be thrown into a deep lake. St. Blaise replied, he would walk into the lake of his own free will, and show the governor how God can deliver those who trust in Him, So, making the sign of the cross, he walked into the lake, and the waters, retreating hither and thither, stood as a wall on both sides of him. St. Blaise cried with a loud voice in the midst of the lake, " Let any who are jealous of their gods come to me in the lake, and tee if they can deliver after this sort." Whereupon eighty of the idolaters ventured to join St. Blaise in the lake \ but the walled-up waters fell upon them, and drowned them. St. Blaise, in the mean time, had walked through the lake, and his face shone so brightly that no man could look upon him. — Metaphrastes, Lives f etc. Occasionally rivers will divide tfva natural OMises, m the Thames did in Anarch 6, 1822. A gale of extreme violence blew that day on the river. It came from the south-west, and the entrance of the tide was thus inter- rupted for several hours. By the protraction of the ebb, and prevention of the tide, the water in the river at London Bridge sank so low that many persons walked across the river bed, between London Bridge and Graves- end. At twelve o'clock the tide returned suddenly and with great rapidity, but high water was delayed till 3 a.m. %• Mgr. Gu6rin, in his Lives of the Saints, voL ii. p. 228, makes several variations of this story. He says nothing about the piling up of the water into walls on each side of tlie saint, but states that Blaise " walked into the middle of the lake, and seated himself on the surface of the water." He gives the numlier that went into the lake at tixe invitation of St. Blaise as sixty-eight, not eighty ; and he tells us that as soon as St. Blaise had passed over, he was seized by Agricolaus and beheaded. St, Germana Cousin walks across a deep river, which divides to give her passage (a.d. 1579-1601). Germana Cousin of Pibrac, near Toulouse, was a shepherdess. One day, after a heavy rain, the river which she had to cross had greatly swollen, and some peasants who saw her from a distance wondered how she would manage to ford the torrent. Germana walked along the meadow, came to the torrent, took no heed of it, but walked on, apparently without even noticing the obstacle. On she went, and when her foot approached the river the waters divided, leaving her a dry passage, as the Red Sea divided for the children of Israel. Even the hem of her garment and soles of her shoes were respected. "A la vue de ce prodige, que Dieu renouvela dans la suite trfes souvent, ies paysans s'entre-regar- dferent avec crainte, et les plus hardis commencferent a respecter celle dont ils avaient voulu se railler." — M. L. Veuil- lot, Vie de la Bienheureuse Germaine. An inundation divides to give a passage to St, There tta and her flock (twelfth century). One day the stream at the foot of Nou- zillers, swollen by rain, formed a barrier to St. Thoretta, who was keeping a flock of sLeep in the opposite meadow, so that she could not fold her sheep or reach her cottage-home. Thoretta called to mind how Christ had Sfud faith can remove mountains ; and if mountains, why not floods ? She made the sign of the cross on the overflow with her crook, and im- mediately the waters divided right and left, leaving a dry path for the shep- herdess and her sheep to pass over.— L'abbe Boudant, L^gende de Ste, T^orette, £40 WISH MEN OF THE EAST. [Pt.1. ** Une autre fois^ c'e'taient des e^irangers, des ouvriers masons se rendant du Bour- bonnais dans la Marche, leur pays, qui se trouvaient arret^s par la m^me diffi- culte. Dans leur impatience, ces hommes groBsiers se laissaient aller au murmure, au blaspheme. La jeune vierge lea invite doucement k la resignation, les engage k faire la sainte volontd de Dieu, puis, dans la charity qui la presse, elle demande hardiment un miracle. Au tact de sa houlette, nouveau Jourdain, le ruisseau retourne en arrifere, et laisse passer k pied jjec ces hommes qui publient hautement lee louanges et le pouvoir de la thauma- turge." — Ibid, The water of a well rises at the bidding of St. John of St. Facond (a.d. 1480-1479). When St. John of St. Facond was at Salamanca, a child fell into a well. The saint laid his girdle on the coping of the well, and bade the waters restore the child. Whereupon they rose to the coping, buoying up the child, who was then taken safe and sound to his parents, in the presence of a host of persons who had come to the place when they heard of the accident. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollan- dists), vol. ii. June 12, p. 616. St, UrsiiSy archdeacon of Aosta^ com- mands the river Buthier to abate (sixth century). St. Ursus was a native of Ire- land, and, like St. Patrick, prayed a hun- dred times every day and a hundred times every night. He quitted Ireland, and be- came archdeacon of Aosta. One day the river Buthier, which rises in the Apennines and passes Aosta, had so swollen, that not only it overflowed its banks, but it flooded all the houses in the vicinity, and even the church of St. Peter's, where the saint was wont to officiate. Many of the distressed had taken refuge in the church, and were held there prisoners by the deep water. St. Ursus, seeing the great danger, prayed that God, who had restrained the waters of the flood, and commanded the Red Sea to retire before Moses, would vouchsafe to deliver them in this their danger. While he still prayed, the clouds broke, the rain ceased, the sun burst out, the waters retired to their proper channel, and the banks were once more dry land. This event was commemorated for eleven hun*lred years every day at matins in the church of St. Ursus, but in 1608 a change took place, and this special "miracle" « : longer formed part of the daily service. — Life of St. Ursus. archdeacon of Aosta (1868). Wise Men of the East. Matt. II. 1-12. St. Matthew tells us, that when Jesus was born, a star appeared in the east, which induced certain of the Magi to start from their country and follow it. The star led them to Judaea ; and, going at once to the king, they asked him where the royal infant was to be found. Herod did not know, but said he would make inquiries. As the wise men left the presence chamber they saw the stir again, and were guided by it to a ehod in Bethlehem, where Mary had taken up her temporary abode. The wise men entered the shed, saw the new- bom babe, and made their oflFerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This done, they returned home to their own country. 77ie Cologne tradition. In Cologne cathedral visitors are shown three heads, which they are assured are the heads of the three wise men. The names given to them are Gaspar, Melchior, and Bal- thazar, and they are generally called " The three kings of Cologne." The meanings attached to these three names are as follows: Gaspar, "The White One;" Melchior, "The King of Light;" and Balthazar, "The Lord of Treasures." The offerings, we are told, were symbo- lical: gold signified the kingly office of the Child ; frankincense, His Godhead ; and myrrh, that He would die. other names are given to the three men : aa (1) Apellliu, Araeru*. and Damascus; (2) Mng.ilath, Galgalath. and Sarasin : (3) Alor, Sator, and Peratoras. Otiiers say tli«» were Shetn, Ham. and Jnpheth, who had fallen asleeii, and woke at the Nativity.* Numbers differ. Klopstock, in The Messiahy says there were six wise men, whom he calls Hadad, Selima, Zimri, Mirja, Beled, and Sunith. James, bishop of Edessa, says there were twelve wise men, all royal princes. He adds furthermore, that they left seven thousand soldiers at the Euphrates, and came to JudsBa attended with only a thousand followers. Pope Leo spoke of them as three, and that is the ort)'.odox number. A Banish king receives three offerings from the three kings of Cologne. A Danish king, who had great reverence for Ihe three kings of Cologne, used to invoke them in every trouble. One day he started for Cologne on a pilgrimage, intent on offering to the " kings " three golden crowns. He made his offering, and left besides six thousand marks for the poor. On his journey home, he saw the three kings ; they were wearing their • St John Chrysostom tells ns that St. Thomas baptised the three kings or wise men which came to Bethlehem to adore the infant Jesus, after which he went to India to praach tba gospeL Pt. I.] WITCHES AND FAMILIAR SPIRITS (BIBLE). 341 crowns, and the olde-^t of them presented him a coffer filled with gold, saying, ** Take this ; it is the symbol of wisdom ; and judge thy people with equity." The second gave him a coffer filled with myrrh, saying, " Take this ; it is the symbol of prudence ; and learn to master thyself." The third gave him a coffer filled with frankincense, saying, "Take this ; it ia the symbol of divine clemency ; and learn to relieve the wretcheji." The king found the thr(« coffers at his bedside when the vision had passed away, and when he reached his kingdom, he judged his people with equity, kept a mastery over himself, and relieved the poor and wretched in their afflictions, — Gesta Romanorum, Witches and Familiar Spirits. ExoD. xxii. 18. Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Lev. XX. 27. A man or a woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death. They shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them. 1 Sam, xxviii. 3, 9. After the death of Samuel, Saul put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land [i.e. he put them to death]. Gal. v. 19-21. St. Paul says witchcraft, like idolatry and heresy, adultery and drunkenness, is a work of the flesh, and no one who practises it shall inherit the kingdom of God. Bible witches and familiar spirits. When the Philistines encamped against Saul in Shunen, he inquired of the Lord and His prophets what he should do ; but receiving no answer, either by dreams, by Urim, or by prophets, he inquired of the witch who lived at Endor. She was very reluctant at first to answer him, be- cause he had commanded all witches and wizards to be put to death; but when Saul swore not to punish her in any wise, she brought up Samuel from the grave to answer the king. The man thus called from the grave said to Saul, " Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up from the grave?" And the king replied, " I am sore distressed ; for the Philistines make war against m'. ; and I have called thee, that thou mayest make known to me what I ought to do." Samuel replied, *' The Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to David. Thee He will deliver into the hand of tte Philistines ; to-morrow both thou and thy sons shall be with me " [among the dead"). — 1 Sam, xxviii. 7-19. The whole of this narrative Is very marvellous, the last remark not the least so : "To-morrow thou and thy sons •ball be with me." It is general!/ supixwed that Samuel, at death, went direct to paradise ; but it can hardly be supposed that he meant, "To-morrow Saul and his sons would be with huii in paradise." If not, how would they be with him ? Comparing these words with those of our Lord to the penitent thief, involves the subject in great obscurity. The account of the witch of Endor given In the Boolt of Chronicles (1 Chron. x. 13, 14) Is not in accordance with that given in the Book of Samuel. The latter says, Saul Inquired first of the Lord, but the Lord would not answer him, either by dreams, by Urim, or by prophets. And when Samuel asked why he had been called from the grave, Saul distinctly told him he had applied to the Lord, and had not been vouchsafed an answer. In Chronicles, the historian says that Saul was punished by death for "asking counsel of a witch, instead of in* quhing of the Lord." (See p. 345, note.) Manasseh dealt with witches and wizards, Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, "did that which is evil in the sight of the Lord ; for he used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards." — 2 Chron, xxxiii. 2, 6 ; 2 Kings xxi. 6. Witches and familiar spirits in the New Testam^ent, Elymas, the sorcerer, op- posed Paul, and was struck blind for so doing. — Acts xiii. 8-11. Simon Magus "used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria." — Acts viii. 9. Witches and sorcerers in heathen nations. The Thessalians were very famous for their sorceries. It is said they could draw down the moon to earth by their enchantments. The Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Chaldeans, the Hindus, the Greeks, the Romans, the Teutons, etc., all believed in witches and familiar spirits. Indeed, so common was the belief, it would be very hard to find a nation that did not believe in them. English laws against witches and wizards. The Scotch and English were for centuries, like other Christian nations, firm believers in witches and wizards. The Saxons of England, before the Conquest, punished them, sometimes by exile, but more often by burning them to death. — Leges Al- veredi, folio 28; 2 Ethelstani^ c. 7 ; CannUj 4, 5. Britton, in his Compendium of English Iaiws (before 1276), says, "Sorciers, sorcieases, etc., et miscreants, soient arses." Margery Gurdeman of Eye (Suffolk) was burnt to death for witchcraft, in October, anno 20 Henry VI. Joan of Arc, usually called "The Maid of Orleans," was burnt to death for witchcraft, at Rouen, in 1431. Mother Shipton, in the reign of Henry VIII., has immortalized her name by her witchcraft. Persons of all ranks and conditions consulted her. Her pre- diction of the downfall of cardinal Wolsey 842 WITCHES AND FAMILIAR SPIRITS (ENGLAND). [Pt. 1, is one of the most notorious in traditional history. Bishop Jewell believed in witches ; and in his sermon preached before queen Eliiabeth, in 1584, says, *' It may please your grace to understand, that witches and sorcerers, within these last four years, are marvelloush' increased within your grace's realm. Your grace's subjects pine away even unto death. Their colour fadeth, their flesh rotteth, their speech is 'i»2numbed, their senses are bereft." In the Lambeth library is the "Ex- amination and Confession of certain wytches at Chelmsford, Essex, before the Queen's Majesty's Judges, the 26th day of July, 1566, at the assizes holden there ; and an account of one of them, put to death for the same offence, as their ex- amination declareth more at large. Mother Fraunces learnt her art of her grandmother Eve, at Hatfield Peveril ; and trained a whyte spotted cat with her own blood to be her sathan. And mother Waterhouse was hanged on her own confession of execrable sorcery, by her practised for fifteen years." * James I. was a great believer in witches, and hunted them to death with relentless vigour. This we are prepared to believe, for a more narrow-minded, conceited bigot never filled a throne. He was far too wise in his own opinion to be a wise man. Oh for the right divine to govern wrong I Glanville, the celebrated ecclesiasti- cal writer in the reign of Charles II., and one of the leading members of the forma- tion of the Roj^al Society, published a work entitled Considerations on the Being of Witches and Witchcraft. In this booK he gravely examines the subject '* theo- logically, historically, and philosophi- cally ; " and, with great array of argument, labours to remove all objections against the existence of witches, sorcerers, and familiar spirits. The learned bishop Hall mentions a place where " there were more witches than houses ; " and even the enlightened judge, sir Matthew Hale, in 1644, con- demned Amy Dunny and Rose Callender, at Bury St. Edmund's, for bewitching children. Montesquieu was a believer in witch- craft, and in his Spirit of Laws devotes a whole chapter to this special ** crime." Addison and Blackstone both ^ We open our eyes with anuuement In reading this. ask, Could th^se l« English Judges In the reign of niaabetb t We akxvost fancy it most be fkble. thought that there was such a thing ai witchcraft of old, although they admit there is no proof of any recent example. I)r. John Fian, schoolmaster of Saltpans^ near Edinburgh^ mangled to death on the charge of witchcraft. The charge against Dr. Fian was that of raising a storm at sea to wreck that awkward pedant, James, when on his voyage to Denmark to visit his future queen. He was furthermore charged with having rifled the graves of the dead, to make hell-broth ; and of running after a cat, because the devil wanted it to cast into the sea for the pur- pose of raising storms. These outrageous charges were made in Scotland against an intellectual schoolmaster, in the seven- teenth century, in the Reformed Church ; and nothing in the Inquisition was more absurd and diabolical than this proceed- ing. Well, Dr. Fian was arraigned by that mischievoms bigot, our high and mighty James I., and as he would not confess, was put to the torture. First, a rope was tied slackly round his head, and between the head and the rope a strong stick, about two feet long, was inserted. Then the torture began. The stick was twisted round and round, shortening the cord, till the skull was crushed in upon the brain ; and at every turn the victim was asked if he would confess. When the rope had cut through the scalp to the bone, and the whole skull was squeezed out of shape, for fear of death the rope was slackened, and the doctor was wheedled and coaxed to confess ; but he resolutely refused to tell a lie, even to pander to the vanity of king James. Weak, pale, and in dreadful agony, the victim was now attacked on his other extremities, the feet. Each foot and leg was placed in a strong iron box reaching to the knees, and between the leg and the box wedges were loosely inserted. " Will you confess?'* said the inquisitor. No answer ; and the wedges were driven home by a huge mallet. A piercing shriek rang through the torture-chamber; but there was none to pity the unhappy victim. Down fell the sledge-hammer on another wedge, crushing the legs in the most fearful manner. But still the doctor would not confess that he had be- witched the sea to wreck king James. Down again and again fell the hammer upon the wedges, till skin and flesh, muscle and tendon, bone and marrow, were one mass of soft and bloody jelly. Nothing more could be done, so he was now released, and laid on his back, hit Pt. I.] WITCHES AND FAMILIAR SPIRITS (ENGLAN'D). 343 head swollen and lacerated, and both his legs crushed to a pulp. Raving mad, he was left till next day. Would he con- fess ? No, not even yet would he lie ; so they wrenched the nails off his fingers with pincers, and stuck pins through the parts which the nails had covered. Still no confession. They put his thumbs into thumbscrews till the bones were crushed into splinters. Still no confession. So they strangled him, and burnt him at the stake on the Castle Hill of Edinburgh, on Saturday^ Jan. 26, 1591. It behoves one to be modest when such bnitality as this was tolerated in Protestant Britahi, in the reign of a Stuart not three hundred years ago. Four times my present age would land us exactly on the year of this transaction. The three witches of Belvoir (seven- teenth century). March 11, 1618, two women, named Margaret and Philippa Flower, were burnt at Lincoln on the absurd charge of witchcraft ; and three other women, named Anne Baker of Bottesford, Joan Willimot of Goodby, and Ellen Greene of Stathome (all in the county of Leicester), were condemned to death by Sir Henry Hobbert, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, as accom- plices. This was in the reign of that wretched bigot James I., the greatest blot in the royal scutcheon of England. The Flowers were discharged servants of the earl and countess of Rutland, at Belvoir Castle, who out of revenge annoyed the family. The mother of the two Flowers professed to have a familiar spirit in the form of a cat, called Rutterkin^ and the witchcraft of the three consisted in burn- ing some of the hair of the earl and countess, and in plunging a glove of their son, lord Ross, into boiling water, after having rubbed it on the cat's back. Lord Ross died about this time, and his death was ascribed to witchcraft. When the three Flowers were taken up on the charge, the mother put a piece of bread in her mouth, saying, '* May this choke me if I am guilty of this death." The bread, however, did choke her, and ■he died. Her daughter Margaret ac- knowledged she had stolen lord Ross's glove and had rubbed it on the cat's back, before plunging it into scalding hot water ; and her sister Philippa confessed that she had a familar spirit, which some- times sucked her flesh ; so they were both condemned to be burnt alive. In regard to the other three women, called the accomplices of the Flowers, Joan Willimot had an owl, which she called Pretty ; Ellen Greene a kitten and a tame rat; and Anne Baker confessed she had once heard a voice in the air, and it was proved by credible witnesses that she had a white dog. So sir Henry Hobbert felt no doubt of their guilt. What can old women have owls, cats, and dogs for, but to work mischir;f ? So he gravely put on his black cap, and condemned the three to death.- -Nichol, Leicestershire, Ruth Osborne and her hus^^nd^ above seventy years old, murdered at Tring, in Hertfordshire ^ for witchofaft (Aug. 1751). Let us come down to the Georges, Aug. 22, 1751. Ruth Osborne asked a man named Butterfield for a sup of milk, which he denied her; so the poor creature went away, muttering that she wished the Pretender's army would loot the old hunks's cattle. The man fell ill, and his cattle " vix ossibus haerent." No doubt Ruth Osborne's was the '* eye which scorched them up like a burning-glass,'* so a white witch was fetched from North- amptonshire to Tring, in Hertfordshire, to remove the spell. The wise woman employed six farm labourers with pitch- forks to guard the farmer's house both day and night from evil spirits ; but Butterfield got no better, nor did his lean kine grow fatter. So the town-crier was sent round the neighbouring villages to proclaim that Ruth Osborne and her husband (both over seventy years of age) were to be ducked in a pond on the following Monday for witchcraft. The overseers, in the mean time, lodged the poor old couple in Tring workhouse, and on the Saturday preceding the fatal Monday took them, for greater security, to the vestry of the pansh church. On the Monday announced by the crier, a mob of above five thousand persons pro- ceeded to the workhouse, demanding that the two Osbornes should be delivered up to them ; and when the master of the workhouse assured them they were not on the premises, the rioters broke into the house, and searched every drawer, box, and cranny, even pepper-boxes, pots, and pans, to find the fugitives. Disappointed in their search, they demolished the building, and, making a bonfire of the lumber, they threatened to burn the master unless he told them where the Osbornes wer, concealed. The man, terribly frightened, revealed the place of con- cealment, and the mob, yelling and hoot- ing, rushed to the church, seized the victims, and carried them to a neighbour- ing pond. The scene there enacted is too B44 WITCHES AND FAMILIAR SPIRITS (CONTINENTAL). [Pr. 1. horrible and too indecent to be described ; suffice it to say, the woman died, and tlie man, tied to the dead body of his aged wife, expired soon afterwards. Twelve of the gentry were appointed on the jury, and they brought in a verdict of wilful murder against Thomas Colley and twenty-one others of the ringleaders, names unknown. Colley was hung in chains, and thus ended this disgraceful outrage. — The Universal Magazine^ 1751. BullSy edicts, provisions^ etc., against witches and witchcraft. Pope Innocent VIII., in his celebrated bull Summis Desid/irantes, 1484, charges all inquisitors and others to search out, and put to death, those who practised diabolical arts, such as witchcraft, magic, sorcery, and enchantment. Two special inquisitors (Heinrich Institor and Jacob Sprenger) were appointed for the purpose in Ger- many, and, with the aid of John Gremper, an ecclesiastic, drew up the infamous document called Tlie Witches' Hammer ("Malleus Maleficarum "), in which the whole subject is systematized, a regular form of trial laid down, and a set of ques- tions digested for the discovery of guilt in those suspected of the diabolical art. Alexander VI., in 1494 ; Leo X., in 1521 ; and Adrian VI., in 1522, supple- mented the bull of Innocent VIII.,* add- ing to its severity, and feeding the witch- mania that for four centuries had raged in Christendom. The results of this scandalous persecution were dreadful. A panic-fear of witchcraft set in. If any one felt unwell ; if any one suffered from cramp, lumbago, or rheumatism ; if mis- fortune or loss befell any one ; if a storm at sea occurred, or lightning injured man, cattle, or tree, or a high wind blew down some chimney or stack ; if some foot-and- mouth disease broke out among the cattle, some rinderpest, some pleuro-pneumonia ill understood, it was sure to be attributed to the evil eye of witchcraft (" Nescio quis teneros oculus mihi f ascinat agnos ") ; and to be accused was to be convicted of the charge, for The Witches' Hammer was sure to supply evidence sufficient for con- demnation. If the accused pleaded " Not guilty," torture was applied, and the miserable wretch pleaded anything to escape the rack. • Theoretically, popea speaking ex catJiedrd are in- fallible, but if any proof of their fallibility were needed, we need seek no further. I apprehend every [Roman] Catholic would wish that these bulls had never seen day- light. Protestants, no doubt, have been as great sinners, but then they never pretended to infallibility. Fallible laws niajr be repealed, but who shall reverse an inlallible buUI In Germany, the prosecutions were indeed frightful. In the small bishopric of Bamberg six hundred were burnt to death for witchcraft in four years ; in WUrzberg, nine hundred ; in Lindhem, one in twenty of the entire population, in the same space of time. In Geneva, 1515, within three months, five hundred persons were burnt at the stake under the character of " Protestant witches." In Lorraine, the learned inquisitor Remigius boasts that he put to death nine hundred persons for witchcraft in fifteen years ; and as many were banished. In CoMO, 1624, as many as a thousand persons were burnt to death for witch- craft in a single year ; and at least a hundred per annum for many subsequent years. In France, 1520, fires blazed in every town for the extermination of witches ; and for a century the provincial ♦* parle- ments" were ceaselessly employed in witch-trials. In England, during the Long Parlia- ment, three thousand persons are said to have perished on the accusation of witch- craft ; and witch-executions continued long afterwards. The last cases were those of Mrs. Hicks, in 1716, and her daughter, a child nine years of age (! !), who were hong at Huntingdon, for *' selling their souls to the devil ; and raising a storm, by pulling off their stockings and making a lather of soap "(!!).* When James brought home his bride from Denmark, in 1590, thirty persons were put to death for trying to raise the sea into a storm to drown him, **as he was the devil's worst enemy ; " and the Scotch Assembly, between 1640 and 1649, passed five acts against witches, each more rigid than the preceding one. As many as seventeen persons in Stirling were burnt to death for witchcraft in 1659 and the last execution in Scotland on this charge was at Dornoch, in 1722. The entire number of victims in Scotland for this ** religious crime" certainly ex- ceeded four thousand. The last execution for sorcer • m Wttrzberg was in 1749; in Switzerland in 1782 ; in Posen in 1793. The laws against witchcraft were re- pealed in England in 1736 : in Augtria not till 1766. The entire number of persons put to * Elspeth Rule was condemned for witchcraft by Imd Anstruther. liay 3, 1700. (See LUTH Osbosmk. p. 843.) Pt. I.] WITCHES, ETC.— WORLD ALL SEEN AT ONCE. »46 death for witchcraft in Christendom, according to Dr. Sprenger, is not less than nine millions (! !). The name of Matthew Hopkins of Manningtree, Essex, is infamously no- torious, as the " Witch-finder " in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. Dr. Z. Grey says that between three and four thousand persons suffered death through this villain between 1643 and 1661. The following names stand out in honourable relief for resisting the pre- vailing credulity in witchcraft, and con- demning its persecution : — WiERius or WiER of Grars, in Brabant (1515-1588). He wrote De Prcestiqiis Bcemonumj and Pseudo-monarchia Dce- monum, Reginald Scot (died in Kent, 1599) wrote T/ie Discoverie of Witchcraft in 1584. This noble work, full of learning, humane feeling, and manly Christianity, was disgracefully burnt by the common hangman. James L, that contemptible pri^, wrote his Dcsmonology *' chiefly against Wierus and Scot, the latter of whom," says our British Solomon, " is not ashamed to deny there can be such a thing as witchcraft." Harsnet, 1599 ; Thomasius, 1700 ; Hutchinson, 1720. The following Acts of Parliament dis- grace our statutes: — 33 Henry VIII. c. 8 (1541), which declares witchcraft exer- cised against the life of any one to be felony. But 6 Eliz. c. 16 (1563) and 1 James I. c. 12 (1604) go further, and declare it to be felony without benefit of clergy. Punishment of death for witch- craft was abolished by 9 George II. c. 5 (1736). The Acl of Parliament In the first year of James I. runs thus: "If any person shall use any invocation or conjuration of any evil or wicked spirit, or shall entertain, employ, feed, or reward any evil or cursed spirit, or shall take up any dead body to employ in witchcraft, sorcery, or encliantment, or shall practise any sort of witchcraft, sorcery, etc., whereby any person shall be killed, wasted, consumed, pined, or lamed ..." [the penalty was death]. This statute was mere toadyism, like the preface which is still allowed to disgrace our English Bibles. %• The belief in witchcraft is not yet wholly rooted out. Even in 1863 a man was drowned at Hedingham, In Essex, for being a wizard, liis accusers and persecutors being village tradesmen. Witch 0/ Endor. There is not a tittle of proof that the writers of the Bible believed in witchcraft. Let us examine the point. First the laws made by Moses against »7itches and sorcerers, and then the famous cjue known as the witch of Endor. Suppose the Britisb Parliament were to pass a law that any one who practises •' table-turning " shall be put In prison— that would not imply that persons exist who can do that feat without mechanical force ; but only that the la^ will not suffer knaves to practise on the credulity of fools, nor to rob them of their money under false pretences. So when BS forbade the pracUce of witchcraft and sorcery, it not imply that h« btVeved in the poadbility of such ■lis; bat simply that the people under his charge were not to practise heathen arts, and arrogate to themselvet superhuman powers. This prohibition was the more necessar}-, because the Egyptians among whom they had been brought up, and the Philistine? among whom they were about to dwell, both practised magic. Moses virtually said, " The Egyptians and Philistines believe in magic, but it shall not be so with God's people, and if any of you pretend to magic or sorcery, he shall be dealt with as a traitor to God, and be put to death." The law should rather prove that Moses did not believe in sudt a power than that he did believe in it ; as when Perkin Warbeck was condemned for passing himself off as Richard, duke of York, his trlai and execution proved that his claim was not believed, not that he was sup- posed really to be the son of Edward V.'s brother. The strong case is the "witch of Endor" (1 Sam. xxviii.). From ver. 12 it is certain that the woman did not know her visitor was Saul the king. From ver. 13 it is equally certain that the woman was terrified to see " gods ascending out of the earth ; " and from ver. 14 it is certain that she did not know the form which appeared was that of Samuel, although she had been asked to call up Samuel. The whole incident, therefore, was to the woman alarming and unexpected ; and the plain infer- ence is that the woman knew she was a pretender, and did not for a moment suppose that her incantations had any efficacy. Why God permitted Samuel to appear to the king is quite another question. (See Joshua and THE Sun and Moon. p. 297; Samson and thb Jaw- BONB, p. 281.) A witch exorcised by whipping a cat (a.d. 1600). Harsnet says, "Whatman, judging according to wit, can imagine that a witch can transforme herselfe into a cat, mouse, or hare ; and that shee, being hunted with hounds, or pinched by the breech, or whipped with scourges, in those forms, the same marks that were made by hounds, scourge, and so on, will be found on the witch in human forme ; yet shal you see this sencelesse conceite verified in the practice of our conjuring priests. For example, in Fid Williams deposition before her Majesties Commissioners for Causes Ecclesiasticall you wil finde that twelve priests had a solemne assembly at the whipping of a cat, and they did whip the cat in a parlor at Denham, til shee vanished out of theyr sight. Sending next day to Bushie, to see in what plight the witch was, whose spirit they had cat-hunted over night, the witch was found in childbed, and the childe was newly dead. Whereby it plainly appeares, that the whipping of the cat is no jest, when it is done bj' catholique priests ; and the hunting of a witch is no fabulous apprehension, but a good catholique sooth, agreable to the gravitie and wisedome of that venerable church."—^ Declaration of Popish Im- postures (1604), pp. Ill, 112. World all seen at once. Matt. iv. 8. The devil takcth [Jesus] up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeu Him all the kingdoms of the world. Alphonsus Rodriquez saw in spirit the whole world (1526-1617). Alphonsiu 846 ZEALOUS OF THE LAW. [Pt.L was very careful to pray daily for the conversion of the whole world. And once or twice God did so elevate him in spirit, that he saw all the men and women in the whole world. Then God assured him that, by his godly desires and daily prayers, he merited as much as if he had actually converted the whole human race. — Michael Julian, Life of Alphonsus Rodriquez, Sospitra sees all the world at once, Sospitra possessed the omniscient power cf seeing all that was done in even^ part of the whole globe. — Eunapius, (Edeseus (fourth century). The mirror given to Cambuscan by the king of Araby and Ind showed him all that was being done in any part of his dominion, so that he might Icnow whom to trust and yrh-ysa to avoid.— Chaucer, Canterbury Tale* (The Squire's Tale). Somewhat similar virtues were possessed by Dr. Dee's Speculum, Merlin's Ma^ic Mirror, Prester John's Mirror. Vulcan's Mirror, and several other toys. Zealous of the Law. Acts xxi. 20, etc. When Paul, after his third missionary tour, came to Jerusalem, the Jews could not conceal their animosity against him for not insisting on circumcision. Seest thou, brother, said they, how many thousands of the Jews believe, but all of them are zealous of the law. A riot was soon organized against him, and the Jews fell on him, crying out. Help! men of Israel, help! This is the fellow that teacheth men to despise Moses and the temple. The rabble in their fury dragged Paul from the temple, and would have mur- dered him in the street, had not Claudius Lysias, the commanding officer of the Roman cohort, come to his rescue, and conducted him to the strong castle of Antonia. Having put him in chains, Lysias went forth into the street, and demanded of the people what ofiFence the man had committed. Some cried one thing, and some another, so that the legatus could make nothing out. As he returned to the fort, Paul accosted him, and Lysias asked him if he could speak Greek, for he supposed him to be an Alexandrian. Paul replied, I am no foreigner at all, but a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia; and prayed to be allowed to address the mob. Lysias gave him the required permission, and Paul, standing on the staircase of the fort, recounted to the people the whole history of his life. When he came to that injunction of the Lord, Depart^ for I will iend thee to the Gentiles, the whole rabble lifted up their voices and yelled forth. Away with him ! away with such a fellow from the earth ! Away with him I away with him ; he is not fit to live ! And so ungovernable was their fury, that they tore their clothes and threw dust Into the air. Lyeias, who did not understand Hebrew, the tonorue in which Paul had been speaking, was unable to follow his discourse ; but, seeing the Had fury cf the mob, he very naturally sup- posed that the prisoner had said something extremely flagrant and offensive. Under this fanpression, he ordered Paul to be taken into the fort and scourged. The soldiers were about to bind him, when Paul said to (he centurion In attendance, Is it lawful for you to scourge a Roman citizen, and that too uncondemned? The centurion instantly went to the superior officer, and advised caution ; for, said he, the man is a Roman. Whereupon Lysias went immediately and asked Paul if it were true; and, being assured of the fact, feared he had gone too far in putting him in chains. [It must not be forgotten that this rabble was led by ♦* believers,'*^ and their besetting sin was this, ♦• they were zealous of the law."] The Jews of Alexandria^ zealous of the Unity of Godf create a riot, and almost destroy the city (a.d. 249). In the middle of the third century, some Jews of Alexandria, zealous of the law, inflamed the people against the Christians. St, Francis of Sales calls them *' magicians,** but this simply means enemies of the Christians; and he tells us they were stirred up by the ** powers of darkness" to g revoke the people to riot, because the hristians worshipped the Trinity instead of the Unity, as Moses had commanded. The words of these Jews fell like sparks of fire on the mob ; and the rioters rushed infuriated against the Christians, destroy- ing their houses, pillaging their goods, and massacring all they encountered. The carnage was dreadful, the waste of property frightful. It seemed as if an mvading army of barbarians had been let loose upon the city. Hundreds fled and hid themselres in the woods, aban- doning all they possessed to the mad rioters. St. Apollonia refused to flee. This saintly virgin had no fear of losing her goods, for all her treasures were in heaven ; she had no fear of death before her eyes, well knowing that to die would be her gain. What if she fell a martyr? To her would be granted *' that she should be arrayed in fine linen* clean and white, which is the righteousness of saints." What if she changed her corruptible and mortal ? Would it not be for incorruption and immortality? Her death would be the swallowing up of death in victory. The mob seized her like famished tigers ; they glutted on her all their vengeance ; broke her jaws; knocked out all her teeth ; and then dragging her out of the city, lighted a bonfire of ttie debris and threw her into the midst. Her body, as a holocaust, was soon consumed by the fierce flames, and her spirit was carried by angels to the paradise of God. — St. Francis of Sales, Treatise on Divide Love, bk. X. ch. 8. PART II. REALISTIC MIRACLES, OR, MIRACLES FOUNDED ON THE LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE. PART II. Adulterers. Beb. xlii. Adulterers God will Judge. The wife of St. Gangulfus punished for adultery (a.d. 760). The wife of St. Gangulfus was the daughter of a rich and noble family, but her conduct was so scandalous that her husband knew not how he ought to act. One day, walking together, they came to a rivulet of clear water, and Gangulfus said to his wife, " For a long time rumours have come to my ears derogatory to your honour, but I have hitherto said nothing ; I would now remind you that a woman's honour is her most precious jewel, and she should guard it as the apple of her eye." The wife answered shamelessly, "Nothing can be more unjust than such a scandal. My honour 1 hold sacred, and ever will do so. It is a sad thing that virtuous women should be subjected to such calumnies." *' Well," said the saint, "if so it is, plunge your arm in this water, and if you receive no harm I will firmly believe you innocent." "Right willingly," she re- plied, and plunged her arm up to the elbow in the stream ; but, as she drew it out, the skin peeled off from her elbow to her finger tips. St. Gangulfus now separated from his wife, and she sent her paramour to murder him ; but she herself died soon afterwards " par une incom- modite' honteuse." — Les Petits Bdlan- distes, vol. v. pp. 458, 459. It will be remembered that the Jews had a beverage called "The Water of Jealousy," which they affirmed no adilteress could drink of without bursting. — Five PhUo- ' $iiphical Questions atiswered (1653). llie legends about prince Arthur ascribe to him the i>osses.sion of a drinking-horn, which no one unchaste or disloyal could drink out ot.—Lai du Corn, and HUtory of Prinee Arthur, ii. 34, Similar tests in ancient story were the Mantle of Matri- mony, Aliisnani's Mirror, Florimel's Girdle, the Grotto of Kphesus. (The cuckolds* dj-iiiking-horn, the eoupe enehantSe of Lafontaine. Ariosto's enchanted cup, and Arthur's drink- ing-horn sent him by Morgan la Faye, are varieties of the laue story.) Afar off. Gen. xxii. 4. llien, on the thir.l day^ Abni< ham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. St, Antony the Great sees a man dying afar off (fourth century). Two monks, coming to visit St. Antony in the desert, were greatly distressed for want of water. One of them died ; and the other lay himself down, expecting every hour to be his last. As Antony sat on the moun- tain, he called two of his monks, and said to them, " Go, take a pitcher of water, and run with all speed towards Egypt, for I see two men afar off who were coming hither. One has fallen on the way, and the other will die a^so, unless water be given him, and that quickly." So the two monks filled a pitcher, and hastened towards Egypt, and found the two men. One was lying dead, and the other was gasping in the throes of death. To him they gave water, and he revived. So, after burying the dead body, they went all three together to St. Antony. Though the distance was a day*s journey, the Lord had opened the eyes of His ser- vant to see things so far off. — St. Atha- nasius. Life of St, Antony the Great, St, Benedict sees a man drowning afar off (sixth century). Placidus, being sent to fetch water from a river, accidentally slipped in, and was carried down the current, which was very strong. St. Benedict, sitting in his cell, saw the ac- cident " afar off," and sent Maurus with all speed to render help. The accident must have been wholly invisible, at such a distance, to human sight; the Lord "miraculously" showed it to His servant Benedict ; and Placidus, being plucked from the water, returned with Maurus to the abbey. — Surius, Lives of the Saints, Almighty. Psalm Ixxxlx. 6. Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord i 860 ALMIGHTY: CYPRIAN, OFFERUS. [Pt. XL St. Cyprian is resolved to serve the mightiest only, St. Cyprian, before his conversion, was a magician, and by his art conjured up the devil. He promised to serve his sable majesty for ever, if he would procure for him the love of Justina. The devil used his utmost to do so, but without success, and told Cyprian he had no power over Christians, so long as > they abided in Christ, and Christ in them. When Cyprian heard the devil make this humiliating confession, he thought to him- self what an impotent power he must be to be foiled bj' a mere girl ; so he resolved to quit the service of Satan for a stronger arm. Consulting a bishop on the subject, he was directed to Jesus, the almighty ; and, being baptized, became a consistent saint and died a martyr. — St. Gregory Nazianzen (A.D. 360), Orations, 18. (See also Bedc.) TJie giant Offerus resolves to serve the most mighty, Offerus was a soldier and a heathen, who lived in the land of Canaan. He had a body twelve ells long, and loved only to command. He cared not what harm he did to others, and lived a wild life, attacking and plunder- ing all who came in his path. He was merely a subordinate, but he resolved to serve only the mightiest master he could find. He heard that the emperor, the head of all Christendom, was by far the mightiegt of the sons of men ; so he offered him his services, saying to him, " Lord emperor, I am strong ; will 3'ou have me in your service? for I am resolved to sell my heart's blood only to thi most mighty." When the emperor looked on his huge stature and giant strength, his broad chest and mighty fists, he said to him, "Offerus, if thou wilt serve me faithfully, I will take thee into my •ervice, and you shall serve me for ever." ** Nay, nay, my lord emperor," replied the giant, *' to serve you for ever is not so easily prpmised ; but this I will engage to do — as long as I do serve you, no man from north or south, east or west, shall trouble you." So the emperor took the giant into his service, and was delighted with his bargain. Now, the emp2ror had a harper in his train, who sang to him. And whenever he was weary, the minstrel soothed him with sweet music. Once, at eventide, the emperor, who had pitched his tent near a forest, having eaten and drunk heartily, called for his minstrel. The minstrel came with his harp, and sang of the power of the cross ; but whenever he spoke of the evil one, the emperor signed on his forehead the sign of the cross. Said Offerus aloud to his comrades, "What does this mean? What jest is this ? " " Jest ! " cried the emperor ; " it is no jest, Offerus. What I did was to keep off the foul fiend, who goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." These words seemed wondrous strange to the giant, who said sneeringly to the emperor, "I love a good lion-hunt most dearly ; let us go together against this foul fiend, and I warrant we will prevail against him." '* No, no, Offerus ! " cried the emperor in a whisper. ** No, no ; that chase is bettei left alone, lest in battling with the foul fiend we lose our own souls." Then Offerus made a wry face, and said to the emperor, *' Ah, ah ! my lord emperor, I perceive the grapes are sour. If your highness is afraid of the devil, it is pretty plain he is the mightier of the two, and him will I serve." So saying, he coolly demanded his pay, quitted the emperor's service, and strode bravely into the forest to find this new master. The devil is never far to seek, though he is not always recog- nized. Offerus had not proceeded above a league, when he came to a wild clearing, and found there an altar built of coals ; and on the altar, gleaming in the moon- light, lay bones, blanched and bare of flesh. Offerus was in no wise terrified, but quietly and deliberately examined the bones. Ihen, seating himself at the foot of the altar, he fell fast asleep. He thought, in his sleep, he saw the earth gape, and a coal-black horse come out of the chasm. The rider was as black as his horse ; and, coming to Offerus, volun- teered to take him into his service, if he would bind himself to him for ever. "Softly, softly ! " cried Offerus ; " not so fast, I prithee. I will engage to serve you for ever, unless I find a master mightier than thou." So the bargain was struck, and Offerus entered into the service of the foul fiend. The devil took his new recruit through the kingdoms of the world, and Offerus found Mm mors to his liking than the emperor ; but one day as they went on together, laughing and jesting, they came upon three posts — for so they seemed to Offerus — and the prince of darkness would not pass them, but turned another way. " How now V " cried Offerus ; "it seems to me your majesty is afraid of that gibbet. Ha, ha ! " And, drawing his bow. the giant shot an arrow, which lodged in the wood. " Gently ! " said Satan. " You must noi do so. Don't you know those three piecet Pt. n.] ANGELS DIFFER IK GLORY. 851 of wood form what is called a cross?'* "Well, and what of that?" cried the l^iant. "Why," said Satan, "the cross 18 the symbol of One with whom I once did battle, and He was slain on a cross." "If He was slain," persisted th^ ^iant, "what is there to fear. The slain a-e dp.ad, and there's an end of them." * ' No, no ! " cried Satan. " He is not dead, I can assure you ; but liveth, and will live, too, for ever and for evermore." " Oh, oh ! " cried Offerus, " I see it all. He died, but is alive again ; and is mightier than thou. I serve none but the mightiest ; so fare- well, master ; here we part." Satan did not dare pass the cross, but tried to cover over his chagrin with a loud laugh ; and Offerus journeyed on, asking every one he met if he could direct him where to find Him who was crucified and rose from the dead. He met, however, no one who could tell him exactly. Some had heard speak of Him, and some thought they knew Him ; but none could tell the giant where to find Him. At length came Offerus to a hermit's cell ; and the man of God showed him that "faith " was the path he must go to find Christ, that "prayer" would give him strength foi the journey, and "grace" would come to his help in time of need. The hermit then set the giant to carry pilgrims across a deep river, and told him Christ would know of his works, and his labours, and his patience ; and in His own good time would show Himself to him. Offerus replied, " He did not mind the work, if he could find Christ." So he built him- self a hut on the brink of the river, and carried pilgrims across ; and if any offered him money, he would say, " Nay, nay ; I work not for money, but to win Christ." Many and many a year did he serve this ferry, till his hair grew grey, and his strength began to wane ; when, one night, he heard a very tiny voice calling to him. " Offerus," it said, " dear Offerus, carry Me across the river." The giant took his pine-stick, huge as a weaver's beam, waded through the river, and came to the other side; but could see no one. He thought he must have been dreaming ; so he returned to his hut, and went to bed again. Scarcely had he so done, when he heard the same voice again, very small and very plaintive, but he distinctly heard it say, " Offerus, good Offerus, carry Me across the river." Again the giant waded through the stream, but yet saw he no one; and again he returned to his hut, that he might sleep till dawn. No sooner was he settled in bed than the voice came to him a third time, and still it said the same words, "Offerus, dear Offerus, carry Me across the river." It was a very small voice, but clear as a bell, and so plaintive that the giant had no heart to refuse ; so he rose a third time, and waded through the river to the other bank. There he found a fair little Child, with golden hair. In His left hand He held a toy — it was the standard of a lamb ; and in His right hand He had another toy, a little globe. The Child looked on 'the rough brawny giant with eyes full of love and trustfulness ; and Offerus lifted the little wayfarer on his huge shoulders with only three fingers. On went he to the river, but when he entered the water, tke Child seemed to weigh on him like a burden too heavy to be borne. Heavier and heavier grew the weight, heavier and still heavier, till the water well-nigh reached his chin. Great drops of sweat stood on the giant's brow, and he almost sank in the stream under the ever-increas- ing weight of that little Child. However, he struggled bravely on, contrived with tottering steps to reach the home shore, set the ^^hiid gently down, and said, "My little Lerd, prithee come not this way again, for scarcely now have I escaped with my life." The Child spoke very little, but taking a handful of water in its hand, iprinkled with it the giant's face, saying, " Fear not, Offerus ; the Child thou hast so bravely carried across the stream is the Lord Christ, whom thou seekest. Thy prayers are heard, and thy sins are forgiven thee. Plant now thy pine-staff in the earth, and it shall be a token unto thee. It shall no longer be dead and leafless, but shall send forth leaves and buds ; and thou shalt be no longer called Offerus, but Christ-offerus shall thy name be ; " and from that day he was called Christ-offerus, or Christopher. The Child left him ; Christopher set his pine-staff in* the earth, and on the morrow it had shot forth leaves and red blossoms like those of an almond tree. Three days afterwards the giant died, and angels came, and bore him up aloft into the bosom of good old Abraham, and there was joy in the pre- sence of the angels of Grod. TlUa beautiful allegory hM been taken malnljr froag Th4 SchSnberff-eotta Family. Angels diflfer in Glory. 1 Cor. XV. 41, 42. There is one glory of th« ■un, and another glory of the moon, and anuthef 662 ANGELS: THEIR ORDERS— PURGATORY [Pt. II. glory of the stars ; for one star dlflFereth from another star In glory. So also is the resurrec- tion of the dead. The orders of degrees among the angels of heaven. According to Dionysius the Areopagite, the angelic hierarchy of heaven is divided into nine orders — 1. Seraphim, S. Cherubim. 3. Thrones, i*i the ftrtt Sircle; 4. Doiulnions, 5. Virtues, 6. Powers, in the »eeond circle; 7. Principalities. 8. Archangels, 9. Angela, In the Vtird tirde.—JiierarcJtis CoOettU. Gregory the Great has a different arrangement in the third order — Novem angelorum ordines dicimus, quia videlicet esse, testante sacro eloquio, scimus Angelos, Archangelos. Virtutea, Potestates, Principatus, Dominationes, Thronos, Cherubim, atque Seraphim.— J7omiZy 34. By this arrangement we have — Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones, in the firU order ; Dominions, Principalities, and Powers, in the tecond order ; Virtues, Archangels, and Angels, in the third order. The seven holy angels are Michael {the archangel)^ Gabriel, Raphael {these three are Scripture names), Uriel, Simiel, Oriphiel, and Zachariel. The council held in a.d. 745 mentions with reproba- tion the names of Uriel, Raguel, Simiel, and others. Raphael tells Tobias {Toint xii. 16) that he is one of the seven angels who attend in the presence of God ; and John, in the Revelation (viii. 2, 3), saw seven angels standing before the Lord. The rabbins say Michael presides over the east, Raphael over the west, Gabriel over the north, and Uriel over the south. According to the Koran, the throne of the Almighty is supported by eight angels (ch. Ixix.), but Sale tells us, in a foot- note, that "the number of those who bear it at the present is generally sup- posed to be four, and that other four will be added at the judgment-day, for the grandeur of the occasion." In ch. xxxv. we are told that the angelst are furnished with two, four, or six pairs of wings according to their different orders. Micliael (archangel), Azrafil (archangel which will blow the trumpet of the resurrection), Gabriel, and Raphael are the four angels which now support the tluxtue of the Almighty. Thfi orders of degree among the fallen angels. In one of the ninety-three visions of St. Francisca, she was shown the fall of the rebellious angels. When cast out of heaven some remained in the air, flome fell upon our earth, and the rest fell into hell. The different degrees of de- ment decided the region to be occupied. Lucifer, she tells us, is the monarch ol all the hells, but he rules in chains of iron, and is supreme in misery as well as in power. Under him are three princes, each absolute in his own department. The first of these is Asmodgus, once a cherub, but now holding the "principality" of carnal sins. The next is Mammon, the demon of avarice, who holds the " throne " of this world. The third is Beelzebub, who holds the " dominion " of idolaters. These three powers and Lucifer never leave their prisons, except under special permission from God ; but they have legions and legions of subordinates on earth who are responsible to them. These subordinate demons have their ranks, like the angelic host ; and so have the demons of the air and of the earth, but these last two are commonwealths, having no supreme head. The demons of the air cause storms, and injure men by diseases and breaking down their confidence in God. The demons of the earth ally themselves with all other demons to bring about the loss of souls. The best and surest safeguard against all demons is to pronounce the name of Jesus. When persons live in mortal sin, demons install themselves in the " temple of their body," which is otherwise the *' temple of the Holy Ghost ; " and when a sinner receives absolution from the Church, the demons quit his body, but loiter about near enough to suggest temptations to sin. Confession is an excellent armour ; and those who go to confession most frequently are with the most diflSculty beguiled. Limbo. Limbo is contiguous to hell, but has no communication with it. An angel keeps guard over the gate. The only punishment suffered there is the privation of light. In limbo will be found all infants that have died unbap- tized. In the first of its three regions are the infants of Christian parents ; in the second region, the infants of Jews and pagans ; and in the third or lowest region, children bom out of wedlock. The darkness of this region is thicker than that of the other two. Purgatory. Like hell and limbo, pur- gatory has three regions. Over the gate is this inscription, " This is purgatory, the place of hope." In the uppermost region are the souls of those who had not worked out the expiation of their sins before death ; and seven years is the term of punishment for each mortal sin unobliterated at death, or after death bi^ Pt. a] ANGELS MINISTER— ANTEDILUVIAN LONGEVITY. 35S masses or other merits. The guardian angel of each soul collects carefully the masses said, the prayers offered, and the indulgences granted to each soul in ■purgatory. Pious legacies are accepted by God, whether executors pay the be- quests or not. Prayers, masses, indul- gences, and good works in behalf of those in bliss are scored to those who offer them on earth, and if there is any surplus It is placed to the credit of those in pur- gatory. The second region of purgatory i» for the expiation of venial sins. The lowest region, which is the most burning, is for priests and nuns who have com- mitted what are sins in the religious, but would not be accounted sins in seculars, such as indulging the appetite with food or wine beyond what is absolutely ne- cessary to support life.— -<4c^a Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. March, (See also Grimes, Esprit des Saints^ vol. v., 3rd edit.) St. Francisca sees in a vision the different orders of the heavenly host (a.d. 1384- 1440). In one of her numerous visions, St. Francisca saw the orders of the saints in light, with their respective leaders. They all walked under their proper standards. First came the patriarchs, led by John the Baptist {Matt. xi. 11). ' Next came the apostles, led by St. Peter and St. Paul. The evangelists marched third, under St. John and St. Mark. Then the martyrs, under St. Laurentius and St. Stephen. The fifth company were the doctors of the Church, under St. Gregory and St. Jerome. The sixth were the monks, under St. Benedict, St. Bernard, St. Dominic, and St. Francis. The hermits, led by St. Paul the hermit and St. Antony, came next. Then the virgins, led by Mary Magdalene and St, Agnes. The ninth company was that of widows, under St. Anne and St. Sabina. And the tenth consisted of married women, led DY St. Cecilia. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollan- dwts), vol. ii. March. (See also Grimes, Esprit des Saints, vol. v., 3rd edit.) -S'^. Francisca sees her son in the second hierarchic choir of heaven (a.d. 1407). St. Francisca had a son John, who died of the plague at the age of nine, and was buried in St. Cecilia's church, beyond tlie Tiber. A year after his death, as St. Francisca was praying in her oratory, she saw her son John all brilliant in light, assisted by another angel more brilliant still. Her son showed her the different orders of the hierarchy of heaven, and their different degrees of glory. He himself was in the second range of the first hierarchy, and the other angel was more luminous because he was in a higher company. — John Mattiotti (her fattier- confessor), Life of St. Francisca. Angels Ministering Spirits. Heb. 1. 14. [The angels] are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation ? Angels assist at the baptism of {_St.\ Eusebius. Before the pope baptized Eusebius, he had a revelation that the person he was about to baptize would be one day a great man. Angels, we are told, took Eusebius out of the bap- tismal font. — Surius (1570), Lives of tht Saints, Antediluvian Longevity. Gen. v. And Adam lived 130 years. Tha was the age of Adam ; but his offspring o dynasty, called his sons and daughters, con- tinued ab initio 930 years (rer. 5), Again. Seth lived 105 years. That was the term of Seth's own life ; but Seth was the head of a tribe, and the sons and daughters of this sheik lasted 912 years altogether (ver. 8). Enos lived 90 years. That was the span ol this man's life ; but Enos was a sheik, and his sons and daughters continued his sheikship 905 years (ver. 11). Methuselah, the oldest man, lived 187 years. His sbeikship was also the most enduring, ex- tending to 969 years, when it died out (ver. 27). This interpretation was suggested in the £xpo*%i,or, December. 1878, and March, 1880. It is plausible, cer. tainly, and preferable to the " lunar year" interpretation. Similar examples in post-diluvian history. The most familiar example is that of Rome, where the first twelve emperors were all Caesar ; in imitation of Bible language, it might be said. Caesar lived fifty-six, but all the days of Caesar were 179 years ; that is, dating from the birth of Julius to the death of Vespasian. Pharaoh of Egypt would be very much longer. Josephus tells us all the kings of Egypt from Menes to Solomon were called Pharaoh, 341 kings. Menes, ac- cording to Lepsius, died B.C. 3893, and Solomon reigned 1015-975. This would make all the days of Pharaoh very much longer than all the days of Methuselahc Bunsen places the death of Mends in B.a 3643. Ptolemy of Egypt, after the death of Alexander the Great, would give another example. It might be said that Ptolemy lived eighty-four years and begat sons and daughters ; and all the days of Ptolemy were 272 years. 2a 864 ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE VERSUS PRAYER. [Pr. II. Similar examples familiar to Scripture readers are Abimelech, the common name of the Philistine kings ; Agag, the common name of the Amalekite kings ; Benhadad, the common name of the rulers of Damascus ; and CandacI of Ethiopia. Darius also seems to have been a dynastic name in ancient Persia. Leaving Scripture, wc have Abgarus, the common name of the kings of Edessa ; Augustus in the Roman empire ; Cyrus in the Persian empire; Yladika in Monte- negro ; and Louis in France ; with many more. Age of the saints. The saints, as a rule, were long-lived, like the wige men of Greece. Very many of them passed fourscore years, but only ten reached a hundred. They are — Yean at death. 10 L Lupicen, abbot of Lauconne (879- 480). 102. Faust de Riea (391-493). 104. John the Silent (454-668). 106. Gilbert, founder of the Gilbertines (1084- ,190). 108. Ortarius, abbot of Landelle (sixth century). 112. Grace of Valentia, who never had an illness (1494-1606). 114. Paul the Hermit ; ninety of which he passed in the desert (229-343). 120. John de Reome ; his eye was not dim, nor his strength abated (42.')-645). 120. Memmius, bishop of-Chalons-sur- Marne (96-126). 120. Romuald, founder of the Camaldu- lensians (907-1027). Ask, and ye shall receive. Matt. tH. 1. Ask, and it shall be given you. Matt. xxi. 22. All things whatsoever ye saall ask in prayer, beliering, ye shall receive. John xiv. 14. If ye shall ask anything In My name, I will do it. 1 John ▼. 14, 16. This is the confidence that we have in Him : that if we ask anything according to His will. He heareth us; and if we know that He heareth us in whatsoerer we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. St. Francisca asked Godj in prayer^ to give Vannosia a crab, and He gave it (A.D. 1384-1440). A gentlewoman, named Vannosia, a dear friend and kins- man of St. Francisca, being very sick, had an irresistible desire for some crab ; but the season of crabs was over, and there were none to be got in all Rome. In this emergency Francisca ''put her- self in prayer, and desired one of God." Forthwith, in the sight of the whole householJ, there fell from the ceiling of the room a fine fresh crab, alive, and to all appearance just taken from the sea. Francisca gave it to her friend, \\ ho ate thereof, and not only allayed her diseased craving, but forthwith recovered her wonted health. — Mentioned in the Acts of the Canonization of St. Francisca, May 29, 1606. St. John de Matha asked in prayer for money to redeem some slaves, and receiveaths necessary sum (a.d. 1160-1213). St. John de Matha founded the "Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Christian Slaves.*' At Tunis, on one occasion, he paid to the governor the ransom he required, but lound that the subordmates demanded black-mail. Not having the wherewi^al to satisfv their greed, he laid the Itnage of the Virgin under his scapular, and "conjured the good mother of heaven to have mercy on these captives." On lifting up his scapular he found the sum required, paid it, and brought home the captives. ITie seauel. The Tunisians, greatly enraged, boarded the ship in which the captives had embarked, broke the rudder, cut down the masts, tore the sails, snapped in pieces the oars, and left the vessel a dead hulk. St. John de Matha was equal to the occasion. He stripped off his mantle and made a sail thereof, placed himself at the helm, crucifix in hand, and prayed God to grant a safe voyage. The vessel moved, it ran merrily over the calm sea, and in two days entered the Ostian port, amidst the loud acclamations of a vast crowd. The pope wept for joy, asked to see the captives, gave them his blessing, and sent them home to their respective countries. — R. P. Calixte de la Providence, Lift of St. John of Matha, A woman craved some peaches in February f and they grew on chestnut slips. In the month of ' February, about 1700, a Neapolitan merchant came to visit St. John-Joseph de la Croix, and on parting entreated his prayers in behalf of his wife, who was dangerously ill. On further inquiry, the merchant told him his wife had a craving for ripe peaches, but of course such things could not be obtained in winter. Being near a chestnut tree at the time, the man of God broke off three dry branches, and said to the merchant, " Plant these in three flower- pots, and ask St. Peter of Alcantara to give your wife her heart's desire." "l^Tiatl" cried the merchant, "how Pr. II.J BABES: AUGUSTINE— VINCENT FERRIER. 3M can peaches grow on dry chestnut slips?" " All things are possible with God," said the saint. " Do as I bid you, and leave the result to God and St. Peter." The merchant planted the three dry chestnut sticks, made his prayer to St. Peter of Alcantara, and set the flower-pots on his window-seat. Next morning the sticks were covered with green leaves, and on •ach stick was a superb ripe peach. The sick woman had her heart's desire, and rapidly returned to perfect health. — Migne, Demonstrations ^vangeliqites, vol. xvi. (This life of St. John-Joseph of the Cross is from the pen of cardinal Wiseman. Father Diodato, in 1794, wrote the life of the same saint.) Babes. Psalm viii. 2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength . . . [to] (Btill the enemy and the avenger. Matt. xi. 25. Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Matt. xxi. 16. Out of the mouth of babea and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise. St. Augustine taught by a little child. While St. Augustine was composing his book On the IHnity^ and was at Civita Vecchia, he saw a little child making a hole in the sea-shore, and asked him what he was doing. The child replied, ** I am making a hole to contain the water of the sea." The doctor smiled, telling the child it would not be possible to do so ; but the child made answer, *' Not so, Augustine. It would be far easier to drain off the waters of the great deep, than for the finite to grasp the Infinite ; " and so he vanished. Augustine then knew that the child was an angel of God, sent to .warn him, and he diligently set to work to revise what he had written. — Possidonius (bishop of Calamentia), Life of St. Augustine, An infant just horn tells St. Brigit who was its father (a.d. 436-523). An un- married woman, who had just given birth to a child, was asked to confess who was its father, and she declared it was bishop Broon, a disciple of St. Patrick. St. Brigit could not credit this scandal, and, making the sign of the cross on the babe's mouth, she asked it if it were true. "No," said the infant, *' my father is no bishop, but a poor labourer." So the "truth" was dis- covered, the honour of the Church vindi- cated, and God defended the right. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. ii. p. 185. A babe in arms picks out his father (fourteenth century). A woman who had recently given birth to a son, wag accused by her husband of infidelity. The woman, greatly distressed, applied to St. Vincent Ferrier, and the saint said to her, "Come this afternoon and hear my sermon ; bring your babe with you. Induce your husband to come also ; not with you, but let him mix with the crowd." When St. Vincent had finished his sermon, he told the mother to set her infant on the ground, and then bade it go through the crowd and pick out its father. The babe, only a few days old, threaded its way through the dense crowd till it came to the husband of the woman, and laying its hands on him, said distinctly, "This is my father." " Un miracle aussi extraordinaire ne pouvait que faire rentrer la paix dans le me'nage." — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. iv. p. 237. A child just born tells the apostles Simon and Jude that its mother told a lie. While the apostles Simon and Jude were in Babylon, they consecrated Abdias bishop, and ordained both priests and deacons; but the devil sought to bring discredit on the Church. It fell out thus : The daughter of a nobleman in Babylon became mother of a child, but was not wed. Her parents urged her to tell them who was the father of her child, and she (to screen her lover) charged one of the deacons of the new Church with the crime. When the apostles heard thereof, they went to the king's court, and requested that the deacon, with the mother and infant, might be brought before the judge. This was done, and the apostles asked the parents when the child was bom. " This very day," they replied. Then, fixing their eyes sternly on the infant, they said, " We adjure thee, by the living God, and in the name of Jesus Christ, tell us truly if this deacon is thy father or not?" The infant answered, " This deacon is good and chaste, and never in his life committed any carnal sin. He is not my father." The apostles then asked the babe who his father was, and the wise infant made answer, "It is meet for me to clear the innocent, but not to disclose the guilty." And all the court was amazed at the answers. — Edward Kinesman, Lives of the Saints (1623). The same answer was given by the dead man sum- moned by Macarius (see p. 77), and by the dead man ■ummoned by St Antony (see p. 75). St. Vincent Ferrier speaks in infancy i9 m BABES: JOHN STIRLING BfiCLAlMED. [Pt. 11. his mother (a.d. 1357). While St. Vin- cent Ferrier was an infant, a dreadful dearth desolated Yalentia. The mother of the child was afflicted with the general calamity, and one day when she was lamenting the long drought, the infant in swaddling-clothes said to her distinctly, ** Mother, if you wish for rain, carry me in procession." The babe was carried in procession, and the rain fell abun- dantly. ('* Son enfant emmaillott^ pro- noncer distinctement ces paroles : Si vous voulez de la pluie, portez moi en pro- cession.") — Mgr. Guerin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. iv. p. 236. A newborn babe declares that Abzende- roud is not his father. The imam Abzen- deroud excited the envy of his confrater- nity by his superior virtue and piety, BO they suborned a woman to father a child on him. The imam prayed Mahomet to clear him of this charge, and the new- bom babe declared in a loud distinct voice, not only that the imam was inno- cent of the charge alleged against him, but it furthermore said that one of his chief accusers was its father, and had suborned the woman to make this false charge to screen himself, and bring the imam into trouble. — T, S. Gueulette (1723), Chvn/2se Tales, Mons. Gueulette's story Is professedly a fiction; that of- the two apostles Simon and Jude, and tliat of St. Brigit (see preceding page), are given as facts ; but the itarallela are striking enough to place them all in one category. Infants at the breast announce the death of St. Agnes (April 20, 1317). When St. Agnes died, we are told by her biographer she received the most per- fect praise this earth could afford, that of infants at the breast. The tongue of little infants was unloosed, " et ils se mirent dans les lieux voisins k publier la mort et les vertus d' Agnes; leure parents s'e'veillerent en entendant ces voix." — Les Fetits Bollandistesy vol. iv. p. 649. It is not quite clear what the pope's chamberlain means. He tells us he is speaking of '* des enfants k la mamelle." These " petits innocents se mirent k publier la mort (T Agnes " (announced the death of Agnes), and their parents woke on hearing their voices. Wer« these infants in bed when they made the proclamation 1 If so, does the chamberlain mean they spoke so loud as to be heard "dans les lieux voisins "? St. Bdbert, in infancy^ declined to suck the milk of any but religious wet-nurses (A.D. 1G67). Robert, son of Gerard, baron of Aurillac, even from his birth showed signs of his future holiness. His Tiother, l^ing fc^r « time unable to give him suck, employed wet-nurses, but the babe positively refused to take the breast of any irreligious woman, and would only go to pious ones. When the mother was able to nurse the child herself, she dispensed with the services of strangers, and the infant was relieved of all further difficulty, for the baroness was an ex- cellent Christian. — Acta Sanctorum (Bol landists), April 24. St. Sigisberty king of Austrasia, and his baptism (a.d. 636). When Sigisbert, the infant son of Dagobert I., was baptized, the church was so full of kings, princes, and nobles, there was no room for a clerk. In this difficulty the infant himself acted as clerk, and said '* Amen" in the proper places, "pronouncing the word audibly and distinctly, to the great admiration of the nobles assembled on the occasion." * — R. P. Vincent, History of Saint Sigisbert (taken from the Antt' quit^s Austrasiennes), The monk Sigebert. who first wrota the life of king Sigistwrt. says tliat a Urge number of miracles tesUfled to the holinen of this favourite of God. He mention! many, and telU ua be knows they are true, for he himself witnessed them with bis own eyes. John Stirling, the drunkard, reclaimed by his baby boy. When the drinking fit was on him, the will of John Stirling seemed to be wholly in the grasp of his master vice, which had well-nigh made an utter wreck of his conscience, honour, and affection ; but help was at hand, and a little child was the David employed by God to slay the giant which held him captive. His wife had always been in the habit of observing family worship ; the rest must be told by John Stirling himself. "I had been all day at the public-house, and when at night I came home my wife was reading from the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel: *WTien the Son of man shall come in His glory . . . before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats : and He shall set the sheep on Hii right hand, but the goats on the left.