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CURIOSITIES 


CHRISTIAN      HISTORY 


PRIOR  TO  THE  REFORMATION 


CROAKE    JAMES 

Author  of  "  Curiosities  of  Law  ami  Lawyers 


4- 


flftetbuen  &  Co. 

18,     BURY    STREET,    LONDON,    W.C. 
1892 

[All  rights  reserved 


Printed  by  Hazell,  Watson,  <fc  Yiney,  Ld.,  London  and  Aylesbun  . 


PREFACE 


TTISTORY  is  often  a  dreary  study  except  to  a  few  experts  ; 
■^  and  yet  the  Christians  of  to-day  naturally  wish  to  know 
more  about  their  predecessors  in  the  old  time  hefore  them. 
There  is  always  much  difficulty  in  separating  what  to  them 
must  be  interesting  from  masses  of  detail  which  do  not 
touch  their  sympathies. 

From  the  time  of  Christ  to  the  epoch  of  the  Reformation 
there  were  no  Dissenters — only  traitors  and  heretics,  who 
were  deemed  unworthy  to  live  in  the  same  world  and  to 
breathe  the  same  air  as  Emperors,  Popes,  and  Bishops.  But 
the  Christian  temperament  can  be  traced  through  all  the 
centuries — whether  the  devout  people  of  the  period  were 
martyrs  or  hermits,  monks,  nuns,  or  friars,  pilgrims  or 
crusaders,  priests  or  warriors.  The  same  aspirations,  mis- 
givings, trials,  and  difficulties  existed  then  as  now,  though 
the  trials  and  difficulties  may  now  be  less.  The  best  people 
of  to-day  may  be  trusted  to  recognise  a  touch  of  their  own 
kindred  amid  all  the  varieties  of  time  and  place  and  circum- 
stance which  make  up  the  past. 

I  have  here  collected  from  many  histories,  annals, 
chronicles,  and  biographies,  far  and  wide,  some  particulars 


PREFACE. 

of  the  interesting  persons,  episodes,  and  events  from  the 
Christian's  point  of  view  during  the  first  fourteen  centuries. 
The  literature  of  so  many  ages  is  vast,  and  the  things  now 
deemed  of  most  interest  are  overlaid  with  heavy  material. 
But  I  have  left  out  all  the  miracles — most  of  the  wordy 
war  of  doctrines — most  of  the  atrocities  of  persecutors  and 
inquisitors.  I  have  only  culled  a  few  flowers  ;  I  have  only 
tried  to  snatch  from  oblivion  a  few  brief  memorials  which 
may  suggest  wholesome  thoughts  and  inquiries  to  modern 
Christians  of  every  denomination. 

C.  J. 


TABLE     OF     MATTERS. 


CHAPTER    I. 


THE    VIRGIN    MARY,    HOLY    FAMILY,    CHRIST,    AND    THE    CRUCIFIXION. 


Heathen  Knowledge  about  the  Vir- 
gin, 1 ;  Simeon's  Great  Age,  2 ;  Por- 
traits of  the  Virgin,  2  ;  Marriage  of 
Joseph  and  Virgin  Mary,  3  ;  Massacre 
of  Innocents,  4 ;  Flight  to  Egypt,  5  ; 
Holy  Family  Leaving  Egypt.  6  ;  As- 
sumption of  Virgin  Mary,  7 ;  Christ 
Learning  Alphabet,  9 ;  Joseph  and 
Jesus  as  Carpenters,  10  ;  Christ's  Bap- 
tism, 10;  rortraitsufChrist.il;  King 
Aebarus,  12;  Christ's  Preaching,  13; 


Sentence  on  Christ,  1-1  ;  Christ  Ap- 
pearing to  James,  14 ;  Forms  of 
Crosses,  15;  The  Holy  Cross,  15; 
Thieves  at  Crucifixion,  16 ;  Soldier  who 
Pierced  the  Saviour's  Side,  17  ;  Legenl 
of  the  Cross,  17 ;  Stations  of  Cross,  18  ; 
Crown  of  Thorns,  19;  Apocryphal 
Gospels,  20;  False  Christs,  21;  Sep- 
tuagint  Bible,  21  ;  English  Versions 
of  Bible,  22. 


CHAPTER    II. 


THE    DISCIPLES    AND    APOSTLES    <>K    "II!    LORD. 


Death  of  the  Apostles,  23  ;  Apostles 
who  were  Married,  23;  St.  Matthew 
and  St.  Mark.  24 ;  St.  Luke  and  St. 
Bartholomew.  23  ;  St.  Thomas  and 
St.  Simeon.  26 ;  St.  Timothy  and  St. 
Barnabas,  27:  St,  Titus,  St.  Philip, 
and  St.  Andrew,  28  ;  James  and  John, 
29  :  St.  John  the  Apostle,  30 ;  St.  John 
and  his  Partridge,  31  ;  St.  John's  Last 


Days,  32  ;  St.  John  and  Edward  the 
Confessor,  33  ;  St.  James  the  Less,  33  ; 
st.  James  the  Great,  34;  St.  Peter 
ami  St.  Paul,  36;  Deaths  of  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Paul.  37  :  St.  Peter  when  in 
Rome,  38 ;  Churches  of  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul  at  Rome,  39  ;  If  St.  Paul  in 
Great  Britain.  40:  Judas  Iscariot.  41. 


TABLE    OF   MATTERS. 

CHAPTER    III. 

Christ's  contemporaries — climate  and  scenery  of  Palestine. 


Sages  of  Greece  and  Rome  on  Chris- 
tian Prodigies,  42 ;  Zacharias  and 
John  the  Baptist,  44  ;  Pontius  Pilate, 
45  ;  Herod  the  Great,  46  ;  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, 47  ;  St.  Martha,  48 ;  St.  Vero- 
nica, 48  ;  Hillel,  40 ;  Sanhedrim,  49  : 
Working  Man  in  Christ's  Time,  50 ; 
Pharisaic  Niceties,  50  ;  Sieges  of  Jeru- 
salem, 50  ;  Antioch,  51  ;  Palestine  Ex- 
plorations, 52 :    Jordan  to  the    Dead 


Sea,  53  ;  Sea  of  Galilee,  53 ;  Sources 
of  Jordan,  54  ;  Waters  of  Merom,  55  ; 
Rivers  of  Damascus,  55  ;  Populousness 
of  Galilee,  56;  Climate  of  Palestine, 
57 ;  Mount  Hermon,  57  ;  Lilies  of  the 
Field,  58 ;  Wayside  Fruits  and  Flowers, 
58 ;  The  Birds,  59  ;  Wild  Beasts  and 
Animals.  60 ;  Jerusalem,  60  ;  Nazareth, 
61 ;  Capernaum,  62. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


EARLY    CHURCH    CUSTOMS,    FASTS,    AND    FESTIVALS. 


Church  History  Divided  into  Ages 
and  Periods,  63;  Apostolic  Church, 
64  ;  The  Millennium,  64  ;  Community 
of  Goods,  65  ;  Emblems  of  Christians, 
66  ;  Christian  Names,  66  ;  Aurkmlar 
Confession,  67 ;  Religious  Riots,  68 : 
Preaching  much  Applauded,  68;  Dress 
and  Appearance  of  Clergy,  69  ;  Priests 
and  Deacons,  69  ;  Early  Bishops,  70  ; 
The  Pastoral  Staff,  71;  Ancient 
( 'hurches,  72  ;  Deaconess,  72 ;  Liturgy, 
73 ;  Ritualism,  74 ;  The  Mass,  74  ; 
Ancient  Church  Service,  75  ;  Organs 
and  Bells,  76 ;  Separation  of  Sexes, 
77  ;  Praying  for  the  Dead,  77  ;  Sin- 
caters  at  Funerals,  78  ;  Praising  the 


Lord  Day  and  Night,  78 ;  Christmas 
Day  and  Easter  Day,  79  ;  Festival  of 
All  Saints,  So ;  Holidays  and  Feasts, 
80;  Feast  of  the  Ass.  81;  The  Bov 
Bishop,  81;  Miracle  Plays,  82;  Pas- 
sion Plays,  82 ;  Festival  of  the  Rose, 
83 ;  The*  Millennium,  84  ;  Church 
Building  Age,  84  ;  Round  Towers,  85  ; 
Worship  of  the  Virgin,  85 ;  Truce  of 
God,  86  ;  Number  Seven  in  Scripture, 
87  ;  A  Jubilee  Year,  87  ;  King's  Prayer 
for  Rain,  89;  The  Black  Death,  90; 
Dancing  Mania,  91 ;  Monk  Flagellants, 
91 ;  Extravagant  Dress,  92  ;  Telling 
Fortunes,  93. 


CHAPTER    V. 

difficulties  with  pagans,  jews,  image  worship,  and  civil 

POWERS. 


The  Name  of  Christian,  94 ;  Early 
Pagan  Riot,  94  ;  Early  Christians  and 
Slavery,  95 ;  The  First  Persecution, 
96 ;    How    Christians     Appeared    to 


Pagans,  97 ;  Shows  of  Wild  Beasts, 
97 ;  Testing  Fidelity  of  Christians, 
98  ;  Constantine  the  Great,  99  ;  Stan- 
dard  of   the   Cross,    100;    Dream    of 


TABLE    OF    MATTERS. 


Constantine,  100;  Constantine  Preach- 
ing. 101  ;  Last  Illness  of  Constantine, 
102;  First  Church  Council,  102; 
Silencing  the  Pagans,  103 ;  How  to 
Refute  a  Heretic,  103 ;  Julian  the 
Apostate,  105 ;  Theological  Disputes, 
105;  Controversy  about  the  Trinity, 
10t> ;  Athanasius,  107  ;  Sermon  on  the 
Trinity,  108 ;  Against  Demolishing 
Temples,  108;  First  Demolishing  of 
Temples,  110;  Image  at  the  Palace, 
111;  St.  Martin  of  Tours,  112;  The 
King  of  the  Goths,  112;  Attila,  King 
of  the  Huns,  113  ;  Vandals  Sacking 
Rome,  114  ;  Justinian,  115  ;  Mahomet's 
Knowledge,  115;  Oak  of  Geismar, 
11G;  Pope  Defending  Rome,  117; 
Forged  Decretals,  118  j  Separation  of 
Greek  and  Latin  Churches,  119;  Jew 
and   Christian,   119;  Julian    Inciting 


the  Jews,  120  ;  Hating  the  Jews,  121  ; 
Golden  Age  of  Judaism,  121  ;  The 
Pope  and  the  Jews,  122  ;  The  Jews  of 
York,  122;  Jews  Crucifying  English 
Boy,  124 ;  The  Black  'Death,  124  ; 
Jews  Stealing  the  Host,  125  ;  Torque- 
mada's  Zeal,  126;  Jewish  Physicians. 
127;  Converting  a  Jew,  12s ;  Contro- 
versy about  Image  Worship,  129  :  The 
Iconoclasts,  130;  John  of  Damascus, 
131 ;  Claudius  of  Turin,  133  :  Trying 
to  Convert  Image  Worshippers,  134; 
Empress  Irene.  135 ;  Empress  Theo- 
dora, 135  :  [mage  Worship  in  Spain. 
136 ;  l'ope  Hildebrand,  137  ;  St. 
Thomas  Aquinas,  137  ;  The  Popes  as 
Temporal  Princes,  139;  Rienzi.  139; 
Last  Hours  of  the  Roman  Empire, 
140;  Election  to  Boly  Roman  Empire, 
141. 


CHAPTER     VI. 


MAKTYKS.    HERMITS,    ANCHORITES,    AND    RELICS. 


Martyr  Valeria.  112  :  St.  Thecla  and 
I'olycarp,  143  ;  St.  Felicitas,  144  ;  The 
Martyrs  of  Lyons,  144 ;  St.  Cecilia, 
145;  Perpetna,  14t; ;  St.  Ursula,  146; 
St.  Barbara,  147;  Potamiana,  117: 
St.  Genes  the  Actor,  14s  ;  (icnesius, 
lis;  St.  Alban,  149;  Didymus  and 
Theodora,  149;  St.  Cyprian  and  Jus- 
tina,  150;  St.  John  Chrysostom,  150; 
St.  James  Intercisus,  151  ;  Martyr  for 
Image  Worship,  151  ;  Huss  the  Bo- 
hemian, 152;  Joan  of  Arc  a  Modern 
Patriotic  Martyr,  153  ;  Joan's  Mission, 
153 ;  Joan  taken  Captive  and  Burnt, 
159;  Outbreak  of  Hermit  Zeal,  160; 
First  Monastic  Life,  160;  St,  Antony, 
161;  Hermit  Visiting,  161;  Hermit 
and  Grapes,  162  ;  Hermit's  Courtesies, 
162;  Hermits'  Quarrel.  163;  Political 
Economy  of  Hermits.  163  :  The  Wise 
Sayings  of  St.  1'ambo,  164 ;  A  Her- 
mit's Olive  Tree,  164  ;  Macarius,  165  ; 
St.  Martin  of  Tours,  165;  Dorotheus, 
the  Architect,  166  ;  St.  rcemen,  Prince 


ol  Hermits,  167  ;  St.  Bioyses,  Water- 
carrier,  167;  Hermit's  New  Austerities. 
16s  :  st.  Carileff,  169  :  First  Saxon 
Hermit,  169;  St.  (Jut lilac,  170;  St. 
Simeon  Stylites,  171  :  A  Pillar  Monk. 
171;  St.Herbe/t  of  Derwentwater,  171; 
St.  Ethelwald  at  Fame,  172:  English 
Queen  Consulting  Hermit,  174:  Con- 
scientious Hermit,  171:  St.  Bartholo- 
mew of  Fame,  175;  French  King 
sends  for  Hermit,  176;  Consecration 
of  Hermits  and  Recluses,  177;  St. 
Methodius  the  Martyr,  177:  Miracles 
of  Saints,  178;  Local  and  Patron 
Saints,  179;  St.  Genevieve,  17'.': 
Reverence  for  Relics,  180;  Secrecy  in 
Removing  Relics.  181 :  Capturing  Holv 
Relics,  lsi  ;  Stealing  Relics,  182;  De- 
fending his  Relics,  183 ;  Forgery  ot 
Relics,  183;  How  to  Flatter  a  Relic 
Worshipper,  184;  Empress  Begging 
for  Relics,  185 ;  If  Genuine  Relics, 
185 ;  The  Crown  of  Thorns  Pawned 
and  Sold,  186  :  King  of  France  shows 


Xll 


TABLE   OF   MATTERS. 


Holy  Cross,  187;  Blood  of  Christ 
at  Westminster,  188;  St.  Stephen's 
Relics,  188;  St.  Dunstan,  189;  John 
Huss  on  Relics,  190 :  Crucifix  During 
the  Plague,  190  ;  Purchasing  the  Head 


of  St.  Andrew,  191,  Pilgrimage  to 
Walsingham,  191  ;  Pilgrimage  in 
Switzerland,  192  ;  Pilgrims  to  Canter- 
bury, 192. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE    FATHERS. 


Origen,  194;  St.  Ambrose,  194;  St. 
Jerome,  197  ;  St.  Jerome's  Reflections, 
198;  St.  Jerome  with  Lion  and  Ass, 
198;  Deathbed  of  St.  Jerome,  199; 
St.  Jerome's  Epistles,  199 ;  St.  Chry- 
sostom's  Eloquence,  200 ;  St.  Chryso- 


stoni  on  Monkery,  201  ;  St.  Augustine 
Witnessing  Miracles,  202  ;  Vision  of 
St.  Augustine,  203 ;  St.  Augustine'.-. 
Faith  in  Dreams,  203;  St.  Cyril  of 
Alexandria,  204  ;  Some  Notions  of  the 
Fathers,  204. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


THE    MONKS    AND    THEIR    WAYS. 


Origin  of  Monachism,  206  ;  Miracles 
of  Monks,  207 ;  Philosophy  of  Monkery, 
207  :  Motives  for  Monks,  208 ;  Weak 
Side  of,  208 ;  St.  Benedict,  209 ;  The 
Reformers  of  Monkery,  209;  Early 
Difficulties,  210;  Advice  to  Monks, 
211 ;  A  Monk  Denounces  Ferocity. 
211  ;  Making~the  Monks  Work.  212; 
Improvements,  212;  Monk  at  Court, 
213;  Monks  First  Drinking  Wine. 
214 ;  Charlemagne  about  Monks,  214  ; 
Leaving  Court  to  be  Monk,  215 ;  Monk 
going  to  Court,  215 ;  The  Reason  of 
so  many  Monasteries,  2115 ;  Life  in  a 
Convent,  21(5 ;  A  Day's  Life  in  Monas- 
tery, 217  ;  Routine  of  English  Monks, 
218  ;  Arrangements  of  an  Abbey,  218  ; 
Monks  and  Friars,  219 ;  Friars  and 
Priests,  220;  Enmity  between  Monks, 
220 ;  Monks  Disliked  by  Clergy,  220  ; 
Monk  who  Wanted  to  be  an  Angel, 
221  ;  Death  of  Abbess  at  Aries,  221  ; 
Cfedmon,  Monk  Poet,  222;  Monk 
Sleeping  too  long,  223 ;  Abbot  lec- 
turing Ids  Monks,  223 ;  The  War  of 


the  two  Abbots,  224;  Monks  and  Gre- 
gorian Chant,  225  ;  Those  who  Pillage 
Monks,  225 ;  Monks  to  Live  Frugally, 
226;  Monk's  Burial,  227;  Sick  Monks, 
227 ;  Monks  Honour  Ricli  Men,  228  ; 
Good  Lessons  of  the  Monks,  229  ;  Pope 
Inviting  a  Fellow  Monk,  229 ;  Order 
of  Friars,  230  ;  Cinderella  of  the  Con- 
vent,  230 ;    Nuns    at   Sempringham, 

231  ;  Compunctious  Visitings  of 
Monks,    232  :  Monkerv  Worked   Out, 

232  ;  War  of  the  Nuns  of  Basle,  233  ; 
Stealing  another  Monk's  Food,  234 ; 
Monks  Deciding  on  Creeds,  234 ; 
Monk  Interceding  for  Prisoners,  235  ; 
How  Carthusians  Acquired  a  Site, 
235  ;  Luther  at  his  Old  Convent,  236  ; 
Monks  and  Polite  Letters,  236;  Litera- 
ture about  Saints,  237  ;  Scriptorium 
in  St.  Gall,  237;  Beautiful  Manu- 
scripts, 238  ;  Penmanship  of  Monks, 
239  ;  Monasteries  as  Museums,  239  ; 
Embroidery  of  Nuns.  240;  Monks  at 
Missal  Painting,  241 :  Music  and  Illu- 
minating, 24] . 


TABLE    OF    MATTERS. 


Xlll 


CHAPTER    IX. 


PROSELYTISING    MONKS    AND    PREACHERS. 


Nun  Converts  the  Iberians,  213  ; 
Fourth-century  Missionary,  213  :  Ser- 
mon by  St.  Patrick,  244  ;  Monk  Ward- 
ing Off  Locusts,  244;  First  Planting 
the  Cross  in  England,  245  ;  Pope  Gre- 
gory and  England,  246 ;  Impression 
on  Saxon  King,  247 ;  Methodius 
Preaching,  247 ;  Apostle  of  Switzer- 
land. 248  ;  St.  Eligius,  24k  ;  Anschar 
the  Apostle,  249;  St.  Xeot,  Cornish 
Saint,  250 ;  Conversion  of  Russia,  251 ; 
Bishop  Otto,  251 ;  Xorbert  and  Clerical 
Vices,  252 ;  Fulk,  252  ;  St.  Dominic's 
Zeal,    253;  St.    Francis   of   Assisiuni, 


254 ;  St.  Francis  tending  the  Lepers, 
254 ;  The  Stigmata  of"  St.  Francis, 
255 ;  Biography  of  St.  Francis,  256  : 
St.  Antony  of  Padua,  256 ;  English 
Friars  Disdained  Shoes,  257 ;  Raimund 
Lull,  258 ;  St.  I-natius  of  Loyola,  259  ; 
St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  260;  Mediaeval 
Missionaries,  261;  Friar  Startling 
Judges,  261;  The  Schoolmen,  2(12: 
Friars  on  L'seless  Ornaments,  262 ; 
Friar  on  Fashionable  Vices,  263  ;  De- 
nouncing Female  Headdresses,  263  ; 
Savonarola,  2C>1. 


CHAPTER    X. 


FAMOUS    MONKS    AND    MONASTERIES. 


A  Monk  with  a  Genius  for  Monkery. 
266 ;  St.  Ninian,  the  Scottish  Saint, 
267  ;  St.  Mungo,  267  ;  Monk  Absent- 
ing Himself  from  Prayers,  268  ;  Death 
of^  St.  Benedict,  269 ;  St.  Columba  of 
Iona,  269  ;  Death  of  St.  Columba,  270 ; 
The  Monk  Columban,  271  ;  St.  Aidan 
of  Lindisfarne,  272;  St.  Chad,  273; 
St,  Hilda,  Abbess,  274  :  The  Abbev 
and  Monks  of  St.  Gall,  274;  The 
Venerable  Bede,  Monk  and  Historian, 
275;  St.  Cuthbert  Admitted  Monk, 
275  ;  The  Body  of  St.  Cuthbert,  277  ; 
Deathbed  of  Venerable  Bede,  278 ; 
A  Warrior  Duke  becomes  Monk,  280  ; 
The  Swiss  Abbey  of  Einsiedeln,  281  ; 
St.  Meinrad,  a  Monk  of  the  Alps,  282  ; 
Croyland  Abbey  Burnt,  283 ;  Nuns  of 
Coldingham,  283 ;  Monks  of  Clunv, 
281 ;  St.  Dunstan,  Archbishop,  285  ; 
Monks  of  St.  Bernard,  285 ;  Chancellor 
becomes  Monk,  286 ;  Deathbed  of 
Abbot  Turketel,  286;  Monk  Nilus, 
287 ;  Monastery  of  Bee,  289 ;  Fire  at 
Crowland  Abbey.  290;  Monks  of  Val- 
lombrosa,  291  ;  A  Monk   Transcriber 


of  Holy  Books,  292  :  A  Monk  Musician, 
293 ;  Training  of  Monk  Bishop,  293  : 
Monk  Abelard  and  Nun  Heloi'se,  l".»l  ; 
Abelard  and  St.  Bernard,  295 :  Abe- 
lard's  Last  Days,  295  ;  Order  of  Car- 
thusians, 296 ;  Order  of  Cistercians,  297 ; 
St.  Bernard  as  a  Young  Monk,  297 ; 
St.  Bernard  as  Abbot,  298  ;  St.  Ber- 
nard's Miracles,  298 ;  Bernard  and  his 
Sister,  299 ;  Bernard  and  Peter  the 
Venerable,  300 ;  Schoolmen  of  Middle 
Ages,  301  ;  Deathbed  of  Abbot,  31  '2  ; 
Visions  of  Sister  Hildegard,  302 ; 
Travelling  to  Rome,  303 ;  Portrait  of 
Abbot  Sampson  of  St.  Edmundsbury, 
304 ;  Monks  Rebuilding  their  Altar, 
305 ;  Abbot  Harassed  with  Cares, 
306  ;  Annoyed  at  Visit  of  the  Legate, 
307 ;  Deathbed  of  Princess,  308 ; 
Stealing  St.  Antonv's  Psalm  Book, 
308;  Monk  for  a  King,  309;  Eliza- 
beth of  Hungary,  310 ;  Panic  among 
Saracens,  310  ;  Fancies  of  the  Starved 
Monk,  311  ;  Monasteries  of  Mount 
Athos,  312 ;  Monks  of  La  Trappe, 
312;  Certosa  Monastery,  313:  Cathe- 


XIV 


TABLE    OF   MATTERS. 


rine  of  Siena,  314  ;  Monks  of  Lucca,    i    Heretics,    320 ;    Interest     in    Clock- 


314 ;  Thomas  a,  Kernpis,  315 ;  Peter 
of  Alcantara,  316 ;  Visions  of  St. 
Theresa,  317 ;  The  Emperor  Monk, 
318;  Emperor  Monk's  Dress,  319 ;  His 
Apartments,     319 ;      Detestation     of 


making,  321 ;  His  Confessor,  321 ;  His 
Choir,  322  ;  At  Dinner-time,  323  ;  He 
Celebrates  his  own  Funeral,  323 ; 
Funeral  Sermon  on  Emperor  Monk, 
324. 


CHAPTER    XI. 


SOME    BISHOPS,    KINGS,    POPES,    AND    INQUISITORS. 


Unity  of  the  Clergy,  326 ;  Supre- 
macy of  Pope,  326 ;  Election  of  Popes, 
328 ;  Dress  of  Cardinals,  328 ;  The 
Degraded  Bishop,  329  ;  Emperor  and 
the  First  Abdication,  330;  Bishop 
Building  Workhouse,  330;  Bishops 
Striving  for  a  Site,  331  ;  How  Bis- 
hops were  Made,  331 ;  Fifth-century 
Bishop,  332;  Putting  Down  Sooth- 
sayers, 338 ;  Bishop  Releasing  Pri- 
soners, 334 ;  The  King  of  the  Gauls, 
334 ;  Pope  Getting  Rid  of  Pestilence, 
335  ;  Choosing  Archbishop,  335 ;  Pope 
Gregory  and  the  Emperor,  336  ;  John 
the  Almsgiver,  337  ;  Giving  a  Bishop 
a  Horse.  338 ;  A  Christian's  Scruples, 
339 ;  A  Model  Churchman,  339  ;  Why 
Pope's  Foot  Kissed,  340  ;  Agobard  of 
Lyons,  340;  St.  Swithin,  341;  King 
Alfred,  341  ;  King  Alfred's  Love  of 
Reading,  342 ;  ,  Bishop  at  Head  of 
Troops,  343  ;  Two  Scapegrace  Popes, 
344 ;  The  Ugliest  Archbishop,  345  ; 
Bishop  and  Emperor's  Jokes,  345 ; 
King  Canute,  346 ;  Peasant  Rebuking 
P>ishop,  347  ;  St.  Margaret  of  Scotland, 
348  ;  Death  of  William  the  Conqueror, 
348 ;  English  King  Marrying  Nun, 
350  ;  Awaking  Bishop  for  Mass,  351 ; 
Ansekn,    Archbishop,    351 ;    Saracen 


King  by  Divine  Right,  352 :  Arch- 
bishop Turstin,  353;  King  John  ami 
the  Bishop,  354  ;  St.  Thomas  a  Becket, 
355  ;  Monk  Describes  Papal  Interdict, 
356;  Pope  Punishing  Kings.  357; 
Candid  Friend  to  Pope,  358  ;  Excom- 
munication of  Emperor,  359;  Emperor 
Retaliating  on  Pope,  360 ;  Pope's  Clerks 
Extorting  Money,  360 ;  Aerial  Music 
at  Bishop's  Death,  362;  Fool  Posing 
Theologians,  362  ;  Hermit  for  Pope, 
363 ;  Philip  the  Fair  and  the  Pope, 
364 ;  Pope  of  Fourteenth  Century,  365  ; 
Wicliff,  the  Reformer,  365 ;  The  Popes 
at  Avignon,  366  ;  The  Rival  Popes, 
367  ;  Three  Popes  at  one  Time,  368 ; 
Pope  John  XXIIL,  370;  Owl  Attend- 
ing a  Council,  370 ;  Sale  of  Indul- 
gences, 371  ;  Bishop  Inviting  his  Old 
Master,  372 ;  Sultan  who  Abdicated, 
372 ;  Pope  Nicholas  V.,  373 ;  Fop 
Elected  Pope,  374  ;  Pope  Leo  X.,  375  ; 
Turning  Pagan  into  Christian  Monu- 
ments, 376 ;  The  Inquisition,  377 ; 
Spanish  Inquisition  at  Work,  379 ; 
Torquemada,  379 ;  An  Auto-da-Fe  in 
Spain,  380 ;  Assassination  of  Inquisi- 
tor, 380;  Cardinal  Ximenes,  381  ; 
Irrepressible  Heretics,  382;  Wal- 
denses,  382 ;  Lawyer  for  Pope,  383. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

SACRED    LEGENDS. 


Lives  of  Saints,  385 ;  Christian 
Legends,  385 ;  How  Legends  Grow, 
386;   Thundering  Legion,   387;    The 


Theban  Legion,  387 ;  The  Divining 
Rod.  387 :  St.  George  and  the  Dragon, 
388;    St.   Christina,    389;   St.    Chris- 


TABLE    OF   MATTERS. 


XV 


topber,  389;  Hallelujah  Victory.  39]  ; 
Prophecies  of  Merlin,  391 ;  Devil 
Showing  a  Book,  392 ;  Wandering 
Jew,  392  ;  St,  Sabas,  393 ;  Theophilus 
and  the  Devil,  393  ;  Holy  Grail,  394  ; 
Seven  Sleepers,  394;  Little  Blind 
Herve,  395 ;  Supper  of  St.  Gregory, 
395 ;  St.  Gregory  Releasing  Trajan, 
395;  St.  Bega,  397  ;  St.  Fructuosus  and 
the  Doe,  397 ;  Pope  Joan,  398  ;  Bishop 


Hatto,  398;  St.  Conrad,  399;  The 
Piper  of  Hameln,  399  ;  Lady  Godiva, 
399 ;  Sacred  Fire  in  Greek  Chinch, 
400;  Superstitions  of  the  Greek 
Church,  401  ;  Prester  John,  401  ; 
Loretto,  401  ;  King  Richard  I.'s  Story, 
402 ;  St,  Francis  and  his  Love  of  Birds, 
403 ;  Bonaventura,  on  St.  Francis. 
405;  St.  Antony  Preaching  to  the 
Fishes,  40(5;  St.  Roch,  107. 


CHAPTEB    XIII. 


THE   CRUSADERS    AM)    PILGRIMS. 


Monk  Historian  on  the  Crusades, 
408  ;  Crusades  Beneficial,  408  ;  Prac- 
tice of  Pilgrimages,  409 ;  Early  Travels 
in  Palestine,  410 ;  Ways  of  Pilgrims, 
410;  Peter  the  Hermit,  411;  Pope 
Urban  II.,  413;  Hunger  for  Earth  of 
Palestine,  413;  Getting  Rid  of  Spies, 
414 ;  Discovering  the  Holy  Lance, 
415;  Testing  a  Doubtful  Point,  417; 
First  Sight  of  Jerusalem,  417 ;  Assault- 
ing Jerusalem,  418  ;  Capturing  Jeru- 
salem, 419;  First  Visit  to  the  Holv 
riaces,  419;  A  Second  Crusade,  12(>": 
French  Queen  as  Crusader.  421  :  St. 
Bernard  on  his  Crusade,  422;  Bring- 
ing  Relics,    422;    Another    Crusade, 


423;  Emperor's  Crusadership,  423; 
Fulk  of  Neuilly,  424 ;  Death  of  Richard 
I.,  424;  French  Pillaging  Constan- 
tinople, 125;  Crusaders  against  Here- 
tics, 425:  The  Albigenses,  427;  Chil- 
dren's ('rusade,  428;  Preaching  of 
Crusade, 428;  Escaping  the  Crusades, 
129:  Master  of  Hungary,  430  :  Death- 
bed of  St.  Louis,  430;  Crusaders  on 
their  Way  Hume.  131  :  Bequeathing 
a  Heart  as  Crusader,  432;  Knights 
Templars,  433;  Faith  in  Providence, 
434;  Columbus  Crusader,  435;  Num- 
bers of  Crusaders,  136;  Greek  Church, 
437. 


CHAPTER    XIV 


SOME    GREAT    CHURCHES    AND    CATHEDRALS. 


Early  Church  Architecture,  438; 
Coptic  Church,  439 ;  Spires,  Towers, 
and  Dimensions  of  Cathedrals,  440; 
Gothic  Cathedrals,  440;  Altar.  141  : 
Incense  and  Holy  Water,  442 :  St. 
Peter's  at  Rome,"  442;  The  Sistine 
Chapel,  443 ;  Genoa  and  Turin,  444  ; 
Milan,  445 ;  Florence  and  Pisa,  44(5 ; 
Naples,  447 ;  Santiago  Compostella, 
448;  Leon,  449;  Seville  and  Toledo, 
450 ;  Cordova  and  Amalfi,  451  ; 
Valencia  and  Oviedo,  452  ;  Paris,  Mar- 
seilles, and  Strasburg,  453  ;  Amiens, 


454:  Rheims  and  Aix-la-Chapelle, 
455:  Treves  and  Antwerp.  466; 
Cologne  and  St.  Petersburg,  F>7 ; 
Vienna  and  Constantinople,  15s  : 
Mosque  of  Omar  and  Jerusalem,  459  ; 
Bethlehem,  460 ;  British  Churches 
and  St.  Paul's.  4(11  :  Canterbury  and 
York,  4(13  ;  Durham,  4G5  ;  Winchester 
and  Oxford,  466;  Peterborough,  467  : 
Salisbury  and  Wells,  4(18  ;  Other  Eng- 
lish Cathedrals.  469 :  Welsh  Cathe- 
drals, 471. 


TABLE    OF   MATTERS. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


THE    SACRED    PAINTERS    AND    COMPOSERS. 


Pictures  in  Churches,  472 ;  Monk 
Painter,  472 ;  Pictures  in  Monasteries, 
473 ;  Sacro  Monte,  473 ;  Images  in 
Spain,  474 ;  Ciniabue,  475 ;  Bishop's 
Ape  Takes  to  Painting,  475  ;  Painter's 
Critics,  477 ;  Nuns  Criticising  Artist, 
477 ;  -Brother  Artists  Rivals,  478 ; 
Fainter  Affronting  Angel,  479 ;  Ange- 
lico,  479  ;  Bronzes  for  the  Gates  of 
Paradise,  480  ;  Old  Painters'  Perspec- 
tive, 481 ;  Monks  Overfeeding  Artist, 
481  ;  A  Clumsy  Crucifix,  482 ;  Killed 
by  a  Sight  of  Gold,  482  ;  Artist  De- 
ceiving Birds  and  Beasts,  483 ;  Find- 
ing a  Model,  483;  A  Divine  Artist, 
484 ;  Leonardo  da  Vinci's  Last  Supper, 
485  ;  Raphael's  Pictures,  487 ;  A  Last 
Masterpiece,  489  ;  The  Inquisition  on 
Sacred  Art,  490;  Painting  Face  of 
Christ,  491 ;  Assisting  Artist  with 
Prayers,  492;  Michael  Angelo,  492; 
Vargas's  Devotion  to  Sacred  Art,  496 : 
Titian's  Head  of  Christ,  496 ;  Diffident 
Artist,  496  ;  Ruben s's  Great  Pictures, 


497 ;  Monks  Getting  a  Bargain  of 
Picture,  498 ;  Velasquez's  Crucifixion, 
498 ;  How  Monks  Got  Pictures,  499  ; 
The  Divine  Murillo,  499 ;  Cano's  Pic- 
ture of  the  Virgin,  500 ;  A  Painter 
Incautiously  Watching  Effects,  501 ; 
Origin  of  Church  Bells,  501 ;  Sanctity 
of  Bells,  502  ;  Chimes  on  Church  Bells, 
502 ;  The  Swiss  Horns,  402  ;  Early 
Church  Music,  503 ;  Singing  in  Church, 
503 ;  Origin  of  Singing  in  Church  Ser- 
vice, 504 ;  The  Organ  in  Church  Music, 
504  ;  Augustine  Converting  the  Bri- 
tons with  Music,  506;  The  Earliest 
Hymns,  506  ;  Monk  Musicians,  506  ; 
Nicholas  Peregrinus,  507 ;  Heresy 
Propagated  by  Music,  507  ;  The  Pope 
Reforming  Church  Music,  508  ;  Sing- 
ing the  Miserere,  508 ;  Luther's  Church 
Music,  509 ;  Originator  of  Oratorios, 
509 ;  The  Heaven-born  Composer  of 
Anthems,  510 ;  First  Impressions  of 
Handel,  511. 


FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE   VIRGIN   MARY,    HOLY   FAMILY,    CHRIST,    AND 
THE    CRUCIFIXION. 

HEATHEN   KNOWLEDGE   ABOUT  THE   VIRGIN    MARY. 

According  to  an  ancient  legend,  the  Emperor  Augustus  Caesar 
repaired  to  the  sibyl  Tiburtina  to  inquire  whether  he  should 
consent  to  allow  himself  to  be  worshipped  with  Divine  honours, 
which  the  Senate  had  decreed  to  him.  The  sibyl,  after  some 
days  of  meditation,  took  the  Emperor  apart,  and  showed  him  an 
altar ;  and  above  the  altar,  in  the  opening  heavens,  and  in  a 
glory  of  light,  he  beheld  a  beautiful  Virgin,  holding  an  Infant  in 
her  arms;  and  at  the  same  time  a  voice  was  heard  saying,  "  This 
is  the  altar  of  the  Son  of  the  Living  God."  Whereupon  Augustus 
caused  an  altar  to  be  erected  on  the  Capitoline  Hill,  with  this 
inscription — "  Ara  primoyeniti  Dei  " ;  and  on  the  same  spot  in 
later  times  was  built  the  church  called  the  Ara-Cceli,  well  known, 
with  its  flight  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  marble  steps,  to 
all  who  have  visited  Rome. 

This  particular  prophecy  of  the  Tibertine  sibyl  to  Augustus 
rests  on  some  very  antique  traditions,  Pagan  as  well  as  Christian. 
It  is  supposed  to  have  suggested  the  "  Pollio  "  of  Virgil,  which 
suggested  the  "  Messiah  "  of  Pope.  It  is  mentioned  by  writers  of 
the  third  and  fourth  centuries,  and  our  own  divines  have  not 
wholly  rejected  it ;  for  Bishop  Taylor  mentions  the  sibyl's 
prophecy  among  "  the  great  and  glorious  accidents  "  happening 
about  the  birth  of  Jesus. 


FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 


LEGEND    ABOUT    SIMEONS    GREAT    AGE. 

It  is  related  that  when  Ptolemy  Philadelphia,  about  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty  years  before  Christ,  resolved  to  have  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures  translated  into  Greek,  for  the  purpose  of  placing  them 
in  his  far-famed  library,  he  despatched  messengers  to  Eleazar, 
the  high  priest  of  the  Jews,  requiring  him  to  send  scribes  and 
interpreters  learned  in  the  Jewish  law  to  his  court  at  Alexandria. 

Thereupon  Eleazar  selected  six  of  the  most  learned  rabbis  from 
each  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  seventy-two  persons  in  all, 
and  sent  them  to  Egypt,  in  obedience  to  the  commands  of  King 
Ptolemy;  and  among  these  was  Simeon,  a  priest  and  a  man 
full  of  learning.  And  it  fell  to  the  lot  of  Simeon  to  translate  the 
Book  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah.  And  when  he  came  to  that  verse 
where  it  is  written,  "  Behold,  a  Virgin  shall  conceive  and  bear  a 
Son,"  he  began  to  misdoubt  in  his  own  mind  how  this  could  be 
possible ;  and  after  long  meditation,  fearing  to  give  scandal  and 
offence  to  the  Greeks,  he  rendered  the  Hebrew  word  Virgin  by 
a  Greek  word  which  signifies  merely  a  young  woman.  But  when 
he  had  written  it  down,  behold,  an  angel  effaced  it,  and  substituted 
the  right  word.  Thereupon  he  wrote  it  again  and  again  ;  and  the 
same  thing  happened  three  times ;  and  he  remained  astonished 
and  confounded.  And  while  he  wondered  what  this  could  mean, 
a  ray  of  Divine  light  penetrated  his  soul.  It  was  revealed  to 
him  that  the  miracle  which  in  his  human  wisdom  he  had  pre- 
sumed to  doubt  was  not  only  possible,  but  that  he,  Simeon, 
"  should  not  see  death  till  he  had  seen  the  Lord's  Christ." 

Therefore  he  tarried  on  earth  by  the  Divine  will  for  nearly 
three  centuries,  till  that  which  he  had  disbelieved  had  come  to  pass. 
He  was  led  by  the  Spirit  to  the  Temple  on  the  very  day  when 
Mary  came  there  to  present  her  Son  and  to  make  her  offering ; 
and  immediately  taking  the  Child  in  his  arms,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Lord,  now  lettest  Thou  Thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  according 
to  Thy  word." 

PORTRAITS    OP   THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 

Nicephorus  Callixtus  says  that  the  person  of  the  Virgin  Mary 
was  described  by  Epiphanius,  who  lived  in  the  fourth  century, 
and  who  derived  the  particulars  from  his  predecessors.  He  said  : 
"  She  was  of  middle  stature ;  her  face  oval ;  her  eyes  brilliant 
and  of  an  olive  tint ;  her  eyebrows  arched  and  black ;  her  hair 
was  of  a  pale  brown ;  her  complexion  fair  as  wheat.  She  spoke 
little,  but  she  spoke  freely  and  affably ;  she  was  not  troubled  in 


Chap,  i.]  THE    VIRGIN    MARY.  3 

her  speech,  but  grave,  courteous,  tranquil.     Her  dress  was  without 
ornament,  and  in  her  deportment  was  nothing  lax  or  feeble." 

Mrs.  Jameson  says  that  Raphael's  "  Madonna  di  San  Sista," 
in  the  Dresden  Gallery,  comes  nearest  to  her  notion  of  the  Virgin. 

AN    EXACT    PORTRAIT   OP   THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 

In  the  College  of  Jesuits  at  Valencia  a  picture  of  the  Virgin  by 
Juanes  is  looked  upon  with  immense  admiration.  The  tradition 
runs  that  Father  Alberto  was  on  the  eve  of  the  Assumption 
waited  on  by  the  Blessed  Virgin  herself,  who  required  him  to 
cause  her  portrait  to  be  taken  in  the  dress  she  then  wore,  which 
was  a  white  frock  or  tunic,  with  a  blue  cloak ;  and  Christ  was 
to  be  represented  also  in  the  design  as  placing  a  crown  on  her 
head,  while  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  form  of  a  dove  hovered  over 
the  group.  Alberto  therefore  gave  the  commission  to  Juanes, 
who,  appreciating  the  honour,  devoutly  set  himself  to  work,  and 
put  forth  all  his  skill  on  the  composition.  The  hist  sketch  did 
not  please  Alberto ;  but  the  Father  assisted  the  artist  so  effect- 
ually with  his  prayers,  that  at  last  the  artist's  pencil  seemed  to 
succeed  at  every  stroke;  and  in  the  end  the  Father,  taking  credit 
himself  for  much  of  the  work,  was  highly  pleased  with  the  happy 
result.  During  the  work  Juanes  was  one  day  seated  on  his 
scaffold  finishing  the  upper  parts  of  the  picture,  when  the 
structure  gave  way,  and  he  was  in  the  act  of  falling,  when  the 
Holy  Virgin  stepped  suddenly  out  of  the  canvas,  and.  seizing  his 
hand,  preserved  him  from  instant  death.  This  being  done,  the 
Blessed  Virgin  returned  to  her  canvas,  and  has  continued  there 
ever  since,  all  the  supplicants  and  worshippers  who  look  on  it 
devoutly  believing  in  this  being  an  exact  counterpart  of  the 
original.  This  great  artist  died  in  1579  ;  and  Valencia  contains 
many  of  his  masterpieces,  for  he  ranks  high  in  the  school  of 
Raphael. 

THE    MARRIAGE    OF   JOSEPH    AND    THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 

The  legend  of  the  marriage  of  the  Virgin  Mary  is  thus  given 
in  the  "  Protevangelion  "  and  the  "  History  of  Joseph  the  Car- 
penter": "When  Mary  was  fourteen  years  old,  the  priest 
Zacharias  inquired  of  the  Lord  concerning  her  what  was  right 
to  be  done  ;  and  an  angel  came  to  him  and  said,  '  Go  forth  and 
call  together  all  the  widowers  among  the  people,  and  let  each  bring 
his  rod  (or  wand)  in  his  hand ;  and  he  to  whom  the  Lord  shall 
show  a  sign,  let  him  be  the  husband  of  Mary.'  And  Zacharias 
did  as  the  angel  commanded,  and  made  proclamation  accordingly. 


4  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

And  Joseph  the  carpenter,  a  righteous  man,  throwing  down  his 
axe  and  taking  his  staff  in  his  hand,  ran  out  with  the  rest.  When 
he  appealed  before  the  priest  and  presented  his  rod,  lo  !  a  dove 
issued  out  of  it — a  dove  dazzling  white  as  the  snow — and  after 
settling  on  his  head,  flew  towards  heaven.  Then  the  high  priest 
said  to  him,  '  Thou  art  the  person  chosen  to  take  the  Virgin  of 
the  Lord  and  to  keep  her  for  Him.'  And  Joseph  was  at  first 
afraid,  and  drew  back ;  but  afterwards  he  took  her  home  to  his 
house,  and  said  to  her,  '  Behold,  I  have  taken  thee  from  the 
temple  of  the  Lord,  and  now  I  will  leave  thee  in  my  house,  for 
I  must  go  and  follow  my  trade  of  building.  I  will  return  to 
thee,  and  meanwhile  the  Lord  be  with  thee  and  watch  over  thee.' 
So  Joseph  left  her,  and  Mary  remained  in  her  house." 