* Our youngest boy, then about four years old, was sitting on a footstool, with his head on his mother's lap ; and when he heard these words read, he looked up earnestly into his mother's face, and saic^ • "Ce miracle {A A. SS. BOffii, vol. Iv. p. 253. note 12» est rapport<5 par Baudemond, auteur contemporain, et r6p*t* par beaucoup d'autres." A sunilar instance is recorded by Fleury, in his Hittorp of the Church, bk. xxxvi. n. 38, uiider date of Feb, 4, 1650, in the diocese of Strigonia. in Hungary. The case was severely investigated, and the archbishop recosuised the undoubted fact Pt. II.] BEAST OF BURDEN— BEASTS, ETC., PREACHED TO. 35; "Will father be a goat then, mother?'* This question cut me to the heart. It was a nail driven home. The earnestness of the child, the bewilderment of his mother, the home-thrust rankling in my heart, all told upon me. I spent a miserable night indeed. Next day was Sunday, but I was ashamed to go to church. While the family was at church, looking about for something to read, I laid my hand on Beecher's Six Sermons on Intemperance, I read, and read, and all I remi seemed about mysslf. My future life was now determined. All the n en on earth could not now have tempted me to drink. I loathed drink. The ale which yesterday was irresistible, was now gall and wormwood to me. I would havo been cut to pieces rather than touch it. This was the turning-point of my life ; and God, ever gracious, from that memorable moment led me in the way everlasting." — Wallace, The Gloaming of Life. This Is by far the best tale in this section. Monkish tales about babes are in all cases revolting. The prudery, the unwise wisdom, the 'mmodest modesty of little children, Is most unnatural, most prurient, and most repulsive. I know of no single legend of a child at all tittractive, or bearing the least semblance to the beautiful Innocence of young childhood ; they ar-- mere monks and nuns in small-clothes. Beast of Burden. Psalm Ixxiii. 22. I was as a beast oefore Thee. St. MarceUinus, bishop of Embrun, treated as a beast of burden. Returning from a long excursion, St. Marcellinus observed a large crowd of people at a short distance, and went to see what was the matter. He heard a great outcry, and found it was some strangers going to Embrun; but one of their pack-horses, being overladen, had fallen from fatigue, una ale to advance any further. St. Mar- cellinus told the travellers to be patient, not to beat the poor beast, and above all things to refrain from their blasphemous language ; whereupon the people, angry and tired, swore the bishop himself should be their beast of burden. Resist- ance was in vain, remonstrance would have been thrown away ; so, bending his back, the mob, half in mischief and half in anger, piled on it the goods which had broken down their pack-horse. St. Mar- cellinus, with admirable patience and humility, lent himself to this insult, saj'- ing as he was being loaded, ** My Saviour bore more than all this for me ; ** and then adding from the psalmiBti ** I w^s as a beast before Thee." When he reached the city, the people were greatly enraged to see their bishop thus insulted^ and took up stones to cast at the strangers ; but God Himself took it in hand to glorify His saint, by sending a "tourbillon of fire," which enveloped the most furious of the strangers, and caused him most frightful pain. Terribly frightened, he threw himself at the bishop's feet, craving his pardon ; but the fire never left him till the bishop was disburdened, and had offered up prayer on the man's behalf. The man pressed St. Marcellinus to accept a present, but he refused to take anything, and after appeasing the people of Embrun, he retired to his own home. — Mgr. Depe'ry, Hagiographie de Gap. Beasts, Birds, and Fishes preached to. Psalm cxl viii. 7-10. Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons and deeps, beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying fowl. St. Antony of Padua preaches to the fishes (a.d. 1195-1231). When St. Antony was preaching at Rimini, he found the eyes of many obstinately closed to the words of light ; and said from his chair, " Let those who list follow me to the sea- shore." He went to Marecchia, and rais- ing his voice, cried aloud; *'Ye fishes of the sea, hear; for man, though the image of his Maker, is like the deaf adder, and refuses to hearken to his God. To j'^on, therefore, 1 announce the gospel of salvation." Instantly from the depths of the sea shoals of both little and great fish thronged to the shore. From all sides they came in countless numbers, crowd- ing thick upon each other, their heads above the water, their big eyes turned to the preacher, who spoke thus : '* What acts of thankfulness, O fishes, ought you not to render to Him who has given you to live in this mighty ocean ? It is to God you owe those deep retreats, which protect you from the raging storm. When the great flood destroyed the families of man, that God preserved you. It IS you who saved the prophet Jonah, It is you who brought the stater to St, Peter and the Lord of glory. You receive your life, your food, your protection, from God and God alone. Praise Him, seas and floods, bless ye the Lord ; praise Him, and magnify Him for ever. Ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord ; praise Him, and magnify Him for ever." At these words the fishes seemed agitated, flapped their tails, opened theii S58 BEASTS CONFIDING IN SAINTS. [Pt. n. mouths, and testified in a thousand ways their wish to pay homage to the Almighty, and the tribute of their mute praise. The crowd on the shore could not restrain their admiration, and cried with one voice, *' Come, let us laud and magnify God the M .ker, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier." And Antony, turning round, exclaimed, *' '^raise Him, j'e children of men ; praise Him, and magnify Him for ever. Let the fishes of the sea teach man to praise the Lord. Shall man, the image of his Rlaker, alone be mute in His praise?" The "heretics" were confounded, fell at the preacher's feet, and would not arise till he had given them absolution. The re- membrance of this prodigy is perpetuated in Italy and France. Father Papebroch tells us he saw in 1660 an ancient chapel standing on the spot where St. Antony preached to the fishes. Many painters have represented it. — Guyard, Life of St. Antony of Padua, I have myself Been the picture brought to Pari* by marshal Soult, said to be by Murillo, of St. Antony preach- ing to the fishes. St, Francis of Assisi used to preach to the beasts and birds (a.d. 1182-1226). St. Francis of Assisi wished to retire into solitude, but the Holy Ghost made it known to him that it was God's will he should continue to preach the gospel. "What, however, is ve:y admirable is this : he often preached to the cattle of the field, and birds of the air, to the fishes of the sea, and even to the beasts of the forest, showing to them their obli- gations to God, and calling upon them to praise His holy name. These dumb crea- tures, without human reason, w^ould listen attentively, and testify by their move- ments the joy they felt in his discourse, and after the sermon was over they would praise the Lord, each in his several way." — Chavin de Malan, Life of St. Francis of Assist^ N.B.— St, Aventine, hearing that w: » fishers were roinins to Vinzai, in Tourraine, warned the fishes to be on their guard, A.D. 538. This is strange, as the monks were always fishers. St. Francis was a famous preacher, and nothing is more common than for preachers, who can find a spot suffi- ciewtly retired, to recite audibly their sermon in their walks. This might iiave been the practice of St Francis, ar.d accidental hearers might fancy he was preaching to tlie beasts and birds, instead of conning his sermon. All who have tried it will testify that sheep and oxen, birds and creeping things, are greatly charmed with the human voice, and will often run towards the speaker, and stand Song listening to him, if his voice has any charm. I have myself seen it scores of times. Bi7'ds accompany a monk of Mount Avetmia to the tomb of St. Francis. The following beautiful legend is told by R. H. Busk in Notes and Queries^ Oct. 20, 1883, p. 302, note. St. Francii of Assisi had received the stigmata in a retired and almost inaccessible spot which he had chosen for his meditations. After the death of the saint, the community adopted an annual procession to the spot where he was buried. It wag a mid- night procession, and not unfrequently the way was dark, cold, and stormy ; but spite of dark, cold, and storm the procession went on, chanting solemn prayer and praise. After a time the attendance greatly diminished. The mid- night hour, the darkness, the cold, the storm, told upon the monks, and at last the prbcession dwindled down to one single monk. Alone he stepped out into the midnight darkness. Alone he breasted the cold and storm. No sooner, how- ever, had he left the monastery, than he saw before him a luminous road, and instead of cross-bearer, thurifer, acolytes with torches, and a choir of brown-habited monks, the road was filled with the birds of heaven. All the birds which made their dwellings in the shelv- ing sides of the mountains had come forth to form a procession, and accom- pany the monk in his pious labour of love. On they went with slow and solemn wing. On with plaintive dirge and song. On with chirp as their "Amen." When the monk told his tale in the monas- tery next morning, the brothers were ashamed and mortified ; but ever after, be the night as stormy as it may, be the wind biting and boisterous, be the cold nipping and eager, no matter how in- clement the night, the monks in a body turn out to make their solemn procession tD the grave of their holy founder. "This I bad from the lips of an enthnsiastic son of bu Francis, whom I met when both of us were visit^.s Beasts confiding in Saints. Job ▼. 23. The beasts of the field shall b« at peace with thee. Hos. ii. 18. In that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with th« creeping things of the ground. EzKK. xxxiv. 25. They shall dwell safely In the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. A bear with a wounded paw comes to St. Aventine (a.d. 778-813). One day, when St. Aventine -Tr&a praying in a wood, he heard a bear growling plaintively ; and, raising his eyes, he saw a monstei animal coming slowly down the mountain towards him. He was not the least Pt. II. I iJEASTS CONFIDING IN SAINTS. 869 alarmed, but waited patiently till the bear came up. It was docile as a lamb, and, holding up its fore paw, the saint saw it was swollen and bloody from a great thorn. Taking the wounded paw into his hands, he extracted the thorn, and washed the wound. The grateful bear licked the saint's hands, and showed m every possible way his thankfulness. — Notice Historiqiie sur St, Aventin cTAqui- taine (Toulouse, 1850). In St. Aventine's church is a sculpture of wood of the Hermit dressing the bear's foot. (See Androclus and THB Lion. p. 219 ; Gekasimus and thb Lion, p. 220.) A wild boar, chased by hunters^ takes fefuge under the cloak of St. Basil (a.d. 620), One day, when Attila, count of Champagne, was out hunting, he came to Verzy, where stood the monastery of St. Basil. A wild boar, chased by the dogs, ran for refuge to the saint, who was sitting in the sun outside his cell ; and Basil covered the terrified beast with his cloak. The dogs came up, but were at a standstill, not knowing what to do. Presently the count came to the spot, and recognizing in this incident the finger of God, gave St. Basil a large part of the forest, a part of Bouzy, and the town of Sept-Saulx. — Mgr. Gue'rin, Vies des Saints^ vol. xiii. p. 603. St. Calais protects a buffalo from the royal hunters (a.d. 545). St. Calais retired to Casa Gaiani, in the canton of I^vardin, then a profound solitude. Here a buffalo used to visit him often, and allow the saint to pat it, and pass his fingers between its horns or among the thick hair of its neck. One da)' king Childebert and his court came to Mato- vall to hunt, and hearing that a fine buffalo had been seen in the neighbour- hood, prepared to hunt it. The buffalo ran for protection to the saint's cell, and there found a safe asylum. Soon the hunting party came up, but seeing the buffalo in the cell and the saint in prayer, knew not how to proceed. Says the king in a fury to St. Calais, ** Where do you come from ? And how dare you, without my leave, plant yourself in a royal forest ? It is not for such as you to spoil the sport of a king?" "Most excellent prince," said Calais, suavely, " it was not to spoil your grace's sport that I came hither, but to commune more closely with God, both mine and yours." *" Off with you ! " cried the king, " and take care I do not catch you trespassing again." "Most excellent king, will it please your serenity, ftfter your exertions, to take a draught of some excellent wine which I have made ? " asked Calais. Childebert spurred his horse to run the saint down, but the horse started back, and remained im- movable. One of the courtiers came up, and said to the king, " Sire, the man, doubtless, is a servant of God ; let us not fight against God." Childebert was pacified, and Calais handed him a cup of wine. The king drank heartily, and passed the cup to his courtiers, all of whom drank, but the wine was not diminished. The king them made Calais a present of as much land as he liked j-z build a monastery on, and promised to endow it and become its ^patron. — Di.m Paul Piolin, Histoire de I' Eg Use du Mans, A hunted wild boar seeks safety under St, Deicola (a.d. 625). St. Deico'la lived in a monastery at Lure. One day its peace and quiet was broken by a royal chase. King Clotaire II. was hunting a wild boar, and the poor beast took refuge in the cell of St. Deicola. The saint put his hand on the creature's head, saying, *' As you confide in me, poor beast, I will defend you." The king, hearing that the wild boar was in the hermit's cell, came up to see the prodigy, and when he learned that Deicola was a disciple of Columban, whom he greatly honored, he inquired how he could serve the re- cluse. "It is written," said the Irish- man, "he who fears the Lord shall want no good thing. We are poor, but we serve God." Clotaire gave large lands and endowments to the monastery, which hence became one of the wealthiest in the land. — Montalembert, Monks of the East^ vol. ii. p. 608. A goat, pursued by huntsmen, seeks the protection of St, Fructuosus (a.d. 605). One day, when Fructuosus, bishop of Braga, was wandering in a forest, a goat, pursued by some huntsmen, sought re- fuge under his cloak. The saint took the frightened creature, under his pro- tection, to the monastery, and the goat, ever mindful of this kindness, never left him, but followed him everywhere like a dog, slept with him at night, walked with him by day, and ran to welcorae him home whenever duty had called him away for a time. St. Fructuosus once and again took the goat to the forest, and offered it liberty; but it always returned to the cell. One day^ when the saint was absent from home, some young man killed the goat, and Fructuosus was greatly grieved. Not long afterwards the yotmg man wm 860 BEASTS SUBMISSIVE TO SAINTS. [Pr. II, taken dangerously ill, and the saint, with noble Christian charity, whereby we are instructed to love our enemies, and do good to them that despitefully use us, went to the bedside of the sick man, and healed him. — Fatrologie Latine, vol. Ixxxvii. col. 1087. St, Giles and the hind. St. Giles, seeking a solitary place to live in, wandered towards the mouth of the river Rhone, when a hind made signs to him to abide in the spot where he stood. Here he found a cave, in which he took up his abode, and the hind spontaneously offered herself to be milked by him every day. On one occasion the king of France, in a hunting expedition, came upon this hind, which instantly fled to the cave for succour. St. Giles was at prayer, and when the dogs saw him on his knees, not one of them would enter the eave, for fear of disturbing him. One of the huntsmen, however, discharged his arrow into the cave, and pierced the saint. The king having come up, the party entered the cave, but what was their astonishment to find the hermit on his knees, near the mouth of the cave, with the arrow still sticking in his body. The king offered to send the royal physi- cian to him, and wanted to give him money ; but St. Giles made answer, *' I need no physician but God ; and as for money, give it not to me, but spend it in founding a monastery to the glory of the Lord." This the king did, and appointed St. Giles its first abbot. — Gilbert (bishop of Carnotum), Life of St. Giles, A hunted stag seeks refuge with St, Godrich of Norfolk (a . d. 1 170) . One day a magnificent stag, hunted by the parents of the bishop of Ramulfe, came panting to the cabin of St. Godrich, the hermit of Whitby, seeking refuge. St. Godrich took it into his cell, and the noble animal, looking into his face, pleaded silently, but eloquently, for protection. Presently the huntsmen came up and demanded the stAg, but Godrich replied, *' God has saved it." The huntsmen, recognizing an and upon our fire." This the bear did, and St. Gall gave it a loaf of bread from his pouch. " Now go back to the mountain," said St. Gall, " and be sure to hurt neither man nor beast ; " and the bear did as it was told. — Mgr. Guerin (chamberlain of Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. xii. p. 416 (1880). St. Gentius makes a wolf which had eaten one of his oxen^ assist in ploughing (twelfth Pt. ll.J BEASTS SUBMISSIVE: GENULPH-IGNATIUS. 363 century). A wolf, having eaten one of the oxen employed by St. Gentius in ploughing his land, was made to take the place of the missing ox, and was yoked with the surviving beast to the plough. Ilettce, in Christian art, this saint is repre- ieutcd as ploughing with an ox and a wolf. (See Arey, p. 361.) — Propre d' Avignon. St. Genulph reproves a fox for attempt^ ing to steal a hen (third century). St. Genulph retired to Berri, and took up his residence in a haunted cell ; but he sprinkled it with holy water, and was never troubled by evil spirits. He kept a large yard of poultry, but the wild beasts never touched them, for God had made a covenant with them, so that they were at peace with His holy servant. One day a fox came into his poultry-yard, and was about to carry off a hen, but St. Genulph, aroused by the cackling, went out, and seeing the fox, said, "Reynard, that hen is not thine, and God hath commanded, saying, Thou shalt not steal." No sooner did the fox hear these words, than he dropped the hen and ran off. — BoUandus, Acta Sanctorum, vol. ii. p. 83. Probably the fox would have done the same if the greatest sinner in the neighbourhood had cried, " Halloo 1 " Wildheasts refuse to touch the dead body of St. Gregory of Spoleto (a.d. 303). Flaccus was appointed by Maximian to root out the Christian religion from Spo- leto, and hearing that Gregory refused to worship Jupiter, Minerva, and iEscula- pius, commanded him to be brought to his tribunal. *' Will you sacrifice to the gods of Rome, I ask ? " ** No," said St. Gregory. *' The gods of Rome are only devils." Flaccus, on hearing these words, commanded his minions to bring forth the *' peignes de fer, et frappez-en ses genoux de toutes vos forces." "You serve devils, Flaccus, or you would tremble to pro- voke the wrath of God." *' I serve devils, wretch F " roared Flaccus. " Bring hither the burning lamps, and burn his sides." "When my body," said Gregory, "is one vast wound, then Christ is my Phy- sician, Flaccus, and will heal my wounds." " Tircan," cried Flaccus like a fury, "take this fellow, and fling him into the amphitheatre." " Blessed be the name of the Lord, who will take me this day to paradise ! " said the saint. A voice from heaven answered, " Gregory, a crown awaits you. Your name is written in the Lamb's book of life." While the angel was speaking, Aquilinius struck off tiie martyr's head, and the body was thrown to the wild beasts ; but instead of touch- ing it, they adored it, and at night a Christian woman, named Abondantia, bought it for thirty pieces of silver, and buried it near the stone bridge of the Sanguinaire. — Les Fetits Bollandistes, vol. xiv. p. 438. St. Humbert makes a hear take the place of an ass which it had devoured (a.d. 682). While St. Humbert was on his voyage to Rome, a bear devoured the ass employed to carry the baggage ; whereupon St. Humbert commanded the bear to carry his baggage in the ass's place. In Chris- tian art St. Humbert is sometimes repre- sented attended by a stag and a bear.— Les Fetits Bollandistes, vol. iii. p. 641. The stag is one pursued by hunters, which took refuge in St. Humbert's oratory, and was by him protected from its pursuers. (See Abet, p. 361 ; AVRNTlNfi, p. 358.) Wildheasts respect the hones of the mar- tyred Ignatius (Sept. 20, a.d. 107). St. Ignatius of Antioch suffered martyrdom under the emperor Trajan, who, in the ninth year of his reign, visited Antioch, and made it his first business to look after the religious concerns of that important city. He soon found that the Christians had a strong footing there, and he re- solved to stamp out the dangerous heresy. Ignatius, as the ringleader, was brought before him, and Trajan said to him, *'Who are you, you devil, who dare to set yourself up against my authority?" Ignatius replied, " I am no devil, Trajan, but carry God in my heart." "And do not we also care for the gods? Who else assist us in our battles ? " " The gods you worship, Trajan, are no gods. There is but one God, the Creator, and Jesus Christ is His only Son." " Do you mean Christ the malefactor, put to death by the governor Pilate ? " asked the emperor. "Yes," replied Ignatius. "Though dead Heliveth, and those who believe in Him carry Him in their hearts." " The man is a fool," said Trajan, " to talk of carrying a malefactor put to death in his heart. Take him to the amphitheatre, and cast him to the wild beasts," When taken to the arena he said to the spectators, " Think not, Romans, I am here for any misdeeds. No, I am here only because I love God, and Jesus Christ whom He sent for our salvation." The beasts, being turned out, soon despatched the old man ; but though they ate his flesh, they broke no bone. As the archbishop of Vienne says, " They tore his flesh and fed on it in their ra^e. »b4 BEASTS SUBMISSIVE: JAMES— PANTALEON. [Pt.il but touched not a single bone." — Ado (archbishop of Vienne), Martyrology, St. James of Tarentaise makes a hear obey him (fifth century). While the monks of St. James were felling trees for the construction of a church, a bear killed one of the oxen employed in drawing the timber. The monks fled in terror, and told St. James ; whereupon the man of God, going to the bear, said, " I, James, the servant of Jesus Christ, command thee, thou cruel beast, to bow thy neck to the yoke in place of the ox which thou hast slain." So said, so done. The bear was harnessed, and the work went on as before. (See Humbert, p. 363.) — Gui of Burgundy (afterwards pope Calix- tus II.), Life of&t. Jam£S of the Tarentaise, St. Januarms and his companions un- harmed by wild beasts, Timotheus, gover- nor of Benevento, commanded St. Janua- rius and his companions to be cast into the amphitheatre, and the wild bears to be let out upon them ; but the bears, forgetting their savageness, were gentle as Iambs, and lay down lovingly at the saints' feet. — Edward Kinesman, Lives of the Saints, pp. 742-744. (''The life of St. Januarius as it is gathered out of the catalogue of saints and the Roman bre- viary.") St. Leufredus and the flies (a.d. 738). One daj'^, returning from the law-courts, where he had gone to demand certain lands which pertained by inheritance to his monastery, St. Leufredus stopped at a house on the way to pass the night. The weather was very hot, and the saint found the flies so troublesome that he could get no sleep ; but the moment he bent his head on his hands in prayer, all the flies flew away ; and, the cham- berlain of Leo XIII. adds, "depuis. Ton n'en a pas vu une seule en cette maison." (See Friard, p. 362.)— Mgr. Guerin, Vies des Saints, vol. vii. p. 189 (7th edit. 1880). It looks as if this house was still standing, but Leufredus died about eleven hundred years ago. Certainly this saint had the gift of cursing. He cursed a woman who called him " bald-pate," and she and all her posterity for ever were without hair on the back of the head. He cursed a thief who called him a slanderer, and the thief and all his posterity were without teeth from that day forth. He cursed some fields which some peasants were working in on a Sunday, and the land was ever after quite sterile And now the flies felt the force of his terrible curse, and could nevermore enter the forbidden house. A sea-cow, in submission to St. Maidoct is yoked to a plough (a.d. 632). St. Maidoc, wanting to plough his fields, and having neither ox, horse, nor ass to help him, commanded a sea-cow to come out of the ocean and yoke herself to his plough. This she did in obedience to his com- mand, and his fields were ploughed. After this work was done, the sea-monster carried the saint on her back from Feme to St. David's, in Wales, and back again. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan., p. 31. A wolf, having killed St. Maid's ass, is made to take its place (a.d. 630). St. Malo settled down near Saintes, where he built a monastery, and the neighbours made him a present of an ass, to carry wood and render other services. One day a wolf fell upon the ass and devoured it; whereupon St. Malo said to the wolf, *' Since you hav*» killed my atis, you must serve me instead." The wolf made no objection, and faithfully performed all the oflices of the ass, and served the saint for many years. (See preceding column, St. James.) — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. xiii. p. 416. Dogs keep watch and ward over the dead bodies of Maximus and Olympias (a.d. 251). The emperor Decius, having made himself master of several of the provinces of Persia, determined to stamp out the Christian plague-spot therein. He laid his hands on Maximus and Olympias, men of high birth and great repute, and com- manded them *to be scourged till they re- nounced the new faith. This had no effect on them ; and the emperor next resolved to confiscate all their goods. *^ Where is your wealth kept ? " demanded the tyrant. '* In our hearts, Decius," they replied. *' Search, and you will find there the lore of God." " Know you not, insolents," said the emperor, **that I have but to speak the word, and your lives are at my disposal?" "Do what you like, Decius," said the martyrs — " break us, bruise us, hack us, cut us, roast us, if you choose ; but you shall not shake our faith, or separate us from the love of God our Saviour." Decius ordered them to be beaten with the flagra (see Index), and this was done till the scourgers fainted with fatigue. They were then set on the chevalet (see Index), then laid on iron beds beneath which fires were lighted. All devices bein^ unavailing, Vitellius Anisius broke their heads with a crowbar, and flung their dead bodies into the fields. Here they were exposed for five days without being touched by bird or beast — for dogs kept watch and ward over them — till two noble Christians buried them honourably in their private garden. — Acta Sanctorum Orientalium. St. Pantaleon^ exposed to wild bectst$^ i$ Pr. tr.j BEASTS StJBMlSSlVfi: REGULUS— SANCTES. 365 Hnharmedhy them (a.d. 303), Maximian, greatly enraged against Pantaleon, not '^nly for being a Christian, but mort still for despising his threats, commanded that a number of wild beasts of all sorts should be collected together ; then, showing them to Pantaleon, said to him, " Do you see these savage animals ? I have commanded them to be brought hither. Having pity en your youth, I give you this warning ; out be assured, if you remain obstinate, you shall be thrown into the midst of them, and where is the god who can deliver you ? " Pantaleon made answer, " That God who quenched the fire you kindled upon me, that God who made innocuous the molten lead you poured upon me, that God who delivered me from the sea, will deliver me from the fury of these beasts, and in Him will I put my trust." The martyr was, there- fore, cast to the wild beasts, and all the city went to behold the spectacle. Firm stood the saint, and every line in his face showed resolution. Certainly there was no distrust, no sign of fear. *' Loose the beasts," said the emperor ; and every one expected to see Pantaleon torn to pieces in a moment. But what says the psalmist? "Because thou hast made the Lord thy refuge, no evil shall befall thee ; thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder ; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under thy feet." The beasts came up with a rush, stood stock-still before him, sniffed at him, then lay down peace- fully at his feet. There lay they, nor would one of them stir, till the martyr laid his hands upon them and blessed them. The whole theatre was amazed. "The Lord, He is God! the Lord, He is God ! " rang like thunder through the crowded benches. But the cry pierced the emperor like a sword ; his anger was in- creased tenfold, and it was now a duel of strength between the emperor of Rome and a young doctor of Nicomedia, — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), July 27. St, Regulus makes a covenant with the frogs of Senlis (a.d. 130). St. Regulus, bishop of Aries and Senlis, found the croaking of the frogs greatly interrupted his preaching, and he made a covenant with them, if they would croak only one at a time, he would not drive them out. This covenant is represented in Christian art, and the chapel of St. Regulus at RuUy is decorated with frogs in allusion thereto. (See Thecla, p. 366.)— L'abbe' Corblet, Hagkqraphie du Diocese d" Amiens. Two savage dogSy set on St, Ronan^ tamed by the sign of the cross (sixth century). A woman, named Keban, accused St. Ronan to Grallo, king of Quimper, of being a vampire, and Grallo, horrified at such a monster, said he would soon prove if the charge was true. " I havo two dogs," he said, "extremely savage. Bring the man hither, and if he is guilty, these dogs will tear him to pieces ; if not, God will protect His own." St. Ronan was produced, and the dogs let loose. As they rushed towards him, the saint raised his right hand into the air, made the si^n of the cross, and said to the dogs, " Stop, in the name of the Lord ! " Immediately they stopped, fawned on the saint, and licked his hands. Grallo at once released his prisoner, and declared him to be a servant of the living God; but the woman Keban was de- nounced as a vile calumniator, and was burnt to death in the public market- place. — Dom Lobineau, British Saints. St, Sacerdos delivers Argentat from all birds of prey (a.d. 720). St. Sacerdos, bishop of Limoges, resigned his see, with intent of laying his bones in Calviac, the village of his birth. On reaching Argentat he was taken with his last illness, and one day expressed a wish for some eggs. Only one could be found in all the neighbourhood, because the hawks, kites, and other birds of prey were so numerous it was impossible to keep fowls. When told of this, the ^ dying bishop said he would leave behind a benediction not to be forgotten, and pronounced these words, "Let no bird of prey henceforth touch the poultry of Argentat and its neighbourhood." All the historians of his life add this : " Cet arret a ^te' inviolable jusqu'a ce jour." — Pergot, Life of St, Sacerdos^ Bishop ?f Limoges, In Christian art St. Sacerdos is represented banishing the kites, hawks, and other birds of prey from Ai^tat St, Samson drives off a flock of wild geese which troubled the monks of St, lltufs monastery (a.d. 480-565). The monks of St. Htut's monastery in Brit- tany were much disturbed by the noise of wild geese in the adjoining meadows of Dol. Their cries interfered with the quietude of the place, and spoiled the singing, so Samson purged the meadows of these noisj'' birds, and they never afterwards returned. — Dom Lobineau, Lives of the Saints of Brittany. A wolf^ having killed the ass of St, Sanctes of Urbino, takes its place (a.d. 1390),. St. Sanctes, when he went to the forest 866 BEASTS SUBMISSIVE. SOLANGIA— ULPHA. [Pt.M. to fetch wood, used to take an ass with him to carry it home. One day he forgot to drive it home, and when next morning he went in search of it, he saw the ass lying dead, and a wolf about to devour it. St. Sanctes said to the wolf, "As you have robbed me of my beast of burden, you must take its place." To hear was to obey ; and for many years the wolf served the saint obediently and faithfully. (See Arey, p. SGD—Annales Franciscaines, and also Palmier S€raphique. Wild beasts obedient to St. Solangia (a.d. 880). St. Solangia was a shep- herdess in Villemont. Her biographer says that by the mere act of volition she warded off both birds and beasts which devour or injure the fruits of the earth ; and if any wild beast fell on a sheep or lamb, she had no need of dog or crook, but only to apply to her Divine Spouse to make the creature drop its pre^, or bring it back so gently that no injury was inflicted. — Raynal, History of Berry ^ vol. i. p. 313. St. thecla was not harmed by the wild beasts turned out upon her. St. Thecla, having been first cast into a bonfire without receiving the slightest injury, was next exposed in the amphitheatre to the wild beasts. When the first lioness was let out, instead of tearing her to pieces, it crouched quietly at her feet without attempting to harm her. Other wild beasts, such as lions, bears, and wild bulls, followed the same ex- ample, as if they had made a league to do her no harm. St. Ambrose says, "The people were the savage beasts, and the wild animals, whose nature it was to be fierce, were humane. The people hungered and thirsted for blood, but the half-starved beasts could not be provoked to shed innocent blood." The judge, seeing that the wild beasts had made a covenant with the damsel, ordered her to be taken from the arena, and flung into the city sewer, where were serpents and other reptiles ; but immediately St. Thecla fell into the ditch, fire came down from heaven to consume the reptiles and purify the foul air. So the holy virgin was delivered from this death also, as Bhe had been delivered from the fire and the wild beasts ; and she died many years afterwards, in the odour of sanctity, peace- fully in her own bed. — Ado (archbishop of Viennc), Martyrology. In the pnyers said in the commendaUon of souls, gocurs thki sentence : " O Lord, deliver this soul as Thou iidst deliver St Thecla from the three most cruel tor- logiqt mente." So that there cantMt be a doubt that the narrative given by Ado, and referred to by 8t Ambrose, is accepted as historically true. St. Thecla of Moriana and the sparrowi (sixth century). The oaks round th« hermitage of St. Thecla of Moriana were so thickly crowded with sparrows, that their incessant clack disturbed the medi- tations of the saint ; besides, they would fly round her in flocks, lighting upon her as she knelt in prayer, peeping, wrang- ling, and hopping about, distracting her contemplation. St. Thecla prayed God to deliver her from this annoyance, and forthwith they all left the neighbourhood. *' Et, de fait, aujourd'hui encore, les moineaux ne vont pas k Sainte Thfecle, bien que les environs de s^minaire et toute la valine en fourmillent." (See below, Ulpha.) — L'abb^ Truchet, Hagio- me du Diocese de Maurienne, wo wolves act as dragomans to St, Trivier (sixth centur}'). Theodebert, king of Austrasia, took Radignese and Salsufur, two princes, prisoners ; and their calamity moved St. Trivier to pity them, 80 that he paid their ransom and set them free. St. Trivier then asked them if they wished to return to their own country, and they promised to give him a third of their patrimony if he enabled them to do so. The journey from Burgundy to the banks of the Saone was long and difficult, but the saint procured suitable raiment and food, and the three set out on foot. Having come to a thick forest, they lost their way, and St. Trivier prayed that God would vouchsafe to direct them aright. Whereupon two wolves made their appearance. The travellers were greatly alarmed at first, but soon discovered that the beasts meant them no harm, inasmuch as they wagged their tails, and began to fawn on them. Being reassured by these marks of lovingkindness, the wolves walked on, and the travellers, following, arrived safely at Lyons; then they pursued their journey to Dombes, the home of the two princes. The princes now offered to St. Trivier the promised third of their patrimony ; but the saint would only accept from them a small hermit's cell, and a plot of ground for a garden. In this cell he lived all the rest of his life. — Les Petits Bollandistet (1880), vol. i. p. 410, etc. St. Ulpha silences the frogs of ths Paraclet (eighth century). St. Ulpha lived in a hermitage situate in the midst of a marsh called the Paraclet ; one hot Pt. II.] BEATEN WITH MANY STRIPES. 367 tilght in summer the frogs in this marsh kept such incessant croaking, that Ulpha could not sleep till towards midnight. When Domicus called for her she was 3ound asleep, and he, supposing she had already gone to the cathedral, hastened on, fearing he was late. When he reached the cathedral, he discovered that Ulpha was not there. This day she was absent from the early morning service, and prayed that Christ would impose silence on the frogs. "All the biogra- phies of the saint agree that ever after the frogs were mute, and even to the l)resent day no frog in the whole valley of the Paraclet is ever heard to croak." (See Aldebrand, p. 361.) — L'abbd Cor- blet, Hagiographie du Diocese cT Amiens. St. Vaast makes a savage bear obey him (A.D. 450). While St. Vaast was at Arras, he grieved to see every trace of the Christian religion had entirely vanished from the neighbourhood. The people showed him a ruin beyond the gates which was once a Christian church, but this church was now the haunt of satyrs and wild beasts. While he stood mourning over the ruin and desolation, a savage bear emerged from the thick underwood. St. Vaast conjured the animal, in the name of Jesus Christ, to leave the holy place and to retreat without delay beyond the river Scarpe. The bear obeyed, and was never after seen. On further search, St. Vaast found a broken altar of the Virgin. There built he a new church, and Mary the mother of God vouchsafed to become the patron of the diocese of Arras and Cambrai. — L'abbd Van Drival,. Tr^sor Sacr^ de la Cath€drale d' Arras, %• The more general tradition is that St. Vaast ordered the bear to follow him, and that it became his constant companion and faithful friend. Hence in works of art St. Vaast is represented with a bear following him, lil(e a faithful dog. Tmect pests respect the garden of St. Valery (a.d. 619). St. Colomba was surprised to see the cabbages and other vegetables of St. Valcrj- wholly unin- jured by insect pests which commit such ravages in general, especially in kitchen gardens. He attributed it to the humility, obedience, and devotion of the saint. Valery repudiated this praise, and ascribed it to the merits of his brotherhood. Colomba admired the modesty of St. Valery, but knew that his conjecture was right, and that God had i»ken care of His servant's garden, because that servant had devoted his time to the service of God. — The Saints of Tranche Cbm^e (Besan^on, 1854). St. Wereburga of Chester makes geese submissive (seventh century). St. Were- burga was the daughter of Wulfer, king of Mercia, and took the veil at Ely. She died at Trentham, and was burned at Hambury, but the body, in a.d. 835, was transported to Chester. Her attribute is a flock of geese, in allusion to the follow- ing legend. A flock of wild geese, which had committed great devastation in the neighbourhood, followed her to the perron of her mansion, when she turned round and bade them cease from their devasta- tions and leave the country. This they did, and Chester was freed from further ravages. — Mgr. Gudrin, Vies des Saints. (Alban Butler gives a long life of this saint, in Feb. 3 ; but, as usual, omits the legend.) Beaten "with Many Stripes. Luke xii. 47. That serrant which knew hia lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. Christ, armed with a whip, appears to St. Angela of Brescia (a.d. 1474-1540). When St. Angela was only twenty-two years of age, her heart was bent on establishing free schools for the education of girls, and on raising "I'etendard de la Virginite si lachement abandode' et trahi par Luther." A vision then ap- peared to her of virgins and angels as- cending to heaven by a ladder, like that seen by Jacob. In 1535 (that is, forty-nine years afterwards) Christ appeared to her, while she was in prayer. His face was angry, His manner menacing, and He bore a whip in His hand, " pret k la f rapper." He asked, in manifest displeasure, how it was she had neglected the work He had set her to do for nearly fifty years. She craved pardon, and instantly calling together her companions, set about the work in good earnest. A society was organized, and called at first " Les Com- pagnes d'Angele," its object being the gratuitous instruction of the young. The next question was the selection of a lady superior, and then the ghost of St. Ursula appeared to her, brilliant in glory, but frowning in anger. Ursula commanded Angela to take on herself the duties of lady superior, and not to arrogate to her- self the name of founder by calling the society '* Les Compagnes d'Angele," but give to these companions the name of *^ Ursulines/' So the name was changed, 968 BEAUTY OF HOLTNESS-BEE-MOUTHED. [Pi. IL and great success followed ; but Angela died in 1640, soon after the society was ©rganized. — Life of St. Angela of Brescia (Montpellier, 1804). St. Jerome beaten with many stripes for his love of •' Cicero.'^ St. Jerome, writing to Eustochium, says, "I, a wretched sinner, took pains in reading Tully's w(»rks, and his eloquence was a delight to me ; but the prophets displeased Ine by their low and disordered style. About the middle of Lent, I was taken up and brought to the judgment-seat of God. Jesus Christ asked me of my quality, and I answered boldly, *I am a Christian.' Then said Jesus, * Nay, Jerome, thou •eemest to Me to be a Ciceronian ; for where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.' At these words I was struck dumb, and the judge ordered me to be beaten with many stripes. * Pardon me, O Lord ; pardon me,' I cried, with many sighs and tears ; nevertheless, my scourg- ing went on. Many angels fell on their knees before the throne, imploring mercy, and pleading my youth. So at length Jesus ordered the scourgers to leave off, on my promise of amendment. Let none think this a vision or a dream ! ! The angels know it was no dream. Christ Himself is my witness it was no dream ; yea, my whole body still bears the marks of that terrible flagellation." In his pro- logue to the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, St. Jerome says, "It is now fifteen years since I took any book of secular learning in my hand." And, w-riting to pope Damasus, he reproves ecclesiastics for leaving Holy Writ for fables and other heathenish books. Such a deep impression was made on his memory by that celestial scourging. — Letter beginning '* Audi filiaJ'* Beauty of Holiness. 1 Chron. xvi. 29. The beauty of holiness. Psalm cxlix. 4. The Lord will beautify the meek with salvation. St, Vincent Ferrier beautifies a very plain woman (a.d. 1357-1419). One day in Valentia, as St. Vincent Ferrier was pass- ing down one of the principal streets, he heard a voice, tremulous with an^er, uttering profane imprecations. He im- aiediately entered, and the master of the house, evidently in a towering passion, passed him. He found the lady of the house no less excited than her husband, and still uttering, blasphemies. St. Vincent soothed her passion, and asked the reason of such imprecations. The lady replied, still sobbing, " Father, this is not the first time by many that my husband has used me thus. JEvery day in the week he beats me, pulls my hair out, and abuses me, merely because I am plain. It is not life, my father, but a daily death, a damnation on earth. My home is a hell." " My daughter," said the man of God, " moderate your speech. It is not right to talk thus ; and if, as you say, want of beauty is your only fault, we can soon remedy that." Then, raising his right hand to the woman's face, he added, *• There, my daughter, you are no longer without beauty, but remember there is no beauty like that of holiness. And the Lord will beautify the meek with salvation." This woman was henceforth the belle of Valentia; insomuch that when any one saw a very plain woman, it was customary to say, "She wants the hand of St. Vincent;" and this became a proverb. — Lea Fetits BoUandisteSf vol. iv. p. 239. Bee-mouthed. Cant. Iv. 11. Thy lips drop as honeycomb. Honey and milk are under thy tongue. Prov. xxiv. 13, 14. My wn, eat thou honey, because it is sweet. ... So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul. A flight of bees light on Plato while in h%8 cradle. We are told that a flight of beea one day settled on the lips of Plato, the Greek philosopher, as he was sleeping in his cradle, to signify the eloquent and honeyed words which would drop from his mouth, and the knowledge of wisdom which would be unto his soul. A swarm of bees lighted on Sophocles in his cradle. Sophocles, the Greek tragic poet, was called "The Attic Bee," from the great sweetness of his style. Some- times the story told of Plato is told of him also, viz. that a swarm of bees lighted on his lips while he was sleeping in his cradle, a presage that words like honey would drop from him. A swarm of bees flighted on St. Ambrose in his cradle. One day, while the infant Ambrose was in his cradle, there came upon him a swarm of bees, some of which entered the child's mouth. The nurse wanted to chase them off, but the father forbade her doing so. After a little time the bees took wing, and left the chamber, having done the little sleeper no injury whatever; whereupon the father said, "God shows us by this sign that this infant will be possessed of most admired ^^. II.] eloquence hereafter." — Paulinas (deacon of St. AmbroBe), Life of St. Ambrose (written at the request of St. Augustine). Alban Butler admits this anecdote in his Lives of the SaintSf April 4. A swarm of bees lighted on St. Isidore's mouth in infancy (a.d. 639). Wh.le St. Isidore was in swaddling-clothes, his nurse left him one day sleeping in the garden, when a swarm of bees lighted on him. Some entered his mouth and deposited their honey there. A presage this that his lips would drop eloquence as the honeycomb drops honey. In Christian art bees are his attribute. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), April 4. Bells and Clocks. Eph. il. 1. The prince of the power of the Air. The bishop of Chalons christens a peal of bells. The bishop of Chalons not long ago christened a peal of bells, and said in his sermon, "The bells, placed liku sen- tinels on the towers, watch over us, and turn away from us the temptations of the enemy of our salvation, as well as storms and tempests. They speak and pray for us in our troubles ; they inform heaven of the necessity of earth." If this is any- thing more than "poetic fancy," there is more virtue in the clapper of a bell than in the tongue of the prelate. — Quarterly Review (Church Bells). The bishop of Malta orders the bells to be rung in a tempest. In 1152, the bishop of Malta ordered all the church bells of the island to be rung for an hour, to frighten the powers of the air, and allay a heavy gale. — Quarterly Review (Church Bells). In 1856, while I was living in Paris, I heard some of the church bells ringing during a thunderstorm. On hv^uir- ing of the head ringer tlie cause, he told me it was to exorcise the air, for every one knew that evil spirits were the cause of tempests. The wife of this man, a well- educated woman, was my bonne, and I had a long talk with her on the subject. At tlie death of any one the parish tenor bell first " tells " the parish of the decease by tolling three times three for a man, and three times two for a woman (ciiildren are sometimes ranked with men and women, and sometimes three times one is told for a child). This is to bespeak the prayers of the parish on behalf of the dead. The Lell Is then *' raised," and "told" to frighten away the evil spirits, that the soul may not be obstructed in ita passage to heaven. " Le pontifical Remain declare que le bruit des cloches chasse les demons qui sont dans I'air, et qui font leurs ellorts pour empficher les fidfeles de prier et de chanter les louanges de Dieu. C'est un acte de pi6t^ d'aider k la Bonner." — Memorial de Chronologie, etc. (1829), vol. i. P.1SS. The bells of Avignonet ring spontane- ously a whole day (a.d. 1283). The "Protestants" or "Huguenots" of the thirteenth century in France were ctiUed BELLS AND CLOCKS. Albigenses. They resisted the authority of the popes and the discipline of the Church of Rome. Peter of Castelnau, the papal legate, was sent to extirpate "the heretics " in the dominions of count Ray- mond VI. of Toulouse, and this led to the massacre of between twenty and forty thousand persons. Arnold, abbot of Citeaux, said to his satellites, " Kill all, whether Catholics or heretics, nevermind ; God will know His own." After hundreds of thousands had been slain on both sides, peace was concluded in 1229, but the "heretics" were put under the watchful eyes of the Inquisition. In May, 1242, the bailiff of Raymond VII. organized a band of a hundred men to murder the eleven inquisitors of Avignonet, and the perse- cution burst out afresh, the parish being laid under an interdict. This went on till 1283, when Alexander IV. removed the ban. The moment the pope did so, all the bells of the church of Avignonet set out ringing of their own accord, and continued pealing all night and all day, although they had not been heard to ring for forty years. This ' ' fact " was attested by a declaration of the inhabitants of Avignonet, made in 1293. So certain is it, that mention is made thereof in a bull by Paul III., A.D. 1537, and in an acte notarie, Jan. 29, 1676. — L'abbe Carribre, History of the Martyrs of Avignonet, The bull of Paul III. is carefully preserved in the parish church of Avignonet, and shown to any one who wishes to see it We are also told that the church doors, which had been locked, barred, bolted, and nailed up for forty years, '* s'ouvrirent d'elles mSmes, malgr6 les nombreusea serrures de fer dont elles ^taient armies." The belh of Madrid ring spontaneously when the body of St. Isidore is removed from the churchyard into the church. St. Isidore was only a day labourer, and when he died, he was buried in the church- yard. Forty years afterwards, the body was removed with great pageantry into Madrid cathedral. The moment his grave was opened, all the bells of the city bcgar to ring of their own accord, and went or ringing till the ceremony was over. — Lift of St, Isidore^ by Ribadeneira and by D. A. Villegas, Extravagants. The spontaneous ringing of bells may be accounted for thus : In some convents and churches the monks rang the bells, and in these cases a hut was attached to the tower, into which the bell-ropes were carried, or in soma cases, " une corde attach^e k une autre qui met en mouve- ment la cloche des offices. " Persons hearing the bells, and seeing no ringers in the belfry, thought tlie bells rang spontaneously. It was a conclusion very natural in those who looked on miracles as a natural gift of the Church. Bells of Fano refused to ring^ hut at Fossombrone rang spontaneously (twelfth 2b 870 BELLS, ETC.— BIRDS TELL THE MATTER. [Pt. II. century). St. Aldebrand gave a peal of bells to Fossombrone cathedral, which, after his death, were stolen by the people of Fano, who had made war on those of Fossombrone, and conquered them. St. Aldebrand said, *' I gave these bells for the service of my own people, and not for the use of their enemies," and accord- ingly commanded them to be mute. The people of Fano, stupefied by this miracle, restored the peal to Fossombrone cathe- dral, and immediately they reached the pont du M^taure, near Fossombrone, all the bells began ringing of their own accord. (See below, Stolen Bells, etc.) — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), May i. p. 263. The hells of Lanslevillard ring of their own accord (eleventh century). St. Lan- dry, cur«^ of Lanslevillard, was drowned in the Arc by the men who had undertaken to conduct him to Ecot. Christ Himself took in hand to announce this murder to the people. All of a sudden the church bells began to ring as if for some great Church festival. The population ran to church to see what was going on. No one was in the clock tower, but still the bells kept ringing. The church was crowded to see what would be next, and the great processional cross began of itself to move towards the door. The parish priest instantly followed, and the people fell into line. The cross led the way to the river, but no one carried it or so much as touched it. It stopped over a cavern hollowed in the rock. The priest entered, and the first thing he saw was the body of St. Landry. It was raised on a bier, carried to the church in procession, and buried in the sacristy, where it remained till 1766, when it was removed to the altar. — L'abbd Truchet, Histoire Bagiologique du Diocese de Mau- rienne. Stolen bells refuse to ring. When Charles Martel was mayor of the palace, he went to visit St. Rigobert, archbishop of Reims ; but the primate refused to see him, because he was a usurper. So Charles Martel turned him out of his see, and gave it to Milo. St. Rigobert went to Gascony, and when he came to the church there, the bells refused to ring. The vicar, greatly perplexed, asked Rigo- bert if he could suggest the reason, and the saint replied, *'The reason is not far to seek. These bells were stolen from St. Peter's at Reims." In proof of this assertion, when Rigobert laid his finger on the ropes, the bells sounded readily ; •0 they were regtored, and Rigobert wai also reinstated. (See Bells of Fano.) — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum^ vol. i. Jan. 4. St. Maidoc's hell transported through the air (a.d. 632). While St. Maidoc was in Ferns he wanted his bell which he had left in Wales. However, he called it to come to him, and, obedient to his call, it came without a moment's delay. — Baring- Gould, Lives of the Saints^ Jan. 31. Baring-Gould, with no great consistency, eayt the pro- digies ascribed to SL Maidoc " are quite incredible ; " but wliy siiould one prodigy be more incredible tban another t St, Fursy^s clock transported through the air (a.d. 650). St. Fursy had a clock which an angel brought him from heaven. One day the monks of Lismore, in Ireland, observed a clock floating in the air, and asked St. Cuan, their abbot, what the prodigy meant. St. Cuan replied, " Oh, it is St. Fursy's clock, come from Bury St. Edmund's, in Suffolk. As St. Fursy cannot come himself to Lismore, he has sent his clock to represent him." — L'abb^ Corblet, Hagiography of the Diocese of AmienSy vol. ii. p. 260. TbU clock WM ihown in the abb«y tlU 1468. In the plague of Milan the hells of a Dominican convent ring spontaneously (A.D. 1630). Towards the end of September the plague began to abate. Now, attached to the Dominican convent in Milan was a church dedicated to the Virgin, and on the night of the 22nd, the monks being collected waiting for matins, the bells of the church began suddenly to ring of their own accord, "wholly with- out touch of mortal hand." Some were alarmed, some awe-struck, and presently a voice, far too awful to be human, was heard to say, "Mother, I will take pity upon My people." The Virgin had sought her Son and obtained from Him the remission of the plague. Next morning the oil which fed the lamp before the Virgin's image was found to possess a miraculous healing virtue, and was dis- tributed drop by drop to high and low who crowded the church to receive it. The number of deaths continued to di- minish, and by the close of the year the plague had ceased. — Ripamonte, De Peste Mediolani, Birds telling the Matter. EccLKS. X. 20. A bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. Lord Byron avdU MmuHf <^f thU figur* in th* ft tt vm ing couplet .'—' J thin* I hear a Uttls bird teho $tnffi Th0 poopU bif-and-bif will be the ttronger. Don Juan, riii. 60. Pt. II.] BLOOD-MONET— BLOOD OF CHRIST. 371 A litiU bird announces to the pope the mw der of St. Kenhelm. When St. Ken- helm was murdered by order of his sister Kiventhryth, at the very same hour a white dove flew to the high altar of St. Peter's, Rome, and deposited there a letter containing a full account of the murder. The pope sent to investigate the matter, and a chapel was built over the murdered body, called *' St. Kenhelm's Chapel" even to this day. — Shropshire. Two ravens reveal the murderers of St. Meinrad (a.d. 797-861). St. Meinrad retired to Mount Etzel, where he built a cabin of branches, and lived a hermit's life. He brought up two ravens, and these birds were his constant companions. On Jan. 21, a.d. 861, two villains, named Peter and Richard, determined to murder the recluse, expecting to find hid treasures in his hut. Knocking at the door, St. Meinrad bade them enter, and said to them, "Friends, I know your mission. When you have slain me, place these two candles, one at my head and one at my feet, and make haste to escape." Unmoved by these words, the two villains knocked him on the head, and laid him dead at their feet. They then stripped the body and the hut, and made off to Wollerou, the two ravens following them. A carpenter recognizing the ravens, and struck with their angry looks, followed the two men to Zurich, and sent a com- panion to the hermitage to see if anything was amiss. Soon the murder was dis- covered, and the two ravens were observed flapping their wings, screaming, and pecking at the tavern window where the murderers had seated themselves. The alarm was given ; the men were appre- hended, confessed their crime, and were executed. After which, the two ravens flew back to the forest, and were no more seen. — R. P. Dom Charles Brandes, Life of St. Meinrad. Three doves announce to St. Regulus the deaths of three inartyrs (a.d. 130). St. Regulus was bishop of Aries, and one day, as he was celebrating mass, three doves flew on the altar, having the names of three martyrs, in letters of blood, on their white breasts. St. Regulus read the names ; and when, in the office, he came to the names of St. Peter and St. Paul, he added, "and of the blessed martyrs Denis, Rusticus, and Eleutherius, who have just died at Paris ; " and when the service was over he started for Paris to collect their relics.— L'abb^ Corblet, Hagiographie du Diociie d^ Amiens, A Basque legend about a little bird telling the matter. A king, having been deceived by envious sisters respecting the offspring of his wife, was informed of the real truth by a little bird. The sisters had assured the king that the firstborn of his queen was a cat, the next a dog, and the third a bear ; but the little bird informed him that the first two were lovely daughters, and the third a son. A little green bird tells the king about Chery and Fairstar. Queen Bondina had at one birth two sons and a daughter. On the same day her sister had a son called Chery {Dear-one). The queen- mother ordered Feintisa to strangle the four infants ; but Feintisa, unwilling to go so far as this, set them adrift in a boat. The boat was discovered by a corsair, who took the four babes to his wife to bring up. In time, the four castaways get introduced to the king, and a little green bird tells him the whole truth. — Comtesse d'Aulnoy, Fairy Tales. The last tale in the A rabian MghU Snt»rtainment$ has a similar bird-story. Blood-money. Matt, xxvii. 3-6. When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, he took the money he had received from the priests, and threw it down in the temple. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. St. Francis of Paula refuses to accept the money of Ferdinand /., king of Naples^ because it was the price of his subjects' blood (A.D. 1416-1507). When St. Francis of Paula passed through Naples on his way to France, he was lodged in the royal palace. The king, Ferdinand I., pre- sented to him a bag of gold, to aid, as he said, the treasury of the saint's convents. St. Francis refusea the gift, saying to the king, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of thy subjects' blood." To prove this, he took up one of the gold pieces and broke it in two, whereupon several drops of blood fell from the money. This terrible miracle, "qui est atteste' par les plus anciens ^crivains de sa vie," greatly alarmed the king, who confessed his faults, and wept bitterly. — ^Mgr. Gu^rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.), ^ Vies des Saints, vol. iv. p. 165 (1880). Blood of Christ cleanseth j&roin all Sin. 1 John i. 7. The blood of Jems \/'hrlit cleAUseth from all sin. B72 BODIES OF SAINTS INCORRUPTIBLE. [Pr. II. Rev. i. 1. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood. Longinus the Roman soldier converted by the blood of Jesus (first century). Accord- ing to tradition, the soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with his spear was named Longinus. It is said that some of the blood which spurted from the wound fell on the soldier's face ; and as the blood of Christ cleanseth from sin, it purified the soldier's heart, and opened his eyes to the beauty of holiness. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists). This life is from an Ancient MS. in the Vatican library. Bodies of Saints Incorruptible. Psalm xvI. 1 0. Thou wilt not suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption. Body of St. Bertha incorruptible (seventh century). St. Bertha was cruelly mur- dered by her nephew and cousin, but a hundred years after her death, her coffin being opened, the body was found to be *' aussi beau et aussi entier, et ses plaies aussi fraiches, que le jour de son martyr. II en sortit meme du sang, lorsque celui de St. Gombert [her husbandj en fut approche'."— D. Morlot, Bistoire du Dio- cese de Reims, The body of St. Cuthbert preserved from corruption. St. Cuthbert died, March 20, A.D. 687, in the isle of Fame, but was buried in the monastery of St. Peter, in Lindisfarne, on the right side of the high altar. Bede* saj^s, eleven years afterwards his body was taken up, and instead of being turned to dust, was whole and fresh, the joints all pliable, and even the clothes uninjured. The whole being put into a new coffin was placed above the pavement, over the former grave. William of Malmesburyf writes that 415 years later the body was again examined and found incorrupt. In the Danish invasions the monks carried the body from Lindisfarne to Durham, and the present cathedral was built in 1080. When the shrine of St. Cuthbert was plundered and demolished by order of Henry VIII., the body of the saint was still found entire, as Harps- field testifies, and was not burnt like that of other British saints, but privately buried where the shrine stood. Bt Cuthbert's ring, in which a sapphire is enchased, was given to the bishop of Chalcedon by the viM:ouut BIontaigne4 • Bede, Church Ilistory, blc. iv. ch. 30. t Wflliam of Mahnesbury, Englith Pontifft, bk. It. I Smitk, Floret HUtoria Ewletiatticcd, pi. 190. The copy of St John's Goapd found in his tomb vat given to Mr. Thomas Philip*, canon of Tongres, by tha earl of Lichfield. The body of St. Daniel, merchant, has never seen corruption (died 1411). St, Daniel, the merchant, died in 1411. Centuries afterwards it was exhum«d, and not only found entire, but *' exhaling an agreeable odour." Hundreds saw it, and bore testimony that it showed no indica- tion at all of corruption. It was removed into the church, and an altar was erected over it, where many miracles were per- formed. It was afterwards placed in a noble coffin, where it is still, and we are assured that it is this day as free froiu any taint of corruption as ever. Augus- tine Fortinius says he saw it recently, and can warrant this statement to be correct. — Augustine Fortinius, Histoire de VOrdre des Camaldules. No corruption had passed on St, Fursy in twenty 'five days (seventh century). Twenty-five days after the death ©f St. Fursy, the new church of Pe'ronne was to be consecrated. One Leutsinde, out of curiosity, stole into the church to look at the body of the saint, but was instantly struck blind. Having repented of hit fault, the bishops, at the consecration, prayed that he might be forgiven, and his sight returned. He then looked with reverence on the dead body, and devoutly remarked that God had not suffered Hie holy one to see corruption. — L'abb^ Corblet, Hagiography of the diocese of Amiens, vol. ii., from p. 260. The bodies of St. Gervasius and St. Protasius, three hundred years after their martyrdom, were both sound and fresh, St. Gervasius and St. Protasius were martyred in the reign of Nero, a.d. 64, Some three hundred years afterwards, the ghost of St. Paul appeared to St. Am- brose, archbishop of Milan, and bade him go to a certain spot, and he would there find the bodies of the two martyrs, and a book containing tneir names and history. St. Ambrose says, *' I then called together the bishops of the cities thereabouts, and told them what St. Paul had said to me, and we went to- gether to the place indicated. I was the first," he says, "to ply the mattock and throw up the earth, but the rest helped me, and at length we came on a stone chest (twelve feet underground), in which was found the bodies of the two martyn whole and perfectly sound, as if they had been laid there only that very day. Their limbs were entire, their blood fre^ Pt. II.] BODIES, ETC.: HILARION—ORINGA. 