THE    MASSACRE    OF   THE    INNOCENTS. 

Milman  says  that  the  murder  of  the  innocents  by  Herod's 
orders  is  a  curious  instance  of  the  reaction  of  legendary  extrava- 
gance on  the  plain  truth  of  the  evangelic  history.  The  Greek 
Church  canonised  the  fourteen  thousand  innocents ;  and  another 
notion,  founded  on  a  misinterpretation  of  Rev.  xiv.  3,  swelled  the 
number  to  one  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand.  The  former, 
at  least,  was  the  common  belief  of  the  Church,  though  even 
in  the  English  Liturgy  the  latter  has  in  some  degree  been 
sanctioned  by  retaining  the  chapter  of  Revelation  in  the  "  epistle 
for  the  day."  Even  Jeremy  Taylor  admits  without  scruple  or 
thought  the  fourteen  thousand.  The  error  did  not  escape  the 
notice  of  the  acute  adversaries  of  Christianity.  Vossius  was 
the  first  divine  who  pointed  out  the  monstrous  absurdity  of 
supposing  such  a  number  of  infant  children  under  two  years  in 
so  small  a  village. 

THE    ANGEL    GUIDING    THE    VIRGIN    TO   EGYPT. 

The  journey  of  the  Holy  Family  to  Egvpt,  being  about  four 
hundred  miles,  must  have  occupied  five  or  six  weeks.  It  is  related 
in  the  legend  as  follows :  "  "We  are  told  that,  on  descending  from 
the  mountains,  they  came  upon  a  beautiful  plain,  enamelled  with 
flowers,  watered  by  murmuring  streams,  and  shaded  by  fruit  trees. 
In  such  a  lovely  landscape  have  painters  delighted  to  place  some 
of  the  scenes  of  the  flight  into  Egypt.  On  another  occasion,  they 
entered  a  thick  forest,  a  wilderness  of  trees,  in  which  they  must 
have  lost  their  way  had  they  not  been  guided  by  an  angel. 
As  the  Holy  Family  entered  this  forest,  all  the  trees  bowed  them- 


Chap,  i.]  THE   HOLY   FAMILY.  5 

selves  down  in  reverence  to  the  Infant  God ;  only  the  aspen,  in 
her  exceeding  pride  and  arrogance,  refused  to  acknowledge  Him, 
and  stood  upright.  Then  the  Infant  Saviour  pronounced  a  curse 
against  her,  as  He  afterwards  cursed  the  barren  fig  tree ;  and 
at  the  sound  of  His  words  the  aspen  began  to  tremble  through 
all  her  leaves,  and  has  not  ceased  to  tremble  even  to  this  day." 

HEROD    HEARING    OF    THE    FLIGHT   TO    EGYPT. 

Another  legend  about  the  journey  of  the  Holy  Family  to  Egypt 
is  this  :  "  When  it  was  discovered  that  the  Holy  Family  had  fled 
from  Bethlehem,  Herod  sent  his  officers  in  pursuit  of  them.  And 
it  happened  that  when  the  Holy  Family  had  travelled  some  dis- 
tance, they  came  to  a  field  where  a  man  Avas  sowing  wheat.  And 
the  Virgin  said  to  the  husbandman,  '  If  any  shall  ask  you 
whether  we  have  passed  this  way,  ye  shall  answer,  "  Such  persons 
passed  this  way  when  I  was  sowing  this  corn." '  For  the  Holy 
Virgin  was  too  wise  and  too  good  to  save  her  Son  by  instructing 
the  man  to  tell  a  falsehood.  But,  behold,  a  miracle  !  For,  by 
the  power  of  the  Infant  Saviour,  in  the  space  of  a  single  night 
the  seed  sprang  up  into  stalk,  blade,  and  ear,  fit  for  the  sickle. 
And  next  morning  the  officers  of  Herod  came  up,  and  inquired 
of  the  husbandman,  saying,  '  Have  you  seen  an  old  man  with 
a  woman  and  a  Child  travelling  this  way  ? '  And  the  man  who 
was  reaping  the  wheat  replied,  '  Yes.'  And  they  asked  him 
again,  '  How  long  is  it  since  ? '  And  he  answered,  '  When  I  was 
sowing  this  wheat.'  Then  the  officers  of  Herod  turned  back  and 
left  off  pursuing  the  Holy  Family." 

THE  PALM  TREE  AND  THE  HOLY  FAMILY. 

One  of  the  most  popular  legends  concerning  the  flight  into 
Egypt  is  that  of  the  palm  or  date  tree  which  at  the  command 
of  Jesus  bowed  down  its  branches  to  shade  and  refresh  His 
mother;  hence,  in  the  scene  of  the  flight,  a  palm  tree  became  a 
usual  accessory.  In  a  picture  by  Antonello  Mellone,  the  Child 
stretches  out  His  little  hand  and  lays  hold  of  the  branch;  some- 
times the  branch  is  bent  down  by  angel  hands. 

Sozomen,  the  historian,  relates  that,  when  the  Holy  Family 
reached  the  term  oi  their  journey  and  approached  the  city  of 
Heliopolis,  in  Egypt,  a  tree  which  grew  before  the  gates  of  the 
city,  and  was  regarded  with  great  veneration  as  the  seat  of  a 
god,  bowed  down  its  branches  at  the  approach  of  the  Infant 
Christ.     Likewise  it  is  related  (not  in  legends  merely,  but  by  grave 


6  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

ecclesiastical  authorities)  that  all  the  idols  of  the  Egyptians  fell 
with  their  faces  to  the  earth. 

THE  HOLY  FAMILY  AND  THE  WILD  BEASTS  OF  THE  DESERT. 

The  "Gospel  of  Pseudo-Matthew"  contains  the  following  (chapter 
xix.)  :  "In  like  manner  lions  and  leopards  adored  the  Child  Jesus, 
and  kept  company  with  the  Holy  Family  in  the  desert.  Whither- 
soever Joseph  and  Blessed  Mary  went,  they  went  before  them, 
showing  the  way  and  bowing  their  heads  ;  and  showing  subjection 
by  wagging  their  tails,  they  adored  Him  with  great  reverence. 
Now,  when  Mary  saw  lions  and  leopards  and  various  kinds  of 
wild  beasts  coming  round  them,  she  was  at  first  exceedingly  afraid  ; 
and  Jesus,  with  a  glad  countenance,  looking  into  her  face,  said, 
'  Fear  not,  mother,  because  they  come  not  to  thy  hurt,  but  they 
hasten  to  come  to  thy  service  and  Mine.'  By  these  sayings  He 
removed  fear  from  her  heart.  Now,  the  lions  walked  along  with 
them,  and  with  the  oxen  and  asses  and  the  beasts  of  burden 
which  carried  necessaries  for  them,  and  hurt  no  one,  although 
they  remained  with  them ;  but  they  were  tame  among  the  sheep 
and  rams,  which  they  had  brought  with  them  from  Judaea,  and 
had  with  them.  They  walked  among  wolves,  and  feared  nothing, 
and  no  one  was  hurt  by  another.  Then  was  fulfilled  that  which 
was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  '  Wolves  shall  feed  with  lambs  ;  lion 
and  ox  shall  eat  chaff  together '  (Isa.  xi.  6-9  ;  lxv.  25).  There  were 
two  oxen  also  with  them,  and  a  cart,  wherein  they  carried  neces- 
saries ;  and  the  lions  directed  them  in  their  way." 

THE  HOLY  FAMILY  LEAVING  EGYPT. 

Jeremy  Taylor  says,  as  to  the  pagan  idols,  as  follows  :  "  The 
Holy  Family,  on  their  departure  for  Egypt,  made,  it  is  said,  their 
first  abode  in  Hermopolis,  in  the  country  of  Thebais  ;  whither,  when 
they  first  arrived,  the  Child  Jesus,  being  by  design  or  providence 
carried  into  a  temple,  all  the  statues  of  the  idol-gods  fell  down, 
like  Dagon  at  the  presence  of  the  ark,  and  suffered  their  timely 
and  just  dissolution  and  dishonour,  according  to  the  prophecy  of 
Isaiah  :  '  Behold,  the  Lord  shall  come  into  Egypt,  and  the  idols  of 
Egypt  shall  be  moved  at  His  presence.'  And  in  the  life  of  the 
prophet  Jeremy,  written  by  Epiphanius,  it  is  reported  that  '  he 
told  the  Egyptian  priests  that  then  their  idols  should  be  broken 
in  pieces  when  a  Holy  Virgin  with  her  Child  should  enter  into 
their  country.'  Which  prophecy  possibly  might  be  the  cause  that 
the  Egyptians  did,  besides  their  vanities,  worship  also  an  infant  in 


Cbap.  i.]  THE   HOLY   FAMILY.  7 

a  manger  and  a  virgin.  From  Hermopolis  to  Maturia  went  these 
pilgrims  in  pursuance  of  their  safety  and  provisions,  where  it  is 
reported  they  dwelt  in  a  garden  of  balsam  till  Joseph  ascertained 
by  an  angel  the  death  of  Herod." 

THE    BOY    CHRIST    ON    LEAVING    EGYPT. 

St.  Bonaventure,  a  cardinal  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
who  died  1274,  wrote  a  Life  of  Christ,  which  is  or  was  much  read 
by  all  good  Catholics,  and  which  contains  the  following  :  "  The 
next  morning,  when  the  Holy  Family  are  ready  to  set  out  on  their 
journey  from  Egypt,  imagine  you  see  some  of  the  most  respectable 
matrons  of  the  city  and  the  wiser  part  of  the  men  come  to  accom- 
pany them  out  of  the  gates.  When  they  were  out  of  the  gates, 
the  Holy  Joseph  dismissed  the  company,  not  suffering  them  to  go 
on  any  farther,  when  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  them  called  the 
Child  Jesus,  and  in  compassion  to  the  poverty  of  His  parents 
bestowed  a  few  pence  upon  Him ;  and  the  rest  of  the  company, 
after  the  example  of  the  first,  did  the  same.  Compassionate  here 
the  confusion  of  the  Divine  Child,  who,  blushing,  holds  His  little 
hands  out  to  receive  what  the  love  of  poverty  has  reduced  Him 
to  want.  Pity  likewise  His  holy  parents,  who  share  with  Him 
His  confusion;  and  think  on  the  great  lesson  here  set  you  when 
you  see  Him  who  made  the  earth  and  all  that  is  in  it  make  choice 
of  so  rigorous  a  poverty  and  so  penurious  a  life  for  His  blessed 
parents  and  Himself.  What  lustre  does  not  the  virtue  of  poverty 
receive  from  their  practice  !  And  how  can  we  behold  it  in  them 
without  being  charmed  to  the  love  and  imitation  of  the  like 
perfection  !  After  returning  thanks  to  their  company  and  taking 
their  leave,  they  proceeded  on  their  journey." 

THE    ASSUMPTION    OF    TnE    VIRGIN    MARY. 

It  was  usually  believed  that  the  Virgin  Mary  lived  to  a  great 
age,  and  her  death  is  unknown.  It  was  a  tradition  that  she  was 
assumed  to  glory  without  dying.  The  practice  of  praying  to 
her  has  been  traced  as  far  back  as  the  second  century.  In  the 
fourth  century  a  sect  called  the  adversaries  of  Mary  rose  up  and 
affirmed  that  she  had,  after  the  birth  of  Christ,  several  children 
by  Joseph.  On  the  other  hand,  a  sect  honoured  her  as  a  divinity 
and  offered  cates  to  her. 

THE    DEATH    OF    THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 

The  legend  of  the  death  and  assumption  of  the  Virgin  Mary 


8  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

was  to  this  effect.     One  day  an  angel  appeared  to  the  Virgin, 
1  (ringing  her  a  branch  of  palm  gathered  in  Paradise,  and  saying 
that  it  was  to  be  carried  before  her  bier,  for  in  three  days  her 
soul   should  leave  her  body.     The  Virgin  then  asked  that  the 
Apostles  might  be  reunited  before  she  died,  so  as  to  witness  her 
death,  and  she  asked  that  no  evil  angel  should  harass  her  soul. 
The  angel  agreed,  and  returned  to  heaven ;  and  Mary  lighted  the 
lamps,  and  prepared  her  bed,  and  waited  for  the  hour.     At  that 
instant,  John,  who  was  preaching  at  Ephesus,  Peter,  at  Antioch, 
and  all  the  other  Apostles  dispersed  throughout  the  world,  were 
suddenly  caught  up  as  by  a  miraculous  power  and  came  into  her 
chamber.     The  palm  branch  was  put  in  John's  hand,  and  he  wept 
bitterly.     At  the  third  hour  of  the  night  a  mighty  sound  filled 
the    house,  and  a  delicious  perfume  filled  the   chamber.     And 
Jesus  appeared  Himself,  accompanied  by  an  innumerable  company 
of  angels,  patriarchs,  and  prophets,  all  surrounding  the  bed  of 
the  Virgin  and  singing  hymns  of  joy.     Jesus  presented  a  crown 
to  His  mother ;  and  as  the  angels  sang  and  rejoiced,  her  soul  left 
her  body,  and  was  received  into  the  arms  of  her  Son,  and  they 
ascended  into  heaven.     The  Apostles  looked  up,  beseeching  her 
to  remember  them  when  she  came  to  glory.     The  body  of  the 
Virgin  remained  on  earth ;  and  when  three  of  the  virgins  washed 
and  clothed  it  in  a  shroud,  such  a  glory  of  light  surrounded  it 
that  though  they  touched  they  could  not  see  it,  and  no  human  eye 
beheld  those  sacred  limbs  unclothed.     The  Apostles  took  up  the 
body  reverently,  and  placed  it  on  a  bier.    John  carried  the  celestial 
palm  before  the  procession,  and  Peter  sang  the  114th  Psalm,  in 
which  the  angels  joined.     Her  soul  then  rejoined  the  body,  and 
she  ascended  to  heaven  as  the  angels  were  blowing  their  silver 
trumpets,  singing  as  they  touched  their  golden  lutes,  and  rejoic- 
ing as  she  rose.     One  disciple,  Thomas,  was  absent ;  and  when  he 
arrived  soon  after,  he  would  not  believe  in  the  resurrection  of 
the  Virgin,  as  he  would  not  formerly  believe  in  that  of  Christ. 
He  desired  that  the  Virgin's  tomb  should  be  opened  before  him ; 
and  when  it  was  opened,  it  was  found  to  be  full  of  lilies  and  roses. 
Then  Thomas,  looking  up  to  heaven,  beheld  the  Virgin  bodily  in 
a  glory  of  light,  slowly  mounting  towards  heaven.     And  she,  for 
the  assurance  of  his  faith,  flung  down  to  him  her  girdle,  the  same 
which  is  to  this  day  preserved  in  the  cathedral   at  Prato.     And 
there   were  present  at  the  death   of  the  Virgin  Mary,  besides 
the  twelve  Apostles,  Dionysius  the  Areopagite,  Timotheus,  and 
Hicrotheus;  and  of  the  women,  Mary  Salome,  Mary  Cleophas, 
and  a  faithful  handmaid  whose  name  was  Savia.     When  Thomas 


Chap,  i.]  CHRIST.  9 

went  as  an  apostle  to  the  East,  he  entrusted  the  precious  girdle 
to  one  of  his  disciples.  After  the  lapse  of  a  thousand  years,  one 
Michael,  a  crusader,  fell  in  love  with  the  daughter  of  a  Greek 
priest,  who  had  the  custody  of  the  girdle,  and  she  got  it  as  a 
dowry,  and  brought  it  with  Michael,  whom  she  married.  It  was 
thus  that  it  came  to  be  deposited  in  the  cathedral  at  Prato, 
where  it  still  remains. 

CHRIST    LEARNING    THE    LETTERS    OF    THE    ALPHABET. 

There  is  a  legend  in  the  "  Gospel  of  the  Infancy  "  to  this  effect. 
When  the  Holy  Family  had  returned  from  Egypt,  our  Lord  being 
then  about  seven  or  eight  years  old,  Mary  was  exhorted  to  send 
her  Son  to  school.  And  although  she  knew  perfectly  that  He 
required  no  human  teaching,  she  complied.  She  brought  Him  to 
a  certain  schoolmaster  whose  name  was  Zaccheus,  and  the  school- 
master wrote  out  the  alphabet  for  Him,  and  began  with  the  first 
Hebrew  letter,  saying,  "Aleph."  And  Jesus  pronounced  after 
him  "  Aleph."  Then  the  master  went  on  to  the  second  letter, 
saying,  "Beth";  but  Jesus  said,  "Tell  me  first  what  means  this 
letter  'Aleph,'  and  then  afterwards  I  will  say  '  Beth.'"  But 
the  schoolmaster  could  not  tell  Him.  And  Jesus  began  to  teach 
him  and  to  explain  the  meaning  and  the  use  of  all  the  letters  — 
how  they  were  distinguished,  why  some  were  crooked  and  some 
were  straight — until  Zaccheus  the  schoolmaster  stood  in  astonish- 
ment, and  exclaimed,  "  Was  this  Child  born  before  Noah  1  for, 
behold,  He  is  wiser  than  the  wisest  man,  and  needs  no  teaching." 

HOW   JESUS    RAISED    A    BOY    TO    LIFE. 

The  "Apocryphal  Gospel  of  Thomas"  has  the  following  (chapter 
vii.)  :  "One  day,  when  Jesus  went  up  on  a  certain  housetop  with 
some  children,  He  began  to  play  with  them.  But  one  of  the  boys 
fell  through  the  back  door,  and  immediately  died.  And  when  the 
children  saw  it,  they  all  fled  ;  but  Jesus  remained  on  the  housetop. 
And  when  the  parents  of  the  boy  that  was  dead  had  come,  they 
said  to  Jesus,  'Truly  thou  didst  make  him  fall.'  And  they  laid 
wait  for  Him.  But  Jesus,  going  down  from  the  housetop,  stood 
over  the  dead  child,  and  called  with  a  loud  voice  the  name  of  the 
child:  '  Sinoo,  Sinoo  •  arise,  and  say  if  I  made  thee  fall.'  And 
suddenly  he  arose  and  said,  '  No,  Lord.'  Now,  when  his  parents 
saw  so  great  a  miracle  which  Jesus  did,  they  glorified  God  and 
adored  Jesus." 


10  FLOWERS  OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

JOSEPH    AND    JESUS    AS    CARPENTERS. 

The  "  Arabic  Gospel  of  the  Infancy  "  has  the  following  (chapter 
xxxix.) :  "  On  a  certain  day  the  King  of  Jerusalem  sent  for  him 
and  said,  '  Joseph,  I  wish  thee  to  make  me  a  throne  of  the 
measure  of  the  place  where  I  have  been  used  to  sit.'  Joseph 
obeyed,  and  immediately  after  he  put  his  hand  to  the  work ;  he 
remained  two  years  in  the  palace,  until  he  had  finished  making 
the  throne.  But  when  he  had  it  removed  into  its  place,  he 
perceived  that  on  each  side  it  was  two  spans  shorter  than  the 
proper  measure.  On  seeing  this  the  king  was  angry  with 
Joseph  ;  and  Joseph  being  greatly  afraid  of  the  king,  passed 
the  night  supperlcss,  and  tasted  nothing  whatever.  Then  he  was 
asked  by  the  Lord  Jesus  why  he  was  afraid.  '  Because,'  said 
Joseph,  '  I  have  lost  all  that  I  have  done  for  two  years.'  The 
Lord  Jesus  said  to  him,  '  Fear  not,  nor  lose  heart ;  but  take  thou 
one  side  of  the  throne,  and  I  will  take  the  other  to  set  it  right.' 
And  when  Joseph  had  done  as  the  Lord  Jesus  had  said,  and  each 
had  pulled  on  his  own  side,  the  throne  was  made  right,  and 
brought  to  the  exact  measure  of  the  place.  When  this  prodigy 
was  seen,  they  who  were  present  were  amazed,  and  praised  God. 
Now,  the  wood  of  the  throne  was  of  that  kind  which  was 
celebrated  in  the  time  of  Solomon  the  Son  of  David — that  is, 
variegated  and  diversified." 

Christ's  prayer  at  his  baptism. 

The  following  is  said  by  Jeremy  Taylor  to  be  a  current  version 
of  this  prayer  :  "  0  Father,  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  Thy 
will,  I  am  made  a  man  ;  and  from  the  time  in  which  I  was  born 
of  a  Virgin  unto  this  day  I  have  finished  those  things  which  are 
agreeable  to  the  nature  of  man,  and  with  due  observance  have 
performed  all  Thy  commandments,  the  mysteries  and  types  of 
the  law ;  and  now  truly  I  am  baptised  ;  and  so  have  I  ordained 
baptism,  that  from  thence,  as  from  the  place  of  spiritual  birth, 
the  regeneration  of  men  may  be  accomplished.  And  as  John  was 
the  last  of  the  legal  priests,  so  am  I  the  first  of  the  evangelical. 
Thou  therefore,  O  Father,  by  the  meditation  of  My  prayer,  open 
the  heavens,  and  from  thence  send  Thy  Holy  Spirit  upon  this 
womb  of  baptism  ;  that  as  He  did  untie  the  womb  of  the  Virgin 
and  thence  form  Me,  so  also  He  would  loose  this  baptismal  womb, 
and  so  sanctify  it  unto  men,  that  from  thence  new  men  may  be 
begotten,  who  may  become  Thy  sons,  and  My  brethren,  and  heirs 
of  Thy  kingdom.     And  what  the  priests  under  the  law,  until 


Chap.   .]  CHRIST.  11 

John,  could  not  do,  grant  unto  the  priests  of  the  New  Testament 
(whose  chief  I  am  in  the  oblation  of  this  prayer),  that  whensoever 
they  shall  celebrate  baptism,  or  pour  forth  prayers  unto  Thee,  as 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  seen  with  Me  in  open  vision,  so  also  it  may  be 
made  manifest,  that  the  same  Spirit  will  adjoin  Himself  to  their 
society  in  a  more  secret  way,  and  I  will  by  them  perform  the 
ministries  of  the  New  Testament,  for  which  I  am  made  a  man  ; 
and  as  the  high  priest  I  do  offer  these  prayers  in  Thy  sight." 

This  prayer  was  transcribed  out  of  the  "  Syriac  Catena  "  upon 
the  third  chapter  of  St.  Luke's  Gospel,  and  is  by  the  author  of  that 
Catena  reported  to  have  been  made  by  our  Blessed  Saviour  imme- 
diately before  the  opening  of  the  heavens  at  His  baptism,  and 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  did  descend  upon  Him  while  lie  was  thus 
praying  ;  and  for  it  he  cites  the  authority  of  St.  Philoxenus. 

PORTRAITS    OF    CHRIST. 

It  is  singular  that  there  are  no  authentic  portraits  of  Christ 
in  existence.  The  evangelists  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  make 
any  statements  as  to  Christ's  personal  appearance.  Origen, 
born  18G,  seems  the  earliest  writer  who  notices  that  subject,  and 
he  says  the  Saviour  had  no  external  beauty.  But  the  Fathers 
and  the  artists  have  all  insisted  that  His  countenance  must  have 
corresponded  to  His  character.  A  letter  supposed  to  have  been 
written  by  Lentulus,  a  friend  of  Pilate,  to  the  Roman  Senate, 
professes  to  describe  the  personal  appearance,  but  some  doubt  its 
authenticity.  It  was  preserved,  and  first  came  to  light  among 
the  writings  of  Anselm,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  who  lived  in 
the  eleventh  century.  Another  description  is  contained  in  the 
writings  of  St.  John  of  Damascus,  who  nourished  in  the  eighth 
century,  and  he  professes  to  have  known  from  earlier  writers  that 
Jesus  had  "  eyebrows  that  joined  together,  beautiful  eves,  curly 
hair,  black  beard,  a  yellow  complexion,  and  long  lingers  like  His 
mother."  Others  say  that  St.  Luke  was  a  painter,  and  Nicodemus 
was  a  sculptor,  and  thus  that  some  portraits  must  have  existed. 
It  is  also  said  that  Pilate  took  secretly  a  portrait  of  Christ. 
There  is  also  a  legend  that  King  Agbarus  wrote  a  letter  to 
Christ,  asking  for  a  visit  to  cure  him  of  leprosy,  and  at  all  events 
for  a  portrait ;  and  that  Christ  answered  that  He  could  not  visit 
him,  having  other  "work  to  do,  but  He  would  send  a  disciple  who 
would  cure  him.  And  St.  Thomas  did  so.  Others  add  that  Christ 
sent  His  portrait  on  a  handkerchief  to  Agbarus.  Again,  there 
is  a  legend  about  Veronica  and  her  handkerchief,  which  had  a 
portrait  miraculously  impressed,  and  which  she  preserved. 


12  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

EARLY    DESCRIPTION    OF    CHRIST'S    PERSONAL   APPEARANCE. 

The  letter  purporting  to  be  written  by  Publius  Lentulus, 
a  friend  of  Pilate,  to  the  Roman  Senate,  and  preserved  in 
St.  Anselm's  writings,  if  not  genuine,  is  supposed  to  have  been 
fabricated  as  early  as  the  third  century,  and  is  as  follows :  "In 
this  time  appeared  a  man  who  lives  till  now — a  man  endowed 
with  great  powers.  Men  call  Him  a  great  prophet.  His  own 
disciples  term  Him  the  Son  of  God.  His  name  is  Jesus  Christ. 
He  restores  the  dead  to  life,  and  cures  the  sick  of  all  manner  of 
diseases.  This  man  is  of  noble  and  well-proportioned  stature, 
with  a  face  full  of  kindness  and  yet  firmness,  so  that  the  beholders 
both  love  Him  and  fear  Him.  His  hair  is  the  colour  of  wine,  and 
golden  at  the  root — straight  and  without  lustre — but  from  the 
level  of  the  ears  curling  and  glossy,  and  divided  down  the  centre, 
after  the  fashion  of  the  Nazarites.  His  forehead  is  even  and 
smooth  ;  His  face  without  blemish,  and  enhanced  by  a  comely  red  ; 
His  countenance  ingenuous  and  kind ;  nose  and  mouth  in  no 
way  faulty.  His  beard  is  thick,  of  the  same  colour  as  his  hair, 
and  forked  in  form.  His  eyes  are  blue  and  extremely  brilliant. 
In  reproof  and  rebuke  He  is  formidable ;  in  exhortation  and 
teaching,  gentle  and  amiable  of  tongue.  None  have  seen  him  to 
laugh ;  but  many,  on  the  contrary,  to  weep.  His  person  is  tall ; 
His  hands  beautiful  and  straight.  In  speaking  he  is  deliberate 
and  grave,  and  little  given  to  loquacity.  In  beauty  surpassing 
most  men." 

KING    ACBARUS    WRITING    A    LETTER    TO    CHRIST. 

Eusebrus,  who  died  about  338,  mentions  the  legend  about  King 
Agbarus,  who  sent  to  Christ  by  the  hand  of  Ananias,  his  footman, 
a  letter  inviting  Him  to  Edessa,  saying  that  he  had  heard  of  the 
cures  performed  by  Christ,  and  that  he  earnestly  desired  to  be 
cured  of  a  disease.  Our  Lord  replied  that  He  could  not  come, 
for  His  mission  to  the  Jews  must  be  fulfilled  ;  but  after  His 
Ascension  He  would  send  one  of  His  disciples,  who  would  cure  him 
and  all  that  were  with  him.  Nothing  further  is  known,  except 
that  St.  John  of  Damascus,  writing  in  the  eighth  century,  alluding 
to  the  story,  says  that  Agbarus  also  requested  Christ's  picture  as 
a  means  of  cure.  Others  say  Agbarus  sent  a  painter  to  take  the 
likeness,  but  he  found  an  insurmountable  difficulty  in  the  light 
which  beamed  from  the  Lord's  countenance.  Christ,  knowing 
the  thoughts  of  the  messenger,  took  His  robe,  and,  pressing  it  to 
His  countenance,  a  perfect  portrait  was  left  upon  it ;  and  this 


Chap,  i.]  CHRIST.  13 

was  sent  to  King  Agbarus,  who  was  cured  thereby.  Others  add 
that  Ananias,  in  conveying  the  portrait,  had  occasion  to  stop  at 
Hierapolis,  and,  fearing  to  lose  it,  hid  it  among  some  bricks ;  but 
a  supernatural  light  surrounded  the  place,  and  the  image  was 
also  copied  on  a  brick  lying  near  the  cloth,  and  this  brick  was 
also  preserved.  The  original  cloth  afterwards  found  its  way  to 
Constantinople,  another  to  Rome,  and  another  to  Genoa.  The 
replica  of  the  cloth  is  shown  in  St.  Sylvester's,  in  Rome. 

Christ's  novel  style  of  preaching. 

Dr.  Jortin  thus  happily  describes  the  novel,  striking,  and  per- 
manent beauty  of  Christ's  style  of  preaching :  "In  the  spring 
our  Saviour  went  into  the  fields  and  sat  down  on  a  mountain, 
and  made  that  discourse  which  is  recorded  in  St.  Matthew,  and 
which  is  full  of  observations  arising  from  the  things  which  offered 
themselves  to  His  sight.  For  when  He  exhorted  His  disciples  to 
trust  in  God,  He  bade  them  behold  the  fowls  of  the  air,  which 
were  then  flying  about  them,  and  were  fed  by  Divine  Providence, 
though  they  did  not  sow  nor  reap  nor  gather  into  barns.  He 
bade  them  take  notice  of  the  lilies  of  the  field,  which  were  then 
blown,  and  were  so  beautifully  clothed  by  the  same  power,  and 
yet  toiled  not,  like  the  husbandmen  who  were  then  at  work. 
Being  in  a  place  where  they  had  a  wide  prospect  of  cultivated 
land,  He  bade  them  observe  how  God  caused  the  sun  to  shine  and 
the  rain  to  descend  upon  the  fields  and  gardens,  even  of  the 
wicked  and  ungrateful.  And  He  continued  to  convey  His  doctrine 
to  them  under  rural  images,  speaking  of  good  trees  and  corrupt 
trees—  of  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing — of  grapes  not  growing  upon 
thorns,  nor  figs  on  thistles — of  the  folly  of  casting  precious  things 
to  dogs  and  swine — of  good  measure  pressed  down,  and  shaken 
together  and  running  over.  Speaking  at  the  same  time  to  the 
people,  many  of  whom  were  fishermen  and  lived  upon  fish,  He 
says,  '  What  man  of  you  will  give  his  son  a  serpent,  if  he  ask 
a  fish  ? '  Therefore,  when  He  said  in  the  same  discourse  to  His 
disciples,  '  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world  :  a  city  that  is  set 
on  a  hill  cannot  be  bid,'  it  is  probable  that  He  pointed  to  a 
city  within  their  view,  situated  upon  the  brow  of  a  hill.  And 
when  He  called  them  the  salt  of  the  earth,  He  alluded  perhaps 
to  the  husbandmen  who  were  manuring  the  ground  ;  and  when 
He  compared  every  person  who  observed  His  precepts  to  a  man 
who  built  a  house  upon  a  rock,  which  stood  firm ;  and  eveiy 
one  who  slighted  His  word  to  a  man  who  built  a  house  upon  the 


14  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

sand,  which  was  thrown  down  by  the  winds  and  floods, — when 
He  used  this  comparison,  it  is  not  improbable  that  He  had 
before  His  eyes  houses  standing  upon  high  ground,  and  houses 
standing  in  the  valley  in  a  ruinous  condition,  which  had  been 
destroyed  by  inundations." 

THE    SENTENCE    ON    CHRIST. 

St.  Basil  aflirms  that  the  high  priest  caused  the  Holy  Jesus 
to  be  led  with  a  cord  about  His  neck  ;  and  in  memory  of  that 
the  priests  for  many  ages  wore  a  stole  about  theirs.  But  the 
Jews  did  it,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  nation,  to  signify  He 
was  condemned  to  death. 

Jeremy  Taylor  says  that  it  cannot  be  thought  but  the 
ministers  of  Jewish  malice  used  all  the  circumstances  of  afflic- 
tion which  in  any  case  were  accustomed  towards  malefactors 
and  persons  to  be  crucified  ;  and  therefore  it  was  in  some  old 
figures  we  see  our  Blessed  Lord  described  with  a  table  appendent 
to  the  fringe  of  His  garment,  set  full  of  nails  and  pointed  iron, 
for  so  sometimes  they  afflicted  persons  condemned  to  that  kind 
of  death.  And  St.  Cyprian  affirms  that  Christ  did  stick  to  the 
wood  that  He  carried,  being  galled  with  the  iron  at  His  heels 
and  nailed  even  before  His  execution. 

CHRIST   APPEARING   TO   JAMES. 

Jeremy  Taylor  says  that  after  the  resurrection  Christ  appeared 
also  unto  James,  but  at  what  time  is  uncertain,  save  that 
there  is  "  something  concerning  it  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew 
which  the  Nazarenes  of  Berea  used,  and  which  it  is  likely 
themselves  added  out  of  report ;  for  there  is  nothing  of  it  in 
our  Greek  copies.  The  words  are  these  :  "  When  the  Lord  had 
given  the  linen  in  which  He  was  wrapped  to  the  servant  of 
the  high  priest,  He  went  and  appeared  unto  James.  For 
James  had  vowed,  after  he  received  the  Lord's  Supper,  that 
he  would  eat  no  bread  till  he  saw  the  Lord  risen  from  the 
grave.  Then  the  Lord  called  for  bread;  He  blessed  it  and 
brake  it,  and  gave  it  to  James  the  Just,  and  said,  '  My  brother, 
eat  bread,  for  the  Son  of  man  is  risen  from  the  sleep  of  death.'  " 

By  this  it  would  seem  to  be  done  upon  the  day  of  resurrection ; 
but  the  relation  of  it  by  St.  Paul  puts  it  between  the  appear- 
ance which  He  made  to  the  five  hundred  and  that  last  to  the 
Apostles,  when  He  was  to  ascend  into  heaven. 


Chap.  i.  THE   CRUCIFIXION.  15 


THE    VARIOUS    FORMS    OF    CROSSES. 

The  early  Christian  writers  even  in  the  second  century  treated 
prominently  the  cross  as  a  symbol  of  the  faith,  and  it  came  to 
be  held  in  high  honour.  The  precise  figure  of  the  cross,  however, 
is  somewhat  doubtful,  and  various  forms  have  been  accepted 
less  simple  than  that  now  so  familiar.  There  are  modifications 
according  to  particular  countries  and  places. 

One  cross  resembles  the  Hebrew  letter  T,  there  being  no  upper 
limb  above  the  horizontal  line.  The  Greek  Cross  is  a  cross  where 
the  four  limbs  are  of  equal  length.  The  Latin  Cross  is  that 
commonly  used  by  Christians,  the  lower  perpendicular  limb  being 
at  least  twice  the  length  of  the  upper  limb.  The  Cross  of  the 
Resurrection  has  a  small  banner  attached  to  the  upper  portion, 
and  the  lowest  perpendicular  limb  is  much  longer  than  the  other 
three.  The  Cross  of  the  Baptist  has  also  a  smaller  scroll  attached 
in  like  manner.  The  Patriarchal  Cross,  or  Cross  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  was  a  Greek  Cross  brought  from  the  East  by  the 
Crusaders,  also  called  the  Archbishop's  Cross  and  the  Cross  of 
Lorraine,  and  it  has  two  transverse  bars,  one  shorter  and  above 
the  other.  The  Papal  Cross  is  like  the  last,  but  has  three 
transverse  bars.  The  Greek  Cross,  known  in  mediaeval  times  as 
St.  Andrew's  Cross,  consists  of  slanting  bars,  instead  of  perpen- 
dicular and  horizontal.  There  are  other  fanciful  forms  of  crass, 
called  the  Cross  of  Jerusalem,  having  a  small  lip  at  the  end  of 
four  equal  limbs.  The  Irish  Cross,  or  Cross  of  iona,  has  a  circle 
placed  over  the  upper  part  of  the  cross.  There  are  pectoral 
crosses  more  or  less  fanciful,  worn  as  relics  and  ornaments  of 
dress. 

THE    DISCOVERY    OF    THE    HOLY    CROSS. 

When  Constantine  triumphed  over  his  enemies  by  the 
miraculous  power  of  the  cross,  he  resolved  to  build  a  magnificent 
church  in  Jerusalem.  His  mother,  St.  Helena,  then  resolved, 
though  eighty  years  old,  to  go  herself  to  discover  the  identical 
cross  there.  On  her  arrival  none  could  tell  where  it  was,  as 
the  heathens,  it  was  thought,  purposely  concealed  it  from  the 
Christians  by  burying  it  under  heaps  of  rubbish,  building  over  it 
a  temple  of  Venus,  and  placing  there  a  statue  of  Jupiter.  But 
Helena  persevered,  and  pulled  down  these  pagan  erections,  and  at 
a  great  depth  discovered  three  crosses,  and  also  the  nails  used  and 
the  label  or  superscription.  A  difficulty  then  arose  as  to  which 
of  the  three  was  the  cross  on  which  the  Saviour  was  hung.     To 


16  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

solve  this  doubt,  Bishop  Macarius  suggested  that  the  three 
crosses  should  be  carried  and  shown  to  a  sick  and  dying  lady. 
Two  of  the  crosses  having  produced  no  effect,  the  third,  on  being 
touched  by  her,  cured  the  patient  at  once.  St.  Helena  on  this 
was  delighted,  and  built  a  church  on  the  spot  where  the  cross  was 
found,  and  she  carried  part  of  the  cross  to  Constantinople  to  her 
son  Constantine :  another  part  was  sent  to  the  church  at  Rome. 
St.  Helena  died  the  same  year,  in  326.  The  board  on  which 
Christ's  title  was  printed  in  red  letters  was  about  twelve  inches 
long,  and  was  sent  to  Rome.  The  main  part  of  the  cross  was 
inclosed  in  a  silver  shrine,  and  given  to  be  kept  in  Jerusalem 
by  St.  Macarius  in  the  church  which  Helena  and  Constantine 
built  there.  St.  Paulinus  said  that  though  chips  were  almost 
daily  cut  off  from  the  cross  and  given  to  devout  persons,  yet  the 
sacred  wood  suffered  no  diminution.  And  pieces  were  taken  to 
all  the  ends  of  the  earth.  The  church  at  Jerusalem  was  called 
the  Basilica  of  the  Holy  Cross. 

THE   NAILS   OF   THE    CROSS. 

The  nails  of  the  cross  were  traced  with  great  devotion.  Calvin 
said  there  were  fifteen.  There  was  one  at  Rome,  one  at  Sienna, 
one  at  Venice,  one  in  the  Church  of  the  Carmelites  in  Paris,  and 
some  in  other  places.  A  practice  arose  of  filing  part  of  the  nail 
and  touching  a  true  nail  with  other  nails,  and  so  giving  a  kind  of 
sanctity  to  those.  St.  Gregory  the  Great  and  other  popes  sent 
raspings  of  the  chains  of  St.  Peter  as  relics  in  the  same  way.  As 
to  the  true  nails  of  the  cross,  it  was  said  St.  Helena  threw  one 
into  the  Adriatic  Sea  to  allay  a  violent  storm  from  which  the  ship 
was  sinking,  whereon  the  storm  at  once  ceased.  St.  Ambrose 
said  that  Constantine  the  Great  fixed  one  of  the  nails  in  a  rude 
diadem  of  pearls  to  be  worn  on  great  occasions,  and  he  put 
another  in  the  costly  bridle  of  his  horse  as  a  protection  in  time  of 
battle. 

THIEVES   AT   THE    CRUCIFIXION. 

There  is  an  ancient  tradition  that,  when  the  Holy  Family, 
travelling  through  hidden  paths  and  solitary  defiles,  had  passed 
Jerusalem  and  were  descending  into  the  plains  of  Syria,  they 
encountered  certain  thieves,  who  fell  upon  them ;  and  one  of  these 
would  have  maltreated  and  plundered  them,  but  his  comrade 
interfered  and  said,  "  Suffer  them,  I  beseech  thee,  to  go  in  peace, 
and  I  will  give  thee  forty  groats,  and  likewise  my  girdle,"  which 
offer  being  accepted,  the  merciful  robber  led  the  Holy  Travellers 


Chap,  i.]  THE   CRUCIFIXION.  17 

to  his  stronghold  on  the  rock,  and  gave  them  lodging  for  the 
night.  And  Mary  said  to  him,  "  The  Lord  God  will  receive  thee 
to  His  right  hand,  and  grant  the  pardon  of  thy  sins." 

And  it  was  so :  for  in  after-times  these  two  thieves  were 
crucified  with  Christ,  one  on  the  right  hand  and  one  on  the  left ; 
and  the  merciful  thief  went  with  the  Saviour  into  Paradise. 
The  scene  of  this  encounter  with  the  robbers,  near  Ramla,  is  still 
pointed  out  to  travellers,  and  still  in  evil  repute  as  the  haunt  of 
banditti.  The  crusaders  visited  the  spot  as  a  place  of  pilgrimage  ; 
and  the  Abbe  Orsini  considers  the  first  part  of  this  story  as 
authenticated,  but  the  legend  concerning  the  good  thief  he  admits 
to  be  doubtful. 

THE   SOLDIER   WHO    PIERCED   THE   SAVIOUR'S    SIDE. 

There  is  a  legend  that  the  soldier  who  pierced  the  Saviour's 
side,  whose  name  was  Longinus,  was  struck  with  wonder  and 
remorse,  and  exclaimed,  "  Truly  this  man  was  the  Son  of  God  !  " 
He  was  therefore  the  first  of  the  Gentiles  to  be  converted.  As 
soon  as  he  had  lifted  his  blood-stained  hands  to  his  face,  his 
eyesight,  which  for  years  had  been  weak,  was  healed.  He 
repented,  was  baptised,  and  was  for  twenty-eight  years  an  ardent 
missionary.  He  was  then  ordered  to  sacrifice  to  the  false  gods, 
and  on  refusal  said  he  longed  to  become  a  martyr,  and  told  the 
governor,  who  was  blind,  that  he  would  recover  his  sight  only 
after  putting  him  to  death.  Accordingly,  Longinus  was  beheaded, 
and  the  governor  had  his  sight  restored,  and  became  himself  also 
a  Christian.  St.  Longinus,  as  the  first-fruits  of  the  Gentiles,  is 
painted  by  the  artists,  and  he  became  the  patron  saint  of  Mantua  ; 
and  the  spear  with  which  he  pierced  the  Saviour's  side  is  preserved 
among  the  treasures  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome. 

THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  CROSS. 

A  Life  of  Christ  published  in  1517  at  Troyes  told  the  following 
story.  When  Adam,  after  being  banished  from  Paradise,  in  his 
old  age  felt  the  approach  of  death,  he  sent  Seth  to  Paradise  to 
ask  the  archangel  who  kept  the  gate  to  give  him  a  balsam  that 
would  save  him  from  death.  Seth  with  difficulty  traced  the  way, 
and  on  reaching  it  was  transported  with  wonder  and  rapture  at 
the  dazzling  beauty  of  the  scene,  and  the  music,  and  the  glittering 
sword  of  the  cherub.  He  had  not  courage  to  remember  his 
message ;  but  the  angel  read  his  thoughts,  and  told  him  that  the 
time  of  pardon  had  not  yet  come,  and  that  four  thousand  years 

2 


18  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

must  roll  on  before  the  Redeemer  would  open  the  gate  to  Adam. 
Nevertheless,  as  a  token  of  future  pardon,  he  allowed  Seth  a 
glimpse  of  the  interior  of  Paradise,  and  of  the  mighty  tree  on  which 
redemption  was  to  be  won.  The  cherub  gave  Seth  three  seeds 
of  this  tree,  which  were  to  be  placed  in  the  mouth  of  Adam  when 
buried.  This  was  done  a  few  days  after  Seth's  return,  when 
Adam  died  and  was  buried.  Out  of  this  grave  rose  a  cedar,  a 
cypress,  and  a  pine.  Moses  had  a  rod  of  one  of  these  trees. 
The  cedar,  after  many  ages,  was  that  of  which  the  Cross  of 
Calvary  was  made.  It  was  carried  off  on  the  plundering  of 
Jerusalem  to  Persia,  but  was  recovered  by  Heraclius  on  September 
14th,  615,  the  day  afterwards  commemorated  as  the  Feast  of  the 
Exaltation  of  the  Cross. 

THE    STATIONS    OF    THE    CROSS. 

The  painters  of  sacred  subjects  for  churches  used  to  divide  the 
stages  of  the  Crucifixion  into  seven,  and  latterly  into  fourteen. 
The  first  importation  of  the  stations  into  Europe  was  said  to  be 
by  a  citizen  of  Nuremberg,  who  returned  from  a  pilgrimage  to 
the  Holy  City  in  1477,  and  soon  after  engaged  Kraft,  a  friend 
of  Albert  Diirer,  to  execute  seven  sculptures  for  stone  pillars  to 
be  erected  in  the  city  of  Nuremberg.  The  fourteen  stations 
afterwards  came  to  be  entitled  as  follows  :  (1)  Jesus  is  condemned; 
(2)  Jesus  takes  the  cross;  (3)  Jesus  falls  for  the  first  time  ;  (4) 
Jesus  meets  His  blessed  mother  ;  (5)  Simon  the  Cyrenian  appears; 
(6)  Jesus  meets  St.  Veronica ;  (7)  Jesus  falls  for  the  second  time ; 
(8)  the  daughters  of  Jerusalem  ;  (9)  Jesus  falls  for  the  third 
time  ;  (10)  Jesus  is  stripped  of  His  garments ;  (11)  Jesus  is  nailed 
on  the  cross  ;  (12)  Jesus  dies  on  the  cross  ;  (13)  Jesus  is  laid  in 
the  arms  of  His  blessed  mother;  (14)  the  entombment. 

THE  CROWN  OF  THORNS,  THE  SPONGE,  AND  THE  BLOOD. 

Not  only  the  cross,  but  the  crown  of  thorns,  also  had  its  history. 
The  crown  of  thorns  had  been  preserved  for  several  centuries 
at  Constantinople,  and  had  been  pledged  to  the  Venetians  for  a 
large  sum  of  money,  as  is  stated  afterwards  in  more  detail.  The 
crown  of  thorns  was  at  last  given  by  the  Emperor  Baldwin  II. 
to  St.  Louis,  King  of  France,  in  acknowledgment  of  the  king's 
contributions  to  defend  the  holy  places,  and  he  redeemed  it  from 
the  Venetians.  It  was  carried  in  a  sealed  case  by  holy  religious 
men  from  Venice  into  France ;  and  St.  Louis  and  his  family,  and 
prelates  and  princes,  met  the  holy  treasure  five  leagues  beyond 


Chap.  i.J  THE   CRUCIFIXION.  19 

Sens.  The  king  and  his  brother  were  barefoot  and  in  their 
shirts,  and  were  bathed  in  tears,  and  a  great  procession  followed 
them.  It  was  ultimately  lodged  in  La  Sainte  Chapelle,  the 
exquisite  Holy  Chapel  at  Paris,  built  for  the  purpose  of  receiving 
it.  A  part  of  the  cross  was  also  afterwards  received  and  added  to 
the  deposit  there.  The  holy  sponge  used  at  the  Crucifixion  was 
shown  at  Rome  in  the  church  of  St.  John  Lateran  tinged  with 
blood.  The  holy  lance  was  kept  at  Jerusalem  with  the  main 
part  of  the  cross.  It  was  afterwards  buried  at  Antioch  to  pre- 
serve it  from  the  Saracens.  It  was  at  a  later  date  taken  to 
Jerusalem,  and  then  to  Constantinople.  It  was  said  the  Emperor 
Baldwin  pawned  the  point  of  it  to  raise  money,  and  it  was  redeemed 
by  St.  Louis  of  France  and  taken  to  the  Holy  Chapel  in  Paris. 
At  a  later  date,  in  1492,  the  Sultan  sent  the  lance  as  a  present 
to  Pope  Innocent  VIII. ,  stating  that  the  point  was  in  the 
possession  of  the  King  of  Franca  The  blood  of  Christ  was  also 
shown  in  some  places,  particularly  at  Mantua. 

THE  PAWNING  OF  THE  CROWN  OF  THORNS  (a.D.  1213). 

This  pawning  was  as  follows.  When  Baldwin  II.,  Emperor 
of  Constantinople,  was  hard  pressed  in  1213,  Cibbon  relates  that 
the  crown  of  thorns  had  been  preserved  in  the  Imperial  Chapel 
of  Constantinople.  In  his  absence  the  barons  of  Romania 
borrowed  a  sum  of  13,134  pieces  of  gold  (about  £6,567)  on  the 
credit  of  the  crown.  They  failed  to  repay  the  loan,  and  a  rich 
Venetian,  Nicholas  Querini,  undertook  to  satisfy  the  impatient 
creditors,  on  condition  that  the  relic  should  be  lodged  at  Venice, 
to  become  his  absolute  property  if  not  redeemed  within  a  short 
and  definite  period.  The  barons  apprised  their  sovereign  of  the 
hard  treaty  and  the  impending  loss ;  and  as  the  empire  could  not 
redeem  the  crown,  Baldwin  was  anxious  to  snatch  the  prize  from 
the  Venetians,  and  to  vest  it  with  more  honour  and  emolument 
in  the  hands  of  the  most  Christian  king,  Louis  IX.  of  France. 
The  king's  ambassadors,  two  Dominicans,  were  despatched  to 
Venice  to  redeem  and  receive  the  holy  crown,  which  had  escaped 
the  dangers  of  the  sea  and  the  galleys  of  Vataces.  On  open- 
ing a  wooden  box,  they  recognised  the  seals  of  the  Doge  and 
barons,  which  were  applied  on  a  shrine  of  silver,  and  within 
this  shrine  the  monument  of  the  Passion  was  enclosed  in  a  golden 
vase.  The  reluctant  Venetians  yielded  to  justice  and  power. 
The  Emperor  Frederick  granted  a  free  passage.  The  King  of 
France  and  his  court  advanced  as  far  as  Troyes,  in  Champagne. 


20  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

to  meet  with  devotion  the  inestimable  relic.  It  was  borne  in 
triumph  by  the  king  himself,  barefoot  and  in  his  shirt ;  and  a 
free  gift  of  10,000  marks  of  silver  reconciled  Baldwin  to  his  loss. 
The  success  of  this  transaction  tempted  Baldwin  to  offer,  with 
the  same  generosity,  the  remaining  furniture  of  his  chapel.  A 
large  and  authentic  portion  of  the  true  cross,  the  baby  linen 
of  the  Son  of  God,  the  lance,  the  sponge,  and  the  chain  of  His 
Passion,  the  rod  of  Moses,  and  part  of  the  skull  of  John  the 
Baptist,  were  purchased  by  Louis  IX.  for  20,000  marks,  and 
lodged  in  Sainte  Chapelle  in  Paris. 

THE   APOCRYPHAL   GOSPELS. 

Certain  books  have  been  written  and  circulated  in  the  early 
ages  of  Christianity  which  professed  to  recite  events  not  men- 
tioned in  the  Four  Gospels  or  New  Testament.  Though  all  are 
spurious  and  of  uncertain  authorship,  there  is,  nevertheless,  great 
interest  in  some  of  the  incidents ;  and  as  they  were  so  extensively 
read  by  early  Christians  some  account  of  these  is  acceptable  to 
all  readers  of  sacred  subjects.  Though  in  all  ages  treated  with 
contempt  by  the  authoritative  teachers  in  the  Church,  it  is  easy 
to  comprehend  how  they  came  to  attract  so  much  notice,  for  there 
is  an  air  of  simplicity  and  verisimilitude  in  some  of  the  incidents, 
and  of  course  no  human  being  is  in  a  position  to  affirm  or  deny 
the  substance  of  the  things  thus  recorded.  Milman  says  these 
legends  can  still  be  traced  in  some  of  our  Christmas  carols.  One 
of  these  apocryphal  gospels  is  called  the  "  Protevangelion,  or 
Gospel  of  James,"  who  was  one  of  the  sons  of  Joseph  the  carpenter, 
and  it  records  incidents  of  the  childhood  of  Jesus.  The  existence 
of  this  gospel  is  traced  to  the  fourth  century.  Another  is  the 
"  Gospel  of  Pseudo-Matthew,  or  of  the  Infancy  of  Mary  and  of 
Jesus,"  supposed  to  be  written  in  the  fifth  century.  Another  is 
the  "  Gospel  of  the  Nativity  of  Mary."  This  was  fathered  upon 
Jerome,  and  supposed  to  be  written  in  the  fifth  century,  and  it 
was  much  read  in  the  Middle  Ages.  Another  is  the  "  History 
of  Joseph  the  Carpenter,"  supposed  to  belong  to  the  fourth 
century.  Another  is  the  "  Gospel  of  Thomas,  or  Gospel  of  the 
Infancy  of  Jesus,"  said  to  be  written  about  the  middle  of  the 
second  century.  Another  is  the  "  Arabic  Gospel  of  the  Infancy," 
ascribed  to  the  fifth  or  sixth  century.  There  is  also  a  professed 
correspondence  between  Jesus  and  King  Agbarus,  part  of  which 
is  said  to  belong  to  the  sixth  century  and  part  to  the  third 
century.     There  is  also  the  "  Gospel  of  Nicodemus,  or  Acts  of 


Chap,  i.]  FALSE   CHRISTS — BIBLES.  21 

Pilate,"  supposed  to  be  written  in  the  second  century.  There 
are  also  Letters  and  Reports  of  Pilate  and  Herod  about  Christ, 
professing  to  narrate  facts  and  incidents  of  that  time.  All 
these  gospels  or  legends  abound  in  miracles  and  prodigies,  some 
of  them  very  puerile.  A  translation  was  published  of  the  above- 
mentioned  legends  by  B.  Harris  Cowper  in  1867. 

FALSE   CHRISTS   IN    DIFFERENT   AGES. 

False  Christs  began  to  appear  early,  as  is  mentioned  in 
St.  Luke  and  by  Josephus  :  Jortin  mentions  other  successors. 
In  the  reign  of  Adrian  one  Barcohab  pretended  to  be  Messias. 
In  434  one  Moses  Cretensis  promised,  like  Moses,  to  divide  the 
sea  at  Crete  and  deliver  the  Jews  there ;  and  some  people,  when 
commanded  by  him,  actually  cast  themselves  into  the  waves  and 
perished.  Again,  about  420,  the  time  of  Socrates  the  historian, 
another  impostor  appeared.  Again,  in  520,  one  Dunaan  ;  one 
Julian  in  529  ;  one  Mohammed  in  571 ;  another,  a  Syrian,  in  721. 
In  1138  another  in  France;  in  1157  another  in  Spain;  in  1167 
another  in  Fez.  In  Arabia,  in  1167,  another  appeared,  and  was 
brought  before  the  king,  who  asked  the  pretender  what  sign  or 
miracle  he  could  show  in  attestation  of  his  power.  The  man 
replied,  "  Cut  off  my  head,  and  I  will  return  to  life  again."  The 
king  took  him  at  his  word,  and  the  head  was  cut  off,  but  it  never 
was  put  on  again  nor  life  restored.  Again,  another  appeared  in 
Persia  in  1174;  another  in  Moravia  in  1176;  another,  who  was 
also  an  enchanter,  in  Persia  in  1199  ;  another  in  Spam  in  1497; 
another  in  Austria  in  1500;  another  in  Cologne  in  1509  ;  another 
in  Spain,  burnt  by  the  Emperor  Charles  V.,  in  1534;  another  in 
the  East  Indies  in  1615  ;  another  in  Holland  in  1624 ;  another  in 
Smyrna  in  1666,  named  Sabbatar  Sevi,  who  raised  great  expecta- 
tions;  another  in  1682,  named  Rabbi  Mordecai,  a  German  Jew. 

THE   SEPTUAGINT   BIBLE   AND   NEW   TESTAMENT. 

Vast  difficulties  surround  the  settlement  of  the  orthodox  list 
of  books  of  the  New  Testament.  The  Old  Testament  was  not 
used  as  a  name  in  the  time  of  Christ ;  but  the  sacred  books,  or 
the  Law  and  the  Prophets,  were  the  modes  of  reference,  these 
being  read  regularly  in  the  synagogues  as  part  of  the  ceremonial 
of  public  worship.  In  the  third  century  before  the  Christian 
era,  the  Old  Testament  was  translated  into  Greek,  or  at  least 
was  begun  to  be  so,  in  order  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  Greek- 
speaking  Jews.      Ptolemy  II.  is  said   to  have  asked   the  high 


22  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

priest  at  Jerusalem  to  select  skilful  elders  to  make  the  transla- 
tion, and  a  copy  was  to  be  deposited  in  the  library  at  Alexandria. 
Some  think  the  word  "  Septuagint "  implied  that  there  were 
seventy  translators;  others  that  it  only  meant  that  the  work 
was  approved  by  the  Alexanch*ine  Sanhedrim .  The  translation  is 
said  to  be  defective  in  several  passages.  The  Septuagint  came 
soon  to  be  the  standard  version,  as  Hebrew  had  become  almost 
an  unknown  language  even  to  the  Jews  of  Palestine.  The  dates 
and  order  of  the  Gospels  have  also  given  rise  to  interminable 
controversies.  The  Apostles  all  gave  oral  recollections  of  the 
facts  of  Christ's  life  and  sayings.  The  expression  "  New  Testa- 
ment "  did  not  come  into  use  until  the  latter  part  of  the  second 
century.  A  canon  was  at  length  settled,  though  the  date  is 
uncertain,  expressing  the  authentic  collection  of  Christian  Scrip- 
tures. And  yet  the  earliest  known  list  of  books  of  the  New 
Testament  was  not  discovered  till  the  seventeenth  century  in  the 
Ambrosian  Library  at  Milan,  and  the  original  of  it  was  said  to 
be  of  the  date  of  150  a.d. 


ENGLISH    VERSIONS    OF    THE    BIBLE. 

Mr.  Dore  says  that  there  is  no  English  Bible  known  to  be  in 
existence  earlier  than  the  fourteenth  century.  But  the  Psalter 
and  other  portions  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  were  translated 
from  the  Latin  into  English  at  various  times  between  the  seventh 
and  fourteenth  centuries.  Three  versions  in  English  of  the 
Psalter  bear  a  date  soon  after  1300.  The  first  entire  Bible  in 
English  was  the  work  of  Nicholas  de  Hereford  and  John  Wyclifte, 
about  1380.  Tyndale's  New  Testament  was  printed  in  English 
about  1525,  and  he  died  in  1537.  Coverdale's  Bible  in  the  English 
language  was  published  in  1535.  The  Genevan  Version,  published 
in  English  at  Geneva  in  1560,  by  its  singular  rendering  of 
Gen.  iii.  7,  is  commonly  known  as  the  Breeches  Bible.  A  Roman 
Catholic  translation  into  English  of  the  New  Testament  was 
published  at  Bheims  in  1582,  and  later  at  Douai,  on  the  removal 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  College  to  the  latter  place.  King  James  I.'s 
new  translation  of  the  Bible,  called  the  Authorised  Version,  was 
first  published  in  1611. 


23 


CHAPTER   II. 
THE  DISCIPLES  AND   APOSTLES  OF  OUR  LORD. 

DEATHS    OF   THE    APOSTLES. 

St.  Matthew  suffered  martyrdom  by  being  slain  with  a  sword 
at  a  distant  city  of  Ethiopia.  St.  Mark  expired  at  Alexandria, 
after  having  been  cruelly  dragged  through  the  streets  of  that 
city.  St.  Luke  was  hanged  upon  an  olive  tree  in  Greece. 
St.  John  was  put  into  a  caldron  of  boiling  oil,  but  escaped  death 
in  a  miraculous  manner,  and  was  afterwards  banished  to  Patrnos. 
St.  Peter  was  crucified  at  Rome  with  his  head  downward.  St. 
James  the  Great  was  beheaded  at  Jerusalem.  St.  James  tho 
Less  was  thrown  from  a  lofty  pinnacle  of  tho  Temple,  and  then 
beaten  to  death  with  a  fuller's  club.  St.  Philip  was  hanged 
against  a  pillar  at  Hierapolis,  in  Phrvgia.  St.  Bartholomew 
was  flayed  alive.  St.  Andrew  was  bound  to  a  cross,  whence  he 
preached  to  his  persecutors  till  he  died.  St.  Thomas  was  run 
through  the  body  with  a  lance  at  Coromandel,  in  the  East  Indies. 
St.  Jude  was  shot  to  death  with  arrows.  St.  Matthias  was  tiist 
stoned  and  then  beheaded.  St.  Barnabas  of  the  Gentiles  was 
stoned  by  the  Jews  at  Salonica.  St.  Paid,  after  various  tortures 
and  persecutions,  was  at  length  beheaded  at  Rome  by  the  Emperor 
Nero. 

THE    APOSTLES    WHO    WERE    MARRIED. 

Eusebius  says  that  Clement,  who  lived  in  the  first  century, 
gave  a  statement  of  those  Apostles  who  continued  in  the  married 
state.  Peter  ami  Philip  had  children.  Philip  also  gave  his 
daughters  in  marriage  to  husbands.  Others  say  that  Philip  had 
four  virgin  daughters  who  prophesied.  Paul  does  not  demur 
in  a  certain  epistle  to  mention  his  own  wife,  whom  he  did  not 
take  about  with  him,  in  order  that  he  might  expedite  his  ministry 
the  better.     It  is  said  that  Peter,  seeing  his  own  wife  led  away 


24  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

to  execution,  was  not  displeased,  and  he  called  out  to  her  in  a 
comforting  voice,  addressing  her  by  name,  "  Be  sure  to  remember 
the  Lord  ! " 

PARTICULARS    AS    TO    ST.    MATTHEW   THE    APOSTLE. 

Levi  was  the  name  of  Matthew,  who  was  of  Jewish  extraction, 
and  was  born  in  Galilee.  He  was  a  publican  or  tax-collector, 
which  was  a  profession  odious  among  the  Jews,  as  it  reminded 
them  of  their  slavery  to  the  Romans.  After  the  Ascension  he 
preached  in  Judsea  and  the  neighbouring  countries  till  the  dis- 
persion of  the  Apostles,  and  a  little  before  the  latter  date  he 
wrote  his  gospel,  liis  object  being  to  satisfy  the  converts  of 
Palestine  :  while  Mark  wrote  his  for  the  Roman  converts ;  Luke, 
to  oppose  the  false  histories ;  and  John,  to  oppose  the  heresies  of 
Cerinthus  and  Ebion.  Matthew  afterwards  went  as  apostle  to 
the  East.  He  lived  sparingly,  ate  no  flesh,  and  was  a  vegetarian. 
He  was  in  the  south  and  east  of  Asia,  ended  in  Parthia,  and 
suffered  martyrdom  at  Nadabar.  He  was  said  to  be  honourably 
interred  at  Hierapolis.  His  relics  were  brought  to  the  West, 
and  in  1080  Pope  Gregory  VII.  said  these  were  kept  in  a  church 
which  bore  his  name  at  Salerno.  The  Apostles  each  had  some 
mystical  animal  as  an  emblem.  John  had  the  eagle ;  St.  Luke 
had  the  calf ;  Mark  had  the  lion ;  and  Matthew  had  a  man, 
to  denote  Christ's  human  generation.  The  primitive  Christians 
always  stood  up  when  the  Gospel  of  Matthew  was  read,  and  in 
many  places  candles  were  lighted,  though  it  was  day.  Thomas 
Aquinas  always  read  the  gospel  on  his  knees. 

PARTICULARS    AS    TO    ST.    MARK. 

St.  Mark  was  born  a  Jew,  and  was  said  to  be  converted  by  the 
Apostles  after  the  Resurrection.  He  became  attached  to  St.  Peter, 
and  was  called  his  disciple.  He  was  sent  by  St.  Peter  to  found 
the  Church  at  Aquileia,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  Bishop  of 
Alexandria,  then  considered  the  second  city  of  the  world  after 
Rome.  He  was  afterwards  a  martyr  there,  having  incurred 
suspicion  of  being  a  magician  from  the  miracles  he  worked.  He 
was  tied  and  dragged  about  the  streets,  and  thrown  over  rocks 
and  precipices,  and  died  in  68,  three  years  after  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul.  His  body  was  afterwards  conveyed  by  stealth  to 
Venice  in  815,  and  was  deposited  in  a  secret  place  in  the  Doge's 
rich  chapel  of  St.  Mark,  and  he  is  deemed  the  patron  saint  of 
Venice. 


Chap,  ii.]         THE   DISCIPLES   AND   APOSTLES   OF   OUR    LORD.  25 

THE   HOUSE    OF    ST.    MARK. 

Jeremy  Taylor  says  that  "  the  house  of  John,  surnamed  Mark 
(as  Alexander  reports  in  the  life  of  St.  Barnabas),  was  conse- 
crated by  many  actions  of  religion :  by  our  Blessed  Saviour's 
eating  the  Passover  ;  His  institution  of  the  Holy  Eucharist ;  His 
farewell  sermon ;  and  the  Apostles  met  there  in  the  octaves  of 
Easter,  whither  Christ  came  again,  and  hallowed  it  with  His 
presence ;  and  there,  to  make  up  the  relative  sanctification  com- 
plete, the  Holy  Ghost  descended  upon  their  heads  in  '  the  Feast  of 
Pentecost';  and  this  was  erected  into  a  fair  fabric,  and  is  mentioned 
as  a  famous  church  by  St.  Jerome  and  Venerable  Bede ;  in  which, 
as  Andrichomius  adds,  '  St.  Peter  preached  that  sermon  which 
was  miraculously  prosperous  in  the  conversion  of  three  thousand  ; 
there  St.  James,  brother  of  our  Lord,  was  consecrated  first  Bishop 
of  Jerusalem ;  St.  Stephen  and  the  other  were  there  ordained 
deacons ;  there  the  Apostles  kept  their  first  council  and  compiled 
their  Creed.'  " 

PARTICULARS    OF    ST.    LUKE    THE    EVANGELIST. 

St.  Luke  was  a  native  of  Antioch,  was  well  educated,  and  studied 
and  became  eminent  as  a  physician.  Some  think  he  was  converted 
by  St.  Paul,  and  he  attached  himself  to  that  apostle.  He  wrote 
the  gospel  in  57,  four  years  before  his  final  arrival  at  Pome. 
He  attended  St.  Paul  to  Rome  in  61.  After  the  martyrdom  of 
St.  Paul,  he  preached  in  Italy,  Gaul,  and  Macedonia.  It  is 
thought  he  was  crucified  at  Ela5a,  in  the  Peloponnesus,  on  an  olive 
tree,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  His  bones  were,  by  order  of  the 
Emperor  Constantino,  in  357  removed  from  Patras,  in  Achaia,  and 
deposited  in  the  Church  of  the  Apostles  at  Constantinople,  together 
with  those  of  St.  Andrew  and  St.  Timothy.  Some  of  his  relics 
went  to  Brescia,  some  to  Nola,  some  to  Findi,  and  some  to  Mount 
Athos.  The  head  of  St.  Luke  was  brought  to  Borne,  and  laid  in 
the  church  of  the  monastery  of  St.  Andrew.  Old  manuscripts 
of  the  Gospel  of  Luke  represent  him  as  surrounded  with  instru- 
ments of  writing. 

PARTICULARS    AS    TO    ST.    BARTHOLOMEW. 

There  have  been  differences  of  opinion  as  to  the  identity  of 
St.  Bartholomew,  some  being  of  opinion  that  he  was  the  same 
Nathanael  whose  simplicity  and  guilelessness  were  commended. 
He  was  chosen  one  of  the  Twelve,  and  was  a  witness  of  the 
Resurrection.     He  went  after  the  Ascension  as  an  apostle  to  the 


26  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

Indies  and  Persia.  He  was  afterwards  in  Phrygia,  and  Lycaonia, 
and  Great  Armenia,  in  which  last  place  he  was  crucified.  Some 
say  he  was  first  flayed  alive.  In  508  the  Emperor  Anastasius 
removed  his  relics  to  the  city  of  Duras,  in  Mesopotamia.  Soon 
after  they  were  translated  to  the  Isle  of  Lipari,  near  Sicily, 
in  809  to  Benevento,  and  hi  983  to  Rome,  and  are  deposited 
under  the  high  altar  in  the  Church  of  St.  Bartholomew,  in  the 
Isle  of  Tiber.  An  arm  of  the  apostle's  body  was  sent  to  Edward 
the  Confessor  by  the  Bishop  of  Benevento,  and  it  was  put  in 
Canterbury  Cathedral.  A  fine  statue  of  the  apostle  is  in  the 
cathedral  at  Milan,  representing  him  flayed  alive.  The  charac- 
teristic quality  of  St.  Bartholomew  was  zeal. 

PARTICULARS   AS   TO   ST.    THOMAS   THE   APOSTLE. 

St.  Thomas  was  a  Galilean  fisherman,  and  was  made  an  apostle 
in  31.  He  was  rather  slow  in  understanding,  but  of  great 
simplicity  and  ardour.  He  offered  to  go  to  Jerusalem  and  die 
with  Christ,  when  the  priests  and  Pharisees  were  contriving  His 
death.  After  the  Crucifixion  Thomas  refused  to  believe  the 
report  of  the  Resurrection  until  he  actually  saw  the  prints  of  the 
nails  and  felt  the  very  wound  in  Christ's  side ;  and  Christ,  in  His 
condescension  to  this  weakness,  allowed  him  to  satisfy  himself, 
whereupon  Thomas  was  prostrated  with  compunction.  After  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  Thomas  went  to  preach  in  Parthia, 
and  laboured  in  Media,  Persia,  and  Bactria,  as  well  as  India. 
He  is  said  to  have  suffered  martyrdom  at  Meliapor,  or  St.  Thomas's, 
on  this  side  the  Ganges,  on  the  coast  of  Coromandel,  where  his 
body  was  discovered  pierced  with  lances.  The  body  was  carried 
to  the  city  of  Edessa,  and  deposited  under  the  great  church  there 
with  veneration.  St.  Chrysostom  said,  in  402,  that  the  sepulchres 
of  only  four  of  the  Apostles  were  then  known — namely,  Peter, 
Paul,  John,  and  Thomas.  John  III.,  of  Portugal,  ordered  the 
body  of  St.  Thomas  to  be  searched  for  at  Meliapolis,  and  when 
digging  there  in  1523  a  deep  vault  was  discovered,  containing  the 
bones  of  the  saint,  and  part  of  the  lance  with  which  he  was  slain, 
and  a  vial  tinged  with  his  blood.  The  apostle's  body  was  put 
in  a  chest  of  porcelain  adorned  with  silver.  The  Portuguese 
built  a  new  town  about  this  church,  and  called  it  St.  Thomas's. 

PARTICULARS   AS   TO   ST.    SIMEON. 

St.  Simeon,  son  of  Cleophas  or  Alphseus  and  of  Mary,  sister 
of  the  Virgin,  and  cousin-german  of  Christ,  was  about  nine  years 


Chap,  ii.]         THE   DISCIPLES   AND   APOSTLES   OF   OUR   LORD.  27 

older  than  Christ.  He  succeeded  his  brother  St.  James  the  Less 
as  Bishop  of  Jerusalem  in  62.  The  Christians  having  been  warned 
to  leave  Jerusalem,  St.  Simeon  and  they  departed  before  Vespasian, 
general  of  the  Romans,  entered  and  burnt  the  city.  Heresies 
grew  up  in  the  Church  before  the  death  of  St.  Simeon.  He 
was  crucified  at  the  age  of  120,  having  governed  the  Church 
at  Jerusalem  about  forty-three  years. 


PARTICULARS   AS   TO   ST.    TIMOTHY. 

St.  Timothy  was  early  adopted  as  disciple  by  St.  Paul,  having 
been  in  his  youth  a  great  reader  of  pious  books.  He  was  made 
Bishop  of  Ephesus  before  St.  John  arrived  there.  Under  the 
Emperor  Nerva,  in  97,  while  St.  John  was  still  in  Patmos, 
Timothy  was  slain  with  stones  and  clubs  by  the  heathen,  owing 
to  his  opposing  the  idolatrous  practices  then  current.  His  relics 
were  conveyed  to  Constantinople  in  356,  in  the  reign  of  Constantius, 
and  with  those  of  St.  Andrew  and  St.  Luke  were  deposited  under 
the  altar  in  the  Church  of  the  Apostles. 

PARTICULARS   AS   TO    ST.    BARNABAS. 

The  Scriptures  contain  no  mention  of  St.  Barnabas  after  he 
separated  from  St.  Paul  and  sailed  for  Cyprus,  Some  say  he 
afterwards  went  to  Milan,  and  became  the  first  bishop  there. 
In  an  apocryphal  work  of  the  fifth  century,  it  is  said  he  suffered 
martyrdom  in  Cyprus,  beiug  stoned  by  the  Jews,  who  hated  him 
on  account  of  his  unorthodox  views.  The  apostle  was  buried  in 
the  island ;  but  four  centuries  later  his  relics  were  removed  to 
Constantinople,  and  a  church  erected  and  dedicated  to  him.  It 
is  said  that  at  the  discovery  of  the  relics  of  St.  Barnabas  there 
was  found  lying  on  his  breast  a  copy  of  the  Gospel  according  to 
St.  Matthew,  written  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  and  as  was  supposed 
in  St.  Barnabas's  own  hand.  The  relics  were  translated  in  the 
seventh  century  to  Milan.  Still  later,  it  was  said  that  the  body 
was  taken  to  Toulouse,  where  also  were  the  bodies  of  five  other 
apostles :  James,  the  son  of  Zebedee ;  Philip ;  James,  son  of 
Alphams ;  Simon;  and  Jude.  The  head  is  now  exhibited  there 
apart  from  the  body,  which  reposes  in  its  own  shrine.  Another 
head  of  St.  Barnabas  is  in  Genoa,  another  at  Naples,  another 
in  Bavaria ;  and  legs  and  bones  and  jaw  are  dispersed  in  other 
places.  There  was  extant  in  the  second  century  an  Epistle  of 
St.  Barnabas,  but  its  authenticity  has  long  been  discredited. 


28  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

PARTICULARS   AS   TO    ST.    TITUS. 

St.  Titus  was  born  a  Gentile,  and  seems  to  have  been  converted 
by  St.  Paul.  He  was  afterwards  ordained  by  St.  Paul  to  be  Bishop 
of  Crete.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-fonr,  and  died  in  that 
island.  His  body  was  kept  with  great  veneration  in  the  cathedral 
of  Gortyna,  the 'ancient  metropolis  of  the  island,  and  six  miles 
from  Mount  Ida.  This  city  was  destroyed  by  the  Saracens  in 
823,  and  the  relics  could  not  be  discovered.  But  the  head  of 
the  saint  was  conveyed  safely  to  Venice,  and  is  venerated  in  the 
ducal  basilica  of  St.  Mark. 

PARTICULARS   AS   TO   ST.    PHILIP   THE   APOSTLE. 

St.  Philip,  who  lived  at  Bethsaida  in  Galilee,  was,  when  called 
to  his  office,  a  married  man  with  three  daughters,  two  of  whom 
lived  virgins  to  a  great  age.  It  was  Philip  to  whom  Jesus  pro- 
posed the  problem  how  to  feed  the  multitude  of  five  thousand  in 
the  wilderness.  After  the  Ascension  Philip  preached  in  Phrygia, 
and  was  known  to  Polycarp,  and  attained  a  great  age.  He  was 
buried  at  Hierapolis,  and  his  relics,  it  was  believed,  often  saved 
the  city.  An  arm  of  St.  Philip  was  sent  to  Florence  in  1204 : 
the  body  was  said  to  be  in  the  Church  of  St.  Philip  and  St.  James 
in  Rome. 

PARTICULARS   AS   TO   ST.    ANDREW   THE   APOSTLE. 

St.  Andrew  the  Apostle  was  a  native  of  Bethsaida,  on  the 
banks  of  Lake  Gennesareth,  and  brother  of  Simon  Peter.  St. 
Andrew  became  a  disciple  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  heard  John 
hail  Jesus  as  the  Lamb  of  God.  Believing  there  was  some 
mysterious  significance  in  this  saying,  he  followed  Christ  wistfully, 
and  asked  where  He  dwelt,  whereon  Christ  bade  him  come  and 
see,  and  that  night  was  spent  in  His  company.  The  result  was 
that  Andrew  was  the  first  called  of  the  Apostles ;  hence  called  by 
the  Greeks  Protoclete.  Andrew  could  not  rest  till  he  had  told 
Peter,  and  he  was  also  called  as  a  disciple.  Jesus  once  lodged  at 
the  house  of  the  two  brothers,  and  healed  their  mother  of  a  fever. 
Andrew  was  specially  consulted  as  to  the  loaves  and  fishes  avail- 
able to  feed  the  five  thousand.  After  the  Resurrection  Andrew 
preached  in  Scythia,  also  in  Greece,  where  he  confounded  all 
the  philosophers.  He  went  also  to  Muscovy.  He  was  at  last 
crucified  at  Patrae,  in  Achaia,  and  some  say  it  was  on  an  olive 
tree.  His  body  was  carried  from  Patra3  to  Constantinople  in 
357,  along  with  those  of  Luke  and  Timothy,  and  deposited  in  the 


Chap,  ii.]         THE    DISCIPLES  AND   APOSTLES   OF   OUR   LORD.  29 

Church  of  the  Apostles.  Some  of  his  relics  were  taken  to  Milan, 
Nola,  and  Brescia;  and  the  French,  in  1210,  brought  some  of 
them  to  Amalphi.  It  is  a  common  opinion  that  the  cross  of 
St.  Andrew  was  in  the  form  of  the  letter  X,  styled  a  cross 
decussate ;  and  it  is  said  his  cross  was  brought  from  Achaia  to 
the  nunnery  of  "NVeaune,  near  Marseilles;  then  to  the  abbey  of 
St.  Victor,  Marseilles,  in  1250,  and  where  it  is  still  shown.  Part 
of  it  was  taken  to  Brussels  by  Philip  the  Good,  Duke  of  Burgundy, 
who  founded  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Pleece,  each  of  whom 
wears  a  St.  Andrew's  Cross,  or  the  Cross  of  Burgundy.  An 
abbot  of  St.  Andrew's,  Scotland,  also,  in  369,  brought  certain 
relics  from  Patrse,  and  deposited  them  in  a  monastery,  now  the 
site  of  St.  Andrew's,  and  many  foreign  pilgrims  long  visited  that 
church.  The  order  of  knighthood  hi  honour  of  St.  Andrew  was 
ascribed  by  the  Scots  to  King  Achaius  hi  the  eighth  century, 
and  James  VII.  revived  it.     The  collar  is  of  thistles  and  rue. 

HOW   ST.    ANDREW   BECAME   PATRON    SAINT   OF   SCOTLAND. 

When  Angus  MacFergus  succeeded  in  731  to  the  throne  of  the 
Picts,  he  had  several  enemies  to  subdue,  and  carried  his  forces 
across  the  Firth  of  Forth  to  fight  the  Saxons  of  Northumbria. 
A  monk,  Regulus,  at  that  time  brought  the  relics  of  the  apostle 
to  Scotland.  Previous  to  a  great  battle  in  Lothian,  St.  Andrew 
appeared  to  King  Angus  either  in  a  dream  or  during  the  battle 
with  the  figure  of  the  St.  Andrew's  Cross  in  the  air,  and  told  the 
king  that  he  (the  saint)  was  defender  of  his  kingdom,  and  that 
on  the  return  of  the  king  to  his  home  he  must  devote  one-tenth 
part  of  his  kingdom  in  honour  of  St.  Andrew.  Angus  gained  a 
great  victory  over  the  Saxon  general,  named  Athelstane,  who 
fell  at  the  place  now  called  Athelstaneford.  After  this  date 
St.  Andrew  became  the  patron  saint  of  Scotland,  up  to  which 
time,  as  Bede  says,  St.  Peter  had  filled  that  office.  The  church 
at  Hexham  and  the  church  of  St.  Andrew's  were  both  dedicated 
to  St.  Andrew,  and  both  possessed  relics  of  the  apostle. 

JAMES    AND    JOHN    THE    APOSTLES. 

James  and  John,  the  sons  of  Salome,  claimed  the  two  first 
places  in  Christ's  kingdom.  James  was  put  to  death  by  Herod. 
As  to  John,  he  alone  of  the  Apostles  attended  the  Crucifixion,  and 
was  harassed  by  the  spectacle.  In  his  old  age,  when  he  survived 
all  the  other  Apostles  and  governed  all  the  Churches  of  Asia,  he 
was  arrested  at  the  instance  of  Domitian,  and  then  taken  prisoner 
to  Borne  in  95. 


30  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 


ST.    JOHN    THE    APOSTLE. 

St.  John  the  Evangelist  and  Apostle  was  the  son  of  Zebedee 
and  Salome,  a  Galilean,  and  younger  brother  of  St.  James  the 
Great.  John  was  a  disciple  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  is  supposed 
to  have  been  with  Andrew,  when  the  two  left  the  Baptist  to 
follow  Christ.  John  was  the  youngest  of  all  the  Apostles,  being 
about  twenty-five  when  called,  and  he  lived  seventy  years  after 
the  Crucifixion.  He  lived  a  bachelor.  John  went  with  Peter  to 
the  sepulchre  on  hearing  the  news  from  Mary  Magdalene,  and 
he  outran  Peter  and  had  the  first  view.  He  and  Peter  returned 
to  their  fishing,  and  he  first  recognised  Christ  walking  on  the 
shore.  After  the  meeting  of  the  Apostles,  John  preached  first 
in  Jerusalem,  then  went  to  Parthia.  He  afterwards  took  charge 
of  all  the  Churches  of  Asia.  In  the  persecution  of  95,  John 
was  apprehended  in  Asia,  and  sent  to  Rome,  where  he  was  thrown 
into  a  caldron  of  boiling  oil ;  but  he  was  not  injured.  He  was 
afterwards  banished  by  Domitian  to  the  isle  of  Patmos,  in  the 
Archipelago,  and  there  he  wrote  the  Revelation.  At  the  death 
of  Domitian  in  97,  John  returned  to  Ephesus,  some  months  after 
the  martyrdom  of  St.  Timothy  there.  He  was  pressed  to  take 
charge  of  that  Church.  John  wore  a  plate  of  gold  on  his  fore- 
head, as  an  ensign  of  his  Christian  priesthood.  It  was  to  confute 
the  blasphemies  of  Ebion  and  Cerinthus,  who  denied  the  divinity 
of  Christ,  that  John  composed  his  gospel  in  98,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-two.  He  also  wrote  the  three  epistles.  He  died  in  peace 
at  Ephesus  at  ninety-four,  though  some  ancients  said  he  never 
died.  He  was  buried  on  a  mountain  outside  of  Ephesus,  and  his 
dust  was"  said  to  be  famous  for  the  miracles  it  wrought. 


AS   TO   ST.    JOHN  S   GRAVE. 

St.  Augustine  mentions  and  ridicules  a  tradition  that  St.  John 
ordered  his  own  grave  to  be  made,  lay  down  in  it,  and  went  to 
sleep, — still  sleeping  there,  as  is  manifest  by  the  heaving  of  the 
earth  over  him  as  he  breathes.  This  was  the  tradition  founded 
on  John  xxi.  22,  23,  where  Jesus  said  to  Peter,  "  If  I  will  that 
he  [John]  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  1  Then  went 
this  saying  abroad  among  the  brethren,  that  that  disciple  should 
not  die."  Some  afterwards  explained  this  by  saying  that  John 
died  without  pain  or  change,  and  immediately  rose  again  in 
bodily  form,  and  ascended  into  heaven  to  rejoin  Christ  and  the 
Virgin. 


Chap,  ii.]         THE   DISCIPLES   AND   APOSTLES   OF   OUR   LORD.  31 


ST.    JOHN    RECLAIMING    A    YOUNG    ROBBER    CHIEF. 

It  was  related  by  Clement  of  Alexandria  that,  when  St.  John 
was  at  Ephesus,  and  before  he  was  exiled  to  Patmos,  he  had 
taken  under  his  care  a  young  man  of  promising  character,  and 
whom  he  left  in  charge  to  a  bishop  during  his  own  absence. 
But  the  youth  took  to  evil  courses,  and  went  to  the  forest  and 
headed  a  band  of  robbers  and  assassins.  When  John,  on  returning, 
asked  for  the  youth  and  heard  this  account,  he  rent  his  garments, 
and  wept  with  a  loud  voice  at  the  faithless  guardianship,  and 
called  for  a  horse  and  rode  to  the  forest  in  search  of  the  youth. 
When  the  latter  as  captain  beheld  his  old  master  and  instructor, 
he  turned  and  would  have  fled  from  his  presence.  But  St.  John 
by  the  most  fervent  entreaties  prevailed  on  him  to  stop  and  listen 
to  his  words.  After  some  conference,  the  robber,  utterly  subdued, 
burst  into  tears  of  penitence,  imploring  forgiveness  ;  and  while 
he  spoke  he  hid  beneath  his  robe  his  right  hand,  which  had  teen 
sullied  with  so  many  crimes.  But  St.  John,  falling  on  his  knees 
before  him,  seized  that  blood-polluted  hand,  and  kissed  it  and 
bathed  it  with  his  tears,  and  he  remained  with  his  reconverted 
brother  till  he  had  by  prayers  and  encouraging  words  and  affec- 
tionate exhortations  reconciled  him  with  Heaven  and  with  him- 
self. It  was  also  related  that  two  young  men  had  sold  all  their 
possessions  to  follow  St.  John,  and  afterwards  repented,  lie, 
perceiving  their  thoughts,  sent  them  to  gather  pebbles  and  faggots, 
and  on  their  return  changed  these  into  ingots  of  gold,  and  said, 
"  Take  back  your  riches  and  enjoy  them  on  earth,  since  you  regret 
having  exchanged  them  for  heaven  !  " 

ST.    JOHN   AND   HIS    PARTRIDGE. 

There  is  a  tradition  relating  to  St.  John,  and  which  is  some- 
times represented  by  the  sacred  artists — namely,  that  he  had  a 
tame  partridge,  of  which  he  was  fond,  and  he  used  to  amuse 
himself  with  feeding  and  tending  it.  It  is  added  that  a  certain 
huntsman,  passing  by  with  his  bow  and  arrow,  was  astonished 
to  see  the  great  apostle,  so  venerable  for  age  and  sanctity,  engaged 
in  such  an  amusement.  The  apostle,  however,  answered  him  by 
asking  whether  he  always  kept  his  bow  bent.  The  huntsman 
replied  that  that  would  be  the  way  to  render  it  useless.  The 
apostle  then  rejoined,  "If  you  unbend  your  bow  to  prevent  its 
becoming  useless,  I  do  the  same,  and  unbend  my  mind  for  the 
same  reason." 


32  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

st.  John's  last  days. 

The  Syrian  legend  as  to  the  last  days  of  St.  John  says  that 
the  apostle  once  fled  in  fear  and  indignation  out  of  a  bath  that 
had  been  polluted  by  the  presence  of  the  heretic  Cerinthus.  It 
is  also  said  that  at  last  his  whole  sermon  consisted  in  these  words  : 
"  Little  children,  love  one  another."  And  when  the  audience 
remonstrated  at  the  wearisome  iteration,  he  declared  that  in 
these  words  the  whole  substance  of  Christianity  was  found. 
Many  reject  the  authority  of  Tertullian,  who  says  that  St.  John 
was  taken  for  trial  before  Domitian  at  Rome,  and  plunged  into 
a  boiling  caldron  of  oil,  from  which  he  came  forth  unhurt. 

TRADITIONS   OF   ST.    JOHN'S   TALK. 

Irenseus,  Bishop  of  Lyons,  in  177  had  been  a  pupil  of  Polycarp, 
who  in  his  youth  had  many  conversations  with  St.  John,  who 
died  about  100.  Irenseus  writes  to  a  friend  thus :  "I  can  tell 
the  very  place  in  which  the  blessed  Polycarp  used  to  sit  when  he 
discoursed,  and  his  goings  out  and  his  comings  in,  and  his  manner 
of  life,  and  his  personal  appearance,  and  the  discourses  which  he 
held  before  the  people,  and  how  he  would  describe  his  intercourse 
with  John  and  with  the  rest  of  those  who  had  seen  the  Lord,  and 
how  he  would  relate  their  words.  And  whatsoever  things  he  had 
heard  from  them  about  the  Lord,  and  about  His  miracles,  and 
about  His  teaching,  Polycarp,  as  having  received  them  from 
eyewitnesses  of  the  life  of  the  Word,  would  relate  altogether  in 
accordance  with  the  Scriptures.  To  these  things  I  used  to  listen 
at  the  -time  with  attention,  by  God's  mercy,  which  was  bestowed 
upon  me,  noting  them  down,  not  on  paper,  but  in  my  heart ; 
and  constantly,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  reflect  upon  them  faith- 
fully." Irenseus  says  Polycarp  told  him  the  story  of  St.  John 
and  Cerinthus.  Polycarp,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six,  was  ordered 
to  be  burnt ;  but  it  is  said  that  the  fire  would  not  consume  his 
body,  which  shone  like  silver,  and  he  was  then  despatched  with  a 
dagger.  The  Roman  pro-consul  had  ordered  him  to  forswear  and 
revile  Christ.  But  the  answer  was  :  "  Eighty-and-six  years  have 
I  served  Him,  and  He  hath  done  me  no  wrong.  How,  then,  can 
1  speak  evil  of  my  King,  who  saved  me  ? " 

A   MIRACLE   PERFORMED   BY   ST.   JOHN   AFTER   DEATH. 