873 and the bodies emitted a sweet odour, vrhich spread through the whole city. At their heads was the book containing an account of their lives and martyrdom." St, Ambrose built a church on the site, which he dedicated to the two saints. — St. Ambrose, Epistle 22 (written to his sister Marcellina). That two bodies and a book were found may be granted ; but had the earth been recently disturbed, and was the character of the book critically investigated ? The body of St. Hilarion saw no corrup- tion in ten months. Hilarion was buried on the day of his death on the top of a hill in Cyprus ; but ten months after- wards his disciple Isichius, who had buried it, disinterred it secretly, and carried it into Syria, where he buried it in the presence of an immense concourse of people. The body was then as fresh as on the day of decease, and so were all the clothes. A very sweet odour also issued from both. St. Jerome tells us, even in his day there was a great dispute about the body of this saint ; the Syrtads insisting that they have it, and the Cypriots as stoutly maintaining that it is with them. Miracles, we are told, proceed from it in both places, which St. Jerome accounts for thus : the body is in one place, and the spirit in the other. —St. Jerome (a.d, 390), Vita St. Hila- rionis EremitoB. The spirit in this case does not mean the soul, which, of course, was In paradise, but the ghost, which for the most part bides below till the resurrection of the body. The explanation of St. Jerome is ingenious, if no ingenuous. The body of St. Isidore, forty years after his death, showed no sign of decay. St. Isidore was a farm labourer who worked for Juan de Vargas, a farmer on the outskirts of Madrid. Being a mere peasant, he was buried, at death, in the churchyard ; but forty years afterwards a matron of Madrid had a revelation from God that the Lord desired the saint to DC honoured according to his transcendent merits; and, therefore, the body was disinterred, and removed into the church. The historian says, *' When the body was taken from the grave, it was found to be as perfect as if it had but just died, although it had been lying in the earth for forty years. Not only no sign of • decay was perceptible, but a sweet and ravishing odour proceeded from it, an odour which all extolled. The moment the grave was opened, all the bells of the cJ-urch began to ring of their own accord, and kept on ringing in perfect time and tune till the body was laid in the modest shrine prepared for it. Furthermore, while the ceremony was going on, all the sick folk of Madrid were healed of their several infirmities." — The Life of St, Isidore, by F. P. Ribadeneira and by D. A. Villegas, in their Extravagants. Belli ringing. This spontaneous ringing of ch'.tteh bells is a favourite prodigy in the lives of the saints. Thus, at the death of St Toretta, the abbot Boudaiit says, "Elle a entendu la voix du Bien-Aim6 qui lui disait : Vien$ du Liban, ma Colombe, nwn Spoicse, ma toute belle; viens, tu serat couronn4e. Elle n'a pu r^sister k une invitation si pressante, et ses liens se sont k I'instant brisks. En ce moment, O prodige ! toutes lee cloches des 6glises environnantes. k Murat, k Villefranche, k Montcenoux, s'6branlent d'elles-mfimes pour annoncec qu'une creature privil^gi^e venait de quitter la terre." \* See p. 369, note, col. 2, where this spontaneoui ringing of bells is accounted for. The body of St. Isidore, exhumed 450 years after his death, was sound and fresh as if he had just died (a.d. 1622). The body of St. Isidore, of Madrid, a day labourer, was exhumed for a second time in 1622, to be placed in a splendid tomb. He had been dead for 450 years, but no mark of decay was perceptible. Not only was the body sound and fresh, but there issued from it a heavenly odour quite ravishing. Many are now alive who were present at the canonization, and will bear willing testimony to the fact here stated. — History of the canoni- zation of St. Isidore, printed and published by letters patent from Philip, king of Castile, etc., by John Heigham of St. Omer (signed by his minister, "De Groote," June 18, a.d. 1625), The tongue of St. John Nepomuck knew no corruption. St. John Nepomuck was martyred by king Wenceslaus in 1383, because he refused to reveal the secrets of the confessional. In 1719 (i.e. 336 years afterwards) the coffin was opened, and the skeleton was quite fleshless, but the tongue, " which God wished specially to honour, for having so faithfully guarded the seal of confession," was as red and fresh and supple as that of a living man. It was placed in a rich reliquary, and is still venerated as a precious relic. In Christian art St. John Nepomuck is represented holding his tongue in his hand. [Qy. Allegory?] — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), May 16. St. Oringa. St. Oringa, a villager of Tuscany, died in 1310, and 204 years afterwards (a.d. 1514), the body being disinterred was found perfect, and wholly exempt from corruption. It was then consumed in a fire which accidentally broke out in the church where she was buried 574 BONDS BIND NOT THE WORD. [Pt. rt — Mgr. Gu^rin, Vies des Saints, vol. ii. p. 676. The body of St. Romuald was fcmnd whole and fresh 440 years after his death, St. Romuald, founder of the Camaldunenses, died A.D. 1027, in the 120th year of his age, and was buried in the monastery of the valley of Castro. Four hundred and forty years afterwards (a.d. 1467), the body was found "whole and entire, without the slightest trace of corruption. The counteuance was pale and venerable, and the body arrayed in a hair shirt, over which was a vrhite robe." It was moved to the church of St. Basil, where it now is. — Ribadeneira (died 1611), Flower of the Lives of the Saints, The body of St. Stephen was not corrupted in four hundred years. More than four hundred years after his death the body of St. Stephen was discovered, with three others ; it had not corrupted in the least, and the *' sweet odour of sanctity '* was quite perceptible when the coffin was opened. — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints ("Invention of St. Stephen"). Charles V, of Spain and Germany saw no corruption in eighty years, Charles V. of Spain and Germany certainly was no saint, and even though he abdicated his throne, and lived a sort of recluse for two years, his time was spent in writing use- less despatches, and eating Estremadura sausages, sardines, omelettes, eel-pies, partridges, fat capon, intermixed with iced beer, flagons of Rhenish, senna and rhubarb, A more unsaintly man it would be hard to find in the respectable classes. His bigotry was unbounded, his self-con- ceit intolerable, his slaughters sickening ; yet in 1654 his coffin being opened, when the body was removed from the Escurial to the Pantheon, the corpse, says sir W. Stirling-Maxwell, in his Cloister Life of Charles F., p. 279, " was quite entire, and even some sprigs of sweet thyme, folded in the winding-sheet, retained all their ▼emal fragrance, after the lapse of four- score winters." — See Notes and Queries, March 3, 1883, p. 161, Stirling-Maxwell and Mignet exhibit Charles V. In h^ cloister life very differently to the picture drawn of him by Sandoval and Strada; but Stirling-Maxwell and Mignet have dared to be true to facte, while Sandoval and Strada have made an ideal recluse, no more like Charles V. than David's picture of Napoleon on his cream-white charger is like the real Napoleon, with his greatcoat and comforter, toiling doggedly over the Alps on a patient mule. The bodies of the eight hundred martyrs of Otranto remain uncorrupted and unviolated (▲.D. 1480). Of aU the tales under this head, none equal the marvels of the eight hundred martyrs of Otranto. We are told that when Mahomet II. took Otranto in 1480, he put to death eight hundred eccle- siastics. Francesco Maria di Asti, arch- bishop of the see, assures us in his Annals that a priest, named Stephen, was slain at the altar, and as his head fell from his body, a portrait of the Virgin, from the pencil of St. Luke, was snatched up to heaven and saved from desecration. Iiie other ecclesiastics were taken without the walls and slain. The first one put to death was Antonio Primaldo, the abbot* His head rolled along the ground, but his body remained upright notwithstanding the many attempts of the Turks to over- throw it. All the eight hundred were now put to the sword, but their dead bodies, though left unburied for thirteen months, showed no signs of corruption, nor were they once violated by birds or beasts of prey. Afterwards they were interred at Naples ; but when Solyman the Magnifi- cent, in 1537, threatened Otranto with assault, the ghosts of these martyrs, with an innumerable company of angels, ap- peared on the walls, and saved the city. Again in 1644 the same ghostly army averted another Turkish assault. Some Christian galley-slaves who rowed the Ottoman galleys avouched their inability to see the ghosts, and were put to death for their short-sightedness. — In Memora- bilibus Hydruntince Eccl, Epitome; Bur- mann, Thesawus Antiq, Hist, Ital, , vol. ix. p. 8. Bonds bind not the Word of God. 2 Tim. ii. 9. I suffer trouble as an evil-doer, even unto bonds ; b:it the Word of God la not bound. St. Savinian was bounds but not the Word of God (a.d. 276). St. Savinian was arrested in Champagne by order of the emperor Aurelian, and was placed under the guard of forty-eight soldiers. His crime was being a Christian, for which offence he suffered as an evil-doer, even unto bonds ; but, as St. Paul said, "the Word of God was not bound," for the whole guard became converted by the preaching of the prisoner, were bap- tized, an'd sealed the confession of faith by their blood. All the forty-eight soldiers were beheaded in the presence of St. Savinian, under the hope of making him recant ; but neither bonds, nor im- prisonment, nor death could separatt him from the love of God his Saviour,— • Pr. II.] BRAYING TO DEATH— BROAD WAT—BURDEN OF SIN. «7i Hollandus, Acta Sanctorum^ vol. ii. Jan. 89, (See also Nicolas des Guerrois, Sain-' ieteChr^tienne de VE^jlise do Troyes.) Braying to Death in a Mortar. pR<3v. xxvii. 22. Though thou shouldest bray A fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. A Turkish custom of braying to death in a mortar. Baron de Tott says, " Fana- ticism has enacted in Turkey that the goods of the ulemats or lawyers shall never be confiscated ; nor shall any ulemat be put to death, except by being pounded in a mortar." The guards of the tower who suffered prince Coreskle to •scape were some of them impaled, but others were pounded to death in great iron mortars used for braying rice. Royal crimirmls, in Siam, brayed to death in a mortar. Mr. Hamilton, in his Scripture Elucidations, speaking of the king of Siam, who, in 1688, made war on Cambodia and Cochin China, says, '* In the land army was a Siamese fruit-seller, who by his daring rose to be commander- in-chief, and soon brought the war to an end. Returning to Siam, he discovered that the king was wholly under the control of the Jesuits, and so he picked a quarrel with him ; and, as the army was devoted to his service, he was soon enabled to seize the king, and put him to death. This he did after the custom observed in Siam towards royal criminals, viz. by putting him in a huge iron mortar, and braj'ing him to pieces with wooden pestles. This was done, that none of the * sacred blood' of the king might fall to the earth, and mix with it, calling for vengeance on the traitor who put the king to death." Broad and Warro-w Way. Matt. vii. 13, 14. Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction . . . strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth luto life. The two knights. Two knights, one wise and one foolish, swore eternal friend- ship, and set off together on their adven- tures. They came in time to the crown of two roads, leading to two large cities. The path of the one which led to the imperial city was narrow, stony, and diffi- cult. It was also well guarded by three men-at-arms, named the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, with all of whom every traveller that ventured that way had to do battle. If overcome, he lost his life; but if victorious, he was crowned with honour by the emperor, and dwelt in a paradise of delight for ever. The other road was broad and smooth, pleasant to the eye, and easy for travellers. The same men- at-arms had this road also under their charge, but instead of harassing travellers and doing battle with them, they be- friended them, directed them on the way, and did what they could to flatter and please them. The way certainly was all that one could wish, but the city was detestable ; it was, in fact, no better than a mass of dungeons of the foulest and worst character. The wise knight was for going to the imperial city; but the foolish knight objected, as the road was so bad. The wise knight, being over- persuaded, went with his companion along the smooth broad road, and both agreed that it was delightful. When they reached the city gates, they were both seized as felons, and taken before the seneschal. The wise knight pleaded that he had greatly wished to go the other road, but was over-persuaded by his companion. The foolish knight pleaded that he could not be blamed for following the steps of the wise, and that if his friend had in- sisted on going the other road he should certainly have given in to him. The seneschal replied, " Both stand self- condemned. The wise man gave up his wisdom to be the companion of a fool, and the foolish man refused to hearken to the words of wisdom. Both have gone in the way of folly, and must receive the reward of their foolishness. Those who sow the wind must reap the whirl wici ; for what a man soweth that also must he reap." — Gesta JRomanorum, Ixvii. (Why is the way of destruction broad, and that of sain- tion narrow t Not because God delighteth in the death of sinners, not even because Grod hath made it so ; but simply because truth is one, and error manifold. There is but one path to life eternal, viz. faith in Jesus Christ, a narrow straight path from earth to heaven— narrow because it admits no widening, no addition. Faith is the one way to rich and poor, learned and unlearned, old and young, male and female, Greek and barbarian, bond and free. But the road of error is very broad, because every walk except the narrow one of faith belongs to it. Every road of sin, every road of error, every road of wrong doc- trine, all the ten thousand ways of straying from God and His righteousness, are but parts and tracts of the wide, welt beaten high>road of destruction ; and if all these tracts are added together, they would make a very wide road indeed.) Burden of Sin. Psalm xxxviii. 4. David weighed dovon with the burden of sin. David says. Mine iniquities are gone over my head. As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. Christ weighed down with the burden of sin, Christ was once offered to bear the ling of [the] many (Eeb, ix. 28) ; bat lo 376 CAIAPHAS'S COUNSEL TO THE SANHEDRIM. [Pt. II. great was the burden, His agony in the garden caused the sweat to pour from Him, *' as it were great drops of blood ; " and He prayed earnestly, " Mj' Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me." But He was to be made a perfect Atonement, and that could be done only by suffering ; and as He hung on the cross, His cup ran over, and He cried aloud, ** My God, My God, why hast Thou for- saken Me ? " So great, so grievous, was the burden of sin laid upon Him. The burden of sin allegorized by a heavy bundle on Christian's back. When Chris- tian fled from the City of Destruction, he was weighted with a heavy burden on nis back, which nearly dragged him under the water of the Slorgh of Despond. This bundle weighed heavily upon him, till he had passed the little Wicket Gate, and reached the rising ground where stood a cross. Then, says Bunyan, " I saw in my dream that just as Christian came up to the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more." — Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Pro- gress, pt. i. (An allegorical dream.) Christopherus weighed down with the burden on his back. Offerus was a ferry- man, a giant in strength and stature, who ferried wayfarers across a deep river. One day a little Child presented Himself, and begged the giant to carry Him across the ford ; so Offerus took the Child on his back, and began to wade through the river, according to his wont ; but every step he took was the more difficult, because the Child seemed to grow heavier and heavier, till at last it was well-nigh more than he could bear. As the giant sank beneath his load, the Child told him He was Christ ; and Offerus replied, henceforth Christ should be his master, and Him only would he serve. He now received a new name, and was called Christ-offerus, shortened into Chris- topher. — James deVoragine, The Golden Legend. This is a similar allegory to that of Bunyan's pilgrim (see above). OfiFerus knew not tiie burden of sin till Christ came to him. He tried to " put on Christ," but then felt be the burden of sin, which grew heavier and heavier till Christ revealed Himself to him. Being then "born ■gain," he had a new name given him, and was called " The bearer of the Christian Cross," Christ-opher {the Christ-bearer). (We are told that the body of Christopherus is at Valen. cia ; one of his arms at Compostella ; one of his jawbones at Astorga ; one of his shoulders at St. Peter's, Rome ; and on* of his teeth at Vetiice. We are not told where any of ib0 relia of Bunyan'i " Ctuiitian " are preserved.) Caiaplias's Counsel to the Sanhedrim. John xviii. 14. Caiaphas was he who gav6 counsel tc the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people (see xU 50). Without, in the remotest way, touching upon the vicarious death of our Redeemer, which cannot possibly have a parallelism, there can be no doubt that history supplies many noble examples of the expediency that Caiaphas talked of. The following are examples ol voluntary self-sacrifice, for what is termed patriotism, and no names in history or fable stand higher in honour, or stir more deeply our love and veneration. They acted out the counsel of Caiaphas, ** It is expedient for w [the nation] that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." Codros the Athenian gives his life to save his country. When the Dorians invaded Attica, an oracle declared that they would be victorious, "if the life of the Attic king was spared." Codros, the Attic king, on being told of this response, went to the Dorian camp in disguise, pro- voked a quarrel with the soldiers, and was slain in the dispute. When the invaders heard thereof, they drew off their forces and returned home, being fully convinced that it was vain to hope for victory. The Athenians lost their king, and would never after elect another ; for '* no one," they declared, "could be worthy to fill the throne of Codros." (See Decius Mus, below.) — Pausanias, History of Greece, i. 19 ; vii. 26. Mettius Curtius gives his life to fill up a chasm in the Roman forum. The earth of the Roman forum from some unknown cause gave way, leaving a vast chasm, which the soothsayers declared could never be filled up till the Romans threw into it their greatest treasure. On hearing this, Mettius Curtius mounted his charger in full armour, declaring that Rome's greatest treasure is a brave patriot ; and so saying he leaped into the chasm, which immediately closed upon him. Of course, the truth of this story in no wise affects the lesson taught by it. The Romans thought with Caiaphas, " It is expedient that one man should die foi the people, and not that the whole nati< n should perish," — Valerius Maximus, Me- morable Acts and Sayings, v. 2. Decius Mus gives his life for his country. In the great Latin war, B.C. 340, each of the consuls had a dream, that the general of one side and the army of the other were devoted to death. Decius Mus, who had the command of the left wing of the Roman army, rushing into the thickest of the fight, devoted himself to death, and thus fell the consul on one side. The other side was to be the amu' Vt. II.] CANDLES AND LAMPS. 377 of the Latinc, which, according to the announci mrnt of the vision, strewed the plain like broken glass. (See Codros, p. 376). — Valerius Maximus, De Factis Die- Usque Memorabilibus. Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans give their lives for their country. When Greece, B.C. 480, was invaded by Xerxes, king Leonidas was sent to Thermopylae with a forlorn hope of five thousand men to make a stand against the Persian host. The Persians, finding it impossible to force the pass, entered Greece by another route. When Leonidas was informed thereof, he sent away all his army except three hundred, who were Spartans. This little band was cut down to a man, but no victory could have commanded more reverence and honour than the self- devoted Leonidas and his three hundred. — ^Valerius Maximus, Memorable Acts and Saying Sy i. 6. Arnold von Winkelried gives his life to save his country. The Austrians, in 1386, wishing to stamp out the spirit of the Swiss and reduce them to bondage, sent a large army under duke Leopold to subdue them. The Austrians consisted of four thousand horse, and a mixed multitude of infantry; the Swiss had only fourteen hundred in all to oppose this force. The Swiss occupied the higher ground ; and Leopold commanded the horsemen to dismount, and join the infantry in climbing the steep to dislodge the foe. On marched they with pikes advanced. It was a solid wall of brass, a chevaux de frise of pointed pikes with no opening. Arnold von Winkelried, ■eized with a noble inspiration, rushing forwards, caught in his arms all the pikes he could grasp, and flinging himself on the ground, bore with him the pikes sheathed in his own body. A gap was made in the iron wall, the Swiss rushed in, a dreadful havoc ensued, the result of which was a complete victory over the assailants. Arnold von Winkelried felt it was "expedient that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish," and thus with patriotic self-devotion did he effect his country's safety. — Brewer, History of Germany, p. 132. Candle and Lamp. (See Con- sumed BUT NOT Diminished, p. 67.) Pbov. xxlv. 20. The candle of the wicked •ball be put out (Job xxi. 17). Pbov. xili. 9. The Utht of the righteous rejoiceth ; but the lamp of the wicked shall h% put out. On the day of Cinedritd's purification, her candle is lighted by a flame from heaven (a.d. 925). Cinedrita (or Cyne- thrith) was the mother of St. Dunstan, and she went to return thanks for the birth of the child on the day of the purification of the Virgin Mary. The ceremony was held in Glastonbury with great pomp and circumstance ; many nobles and a numberless crowd of others carried wax tapers, and the church was a blaze of light. All of a sudden, with- out any known cause, every taper went out, and a minute afterwards a flame from heaven kindled Cinedrita's candle, and from this all the rest were relighted. This was looked on as a sign that the child Dunstan would grow to be a great light in the world of darkness ; and the future history of the saint proved that it was so. — Osbert of Canterbury, Life of St. Dunstan. The candle of St. Genovefa ^Genevieve] put out and rekindled (a.d. 423-512). As the sabbath drew towards Sunday morning, St. Genovefa [or Genevifeve] left home to go as usual to the church of St. Denis with the virgins which were her fellows. The lantern which was carried before them was put out by a sudden puff of wind, and the maidens were alarmed at the pitchy darkness, the more so as there was a great storm. St. Genovefa took the lantern into her hand, and the candle instantly relighted of itself; and the saint holding the lantern on high, it gave a brilliant light to all till they had entered into the church. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum (Vita St. GenovefaB). In allusion to this " miracle," St. Genovefa is repre- sented in Christian art with a devil blowing out her candle, and an angel lighting it again. A storm, accompanied with wind and rain, failed to extinguish lighted candles exposed to their violence (a.d. 994). St. Gerard maintained a large number of refugees from Ireland and Greece, who had come to Toul. One stormy night, after he had retired to rest, he was told that one of these strangers had just died. He immediately assembled the clergy, and had the body carried to the grave. The wind was high and gusty, rain fell m torrents, it was a most stormy night, but the lighted candles, though unde- fended and in the open air, burnt steadily ; neither wind nor rain had any effect on them. (See St. Elmo, p. 305.)— Father Benedict, Life of St, Gerard (1700), 878 CANDLES, ETC. : GUDULA— WILLIAM OF PARIS. [Pt. 11. TIw candle of St, Gudula hl(mn out and relighted (died a.d. 670). One wild night the prince of the power of the air blew out the lantern which a servant girl carried before St. Gudula, leaving them both in utter darkness in the midst of a barren heath. St. Gudula, falling on her knees, prayed God to lighten their darkness, and immediately the candle was rekindled, affording them a light to their feet, and showing them the way that they should go. — Hubert, Life of St. Gudula, (Hu- bert died A.D. 1047.) St. Hermeland rekindles a lamp by making the sign of the cross (a.d. 718). One day St. Hermeland rekindled, by simply making the sign of the cross, a lamp which a gust of wind had blown out; and though the wind continued to blow fitfully with great violence, the lamp continued to bum with a steady flame till the monk who carried it arrived at his place of destination. — Bulteau, History of the Monks of the East^ bk. i. ch. 37. The candle of St. Laum£r thrice blown out by the devil and relighted. One night, as St. Laumer was praying in his cell, the devil, hoping to frighten him by leaving him in the dark, thrice blew out his candle, and thrice was it miraculously relighted. — Gallican Marty rology, Mgr. Gu^rin says, "Toutes les fois que le d^mon, en- nemi de la lumidre, lui 6teignait sa lampe la nuit, elle se rallumait aussit6t.*'— Fie* des Saintt, vol. i. p, 471. It is really amazing that such an ordinary incident as this should be thought wonderful. What so likely as the draught of an ill-built cell to blow out a candle ? — and if the wick is long and incandescent, another puff of wind would relight it. When candles were in common use it was a game of fun with children to blow out a candle, and by a sudden jerk upwards, or a puflf of the breath, to relight it. I have done it many a time. All the candles of John Liquillic ofDinan burst spontaneously into light (April 6, A.D. 1419). Every one of the many historians of St. Vincent Ferrier mention the following incident. John Liquillic of Dinan had in his keeping the candles which had been used at the mass of St. Vincent Ferrier. The 2nd of February being the festival of the purification of the Virgin Mary, he went to his store- room to fetch these candles, but they were all gone. He searched everywhere, but could find no trace of them. He asked all who could have had access to the store-room if they knew what had become of them ; but no one could solve the mystery. What, then, was his astonishment, on April 5, at finding all tiie candles in his store-room, and all Standing upright and burning! He' asked the woman who kept the storea if she ccald explain the mystery ; but the only solution she could offer was this — the candles were those employed at the mass of St. Vincent, and April 6 was the day of his death. — Les Petit* Bollandistes^ vol. iv. April 5. St. Servants fire being wantonly put oui relights itself. In olden times it wag no easy matter to kindle fires ; bo it was usual to keep them burning all night and all day. In St, Servan's cell it was the duty of the boys to rise by turns at night to mind and mend the fire. Kentigern, the favourite of the old saint, was an object of jealousy with the other boys ; and one night, when it was his turn to attend to the fire, he found the boys had mischievously put it out, and scattered the live brands about the floor. Ken- tigem carefully scraped together the ashes, laid the brands above them, and, invoking the Holy Trinity, blew upon the embers, when lo ! they revived, a flame burst forth, and the fire was *' miracu- lously " rekindled. — St. Asaph, Life a; St. Kentigem, (Jocelyn, in 1126, wrote a longer and more detailed memoir.) Thia tale U told by St. Asaph and bishop Jocelyn ot Glasgow as a miracle ; but those who have lived in Paris, as I have done, must be quite familiar with these re- kindlings. It is a daily practice, when the servants rise, to rake together the wood embers and top them with charred wood ; If then the rideau is drawn down, and a little puff of breath is applied, the fire soon revive*. Even in our coal fires, who has not been amazed occasionally at the recovery of a fire apparently quite dead, especially if light cinders are carefully piled in celU above each other T Kentigem was an intelligent lad, and managed his fire skilfully, not trusting wholly to his invocation. St. Severin causes the candles of Christiana to light of themselves (died a.d, 482). One day St. Severin was in a town half- Christian and half-pagan. He told the people to enter the church on a given day, each holding an unlit candle. The saint appeared before the congregation and prayed ; whereupon all the candles of the Christian party burst into flame, but those of the pagans remained unlit. This '* miracle " carried conviction to the hearts of the idolaters, who forthwith abandoned their idols, and served the living God. — Les Fetits Bollandiitca^ vol. 1. p. 218. At the death of St. William of Paris^ God sent a torch from heaven to attest his sanctity (a.d. 1105-1202). God honoured the decease of St. William of Paris by sending from heaven a lighted torch, which came to the tomb of the saint through the roof of the church. — Surius, Lives of the Saints, vol. iii. (The life, w« Pt. II.] CAPTIVES AND PRISONERS SET FREE. 379 are told, was written by a disciple of St. William.) The candle of St. Zita is not extinguished by wind or rain (a.d. 1218-1278). Every Friday St. Zita \\ent to San Angelo in Monte, some four miles off. On the eve of St. Mary Mag-dalene, she wished to burn a candle before her altar. She arrived so late that the doors of the church were locked ; nevertheless she lighted her candle, and fell asleep. The night was very stormy, the wind blew, and the rain fell in torrents ; still St. Zita filept. When she woke next morning her candle was burning steadily ; neither *he wind nor the rain had put it out, and ^ita herself was quite dry. In fact, when the cure came to unlock the doors, iie found Zita in the church, though the doors had certainly not been opened. — Acta Sanctorum (Papebroch the Bollan- dist), April 27. It does not seem qnite clear what Papebroch means by the words "She was not touched by a drop of rain, and her candle burnt still,'' and a line or two afterwards, "The our6 found her In th« church, though the doors had not been opened." If Zita was in the church, how could she be wet with rain, and how could the rain and wind have •ny effect on her candle? A woman with a bloody flux cured by presenting a candle to St. Rigdbert (a.d. 743). St. Rigobert was buried at St. Peter's of Reims, and numerous miracles attested his sanctity. Three lame men were cured ; a blind woman received her sight ; a multitude of impotent folk were restored to health. But one of the most conspicuous of these prodigies was that of a woman with a bloody flux, who simply sent a candle to be burnt before the tomb of the saint, and immediately it was lighted, the flux was staunched. — • Bollandus, Acta SancUirum, vol. i. Jan. 4. Captives and Prisoners set Free. IsA. Ixi. 1. The Lord hath anointed me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. IsA. xlii. 7. I the Lord have called thee . . . to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison- house. The prisoners in the tower of Angers set free by the prayers of St. Aubin (a.d. 470-650). Many prisoners being con- fined in the tower of Angers, St. Aubin, bishop of the city, entreated the magis- trates to set them free. This, of course, they refused to do, and the bishop said, " God is less inexorable than man." He now prayed God to have pity on tiie captives, and continued all night in prayer. In the mean time, a large part of the tower wall fell down, and the prisoners made their escape. They went immediately to St. Aubin to render thanks, and promised him to abandon their evil ways. — Fortunatus (bishop of Poitiers, a contemporary), Life of St. Aubin, Bishop of Angers. St, Evermode, oishop of Hatzburg, releases the captive Prisons (a.d. 1168). Henr}^ count of Ratzburg, had taken some Prisons captive in war, and St. Evermode demanded their freedom, which the count refused. On Easter Sunday the prisoners were brought to church in their chains. The pontiff, taking the stoup in his hand, went to the captives and sprinkled holy water on them, saying, "Dominus solvit compeditos " ( The Lord delivers you from your bonds) ; whereupon their chains were loosed and the captives free. The chaini were preserved for a long time in the treasury of Ratzburg church "in proof of this miracle." — L'abbe Destombes. It is not very clear how a number of chains kept in a church can prove anything more than that there are chains in the church. Registers carefully kept and well authenticated may go to prove that the chains have been in the church for a certain number of years, but tile mere presence of chains can no more prove the miracle referred to, than the existence of the Severn proves the truth of the fable about Locrin's daughter, or the existence of the Humber proves that the king of the Huna was drowned in the river Abus. Chains fall from the prisoners when the body of St. Gregory of Langres passed the prison door. When the body of St. Gregory of Langres was carried to the sepulchre prepared for it, the bearers set down the bier for a little rest before the prison, and immediately the chains of every one of the prisoners fell off, and the prisoners were free. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan., p. 69. At the prayer of Jeanne Marie de Maill/ the prisoners of Tours are set free (a.d. 1332-1414). While the king was at Tours, Jeanne Marie de Maille' solicited him to release the prisoners. He pro- mised to do so, but amidst the gaieties of court life the promise was forgotten. " Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." Having no help from the king, Jeanne Marie addressed the King of kings, and immediately the prison doors flew open, the chains fell to the ground, and the prisoners were free. One of the prisouera went back to his cell to fetch a book, called " Heures de Vierge," but was allowed to go out again without obstruc- tion. When the king heard thereof, ht 380 CARRIED, ETC.— CAST THY BREAD, ETC—CHANGELINGS. [Pt. II. instantly called to mind his promise, and said no measures were to be set on foot to recapture the escaped prisoners. — P^re de Boisgaultier (her confessor), Life of Jeanne Marie de Maill^, St. Julian delivers from prison six male- factors (A.D. 117). Passing by the prison of Artin, where six malefactors were confined, St. Julian heard them cry to him for pity. Forthwith he went to the magistrates, and begged that they might be released; but the magistrates told him they were malefactors, and must abide the sentence of the law, St. Julian then vowed that he would not break bread till they were set free. The same night an angel broke off their chains, opened the prison doors, and bade the prisoners escape for their lives. — D. Piolin, History of the Church of Mans. Chains fall from the prisoners when the body of jSt. Lupus of Chalons passed the prison door (seventh century). St. Lupus, on his death-bed, entreated the governor of Chalons to release the prisoners sentenced to death. This he refused to do ; so St. Lupus ordered that, when his body was carried to the grave, the bearers should rest awhile before the city prison. This they did, and immediately the chains fell from the prisoners, the doors flew open, and all the prisoners made their escape. — Canon Bright, History of the Church (1863). In the lAgendalre tPAvtun the tale is slightly varied. It says, " When the funeral procession came in front of the prison, the bier became so heavy that the bearers were obliged to rest, and while the bier thus rested, the chains fell off," etc. It is added, "This miracle is the origin of the privilege for a long time enjoyed by the bishops ©f Chalons, viz. a jail delivery on Feb. 19, the ' day of 8t. Lupus.*" This privilege was allowed up to the year 1844, and may have been since, for aught I know. Carried and Delivered. Is A. xlv. 4. Even to your old age 1 am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you. I have made, I will carry, and will deliver you. A child carried and delivered by St, Nicholas from captivity. The young son of Cerrone and Euphrosina, two devout persons under the patronage of St. Nicholas, was stolen away by the Agarenes and carried to Babylon. One day, on the feast of St. Nicholas, the child was unusually sad, and the king asked him why his eyes were filled with tears. When the child told him, the king said J'estingly, '* If Nicholas is so mighty, bid lim carry thee away, and deliver thee." The child had the king's cup in his hand at the time ; but before he could set it down, he was carried by the hair of his head from the king*B palace, in Babylon, to the church of St. Nicholas, in Lycia. There were his father and mother, come to keep the feast of the saint, and mourn over their lost son. Great indeed was their joy when they saw him borne through the air, and set down at their feet. This tale is told by all the authon I have mm wh« have written the W0 ttf St. Niehola*. Cast thy Bread on the Waters, EccLKS. xi. 1, 6. Cast thy bread upon the waters. ... In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand : for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they shall be alike good. The travelling pedlar who sold a book to Baxter's father. The visit of a travelling pedlar to the door of Richard Baxter's father led to the purchase of a little book, and that book led to th« conversion of Richard Baxter. This Richard Baxter wrote The Saint's Rest^ which was blessed to the conversion of Philip Doddridge. Doddridge wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul^ which led to the conversion of Wilberforce. Wilberforce wrote Practical Views^ which was the instrument of the conversion both of Dr. Chalmers and of Legh Richmond. Dr. Chalmers by his burning piety, and Legh Richmond by his Dairyman's Daughter^ handed on the good seed, the leaven went on leavening, and who shall tell whether of the two has done the most good, this or that, or whether they have both alike prospered? Truly the bread cast by the street pedlar upon the water was found to spring up and bear fruit after many days. Changelings. Judo. xz. 13. Deliver as the men, the children of Belial, that we may put them to death. Acts xiii. 10. full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil. [It is not evident upon what authority the prevailing noUon of changeHngs is based, but it is quite certain that even to the present hour tiie superstition has not whoUy died out The general belief was, that chUdren were liable to be changed till they were baptised, and hence they were most carefully watched till thai rite had been performed. J Luther believed the absurd superstition of changelings. In his Table Talk, Luther says, *' Eight years ago 1 saw at Dessau a changeling twelve years old. This child did nothing but feed ; it would eat as much as two farm labourers. It cried if any one touched it, and was never happy but when mischief was abroach. Ft. II.] CHARITY REWARDED— CHRIST BEFORE ALU 881 I told the prince of Anhalt if I were in his place I would throw the child into the Moldau ; and I exhorted the villagers to pray God to take away the cursed thing out of the land. They followed my advice, and their prayers were heard, for the creature died within two years." — Colloquia Mensalia, It is almost past credibility tliat a man like Luther should have written such horrible stuff as this ; but we must bear in mind that the l>elief in witches prevailed amongst the wisest men and women long after the Reformati'.n. A changeling thrown into a river. In Saxcny, near Halberstad, was a man who had a killcrop^ which required six women to satisfy it ; so the man resolved to take it to Halberstad "to be rocked by the Virgin." As he was crossing the river, a devil below the water called out, "Killcrop! Killcrop!" and the child, which had never spoken before, answered, "Ho! ho! ho!" "Whither away?" asked the devil. " To the Virgin Mary to be rocked," said the infant. The father, in alarm, then threw the babe into the river, and the two devils [that is, the river devil and the infant] floated down the stream, crying " Ho ! ho ! ho ! " To this Luther adds, " The devil hath the power of changing children, and of laying imps in cradles in the place of human beings ; but such changelings never survive above eighteen or nineteen years." — Luther, Colloquia Mensalia, A changeling boiled to death. The following tale is more revolting still, and is given on the authority of R. G. Hali- burton, 1876, who says he was told it by colonel Tydd of the 76th regiment, then stationed in Ireland. A man and woman named Mahoney were tried for the murder of their child, which they believed to have been a changeling. It was a delicate child ; and the parents felt certain it had been substituted for their own healthy infant. They wanted to compel the real mother to come forward and save her child ; so when it was between four and five years of age they put the poor wee thing into a pot of boiling water, and set the pot on the fire. The little fellow screamed in its agony, " I'm Johnny Mahoney ! I'm Johnny Mahoney ! Indeed, indeed, I am. I am no change- ling." But there was none to hear, none to take pity. And the child was boiled to death. I know not, in all the history of man, a more pitiable story ; but if Luther had been by, his heart would not have relented, for he would have thought it meritorious to kill a child of the devil. O religion, religion ! how many sins are committed in thy name! Verily there is no habitation of cruelty equal to religion "falsely so called." Charity brings its own Re- ward. Matt. x. 42. Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. Matt. xxv. 40. Verily I say unto you, Inas- much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. ToBiT xii. 9. Alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin. St, Isidore's charity to a pilgrim rd- wurded. Isidore of Madrid, the farm labourer, returning from work, found at his door a poor pilgrim, who craved bread of him, which Isidore, with his usual liberality, freely bestowed. At night the pilgrim returned, and, putting on his benefactor a pilgrim's weeds, took him from Madrid to Jerusalem, and showed him all the places of note con- nected with the life and ministry of oul Redeemer. He showed him Bethlehem, the place of birth ; Nazareth, where He was brought up ; Jordan, where He was baptized. He showed him the wilder- ness, where Christ was tempted ; the mount of transfiguration ; the spot where He was scourged; Calvary, where He was crucified ; the tomb in which He was laid ; and the hill from which He rose through the air. Having showed him all, he carried him back to Spain, and left him sleeping peacefully in bed. — John of Madrid (140 years after his death). Life of St, Isidore of Madrid. (See also cardinal Lambertini, De Canonisatione Sanctorum^ vol. iii.) Christ before All. Matt. x. 37. He that loveth father o\ mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. LuKK xiv. 26. If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and lis own life also, he cannot be My disciple. St. Sorus refuses to see his mother (a.d. 600-580). The mother of St. Sorus called at his hermitage to see him, but when told who was at the door he resolved to show the world an example of abnega- tion, and refused to see her. Neither hei tears nor her words of grief moved him, " Why, why is this, my son, my son? " 982 CHRIST'S SORROWS. [Px.n. exclaimed his mother. *' Will no prayers touch thee? Will you not show this small courtesy even to your aged mother, who has come all this way to see you? O my son, my son ! " But the saint spoke not ; he only removed further into his cell, saying, " my God, Thou art my father and my mother." The grief of the aged woman having somewhat abated, she said, *'Ah! my son, your faith has triumphed over your maternal love. Though you refuse to see me on earth, may we meet in heaven." *'L'ange de Dieu eut k ecrire ce jour-lk dans le livre de vie, un sacrifice sublime k cot^ du nom de la mfere et k cot^ du nom du fils.'* — Les Fetits Bollandistes^ vol. ii. p. 192. Christ's Sorrows. Lam. i. 12. Bebold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow. Christ describes to Camille Baptiste Varanihis seven sorrows (a.d. 145^-1627). Camille Baptiste Varani is her own bio- grapher, and writes in the first person singular. Her father, Julius Cesar Varani, built her a monastery, and she entered it with seven other religious women in January, 1484. Here she had many very remarkable revelations, of which the following is an example : — One day Jesus Christ came to her in person, and said to her, "Behold, My daughter, and see if any sorrow is like unto My sorrow," and He then goes on to explain to her the seven sources of His great grief : (1) As the federal Head of the whole family of man, He feels acutely that His grace is not as widespread as original sin ; (2) As Head of the body, the Church, He feels that all who fall away from grace are members cut off from His own body ; (3) He feels by sympathy the great dis- appointment His mother feels at the slow progress of his work ; (4) He feels the repenting anguish of all true penitents ; (5) He feels the sorrow of His disciples irho grieve at the great sufferings He has endured for their redemption ; (6) He feels the sorrow of ingratitude when any reject His free salvation; (7) He feels most acutely that the Jews, God's chosen people and His own fellow-countrymen in the flesh, refuse to be grafted into the true olive, but persist in being castaways. It would occupy several pages to reproduce what Christ is said to have told Varani in illustration of these seven sorrows, but the following illustrations employed may be here repeated. First Sorrow: '* Imagine the pain a felon feels when he is torn limb from limb; such suffering I feel when souls are torn from My hands. Only My pain is as much more acute, as spirit is more sensible than matter." Varani asks if He feels the torments of the damned. No, He replies ; a man feihi pain in losing a leg or arm, but after the limb is off, you may cut it, or burn it, or torment it in any other way without his feeling it. So the Son of man feels paia when a soul is plucked from Him, but when that soul is cast into hell He feelf not its torment, because it is no longer of the body. Second Sorrow : " The falling away of the elect, like Judas, is even a worse grief, as the loss of a beloved child is felt more than the loss of a stranger. Judas was a chosen disciple, in whom was My hope ; and when such a one lifts up his heel against Me, My love. My hope, My sympathies, are crushed. It is touching the apple of Mine eye, wounding the most sensitive part. Those who die and go to purgatory fill Me with suffering, as burn- ing My hand or side would do. They are not cut off from the body, like those in hell, and all they suffer I suffer also." Passing over the next two sorrows, that of sympathy with His mother, and that of the penitence of the repentant, we come to the Fifth Sorrow^ the grief of His disciples at the sorrows He Himself endured in His great passion. He says, " I felt the crown of thorns, the buffeting, the scourging, the crucifixion, as any other would have done; but over and above this, as My disciples are one with Me, their grief was My grief ; and when afterwards Peter was crucified, Paul beheaded, Bartholomew was flayed alive, James cast down from the temple, or an^ other member of My mystical body 18 martyred, their suffering is My suffering, their sorrow My sorrow." Sixth Sorrow : The sorrow of ingratitude may be passed over, so come we to the last or Seventh Sorrow^ the obduracy of the Jews, God's own chosen people, Christ's own countrymen ; this He says is a standing grief. To be rejected by the heathen, by strangers, is bad enough, but to be rejected by one's own people is far worse. A king who has done all that king can do to make his people happy, to be reviled by foreigners is a grief, bi t to be dethroned, insulted, misunderstood by his own subjects, is a far deeper sorrow. — L'abbe' P , Vie Spirituelle de la Bienheureuse Varani (from her own autobiography). Pr. II.] COALS OF FIRE— CONTENTMENT. 883 Coals of Fire (** Overcome evil with good ' ). Rom. xii. 20. If thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink ; for In so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. The baron and the malefactor. A certain malefactor wap sentenced to death by a baron, and heaped curses on his head. The baron reprieved the man, but he ceased not his invectives. Next leet- day, the same man was brought again before ths baron, who asked him if his choler Mas expended ; whereupon he renewbd ais railings with even greater bitterness. The baron, still resolved to win him if possible, again dismissed him without punishment. Before the third leet-day, the baron sent for the man, and asked him if his temper had yet cooled down. But no ; the man was obdurate and sullen with secret rancour. ** God forgive thee, my man, as I do," said the baron ; and so saying, he handed to him his pardon. The man was melted, burst into tears, and even fainted with emotion. On coming to himself, he refused to receive his pardon, unless the baron would take him into his service. This he did, and he proved the very best of servants, so diligent, so loving, so obedient, that the baron at death bequeathed him a large portion of his estate. He had indeed overcome evil with good. This looks like an allegory of God and man. Man, the ■elf 'Willed, wicked servant, nielted into love and obedience by the unremitted goodness of God. Contentment. Phil. iv. 11. I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Matt. vi. 10. Thy will be done. Matt. xxvi. 39. Nevertkeless, not as 1 will, but as Thou wilt. The contented beggar (fourteenth cen- tury). One day when St. Tauler had been preaching in Cologne, as he left the church he encountered a poor man covered with rags, and so full of sores as to be most revolting. One half of his head was a mass of ulcers ; he had lost an arm and one of his legs, and his whole body was covered with blains. Tauler gave him a piece of silver, and as he did so, said to the man, " Good day, friend." *' Thank you, sir," replied the man, "but all my days are good days, sir." Tauler, thinking the man misunderstood him, rejoined, " I wished you good day. I wish you to be happy, friend." "Yes, I hear, sir," replied Uieman, "and thank you, but your wish has been long accom- plished." Tauler, thinking the man either an idiot or deaf, said in a louder voice, " I fear you have not heard me ; I wished you happiness." " Yes, yes, sir, I heard you ; and I repeat, I am always happy, and every day with me is a good day." Tauler, struck by the man*s words and manner, asked the man to explain what he meant. "Sir," said the man, "from early childhood I knew that God is wise and just and good. From early child- hood I have suffered from a disease which has preyed on my whole body. I was always poor. What then ? Nothing hap- pens to man without the will and per- mission of God. The Saviour, who died for me, must know better than I do what is good for me. So, though I suffer, I know I am being made more perfect by suffering. I have taught myself, through grace, to wish nothing but what my God and Saviour sees fit to give me. If He sends me sickness, I receive it with joy ; ay, even as if it were my sister. If He gives me health, I accept it with thanks. If He gives no food to eat, I am content to fast for my sins. If I am without raiment, I remember that Christ, my Saviour, gave up heaven itself, to become a naked infant in a manger. If I am houseless, I call to mind that the Son of man said, * The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air hare nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.' If I suffer on this earth as Lazarus, I remember that Lazarus, at death, was taken into Abraham's bosom. What shall I say more ? I am content with my lot, and feel I have more than I deserve. If I weep with one eye, I laugh with the other, because I wish only what God wishes for me. Hence, sir, I said, each day is to me a good day, and I am always happy." Tauler wept in silence, and declared he had never heard such a sermon as that of the poor beggar. — History of the Illustrious Men of St. Dominic^ vol. ii. pp. 334, etc. All weathers pleased the shepherd of Salisbury plain. A gentleman, travelling on a misty morning over Salisbury plain, asked a shepherd what he thought of th* weather. He replied, "I am sure the weather will please me, sir." Being asked if he meant the mist would lift by'n*-by, and the sun break out, the shepherd made answer, " Well, sir, I give no heed to my own opinion ; but I am sure of this, what pleaseth God will please me." Pythagoras conforms himself to the toUl •84 COVETOUSNESS—CRUCIFY AFRESH—DARKNESS, ETC. [Pr. II. of the gods. When Pythagoras embarked from Sicily to sail to Greece, his friends assembled to embrace him, and bid him farewell. One of them, in taking leave, said to him, "May such things befall you from the gods, Thymaridas, as are most in accordance with your own wishes." "Say rather," replied the sage, "may my wishes conform minutely to such » things as may, by the will of the gods, befall me."— lamblichus, Life of Pytha- goraSy ch. xxviii. Covetousness is Idolatry. CoL. iii. 5. Inordinate affection, evil eonoo- Mscence, and covetousness, w liich is idolatry. CoL. iii. 2. Set your aff» ction on things above, lot on things on tlie earth. Matt. x. 31. He that lovetb father or mother jBore than Me is not worthy of Me. Eph. v. 5. A covetous man is an idolater. Inordinate affection may prevail in a kermiVs cell. A hermit asked God in prayer what recompense he would receive who had forsaken all for Christ. A roice BMud to him, "The same recompense as is due to the poverty of pope Gregory." " Strange," thought the hermit ; " then all my poverty is nothing worth, if it weighs no more in the estimation of God than that of the pope, the greatest and richest poUmtate of all the earth." As he thus reflected, the voice addressed him again, sayivig, " Inordinate affection is idolatry, and not the possession of wealth. You love your cat more than pope Gregory, called the Great, loves all his wealth and all hig honours. You in your poverty have set your heart on a cat, but Gregory in theiiiidst of wealth despises it." — John the deacon. Life of St. Gregory the Great (writteu in the twelfth century, at the commamd of pope John VIII.). Crucify the Son of God afresh. Heb. vi. t. [Those who fall away from grace] crucify to the at the breast should know anything of the [Roman] Catholic fast-days, Wednesday and Friday, is rather too much to expect. The chickens of Compostella may stand beside tliis fasting babe. Marianne wrote her life, but with unusual good taste her confessor burnt the manuscript when she died. One can only regret that Godescard and Mgr. Guerin did not follow the same example. Some may say the same of this recital, but they wUl wholly mistake the difference of the two standpoints. [St."] Nicholas of Myrrha fasted when an infant, St. Nicholas of Myrrha, after- wards bishop and confessor, knew " when to draw nourishment from the breast, and when to abstain." On Wednesdays and Fridays he would never take the breast more than once a day, and on the great fasts he abstained altogether, so that the Spirit was given to him even from his very birth. — John (the deacon), Chronicles of the bishops of Naples (sixteenth cen- tury). See also Methodius, Meta- phrastes, etc. He is also mentioned by St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromates rii. p. 877. [6^.] Simon Stock fasted when an infant (a.d. 1164). Simon Stock was the child of an English baron of Kent in the reign of Henry III. Even from birth he showed signs of his future holy life, for on Saturda5'^s, and all the vigils of the Virgin Mary, he refused the breast, and kept unbroken fasts. — Life of Simon Stock (thirteenth century.) Wednesday is a fast-day in remembrance that Christ was taken prisoner on that day ; Friday as the day of His crucifixion; Saturday as the day of His entombment. Why Simon Stock fasted on Saturday and not on Friday is not explained. (For the twenty ffite-days of the Virgin Mary, see pt iii.) Seventy-two fast-days in a year for an infant may seem all very well to a monk, but to any one who knows about children practically the thing is utterly absurd. Fire a Test. 1 CoR. ill. 12, 13. If any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest : for the day shall declare it. b«caui6 it eball b* T«vealed by fire i and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. St, Dominic tries the doctrines of the Albigenses by fire, St. Dominic bade the Albigenses write down their doctrines and religious opinions in one book, while he wrote in another the true Catholic doctrines. The two books were then thrown into a huge bonfire in the public market-place, which was crowded with spectators. The Albigensian book was consumed in a moment ; but St. Dominic*8 book remained unhurt, and leaped three times out of the fire, having been thrice cast in. Although this *' miracle " brought some to the truth, yet others remained obstinate in their errors. — John Gerzonius (orator of Bologna) ; confirmed by Theo- dore of Apoldia (of the Order of St. Dominic). They were not present, but they wrote the Life of St, Dominic, Presuming the legend to be true, it is a pity that the book was not carefully preserved, that the material thereof might be tested. Every one knows how paper, muslin, etc., can be made fire-proof; and asbestos is fire- proof, thin lamina of which might pass for paper. The " miracle " is worth nothing unless the materials of the books were identical in every respect Ordeals by fire and water, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Here, then, was a test of guilt and innocence : if water and fire did no harm to the accused, God was with him to assert his innocence ; if not, God left him alone to reap the reward of his unrighteousness. In the Middle Ages, this class of vindication was very general, the fire ordeals being reserved for the free and well-to-do, the water ordeals being confined to serfs, slaves, and minions. In the fire ordeals, the accused was required to hold a ball of red-hot iron in one hand, or both hands, for an allotted time ; or he had to walk barefoot and blindfold among nine red-hot plough- shares. If innocent, he received no in- jury ; but if guilty, the iron burnt him. As the priests had the management of the ordeals, and a certain length of time transpired before the accused was put to the test, those who paid well were taught how to escape injury, and the test was more a gauge of fees than of any- thing else. In the water ordeals the accused were required to plunge one or both arms into boiling-hot water ; or, being bound hand 304 FOOL— FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING— FOUNTAIN. [Pt. II. and fo<.t, were cast into running water. If uninjured by the scalding water, or buoyed up on the river, like a cork, God testified to their innocence, by not per- mitting the water to harm them, and vice versa. Oaths in legal transactions. Oaths, still exacted in many legal transactions, are a relic of the same custom. The person now kisses the New Testament; in former times he laid his right hand on some relics, saying, " So help me -God." Of course the idea is, thai God will Interpose to punish the swearer if he speaks falsely, and will protect- him if he speaks the truth. The sooner this rag of the obsolete ordeals is done away with the better, for however such a ceremony may restrain the ignorant. It Is false teaching and mischievous. If there is a shadow of truth in it, then by all means be consistent, and return to the ordeals at once. Thanksgivings Jor victories. Thanks offered to God tor • victory is another relic of the same notion. The rerj fact of a victory is thus supposed to prove the right- eousness of the cause, just as the fact of passing through an ordeal unscathed proved innocence. No one believes that God interposes in ordeals or wagers by battle to defend the right, and no one can possibly believe that all victories have been on the side of right. It was blasphe- mous, after the massacre of the Poles by the Russians, to sing a Te Deum, as if the God of battles could possibly approve such treachery and wanton barbarity. Can any one in his senses believe that the victories of Alexander, Julius Csesar, Bonaparte, those of Montfort over the Albigenses, those of Felipe II. of Spain over the Nether- landers, or those of the Zulus over our own troops, were due to the interference of God ? The notion is preposter- ous in the extreme. Victories are no proofs of a righteous cause. More than half are wholly unjustifiable, and not % few are a disgrace to the history of man. Pool. I Cor. iii. 18. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. St. Isidora of Tabennes was accounted a fool. In a female convent at Tabennes, in Egypt, was a sister that all the rest of the convent treated as a fool, and was employed to wash up dishes, and for other menial works of the humblest kind. She wore a patchwork turban, and her dress was one of rags, patched with sundry bits of cloth. The house contained four hundred inmates, none of which ever saw the scullion eat, or drink, or sit at table. She was ill-treated by every one, but never complained ; and she rarely uttered a word. Not far from this convent lived a holy man, named Pyoterius, to whom an angel appeared, and bade him go to the convent of Tabennes, and look up a sister there whom he would know by her head- gear, a kind of crown. *' That sister," said the angel, " is holier than thou art. Though always in tribulation, both night and day, she is always with God, and never troubled in mind ; while you, though living alone, are troubled with a thousand distractions." Pyoterius went to the convent, and requested to see the Bisters. They were all brought before him ; but the old saint said, ** One is still missing." "My father," said the lady superior, "all are here except a poor scullion, who is a fool." *' Let me see her," said the hermit. Immediately Isidora entered, Pyoterius fell st her feet, and cried, " Bless me, my sister, beloved of the Lord I " The four hundred were amazed, but Pyoterius said to them, " Pray that you may find as much favour in the day of judgment as this despised one. I tell you, the Lord hath said, you think yourselves wise, but let those who think themselves wise become as this fool, that they may be wise." So saying, he left the convent. A few days after this, St. Isidora, unable to endure the altered treatment which she received, left the convent, and was never heard of more. — Rosweide, Vies des Feres, (This is told by St. Basil.) Foolishness of Preaching. 1 Cor. i. 21, 29. It has pleased God by th« foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For God hath chosen the foolish of the world to confound the wise, that no flesh aboald glory in His presence. Fhiletus, the rhetorician^ vanquished by the foolishness of preaching. Philetus, a disciple of Hermogenes the rhetorician, coming to maintain a disputation with St. James the Elder, relied much on his casuistry and sophistry ; but the apostle, with all simplicity and faithfulness, preached to his antagonist Christ and Him crucified. When Philetus returned to his master, he told him, saying, '* I went a sophist, but have returned a Christian."— Spencer, Things Old and New. Fountain becomes a Biver. EsTH. X. 6. A little fountain became a river. EccLESiASTicus xxiv. 31. I Siiid, I will water my best garden, and will water abundantly my garden-bed. And lo ! my brook became a river, and my river became a sea. St. Bertha makes a little fountain a river (seventh century). The town of Avenay was so badly supplied with water, that the monks of the abbey of Val d'Or implored their holy mother St. Bertha to help them by her prayers. While she was at her orison to this end, St. Peter, in the form of a venerable old man, came to her, holding in his hands two golden keys, and told her to buy a little spot of land near the abbey, where was a fountain of water, which she might utilize for the town. St. Bertha bought the piece of land for a livre of silver (£2 present value of money), but had now to Pt. II.] fruitful harvests— frustration, etc.— gifts, etc. 395 cause the water to flow in a perpetual stream to the town of Avenay. To this end, she traced on the earth with a stick from the fountain to the town the course which the water was to take ; the water made a channel along this trace, and never after deviated from it. This river is still called the *' Livre," from the price which St. Bertha paid for the purchase. — L'abbe' Flodoard, History of the Church of Reims. Fruitful Harvests. Pkov. ill. 9, 10. Honour the Lord with thy substance, so shall thy barns be filled with plenty. Deut. xxvlii. 1-8. If thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and do all His commandments . . , blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. . . . 'I'he Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses. Two farmers put the promise of God to the test (thirteenth century). St. Peter of Ravenna, preaching at Como on the text, " Honour the Lord with thy sub- stance, so shall thy barns be filled with plenty," excited the attention of two farmers. One scoffed at the notion, and declared that whether he honoured the Lord or the devil, his harvest would depend on his own farming ; the other commended his labours to God, and vowed to dedicate to Him a tenth of his gains, if He vouchsafed to bless his crops. The days of harvest came ; the fields of the former did not produce "one single ear of corn," while those of his next neigh- bour produced a hundredfold. However, the failure of the former farmer brought about his complete conversion, and ever after he hearkened diligently to the voice of the Lord, and was blessed in his basket and his store. — Ambrose Taegio, Life of St, Peter the Martyr, jTrustation ofWicked Devices. Psalm lii. 1-5. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, mighty man i the goodness of God endureth continually. . . . God shall destroy thee for ever; He bhall take thee away, and root thee out of the land of the living. Psalm 11. 1-4. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing ? . . . He that sltteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. St, Martina sees the devices of Alexander Severus frustrated (a.d. 226). The emperor Alexander Severus commanded St. Martina to be taken to the temple of Apollo to offer incense ; but no sooner did sL^ make the sign of the cross, than the image of Apollo fell to the ground, and was shattered to pieces. Alexander, greatly irritated, commanded his officers to box the maiden's face, and then ordered her to be stripped, and lacerated with iron hooks. Four men were appointed for the work ; but the Lord held them in derision, and sent four angels to turn the instruments of torture from the damsel to her tormentors. The emperor, seeing this, sent eight other officers to take their places. They hoisted their victim in the air for the purpose of tearing her flesh with strong iron needles ; but the tor- mentors were struck to the earth by an invisible power, and were, like Saul, converted to the new faith. Alexander, beside himself with rage, commanded them all to be beheaded, and their names were enrolled amongst the martyrs and confessors of Jesus Christ. — Baronius, Ecclesiastical Annals (1588-93). St. Martina. Next day St. Martina was taken again to the temple of Apollo, and the emperor told her if she refused to offer sacrifice he would hack every inch of her flesh from her bones. Still she persisted, and was then stripped, laid with her face towards the earth, tied hands and feet to four posts, and scourged by seven strong men till they dropped with fatigue. The father of Alexander, named Eumenius, advised his son to send the damsel back to her dungeon and to pour scalding hot oil over her wounds; but immediately she entered her dungeon she found it lighted with light from heaven, and heard angels singing the praises of the Most High. At the same time, all her sufferings were assuaged, and all her wounds were healed. — Surius, and Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum ^ vol. i. Gifts from Heaven and Mira- cles of Convenience. 1 Kings xv. 4. For David's sake did the Lord his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem. Gek. xlili. 23. God hath given you treasure in your sacks. Psalm Ixvlii. 18. Thou hast received gifts for men. EccLES. iii. 13. It is the gift of God. 1 Cob. i. 7. Every man bath his proper gift of God. James 1. 17. Every good gift ind every perfect gift is from above. An angel gives St. Fursy a t'ock (a.d. 650). St. Fursy, having built a monastery in Bury St. Edmund's, wanted a clock for the use of the monks, but could not afford to buy so expensive a luxury. Happily an angel brought him one from heaven { 39© GIVING TO THE POOR— GLASS AND POTTERY. [Pt. II. and this clock remained in the abbey till the year 1468. — L'abbd Corblet, Bagio- graphy of the Diocese of Amiens^ vol. ii. p. 260. Jesus Christ sends St. Jane-Frances Fremyot de Chantal a silver pyx (a.d. 1512-1641). Jane-Frances Fremyot was baroness of Chantal, and founded "The Religious House of the Visitation of St. Mary." At first the convent had only a tin pyx ; but Jane-Frances prayed Christ to exchange it for a silver one, and next day a stranger brought to the house a silver pyx gilt, but left no mes- sage. On one occasion the community was wholly destitute of food as well as money. Whereupon, St. Jane-Frances repeated the Lord's Prayer up to the words " Give us this day our daily bread," and there Btopped. At that moment a knocking was heard at the door, and a stranger delivered in a parcel for Madame de Chantal. On opening it, the parcel was found to contain twenty-four gold e'cus. — L'abbe Bougaud, History of St. Chantal. God gives St. Peter Nolasco a clock for his church (a.d. 1189-1256). St. Peter Nolasco built in Spain the church of St. Mary del Puche. For four Saturdays seven strange lights were seen at night over a certain spot, and looked like seven stars. They were observed to drop from heaven seven times, and disappear in the earth in the same place. St. Peter Nolasco felt certain that this strange phenomenon an- nounced something ; so he commanded men to dig about the spot. They had not gone far into the earth, when they came upon a clock of prodigious size, bearing a beautiful image of the Virgin Mary. Nolasco took it upinhis arms as avaluable gift from heaven, and built an altar on the spot where it was buried. This altar became very celebrated for the number of miracles performed there. — R. P. F. Zumel, Life of St. Peter Nolasco. In Christian art Nolasco is drawn with a clock at his feet, and a beam of light from seven stars resting on the image of the Virgin Mary. We are told that the Virgin Mary hereelf gave him the scapular of the Order of Mercy, and this incident is also seen portrayed in paintings. St. Servasius receives a silver key from St. Peter (a.d. 384). The prince 'of the apostles gave St. Servasius, in proof of his affection, a silver key made by the hand of angels, and this key has worked many miracles. — Father Gilles Buchfere, Qestesdes Evequesde Tongres, etc., ch. iv. B(Hne authors have hinted that this key was given by the pope, and was one of those many keys given to ; their great valae being that they had touched the pop fpilgrlms the chains, or contained some of the filings of the chains, of St. Peter. This conjecture is, however, scouted by most pe )ple, who say there is no proof; and certainly tHe suggestion "ne peut 6tre aussi forte que la tradition dea eglises de Magstricht et de Li^ge. qui porte que cette clef est un present de saint Pierre." This key was found in the cofRn of St. Servasius wlien the body was disinterred in A.D. .732 (nearly 350 years afterwards), and was taken to Rome. St. Gildas miraculously supplied with windows for his oratory (a.d. 494-570). St. Gildas made his home in a rock, partly hollowed out by nature, but en- larged by the hermit himself. When he had hollowed out his oratory, God miracu- lously supplied him with glass windows, and also gave him a spring of water for his daily use. — Les Petits Bollandistes^ (7th edit. 1880), vol. ii. p. 106. Giving to the Poor. (See Lend- ing TO THE Lord.) Matt. xIv. 16. Give ye them to eat. Matt. xix. 21. If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor ; and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Luke xi. 31. Give aims of such things as ye have. 2 CoR. Ix. 7. Give not grudgingly, or of necessity ; for God loveth a cheerful giver. St. Oswald^ king of Northuinberland, fed the poor (a.d. 642). King Oswald, sitting at table, was served on one occasion with regal delicacies in a silver dish. He was just about to begin his repast, when his almoner whispered in his ear that a crowd of mendicants were at the gate clamouring for food. The saintly king bade his steward take the dish provided for himself, and distribute it among the beggars, and, having so done, to break the dish up and give them each a piece. Glass and Pottery Miracles. EzEK. xxxiv. 16. I wUl bind up that which is broken. St. Benedict^ abbot of Mount Cassino, mends a broken jar by prayer (a.d. 480- 643). Cyrilla, the nurse of St. Benedict, first abbot of Mount Cassino, when fleeing with him from Rome, came to Afidum,* about thirty miles from Rome, where the saint performed his first miracle. Cyrilla had borrowed of a villager an earthen jar, and accidentally broke it. Benedict, by the virtue of his prayers, re-joined the broken pieces, and restored the jar so perfectly mended that no eye could detect the slightest crack or flaw in the vessel. In memory of this miracle, the jar was attached to the church door, where it * Alban Butler callt this town Aflim.^ Ft. n.] GOD PROTECTS HIS SAINTS. 397 remained till the irruption of the Lom- bards. — St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues^ bk. ii. ch. 1. (St. Gregory assures us he received the several items of St. Bene- dict's life from four abbots who were his disciples.) St. Donatus miraculously mends a glass chalice (a.d. 365). One day, as St. Donatus was saying mass, a pagan broke to pieces the glass chalice. Donatus had the frag- ments carefully gathered together, and laid on the altar. Then he prayed, and gradually piece came to piece, and frag- ment to fragment, till the chalice was restored whole as at the first. — Edward Kinesman (1523), Lives of the Saints^ p. 590. (He tells us he compiled the life of St. Donatus from Bede and the Roman martyrology.) iSt. Marcellinus miraculously mends a glass goblet (a.d. 374). St. Marcellinus, bishop of Embrun, met with such great success, that all the people of his diocese, except one man of high position, were converted and baptized. The bishop gave a great banquet, at which this man was present, and the bishop expressed to him his great desire to see him follow the example of his countrymen, and avouch himself on the Lord's side. The man replied, *'I have heard speak of your miracles, but have never witnessed one, nor have I seen anything yet to induce me to leave Apollo." Just then the bishop's cupbearer dropped a valuable glass goblet, which broke into a thousand peces. "There," said the man, "mend that goblet, and I will believe." Mar- cellinus groaned in spirit, but conjured God to come to his assistance, and not confirm this doubter in his unbelief. Immediately the pieces of broken glass came together, and the goblet was per- fectly restored. The man, struck with the miracle, confessed before all that he could no longer doubt, and begged to be baptized. That this cup was actually mended is quite certain, inasmuch as Marcellinus used it always to the end of his life. — Mgr. Depery, Hagiogi^aphie de Gap, That Marcellinus used a glass chalice may be readily allowed, but this would be no proof that it was broken aui mended as the legend describes. St. Odilo miraculously mends a glass goblet (a.d. 1049). On one occasion, says Albert bishop of Como, St. Odilo came to the court of the emperor Henry. A goblet of glass, being placed before the emperor, was handed to the saint, and after Odilo bad inspected it, he passed it on to other guests. As it passed from hand to hand, one of the monks let it fall, and it was broken to pieces. St, Odilo was much vexed, and said to his monks, "Lest the innocent suffer for the carelessness of one, let us now all go and crave God's mercy, that He may vouch- safe to repair this mischief." This was done, and then Odilo commanded all the pieces of the goblet to be picked up care- fully, and laid on the altar. The holy man looked at the pieces very earnestly, and the fragments glided gradually into their proper places. When all had come together, the saint took the goblet in hia hand and examined it most minutely, but could find no scar or flaw at all. "My brothers," said he to the monks, "behold the glass." And they returned it to the emperor. Baring-Gould, who mentions this miracle in his Live$ of the Saints (Jan. 1, p. 20), says, "The story comes to u» on good authority." But it would be hard indeed to assign any satisfactory reason for miracles to exonerate acts of mere carelessness, or to save a monarch from the petty annoyance of injury t-o one of his curiosities. For the grandest of all effects miracles will always be a difficulty to many, but wanton miracles are an insult to man's understanding. Several glass vessels roll from the top to the bottom of Mount Jura without receiving the slightest injury (eleventh century). On one occasion St. Odilo \vas crossing the Jura, and a man follov/ed, bearing several glass vessels. The man having tripped let the glasses fall, and they rolled from the top to the bottom of the mountain. They were found at the foot of the Jura next day, wholly uninjured, neither cracked nor' chipped. The his- torian is very precise, and adds, "St. Odilo les trouva le lendemain aussi entiers et aussi beaux que s'ils avaient ete conserve's soigneusement dans une chambre." — Les Fetits Bollandistes^ vol. i. p. 39 (1880). Grod protects His Saints. Psalm xci. 3. Surely He shall deliver tje« from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. Psalm cxxiv. 7. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken, and we are escaped. Matt. x. 30. The very hairs of your head are all numbered. The pyx placed by St. Clara on the nun- nery wall saves it from the Moors, When the army of Frederick, kaiser of Ger- many, was passing through Assisum, some Moors scaled the nunnery wall with intent to rob the house, and dis- honour the nuns. St. Clara placed the 898 GOD WILL PROVIDE. [Pt. II. pyx on the outside wall ; and when the Sioors attempted to scale it, some of them fell headlong to the bottom, BOTE 2 were stricken with blindness, and the rest fled in terrible alarm. Thus by the sacred pyx was the nunnery preserved, and the nuns delivered from the snare of the fowler. — Life of St. Clara (written at the express command of pope Alexander v.). God potects St. John of St. Facond from assassins (a.d. 1430-1479). St. John of St. Facond, in Spain, one day declaimed loudly against the sin of stifling conscience. A Spanish don, thinking St. John referred to him, employed two assassins to murder the saint. They came upon him suddenly, but were panic-struck, and their horses, turning round, galloped with all speed home again. The don heard the story which the cut-throats had to tell, felt convinced it was God's doing, repented, and became both a wiser and a better man. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), vol. ii. June 12, p. 616. St, Martin protected by Ood from assassins. Olympias was hired by the emperor Constans to murder pope Martin while saying mass. The assassin went, accordingly, to do his bidding ; but when about to attack the holy father, he was suddenly struck blind, so that he could not see to do the deed of blood. — The Pontifical, or Lives of the PopeSy kept by the notaries* God will provide. Matt. tI. 25-33. Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink ; nor yet for the body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat, and the body than raiment ? Behold the fowls of the air : they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth tbem. Are ye not much better than they ? Take no thought, saying. What shall we eat ? or, What shall we drink ? or. Wherewithal shall we be clothed ? But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness ; and all these things shall be added unto you. God helps St, Franchy to make bread (seventh century). St. Franchy was employed in making bread for the monastery of St. Martin de la Breton- nifere, but some of the brothers, out of •nvy, wishing to bring him into disgrace, concealed the several articles which he used in bread-making. St. Franchy was not in the least disconcerted, but making the sign of the cross, began to knead notiiing with nothing, and at tiie timtt required produced his batch of bread in perfect condition. — Hagiography oj Nevers, In answer to prayer, William Hunting- ton is supplied with a new pair of breeches. By riding, William Huntington, S.S., tells us his breeches got worn out, but he had no money to buy new ones. " I often make very free in my prayers with my invaluable Master, and laid this want duly before Him. Well, calling on Mr, Croucher, a shoemaker in Shepherd's Market, the same morning, he told me he had a parcel left for me. On opening the parcel, there I found the very things I wanted, with a note, as follows : — ' Sir, I have sent you a pair of breeches, and hope they will fit. I beg your acceptance of them. — I.S.' I tried them on, found the fit perfect, and wrote the following reply : — ' Sir, I thank you for your present. I was going to order a pair, for I did not know my Master had bespokeu them of you. The fit is perfect, but no wonder, as God guided your hand, and He knows my measure exactly. — S.S.' " — The Quarterly Review, vol. xxiv. p. 483, Life of the Rev. W. Huntington. In The Bank of t'nith, written by W. Huntington, we have a large number of similar anecdotes. Tlie gift, in ttiis case, may seem to some below the dignity of prayer ; but our Lord Himself gives sanction to It, when He warns His disciples against anxious care about food, drink, and wearing apparel, reminding them that God knows tbef want such things, and will duly provide them. St, Mayeul, abbot of Cluny, finds a purse of money when reduced to great extrerf^- iies (a.d. 906-994). St. Mayeul gave so largely to the poor, that he did not reserve enough to provide for his own daily wants. He was severely reproved for this imprudence, but quietly an- swered, *'God will provide. Whoever saw the righteous forsaken, or their seed begging bread?" His faith was soon recompensed, for the same day he found near his chamber a purse containing seven silver pieces. He made every inquiry, and advertised throughout the town for the owner, but no one came forward to reclaim it. He then distributed the silver among the poor. Next day there came to his door a cart full of provisions, but no name of the sender could be as- certained. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. v. p. 460. St, Theodosius the Ccenobiarch, though neglected by man, was not forgotten by God (a.d. 423-529). One day a man of great wealth bequeathed alms to a very large amount to the poor, but neglected to state what houses were to have the dispoi^i er. II.] of his bounty, or to what class of poor his alms were to be distributed. The executors sent no part thereof to the monastery presided over by Theodosius the Coenobiarch, and the monks advised him to apply for his share. " No," said the abbot ; " God will provide. He never abandons those who trust in Him." About an hour afterwards, a man stopped before the abbey. He was on horseback, and was laden with provisions for the poor. His intention was to carry these alms to another house, but the horse refused to go any further ; and the rider considered this as a hint from God that he was to bestow his alms on the religious house before him. So he stopped at the abbey, and deposited his alms with Theodosius. This gift was found to be much larger than the share which would have fallen from the " rich man's bequest," had the executors awarded a proportionate share to the monastery under him. God provides food for Theodosius and his monks. One Easter Eve, no food of any kind was left in the monastery presided over by Theodosius the Coenobiarch. The monks complained to him, and he replied, ** Take no thought for your life, what ye ehall eat, or what ye shall drink. Is not life more than meat ? Behold the fowls of the air : they sow not, neither do they reap and gather into bams ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Go, provide for the Holy Communion to-morrow,my brethren, attend to the altar, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and He who feeds the sparrows will provide the rest." While he was still speaking, two mules, laden with provision, arrived at the monastery, and the drivers said others were on the road, and would come up soon. So abundantly had God provided, that there was enough to last till Pente- cost; ay, and though all had their fill for those forty days, many a basketful remained when Pentecost was over. — Roman Martyrology. (Cave tells us the Life of St. Theodosius the Coenobiarch was written by Theodore, bishop of Pera.) Hand sent from Heaven. « EzKK. ii. 9. And when I looked, behold ! a band was sent me. PelopSf lacking a shoulder^ had one sent from heaven. The tale is that Pelops was served up by Tantalos, his father, in a banquet to the {^ods, and Ceres [or HAND SENT FROM HEAVEN. Demeter] ate his shoulder. Jupiter per- ceived that Tantalos had set before him a human being for food, and restored Pelops to life, but the restored body lacked the right shoulder ; so either Jupiter or Ceres gave him an ivory one in its place. This ivory shoulder, like the manus de coelo missa of St. William (see p. 400), had the power of working miracles, for every one who touched it was cured of whatever complaint he suffered from. — Pausanias, History of Greece, bk. v. 1. Pythagoras had a golden thigh given him by the gods. Pythagoras had a golden thigh, and showed it to Abaris the Hyper- borean priest during the celebration of the Olympic games. — Jamblicus, Life of Pythagoras, ch. xix. St. John Damascene had a hand sent him from heaven (a.d. 780). The caliph cut off the right hand of John Damascene, and fastened it to a post in a public market. When in his oratory, John prayed thus to the Virgin Mary : " pure and holy Virgin, mother of God, thou knowest why the caliph has cut off my right hand, and thou canst, if it pleasec thee, restore it to me again. I pray thee ^rant me this grace, that I may employ it, as before, in celebrating the praises of thy Son and thee." During his sleep the Virgin came to him, and said, "Thy prayer is heard, and thy hand restored. Go on composing hymns and writing my praises, according to thy promise." Next morning he found his hand had been restored, and no indication was left of his ever having lost it, except a thin red line round his wrist. When the sultan heard of this, he felt assured that John was an innocent sufferer, and restored him to his honours and office. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), vol. ii. May 6. In Christian art St. Jolin of Damascus is represented prostrate at tiie feet of tlie Virgin, wlio is restoring liis hand. St, Melor had a silver hand and brazen foot (a.d. 411). St. Melor was the son of Melian, duke of Cornwall. His uncle Rainald, having put the duke to death, cut off the right hand and left foot of Melor, to prevent his succession, because maimed princes were disqualified from becoming rulers. The mutilated boy was sent to a Cornish monastery, and was there miraculously supplied with a silver hand and brazen foot. One day, as the monks went out nutting, the abbot was amazed to see prince Melor using his silver hand as freely as if it were made of flesh and blood — clasping the boughsi pluckinir 400 HAND SENT FROM HEAVEN. [Fr.!** off the nuts, and handling them like any other boy. Subsequently, he saw him throw a stone ; and, where the stone fell, there instantly welled up a fountain of pure water. — Baring-Gould, Life of the Saints, Jan., p. 44. (SeeHKUCS, " A right hand sent from heaven," p. 259>) In mediaeval times, no one either maimed or blind was allowed to reign, because such a person would not be qualified to lead an army. Thus, in Moorish history, Witiza blinded Theodofred, heir to the Spanish throne, in order to cut off the succession. Witiza was himself subse- quently blinded by Roderick (son of Theodofred). King John put out the eyes of prince Arthur with the same object. Mediaeval history teems with similar examples. St, William of Oulx receives a hand frmn heaven (twelfth century). St. William was a poor shepherd, born with only one hand. As he was keeping his sheep, an angel one day appeared to him, and bade him go and tell the abbot of Notre Dame de Calme to quit his abbey, and fix his abode at the foot of Bouchet, now called Mont Dauphin. It so hap- pened that the abbot was at the time contemplating the enlargement of his abbey, and paid no heed to the shepherd. The angel appeared a second time to William, and sent him with the same message ; but the abbot was too busy to attend to him.* The angel came a third time, and gave him a miraculous hand {manus de coelo missa), which he was to show the abbot as his credential. William said to the abbot, "You know I had only one hand ; now, behold ! I have two. Art thou now convinced that God hath sent me ? " The abbot could no longer resist, and proceeded at once to build a new monastery at the foot of the rock of Bouchet. Scarcely was the building finished, when the river Durance over- flowed its banks, and swept away Notre Dame de Calme, and ever since the spot presents to the traveller the appearance of a vast plain, arid, stony, and sterile. The monastery was never rebuilt, but a wooden cross marks the spot where it once stood. Afterwards, William "with the angel's arm " was made prior of Oulx. When he died, the monks of Eygliers saw, the day after his funeral, a hand raised above his grave. It was the right hand brought by the angel from heaven. *' lis se contenterent de la recouvrir. Le jour suivant le meme prodige eut lieu; ils recouvrirent la main comme la premi- ere fois. Le troisifeme jour le miracle se reproduisit. Alors, craignant de re'sister k la voix du ciel, ils consultbrent I'arch- eveque d'Embrun, qui leur ordonna de couper la main, de la conserver, et de la iransmettre a leurs successeurs, comme une sainte et precieuse relique." Thii mantis de ccelo missa operated numeroug miracles, especially in the cure of fevers, in the perils of childbirth, and in gan- grenous disorders ; in 1653 the relic put out a fire which threatened to destroy the whole town of Eygliers. It is still carried in grand procession on Easter Monday and Quasimodo Sunday through the parishes of Guillestre, Eygliers, Risoul, Mont Dauphin, St. Clement, and R^otier. *' Une statue fort ancienne qu'on voit dans la chapelle du saint Guillaume repr^sente notre saint avec son seul bras gauche, comme il est peint dans deux tableaux de I'^glise d'E^'gliers, ne laisao point de doute k cet dgard." Mgr. Jean- Ir^n^e Depe'ry, bishop of Gap, in his pastoral visit in 1847, reouested to be shown this mantts de ccelo missa, and describes it in his process-verbal. He says the hand is entire, but it has only one nail, that on the little finger, the other nails *' ont 4t4 enlev^s par des per- sonnes pieuses, et aussi par quelques archeveques d'Embrun." The skin has the discolouration of great age, and has been injured by the dampness of the sacristy in which it is kept. In his ordinance, dated Feb. 2, 1852, the arch- bishop writes, ** Parfaitement renseigne sur I'authenticit^ de la relique, et vou- lant respecter une tradition aussi an- •ique, aprfes avoir lu tons les documents qui nous ont 4t4 diligemment fournis par M. Barth^lemy, cur^ de la paroisse d'Eygliers, aprfes avoir pris I'avis de notre conseil, et celui de plusieurs canonistes, permettons que la main de saint Guillaume, qui existe dans I'eglise d'Eygliers, soit rendue d^sormais a la veneration des fidbles de la paroisse d'Eygliers, et de ceux des paroisses voisines." The archbishop adds, "The hand shall not be exposed on the rock of Mont Dauphin till the chapel is rebuilt, and this is to mark his displeasure at the impiety of not restoring that chapel/' Pope Pius IX., by a brief dated May 10, 1852, accords in perpetuity plenary in- dulgence to all who visit the angelic hand on Easter Monday and the follow- ing eight days. " Cette indulgence est applicable aux ames du purgatoire." — Mgr. ^J. I. Dep^ry (bishop of Gap), Histoire Hagiologique du Diocese de Gap, How the ancient statue and two paii tlngji of St William, with only one hand, can help to establish the fact that an angel brought him another hand from heaven, is by no means self-evident If they prove anything it must surely be this, ttiat he had only one hand and not two. The " piety " of the archbishops of Embruu iu »teal Pr. II.] HAPPY IN SUFFERING. 40i Ing the nails from the band Is at least dubious. And the examinations of Mgr. Dep6ry, seven centuries after the event, would scarcely satisfy an English Jury. Many great names testify to the authenticity of this manua de ccelo missa, but probably there will be many who doubt the fact notwithstanding. Happy in Suffering. (See Angels sent to console, p. 9.) 1 Pet. iii. 14. And if ye suffer for righteous- ness' salce, happy are ye ; and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled. Matt. v. 10-12. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake. . . . Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward in heaven. St. Mennas bore the most cruel tortures with equanimity (Nov. 11, a.d. 301). Men- nas, a Roman soldier, was tortured most grievously for refusing to burn incense to idols, but was neither afraid of the terrors nor troubled by them. He was first laid flat on the ground, and beaten with the fresh sinews of beasts. He was then sub- jected to the *' torture of the cord ; " that is, he was suspended on high by cords. *' These are but light afflictions," said the Christian soldier — '* light indeed to the eternal weight of glory prepared for those who serve God; and the God I serve hath sent His angels to cheer and comfort me." He was then scourged still more severely, and his gashed and bleeding body was rubbed with cloths of harsh horsehair. Still the martyr showed no signs of suffering, insomuch that Pyrrhus, who superintended the punish- ment, greatly marvelled, and said, *' Why, Mennas, how is this? It seems that the body subjected to these tortures is not your own body, but one borrowed for the nonce." "Pyrrhus," replied the martyr, *'I do not even feel your tor- tures ; not because this body is not my own body, but because Christ gives me strength to bear all you choose to inflict, and His strength is sufficient for me." Then said Pyrrhus, " We will soon see how that is. — Bring the torches," he cried to the executioners, "and set them to his sides." This was done for the space of two hours, and still the, martyr winced not. "Dost not feel that, Mennas?" cried Pyrrhus. " No," said the martyr, " I feel it not ; and I now know what the prophet Isaiah meant, when he said, * When thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle on thee.'" "Well, well," cried Pyrrhus, "that is mere vain babbling, Mennas. Either offer sacrifice, or see if the fire I have in store will not bum/ " Never, Pyrrhus, will I sacrifice to devils, come what may. I fear not them that can kill the bodj', but not the soul ; Him I fear that can kill both body and soul in hell." Then Pyrrhus caused caltrops (see Index) to be set thick on the ground, and Mennas to be dragged back- wards and forwards over them. "Try again, Pj'rrhus," said the martyr; "this has not force enough to separate me from the love of God my Saviour." Pyrrhus, having exhausted all his resources and his patience also, roared aloud to the executioners, " Take the magician to Potemia, and off with his head." So he was beheaded, and slept in the Lord.— Metaphrastes, Lives^ etc. St, Ferpetua^ tossed and gored by an infuriated cow^ was unconscious of being hurt, St. Perpetua and her companions were exposed in the amphitheatre to wild beasts; the men to lions, bears, and leopards, the women to infuriated cows. After Perpetua had been tossed and gored, she seemed to be in a celestial trance, and was so insensible of any pain, that she asked when the beasts would be let loose on her, and could hardly be persuaded that this part of her martyrdom was already over. A gladiator then came forward, and cut off the heads of all the victims which still survived. — J. C. Robertson, History of the Christian Church (1875), vol. i. p. 98. St. Theodore rejoiced and was exceeding glad under torture. St. Theodore of Armenia was a soldier in the Roman army during the reign of Diocletian, but, being a Christian, he was appre- hended, and subjected to most cruel tortures. St. Gregory of Nyssa, in his sermon preached on the anniversary of the saint's martyrdom in St. Saviour's church, Venice, where the body was buried, says, " They bound him to a posi, and whipped him ; then rent his flesh with iron hooks, and burnt his sides with torches ; but the more diligent the executioners to increase his torments, the more cheerful seemed the sufferer. You would have thought, had you seen him, he had been in a pleasure-garden, and not under torture. Not a groan, not a sigh, escaped him ; but he sang sweetly unto the Lord, ' I will always bless the name of the Lord ; His praises shall be ever in my mouth.' When the officers took him back to his horrible dungeon, the voices of angels were heard there, and it was filled with celestial fragrance. Next day he was sentenced to be burnt alive, and he stood in the midst of the fire, praising 2d 402 HARM AVERTED: AGATHA, ANTHIMUS. lPt. II. and glorifying God. No mark of pain was to be seen. True, God took his spirit into paradise, but the fire touched not his bodj^, nor so much as scorched a hair of his head. Eusebia, a Christian woman, afterwards wrapped the body in linen and buried it ; and we all know that miracles, almost daily done, show how greatly God doth honour him. By recourse to his intercession, out of this man devils are cast; another is loosed from his infirmities ; here tempests are stilled by him ; orphans find him a father, pilgrims a haven of rest ; the afflicted find in him a comforter, and the needy a present help." (The sermon concludes with a prayer and invocation to the saint.) St. Triphon was happy in sufferincf (Not. 10, A.D. 250). Quilinus, a Roman governor, apprehended Triphon for being a Christian, and subjected him to the following tortures. He was first impaled on the equileus (see Index), and while thus tortured his flesh was torn from the bones by iron hooks ; then burning torches were held to his raw sides, and he was beaten with sticks ; this over, red-hot nails were driven through both his feet. In all this the martyr showed no marks of pain ; his countenance remained cheerful, and his voice was steady and melodious. Respicius the tribune, seeing this, said to himself, "Flesh and blood could not endure such agony, and he who could undergo such torture with cheerfulness must be sustained by a power divine. Triphon must be in favour with his God, and his God must be a God indeed which can sustain after this sort." These reflections brought forth fruit, and Respicius was added to such as believed. When this came to the ears of the governor, he ordered both Triphon and the tribune to be beaten with flagra or leaden plummets (see Index) till they were dead. — Ruinart (a.d. 1689), Acta Primorum Martyrum, Harm warded off. IsA. xliii. 2. When thou passest through the waters, T will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle on thee. Is A. liv. 17. No weapon that is formed Against thee shall prosper. Luke z. 19. Nothing shall by any means hurt you. 1 Pet. ill. 23. Who is he that shall harm you, if yi>u be followers of that which is good ? St, Agatha, being frightfully tortured, was miraculously restored (a.d. 251). St. Agatha was horribly tortured by Quinti- anus, consul of Sicily. She was sus- pended on a chevalet (see Index), had her two breasts cut off, and was torn from head to foot by iron hooks. When con- ducted back to her dungeon an old man {St. Peter"] and a little Child [Christ] visited her ; and, when they left the dungeon, not only were all her wounds healed, but her breasts were restored. The prison cell being filled with an intense light, the jailers in alarm fled, leaving the prison doors open ; but St. Agatha refused to escape, saying, as Christ had healed her wounds. He could take care of her life, if so it pleased Him. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum, vol, i. Feb. 5. TJie tortures to which St. Anthimus was subjected (April 27, a.d. 303). St. Anthi- mus, being brought before the emperor Maximian, told him it was unreasonable to suppose that he would barter for the pleasures of this life those of heaven and eternity. Maximian, supposing that this was mere bravado, ordered his lictors to beat the man's head with stones. St. Anthimus said, "These blows kill not me, but will help to destroy thj' false gods." The tyrant now commanded his myrmidons to pierce the saint's heels with long red-hot awls, and, having thrown him down on caltrops (see Index), to whip him without mercy. Being scourged, his feet were thrust into brazen boots made red hot; but God stood by him to console him in his tortures, and whisper promises of everlasting joy. Instead of succumbing, therefore, the martyr seemed to gain new strength, and his whole face was lighted up with joy. ♦' It is pure folly," he cried, "to suppose I shall be driven to acknowledge your false gods by torture. Fear not those who can kill and torture the body, but Him who can cast both body and soul into hell." These words only exasperated Maximian the more, and .he bade his officers bind the insolent on a wheel, and, while it turned slowly round, to bum with lighted torches each part of the body in succession. This was done; but when the execu- tioners expected to reduce the body to a cinder, they were felled to the earth by an invisible hand ; their torches went out, their wheel broke, and they themselvei were paralyzed in every limb*. Maximian scoffed at his myrmidons, threatened them, and declared they were trifling with Pt. II.] HARM AVERTED: AUD ALDUS— CHRIS ANTUS. 403 him ; but the men replied, " We lack not courage, O great Caesar, to obey your orders, but there are three persons full of majesty, and of dazzling light, stand- ing over Anthimus to protect him, so that all our efforts to injure him are in vain ; our blows touch him not, our torches scorch him not, our boots of brass and burning awls are powerless to harm him." "Load him with chains, and off with him to prison," roared the tyrant ; *'we ;vill soon see if Jupiter is to be defied by a man like this." As the officers attempted to bind him, the chains crumbled to powder, and fell like dust to the ground. The officers, terribly frightened, fell to the earth ; but St. Anthimus went of his own accord to the prison. His fellow-prisoners were so delighted to see him, that they were all converted and baptized. Maximian, unable to endure this contest any longer, sent executioners to behead his victim. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists, from a Greek MS.). St. Audaldus preserved from harm under most revolting cruelty (a.d. 460). The whip employed by the Goths was a kind of knouty consisting of a long straight leather handle strengthened with metal wire, so as to make it both stiff and heavy. The lash was made of slips of leather braided with iron wire, and terminating in a little iron hook. The victim was bound to what was called the kobila, i.e, two boards one above the other; the head being bound to the higher board, the feet to the lower one, and the hands made to embrace the kobila by bonds. The bare back of the victim is thus hollowed, and in this state the public scourger administered 101 lashes, unless the sufferer died before the number was completed. Audaldus went to preach the gospel to the army of Attila, and being seized by the Hun's brother Wuillielm, was ordered to be scourged or knouted. The lash cut through his flesh like a knife, and being swept across the back horizontally, made long furrows by means of the iron hook, detaching huge gobbets of flesh at each blow. Wuillielm himself was present, and thinking his victim dead, gave orders to cease the scourging. Being unbound from the kobila^ the martyr was left for the nonce as a dead body, to be buried at some convenient leisure ; but he had onl''- fainted, and being miraculously heaied, went and preached to the Ostro- goths. He was now seized by Yalamir, who ordered him to be knouted again, and blamed Wuillielm for not having given the pestilent fellow the full number of blows. Valamir made a public exhibi- tion of his victim, and said, if he survived the scourging, he should drink to the health of the gods in a cup of liquid lead. The day of the " spectacle " arrived. St. Audaldus was bound to the kobila, and received the 101 lashes ; but life not being extinct, he was unbound, set on his feet, and handed the cup of molten lead to drink. He took the cup, mad« the sign of the cross, and (our author says) **ravala (i.e, the lead) comme une confortable liqueur." There was a sort of rough justice in these Goths. Audaldus had received the awarded punishment, and was set free. The Goths scorned to follow the Roman fashion of cutting off the head of their victim who happened to survive. Being released, the suffeier was warned to leave the place, and never again attempt to corrupt the soldiers of Attila, lest a worse thing should befall him. — L'abbd Authier, Etudes Historiques et Religieuses sur le Fays de la Haute Vallee de rAriege (1870). St. Peter Balsam, being tortured, felt no pain (a.d. 311). Peter Balsam, being brought before the emperor Severus, was commanded to sacrifice to the Roman gods, and as he refused to do so, he was gibbeted on the chevalet (see Index) ; and while he was thus racked, he was torn with iron combs. As his blood flowed in great profusion, the spectators im- plored him to offer sacrifice to put an end to such horrible torture. '*How torture ? " cried the martyr. " I protest that I feel none. I am persuaded that nothing which can be done unto me can in any wise harm me ; for has not the prince of the apostles said, 'Who is he that shall harm you, if you be followers of that which is good ? ' " The martyr was then taken down from the chevalet, ana crucified. — Dom Ruinart, Life of St. Peter Balsam. St, Chrisantus found that no instrument of torture hurt fiim. St. Chrisantus was cast into a stinking dungeon, but im- mediately he entered it, the foul stench was converted into a delicious perfume. He was bound with gyves and fetters, but the chains crumbled into dust when they touched him. He was then packed in a fresh bull's hide, and laid in the hot Bun ; but the hide, instead of shrinking, and squeezing him to death, proved only a pleasant garment from the heat. Then 404 HARM AVERTED: EUGENIA, FELIX. [Pr.n. was he bound with heavier chains, but they also fell into powder. The dungeon in which they thrust him had no window, and was usually pitch dark, but while St. Chrisantus was there, it was beauti- fully illuminated with celestial light. The officers now bound him to a whipping- post, but the iron bullets with which the whip was laden became perfectly soft, and instead of breaking through tlie skin, relieved the force of the lashes. He was next put upon the armentarinm (see Index), a cruel instrument of torture ; but the cords which bound him fell from him like tow ; the post snapped asunder ; and the torches which were to bum his Bides went out. The tribune Claudius and all the officers of the prison, amazed at these miracles, came to the saint, and kneeling at his feet, prayed to be baptized. So the saint embraced them ; and that day were added to the Church the tribune Claudius, his wife Hilaria, their two sons laso and Maurus, all the house- hold slaves, the whole band of soldiers, and all the prison officials. (See Acts xvi. 26-34.) — Verinus and Armenius (priests of St. Stephen, pope and martyr), Life of St, Chrisantus, Metaphrastes enlarged this life. See also the Roman martyrology, Usuandus, and Surius, vol. V. St, Eugenia unharmed by fire ^ water ^ and other tortures {a.-d, 183-260). St. Eugenia was the daughter of Philippus and Claudia. Her father, as au^ustral pre- fect of Egypt, when Eugenia was ten years old, took up his abode in Alex- andria ; but ten years later suffered a martyr's death, after which Eugenia and her mother returned to Rome. During the reign of Decius, Nicetius the prefect arrested Eugenia for being a Christian, and his sentence was, that she should be taken to the temple of Diana, and if she refused to sacrifice to the goddess, to be put to death by tortures. She was, accordingly, dragged to the isle of Lycaonia, when the lictorsaid, "Sacrifice, Eugenia, and live." "My God," cried Eugenia, "Thou knowest the secrets of the heart, and hast promised to be a present help to those who call upon Thee. Now glorify Thy name, and cover with confusion those who serve idols and put their trust in graven images." As she thus spoke, the isle trembled as with an earthquake, the temple was shaken to the f round and the image of Diana was roken to pieces. The immense crowd fras divided in their opinion ; some de- clared Eugenia was innocent, but otherg that she was a magician. The emperor, being told of what had happened, gave orders for the witch to be thrown into the Tiber, with a large stone round her neck. Now was God's opportunity. The stone loosed from the martyr's neck, and Eugenia seated herself on the surface of the river, as if upborne by the hands of angels. As the water had spared the victim, the emperor ordered her to be cast into a fiery furnace. She was, accordingly, taken to the Porta Capena, where were the Therm es of Severus, and was cast into the hypocaust ; but the fire instantly went out and lost its heat. It was in vain that the attendants tried to light it again ; the wood piled on the hypocaust smoked, but would not burn. The martyr was now thrust into a dark dungeon, and was to be allowed neither drink nor food ; but God lightened the dungeon, and Christ Himself came to His servant, holding bread in His hand of dazzling whiteness. " I am thy Saviour," said He, " and will receive you this day into paradise." It was Christmas mom ing, and at daybreak the executioner entered the dungeon, and cut off her head. — L'abb^ Toursel (canon of Arras), History of St, Eugenia, St. Felix, St, Fortunatus, and St. Achilleus miraculously protected under torture (a.d. 212). Comelius treated the saints Felix, Fortunatus, and Achilleus "with diabolical cruelty. They were first scourged with ox sinews, and when the scourging was over, the brute said to them, " There, where were your gods, that they could look on and not succour you ? The Christ of which you prate so bravely, you see, could not rescue you." " If you were not bat-blind," said St. Felix, " you would see with your own eyes that all your scourging has not left a mark upon us." "Off with the traitors to the dungeon ! " roared Cornelius ; " we will soon see who is to be master, Comeliaa or Christ." At night an angel came, delivered them from prison, and com- manded them to go into the temples and break with hammers the amber statue of Jupiter, with the idols of Mercury and Saturn. The rage of Cornelius was now unbounded, and he ordered them to be bound with their hands behind their backs, their legs and ribs to be broken, and then, being fastened to a wheel, to be enveloped in stinking smoke ; after that they were to be impaled on the equileus (see Index) for a day and night. Seeing all hii Pt. II.] HARM AVERTED: JULIAN, MACRA. 405 cruelty unavailing, in a spirit of despera- tion Cornelius ordered the lictors to cut off their heads.— L'abbe' Nadal, Histoire Haqiologique du Diocese de Valence, The marvellous " history " of St. Julian under torture (Jan. 9, a.d. 313). Marcian f^as sent by Maximinus II., emperor of Rome, to extirpate the Christian religion in Antioch. One of his first acts was to summon St. Julian before him, and com- mand him to offer incense to the gods. As Julian refused to do so, Marcian ordered the lictors to load him with chains, drag him through the streets, and at each turn to torture him with a different kind of punishment. Celsus, the only Bon of the governor, seeing the martyr pass, was touched with pity, and, running up to the man of God,' prayed to be admitted one of his disciples. Marcian, out of all patience at this untimely sym- pathy, ordered his son to be thrust into Julian's dungeon ; and as soon as the two entered it, the darkness of the horrible cell was dispelled by celestial light, and its foulness by odours from paradise ; so that the twenty warders were all converted. Next day the emperor commanded the governor to put Julian and all his fellow- Christians to immediate death. Accord- ingly, Marcian ordered his officers to fill thirty large jars with burning oil, resin, and pitch, and thrust Julian and his com- panions therein. As the martyrs were led from the dungeon, the bearers of a dead man happened to pass by, and Marcian, in mockery, told Julian to restore the dead man to life. This he did ; and the dead man, rising on his feet, cried with a loud voice, "Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the true God, and it is He who has given me life." Marcian, beside himself with rage, ordered his officers to seize the resuscitated man, and put him to death with Julian and his gang. So Julian, with thirty others, were all thrown into the burning oil. But God converted it into a refreshing bath, as saith the psalmist (Ixvi. 12): "We went through fire and through water, but we found there only refreshment." Mar- cionella, the governor's wife, hearing of these things, went to see her son Celsus in the dungeon, hoping to turn him, but was herself converted and baptized. Ma-- cian, in a paroxysm of rage, ordered the twenty warders to be put to instant death, but remanded back to prison Julian, Celsus, Marcionella, and Anastasius (the man resuscitated), till he could make up his mind wl at to do next. He was advised to proclaim a grand festival to be held in the temple of Jupiter, and to assemble there all the priests of the city to offer sacrifice. The four Christians were brought into the temple, and told to pit their god Christ against the god Jupiter. The four fell on their knees in prayer, when sud- denly the earth opened, and swallowed up all the idols and all their priests. Metaphrast^s adds, " Even to tbe present day, flames of fire issue from the earth where these slaves of Satan went down alive into the pit." The four Christians were taken back to their prison, when lo ! the twenty warders who had been be- headed, Basilissa the wife of Julian, and a vast throng of the heavenly host, filled the dungeon. Basilissa told Julian he should join her on the morrow in heaven. Well, on the morrow a huge fire was kindled by the order of Marcian, and the four Chrietians were cast bound into the midst of it ; but the fire only burnt their bonds, and did the saints no harm. They were then cast to the wild beasts ; but the wild beasts only fawned on them, and licked them lovingly. Every device he could think of thus failing him, the governor ordered the four martyrs to be beheaded, with several felons, murderers, and other malefactors, that no one might be able to distinguish the bodies of the saints from those of the criminals ; but evta in this he was foiled, for at night the souls of the saints appeared visibly, each sitting on its own dead body, and the Christians, who came at night to bury them, were guided by an unerring sign to the bodies of the four martyrs. So they buried them honourably, and if any shadow of doubt remained respecting their identity, it was soon removed by the many miracles wrought by the holy relics. Amongst other miracles, ten lepers were healed by these relics in one day. — Mgr. Guerin (chamberlain to pope Leo XIII.), Viesdes Saints, vol. i. pp. 236, 237 (7th edit. 1880). St, Macra subjected to frightful tortures without harm (third century). Rictiova- rus was sent by the emperors Diocletian and Maximian to root out Christianity from Gaul. His first victim was St. Macra of Reims, and as she refused to renounce the hated religion and worship the " divine emperors," she was put to the torture. Rictiovarus now asked if she would repent. " Know, tyrsat and child of the devil," she replied, ■* it is not in the power of man to shake my faith." The judge then ordered her to be burnt alive; so she Wfs taken to 406 HARM AVERTED: PRTSCA, RESTITUTA. [Pt. II. Fisnies, stripped of all her raiments, and tied to a stake. As she showed no sign of fear, the judge commanded his execu- tioners to cut off both her breasts ; this was done, and she was taken back to prison. Here God restored her breasts, and healed all her wounds, so that not even a scar could be seen. When brought next morning before Rictiovarus, he asked her who had cured her wounds. " Jesus Christ, my Lord," she replied. " Fool ! " said the judge. *' I ask if you will obey the divine emperors." " I obey God," said the maiden, " and Him only will I serve." She was now thrown on broken potsherds and fagots. The fagots were set on fire, and the victim rolled back- wards and forwards over the potsherds ; but God was with her, and she felt no pain. After a time, however, God sent His angel to bring her soul to paradise, and her body returned to the earth, earth to earth, and dust to dust. — Acta Sanc- torum (Bollandists), vol. ii. June 11). The marvellous story of St. Prisca under torture. St. Prisca was only thirteen years old, when she was taken before Claudius I., and accused of being a Christian. The emperor commanded her to be taken at once to the temple of Apollo, and compelled to worship the god of her fathers. Prisca said she would only worship the Maker of heaven and earth, and Jesus Christ whom He had Bent to redeem sinners. The emperor hereupon commanded the malapert little minx to be stripped to the skin, and whipped, till she knew better than to insult the gods of ancient Rome. When the child was stripped naked, God clothed her body in a raiment of light, so dazzling as to blind those who ventured to look at her. Limenius advised the emperor to smear her body with oil to destroy the light which issued from it ; but the oil, instead of dimming the light, only diffused a most ravishing odour through all the prison. Claudius, being thus thwarted, grew very angry, and bade the prefect tear the young witch's body to pieces with iron hooks ; but the hooks never touched the delicate skin, nor dimmed its lustre. Prisca was next day cast naked into the amphitheatre, to a famished lion, but the lion crouched at her feet like a lamb. She was then impaled on the equileus (see Index), but received no hurt. Next day she was thrown into a b;"asier, but the fire scorched her not. Being foiled in every way, the emperor in desperation commanded the young sorceress to be conducted beyond the city walls, and there to be beheaded. This was done, Jan, 19, a.d. 64. — Roman Martyrology, St. Restituta unharmed by tortures (third century). Restituta, the Christian daughter of a Roman patrician, was carried by an angel from Rome to Sera (about forty miles), and left in the house of a widow, whose son had been a leper for two years and eight months. The saint offered a prayer, and the young leper was instantly made clean. The miracle came to the ears of Agathiua, the proconsul, who sent for Hestituta. *' Tell me, damsel," said the proconsul, **your name, parentage, religion, and what motive brought you to Sora." "My name," she replied, "is Restituta, my father is a Roman patrician, my religion is the Christian faith, and I was brought here by an angel to win souls to Christ." " My pretty maiden," said Agathius, " leave off this nonsense, obey the law, and you shall be my bride." " Judge," she replied, " I hate frivolity. I will never forsake Christ for dumb idols ; and as I am the bride of the great Creator, neither will I nor can I be thy wife." The proconsul, angry at this answer, ordered the maiden to be laid on the ground and beaten with scorpions (see Index). She uttered no groan, but sang sweetly and softly, " Blessed bt the Lord God of Israel, who has visite(f His servant. I rejoice in the parure of my Spouse. Alleluia." " What is that you say?" said the proconsul. "Do you call these stripes your parure i'* " Yes," said the Christian maiden ; "and I reckon the present sufferings as nothing to the glorj-^ which shall be revealed here- after." The judge, more and more incensed, ordered the young damsel to be confined in the prison dungeon, to be heavily laden with chains, and to be kept seven days without food or drink. This order wan strictly carried out ; but an angel came into her dungeon, healed all her wounds, filled the prison with celestial light, broke the chains to powder, relieved her hunger and her thirst, and made her beautiful as a saint in light. The guards were terribly alarmed, ran into the dungeon, and, cast- ing themselves at the maiden's feet, prayed to be admitted into the Christian communion. Restituta sent for a priest named Cyril, who baptized the new converts, to the number of nine souls. When Agathius heard thereof, he ordered his apparitors to bring Res/Jtuta, Cyril, Pt. II.] HARM AVERTED: SABAS. 407 and the nocphyies to his tribunal, and said to the converts, "Is it true, what I am told, that you have forsaken the immortal gods, whom all the princes of Rome adore, to worship a crucified male- factor ? " '* It is true, judge, that we avouch ourselves to be the servants of Jesus Christ, the Creator of all things, the true God, and the Redeemer of man." *' Take these fellows at once," cried the judge, " to the golden temple, and if they refuse to offer incense, off with their heads." They refused to offer incense, and were all beheaded. When the perse- cution ceased, this golden temple was razed to the ground, and a Christian Church was built on the site, in honour of the mother of Christ, and St. Peter prince of the apostles. Cyril and Restituta were now condemned to have their bodies burnt with torches ; but they felt no sort of pain, because the Holy Ghost lighted within them the flame of God's grace. l>ray, more ; the torches were extinguished as often as they were lighted, and the executioners, blinded with the smoke, fainted. When they came to themselves, they said to Cyril and Restituta that the God of Christians is the only true God, and they also became converts ; but Agathius ordered both the men to be beheaded. Restituta was then again brought before the proconsul. " What are we to do with this sacrilegious en- chanter ? " said Agathius to his officers. " She melts iron by her witchcraft, sows light in darkness, quenches fire with a word, and corrupts the imperial soldiers. She first befooled nine of the guard, then two ; and is not afraid to blaspheme our immortal gods." Then, turning to the maiden, he said, " In virtue of the imperial edict, we condemn Restituta as a sorcerer, and order her to be taken to the river Caruellus, there to be beheaded, with Cyril and the two others, their heads to be flung into the river as food of fishes, and their bodies left a prey to dogs and wolves and the birds of heaven." After their execution, the four bodies were buried by some pious Christians. The end of this tale is not yet. What follows is in harmony with same marvel- lous antecedents. After a few days, the murdered Restituta, with her three companions, all resplendent in glory, and surrounded with angels inr'"aiierable, appeared to the venerable Amasius, bishop of Sora, and said to him, " Up, father, and go without delay to the spot of our martyrdom. There you will find our heads, thrown by the executioners into the Caruellus. The waters have now left them on the river bank. Go, pick them up, and place them with our truncated bodies." The bishop rose, went to the river bank, and found the four heads, as the apparition had said. He brought them to Sora, placed them with the bodies, and gave the martyrs a glorious sepulture. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), vol. vii. May 29. 8t, SabaSf the Goth^ unharmed by divers tortures (a.d. 372). Athanaric, king of the Goths, in a.d. 370, raised a fierce ^ persecution against the Christians, in which fifty-seven martyrs fell, the prin- cipal of which were Nicetas and Sabas. The persecution began by compelling all men to eat meat offered to idols, and was at its height about Easter, 372. It was then that Atharidus, son of Rothestes, entered unexpectedly into the chamber of Sabas, with an armed troop, and dragged him naked over thorns and brambles which had been set on fire, driving him on with whips and sticks. At daybreak, Sabas said to his persecu- tors, " You have dragged me naked over burning thorns and rough roads, but see ! my body is unharmed, my feet unbruised. You have whipped me with all your might, but see ! not a wale, not a mark, is to be found on my whole body." This, indeed, was quite true, but only enraged his persecutors the more ; so they laid the axletree of a cart on his neck, and, stretching out his hands, fastened them to the end thereof ; in a similar manner, they bound his feet to another axletree, drawing them asunder as far as possible ; then, pushing him violently, they left him in this improvised rack for the night. When they were gone, the woman of the house where he lodged cut the thongs and bade him escape, but this he refused to do ; and next morning, Atharidus, seeing him free, had him bound again, and hung by one finger to a baulk of the prison-cell. He then sent for some meat which had been offered to idols, and commanded the Christian athlete to eat thereof ; but he stoutly refused, saying, " This meat is impure and profane, as Atharidus himself, who tempts me with it." One of the slaves of Atharidus now struck him against the breast with the head of his javelin, with such force that all present believed he was killed ; but St. Sabas said to the slave, " Did you think you had slain me ? Why, man, I no more felt your blow 408 HARM AVERTED: SAVINIAN, THOMAS. [Pt. II. than if you had flung a lock of wool at me." Atharidus, beside himself with rage, ordered the magician to be thrown int3 the Musaeus, now called the Mussovo. As Sabas came to the river-side, " I see," said he exultingly, '*what you cannot see. Lo ! there, on the other side, stand angels, waiting to carry my soul to para- dise." The executioners again bound the axletree about his neck, and threw him into the river. Thus died he, "by water and by wood, symbols of baptism and the cross," say his acts, " at the early age of thirty-eight, April 12, a.d. 372." In Christian art he is represented suspended by one finger to a beam or a tree. — St. Ascholius (bishop of Thessalonica), A Letter written to tlie Church of Cappadocia by the Church of Gothia, St, Savinian unharmed by a variety of tortures (a.d. 275). The martyrdom of St. Sarinian by the emperor Aurelian, in Champagne, is one of those marvellous accumulations met with in the lives of the saints. Not quite so wonderful as that of St. Thyrsus (^.».), but sufficiently so to merit a separate mention. He was first scourged naked, with ropes* ends, till not a spot in his whole body could be found which had not its proper gash. While this scourging was going on, Aurelian stood by mocking his victim, and saying, *' This flagellation is nothing to what I have in store for you, if you persist in your blasphemous obstinacy." The martyr seemed as if his body had been made of brass, and replied, " The earth, the more it is laboured, the more fertile it becomes ; and the true Christian, like Christ, is made perfect by suffering." Aurelian, irritated by this answer, had a burning helmet forced on the martyr's head ; but the red-hot metal did him no harm, and was the means of the con- version of three persons present at the spectacle. St. Savinian, rejoicing to see the blood of the servants of Christ made the seed of the Church, chid the emperor for the folly of his malice ; and the emperor, more and more annoyed, com- manded the rebel to be laid on acatasta or iron grating (see Index), under which fires in brasiers were placed ; but the God who preserved His three servants in the fierj' furnace, preserved St. Savinian from injury in this case also. Aurelian, not to be foiled by the God of Christians, now commanded his soldiers to bind the tra/tor to a post, and every one "in his whole army" to discharge an arrow at him ; but again Jehovah interposed, and turned aside the arrows. Not one reached the body of the saint ; one, however, turning aside and wounding the emperor in the right eye. St. Savinian was then taken back to prison, while Aurelian racked his brain to find out some new torments. The emperor might have saved himself the trouble, for at night the chains which bound his victim snapped asunder, the prison doors flew open, and St. Savinian, passing the guards unchal- lenged, fled towards the Seine. In the morning, Aurelian was informed of the escape of his prisoner, and sent a squadron of soldiers after him, with orders t^ cut off his head. They follcnrcd th« saint to the river, which had overflowed its banks. St. Savinian walked across the water, as Jesus walked on the sea, but the soldiers were unable to pursue. Now followed one of those strange marvels only to be met with in lives of the saints. No sooner had St. Savinian crossed the flood, than he prayed God to give a passage to the Roman soldiers also. His prayer was heard, for God intended to take the martyr to Himself. The squadron soon overtook the fugitive, and cut off his head as the emperor had com- manded. This occurred Jan. 24, a.d. 276. — BoUandus, Acta Sanctorum^ vol. iii. Jan. 29. (See also Nicolas des Guerrois, 8aint€te Chr^tievne de I'Eylise de Troyes,) It would be absurd to subject the above to criticism, m professed miracles are beyond the pale of criticism ; but one or two points of a purely historic character may h« noticed. In the first place, the narrative seems to assimie that Aurelian 's army carried bows and arrows, which was not the case. Bows and arrows were not used in the Roman army at all. but only by hunters. Auxiliaries accustomed to the bow were allowed to use their national weapon, but the Roman wjldier was never so armed. Again, no doubt Aurelian persecuted Christians, but the wanton barbaric cruelty here ascribed to him is quite out of character. The narrative does not say that one of his proconsuls or lieutenants was guilty of these diabolical acts, but the emperor himself in person. What is worst of all is this : Aurelian was not In Gaul in 276. He left the year preceding, and was himself assassinated some, where between Byzantium and Heraclea, Jan. 29, 276, the very day he is said to have sent his soldiers to behead Sa^nian. The " miracles " must stand on their own basca, but history is a fair subject of criticism. St. Thomas was not hurt by burning iron or a fiery oven. St. Thomas went to the city of Calamina, in India, wiers tht king held his court; but, although the apostle wrought many miracles in his presence, he would not believe. Being angry because Thomas denied the sun to be a god, the king ordered him to be tortured with sundry kinds of torments. Amongst others, he had red-hot iron plates laid on his naked body, but they harmed him not. He was also cast into a burning oven, but the oven burnt him Pt. II.] HARM AVEjITED: VICTOR, VITUS. 40» not. — St. Isidore, MetaplirastSs, St. Gregory of Tours, etc., give a life of this apostle. St. Victor was subjected to all sorts of tortures^ but received no harm (second century). St. Victor of Damascus was summoned to the tribunal of Sebastian for being a Christian, and as he refused to abjure his faith, his fingers were first broken, his skin flayed, and then was he cast into a fiery furnace. Having remained here for three days, he was taken out, having suffered literally nothing. He was then compelled to swallow poison, but the deadly draughts dii him no harm. His nerves were then drawn from his body, his body douched with boiling oil, flaming torches held to his sides, and chalk and vinegar poured down his throat. His eyes were plucked out, and he was hung to a tree head downwards ; but in all this, which lasted three days, so far from suffering any pain, he did not even feel the tortures. "He was well called Victor, for he was victorious over the feebleness of nature, the rage of demons, and the savagery of man." — Les Petits Bollandistes (1880), vol. V. p. 537. St. Vitus of Sicily, amidst horrible tortures, preserved from harm (a.d. 303). Vitus was the son of an illustrious family in Sicily, and was but twelve years old, when Valerian arrived in the island, with a commission from Diocletian to stamp out the pestilential rebels called Chris- tians, who never obeyed the emperor, nor reverenced the gods. One of the first persons apprehended was Vitus, and the governor sent for the child's father, bidding him correct the boy, and teach him his duty better. The father tried all in his power to induce the boy to abandon "the pestilential sect," but without avail ; whereupon Valerian had him brought to his tribunal. " Boy," said the governor, " how dare you resist the authority of your father and the emperor?" "Sire," said the boy, "whether I ought to obey man rather than God, judge ye." The father, who was present, exclaimed, "Ah me! un- happy in such a son!" "Nay," «aid the boy, "happy you should call >our~ self to have a son which is also a son of God." The prefect, hearing these words, ordered the boy to be beaten ; but the boy received the blows so quietly, that he seemed not to feel their force. The prefect cried out, "Why don't you scourge him harder, as he deserves to be ? 18 Fools! your arms are like those of a ^irl." The officers, on hearings this, lifted up their arms to obey ; but they were dried up like a stick, and lost all power. "The boy is a sorcerer," cried Valerian. "No," said the boy, "not so. Christ is my all, and in Him do I put my trust." Then, going up to the men, he touched their arms, and they returned to their strength. Valerian, touched with this miracle, delivered the boy to his father, with strict injunction to use his best endeavours to bring him to a better state of mind. The father, thinking the best plan would be to surround his son with every sort of pleasure and self- indulgence, fitted up a room for the purpose; but the boy rejected every allurement, and prayed with earnestness, *'0 Saviour, leave me not, nor forsake me." The chamber was forthwith filled with celestial light and a delicious per- fume, and twelve precious stones of marvellous brilliancy appeared in the midst. The domestics set to wait on the boy saw the light, and confessed they had never seen the like in any of the temples of the gods. The father came to see it, when twelve angels of unearthly splendour and beauty met his view ; but he was blinded by the excess of light. Being in great pain, he was led to the temple of Jupiter, and prayed the god to help him ; but no help came. He then went to his son, and asked him to restore his sight ; whereupon the boj' put his hands on the blind eyeballs, saying, " O Saviour, the Light of the world, give light to these sightless orbs," and im- mediately sight was restored to them again. Valerian, being informed of these things, resolved to put the boy to death ; but an angel appeared to Modestus, the boy's tutor, and ordered him to take the lad to Italy. Modestus, therefore, accompanied with Crescentius, took him to Naples. Here the three exiles were fed by an eagle, but the boy performed so many miracles that his whereabouts could not lie hid. It so happened that the son of Diocletian was possessed of a demon which cruelly tormented him, and all sorts of superstitions were em- ployed for his deliverance, without effect. The devil in every case cried out, "It is of no use ; only Vitus shall dis- lodge me." The emperor, hearing this over and over again, sent for St. Vitus, and brought him, with Modestus and Crescentius, to Rome. Diocletian asked Vitus if he could cure the prince. 410 HEART AND TREASURE— HEATHEN GODS DEVILS. [Pr. II, " No," replied Vitus ; *' but God can by my means." Diocletian implored the young saint to do something for the prince; so, putting his hands on the prince's head, he said with a loud voice, *' Thou wicked spirit, I command you, in the name of Christ, come forth." This did he with a horrible noise, and "beaucoup d'idolatres qui avaient in- sulte les saints, furent frappe's de mort." Diocletian offered St. Vitus apartments in the palace, a seat at the imperial table, and even a share of the empire, if he would accept these proofs of his gratitude; b+it St. Vitus replied, "These offers, if accepted, would deprive me of far better. It would be bartering heaven for earth, the Lord of lords and King of kings for an earthly monarch, eternity and its glory for time and its uncer- tainty." The emperor replied, " You talk like a child ; but if indeed you reject my favours, you shall feel my displeasure." " I neither accept your bribes, emperor, nor regard your threats," said Vitus. At these words, Diocletian ordered St. Vitus, with Modestus and Crescentius, to be laden \rith chains of foriy pounds weight, and to be cast into prison. While in prison angels, and even Jesus Christ, came to comfort them, and bade them be of good courage, for a crown of everlasting glory was prepared for them. Diocletian, being told that the prison had been converted into an earthly paradise, commanded Vitus to be cast into a cauldron filled with rosin, pitch, and molten lead ; but the saint made the sign of the cross, and invoking Him who delivered the three Hebrew youths, received no sort of harm, not even a hair of his head being singed — nay, more; the deadly bath seemed to give him new life and new beauty. Diocletian came to see him, and Vitus said to him, *' Is it possible, miserable wretch, that you cannot see your own blindness, and that it is useless to fight against God?" But this new Pharaoh only hardened his heart, and commanded Vitus to be cast to a terrible lion, " dont le rugissement seul e'pouvantait toute I'assemblee." The lion, however, instead of tearing the martyr to pieces, crouched at his feet, licking them lovingly ; " ce qui fut cause de la conversion d'un grand nombre d'idolatres." The emperor looked on Vitus as a magician, and ordered him, together with Modestus and Crescentius, to the rack. By the violence of this SDKine, not only were all their joints pulled from their sockets, but their bones were forced through the skin of their bodies, and their entrails came out. The weather at the time was brilliant and serene, but all of a sudden thick clouds came rolling on, thunder and lightning terrified the people, and thunderbolts falling on the temples crashed the idols to pieces. *' L'empereur m§me s'enfuit plein de confusion, et de d^pit de se voir vaincu par un jeune enfant." An angel now came and unbound the martyrs from the racks, healed their bodies, restored their strength, and carried them miraculously from Rome to Silaro. Vitus prayed that God would take him, and a voice from heaven replied, saying, ** This day shalt thou be with Me in paradise." — Mgr. Gue'rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints^ vol. vii. pp. 26-29 (7th edit. 1880). This is ttie most outrageous life I know. In this lad Is accumulated ali the wonders of all the martyrs. He is the quintessence of martyrdom. All children drawn by monks are frightful prigs. Heart and Treasure go to- gether. (See Idols shattered, pt. i.) Matt. vl. 21. Where your treasure Is, there will your heart be also. St. Antony proves that a miser's heart is in his money-bags. St. Antony of Padua, preaching a funeral sermon over a rich man of very penurious habits, took for his text, " Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." He said, "This is obviously true, inasmuch as the heart of the deceased would not be found in his dead body, but in his monej'- bags." Search being made, sure enough there was no heart in the dead body, but in one of the largest of the money-bags there was the dead man's heart, as fresh as if it had only that moment been re- moved from the carcase. — Edward Kines- man (a.d. 1623), Lives of tlie Saints^ p. 368. Heathen Gods are Devils. Lev. xvli. 7. They shall no mere offer sacrifice unto devils. Deut. xxxii. 17. They sacrificci unto devils, not to God. Psalm cvi. 36, 37. They served their Idols, which were a snare to them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils. 1 CoE. X. 19, 20. What say I then ? that the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything? I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils. Rev. Ix. 20. The men repented not of the works of their hands, that they shovld noi Pt. II.] HEAVEN OF HEAVENS. 411 worship devils, even idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor talk. Apollo confesses he is no god, hut only a devil, to St. George of Lydda (a.d. 280-303). The emperor Diocletian had put St. George of Cappadocia to many great tortures for being a Christian, without being able to wean him from the new faith. He then tried to wheedle him back by smooth words and great promises. St. George promised to go with the emperor to the temple of Apollo, and Diocletian, supposing he had made a convert, commanded the senate and the court to be present in the temple, and witness St. George's renunciation. The Christian took his stand directly before the idol, and said with a loud voice, "Apollo, tell me, art thou a god?" The fiend in the statue answered, " No, George, I am not a god. There is but one God, and that is the Maker of heaven and earth." "Who are ye, then?" demanded St. George. "We are the angels who lost their first estate, and were cast out of heaven for rebellion." "If so," said St. George, "why do ye deceive men? and how dare you remain in my presence, seeing I serve the living God ? " So saying, he made the sign of the cross before the idol, and immediately was heard a tremendous uproar, the devils howling, and the idol of Apollo falling to the ground. Away flew the devils out of the temple, and the idol of Apollo, with many others, was ground to powder. — Baronius, Roman Martyroloqy ; Acta Sanctorum ; and Dr. Heylin, History of St. George. Lipomannus tells us, in all the East the life of St. George is read in the manner he has given it. Pasi- crat^s, who wrote the life of the great saint, informs us that he was an eye-witness of the scene above described ; and Usuardus is very minute in his details, telling us where and when it occurred, A.D. 290. We are taught to look upon devils as false-tongued, but surely St. George himself could not have spoken more truthfully than these fiends are said to have done. The devils driven out of the temple of Apollo by St. Gregory the thaumxiturgist (a.d. 26i). As St. Gregory was on his way to his see, he got benighted, near a temple of Apollo, famous for its oracles. He entered the temple, intend- ing to pass the night there ; but, that he and his attendants might do so securtlj", he made the sign of the cross as he entered in. Forthwith " a huge throng of devils flew out of the temple," unable to abide the presence of the saint. These devils had taken up their abode there, wid were accustomed to give responses to those who consulted the oracle. Being driven out, the responses, of course, ceased. St. Gregory and his companions passed the night peacefully, and no mischief befell them. — St. Gregory of Nyssa, Life of St, Gregory Thaumaturgist. St. Nicholas pulled down a temple of Myra, and ejected a nest of devils. In Myra was a notable temple of the great goddess Diana, which none durst lay hands on. St. Nicholas, however, hav- ing collected a band of lusty young fellows, pulled the temple to the ground, and, we are told, "devils were heard roaring and yelling, because they were thus forcibly evicted from their ancient and favourite haunt." — Simeon Meta- phrast^s. Lives, etc. (Methodus tells the same tale.) Heaven of Heavens. Deut. X. 14. Behold, the heaven and th« heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy (Sod. 1 Kings viii. 27. Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee. Psalm cxv. 16. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's. Psalm cxlviii. 4. Praise Him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 2 Cob. xii. 2. I knew a man . . . caught up to the third heaven. St. Francisca is shown in a vision the three heavens (a.d. 1384-1440). St. Francisca had ninety-three visions in twelve years. The fourteenth vision was heaven, which, she says, was divided into three. The firmament, or starry heaven, in which are the stars, called the host of heaven ; the crystalline, a luminous heaven brighter than the firma- ment ; and the empyrean, or heaven of heavens, the place of God's residence, and where the angels and spirits of the just made perfect dwell in everlasting joy. She says the "wounds of Jesus are the light of the empyrean." — John Mattiotti, Life of St. Francisca, The Jews believed in three heavens, as we see by St Paul, who was " caught up to the third heaven," but tho three were these : the aerial, in which the birds fly, the winds blow, and the rain is housed in clouds ; the starry heaven ; and the heaven of heavens. In regard to the first heaven, read Gen. i. 6-8. Ptolemy taught the existence of three heavens, called the starry heaven, the crystalline, and the empyrean ; but in his system th» ::rystalline, which divided the empyrean from the starry heavens, was noted for its trepidation or shimmering. The idea that the " wounds of Christ produce the light of heaven" is based on Rev. xxi. 23, "The city had no ue^ of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it : for the Lamb is the light thereof." Banters paradise and heaven of heavens, Dante divides heaven into ten spheres, each of which, he tells us, is appropriated 412 HELL: FRANCISCANS VISION. [Pt. IL to its i)roper order. The first seven are the seven planets, viz. (1) the moon for angels ; (2) Mercury for archangels ; (3) Venus for virtues ; (4) the sun for powers ; (5) Mars for principalities ; (6) Jupiter for dominions ; (7) Saturn for thrones. The eighth sphere is that of the fixed stars for the cherubim ; the ninth is the primum mobile for the sera- phim ; and the tenth is the empyrean for ths queen of heaven and the triune Deity, The empyrean, he says, is a sphere of •* unbodied light," or, as Milton expresses it, " bright effluence of bright essence, uncreate." This empyrean is what the Jews call the heaven of heavens. The Mahometan's heaven, and heaven of heavens. Mahomet, in the Koran, ch. xxiii., says, " We have created [one over another] seven heavens." Of these the first heaven is of pure silver, and here the stars are hung out like lamps on golden chains. Each star has its angel for warder. It was in this heaven the prophet found Adam and Eve. The second heaven is of polished steel, and dazzling in splendour. It was in this heaven the prophet saw Noah. The third heaven is studded with precious stones too brilliant for the eye of man. Here the angel of death (Azrael) is stationed, and, as Mahomet says, **is for ever writing in a large book, and erasing what he has written." What he writes is the birth of man, what he erases is the name at death. The fourth heaven, like the first, is of the finest silver ; and here dwells the angel of tears, whose height is *'five hundred days' journey," and he sheds ceaseless tears for the sins of man. The fifth heaven is of the purest gold ; and here dwells the avenging angel, who presides over elemental fire. It is here the prophet saw Aaron. The sixth heaven is composed of hasala (a sort of carbuncle) ; and here dwells the guardian angel of heaven and earth, half snow, half fire. It is here the prophet saw Moses, who "wept with envy." The seventh heaven is formed of divine light. Each inhabitant of this sphere has seventy thousand heads, and all the tongues of all the heads are employed day and night in singing the praises of the Most High. It is here the prophet saw Abraham. Hell. I8A. Ixvi. 24. The righteous shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that haTe transgressed against me; for their worm shall not d*e, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. Rkv. xxi. 9. The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part In the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched (Mark ix. 48). There shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth (Matt. viii. 12). St. Francisco's vision of hell (a.d. 1384-1440). One day St. Francisca, having shut herself in her cell, was in an ecstasy about four o'clock in the afternoon, and the archangel Raphael came to conduct her through hell. Having come to the gates, she read over them this inscription : " Hell, without hope, without cessation of torment, without repose." The gates opened of themselves, and St. Francisca saw an abyss so deep, so terrible, and from which came such shrieks of anguish, and such a stench, that she could never afterwards speak of it or think about it without her blood freezing in her veins. It was divided into three regions — upper, intermediate, and lower. In the lower region the torments were greatest, and in the upper the least. In Sie upper region she saw the Jews who rejected Christianity, but were not guilty of great moral offences ; here, too, she saw those Christians who neglected confession, and who died with- out receiving the last offices of the Church. In the lowest region she saw the people of Sodom, and all others who had com- mitted sins contrary to nature. These wretched demons were pierced incessantly with fiery darts. Here, too, she observed usurers stretched on tables of red-hot brass, while demons poured into their throats buckets of liquid metal. In this region were blasphemers, whose tongues were held by hooks. Traitors and hypo crites were here, and their hearts were being torn out of their bodies, but re- placed again to endure for ever the same agony. Homicides were here, and women who made away with their own offspring; these wretches wander for ever in a bath of boiling blood to another of thick- ribbed ice, and back again. Apostates were being sawn asunder. The incestuous lay imbedded in stinking ordure. En- chanters and sorcerers were pelted with burning quoits. The seven capital sins were punished here — violators of their vows, women who idolized their own beauty, calumniators, and licentious widows. Xb« whole Is too long to tranacribo, tmt thoM wteeM» Ft. II.] HELL: HINNOM, GEHENNA, INFERNO. 413 10 see this Dantesque Inferno of St. Francisca may read It In iha Acta Sanctorum of the BoUandists, vol. ii. March 9. The Valley of Hinnom. Ge-hinnom was a gorge south and west of Jerusalem, with steep rocky sides, famous for idolatrous rites. Here Solomon built a *' high place for Moloch " (1 Kings xi. 7). Here Ahaz and Manasseh made children pass through the fire, "according to the abomination of the heathen." The south- east extremity of the gorge was called Tophet (or the place of burning). King Josiah "defiled the valley" by making it the common cecspool of the citj", into which its sewage and offal was conducted, to be carried off by the Kidron. And >iere all the solid filth of the city was cast. Hence it became a huge nest of insects, whose larvae or worms fattened on the corruption. Fires were kept constantly burning to consume the offal, the refuse of sacrifices, and the bodies of criminals which were thrown there, with the filth and offscouring. Among the latter Jews, this gorge was regarded as a symbol of hell, and the constantly burning fire, with the perpetual breed of worms, are referred to in the Gospels as symbolical of the state of outcasts from God in the life to come. As criminals were cast into the laystall of Tophet, where fire was for ever burning, and worms ceaselessly battened on corrup- tion, so unbelievers shall be cast out as the offscouring of the human race, as the carcases of criminals and the offal of the city are cast into the Valley of Hinnom. De Croly's description of Ge-hinnom, "The vapours that rose hot and sickly before me were the smokes from fires kindled in the Valley of Hinnom, where the refuse of animals, slaughtered for the use of the city, and the other pollutions and remnants of things abominable to the Jews were daily burned. The sullen and perpetual fires, the deadly fumes, and the aspects of the degraded and excluded beings, chiefly public criminals, em- ployed in this hideous task, gave the idea of the place of final evil. Our prophets, in their threats against national betrayers, against the proud and the self-willed, the polluted with idols, and the polluted with that still darker and more incurable idolatry, the worship of the world, pointed to the Valley of Hinnom. The Pharisee, the Essenes, the Sadducee, in the haughty spirit that forgot the fallen state of Jerusalem, and the crimes that had lowered her — the hypocjite, the bigot, the sceptic, alike mad with hopeless revenge, when they saw the Roman cohorts triumphing with their idolatrous ensigns through paths once trod by the holy, or when driven aside by the torrents of cavalry and the gilded chariot in which sat some insolent proconsul fresh from Italy, and looking down on the noblest of our people as the beaten slaves of the stranger — pointed to the Valley of Hinnom. How often, as the days of Jerusalem hurried towards their end, and, by some fatality, the violence of the Roman gover- nors became more frequent and intoler- able, have I seen groups of my country- men hunted into some byway of the city by the hoofs of the Roman horse, consuming with that inward wrath which was soon to flame out with such horrors, flinging up their wild hands as if to up- braid the tardy heavens, gnashing their teeth, and, with the strong contortions of the Oriental countenance, the stormy brow and flashing eye, and lips scarcely audible from the force of their own convulsion, muttering conspiracy. Then, in despair of shaking off that chain which had bound the whole earth, they would appeal to the vengeance of the endless future, and, shrouding their heads in their cloaks, stand like sorcerers summon- ing up demons, each with his quivering hand stretched out towards the accursed valley, and every tongue groaning ' Gehenna ! ' ''—Salathiel, Dante's Inferno. Dante divides his hell into nine regions. Of these, the seventh, called Dis, contains three circles ; the eighth, called MalebolgS, contains ten abysses ; and the ninth contains four pits. Eegion 1. Is a vast meadow, in which roam Electra, Hector, ^Eneas, and Julius Caesar ; Camilla and Penthesilea ; Latinus and Junius Brutus ; Julia (Pompey's wife) and Cornelia ; and here apart was Saladin. Linos and Orpheus were in this canton ; Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato ; Democritos, Diogenes, Hera- clitos, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Thales, Dioscorides, and Zeno ; Cicero and Seneca ; Euclid and Ptolemy ; Hippo- crates and Galen ; Avicen and Averroes. Region 2 {for sinful love). Here sits Minos in judgment on the ghosts brought before him, and here are heard groans «;,nd blasphemies. This canton is the hell of carnal and sinful love ; and here the poet places Semiramis, Dido, Cleo- patra, and Helen; Achilles and Paris, Tristan, Launcelot, and Francesca. 414 HELL: GREEK— PARSEES. [Pt. IL Region 3 {for gluttons). Here fall in ceaseless showers hail, black rain, and sleety flaw ; the air is cold and dun, and a foul stench rises from the soil. Cer- berus keeps watch over this canton, set apart for gluttons. Region 4 {for misers). This canton, presided over by Plutus, "hems in all ^ the woe of all the universe ; " and here are gathered the souls of the avaricious, who made no good use of their wealth. Region 6 {for unrestrained anger). This is the Stygian lake of inky blue. It is a miry bog, the abode of those who put no restraint on their anger. Region 6. Here Phlegyas was the ferryman ; and here was Filippo Argenti. Region 1, "The city of Dis," sub- divided into three circles : one for those who by force and fraud have done violence to others ; one for those who have done violence to themselves, as suicides ; and one for those who have done violence to God, as heretics, atheists, and so on. Region 8. "Malebolge," subdivided in ten abysses. In the first he saw Jason ; the second was for harlots ; in the third was Simon Magus ; in the fourth was pope Nicholas III.; in the fifth the ghosts had their heads turned the wrong way — this abyss was for witches and sorcerers ; in the sixth was Annas and Caiaphas ; the seventh was for robbers of churches ; in the eighth was Ulysses and Diomed ; in the ninth was Mahomet and Ali, *' horribly mangled ; " the tenth was for alchemists, coiners, and forgers. Region 9. " The lowest hell," in which was the river Cocytus. Here Lucifer and Judas were confined in thick-ribbed ice. The Tartaros of the Greeks. This is described by Homer and Hesiod as an underground region, vast, dark, and sub- divided into four districts. One of them is terrible with its infected lake, its river of fire, its burning furnaces, and its furies, whose office is to torment the tormented. The other three are fields, of more or less enjoyment, for the dead of the better sort. Later poets placed hell proper under Tenaros, and described it as a dark region, encompassed with thick forests, and with labyrinths of sewers. Here, they tell us, the souls of the wicked are held in bondage in lakes of ice, or wander in everlasting fire, or are taken from one to the other to aggravate their torment. Tartaros, strictly speaking, is not the hell of the Greeks, but a region beyond ; the prison, io £act, of the infernal gods, where the offspring of the Cyclops, Uranus, Saturn, and the Titans, are confined. The Roman Avernus. The Romans placed hell under the lake Avernus, and divided it into seven regions: (1) The paradise of infants, who knew no evil and have done no good : (2) the paradise of those who have been unjustly con- demned to death; (3) the hell of suicides; (4) the "field of tears" for the perjured and faithless ; (5; the hell of heroes stained with crimes ; (6) the place of torment by fire and torture ; and (7) the Elysian fields. Hell according to the Koran. They who believe not shall have garments of fire fitted to their bodies. Boiling water shall be poured on their heads. Their bowels shall be dissolved thereby, and their skins also ; and they shall be beaten with maces of iron. And as often as they shall attempt to get out of the place of torment, they shall be dragged back into it again (ch. x.). (Dant« seems to have borrowed from ths Korin ; but has still further piled up the agony with poetic liceuce.) Ifurin of Celtic mythology. The Celtic hell was not a place of everlasting heat, so much as of agonizing cold. The heat was said to be that internal heat which arises from fever, the effect of poison. The region is described as sombre, sun- less, infected by venomous insects and reptiles, by roaring lions and ravening wolves, by which the tormented were for ever bitten and torn, without suffering death. Those who, like infants and idiots, died neither good nor bad, were said to be doomed to a mitigated hell of perpetual fog, above the other region. The hell of the native Floridians. The natives of Florida think that criminals are transported at death to mountains in the far north, where they are exposed to wild bears and severe cold. Tlie hell of the people of Laos, in Asia. According to the teaching of the people of Laos, the wicked are punished in six regions, differing in suffering ; but no punishment is for ever. After a certain term, varying according to the degree of wickedness, the souls pass into the bodies of other animals, more or less vile ; and gradually mount upwards till they reach again the human state. The hell of the Parsees. The Guebres believe that the wicked, after death, are tormented by fire, which bums but con- sumes not. One of the torments thct^ Ft. II.] HOLINESS A PEARL— HONI SOIT, ETC. 415 endure is the *' stench of sin." This and the sweet "odour of righteousness" are [Roman] Catholic tenets. Some of the damned, according to the Parsees, are confined in dungeons, where they are for ever choked with thick smoke, and bitten by innumerable insects and reptiles. Others are plunged to the neck in thick ice, while demons tear their flesh with their teeth. Others, again, are hung by the heels, and constantly stabbed with daggers. The hell of the Santos 0/ Japan. The hell of the Santos is one of envy and disappointment, rather than of elemental fire and cold. The wicked are doomed to wander round and round paradise, that they may see the happy state of the heavenly host, and ever regret the bless- ings they have lost. The hell of the Siamese, The Siamese, like Dante, subdivide their inferno into nine regions, but do not hold the doc- trine of the eternity of hell-punishment. The hell of the native Virginians, The Indians of Virginia believe in a hell somewhere in the west. It is a deep ditch filled with devouring flames, and called Popoguno. Faduma Sell is a most ingenious con- ception of horrors. The wicked are said to be '* beaten with iron hammers, and boiled in iron pots in a mixture of blood and matter; they are fed on food re- sembling red-hot balls of iron, and plunged in the accursed river Veterani, difficult to cross, and flowing with streams of sharp-edged razors. The torments, though not eternal, are to en- dure 512,000,000,000 times as long as it would take to clear away a large heap of tiny sesamum-seed, at the rate of one seed in a hundred years." Holiness better than Rubies. Prov. Hi. 15. Wisdom is more precious than rubies ; and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to it. Matt. xiii. 45, 46. The kingdom of heaven Is like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, sold all that he had and bought it. Pkov. XX. 15. The lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Job xxviii. 18. The price of wisdom is above rubies. Simeon Stylites was so holy that a maggot which fell from him became a pearl (a.d. 459), The body of Simeon Stylites was full of sores covered with maggots. One day a maggot fell from the pillar-saint at the foot of Basilicus, king of the Sara- cens, and the king, picking it up, laid it on his eye, whereupon it was instantly converted into a magnificent pearl, so large, so beautiful, and of such tine water, that Basilicus valued it more than his whole empire. — Theodoret (fifth cen- tury), Church History. Honi soit qui mal y pense. Tirrs i. 15. Unto the pure all things are pure : but unto them that are defiled is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience ^ defiled. RoM. xi. 14. To him that esteemeth any> thing unclean, to him it is unclean. 1 CoE. xiii. 5. Charity thinketh no evil. The prurient modesty of St. Angela of Brescia (a.d. 1472-1540). St. Angela of Brescia was between sixty-five and sixty-six years of age when she died ; but even at that advanced age, the religious ceremony of washing her dead body was revolting to her modesty. *' Elle imagina de se rendre a elle-meme cet office, pour dpargner k son corps vir- ginal la honte d'etre de'couvert, mdme lorsqu'il ne serait plus le tabernacle de son S,me sainte." — Life of St. Angela of Brescia (Montpellier, 1804). This appears to me a most prurient sort of modesty indeed. The dead body of an old woman of sixty-five could conjure up no immodest thoughts in waiting-women of a middle age, any more than the chickens, rabbits, hare, and game which a cook has to handle, clean, and dress. The very notion shows an imniv^^est and per- rerted imagination, and not a mind pure as purity, chaste as the driven snow, purged of all earthly thouglhts and carnal imaginations. These examples of mock-modesty are quite revolting to read about. The immodest modesty of St. Francisca in infancy (a.d. 1413). The modesty of St. Francisca was innate. Even from her cradle she had a horror of immodesty, insomuch that she would not allow either of her parents to nurse her till she was dressed, nor would she allow any of the other sex, not even her own father, to kiss or fondle her, although such a liberty is authorized by nature to all parents. — John Mattiotti (her ghostly father), Life of St. Francisca, recited at her canoniza- tion, May 29, 1606. No one can for a moment doubt that this manifestation of prudery was the record of a monk. No father could ever have dreamt of such a thing. It is a pity that Mattiotti did not call to mind that beautiful instance of real modesty recorded of Adam and Eve in paradise— they did not even "know that they were naked." The squeamish- ness of St. Francisca, instead of proving her innate modesty, can only prove that her impure thought* were Car above her age. A fellow who insulted St. Galla fell to the earth in convulsions. One day when St. Galla, with her handmaids, entered a house of low reputation on a mission of 416 HOUSEHOLDS EMBROILED— HUNDREDFOLD. [Pt. II, charity, a fellow cried out after her, Baying, "You call yourself a saint, do you ? A pretty saint indeed ! I warrant Jrou, no saints ever enter into a house ike that." No sooner had the fellow uttered these base insinuations than he fell to the earth in horrible convulsions. As to the pure all things are pure, so unto them that are defiled is nothing pure. — Les Petits BollandisteSy vol. ii. p. 199. St, John the Silent would never bathe or wash his body (a.d. 454-658). St. John the Silent was a native of Armenia, of such wonderful "modesty" that he would never wash his body or bathe, "lest he should offend his modesty by looking on his naked body." — Cyrille, Life of St. John the Silent, The only inference one can draw from this Is that St. John the Silent must have had a most depraved mind, if he could not even wash himself without calling up un- chaste and impure thoughts. So far from this being a mark of modesty, it was the self-condemnation of a most Immodest mind. Households set at Variance by the GospeL Luke xii. 61, 53. Suppose ye I am come to give peace on earth ? I tell you, Nay ; but rather division ... for the father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother ; the mother- in-law against the daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law. St. Barbara delivered up to torture by her own father. St. Barbara, daughter of Dioscorus, a wealthy noble of Nico- media, was a Christian, but her father was an idolater. Dioscorus had ordered a bath of white marble to be made for his daughter's use. When Barbara first entered it, she crossed it with her finger, and the mark she made remained en- duringly on the marble. Hundreds saw the cross on the white marble, and many by kissing it were healed of their in- firmities. When it caught the eye of Dioscorus it instantly flashed into his mind that his daughter must be a Chris- tian, and so great was his anger, that he ha;ided her over at once to Marrianus to be punished as the law directed. She was accordingly stripped and beaten with ox sinews, after which the raw flosh was irritated by being rubbed with a coarse hair-cloth. She was then led back to her dungeon under the hope that uhe would recant, but lo ! her dungeon was brilliantly illuminated with celestial light, and Jesus Christ was waiting there to strengthen and comfort her. He healed her wounds, assuaged their pain, spoke to her of the reward in store foi her, and having filled her heart with heavenly ravishment, left her with the promise that He would come again, and take her to dwell with him for ever in paradise. — Simeon Metaphrastes, Likr dictus Paradisus ; and Ado's Martyrology, Hundredfold returned. Matt. xix. 29. Every one that hath for- saken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold now, in this life, and in the world to come life everlasting (Mark x. 29, 30). St. Briocus gives his cruse to a leper, and God rewards him (sixth century). While Briocus of Cardigan was a child only ten years old, and was going to fetch water from a fountain, he saw a leper, and having nothing to give him, gave the cruse he was carrying in his hand. As this cruse was not his own, God *' miraculously sent him" another, a hundredfold more beautiful than the one he had given to the leper. — Dom Lobineau, Lives of the British Saints. The custom of giring what is not one's own, so (k«> quenUy recorded in the lives of the saints, and always held up to imitation, is most censurable. It is no act of self-denial, it is undoubtedly dishonest, and if indulged in extensively would be the ruin of society. Let a journey- man give away his master's goods, let a clerk give away his employer's money, let children give away what is iu the house, without permission, and no one would be trusted. It is perfectly amaxing how any one can com* mend and bold up to imitation such obvious dishonesty, yet is this practice most common, and most highly com* mended in hagiography. Robin Hood might salve his conscience by saying he robbed the rich to give unto tb« poor ; but Robin Hood was a " base, dishonest robber," and not a saint. St. John the almsgiver felt assured that the Lord returns all charities a hundred' fold (a.d. 616). A nobleman having been reduced to the utmost poverty, John, patriarch of Alexandria, gave an order on his treasurer for fifteen pounds of gold. The treasurer, thinking the sum exorbitant, crossed off the "tens," and gave the man five pounds. During the day, a wealthy lady sent St. John an order for five hundred pounds of gold, as a contribution towards his charities. The almsgiver begged the lady to call on him, and in conversation she remarked, *'I wrote the order originally for fifteen hundred, but this morning I observed that the ten of your order was erased, so I crossed off the ten of mine.'' The patri- arch now sent for his treasurer, and learnt what had been done. *' I knew it, I felt sure of it," cried he, " when I asked the I lady to call on me. Tl e Lord has assured Pt. n.] IDOL-MAKERS-INNOCENCY— msPlRATION. 417 us lie returns all charities a hundredfold, and T felt sure that the Lord well knew that five hundred is not a hundredfold of fifteen." Another instance. Going to matins one day, St. John the almsgiver saw a beggar in* rags, and gave him his mantle. Scarcely had he so done, when a stranger put into his hands a purse containing a hundred pounds of gold. Another instance. St. John, patriarch of Alexandria, finding himself short of money and corn, during a time of dearth, borrowed a large sum of money for distribution in alms. Soon afterwards two ships from Sicily, laden with wheat, arrived, for the almoner to distribute as he thought fit. Another instance. At another time three barges laden with corn were wrecked by the fault of the seamen, who, greatly alarmed, took refuge in the church of Alexandria. St. John, the patriarch, spoke kindly to them, and gave them money. As he left the church, a messenger informed him that three barges, double the size of those lost, had just come into harbour for him. Another instance. Nicetas, in the Persian war, under pretext of public necessity, took from Alexandria all its treasures, leaving only a small pittance for present necessities. The patriarch bore the loss without a murmur, merely saying, " God will provide." The very same hour, some men brought to the church two jars for the patriarch, one labelled " Excellent Honey for the Bishop," and the other "Unadulter- ated Honey." These two large jars were, in reality, filled with gold for the almoner. St. John sent one of the jars to Nicetas, and Nicetas sent back to the patriarch everything he had taken from the Church, and added to this restitution a gift of a hundred pieces of gold, with a note, ** Pray God to pardon my sacrilege." — I^eontius, Life of the Patriarch John of Alexandria. St, Helen of Troyes gives water to a beggar, and finds her earthen jug converted into silver. St. Helen of Troyes certainly strikes us as a very marvellous coinci- dence ; and it becomes still more strange when we are informed that the king of Corinth was her father, but nothing is known about the year of her birth and death. She is, however, the patron saint of the diocese of Troyes. We are told this marvellous story about her, at tbi early age of twelve years. Going one day to a fountain to fetch water. a beggar asked her to give him drink. The damsel instantly handed him her jug, and when she received it back again, she was not a little surprised to find her earthen vessel had been converted into silver. — L'abbe' Defer, Saints du Diocese de Troyes. Idol-makers confounded. IsA. xlv. 16-18. They shall be ashamed, they shall go to confusion together, that are makers of idols. For thus saith the Lord, I am the Lord, and there is none else. An idol-maker made ashamed and put to confusion by St. Lucy. St. Lucy, laden with chains, was dragged through the streets, but as she passed by the ware- house of Germinian, a noted image-maker, all his idols fell to the ground, and were broken to pieces. Germinian was con- founded at the miracle ; and, being convinced that it was God's doing, became a convert to the faith of Jesus, and was beheaded with St. Lucy the selfsame day. — Metaphrastes (died a.d. 911), LiveSf etc. Innoeency protected by God, Job iv. 7. Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent ? St. CyriacuSf being falsely accused, is defended by an angel (fourth century). St. Cyriacus, wishing to avoid vainglory, performed his religious exercises secretly, in the night, but was accused to St. Maximin of neglecting them. The bishop suspended judgment, and prayed that God would give him wisdom to judge righteous judgment. As he was pre- paring to celebrate mass, an angel ap- peared to him, and assured him that Cyriacus was wholly innocent of the charges brought against him. " Ces choses," says our author, *' repandues par la voix puissante de la renomm^e chez tons les peuples anciens, et transmises jusqu'a nous, me'ritent de trouver place ici. Elles sont vraies. Les peintures des e'glises nous I'attestent." — Sigehard, Miracles of St, Maximin, Inspiration promised to tlie Saints. Matt. x. 19, 20. When men deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak ? for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which epeaketh in you. St. Catherine of Alexandria before the 2s 418 JUSTICE JUSTIFIED— LENDING TO THE LORD [Pt IL wise men of the empire, St. Catherine, wishing to convert the emperor Maxen- tius, who had ordered a hecatomb to be offered to the gods of Rome, went to the imperial palace, and had an interview with him. Maxentius, being wholly unable to cope with her in argument, sent for all the wisest men in the empire to come and hold a disputation witli the Christian maid, whom he called "the second Plato." On the eve of the dis- putation an angel appeared to St. Cathe- rine, and said to her, *' Fear not, thou beloved spouse of the Lamb of God, nor take thought how or what you shall say on the morrow ; for it shall be given you at the time what you shall say. Be of good courage, for you shall surely pre- vail, seeing it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of God who speaketh by you." — Metaphrastes (died a.d. 911), LiveSf etc. Justice justified in Forgive- ness. Psalm Ixxxt. 10. Mercy and tmth are met together; rigbteousness and peace have kissed each other. The adulteress forgiven. A certain king had a son and four daughters. The names of the daughters were Justice, Truth, Mercy, and Peace. The son married the daughter of the king of Jerusalem, who was guilty of adultery, repudiated, and reduced to abject poverty. The king, moved with pity, sent messen- gers to invite the fallen woman back ; but she declined to return, unless the prince himself gave her the kiss of peace and forgiveness. When the king heard this, he consulted his family what should be done. The eldest daughter, Justice, said the adulteress could not be recalled without doing dishonour to the law. The second daughter, Truth, said that she was of her sister's opinion ; for if the king said one thing and did another, his word would never be depended on, and sin would abound. The third sister, Mercy, pleaded for the wife, and said compassion is the brightest jewel in the crown. The j'oungest sister. Peace, terrified at the family jar, fled into the wilderness. The king's son was now appealed to, and he was asked to state what was his advice. The prince replied, *' The woman is my spouse ; I am willing to take her back. On my head be all her sins, and on me fall what punishment »he deserves." Justice and Truth said they were satisfied, the law was honoured, and so be it. Mercy kissed her brother, and her tears fell fast. The wife re- turned, and Peace came with her. Mercy and Truth then embraced each other. Justice and Peace did the same, and all were reconciled. — Gesta Romanonim^ Iv. Zaleucus the Locrian loses an eye on behalf of his son, Zaleucus, the Locrian lawgiver, enacted that any citizen of Locris proved guilty of adultery should be deprived of both his eves. His own and only son was the first person con- victed of the offence, and Zaleucus vin- dicated the law by giving his own right eye, and plucking out his son's left eye. The whole kingdom extolled the justice and wisdom of this act, and the law was more honoured in consequence of this vicarious punishment than if the whole weight of the law had fallen on the guilty son. If Zaleucus would not spare his own eye, there could be no hope that he would spare a stranger's. — Valerius Maximus, Memorable A<^s and Sayings^ bk. vi. ch. 6, 8. Iiending to the Iiord. (Set Giving to the Poor.) Pbov. xix. 17. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto ^he Lord; and that which he giveth will He pay him again. TjDKE vi. 38. Give, and it shall be given unto you ; good measure, pressed down, shaken to- gether, and running over. Putting the text to the test, A certain Jew, resolving to see if God would really return the money given to the poor, distributed in alms all that he possessed, except two pieces of silver, and then waited to see the result. Nothing occurred for several days, and the Jew, being disappointed, went to Jerusalem, resolv- ing to lodge a complaint against Solomon for falsehood before the high priest. On the road he saw two men quarrelling over a stone which they had picked up ; so he offered to give for it his two silver pieces. The offer was accepted, and each man took a piece. When the Jew reached the city, he showed the stone to a jeweller, and was told it was one of the precious stones dropped from the ephod of the high priest. He took it to the pontiff, and received in value many times the sum of money he had distributed in alms. — Cedrenus (1061), Chronicle from Adam to Isaac Comnenus. St, Elizabeth of Hungary gives her state robe to a beggar (a.d. 1207-1231). One day, when the landgrave was entertaining Pt. I I.J LENDING TO THE LORD. 41& at his table the grand-seigneurs of his egtate, Elizabeth, the landgrarine, was importuned by a beggar for alms, and having no money at hand, she gave her state mantle to the woman. God set His seal of approval to this act, by sending an angel to the landgravine with another robe, precisely like the one she had bestowed on the beggar, " et peut-§tre etait-ce-lui-meme qui I'avait re9u." The count de Montalembert, History of Eliza- beth of Hungary, If "angel" means messenger in this extract, then the " miracle •• turns out to be this— a messenger brought the robe back again. As, indeed, one would expect ; for what could a beggar do with a robe of state, as pawnbrokers were not yet known t St. Francisca gives some corn sweepings to the poor, and the gift is restored (a.d. 1384-1440). St. Francisca, during a time of great dearth, gave to some poor people the corn swept from the rafters and beams of her husband's granary. Returning to the chamber to see if she could scrape together a little more, she found forty measures of fine wheat, in lieu of the sweepings she had given to the poor. — Process of Canonization^ May 29, 1606. St. Francisca gives the wine of Andreas to the poor, hut the wine so given is spon- taneously restored (a.d. 1384-1440). During a famine in Rome, Andreas, the father-in-law of St. Francisca, laid in a tun of wine. Francisca, being impor- tuned by the poor, gave all who came some of this wine, till the tun was empty. When Andreas found all his wine gone he was exceedingly angry, but his daughter-in-law said, "Have you never heard, that he who hath pity on the poor, lendeth unto the Lord ; and that which he giveth, the Lord will pay back again? The wine given is still in the barrel." And so it was. Andreas found the tun quite full of the very best wine, and con- fessed that God is as good as His word. — Process of Canonization^ May 29, 1606. See note under Isidobe, next column. What is there said applies to this case also. St. Francisca had no right what- ever to give away this wine without her father-in-law's consent. It was no charity at all; not in the case of Francisca, for she made no personal sacrifice, but was liberal at another's expense ; not in Andreas, for he gave noti\ing, and was angry that Francisca had squandered his wine. To reward Francisca was to reward a selfish and dishonest act ; to reward Andreas was to reward him for notliing at all but ill-temper and a grudging dis- position. St, Francis Hieronimus steals bread for the poor, but the bread is miraculously restored (a.d. 1642-1716). One day, in boyhood, St. Francis Hieronimus was detected by his mother stealing bread to distribute to the poor. She reproved him for taking what was not his own, and forbade him to do so again. The boj'- blushed scarlet at the reproof, and said, "Mother, do you suppose we shall ever be the poorer for lending to the Lord ? Look on the shelf, and see if any loaf is missing." The mother counted the loaves, and found they were all there. Then, throwing her arms round the boy's neck, she told him he was free to dispose of anything in the house in charity. — Cardinal Wiseman. (St. Francis was canonized in 1839.) This is wretched teaching altogether. The boy steals the bread, and gives what is not his own ; the mother is angry at the loss of her bread, and finding the loss re- stored, not only condone* the oflTence, but is willing," on similar terms, to allow its repetition. If the theft was wrong, the "miraculous" restitution of the loaf or loaves could not make it right. The mother was offended at her loss and not at the peculation. St. Isidore gives his master's corn to feed some stray pigeons, John da Vergas, a farmer of Madrid, sent his man Isidore with a sack of wheat to the mill to be ground for family use. It was mid- winter, and the ground was thickly covered with snow. On the way, Isidore was joined by other labourers bent on similar errands. So, on they trudged together, talking and toiling, till they came to a tree literally covered with pigeons. The poor birds were starving, for the snow was deep. Isidore removed the snow for a yard or so, and almost emptied the sack. Down flew the pigeons in a body, but before they touched the corn, they flew to the feet of the holy man, and lovingly caressed them with their bills. One of the com- panions reproved Isidore for wasting his master's goods, but he replied, "I am lending to the Lord, and that which I give He will surely repay me again." And so it was. He deposited his sack well-nigh empty in the mill ; but the flour which it made was so multiplied between the millstones, that he took back twice as much as any of his com- panions whose sacks were full of grain. — John the deacon. Life of St. Isidore. This is certainly very unsound morality. It was no charity in Isidore to give what was not his own, and the mere accident that the theft was miraculously restored does not alter the character of the deed. Take the follow- ing illustration : A merchant sends his clerk to the Bank of England with £500 cash. In going through some of the London slums, he sees a liort of poor folk, meagre women, children crying for food, and men lounging about for want of work. The clerk distributes amongit them £40i of his master's money, and deposits only £100 instead of £500 in the bank. Stop there. What would N? thought of this transaction! It really has not one redeeming feature. The clerk makes no personal sacrifice, and u such cx>nduct were tolerated, honesty and confidence m LlARS-LlFt:— LIGHT. [Pt. n, would be destroyed. If the banker's clerk accidentally put down £500 instead of £100, so that the maitar never detected the robbery, so mnc)i the worse. No restitution of tlie money could possibly justify the theft, although it mieht save the clerk from its evil consequences. Such teaching is wretched indeed. St. Medard gives one of his father's horses to a poor man, and yet his father lacked not one of Ms horses (a.d. 545). St. Medard was "of royal blood, both on his father's and on his mother's side. One day his father, returninpc from the country with a large cavalcade, charged his son Medard, then a boy, to conduct the horses to the meadow, and look after them, as the grooms were all fully occupied. As he went to the meadow, he saw a man carrying a bridle and saddle on his head, and asked him why he did so. The man replied, his horse had just died, and the loss was very great, as he had no money to buy another. On hearing this, Medard gave the man one of his father's horses. As he returned home it began to rain heavily, and God, in reward of his gift, sent an eagle to ward off the rain from him with outstretched wings. Not only the grooms saw this, but his father, mother, all the guests, and all the domestics. When the groom saw one of the horses was missing, he complained of it to his master. Medard explained the matter, and his father went with him to the stables. What, however, was his amaze- ment to find his whole tale of horses quite complete ; not one was missing. The father now gave his son liberty to ?;ive in alms whatever he thought proper, eeling assured that whatever he gave would be given him again. — Acta Sanc- torum (Bollandists), vol. ii. June 8. It was a dishonest act, wholly without the merit of self-sacrifice, for young Medard to give what was not his own. And the principle on which his father permitted him in future to give alms was most reprehensible. Peter Vellius gives Francis Xavier the key of his cash-box. Xavier takes from it three hundred crowns, but Vellius finds his cash in full tale. Francis Xavier went to Peter Vellius, a wealthy merchant of Machai, to ask for a subscription to some charity. As Vellius was absorbed at the time in a game of chess, he gave the key of his cash -box to Xavier, bidding him help himself ; so, taking out three hundred crowns, he brought back the key, and went his way. When Vellius examined his cash-box to see what had been taken, he found all his money in full tale, just as he had left it. The next time he met Xavier, he told him about it, and Xavier replied, "Just so ; he that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord ; and that which he giveth, the Lord will pay him again." — Cardinal de Monte, Speech before Gregory XV. on the canon- ization of Francis Xavier^ Jan. 19, 1622. Liars frustrated. IsA. xliv. 25. [God] frustrateth Uie tokeat of the liars. St. Gregory the thaumaturgist falsely accused (a.d. 212-270). The great chastity and moral life of Gregory when a young man stirred up the envy of some fellowa of his own age, who suborned a woman to father a child on him in a public lecture-room. No sooner, however, had she done so, than the devil took pos- session of her, and so terribly tormented her that life was unendurable. St. Gregory, moved with compassion, ex- orcised her, and she freely confessed that the young men had suborned her to utter the false slander. — St. Gregory of Nyssa, Life of St, Gregory Thauma- turgist. Life more than Food. Luke xii. 23. The life is more tb&n meat, and the body than raiment. 6rn. XXV. 29-34. Esau sells his birthright for a mess of pottage. Lysimachus barters his croum for a draught of water. Lysimachus, kmg of Thrace, being besieged by the Getae, was, with his soldiers, reduced to the greatest straits for want of water, and actually consented to give up his king- dom and crown to Dromichaetes for a draught of water. No sooner, however, had he slaked his thirst than he repented of his folly, and cried in hi* grief, " Oh, that for a drop of water I should have sold my crown and kingdom, and be debased from the state of a king to that of a slave for a moment's gratification . For a draught of water have I sold liberty and dignity, royalty and life." Lysimachus, however, is not alone in this. How many are there, in this our own day, who sell their inheritance of eternal life and eternal glory, their golden harps and golden crowns, their kingship and priesthood in heaven, for the pleasures of sin for a season, no better than a mesi of pottage and a draught of water! Light. (See Aureola, pp. 39-41.) Matt. v. 14. Ye are the light of the world. JoHK V. 35. John the Baptist was a burning and shining light. Pt. II.] LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. 421 Acts xiii. 47. I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles. Matt. xiii. 43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun. ExoD. X. 22, 23. There was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days ; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. Psalm xcvii. 11. Light is sown for the righteous. Psalm cxii. 4. Unto the upright there arisetb light in darkness. St. FUlan's hand shines forth as the sun. St. Fillan was educated by Munna, an abbot, and as candles were forbidden in the cells after a certain hour, he used to hold up his left hand, which shone bril- liantly, and yielded him quite sufficient light for him to go on with his writing after curfew time. Hence St. Fillan wrote with his right hand by the light shed from his left. — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints J Jan., p. 127. St. Hilary^s chamber, at his decease^ pled with light (a.d. 368). St. Gregory of Tours assures us that, when St. Hilary died, a brilliant light filled all the chamber where the body was lying. Of course, these words leave it an open question whether the light was miraculous, or whether, according to [Roman] Catholic custom, the chamber was artificially illuminated. Those who know St. Gre- gory's writings cannot but feel assured he meant to intimate a miracle and not a custom. At the death of St, Patrick the nights in Ireland were for twelve months less dark than usual (a.d. 464). At the death of St. Patrick there was no night and no cloud in Ireland for twelve successive days ; and for a whole year the nights in the island were less dark than usual. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. March 17. When St. Veronica was dying her chamber was illuminated (a.d. 1497). Sister Thaddaea assured Benedetta (from whose notes Isidore wrote the life of St. Veronica), that going to the cell of Veronica at the hour of nones, she was amazed to see a brilliant light shining through the chinks of the cell door. Peeping through the crevices, she saw Veronica dying ; but she was chanting the nones, and a dazzling light shone round about her. Of course Thaddaea believed the light to be miraculous, but a lamp would suffice to deceive one who only peeped Vurough the chinks of the door. Love your Enemies. Matt. v. 43, 44. Ye have heard that it hath been said. Thou shalt bve thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But 1 say unto you, Ix)ve your enemies; bless them that curse yoi; do good to them that hate you ; and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute jci. Prov. XXV. 21, 22. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat ; and if he he thirsty, give him water to drink ; for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord will reward thee. ExoD. xxiii. 4, 5. If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. And if thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under h\s burden, thou shalt surely help with him. St. John the almoner's counsel to his nephew^ who wanted to avenge himself, George, the nephew of St. John, patriarch of Alexandria, fell out with a publican, who insulted him and even struck him. Boiling with rage, the lad laid his complaint before his uncle, fully expect- ing the patriarch would make the fellow an example. St. John replied, " Well, George, I must take this matter in hand, and will so avenge the insult, as even you shall be astonished." The young man fully expected his uncle would order the insolent publican to be publicly scourged, but the patriarch said, "You are proud, George, of your relationship to the patriarch of Alexandria, and near kinsmen should be like each other, not in feature only, but more especially in spirit and disposition. Now come with me to the man who insulted you." So saying, he went to the publican, who was also a farmer, greatly indebted to the patriarch. '* Friend," he said, " Jesus Christ has told me to love my enemies, and to do good to those who hate me ; you have offended and insulted my nephew, now bring me the agreement for your rent, due in a few days." The farmer brought the paper, and the patri- arch, tearing it to pieces in the sight of his son, said to the publican, "There, I forgive 5''0u that debt ; and as I forgive offences against me, may God forgive me." When the neighbours heard thereof, they were ravished with admiration, and loved the patriarch more than ever. — Metaphrastes, Lives^ etc. St. John, patriarch of Alexandria, and the swindler (a.d. 619). A swindler, who knew the character of St. John, patriarch of Alexandria, borrowed of him a large sum of money, saying he had heard this scripture, "And from him who would borrow of thee, turn not thou away." The patriarch handed over the money, and the rascal, being asked to repay at the time due, stoutly maintained he had 422 LUKE AN ARTIST— MAMMON. [Pt. II, never received it. The patriarch was advised to lay the matter before the judge. But St. John replied, '* St. Paul said to the Corinthians, ' Surely this is utterly a fault, that ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded ? ' " When his advisers remarked that the money thus swindled by a rascal might be distributed to the poor, the patriarch replied, " He maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth His rain on the just and on the unjust." — Leontius (bishop of Naples), Life of St. John the Almoner. Luke the Evangelist an Artist. There can be no doubt that the [Roman] Catholics generally suppose that St. Luke the Evangelist was an artist of consider- able note. There is no authority, direct or indirect, in the New Testament to confirm this notion, but in early ecclesi- astical writers several allusions are made to it, and several pictures and images are ascribed to his handiwork. Theo- dorus lived about a.d. 618, and on his authority Nicephorus, in 980, states that St. Luke left several paintings of Christ and also of the Virgin. Nicephorus is followed by several modern Greeks, as may be seen in Gretzer's dissertation on the subject. Theodorus states that Luke sent a portrait of the Virgin to the empress Pulcheria, who placed it in the church at Constantinople. In the " Via lata" of Rome, near St. Mary's church, we are told that an ancient inscription was found on a portrait, in these words : "This is one of the seven paintings of St. Luke." Of the portraits ascribed to St. Luke, now existing, the principal one was placed by Paul V. in the Borghesi chapel of St. Mary the Greater. The inhabitants of Lyons affirm that St. Pothin, who died a.d. 177, brought with him from the East "an image" of the Virgin Mary, attributed to St. Luke. Mgr. Gu^rin tells us the portraits ascribed to St. Luke are very numerous. His words are, " St. Pothin aurait apporte' de Torient une image de la Vierge. Peut- etre e'tait-ce un de ces nombreux portrait attribue's k St. Luc." If any one is curious enough to know what sort of face and stature are ascribed to the Virgin Mary, it is as follows : Medium height, face long, complexion brownish, hair blond, eyebrows black, eyes a dark olive grey very glisten- \nj{, no&e Italian, cheeks rather ftall, lips a bright ver- milion, expression very modest and maternal, deport ment stately, dress neat, poor, and wholly without ornament. (See ANGEL OF Death, ' ' Gregory the Great.* p. 5.) In Saragossa is the famous picture of the Virgin and Child given by the Virgin herself to St. James, who warn preaching the gospel there. It is ornamented with a profusion of gold and jewels, and illuminated with a multitude of lamps. Mammon of Unrigl".teou8- ness. (See Rich Fool, pt. i.) Luke xvi. 9. Make to yourselres friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fall, they may receive you, etc. Dionysius, the son of the king of Syracuse, made to himself friends of tfte mammon of unrightemisness. A marvellous illustra- tion of this text occurs in the life of Dionysius, king of Syracuse. His son of the same name stored up such vast hoards of silver and gold that the father grew suspicious, and asked him with what object this was done. The son replied that he meant to make friends with it, that when the king, his father, died, the Syracusans might receive him into the inheritance. The golden apple to he given to the greatest fool. A certain king, on his death-bed, gave a golden apple to his son, and told him to bestow it on the greatest fool. The son travelled through many regions, and although he found many foolish ones, he found no one that quite answered the condition of being the greatest of all fools. At length he came to a large province, and saw one con- ducted through the streets in royal apparel, with every demonstration of honour, and asked the cause. He was told that the man was a king for the year being, but as soon as his year of oflRce was ended, he would be degraded and banished from the province. The young prince immediately drew near, and said, " My lord, the king my father commanded me on his death-bed to present your grace with this golden apple." "How so?" said the magnate. " I never even knew your father." *' My lord," rejoined the prince, "my father's injunction to me was to give the apple to the greatest fool. I have travelled through many lands, and found many foolish men, but never till to-day found I one willing to endure a lifelong banish- ment for a twelvemonth's splendour." " Right," said the receiver of the apple ; "but I will labour in my year of splendour to make to myself friends, that when my 5'^ear of office ends, I may be received with welcome in the land to which 1 Pt. II.] MARKS OF THE LORD JESUS. 423 shall be exiled." — Oesta Bomanorum, Ixxiv. Marks of the Lord Jesus. Gal. vi. 17. I bear In my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. (This obserr»tion has given rise to what the Roman Catholics call tUgmata ; that is, prints in the hands, feet, side, and temples, of the wounds of Jesus Christ, some- times complete, &nd sometimes only in part.) Ths following persons claim to have been so marked : — I. Meh. Angelo del Pazzi (all the marks). Benedict of Reggio (the crown of thorns), 1602. Carlo di Saeta (the lance-wound). Dodo, a premonstratensian monk (all the marks), died 1231. Francis d'Assisi (the five wounds), Sept. 15, 1224. Loo (marked from birth with red crosses), 1002. Nicholas of Ravenna. II. Women. Blanca de Gazeran. Catherine Emmerich of the Tyrol (crown of thorns, and marks on the hands and feet), 1774-1824. Catherine of Raconigi (marks on the hands and feet), 1486-1547. Catherine of Ricci (crown of thorns, 1547), 1522-1589. Catherine of Siena (the five wounds), 1346-1380. Cecilia di Nobili of Nocera, 1655. Clara di Pugny (marks of the spear), 1514. Dominica Lazzari of the Tyrol (nine- teenth century). " Ecstatica" of Caldaro (all the marks), 1842. Gabriella da Piezolo of Aquila (spear- marks, which bled afresh every Friday). Gertrude of Ostend (the five wounds), died 1358. Joanna Maria of the Cross. Lidwina (all the marks), 1380-1433. Louise Lateau (all the marks), 1850- 1868. Maria Mori of the Tyrol (nineteenth eentury). Maria Razzi of Chio (the crown of thorns). Maria Villani (the crown of thorns). Mary Magdalene de* Pazzi (all the marks), 1666-1607. Mechtildis von Stanz. Oxanna (the cross, crown of thorns, and spear), 1449-1505. Petronilla (all the marks), died 1472. Rita de Cascia (the crown of thorns), 1462. Rose Tamisier (special marks. See Imposture, p. 184), 1850. Sybillina of Pavia (crown and thorns and whip-wales). Ursula of Valencia. Veronica Giuliani (all the marks), 1660-1727. Vincenza Ferreri of Valencia, 304. Pagan Stigmata. It was by no means unusual for the pagans to make incisions in their skin in honour of their gods. Sometimes the marks were burnt in with hot irons, and sometimes a black or violet pigment, rubbed into punctures made in the skin with some sharp instrument, like a needle, made abiding marks. Many Arabian women are so marked on the arms and legs ; and probably tat- tooing is a similar sacred marking of the skin. Lucian tells us that all Syrian women were marked either on the hands or on the neck. St» Catherine Emmerich of the Tyrol had all the marks (a.d. 1774-1824). St. Catherine Emmerich of the Tyrol, gene- rally called the "nun of Dulmen," is a modern example of the same pheno- menon. Catherine Emmerich had from early youth an intuitive faculty of dis- cerning the qualities of plants, and also of interpreting people's thoughts. This sickly abnormal visionary was marked on her head with the wounds of the crown of thorns, in her side with the wound of the spear, and in her hands and feet with the impress of the nails. These wounds, we are told, were as plain as if they had been painted by an artist, and bled regularly every Friday. There was also a double cross on her breast. When the blood was wiped away, the marks looked like the punctures of needles. Catherine was a poor uneducated cow- keeper, but in her ecstasies talked like one inspired. She could see in the dark just as well as in daylight, and frequently made clothes for the poor at night with- out either lamp or candle. — Ecstatioas of the Tyrol. N.B.— Maria Mori and Dominica Laznri are two other modern instances. St. Catherine of Raconigi marked in the hands and feet (a.d. 1486-1547). Jesus one day came to St. Catherine of Raco- nigi, and said to her, " Thy great faith, daughter, merits a reward, and therefore will I make you participate in the pains 424 MARKS OR STIGMATA: CATHERINE— LOUISE. [Pt. II, I myself endured in My hands and feet." So saj'ing, He reached out His hands, placing His palms in those of St. Cathe- rine. As He did so, there leaped from the wounds "a dart of blood," which pierced the hands of the maiden, and left there a perpetual stigma. A similar shooting pain darted through her feet, and there also was left the stigma of Chiist. These stigmata on the hands and feet continued all through life, and when she was dead, hosts of persons came to see them, and bore witness of the fact which their own eyes had seen. In the convent of St. Margaret, at Chieri, St. Catherine of Raconigi is represented with the stigmata, a great cross on the left shoulder, a little one on the breast, a lily in her hands, and three rings on the ring-finger. — Mgr. Gue'rin, Vies des SaintSj vol. x. p. 513 (7th edit. 1880). St. Catherine of Ricci receives the marks of the Lord Jesus (a.d. 1522-1583). An extraordinary number of graces were vouchsafed to St. Catherine of Ricci in Florence. She vowed herself the virgin bride of Christ, and the Saviour Himself placed on her finger a betrothal ring, and marked her body with the sacred stig- mata. She also experienced habitually *' all the torments of the Redeemer, one after the other, in due order during Passion Week." In Christian art St. Catherine of Ricci is represented as receiving from Christ the engagement ring, and crowned with thorns. Some- times she is represented " recevant dans la bouche un jet du lait de la Sainte Vierge." — Mgr. Guerin, Vies des Saints^ vol. ii. p. 506. St. (Catherine of Siena had the five wounds (A.D. 1346-1380). St. Catherine of Siena called herself the virgin spouse of Christ. One day, meditating on the passion of Christ, she was stricken in the hands, feet, and side with the marks of the Lord Jesus ; and, as St. Antony assures us, actually felt the wounds as acutely as if she had been really crucified. In fact, they were so painful to her, especially the wound in the side, that she declared she must have sunk under the agony, if God had not relieved the pain. — Surius, Lives of the Saints (a.d. 1570). St. Francis dAssisi had the five wounds impressed on him by a seraph with six wings ^ (Sept. 15, 'l224). St. Francis d'Assisi had all the marks of the Passion impressed on him. Not only many who conversed with him, as St. Clara, saw and touched tht rounds, but St. Gregory IX., who canonized him, affirms that he himself saw them also. The marking fell out thus. Being in a solitary placa during his "Michaelmas Lent," in Au- vergne, two years before his death, early one morning, about the exaltation of the cross, he saw a seraph with six wings. His face burned with fire, and radiated light in every direction. Between the wings of the seraph was the figure of a man crucified. The uppermost wings were held above his head, the two middle ones were spread abroad so as to form a cross, and the other two were gathered up together so as to cover the whole body. When St. Francis saw the seraph, he fell into an ecstasy ; and, during the trance, was transformed into the exact similitude of Christ crucified. There were the prints of the nails in his hands and feet, and the print of the spear- wound in his side. The heads of the nails appeared in his two palms ; they were round and black, the points being long and bent. So also was it in the feet. The spear-wound was in the right side, and the mark was both wide and red. — St. Bonaventura, Life of St. Francis oj Assisi, The spear-wound in Veronica Giuliani wan in the left sidb, but artists generally represent the soldier piercing the right side. (See p. 426. ) St. Gertrude of Ostend had the five wounds (a.d. 1358). On the evening of Tuesday in Holy Week, a.d. 1340, St. Gertrude of Ostend felt all of a sudden five punctures, two in the hands, two in the feet, and one in the side. From these wounds blood flowed abundantly. Next day, and for several following days, blood flowed from these stigmata seven tim'^s a day, at the seven canonical hours. Crowds went to witness the spectacle. St. Ger- trude, "fearing she might grow vain," prayed that the flux of blood might cease, and her praj'er was heard ; but the marks of the Passion remained till death. — Vita Sanctorum (BoUandus), vol. i. Jan. 6. Louise Lateau had all the five marks (born 1850-1868). Annie Louise Lateau was the daughter of Gregory Lateau, a workman of one of the foundries of Hainault. The father died in 1850, the year of his child's birth. Annie Louise became a sempstress, but when the cholera broke out in 1866 she distinguished her- self greatly by nursing the sick in the village of Bois d'Haine. Next year she was taken ill, and received the last sacra- ment in September ; but, taking a fpw drops of a miraculous fouDtain^ coniturv Pt. II.] MARKS OR STIGMATA LEO— SYBILLINA. 42i to all expectation, she suddenly recovered. On April 24, 1868, she suffered from great pain in the localities of the five wounds, and an abscess appeared on her left side. Next day it wholly disappeared, but the following Friday blood flowed from the hands, feet, and side. In August, the same year, the archbishop of Mechlin appointed a committee to examine the marks, one of the gentlemen being Dr. Lefebvre, professor of medicine at the university at Louvain, and the next Frida}'' '* the crown of thorns " made its appear- ance on her head. In Aug. 29, 1878, The Times says that Anne Louise Lateau the stigmatic still works in the house, and has been visited by above a hundred doctors of all nationalities, none of whom have detected the slightest malady. The stigmata make their appearances on Fri- days, between the hours of one and two, and four and five. — See The Lancet^ April 22, 1871 ; The British Medical Journal^ 1871, and Oct. 1875; Dr. Bourneville, Science and Miracle ; etc. St, Leo marked at birth with red crosses (a.d. 1002). Bruno (the baptismal name of St. Leo) was born in Alsace, and his body at birth was marked all over with red crosses, attributed to the intense meditation of his mother on the passion of Christ, and a token that the child him- self would carry the cross to his life's end. — Wibert, In vita Leonis IX. y bk. i. Without doubt, the imagination of the mother some- times impresses visible marks on the offspring, Jacob acted on this principle when he told Laban he would take the speckled and spotted sheep for his hire (Gen. xxx. 37-43). And he took rods of green poplar, hazel, and chestnut, and pilled white strakes in them, and set tho rods in the watering-troughs where the flocks came to drink ; and the ewes brought forth cattle ring-straked, spotted, and speckled. St, Lidwina had the marks of the Lord, but they were not visible (a.d. 1380-1438). Angels, in human forms, often appeared to St. Lidwina she conversed with them, and called them by their names. She was also granted interviews with her *' celestial Spouse," who appeared to her personally, and on one occasion im- pressed on her body the sacred marks of His passion ; but, to avoid vanity, St. Lidwina intreated the Saviour to render these stigmata invisible, a favour readily accorded to her. — Life of St. Lid- wina (compiled by her cousin John Gerlac and her confessor John Walter). See Acta Sanctorum by the Bollandists, April 14, vol. ii. p. 287. St, Mary Magdalene of Pazzi marked wtth all the stigmata (a.d. 1566-1607). Catherine, allied by blood to the Medici, changed her name to Mary Magdalene, on taking the veil. She was noted for her visions, and Christ Himself put on her head a crown of thorns, and marked her body with all the marks of His passion. In Christian art she is represented as receiving "the instruments of the Passion and the stigmata, as a safeguard against the temptations of the devil." — Vincent Puccini (of Florence), Life of St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi. St. Oxanna marked with the five wounds of Jesus (a.d. 1449-1505.) The signal favours of Jesus and Mary, shown to St. Oxanna from early childhood, con- tinued as she grew in years and stature. Before she was fifteen years old she was honoured by the stigmata of the cross, the crown of thorns, and the spear. More than once she received the Eucharist from the hand of angels ; and God often re- vealed to her the secrets of the future, and gave her the power of working mira- cles. — L'abbe Chapia, La Vie dune Sainte pour chaque Jour de PAnnee (June 18). mta of Cascia marked with the crown of thorns (a.d. 1452). Rita of Cascia, after hearing a famous missionary preach on the passion of Christ, prayed that she might be a partaker of the Saviour's grief, and forthwith felt in her forehead the punctures of the crown of thorns. From these punctures proceeded a most offensive pus, and worms crawled from the sores. This lasted four years, and then she died, when rays of glory issued from the punctures. This we are told by an artist, who says he was a personal witness, and knew Rita from her first introduction to the convent to the hour of her death. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollan- dists), vol. V. May 22. The pimples on the forehead, the pus, the offensire smell, and the contagious nature of these "marks," look very much like smallpox or variola. The account is not stated with sufficient accuracy to know whether the pimples were running sores for four years, or whether only " pock- marks " remained. We are distinctly told she was "sepa- rated from her companions for fifteen days, during all which time she spoke to no one." This would be about the length of time that smallpox runs. The scabs begin to fall oflF on the fourteenth or fifteenth day. In some cases smallpox is followed by sloughing sores and erysipelatous inflammation, and this may have been the case with Rita. N.B.— Rita is a contraction of Margarita. Sybillina of Pavia had the marks of the crown of thorns and the whips (fourteenth century). Sybillina of Pavia was blind from the age of twelve years, and was received into the sisterhood of the Tiers Ordre de St. Dominique. Her sufferance impressed upon her the crown of thorns and the marks of the scourging. " Aussi 126 MARKS OR STIGMATA: VERONK^A, THOMAS. [Pt. II, porta-t-elle dans ses membres de vierge les marques cruelles de la passion de Bon divin e'poux." — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. iii. p. 538. St, Veronica Giuliani has all the marks (A D. 1693, 1697). St. Veronica Giuli- ani, at the age of thirtj'^- three, felt per- suaded that the Saviour intended to make her an associate in His passion. In 1693 she felt in her forehead the pains of the crown of thorns, and any one might have seen the marks by a circle of pustules round her head. The physicians tried caustic, but only added to her suifering without removing the marks. Other remedies being also tried with no better success, the physicians abandoned all hope of removing the marks. In 1697, on Good Friday, while contemplating the crucifixion, the Saviour Himself appeared to her ; He was nailed to the cross, and five rays darted from his five wounds, into the hands, feet, and side of Veronica. The pain of the wounds was very great, and she felt exactly as if she were crucified. She was obliged to reveal this ''extra- ordinary favour " to her confessor, and the confessor informed the bishop of Citta di Castello, who, in turn, consulted the pope. The bishop received from the holy oflfice of Rome a reply to take no further notice of the affair, and not to talk about it; but in the course of the year "the jniracle" was repeated over and over again, and the stigmata were apparent to all the sisterhood. The bishop, to assure himself of the fact, selected four persons to accompany him to the church attached to the nunnery ; and Veronica, being placed in the grille, was examined with care. There could be no doubt about the matter; the wounds were evident, and Veronica said sometimes they were wet with blood, and at other times scabbed. The wound of the spear was in the left side ; it was between four and five inches long, by half an inch in breadth, and had all the appearance of a wound made by a spear. This wound never closed, and therefore the linen of the saint was always bloody. " Les incre'dules re- garderont ces prodiges comme imagi- naires, et les tdmoins qui les ont rap- porte's, comme des gens simples, que Ton pouvait facilement tromper. Nous ne craignons pas d'assurer que toutes les precautions que la prudence humaine pent inspirer pour bien connaitre la v^rite' furent prises par I'e'vique, guide par les instructions qu'il avait revues du tribunal di Sair>Ofl5oe. V^ronique elle- m6me cherchait si pen k en im poser, que, dans toutes les circonstance, elle temoi- gnait la crainte que ce qui se passait en elle ne fiit une illusion du demon," The marvel does not end here. Vero- nica asserted that the stigmata were not confined to her body, but were also marked on her heart. She drew a map of her heart, marking the spot of each instrument of torture, and also that in which the cross was fixed. At death a post-mortem was held in the presence of the bishop, the governor of the town, several doctors and surgeons, and seven other witnesses. All these testified to the wounds in the body and the marks on the heart corresponding with the map drawn by Veronica. — Mgr. Guerin (chamberlain of Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints, vol. viii. pp. 222-224 (7th edit. 1880). N.B.— The spear-wound In Francis of Aasisi was In th« right side. One would like to see the report of the medical men ; but I cannot find it either in the originfll Italian or in the French translation of this life. Alban Butler does not even mention the name of this saint Thomas the apostle's reply when the disciples said J " We have seen the Lord^ In the life of St. Thomas the apostle, written by Gregory of Tours. Isidore, MetaphrastSs, and others, the sentence, "We have seen the Lord," and the replv of Thomas are thus paraphrased: "O brother, whilst thou wert absent we saw the Lord ; the same that was beaten and crowned with thorns ; the same that was nailed to the cross and died ; the same whose side was pierced with the spear; the same that was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb. He is risen, brother, and we have seen Him. He showed us His hands and His feet, and there saw we the prints of the nails, not stained with blood, but wonderfully adorned, and blazing like diamonds and rubies set in gold. Even now He parted from us, brother." Thomas made answer, " It was a mere vision. For my own part, I tell you plainly, I will not believe it, till I not onlj"^ see the prints in His hands, feet, and side, but actually put my fingers into the wounds to be assured that my eyes have not deceived me. Till this is the case, I say, I can neither believe that j'^ou have really seen the Master, nor yet that He is risen from the dead." The bad taste and extravagance of this paraphrase ii ▼wy valuable as a lesson in hagiography. The supponed •mbellishraent, but real tinsel, about the " dlamonda and Pt. II.] MEN LIKE TREES— MORE THAN CONQUERORS. 427 rubies set in gold" is in the worst possible taste, and when we read it, we can only feel thankful that these men were not the evangelists of the four Gospels. Three children fell into a pit, hut were unharmed, in answer to the prayers of St. Porphyry (a.d. 353-420). Three children of Gaza, between the ages of six and seven, fell into a deep pit. St. Porphyry, having heard of the accident, fell to the earth, and remained an hour in fervent prayer. In the mean time, a man descended into the pit, and found the children safe and sound, sitting on a stoRe. What is more wonderful still is this — they were all marked with a red cross, one on the forehead, another on the shoulder, and the third on the hand. — Mark (a companion), Life of St, Porphyry. An attempt to explain the phenomenon. The fact that certain bodies have been marked with strange im- pressions is beyond dispute, and without in any wise attributing these marks either to miracle or imposition, they can be accounted for by the mystical action of thought upon the body. Every one knows that thought may produce local pain, disease, and even death. Let any one, for example, fix his thoughts on any part of the body, and imagine that he suffers pain there, and the pain will assuredly follow ; so, if a person will strongly imagine that he is ill, he will undoubtedly become so. All know that fright will produce birth-marks, and in some cases marks when the body is full-grown. Any very strong emotion that vitiates the secretions will affect the skin ; and by fixing the thought strongly on anjr particular part of the skin, the vicious effect may be determined. Suppose a nun of delicate health and extreme excitability is worked up by imagination to a state of morbid frenzy, her secretions will become vitiated, and her skin diseased. Suppose, now, her whole soul is fixed on the crown of thorns — so firmly fixed that she believes her forehead to be scarred with the punctures ; this centralized thought may determine the locus and character of the skin disease, and it may in extreme cases assume those pustules or pimples round the brow which are called "the crown of thorns." The same diseased thought that made Macbeth see a dagger in the air, and Banquo's ghost sitting on an empty chair, may make a religious visionary see an angel, and believe that the angel gave the marks to which reference has been made. Such false creations often proceed "from the heat- oppressed brain ; " and vivid fancy, especially with the superstitious, will often " inform thus to the mind." It is certain, however, that mechanical means were some- times employed to produce the mark. Thus Laurent of the Benedictine Order seared his forehead with hot iron to produce the semblance of a crown of thorns (see p. 430). Self-deception Is a common occurrence with hysterical women. Dr. Du SauUe, physician to the Salpfitri^re, Paris, has found many of bis patients labouring under the delusion that they had been struck or stabbed, though they had inflicted the injuries on themselves. A wife was found lying on her bedroom floor, with her face covered with blood. She said she had been attacked by armed men; but the story proved to be a mere delusion. A girl wounded herself with a pistol, and then described an attempted assassination in the most minute detaiL Another young woman was found in a railway carriage with a knife-wound in her side. This injury was proved to have been self-inflicted. A housemaid, found behind a door, gagged, bound, and bruised, swore she had been attacked by burglars, but was believed to have been her own burglar. Then comes the most striking case of all, which occurred in the practice of Dr. Tardieu. "A young lady, living at Courbevoie, wished to make herself an object of public interest by passing as a victim of a political conspiracy, which she pretended to have dis- covered. :ne night she was found in a state of the greatest mental perturbation at the door of her apart- ment. She could not talk; but stated, in writing, that ■be bad been attacked outride her own house by a man. who had attempted to garotte her, at the same tim« striking her twice with a dagger. Only the lady's clothing was injured, and the body of her dress and her corset were found to be cut through, but at different levels. She tried to make out that the attempt at strangulation had caused dumbness. M. Tardieu remarked, in her hearing, that this infirmity rapidly disappeared when produced under circumstances of this kind. She soon managed to regain her speech, and in a short time ad- mitted that the whole narrative had been developed out of her inner consciousness."— i5H counted for simply as the reverberation of the requiem ■ungat death. Thus, when St Pacomius died (A.O. 348). we are tuld by his biographer, "His disciples passed the * It was the archbishop of Trivet. 