A  miracle  attributed  to  St.  John,  and  represented  by  some 
sacred  artists,  related  to  the  Empress  Galla  Placidia.     She  was 


Chap,  ii.]         THE   DISCIPLES  AND   APOSTLES   OF   OUR   LORD.  33 

returning  from  Constantinople  to  Ravenna  with  her  two  children 
during  a  terrible  storm.  In  her  fear  and  anguish  she  vowed  to 
St.  John  that  if  she  landed  safely  she  would  dedicate  to  his  honour 
a  magnificent  church.  Both  events  happened ;  but  still,  owing  to 
there  being  no  relic  to  deposit  in  her  church,  she  remained  some- 
what dissatisfied.  John,  however,  took  pity  upon  her ;  for  one 
night,  as  she  prayed  earnestly,  he  appeared  to  her  in  a  vision,  and 
when  she  threw  herself  at  his  feet  to  embrace  and  kiss  them  he 
disappeared,  but  left  one  of  his  sandals  in  her  hand,  and  this  has 
been  long  preserved.  The  ancient  church  at  Ravenna  of  Galla 
Placidia  contained  some  mosaics,  now  vanished,  but  two  bas-reliefs 
refer  to  the  sandal. 

ST.    JOHN    AND    EDWARD    THE    CONFESSOR. 

The  English  monkish  chroniclers  have  also  a  legend  of  St.  John 
and  King  Edward  the  Confessor.  One  night  a  pilgrim  accosted 
the  Confessor  as  he  was  returning  from  mass  at  Westminster, 
and  begged  alms  for  the  love  of  God  and  St.  John.  The  king, 
who  was  merciful,  immediately  drew  from  his  finger  a  ring,  and 
delivered  it  privately  to  the  beggar.  Twenty-four  years  later, 
two  Englishmen,  returning  from  the  Holy  Land,  after  being 
asked  questions  about  their  country  by  a  pilgrim,  were  entrusted 
with  a  message  to  thank  their  king  for  the  ring  he  had  bestowed, 
when  that  pilgrim  begged  of  him  many  years  before,  and  which 
he  had  preserved  and  now  returned ;  and  further  to  say  this — 
that  "  the  king  shall  quit  the  world  and  come  and  remain  with 
me  for  ever."  The  travellers,  astounded,  asked  who  the  pilgrim 
was,  and  the  answer  was,  "  I  am  John  the  Evangelist.  Go  and 
deliver  the  message  and  ring,  and  I  will  pray  for  your  safe 
arrival."  He  then  delivered  the  ring  and  vanished.  The  pilgrims 
praised  and  thanked  God  for  this  glorious  vision,  went  on  their 
journey,  repaired  to  the  king,  delivered  the  ring  and  the  mes- 
sage, and  were  received  joyfully  and  feasted.  Then  the  king 
prepared  himself  for  his  departure  from  the  world.  On  the  eve 
of  the  Nativity  next  following,  being  1066,  he  died,  and  the  ring 
was  left  to  the  Abbot  of  Westminster,  to  be  for  ever  preserved 
among  the  relics.  This  legend  is  represented  on  the  top  of  the 
screen  of  Edward  the  Confessor's  Chapel  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
and  also  was  once  on  one  of  the  windows  in  Romford  Church. 

ST.    JAMES    THE    LESS,    APOSTLE. 

St.  James  the  Less  was  so  called  to  distinguish  him  from  the 
other  apostle  James,  either  from  his  smaller  stature  or  his  youth. 

3 


34  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

He  was  also  known  as  James  the  Just,  from  his  eminent  sanctity. 
He  was  the  son  of  Alphseus  and  of  Mary,  sister  of  the  "Virgin 
Mary,  and  was  some  years  older  than  the  Saviour,  his  cousin. 
He  had  as  brother  St.  Simeon  and  also  Jude.  Christ  appeared 
separately  to  James  and  John  and  Peter  after  the  Resurrection. 
The  Apostles  elected  James  the  Less  to  be  Bishop  of  Jerusalem, 
and  it  was  said  he  wore  a  plate  of  gold  on  his  head  as  an  ensign 
of  authority.  He  was  unmarried,  and  never  shaved  nor  cut  his 
hair,  and  never  drank  any  strong  liquor,  never  ate  flesh,  nor 
wore  sandals,  and  the  skin  of  his  knees  and  forehead  was  said 
to  be  hardened  like  a  camel's  hoof  from  his  frequent  prayers. 
He  wrote  his  epistle  in  Greek,  some  time  after  Paul's  epistles  were 
written  to  the  Galatians  and  to  the  Romans.  He  was  afterwards, 
in  62,  accused  by  the  Jews  of  violating  the  laws,  and  was  sen- 
tenced to  be  stoned  to  death  ;  but  he  was  first  carried  to  the 
battlements,  in  the  hope  he  would  recant  in  public,  and  on  his 
refusing  this  he  was  thrown  over  and  dashed  to  the  ground.  He 
had  life  enough  to  rise  again  on  his  knees  to  pray  for  pardon  for 
his  murderers,  and  was  then  despatched  with  stones  by  the  mob. 
His  body  was  buried  near  the  Temple  in  Jerusalem,  and  it  was 
said  the  city  was  destroyed  for  the  treatment  he  received.  His 
relics  were  brought  to  Constantinople  about  572. 

ST.    JAMES   THE   GREAT,    APOSTLE. 

St.  James,  the  brother  of  St.  John,  son  of  Zebedee  and  Salome, 
was  called  the  Great,  to  distinguish  him  from  the  other  apostle 
called  James  the  Less,  probably  from  his  small  stature.  St. 
James  the  Great  was  about  ten  years  older  than  Christ,  and  was 
many  years  older  than  his  brother  John.  St.  James  was  a 
Galilean  and  a  fisherman.  He  and  John  and  Peter  were  distin- 
guished by  special  favours,  being  admitted  to  the  Transfiguration, 
and  to  the  Agony  in  the  Garden.  Their  mother,  Salome,  in  her 
pride  at  their  devotion,  once  asked  if  they  were  not  to  sit,  one  at 
Christ's  right  hand  and  another  at  His  left.  After  the  Ascension 
James  is  Slid  to  have  left  Judsea  and  visited  Spain.  He  was 
a  bachelor,  and  very  temperate,  never  eating  fish  or  flesh,  and 
wearing  only  a  linen  cloak.  He  was  the  first  of  the  Apostles 
whos  uffered  martyrdom,  being  beheaded  at  Jerusalem  in  43 
by  order  of  Agrippa.  His  accuser  was  so  struck  with  James's 
courage  and  constancy  that  he  repented  and  begged  to  be 
executed  with  James,  who  turned  round  and  embraced  him, 
saying,  "  Peace  be  with  you,"  and  they  were  beheaded  together. 


Chap,  ii.]         THE   DISCIPLES   AND   APOSTLES   OF  OUR   LORD.  35 

The  apostle's  body  was  interred  at  Jerusalem,  but  carried  by  his 
disciples  to  Spain  at  Compostella,  where  many  miracles  were 
wrought  and  pilgrims  flocked.  His  intercession,  it  was  thought, 
often  protected  the  Christians  against  the  armies  of  the  Moors. 

ST.    JAMES    THE    GREAT    IN    SPAIN. 

The  apostle  James  the  Great,  after  Christ's  ascension,  as 
already  said,  went  to  Spain.  One  day,  as  he  stood  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ebro  with  his  disciples,  it  is  said  that  the  Blessed  Virgin 
appeared  to  him  seated  on  the  top  of  a  pillar  of  jasper,  and 
surrounded  by  a  choir  of  angels  ;  and  the  apostle  having  thrown 
himself  on  his  face,  she  commanded  him  to  build  on  that  spot 
a  chapel  for  her  worship,  assuring  him  that  all  this  province  of 
Saragossa,  though  now  in  the  darkness  of  paganism,  would  at 
a  future  time  be  distinguished  by  devotion  to  her.  He  did  as 
the  Holy  Virgin  had  commanded,  and  this  was  the  origin  of  a 
a  famous  church,  known  as  Our  Lady  of  the  Pillar. 

ST.    JAMES    AT   COMPOSTELLA. 

Another  legend  relates  that  a  German  noble,  with  his  wife  and 
son,  made  a  pilgrimage  to  St.  James  of  Compostella,  and  while 
lodging  at  an  inn  at  Tolosa,  where  the  host  had  a  beautiful 
daughter,  she  fell  in  love  with  the  youth,  but  he  refused  to  listen 
to  her.  She  then,  out  of  revenge,  hid  her  father's  silver  cup  in 
the  youth's  wallet,  and  next  morning,  on  discovering  the  loss, 
he  was  pursued,  accused  before  a  judge,  and  condemned  to  be 
hanged.  The  afflicted  parents  prayed  at  the  altar  of  St.  Jago 
or  James,  and  thirty  days  after,  on  returning  and  seeing  their 
son  on  the  gibbet,  he  suddenly  spoke  to  them,  and  said  he  had 
been  very  comfortable,  for  the  blessed  apostle  James  had  been 
at  his  side.  The  parents  at  once  hastened  to  the  judge  to  inform 
him,  and  he  was  sitting  at  dinner.  On  hearing  their  report, 
however,  he  mocked  them,  and  said  their  son  was  as  much  alive 
as  the  fowls  in  that  dish  on  the  table,  pointing  to  the  dish  ;  but 
he  had  scarcely  uttered  the  words  when  the  fowls  rose  up  full 
feathered  in  the  dish,  and  the  cock  began  to  crow,  to  the  great 
admiration  of  the  judge  and  his  officers.  Then  the  judge  rose 
and  went  to  the  gibbet,  and  released  the  youth  and  gave  him  up 
to  his  parents,  and  the  fowls  were  placed  under  the  protection 
of  the  church,  in  the  precincts  of  which  they  lived,  and  a  long  line 
of  progeny  after  them,  as  a  standing  testimony  of  the  miracle 
then  wrought. 


36  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

MIRACLES    OF   ST.    JAMES   THE   GREAT. 

When  the  apostle  James  the  Great  had  founded  the  faith  in 
Spain,  he  returned  to  Judaea,  and  preached  and  worked  miracles 
for  many  years.  Once  a  sorcerer,  named  Hermogenes,  set  himself 
up  against  the  apostle  to  compete  with  him,  and  sent  his  pupil 
Philetus  to  dispute  with  James.  The  pupil,  on  returning  and 
confessing  his  defeat,  was  bound  with  spells  by  Hermogenes,  who 
dared  James  to  deliver  him.  James  sent  his  cloak  to  Philetus's 
servant,  and  this  set  him  free.  Hermogenes,  being  then  enraged, 
caused  both  James  and  Philetus  to  be  bound  in  fetters  by  demons 
and  brought  to  him.  But  a  company  of  angels  seized  on  the 
demons,  and  punished  them  until  they  went  and  brought  Hermo- 
genes himself  bound.  On  James  declining  to  punish  him,  the 
sorcerer  felt  he  was  defeated,  and  cast  his  books  into  the  sea, 
and  became  a  disciple  of  James.  At  James's  death  his  body  was 
privately  carried  away  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  and  put  on  board 
a  ship  which  was  miraculously  directed  to  Spain.  During  the 
journey  they  touched  at  Galicia ;  and  Queen  Lupa,  coming  to  the 
shore,  found  that  the  body  had  become  enclosed  with  wax.  She 
brought  some  wild  bulls,  and  harnessed  them  to  the  car  to  tear 
it  asunder ;  but  the  bulls  were  docile  as  lambs,  and  drew  the  body 
straight  into  her  palace,  whereon  she  was  confounded  and  became 
a  Christian,  and  built  a  church  to  receive  the  body.  St.  James 
is  the  patron  saint  of  Spain  as  well  as  of  Galicia ;  and  the  church 
of  Compostella,  which  is  dedicated  to  him,  is  a  shrine  visited  by 
pilgrims  from  all  quarters.  In  some  of  the  pictures  St.  James 
is  represented  sitting  on  a  milk-white  horse,  encouraging  the 
Spaniards  to  fight  and  defeat  the  Moors. 

ST.    JAMES    OF    COMPOSTELLA   AND    THE    SCALLOP-SHELL. 

The  following  is  the  origin  of  the  emblem  of  the  scallop-shell 
at  Compostella.  When  the  body  of  the  saint  was  being  miracu- 
lously conveyed  in  a  ship  without  sails  or  oars  from  Joppa  to 
Galicia,  it  passed  the  village  of  Bouzas,  on  the  coast  of  Portugal, 
on  the  day  that  a  marriage  had  been  celebrated  there.  The 
bridegroom,  along  with  his  friends,  was  amusing  himself  on 
horseback  on  the  sands,  when  suddenly  his  horse  grew  restless 
and  plunged  into  the  sea.  Thereupon  the  miraculous  ship  stopped 
in  its  voyage,  and  presently  the  bridegroom  emerged,  horse  and 
man,  close  beside  it.  The  saint's  disciples  on  board  informed  the 
astonished  rider  who  it  was  who  saved  him  from  a  watery  grave, 
and  explained  to  him  the  Christian  religion.     He  was  converted 


Chap,  ii.]         THE   DISCIPLES  AND   APOSTLES   OF   OUR   LORD.  37 

and  baptised  forthwith.  The  ship  then  resumed  its  voyage,  and 
the  knight  went  galloping  back  over  the  sea  to  rejoin  his 
astonished  friends.  He  told  what  had  happened,  and  they  also 
were  converted,  and  he  baptised  his  bride  with  his  own  hands. 
It  was  noticed  that  when  the  knight  emerged  from  the  sea,  both 
his  dress  and  the  trappings  of  his  horse  were  covered  with  scallop- 
shells,  and  the  Galicians  ever  afterwards  took  the  scallop-shell 
as  the  sign  of  St.  James.  Those  shells  were  forbidden  by  the  Pope, 
under  the  pain  of  excommunication,  to  be  sold  to  pilgrims  at  any 
other  place  than  the  city  of  Santiago. 

PORTRAITS  OP  ST.  PETER  AND  ST.  PAUL. 

Lord  Lindsay,  in  his  "  Christian  Art,"  says  that  St.  Peter  was 
generally  represented  in  ancient  art  as  blessing  and  St.  Paul 
as  preaching, — the  former  with  white  hair  and  beard,  the  hair 
sometimes  plaited  in  three  distinct  partitions ;  the  latter  with  a 
lofty  and  partially  bald  brow  and  long,  high  nose,  as  characteristic 
of  the  man  of  genius  and  the  thorough  gentleman,  as  the  former 
is  of  the  warm-hearted,  frank,  impetuous  manly  fisherman.  The 
likenesses  may  be  correct ;  they  were  current  at  least  in  the  days 
of  Eusebius  in  the  fourth  century,  who  speaks  of  their  portraits 
as  then  of  some  antiquity.  A  portrait  of  St.  Paul  was  said  to 
have  come  down  by  tradition  from  his  own  time,  and  to  have 
existed  in  the  days  of  St.  Ambrose  and  St.  Chrysostom,  a  little 
later  in  the  same  century.  The  painter  Giotto  invariably  adhered 
to  these  traditional  types.  After  his  time  the  heads  of  living 
models  were  often  painted  for  the  imaginary  apostles. 

DEATHS  OF  ST.  PETER  AND  ST.  PAUL. 

There  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  time  and  place  of  the  death  of 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  The  earliest  writer,  St.  Clement,  Bishop 
of  Rome,  near  the  end  of  the  first  century,  alludes  to  both  as 
suffering  martyrdom  nearly  at  the  same  time,  but  does  not  state 
when  or  where.  A  later  writer,  Dionysius,  Bishop  of  Corinth, 
who  lived  in  the  middle  of  the  second  century,  says  they  died  in 
Italy  at  the  same  period,  and  tradition  of  a  later  date  specifies 
Rome  as  the  place,  and  that  Peter  was  crucified  by  Nero  in 
Pome  with  his  head  downwards,  and  the  year  was  67  a.d. 

ST.    PETER    AND    HIS    DAUGHTER    PETRONILLA. 

Though  the  precise  spot  at  Rome  where  St.  Peter  was  crucified 
or  slain  is  not  settled,  the  following  legend  obtained  currency. 


38  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

In  several  churches  at  Florence  and  Rome  the  legend  referred 
to  was  to  this  effect.  The  apostle  Peter  had  a  daughter  named 
Petronilla,  who  accompanied  him  to  Rome  from  the  East.  She 
there  fell  sick  of  a  grievous  infirmity,  which  deprived  her  of  the 
use  of  her  limbs.  And  it  happened  that,  as  the  disciples  were  at 
meat  with  him  in  his  house,  one  said  to  him,  "  Master,  how  is 
it  that  thou,  who  healest  the  infirmities  of  others,  dost  not  heal 
thy  daughter  Petronilla  1 "  And  Peter  answered,  "It  is  good 
for  her  to  remain  sick."  But  that  they  might  see  the  power  that 
was  hi  the  word  of  God,  he  commanded  her  to  rise  and  serve 
them  at  table,  which  she  at  once  did.  Having  done  so,  she  lay 
down  again,  helpless  as  before.  But  many  years  afterwards, 
being  perfected  by  long  suffering,  and  praying  fervently,  she  was 
healed.  Petronilla  was  wonderfully  fair ;  and  Valerius  Flaccus, 
a  young  Roman  noble  who  was  a  heathen,  became  enamoured  of 
her,  and  sought  her  in  marriage.  As  he  was  very  powerful,  she 
feared  to  refuse  him,  but  begged  him  to  return  in  three  days,  and 
promised  that  he  should  then  marry  her.  She  prayed  earnestly 
to  be  delivered  from  this  peril ;  and  when  Flaccus  returned  in 
three  days,  prepared  to  celebrate  the  marriage  with  great  pomp, 
he  found  her  dead.  The  company  of  nobles  thereupon  carried 
her  to  the  grave,  in  which  they  laid  her,  crowned  with  roses,  and 
Flaccus  lamented  greatly. 

ST.    PETER   WnEN   IN   ROME. 

When  St.  Peter  went  to  Rome,  it  is  said  that  he  lodged  in 
the  house  of  a  rich  patrician  named  Perdeus,  whose  wife  and 
two  daughters,  Prasceles  and  Prudentiana,  were  converted.  And 
during  the  first  persecution  these  daughters  devoted  themselves 
to  visiting  and  comforting  the  martyrs,  braving  every  danger 
and  suffering,  and  they  escaped  by  a  miracle.  St.  Peter  was  also 
said  to  lodge  at  Rome  hi  the  house  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla ;  and 
it  was  there  that  St.  Prisca,  a  Roman  virgin  of  great  beauty, 
was  baptised.  She  was  afterwards  thrown  to  the  lions  ;  but  they 
refused  to  touch  her,  and  she  was  at  last  beheaded.  St.  Peter, 
when  in  prison  at  Rome,  was  said  to  have  promised  to  heal 
Paulina,  the  sick  daughter  of  the  jailer,  named  Artemius,  if  he 
would  believe  in  the  true  God.  But  the  jailer  mocked  him,  and 
put  him  in  the  deepest  dungeon,  and  told  him  to  see  if  his  God 
would  deliver  him  from  that  depth.  In  the  middle  of  the  night 
Peter  and  Marcellinus,  in  shining  garments,  entered  the  chamber 
of  Artemius  as  he  lay  asleep,  who,  being  struck  with  awe,  fell 
down  and  worshipped  Christ. 


Chap,  ii.]         THE   DISCIPLES   AND   APOSTLES   OF   OUR   LORD.  39 

STORY    OF    THE    DEATH    OF    ST.    PETER. 

When  the  day  appointed  for  the  execution  of  St.  Peter 
approached,  it  is  recorded  in  the  legend  that  the  Christians  of 
Rome  urged  him  to  escape.  He  resisted  then  importunities  long, 
but  at  last  got  over  the  wall  of  the  prison  and  fled.  As,  however, 
he  approached  the  gate  of  the  city,  he  met  our  Blessed  Lord 
bearing  His  cross,  just  entering.  The  astonished  apostle  said, 
"  Lord,  whither  goest  Thou  ?  "  The  answer  was,  "  I  go  to  Rome 
to  be  crucified  afresh."  At  this  St.  Peter  was  smitten  to  the 
heart,  and  with  tears  returned  and  delivered  himself  up  to  his 
keepers.  The  church  of  Domine  quo  Vadis  is  believed  to  stand 
on  the  very  spot  of  this  meeting.  Peter  was  thereafter  scourged 
and  led  to  the  top  of  the  Vatican  Mount  to  be  executed.  He 
entreated  that  he  might  not  be  crucified  in  the  ordinary  way,  but 
might  suffer  with  his  head  downwards  and  his  feet  towards  heaven, 
affirming  that  he  was  unworthy  to  sutler  in  the  same  posture 
wherein  his  Lord  had  suffered  before  him.  His  body  was  em- 
balmed and  buried  in  the  Vatican.  The  small  church  being 
demolished  by  Heliogabalus,  Peter's  body  was  removed  for  a  time 
two  miles  off,  but  was  brought  back  before  the  time  of  Constan- 
tino, who  enlarged  and  rebuilt  the  Vatican  in  honour  of  St.  Peter. 
The  Emperor  is  said  to  have  dug  the  first  spadefuls,  and  to  have 
carried  twelve  baskets  of  rubbish  with  his  own  hands,  as  a  begin- 
ning, in  honour  of  the  twelve  Apostles.  The  relics  of  St.  Peter 
are  numerous.  The  chains  are  in  the  church  Ad  Vinculo, ;  the 
wooden  chair  is  in  the  Vatican.  The  sword  with  which  the  ear 
of  Malchus  was  cut  off  was  anciently  preserved  at  Constantinople, 
and  is  shown  at  Toledo.  His  cap  is  at  Namur ;  part  of  his  cloak 
is  at  Prague.  The  bodies  of  Peter  and  Paul  are  said  to  be  both 
in  St.  Peter's  Church  at  Rome. 

THE  CHURCHES  OF  ST.  PETER  AND  ST.  PAUL  AT  ROME. 

The  body  of  St.  Peter  was  buried  immediately  after  his  martyr- 
dom on  the  Vatican  Hill ;  afterwards  it  was  removed  to  the 
cemetery  of  Calixtus,  and  brought  back  to  the  Vatican.  The 
body  of  St.  Paul  was  buried  on  the  Ostian  Way,  where  his  church 
now  stands.  These  tombs  were  visited  from  the  first  by  crowds 
of  pilgrims.  Constantino  the  Great,  after  founding  the  Lateran 
Church,  built  seven  others  at  Rome  ;  one  of  these  was  the  Church 
of  St.  Peter  on  the  Vatican  Hill,  where  he  suffered  martyrdom. 
Another  was  the  Church  of  St.  Paul,  at  the  site  of  his  tomb  on 
the  Ostian   Road.      A  revenue  was  charged  to  maintain  these 


40  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

churches  out  of  the  spices  imported  from  Egypt  and  the  East, 
and  lands  at  Tyre  and  Alexandria  and  elsewhere  were  given  as 
possessions  for  the  same  purpose.  These  churches  were  built  in 
a  magnificent  style,  so  as  to  vie  with  the  finest  structures  in  the 
Empire.  St.  Peter's  was  rebuilt  in  part  in  1506  and  1626.  The 
richest  treasure  consists  of  relics  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  which 
lie  under  a  magnificent  altar  in  a  sumptuous  vault,  called  the 
Confession  of  St.  Peter  on  the  Threshold  of  the  Apostles. 
Raphael  and  Michael  Angelo  were  in  succession  the  architects. 
The  area  of  St.  Peter's  Church  is  700  feet  long  by  509  feet  wide. 

WAS    ST.    PAUL   EVER    IN    GREAT    BRITAIN? 

It  was  at  one  time  believed  that  St.  Paul  had  entered  Great 
Britain  as  within  his  mission,  and  preached  to  the  natives.  But 
Thackeray,  in  his  "  Researches  into  the  State  of  Ancient  Britain  " 
(1843),  comes  to  a  conclusion  in  the  negative  for  the  following 
reasons  :  (1)  There  is  no  mention  nor  even  allusion  to  it  in  the 
New  Testament ;  (2)  the  statement  of  his  friend  Clemens,  Bishop 
of  Borne,  to  the  effect  that  Paul  preached  to  the  utmost  bounds 
of  the  West,  is  far  too  vague  to  be  available,  and  seems  only 
a  hyperbolic  mode  of  expressing  the  magnitude  of  his  labours ; 

(3)  there  is  no  probable  allusion  to  Paul's  journey  to  Britain  to 
be  found  in  the  whole  range  of  literature  prior  to  Theodoret, 
early  in  the  fifth  century,  and  even  he  does  not  specify  Britain  ; 

(4)  there  is  no  mention  of  any  such  mission  to  be  found  in  our 
own  historians  prior  to  the  Norman  Conquest. 

ST.    PAUL   ON   AREOPAGUS,    QUOTING   A   POET. 

The  fact  that  St.  Paul,  when  addressing  the  Athenians  on  the 
summit  of  the  Areopagus  or  Hill  of  Mars,  quoted  a  Greek  poet 
for  the  saying,  "  Ye  are  also  his  offspring,"  has  led  scholars  to 
search  for  the  originals.  And  the  saying  is  found  in  two  poets 
who  flourished  before  the  Christian  era — namely,  Aratius  and 
Cleanthes.  There  are  two  other  quotations  (Titus  i.  12  ;  1  Cor. 
xv.  33),  traced  to  Epimenides  and  Callimachus.  Some  have 
inferred  from  these  quotations  that  St.  Paul  may  have  been 
familiar  with  the  poets  of  Pagan  antiquity.  But  the  researches 
of  scholars  tend  to  show  that  the  quotations  were  only  common 
sayings  of  the  period,  and  the  inferences  one  way  or  another 
as  to  the  Pagan  learning  of  the  apostle  are  mere  speculations. 
The  occasion  also  on  which  St.  Paul  spoke  on  Areopagus  has 
been   the  subject  of  discussion,  as  to  whether  Paul  was  at  the 


Chap,  ii.]         THE   DISCIPLES   AND   APOSTLES   OF  OUR   LORD.  41 

moment  charged  with  some  indictable  offence  against  the  sanctity 
of  the  gods,  or  whether  there  was  some  inquisition  held  by 
authority  in  order  to  include  Jesus  as  one  of  the  recognised 
divinities,  or  whether  it  was  merely  an  address  at  the  request 
of  the  keen-witted  Epicurean  and  Stoic  philosophers  of  the  time. 
No  certain  conclusion  can  be  arrived  at  on  these  moot  points. 

ST.    PAUL    AND    PLAUTILLA. 

A  legend  of  the  death  of  St.  Paul  relates  that  a  certain  Roman 
matron  named  Plautilla,  one  of  the  converts  of  St.  Peter,  placed 
herself  on  the  road  by  which  St.  Paul  passed  to  his  martyrdom, 
in  order  to  behold  him  for  the  last  time ;  and  when  she  saw  him, 
she  wept  greatly  and  besought  his  blessing.  The  apostle  then, 
seeing  her  faith,  turned  to  her,  and  begged  that  she  would  give 
him  her  veil  to  bind  his  eyes  when  he  should  be  beheaded, 
promising  to  return  it  to  her  after  his  death.  The  attendants 
mocked  at  such  a  promise  ;  but  Plautilla,  with  a  woman's  faith 
and  charity,  taking  off  her  veil,  presented  it  to  him.  After  his 
martyrdom,  St.  Paul  appeared  to  her,  and  restored  the  veil  stained 
with  his  blood.  It  is  also  related  that,  when  he  was  decapitated, 
the  severed  head  made  three  bounds  upon  the  earth,  and  wher- 
ever it  touched  the  ground  a  fountain  sprang  forth.  This  legend 
is  sometimes  represented  in  the  pictures  of  the  martyrdom  of 
St.  Paul.  The  church  of  San  Paolo  at  Pome,  where  the  body 
of  St.  Paul  was  interred,  rich  with  mosaics,  was  consumed  by  fire 
in  1823. 

ST.    PAUL   AND    THE    VIPER. 

Not  far  from  the  old  city  of  Valetta,  in  the  island  of  Malta, 
there  is  a  small  church  dedicated  to  St.  Paul,  and  just  by  the 
church  a  miraculous  statue  of  the  saint  with  a  viper  on  his  hand, 
supposed  to  be  placed  on  the  very  spot  on  which  he  was  received 
after  his  shipwreck  on  this  island,  and  where  he  shook  the  viper 
off  his  hand  into  the  fire  without  being  hurt  by  it.  At  that 
time  the  Maltese  assure  us  the  saint  cursed  all  the  venomous 
animals  of  the  island  and  banished  them  for  ever,  just  as  St. 
Patrick  banished  those  of  Ireland.  Whether  this  be  the  cause 
of  it  or  not,  it  is  said  to  be  a  fact  that  there  are  no  venomous 
animals  in  Malta. 

THE   HISTORY   OF   JUDAS   ISCARIOT. 

The  "  Apocryphal  Gospel,"  called  the  "  Arabic  Gospel  of  the 
Infancy,"  has  the  following  (chapter  xxxv.)  :  "  In  the  same  place 


42  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

there  dwelt  another  woman,  whose  son  was  vexed  by  Satan.  He, 
Judas  by  name,  whenever  Satan  seized  him,  bit  all  who  approached 
him  ;  and  if  he  found  no  one  near  him,  he  bit  his  own  hands 
and  other  members.  Therefore  the  mother  of  this  unfortunate 
youth,  hearing  the  fame  of  Lady  Mary  and  her  Son  Jesus,  arose 
and  took  with  her  her  son  Judas  to  my  Lady  Mary.  Meanwhile, 
James  and  Joses  had  taken  away  the  Child  Lord  Jesus  to  play 
with  other  children  ;  and  after  leaving  home,  they  had  sat  down, 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  with  them.  Judas  the  demoniac  came  nigh, 
and  sat  down  at  the  right  of  Jesus ;  and  then,  being  assaulted 
by  Satan  as  he  was  wont  to  be,  he  sought  to  bite  the  Lord 
Jesus,  but  he  could  not ;  yet  he  struck  the  right  side  of  Jesus, 
who  for  this  cause  began  to  weep.  Forthwith  Satan  went  forth 
out  of  the  boy  in  form  like  a  mad  dog.  Now,  this  boy  who 
struck  Jesus,  and  from  whom  Satan  went  out  in  the  form  of  a 
dog,  was  Judas  Iscariot,  who  betrayed  Him  to  the  Jews,  and 
that  side  of  Him  on  which  Judas  had  smote  Him  the  Jews 
pierced  with  a  spear  "  (Matt.  x.  4  ;  John  xix.  34). 


43 


CHAPTER   III. 

CHRIST S  CONTEMPORARIES— CLIMATE  AND 
SCENERY  OF  PALESTINE. 

THE    SAGES    OF    GREECE    AND    ROME    ON    CHRISTIAN    PRODIGIES. 

Gibbon  observes  that  during  the  age  of  Christ,  of  His  Apostles 
and  their  first  disciples,  the  doctrine  which  they  preached  was 
confirmed  by  innumerable  prodigies.  The  lame  walked,  the 
blind  saw,  the  sick  were  healed,  the  dead  were  raised,  demons 
were  expelled,  and  the  laws  of  Nature  were  frequently  suspended 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Church.  But  the  sages  of  Greece  and 
Rome  turned  aside  from  the  awful  spectacle,  and,  pursuing  their 
ordinary  occupations,  were  unconscious  of  anything  extraordinary. 
Under  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  the  whole  earth,  or  at  least  a 
celebrated  province  of  the  Roman  Empire,  was  involved  in  a 
preternatural  darkness  of  three  hours.  Yet  this  miraculous 
event  passed  without  notice  in  an  age  of  science  and  history. 
It  happened  during  the  lifetime  of  Seneca  and  the  elder  Pliny, 
who  must  have  experienced  the  immediate  effects  or  received  the 
earliest  intelligence  of  the  prodigy.  Each  of  these  philosophers 
in  a  laborious  work  has  recorded  all  the  great  phenomena  of 
Nature — earthquakes,  meteors,  comets,  and  eclipses — which  his 
indefatigable  curiosity  could  collect.  Both  the  one  and  the  other 
have  omitted  to  mention  the  greatest  phenomenon  to  which  the 
mortal  eye  has  been  witness  since  the  creation  of  the  globe.  A 
distinct  chapter  of  Pliny  is  designed  for  eclipses  of  an  extra- 
ordinary nature  and  unusual  duration,  but  he  contents  himself 
with  describing  the  singular  defect  of  light  which  followed  the 
murder  of  Caesar,  when  during  the  greatest  part  of  the  year  the 
orb  of  the  sun  appeared  pale  and  without  splendour.  This 
season  of  obscurity,  which  cannot  surely  be  compared  with  the 
preternatural  darkness  of  the  Passion,  had  been  already  celebrated 
by  most  of  the  poets  and  historians  of  that  memorable  age. 


44  FLOWERS  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

DEATH    OF    ZACHARIAS. 

Jeremy  Taylor  says  that  Herod  slew  Zacharias  between  the 
Temple  and  the  altar  "  because  he  refused  to  betray  his  son  to 
the  fury  of  that  rabid  bear, — though  some  persons,  very  eminent 
amongst  the  stars  of  the  primitive  Church,  report  a  tradition 
that,  a  place  being  separated  in  the  Temple  for  virgins,  Zacharias 
suffered  the  mother  of  our  Lord  to  abide  there  after  the  birth 
of  her  Holy  Son,  affirming  her  still  to  be  a  virgin ;  and  that  for 
this  reason,  not  Herod,  but  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  did  kill 
Zacharias.  Tertulliah  reports  that  the  blood  of  Zacharias  had 
so  besmeared  the  stones  of  the  pavement,  which  was  the  altar  on 
which  the  good  old  priest  was  sacrificed,  that  no  art  or  industry 
could  wash  the  tincture  out,  the  dye  and  guilt  being  both  in- 
delible ;  as  if,  because  God  did  intend  to  exact  of  that  nation  '  all 
the  blood  of  righteous  persons,  from  Abel  to  Zacharias,'  who  was 
the  last  of  the  martyrs  of  the  synagogue,  He  would  leave  a 
character  of  their  guilt  in  their  eyes  to  upbraid  their  irreligion, 
cruelty,  and  infidelity.  Some  there  are  who  affirm  these  words 
of  our  Saviour  not  to  relate  to  any  Zacharias  who  had  been 
already  slain,  but  to  be  a  prophecy  of  the  last  of  all  the  martyrs 
of  the  Jews  who  should  be  slain  immediately  before  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  last  Temple  and  the  dissolution  of  the  nation.  Certain 
it  is  that  such  a  Zacharias,  the  son  of  Baruch  (if  we  may  believe 
Josephus),  was  slain  in  the  middle  of  the  Temple  a  little  before 
it  was  destroyed ;  and  it  is  agreeable  to  the  nature  of  the  prophecy 
and  reproof  here  made  by  our  Saviour  that  '  from  Abel  to 
Zacharias '  should  take  in  '  all  the  righteous  blood '  from  first 
to  last  till  the  iniquity  was  complete,  and  it  is  not  imaginable 
that  the  blood  of  our  Lord  and  of  St.  James  then-  bishop  (for 
whose  death  many  of  themselves  thought  God  destroyed  their 
city)  should  be  left  out  of  the  account,  which  certainly  would  be 
if  any  other  Zacharias  should  be  meant.  In  reference  to  this, 
Cyprian  de  Valera  expounds  that  which  we  read  in  the  past  tense 
to  signify  the  future  :   '  Ye  slew ' — i.e.,  shall  slay." 

CHILDHOOD    OF   JOHN   THE    BAPTIST. 

Elizabeth  fled  with  her  son  John  the  Baptist  when  he  was 
about  eighteen  months  old  into  the  wilderness,  where  after  forty 
days  she  died.  His  father  Zacharias,  at  the  time  of  his  ministra- 
tion, which  happened  about  this  time,  was  killed  in  the  court 
of  the  Temple.  According  to  the  tradition  of  the  Greeks,  God 
deputed  an  angel  to  be  his  guardian  and  nourisher,  as  he  had 
formerly  done  to  Ishmael  and  Elias. 


Chap,  iii.]  CHKIST'S   CONTEMPORARIES.  45 

DEATH    OF   JOHN    THE    BAPTIST. 

The  Jews  ascribed  to  the  murder  of  John  the  Baptist  the  fate 
that  befell  Herod  and  Salome.  Herod,  in  journeying  to  Rome 
four  years  after  Christ's  death,  was  deprived  of  his  tetrarchate 
and  banished  along  with  Herodias  to  Gaul,  and  they  died  in  great 
misery  at  Lyons  or  in  Spain.  Salome  in  crossing  the  ice  in 
winter  fell  into  the  water  ;  and  the  ice,  after  parting,  joined  again, 
and  decapitated  her.  John  the  Baptist's  disciples  honourably 
buried  his  body.  It  was  said  the  Pagans  rifled  the  tomb  and 
burned  the  body  in  the  reign  of  Julian  the  Apostate ;  but  some 
of  the  bones  were  sent  to  St.  Athanasius  at  Alexandria.  In  396 
Theodosius  built  a  great  church  in  that  city  in  honour  of  the 
Baptist,  and  there  the  holy  relics  were  deposited.  The  head  of 
the  Baptist  was  discovered  in  453,  and  in  800  it  was  conveyed  to 
Constantinople;  in  1203  the  lower  jaw  was  taken  to  France, 
and  is  preserved  to  this  day.  Part  of  the  head  is  in  St.  Sylvester's 
Church  at  Rome. 

BURIAL   OF   JOHN   THE   BAPTIST. 

Jeremy  Taylor  says  that  John  was  imprisoned  in  the  castle 
of  Macheruns,  where  Herod  sent  for  him  and  caused  him  to  be 
beheaded.  His  head  Herodias  buried  in  her  own  palace,  thinking 
to  secure  it  against  a  reunion,  lest  it  should  again  disturb  her 
unlawful  lusts  and  disquiet  Herod's  conscience.  But  the  body 
the  disciples  of  John  gathered  up,  and  carried  it  with  honour  and 
sorrow,  and  buried  it  in  Sebaste,  in  the  confines  of  Samaria, 
making  his  grave  between  the  bodies  of  Elizeus  and  Abdias  the 
prophets.     And  about  this  time  was  the  Passover  of  the  Jews. 

CHURCHES    DEDICATED    TO    TOE    BAPTIST. 

Temples  were  dedicated  to  John  the  Baptist  in  the  first  ages 
of  Christianity,  the  earliest  and  most  celebrated  being  that 
known  at  Rome  as  St.  John  Lateran.  The  next  most  celebrated 
church  dedicated  to  St.  John  is  the  Baptistery  at  Florence, 
dedicated  by  the  Princess  Theodolunda  about  589.  In  this 
baptistery  every  child  born  in  Florence  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
faith  must  by  law  be  baptised.  This  renowned  church  is  decorated 
both  inside  and  without  with  miracles  of  art. 

PONTIUS    PILATE. 

Pilate,  after  ten  years  of  service,  was  disgraced  and  called  to 
Rome.  One  of  that  cloud  of  false  witnesses  who  sprang  up  every 
year  told  the  people  of  Samaria  that  he  knew  where  the  sacred 


46  FLOWEKS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

vessels  lay  hid,  and  fixed  a  day  when  they  should  meet  him  in 
thousands  on  Gerizim  to  dig  them  up.  Hearing  of  this  move- 
ment, Pilate  sent  troops  into  the  highways  and  villages  round 
Shechem ;  and  these  soldiers,  setting  upon  the  people,  slew  the 
innocent  with  the  guilty,  and  put  the  whole  body  of  Samaritans 
to  flight.  A  great  cry  for  vengeance  arose  in  Samaria  ;  the 
Senate  sent  an  embassy  to  Antioch ;  and  Vitellius,  a  man  of  craft 
and  policy,  wishing  to  stand  well  with  the  Jews,  put  the  govern- 
ment of  Samaria  and  Judaea  into  fresh  hands,  and  commanded 
Pilate  to  report  himself  in  Rome.  Here  we  lose  sight  of  him. 
Legends  make  him  a  suicide — some  in  a  Roman  prison,  others  in 
Gaul,  and  others  again  near  the  Lake  of  Lucerne,  on  the  summit 
of  the  mountain  which  bears  the  name  of  Mount  Pilatus. 

THE    DOINGS    OF    HEROD    THE    GREAT. 

About  sixty  years  B.C.,  Herod,  misnamed  the  Great,  had 
partly  by  bribery  prevailed  on  Antony  and  Augustus  to  make 
him  king  of  the  Jews,  and  Josephus  describes  his  visit  to  Rome 
on  that  appointment.  Herod  has  always  been  a  monster  of 
cruelty.  He  married  a  beautiful  woman  named  Mariamne, 
whom  he  put  to  death  after  being  the  mother  of  several  of  Ins 
children.  Then  he  had  a  fit  of  remorse,  and  frantically  called 
her  by  name,  and  ordered  his  servants  to  do  so.  Then  he  next 
slew  the  grandfather  and  brother  of  Mariamne,  the  latter  being 
ordered  to  be  suffocated  while  his  servants  were  engaged  in  a  bath- 
ing frolic.  In  his  old  age  he  was  seized  with  a  sudden  suspicion 
against  two  sons,  whom  he  accused  of  a  plot  against  him,  and 
after  some  wavering  caused  them  to  be  strangled,  and  some  three 
hundred'  who  sympathised  with  them  to  be  stoned  to  death. 
After  these  symptoms  of  madness,  a  year  before  his  death,  being 
alarmed  by  the  reports  of  the  visits  of  the  Magi,  and  the  pro- 
phecies of  the  birth  of  Christ,  he  ordered  the  massacre  of  the 
innocents.  He  died  a  year  after,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  of 
a  disgusting  disease,  accompanied  with  horrible  tortures,  having 
reigned  thirty-five  years.  In  order  that  he  should  not  die  without 
being  lamented,  he  had  ordered  a  large  number  of  the  chief 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  as  soon  as  he  was  dead,  to  be  slain  by 
his  soldiers.  He  died  enormously  rich,  and  even  Horace  refers  to 
his  vast  palm  groves.  There  was  a  lengthened  litigation  and 
appeal  to  Rome  about  the  division  of  his  estates  and  govern- 
ments. The  son  who  succeeded  him  so  misconducted  himself 
that  after  nine  years  he  was  banished  by  Augustus  and  his  wealth 
confiscated. 


Chap,  iii.]  CHRIST'S  CONTEMPORARIES.  47 

MARY    MAGDALENE. 

There  were  three  Marys — Mary  of  Bethania,  Mary  the  sister 
of  Lazarus,  and  Mary  Magdalene  ;  and  some  think  they  were  all 
one  person.  Most  of  the  early  writers  say  that  she  and  Lazarus 
and  Martha  left  Galilee  and  settled  at  Bethany,  and  there  Christ 
often  visited  them.  The  penitent  woman  and  she  are  by  some 
treated  as  the  same  person ;  but  it  is  at  best  only  a  conjecture. 
It  is  a  popular  tradition  that  Mary  and  Lazarus,  and  Martha 
or  Mary  their  sister,  were  expelled  after  the  Ascension,  and  put 
to  sea,  and  reached  Marseilles,  and  founded  a  Church  there,  of 
which  Lazarus  was  the  first  bishop.  The  relics  of  these  saints 
were  alleged  to  be  discovered  in  Provence  in  the  thirteenth 
century,  and  Mary  Magdalene's  were  at  St.  Maximius,  near 
Marseilles,  where  a  convent  now  stands.  Her  festival  is  kept 
July  22nd,  and  once  was  a  holiday  in  England. 

MARY   MAGDALENE    PREACHING. 

A  ProvenQal  legend  states  that  after  the  Ascension  Lazarus, 
with  his  two  sisters  Martha  and  Mary,  Maximius  and  seventy-two 
disciples,  also  Cedon  the  blind  man  whom  our  Saviour  restored 
to  sight,  and  Marcella  the  handmaiden  were  put  by  the  heathen 
in  a  vessel  and  set  adrift ;  but,  guided  by  Providence,  it  landed  at 
Marseilles  in  France.  The  people  were  then  Pagans,  and  refused 
to  give  the  pilgrims  food  or  shelter,  so  that  they  were  fain  to  take 
refuge  under  the  porch  of  a  temple.  And  Mary  Magdalene 
preached  to  the  people,  reproaching  them  for  their  senseless 
worship  of  dumb  idols.  And  though  at  first  they  refused  to 
listen,  yet  they  were  after  a  time  convinced  by  her  eloquence,  and 
by  the  miracles  she  and  her  sister  performed ;  and  they  were  all 
converted  and  baptised.  These  things  being  accomplished,  Mary 
Magdalene  retired  to  a  desert  near  the  city,  where  there  were  only 
rocks  and  caves,  and  she  devoted  herself  to  solitary  penance  for 
thirty  years,  weeping  and  bewailing  for  the  past.  She  fasted 
rigorously,  and  must  have  perished,  but  the  angels  came  down 
from  heaven  every  day  and  carried  her  up  in  their  arms  into 
regions  where  her  ears  were  ravished  with  the  sounds  of  heavenly 
melody,  and  where  she  beheld  the  glory  and  the  joy  prepared  for 
the  penitent  sinner.  One  day,  a  hermit,  having  wandered  near 
the  spot,  beheld  this  wondrous  vision  of  the  angels  carrying  the 
Magdalene  up  to  heaven  in  their  arms,  and  singing  songs  of 
triumph ;  and  after  recovering  from  his  amazement,  he  returned 
to  the  city  of  Marseilles  and  reported  what  he  had  seen.     Fra 


48  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

Angelico  has  a  most  interesting  picture  of  the  Magdalene  preach- 
ing from  the  steps  of  a  building  to  an  audience  composed  mostly 
of  nuns,  who  are  in  rapt  attention. 