19 whole night in singing, without intermission, psalms and hynms till the next morning, when the body was in- terred. * In cases where sflveral religious houses were under one head, and requiems were sung in each, these "airy sounds" or reverberations would be heard in places " far apart." Sometimes the dying saint hears the music. This Is the disease called hedonia. I have myself been at death- beds where the person dying has heard these musical sounds, and even joined hi them with feeble but musical voice. BunyarCs pilgrims welcomed into heaven with the sound of music. There came to meet Pilgrim and Hopeful several of the king's trumpeters, clothed in white and shining raiment, who with melodious and loud noises made even the heavens echo with their sound. These trumpeters saluted Christian and his fellow with ten thousand welcomes, and this they did with shouting and sound of trumpet. This done, they compassed the new- comers round about on every side. Some went before, some behind, some on the right side and some on the left, con- tinually sounding as they went with melodious noise in notes on high ; so that the sight was as if heaven itself was come down to meet them. Thus Christian and Hopeful walked on to- gether ; and, as they walked, ever and anon these trumpeters, with joyful sound, signified to them how welcome' they were. [As they approached nearer the celestial city] the two pilgrims thought they heard the bells of heaven ringing to welcome them. Thus came they to the gate. — Pilgrim's Progress, pt. i. (an allegory). St. Martin welcomed to heaven with music (a.d. 397). When the agony of death came, St. Martin distinctly saw the devil, and said to him, " What dost thou here, thou cruel beast?" and, having so said, he rendered up his spirit to the Lord, being eighty-one years of age. His blessed soul was borne to heaven by many angels, who made much joy, and sang melodiously. This heavenly music was heard by many in places far apart, as by Severinus archbishop of Cologne, and by St. Ambrose archbishop of Milan, who said, on hearing it, "Our brother Martin of Tours has fallen asleep, and his spirit is being carried to heaven with shouts, and a great noise of melody." — SeverusSulpicius(acontemporary),ii^s^/tf to Bassula. (The life of St. Martin was also written by Paulinus, bishop of Nola ; Fortunatus, a priest ; Gregory of Tours ; Odo, abbot of Cluny ; Heber- nus, bishop of Turin, and many others. Celestial musia proceeds from tfie spot where St. Julian and his companions were burnt to death (a.d. 313). St. Julian was 2f 434 NAKEDNESS OF MAN— NATURE SUBJECTED. at the bead of a monastery of more than ten thousand religious men. When Maxi- minus IT. was emperor, he sent Marcian to extirpate the whole Christian popula- tion of Antioch. One of the first acts of the lieutenant was to summon Julian before him, and command him to abandon the Christian faith, and offer incense to the gods of Rome. St. Julian replied, " Neither I nor any of my disciples will forsake the God whom we adore, nor will we oifer incense to stocks and stones, the work of men's hands." Marcian, blind with rage, set fire to the four comers of Julian's monastery, and all were con- fumed. This holocaust was so pleasing to God, that for many and many a year persons who passed the spot where this monastery stood heard celestial music proceeding from the ground, whereby many that were sick were made whole. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. i, p. 235. (Does the pope's chamberlain mean that " plus de diz mllle religeux " " furent tous consume " ? Ten thousand is a large holocaust mdeed.) Celestial music heard at the death of St. Servasius (a.d. 384). When Servasius died, an angel brought from heaven a silk pall to cover over him. Celestial music was heard in the air, celebrating the vic- tories obtained over the powers of hell. All the sick in Maastricht and Tongres who attended the convoy were cured of their infirmities whatever they were, and other miracles were wrought so as to spread his fame throughout all Gaul. — Gregory of Tours, Glory of the Confessors. The bod) was disinterred in A.D. 782 (nearly 360 years afterwards), and not only had no corruption set in, but the face shone so brilliantly as to light up the whole vault. The silk pall was found in the coffin, and a silver key, the gift of St, Peter. Another marvel is told of his grave. No snow ever fell on it ; it fell around in great abundance, but never on the tomb. So we are told in the Roman niartyrology, and also by Gregory of Tours. This, how- ever, need be no miracle, unless the tomb was covered with grass like the parts around. Even the airy music might be reverberation of the requiem sung in the church ; but these suggestions, like that of the key being the gift •f the pope, take from the romance, and of course will be received with small favour by those who love to multiply miracles. (See p. 396.) Nakedness of Man. Job 1. 28. Naked came I out of my mother*i womb, and naked shall I return thither. 1 Tim. vl. 7. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing oat. Psalm xlix. 16, 17, Be not afraid when one Is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away. Alexander the Great and Diogenes the cynic. Alexander was much interested with the snarling wit of Diogenes the fPT.IL cynic, and on one occasion asked him what boon he could grant him which would be acceptable. Diogenes replied, *'Well, grant me this — 'tis but a small thing — that I may carry my tub with me into the world of spirits." Alexander replied it was not in his power to grant such a request. " What ! " cried the cynic, " cannot the great Alexander insure me so much as that ? Then what, pray, will Alexander himself take with him, who has made himself master of the whole world ? " St. Chrysostom makes light of Eudoxia'* persecutions of him (a.d. 34^-407). St. Chrysostom was greatly persecuted by Eudoxia, the wife of Arcadius, emperor of the East. Cyricus, his friend, con- doling with him on the subject, Chrysos- tom replied he had laid up his treasure where neither moth nor rust can corrupt, nor thieves break through and steal. "Be it the empress banishes me from the empire, there is the world before me. Be it she confiscates my goods, naked came I unto the world, and naked must I return. Be it she condemns me to be stoned to death, the martyr Stephen entered thus into everlasting glorj\ Be it she condemns me to the headsman's axe, the Baptist joined the blessed company of martyrs when he was re- leased from prison. Eudoxia can take from me only that which perishes in the using ; she cannot even touch that better part which is the heart's true measure." Nature subjected to Faith. Matt. xvii. 20. If ye have faith, ye shall say to this mountain. Remove hence to yonder place ; and it shall remove ; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. St. Gregory Thaumaturgist removes mountains. A priest of Apollo came to St. Gregory the wonder-worker, and asked to be instructed in the Christian religion, St. Gregory said the mysteries of the Christian religion, being past human understanding, are confirmed by miracles. The priest made answer, " Show me a miracle, that I may believe." And Gregory, pointing to a huge rock, as big as a mountain, said to him, " I will command this rock to remove henc« to yonder place, that you may believe." He gave the command, and the rock obeyed. The priest, fully convinced, was at once baptized, with his wife, his children, his servants, and a number of his neighbours and acquaintances. Another instance. When the thauma- pt. n.] NOTHING THAT DEFILETH ENTERS IN, 4:\h turg-st came to NeocaBsarea, he gave orders for the building of a church, but a mountain or huge hill stood in the way. So he prayed, and commanded the mountain to move elsewhere ; and it removed at once to another place. St. Gregory raises the bed of a lake. A father, at death, divided his estate between his two sons ; each was to have an equal moiety. But a lake full of fish was on the estate, and the brothers could not agree about it, for both wanted to have it. St. Gregory, hearing of this dispute, caused the lake to dry up while men slept, and when the brothers rose next morning the bed of the lake was raised to the level of the land around. The cause of quarrel being thus removed, the brothers became friends. — St. Gregory of Nyssa, Life of St. Gregory Tliauma- turgist. A volcano stops its eruption in honour of St. Januarius. When Januarius was beheaded, his body was taken to Naples, and buried in the cathedral there. Just prior to this removal, Vesuvius was in such fierce eruption, that the Neapolitans feared the whole country would be de- stroyed ; but no sooner had the body of Januarius entered into the city, than the volcano became utterly extinct, — *' quenched," we are assured, "by the merits and patronage of the saint." — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 742. Alban Butler places the removal of the body to Naples "about the year 400," and again In 1497, neither of which years was memorable for an eruption. Tlie years of disturbance were 201^. 472, 512. 685. 993. 1036 (very violent). 1049. 1138-39, 1306. 1580. 1631. 1660, etc. Most certainly the eruptions have teen more frequent since 1497 than before. In 1631 the town of Torre del Greco, with four thousand persons, was destroyed. The eruption of 1707 is described in the Philosophical Transactions, No. 354 There was a violent eruption in 1707, and another in 1797, when five thousand acres of land were inundated with lava. Alban Butler does not go the length of Edward Kinesman in stating that " the volcano became extinct" after the removsJ of the body of Januarius to Naples, but he does say that the procession of th« shrine of Januarius has caused eruptions, in the very torrent of their violence, suddenly to cease. He refers in proof to the eruptions of 1631 and 1707, as notable instances, and cites F. Putignano (vol. iii. p. 153 ; ii. p. 61) in confirmation of this statement. " In 1707, while cardinal Francis Pignatelli. with the clergy and people, devoutly followed the shrine of St, Januarius to the chapel at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, the fiery eruption ceased, the mist was scattered, and, at night, the stars appeared in the sky." Alban Butler further- more says, but does not give his authority, that in 1631 " the terrible eruption was extinguished by invoking the patronage of this martyr" (Sept. 19). St. Laumer removes a great oak tree (A.D. 576). *' Par le seule force de I'orai- Bon, St. Laumer fit changer de .place un gros cli§ne qui nuisait au plan de ses bati- ments." — Le* Fettts Bollandistes, vol. i. p. 471. Wothing that deflleth shall enter in. Rev. xxi. 27. There shall in no wise enter into it anything that deflleth, neither what- soever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie. IsA. XXXV. 8. A highway shall be there, called the way of holiness. The uncleai shall not pass over it. Nahdm i. 15. The wicked shall no more pass through thee. Mary the Egyptian unable to pass through the church doors where the holy cross was shown to the people (a.d. 421). Mary the Egyptian told Father Zozimus her sad story. "At the age of twelve," she said, *' I quitted my father's roof, and went to Alexandria, where I abandoned myself to all sorts of licentiousness, having no fear of God or man. I lost my native modesty, and lived seventeen years in the basest impurity. One day, seeing a number of persons embark for Jerusalem to solemnize the fete of the exaltation of the cross, I went on board too, with the intention of luring to carnal crime some of these pilgrims, and succeeded by selling myself to pay my passage and living. Reaching Jerusalem, I revelled deeper in sin than even at Alexandria, and when the day of the exaltation arrived, I went with the crowd to see the holy tree. I intended to slip in unnoticed, but when at the door I was unable to pass through, 'il m'etait im- possible de passer plus avant, parce qu'une force secrHe m'empechait d'y entrer.' After using all my efforts over and over again to force my way through, I began to ask myself why it was that I alone should be unable to cross that threshold, and I called to mind the words, 'A highway shall be there, called the way of holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it.' Was I then too unclean to pass the way of holiness ? My heart smote me, tears ran in torrents from my eyes. Seeing an image of the Virgin Mary, I fell before it in passionate humility, and cried with a broken heart, ' glorious virgin, chaste and pure, pity me, pity me, base unworthy sinner that I am. Is there no balm in Gilead for such as me? Is there no physician for such as me ? O glorious virgin, let me, let me see the cross of salvation ; let me, let me look upon Him who died for sin, and suffered a Mary Magdalene to wash His feet with her tears.' I rose from the ground; I again went to the church. I could enter it now. I saw the holy cross. I shrank into myself with 136 OIL AND WINE AS MEDICINE-PAPER. [Pt. IL «hame. I ran back to the image of the Virgin, and vowed henceforth, with God's help, to lead a new life. I heard a voice Bay to me, * Mary, pass the Jordan, and you will find peace for your soul.* I instantly directed my feet to the river, I washed my face in the water sanctified by the baptism of Jesus, I confessed my sins, received in the monastery of St. John the Baptist the divine mysteries which give life, entered this desert, and here have lived for forty-seven yearp, hoping by penance to do away with the sins of my evil life." — L'abbe Faillon, Monuments inedits de VApoitolat de Marie Magdeleine. Oil and Wine as a Medica- ment. Luke x. 30-35. A man going from Jerusa- lem to Jericho fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, wounded him, and left him on the wayside half dead. A Sa- maritan, as he journeyed, came to the spot, and seeing the man, had compassion on him, went to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine ; and then, setting him on his own beast, he took him to an inn, and paid the inn- keeper to take care of him. A man wounded in the battle of Sala- manca. Mr. Brackenbury says, a re- lation of his was wounded at the battle of Salamanca, and applied every recog- nized specific to the wound, without any beneficial result. A year and more passed, but the wound would not heal. The fact was incidentally mentioned to a Spanish nun, who immediately said to Mr. Brackenbury, " Why does not your brother try the Samaritan remedv?" "What is that?" asked Mr. Bracken- bury. *' Why, oil and wine, of course," was the reply. "Mix olive oil and sherry to a proper consistency, and apply the mixture to the wound. It is a common remedy with us in Spain." The mixture was tried, and the wound healed rapidly. — William Brackenbury. I myself heard this anecdote told by Mr. Brackenbury at a Bible meeUng, in 1838. Paper. ExoD. xxxii. 16. The writing was the writing of God graven upon the tables. It is sometimes said that Elijah wrote a letter from heaven to king Jehoram, In 2 Chron, xxi. 12, it is said, "And there came a writing to him [i.e, to Jehoram king of Judah] from Elijah the prophet." Now, Elijah was translated to neaven b.c. 896, and Jehoram king of Judah reigned B.C. 885-881. So that this letter came to the king fourteen years after the translation of the prophet, and "was therefore sent to him from heaven." So say the Roman Catholici Lyran, Sanchez, Bellarmin, Salian, and A. Lapide. No doubt there Is great dlfHculty In this passage; and the difficulty is Increased by ver. 2. where Jehoshaphat, the father of Jehoram, is called "king of Itrael," wherean he was king of Judah (see 1 Kings xxii. 41), and Ahab waa king of Israel. In the marginal Bibles it is said that the letter of Elijah was written before his death, and was delivered to Jeho- ram fourteen or more years after it was written ; but there Is no text of Scripture to confirm this hypothesis, and " guesswork" is much to be deprecated in elucliaUon of Scripture, and indeed of history in general. I frankly acknowledge that I know of no satisfactory solution of the difficulties, and think it far wiser to leave it as it U. than to try to accommodate Uie words to our own notion of wliat they ought to be St» Vincent Ferrier receives from heaven a paper containing the xjoriting of Qod (a.d. 1357-1419). One day, when St. Vincent Ferrier was preaching in Spain, he was called to attend the dying bed of a great sinner. All the exhortations, " de cet ardent chasseur des pe'eheurs," were unheeded by the dying man. " God will pardon you, if you ask Him," said the saint ; " yea," he added, " I will myself take your sins on me, and if I have any merit in God's sight I will transfer it to you." " I will confess my sins," said the dying man, "but you must first give me in writing an assurance of absolution." St. Vincent wrote on a slip of paper the required assurance, put it in the hands of the dying man, who " dans une douce agonie" and a peaceful sigh gave up the ghost. Scarcely was he dead, when the slip of paper with the man's spirit left this earth for the judg- ment seat of God. Some time after this, St. Vincent went to preach ; some thirty thousand persons {plv^ de trente mille personnes) were assembled to hear him. In the midst of his sermon a piece of paper fell from the skies into his hands. He opened it. It was the slip he had given to the dying man. He explained the case to the congregation, and our author adds, "Qn'onjugedel'impression produite sur la foule par le re'cit de ce miracle surprenant." — Mgr. Gudrin (cham- berlain of pope Leo XIII., 1880), Vies des Saints^ vol. iv. p. 238. St. Vincent Ferrier receives a letter from the Holy Trinity (a.d. 1357-1419). Per- haps it will be more satisfactory to give this narrative in the words of the pope's chamberlain. " Appel^ k Pampelune, I pr^s du lit de mort d'une p^cheretisc Pr. II.J PASSING AWAY— PLAGUE. 4d7 fmblique endurcie, St. Vincent Ferrier ui dit ferait venir du ciel son absolution, si elle promettait de se confesser. * S'il en est ainsi, je le veux bien,' repondit la courtisane. Alors il tra9a ces mots : * Frfere Vincent supplie la trfes-sainte Trinite' de daigner accorder k la prdsente p^cheresse I'absolution de ses peches.' L'dcrit s'envola au ciel, et revint quel- ques instants aprfes, portant trace en lettres d'or Tengagement suivant : ' Nous, trfes- ■aintc Trinity, k la demande de notre Vincent, nous accordons k la p^cheresse dont il nous a parle', le pardon de ses fautes ; nous la dispensons de toutes les peines qu'elle devait endurer, et si elle se confesse, elle sera dans une demi-heure porte'e dans le ciel.' " — Mgr. Gue'rin, Vies des Saints, vol. iv. p. 238 (7th edit. 1880). The pope's chamberlain gives us plenty of vouchers for this *' fact," and the names of fourteen liv'ng prelates who approve and recommend his book. Passing Away. Job XXX. 15. My welfare passeth away as a cloud. Luke xii. 16-20. The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; and he said, I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and will say to my soul, Take thy rest. . . . But God said to the rich man, This night thy soul shall be required of thee ; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided ? " A Ceylonese custom to teach the uncer- tainty of life. When the sultan of Serendib 'i.e, Ceylon) went abroad in state, the vizier used to cry aloud from time to time, ** This is the great monarch, the mighty sultan of the Indies ; greater than Solima, or the grand Mihrage." An officer behind the monarch then exclaimed, *' This monarch, though so great and powerful, must die, must die, must die." — Arabian Nights (Sindbad, sixth voyage). An Egyptian custom to show the fleetness of life. Plutarch tells us that, towards the close of an Egyptian feast, a servant was wont to bring into the banquet hall a skeleton, and, as he drew it through the roori, to cry aloud to the guests, " Eat, drink, and be merry ; for to-morrow you die." Herodotus refers to this custom, and says the skeleton was made of wood, about eighteen inches long. Like skulls at Memphian banquets. Byron, Don Juan, iii. 6E. The stranger feasted at the board ; But, like the skeleton at the feast. That warning timepiece never ceased, — '• For ever ! — Never 1 Never t — For ever 1 " Longfellov', ne Old Clock on the Stairs. Soman customs teaching the transitory natwe of mundane glory, (1) It was a Roman custom, when the emperor went in state through the streets of Rome, foi an officer to burn flax before him, crying out as the flax burnt away, " Sic transit gloria mundi." This was done to remind the emperor that all his honours and grandeur would soon vanish, like the smoke of burning flax. (2) When a Roman conqueror entered the city in public triumph, a slave was placed in the chariot to whisper from time to time in the conqueror's ear, " Remember, thou art but a man." (3) Vespasian, the Roman emperor, 4 employed a slave to say to him daily, as he left his chamber, " Caesar, bear in mind thou art a man." Guerricus converted by the reflection^ *^In the midst of life we are in deathJ" Guer- ricus was a man of the world who had heaped up many stores, and said to himself, " Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease ; eat, drink, and be merry." At church he happened one day to hear Genesis xv. read : "And all the days Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. And all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died. And all the days of Enos were 905 years, and he died. And all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died," and so on. This invariable repetition of the words "and he died" so riveted his mind on the uncertainty of life, and the certainty of death, that he became a new man, most devout, charitable, and given to all good works, fully resolved to make to himself friends of the mammon of un- righteousness, that when flesh and life failed he might be received into ever- lasting habitations. Plague. ExoD. xill. 23. The Lord will pass througn [Egypt] to smite the Egyptians. (See vers. 12, i;i.J 1 Chron. xxi. 15. And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it. Numb. xl. 33. And while the [quails] were yet between their teeth . . . the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. Smiting with plague, " Some I have talked with have ingenuously confest to me that, when first infected, they felt themselves distinctly stricken, being fullv sensible of an actual blow suddenly given them either on the head or neck, back or side. Sometimes so violent was the blow they have been knocked down by it to the ground, remaining insensible for some time. In some cases the stricken have died instantly from the blow, and 438 POISON INNOCUOUS. [Pt. II. in others they have died in a short time afterwards."— Richard Kephale, Medela Pestilent icB, p. 49. Richard Kephale says, "There are two sorts .of plague, the one simple and the other putrid. The simple plague arises from an angel's striking the victims in execution of the vengeance of God [as in the case of David, when he numbered the people]; the other kind ariseth from putrefaction of humours, the influence of star*, or dis- tomper of the blood." Plague described by Procopius. Pro- copius tells us of a great plague in the reign of Justinian, which ravaged nearly the whole known world. When Evagrius wrote his Ecclesiastical History, this plague had lasted fifty-two years, with alternate fits of relaxation and fierceness ; but during all that long period the earth was never wholly free from its ravages. Procopius says, "No one could account for it, except bj' referring it to a stroke of God. For it fell on no particular portion of the earth or race of men, nor was it confined to any season of the year, but it spread over all the earth, and ravaged all nations, no matter what their habits, their diet, their locality, or con- stitutions. Sometimes in summer, some- times in winter, spring, or autumn. It began in Egypt, among the inhabitants of Pelusium, and, dividing there, passed to Alexandria on one side and Palestine on the other, and from these two centres spread over all the earth, missing no cave or island, no mountain summit or valley inhabited by man, and never quitted a spot till the tale of the dead had reached its full measure. It always began at the seaside, and spread thence into the in- terior. It reached Constantinople, where I then happened to be living, at mid- summer in the second year of its devasta- tion. The manner of its attack was this : Visions of spirits [' one know? that the Mediterranean Sea is subject to what are termed "levanters," sudden winds which blow in all directions from N.E., round by E. to S.E. Probably the wind called (Acts xxvil.) Euroclydon, which means »outh-east wind wave, was a levanter. WJien [St.'\ Isidore fell into a well, the water, in obedience to prayer, restored him (a.d. 1170). St. Isidore, when a little boy, fell into a well, but his parents made fervent prayer for his restoration, " What- Boerer ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive •, " and so it proved in this case, for the water heaved itself to the top oi the W3ll, bearing up the body of the child, not only uninjured, but in perfect health. In corroboration of this .-niracle, the very well is still shown in Madrid, and it was doubtlessly the property of St. Isidore's master, John de Vergas, for it has continued in the family even to the present day. — John the Deacon, Life of St. Isidore (1261). Of course the fact that a certain well has been in the family of de Vergas for seven hundred years or more, and that it is still pointed out as the well into which St. Isidore fell in boyhood, does not prove the truth of the legend, though it may prove the existence of such a story. St. Laumer extinguishes a fire by prayer (a.d. 576). " Par ses seules prieres, St. Laumer ^teignit le feu, qui avait prig k des paniers d'osier remplis de bMs pour la provision du monastfere." — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. i. p. 471. Fire quenched by the prayers of St, Mamertus (a.d. 477). On Easter Eve a fire broke out in Vienne, and threatened to destroy the whole city. St. Mamertus, the archbishop, threw himself before the altar in prayer, and the fire suddenly ceased. St. Avitus mentions this (490- 670), and distinctly attributes the ex- tinction of the fire to a miracle. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. v. p. 456. Marianne de Jesus, when a child, healt a sore finger by prayer (a.d. 1618-1645). One day, in childhood, Marianne, the daughter of don Jerome of Quito, hurt her finger. She said nothing about it, " afin de pouvoir souffrir davantage." A gangrene was the result, which threat- ened her life, and her cousins, children also, advised her to consult the family doctor. " Wait a bit," said Marianne ; "you shall see how I cure myself." She then knelt before the image of the Virgin ; and " lorsqu'elle se releva, toute trace du mal avait disparu." — Mgr. Gu^rin, Vies des Saints, vol. vi. p. 231 (1880). We are told that Marianne was seven years old at the time, and "peu de temps apr^ elle fit le voeu de chastati perp^tuelle." In my opinion she ought to have beea whipped for even knowing what "chastity " meant. St. Martin puts out a fire by prayer. One winter, when St. Martin went to visit his diocese, the priests prepared him a bed in the vestry, and lighted a fire. Being too warm, iie threw the coverlet off, and it fell by accident into the fire ; but Benedict, being drowsy with sleep, knew it not. Presently the whole vestry caught fire, and the flames, spreading to the roof, threatened to burn down the whole church. St. Martin, starting up, ran to the door, but could not open it. What was to be done ? He fell on hi^ knees in the midst of the flames, and prayed for help ; when lo ! the fire suddenly went out. — Severus Sulpieiui, Dialogues* Pt. II.] PREPARING THE WAY— RAIN OBEDIENT. 443 St. Patrick prays, and a herd of swine instantly appears to give food to a starving crew. When St. Patrick Ifled from captivity in Ireland at the age of twenty- two, he was taken on board a pirate's skiff, which ran to a desert place, where the crew was detained for twenty-seven days. St. Patrick, in his Confessions, says, "While here both food and water failed us, and the hunger of the men was frightful. The pilot said to me, ' You tell us you are a Christian, and that your God can do anything. Ask Him to help us in this our necessity.' ' I will, if you will become Christians, and God will interpose and save us.' Scarcely had I •poken, when a great herd of swine ran by. All praised the name of the Lord, and treated me with great reverence. But griefs, trials, and temptations were not ended here." St, Peter Thomas stills a tempest by prayer (a.d. 1368). St. Peter Thomas appeased the fury of a storm at sea by prayer. All the sailors expected the ship would be lost ; but St. Peter Thomas laid his crucifix on the rough water and prayed, and in a moment there was a perfect calm. — Philip Mazzeri, Life of St. Peter Thomas. Wesley, by prayer, lays a storm at sea. Wesley and Dr. Adam Clarke, coming from Guernsey, were overtaken by a storm at sea. Wesley was in the cabin reading; abd, hearing the noise and bustle, put his head above deck to in- quire what was amiss. Being told that the ship was in great danger, he quietly said, " Then let us pray : — Almighty and everlasting God, who hast sway every- where, and boldest the winds in Thy fist, command these winds and waves, in obe- dience to Thy word, to take us safely into haven." Then rose he from his knees ; made no sort of remark ; but, taking up his book again, went on with his reading. Dr. Clarke went on deck, and what was his surprise, when he found the vessel running smoothly in the right course, with a favourable breeze, which brought them safely near St. Michael's Mount, in Penzance Bay. Mr. Wesley made no remark on this sudden change, so fully did he expect, and take for granted, that God would hear and answer prayer. — Life of Dr, Adam Clarke, Any one who has crossed over to Guernsey or Jersey, or back therefrom, will remember the Caskets. Here prince William, the son of Henry I., and his suite, perished in 1119; and here H.M.S. Victorp, of 110 guns, went down in 1744. I have seen the sea from Southamp. ton oolm attd tranquil till the vessel has rtached tUf dreadful spot, and then Eolus seems to have let all the winds out of their prison-house to flourish red flags at sea. Immediately the Caskets are passed all goes merrily again. Preparing the Way. IsA. xl. 3, 4. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Loi'd, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and erery mountain and hill shall be miie low. The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. (See Matt. iii. 3.) March o/* Semiramis into Medea and Persia. Marching towards Ecbatana, Semiramis came to the mountain Zarkeum, which extended many furlongs, and was full of craggy precipices and deep hollows. She ordered the precipices to be cut down, and the hollows to be filled up with earth ; and thus made she a plain open road, which is to this day called the " Road of Semiramis." Afterwards, she made a royal progress through Persia, and all her other dominions in Asia ; but, wherever she went, she ordered the moun- tains and craggy rocks to be cut down, and made all the ways level and plain. On the other hand, in low valleys she raised mounds, on which she built monu- ments to her deceased generals. — Dio- dorus Siculus, The Historical Library^ bk. ii. pp. 44, 47. Rain, etc., obedient to the Saints. (See Sun w^arded off.) IsA. iv. 6. There shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a covert from storm and from rain. IsA. v. 6. I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. St. Antony of Padua, preaching, com" mxinded the rain not to molest his congre-^ gation. One summer's day, as St. Antony of Padua was preaching at Bruges in the open field, the sky became suddenly over- cast ; but St. Antony told the people not to stir, for the rain should not fall on them to wet them. Down came the rain in torrents on the surrounding parts, but *' not one single drop fell on the congre- gation, and not one of those who heard the words of the preacher were wetted by the shower." — Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 367. Pain does not wet a woman sent by St, Antony of Padua to get vegetables (a.d, 1185-1231). St. Antony went to found the convent of Brives, and arrived at a time when there was no food. St. Antony sent to a weman in the neigh- bourhood to give him a few onions out of her gardei}. It rained in torrents, and 444 RAIN OBEDii!.iM TO THE SAINTS, [Pt. II. the garden was a considerable way from the house, j^et the woman told one of her female servants to go and get the onions for the convent. The maidservant obeyed, and great was the astonishment of her mistress to find that not one drop of rain had fallen on her, though it had not ceased raining for a single moment, and the ser- vant had been exposed to it for more than half an hour. — L'abbd Guj-^ard, Life of St, Antony of Padua. A heavy rain refused to touch St. Aubin (a.d. 470-550). One day the abbot of Cin- cillac, near Angers, sent St. Aubin with a message to the neighbouring town ; and wrhile he was in a house where a large number of people were assembled, a heavy rain fell, which penetrated through the roof and drenched all who were gathered together, except St. Aubin. Not one drop fell upon him. His clothes were as dry after the downfall as before. The historian says, "The rain had respect to the holiness of the saint, and no more attempted to annoy him, than did the flames of the furnace attempt to burn the three faithful ones in Babylon." — For- tunatus (bishop of Poitiers, a contem- porary), Life of St. Austin^ Bishop of Angers. St. Bernard, writinfj a letter in the open air, commands the ram not to fall on it to htot it. St. Bernard, on one occasion, was writing a letter to a monk who had quitted his order. He wrote in the open air, and not under shelter. Presently the sky was black with clouds, and the rain came pelting down both fast and furious. St. Bernard simply bade the rain not to fall where he was sitting, and went on writing. The rain obeyed the man of God, and not one single drop of the shower fell on him or on the letter he was writing. (See St. Maidoc, next column.) — William (abbot of Theodore), Life of St. Bernard. A heavy fall of snow respects the cottage of St. Eumachus of Perigord (sixth century). One rigorous winter day, while St. Euma- chus was occupied in prayer for the clergy and people of Perigord, a heavy storm of snow fell on all the surrounding country, but not a single flake fell on the cottage or in the little garden plot of St. Euma- chus. We are told that an eagle with outstretched wings brooded over the cottage and garden, and protected them. — Les Petits Bollandistes. vol. ii, p. 414 (1880). St» Genevieve commxxnds rain not to fall 9n a field under reapers (a.d, 422-612). One harvest-time, clouds black with rain threatened to inundate a field in which reapers were employed. St. Genevieve commanded the clouds not to drop their burden there, so as to spoil the fruits of God's bounty ; the clouds, accordingly, rolled away ; and though rain fell in great abundance in the neighbourhood, not a drop fell on the com or the reapers protected by the saint. — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum {Vita St. Oenovefce). The elements obedient to Hugh of Pettier $ (a.d, 928). Hugh of Poitiers not oniy wrought the usual miracles ascribed to saints, such as giving hearing to the deaf, eyes to the blind, and speech to the dumb ; he also gave fecundity to seed, and, with the si^n of the cross, or the relics of saints, he dispelled clouds, averted storms, changed hail into dew, and had full com- mand of Nature and all her works. — Ma- billon, Acta Sanctorum, vol. vii. April 20. The elements obedient to St. John-Joseph de la Croix (a.d. 1654-1734). The elements, says cardinal Wiseman, were obedient to St. John-Joseph de la Croix, The rain, at his command, ceased to fall. On one occasion, being on a journey into the country with a companion, an in- cessant rain fell all the time, but at their journey's end they found their garments as dry as if they had been indoors. In fact, all nature was submissive to him, and did exactly what he desired. " L'air lui rapporta sur ses ailes son baton qu'il avait laiss^ derrifere lui, et les plantes poussaient sumaturellement pour seconder les vues de sa charitd," — Migne, D^mon^ strations ^vangifliquesy vol. xvi. A heavy downfall of rain refuses to wet St. Maidoc' s book (a.d. 632). St. David once called his pupil Maidoc, while he was in the fields reading. The young man promptly obeyed, but leH his book behind him. A heavy shower fell, but when Maidoc ran back to fetch his book, greet was his joy to find that not a drop of rata had touched it. (See Si. Bernard, pre- ceding column, and Ubaldus, p. 445.) — Baring-Gould, Lives of the Saints, Jan. 31, Queen Mar garef shook of the Gospe,s unm injured by the water of a river (a.d. 1046- 1093). Queen Margaret of Scotland had a book of the four Gospels with intaglios of the four evangelists, and all the initiid letters illuminated with much gold. One day she charged a page with this book, who let it fall into a river, and never knew it till he was about to hand the book to the queen. Search was instantly made for it, and it was ultimately seen at the er. n.] REPETITIONS VAIN. 445 bottom of the river, wide open, with the leaves apart. Every one thought it would be ruined, its illuminations washed out, and its binding spoiled. It was drawn out, and not the slightest injury could be detected ; not a spot could be seen, the pages were not discoloured, the binding was not disturbed, the gilding was not tarnished ; in a word, the book had sustained no harm at all. The queen acknowledged tho miracle, and loved the 6.>:k the more. — Thierri, monk of Dur- ham (the queen's confessor). Life of Mar- garet^ Queen of Scotland. St. Scholastica brings down rain to pre- vent her brother leaving her (a.d. 543). St. Benedict came to visit his sister Scholastica. They spent the day in talk- ing about heaven, for Scholastica knew she was soon about to die. After taking a refection, Scholastica pressed her brother to continue his discourse ; but St. Benedict, unwilling to transgress the rules of his order, told her he could not pass the night out of his monastery. Scholastica, finding her brother resolved to leave her, laid her hands on the table, and bent her head in prayer ; whereupon such a downfall of rain, mingled with thunder, lightning, and wind, burst over the house, that St. Benedict was com- pelled to stay. "What have you done, sister ? " said St. Benedict. *' I asked my brother a favour," she replied, *' and he re- fused me ; I asked the same of God, and He granted it me." So St. Benedict continued his discourse on the eternal happinegs of the saints, and three days afterwards Scholastica died. — St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues^ bk. ii. 33, 34. A heavy downfall of rain wets not TJio- retta nor her sheep (twelfth century). One day, when St. Thoretta was in the open fields with her sheep, and no sort of shelter was near at hand, a great storm gathered over her. " Fear not, holy shepherdess ! though rain falls in torrents around, and inundates all the neighbourhood, it shall not come nigh thee. Round thee and thy sheep the weather shall be fine and peace- ful. New flock of Gideon's wool, thou shalt be dry while all around is wet. Fear not, thou child of grace ; for what tempest can harm thee whose trust in God is so great?" — L'abb^ Boudant, Legend of St. Thoretta. (The whole of this life IS written in this pastoral semi-poetical Btyl«.) A heavy fall of rain refuses to wet the hook of Si. Ubaldus (a.d. 1084-1160). St. Ubaldus left his book behind h^m under a tree, where he had been sleeping with his companion. It was his book of rules, and here it remained during a heavy fall of rain. Recollecting where he had left it, he returned to the spot, expecting to find it ruined ; but, to his great joy, he discovered that though the rain had been very heavy and of long continuance, not a drop had fallen on his book. (&ee St. Maidoc, p. 444.)— L'abbd Ilunckhr, Les Saints d' Alsace. Hepetitions Vain. Matt. vi. 7. When ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do. Luke xviii. 5. Because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge lier, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Luke. xi. 8. Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as much as he needeth. The Jewish repetition of the word ^^ Eli- jah." (1) At the close of the sabbath Elijah sits under the tree of life, and records the merits of those who have kept the day holy. Those Jews who reveren-^e the day, and are very strict, write t)ie words "ELIJAH THE PROPHET" ISO times. — Talmudic Miscellany ^ p. 340. (2) One of the most curious repetitioD«i is the cabalistic transpositions of th-^ letters in the word " Elijah." Of course, the English word, having six letters, can be transposed in 720 ways, as 720 changes can be rung on six bells ; but in Hebrew the word contains only five letters, as in the Greek form *' Elias," and five letters can be transposed only 120 different ways : thus — Elias, Elisa, Elsai, Esail, Saile, Liase, Liaes, Liesa, Lesai, Esail, lasel, lasle, lales, Ilesa, Lesai, etc. (120 changes). Elijah might run — Elijah, Ehlija, Ejahli, Eijahl, Elhija, Elahij, Eljahi, Elhaji, Eljiah, Ealijh Eahlij, Eajhli, Eaijhl, Ealhij, Ehalij, etc. (720 changes). Repetitions in the [^Roman'] Catholic prayers. In a '* Rosary," the -4 r^ Jfcfaria IS repeated 150 times, besides thrice in the preliminary prayers. The Pater Noster is repeated fifteen times, and once in the preparation. (See Introduction.) The Church of England has not escaped this fault Tbe Lord's Prayer is much too often repeated, especially iu th« full morning service. And it is doubtful whether the Litany does not err in the same direction, even to weari> ness: — Desine deos . . . obtundere . . . Ut nihil credas intelligere, itisi idem dictum alt oentieg. Xereuce. Self-lormnUor, 146 RESIST SATAN— RETURN NOT EVIL— REVILED. [Pt. II A Mahometan prayer. The Rev. Thomas Harmer, in his Observations^ says, "The following is the commencement of a Mohammedan prayer now lying before me:— "0 God I God, God, God 1 Lord 1 Lord I Lord I O Lord 1 thou living, O thou Immortal 1 O thou living, thou immortal ! thou living, thou immortal 1 O thou living, O thou immortal 1 Creator of the heavens and the earth ! Creator of the heavens and the earth 1 O Creator of the heavens and the earth 1 " . . , (vol, i. p. 5C). The Trisagia is repeated thrice in acknowledgment of the doctrine of the Trinity — at least, so it is said by Chris- tians. Probably Isaiah's idea was a sort of double super- lative, like "most highest," two repetitions being equivalent tc a superlative. The Mahometans repeat four times, OJ^ee to each quarter of the universe. Resist the Devil. James iv. 7. Resist the devil, and be will flee from you. (See Luke x. 17.) St. Clare resisted the devil, and he fled (seventh century). St. Clare, going round the monastery of Santa Blandina, on one occasion encountered the devil in person. He was in human form, but of gigantic size and hideous aspect. St. Clare fixed his eyes on the monster, never blanched with fear, but boldlj-^ demanded the object of his coming. "To drive you hence,"' was the ready answer, "for without your interference I should be master here." "Aroint thee, Satan!" cried the saint. " The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." Then making the sign of the cross, the foul fiend fled howling, and vanished from his sight. — Les Petits Bollandistes, vol. i. p. 31. St. Patrick resisted a legion of devils, and they fled from him (fifth century). When St. Patrick drew near the coast of Ireland, the devils, knowing what a formidable enemy he would prove to be, determined to resist his landing, and accordingly formed a cordon round the coast to bar Ms passage. "Off!" cried the man of God ; and, raising his right hand, he made in the air the sign of the cross. Instantly the whole legion fled, leaving the coast clear. The men with him heard the noise of the howling fiends in their precipitate retreat, but only St. Patrick could see their forms. — Jocelinus the monk, De Furnesio apud Lancastriensis, Beturning not Evil for EviL 1 Pet. iii. 9. Not rendering evil for evil, but eontrariwise, blessing. Matt. v. 39. Resist not evil ; but whosoever •hall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. ISA. 1. 6. I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. St. Jienct-Joseph Labre being insolently itruckf rejoiced in the affront (a.d. 1748- 1783). One night, going from Notre Dame des Monts, Benet-Joseph, in the dark, ran against a young man, who struck him with his stick, and then boxed his ears. Benet-Joseph spoke not one word of reproach. At another time, in the Corso, he was insulted by some peasants, but instead of quickening his pace, he walked along more slowly than before, rejoicing that he was thought worthy to be insulted and persecuted. — R. P. Desnoyers, Life of Ben$t-Joseph Ldbre. St. Gertrude of Ostend returned good for evil (died a.d. 1356). St. Gertrude of Ostend was affianced to a young man whom she dearly loved ; but, shortly before the day of espousal, the lover jilted her for one with a better dowry. The new wife in due time had a son, and both mother and child were expected to die ; but St. Gertrude by fervent prayer obtained their restoration to health, not rendering evil for evil, but contrariwise, blessing. — Vita Sanctorum (Bollandists). Reviled and Persecuted. Matt. v. 11, 12. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil again&t you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward in heaven. St. Peter reviled and persecuted because St. Agnes, St. Catherine, and St. Cecilia appear to him in his cell (a.d. 1206-1252). While St. Peter of Verona was in the monastery of St. John the Baptist, in Como, St. Catherine, St. Agnes, and St. Cecilia visited him in his cell, and con- ferred so familiarly with him, that a man passing by heard them, and laid an information against him for admitting women into his chamber. The case was heard before the whole chapter, and St. Peter was banished to Ancona, and for- bidden to appear any more in public. The man of God grieved sore at this unjust sentence, and cried, "Why, oh why, my God, hast Thou suffered this ? Thou knowest my innocence ; remove, then, this great scandal, which is an offence to thy holy Church." Christ said to him, "And I, Peter, was I not inno- cent, when men said I was a drunkard, and in league with the devil ? Learn of Me to suffer patiently, and remember what I said, * Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely: for so perse- cuted they the prophets which were bef or« Pt. IL] RIVERS DRIED UP— ROSES FROM BLOOD. 447 you.' " Then was St. Peter comforted ; and in due time, his innocence being established, he was recalled from banish- ment, and his fame stood higher than ever. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), April 29. Bivers dried up or diverted. Psalm Ixxiv. 15. Thou driedst up mighty rivers. Isa. xlii. 15. I will make the rivers islands, ftnd will dry up the pools. Isa. xliv. 27. The Lord saith to the deep. Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers. iSfn^xiicJus commands the river Bobhio to change its course (a.d. 627). When the mill of Bobbie monastery was in great danger of being swept away by the river Bobbio, which had overflowed its banks, St. Attalus sent his deacon Sinvaldus with his abbatial cross, and charged him to make the sign of the cross, and com- mand the river to flow in another course. Sinvaldus did as he was directed, and the river obeyed. It not only drew back the water which threatened the mill, but made for itself a new channel further away. Sinvaldus, amazed at this obedi- ence, told the abbot, and was commanded not to talk of the miracle during the lifetime of St. Attalus. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. March. (See Bede, V^ol. iii.) The life of St Attalus was written by Jonas, a Scotch- man. one of bis disciples. Roses from the Blood of Saints. The Adonis flower. The flowers of the Adonis plant, especially before they are expanded, being globular and deep scarlet, resemble small drops of blood ; hence French peasants call the plant the "Blood- drop " (Goutte de sang). The poetic Greeks, tracing the same resemblance, connected these blood-drops with young Adonis, who, they say, was gored by a wild boar. When Venus heard of this mishap she flew to the boy's succour, and her tears, mingling with the blood, con- verted the blood-drops into flowers, which still bear the name of the young hunts- man. — Bion. A few conceits about flowers springing from blood will ■how what a favourite the notion is with imaginative minds. Anacreon^s conceit respecting the origin of the red rose. The erotic poet Anacreon says, when the goddess of Love and Beauty first arose from the briny waves, and «et foot on dry land, the earth pro- duced the rose in commemoration of that happy event. — Anacreon, Ode 55. Gesner's conceit of the origin (f the blush rose. Gesner says that Bacchus was enamoured of a nymph, who fled at his approach, and hid herself among some bushes in which she became entangled. The wine-god approached, saying, " Fear not; I am Bacchus, god of wine, of joy, of youth." So saying, he seized* the maid, who kissed the eyes of the amorous god, and blushed. Bacchus, in acknow- ledgment, touched the bush which had detained the fugitive, and commanded that it should ever after be covered with the flowers of love and beauty ; ac- cordingly it became the blush-rose bush. Rapines conceit of the origin of the rose and its suitors. Father Rapin, in his poem called The Garden, says, Rhoda queen of Corinth, whose beauty exceeded that of the sea-nymphs, being distracted by her many suitors, shut herself up in the temple of Diana. Three of her lovers, more importunate than the rest, intruded into this sanctuary, and tried to force her thence. A scuffle ensued, when Apollo interfered, changed Rhoda into a rose, and her three suitors into a worm, a fly, and a butterfly. A new suggestion of the origin of the rose and its thorn. The queen of Beauty one day strayed with Love till both were tired ; when they stepped into Flora's bower to rest awhile. Here they found Adonis asleep ; and while the queen stooped to kiss the hoy, young Love drew his bow and pierced her to the heart. The ichor which flowed from Beauty's wound became a rose; and in order to perpetuate the story of its origin, the goddess decreed that the shaft which wounded her should grow for ever on its stem.— E. C. B. (The author apologizes for introducing this conceit, i Moslem tradition of the white and yellow rose. According to a Mussulman tradi- tion the white and yellow roses are thus accounted for : When Mahomet took his journey to heaven, the sweat which fell on the earth from the prophet's forehead produced white roses, and that which fell from Alborak (the animal on which he rode) produced yellow ones. The blood of Zillah the origin of white roses. Sir John Mandeville says that a Jewish maid of Bethlehem (whom Southey names Zillah) was beloved by Uamuel, a brutish sot. Zillah rejected ROSES. [Pt. it. his suit ; and Hamuel, in revenge, accused her of offences for which she was con- demned to be burnt alive. When brought to the stake, the flames burned Hamuel to a cinder, but did no harm to Zillah. There she stood in a garden of roses ; for ** as the fyre began to brenne about hire, she made her preyeres to oure Lord, and anon was the fyre quenched and oute, and the brondes that weren brennynge becomen white roseres . . . These werein the first roseres that ever ony man saughe." — Sir John Mandeville, Voiage and Traivaille. The blood of St, Lucian engenders roses (first century). No one will for a moment suppose that the seven conceits of blood-flowers given above have any pretence beyond poetic fancy, but the legends which follow claim to be historic facts. The first shall be given in the ipsissima verba of the "historian" him- eelf: "C'est une chose ve'ritable" (dit Mons. Louvet), "que les gouttes de sang du chef de notre martyr [St. Lucian] dont la terre fut empourpre'e, engendrferent telle quantite' de rosiers garnis de roses vermeilles, qui ont paru jusqu'k prdsent, que le lieu du martyre s'appelle encore La Rosiere^ pour signifier, comme dit TertuUien, que le sang des martyrs est une grainc et une semence des belles fleurs du paradis." — Louvet, History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Bouvety vol. i. p. 387. St. Francis, by the sign of the cross, con- verts thorns and brandies, covered with tlie blood of St. Benedict, into roses (sixth century). When St. Benedict, after- wards abbot of Mount Cassino, first retired to the cavern in Subiaco, he was not more than fifteen years of age, and was greatly harassed by the recollection of a young woman with whom he had been in love. He felt sometimes that he must perforce return to the world ; but when the heat on him was greatest, he would wallow naked for hours among thorns and brambles, till his whole body was one vast bleeding wound. It was thus by his blood that he quenched the heat of his carnal passion. When, at a future period, St. Francis went to visit the rocks of Subiaco, where Benedict had his cavern, he made the sign of the croM over these thorns and brambles, so often covered with the blood of the young solitary, and they were converted into roses, which have given health to many ft pilgrim. — St. Gregory the Great^ Dia- iogues, bk. ii. St. Benedict is sometimes represented rolling In a bramble bush ; and the monks of Subiaco show a thorny bush, the leaves of which are marlted "d'un petit serpent noir," wliich they say is a souvenir of the triumph of St Benedict when a youth over " that old serpent the devlL" Jesus Christ sends St. Agnes of Mount Pulciano a rose in midwinter (a.d. 1274- 1317). One winter, two hermits, who had heard of the wonderful things told of St. Agnes, came to pay her a visit. After a long conversation on the spiritual life, Agnes invited them to dine with her. Before any food was brought in, all of a sudden there appeared a plate, in the middle of which was a beautiful rose. *' Fathers," said St. Agnes, " Jesus Christ has been kind enough, in the very middle of winter, when the frost has cut off all earthly flowers, to send us this rose from the garden of paradise. This, fathers, is a symbol of how greatly your words have refreshed my soul." The hermits went away enchanted, each saying to the other that the words of the holy Agnes dropped like manna into their souls. — Raymond of Capua, Life of St. Agnes. The bread of Germana Cousin of Pibrac turned to flowers (a.d. 1579-lGOl). Ger- mana Cousin of Pibrac was a poor shep- herdess, but ver}' charitable. She gave so much to the poor, that her mother-in-law felt certain she must rob the larder. One day, in the depth of winter, the mother- in-law fancied she saw Germana hide food in her apron, and ran after her with a stick, intent on chastising her severely. Two of the neighbours happened to see her, and followed to screen the shepherd girl from the angry woman, whose dis- like to Germana was well known. They joined the woman just as she reached her daughter-in-law, and commanded her to show what she had in her apron. On doing so, the apron was full of nosegays tied in bunches. It was midwinter, but even in summer-time no such flowers grew in the neighbourhood of Pibrac. They all felt convinced the flowers were from paradise. The incident spread in all directions, and even the hard heart of the mother-in-law was softened. (See the next two articles.) — M. L. Veuillot, Vie de la Bienheureuse Germaine. Bread turned to roses in the lap of St. Rosaline (a.d. 1263-1329). One day the poor, pressed by hunger, crowded round the door of the chateaux of Villeneuve, begging bread. Rosaline, the daughter of the squire, heard them, but her father paid no attention to their importunity. Rosaline went secretly into the larder, and filled her apron full 'd food to dia- Pt. II.] ROSES: ELIZABETH, SCHONBERG-COTTA FAMILY. 44S tribute to them, but the squire came across her, and said sharply, " Rosaline, what have you got in your apron?" ** Only roses," said the girl ; and opening her apron, it was full of the most mag- nificent roses. God, to show His approval of her charity, screened her from the anger of her father by a miracle. The squire, ravished by this testimony of God to Rosaline's sanctity, told his servants they were never more to oppose her wishes, but were to give her full liberty to do what she thought proper. (See the article before and after this.)— Count H. de Villeneuve-Flayose, Life of St, Rosa- line de Villeneuve. (See also Acta Sana- torum, vol. 11. June 11.) This is a mere repetition of the tale told of Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) a few years previously. Both are open to the same grave objections. Rosaline knew she was doing wrong, because she told a lie to cover her wrongdoing. That the lie was covered by a "miracle" did not alter its character, though it induced the father to condone the offence. Bread turned to roses in the lap of Elizabeth of Hungary (a.d. 1207-1231). Elizabeth of Hungary was very profuse in her alms to the poor; her husband thought her too lavish, and she knew it. One day, when the landgrave was out hunting, Elizabeth and a favourite do- mestic went to the larder, and filled the skirts of their gowns with bread, eggs, and other food, to distribute to the poor. Just as they came out of the house, the landgrave met them ; and astonished to see them so heavily laden, said, " Hey-> day, Elizabeth, what have ybu got here ? " *' Only roses," said the landgravine ; and opening her lap, behold, it was filled with the most exquisite red and white roses. This was the more surprising, seeing it was not the season for flowers. The landgrave was amazed, and went up to salute his wife, but stopped short on see- ing a luminous cross upon her head. He told her to do what she thought proper, and continued his way to Wartenburg, taking one of the roses with him. — Count of Montalembert, History of St. Elizabeth of Hungary^ etc. Precisely the same tale is told of Rosaline of Villeneuve a few years later. (See The SchOnbbro Ck>rf a Familt, below.) (See the converse, flowers turned into bread— Stones MADE BkEAD, p. 297.) Practical application of St. Elizabeth's example. In the Schonberg-Cotta Family Elsfe tells us they had a picture of St. Elizabeth and the roses, of which all the children were very fond, because the landgravine was their neighbour. She lived In the old castle of Wartburg, " not above three hundred years ago," and often walked through the streets of Eisenach^ where the SchSnberg-Cotta family lived. She says, "There is one thing in Si, Elizabeth's history which once brought Fritz and me into great trouble and per- plexity. When we were little children, our grandmother told us about the holy land- gravine emptying her husband's larder to feed the poor. Now, we thought what was right for the saint must certainly be right for us ; so we resolved to imitate St. Elizabeth. There was in the next street a poor old woman, with a great many orphan grandchildren, and her we deter- mined to help, like St. Elizabeth. Christ- mas Eve was close at hand, and for a rarity there were some meat and apple- pies in our store-room. We crept into the room in twilight, as St. Elizabeth did, and I filled my pinafore with the pies, meat, and cakes, and stole out to give our booty to the old woman. Next morning was Christmas Day, and the larder was empty. There was no Christ- mas dinner. The younger children cried, mother looked distressed, and father Va.«» very angry. He thought it was the cat or else rats, but our grandmother said very quietly, * I never heard of cats and rats eating pie-dishes.' Fritz and I looked at each other, and began to fancy we had somehow done wrong, when little Christopher said, * I saw Fritz and Els^ carry^ away the pies last night.' ' Elsfe, Fritz,' said our father, *what does this mean?' I would have confessed, but remembering the answer of St. Elizabeth, replied, ' No, Christopher, they were not pies, but roses.' * Roses,' said mother very gravely, ' at Christmas ? ' I hoped the pies would reappear, but they did not, and everything went against us, * Fritz,' said father, *tell the truth, or I will flog you soundly.' This was dif- ferent to the legend, but I instantly cried out, 'It is my fault, father ; we took the things to the poor woman in the next street.' 'Then you are no better than thieves,* said father, 'and shall have no dinner for your pains. As for you, Elsfe, go to your room at once, for telling a lie.' All this was very different to the history of St. Elizabeth. While I sat shivering in my room, aunt Ursula entered. She had divined in a moment the mistake, and said, laughing, ' My poor Elsfe, you are too young yet awhile to imitate oui patron saint. What may do for St. Elizabeth will not do for you, any more 460 SATAN, AN ANGEL OF LIGHT— SATAN FALLING. [Pt. II. than it will do for me to wander to Rome with eleven thousand young ladies, like my namesake.' Ever after I understood it was not for us to follow the example of the saints, but to try and keep the ten commandments. And yet to think that St. Elizaleth, a real canonized saint, whose picture is over the altar of our church, whose bones are laid up in reliquaries — I could not make it out, and concluded it must be because she had • lived three hundred years ago, and that if I had lived in those times it would have been all right." — Else's Story, ch. i. The rose-girl of Salency (sixth century). St. Medard, bishop of Noyon, established in the sixth century a beautiful institu- tion for good conduct, which continues to the present day. It is known by the name of the " Fete de la Rosibre," held every third year. The prize given is a chaplet of roses and a purse of £26 to the girl selected by the parish as the best deserving. The following rules are indis- pensable : the girl herself must be irre- proachable ; so must her father, mother, sisters, and other near kinsfolk to the fourth generation. A mere scandal will suffice to disqualify a competitor. Three girls are presented, a month in advance, to the seigneur of Salency, who has the choice of selecting one as the Rosibre. The decision is publicly announced^ and tiie two competitors with their fnends are invited to investigate the choice, and either confirm it or dispute it. June 8 is the day of the fete, at two o'clock. The Rosibre is dressed in white, powdered, her hair curled and falling on her shoulders ; and accompanied by her parents, brothers, and sisters, and twelve girls all in white and blue ribbons and sashes, she goes in procession to the hall with a band of music. ^ The seigneur or his son and heir, with his steward and a band of music, goes to meet her, and lead her to the parish church to attend vespers. The clergy then form a procession, and all follow to the chapel of St. Medard, when the cure' places the chaplet on the girFs head, and gives her the purse of gold. This ceremony was interrupted at the Revolution, but was reinstituted in 1812, and the corporation guarantees three hundred francs. — Godescard, Ann€e Lit- teraire, 1766, No. 19. Ihe lily of Quito (a.d. 1646). Mari- anne de Jesus, daughter of don Jerome of Quito, lived a life of almost unparalleled abstinence and self-denial. She allowed herself only three houis' sleep, and that on a hard triangular board, drank nothing at all, and took no food except the Eucharist. Mgr. Guerin says, " Le Sei- gneur, pour augmenter les m^rites de sa lidble servante," caused her to suffer from dropsy, and goes on to say, " elle fut saign^e cent cinquante fois en deux ans ! ! The blood drawn from her was thrown into a ditch; and after her death this blood was the bed of " d'un lis d'une beauts admirable," which was called "The lily of Quito." — Vies des Saints, vol. vi, p. 233. Satan as an Angel of Ijight. 2 CoR. xi. 14. S&tan himself is transformed into an angel of Ught. The devil in the guise of Jesus Christ and also in that of the Virgin Mary appears to St, Catherine of Bologna (a.d. 1413- 1463). One day, when St. Catherine of Bologna was rudely assaulted by the devil, she said to him, *' You cannot deceive me." God, in order to humble her, re- solved to show her that Satan was, after all, more habile than she was. He pre- sented himself to her in the form of Jesus Christ, and not long after he appeared disguised as the Virgin Mary, and sug- gested to her thoughts of insubordination. The resentment she felt interfered with her prayers and reading. She grew less vigilant, and almost succumbed to the adversary, when God by His grace came to the rescue ; for He would not suffer her to be tempted above what she could bear, but with the temptation made a way of escape. The Saviour showed her that the temptation she had suffered was the wile of the devil, permitted by God for a little time to teach her diffidence, humility, and self-abasement. St. Catherine afterwards wrote a book, in 'which she recounts her temptations, and the graces whereby she was enabled to overcome them. This book she after- wards burnt, but she then wrote The Seven Spiritual Arms, in which she speaks of herself under a pseudonym. The object of the book is to warn against self- confidence, and the wiles of the devil. — Paleotti, Life of St. Catherine of Bologna, (This life, written about fifty ^ears after the death of St. Catherine, is jnserted in the seventeenth volume of the EcclesifU' tical Annals.) Satan falling. Luke x. 18. I beheld Satan, as lightning, fall from heaven. St, Zeno saw a devil tumble into a ditch Tt. II.] SEA GIVES UP THE DEAD— SELL ALL, ETC. 451 (third century). Between the age of thirteen and fourteen, Zeno one day- accompanied the bishop of Verona, whose clerk he was, down the street of the city, and burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. The bishop rebuked tb** bo', for his unseemly conduct, and der*iand^d the reason. Zeno replied " qu'il ve.-.ait ele voir un diablotin dormant tranqulUe- mrat sur la queue de la robe d'une dame qu* marchait devant eux ; mais que cette dame, ayant ramene sa jupe avec une prestesse toute fe'minine, le diable ^tait tombd dans I'eau fangeuse du ruisseau, ce dont il faisait pitoyable mine." In Christian art Zeno is drawn with a back- ground representing a devil falling into a slough. — Les Petits BoUandistes^ vol. iv. p 351. Sea giving up the Dead. Rbv. XX. 13. The sea gave up the dead which were in it. The sea gives up the dead bodies of Peter, Gorgonius, and Dorotheus. When Peter, Gorgonius, and Dorotheus were martyred, by order of the emperor Diocletian, their bodies were buried by some Christians ; but when the emperor heard that certain devotees visited these bodies to offer up their prayers on the spot of thalr inter- ment, he commanded them to oe dis- interred, and cast into the sea. God would not, however, suffer these holy relics to be lost, for the sea threw them up again, and the Christians again buried them. The body of Gorgonius was after- wards carried to Rome, and buried in the ** Via Lavicana," between two bay trees. — Eusebius (bishop of Caesarea, a.d. 630), Ecdesiastical History, (For other examples consult the Index.) Sell all thou hast. Matt. xix. 21. Jesus saith to him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure In heaven : and come and follow Me. Roger Crab sold all he had and gave to the poor (a.d. 1680). Roger Crab served seven years in the parliamentary army, but was imprisoned two years for breach )f discipline. At his discharge he set up in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, as a "haberdasher of hats," but having got together property, he resolved to follow the injunction given by Christ to the rich voung man, and accordingly sold all he had, distributing the proceeds among the \^oor. He now retired to a shed or hut, situated on a rood of land (quarter of an acre), near Ickenham, Middlesex, where he limited his expenses to three farthings a day. He ate no meat, and drank only water. His quarter of an acre of land supplied him with all his food, which consisted of bread, bran, herbs, roots, dock-leaves, mallows, and grass. He dressed in a sackcloth frock, and wore nothing round his neck. This, he said, was consistent with the injunction of Christ, and in accordance with the habits of the Rechabites {Jer. xxxv.), highly commended by the Lord, because they " neither planted vineyards, nor built houses, nor drank wine." Roger Crab wrote a memoir of himself, and calls the natural man the *' old man," meaning his body. He says, "Instead of strong drinks I gave the old man a cup of water; and instead of roast mutton and rabbit, I gave him broth thickened with bran, or bran-pudding relished with chopped turnip-leaves. The law of my members had a shrewd skirmish with the law of my mind ; but the wonderful love of God, well pleased with the battle, filled the new man full of love, peace, and content ; and he has now become more humble, for he will eat dock- leaves, mallows, and grass, and yet give God more thanks for it than formerly for roast meat and wines." This " Old English Hermit" of the Commonwealth not only thus aftlicted hicpself, but he was also greatly persecuted by his neigh- bours and others. Some thought him a wizard, some tore his few rags, some whipped him. If this " mad fellow " had been a Roman Catholic, living in a Roman Catholic country, he would probably have been canonized ; but being a Protestant, living in a Protestant kingdom, he is ruthlessly rebuked as an insane old fool. He died Sept. 11, 1680, and was buried in Stepney churchyard. — See Chambers, Book of Days, and the Harleian MiS' cellany, St. Serapion the Sindonite sold all he had, and himself too (died a.d. 388). St. Sera- pion, an Egyptian, not only sold all that he had,* but himself too, several times for the benefit of the poor. This made St. John the almsgiver say, " Can we flatter ourselves on our gift to the poor, who have given to them of our abundance ? Here is one who gave them not only all he had, but himself also ; not once, but again and again." The first time he sold himself was to % comedian for twenty pieces of silver. 452 SEPARATION FIJOM CHRIST IMPOSSIBLE. [Pt. a The comedian was an idolater, and Sera- pion became his slave that he might teach him the truth as it is in Jesus. Having converted his master and all his family, and having induced him to quit the stage, Serapion had his liberty given him. His master offered him the twenty pieces of silver he had bargained for, but Serapion refused to take it. He had not been long free when, wishing to relieve a distressed widow, he sold himself a second time, and gave the price to the widow. After having served this second master a term of years, he again obtained his liberty, and received from him a cloak, a tunic, an under-garment, and a book of the Gospels. He was scarce gone from the door, when he gave his cloak to one poor man, and his tunic to another. He was now reduced to a single garment, and that of linen. A stranger coming up asked him who had stripped him of his clothes, and left him thus. Serapion replied, '* This book," showing the stranger the Gospels. Not long after- wards, he sold his book to relieve a man in distress. Scarcely had he so done when an old acquaintance asked him what had become of his book ; and he replied, " It cried unto me so incessantly, * Sell all thou hast, and give unto the poor,' that 1 sold it, and gave the money to Christ's poor brethren." He then sold himself a third time. The fourth time he sold himself was to a Manichee, at Lacedaemon, whom he served for two years. Him also and all his family he converted to the faith as it is in Jesus. Several other times he sold himself, and at length died in Egypt, in a desert, at the age of sixty years, March 2, a.d. 388.— Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints. March 21. ' Examples of persons selling all they possessed and giving to the poor are extremely numerous, but the case of Serapion is the most striking, and that of Crab is a good practical example. If every one sold all he had and gave to the poor, no one would have anything to give ; for the poor must give of their poverty as well as the rich of theur abundance, and no one would have anjrthins atalL Separation from Christ Im- possible. RoM. viii. 35-39. Who shall separate us ft-om the love of Christ ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecutioi?, or famine, or naked- ness, or peril, or sword .? ... I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, . . nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Not all the malice of Satan could separate St. Antony from the love of Christ (fourth century). St. Antony, resolved to live as much as possible out of the world, retired to the tombs ; but Satan, terrified lest he should turn his empire upside down, brought with him a legion of devils, resolved to bring him to submis- sion. Life and death are not in the power of Satan, but disease and persecu- tions are. The devils could not take away his life, but they beat him till he was speechless, and was found next day apparently quiui dead. Being carried to the village church, he was laid on the floor, but at vespers he revived, and begged to be taken back to the tombs. This was done, and as he lay prostrate, wholly unable to kneel, he cried out with a shout, " Here am I, Antony. I will not fly ; so come and do your worst. Neither tribulation, nor distress, nor famine, nor stripes, nor peril, nor sword, shall separate me from the love of Christ." Then he sang, *' Though a host were laid against me, yet shall not my heart be afraid." During the night the devils made such an uproar, that all hell seemed to be let loose. The walls broke in ; the shapes of every sort of wild beast and noxious reptile stood staring at the pro- strate saint. Lions roared, and spread their bristly manes ; bears growled, wild bulls bellowed, snakes hissed ; leopards and wolves, asps and scorpions, each in its native fashion, showed its wrath. There lay the man of God unmoved by terror, and said, *' Fools and idiots, if there were any power in you, any one of yon would suffice to destroy me ; but see- ing ye are weak, ye hope to frighten me." Being thus mocked, the devils gnashed their teeth, and howled horribly. Sud- denly a light gleamed ; angels came down, and the demons fled. " Why," said Antony, " did ye not stop this unequal contest?" *' There has no temptation happened to you, man of God, beyond what you were able to bear," said' the angels; "and we were ever by. We waited to see the end ; and, seeing thou hast fought a good fight and prevailed, henceforSi the Lord will be thy shield and place of defence." St. Antohy now stood on his feet ; his strength was re- newed ; and, in the fulness of his new life, he gave praise and glory to God. He was only thirty-five years old when he endured this conflict, and Avon this victory, wrestling not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the dark- ness of this world, and spiritual wicked- Pt. II.] SERPENT CURSED-SHEEP—SILENCE. 453 in high places. — St. Athanasius, Life of St, Antony the Great. This is very like the combat of Christian in Pitgrim'$ Proffreu. Serpent Cursed. Gen. iii. 14. The Lord said to the serpent. Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust ■halt thou eat all the days of thy life. Tradition. The punishment of the ser- pent was twofold : (1) Michael was com- manded to cut off its legs ; and (2) the Berpent \vas doomed to feed on human excrements ever after. •* Y Uam6 [Dios] a la serpiente, y a Michael, aquel que tiene la espada de Dios, y le dixo ; Aquesta sierpe es acelerada, echala la primera del parayso, y cortale las piernas, y si quisiere carainar, arrastrara la vida per tierra. V llamd a Satanas, el qual vino riendo, y dixole ; Porque til reprobo has enganado a aquestos, y los has hecho im- hiiiiidos? Yo quiero que toda immundicia suya, y de todos sus hijos, en saliendo de sus cuerpos entre por tu boca, porque en verdad ellos haran penitencia, y tu que- daras harto de immundicia." — Gospel qf Barnaba*. Sheep Obedient. John x. 3. The sheep hear his voice. The sheep of Benedicta Rencurel hear ner voice and obey it (a.d. 1647-1718). One day St, Benedicta was told of a woman who had lost all consciousness, and was on the verge of the grave. With- out delay she ran to the church, collecting as she went all the children she met with on the way, and with these children she recited the rosary with great fervour. Before she started, however, she said to her sheep, ** Be good while I am absent. You are not to touch that meadow, nor yet that one yonder, nor yet this one, re- member." The sheep heard her voice, followed her directions, and remained browsing on the spot where she left them. — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. v. p. 218. (See also Notre Dame de France.) St. Thoretta's model sheep (twelfth cen- lury). While St. Thoretta was engaged in her devotions, her guardian angel took care of her sheep. One day, seeking for better pasture, a severe storm gathered in the horizon, but a voice said to her, ** Fear not, virtuous maiden ; though the rain falls in torrents, and floods the whole country, the sky over thy head shall be ever calm, and the pasture of thy sheep shall be ever fresh. As Gideon's fleece was dry when all around was wet, so shall it be with thee." The sheep recog- nized the sanctity of their shepherdess, and while she was occupied with divine meditations they would group around her, nibbling the grass close by ; and if she went to confession or church, she had only to plant her staff amidst her flock, and the sheep would take care of them- selves during her absence, and no wolf or other savage animal would attempt to molest them. One day the river over- flowed so that the sheep could not go home, but St. Thoretta calling to mind that promise, "If ye had faith, even as much as a grain of mustard seed, you should be able to move mountains," made the sign of the cross, touched the water with her staff, and immediately a dry path was made for her and her sheep to pass over. — L'abbd Boudant, Legende de Sainte Thorette, Silence. JamrsI. 26. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, this man's religion is vain. James iii. 2. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also. IsA. liii. 7. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth : He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. Matt. xxvi. 63, When Jesus was brought as a malefactor before Caiaphas, and the false witnesses had stated their charges against Him, the high priest arose, and said to Him, An- swerest Thou nothing ? What is it which these witness against Thee? But Jesus held His peace. Matt. xxvii. 13, 14. Again, when arraigned before the Roman proconsul, and accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then said Pilate to Him, Hearest Thou not how many things they witness against Thee? But he answered him to never a word, insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. Psalm xxxix. 1, 2. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue : I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good words. St. Andronicus and his wife Anastasia dwell togetJier in speechless silence. St. Andronicus was a banker of Alexandria, and he married Anastasia, a banker's daughter. They had two children, who died, and then Andronicus and his wife resolved to lead the life of recluses. After visiting the Holy Land, they retired to the laura of the Thebaid, and occupied two separate cells ; but Anastasia assumed male attire, and called herself Athanasius. In this retirement they vowed to observe perpetual silence. After living separately for some years, "Athanasius" proposed to her husband to build a cell in which thej 454 SILENCE : ARSENIUS— EUTHYMIUS. [Pr. IL both might live together. This was doiie, and they lived together in absolute silence, neither' speaking to the other to the day of their death. " Athanasius " died first, and not till then did the other solitaries of the laura know she was a woman, and the wife of Andronicus. The religious, not only of the laura, but of all Alexan- dria, attended the funeral, and gave great praise to God, that she had so triumphed over the world, the flesh, and the devil. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), Oct. 9. A laura is an assemblage of huts or cells, each occupied by its own inmate ; a monastery is a religious house with several cells under one roof. A lanra resembles a block of almshouses, a monastery resembles a workhouse. St. Arsenius asking Gody " What he must do to be saved" was answered by a voice from heaven^ " Flee the society of man^ and preserve inviolable silence'^ (a.d. 450). St. Arsenius was a native of Rome, of an opulent and noble family, in the fifth Christian century. Praying to the Saviour to know what he must do to be saved, he was answered by a voice from heaven, "Arsenius, the foundation of the edifice of salvation consists in these two things : Flee from the world and the society of man, and keep thy tongue in inviolable silence." St. Theodore tells us that, having heard this direction, Arsenius observed it to the letter. He lived in a desert far from the haunts of man, and even when strangers came to visit him, observed the strictest silence. On one occasion several hermits from Alexandria came to see him, and being told of their visit by his disciples, Arsenius said, '* Entertain them hospi- tably, but leave me to contemplate heavenly things." On another occasion a hermit took some brothers to see the famous solitary. Arsenius sent word by one of his disciples that the visitors were welcome to eat and drink, but that he saw no one. One of the strangers, think- ing to force him to speak, intruded into his private cell ; but Arsenius uttered not a single word. — Michel Ange Marin, Lives of the Fathers of the Eastern Deserts. St. Benet-Joseph was surnamed the Silent (a.d. 1748-1783). It was a favourite maxim of Benet-Joseph, "Keep your mouth under doors and bolts," and his biographers tell us it was quite impossible to be moie guarded than he was not to be taxed for speech. He was never the first to break silence, except from some motive of charity, and not unfrequently he answered by some motion of the head, in pr rf erence to open speech. For whole j months he never uttered a word, so that he was usually called Benet-Joseph the Silent.— R. P. Desnoyers, Life of St. Benet-Joseph. St. Catherine of Siena observed unbroken silence for three years (a.d. 1347-1380). When St. Catherine of Siena was admitted into the order called "The Sisters of Penitence," she imposed upon herself inviolable silence for three years, during all which time she never uttered a word exv,ept in confession to her father-con- fessor. — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandista), vol. iii. Apill 30. Silence one of the vows of the abbey of Cluny. Odo, abbot of Cluny in the tenth century, observed almost absolute silence, and demanded the same of the religious under him. In fact, the chief conversa- tion carried on by the brothers was by signs, and when two of the monks were taken prisoners by the Normands, who devastated Poitiers and Tours, they observ^ed the same unbroken silence even when beaten and wounded, although their obstinate silence increased the irri- tation of the conquerors.— P. Giry, History of the Abbey of Cluny. St. Emiliana of Florence kept annually the fast of the tongue (a.d. 1246). St. Emiliana was always careful to abstain from uttering a single unnecessary word ; during Lent she kept absolute silence for forty days, and for the rest of the year observed the fast of silence three days a week. When on Saturdays she went to receive the communion, her companion had most strict orders not to speak to her a single word on any subject what- ever. She used to say, "When God if speaking to the soul, it is unmannerly to interrupt Him." — A. Stolz, Acta Sanc- torum (May 19). St. Euthymius lives three years in speech- less silence (a.d. 824-886). St. Euthy- mius retired to Mount Athos, as a solitary, with a monk named Theocteristes ; but Theocteristes soon left him, not being able to endure the austerities of his com- panion. Euthymius then found another companion, named Joseph, and went to live on Hagion-Oros with the Athonites. Here he agreed with Joseph to live on herbs " to expiate their sins." Succeed- ing in this, Euthymius proposed that they should live three years without speaking a word. At the end of a year Joseph, tired of this absolute silence and diet of herbs, left his companion, but Euthymius persevered to the end. He then retired to a tower in Thessalc nic*;, Pt. II.J SILENCE: JOHN— VINCENT DE PAUL. 456 " like a new Simeon Stylites," and having lived as a pillar-saint for some time, he returned to Mount Athos. — St. Basil (archbishop of Thessalonica), lAfe of St. Euthymius, St. John the Silent lived four years in his cell without speaking a single word to any one (a.d. 464-558). After John the Silent left the Grand Laura, and was allotted a hermitage, he lived four years in his cell without speaking a word to any one, except once, and that was to the patri- arch when he dedicated the church of the Grand Laura (see p. 454, n.). In a.d. 503 the monks of the Grand Laura revolted, and John the Silent, that he might in no wise be dragged into this unhappy rebellion, withdrew into a neighbouring wilderness, where he lived six years in absolute silence. On one occasion a man named George, who seems to have gauged the idiosyncrasy of the hermit, brought his son, who was possessed of the devil, and, without speaking a word, laid the child at the door of the hermit's cell. St. John saw the child, and, without a single word, made on its forehead the sign of the cross. All was dumb-show, but the child was exorcised, and the father received it perfectly restored and m his right mind. — Cyril (the monk, a disciple), Life of St, John the Silent, We are told that a lady, who had her finger severely bitten by a parrot, called on Abernethy, and knowing his idiosyncrasy, held out her finger without speaking a word. Said Abernethy, "Bite?" The lady replied, " Parrot." " Poultice," said Abernethy, and the inter- ▼iew ended. When the finger was healed, and the lady offered Abernethy his fees, he put the money away from him, and said, "No, you are a sensible woman. Good morning." Absolute silence was enjoined by John- Joseph de la Croix (a.d. 1664-1734). John-Joseph de la Croix not only gave to his monastery at Afila a simple undeco- rated exterior, with rooms of small pro- portions, he also required of its inmates absolute silence, the most profound re- tirement, and an exact submission to orders without any right of private judg- ment. — Cardinal Wiseman, Evangelic De- monstrations, vol. xvi., of Mons. Migne. St. Facificus was noted /or his restraint over his tongue (a.d. 1653-1721). St. Pacificus had well learnt that difficult task of bridling the tongue. His superior, wishing to put him to the proof, called him a hypocrite, who thought to break into heaven, like a burglar. Pacificus made no reply ; but thought of those words of tj e Lord Jesus, " Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward in heaven." One day a man, who hated him, spouted a mouthful of wine in his face, and called him a drunkard. Pacificus wiped his face quietly, but spoke not a single word. So was it when the soldiery spat on the face of Jesus ; as a lamb before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. — L'abbe Daras, The Saints^ etc., of the Eighteenth Century, St. Peter of Alcantara lived for three years in speechless silence (a.d. 1499- 1562). St. Peter of Alcantara was noted for his long silence. For three years he carried pebbles in his mouth to prevent his speaking; "for," said he, "life and death are in the power of the tongue."— Father Talon, Life of St, Peter of Alcan- tara, St, Poma was noted for her silence (first century). St. Poma was contemporary with the apostles, her conversion being placed in the year a.d. 63, when Dionysius the Areopagite received the faith, and Paul preached on Mars* Hill. She was very beautiful and of an illustrious family, rich and held in great honour. After her conversion she renounced all the pomps and vanities of the world, and went clad in humility. She imposed on herself the law of silence, *' the guard of virginity ; " and made a compact with her tongue, regulating the hours when she might talk, and when to observe absolute silence. As a rule she never opened her lips except when obliged to speak, or when her heart overflowed with a sense of the love of God. — L'abbd Boitel, Beauties of the JOS' tory of Champagne, Silence enjoined, even at meals, among the Tabennites, The Tabennites were founded by St. Pacomius (a.d. 292-348). Every moment of the day was occupied, and silence most rigorously enjoined. If at any time one of the monks wanted any- thing, he indicated it by signs. When they moved from place to place, they were required to meditate on some passage of Scripture ; and at meals every one drew his hood over his head that he might not even see his neighbour. -His life by a monk of Tabenna, one of his disciples. St, Vincent de Paul was especially famctts for the restraint he put upon his tonque (a.d. 1576-1660). St. Vincent de Paul was complete master of his tongue, which St. James calls indomitable : " Every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of ser- pents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, 456 SINS FORGIVEN— SLEEP OF DEATH. and hath been tamed of mankind : but the tongue can no man tame ; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison " (iii. 7, 8). Vincent de Paul never uttered a superfluous word ; boasting, flattery, mockery, impatience, sallies of passion, were wholly unknown in him. He knew well how to bridle his tongue, and to impose on himself the most rigorous silence. Being accused of injuries, being slandered and maligned, when the heart of another man would burn with the sense of injustice, and would leap to justify itself, St. Vincent de Paul imitated his Divine Master, who, " being reviled, reviled not again," and overcame the malice of evil speakers simply by his silence.-T-L'abbd Maynard, St, Vincent de Paul : his Life^ his Times, his Works, and his Influence (1860). Besides these, the following saints were noted for keep- ing fast the door of their mouths : Donienic, Edward tlie Confessor, Eugenie, Felix, Friard, Giles of Portugal, John Baptist de Sala, Kostka, and Peniena. Sins forgiven. Luke vii. 47. Wherefore I say unto thee. Her sins, which are many, are forgiven. Sister Frances murdered her paramour and produced abortion, hut was forgiven (fourteenth century). While St. Vincent Ferrier was celebrating mass at Valencia, a woman appeared to him on the altar, surrounded with flames, and holding a dead infant in her arms. It was Sister Frances, who had married a rich mer- chant, and had committed adultery with one of her servants, during the absence of her husband. Covered with shame, dhe poisoned her paramour, *' et fit pdrir le fruit de ces entrailles, avant qu'il vint au monde." To add to her crimes, she feared to go to confession, but meeting by chance a stranger in priests' orders, she told him everything, and died within three days. Some time after her decease, she appeared to her brother, and implored him to obtain for her an abridgment of her pains in purgatory. The brother referred the case to St. Vincent, and St. Vincent prayed on her behalf. At the expiration of three days Sister Frances appeared to the saint, crowned with flowers ; and, surrounded by angels, she ascended up into heaven. — Les Fetits BoUandisteSy vol. iv. p. 239. Sleepers in Death. Acts vii. 60. [Stephen] kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Ix)rd, lay not this sin to their charge. And when be had Baid this, he fell asleep. [Pt. II. 1 Cor. XV. 6. The greater part remain to thii day, but some are fallen asleep. 1 Cor. XV. 17, 18. If Christ be not raised, then they which are fallen asleep In Christ are perished. The Greeks thought It ill-ominous to mention the words death and die; hence they called death "sleep," to die " to sleep," and a graveyard a cemetery or ilecping-placc. Thus Lycophron speaks of (CoMandra, ver. 683) tbesleep- ing-phice of Sithon's daughter. The seven sleepers. The seven sleepers were seven noble youths in the household of the emperor Decian, who fled from his court to a cave in Mount Celion. They were Christians, and the emperor had set on foot a Christian persecution. The mouth of the cave was blocked up, and they fell asleep. Some 230 years after- wards the cave was opened, and the ** youths " awoke ; but they died soon afterwards, and were taken in a large coffin to Marseilles. Visitors are still shown the stone coffin in St. Victor's church. — Gregory of Tours, De Gloria Martyrum, i. 9 (died 696). 8ee the Korftn, " Tlie Cave Revealed at Mecca,** elt XTlii. There is considerable difference in several particu* lars on minor polnta. Tims Al Seyid, a Jacobite Christian of NajrAn. says the sleepers were three, others say fire, but the more general account is that tnere were six noble youths, a shepherd, and his dog. Tlie number of years, according to the Korftn, was three hundred, and nine over. The names of the seven youths were, according to Gregory of Tours: Constantine, Dionysius, John, Maximian, MaU chus, Marcian or Martlnian, and Serapion. The names are not given in tlie Kor&n ; but the dog U called " Kratimer" in Sale's note*. (See also Jacques de Vora. gine, Tlie Golden Legend*. ) (N.B.— If there is any truth at all in the legend, it amounts to this : In a.d. 25<) some youtlis (three, five, or ■even) suffered martyrdom under the emperor Decius — *' fell asleep in the Ix)rd " — and were buried in a cave or vault in Mount Celion. In a.d. 479, during the reign of Theodo- sius, their bodies were discovered, and, being oonserrated as holy relics, were removed to Marseilles.) Arthur not dead, but only asleep, till the fulness of time is com£. King Arthur, we are told, is not dead, but sleeps in Avillon, till the fulness of time ; when he will wake up, twice as fair, to rule over his people, and make Britain the head and front of all the kingdoms of the earth. Cervantes refers to this legend in his £>on Quixote (pt. i. bk. ii. eh, 6), where he says, "According to tradition, Arthur never died, but only fell asleep ; and he will, in the fulness of time, appear again, as a giant refreshed with wine, and recover his kingdom." Another legend says he is metamorphosed for the nonce into a raven, and hence the people of Britain never kill a raven. Barbarossa not dead, but only asleep. It is said that kaiser Frederick I., sur- named Barbarossa or Red-beard, is not dead, but only asleep in Kyffhaiiserberg, in Thuringia. There he sits at a stone table with his six knights, waiting t^ c Pt. II.] SLEEP OF DEATH: BOBADIL-MISCELLANEOUS. 467 fulness of time, when he will come from the cave to rescue Germany from bondage, and give it the foremost place in all the world. His red beard has already grown through the table slab, but must wind itself thrice round the table before the ravens will quit the mountain and the sleeper awake. A peasant declared he had actually seen the red-bearded king sitting at the table, leaning on his elbows. He looked up and asked, "Is ic time?" *' Not yet, not yet," was the mysterious answer of some unknown ▼oice ; and the venerable kaiser closed his eyes again, till the world requires his aid to set it right. — Political^ Social^ and Literary History of Germany^ p. 81. Bobadil et Chico is not deaa^ hut only fallen asleep. Bobadil et Chico, last of the Moorish kings of Granada, lies asleep, spellbound, near the Alhambra ; but the day appointed will come, when he will return to life, and restore the Spanish government in Spain. Brian^ king of Ireland^ is not dead, bat only fallen asleep. Brian, sumamed "Boroimbe," king of Ireland, who conquered the Danes in twenty pitched battles, and was supposed to have been slain in the battle of Clontarf, in 1014, was only stunned. He still sleeps in his castle of Kincora; and the day of Ire- land's necessity will be Brian's oppor- tunity. Charlemagne not dead, but only fallen asleep in Jesus. According to legend, Charlemagne is not dead, but has only fallen asleep ; and waits, crowned and armed, in Odenberg or Untersberg, near Saltzburg, till the advent of Antichrist, when he will wake up and deliver Chris- tendom, that it may be prepared to receive the second advent and personal reign of Christ. Charles V,, kaiser^ is not dead, but only fallen asleep. Kaiser Charles V. of Spain and Germany is not dead, but only asleep, waiting his time. When the fulness of the time is come, he will return to earth, resume the monarchy of Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark, putting all enemies under his feet. Elijah the prophet was taken up to heaven alive, and will come again. Elijah the prophet sleeps in Abraham's bosom till Antichrist appears, when he will return to Jerusalem, and restore all things. Knez Lazar of Servia is Tiot dead, but QiUy fallen asleep. Knez Lazar of Servia, 20 supposed to have been slain by the Turks, in 1389, is said to be not really dead, but to have put on sleep fof awhile ; and, at the allotted time, he will reappear in his full strength, leading captivity captive. Elijah Mansur is not dead, but only fallen asleep. Elijah Mansur, warrior, prophet, and priest, in Asiatic Russia, tried to teach a more tolerant form of Islam, but was looked on as a heretic, and condemned to imprisonment in the bowels of a mountain. There he sleeps, waiting patiently the summons which will be given him ; when he will awake, and wave his conquering sword to the terror of the Muscovite. — Milner, Gallery of Geography, p. 781. Mahommed Mohadi is not dead, but only fallen asleep. Mahommed Mohadi, the twelfth imtln, is, according to Arabian legend, only sleeping till Antichrist appears, when he will wake up in hi» strength, and overthrow the great enemy of all true believers. Sebastian I. is not dead, but only fallen asleep. Sebastian I. of Brazil, who fell in the battle of Alcazarquebir, in 1578, is not dead, but sleeps, patiently abiding the full time, when he will return, and make Brazil the mistress of the whole earth. Three of the family of Tell are asleep, waiting their country^ s call. Three of the family of Tell sleep a semi-death at Rtitli, waiting for the hour of their country's necessity, when they will wake up and deliver it. Olaf Tryggvason of Norway is not dead, but only fallen asleep. Olaf Trygg- vason, king of Norway, who was baptized in London, and introduced Cliristianity into Norway, Iceland, and Greenland, being overthrown by Swolde, king of Sweden, in a.d. 1000, threw himself into the sea, swam to the Holy Land, became an anchorite, and fell asleep at a greatly advanced age. He is not dead, but only sleeping, and waiting his oppor- tunity, when he will sever Norway from Sweden, and raise it to a first-class power. Miscellaneous examples. The tale of Rip VAX Winkle is based on the same general idea. Rip was a Dutch colonist of New York, who slept for twenty years in the Kaatskill mountains of North America. — Washington Irving. Desmond of Kilmallock, in Lime- rick, supposed to have perished in the reign of queen Elizabeth, is only sleepini^ 158 SORES, ETC., CURED—SOUL OF MAN. [Pr.n. under the waters of Lough Gur. Every seventh year he reappears in full armour, rides round the lake early in the morning, and will ultimately return to waking life, and restore the family estates. — Sir W. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel. End YM ION, a beautiful youth, sleeps profoundly in Latmos. Selena fell in love with him, kissed him, and still lies by his side. In the British Museum is a beautiful statue of Endymion asleep. Epimenides, the Cretan poet, was sent in boyhood to search for a stray sheep. Being heated and weary, he stepped into a cave, and fell asleep for fifty-seven years. — Pliny, History, vii. 12. Gyneth slept five hundred years by the enchantment of Merlin. She was the natural daughter of king Arthur and Guendolen ; and was thus punished be- cause she would not put an end to a com- bat in which twenty knights were mor- tally wounded, including Merlin's son. — Sir W. Scott, Bridal of Triermain, Merlin, the enchanter, is not dead, but sleeps and sighs in an old tree, spell- bound by Vivien. NouRjAHAD, wife of Geangir the Mogul emperor, is only in a temporary sleep, waiting till her time of waking has fully come. St. David was thrown into an en- chanted sleep by Ormandine ; but after sleeping for seven years, was roused from his sleep by Merlin. The French slain in the Sicilian Vespers are not really dead, but only sleep for the time being, waiting the day of retribution. Thomas of Erceldoune sleeps be- neath the Eildon hills, in Scotland. One day, an elfin lady led him into a cave in these hills, and he fell asleep for seven years; when he woke up and revisited the upper earth, under a bond that he would return immediately the elfin lady summoned him. One day, as he was making merry with his friends, he heard the summons, kept his word, and has never been seen since. — Sir W. Scott, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, (See Castle Dangerous.) Sores and Blains cured. Jer. XXX. 17. I win restore health unto toee, and will heai thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord. Constance, daughter of the emperor Constantine, cured of her sores by St. Agnet, Ct;Lstance, the daughter of Con- stantine the Great, was covered with sores from head to foot, but, being told about St. Agnes, went to the tomb of the saint to crave her aid. While she knelt in prayer, St. A^nes appeared to her in a vision, and said, "Constance, forget not thy name, but embrace the faith of Jesus Christ, and remain constant therein. Ton must be baptized, and you shall b« cured of your infirmities. No longer shall your sores be an oifence, no longer shall they give you pain. Now arise, and do as I have told you." Then she arose, and her body was as healthy as a child's. In gratitude, she built a mag- nificent church to St. Agnes, at which many miracles were repeated every da)\ Constance was baptized, remained a virgin to the end of her life, and when she slept in Jesus was a shining light amongst the redeemed. — Mgr. Gu^rin (chamberlain of Leo XIIL), Lives of tfie Saints, vol. i. p. 511. Soul of Man. (See Anoels carry, etc. p. 7 ; Doves, p. 107.) EccLES. xii. 7. Then shall the dust return to the earth, and the spirit shall return to Him who gave it. Luke xvi. 22. And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by angels into Abraham's bosom. Matt. x. 28. Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. 1 Thess. v. 23. I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blame- less unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Heb. iv. 12. The Word of God is quick and powerful, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. St. Cuthbert sees the soul of bishop Aidan carried /"rom Lindisfarne to heaven. One night, as Cuthbert was watching his father's sheep in the valley of Lauderdale, he saw the soul of St. Aidan, late bishop of Durham, carried up to heaven by a company of angels, at the very moment that the holy man departed this life. H€ woke his companions, and asked them to join him in singing praises to God. — Bede, Lifeof St. Cuthbert (Church History ^ bk. ix. ch. 27-32). The soul of Alcuin, in the form of a dove, conveyed to heaven (May 19, 804). On the eve of Alcuin's death a mysterious light enveloped the whole monastery, which many thought was a fire. Next day, at dawn, a globe of fire ascended up to heaven. An Italian recluse, who happened to be at Tours, asserts that he saw St. Stephen and St. Laurentius, with a crowd of angels, escort the spirit of Alcuin to heaven. Two young cenobitcs, Ft. II.J SOUL OF MAN: ANTONY—EULALIA. tdO pupils of Alcuin, walking together in the monastery close of Hirsauge, distinctly saw a dove mount to heaven, and heard celestial music in the air. " There goes the soul of our dear master, to receive the crown of everlasting life," said one of the young men to the other. Two days afterwards the news was brought to Hirsauge of the death of the great scholar, and the time of decease minutely cor- responded with the flight of the dove. — Corblet, Hagiographie du Diocese d' Amiens, The following suggestion is made with all possible deference. The frequent mention of the flight of doves at the death of great men, might it not be the despatch of carrier pigeons to convey the intelligence to some associated monastery ? The globe of fire, might it not be a rocket used as a telegraph? The fire or light was pro- liahly due to the candles lighted on such occasions, and the celestial music to the requiem sung by monks. Si. Antony of Fadua sees the soul of a Franciscan like a white bird ascend to heaven (a.d. 1195-1231). On one occasion when St. Antony, who was bom at Lisbon, was helping the priest at the altar, he distinctly saw the soul of a Franciscan flit out of purgatory. It was like a white bird. He saw it ascend to heaven, and enter the kingdom of the elect. — L'abbd Guyard, Life of St, Antony of FadiLa, Marcan sees the soul of St, Briocus carried up to heaven (a.d. 502). When St. Briocus died, the chamber was filled with a delicious odour, and a religiou-s, named Marcan, saw his soul, in the form of a dove, carried up to heaven. Another religious, named Siviau, saw the saint mounting to heaven by a luminous ladder, on which was a vast number of angels. — Dom Lobineau, Lives of the British Saints, It seems that the soul went first in the form of a dove, the saint afterwards by the ladder, and the body, of course, remained behind. The "saint" must mean the spirit, making man to consist of body, soul, and spirit, all independent of each other. A dove issued from the mouth of St, Devota, at death (a.d. 300). St. Devota was a Christian handmaid in the service of Eutyches, a Roman senator, when Diocletian issued his edict for the exter- mination of the whole Christian sect. Eutj'^ches was living at the time in Corsica, of which Barbarus was governor. Of course Devota was seized by the governor, and ordered either to sacrifice to the Roman gods or to suffer the penalty of her disobadience. The maiden stoutly refused to honour as gods idols made of wood, clay, and stone, the work of men's hands ; and Barbarus commanded her to be dragged by her feet over the rocky ground, and hung on a chevalet (see Index) till she was dead. As she breathed her last, a white dove was seen to issue from her mouth, and take its flight straight up into the deep blue sky, where it was lost to sight. Barbarus had ordered the body to be burned ; but two Christians came by night, and embarked with it for Africa. Immediately the skiff loosed from shore the white dove again appeared to guide it on its way. It skimmed the water lor a few yards, and then waited till the skiff came up, when it flew off again, skimming the water as before. In this way it guided the skiff to the port called Hercules Monecus {Monaco)^ when it flew away, and was no more seen. Here the two men debarked, and buried the body. In 1687 the Corsicans obtained from Monaco some relics of the Christian maiden ; and these relics are still held in veneration in the island. — Acta Sanctorum^ vol, ii. Jan. 27. The soul of St, Engelhert appears to St, Hermann as a moon (a.d. 1230). One night, as St. Hermann was contemplating the starry heavens, he saw two moons — the natural moon, and one below it in- finitely more beautiful. A voice told him this second moon was the soul of St. Engelbert, archbishop of Cologne. St, Hermann could not think this was true, because Engelbert was still alive ; but the event showed the truth of the revela- tion, for Engelbert had been murdered by his own kinsmen ; and, as a martyr, he entered into paradise without passing through purgatory. In punishment of his incredulity, St. Hermann was afflicted for a season with bad eyes, which were not healed till he sent an offering to the tomb of St. Engelbert.— i/t/e of St. Her- mann (Bollandists), April 7. St. FJulalia of Barcelona being martyred^ her spirit ascends to heaven as a dove (a.d. 304). St. Eulalia, a mere child, con- ceived the idea of reproving Dacian for persecuting the Christians of Spain. With this view she called on the governor, who said to her, " Well, child, what do you want with me ? " *' To reprove you," said the maiden, " for your cruelty to the Christians." "Heyday ! " said Dacian, *' and who are you that dare speak thus to me ? " " I am a Christian," said Eulalia. *' Don't be insolent, child,' said the governor. But as the child con- tinued, Dacian ordered her to be hoisted on the back of a soldier, and whipped with a birch rod like a naughty girl* 460 SOUL OF MAN: GERMANUS— WALLACE. [pt. n He soon found she was not to be silenced thus ; and at last he commanded her to be cast into a bath of quicklime, to which boiling oil was added. She died in her horrible bath, and the assistants saw her spirit, in the form of a white dove, fly through her mouth straight up to heaven. — Les Petits BoUandistes^ vol. ii. p. 473. The soul of St. Germanus of Scotland ascends to heaven like a dove (May 2, a.d. 480). When St. Germanus reached Vieux Rouen, one Hubault, who heard of his arrival, rushed upon him, and cut off his head with his sword. His soul in a visible form, like a dove whiter than snow, left his body, and ascended to heaven. Next day, the dead saint told a young maiden to go to Senard, the seigneur of Senarpont, and bid him bury his body. Senard went to the spot indicated, but angels had carried the body further on. There the seigneur embalmed it, placed it in a beautiful sarcophagus, and buried it. This was the origin of the name St. Germain-sur- Bresle, given to a town which afterwards sprang up upon the site. — Corblet, Hagio- graphie d' Amiens. TJie soul of St, Norhert resembled a lily (A.p. 1134). When St. Norbert died, a religious saw his soul change in a moment into a lily, and saw angels come and carry it into heaven. Another religious saw the saint come down from heaven with an olive branch in his hand. The religious said to him, "Whence comest thou, and whither goest thou ? " The saint replied, " I come from paradise, and am going to Premontr^ to plant this olive slip, as a pledge of everlasting peace between God and my disciples." Hugh, the abbot of the order, saw him in a most magnificent palace, filled with brilliant rays of light, and having asked him what had become of his soul since death, the saint replied, "Venez, ma chfere soeur, reposez vous." — Mgr. Gue'rin, Vies des Saints^ vol. vi. p. 498. The reply of St Morbert to the abbot is certainly note« worthy, and proves the duality of nian. in the chamber* Iain's opinion, beyond all doubt Norbert calls his soul *' his sister," and bids her rest, so that Norbert himself was soulless at the time. Very strange I The soul of St, Robert^ abbot of Casa Dei, ascends to heaven visibly (a.d. 1067). At the moment of death, a religious saw the "Mother of God" come to con- sole St. Robert, abbot of Casa Dei ; and immediately he had breathed his last, mother religious distinctly saw the soul of the man of God leave his body, and ascend to heaven as a globe of fire.— Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), April 24. The soul of St. Sckolastica ascends to heaven in the figure of a dove (a.d. 543). While St. Benedict was on Mount Cassino, he saw the soul of his sister Scholastica ascend to heaven in the shape of a dove. Filled with joy, he thanked God and announced the fact to his brethren. St. Scholastica died in the nunnery of Plom- bariola, in the neighbourhood of Mount Cassino. — Gregory the Great, DicUogues^ bk. ii. ch. 34. The soul of William Wallace and of Edward I. (a.d. 1305, 1307). Sir William Wallace was beheaded and quartered, in 1305, by Edward L ; but Bower tells us, in his continuation of Fordun, that on the testimony of many credible English- men, a holy hermit saw, at the moment of the patriot's death, a company of in- numerable souls delivered from purga- tory, and that of Wallace, marshalled by them, was borne by angels up to heaven. Not lon^ afterwards, in 1307, Edward I. died on his march to Scotland ; and an English knight, named Bannister, saw the soul of the late king surrounded by a host of devils, who were mocking it with much laughter. Bannister distinctly remembers their saying— En 1 rex Edwardu^ debaochans ut leopardua 1 Olim, dum rixit, populum Dei male flixit Nobis vise talis comes ibis, care lodalis. Quo condemneris, dnraonibus socieris. Te sequimur voto prorsus torpore remoto. Behold, Edwardus rex 0, once wont the Church to vex so. As raging leopard now, sir, to the infernal slough, sir ; Where dteraons fleer and titter, with us, dear friend, you'll flitter. And company for ever henceforth we will not sever. While thus they sang in leonine doggerel, they drove the ghostly king before them with whips and scorpions. Edward cast a piteous look upon the knight, so f':li of heart-broken sorrow, so helpless ind- woebegone, that Bannister says he can never forget it to his dying hour. The earth opened, and as the kingly ghost was about to enter the yawning gulf, he cried aloud — Heu, cur peccavi ? fallor quia non bene cavl. Heu, cur peccavi ? perit et nihil est quod amavl Hea, cur peccavi ! video, quia littus aravi Cum sudore gravi mihimet tormenta paravi. Why did I sin indeed 7 And take of death no heedt Why did I sin indeed 1 Vile dross my only greed. Why did I sin indeed? The barren sand my seed. Now, in my hour of need, torment my only meed. [In these doggerels I have endeavoured to imitate the Latin leonine doggerels. Those who prefer trochaic rbymei to tbt lattv quatrain ma> add " ah 1" to each half-UncI pt. n.] SPIDER'S WEB— SPOILING— STANDING FAST. 461 Spider's Web. Job viii. 13, 14. Bildad the Shuhite tells Job that the trust of those who forget God shall fail ; and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish. Their hope shall be cut off, and their trust ahall be a spider's web. The work of the spider, "It is a great deal of care and a great deal of pains that the spider takes in weaving her web. She runneth much and often up and down ; she fetcheth a compass this waj' and that, and returneth continually to the same point. She spendeth herself in multitudes of fine threads, to make for herself a round cabinet. She disembowels herself to make an artificial and curious piece of work, which, when it is made, is apt to be blown away with every puff of wind. She hangeth it up aloft ; she fasteneth it to the beam ; she tries its strength ; she increases it with many a thread, wheeling often round and round about, not sparing her own bowels, but freely spending them upon her work. And when she hath done all this, spun her fine threads, weaved them one into another, wrought herself a fine canopy, hung it aloft, and thinks all sure, sud- denly, in the twinkling of an eye, with a little sweep of a broom, all falls to the ground, and so her labour perisheth. But this is not all, poor spider ! The weaver is killed in her own web, or taken in her own snare, or trodden underfoot. She wove diligently and painsfuUy, but the web she wore was her own winding- sheet. She strengthened her cords and made them fast, but only to be her own death." — Spencer, Things Old and New. Spoiling the Egyptians. ExoD, xii. 35, 36. The children of Israel did according to the word of Moses ; and they bor- rowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment ; and the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, BO that the people lent unto them such things as they required ; and they spoiled the Egyp- tians. (See Exod. iii. 22.) St, Francis ofAssisi spoils his own father (A.D. 1182-1226). The father of St. Francis d'Assisi was Pietro Bernadone, a wealthy merchant. When the young man, who had hitherto lived a very worldly life, declared for the cross, and determined to follow in all things " the example of Christ, and walk in His steps," he changed his fine clothes with a beggar, and then going to his father's irarehouse carried off on a pack-horse several bales of cloth, which he sold, and presented the proceeds for the repairs of the church of St. Damian. — Mrs. Oliphant, Life of St, Francis, It is passing strange that any right-minded man, let alone a religious man. cannot see this, that thieving to give in charity is wholly without excuse. (1) It is the violation of a positive law, " Thou shalt not steal ; " (2) it is no personal sacrifice to give away another man's property; (3) such gifts are mere vanity or gross self- deception; (4) if once permitted, the whole fabric of commercial society would be broken down. A reference to the Index, article "Theft for Gifts of Charity," will bring to notice a number of these strange delusions, such as stealing bread to feed the hungry, stealing corn to feed birds, lending what does not belong to one, stealing a horse to indulg-" the vanity of giving. I know of no religious delusion more mischievous and blameworthy, yet is It always set down in all haglographief as a merit. A somewhat similar delusion is the constant practice of releasing prisoners utterly regardless of the offences for which they are detained (see Index, " Prison "). It is true that Christ came " to preach deliverance to the captive" {Luke iv. 18), but we hear nothing about Hi« delivering from prison theBarabbases, merely because they were prisoners. This is one of those wretched realistic interpretations which not only the Roman Catholic Church but our own Puritans mistook for godliness, and even to the present day there are not wanting Protestants led away by the same delusions. Standing fast; Immovable. Psalm xvi. 8. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Rom. xiv. 4. God is able to make him stand. Psalm x. 30, The righteous shall never bo removed. Psalm cxxv. 1. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed. St, Brigit renders immovable a mounted escort, in pursuit of a young lady, in flight (a.d. 436-623). A young lady, on the eve of her marriage, stole secretly from her father's house, and fled to the con- vent of St. Brigit. The father, with a large mounted escort, went in pursuit cf the fugitive ; but when St. Brigit saw it in the distance, she made the sign of the cross, and every horse and rider became instantly immovable as statues. After a certain interval, the father con- fessed he was wrong in pursuing his daughter, and allowed her to take the veil. Whereupon St. Brigit removed the ban, and the father with his escort returned home. — Les Petits Bollandistes^ vol. ii. p. 185. St, Lucy, who set the Lord always before her, could not be moved. St. Lucy, being brought before Paschasius, governor of Syracuse, for refusing to marry, was asked if she were a Christian. Said the governor, " How standeth this together, that a god should suffer an ignominious death ? " Lucy replied, " Nay, rather, how standeth it together, that Jupiter, Apollo, and Venus should be gods aiid 469 STANDING FAST. [pr.n. goddesses, and yet commit sins which it would be death in mortals to indulge in?" "You are pert," said Paschasius, "and talk like a child." Said Lucy, " It is not I who answer, but the Holy Ghost within me that tells me what to answer." "What!" exclaimed the governor, "does one of your gods live in your body?" Said Lucy, "Every one who leads a chaste and holy life is a temple of the Holy Ghost." "We'll soon drive this god out, then," said Pas- chasius ; and so saying, he ordered one of his officers to conduct Lucy at once to a notorious brothel. When this got wind, many went thither to dishonour her ; but she stood like a rock in the middle of the room, and no one could move her. All the servants of the house tried to push or drag her from her moorings, but without effect. Ropes were thrown around her, and many hands haled at the ropes with all their might and main, but she stood fast. Several yoke of oxen were attached to chains and cables, but could not stir her. The governor declared it to be witchcraft, but St. Lucy replied, " I have set the Lord always before me ; and because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." — Ado (archbishop of Treves), Marty rology. (Bede, Sigisbert, the Breviary, the Roman martyrology, etc., have accounts of St. Lney and her deeds.) An Egyptian idol becomes quite immov- able. St. Apollo, having heard that a grand idolatrous procession was about to teke place in a village of Upper Kgypt, prayed God to prevent it. Whereupon the idol became quite immovable, inso- much that neither the priests, nor yet the combined strength of all their attendants, availed to lift it from its pedestal. So the procession was perforce abandoned. — Palladius (a personal friend of St. Apollo), JRstoria Lausiaca, Some soldiers having looted Vermandois, are unable to make their pack-horses stir (sixteenth century). Some of the soldiers of Clotaire I., having made great ravages in Vermandois, piled their loot on bag- gage waggons ; but, by the virtue of St. Medard, the horses refused to stir, and nothing could make them move even when the plunder was restored, till St. Medard came forward and gave his benediction. Another instance. A thief broke into St. Medard's vineyard and made great Soil, but could not find his way out. I wandered about all night with the grapes on his arms and shoulders, till half-dead with fatigue and fright. Next morning he was caught with his spoil, and taken before St. Medard. St. Medard refused to commit him, cautioned him, dismissed him, and even allowed hix to carry away the grapes. — Acta Sanctorutn (Bollandists), vol. ii. June 8. The sword of Uther^ the pendragon^ stuck fast in a steel anvil, immovable except to Arthur, At the death of the pendragon, all the states and lords of the realm assembled, long ere it was day, in the great church of London. And when matins were over, there appeared in the churchyard, against the high altar, a huge stone, four square ; and in the midst of the stone a steel anvil a foot in height, in which was a naked sword, bearing in letters of gold this legend, "Who can pull forth this sword from the anvil, he and he only is the rightful king of Britain." After mass all the states went to look at the sword, and one after another assayed to pull it out, but without avail. " The rightful man," said the archbishop, " is not here. This, then, is my counsel, that we let purvey ten knights of good report to keep the sword, till God shall make the right-bom king appear." This advice was followed, and the crier cried in the streets that he who claimed the crown must win it by removing the sword. On New Year's Day the barons rode to joust and tourney, and it fell out that sir Ector was amongst the barons, with sir Key and young Arthur. Now, sir Key had left his sword at home, and asked young Arthur to go and fetch it for him. " That will I, with right good will," said Arthur, and hasted to fetch it ; but no one being in the house, he could not open the doors. He was much vexed, but resolved to take instead the sword in the churchyard. Coming to the place, he tied his horse to the stile, and went to the knights' tent ; but all the knights were gone to the jousts, so he took the sword by the handle, gently wrenched it from the anvil, and took it to his foster-brother. Soon as sii Key saw it, he recognized it ; and, riding up to his father, said, " Sir Ector, here is the sword of the churchyard, so I must be king of Britain." Then went sir Ector, with his son and Arthur, to the church ; and sir Ector made his son take oath how he came by the sword. " Arthur brought it me," said sir Key. " Well," said sir Ector to Arthur, "put the sword back into the anvil, and let me see thee pull it out." "There is no mystery in that," Pr. II.] STONES CRYING OUT— STONES OBEDIENT. 46a replied Arthur, and instantly replaced the 8Word in the anvil. Then sir Ector and sir Key tried to pull it out, but were unable. " Come, Arthur," said sir Ector, " let us see you try." And Arthur pulled it forth right easily. Then did sir Ector and sir Key kneel before Arthur; but Arthur cried, " Alas ! my father and jny elder brother, it is not meet that you should kneel to me." "Nay, nay, my lord," said Ector, *'no son of mine art thou. I wot well you are of higher blood than mine, but wist not you were of royal blood." Then all three went to the arch- bishop, and told him how the sword had been achieved, and the archbishop pro- claimed on the feast of the Epiphany that the barons should again assemble and try to draw the sword ; and so it was, but none was able to move it but only Arthur. So Arthur was acknowledged king by the judgment of the sword. — Sir Thomas Malory, La Mort d Arthur^ bk. i. ch. 3-6. St, Wulfstan'8 pastoral staff fixed fast in solid stone, William the Conqueror, wishing to fill all the seats of dignity with his own followers, ordered Wulf stan, bishop of Worcester, to yield up his staff and ring to Gundulf, because he could not speak Norman. Wulfstan had been appointed by Edward the Confessor, and when he heard that he was deposed, he went to the tomb of the deceased king, and said, ** Thou knowest, my master, how reluctantly I received this staff at thy bidding ; but now we have a new king, a new law, and a new archbishop, who found new rights, and declare new sentences. They convict thee, saintly king, of error, in appointing me to the see of Worcester, and me of presumption in accepting the dignity. Not to them, but to thee only, can I resign my staff ; not to those who walk in darkness, but to thee whc hast escaped from the region of ignorance and error." So saying, he stuck the pastoral staff into the sepul- chral stone ; and, laying aside his epis- copal robes, seated himself among the monks. All were amazed to see the staff fixed firmly in the solid stone, and some ran to tell Lanfrac of the miracle. The archbishop would not believe the report, and sent Gundulf to go and fetch the staff ; but Gundulf found it so embedded in the stone that he could not pull it out. Then the king and archbishop both went to th3 chapter-house to wrench out the staff, but were unable to move it. Lan- franc, convinced that this was God's doings irent at once to Wulfstan, and said to him, " Verily, God resirteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble and meek. Thy simplicity, brother, was scorned by us, but thy righteousness is exalted. Keep the bishopric over which God Him- self hath made thee overseer, for God hath sealed thee by miracle to the holy office." Then Wulfstan put his hand on the staff, and lifted it from the stone without the slightest effort. — Roger de Wendover and Caprave. Stones crying out. Luke xix. 40. I tell you, that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. Hab. ii. 11. The stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. EzEK. xxvi. 26. A new hea ft will I give you. I will take away the stony heart, and will give you a heart of flesh. Bede preached to a heap of stones (a.d. 672-735). On one occasion, we are told, the Venerable Bede preached to a heap of stones, thinking himself in a church ; and the stones were so affected by his elo- quence, that they exclaimed, "Amen, Venerable Bede ! " Stones Obedient. (See Gravi- TATioN, etc., p. 159.) Job v. 23. Thou shalt be in league with thd stones of the field. St, Francis of Paula arrests a huge stone which threatened to knock down a monastery which was in construction (a.d. 1416-1507). While the celebrated monastery of Cala- bria was under construction, a stone of prodigious size, detached from a neigh- bouring mountain, came rolling down with great impetuosity towards the new building, threatening great danger to the work, and to many of the workmen. A general cry of alarm rose on all sides, but St. Francis of Paula, with perfect calm- ness, lifting his hand, said *' Stop ! " and the stone stopped instantly in its course. Then, going to the rock, he planted his staff before it, and the rock remained immovable for many days. At last it was broken up and used in the walls of the building. — Le P. Giry, drawn chiefly from the witnesses in the process of canonization and the bull of Leo X. St. John Baptist de la Conception stays a man carrying a stone who overbalanced himself (a.d. 1661-1613). While the convent ot Cordova was a-building, on«» of the mas ^ns, carrying a huge stone, and climbing a ladder, lost his balance and 164 STRENGTH ADJUSTED-SUN WARDED OFF. [Pt. II. fell. St. John Baptist de la Conception happened to be on the spot, and, extend- ing his hand, cried aloud, " In the name of the Holy Trinity, stop!" Instantly the stone ceased from falling, the work- man adjusted himself, and both came slowly and deliberately to the ground. "A miracle! A miracle!" shouted the workmen ; but the saint quietly withdrew, and returned to his cell. — Godescard, Vie des Saints (continued). Strength according to thy Day. IsA. xl. 31. They that wait upon the I/ord shall renew their strength. They shall run, and not be weary ; they shall walk, and not faint. 1 Sam. ii. 4. They that stumbled are girded with strength. Psalm xxix. 11. The Ijord will give strength to His people. Dbdt. xxxiii. 25. As thy days, so shall thy strength be. St. Francis of Paula carries away a huge rock which many men were unable to stir (a.d. 1452). While the monastery of Spezza was under construction, it was ne- cessary for a huge rock to be removed, as it obstructed the approach. Many men tried by a united effort to loosen it, but without avail ; they tried to break it, but with no better success. At length St. Francis took it up in his hands and carried it awa)' without help of any kind. A few days afterwards he carried on his shoulder to the top of the clock-tower a coping-stone which four strong men were unable by their united strength to lift. About the same time he dragged from A wood by the river-side two pieces of timber which a number of workmen with their united strength were unable to move. During the same building operation he carried on his own shoulders, and enabled his workmen to lift and carry about, heavy weights which no human beings could have lifted, *'if God Himself had not girded them with strength, or sent His angels to assist them in supporting the loads." Finally, crooked trees were made straight, rough joists were worked into shape and carried to their places, saw pits were sunk, and other work done by the mere word of command of the saint, with- out instruiient or the aid of man. — All these instances are mentioned in the Act of Canonization, St. Francis of Paula commands a para- i^iic to carry a huge stone (a.d. 1452). While St. Francis of Paula was building his monastery at Spezza, in the diocese of Cosenza, a woman from Cortona, who had been paralyzed for thirty years, was brought before him. St. Francis bade her get from the carriage and carry a great stone to the builders. The woman made the required effort. She that stumbled was girded with strength ; she lifted the stone, carried it to the builders, and was perfectly cured of her disease. — Process made at Cosenza before Leo X., at the canonization of St. Francis of Paula. St. Francis of Paula gives strength to a lame man to carry a rafter (a.d. 1452). While St. Francis de Paula was building his great monastery, the seventeenth wit- ness of the process made at Cosenza stated that a lame man, suffering so severely from sciatica that he could not move, was brought to him. The patri- arch told him to carry to the building a huge rafter, which two strong oxen could not lift. The man said, *' How can you desire me to carry this huge rafter?" *' They that wait on the Lord," said St. Francis, "shall renew their strength, and the Lord will give strength to His people." The man charged himself with the beam, carried it to the building, laid it in the place required, and was perfectly cured of his malady. — Le P. Giry, Life of St. Francis of Paula^ drawn from the witnesses called in the process of his canonization. Sun warded off. (See Rain WARDED OFF.) Psalm cxxi. 6. The sun shall not smite thee by day. Rev. vii. 16. Neither shall the snn light on them, nor any heat. IsA. Iv. 6. There shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a covert from storm and from rain. St. Peter of Verona wards off the sun from a public assembly (a.d. 1206-1252). St. Peter of Verona had a disputation at Milan in the open air with certain here- tical bishops. The assembly found the heat of the sun quite intolerable, and St, Peter prayed, saying, "O Lord, Thou hast promised that the sun shall not smite Thy servants by day, nor the moon by night; bring now the clouds to be unto us a tabernacle for a shadow from this great heat." No sooner had he spoken than a thick cloud formed a canopy over the heads of the assembly till the disputation was brought to a Pt. 11.1 close. — ^T. Lentinos, Life of St Peter th§ Martyr, Taught of God. John vi. 45. It is written in th« nropheta. They shall be all taught of God. Matt. x. 20. It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. Jambs i. 5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask [for it] of God, that giveth liberally, and upbraideth not. • 2 Pkt. i. 21. St. Peter says that prophecy came not in olden time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. David in his last address confesses that the psalms he sung were not his own words, but " that the Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue." Acts iv. 8. When Peter was arraigned before the Jewish Sanhedrim, his answer was dictated to him by the Holy Ghost. St, Aldegundis taught by St, Peter personally (a.d. 689). St. Aldegundis, the daughter of prince Walbert, was in the direct line of the kings of France, and was bom in Hainaut, a.d. 630. God interposed in her childhood to lead her in the way everlasting, by sending the apostle Peter to teach her what to believe and how to live. She was often visited by other heavenly visitants, and some- times by the King of angels, whom she had chosen to be her Spouse.— L'abb^ Delbos, Life of St, Aldegundis, St, Amorose told by an angel how to convict the Avians, When St. Ambrose, on one occasion, preached against the Arian heresy, one of the leading "here- tics " was converted. Being asked why he had gone over to the other side, he answered, "Because I distinctly saw an angel whispering in the ear of St. Am- brose the words that he spoke, so that it was not Ambrose that convicted me of error, but the Spirit of God." — Paulinas, Life of St, Ambrose, St. Bernard told the exact hour of Chrisfs birth by Christ Himself, St. Bernard, being in a church on Christmas Eve, had a great desire to know the pre- cise hour of the Nativity. He prayed earnestly that the Holy Ghost would in- form him. Whereupon Christ Himself stood by him in the form of a little child, and informed him minutely of the day and hour when He was born in Bethle- hem.— Godfrey (St. Bernard's secretary), Li/e of St, Bernard, St, Gregory the thaumaturgist taught the mystery of the Trinity by the Virgin Mary (a.d. 270). St. Gregory wrote his TAUGHT OF GOD. 46ft Symbol of Faithy and received his inspira- tion direct from the Virgin Mary Ih tho following manner: — One night, while the saint was meditating on the subject, an old man was sent by God to instruct him fully in the verities of the Christian faith. Beside the old man was a lady of celestial beauty, who addressed the old man as John the Evangelist, and told him to instruct the young Gregory in all the mysteries of the true faith. The old man expressed his pleasure in obeying the mother of God, and at once explained the whole subject to Gregory, who wroti^ down what St. John taught him ; and when all was written, the old man vanished. St. Gregory has left this treatise for the benefit of the Church, and it has always preserved the Church from falling into heresy, especially that of the Arians and semi-Arians. The original was extant in the archives of the Church of Neocaesarea in the time of Gregory of Nyssa, and is cited by Gregory Nazi- anzen, Rufinus, and many others. — St. Gregory of Nyssa, Life of St, Gregory Thaumaturgist, St. Leo's manuscript corrected by St, Peter himself. When St. Leo was writing his treatise against Nestorius, "the heretic," he left his manuscript one night on the relics of St. Peter, and prayed if anything in it needed amendment, that the holy apostle would m^ke the neces- sary correction before the treatise was made public. When Leo rose next morning and examined his manuscript, he found several words had been blotted out and others substituted in their place. In fact, the whole manuscript had been carefully corrected throughout; and he gave God and St. Peter his hearty thanks. — Damasus, Lives of the Popes, St. Savinian taught by an angel (a.d. 275). St. Savinian was a Greek, bora in Samos, and brought up in the Greek mythological religion. But one day the psalms of David fell into his hands, and he was greatly struck with the verse, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (li. 7). He pondered over these words for many an hour and many a day, but could not make out what they meant. At length an angel was sent to him, and told him it was by baptism that man was cleansed from sin, and though those sins were as scarlet, yet by baptism the Christian in God's sight was whiter than snow. Leaving his native land, he wandered into Champagne, and 2h 166 THOUGHTS DISCERNED— THUS FAR. [Ft. a there a itranger conferred on him "the grace of baptism." Some say the stranger was St, Parre, a citizen of Champagne, others tiiink it was an angel. — BoUandus, Acta Sanctorum, vol. iii. Jan. 29. (See also Nicolas des Guerrois, SainMM Chr€- tienne de fEglise de Troyes. Whether the ex^es?8 of the angel was right or not, be tt distinctly understood that it is no part of this book to determine. Veronica of Milan taught by an angel (a.d. 1497). It was a great disappoint- ment to Veronica that, being unable to read and wholly uninstructed in singing, she was disqualified from taking part in the choir offices ; and she prayed often and earnestly that God would help her. One day, as she was praying, an angel came into her cell, holding a psalter in his hand. Then opening the book, he bade her read, and she found she could do so without difficulty. He then bade her sing, and she chanted the psalms cor- . rectly, she and the angel taking the antiphons and responses alternately. Thus was fulfilled what was spoken by St. James, '* If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask [for it] of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." — Isidore of Isolani. (Said to be taken from the notes of Benedetto, who was intimately acquainted with Veronica, and received the above from her own mouth.) Thoughts discerned. Matt. ix. 4. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, Baid, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 1 Cor. lit. 20. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise. Heb. iv. 12. The Word of God is quick and powerful ... a discemer of the thoughts and intents of the heart. St, Vincent Ferrier cotUd discern the thoughts and intents of the mind (a.d. 1357-1419). St. Vincent Ferrier knew what was in the mind even of a stranger, and would put searching questions touch- ing the very quick of their secret sins, so that men said, ** This man knows our thoughts, and the secret intents of our mind." Suppose it was a usurer, a forni- cator, a thief, an assassin, no matter what, the word addressed to him by St. Vincent went right home, and struck at the besetting sin. God gave such an insight to Ezekiel, that he might reprove the people for their sins. So was it with St. Vincent Ferrier ; wherever he went he knew by revelation the besetting sins of tbi people, and directed his words point- blank thereto. Thus he convinced of siiv and thus was it he led men to repentance. — Peter Ranzano (bishop of Lucera), Zi/d of St, Vincent Ferrier, Thus far and no further. Job xxxviii. 11. Hitherto shalt thou coCM^ but no further ; there shall thy proud waves b« stayed. St, Fridian arrests the river Auser (or Serchio), sixth century. Gregory the Great assures us that the river Auser, in Lucca, frequently overflowed its banks, and caused great damage to the in- habitants. On one occasion, when the flood was greater than usual, and threatened to lay the whole country under water, St. Fridian prayed that the river might in future take another channel less dangerous to the inhabitants. Accordingly, it changed its bed, and the country was no longer subject to inunda- tions. — Gregory, Dialogues, bk. iii. ch. 9. We are told the truth of this miracle cannot be gainaaid. inasmuch as a rock which St. Fridian made to retire li still showed in proof thereof. But how this can prove anjr such thuig I am wholly at a loss to understand. (8e« Mgr. Gu^rin. Let Petitt BoUandittea, ToL iiL p. 498.) The chaml)erlain calls the river the Arno. St. Gregory tJie thaumaturgist restrains the river Lycus. The river Lycus having overflowed its banks, threatened to destroy the village and flood the fields. St. Gregor}-^, called the Thaumaturgist, planted his staff between the river and the village, saying to the torrent, "Thus far may be thy overflow, but no further." Next morning the staff had become a ^reen tree ; and whenever the Lycus in its overflow came up to this boundary, it stopped, and did the villagers no harm. — St. Gregory of Nyssa, Life of St, Gregory Thaumaturgist. St. MUarion said '* Thus far** to some pirates, and stopped pursuit. When St. Hilarion was sailing from Dalmatia, and the ship was well away from land, some pirates bore down upon them ; and the sailors fully ex pected the whole crew would be either cut down, or sold to slaverj'. St. Hilarion, standing on deck, prayed ; and then, stretching out his hands to- wards the pirates, cried with a loud voice, "Thus far, but no further." Instantly the pirates' vessel veered about, and sailed away as if driven by a strong gale. — St. Jerome, Vita St. Hilarionis Eremita (a.d. 390). See also Nicephorus Callistofl (died 1360), Ecclesiastical History, St, Eemi said to afire at Reims ^ " Thtu far, but no further,** A fire broke cut in the church of St. Nicasius, at Reima, i»T. II.] TONGUE OF MAN— TORMENTED BY DEVILS. 467 threatoning to spread and destroy th« whole city ; but St. Remi, making the sign of the cross against the fire, cried with a loud voice, "Thus far, but no further." The fire instantly retreated, and St. Remi advanced, backing the element through the city gates into the open fields. " There let thy proud waves be stayed," said the prelate, and the fire died out. — Hincmar (archbishop of Reims, d-2d A.D. 882), Life of St. Remi, St, Sabinus restrains the overflow of the river Po (fourth century). The river Po, having overflowed its banks, was devas- tating the Church lands in the neighbour- hood, when St. Sabinus told one of his deacons to say to the river, *' The bishop commands thee to cease thy rage, and to return at once to thy proper channel ; " but the deacon refused, thinking it would be a fool's errand. So St. Sabinus wrote on a tablet, " I, Sabinus, servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, command thee, O river, to return at once to thy proper bed, and do no more injury to the Church lands in thy vicinity." Then giving this tablet to the deacon, he bade him throw it into the stream. This being done, the river instantly drew back its waters, confined them to the channel, and acknowledged by its obedience that God was master of the floods, and that both rivers and seas obey Him. — St. Gregory the Great, bk. iii. ch. 10. St, Severin sets a bound to the overflow of the Danube, Eugippius relates how the Danube durst never rise above the mark of the cross which St. Severin cut on the posts of a wooden church. — Eugippius (a disciple), Life of St, Severin, A.D. 611. Tongue of Man. Jambs 111. 8, 9. The tongue Is an unruly member. Therewith bless we God, and there- with curse we men. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. Jakes Hi. 8. The tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. PsALH xxxix. 1. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue. Alured the philosopher called the tongue man's best and worst member, Alured, the Christian philosopher, being asked which is the best member of the body, re- plied, " The tongue, for it is the trumpet of God's glory.'* Being then asked which is the worst, he replied, **The tongue, for it is the firebrand of hell." Pambd'8 first lesson in Christian ethics (about 400). Socrates, the ecclesiastical hifltorian, tells us that one Pambo went to a Christian missionary, and asked him to teach him something from the Bible ; whereupon the man of God opened the thirty-ninth psalm, and read the first verse: *'I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue." "That will do for the present," said Pambo ; and he took his leave, saying, "I will go, and learn that first." A month rolled past, but Pambo returned not ; two months, three months, when the missionary happened to encounter him in the city, and asked him if he would go on with his Bible lessons. "Not yet," said Pambo; "I have not yet mastered my first lesson." Forty- nine years afterwards he gave the very same answer to one who asked him the like question. Hear what St. James saith, *'If any man among you seems to be religious, but bridleth not his tongue, this man's religion is vain." Tormented by Devils. Christian's progress through the Valley of Humiliation and that of the Shadow of Death, The points of resemblance between Bunyan's all^ory of Christian in the Valley of Humiliation and that of the Shadow of Death, with the legends of some of the saints, are so striktng that they may be profitably placed side b* side, and may throw some light upon each other. Early in his career Christian came to the palace Beautiful, where he was hos- pitably entertained, and before he left he was furnished with the whole armour of God. Discretion, Piety, Charity, and Prudence conduct him down the hill, and bid him farewell. Then Christian entered the Valley of Humiliation, but he had not gone far when Apollyon met him, and began to question him about his antecedents. He represented to the way- farer the dangers of the way, and promised many delights if he would go back. As Christian stood firm to his purpose, the tempter told him he had no ground of hope that God would accept him, seeing he had already so often broken His laws, and wandered from His ways. Christian freely admitted his great unworthiness, but pleaded the abounding mercy of God, which (he said) had already pardoned him. Then Apollyon broke out into a grievous rage, and bade Christian prepare to die, for " I swear thou shalt go no further.'* So saying, the great adversary threw a /Uming dart ; but Christian caught it on his shield of faith, and drew his sword in self- defence. The encounter was long and dangerous. Chriftian fell, and his a word 468 TORMENTED BY DEVILS. [Pt. II, flew out of his hand. **Now am I sure of you," cried Apollyon, and pressed him almost to death ; but as the foul fiend lifted up his hand to give the death- stroke, Christian contrived to regain his sword, and gave Apollyon such a deadly thrust, that he flew off and was no more seen. " Rejoice not against me, mine enemy ; for when I fall, 1 shall arise. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Bunyan says, "No man can imagine, unless he had seen and heard, as I did, what yelling and hideous roaring Apollyon made all the time of the fight, and what sighs and groans burst from Christian's heart." When the battle was over there came to him a hand with some of the leaves of the tree of life, which Christian applied to his wounds, and immediately thep were healed. Christian now ad- dressed himself to his journey, but alas ! the Valley of Humiliation only led to another valley, called that of the Shadow of Death, if possible more fearful and dan- gerous still. The path was very narrow, with a deep ditch on one side and a dangerous quag on the other. It was so dark withal, that ofttimes when Christian raised his foot he knew not where to set it down next. In the midst of the valley was the mouth of hell, through which ever and anon burst flame and smoke. As the pilgrim journeyed on through the valley, with his weapon "All-prayer" in his hand, he was assailed by most hideous noises, doleful voices, and rush- ings to and fro, so that sometimes he expected to be torn to pieces or trodden down like mire. This continued for several miles, so that sometimes Christian thought he really must turn back ; but, when the fiends came nearest and his case seemed most desperate, he cried with vehemence, " I will walk in the strength of the Lord God ; " whereupon the fiends gave back, and he heard before him a voice which said, " Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for Thou art with me ; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." So he knew that some one who trusted on the Saviour was in the vallejyr besides himself, and hoped in good tune to find a companion to keep dim company. — Pt. i. ch. ix., x. St. Antony of Fadua tormented by the devil. One night the devil tried to throttle St. Antony of Padua ; but the man of God commended himself to tb«^ "glorious Virgini" and the foul fiend flew away. (See Antony, p. 462.) — Edward Kinet- man. Lives of the Saints ^1623). Si, Hilarion tormentea by devils, St. Hilarion lived as a hermit, and one night, while at his prayers, he heard the crj'ing of children, the mourning of womer^ th« alarums of armies, the bleating of sheep, the bellowing of bulls, the roaring ol lions, the hissing of serpents, and sundry other noises. Calling to mind the craft of the devil, he fell flat on the ground, and made the sign of the cross. Then, raising his eyes, he saw a chariot drawn by furious horses, which seemed to kick him and scamper over him. The holy youth called on Jesus with a loud voice, and in an instant the earth opened and swallowed up the chariot. The noises ceased at the same time, and Hilarion cried in rapture, " Sing unto the Lord a new song, for He hath triumphed gloriously ; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the abyss." — St. Jerome, Vita St. Hilarionis Eremitas (a.d. 390). St, Nicholas of Tolentino tormented by the devil. St, Nicholas of Tolentino was much vexed and tormented by the devil, who used all his wiles to draw the man of God from his abstinence and penances b^ scoffs and threats ; sometimes beating him, and otherwise ill-treating him in such sort that the friars, hearing the up- roar, would run to his defence. They always found him on the floor of his cell utterly exhausted, like a dead man, and would gently lift him on his straw pallet. — St. Antonius of Florence, Chronicon. St. Romualdus in the Valley of HumUia- tiony etc. (a.d. 907-1027). Not long after St. Romualdus had entered on his monastic life, the spirit of darkness, which seems to have slept for awhile, rose in full strength to oppose his further pro- gress in the way of holiness, and attacked him with terrible assaults. He set strongly before the pilgrim the pleasures he had abandoned, and the rugged ways of the new life he had chosen. The more Romualdus tried to lean upon God, the more his mind was troubled. When now he was well-nigh distracted, the malig nant tempter assaulted his body with fiery darts; scared him at nights with horrible voices and unearthy noises, and seemed to threaten him under most frightful forms, troubling his imagination with revolting thoughts. This contest continued for five years. Sometimes the foul fiend, assuming the form of a hideous human being, would hurl the recluse to the earth, kneel on him with his kneei, Pt. II.] TOUCH— TREES— TRIADS— TWO-EDGED SWORD. 469 kick him with his feet, and try to strangle him ; but the saint would only mock hia assailant, saying, "0 my enemy, being chased out of heaven, resort you to this desert ? Avaunt, I say, vile serpent ! " Then would the devil flee, and Christ Himself come to the cell to bring comfort to His disciple. "Thy heart has been sore pained within thee, and the terrors of death have fallen upon thee ; fearf ul- ness and trembling have come upon thee, and horror hath overwhelmed thee ; but cast thj' burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee. He will never suffer the righteous to be moved." — Bollandus, Acta Sanctorum^ Feb., vol. ii. (Jerome of Prague and Peter Damien also wrote the life of this saint.) Touch not Mine Anointed. Psalm cv. 15. Touch not Mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm. St, Catherine of Sweden^ being molested^ was miraculously defended. A nobleman wanted to marry St. Catherine, daughter of prince Ulpho of Sweden, but seeing no hope, determined to abduct her. Accordingly, as she was going with other ladies to St. Sebastian's church, he way- laid her. A stag happened to attract his attention, and while he was thus engaged, St. Catherine secured her retreat. On her return home, her mother congratulated her on her escape, and said to her, " Blessed be God, my daughter, who sent His stag to deliver you from the snare of the fowler." At another time, going to the church of St. Laurent, a cavalier was about to lay his hand on her, when he was instantly struck blind, and a voice said to him, "Touch not Mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm." Repenting of his fault, the cavalier threw himself at the feet of the saint, begging pardon ; and St. Catherine offering up her prayers on his behalf, God gave him back his sight. The cavalier told this story to the pope himself. This " miracle " was repeated not long afterwards at Assisa, as Catherine was going with her mother to St. Marjr 5 1 church. Some brigands tried to seize | her, but were struck with instantaneous 1 blindness, and the holy maiden escaped from their hands. — Ulpho (a Brigittine monk), Life of St, Catherine of Sweden, (Written 1411, only thirty years after her ieath.) Trees Symbolize Man. Deut. XX. 19. The tree of the field la man*i life. IsA. Ixv. 22. As the days of a tree are th« days of My people. EzEK. xxxi. 3-12. The Assyrian was acedar In Lebanon, with fair branches, and of high stature ; fair in his greatness and in the length of his branches. But the terrible of the nations cut hira off; his branches fell, and his bough* were broken off. Lebanon mourned for him, and all the trees of ihe field fainted for him. St, Honors symbolizes himself in a hay tree (thirteenth century). When St. Ilonord told his mother he was about to take a journey to Thenezay, she tried to dissuade him from going, having a presentiment that she would never see him again. They were sitting together at the time under a bay tree, and Honord said to his mother, " See this tree, planted by my father on the day of my birth. This tree will always represent me. If I am well, it will be vigorous ; if I am ill, it will droop ; if I die, it will wither." St. Honore left Buzan^ais, taking two brothers, named Gabidier, with him. For a time tiie bay tree remained green and vigorous, but one morning it was found withered to its roots. The anxious mother felt persuaded her son was dead ; and, giving the alarm, several of the neigh- bours went in search of their fellow- townsman. They came to a spot smeared with blood, and soon found the body of the murdered man, whose head had been severed from the body, and thrust under some bushes. The brothers Gabidier had murdered him. They were both executed, and St. Honore' was buried with due honours.^J. Veilliat, Pious Legendi of Berri, Triads. St. Paul. "Now abide these three, faith, hope, and charity ; but the greatest of these is charity " (1 Cor. xiii. 13). Dante. Dante's regeneration triad is — light, grace, and mercy. Matthew Arnold. Matthew Arnold's three regenerating virtues are— light, sweetness, and culture. Two-edged Sword. Heb. Iv. 12. The Word of God ift ^ulck and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword . . . and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Rev. i. 16. Out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. Psalm cxlix. 6, «. Let the saints be Joyf oX 470 UBIQUITY. [Pt. II. In glory. Let tliem sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand. St. Flora, greatly harassed by the devilf isgivenatvco-edged swotl (a.d. 1309-1347). St. Flora was greatly annoyed by the devil, who was no sooner resisted in one temptation than he tried another. God, who had sufficiently tried her fidelity, gent an angel to give her a two-edged sword. It was very sharp, and would pierce even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow. The young virgin took this sword into her hand, and then felt herself armed against all the attacks of the devil. — L'abb^ Cvprien Lacarrifere, Life of St, Flora, There can be no doubt that ttiis was originaUy mere figure of speech, subsequently penrerted Into a realistic and miraculous incident. Ubiquity. 1 C!oR. V. 3. Absent In body, b it present In spirit. Col. 11. 6. Though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in spirit, beholding your order. 1 Thess. ii. 17. We, brethren, being taken from you for a short time, [yet] present, not in heart, endeavoured to see your face with great desire. St, Benet-Josephy like St, Druon (see below), was often in two or morejplaces at the same time (a.d. 1748-1783). The author of the life of Benet-Joseph says, *' Benoit futaussi I'objetd'unefaveur que Dieu semble avoir re'serve'e pour nos temps, afin de mieux confondre Tincre^dulit^ par ce miracle le plus inexplicable de tous : On le vit souvent en plusieurs endroits diffe'rents, juste k la meme heure." Thus while he was confined in the " hospice des pauvres," where he was all the last years of his life, and from which no inmate was on any account to absent himself, he was seen by many in adoration before the Holy Sacrament, at different hours of the night, and even after midnight. He was also seen on Christmas night, 1782, in Notre-Dame des Monts, both at matins and also at the night mass, kiss- ing the feet of the infant Jesus. — R. P, Desnoyers, Le Bienheureux Benoit-Joseph lAxbrt. Perhaps in the opinion of many this "miracle," which Bcems to the biographer both more " inexplicable," and more limited to these later days, is neither the one nor the other. The mind informing the eyes, as in dreams and illusions, is as old as man himself, and it is no more *'in> •xplicable " that persons should see the sick man where be was not, than that Macbeth should see Banquo on hi own stool in the banquet-room. Je ne puis pas etre^ eomms St, Drwm en deux lieux en meme temps. St. Druon (a.d. 1118-1189) was bom at Epinoy in Artois, and hired himself out as a shep- herd in Hainaut. In this occupation he greatly regretted that he could never leave his sheep to go and receive the Eucharist. This privation, however, was removed by an angel, who assumed the form of the shepherd, and kept watch over his flock, whenever he went to the sacrifice of the mass. Hence arose the proverb, ** I cannot be in two places at the same time, like St. Druon." — L'abbd Destombes, Saints d" Arras, St. John-Joseph de la Croix was often in two places at the same moment (a.d. 1654-1734). Cardinal Wiseman says, God refused not to St. John-Joseph the singular prerogative sometimes accorded to the saints of being present in two or more places at the same moment, or at least of going from one place to another with the rapidity of thought. Thus, while he was confined in his cell grievously ill, "une dame I'envoya chercher pour venir I'entendre k Teglise." '* You see," said the saint to a lackey, **in what a state I now am. I cannot stir." But when the lackey reported these words to his mistress, she would not believe him ; *' for," said she, *' I have just seen him, and conversed with him." Again : Francisco Viveros, the domestic of a duchess, went to the cell of St. John- Joseph, and asked him to accompany him to the duchess, who greatly desired to see him. The saint replied, "You see I am unable to move from my bed." Francisco Viveros hastened back to inform his mis- tress, but on entering the chamber of the duchess, there was the saint at her bed- side, administering consolation. Another instance. Madame Artemisia, mother of the marquis de Rugiano, being seized with excruciating pain, and having no one at hand whom she could send to St. John-Joseph, exclaimed in her agony, *'0 Father John-Joseph, how 1 wish I could see you ! Father, why are you so far off in my distress? There is no one I can send to fetch you. O Father John-Joseph, would God that you were here!" She had not finished speaking when the saint was at her bedside, and said cheerfully, "Courage, lady. It is nothing. It is nothing." Then he gave his benediction, the pain ceased, and the saint vanished in a moment. — Mi^e, Demonstrations Evang^liqueSy vol. xvi. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi had the gift of being in two places at the same time Pt. II.] WANTS— WATER— WHITE STONE. 471 (a.d. 1566-1607). Mgr. Gudrin says, " Non seulement notre sainte [i.e. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi] eut de ces visions, mais on Ta vue aussi elle-meme, bien qu'encore yivante, en des lieux d'oii elle e'tait fort ^oign^e: Car elle apparut k Catherine de Rabatta, sa soeur, qui avait mal h Tceil, et la guerit en lui touchant seulement la paupifere." — Vies des Saints^ vol. V. p. 170. The chamberlain does not tell us where Mary Magdalene was at the time, nor yet where her sister Catherine was. The sentence quoted is every word he tells us about the St, Philip of Neri was often in two or more places at the same time (a.d. 1515- 1595). St. Philip of Neri was often seen in several different places at the same moment. At one time, while he was in the house of St. Jerome, he was seen in St. Mary's church of Vallicella. At another time, while he was at Rome, he showed himself to Catherine, a nun of the Order of St. Augustine, in Tuscany. On another occasion, while he was at Rome, one of his penitents, going from Rome to Naples, was taken by pirates ; and, to save himself from captivity, he threw himself into the sea, calling on the name of Philip of Neri. Instantly Philip was at his side, caught him by the hair, and drew him safe to shore. — The Bull of Canonization by Gregory XV, Wants supplied. Psalm xxiii. 1. The Lord is my Shepherd •, I ■hall not want. Psalm xxxiv. 10. They that seek shall nol want any good. 8t, DominiCf wanting to cross a ferry, finds the fare at his feet. St. Dominic, according to the precept of Christ, never took money about with him ; and if he required a ferry, he had to ask for a free passage. On one occasion, the boatman refused to put him across a river unless he paid his fare, like others. St. Dominic lifted up his eyes to heaven as if in prayer, then stooping down, picked up the necessary coin from the ground, and was ferried across the river. — Lea Petits BollandisteSy vol. ix. p. 284. The Virgin Mary deposits money on a itonefor Hermann (a.d. 1075). Ont day Hermann, while still a boy, entered into Cologne cathedral barefoot; this was in the depth of winter. The Virgin Mary appeared to him, and asked why he went barefooted. " Alas ! " said the boy, " the povertv of my parents constrains me." Th« Virgin then pointed to a itone. and told him to go and see what he could find there. He went, and found four pieces of silver, and, returning, thankea the Virgin for her benevolence. She kissed him, and said, "When in want, return to the stone, and you shall always find sufficient for your daily bread." This occurred often ; and what makes the miracle especially surprising, is that othei boys from time to time went with him, but none of them, except he himself, ever saw the deposit. "Celui qui a 4cnt le premier cette histoire assure I'avoir apprise de sa propre bouche, un pen avant ^ qu'il mourtit." — Les Petits Bollandistest vol. iv. p. 272. "Water Innocuous. IsA. xliii. 2. When thou passest through water, I will be with thee ; and through rivers, they shall not overflow thee. St. Cosmus and St, Damian^ cast hound into a river, were not drowned, Lisias, governor of Egeas, commanded Cosmus and Damian to be bound hand and foot, and cast into the river. The sentence was obeyed, but an angel unbound them, and brought them safe to land ; for God was with them, and would not suffer the river to overflow them. — Ado (archbishop of Treves), Martyrology ; and Meta- phrastes, Lives, etc, St. Godrich uninjured by a flood of water (a.d. 1170). St. Godrich was a native of Walpole, in Norfolk, who earned his living as a pedlar. Being converted, he turned hermit, and lived at Whitby, then called Finkley, in a cabin on the bank of a river. On one occasion the river overflowed, and inundated the whole country round about, including the hermi- tage. The neighbours, fearing the hermit was drowned, ran to the meadow, but could find neither hermit nor hut. All supposed the hut had been swept away by the flood, and that the hermit was dead. When the waters subsided, the neighbours were amazed to see the monk alive and the hut still standing, wholly uninjured. Godrich, being asked about the flood, expressed surprise, and declared that no water had come nigh his dwelling. *• It is thus that God never forgets those who forget not Him."— Nicholas of Dur- ham, Life of St, Godrich, White Stone, and a New Name. Rev. ii. 17. John the divine was commanded to write to the Church of Pergamos, **To him 472 WINGS— WOLVES. [Pt. II. that overoometh will I give a white etone, and In the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, save he that recelveth it." Explained: In primitive times, when travelling was difficult for want of places of public entertainment, hospitality was exercised by private individuals to a great extent. Persons thus entertained often contracted friendship with the entertainers, and both Greeks and Romans had marks in recognition of this mutual regard, which were given to guests, and which were kept as heirlooms in the family. A very usual mark was a white stone cut in twain. On one of the halves the host wrote his name, and the guest on the other. The host's name was handed to the guest, and the guest's name to the host. To produce this tessera would always suffice to secure a welcome to remotest descendants. Of course, the stones were kept private, and the name written on them was sacred. Look now at the application: "I will give him that overcometh to eat of the hidden manna," for he shall be My guest, and eat at My table, and " I will give him a white stone, on which shall be written a new name, that no man, but he who receives it, knoweth." — Blunt, Exposition of the Epistles to the Seven Churches of Asia, St. Angela of Brescia sees angels carry- ing white stones (a.d. 1474-1540). An- gela of Brescia lost her father and mother when she was only ten years old. Her uncle Biancosi took charge of her, but he also died when she was twenty-two. Angela was much distressed at the bad education of Italian girls, and bent her mind to devise a remedy. One day, when she was in the country with some com- panions, she saw a ladder, like that seen by Jacob, reaching from earth to heaven. A great number of virgins were mounting it two and two, their heads ornamented with rich crowns. They were accom- panied by angels dressed in white, and all carried on their foreheads a white stone, with something written on it, which Angela could not read. As she looked and admired, a voice from the ladder said to her, ' ' Angela, take courage. Before you die, you shall establish in Brescia a society of virgins, like those you see here ; and Christ shall give them white stones, in which shall be written the new name." It was twenty years before God opened a way to the fulfilment of this promise, and then she founded the society called the Ursulines. — Life of St, Angela of Brescia (Montpellier, 1804). In Christian artSt Angela is represented with a Jacob*! ladder, up wtiich her vincins are ascending two and two. Wings. Is A. xl. 31. They that waK upon the Lord shall mount up with wings as eagles. St, Vincent Ferrier had wings occasion" ally when he '* waited on the Lord'* (a.d. 1357-1419). **Chose qui semble incroy- able, un public entier a vu St. Vincent Ferrier au milieu de sa predication prendre subitement des ailes, s'envoler dans les airs, disparaitre pouraller trbs-loin con- soler etencouragerunepersonnemaladequi r^clamait son assistance, et puis revinir de la meme maniere aprfes avoir rempli cet acte de charity, pour continuer sa predication." Hence St. Vincent Ferrier m Christian art is often represented with wings like an angel. — Mgr. Gu^rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XIII.), Vies des Saints (1880), vol. iv. p. 239, Wolves. IsA. xi. 6-9. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. . . . They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain ; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. IsA. Ixv. 25. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock. Hos. ii. 18. In that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and witli the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will brealc the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. Andrew Corcini converted from a wolf to a lamb (a.d. 1302-1373). Andrew Corcini was the son of wealthy parents in Florence. Shortly before his birth, his mother dreamt she had brought forth a wolf, and that her wolfish offspring ran into a church, and became transformed into a lamb. As the boy grew up he proved a very wolf indeed, worldly, selfish, impious, fond of persecution, and given to cruelty. One day his mother said to him, "Andrew, you are in very truth the child of my dream," and when the young man inquired of his mother to what she referred, she told him. He was greatly struck with what he heard, spent the night in solitude and prayer, and next day went to the church of the Carmelites, and prostrating himself befora rr. II.) WOLVES: BLAISE— WILLIAM, 473 the image of the Virgin, uttered these words: "Glorious Virgin, see the wolf full of iniquity at thy feet. Thy off- spring, mother, was a Lamb without blemish. Make me also a lamb of God, and receive me into the fold." For three hours he continued thus, when the prior saw him, and asked him what he craved. Andrew told him, and implored to be taken from the wicked world into the Carmelite order. In due time his request was granted, and he became transformed into the humblest, most industrious, self-denying, and self-abased of all the brotherhood. He was ultimately bishop of Fiesol^. — Surius, Lives of the Saints (1570). St, Blaise dwells peacefully with wild beasts. When St. Blaise fled from Sebaste, in Syria, through fear of Agri- colaus, he lay concealed in a cave *' in a craggy mountain called Argeus." Here savage beasts visited him daily ; and if, by chance, they happened to drop in while he was in prayer, "they would reverently wait till he rose from his knees." Sometimes the wolf and the sheep would meet in the cave, the lion and the lamb, tigers, bears, leopards, and kids, yet none would hurt another ; but there would they bide in friendly inter- course, till the holy man gave them his blessing, and bade them go in peace. Some of them he quite transformed, so that those beasts which before preyed on each other, ate grass like oxen ; and whenever he saw any defiled with blood, he never failed to chide them for their cruelty, and told them to abandon their evil ways, — Metaphrastes, Life of St. Blaise, We have all seen what are called "happy families,*' in which will be cats and mice, birds of prey and canaries, dogs and rats, with other small deer. In exhibitions we have seen wild beasts associating with those on which they prey ; but for carnivorous beasts to eat grass and hay is quite another matter ; and before they could do so their whole animal structure must be remodelled, from their teeth to their claws. St. Laumer and the wolves. One day a troop of wolves were pursuing a hind, when the terrified creature ran to St. Laumer, and crouched at his feet for protection. St. Laumer patted the pant- ing beast most lovingly, and commanded the wolves to be off; whereupon the savage beasts went peacefully away, leaving the hind unharmed. — Surius, Lives of the Saints (6 vols, folio). This tale looks like an allegory, in which the nin& •ymbolises the Christian Church, and the wolves the powers of evil. "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" ■aid a voice from heaven to the future apostle. " Wolves, Volv«i." said St Laumer, "why persecute the poor hind? and many found protection In caves and woods. when driven from their native dwelling-placM by the nvagery of man. TorellOf by prayer^ residues a child from the mouth of a wolf (a.d. 1282). Torello of Poppi, in Tuscany, saw a wolf seize a child, while its mother was washing linen in the river Arno. He immediately offered up a prayer to God, and com*^- manded the wolf to drop its prey. The wolf obeyed; whereupon Torello healed the teeth-marks of the savage beast, and returned the child safe and sound to its mother. He then forbade the wolves in future to injure any inhabitant of Poppi ; and from that day to this his command has been rigidly obeyed. In Christian art Torello, in remembrance of this act, is represented with a wolf at his side. — Acta Sanctorum (Bollandists), vol. ii. March 16. St. William of Aquitaine converted from a wolf to a lamb (a.d. 1157). William, count of Poitou and duke of Guyenne, was a giant in stature and a wild' beast in disposition. He lived in adultery with his brother's wife, and was so violent in temper that no man was hardy enough to resist him. He is described as over- bearing to his vassals, cruel to strangers, without pity to his enemies, quarrelsome with his equals, debauched with self- indulgence, and revengeful. A more hopeless subject for God's grace could not be imagined, but this Saul the malignant persecutor became a Paul ih humility, zeal, and Christian love. The wolf became a lamb, and the leopard a kid. The lion which no man durst en- counter, became the gentle fondling that a child might lead ; and the veriest mfant might play unharmed on this cockatrice's den. St. Bernard reasoned with him, but to no effect; but one day, after celebrating mass, St. Bernard took with him to the duke's palace "the body of Jesus Christ on a paten." He went straight to the duke, and said, "We have called, but ye have refused; we have stretched out our hands, but ye have not regarded. Ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof; behold, now the Son of the Virgin is come to you, the chief among the ten thousand, the Lord of the king- dom of God. You may mock at His counsel, you may laugh at His reproof, *>«t know, O man, He will call you into judgment. Then ye shall call, when fear Cometh as desolatiouj and destruction &9 a whirlwind; but He will not aiswer. 474 WOMEN'S DRESS—WORDS SPOKEN. [Pt. II. Then shall ye seek, when anguish is come upon you; but ye shall not find Him. If now ye turn your back upon your Saviour, then the Judge will turn His back upon thee, saying, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me, ye cursed, into ever- lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.' " These words were uttered with unspeakable solemnity, and a fear- lessness superhuman. They went right home by the power of the Holy Ghost, and the duke trembled, fell at the bishop's feet foaming, but unable to utter a word. Some of his household picked him up, but again he fell to the ground. St. Bernard touched him with his foot, and demanded what answer he made to the call of God. The bold rebel, rebel now no longer, burst into tears, and cried in anguish of spirit, "What must I do to be saved?" St. Bernard then told him what he ought to do ; and from that moment the count was an aHered man, whose one concern was the salvation of his soul, and whose whole study was to crucify the body with its affections and its lusts. Leaving his court, he betook him to a desert, where he lived as a hermit, and called himself "the chief of sinners.'* He used to say, "Many souls, now in hell, have sighed for the hair shirt of Jerome, the tears of Arsenius, the pallet of Eulalius, the nakedness of Paul, and the food of Elijah, but their sighs never led them to repentance and good works." — Thibault, Life of Guil- Jaume of Aquitaine (abridged by Surius). Women's Apparel. 1 Tim. ii. 9. In like manner also I will that women adorn themselves in modest apparel. Not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array. St, Paul of the Cross causes a lady^ xmmodestly dressed^ to turn black (a.d, 1694-1775). In Orbetello, St. Paul of the Cross reproved the women for im- modesty of dress; but a French lady, determined to show her independence of spirit, planted herself just under the missionary's eyes in an exaggerated low costume. St. Paul stood gazing on her with a fixed stare, and gradually her face, hands, arms, neck, shoulders, all became as black as charcoal. The congregation was horrified. The lady fell at the saint's feet, imploring jj^rdon ; but she was not suffered to recover her former looks for two or three days. — Father Pius, Life of St, Paul of the Cross^ Founder of the tasiionists. Words spoken by Saints spread Far and Wide. Rom. X. 18. But I say, Have they not heard f Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. The sermon of St. Antony of Padua heard three miles off (a.d. 1195-1231). St. Antony of Padua was a most popular preacher. And one day, when he went to Bruges to preach, the crowds were so great he was obliged to preach in the open fields. A woman living about three miles off wished much to hear the preacher ; but her husband, being indis- posed and by no means a religious man, would not consent to her leaving the house. Very vexed, she went to her chamber, and, opening the window, was astonished to find she could hear every ^ word as distinctly as if she had been on the spot. Her husband asked why she did not come down, and she said she was listening to the sermon. He laughed at the notion, but, going upstairs, found he could hear the words spoken quite plainly. The chronicler adds, " Que ce seul fait d^cida de sa conversion, et que, dans la suite, au lieu de contrarier son Spouse dans ses exercices de pi^te, il voulut assister avec elle k tous les sermons du missionnaire franciscain." — L'abb^ Gu- yard, Life of St. Antony of Padua. (See also Edward Kinesman (1623), Lives of the Saints, p. 367.) St. Gregory the thaumaturgist hears tht prayer of Fedimus three miles off, Fedi- mus, bishop of Amasia, wanted to conse- crate St. Gregory the thaumaturgist ovei Neocsesarea, and went in search of him ; but, not finding him, said, " Lord, Thou seest both Gregory and me. I desired to lay my hands upon him, and consecrate him ; but let my words now spoken serve the same end. I do now consecrate him unto Thee, and give him the oversight of Neocaesarea to the honour of Thy holy name. Amen." Though St. Gregory was three miles oft when these words were spoken, he heard them as plainly as if they had been spoken in his presence, and went at once to Fedimus, who forthwith made him bishop with the usual ceremonies. — St. Gregory of Nyssa, Life of St. Gregory Thaumaturgist, Wounds healed. PsALK cxlvii. 3. He healeth the Droken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. Jer. XXX. 17. I will restore health aott thee, and will heal thee ot thy wounda. Pt. II.] WOUNDS HEALED: CHRISTINA. 475 St» Francis of Paula mtraculoasli^ cures a cut leg (a.d. 1416-1607). A young monk of the order of St. Augustine, named Francis, was sent to cut wood in a forest, and gave himself with his hatchet a dreadful cut on the right foot ; the blood gushed out, and the wound was very serious. St. Francis of Paula hap- pened to be in the forest at the time ; and immediately he was aware of the accident, went to the young man, and by his mere touch healed the wound in an instant. So complete was the cure, that the young man was able to continue his work just as if nothing had happened. —Father Giry, Life of St. Francis of Paula (chiefly taken from the witnesses examined, the speech made, and the bull issued at canonization). 77itf wounds of St. Christina healed (a.d. 800). The following tale by Ado, in the Acta Sanctorum^ is wholly unparalleled. Christina was a child not above ten years old, living at Tur, in Tuscany, on the borders of the lake Bolsena. It no longer exists, having been swept away by an inundation. Her father. Urban, was prefect and governor of the town. It appears that this child, as Ado says, "was moved b)^ the Holy Ghost to be- come a Christian," and showed her con- version by stealing her father's idols, made of gold and silver, breaking them up, and giving the pieces to the poor. Urban was naturally very angry at this, and whipped her soundly, and so far no blame can be attached to him — probably any sensible man under the same circum- stances would have done the same ; but the sequel is a Pelion upon Ossa of dia- bolical cruelty. Having whipped the child, he scourged her with scorpions, and while her body was covered with blood, tore the flesh with iron claws till the bones were bared. Says Ado, This savagery, far from causing the child to relent, only confirmed her resolution to stand fast in the faith into which she had been called ; " and, picking up the gobbets of flesh at her feet, she handed them to her father. Of course, this insolence only irritated him the more, and he sent the child to prison, laden with heavy irons. When in prison, she was first bound on a wheel drenched with oil, the oil set alight, and the wheel being turned racked all her bones out of joint. But the oil, refusing to bum the child, "toumant ses flammes sur une troupe d'infidfeles que la curiositd et le plaisir avaient fait accourir )i ce spectaclei il en consuma un grand nombre." The father, seeing this, waa frightened, and ran home ; while an angel, coming into the prison, comforted the child, healed her wounds, and inspired her with new courage and resolution. Urban, though alarmed, would not relent, and accordingly sent an officer to tie a great stone round the child's neck and t^ throw her into the Bolsena. Here again the angel was at hand to keep her from harm. He allayed her terror, bore her in hi» arms, and carried her to the bank. The father, mad with rage, fell down in a fit, and "le lendemain on le trouva mort dans son lit." He was succeeded in office by Dion, who resolved to carry on the same vindictiveness, and threw the child into an iron chest filled with boiling pitch and oil ; but Christina, with the sign of the cross, reduced the boiling elements into a refreshing bath, saying to the men around, "You have placed me in this font that I may be bom again by the baptism of regeneration by the grace of God." The men, irritated by these words, dragged her naked by the hair of her head to the temple of Apollo, and commanded her to burn incense to the god. No sooner were the words uttered than the idol fell from its pedestal, and was dashed into a thousand pieces, at which sight " trois mille de ces infidfeles, qui y ^taient presents, se convertirent k la foi." Well, Dion died suddenly as Urban had done, and the next governor was Julian, who determined to revenge the death of his two predecessors. This third doughty giant cast the child into a f umace ; but the flames touched her not. Here she remained five days the companion of spirits and angels. Having failed in this, Julian next applied to a magician, who shut up the child in a dark cave, filled with adders and serpents, asps and vipers ; but they played lovingly with Christina, and did her no harm. Julian then plucked her tongue out by the roots ; but her voice was as sweet and her words as articulate as they were before Having lost all patience, the governor ther bound her to a post, and set a band of soldiers to discharge their arrows at her till she died. " Cette pre'cieuse mort arriva le 24 juillet, comme il tst marque' dans tons les Martyr- ologes." In some copies of St. Augustine's Ptalm cxx., the word Christina has been substituted for Crispina. Pilgrinaages are made to her tomb, monasteries and churches have been dedicated to her honour. Her relics are still carried twice a year in procession through the parish of Viserny, and many pictures have represented her martyrdom, so that there can be no doubt that tbe tale is accepted as •D unramished truth. Yet is it aot anr^iyiiinfc is it not 476 WOUNDS HEALED. [Pt. 11 IndMd lamentable, that such palpable romance should be ■et forth with authority, taught as veritable history, held up for our example, and honoured with tb« halo of canoni- ■ationi Filumena^ the nineteenth-century thau- maturgist (third century). The discovery of thii new saint has been recorded in the first part of this volume (p. 21), and as nothing was known about her, her ghost came to three different persons in 1836, to reveal the mystery of her life and death. It first appeared to a young artisan, then to a priest, and then to some nuns at Naples. These nuns had an image of the hypothetical saint, which they carried in solemn pomp to their chapel and set on the high altar. Then, greatly longing to know all about the stranger, the image began to roll its head about, open and shut its eyes, and at length said with touching sweetness, *' Dear sisters, it was the 10th of August on which I changed my mortal for immor- tality ; and it was my everlasting Spouse who brought me to Mugnano, not to be buried in obscurity, but to be set before the universal Church, that henceforth the day of my martyrdom may be a great and holy festival." The abbot Darche says, *' Ces paroles portaient avec elles des preuves de la vdrite'." In my judgment they bear on the surface the proof of im- position ; but let that pass. They were duly reported to Dom Francis, who " les trouve parfaitement d'accord avec la ve'ritd ; " and his reply comforted the nuns and encouraged them to go on further. Accordingly, not manj' days afterwards, the ghost visited them again in their oratory, and told them, saying, "My mother was of the blood royal, and had for neighbour one Publius, a Christian, who taught my parents the new faith, and baptized them. I was bom after their conversion, and they called me the ' child of the Light of Life,' Filia Luminis, contracted into Fi-lumen, whence I was called *Fi-lumena.' When I was thir- teen years old, the emperor Diocletian asked me in marriage, 13oth my parents urged me to accept so great an honour ; but I told them 1 had vowed to be the spouse of Christ, and would be the bride of no other. They told me I was far too young to know my own mind; but I replied that I was not too young to remember my Creator in the days of my > outh, not too young to have a heart and to give it to the Lord. When the em- peror was informed of my resolution his anger burst forth in terrible fury, and he ordered me to be confined in the palace donjon, well laden with chains. Every day he visited me to shake mj' obstinacy ; but he could not separate me from my love of Christ my Saviour. For forty days I was kept a prisoner, when the blessed Virgin, holding her divine Son in her arms, entered the donjon, and told me in three days I should be released. The announcement made my heart leap with joy, when the mother of God added, *My daughter, after your release ^ou will pass through much anguish into paradise, having been made perfect by suffering. Remember you are called *The Daughter of Light,' and my Son was *The Light of the World,' and I am ♦ The Mother of Light.* He is the Sun, I am the Moon, and you the Morning Star. In all youi anguish the angel Gabriel will be with^ou, to console you and strengthen you. Fare- well.' Scarcely had the queen of heaven left me, when Diocletian, with his officers, entered the donjon. Said the emperor, * I will teach you what it is to insult me, by preferring an infamous malefactor to the emperor of the world.' I was then stripped, tied to a pillar, and scourged till my whole body was a bleeding wound. When I fainted, and my perse- cutor thought me dead, he and his myrmidons withdrew, and two shining ones came and healed my wounds with balm from paradise. Next day the em- peror, being informed that I was more beautiful than ever, came to me, looked on me with unfeigned amazement, and told me to return thanks to Ju- piter for having healed me, and pro- mised to make me the empress of Rome, When I rejected hit advances, he com- manded his men to bind an anchor round my neck and cast me into the Tiber. His order was executed, but two angels caught me in their arms, loosed me from the anchor, and carried me to the banks of the river in the sight of thousands. By this miracle * un grand nombre de spectateurs se convertirent k la foi ; ' but Diocletian called it magic, and com- manded me to be dragged naked through the streets of Rome, and a shower of arrows was discharged at me. Again I fainted, and, being taken to my donjon, was thought to be dead ; but I fell asleep, and during sleep all my wounds were healed. Next day I was cast into a fur- nace, which burnt to death six of my tormentors; but, happy for me, Christ Himself came and carried my soul to para- dise, where He placed on my head the crowns of virginity and martyrdom." PART III. DOGMATIC MIRACLES: OR, MIRACLES TO PROVE ECCLESIASTICAL DOGMAS PART III. Apparitions. jf%« qhost of St. Anastasius reproves Areta /or not paying honour to his relics iA.i>. 628). When the relics of St. Anasti^sius were carried to Casarea, in Palestine, all the city went in procession, e^^ce;,^ one woman, whose name was Areta « This women was one of the aristo- cracy of the place, and said she saw no reason why she should trouble herself about the relics of a Persian ; but she was soon taueht otherwise. At night, the ghost of St. Anastasius came to her. It was dressed in the usual habit of a monk, and reproved her severely for her impiety. Areta, being seized at the same moment with violent pains, wholly lost her power of speech. She was advised to recommend her petition to St. Anas- tasius, and accordingly went to the place where his relics were deposited, and again the ghost appeared to her. She paid it the honour required, and immediately lost her pains, and recovered her speech. The relics of the saint were subsequently removed to Constantinople, and the em- press Irene built a church there in their honour. — The Fourth Session of the Second Council of Nice, While 8t Simon was imprisoned in the Luxembourg, bis ancestor Charlemagne appeared to him. and said, " Since the world began, no family has produced a hero »f the first magnitude This honour has been reserved for my house. My son, thy success in philosophy sliall equal that of mine in war and politics." St. Simon was at the time thirty-eight years of age, and from that moment began the study of science, of whk->h he was then profoundly ignorant. So he invited to his house the most renowned professors, and by conversation obtained the information he longed for. St. Angela's sister shows herself after death (fifteenth century). John Merici of Desenzano, in the diocese of Verona, had two daughters, the younger of whom was named Angela. Her father and mother died when she was only ten years old, and an uncle, named Biancosi, took charge of the two sisters. Ere long the elder sister died suddenly, without hav- ing received the sacraments of the Church, and Angela was greatly troubled in mind to know how this affected her sister's state in the world to come. A fortnight after her sister's death, Angela was sent by her uncle into the country to distract her mind and restore her health ; and on the road she saw a luminous cloud. She stopped, and in the cloud she beheld her sister, radiant in glory, in the midst of a multitude of angels, and accompanied with the ^ueen of heaven. " Persevere, Angelica, in the way you have begun," said the sister out of the cloud, '^and you also will share the same glory." — Life of St, Angela of Brescia (Mont- pellier, 1804). This shows that " the saeramenti of tne Church " an not needful for the dying, if It sbowi auTtiiiiig. An angel appears to St. DositheuSy and he is converted (sixth century). St. Dosi- th6u8 was an officer in the army of the emperor of the East ; and, bein^ one day in Jerusalem, he asked permission to go and see the sights of the city. Amongst other things he saw a picture represent- ing hell and its torments, which greatly terrified him. While wondering what the picture referred to, a stately lady of great beautj^ came, and explained it to him. He listened with silent attention, for he never before had heard of a judg- ment to come. The strange lady now spoke to him of monastic life, and told him those who lived to God often fasted, abstained from meat, and gave them- selves to assiduous prayer. Having so said, she vanished. Our author naively remarks, "Celle qui lui parlait ainsi n'e'tait pas une creature mortelle, car aprfes cette le9on elle disparut." — Vies deg Feres des Deserts d' Orient, The ghost of ApoUinaris appears to St, Bomuald {A,iy. 907 -1027). Romuald, being present at a duel in which his fathet 4M APPARITIONS OF CHRIST JESUS. IPv. Ui. killed his antagonist, was so struck with terror, that he vowed to retire from the world for forty days, and went as a penitent to the monastery of St. ApoUi- naris in Ravenna. At the expiration of the forty days he was about to leave the monastery, when one of the monks to whom he was much attached tried to persuade him to join the society; but Komuald would not listen to such a proposal. " What would you say," said the monk to him, " if St. Apoilinaris him- iclf came and asked you? " "Why, then," leplied the young man, "I should feel it my duty to obey." " Watch with me," said the monk, " this night in the church." To this Romuald agreed. That night, and the night following, at cock-crow, St. Apoilinaris showed himself to the watchers, in the midst of a great light, and Romuald at once resolved to retire from the world, and devote the rest of his life to the service of God. — BoUandus, Acta Sanctorum, Feb., vol. ii. (Jerome of Prague and Peter Damien both wrote the life of this saint.) Christ appears and speaks to Agnes de Jesus (a.d. 1602-1634). One day Agnes de Jesus entreated that she might ^e taken at once from this vale of tears ; whereupon Christ came, and said to her, " I want your services still to sanctify •ouls to My glory." About the same time the Virgin Mary appeared to her, and said, " Implore my Son on behalf of Olier, abbot of Pibrac." Mons. Olier was at the time wholly unknown to Agnes, but from that moment became an object of great solicitude to her, and she daily interceded with Christ for three years on his behalf. God, who always answers prayer, sent His grace on the abbot. Mons. Olier says, " I was one day in my chamber, when the vision of a lady appeared to me. She held a crucifix in one hand and a chaplet in the other. Her guardian angel carried the end of her mantle in one hand and a hand- kerchief in the other. The vision said to me, * Olier, I weep for thee,' which words caused me much distress. I thought it was the holy Virgin, but found afterwards it was Agnes de Jesus, whom I met not long afterwards at Auvergne, and we both recognized each other, being familiarized by visions." — Life of the Blessed Agnes de Jesus (by Mons. Lantage and the abbot Lucot). Thii Mona. OU«r established at Vaugirard. in 1641. an enter of piieiti for the gratuitous instruction of yoimt; trclfwlHstli*! Jesus Christ, with several saints in glory ^ appear to St. Columba (a.d. 1477-1501). When St. Columba was only twelve years old, Jesus Christ appeared before her, seated on His throne of glory ; beside Him were St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Domi- nic, and St. Jerome who held a book in his hand. Transported with ioy, the young girl cried with fervour, " Lord, give me Thy blessing ; " and after Christ had so done, she vowed to preserve per- petual virginity as His espoused. Another instance. On another occasion Jesus Christ came to her, and represented His earthly passion. She saw Him in the garden of Olives; she saw Him before Annas and Caiaphas ; she saw Him before Pilate ; but when she heard the whips of the scourging, and saw the blood which followed the blows, she became so excited that she began to scourge herself unmerci- fully. Her mother, hearing the noise, ran to her; but Ci»lumba was in an ecstasy, and neither saw her nor heard her. — Father Sebastian of Peroosa, Life of St, Columba of Rieti. Columba was the fond name of this saint, because when she was baptized a dove perched upon her head. Her real name was Angeletta or Angetella. because two angels appeared at her birth, holding over her a lx)w of gold with seven flaniec. Apparition of Christ to Emily Bicchieri (a.d. 1238-1314). Emily Bicchieri asked Christ to inform her which of the several pains of His passion was really the most agonizing ; and Christ assured her that the three hours He hung on the cross His sufferings were wholly unequalled. He then promised Emily *' to grant the gift of the three theological virtues (see Intro- duction) to all those who at the third hour of the evening repeated three Paters and three Aves in memory of His cruci- fixion." — Acta Sanctorum (BoUandists), May 3. Apparition o/ Christ to Margaret Mary Alacoque of Muryundy for the devotion of His ''Sacred Heart'' (a.d. 1648-1690). Few women have met with more oppo- sition, been more ridiculed, but by dogged perseverance have risen superior to all, than Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun of Paray-le-Monial, in Burgund}', who instituted the festival and confrater- nities of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,* which received the sanction of pope Clement XI I . in 1732, 1736, and of Clement XIII. in 1765. Her visions were for many years frowned down m the dreami of a sick • The festival of ^=foh1kh.^.1 ill 1«*{1 'Th« Baered Heart of Mary ' ^ u Pt. 111.] A1>1>AR1T10NS: CHKl6t tO MARGAUET MARt. iai fancy, but were ultimately credited as revelations from heaven. We are told that Jesus Christ often appeared to her. Thus in the year after her profession, *' 11 lui fit part de sa vie crucifie'e." One day, going to communion. He put a crown on her head, saying as He did so, "My daughter, take this crown in token of that which will be given you in the Church triumphant." After this, •he had intense headaches, and it seemed as if some one was piercing her head with sharj)-pointed bodkins. Christ over and over again said to her, "To carry M}' cross in your heart, is to be crucified entirely ; to carry it in your arms, is to embrace lovingly everj'^ cross sent as a token of My love." The next step was to teach her the mysteries of His passion, and then it was she understood what the apostle meant bj " Our God is a con- suming fire." Sometimes she endured this " consuming fire " for the souls in purgatory, and sometimes for sinners on this earth. It was about this period of her life she began to observe " The Holy Hour." Every Thursday and Friday throughout the year she rose from her bed to recite five Paters and five Ave Marias, and she prostrated herself in adoration five times to the earth, in homage of the agony of Christ on the night of His passion. She now began to introduce the " Devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus," but it took twelve years to establish it. It was in 1674 that the idea was first broached to her. She was at mass. Jesus had long allowed her to repose her heart on His bosom, and He now revealed to her the secrets of His •acred heart. "My sacred heart," said the Saviour to her, " is full of love to man in general, and for thee especially, to whom I enjoin the privilege of making known the treasures of love which it contains — those treasures of sajjctifica- tion and salvation which alone can redeem from hell." Then, taking His heart. He put it into hers. She saw it with her eyes, and says it was like an atom heated red hot in a furnace. Every Friday the Saviour repeated this, till the sacred heart appeared to her as the sun shining in its glory, and the rays falling on her own heart set it on fire, and seemed to reduce it to ashes. Whenever Margaret Mary mentioned these visions to any one thej'^ always laughed at her, and she was greatly puzzled how to proceed. Christ came to her in this perplexity, showing His five wounds blazing with light, while 21 floods of flame flashed from his heart. He spoke of His great love to man, and of man's ingratitude to Him. He told her how fully He trusted in her to carry out His wishes ; and He announced to her that every Thursday and Friday He would allow her to participate in His agony in the garden. To this end she was to rise an hour before midnight, and remain prostrate on the ground for a full hour, to defy the devil, and obey the commands He gave her. Margaret Mary after this vision was in a raging fever ; ^ut all the three Persons of the Godhead appeared to her: the Father placed on her shoulders a heavy cross bristling with thorns ; the Son announced to her His love for this cross ; and the Holy Ghost announced to her that He would sanctify her love thereto. It happened that the Pfere de la Colombifere came to visit the nunnery this very year (1674), and to him the visions of Margaret Mary were told. He recognized at once the voice of God therein. During his stay, on Christmas Eve, Margaret Mary had another ecstasy, in which Christ more fully developed His design. The sacred heart of Jesus appeared to her as a throne of fire and flames, radiant, but transparent as crystal. The wound which it had received on the cross was visible. There was a crown of thorns around it, and a cross above it. A voice from the midst said to her that Christ's great love for man had induced Him to show His heart, and that He would take a signal pleasure "d'etre honor^ sous la figure de ce cceur de chair, dont 11 voulait que rimage fut expos^e aux regards afin do toucher les coeurs insensibles." On the recently established fete of the ** Heart of the Virgin Mary" (Feb. 8, 1661), the Saviour again appeared to Margaret Mary, and announced to her that He had chosen the Pere de la Colombifere to assist her in establishing His wished-for fete. He again showed her His heart, saying, "There, daughter, is the heart whose love to man is so gnat, but for which I receive nothing but ingratitude. I now command you to establish a fete in honour of my heart * le premier vendredi d'aprfes I'octave du St. Sacrement,* * and thus to make the amende honorable for this long neglect ; and I promise that My heart shall shower abundant grace on all those * Tlie fSte of the r^int Sacrement or of F6te Dieu is the Tliursdny after Trinity Sunday ; In France it is held the first Sunday alter Trinity. Its object ii to celebrate the Heal Pr&ience in the EucliariiL II 482 APPARITIONS- CHRI6T TO MARTHA. [Pt. hi. who observe this fete. WFien the Pere de la Colombifere heard that he was chosen of God to carry out this design witli Margaret Mary, he set about the work in good earnest ; but he lost character by so doing, was removed, and packed off to England.* The object was to stamp out the project ; but, strange to say, the Father contrived to establish the " Devotion of the Sacred Heart in England." Margaret Mary suffered all sorts of indignities ; but her enthusiasm was infectious. Several religious houses adopted the new office, and at length, in Sept. 7, 1668, a chapel in the garden of Paray-le-Monial was dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The attendance was crowded, the success com- glete. Margaret Mary was now the eroine of the day ; but she did not long survive her triumph, as she died Oct. 17, 1690, aged forty-two years, two months, and four days. Her funeral attracted a most extraordinary concourse of people. Not only has the " Fete of the Sacred Heart" been sanctioned by Clement XII. and XIII. (1732-1765), but Mar- garet Marv's sacred hour has received the sanction o'f Gregory XVI. (1831-1846) ; and Margaret Mary was herself beatified by Pius IX., June 24, lS64.—Life and Works of Margaret Mary Alacoque (a pub- lication of the monastery of Paray le Monial). Te most English readers these rhapoodiet will aeem more than half profane, and It will be a matter of amaze- ment how they could be received in 1864 aa divine revela- tions, literally and verbally true. Yet pope after pope ex cathedrd have pronounced them to be so. It is some- what strange, too, that the day appointed " by Jesus Christ Himself for the F6te of the Sacred Heart was to be the first Friday after the octave of F6te Dieu," but the day fixed by the Church was first " the third Sunday after Pentecost," and then "the second Sundav In July.'^ In the great plague of Marseilles. 1722, Mgr. de Belzunce organized a grand procession of the Sacred Heart, in which the magistrates and the whole town joined, "et le fl6au disparait aussitftt, h tel point que pendant six semaines dans une ville aussi vaste et aussi peupl6e que Marseille, on ne vit ni morts, nl malades d'aucune sorte." —Breton, Irutrwtion mr le Sacri Cceur de Jitut. Apparitions of Christ and of Mary Magdalene to Martha (a.d. 84). Martha was the sister of Mary and Lazarus. Mgr. Gu^rin says she was the daughter of Theophilus the Syrian, a wealthy seigneur, and that her mother was Eucharis, a Jewish noble of the blood royal. " Elle avait pour soeur ute'rine Ste. Marie Madeleine, et pour frfere uterin St. Lazarus." By this account Mary the sister of Lazarus was Mary Magda- lene. The pope's chamberlain says, after the Ascension, the Jews seized Martha, and placed her in a boat with- * W« ftn told iu Hamlet " Thejr are all uutd hen." out sails, oars, or provisions, and set her adrift. That the boat carried her to Marseilles, where she introduced the Christian faith, and then went to Aix, Avignon, and other neighbouring parts. She ultimately took up her abode at Tarascon, where she lived in great aus- terity ; went about barefooted, dress«d in a coarse woollen robe, and wore a "tiare blanche en poll de chameau" for head-dress. "Son corps portait une ceinture de crins de cheval, remplie de nceuds, et un cilice qui lui dechirait lea chairs (! !). One day St. Maximin quitted Aix to visit Martha, and at the same time Trophimus bishop of Aries, and Eutropius bishop of Orange, without concert, started on the same errand. So the three bishops met at Tarascon, and consecrated Martha's house for a (Chris- tian church (! !). As Martha had no wine to give her guests, Jesus Christ Himself came and changed some water into wine, which the bishops greatly commended. When the bishops left Tarascon, Martha asked Maximin to request her sister Mary to call and see her before she died. This he promised to do. Soon afterwards, *' Notre Seig- neur, pour la purifier darantage, et lui donner le moyen de m^riter une couronne f)lu8 glorieuse," sent on her a fever which asted for twelve months; and during this time her sister Mary died. *' Les historiens racontent," that Jesus Christ Himself, accompanied with angels, visited Martha in her illness, and during this visit Martha saw angels carrying her sister's soul to heaven. "Dear sister," she cried, "why did you not give me a parting visit according to my request?" As her end drew nearer a vast number cf Christians encamped around, and Mgr. Gu^rin says the following miracles arc established on the highest possible autho- rity: *Wje8 prodiges que les historiens des premiers sifecles nous racontent, ont done eu pour t^moins non pas trois ou quatre fidfeles priviMgies, mais tout un peuple" (! !). At nightfall Martha had seven candles and three lamps lighted, "ce nombre avait-il quelque chose de symbolique." Forthwith a great gust , of wind filled all the house. It was not the descent of the Holy Ghost, as on the da)^ of Pentecost, but the devil who had come to blow out the lights. Martha armed herself with the sign of the cross, and waking her guardians, who were asleep, she told them to light the candles and lamps again. As they went out to Pt. III.] APPARITIONS: DINOCRATfeS TO PERPETUA. 483 seek for a lij?ht, the chamber was filled with celestial light, and Mary her sister appeared, relighted the lamps and candles miraculously, and coming to the bed, said to Martha, " Dear sister, I am come to see you before your death, as you wished me to do. But see here ; Christ Himself is come to fetch you home. Come, sister, and tarry not." Then Christ came to the dying saint, and said to her, "Here am I, Martha; as you served Me with so much devotion, and showed Me such hospitality in Bethany, I am now come to redeem you from exile, that where I am thou mayest be also. He then added, " Farewell, Martha, for a little time, while I go and prepare a place for you." Then Christ disappeared, and Mary, with a loving smile, disappeared also. The companions of Martha, on their return, found all the candles and lamps burning, and Martha requested to be carried into the open air. She was laid under a tree, " et on y tra^a une croix avec de la cendre." At sun- rise, by her command, a crucifix was held before her (! !). "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly ! " she cried, and yielded up the ghost. Seven bishops (Parmenas, Germanus, Sosthenes, Epa- phras, Marcellus, Evodius, and Synticus) led the multitude in singing the dirge, and celebrating the funeral rites, which lasted three days. " lis chantaient nuit et jour autour de ce saint corps, allu- mant des cierges dans I'^glise, des lainpes dans les maisons, et des feux dans les bois." She was buried on Sunday, and St. Front, the first bishop of Perigueux, was in his church, and waited in his chair for the people who were to join him in the sacrifice of the mass. Jesus Christ came to him, and said, "My son, come with Me to cele- brate the obsequies of Martha, My host." " II dit, et sur-le-champ, tons deux en un clin d'oeil apparurent k Tarascon dans I'eglise, tenant des livres dans leurs mains : " Christ at the head and the bishop at the feet, " et eux sfeuls placfe- rent le corps dans le tombeau, au grand ^tonnement de ceux qui ^taient Ik presents." When the funeral was over, and the assembly dispersed, one of the clerks asked Christ who He was, and whence He came. Christ made no reply, but handed the book He held in His hands to the clerk. On opening the book, he found on every page these words, "The memory of Martha, the noiteas of Jesus, will be everlasting.* The book contained nothing else. Mean- time the deacon at Perigueux came and reminded St. Font that the congregation was waiting for him to begin mass ; and the bishop said he had been to Tarascon to assist in the funeral obsequies of Martha, whether in the body or out of the body he did not know — God knows ; he then added, " Send some one for my ring and gloves which I left in the church, when I lifted the body into the grave." A messenger was sent at onc<» to Tarascon, and brought back the ring and gloves. These gloves were caref ullv preserved in the church at Tarascon till 1793. — Mgr. Gue'rin (chamberlain of pope Leo XTII.), Lives of the Saints, vol. ix. pp. 101, 102 (7th edit. 1880). Faillon, Monuments in^dits sur PApostolat de St, Marie-Magdeleine (1858). The chamber- lain refers us to Peter de Natalibus, Raban Maur, Vincent de Beauvais, and others, and assures us that the above are facts beyond question, witnessed to not by three or four faithful witnesses, but by "tout un peuple." A tale so full of anachronisms can scarcely be matched ; but be it remembered that this biography is recorded in the nineteenth century as a history worthy of all men tc be received and believed. There is no Scripture proof that Mary the sist«r ol Lazarus was Mary Magdalene, and the general opinion of Protestants is that they were different persons. With- out doubt Mary the sister of Lazarus anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair {John xi. 2; xii. 3). Luke (viL 37, 39) also tells us of a woman who did the same, and in the heading of the chapter this woman is called "Mary Magdalene," but upon what authority I know not. The next chapter (viii.) intro- duces Mary Magdalene by name, not as the woman re- ferred to at the close of the previous chapter, but as a new subject Look at the last verse of chap, vii., "And Jesus said to the woman. Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace." And the next chapter opens thus: "And certain women which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, [viz.] Mary Magdalene, Joanna wife of Chuza, Susanna, and many others . . . were with Him." There seems no connection between the woman, without a name, who anointed the feet of Jesus, and the women mentioned by name who ministered to Him. Matthew (xxvi. 7) and Mark (xiv. 3) mention another woman, wiio anointed the head, not the "feet," of Jesus. It seems probable that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were natives o( Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem. Certainly they lived there, and certainly Lazarus died and was buried there, but Mary the Magdalene was probably a native of Mag- daJa in Gadara, near the Lake of Tiberias, quite another place. On the whole, there seems to be three anointings ; (1) The woman mentioned by Matthew and Mark, who anointed the head of Jesus ; (2) the woman ' ' who was a sinner," mentioned by Luke, and called in the heading " Mary Magdalene ; " and (3) Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, mentioned by John. The apparition of Dinocrates appears to St. Perpetua. While Perpetua was in prison, a few days before her martyrdom, her brother Dinocrates (a boy who had died at the age of seven) appeared before her. He came from a place of dismal darkness, and was both dirty and livid. He had died of cancer, and his face was still disfigured with a terrible sore. The 014 APPARITIONS: IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. [Pt. lit boy tried to reach some water to drink, for his tongue and mouth were parched. Being unable to raise the water to his mouth, he groaned mournfully. Per- petua was greatly troubled at the sight, and prayed that the Saviour would fake compassion on her brother. As she prayed, the darkness grew light, the pallor of the boy turned to a roseate hue, the skin became clean and healthy, the sore on the face healed, and he was enabled to lift the water to his lips. Having drunk most heartily, he went away as blithe as a lark. "Then," said Perpetua, *'I know the boy has been taken from purgatory, and has been translated to the communion of the saints in light." — J. C. Robertson, History of the Christian Church, vol. i. p. 96 (1875). (This account was written by Perpetua henell) The ^^ Immaculate Conception'" appears to Bernadetta Soubirous (a.d. 1868). Every one has heard of Notre-Dame de Lourdes, and knows that the village of Lcurdes is situated in the Hautes ryrd- n^es, at the meeting of the seven valleys. It is here that one of the most astounding events of modern days is reported to have occurred, and the'following account is extracted from a pamphlet sold on the spot. Feb. 11, A.D. 1868, was Thursday in Shrovetide, called in French Jevdi gras. It was on this day that three girls went to gather sticks in the direction of Mas- sabielle. Two of them crossed the rirer, but the third, named Bernadetta Soubi- rous, a sickly child, fourteen years of age, hesitated for some minutes to en- counter the cold, but at length made up her mind to join her companions. Sitting on the bank of the river, she had pulled off the shoe of one foot, when a sudden gust of wind induced her to raise her head. The air seemed quite calm, and not a leaf was stirring. She now pro- ceeded to strip her other foot, when another gust of wind arose. She thought it very strange, and looking towards the rock saw a honeysuckle gentlj'^ waving. There is a cave or grot in this rock, and the child noticed that the opening of this care, usually quite dark, was bril- liantly luminous. In the midst of the light appeared a lady, young, of pleasing aspect, and arrayed in white. A long white veil fell from her head to her feet, and a blue sash floated to her knees. Her feet were naked, but on the mstep of each foot was a full-blown rose. The child rubbed her eyes, and thought ihe must be dreaming ;'but no, she was wide awake, and there stood the lady in the mouth of the cave, smiling at her incre- dulity. Falling on her knees, Bernadetta would have made the sign of the cross on her face, but found her hand paralyzed. The apparition, taking a crucifix of gold, now nieae on itself the sign of the cross, after which the child was enabled to sign herself also. The lady crossed her hands, and told off between her fingers the white beads of her rosary. The child did the same, and repeated her Ave Maria, The lady beckoned the child to come near, but she was afraid, and then the vision vanished. Bernadetta now crossed the canal, and told her companions what she had seen ; and, on reaching home, she told the vision to her mether. Her mother, greatly alarmed, thought it a trick of the devil, and forbade the child ever again to go to the rive de Massahielle, Meantime, the news of the vision spread in all directions. On Sunday, Feb. 14, a party of girls obtained permission to accompany Bernadetta to the grot, and her mother allowed her to go ; but told her, in passing the church, to supply herself with a phial of holy water, in case the vision was a wile of the devil. When the girls reached the spot, there stood the lady as before, and Bernadetta, throwing the holy water towards her, exclaimed, *' If thou comest from God, draw near ; but if from Satan, avaunt ! " The lady smiled, especially when the holy water wetted her feet, and coming near the child, bent over her. Bernadetta had already fallen on her knees, and her face seemed to her companions luminous and beautiful as that of an angel. By sunset, all the neighbourhood had heard of the vision. Well, Thursday, Feb. 18, arrived, and two of the gentry followed Bernadetta, unknown, to the grot. It was early day, before sunrise. They saw the child go to the usual spot, and there, as before, stood the beautiful lady, resplendent in her glory. One of the girls had brought paper and pencil, and told Bernadetta to ask the lady to write her name down. The lady smiled at this request, and said, " Child, it is not necessary. Come hither for fifteen suc- cessive days." Next day the parents accompanied their daughter to the grot, and a number of the neighbours went with them. They all saw the super- natural change whicn came over the face of the child, but only the child saw the Pt. III.] APPARITIONS : MARY TO ALFONSO. 486 vision. The crowd increased every day, and thousands of persons assembled before the grot in the early dawn. The child now always came accom.panied by her mother, and carrying a candle in her hand. She saluted the lady reverently, signed herself, crossed her hands, and recited her chapelet [or rosary]. The crowd locked on in silence, every eye directed to the child, and all saw her transfigured. Her eyes glistening, her cheeks white and shining, she gazed fixedly at the vision, and sometimes a tear rolled down her face. This went on till March 4, the fifteenth day, and the police had directions to disperse the crowd. Still Bernadetta repeated her visits. By the direction of the lady, she had made a little hole in the earth near the rock, and saw every day the stream of water which ran from this hole increase in volume. It was found to possess sanative virtues, and numberless are the cures ascribed to it. On Lady Day (March 25, 1858) the crowd which had assembled was greater than ever, thousands upon thousands assembled, and this day the child asked the vision her name. The vision replied, " I am the Immaculate Conception," and at once vanished. The same year, Mgr. Laurence, bishop of Tarbes, instituted a commission of ecclesiastics and men of science to inves- tigate the matter, and report upon it ; the grot, in the mean time, being guarded by a barrier. In 1862, Jan. 18, the commission having already given in their report, the bishop issued his mandement, pronouncing it to be an undoubted fact that the lady of the Immaculate Concep- tion had appeared to Bernadetta Soubi- rous ; that the lady who so appeared was Mary, mother of God ; and, accordingly, he authorized her worship by the faithful under the title of Notre-Dame db LouRDES. The bishop published at the same time the recital of " seven un- doubted miracles " in the year 1858, strictly investigated by the commission. He furthermore announced that a chapel would be erected forthwith in honour of the lady of Lourdes, according to her express command, and he invited liberal subscriptions. The chapel was completed in 1866, and Bernadetta retired to a convent. A statue of white marble was erected in the grot in 1862, amidst an immense concourse of people. It repre- sents the Virgin at the moment of her saying, *' I am the Immaculate Concep- tjrji." This was four years after Pius IX. had enunciated by public proclama- tion the dogma of the " Immaculate Conception." — Lassere, Notre-Dame da Lourdes (sold on the spot). Here " I am the Immaculate Conception " makes thii dogma a real penon. Only the child Bernadetta a««r th« vision, and we are told she was a sickly child, «nd th# vision occurred soon after the dogma was enunt