ACCOUNT    OF    ST.    MARTHA. 

St.  Martha,  the  sister  of  Lazarus  and  Mary,  was  a  favourite 
member  of  that  family  whom  Christ  often  visited,  staying  a  night 
on  His  visits.  On  the  first  visit,  Martha  attended  to  the  practical 
details  of  hospitality,  while  Mary  was  intensely  absorbed  in  the 
spiritual  charm  of  the  conversation,  and  did  nothing  but  listen, 
and  yet  was  commended  for  this,  as  if  each  was  entitled  to  follow 
her  own  way  of  displaying  her  affection.  The  message  sent  at 
a  later  date  to  Christ  by  the  two  sisters  was  simply  this — "  He 
whom  Thou  lovest  is  sick "  :  they  knew  it  was  enough  to  say 
that  one  word.  On  the  last  visit  of  Christ,  Mary  poured  costly 
ointment  on  Christ's  feet,  which  Judas  Iscariot  said  was  a  shock- 
ing extravagance.  St.  Martha  seems  to  have  been  present  at  the 
Crucifixion.  After  Christ's  ascension,  she,  as  stated  under  the 
head  of  Mary  Magdalene,  went  to  Marseilles,  and  her  body  is 
deposited  in  a  vault  under  the  church  at  Tarascon.  King 
Louis  XI.  gave  a  rich  bust  of  gold,  in  which  the  saint's  head  is 
kept. 

ST.    VERONICA   AND    HER   HANDKERCHIEF. 

St.  Veronica  was  the  woman  who  was  healed  by  touching  the 
hem  of  Christ's  garment.  She  greatly  longed  for  a  portrait  of 
Christ,  and  brought  a  cloth  to  Luke,  who  was  a  painter,  to  make 
one.  But  he  tried  three  times  to  make  a  good  portrait  and  failed. 
And  Veronica  being  distressed,  Christ  told  her  He  would  help 
her  if  she  would  go  home  and  prepare  a  meal,  which  He  would 
take  with  her.  She  prepared  the  meal,  and  Christ  went  at  the 
time  appointed  ;  and  on  receiving  from  her  a  cloth  to  wipe  His 
face  after  washing  it,  He  pressed  it  to  His  face,  and  it  received 
a  miraculous  portrait  of  His  features.  This  He  gave  to  her,  and 
it  performed  afterwards  many  miracles.  The  Emperor  hearing 
of  these  miracles,  sent  for  Veronica  to  show  him  the  portrait. 
She  went  to  Rome  with  it,  and  was  received  with  great  honour, 
and  showed  it  to  the  Emperor,  who,  on  seeing  it,  was  immediately 
cured.  Others  say  that  Veronica  was  a  compassiosjate  woman, 
who,  seeing  the  drops  of  agony  on  the  brow  of  Christ,  as  He  was 
bearing  the  cross  to  Calvary,  wiped  His  face  with  a  napkin, 
or  with  her  veil,  and  then  she  found  His  likeness  miraculously 
stamped  upon  the  cloth.     She  afterwards  came  to  Europe  in  the 


Chap,  iii.]  CHRIST'S  CONTEMPORARIES.  49 

same  vessel  with  Lazarus  and   Mary    Magdalene,   and  suffered 
martyrdom  in  Provence  or  Aquitaine. 

HILLEL  RELATED  TO  JESUS. 

Of  the  Great  College  which  inspired  and  guided  Jewish  thought, 
the  chief  luminary  had  been  Hillel,  surnamed  the  Great.  Hillel 
was  a  Babylonian  Jew  by  birth,  though  in  blood  (on  his  mother's 
side  at  least)  he  belonged,  like  Joseph  of  Bethlehem,  to  the  royal 
line.  Hence  he  was  of  kin  to  Mary  and  Jesus.  Like  Joseph,  too, 
he  was  a  craftsman  in  one  of  the  noble  trades.  When  he  left 
the  Farther  East  for  Syria,  he  was  already  forty  years  of  age ; 
when  he  came  to  Jerusalem  and  entered  himself  a  student  in  the 
school  of  Menachem  the  Essene  and  Shammai  the  Pharisee,  he 
had  to  labour  for  his  college  fees  and  daily  bread.  He  sat  under 
Sammias  and  Pollion.  Each  of  these  eminent  scholars  had  risen 
by  his  virtues  and  learning  to  the  high  rank  of  rector  of  the 
Great  College.  Under  him  the  college  made  a  new  start  for 
fame.  He  invented  the  seven  rides.  A  thousand  pupils  entered 
his  classes  :  eighty  are  said  to  have  become  famous  as  men  of 
letters,  doctors,  and  scribes.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  a  huntlred 
and  twenty,  and  died  when  Jesus  was  fourteen  years  of  age  (in 
the  tenth  year  of  our  era).  He  may  have  been  one  of  the  doctors 
with  whom  Christ  talked  in  the  Temple.  Simeon  succeeded  his 
father  in  the  rectorship,  and  was  still  alive  when  Jesus  began  to 
preach,  and  died  two  years  after  the  Crucifixion. 

THE    SANHEDRIM    AT   JERUSALEM. 

The  Sanhedrim's  strength  had  been  reduced  first  by  Herod  the 
Great,  afterwards  by  the  Roman  governors  of  Judsea.  Herod,  on 
capturing  Jerusalem,  had  seized  the  whole  body  of  the  Sanhedrim, 
thrown  them  into  prison,  and,  with  two  illustrious  exceptions,  put 
them  all  to  death.  Around  Hillel  and  Shammai,  the  men  whom 
Herod  had  spared,  a  new  council  had  been  formed  ;  but  the  prestige 
of  the  Sanhedrim  could  never  be  restored.  Pilate  abridged  their 
rights,  taking  from  them  more  particularly  the  power  of  Life 
and  death;  yet  even  after  they  had  lost  the  right  to  torture 
prisoners  and  stone  offenders,  they  still  exercised  a  vast  authority 
in  Jerusalem,  and  in  every  other  Jewish  city.  Pilate  could  not 
dispute  their  jurisdiction  over  Jews,  however,  in  whatever  land 
they  dwelt,  so  long  as  they  did  not  encroach  on  the  civil  powers. 
The  Sanhedrim  comprised  three  classes — priests,  Levites,  and 
ordinary  Jews.  The  priestly  element  was  strong.  Caiaphas,  being 
the  official  high  priest,  had  a  right  to  preside.     In  his  absence 

4 


50  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  chair  was  filled  by  Simeon,  rector  of  the  Great  College. 
Whoever  filled  the  chair  Avas  considered  as  sitting  in  the  place  of 
Moses. 

THE    WORKING    MAN    IN    CHRIST'S    TIME. 

No  handicraft  could  be  followed  by  a  slave,  and  none  but  a 
freeman  could  learn  a  trade.  Some  trades  were  indeed  less 
eminent  than  others — to  wit,  the  art  of  a  tanner  was  condemned 
as  noisome ;  the  arts  of  a  barber,  a  weaver,  a  fuller,  a  perfumer, 
were  all  considered  mean ;  and  no  man  following  these  crafts 
could  be  allowed  on  any  pretence  to  serve  in  the  sacred  office. 
A  tanner,  like  Jose  of  Sephoris,  might  become  a  rabbi ;  he  could 
never  be  made  high  priest.  Not  so  with  the  craft  of  carpenter — 
a  craft  which  had  a  part  of  its  functions  in  the  synagogue  and 
Temple,  which  was  often  adopted  as  a  profession  by  men  of  noble 
birth,  and  which  enjoyed  the  same  sort  of  repute  among  the  Jews 
that  is  given  in  England  to  the  Church,  the  Army,  and  the  Bar. 

THE   PHARISAIC   NICETIES. 

The  Pharisees  were  so  rigid  that,  according  to  Buxtorf  ("  Syn. 
Judaica  "),  if  an  ox  or  other  animal  fell  into  a  pit,  it  was  deemed 
lawful  to  draw  it  out  only  when  leaving  it  till  Sabbath  would 
involve  risk  to  life.  When  delay  was  not  dangerous,  the  rule  was 
to  give  the  beast  food  sufficient  for  the  day ;  and  if  there  were 
water  in  the  bottom  of  the  pit,  to  place  straw  and  bolsters  below 
it  that  it  might  not  be  drowned.  The  same  author  states  that  it 
was  a  breach  of  the  law  to  let  a  cock  wear  a  piece  of  ribbon  round 
its  leg  on  Sabbath,  for  it  was  making  it  bear  something.  It  was 
also  forbidden  to  walk  through  a  stream  on  stilts,  because,  though 
the  stilts  appear  to  bear  you,  you  really  carry  the  stilts.  While 
scrupulously  observing  the  law  which  prohibited  the  cooking  of 
food  on  Sabbath,  they  did  not  by  any  means  make  the  holy  day 
a  day  of  fasting. 

THE    SIEGES    OF    JERUSALEM. 

From  the  time  Pompey  (63  B.C.)  captured  Jerusalem  and 
subjected  the  country  to  the  Roman  yoke,  the  Jews  were  always 
on  the  verge  of  insurrection.  In  65  A.D.,  when  Florus  the  Roman 
procurator  robbed  the  sacred  treasury,  and  brought  on  an  insur- 
rection, Bernice,  the  wife  of  Agrippa,  rushed  with  bare  feet 
through  the  streets  to  intercede  with  Florus ;  but  it  was  in  vain. 
In  69  a.d.  Titus  approached  and  besieged  the  city,  starved  out 
the  inhabitants,  and  destroyed  the  Temple.    Many  Jewish  captives 


Chap,  iii.]  JERUSALEM.  51 

were  afterwards  carried  to  Rome  to  swell  the  triumph  of  Titus, 
and  were  thrown  to  the  wild  beasts  or  forced  to  kill  one  another. 
The  triumphal  arch  of  Titus,  erected  soon  after  his  death,  remains 
to  this  day  in  Rome.  From  that  date  the  Jews  ceased  to  be  a 
nation,  and  were  dispersed  over  the  world.  There  are  no  clear 
accounts  of  what  became  of  the  Apostles  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem. 
Some  say  that  they  arranged  to  go  into  different  regions,  as 
Scythia,  Asia,  Parthia,  India.  Those  writers  who  profess  to  give 
later  accounts  of  the  Apostles  flourished  only  in  the  third  or  fourth 
century. 

DESTRUCTION    OF    JERUSALEM    IN    70. 

Not  long  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Jewish  War,  seven  years 
before  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  a  man,  by  name  Jesus,  came  to  the 
city  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  and  in  a  fit  of  abstraction  cried 
continually,  "  Woe  to  the  city  !  woe  to  the  Temple  !  "  He  alarmed 
the  authorities,  who  ordered  him  to  be  scourged  as  a  madman ; 
but  he  continued  these  exclamations,  and  during  the  siege  he  was 
last  seen  sitting  on  the  wall,  still  repeating  the  same  cries,  till 
a  missile  put  an  end  to  him.  The  Jews  rebelled  against  the 
Romans  in  66.  The  Christians,  remembering  our  Lord's  admoni- 
tion (Matt.  xxiv.  15),  forsook  the  city,  and  fled  beyond  the  Jordan. 
In  April  70,  when  the  city  was  filled  with  strangers,  the  siege 
began,  and  history  records  no  other  instance  of  such  obstinate 
resistance,  such  desperate  bravery  and  contempt  of  death.  The 
Castle  of  Antonia  was  surprised  and  taken  by  night.  The  famine 
was  so  severe  that  many  swallowed  their  jewels ;  a  mother  even 
roasted  her  own  child.  Titus  wished  to  spare  the  Temple.  But 
in  a  fresh  assault  a  soldier,  unbidden,  hurled  a  firebrand  through 
the  golden  door.  When  the  flame  arose  the  Jews  raised  a  hideous 
yell.  The  Roman  legions  vied  with  each  other  in  feeding  the 
flames.  It  was  burnt  on  August  10th,  70,  the  same  day  of  the  year 
on  which  the  first  Temple  was,  according  to  tradition,  destroyed 
by  Nebuchadnezzar.  The  sight  was  terrible.  The  mountain 
seemed  enveloped  in  one  sheet  of  flame ;  all  was  covered  with 
corpses ;  over  these  heaps  the  soldiers  pursued  the  fugitives. 
Josephus  says  the  number  of  Jews  slain  was  1,100,000,  and 
the  number  sold  into  slavery  was  90,000.  The  Christian  Church 
was  by  this  event  liberated  from  local  influences,  and  took  up  an 
independent  positiou  in  the  world. 

ANTIOCH   THE    FIRST   GENTILE    CHURCH. 

The  interest  of  Antioch  consists  in  certain  memorable  events 


52  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

having  occurred  there  in  the  first  ages  of  Christianity.  It  was 
situated  where  the  chain  of  the  Lebanon,  running  north,  and  the 
chain  of  Taurus,  running  east,  meet,  and  was  partly  on  an  island. 
It  was  here  that  the  Christians,  when  dispersed  from  Jerusalem 
at  the  death  of  Stephen,  preached  the  Gospel.  Here  was  the  first 
Gentile  Church  founded;  here  the  disciples  of  Christ  were  first 
called  Christians ;  here  St.  Paul  first  settled  as  a  minister  of 
the  Church  and  started  on  his  first  mission ;  here  St.  Paul 
rebuked  St.  Peter  for  conduct  into  which  he  had  been  betrayed 
through  the  influence  of  emissaries  from  Jerusalem.  Jews  were 
from  the  first  settled  in  Antioch  in  large  numbers.  The  city  was 
founded  in  300  B.C.,  and  became  prosperous.  The  citizens  were 
noted  for  scurrilous  wit,  and  for  the  nicknames  they  gave,  and 
perhaps  the  name  of  Christian  had  its  origin  in  this  disposition 
of  theirs.  The  modern  place  known  as  Antioch  is  a  small  and 
insignificant  town  of  6,000  inhabitants,  though  the  ancient  city 
was  supposed  to  have  had  a  population  of  200,000.  An  earth- 
quake destroyed  most  of  the  city  in  526,  and  again  in  583.  The 
Saracens  captured  it  in  635  ;  the  Crusaders  stormed  it  in  1089  ; 
and  it  fell  under  the  Moslem  rule  in  1286,  since  which  time  it 
has  dwindled  into  insignificance. 

PALESTINE   EXPLORATIONS. 

In  modern  times  the  geography  of  Palestine  was  chiefly  known 
through  the  works  of  Dr.  Robinson,  Burckhart,  and  Vande  Velde ; 
but  in  1864  a  society  sprang  up  in  England  for  the  purpose  of 
a  more  systematic  exploration.  Successive  expeditions  were  sent 
there  for  that  purpose.  In  1868  the  Moabite  Stone  was  discovered 
by  the  Rev.  F.  Klein.  It  is  a  block  of  basalt  about  3|  feet  by 
2  feet,  and  has  on  its  face  thirty-four  lines  of  writing  in  the 
character  known  as  Phoenician.  If  it  had  remained  entire,  there 
would  have  been  no  great  difficulty  in  reading  the  inscription ; 
but  when  the  Arabs  heard  that  the  Europeans  attached  great 
value  to  its  possession,  they  quarrelled  about  it  and  broke  it  up. 
About  two-thirds  of  the  fragments  were  afterwards  collected  and 
pieced  together.  And,  fortunately,  a  "  squeeze "  of  the  whole 
had  been  taken  before  it  was  broken,  and  a  translation  has  been 
arrived  at.  The  restored  monument  was  preserved  in  the  Louvre 
at  Paris,  and  a  plaster  cast  is  in  the  British  Museum.  The 
inscription  is  supposed  to  be  a  record  by  Media,  King  of  Moab 
(nearly  nine  hundred  years  before  Christ),  of  the  victories  and 
public  works  he  had  achieved.  Besides  the  Moabite  Stone,  the 
explorers  discovered  numerous  dolmens,  being  circular  terraces 


Chap,  iii.]  CLIMATE  AND  SCENERY   OF  PALESTINE.  53 

3  feet  high,  some  of  which  were  conjectured  to  be  burial-places ; 
also,  dolmens  being  flat,  table-like  surfaces,  probably  used  as  altars 
by  the  Oanaanite  tribes. 

THE  COURSE  OF  THE  JORDAN  TO  THE  DEAD  SEA. 

Mr.  Macgregor,  of  the  Rob  Roy  canoe,  traversed  the  upper  part 
of  the  Jordan,  and  arrived  at  certain  measurements,  which  have 
been  corrected  slightly  by  the  Palestine  Survey  Commission. 
From  the  source  to  the  Dead  Sea  it  is  200  miles  long.  The 
source  of  the  tributary  of  the  Hasbany  is  1,700  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  The  Dead  Sea  is  1,292  feet  below  the  level  of 
the  sea.  The  Lake  of  Tiberias  is  682  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
sea.  The  river  at  first  runs  20  miles,  then  falls  into  the  basin 
of  Hooleh,  4  miles  long;  then  runs  10  miles,  and  falls  into  the 
basin  of  Tiberias,  or  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  12|  miles  long  and 
8  miles  wide ;  then  runs  65  miles,  and  falls  into  the  basin  of 
the  Dead  Sea,  47  miles  long  and  10  miles  wide.  The  Dead  Sea 
is  1,278  feet  deep  at  its  greatest  depth;  the  Sea  of  Galilee  is 
165  feet  deep  at  the  greatest;  Hooleh  about  15  feet  deep.  The 
Jordan  ranks  in  size  with  the  Dee  of  Aberdeenshire,  but  is  rather 
less  rapid.  The  Jordan  has  nearly  the  same  rapidity  as  the  Clyde 
and  the  Tweed.  The  Dead  Sea,  called  in  the  Old  Testament  the 
Salt  Sea,  has  no  outlet  to  the  south,  but  gets  rid  by  evaporation 
from  the  surface  of  all  the  water  poured  into  it.  This  is  said 
to  be  the  most  remarkable  depression  of  the  kind  on  the  face  of 
the  earth.  There  is  no  port,  and  there  are  no  fish.  The  waters 
of  lakes  which  have  no  outlet,  such  as  the  Caspian,  the  Sea  of 
Aral,  Lakes  Balkash,  Van,  Uramiah,  and  the  Dead  Sea  ultimately 
become  more  or  less  saline.  The  excessive  saltness  of  the  Dead 
Sea  is  represented  as  24*57  lbs.  of  salt  in  100  lbs.  of  water  ;  while 
that  of  the  Atlantic  is  only  6  lbs.  of  salt  in  the  same  quantity. 

THE   SEA   OF   GALILEE. 

The  Sea  of  Galilee,  or  Tiberias,  or  Gennesaret,  is  pear-shaped, 
tapering  towards  the  lower  end.  In  its  central  part  it  varies 
from  60  feet  to  165  feet  deep.  It  is  12|  miles  long,  and  its 
greatest  width  is  8  miles.  Bethsaida,  now  called  Tabiga,  is  on 
the  upper  shore  of  Galilee,  and  consists  of  a  few  huts  and  mills. 
Some  hot  springs  here  flow  into  the  lake,  and  great  numbers  of 
fish  crowd  round  that  spot,  which  cormorants  and  gulls  watch  and 
feed  upon.  Here  was  the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes.  Here 
Christ  stood  in  a  ship  a  little  from  the  shore  and  addressed  the 
multitude.     There  was  also  a  Bethsaida  on  the  east  of  the  Jordan 


54  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

at  St.  Tell,  where  the  five  thousand  were  fed.  The  site  of  Caper- 
naum, as  related  (p.  62),  is  now  doubtful ;  but  Mr.  Macgregor 
thought  it  was  at  Khan  Minyeh,  about  a  mile  west  of  Bethsaida 
and  on  the  shore  of  Galilee.  Magdala  is  on  the  west  shore  of  the 
lake  near  the  middle,  now  called  Midgel,  and  is  a  poor  village 
without  beauty  or  cleanliness.  It  gives  the  name  to  Mary,  who 
is  known  over  the  whole  world.  Behind  Magdala  the  hills  rise 
abruptly  to  about  1,000  feet.  Tiberias  is  three  miles  farther 
down  the  west  coast  than  Magdala,  and  is  now  a  filthy  town, 
especially  in  the  Jews'  quarter.  Christ  seemed  never  to  have 
entered  this  town,  and  the  chief  reason  given  is  that  it  was  full 
of  foreigners. 

FISHING    IN    SEA    OF    GALILEE. 

The  boats  now  used  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee  have  dwindled  to 
about  six,  of  five  oars  each  ;  and  for  half  a  century  travellers 
seldom  have  seen  more  than  one  or  two  on  the  lake.  The  fish  in 
the  lake  were  said  by  Macgregor  to  be  the  carp  and  the  cat-fish, 
or  coracinus.  When  Dr.  Tristram  visited  the  country  in  1869,  he 
found  a  mode  of  fishing  in  vogue  which  was  to  scatter  poisoned 
bread  crumbs,  which  caused  the  fish  to  die  and  float  on  the  surface 
in  large  shoals.  He  was  told  that  there  were  fourteen  species  of 
fish  in  the  lake,  but  only  three  sorts  were  eatable.  He  also  saw 
a  man  wade  in  naked  to  guide  his  seine  net  round,  and  then  draw 
it  ashore.  The  storms  or  squalls  on  the  Sea  of  Tiberias  are  often 
violent,  and  this  is  said  to  be  owing  to  its  depth  below  the  level  of 
the  sea,  where  the  ah"  is  so  rarefied  and  causes  a  gap  in  the  con- 
tinuity of  the  atmosphere.  The  steep  place  where  the  herd  of 
swine  ran  down  into  the  Sea  of  Tiberias  is  judged  to  be  at  Kersa, 
directly  opposite  to  Magdala. 

THE  SOURCES  OF  THE  JORDAN. 

Mr.  Macgregor,  with  the  Rob  Roy  canoe,  about  the  year  1868 
explored  the  sources  of  the  Jordan,  which  are  three.  One  is  the 
Hasbany,  due  north,  near  which  is  the  Pool  of  Fuarr,  which  the 
natives  all  believed  to  be  1,000  feet  deep,  being  unapproachable 
by  them ;  but  when  sounded  it  was  only  1 1  feet  deep.  There 
is  a  weir  made  to  form  this  pool,  and  to  supply  a  mill  near  this 
point,  and  also  a  bridge  with  two  arches  crosses  the  stream  a 
little  lower  down.  Two  miles  to  the  east  of  the  Hasbany  is 
another  source  of  the  Jordan,  called  the  Leddan ;  and  on  the  east 
bank  is  a  mound,  about  30  feet  high  and  600  feet  wide,  said  to 
have  been  once  the  town  of  Dan,  where  Jeroboam  set  up  the  idol 


Chap,  iii]  CLIMATE   AND   SCENERY   OF  PALESTINE.  55 

(1  Kings  xii.  28).  Near  this  spot  is  an  impenetrable  thicket, 
covering  a  pool  100  fret  wide,  supplied  by  a  subterranean  stream. 
The  natives  believed  the  pool  bottomless,  but  it  was  found  by  the 
Rob  Roy  to  be  only  5  feet  deep.  This  pool  also  supplies  a  mill. 
About  fourteen  miles  farther  east  is  the  third  source  of  the 
Jordan,  issuing  out  of  a  cavern  at  the  village  of  Banias,  which 
was  once  the  town  of  Caesarea  Philippi,  where  Christ  asked  His 
disciples  who  they  thought  He  was.  Near  this  spot  was  supposed 
to  be  the  scene  of  the  Transfiguration.  Near  this  also  are  the 
vast  ruins  of  the  Castle  of  Subeibeh,  built  by  the  Herods,  and 
held  by  the  Crusaders.     It  is  1,500  feet  above  the  plain. 

THE  HOOLEH,  OR  WATERS  OF  MEROM. 

The  three  sources  of  the  Jordan — the  Hasbany,  the  Leddan, 
and  the  Banias — unite,  after  running  about  12  miles,  at  a  place 
called  Tell  Sheik  Yusuf .  The  Banias  is  about  70  feet  wide  before 
it  reaches  this  point,  and  the  banks  are  20  feet  high  and  abrupt. 
The  united  river  is  called  the  Jordan  from  this  point,  being  then 
about  100  feet  wide,  and  8  or  9  feet  deep.  After  running 
about  6  miles,  the  river  becomes  dispersed  into  small  channels, 
and  these  are  soon  lost  in  a  vast  morass,  called  the  Hooleh,  or 
Waters  of  Merom,  choked  with  reeds  and  papyrus,  and  swarm- 
ing with  leeches.  These  obstacles  prevent  even  a  canoe  passing. 
The  passage  being  thus  blocked  for  half  a  mile,  the  water  is  again 
collected  in  a  central  pool  or  lake  about  00  yards  wide.  A  clear 
channel  of  a  100  feet  wide  and  10  feet  deep  flows  from  this  pool, 
between  thick  walls  of  papyrus,  which  grows  to  a  height  of  15  feet 
above  the  water.  And  this  is  said  now  to  be  the  largest  papyrus 
ground  in  the  world.  Pelicans  and  water-fowl  abound  in  Hooleh, 
and  Mr.  Macgregor  killed  a  pelican  which  measured  10  feet  between 
the  tips  of  the  extended  wings.  The  Hooleh  lake,  or  that  part 
of  it  which  is  clear  of  the  papyrus,  is  about  4  miles  wide  and 
6  miles  long,  tapering  to  a  point  at  the  lower  end,  where  the 
Jordan  agahi  issues  as  a  river.  The  lake  is  not  deeper  than  15 
feet,  and  is  more  usually  9  and  10  feet  only.  The  Jordan,  on  its 
issuing  from  Hooleh,  is  about  60  feet  wide  ;  and  after  running 
10  miles  very  rapidly,  falls  into  the  Sea  of  Tiberias  or  Galilee, 
or  Lake  of  Gennesaret. 

THE    RIVERS    OP    DAMASCUS. 

When  Naaman  the  Syrian  went  to  Elisha  to  be  healed  of 
leprosy,  and  was  told  to  wash  seven  times  in  the  Jordan,  he 


56  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

exclaimed,  "  Are  not  Abana  and  Pharpar,  the  rivers  of  Damascus, 
better  than  all  the  waters  of  Israel  1  "  In  1868  Mr.  Macgregor, 
with  the  Rob  Roy  canoe,  visited  these  places.  Damascus  was 
picturesque  in  its  situation,  but  the  houses  and  people  exceedingly- 
dirty.  It  is  said  to  be  the  oldest  inhabited  city  in  the  world. 
Vines  and  orange  trees  relieve  the  mud  walls,  but  there  is  nothing 
really  beautiful  except  the  scenery  surrounding  this  city.  The 
population  is  said  to  be  now  150,000.  The  river  rises  a  little  to 
the  east  of  the  source  of  the  Jordan  out  of  the  Anti-Lebanon 
Mountains,  and  flows  due  east  past  Damascus.  It  is  a  deep  and 
rapid  river  about  sixty  feet  wide,  with  high  banks,  without  trees, 
and  with  fruitful  plains  on  each  side.  Tortoises  and  land  crabs 
abound.  The  Rob  Roy  canoe  sailed  down  to  the  Tell  of  Salahiyeh, 
which  is  a  small  green  hill  like  Primrose  Hill,  near  London. 
There  are  many  canals  used  for  irrigation  in  the  course  of  the 
river.  The  river  then  divides  into  three  branches,  on  one  of 
which  is  the  spot  known  as  Abraham's  Well,  now  called  the 
village  of  Harran.  These  three  branches  become  lost  in  a  large 
morass  called  Ateibah.  The  Rob  Roy  explored  this  morass,  and 
found  it  perfectly  still  water,  choked  with  reeds  and  osiers  about 
five  feet  high.  The  natives  never  go  into  it,  believing  some  of 
the  pools  to  be  bottomless.  The  morass  or  lake  is  of  a  double 
form,  and  the  whole  is  about  fourteen  miles  long  and  four  miles 
wide,  seldom  visited  except  for  wild  ducks  and  the  myriads  of 
other  fowl  which  are  the  only  active  inhabitants  of  the  spot,  and 
make  the  only  noise  that  can  be  heard.  A  few  villages  are  dotted 
over  the  surrounding  plains.  The  river  Pharpar  flows  parallel 
to  the  Abana  in  a  line  about  twelve  miles  more  to  the  south.  It 
also  runs,  into  a  large  morass,  south  of  which  is  the  land  of 
Bashan.  Here  wild  boars  have  their  tracks  through  the  reeds. 
The  "  bulls  of  Bashan  "  are  shaggy  buffaloes,  which  stand  up  to 
their  middle  in  the  marshes  enjoying  the  coolness,  till  the  Arab 
herdsman  with  a  long  stick  drives  them  away,  when  they  bellow 
and  snort,  raise  their  tails  and  scamper  off,  spreading  terror  all 
round. 

POPULOUSNESS    OF    GALILEE    IN    CHRIST'S    TIME. 

According  to  Josephus,  who  lived  a  few  years  after  the 
Crucifixion,  the  populousness  of  Galilee  was  far  before  most 
other  regions  of  the  world.  He  says  that  in  a  district  of  between 
fifty  and  sixty  miles  long,  and  sixty  or  seventy  miles  broad,  there 
were  no  less  than  204  cities  and  villages,  the  least  of  which  con- 
tained 15,000  souls.     If  this  were  true,  then,  leaving  out  of  view 


Chap,  ili.]  CLIMATE   AND   SCENERY   OF   PALESTINE.  57 

the  straggling  villages,  the  population  of  the  province  would 
amount  to  the  incredible  number  of  3.060,000.  There  were, 
according  to  Strabo,  many  Egyptians,  Arabians,  and  Phoenicians 
in  Galilee  about  that  period. 

CLIMATE    OF    PALESTINE. 

Major  Conder,  engaged  in  the  survey  of  Palestine  about  1874, 
said  that  Palestine  is  still  a  land  of  corn,  wine,  and  oil,  as  of  yore, 
and  sheep  are  still  fed  in  the  same  pastoral  regions;  the  same 
vineyards  are  still  famous ;  the  corn  of  its  plains  still  yields 
a  hundred-fold.  Plagues,  famines,  fever,  and  leprosy  still  are 
common.  There  are  still  the  former  and  the  latter  rains ;  and 
the  rose  of  Sharon  has  not  withered;  the  purple  iris  is  still  royally 
robed.  Except  in  the  disappearance  of  the  lion  and  the  wild 
bull  there  is  no  change  in  the  fauna.  The  deer,  the  antelope, 
the  fox,  the  wolf,  the  hyaena,  the  jackal,  the  ostrich,  and  the 
crocodile  still  survive  in  the  wilder  part  of  the  land,  and  the 
great  boar,  the  leopard,  the  wild  goat,  and  the  wild  ass.  The 
corn  ripens  even  in  April  in  the  Jordan  Valley,  and  in  May  on 
the  hills  ;  and  the  olive  harvest  and  the  vintage  follow  in  the 
early  autumn.  In  January  comes  the  snow,  with  ice  and  hail. 
In  one  year  in  Jerusalem  there  were  seven  falls  of  snow. 

MOUNT    HERMON. 

Mount  Hermon,  the  second  mountain  in  Syria,  is  a  range  of 
hills  lying  east  and  west,  all  on  the  east  side  of  the  source  of 
the  Jordan,  often  called  the  Anti-Lebanon.  The  highest  cone  is 
entirely  naked.  The  snow  never  disappears  from  the  summit, 
though  in  the  height  of  summer  it  melts  here  and  there,  except 
in  the  ravines  radiating  from  the  top.  The  parallel  range  in  an  st 
the  Mediterranean  is  called  the  Lebanon  ;  and  Mount  Lebanon,  the 
highest  part,  is  snow-capped  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  The 
range  decreases  in  elevation  southward.  The  average  height  of 
both  ranges,  exclusive  of  the  peaks,  is  1,500  to  1,800  feet.  The 
range  is  rugged,  consisting  of  deep  fissures,  precipices,  towering 
rocks,  and  ravines.  The  forests  of  Lebanon  consist  of  the  cedars 
of  Lebanon  and  a  great  variety  of  trees ;  but  the  cedars  have 
dwindled  to  about  1,400.  In  the  lower  valleys  and  plains  fig 
trees  cling  to  the  rocks,  mulberries  are  cultivated  in  rows  on 
step-like  terraces,  vines  also  are  trained  along  narrow  ledges,  and 
dense  groves  of  olives  occupy  the  lower  parts  of  the  glens.  The 
date  palm,  once  abundant,  is  now  almost  extinct. 


58  FLOWERS  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

THE    LILIES    OF    THE    FIELD. 

Considerable  variety  of  opinion  has  existed  as  to  the  precise 
flower  which  Christ  alluded  to  in  the  ever-memorable  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  (Matt.  vi.  28).  Some  have  thought  it  must  have 
been  the  rose ;  but  the  Septuagint  translated  the  same  word 
into  lily,  and  this  is  considered  the  standard  meaning.  Father 
Souciet  laboured  to  prove  it  ought  to  be  the  crown  imperial,  a 
plant  common  in  Persia.  Whatever  flower  was  indicated,  it  was 
no  doubt  conspicuous  and  beautiful,  as  well  as  common.  There 
are  red  or  purple  and  white  lilies ;  and  probably  the  scarlet  or 
purple  colour  was  the  one  referred  to,  called  the  scarlet  martagon, 
which  grows  in  profusion  in  the  Levant,  and  in  the  district  of 
Galilee  in  April  and  May.  The  purple  flowers  of  the  khob  or 
wild  artichoke,  which  abounds  in  the  plains  north  of  Tabor,  are 
thought  by  some  to  be  the  lilies  of  the  field.  A  recent  traveller 
also  introduces  to  notice  a  plant  with  lilac  flowers  like  the  hyacinth, 
which  he  thought  probably  the  flower  meant.  Dean  Stanley  says 
the  only  lilies  he  saw  in  Palestine  were  the  large  yellow  water- 
lilies  near  Lake  Merom.  Mr.  Thompson,  in  "  The  Land  and  the 
Book,"  seems  to  prefer  a  large  species  of  lily  which  grows  among 
thorns,  and  is  fed  upon  by  the  gazelles.  He  calls  the  colour 
gorgeous,  but  does  not  state  what  the  colour  is.  The  anemone 
coronaria  is  also  noticed  by  Mr.  John  Smith,  of  Kew,  with  its 
brilliant  colours,  growing  everywhere,  and  is  abundant  on  the 
Mount  of  Olives.  The  lily  of  the  valley,  as  known  in  England, 
is  not  a  native  of  Palestine,  and  is  not  the  flower  of  that  name 
mentioned  in  the  Bible. 

WAYSIDE   CEREALS,    FRUITS,   AND   FLOWERS    OF   PALESTINE. 

The  most  substantial  as  well  as  ordinary  corn  and  fruits  of 
Palestine  are,  and  probably  were  in  our  Lord's  time,  wheat, 
maize,  lentils,  barley,  vines,  olives,  figs,  and  pomegranates. 
The  land  was  ploughed  by  oxen.  The  fields  were  not  usually 
separated  by  hedges,  walls,  or  fences.  The  plough  was  a  rude 
and  light  implement,  which  did  not  penetrate  deeply  into  the  soil, 
but  merely  scratched  the  surface  a  little.  The  threshing  floor 
was  merely  a  smooth  and  hard  place  where  the  corn  was  piled  in 
a  heap  in  the  centre,  and  the  oxen  led  round  the  outside  to 
trample  out  the  grains.  The  usual  vegetables  in  Palestine  are 
beans,  peas,  beets,  turnips,  carrots,  and  radishes.  Gourds  also 
abound.  The  herbs  are  lettuce,  parsley,  mint,  mustard,  len- 
tils, cabbages,  onions,  and  garlic.      Melons  and  cucumbers  are 


Chap,  iii.]  FLOWERS   AND   BIRDS   OF   PALESTINE.  59 

rather  luxuries,  the  former  being  manured  from  the  dove-cotes 
which  abound,  and  which  are  often  substantial  round  buildings. 
The  vineyards,  which  are  surrounded  by  a  hedge  and  ditch,  are 
carefully  watched  during  the  ripening  season  to  protect  them 
from  thieves,  and  also  from  the  invasion  of  foxes,  jackals,  badgers, 
bears,  and  wild  boars.  The  vineyards  also  have  cherry,  apple, 
pear,  fig,  and  nut  trees.  The  olives  are  planted  in  rows  in  the 
orchards.  It  is  a  tradition  that  the  olives  .still  growing  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Olivet  were  growing  in  the  time  of  our  Lord ;  but 
this  is  highly  improbable,  and  is  contradicted  by  some  facts 
recorded  by  Josephus.  The  olives  are  first  salted,  then  crushed  in 
the  olive  press  by  a  round  stone  as  a  press,  run  out  into  stone 
troughs,  and  the  oil  is  stored  in  skin  bottles  or  in  stone  jars,  which 
are  buried  in  the  ground.  The  date  palm  abounds  in  the  low  and 
sheltered  places.  The  palm  tree  consists  of  a  single  stem  or  trunk, 
rising  to  sixty  or  eighty  feet  without  a  branch,  and  with  a  tuft 
of  leaves  on  the  top.  The  fig  tree,  with  its  short  stem  and  wide 
lateral  branches,  with  sprigs  of  little  figs  growing  all  round  the 
trunk,  is  the  easiest  to  climb.  The  cedar  tree  was  considered  the 
most  excellent  for  size,  beauty  of  form,  and  for  fragrance  and 
durability  of  its  wood.  Hence  Solomon  used  it  chiefly  for  the 
Temple.  It  attained  sometimes  120  feet  in  bright.  The  wild 
cypress  yielded  gopher  wood,  of  which  the  Ark  was  made.  The 
oak  and  the  terebinth  are  sometimes  confounded  together;  but  a 
small  kind  of  the  latter  produces  pistachio  nuts.  The  poplar,  ever- 
green, and  sycomore  arc  conspicuous  in  the  jungles  near  the 
Jordan,  as  well  as  the  tamarisk  and  cane.  Of  flowers  the  rose 
is  a  favourite.  The  flower  called  the  rose  of  Sharon  was  rather 
the  flower  of  a  bulbous  root.  The  lily  of  the  field  referred  to  in 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  has  been  sometimes  identified  as  a 
red  tulip,  called  by  the  French  a  meadow  anemone  or  queen  of 
the  meadows.  It  is  remarkable  for  its  great  variety  of  colours, 
the  scarlet  abounding  especially.  There  are  also  buttercups, 
dandelions,  daisies,  poppies,  white  and  yellow  crocus,  mandrake, 
hyacinth,  and  sweet-scented  stock.  Of  wild  shrubs  the  oleander 
grows  to  a  height  of  twelve  to  fifteen  feet,  and  with  its  bright 
red  flowers  adorns  the  banks  of  the  Jordan.  The  maidenhair 
fern  hangs  luxuriant  round  the  fountains. 

THE   BIRDS    OF   PALESTINE. 

The  birds  found  in  modern  times  in  Palestine  include  the 
following : — The  woodpecker,  the  robin,  the  lark,  the  thrush,  the 
willow  wren,  and  chiff-chaff;  the  true  bulbul,  which  is  the  nightin- 


60  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

gale  of  Palestine  ;  the  grackle,  or  orange-winged  blackbird,  haunt- 
ing the  gorges  of  the  Dead  Sea  ;  also  rock  doves  issue  from  the 
caverns  ;  the  wagtail ;  rock  swallows  ;  the  black-headed  jay ;  great 
spotted  cuckoos ;  the  black-shouldered  kite  ;  the  red-legged  par- 
tridge ;  ducks,  rails,  and  coots ;  the  eagle  owl,  as  large  as  those 
in  Central  Europe  ;  also  little  owls  ;  the  bat ;  the  seagull,  flamingo, 
crane,  and  cormorant ;  the  imperial  eagle ;  the  vulture,  griffon, 
and  falcon  ;  the  hooded  crow,  the  rook,  and  jackdaw.  Of  all 
the  birds  of  Jerusalem  the  raven  is  the  most  conspicuous,  one 
species  being  the  ashy-necked,  and  smaller  than  the  common  sort. 
These  ravens  haunt  the  trees  of  the  Kedron  and  Mount  Olivet. 

WILD   BEASTS   AND   ANIMALS   OF   PALESTINE. 

The  wild  beasts  in  Palestine  include  the  following : — The 
ichneumon,  which  frequents  the  rocks,  being  as  large  as  a  badger, 
and  of  the  same  colour  ;  the  fox,  the  hedgehog,  and  the  badger  ; 
the  mole  rat,  which  frequents  all  ruins,  being  twice  the  size  of 
the  English  mole,  and  of  a  pale  slate  colour  ;  the  wild  boar,  the 
hyaena,  and  jackal ;  hares  and  gazelles.  The  bees  are  of  smaller 
size  than  the  English ;  butterflies  the  same  as  in  England 
Lizards  and  snails  are  common. 

JERUSALEM. 

The  situation  of  Jerusalem  is  such  that  the  ancient  Jews  be- 
lieved it  to  be  the  centre  of  the  world,  and  yet  it  was  out  of  the 
great  highways,  and  so  had  an  immunity  from  disturbance.  It 
stands  on  the  edge  of  one  of  the  highest  tablelands  in  the  country. 
Hence  its  great  height  used  also  to  be  constantly  mentioned  as 
a  noted  feature.  Its  highest  point  is  about  2,600  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea  ;  the  Mount  of  Olives  overtops  the  highest  part, 
being  2,724  feet.  The  situation  of  Jerusalem  was  not  unlike 
that  of  Rome,  except  that  Rome  was  in  a  well-watered  plain, 
leading  direct  from  the  sea,  while  Jerusalem  was  on  a  bare  table- 
land in  the  heart  of  the  country.  Each  had  its  own  cluster  of 
steep  hills.  One  great  difficulty  was  as  to  supplying  water  for 
the  gardens  on  the  north  side,  as  no  trace  of  an  ancient  reservoir 
is  now  discovered  in  the  upper  parts.  The  arrangement  of 
streets  is  now  perhaps  the  same  as  in  early  times.  A  dull,  leaden, 
ashy  hue  is  everywhere  on  the  buildings  and  ruins.  The  three 
great  works  in  Solomon's  time  were  the  Temple,  the  Palace,  and 
the  Wall  of  Jerusalem.  After  its  destruction  in  70,  the  city 
disappeared   from   history   for   fifty   years,    and   its   very   name 


Chap,  iii.]  CITIES   OF  PALESTINE.  61 

was  almost  forgotten,  till  Constantino  built  the  Martyrion  on 
the  site  of  the  Crucifixion.  In  326  Constantine's  mother,  the 
Empress  Helena,  erected  magnificent  churches  in  Bethlehem 
and  on  the  Mount  of  Olives.  In  369  the  Emperor  Julian  the 
Apostate  made  an  abortive  attempt  to  rebuild  the  Temple.  In 
the  fourth  and  fifth  century  pilgrims  began  to  visit  it.  In  529 
the  Emperor  Justinian  built  a  splendid  church  in  honour  of  the 
Virgin.  The  Christians  ceased  to  have  power  there  when  the 
Khalif  Omar  in  637  captured  it.  In  1099  the  Crusaders  first  cap- 
tured it,  and  held  it  till  1187,  when  Saladin  retook  it.  In  1243 
it  again  came  to  the  hands  of  the  Christians.  It  again  in  1244 
was  retaken  by  the  Mohammedans,  and  has  remained  under  the 
Sultans  till  modern  times.  There  are  various  theories  of  geo- 
graphers as  to  the  topography  of  Jerusalem.  Some  think  that 
the  sites  of  all  the  chief  places  were  correctly  ascertained  in  the 
early  centuries ;  while  others  say  there  is  nothing  but  guesswork 
as  to  the  site  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  and  the  Temple. 


THE   CITY   OP   NAZARETH. 

Nazareth,  the  city  or  village  where  Christ  lived  after  the  return 
from  Egypt  till  manhood,  is  situated  in  a  basin  among  the  hills 
just  before  they  sink  down  into  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  The 
surrounding  heights  rise  about  400  or  500  feet  higher,  with 
rounded  tops,  and  they  are  composed  of  the  glittering  limestone, 
diversified  with  fig  trees  and  wild  shrubs.  The  hollyhock  is  one  of 
the  gay  flowers  of  the  field.  The  valley,  which  is  about  a  mile 
long  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  is  rich  and  well  cultivated, 
having  corn-fields  and  gardens,  hedges  of  cactus,  and  clusters  of 
fruit-bearing  trees.  The  fruits  are  pomegranates,  oranges,  figs, 
and  olives.  The  village  has  now  about  4,000  population,  chiefly 
Christians,  with  a  few  Mohammedans,  a  mosque,  a  Franciscan 
convent,  and  two  or  three  chapels  of  other  confessions.  In  the 
rainy  season  the  streams  pour  down  rapid  floods  through  the  hills. 
The  wise  man  there  takes  care  to  build  and  dig  deep  down  to  the 
rock,  and  not  to  trust  to  the  loose  soil  as  a  foundation.  From  the 
heights  extensive  views  are  obtained  of  the  Lebanon,  Hebron, 
Carmel,  Gilead,  and  Gilboa.  In  this  village  Christ  taught  in  the 
synagogue,  and  was  once  dragged  to  a  precipice  by  His  fellow- 
townsmen  to  be  cast  down.  The  origin  of  the  disrepute  in  which 
Nazareth  was  held  is  not  clearly  known ;  but  all  the  inhabitants 
of  Galilee  were  looked  upon  with  contempt  by  the  people  of 
Judaea,  because  they  spoke  a  rude  dialect,  and  were  more  exposed 


62  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

to  contact  with  the  heathen.  Near  the  village  is  shown  the 
Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  where  the  angel's  salutation  is  said  to 
have  taken  place,  as  the  Virgin,  like  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants, 
resorted  there  for  supplies  of  water.  Another  place  of  note  is  the 
cliff  or  precipice,  about  two  miles  south-east  of  the  town  ;  but 
geographers  think  that  a  cliff  of  fifty  feet  high  near  the  Maronite 
Church  is  the  locality  where  the  mob  wished  to  precipitate 
Christ.  It  is  related  that  no  Christians  lived  in  Nazareth  till  the 
time  of  the  Empress  Helena,  mother  of  Constantine,  who  built  the 
first  Church  of  the  Annunciation.  The  town  was  all  but  destroyed 
by  Sultan  Bibars  in  1263,  and  it  was  many  ages  before  it  recovered. 
No  Jews  reside  in  Nazareth  in  modern  times. 

THE   SITE   OF   CAPERNAUM. 

The  place  where  our  Lord  was  so  conspicuously  occupied,  the 
city  of  Capernaum,  has  caused  great  controversy  among  the 
geographers.  The  doom  pronounced  against  it  and  the  other 
unbelieving  cities  has  been  notably  fulfilled,  for  no  one  can  in 
the  present  day  pronounce  between  the  two  most  probable  spots. 
One  of  these  is  Khan  Minyeh,  a  mound  of  ruins  close  to  the 
shore  of  Gennesaret,  at  the  north-west  extremity  of  the  plain. 
The  other  is  Tell  Hum,  three  miles  north  of  the  last  place,  where 
are  ruins  of  walls  and  foundations,  half  a  mile  long  by  a  quarter 
wide.  It  also  projects  into  the  lake,  and  is  backed  by  rising 
ground.  Dr.  Wilson  supports  the  second,  as  also  do  the  geographers 
dating  from  1675  ;  while  Dr.  Robinson,  relying  on  Josephus,  sup- 
ports the  first.     It  is  one  of  the  insoluble  problems. 


63 


CHAPTER    IV. 
EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS. 

CHURCH    HISTORY    DIVIDED    INTO    AGES    AND    PERIODS. 

Dr.  .ScnAFF,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Apostolic  Church,"  has 
divided  the  whole  history  of  the  Church  as  follows  : — 

First  Age. — The  Primitive  or  Universal  Church,  from  its 
foundation  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  to  Gregory  the  Great,  thus 
embracing  the  first  six  centuries  (a.d.  30 — 590). 

First  Period. — The  Apostolic  Church,  from  the  first  Christian 
Pentecost  to  the  death  of  the  Apostles  (a.d.  30—100). 

Second  Period. — The  Persecuted  Church,  to  Constantino  (a.d. 
100—311). 

Third  Period. — The  Established  Church  of  the  Graeco-Roman 
Empire,  and  amidst  the  Barbarian  storms,  to  Gregory  the  Great. 
(a.d.  311—590). 

Second  Age. — The  Church  of  the  Middle  Ages,  or  Romano- 
Germanic  Catholicism,  from  Gregory  the  Great  to  the  Reformation 
(a.d.  590—1517). 

Fourth  Period. — The  commencement  of  the  Middle  Ages,  the 
planting  of  the  Church  among  the  Germanic  nations,  to  the  time 
of  Hildebrand  (a.d.  590—1049). 

Fifth  Period. — The  flourishing  period  of  the  Middle  Ages,  the 
summit  of  the  Papacy,  monasticism,  and  scholastic  and  mystic 
theology,  to  Boniface  VIII.  (a.d.  1049—1303). 

Sixth  Period. — The  dissolution  of  the  Middle  Ages  and  prepara- 
tion for  the  Reformation  (a.d.  1303 — 1517). 

Third  Age. — The  Modern  or  Evangelical  Protestant  Church  in 
conflict  with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  from  the  Reformation 
to  the  present  time. 

Seventh  Period. — The  Reformation,  or  productive  Protestantism 
and  reacting  Romanism  (a.d.  1517 — 1600). 

Eighth  Period. — Orthodox  Confessional  and  Scholastic  Protes- 


64  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN  HISTORY. 

tantism  in  conflict  with  ultramontane  Jesuitism,  and  this  again 
with  semi-Protestant  Jansenism  (seventeenth  century  and  first 
part  of  eighteenth). 

Ninth  Period. — Subjective  and  negative  Protestantism,  Rational- 
ism, and  Sectarianism,  and  positive  preparation  for  a  new  age  in 
both  Churches  (middle  of  eighteenth  century  to  present  time). 

THE   APOSTOLIC    CHURCH. 

The  Apostolic  period,  from  a.d.  30  to  100,  or  rather  117,  the 
death  of  John,  may  be  subdivided  into  three  :  (1)  the  founding 
of  the  Christian  Church  among  the  Jews,  chiefly  the  labours  of 
St.  Peter,  a.d.  30 — 50 ;  (2)  the  founding  of  the  Christian  Church 
among  the  Gentiles,  or  the  labours  of  St.  Paul  (a.d.  50 — 64),  who 
made  Christianity  more  and  more  independent  of  Jerusalem,  and 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  completed  the  severance ;  (3)  the 
summing-up  and  organic  union  of  Jewish  and  Gentile  Christianity 
in  one  whole,  chiefly  the  work  of  John.  The  three  important 
local  centres  were  Jerusalem,  the  mother  Church  of  Jewish  Chris- 
tianity; Antioch,  the  starting-point  of  the  heathen  missions; 
Ephesus,  the  later  residence  of  John.  At  the  same  time,  Rome, 
where  Peter  and  Paul  spent  then-  last  days,  was  the  centre  of 
Western  Christianity.  The  Apostolic  period  differs  essentially 
from  all  subsequent  periods.  In  the  first  place,  Christianity 
comes  forth  from  the  bosom  of  Judaism,  and  for  a  long  time 
clothes  itself  in  the  forms  of  that  religion.  The  Apostles  are 
all  Jews.  In  their  preaching  they  all,  not  excepting  Paul,  go 
first  to  their  brethren,  preach  in  the  synagogues,  visit  the  Temple 
at  Jerusalem.  The  Church  gradually  separates  from  the  home 
of  its  birth.  The  second  peculiarity  is  the  unstained  purity  and 
primitive  freshness  of  doctrine  and  life,  and  its  extraordinary 
spiritual  gifts,  working  harmoniously  together,  and  providing,  by 
their  creative  and  controlling  power,  for  all  the  wants  and 
relations  of  the  infant  Church.  Miiller  called  the  first  century 
the  century  of  wonders.  At  the  head  of  the  Church  were  men 
who  enjoyed  immediate  intercourse  with  the  Saviour  of  the  world, 
were  trained  by  Him  in  person,  and  filled  in  an  extraordinary 
degree  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  Such  infallible  vehicles  of  Divine 
revelation,  such  sanctified  and  influential  persons,  are  found  in 
no  subsequent  age.  The  Apostolic  period  contained  the  germs 
of  all  subsequent  periods,  Christian  personalities,  and  tendencies. 

EARLY    CHURCH   AND  THE   MILLENNIUM. 

In  the  ancient  Church  of  the  first  three  centuries  there  was 


Chap,  iv.]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.       65 

always  an  expectation  of  the  millennium,  as  they  counted,  accord- 
ing to  the  Septuagint  Version  then  current,  6,000  years  to  end 
soon  after  the  coming  of  Christ.  The  primitive  Church  of  Antioch 
considered  the  creation  of  the  world  took  place  6,000  years  before 
Christ.  In  the  fourth  century  this  period  was  reduced  to  5,500, 
next  to  5,200.  The  authority  of  the  Vulgate  and  of  the  Hebrew 
text,  as  accepted  by  the  moderns,  fixed  4,004  as  the  period. 
The  joyful  Sabbath  of  1,000  years  was  then  to  begin,  and  Christ 
would  reign  in  the  New  Jerusalem.  The  assurance  of  such 
millennium  was  inculcated  by  a  succession  of  Fathers,  from  Justin 
Martyr  and  Irenseus  (130),  who  conversed  with  the  immediate 
disciples  of  the  Apostles  down  to  Lactantius,  who  was  the  preceptor 
to  the  son  of  Constantino  (317).  The  joys  of  the  millennium 
were  to  be  balanced  by  a  concurrent  conflagration  and  destruction 
of  Rome,  as  the  mystic  Babylon.  It  was  affirmed  that  those  who 
since  the  death  of  Christ  had  obstinately  persisted  in  the  worship 
of  demons  would  be  delivered  over  to  eternal  torture.  And  the 
Christians  of  that  time  were  said  to  enjoy  a  spiritual  pride  in 
witnessing  the  destruction  of  their  enemies.  Tertullian,  who  died 
in  240,  an  energetic  Father  and  champion  of  the  truth,  thus 
alluded  to  the  matter :  "  You  are  fond  of  spectacles  :  expect  the 
greatest  of  all  spectacles,  the  last  and  eternal  judgment  of  the 
universe.  How  shall  I  admire,  how  laugh,  how  rejoice,  how 
exult,  when  I  behold  so  many  proud  monarchs  and  fancied  gods 
groaning  in  the  lowest  abyss  of  darkness ;  so  many  magistrates 
who  persecuted  the  name  of  God  liquefying  in  fiercer  fires  than 
they  ever  kindled  against  the  Christians ;  so  many  sage  philo- 
sophers blushing  in  red-hot  flames  with  their  deluded  scholars  ; 
so  many  celebrated  poets  trembling  before  the  tribunal,  not  of 
Minos,  but  of  Christ ;  so  many  tragedians  declaiming  their  own 
sufferings ;  so  many  dancers,"  etc.,  etc. 

EARLY   CHRISTIANS   AND   THE   COMMUNITY   OF   GOODS. 

One  of  the  difficulties  of  the  early  Christians  was  to  know  how 
to  act  as  regards  their  worldly  goods,  seeing  that  they  were  all 
brethren.  They  acknowledged  this  brotherhood,  and  yet  were 
not  clear  where  to  draw  the  line.  They  used  to  salute  each  other 
with  a  holy  kiss  (Rom.  xvi.  16);  and  they  held  love-feasts  (or 
agapce),  by  way  of  maintaining  their  fellowship  ;  and  these  were 
held  especially  in  connection  with  the  Lord's  Supper.  But  these 
feasts  were  found  not  to  work  satisfactorily — chiefly,  perhaps, 
because  there  was  no  suitable  place  of  meeting.  They  were 
condemned  and  discontinued  even  in  the  time  of  the  Apostles.    In 

5 


66  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  first  ardour  of  the  Church  at  Jerusalem,  they  tried  the 
experiment  of  community  of  goods.  The  Apostles  were  careful  to 
point  out  that  the  surrender  was  entirely  voluntary.  Instances 
of  hypocrisy  and  avarice  soon  disgusted  many,  as  in  the  notable 
case  of  Ananias  (Acts  v.  1),  and  the  dissatisfied  Hebrew  widows 
(Acts  vi.  1).  It  is  not  known  how  long  this  experiment  lasted 
at  Jerusalem.  It  was  an  experiment  which  could  not  succeed 
according  to  the  constitution  of  human  nature ;  for  the  love  of 
an  exclusive  proprietorship  is  inherent,  and  it  has  been  found  in 
all  succeeding  ages  that  individuals,  as  well  as  nations,  nourish 
most  when  each  attends  to  his  own  business,  and  is  satisfied  to 
make  the  best  of  his  own  opportunities,  and  to  cease  to  covet 
the  acquisitions  of  others.  It  is  found  most  salutary  when  each 
seeks  only  to  gain  riches  by  his  own  exertions,  and  without  undue 
interference  with  others.  Many  dreamers  have  often  looked 
forward  to  a  community  of  goods  as  the  most  perfect  state ;  but  a 
little  practical  knowledge  soon  teaches  every  one  that  it  is  a  dream, 
and  nothing  more.  All  the  virtues  of  life  are  compatible  with 
the  exclusive  possession  of  property ;  and  few  virtues  are  possible 
when  there  is  no  security  for  property  as  a  basis. 

FAVOURITE    EMBLEMS    OF    THE    EARLY    CHRISTIANS. 

In  the  early  centuries,  before  paintings  and  images  were  intro- 
duced in  places  of  worship,  and  which  at  first  were  thought  to 
resemble  too  closely  the  Pagan  practices,  there  were  some  favourite 
emblems  used  by  the  Christians  on  their  walls  and  drinking 
vessels  and  rings.  One  was  the  figure  of  the  Good  Shepherd, 
representing  Christ  carrying  a  lamb  on  His  shoulders.  On  rings 
would  be  carved  a  dove,  the  symbol  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  or  an 
anchor  of  hope,  or  a  fisherman  with  a  draught  of  fishes ;  or  a  lyre, 
signifying  joy  and  praise.  These  were  suggested  by  the  subjects 
that  made  most  impression  on  their  daily  thoughts. 

CHRISTIAN    NAMES    OF    PEOPLE. 

One  of  the  early  notions  of  Christians  was  to  select  the  name 
of  some  apostle  or  saint  as  one  of  the  names  of  then-  children ; 
and  this  was  deemed,  if  not  an  infallible,  at  least  a  wise  and 
prudent  incentive  to  worthy  actions.  Hence  it  became  universal 
to  adopt  a  Christian  name,  and  to  mention  it  at  the  time  of 
baptism  ;  and  heathen  names  were,  on  the  other  hand,  forbidden. 
It  was  long  thought  right  that  the  bishop,  if  he  found  some 
pagan  name  suggested,  should  forbid  it  and  alter  it  into  some 


Chap,  iv.]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.       67 

proper  Christian  name.  Indeed,  it  was  long  deemed  an  accepted 
custom,  if  not  the  law,  that  the  Christian  name  once  given  either 
by  a  bishop  or  priest  at  baptism  was  indelible,  and  that  some 
offence  was  or  would  be  committed  by  seeking  to  change  it. 
This,  however,  in  modern  times,  is  known  to  be  a  delusion ;  and 
whatever  may  have  been  the  name  or  names  given  to  a  child  by 
parents  or  priests,  it  is  the  right  of  every  one,  without  anybody's 
leave,  at  any  time  thereafter,  to  change  his  name,  both  Christian 
and  surname  if  he  thinks  fit,  into  any  other ;  and  if  he  choose 
to  adhere  to  one  name  of  his  own  choice,  people  will  seldom 
trouble  themselves  to  dispute  it  or  to  deny  him  this  gratification. 
The  only  condition  is  that  this  change  must  not  be  made  for 
purposes  of  fraud. 

AURICULAR   CONFESSION   AND   PENANCE. 

Mr.  Roberts,  in  his  "  Church  Memorials,"  says  that  in  459, 
which  was  the  last  year  but  one  of  the  eventful  pontificate  of 
Leo  I.,  the  usage  which  had  long  prevailed  in  the  Churches  of 
the  West,  that  there  should  be  a  public  recital  of  sins  which  had 
been  privately  confessed,  and  a  committal  of  the  same  to  writing, 
was  suppressed  by  the  authority  of  Leo  as  of  dangerous  conse- 
quence to  morals  and  good  government.  It  seemed  to  that  Pope 
that  the  practice  of  bringing  these  secret  things  to  light  before 
the  congregation  was  unnecessary  and  pernicious.  He  deemed 
it  enough  for  the  penitent  to  make  his  confession  first  to  God, 
and  then  to  the  priest  who  was  to  make  intercession  for  him  and 
procure  the  needful  remission.  And  this  may  be  considered  as 
the  date  of  private  or  auricular  confession  under  the  full  sanction 
of  ecclesiastical  authority.  Nor  was  public  confession  in  general 
understood  to  be  interdicted  by  this  arbitrary  Pope,  but  only  the 
promulgation  in  public  of  such  sins  as  were  clandestine  and  could 
transpire  only  by  the  revelation  of  the  secret  by  the  sinner 
himself.  The  Roman  Church  has,  however,  always  maintained 
the  confession  to  a  priest  to  be  necessary,  as  a  ground  for  the 
remission  of  sins  committed  after  baptism,  and  essential  as  a 
constituent  part  of  the  penitential  ordinance.  It  seems  but  of 
little  importance  to  investigate  the  origin  of  the  rite  of  penance, 
which  lies  buried  behind  the  rubbish  of  superstition  and  priest- 
craft, or  to  travel  through  the  various  periodical  changes  in  its 
forms  and  ceremonies.  It  is  to  the  praise  of  the  early  Church 
that  none  of  the  Fathers  of  the  apostolical  and  primitive  ages  laid 
stress  on  auricular  confession  as  an  essential  part  of  Christian 
duty.     The  Council  of  Lateran  in  1215  declared  it  necessary  to 


68  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

salvation.     And  in  1521  the  Council  of  Trent  Issued  a  decree 
making  both  penance  and  auricular  confession  alike  necessary. 

RELIGIOUS    RIOTS    ABOUT   THE   TRISAGION. 

The  sixth  century  opened  a  sanguinary  internecine  feud  between 
sects  of  the  Church,  and  the  first  religious  war  was  said  to  arise 
about  the  correct  words  of  the  Trisagion  as  used  in  the  Church 
service  in  Constantinople.  The  blood  of  thousands  was  shed  in 
the  streets,  squares,  and  churches ;  and  at  last  the  Emperor  had 
to  abdicate  to  conciliate  an  insolent  mob,  principally  composed 
of  infuriated  monks.  Gibbon  thus  describes  it :  "  In  the  fever 
of  the  times  the  tense,  or  rather  the  sound,  of  a  syllable  was 
sufficient  to  disturb  the  peace  of  an  empire.  The  Trisagion 
(thrice  holy),  '  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  of  Hosts  ! '  is  supposed 
by  the  Greeks  to  be  the  identical  hymn  which  the  angels  and 
cherubim  eternally  repeat  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  which 
about  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century  was  miraculously  revealed 
to  the  Church  of  Constantinople.  The  devotion  of  Antioch  soon 
added,  '  who  was  crucified  for  us ' ;  and  this  grateful  address, 
either  to  Christ  alone  or  to  the  whole  Trinity,  may  be  justified 
by  the  rules  of  theology,  and  has  been  gradually  adopted  by  the 
Catholics  of  the  East  and  the  West.  The  Trisagion,  with  and 
without  this  obnoxious  addition,  was  chanted  in  the  Cathedral 
by  the  two  adverse  choirs  ;  and  when  their  lungs  were  exhausted, 
they  had  recourse  to  the  more  solid  arguments  of  sticks  and 
stones.  The  aggressors  were  punished  by  the  Emperor,  and 
defended  by  the  Patriarch,  and  the  crown  and  the  mitre  were 
staked  on  the  event  of  this  momentous  quarrel." 

THE    ANCIENTS'    PREACHING    APPLAUDED    ON    THE    SPOT. 

One  remarkable  feature  of  the  ancient  services  of  the  Church 
was,  that  the  people  used  to  applaud  and  encourage  the  preacher 
with  clapping  of  hands  and  loud  acclamations.  St.  Jerome, 
writing  to  Vigilantius,  says,  "  The  time  was  when  he  himself  had 
applauded  him  with  his  hands  and  feet,  leaping  by  his  side  and 
crying  out '  Orthodox '  for  his  sermon  on  the  Resurrection."  And 
George  of  Alexandria  relates  that  "the  people  applauded  the 
sermons  of  St.  Chrysostom,  some  by  tossing  their  thin  garments, 
others  moving  their  plumes,  others  laying  their  hands  upon  their 
swords,  and  others  waving  their  handkerchiefs  and  crying  out, 
'  Thou  art  worthy  of  the  priesthood  !  thou  art  the  thirteenth 
apostle !     Christ   hath   sent    thee   to   save   souls ! '"   etc.     And 


Chap,  iv.]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.       69 

Gregory  in  his  dream  describes  how  the  people  during  the 
sermon  moved  their  bodies  like  the  waves  of  the  sea  raised  by 
the  wind.  But  the  great  ambition  of  the  preacher  was  rather  to 
melt  the  congregation  into  tears.  St.  Jerome  says  the  preacher 
should  labour  to  excite  the  groans  of  the  people  rather  than 
their  applauses.  St.  Austin  says  he  once  preached  in  Csesarea, 
in  Mauritania,  where  a  savage  custom  existed  of  the  citizens 
engaging  in  a  bloody  fight  once  a  year  by  throwing  stones  at  each 
other.  And  he  directed  all  his  eloquence  against  this  custom,  and 
was  glad  to  notice  the  tears  shed  by  many,  and  he  rejoiced  at  the 
time  of  writing  that  eight  years  had  since  passed  and  the  fight 
had  never  been  there  renewed.  St.  Chrysostom,  the  most  effec- 
tive of  all  the  ancient  preachers,  said  once,  "  I  have  thought 
of  making  it  a  law  to  forbid  such  acclamations,  and  to  persuade 
you  to  hear  in  silence."  It  was  a  frequent  practice  for  notaries 
to  take  down  the  sermons  of  favourite  preachers  in  shorthand, 
and  in  that  way  many  have  been  preserved  to  the  present  day. 

DRESS  AND  APPEARANCE  OF  EARLY  CLERGY. 

At  a  very  early  period  the  leaders  of  the  Church  attributed 
great  importance  to  the  particular  dress  and  appearance  of  the 
clergy,  and  laid  down  stringent  rules  on  that  subject.  The 
Canons  said  a  decent  mean  must  be  observed — neither  too  nice 
nor  too  slovenly.  In  particular  the  extremes  of  baldness  and 
long  hair  were  equally  objectionable,  so  that  all  were  obliged  to 
shave  the  crown  of  the  head  and  beard.  This  distinguished  them 
from  the  priests  of  pagan  deities.  So  they  were  to  observe  a 
medium  in  dress,  and  to  wear  neither  white  nor  black.  But  the 
colours  varied  in  different  times  and  places.  It  was  noticed  that 
these  directions  as  to  garb  arose  after  the  danger  of  detection 
during  times  of  persecution  had  ceased.  One  garment,  called  the 
caracalla,  and  since  cassock,  was  adopted  after  the  time  of 
Constantine.  It  was  a  long  garment,  reaching  down  to  the  heels, 
such  as  the  Roman  people  put  on  when  they  went  to  salute  the 
Emperor. 

THE   FOPPISH    PRIESTS   AND    DEACONS    OF   THE   FOURTH   CENTURY. 

So  early  as  the  fourth  century  there  were  very  worldly  and 
self-seeking  officers  in  the  Church.  St.  Jerome  in  his  "  Treatise  on 
Virginity "  says  :  "  There  are  some  of  them  who  aspire  to  the 
office  of  priest  or  deacon  that  they  may  visit  women  with  the 
greater  liberty.     Their  chief  care  is  to  be  well  dressed,  neatly 


70  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

shod,  and  perfumed ;  they  curl  their  hair  with  irons,  they  have 
bright  rings  on  their  fingers,  and  they  walk  on  tiptoe,  looking 
more  like  bridegrooms  than  clerks.  Some  of  them  make  it  their 
only  business  to  find  out  the  names  and  residences  of  ladies  of 
quality,  and  to  discover  their  dispositions.  I  will  describe  one  of 
them  who  is  a  master  in  the  art.  He  rises  with  the  sun,  the 
order  of  his  visits  is  arranged,  he  finds  out  the  shortest  ways,  and 
the  troublesome  old  man  enters  almost  the  very  chambers  in  which 
they  rest.  If  he  sees  a  cushion,  a  napkin,  or  any  other  little 
article  that  he  likes,  he  praises  it  and  admires  the  neatness  of 
it ;  he  takes  it  in  his  hand,  then  complains  that  he  has  not 
something  of  that  kind ;  and,  in  short,  he  snatches  it  away  before 
it  is  given  to  him."  St.  Jerome  also  mentions  the  avarice  of 
these  self-seeking  priests,  who,  under  pretence  of  giving  blessings, 
reach  out  their  hands  to  receive  money.  This  plain  speaking  of 
St.  Jerome  made  him  many  enemies,  who  attacked  in  turn  his 
own  reputation  and  the  fascination  he  exercised  over  fashionable 
ladies,  so  that  he  had  to  leave  Rome  and  retreat  to  Palestine. 

THE   EARLY   BISHOPS. 

Great  learning  has  been  shown  by  ecclesiastical  historians  as 
to  the  precise  position  of  early  bishops — one  side  contending  that 
these  high  officials  were  appointed  by  Christ,  or  at  least  by  His 
Apostles  ;  and  the  further  inference  is  then  drawn,  that  therefore 
this  mode  of  governing  the  Church  is  the  best  possible  and  the 
only  right  and  orderly  kind  of  government  for  a  true  Church. 
Both  points  have  been  denied,  and  especially  the  second,  because 
it  is  urged  that  even  if  there  were  bishops  appointed  by  the 
Apostles,  it  would  prove  nothing,  except  that  the  Apostles  thought 
them  the  best  kind  of  officers  for  the  time  being,  and  yet  that 
they  might  not  be  the  best  in  other  and  different  countries  and 
circumstances.  Most  of  the  Christians  of  all  times  till  the  Refor- 
mation too  hastily  overlooked  the  fundamental  principle,  that 
each  country  and  age  is  necessarily  the  best  judge  of  the  peculiar 
mode  of  governing  the  Church,  and  should  not  surrender  its  better 
judgment  to  the  views  of  earlier  and  less  experienced  ages  as  to 
matters  not  expressly  enjoined  by  Scripture.  The  defenders  of 
bishops  delight  to  dwell  on  some  facts,  or  assumed  facts,  in  favour 
of  their  theory.  They  say  that  St.  John  was  one  of  the  authors 
of  the  order  of  bishops,  and  that  he  went  about  ordaining  for 
various  stations,  and  especially  Polycarp,  while  St.  Peter  ordained 
Clement  at  Rome  and  St.  Paul  ordained  Timothy  at  Ephesus. 
The  list  of  the  first  bishops  is,  however,  very  obscure.     It  is  said 


Chap,  iv]      EAELY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.        71 

that  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  was  the  first  Bishop  of  Jerusalem, 
and  was  ordained  by  the  Apostles  immediately  after  the  Cruci- 
fixion. And  hence  it  is  argued  that  our  Lord  must  have 
sanctioned  this  act  in  some  way.  One  consequence  of  the  theory 
of  bishops  was,  that  the  bishop  alone  had  an  inherent  right  to 
administer  the  sacraments  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  and 
also  to  preach  and  ordain  others;  while  a  presbyter  could  only 
do  so  with  his  permission  express  or  implied.  And,  above  all, 
the  bishop  could  call  presbyters  to  account  and  excommunicate 
and  censure  them,  thereby  implying  that  the  ore  order  of  priests 
was  inferior  to  the  other  in  jurisdiction. 

SOME    PRIVILEGES   OP   EARLY   BISHOPS. 

In  the  early  centuries  it  became  a  custom  for  people  to  refer 
disputes  of  all  kinds  to  the  bishops  as  arbitrators,  and  in  that 
respect  their  so  acting  superseded  the  action  of  courts  of  law. 
St.  Augustine  said  that  nearly  his  whole  time  was  taken  up  with 
this  duty,  so  that  it  became  a  burden  to  him.  It  became  also  an 
early  practice  for  bishops  to  intercede  with  the  government  for 
prisoners.  There  was  an  ancient  custom  for  the  people  to  bow 
their  head  whenever  they  met  a  bishop,  as  if  asking  for  his 
blessing  ;  and  even  emperors  rendered  this  mark  of  resp  ct.  It 
was  also  usual  for  people  to  kiss  the  bishop's  hand,  for  Ambrose 
said  people  thereby  thought  themselves  protected  by  the  bishop's 
prayers.  Sometimes  a  still  higher  honour  was  rendered  to  the 
bishop  by  singing  hosannas  to  him;  but  Jerome  admits  this  was 
too  great  an  honour  to  mere  mortal  man.  Bishops  also  wore 
a  mitre  or  crown,  and  they  sat  upon  what  was  called  a  kind  of 
throne.  It  is  said  that  St.  James,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  first  sat 
on  this  throne.  When  a  bishop  was  consecrated,  he  was  conducted 
by  the  other  bishops  to  a  throne  ;  and  the  form  of  prayer  at  their 
consecration  besought  the  Almighty  to  give  the  bishop  power  to 
remit  sins,  and  loose  every  bond  according  to  the  power  which 
was  given  to  the  Apostles.  One  of  the  curious  things  connected 
with  the  early  bishops  and  presbyters  also  was.  that  they  were 
frequently  seized  by  force  and  compelled  to  act  if  elected  by  a 
congregation.  St.  Austin  himself  was  thus  compelled,  and  so  was 
Paulinus. 

THE    PASTORAL   STAFF. 

The  bishops  of  all  countries  seem  to  have  agreed  in  using  the 
pastoral  staff  as  one  of  the  symbols  of  their  authority.  The  form 
used  is  that  of  a  shepherd's  crook,  or  a  straight  cane  or  staff,  with 


72  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

a  knob  or  volute  made  of  cypress  wood  or  ivory  or  some  metal 
ornamented.  Each  bishop  used  some  peculiarity  of  workmanship, 
and  it  went  with  the  office  to  his  successor.  The  head  of  some 
was  formed  like  a  serpent,  or  a  Hon,  or  a  bird. 

THE    SACRED    CHARACTER    OF    ANCIENT    CHURCHES. 

The  ceremony  of  consecrating  churches  was  adopted  in  the  three 
first  centuries,  and  indeed  some  say  from  the  time  of  the  Apostles. 
Nothing  very  distinct,  however,  is  found  till  the  fourth  century, 
when  Constantine's  protection  gave  an  impetus  to  church-building. 
St.  Ambrose  composed  a  form  of  prayer  for  such  occasions.  In 
the  sixth  century  a  practice  began  to  consecrate  also  the  altar 
separately.  A  church  was  not  allowed  to  be  put  to  any  profane 
use,  though  religious  assemblies  and  meetings  of  clergy  were  not 
forbidden.  But  no  one  was  to  have  meat  or  lodging  there.  The 
sacred  vessels  of  the  church  were  also  kept  religiously  for  the 
single  use  of  the  sacraments.  And  when  Julian  the  Apostate 
once  sent  two  officers  to  plunder  the  Church  of  Antioch  and  fetch 
away  the  vessels  and  convert  them  into  money,  all  believed  that 
Julian  was  immediately  seized  with  an  ulcer  and  died  miserably. 
One  ancient  custom  was  for  the  congregation  to  wash  their  hands 
before  entering.  In  some  places  also,  particularly  in  Egypt,  the 
members  took  off  their  shoes.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  custom 
of  bowing  toward  the  altar  on  entrance  was  not  general,  because 
it  was  merely  following  the  custom  of  the  Jews.  One  gate  of 
the  church  was  called  the  Beautiful  or  Royal  Gate,  being  that  at 
which  kings  entered,  in  which  case  they  had  to  lay  aside  their 
crowns,  for  it  was  deemed  indecent  that  they  should  wear  such 
badges  in  presence  of  the  King  of  kings.  Even  though  it  was  a 
universal  custom  to  allow  debtors  and  criminals  to  take  refuge  for 
a  time  in  churches,  they  were  not  allowed  to  lodge  there,  but  were 
maintained  in  a  precinct  outside.  The  women  sat  in  a  separate 
part  of  the  church  from  the  men,  and  each  entered  by  a  separate 
door.  In  the  fourth  century  pictures  of  saints  and  martyrs  began 
to  be  set  up  in  churches,  and  this  continued,  subject  to  the  icono- 
clast persecution,  to  become  more  and  more  in  keeping  with  the 
thoughts  and  views  of  the  time  till  the  Reformation  finally  stopped 
it  in  all  the  Reformed  Churches. 


THE    ANCIENT    OFFICE    OF    DEACONESS. 

It  is  said  that  the  office  of  deaconess  existed  in  the  Apostolic  age, 
for  St.  Paul  called  Phoebe  a  servant  or  deaconess  of  the  Church 


Chap,  iv.]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.        73 

(Rom.  xvi.  1).  The  deaconess  was  always  a  widow,  who  had  had 
children,  who  had  been  only  once  married,  and  who  was  at  least 
forty,  fifty,  or  sixty  years  old.  Immense  importance  was  attached 
to  her  having  been  only  once  married.  Learned  men  differ  as  to 
whether  she  was  ordained  by  the  imposition  of  hands,  or,  if  so, 
whether  this  meant  anything  more  than  a  benediction.  But  all 
seemed  to  admit  that  she  could  not  administer  the  sacraments, 
though  some  heretics  allowed  women  this  power  also.  The  main 
duties  of  the  deaconess  were  to  assist  at  the  baptism  of  women  ;  to 
be  private  catechists  to  the  women  preparing  for  baptism  ;  to  visit 
women  who  were  sick  and  in  distress  ;  to  minister  to  the  martyrs 
and  confessors  in  prison  ;  to  attend  the  women's  gate  and  regulate 
the  behaviour  of  women  in  the  church,  for  the  women  went  into 
church  at  a  different  gate  from  the  men.  The  order  of  deaconess 
flourished  till  the  twelfth  century  in  the  Greek  Church,  and  the 
tenth  or  eleventh  century  in  the  Latin  Church,  and  then  the 
practice  fell  into  abeyance,  probably  owing  to  the  new  views 
about  the  celibacy  of  the  clergy. 

THE   FORM    OF   LITURGY   IN   ANCIENT    TIMES. 

The  clergy  have  been  said  to  be  at  first  all  bishops,  until  the 
growth  of  population  and  numbers  made  it  expedient  to  subdivide 
a  city  or  country  into  parishes  of  such  size  that  one  priest  might 
conveniently  attend  to  it.  Each  bishop  at  first  appointed  his  own 
form  of  service.  And  the  learned  have  disputed  whether  in  the 
earliest  ages  the  service  included  or  consisted  of  what  corresponds 
to  a  modern  liturgy  or  stereotyped  form  of  prayer  and  praise. 
There  are  authorities  for  both  views.  The  Lord's  Prayer  was 
generally  one  of  the  forms,  and  there  were  always  hymns  and 
psalms,  and  these  would  naturally  be  in  set  forms.  Also,  there 
were  certain  set  prayers  for  special  occasions.  Peter  Diaconus  in 
520  says  that  St.  Basil,  seeing  that  men's  sloth  and  degeneracy  made 
them  weary  of  a  long  liturgy,  prepared  a  shorter  form  for  them. 
And  Julian  the  Apostate  was  said  to  admire  the  Church  forms 
of  worship ;  for  when  he  intended  the  heathen  priests  to  imitate 
the  Christians,  he  specified  particularly  those  prayers  which  were 
so  composed  that  the  people  might  make  their  responses.  St. 
Ephraim  of  Syria  and  St.  Ambrose  were  great  composers  of 
hymns.  The  grand  hymn  of  Te  Deum  was  composed  by  St. 
Ambrose  and  St.  Austin  jointly.  St.  Austin  says  there  were 
five  parts  in  the  liturgy  or  service  of  the  Church — namely, 
psalmody,  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  preaching,  prayers  of  the 
bishop,  and  the  bidding  prayers  of  the  deacon.     The  last  were 


74  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN  HISTORY. 

directions  to  the  people  what  particulars  they  were  to  pray  for, 
the  deacon  going  before  them  and  repeating  every  petition,  to 
which  the  people  made  answer  :  "  Lord,  hear  us,"  "  Lord,  help  vis," 
or  "  Lord,  have  mercy,"  and  the  like.  It  seems  to  have  been  a 
practice  for  the  people  to  turn  their  faces  to  the  east  in  the 
solemn  adorations,  the  east  being  the  symbol  of  Christ,  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness,  and  also  of  the  locality  of  Paradise.  The 
Psalms  were  usually  sung  by  the  people  standing.  The  sermons 
and  homilies,  which  were  an  hour  or  even  two  hours  long,  were 
sometimes  written  and  sometimes  extempore.  The  preacher 
usually  sat  and  the  people  stood ;  but  there  was  no  fixed  rule, 
for  the  preacher  seems  also  to  have  stood  and  the  people  to 
have  sat.  Many  people  in  those  times  also  thought  the  sermon 
too  long,  and  went  out  before  it  ended. 

THE   RISE   OP   RITUALISM. 

In  the  ninth  century  some  attention  began  to  be  paid  to  the  mean- 
ing of  rites  and  ceremonies.  One  Amalarius,  a  deacon  of  Metz,  in 
820  composed  a  treatise  on  the  Divine  office,  and  on  the  order  of 
the  antiphonary,  in  which  he  attempted  to  make  all  the  stages  of 
the  liturgy  represent  some  doctrine.  All  the  incidents  of  Divine 
service,  every  attitude  and  gesture,  the  dresses  of  the  clergy,  the 
ornaments  of  the  church,  the  sacred  seasons  and  festivals,  were 
expounded  as  full  of  symbolical  meaning.  Agobard,  Archbishop 
of  Lyons,  on  the  other  hand,  being  something  of  an  iconoclast,  and 
severe  against  the  superstitions  of  relic  hunters,  advocated  the 
exclusion  of  much  irrelevant  matter,  as  profane  and  heretical, 
from  the  service-book  and  hymn-book.  He  said  that  far  too 
much  attention  had  been  given  to  music,  and  far  too  little  to  the 
study  of  Scripture.  Agobard  opposed  the  writings  of  Amalarius 
as  full  of  idle  comments  and  errors  in  doctrine.  Not  content 
with  this  exposure,  Florus,  master  of  the  cathedral  school  of 
Lyons,  wrote  strongly  against  Amalarius,  and  cited  him  before 
two  councils,  the  latter  of  which  examined  the  mystical  theories 
of  Amalarius,  and  condemned  them  as  being  founded  on  nothing 
but  the  writer's  fancy,  and  dangerous.  The  theories  of  Amalarius, 
however,  kept  possession  of  many  writers  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and 
even  in  the  nineteenth  century  had  their  admirers  and  advocates. 

THE   MASS,    OR   HOLY   COMMUNION. 

The  great  distinguishing  ceremony  of  Christians  is  the  cele- 
bration  of  the  Mass  or  Communion,  or  Administration  of  the 


Chap,  iv.]      EAKLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.        75 

sacrament  in  commemoration  of  our  Lord's  Supper.  The  word 
Mass  was  used  as  early  as  about  the  second  century,  and  is 
derived  from  the  Hebrew  missach,  signifying  a  freewill  offering, 
or  mincha,  an  oblation  of  meal.  The  name  of  Mass  was  used  to 
include  all  the  offices  and  festivals  of  which  the  Holy  Communion 
was  a  leading  feature.  After  the  Reformation  the  word  Mass 
was  discontinued  in  England,  and  superseded  by  the  words  Holy 
Communion.  The  days  and  times  of  celebrating  the  Communion 
have  differed  from  age  to  age.  High  Mass  was  sung  with  music 
and  solemn  ceremony  and  the  assistance  of  numerous  ministers, 
but  the  Communion  was  seldom  given  at  High  Mass.  Low  Mass 
was  said  by  a  priest  attended  by  a  single  clerk.  The  Eucharistic 
bread,  or  Host  (from  hostia,  the  sacrifice),  was  required  by  a 
council  of  Toledo  in  925  to  be  made  in  form  of  a  wafer,  so  as  to 
be  easily  broken,  and  was  expressly  baked  for  the  altar.  Un- 
leavened bread  came  to  be  almost  universally  used.  In  England, 
after  the  Reformation,  ordinary  bread  is  ordered  to  be  used,  and 
not  wafers  or  stamped  bread.  The  Elevation  of  the  Host,  or 
lifting  up  of  the  paten  (a  small  flat  plate  so  called)  and  conse- 
crated bread  above  the  head  of  the  celebrant,  was  instituted  by 
Pope  Honorius  III.  in  1210,  and  he  directed  that  it  was  to  be 
adored  when  elevated.  This  practice  has  been  prohibited  in 
England  since  the  Reformation.  The  pyx  is  the  box  in  which 
the  Host  is  kept  or  conveyed,  often  made  of  silver  or  ivory.  The 
wine  for  the  Communion  used  by  the  Greeks  was  mixed  with 
water,  and  was  red  wine.  The  Roman  Church  now  uses  white 
wine.  The  English  Church  forbids  water  to  be  mixed  with  the 
wine.  When  the  custom  of  carrying  about  and  exposing  the 
Host  began,  about  the  fourteenth  century,  the  name  of  the  vessel 
in  which  it  was  shown  was  called  a  monstrance,  resembling  a 
chalice.  The  Agnus  Dei  is  a  little  round  cake  of  perfumed  wax, 
stamped  with  the  figure  of  the  Holy  Lamb  bearing  the  standard 
of  the  Cross.  The  cakes  were  burned  as  perfumes,  symbolical 
of  good  thoughts,  or  in  memory  of  the  eleliverance  of  men  from 
the  power  of  the  grave  at  Easter  by  the  Lamb  of  God.  The 
French  shepherds,  during  the  time  of  the  Crusades,  were  observed 
to  use  these  perfumes.  And  people  burned  them  in  their  houses 
as  a  safeguard  against  evil  spirits.  The  Agnus  Dei  was  also  the 
name  given  to  a  hymn  sung  in  the  canon  of  the  Mass. 

ANCIENT    CHURCH    SERVICE   IN   THE   MOTHER  TONGUE. 

The  learned  Bingham,  in  his  "  Antiquities  of   the   Christian 
Church,"  says  that    there   is  abundant   testimony  that   in   the 


76  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

earliest  services  of  the  Church  it  was  a  rule  that  the  liturgies 
and  forms  of  prayers  should  be  in  the  mother  tongue  of  the  people, 
and  not,  as  had  been  a  modern  i practice,  invariably  in  the  Latin 
tongue.  St.  Jerome  says  that  at  the.  funeral  of  Lady  Paula  the 
Psalms  were  sung  in  Syriac,  Greek,  and  Latin,  because  there  were 
men  of  each  language  present  at  the  solemnity.  He  also  says  it 
was  the  practice  for  the  young  virgins  to  sing  the  Psalter  morning 
and  evening,  and  to  learn  the  Psalms  and  some  portion  of  the 
Scripture  every  day  ;  and  St.  Basil  says  that  all  the  people  sung 
the  Psalms  alternately,  and  the  children  joined.  And  the  Church 
took  care  to  have  the  Bible  translated  into  all  languages — Syrian, 
Egyptian,  Indian,  Persian,  Ethiopian,  Armenian,  Roman,  Scythian, 
and  Gothic.  Another  custom  pointing  to  the  same  conclusion 
was,  that  Bibles  were  laid  in  the  churches  for  the  people  to  read 
in  private  at  their  leisure.  So  that  none  of  the  ancient  Fathers 
ever  dreamt  that  a  time  would  come  when  the  Scriptures  should 
be  only  in  the  hands  of  the  bishops  and  clergy.  St.  Chrysostom, 
in  one  of  his  sermons  upon  Lazarus,  says  expressly,  "  The  reading 
of  the  Scriptures  is  our  great  guard  against  sin.  Our  ignorance 
of  them  is  a  dangerous  precipice  and  a  deep  gulf."  A  Church 
Council  of  Chalons  in  813  expressly  ordered  that  the  bishops 
should  set  up  schools  to  teach  the  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures. 
There  was  an  order  of  officers,  called  Readers,  expressly  to  assist 
the  people  in  this  matter.  And  Eusebius  relates  that  a  blind 
man  called  John,  one  of  the  martyrs  of  Palestine,  had  so  good 
a  memory  that  he  could  repeat  any  part  of  the  Bible  as  readily 
as  the  reader  could  do.  Therefore  it  was  an  entire  departure  from 
ancient  practice  when  the  Church  in  mediaeval  and  later  times 
discountenanced  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  by  the  people  at 
large. 

USE   OF    ORGANS    AND   BELLS    IN    CHURCHES. 

Though  music  in  Divine  service  had  always  a  place,  yet  the 
use  of  instrumental  music  seems  not  to  have  become  general  till 
the  time  of  Thomas  Aquinas,  about  1250.  And  it  is  related  that 
one  Marinus  Sanutus,  who  lived  about  1290,  was  the  first  to 
introduce  wind  organs  into  churches,  whence  he  was  called  Tor- 
cellus,  which  is  the  name  for  an  organ  in  the  Italian  tongue. 
This  instrument  had  long  been  known  as  a  curiosity  before  that 
time,  and  one  was  sent  by  the  Greek  Emperor  about  766  to  King 
Pepin.  The  use  of  bells  as  a  mode  of  summoning  worshippers  to 
Divine  service  was  soon  thought  of  as  a  substitute  for  employing 
deacons  or  deaconesses  to  give  private  notice  to  each  attendant 


Chap,  iv.]      EAKLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.        77 

In  Egypt  the  early  Christians  imitated  the  Jews  by  blowing  a 
trumpet.  In  the  early  monastery  set  up  by  Paula  at  Jerusalem, 
one  of  the  virgins  was  set  apart  to  go  round  singing  hallelujah. 
In  the  time  of  Bede,  in  the  seventh  century,  bells  began  to  be  used  as 
a  mode  of  summoning  to  worship.  And  in  968  Pope  John  XIII. 
consecrated  the  great  bell  of  the  Lateran  Chinch  in  Rome,  calling 
it  John. 

SEPARATION    OF    SEXES    IX    CHURCHES. 

The  custom  of  separating  the  sexes  in  church  had  a  very  remote 
origin.  John  Gregorie,  in  his  works  (published  in  1646),  says : 
"  There  is  a  tradition  that  in  the  ark,  so  soon  as  ever  the  day 
began  to  break,  Noah  stood  up  towards  the  body  of  Adam  and 
before  the  Lord,  he  and  his  sons,  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japhet.  And 
Noah  prayed  and  his  sons  ;  and  the  women  answered  from  another 
part  of  the  ark,  '  Amen,  Lord.'  Whence  you  may  note  too  (if 
the  tradition  be  sound  enough)  the  antiquity  of  that  fit  custom 
(obtaining  still,  especially  in  the  Eastern  parts)  of  the  separation 
of  the  sexes,  or  the  setting  of  women  apart  from  the  men  in  the 
houses  of  God.  Which  sure  was  matter  of  no  slight  concernment 
if  it  could  not  be  neglected,  no,  not  in  the  ark,  in  so  great  a 
straightncss  and  distress  of  congregation." 

THE  ANCIENT  CHURCH  PRAYING  FOR  THE  DEAD. 

Bingham,  in  his  "  Christian  Antiquities,"  says  that  the  Ancient 
Church  used  prayers  for  all  the  saints,  martyrs,  confessors, 
patriarchs,  apostles,  and  even  the  Virgin  Mary  herself.  But  the 
practice  was  not  founded  in  a  belief  in  purgatory,  but  upon  a 
supposition  that  they  were  going  to  a  place  of  rest  and  happiness, 
the  soul  being  supposed  to  be  in  an  imperfect  state  of  happiness 
till  the  Resurrection.  Moreover,  many  of  the  ancients  held  the 
opinion  of  the  millennium,  or  the  reign  of  Christ  a  thousand 
years  upon  earth  before  the  final  day  of  judgment.  There  was 
also  a  kindred  practice  by  which  the  holy  books  or  diptychs  used 
to  be  rehearsed  during  the  service.  These  recited  the  names  of 
famous  bishops,  emperors,  and  magistrates  connected  with  the 
district ;  also  the  names  of  those  who  had  lived  righteously,  and 
had  attained  to  the  perfections  of  a  virtuous  life.  And  this  was 
done  partly  to  excite  and  conduct  the  living  to  the  same  happy 
state  by  following  then-  example,  and  partly  to  celebrate  the 
memory  of  them  as  still  living  according  to  the  principles  of 
religion,  and  not  properly  dead,  but  only  translated  by  death  to 
a  more  Divine  life. 


78  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

OLD   CUSTOM   OF   SIN-EATERS   AT    FUNERALS. 

In  Kenneth  "  Parochial  Antiquities  "  it  is  stated  by  an  old  person 
living  about  1640  that  "  in  the  county  of  Hereford  there  was  an 
old  custom  at  funerals  to  hire  poor  people,  who  were  to  take  upon 
them  all  the  sins  of  the  deceased  party,  and  were  called,  sin-eaters. 
One  of  them  lived  in  a  cottage  near  Ross,  in  Herefordshire.  The 
manner  was  this  :  When  the  corpse  was  brought  out  of  the 
house  and  laid  on  the  bier,  a  loaf  of  bread  was  delivered  to  the 
sin-eater  over  the  corpse,  as  also  a  mazar  bowl  (gossips'  bowl)  full 
of  beer,  which  he  was  to  drink  up,  and  sixpence  in  money.  In 
consideration  whereof  he  took  upon  him  at  once  all  the  sins  of  the 
defunct,  and  freed  him  or  her  from  walking  after  they  were  dead. 
In  North  Wales  the  sin-eaters  were  frequently  made  use  of ;  but 
there,  instead  of  a  bowl  of  beer,  they  have  a  bowl  of  milk.  This 
custom  was  by  some  people  observed  even  in  the  strictest  time 
of  the  Presbyterian  government." 

PRAISING   THE   LORD   DAY   AND   NIGHT. 

About  400  or  soon  after,  a  monk,  Alexander,  projected  a  new 
order  of  monks,  who  were  to  be  detailed  into  companies  for  the 
performing  of  Divine  offices  day  and  night  without  intermission. 
This  order  acquired  the  name  of  watches,  dividing  the  twenty- 
four  hours  into  three  watches,  each  relieving  the  other,  and 
thus  keeping  a  perpetual  course  of  Divine  service.  This  order 
attained  great  esteem  and  veneration,  and  many  monasteries 
were  built  for  their  use  at  Constantinople.  Among  others  one 
Studius,  a  nobleman  of  Rome  of  consular  dignity,  renounced 
the  world  and  joined  the  order,  erecting  a  famous  monastery  for 
their  use,  which  was  called  after  him  Studium.  In  course  of  time, 
however,  these  monks  were  believed  to  be  led  away  by  the 
Nestorian  heresy,  and  lost  credit.  We  are  also  told  that  Sigis- 
mund,  Burgundian  king,  after  renouncing  Arianism  about  524, 
restored  the  ruined  monastery  of  Agaune  at  the  entrance  of  the 
principal  passage  of  the  Alps,  the  gorge  of  the  Valais  on  the 
Rhone.  It  was  built  in  honour  of  St.  Maurice  and  the  Theban 
Legion,  whose  relics  were  collected  and  there  deposited.  A 
hundred  monks  were  obtained  from  Condat  to  give  a  beginning,  and 
eight  hundred  more  were  brought  together  and  bound  under  con- 
ditions, the  chief  of  which  was,  that  a  service  of  praise  was  to  be 
kept  up  without  a  break,  day  and  night.  For  the  purpose  the 
nine  hundred  monks  were  divided  into  nine  choirs,  who  sang 
alternately  and  without  intermission  the  praises  of  God  and  the 


Chap,  iv  ]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.       79 

martyrs.  The  king,  to  expiate  an  offence  in  his  own  family,  him- 
self become  a  monk  for  a  time.  This  notion  of  keeping  up  the 
praise  of  God  every  day  and  night  during  the  whole  year  was 
also  carried  out  in  the  seventeenth  century  by  an  English  gentle- 
man, Nicholas  Ferrar,  who  with  his  family  made  up  a  small  colony, 
all  having  semi-monastic  tendencies,  and  lived  at  the  retired  parish 
of  Little  Gidding,  eighteen  miles  from  Cambridge.  He  was  the 
son  of  a  wealthy  London  merchant,  was  born  about  1586,  and 
educated  at  Cambridge,  and  for  some,  time  was  a  Member  of 
Parliament,  and  had  also  travelled.  He,  with  his  mother,  sister, 
nephews,  nieces,  and  servants,  numbering  thirty,  at  last  took  vows 
of  celibacy,  settled  at  this  rustic  abode,  decorated  their  little 
chapel  with  great  care,  and  devoted  their  time  to  works  of  charity  ; 
but  one  peculiarity  was  always  in  view —  namely,  that  all  day  and 
night  they  relieved  each  other  in  turns,  and  kept  up  constant 
services  of  prayer  and  praise.  Isaac  Walton  says  that  in  this 
continued  serving  of  God  the  Psalter  or  whole  Book  of  Psalms 
was  in  every  twenty-four  hours  sung  or  read  over  from  the  first  to 
the  last  verse,  and  this  was  done  as  constantly  as  the  sun  runs  his 
circle  every  day  about  the  world,  and  then  begins  again  the  same 
instant  that  it  ended.  The  ritual  was  that  of  the  Church  of 
England.  And  there  were  candles  of  white  and  green  wax,  and 
suitable  decorations.  At  every  meeting  every  person  present 
bowed  reverently  towards  the  Communion  table.  The  community 
was  called  "  The  Protestant  Nunnery  "  by  the  peasants  living  near. 
In  that  age  the  Puritans  were  developing  their  power,  and  there 
were  also  reactions,  so  that  both  parties  had  their  zealous 
champions  in  turns. 

CHRISTMAS   DAY   AND   EASTER   DAY. 

One  of  the  most  universally  cherished  customs  of  Christians 
was  to  keep  in  remembrance  the  day  of  Christ's  nativity,  and 
celebrate  and  hold  it  in  honour  by  some  special  service  of  praise 
and  thanksgiving  of  a  religious  character.  A  kind  of  feast  was 
celebrated  on  that  day,  and  in  the  fourth  century  it  was  very 
generally  observed.  But  the  correct  date  was  long  matter  of 
doubt  in  the  early  centuries.  Some  reckoned  it  on  January  6th ; 
some  in  April  and  May.  The  Western  Christians  soon  accepted 
December  25th  as  the  proper  anniversary,  while  the  Oriental 
Churches  preferred  January  6th.  But  by  the  time  of  the  sixth 
century  all  Christians  concurred  in  observing  December  25th. 
Almost  every  country  has  some  peculiar  custom  of  a  religious  or 
festive  character  connected  with  Christmas  Day.     Another  com- 


80  FLOWERS    OF    CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

memoration  day  of  universal  observance  was  Easter  Day,  the 
anniversary  of  the  Resurrection,  the  preceding  Friday  being  called 
Good  Friday.  And  in  the  early  centuries  there  were  also  con- 
troversies as  to  the  correct  mode  of  fixing  the  date.  It  was  a 
day  on  which  good  Christians  observed  the  solemn  Communion,  as 
well  as  baptisms  and  acts  of  hospitality  and  almsgiving.  Choral 
processions  and  singing  of  hymns  and  anthems  were  thought  fit 
exercises  for  this  memorable  anniversary.  The  Sunday  before 
Easter  Sunday,  called  Palm  Sunday,  in  commemoration  of  the 
strewing  of  palms  on  Christ's  entry  into  Jerusalem,  is  also  attended 
with  particular  observances.  In  Italy  it  is  called  Olive  Sunday ; 
in  Spain,  Portugal,  and  France  it  is  called  Branch  Sunday;  in 
Russia,  Sallow  Sunday ;  in  Wales,  Flower  Sunday ;  in  Hertford- 
shire, Fig  Sunday,  in  allusion  to  the  cursing  of  the  fig  tree. 

FESTIVAL   OF   ALL   SAINTS. 

The  festival  of  All  Saints  was  instituted  in  Rome  in  the  eighth 
century.  At  the  end  of  the  tenth  century  a  new  celebration  was 
annexed  to  it.  It  was  related  that  a  French  pilgrim,  on  returning 
from  Jerusalem,  had  been  cast  on  a  little  island  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, where  he  met  a  hermit,  who  told  him  that  the  souls  of 
sinners  were  tormented  in  the  volcanic  fires  of  the  island,  and 
that  he  could  often  hear  the  devils  howling  with  rage  because 
their  prey  was  rescued  from  time  to  time  by  the  prayers  and 
alms  of  pious  men,  and  especially  of  the  monks  of  Cluny.  The 
hermit  solemnly  adjured  the  pilgrim  to  report  this  when  he 
returned  borne,  and  accordingly  the  pilgrim  mentioned  it  to  the 
Abbot  Odilo  of  Cluny,  who  in  998  appointed  the  morrow  of  All 
Saints  to  be  solemnly  observed  there  for  the  repose  of  all  faithful 
souls,  with  psalmody,  masses,  and  copious  alms  to  all  the  poor 
people  present.  The  celebration  was  soon  extended  to  the  whole 
Cluniac  order ;  and  eventually  some  Pope,  whose  name  is  not 
known,  ordered  its  observance  throughout  Christendom. 

HOLIDAYS   AND    FEASTS   IN   THE   MIDDLE   AGES. 

There  were  several  holidays  or  celebrations  of  events  very 
popular  with  young  people  and  the  lower  clergy  during  the  Middle 
Ages,  and  which  had  some  connection  with  religious  matters. 
These  were  the  Feasts  of  the  Ass,  of  the  Deacons,  of  the  Kings, 
of  the  Buffoons,  and  of  the  Innocents,  all  involving  some  horse- 
play and  rude  merriment,  such  as  the  Carnival  still  exhibits. 
About  the  twelfth  century  the  Feast  of  the  Kalends  was  con- 


Chap,  iv.]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.        81 

ducted  by  actors  having  hideous  beards  over  their  faces.  In  the 
Feast  of  Buffoons  of  the  same  period  the  duties  and  rank  of  the 
clergy  were  caricatured  and  turned  into  fun  and  ribaldry.  In 
the  Feast  of  the  Ass  that  animal  was  dressed  like  a  priest,  and 
all  the  people  brayed  as  the  incidents  at  the  stable  of  Bethany 
and  of  Balaam's  conversation  were  rehearsed.  In  the  Feast  of 
Buffoons  there  were  mock  cardinals  and  a  mock  Pope.  In  the 
procession  of  the  Mere  Folle  there  were  a  mock  tribunal,  mock 
judgments,  and  mock  sentences.  As  a  counterpart  to  these 
boisterous  revels,  there  were  famous  legends  or  superstitions 
represented,  such  as  the  story  of  the  "  Wandering  Jew,"  so  called 
from  a  rebuke  given  to  an  insulting  assault  made  on  the  Saviour 
at  the  Crucifixion,  which  was  followed  by  a  supposed  sentence  on 
the  offender  that  he  should  await  Christ's  second  coming ;  the 
superstition  about  Prester  John,  a  sort  of  pontiff  king,  half  Jew, 
half  Christian,  who  was  said  to  have  governed  a  vast  Indian 
empire,  but  no  particulars  of  which  were  ever  ascertained,  and 
yet  he  was  said  to  have  invited  the  Pope  to  go  and  live  in  his 
dominions. 

FEAST   OF   THE   ASS. 

The  Feast  of  the  Ass,  already  alluded  to,  was  a  feast  cele- 
brated in  several  churches  in  France  in  commemoration  of  the 
Virgin  Mary's  flight  into  Egypt.  And  the  gross  absurdities  then 
practised  under  the  pretence  of  devotion  would  surpass  belief 
were  there  not  such  incontrovertible  evidence  of  the  facts.  A 
young  female,  richly  dressed,  with  an  infant  in  her  arms,  was 
placed  upon  an  ass,  when  High  Mass  was  performed  with  solemn 
pomp.  The  ass  was  taught  to  kneel ;  and  a  hymn  replete  with 
folly  and  blasphemy  was  sung  in  his  praise  by  the  whole  congre- 
gation. And  as  the  climax  to  tins  monstrous  scene  of  absurdity 
and  profaneness,  the  priest  used  at  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony, 
and  as  a  substitute  for  the  words  with  which  he  on  other  occasions 
dismissed  the  people,  to  bray  three  times  like  an  ass,  which  was 
answered  by  three  similar  brays  by  the  people,  instead  of  the 
usual  response,  "  We  bless  the  Lord,"  etc. 

FESTIVAL    OF    THE    BOY    BISHOP. 

The  childish  solemnities  of  the  boy  bishop  on  the  Festival  of 
St.  Nicholas,  though  prohibited  so  early  as  1274  by  the  Synod  and 
Bishop  of  Salzburg,  were  always  much  appreciated  by  the  public. 
On  the  eve  of  the  Holy  Innocents  the  child  bishop  and  his 
youthful  clergy,  in  little  copes  and  with  burning  tapers  in  their 

6 


82  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

hands,  went  in  procession  chanting  versicles,  made  some  prayers 
before  the  altar,  and  sang  complin.  By  the  Statute  of  Sarum  no 
one  was  to  interrupt  or  press  upon  the  children  during  their 
procession  or  service  in  the  cathedral  upon  pain  of  anathema. 
This  ceremony  existed  not  only  in  collegiate  churches,  but  in 
almost  every  parish.  It  is  supposed  that  the  anniversary  montem 
at  Eton,  which  used  to  be  celebrated  in  winter,  was  only  a  cor- 
ruption of  this  ceremony,  and  was  as  such  suppressed  by  an  order 
of  Henry  VIII. 

MIRACLE  PLAYS. 

The  miracle  play  was  a  theatrical  representation  of  scenes  in 
the  Scriptures,  and  it  seemed  to  be  popular  in  mediaeval  times, 
and  the  monks  took  part  in  it  as  active  promoters.  But  there 
were  some  of  these  in  every  century  after  the  third.  In  times 
when  reading  was  impossible,  and  the  fancy  of  the  public  was 
kept  alive  chiefly  by  the  pictures  and  images  in  churches,  it  was 
natural  that  this  cognate  representation  by  means  of  actors  on 
a  stage  should  occur  to  those  who  catered  for  something  like  a 
recreation.  Chaucer  and  Piers  Plowman  allude  to  this  as 
a  frequent  indulgence.  In  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries 
religious  plays  were  acted  in  England,  France,  and  Spain.  Bishops 
and  canons  and  monks  all  supported  them,  and  they  were  acted 
in  churches  and  on  Sundays,  as  was  said  to  be  the  case  in  St. 
Paul's  until  the  time  of  Charles  I.  At  length  it  was  found  that 
they  degenerated  into  buffoonery  and  indecency.  Some  have  said 
that  the  practice  arose  out  of  the  lively  spirits  of  the  troops  of 
pilgrims  returning  from  the  shrines  of  Compostella  or  St.  Michael 
or  Canterbury,  and  chanting  or  reciting  sacred  songs  and  hymns. 
The  plays  went  out  in  England  soon  after  the  Reformation,  and 
they  became  thereafter  mere  secular  amusements. 

THE   PASSION    PLAYS   OF   THE   AMMEKGHAU. 

Dean  Milman  says  he  was  present  at  one  of  the  performances 
of  the  last  of  the  ancient  mysteries  which  still  linger  in  Europe, 
the  Passion  Spiel  by  the  peasants  of  the  Ammerghau.  He  never 
saw  even  in  leading  theatres  finer  scenic  effects,  more  rich  and 
harmonious  decorations,  and  dresses  more  brilliant  with  blended 
colours.  All  was  serious,  solemn,  and  devout ;  actors  and  audience 
were  equally  in  earnest.  The  Saviour  was  represented  with  a 
quiet  gentle  dignity,  admirably  contrasting  with  the  wild  life  and 
tumult,  the  stern  naughty  demeanour  of  the  Pharisees  and  rulers 
in   their  secret  plottings  and  solemn    council,   and   the    frantic 


Chap,  iv.]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.        83 

agitation  of  the  Jewish  people.  There  were  one  or  two  comic 
touches  and  rude  jests,  as  in  the  greedy  grasping  of  Judas  after  the 
pieces  of  silver,  and  the  eager  quarrelling  of  the  Roman  soldiers 
throwing  dice  for  the  seamless  coat.  The  theatre  was  not  roofed, 
but  was  erected  at  the  bottom  of  a  green  valley  flanked  by  pictur- 
esque mountains.  The  effect  of  all  this  on  the  peasants  was  said 
to  be  excellent.  No  one  was  permitted  to  appear  even  in  the 
chorus  unless  of  unimpeachable  character. 

THE    FESTIVAL    OF   THE    ROSE    AT    SALENCY. 

St.  Medard  or  Mard,  who  died  in  545,  was  in  his  youth  im- 
pulsively generous.  One  night  a  thief  entered  his  garden  and 
stole  his  grapes  ;  but,  losing  his  way  in  the  dark,  was  caught  and 
brought  before  Medard.  All  that  the  saint  said  was,  "  Let  him 
go ;  I  have  given  him  the  grapes."  It  was  St.  Mard  who  founded 
the  Festival  of  the  Rose  at  Salency.  He  charged  his  family 
estate  with  a  fund  sufficient  to  yield  a  sum  of  money,  to  be  given 
annually  with  a  crown  of  roses  to  the  best-behaved  girl  in  the 
village.  Not  only  must  the  girl  have  the  highest  character,  but 
her  parents  also.  As  lord  of  the  manor,  he  had  the  privilege  of 
selecting  one  of  three  girls,  who  were  presented  to  him  as  candi- 
dates. When  he  had  named  the  successful  one,  he  announced 
it  next  Sunday  from  the  pulpit,  and  asked  all  who  had  any 
objections  to  bring  them  forward.  Then  at  the  day  and  hour 
appointed,  the  Rosiere,  dressed  in  white,  and  attended  by  twelve 
girls  in  white  with  blue  sashes,  and  twelve  boys,  went  to  the 
castle  in  a  procession,  and  thence  to  the  church.  Vespers  were 
sung,  and  afterwards  the  priest  took  the  crown  or  hat  of  roses 
from  the  altar,  blessed  it,  and  gave  her  the  hat  and  a  purse  con- 
taining twenty-five  francs.  The  procession  returned  to  the  church, 
where  a  Te  Deum  was  chanted  with  an  anthem.  This  custom  was 
said  to  be  a  standing  encouragement  for  centuries  of  the  good 
behaviour  of  all  the  girls  in  the  parish. 

THE   ROSARY. 

The  Rosary  is  a  festival  instituted  to  commemorate  the  victory 
of  the  Christians  over  the  Turks  at  Lepanto  in  1571.  It  was 
a  practice  of  the  ancient  anchorites  to  count  the  number  of  their 
prayers  by  little  stones  or  grains.  In  the  twelfth  century  one 
lady  was  said  to  recite  every  day  sixty  angelical  salutations.  Peter 
the  Hermit  taught  the  laity  who  would  not  read  the  Psalter 
to  say  a  certain  number  of  "  Our  Fathers  "  and  Hail  Martyrs." 


84  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

St.  Dominic  was  eminent  for  encouraging  the  custom  of  reciting 
fifteen  decades  of  the  angelical  salutations,  with  one  "Our  Father  " 
before  each  decade,  in  honour  of  the  principal  mysteries  of  the 
Incarnation.  This  repetition  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  angelical 
salutations  was  instituted  by  him  in  imitation  of  the  hunched 
and  fifty  Psalms,  on  which  account  the  Rosary  has  been  often 
called  the  Psalter  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

THE    MILLENNIUM    EXPECTED    IN    1000. 

As  the  year  1000  approached,  among  the  many  senseless  notions 
then  prevalent,  and  industriously  cherished  by  the  priests  for  the 
sake  of  lucre,  was  the  persuasion  that  the  last  day  was  at 
hand.  This  doctrine  had  been  broached  in  the  preceding  century, 
grounded  upon  the  Revelation  of  St.  John,  and  now  was  generally 
taught  and  received  in  Europe,  and  produced  an  excessive  terror 
hi  the  minds  of  the  people.  For  the  apostle  had  clearly  foretold, 
as  was  taken  for  granted,  that,  after  the  tenth  decade  from  the 
birth  of  Christ,  Satan  would  be  let  loose,  Antichrist  would  come, 
and  the  destruction  of  the  earth  would  ensue.  Hence  great 
numbers,  leaving  their  possessions  and  giving  them  to  churches  or 
monasteries,  repaired  to  Palestine,  where  they  thought  that  Christ 
would  descend  from  heaven  to  judge  the  world.  Others  solemnly 
devoted  themselves  and  all  their  goods  to  churches,  monasteries, 
and  the  clergy,  and  entered  their  service  as  bond-slaves,  per- 
forming a  daily  task.  Their  hope  was  that,  if  found  in  such 
a  condition  of  life,  their  fate  would  be  more  favourably  judged. 
Hence,  when  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  or  moon  happened,  they  fled  to 
rocks  and  caverns  to  hide  themselves.  Crowds  flocked  to  be  near 
where  the  Saviour  was  expected  to  appear  for  judgment.  Others 
consecrated  their  effects  at  once  to  God  and  the  saints — that  is, 
to  priests  and  friars.  Hence  many  also  suffered  their  houses  to 
go  to  ruin,  thinking  these  would  soon  be  of  no  use.  This  delusion 
was  not  got  rid  of  till  the  end  of  the  eleventh  century. 

THE   CHURCH-BUILDING   AGE. 

As  the  millennium  had  been  expected  by  all  Christendom  to 
occur  in  the  year  1000,  most  pious  people  at  that  date  suspended 
all  undertakings  of  a  lasting  character.  When  the  time  arrived 
and  the  event  did  not  take  place,  a  passion  arose  to  build 
churches.  Old  churches  were  taken  down,  and  new  churches 
built  on  a  larger  scale  and  with  splendid  embellishments. 
Charlemagne's  cathedral  at  Aix,  which  had  been  copied  from  the 


Chap,  iv.]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.        85 

Byzantine  type,  was  imitated  in  many  churches  built  along  the 
Rhine.  St.  Mark's  at  Venice  was  built  about  that  time.  The 
art  of  staining  glass  was  supposed  to  be  invented  or  greatly 
extended  at  this  period,  and  the  cathedral  of  Rheims  was  de- 
scribed as  having  windows  adorned  with  divers  histories. 

THE    ROUND    TOWERS    OF    SCOTLAND    AND    IRELAND. 

The  learned  men  of  many  generations  have  been  much  exer- 
cised as  to  the  origin,  object,  and  use  of  the  round  towers,  of  which 
there  are  two  in  Scotland  and  seventy-six  in  Ireland,  and,  like  the 
campaniles  of  Italy,  are  altogether  detached  from  any  neighbour- 
ing structure.  In  Scotland  one  is  at  Brechin,  and  the  other 
at  Abernethy.  The  height  is  eighty-six  and  seventy-two  feet ; 
the  building  tapers  gradually,  and  the  interior  is  divided  into 
seven  sections.  The  entrance  in  one  case  is  on  the  west  side  ;  the 
other  on  the  north  side,  in  the  form  of  a  semicircular  arch, 
surmounted  by  a  figure  of  the  Crucifixion,  a  small  statue  on  each 
side,  one  carrying  a  pastoral  staff,  the  other  a  cross-headed  staff, 
and  also  a  book.  The  walls  are  three  and  a  half  feet  thick,  and 
the  diameter  of  one  is  about  thirteen  feet  and  the  other  eight  feet 
in  the  interior.  These  structures  are  both  in  ancient  church- 
yards. The  learned  have  concluded  that  the  Scotch  towers  were 
erected  by  Irish  monks  between  the  ninth  and  twelfth  centuries. 
Those  being  warlike  ages,  it  is  conjectured  that  they  were  meant 
as  a  defence  against  the  savage  irruptions  of  the  Danes — not  only 
as  a  refuge  for  ecclesiastics,  but  also  as  a  secure  hiding-place  for 
relics,  shrines,  books,  bells,  crosiers,  and  other  treasures  of  the 
Church. 

PETER   DAMIANI   ADVOCATES   WORSHIP    OF   THE   VIRGIN. 

Peter  Damiani  was  born  at  Ravenna  in  1002,  and  soon  became 
a  famous  teacher.  He  developed  a  strong  turn  for  asceticism,  wore 
sackcloth,  fasted  and  prayed,  and  used  to  tame  his  passions  by 
rising  from  bed  and  standing  for  hours  in  a  stream  till  his  limbs 
were  cold  and  stiff,  and  then  he  would  hasten  to  visit  churches  and 
recite  the  Psalter.  Once,  on  offering  a  silver  cup  to  some  monks 
as  a  present  to  their  abbot,  and  which  they  refused  because  it 
was  too  heavy  to  carry,  he  was  so  pleased  with  their  unworldly 
views  that  he  soon  became  monk,  and  no  one  could  equal  him  in 
his  austerities.  He  was  early  enlisted  by  Hildebrand  to  propagate 
the  doctrine  of  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope  over  all  emperors  and 
kings  ;  and  though  his  style  of  preaching  was  only  a  rhapsody  of 


86  FLO  WEES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

scriptural  phrases  and  allegories,  lie  always  carried  out  the  High 
Church  doctrines  of  his  employer.  He  distinguished  himself  by 
his  deification  of  the  Virgin  and  his  devotion  to  flagellation.  His 
glorification  of  the  Virgin  consisted  in  making  her  the  centre  of 
all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  His  enthusiasm  on  this  subject 
led  to  offices  of  prayer  being  framed  for  her,  which  afterwards 
became  developed  into  a  series  of  prayers  known  as  the  Rosary. 
But  Damiani's  masterpiece  was  the  discovery  and  education  of 
Dominic,  a  priest,  and  the  greatest  master  of  the  art  of  self- 
flagellation.  Dominic  wore  a  light  iron  cuirass,  which  he  never 
put  off  except  to  chastise  himself.  His  body  and  arms  were 
confined  by  iron  rings,  his  neck  loaded  with  heavy  chains,  his 
clothes  were  scanty  rags.  His  usual  exercise  was  to  recite  the 
Psalter  twice  a  day,  while  he  flogged  himself  with  both  hands 
at  the  rate  of  a  thousand  lashes  to  ten  psalms.  These  self- 
flagellations  were  said  to  serve  as  a  satisfaction  for  the  sins  of 
other  men.  This  system  of  Dominic  was  extolled  by  Damiani 
as  something  divine.  Damiani  was  also  a  determined  enemy 
to  the  marriage  of  the  clergy,  which  he  denounced  as  a  very 
Gomorrah.  By  Hildebrand's  influence  he  was  made  a  cardinal, 
and  died  in  1072. 

THE   TRUCE   OP   GOD. 

At  the  end  of  the  tenth  century  Guido,  Bishop  of  Puj',  in 
Velai,  was  said  to  be  the  first  to  establish  the  Treuga  Dei, 
which  was  the  origin  of  the  great  expedient  for  securing  peace, 
emanating  a  century  later  from  the  monks  of  Cluny.  The 
Council  of  Clermont  (1095)  decreed  that  the  Truce  of  God  should 
be  observed  during  the  leading  Church  festivals,  and  every  week 
from  sunset  on  Wednesday  till  sunrise  on  Monday.  At  the 
Council  of  Soissons  in  1155  King  Louis  VII.  and  many  princes 
assembled,  and  swore  to  observe  the  Truce  of  God  inviolably.  And 
in  1209  the  Pope's  legate  prescribed  its  observance  to  the  barons 
of  France.  Others  say  that  the  Truce  of  God  was  brought  into 
prominence  by  Rudolph  the  Bald  in  1033,  as  in  that  year  there 
had  been,  after  three  years'  famine,  a  most  abundant  harvest, 
and  the  clergy  suggested  that  men's  minds  would  then  be  well 
disposed  to  any  sacrifice,  more  especially  as  the  recent  events 
connected  with  the  expected  millennium  in  1000  were  still  in 
vivid  remembrance.  The  Council  of  Limoges  resolved  that  those 
who  refused  to  adopt  a  similar  practice,  called  the  Peace  of  God, 
should  be  excommunicated,  and  their  country  laid  under  an 
interdict.     Yet  there  was  a  vigorous  opponent,  named  Gerard  of 


Chap,  iv.]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.       87 

Cambray,  who  protested  that  war  was  an  affair  of  state  in  which 
the  clergy  had  no  business  to  interfere ;  moreover,  that  the 
exercise  of  arms  was  sanctioned  by  Scripture.  But  the  vast 
majority  of  the  people  welcomed  the  new  practice,  and  the  time 
chosen,  between  the  evening  of  Wednesday  and  the  dawn  of 
Monday,  was  noted  to  include  the  interval  between  the  Saviour's 
betrayal  and  the  Resurrection.  The  time  was  soon,  however, 
abridged.  Odilo  of  Oluny  had  been  a  prominent  advocate  of  this 
restriction  on  the  military  barbarism  of  his  time  ;  and  William  the 
Conqueror,  before  the  Conquest,  had  also  joined  in  its  observance. 

THE   NUMBER   SEVEN   IN   SCRIPTURE. 

Students  of  Scripture  have  noticed  how  frequently  the  number 
seven  is  chosen  as  the  standard  for  a  vast  variety  of  computations. 
The  seventh  day  after  the  Creation  God  rested.  The  children 
of  Israel  on  the  seventh  day  of  the  seventh  month  feasted  seven 
days  and  remained  seven  days  in  tents.  The  seventh  year  was 
the  Sabbath  of  rest  for  all  things :  for  the  land  lying  fallow ;  for 
release  of  debts.  Seven  was  fixed  for  Jacob's  years  of  serving  for 
Eachel ;  for  years  of  plenty  and  then  for  famine  in  Egypt ; 
for  fat  beasts  and  lean  beasts  ;  for  ears  of  full  corn  and  blasted 
corn;  for  bullocks  and  rams  sacrificed;  for  King  Ahasuerus'  feast 
days  ;  for  Queen  Esther's  maids  of  honour  ;  for  days  of  unleavened 
bread ;  for  days  of  feast  of  tabernacles  ;  for  Joseph  mourning ; 
for  Churches  of  Asia ;  for  golden  candlesticks ;  for  stars,  lamps, 
seals,  angels,  devils,  phials  of  wrath.  It  is  noticed  that  our 
Saviour  spoke  seven  times  from  the  cross,  remained  seven  hours, 
appeared  seven  times.  Then  there  were  seven  heavens,  planets, 
stars ;  seven  notes  in  music,  primary  colours,  deadly  sins,  senses. 
A  child  was  not  named  before  seven  days ;  the  teeth  sprang  in 
the  seventh  month,  renewed  in  the  seventh  year  ;  faculties  develop 
in  thrice  seven  years,  and  life  extends  to  ten  times  seven. 

THE    POPE    MAKING    A    JUBILEE    YEAR. 

In  1300  Pope  Boniface  VIII.,  whose  chief  objects  were  ambition, 
avarice,  and  revenge,  celebrated  with  religious  ceremonies  the  year 
of  Jubilee.  A  rumour  had  been  raised  in  1299  among  the  people 
of  Rome  that  whosoever  in  the  ensuing  year  should  visit  the 
temple  of  St.  Peter  might  obtain  remission  of  all  his  sins,  and 
that  this  blessing  and  felicity  was  annexed  to  every  secular  year. 
Boniface  ordered  inquiry  to  be  made  into  the  truth  of  this  common 
opinion,   and   found,  from  the  testimony  of  many  witnesses  of 


88  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

undoubted  credit,  that  it  was  decreed  from  the  most  ancient 
times  that  they  who  repaired  to  St.  Peter's  Church  with  a  devout 
disposition  on  the  first  day  of  the  secular  year  should  obtain 
indulgences  of  a  hundred  years.  The  Pope,  therefore,  by  a  cir- 
cular epistle  addressed  to  all  Christian  people,  declared  that  those 
who  at  this  time  would  piously  visit  the  churches  of  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul  at  Pome,  confessing  their  offences,  and  declaring  their 
sorrow  for  them,  should  receive  an  absolute  and  plenary  remission. 
The  successors  of  Boniface  not  only  adorned  this  institution  with 
many  new  rites,  but,  learning  by  experience  how  honoured  and 
how  lucrative  it  was  to  the  Church  of  Rome,  brought  it  within  a 
narrower  compass  of  time,  so  that  soon  every  twenty-fifth  year 
was  a  year  of  Jubilee.  From  every  part  of  Latin  Christendom 
crowds  of  the  faithful  began  to  pour  towards  Rome.  John 
Villani,  the  chronicler,  who  was  present,  estimates  that  there 
were  200,000  strangers  in  the  city.  Another  chronicler  describes 
the  multitudes  as  resembling  an  army  constantly  marching  both 
ways  along  the  street.  And  even  the  poet  Dante,  who  was  then 
a  visitor,  being  away  from  the  republic  of  Florence,  watched  the 
people  in  their  multitudes  passing  to  and  from  St.  Peter's,  along 
the  bridge  of  St.  Angelo,  which,  to  prevent  confusion,  had  a 
partition  erected  to  facilitate  the  passengers.  Some  authors  say 
that  the  magnificence  of  the  scene  gave  the  poet,  and  also  a 
contemporary  chronicler,  the  idea  of  composing  their  respective 
works.  The  coffers  of  the  Pope  were  filled  to  overflowing,  and 
one  chronicler  says  he  saw  at  St.  Paul's  two  of  the  official  clergy 
raking  together  infinite  heaps  of  money.  Boniface  was  so  intoxi- 
cated with  his  success  that  next  day  he  showed  himself  in  the 
attire  of  an  emperor,  with  a  sword  in  his  hand,  explaining  that 
he  wTas  Caesar  and  emperor,  as  well  as  successor  of  St.  Peter. 
Boniface,  in  his  soaring  ambition  tp  subject  to  his  jurisdiction  all 
temporal  powers,  met  in  Philip  the  Fair  of  France  an  antagonist 
as  keen  and  unscrupulous  as  himself,  aud  their  quarrels  have 
amused  posterity.     He  died  of  insanity  and  rage  in  1303. 

VILLANl's   ACCOUNT   OF   THE   JUBILEE   IN    1300. 

John  Villani,  the  chronicler  of  Florence,  who  died  of  the  plague 
in  1348,  thus  relates  his  visit  to  Rome  at  the  Jubilee  of  1300  : 
"  For  the  consolation  of  the  Christian  pilgrims  every  Friday  and 
solemn  festival,  there  was  shown  in  St.  Peter's  the  sudarium  of 
Christ ;  on  which  account  a  great  portion  of  the  Christians 
then  living  made  this  pilgrimage,  women  as  well  as  men,  from 
different  and  distant  countries,  from  afar  off  as  from  near  places. 


Cbap.  iv.]     EARLY   CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.       89 

And  it  was  the  most  astonishing  thing  that  ever  was  seen,  how 
continually  throughout  the  whole  year  they  had  in  Rome,  beside 
the  Roman  people,  200,000  pilgrims,  besides  those  who  were  on 
the  road  going  and  coming ;  and  all  were  furnished  and  satisfied 
with  food  in  just  measure,  men  and  horses,  with  great  patience 
and  without  noise  or  contentions,  and  I  can  bear  witness  to  it, 
for  I  was  present  and  saw  it.  And  from  the  offerings  made  by 
the  pilgrims  the  Church  gained  great  treasure,  and  the  Romans 
from  supplying  them  all  grew  rich.  And  I,  finding  myself  in 
that  blessed  pilgrimage  in  the  holy  city  of  Rome,  seeing  her  great 
and  ancient  remains,  and  reading  the  histories  and  great  deeds 
of  the  Romans,  as  written  by  Virgil,  Sallust,  Lucan,  Livy, 
Valerius,  Paidus,  Orosius,  and  other  masters  of  history,  who  wrote 
the  exploits  and  deeds,  both  great  and  small,  of  the  Romans,  and 
also  of  strangers  in  the  whole  world,  to  leave  a  record  and 
example  to  those  who  are  to  come,  so  I  took  style  and  form  from 
them,  though  as  a  disciple  I  was  not  worthy  to  do  so  great  a 
work,  and  I  began  to  compile  a  book  in  honour  of  God  and  of 
the  Blessed  John,  and  in  praise  of  our  city  of  Florence." 

A    PIOUS   ARAB    KING'S    PRAYER   FOR   RAIN   (a.D.    1343). 

In  1343  Juzef  Ben  Ismail,  King  of  Granada,  made  a  truce 
of  ten  years  with  King  Alphonso  of  Castile,  and  was  noted  for 
his  pious  laws  and  ordinances.  Among  other  reforms  he  forbade 
people  to  go  through  the  streets  praying  for  rain,  as  he  said 
those  who  made  that  offering  should  go  forth  to  the  fields  with 
much  devotion  and  humility,  and  utter  the  following  prayer  : 
"  O  Lord  Allah,  Thou,  the  ever  merciful,  who  hast  created  us 
out  of  nothing,  and  knowest  our  faidts,  by  Thy  clemency,  0 
Lord,  Thou,  who  dost  not  desire  to  destroy  us,  regard  not  our 
shortcomings,  but  rather  consider  Thy  mercy  and  longsuffering. 
Thou  who  hast  no  need  of  us  or  our  services,  O  Lord,  have  pity 
upon  Thy  innocent  creatures,  the  unconscious  animals  and  birds 
of  the  air,  who  find  not  wherewithal  to  sustain  their  lives.  Look 
upon  the  earth  which  Thou  hast  created,  and  upon  the  plants 
thereof,  which  perish  and  are  wasted  for  lack  of  the  waters  that 
should  be  their  nourishment.  O  Lord  Allah,  open  to  us  Thy 
heavens,  turn  upon  us  the  blessing  of  Thy  waters,  let  us  again 
be  refreshed  with  Thy  life-giving  airs,  and  send  upon  us  that 
mercy  that  shall  revive  and  refresh  the  dying  earth,  giving 
succour  and  support  to  Thy  creatures,  that  the  infidel  may  no 
longer  say  Thou  hast  ceased  to  hear  the  prayer  of  Thy  true 
believers.       O  Lord,  we  implore  Thee  by  Thy  great  mercy,  for 


90  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

Thou  lookest  with  pity  on  all  Thy  creatures.  0  Lord  Allah,  in 
Thee  it  is  we  believe,  Thee  we  adore,  from  Thee  we  hope  for 
pardon  for  our  errors,  and  at  Thy  hands  we  seek  for  succour  in 
our  need." 

THE  TERROR  OF  THE  BLACK  DEATH  IN  1348. 

The  black  death,  which  was  said  to  have  carried  off  one-fourth 
of  the  population  in  four  years,  and  in  England  carried  off  half 
the  popidation,  was  a  disease  which  puzzled  the  scientific  men 
of  the  period.  Carbuncles,  tumours,  spots  on  arms  and  thighs, 
became  fatal  in  about  three  days,  and  the  disease  spread  like  fire 
among  dry  fuel.  The  effect  on  society  was  enormous.  Merchants 
of  unbounded  wealth  began  to  cany  their  treasures  to  monasteries 
and  churches,  and  to  lay  them  at  the  foot  of  the  altar ;  but  the 
monks  in  their  turn  shuddered  at  the  gift,  as  in  their  view  it 
only  brought  death,  and  they  threw  it  over  the  convent  walls. 
People  were  driven  by  despair  to  take  up  pious  works  as  a  last 
defence.  In  Avignon  the  Pope  found  it  necessary  to  consecrate 
the  Rhone,  so  that  bodies  might  be  thrown  into  the  river  as 
the  speediest  mode  of  burial.  The  morals  of  the  people  suffered 
by  the  hopeless  and  ghastly  spectacles  around,  for  churches  were 
deserted  by  priests,  and  the  people  without  shepherds  gave  way 
to  covetousness  as  well  as  licentiousness.  When  the  alarm  was 
over,  there  was  a  notable  increase  of  lawyers,  who,  like  locusts, 
devoured  the  property  left  without  owners.  The  plague  raged 
from  1347  to  1350;  and  owing  to  the  Pope  Clement  VI.  appoint- 
ing a  jubilee  in  1350,  and  a  vast  concourse  of  pilgrims  to  Rome, 
it  was  said  that  scarcely  one  in  a  hundred  escaped  alive.  The 
Brotherhood  of  the  Cross  or  of  the  Flagellants  reappeared  at  this 
time,  which  betokened  the  end  of  the  world  to  many,  and,  taking 
on  themselves  the  sins  of  the  people,  went  about  scourging  them- 
selves in  churches  and  markets,  as  a  mode  of  averting  the  wrath 
of  Heaven.  This  imposing  sacrificial  ceremony  had  been  invented 
about  a  century  before  by  Dominic,  and  was  kept  up  from 
time  to  time  in  various  countries.  The  panic  of  the  black  death 
was  in  some  places  ascribed  to  the  infidel  practices  of  Jews, 
who  were  accordingly  hunted  to  death  and  burnt  in  their  syna- 
gogues, or  put  to  the  sword  without  compunction.  The  physicians 
of  the  period  were  all  at  their  wits'  end  how  to  administer 
remedies  to  those  requiring  a  remedy.  Among  those  carried  off 
by  this  scourge  was  John  Villani,  the  historian,  and  Laura,  the 
beloved  of  Petrarch.  Though  the  black  death  was  so  fatal  in 
England,  it  was  noted  that  Ireland  escaped. 


Chap,  iv.]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.        91 

THE   DANCING    MANIA    AND     SWEATING    SICKNESS    IN    GERMANY 
AND    HOLLAND. 

Scarcely  had  the  panic  of  the  Mack  death  subsided  when  a 
delusion  arose  in  Germany,  a  demoniacal  epidemic,  called  the 
dance  of  St.  John  or  St.  Vitus,  which  seized  upon  people,  con- 
vulsing body  and  soul,  and  leading  them  to  perform  a  wild  dance, 
screaming  and  foaming  with  fury.  Assemblages  of  these  fanatics 
became  prominent  in  1374,  and  continued  more  or  less  to  exhibit 
the  same  fascination  for  about  two  centuries.  They  first  broke 
out  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  among  crowds  who  were  said  to  come  from 
Germany,  who  formed  circles  hand  in  hand,  whirling  about  for 
hours  together  in  wild  delirium,  shrieking,  and  insensible  to  the 
wonder,  horror,  and  jeers  of  the  bystanders.  After  the  fit  they 
fell  down  and  groaned,  as  if  in  the  agonies  of  death,  when  their 
companions  swathed  them  in  cloths  tightly  drawn  round  the 
wrists,  and  then  thumped  or  trampled  on  the  parts  affected. 
Some  after  this  frenzy  pretended  to  see  the  heavens  open,  and 
the  Saviour  and  the  Virgin  Mary  enthroned  and  beckoning  to 
them.  The  clergy  were  gradually  led  to  believe  that  these  people 
were  possessed  of  devils  which  required  to  be  exorcised.  The  people 
affected  were  mostly  of  the  class  of  poor,  and  little  removed  from 
vagabondism.  Another  visitation  of  a  kindred  nature  was  the 
sweating  sickness,  which  was  a  violent  inflammatory  fever,  that 
after  a  short  rigor  prostrated  the  powers  as  with  a  blow,  and 
amid  painful  oppression  of  the  stomach,  headache,  and  lethargic 
stupor  suffused  the  body  with  a  fetid  perspiration.  In  England 
it  prevailed  in  1485,  and  some  chroniclers  estimated  that  scarcely 
one  in  a  hunched  escaped  when  once  seized ;  and  it  was  said  to  be 
locally  confined  to  England,  and  did  not  extend  either  to  Scotland 
or  Ireland  or  Calais.  The  disease  was  said  to  be  traced  to  a 
season  of  heavy  torrents  of  rain  and  inundations  of  rivers. 

THE    MONK    FLAGELLANTS. 

The  austerities  of  monks  for  ages  had  created  an  admiration 
for  the  practice  of  flagellation,  and  this  grew  till  a  new  sect  arose, 
which  believed  in  this  as  a  supreme  rule  of  life.  Sovereign 
princes,  as  Raymond  of  Toulouse,  kings,  as  Henry  II.  of  England, 
had  yielded  their  backs  to  the  scourge.  And  St.  Louis  of  Frame 
used  it  as  if  it  were  a  daily  luxury.  Peter  Damiani  had  taught 
it  by  precept  and  example.  Dominic,  called  the  Cuirassier,  had 
invented  or  popularised  by  his  fame  the  usage  of  singing  psalms 
to  the  accompaniment  of  self -scourging.     At  last,  about  1259,  all 


92  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

ranks,  both  sexes,  all  ages,  were  possessed  with  this  madness ; 
nobles,  wealthy  merchants,  modest  and  delicate  women,  even 
children  of  five  years  old,  admired  it.  They  stripped  themselves 
naked  to  the  waist,  covered  their  faces  that  they  might  not  be 
known,  and  went  two  and  two  in  solemn  slow  procession  with 
a  cross  and  a  banner  before  them,  scourging  themselves  till  the 
blood  tracked  their  steps,  and  shrieking  out  their  doleful  psalms. 
They  travelled  from  city  to  city.  Whenever  they  entered  a  city, 
the  contagion  seized  the  onlookers.  They  marched  by  night  as 
well  as  by  day.  The  busy  mart  and  the  crowded  streets  were 
visited  by  processions;  in  the  dead  midnight  the  sound  of  the 
scourge  and  the  screaming  chant  were  accompanied  with  tapers  and 
torches.  Thirty-three  days  and  a  half,  the  number  of  the  years 
of  our  Lord's  sojourn  on  earth,  was  the  usual  period  of  this 
penance.  In  the  burning  heat  of  summer,  and  when  the  wintry 
roads  were  deep  with  snow,  the  crowds  moved  on.  At  length  the 
madness  wore  itself  oiit.  Some  princes  and  magistrates,  finding 
it  was  not  sanctioned  by  the  Roman  See  or  by  the  authority  of 
any  great  saint,  began  to  interpose,  and  after  being  for  a  time 
an  object  of  respectful  wonder  the  practice  sank  into  general 
contempt.  A  contemporary  tells  us  that  in  the  height  of  the 
mania  for  flagellation  the  fields  and  mountains  echoed  with  the 
voices  of  the  sinners  calling  to  God.  Usurers  and  robbers  restored 
their  ill-gotten  gains,  criminals  confessed  their  sins  and  renounced 
their  vices,  the  prison  doors  were  thrown  open,  and  the  captives 
walked  forth ;  homicides  offered  themselves  on  their  knees  with 
drawn  swords  to  the  kindred  of  their  victims,  and  were  embraced 
with  tears-;  old  enemies  were  forgiven,  and  exiles  were  permitted 
to  return  to  their  homes.  The  movement  spread  to  the  Rhine 
lands,  and  throughout  Germany  and  Bohemia.  But  the  excite- 
ment disappeared  as  rapidly  as  it  came,  and  was  even  denounced 
as  a  heresy.  Ulberto  Pallavicino  was  resolved  to  keep  the  new 
heretics  out  of  Milan,  and  erected  three  hundred  gibbets  by  the 
roadside,  at  the  sight  of  which  the  enthusiasts  abruptly  retraced 
their  steps,  and  their  enthusiasm  left  them. 

EXTRAVAGANT  DRESS  OF  CLERGY  IN  1347. 

Dress  was  carried  to  a  pitch  of  costliness  and  vanity  in  the 
time  of  Edward  III.  Men  holding  dignities,  parsonages,  prebends, 
benefices  with  cure  of  souls,  treated  the  tonsure  with  scorn,  and 
allowed  their  hah-  to  hang  down  over  their  shoulders.  They 
imitated  the  dress  of  soldiers,  having  an  upper  jump  remarkably 
short  and  wide,  and  long  hanging  sleeves  not  covering  the  elbows. 


Chap,  iv.]      EARLY  CHURCH  CUSTOMS,  FASTS,  AND  FESTIVALS.       93 

Their  hair  was  curled  and  powdered.  They  wore  caps  with 
tippets  of  great  length,  rings  on  their  fingers,  long  beards,  costly 
girdles,  to  which  were  attached  purses  enamelled  with  figures,  and 
sculptured  knives  hanging  at  then'  sides  to  look  like  swords. 
Their  sleeves  were  chequered  with  red  and  green,  exceedingly 
long,  and  pinked  with  various  colours.  They  had  also  ornamented 
cruppers  to  their  saddles,  and  baubles  like  horns  hanging  down 
from  their  horses'  necks,  and  their  cloaks  were  furred  at  the  edge, 
though  this  was  contrary  to  canonical  rules. 

TELLING    FORTUNES   BY   THE   BIBLE. 

In  the  sixth  century  an  abuse  crept  into  religious  circles  of 
using  the  Bible,  like  a  book  of  fate,  to  discover  future  events. 
Csesarius,  Bishop  of  Aries,  warned  his  people  against  many  of 
the  current  superstitions,  such  as  a  superstition  against  sneezing, 
considering  Friday  an  unlucky  day,  etc.  He  told  them  not  to 
return  anybody's  salutation  on  the  way,  but  on  starting  merely 
to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  and  trust  the  rest  to  the  Lord. 
One  abuse,  however,  withstood  all  his  efforts,  and  that  was  the 
practice  of  seeking  for  oracles  in  the  Bible.  St.  Augustine  also, 
a  century  before,  had  observed  on  this  pagan  practice.  He  said 
the  custom  displeased  him  of  wishing  to  use  the  Word  of  God, 
which  speaks  in  reference  to  another  life,  for  worldly  concerns 
and  the  vain  objects  of  the  present  life.  Even  among  the  clergy 
the  abuse  prevailed.  In  doubtful  earthly  concerns  persons  would 
lay  down  a  Bible  in  a  church  upon  the  altar,  or  especially  on  the 
grave  of  a  saint,  would  fast  and  pray  and  invoke  the  saint  that 
he  would  indicate  the  future  by  a  passage  of  Scripture,  and  sought 
for  the  answer  on  the  first  passage  which  met  the  eye  on  opening 
the  Bible.  Against  the  practice  a  decree  of  the  Council  of  Agde, 
in  508,  was  made,  to  the  effect  that  since  many  persons,  both  of 
the  clergy  and  laity,  practised  divination  under  the  semblance 
of  religion,  or  promised  a  disclosure  of  the  future  by  looking  into 
the  Scriptures,  all  who  advised  or  taught  this  were  to  be  excluded 
from  Church  communion. 


94 


CHAPTER  V. 

DIFFICULTIES    WITH  PAGANS,    JEWS,    IMAGE    WOR- 
SHIPPERS, AND   CIVIL  POWERS. 

THE   NAME   OF   CHRISTIAN. 

Though  for  the  last  sixteen  centuries  the  name  of  Christian  has 
been  used  throughout  the  whole  world,  this  descriptive  word  was 
not  much  used  in  the  first  four  centuries.  The  Christians  used 
to  call  each  other  disciples,  believers,  elect,  saints,  and  brethren. 
Third  parties  called  them  at  first  Jesseans,  spiritual  physicians,  or 
gnostics.  When  heretics  or  followers  of  peculiar  opinions  of  a  novel 
kind  arose,  these  were  called  by  the  name  of  then  leaders,  as  Mar- 
cionites,  Valentinians,  Donatists  ;  while  those  holding  the  standard 
or  orthodox  opinions  adhered  to  the  name  of  Christians  or  Catholic 
Churchmen.  The  heathen  often  called  the  new  body  Jews,  as 
the  early  Christians  were  of  that  race.  There  were  also  names 
of  reproach  given  by  the  heathen,  such  as  Nazarenes,  Galileans, 
atheists,  Greeks,  impostors,  magicians,  superstitionists,  Sibyllists, 
self-murderers  (on  account  of  their  desire  for  martyrdom),  des- 
peradoes, fagot-men  (from  being  so  often  burned),  skulkers  (from 
meeting  in  secret).  The  division  between  clergy  and  laity  was 
soon  acknowledged,  all  those  who  held  regular  offices  in  the 
Church  being  called  chrici,  or  clerics,  or  clerks ;  and  to  this  day 
the  word  "  clerk  "  is  the  proper  legal  denomination  of  a  priest  of 
the  Church  of  England.  The  origin  of  the  word  is  disputed,  but 
is  generally  traced  to  the  Greek  word  "  cleros,"  signifying  that 
the  clergy  at  first  were  chosen  by  lot. 

AN   EARLY   PAGAN    RIOT   AGAINST   CHRISTIANS. 

The  teaching  of  Christian  doctrines  seems  to  have  already 
begun  to  tell  upon  Pagan  practices  when  St.  Paul  worked  at 
Ephesus.     After  he  had  been  preaching  there  two   years,  the 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   PAGANS.  95 

great  feasts  and  shows  connected  with  the  worship  of  Diana 
came  round.  A  silversmith,  named  Demetrius,  found  out  during 
the  fair  that  his  little  silver  shrines  were  not  sold  so  extensively 
as  before,  and  that  business  was  slack.  He  spoke  to  many  in 
the  trade,  and  they  all  agreed  that  their  business  had  fallen  off, 
and  that  it  could  be  caused  by  nothing  but  by  the  missionary 
preaching  of  Paul.  So  they  resolved  to  hold  an  indignation 
meeting,  and,  if  necessary,  get  rid  of  this  new-fangled  sect. 
Demetrius  harangued  the  mob,  and  they  all  shouted,  "Great  is 
Diana  of  the  Ephesians  ! "  and  "  Down  with  the  Jews  ! "  They 
all  rushed  to  seize  that  invidious  sect.  Paul  was  concealed  from 
the  popular  vengeance  by  Priscilla  and  her  husband.  The  crowd 
then  rushed  to  the  theatre,  which  was  large  enough  to  hold 
30,000  people.  Paul  wanted  to  address  the  excited  audience,  but 
his  friends  warned  him  to  avoid  it.  One  Alexander  was  asked 
to  satisfy  them  that  all  the  Jews  were  not  Christians.  The 
yelling  and  confusion  grew  worse.  At  last  the  town  clerk  made 
a  most  businesslike  speech,  never  to  be  forgotten  for  worldly 
wisdom,  and  which  amounted  to  this — that  if  Paul  or  the  Christians 
had  done  wrong,  the  law  was  open  to  the  persons  thereby  aggrieve  d, 
but  that  this  was  no  excuse  for  dragging  them  about  and 
maltreating  them.  This  soon  quelled  the  storm,  and  the  mob 
became  more  peaceable.  And  soon  after  Paul  left  the  city,  and 
went  elsewhere  to  carry  out  his  missionary  labours. 

THE    EARLY    CHRISTIANS    AND    SLAVERY. 

The  Pagans  treated  slavery  as  an  integral  part  of  society,  and 
their  wisest  men  never  dreamt  of  a  time  when  slaves  could  be 
dispensed  with.  On  the  contrary,  one  radical  doctrine  of  Chris- 
tianity being  that  all  men  are  brethren,  it  is  at  first  difficult  to 
understand  how  it  took  eighteen  centuries  to  bear  upon  this  old 
vice.  Dr.  Schaff,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Apostolic  Church,"  states 
the  reasons  in  this  way :  The  Apostles  did  not  attempt  even  a 
sudden  political  and  social  abolition,  and  would  have  discoun- 
tenanced any  stormy  and  tumultuous  measures  to  that  effect. 
For,  in  the  first  place,  the  immediate  abolition  of  slavery  could 
never  have  been  effected  without  a  revolution  which  would  have 
involved  everything  in  confusion,  a  radical  reconstruction  of  the 
whole  domestic  and  social  life  with  which  the  system  is  interwoven. 
In  the  next  place,  a  sudden  emancipation  would  not  have  bettered 
the  condition  of  the  slaves  themselves,  but  would  have  rather 
made  it  worse,  for  outward  liberation,  in  order  to  work  well,  must 
be  prepared  by  moral  training  for  the  rational  use  of  freedom, 


96  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

and  by  education  until  majority  was  attained.  And  this  can 
only  be  done  by  a  gradual  process.  Paul,  moreover  (1  Cor.  vii.  17), 
lays  down  the  general  principle  that  Christianity  primarily 
proposes  no  change  in  the  outward  relations  in  which  God  has 
placed  a  man  by  birth,  education,  or  fortune ;  but  teaches  him 
rather  to  strive  for  a  higher  point  of  view,  and  to  attain  glimpses 
of  a  new  spirit,  until  in  time  a  suitable  change  shall  be  worked 
out.  He  recommends  Christians  to  emancipate  their  slaves 
(Eph.  vi.  9),  and  he  himself  sent  back  Onesimus,  a  runaway  slave, 
to  his  master,  asking  that  master  to  receive  the  slave  kindly.  He 
does  not  exhort  slaves  to  burst  their  bonds,  but  to  give  reverential 
and  single-hearted  obedience  to  their  masters  for  the  time  being. 


NERO   AND   THE   FIRST   PERSECUTION   OF   THE   CHRISTIANS. 

St.  Paul  was  released  from  his  first  trial  at  Rome  in  A.D.  63, 
and  the  next  year  Rome  was  devastated  by  a  great  conflagration. 
Some  say  that  the  Emperor  Nero  set  fire  to  one  place,  and  this, 
owing  to  the  inflammable  materials,  spread  in  all  directions,  and  the 
inhabitants  fled  to  the  fields.  Men  were  going  about  with  torches, 
saying  that  they  had  orders  to  spread  the  fire,  though  perhaps  this 
was  only  an  excuse  for  plunder.  Nero  at  the  moment  was  at 
Antium,  and  did  not  return  till  his  own  palace  had  caught  fire. 
He  set  apart  the  Campus  Martius  and  his  own  gardens  whereon 
to  fix  temporary  structures  to  accommodate  the  houseless.  A 
general  report  was  circulated  that  Nero  went  on  the  stage  of 
his  private  theatre  while  the  city  was  burning,  and  sang  "  The 
Fall  of  Troy,"  as  being  similar  in  its  catastrophe.  At  length  on 
the  sixth  day  numbers  of  buildings  had  been  demolished,  so  as  to 
intercept  the  flames.  The  capital  was  rebuilt  with  wider  streets. 
Meanwhile  the  rumour  spread  more  and  more  that  Nero  had 
himself  ordered  the  fire.  To  stop  this  rumour  Nero  accused  and 
punished  with  exquisite  tortures  the  people  called  Christians. 
Many  were  clothed  in  skins  of  wild  animals  and  torn  to  pieces 
by  dogs,  or  crucified,  or  set  on  fire,  and  were  burned  like  lamps. 
Nero  made  a  holiday  spectacle  of  these  atrocities,  riding  about 
like  a  charioteer  in  the  circus.  Tacitus,  though  referring  to  Christ 
as  a  Jewish  malefactor  put  to  death  by  Pilate,  and  treating 
Christianity  as  an  Eastern  superstition,  yet  said  the  people  were 
slain,  not  for  the  public  good,  but  because  of  the  cruelty  of  one 
man.  This  is  visually  called  the  first  persecution  of  the  Christians. 
Four  years  later  Paul  was  tried  again  at  Rome  for  some  offence, 
and  it  is  usually  believed  that  he  perished  there  by  the  sword. 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   PAGANS.  97 

HOW   THE    EARLY    CHRISTIANS    APPEARED   TO    PAGANS. 

Pliny  the  younger,  one  of  the  most  eminent  advocates  of  Rome, 
and  full  of  sprightliness  and  good-nature,  when  appointed  a 
governor  of  Pontus  and  Bithynia,  near  the  Black  Sea,  wrote  to 
the  Emperor  Trajan  in  101  this  account  of  the  Christians,  who 
used  to  be  charged  before  him  for  refusing  to  worship  the  Pagan 
gods.  He  said :  "  Some  who  said  they  had  once  been  (  biistians 
affirmed  the  whole  of  their  guilt  or  their  error  to  be,  that  they 
met  on  a  certain  stated  day  before  it  was  light,  and  addressed 
themselves  in  some  form  of  prayer  to  Christ  or  to  some  god, 
binding  themselves  by  a  solemn  oath — not  for  the  purposes  of 
any  wicked  design,  but  never  to  commit  any  fraud,  theft,  or 
adultery — never  to  falsify  their  word,  nor  deny  a  trust  when  they 
should  be  called  upon  to  deliver  it  up,  after  which  it  was  their 
custom  to  separate,  and  then  reassemble  to  eat  in  common  a 
harmless  meal.  I  tried  to  extort  the  real  truth  by  putting  two 
female  slaves  to  the  torture  who  were  said  to  administer  religious 
functions,  but  I  could  discover  nothing  more  than  an  absurd  and 
excessive  superstition  on  their  part.  This  contagious  superstition 
is  not  confined  to  the  cities  only,  but  has  spn  ad  its  infection  among 
the  country  villages.  Nevertheless,  it  still  seems  possible  to  remedy 
this  evil  and  restrain  its  progress.  It  is  possible  that  numbers 
might  be  reclaimed  from  their  error  if  a  pardon  were  granted  to 
those  who  shall  repent."  The  tone  of  this  letter  showed  that 
Pliny  had  misgivings  as  to  the  proper  way  of  treating  the  new 
sect.  The  Emperor  in  reply  said  that  Pliny  seemed  to  have 
acted  rightly,  though  it  was  difficult  to  lay  down  a  rule  ;  but  that 
though  these  Christians  were  not  to  be  run  after,  yet  should  they 
chance  to  be  accused  and  convicted  they  ought  to  be  punished. 

CHRISTIANITY    OPPOSES   SHOWS    OF   WILD   BEASTS. 

The  brutal  spectacles  in  which  Pagan  Pome  delighted — the 
fights  of  gladiators,  and  the  combats  of  mm  with  beasts — roused 
the  indignation  of  the  Christians.  Not  merely  did  women  crowd 
the  amphitheatre  during  these  fierce  and  almost  naked  encounters, 
but  it  was  the  especial  privilege  of  the  Vestal  virgins  to  give  the 
signal  for  the  mortal  blow,  and  to  watch  the  sword  driven  into 
the  quivering  entrails  of  the  victim.  St.  Augustine  describes  the 
frenzy  and  fascination  of  the  spectators  for  these  brutal  shows. 
A  Christian  student  of  the  law  was  once  compelled  by  the  im- 
portunity of  his  friends  to  enter  the  amphitheatre.  He  sat  with 
his  eyes  closed  and  his  mind  totally  abstracted  from  the  scene. 

7 


98  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

Ho  was  suddenly  startled  from  his  trance  by  a  tremendous  shout 
from  the  whole  audience.  He  opened  his  eyes.  He  could  not 
choose  but  gaze  on  the  spectacle.  Directly  he  beheld  the  blood, 
his  heart  caught  the  common  frenzy ;  he  could  not  choose  to 
turn  away ;  his  eyes  were  riveted  on  the  arena.  The  interest, 
the  excitement,  the  pleasure  grew  into  complete  intoxication. 
He  looked  on,  he  shouted,  he  was  inflamed  ;  he  carried  away 
from  the  amphitheatre  an  irresistible  propensity  to  return  to  its 
cruel  enjoyments.  Emperor  after  emperor  gradually  prohibited 
first  one  part  then  another  part  of  these  disgusting  spectacles, 
being  influenced  by  the  persistent  remonstrances  of  Christians. 
The  progress  was  not,  however,  very  rapid.  At  last  an  Eastern 
monk,  named  Telemachus,  travelled  all  the  way  to  Rome,  in  order 
to  protest  against  the  disgraceful  barbarities.  In  his  noble  enthu- 
siasm he  leaped  into  the  arena  to  separate  the  combatants ;  but 
whether  with  or  without  the  sanction  of  the  prefect  or  that  of 
the  infuriated  assembly,  he  was  torn  to  pieces — a  martyr  to 
Christian  humanity.  The  impression  of  this  awful  scene  of  a 
Christian  and  a  monk  thus  murdered  in  the  arena  was  so  pro- 
found, that  Honorius  (who  died  423)  issued  an  edict,  putting  an 
end  to  such  bloody  spectacles.  This  edict,  however,  only  suppress*  d 
the  mortal  combats  of  men;  the  conflict  of  wild  btasts  continued 
till  the  supply  was  cut  off  by  the  narrowing  of  the  limits  of  the 
empire.  The  distant  provinces  no  longer  rendered  their  accustomed 
contributions  of  lions  from  Libya,  leopards  from  the  East,  dogs 
of  remarkable  ferocity  from  Scotland,  crocodiles  and  bears  and 
other  wild  animals  from  remote  regions.  Towards  the  end  the 
improving  humanity  of  the  people  allowed  artificial  methods  to 
be  substituted,  so  as  to  excite  the  fury  of  the  beasts  without 
endangering  the  lives  of  the  combatants.  In  the  West  these 
games  sank  with  the  Western  Empire ;  in  the  East  they  disap- 
peared at  the  close  of  the  seventh  century  under  the  prohibition 
of  the  Council  of  Trullo. 

EMPEROR    CONSTANTIUS    TESTING   THE    FIDELITY    OF    CHRISTIANS. 

Sozomen  says  that  the  Emperor  Constantius  (who  died  at  York 
in  306)  wished  to  test  the  fidelity  of  certain  Christians  as  excellent 
and  good  men  who  were  attacheel  to  his  palace.  He  called  them 
all  together,  and  told  them  that  if  they  would  sacrifice  to  idols  as 
well  as  serve  God  they  should  remain  in  his  service  and  retain 
their  appointments ;  but  that  if  they  refused  compliance  with  his 
wishes,  they  should  be  sent  from  the  palace,  and  should  scarcely 
eseape  his  vengeance.     When  elifference  of  judgment  had  divided 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   PAGANS.  99 

them  into  two  parties,  separating  those  who  consented  to  abandon 
their  religion  from  those  who  preferred  the  honour  of  God  to 
their  present  welfare,  the  Emperor  determined  upon  retaining 
those  who  had  adhered  to  their  faith  as  his  friends  and  counsellors ; 
but  he  turned  away  from  the  others,  whom  he  regarded  as  un- 
manly impostors,  and  sent  tin  in  from  his  presence,  judging  that 
those  who  had  so  readily  betrayed  their  God  could  not  be  faithful 
to  their  king.  Hence,  as  Christians  were  d<  servedly  retained  in 
the  service  of  Constantius,  he  was  not  willing  that  Christianity 
should  be  accounted  unlawful  in  the  countries  beyond  the  confines 
of  Italy — that  is  to  say,  in  Gaul,  in  Britain,  or  in  the  region  of 
the  Pyrenean  mountains  as  far  as  the  Western  Ocean. 

CONSTANTINE   THE    GREAT    FIRST    FAVOURS    THE    CHRISTIANS. 

Constantine  the  Great,  son  of  the  Emperor  Constantius,  deserv<  d 
the  appellation  of  the  first  emperor  who  publicly  professed  and 
establish  d  the  Christian  n  ligion,  and  in  whose  epoch,  accordingly, 

all  Christendom  is  interest  d.  While  the  Pagans  repr<  sent  d  him 
as  a  disgraceful  tyrant,  the  Christians  treat  him  as  a  hero,  or 
even  as  a  saint,  and  equal  to  the  Apostles.  His  stature  was  lofty, 
his  countenance  majestic,  and  his  deportment  graceful.  He 
delighted  in  society,  and  had  a  turn  for  raillery;  and,  though 
rather  illiterate,  he  was  indefatigable  in  business,  and  a  con- 
summate general  in  the  held,  lie  accepted  the  purple  at  York, 
where  his  father,  Constantius,  died  in  306.  and  in  his  career 
gained  signal  victories  over  the  foreign  and  domestic  policy  of 
the  republic.  In  the  last  fourteen  years  of  his  life  (323 — 337) 
he  was  said  to  have  degenerat  d,  being  corrupted  by  fortune,  and 
growing  rapacious  and  prodigal.  He  affected  an  effeminate  and 
luxurious  dress.  He  is  represented  with  false  hair  of  various 
colours,  laboriously  arranged  by  the  skilful  artists  of  the  times; 
a  diadem  of  expensive  fashion;  a  profusion  of  gems  and  pearls,  of 
collars  and  bracelets;  and  a  variegated  and  flowing  robe  of  silk, 
most  curiously  embroidered  with  flowers  of  gold.  He  was  twice 
married,  and  had  an  only  son,  Crispus,  by  the  first  wife,  and  by 
the  second  wife,  Fausta,  three  daughters  and  three  sons.  Crispus 
was  amiable  and  popular,  and  had  been  a  pupil  of  the  eloquent 
Christian  Lactantius,  but  he  soon  incurred  the  suspicion  and 
jealousy  of  his  father,  and  was,  owing  to  the  intrigues  and 
jealousies  of  the  second  family,  put  to  death.  Constantine,  it 
was  said,  then  discovered  the  falsehood  of  the  charges  againsf 
his  son,  erected  a  golden  statue  to  his  memory,  and  the  cruel 
stepmother,  in  turn,  was  said  to  have  suffered  death  or  imprison 


100  FLOWERS    OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

ment.  In  his  latter  days  Constantine  had  to  chastise  the  pride 
of  the  Goths,  then  led  by  Alaric,  and  spreading  terror  and  desola- 
tion. In  337  Constantine,  the  only  emperor  since  Augustus  who 
had  reigned  so  long  as  thirty  years,  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
at  Nicomedia.  His  body,  adorned  with  purple  and  diadem,  was 
transported  to  Constantinople,  and  deposited  on  a  golden  bed,  at 
which  the  great  officials,  with  bended  knees,  offered  their  respectful 
homage  as  seriously  as  if  he  had  been  alive,  so  that  his  flatterers 
remarked  that  by  the  peculiar  indulgence  of  Heaven  he  reigru  d 
after  his  death. 

constantine's  standard  of  the  cross. 
When  Constantine,  in  324,  was  invested  with  the  sole  dominion 
of  the  Roman  world,  he  exhorted,  by  circular  letters,  all  his  subjects 
to  imitate  without  delay  his  example  and  embrace  the  Divine 
truths  of  Christianity.  The  Christians,  knowing  that  the  Em- 
peror's father,  Constantius,  was  on  their  side,  had  looked  to  the 
elevation  of  Constantine  as  intimately  connected  with  the  designs 
of  Providence,  and  they  confidently  expected  some  Divine  and 
miraculous  aid  to  attest  the  great  revolution  in  the  world's  affairs 
then  at  hand.  History  accordingly  has  preserved  full  particulars 
of  the  standard,  the  dream,  and  the  celestial  sign  which  sealed 
their  hopes.  The  Emperor  took  measures  to  have  the  standard 
of  the  cross  affixed  to  his  own  statue,  and  on  the  helmets,  shields, 
and  banners  of  his  army.  The  principal  standard  was  styled  the 
labariim,  which  was  a  long  pike  intersected  by  a  transverse  beam, 
from  which  hung  down  a  silken  veil,  which  was  curiously  in- 
wrought With  the  images  of  the  reigning  monarch  and  his  children. 
The  summit  of  the  pike  supported  a  crown  of  gold,  which  enclosed 
the  mysterious  monogram  at  once  expressive  of  the  figure  of  the 
cross  and  the  initial  letters  of  the  name  of  Christ.  The  safety 
of  the  labarum  was  entrusted  to  fifty  guards  of  approved  valour 
and  fidelity.  The  opinion  soon  grew  that  so  long  as  the  guards 
of  the  labarum  were  in  the  execution  of  their  office,  they  were 
secure  and  invulnerable  amidst  the  darts  of  the  enemy.  The 
sight  of  the  standard  gave  the  troops  an  invincible  enthusiasm, 
and  scattered  terror  and  dismay  among  the  enemies.  There  is 
still  extant  a  medal  of  the  Emperor  Constantine,  where  the 
standard  of  the  labarum  is  accompanied  with  these  memorable 
words,  "  By  this  sign  thou  shalt  conquer  !  " 

THE   DREAM   OF   CONSTANTINE. 

Iii  the  age  of  Constantine  the  sign  of  the  cross  had  come  to  be 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   PAGANS.  101 

used  by  the  primitive  Christians  in  all  their  ecclesiastical  rites,  in 
all  the  daily  occurrences  of  life,  as  an  infallible  preservative  against 
every  species  of  spiritual  and  temporal  evil.  A  contemporary 
writer  affirms  with  perfect  confidence  that  in  the  night  which 
preceded  the  last  battle  against  Maxentius  Constantine  was 
admonished  in  a  dream  to  inscribe  the  shields  of  his  soldiers  with 
the  celestial  sign  of  God,  the  sacred  monogram  of  the  name  of 
Christ;  that  he  executed  the  commands  of  Heaven;  and  that  his 
valour  and  obedience  were  rewarded  by  the  decisive  victory  of  the 
Milvian  Bridge.  The  senate  and  people,  exulting  in  the  sxiceess 
of  Constantine,  acknowledged  that  his  victory  surpassed  the 
power  of  man.  The  triumphal  arch  which  was  erected  about 
three  years  after  the  event  recognised  that  by  an  instinct  or 
impulse  of  the  Divinity  Constantine  had  saved  and  avenged  the 
Roman  Republic.  Twenty-six  years  after  the  event  the  historian 
Eusebius  narrates  that  in  one  of  his  marches  Constantine  saw 
a  luminous  cross  in  the  sky  inscribed  with  the  words,  "  By  this 
conquer,"  and  this  sign  astonished  the  whole  army  ;  and  that  in 
a  vision  of  the  ensuing  night  Christ  appeared  to  the  Emperor, 
displaying  the  same  celestial  sign  of  the  cross,  and  directing  him 
to  march  with  an  assurance  of  victory.  These  incidents  were 
universally  adopted,  as  undoubted  truths,  by  the  Catholic  Church 
both  of  the  East  and  the  West;  but  it  is  noted  by  the  sceptics 
that,  though  the  Eat  hers  of  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries  often 
celebrated  the  triumphs  of  Constantine,  they  do  not  allude  to 
these  signs  and  wonders  as  accompanying  the  event. 

THE  EMPEROR  CONSTANTINE  PREACHING  (A.D.  314). 

The  Emperor  Constantine  revolutionised  the  Empire  by  giving 
a  chief  place  to  Christian  doctrines  and  practices.  He  issued  an 
edict  of  toleration  in  313;  decreed  the  observance  of  Sunday,  the 
use  of  prayer  in  the  army  ;  abolished  the  punishment  of  crucifixion, 
gladiatorial  games,  infanticide,  private  divinations  ;  and  encourage  d 
slave  emancipation.  He  was  a  great  admirer  of  good  preaching. 
Eusebius  says  he  himself  once  delivered  a  sermon  in  the  palace 
before  the  marvellous  man  on  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
There  was  a  crowdeel  auelience.  The  Empereir  stood  erect  the 
whole  time ;  would  not  be  induceel  to  sit  down  on  the  throne  close 
by ;  paid  the  utmost  attention ;  would  not  hear  e>f  the  sermon 
being  too  long ;  insisteel  on  its  continuance  ;  and  on  being  entreated 
to  sit  down,  replied,  with  a  frown,  that  he  could  not  bear  to  hear 
the  truths  of  religion  in  any  easier  posture.  More  often  he 
was   himself  the  preacher,  and  one  sermon  of  his  is  preserved 


102  FLOWERS    OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

by  Eusebius.  These  sermons  were  always  in  Latin,  but  they 
were  translated  into  Greek  by  interpreters  appointed  for  the 
purpose.  On  these  occasions  a  general  invitation  was  issued,  and 
thousands  of  people  flocked  to  the  palace  to  hear  the  Emperor 
do  duty  as  the  preacher.  He  stood  erect,  and  then  with  a  set 
countenance  and  grave  voice  poured  forth  his  address,  to  which, 
at  the  striking  passages,  the  audience  responded  with  loud  cheers 
of  approbation.  He  usually  discoursed  on  the  follies  of  Paganism, 
the  scheme  of  Providence  and  redemption,  and  the  avarice  and 
rapacity  of  courtiers. 

THE    LAST   ILLNESS    OF    CONSTANTINE    (A.D.    337). 

The  Emperor  Constantino  was  anxious  to  see  a  reunion  of  the 
Ariiin  and  Athanasian  controversialists  ;  but  owing  to  the  sudden 
death  of  Arius  at  a  critical  moment,  and,  as  was  often  surmised, 
by  a  Divine  judgment,  the  opportunity  lapsed.  Constantine  had 
been  seized  with  sudden  illness  while  preparing  for  his  Persian 
expedition,  and  he  tried  the  mineral  waters  near  Helenopolis  in 
vain.  He  now  bethought  himself  of  the  necessity  of  baptism, 
which  he  had  omitted,  though  he  had  been  for  twenty-five  years 
convinced  of  the  Christian  faith.  In  the  church  of  Helenopolis 
he  was  admitted  a  catechumen  by  the  imposition  of  hands.  He 
then  cast  off  his  imperial  purple  robes  and  assumed  those  of 
dazzling  whiteness,  and  was  baptised  by  an  Arian  bishop,  but 
nevertheless  ordered  the  recall  of  the  orthodox  Athanasius.  He 
was  greatly  comforted  at  the  accomplishment  of  his  baptism,  and 
on  his  deathbed  bade  his  friends  rejoice  at  his  speedy  departure. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  His  body  was  laid  out  in  a 
coffin  of  gold,  and  carried  by  a  procession  of  the  whole  army  to 
Constantinople.  For  three  months  the  body  lay  in  state  in  the 
palace,  lights  burning  around  and  guards  watching.  The  Bishop 
of  Nicomedia,  who  had  been  entrusted  with  the  Emperor's  will, 
alarmed  at  its  contents,  placed  it  for  security  in  the  dead  man's 
hand  till  his  son  Constantius  arrived.  It  was  believed  to  express 
the  Emperor's  conviction  that  he  had  been  poisoned  by  his 
brothers  and  their  children,  and  to  call  on  Constantius  to  avenge 
his  death.  That  bequest  was  obeyed  by  the  massacre  of  six 
princes  of  the  imperial  family.  Prayers  were  offered  up  to  the 
dead  Emperor,  and  miracles  were  believed  to  be  wrought  by  him. 

THE   FIRST   CHURCH   COUNCIL   OF  NICE   (A.D.    325). 

When  the  first  great  Church  controversy  arose  as  to  the  Trinity, 
the   Emperor  Constantine  summoned  the  first  great  Council  of 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES    WITH    PAGANS.  103 

the  Church  at  Nice  in  325  to  settle  this  and  other  doubtful  points. 
Three  hundred  bishops  attended,  with  many  presbyters  and  d  aeons 
and  laity.  The  assembly  sat  in  solemn  silence  till  the  Emperor 
entered  with  great  state  and  glittering  with  jewels.  The  whole 
assembly  rose  to  do  him  honour.  He  advanced  with  modest 
dignity  to  a  low  golden  seat,  and  did  not  take  the  seat  till  a  sign 
of  permission  had  been  given  by  the  bishops.  A  leading  prelate 
began  with  a  short  address  and  hymn  ;  then  the  Emperor  delivered 
an  exhortation  to  unity.  The  debate  next  began,  and  mutual 
accusations,  defences,  and  recriminations  followed,  the  Emperor 
occasionally  softening  asperities  and  commending  pacific  views. 
The  council  sat  two  months,  and  at  the  end  the  Emperor  invited 
the  bishops  to  a  sumptuous  banquet.  They  all  attend)  d,  and 
were  delighted  at  the  prosperous  turn  which  affairs  had  at  last 
taken.  The  Nicene  Creed  was  the  result.  Three  hundred  and 
eighteen  bishops  signed  it,  and  five  dissented,  though  ultimately 
only  two  of  these  withstood  to  the  last. 

AN    EARLY    BISHOP    SILENCING    THE    PAGAXS. 

When  Alexander  was  Bishop  of  Byzantium,  about  314,  being 
then  seventy-three  years  old,  he  presided  at  a  conference  which 
the  Emperor  Constantine  appointed  to  be  held  between  the  Pagan 
philosophers  and  the  bishop.  The  latter  was  called  an  apostolic- 
bishop,  owing  to  his  reputation  for  sanctity.  And  the  historians 
say  that  on  the  occasion  of  the  conference  he  put  the  spokesman 
of  the  Pagans  to  silence  by  firmly  exclaiming,  "  In  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,  I  command  thee  to  be  silent ! "  On  another 
occasion  the  same  bishop  was  an  ardent  opponent  of  Arius,  who 
then  enjoyed  the  patronage  of  the  Court  party.  The  Emperor 
Constantine  ordered  that  Arius  should  be  admitted  to  the  Com- 
munion. But  Alexander  was  determined  not  to  admit  the  heretic, 
and  rather  than  comply  with  the  royal  command  shut  himself 
up  in  the  church  of  Irene  for  purposes  of  prayer.  Strange  to 
say,  Arius  died  suddenly  on  the  following  morning,  as  he  was 
proceeding  in  triumph  to  the  cathedral,  and  the  people  all  believed 
that  this  was  a  judgment  on  the  heretic  in  answer  to  the  good 
bishop's  prayers. 

HOW    TO    CHALLENGE    AND    REFUTE    A    HERETIC. 

Gregory  of  Nyssa  relates  of  Ephraim  the  Syrian,  who  died 
about  373,  and  who  was  a  most  voluminous  author,  preacher, 
commentator,  and  hymn-writer :  One  Apollinaris  had  written  a 
treatise  in  two  volumes,  containing  much  that  was  contrary  to 


104  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

Scripture.  These  volumes  he  had  entrusted  to  a  lad)'  at  Edessa, 
from  whom  Ephraim  obtained  a  loan  of  them  by  pretending  that 
he  was  a  disciple  of  Apollinaris,  and  was  preparing  to  defend  his 
views.  But  before  returning  them  he  glued  the  leaves  together, 
and  then  challenged  the  heretic  to  a  public  disputation.  Apolli- 
naris accepted  the  challenge,  but  only  so  far  as  to  consent  to  read 
from  these  books  what  he  had  written,  and  declining  to  do  more 
on  account  of  his  great  age.  The  controversialists  met ;  but  when 
Apollinaris  endeavoured  to  open  the  books,  he  found  the  leaves 
so  firmly  fastened  together  that  the  attempt  was  in  vain,  and  he 
withdrew,  mortified  almost  to  death  by  his  opponent's  unworthy 
triumph. 

JULIAN    THE    APOSTATE. 

As  there  are  many  examples  of  kings  and  emperors  converted 
to  the  Christian  religion,  so  there  is  a  notable  example  of  one 
relapsing  to  the  condition  of  an  apostate.  Julian  the  Emperor 
was  brought  up  as  a  Christian,  and  had  the  repute  even  of  a 
zealous  Christian  till  he  attained  the  age  of  twenty,  when  he  took 
a  grudge  against  the  Christians,  and  resolved  to  restore,  if  possible, 
the  worship  of  the  gods  as  it  used  to  be  before  the  Christian  era. 
He  was  initiated  into  the  Eleusinian  mysteries,  and  studied  with 
the  Pagan  philosophers.  He  composed  an  elaborate  work  against 
the  Christians.  To  spite  the  Christians  he  resolved  to  rebuild 
the  Temple  of  Jerusalem ;  but  earthquakes,  whirlwinds,  or  fiery 
eruptions  destroyed  these  attempts.  He  prohibited  the  Christians 
from  teaching  rhetoric  and  grammar,  and  excluded  them  from 
offices  of  trust,  ordered  the  Christian  temples  to  be  demolished 
and  the  Pagan  temples  to  be  rebuilt,  and  showed  an  irrepressible 
dislike  to  the  progress  of  Christianity.  Julian  admitted  that 
neither  fire  nor  the  sword  could  change  the  faith  of  mankind. 
He  therefore  prohibited  the  putting  to  death  of  the  Galileans, 
as  he  called  the  Christians.  He  looked  on  them  as  wild,  savage, 
and  intractable  brutes,  or  at  least  poor,  blind,  misguided  creatures, 
who  needed  only  be  left  to  punish  themselves.  The  Pagans  of 
Antioch  received  him  with  rapture ;  but  on  entering  the  temple 
of  Apollo,  where  he  expected  to  find  a  magnificent  procession, 
he  found  only  a  solitary  priest,  and  a  single  goose  for  sacrifice, 
at  the  very  sight  of  which  parsimonious  neglect  he  was  greatly 
incensed.  While  he  was  busy  urging  on  the  restoration  of 
Apollo's  temple,  it  took  fire,  and  this  the  Christians  viewed  as  a 
judgment ;  while  Julian,  on  the  other  hand,  attributed  it  to  their 
malice.     He  retaliated  on  the  cathedral  at  Antioch  by  despoiling 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   PAGANS.  105 

it  of  the  sacred  vessels.  Julian  died  in  battle  after  two  years' 
enjoyment  of  the  throne,  and  it  was  said  his  last  words  were, 
"  Thou  hast  conquered,  O  Galilean ! "  But  the  most  trust- 
worthy accounts  state  that  he  died  in  363  without  remorse,  as 
he  had  lived  without  guilt,  and  delivered  an  impressive  address  to 
his  friends,  submitting  with  dignity  to  the  stroke  of  fate. 

HOW    JULIAN    THE    APOSTATE    DIED    OF    WORMS    (A.D.    363). 

Sozomen  relates  that  Julian,  when  governor  of  Egypt,  put  the 
presbyter,  Theodoret  of  Antioeh,  the  custodian  of  the  sacred 
ornaments  of  the  church,  to  cruel  tortures,  and  then  caused  him 
to  be  slain.  Julian  then  proceeded  to  the  sacrilege  of  the  sacred 
vases,  which  he  flung  upon  the  ground  and  sat  upon,  at  the  same 
time  uttering  incredible  blasphemies  against  Christ ;  but  his  im- 
pious course  was  suddenly  arrested,  for  certain  parts  of  his  body 
were  turned  into  corruption,  and  generated  enormous  quantities 
of  worms.  The  physicians  confessed  that  the  disease  was  beyond 
the  reach  of  their  art;  but  from  fear  and  reverence  towards  the 
Emperor,  they  tried  all  the  resources  of  medicine.  They  procured 
the  most  costly  and  the  fattest  birds,  and  applied  them  to  the 
corrupted  part,  in  hope  that  the  worms  might  be  thereby  attracted 
to  the  surface.  But  this  was  of  no  efl'ect ;  for,  in  proportion  as 
some  of  the  worms  were  thus  drawn  out,  others  were  generated 
in  the  flesh,  by  which  he  was  ceaselessly  devoured,  until  they 
put  an  end  to  his  life.  Many  believed  that  this  disease  was  an 
infliction  of  Divine  wrath  visited  upon  him  in  consequence  of  his 
impiety,  and  this  supposition  appears  the  more  probable  from  the 
fact  that  the  treasurer  of  the  Emperor,  and  others  of  the  chief 
officers  of  the  Court  who  had  persecuted  the  Church,  died  in  an 
extraordinary  and  dreadful  manner,  as  if  Divine  wrath  had  been 
visited  upon  them. 

THEOLOGICAL   DISPUTES   THE   TALK   OF   THE   DAY. 

When  the  Arians  and  Athanasians,  early  in  the  fourth  century, 
were  in  the  height  of  their  controversy  about  the  mysteries  of 
the  Trinity,  the  public  also  took  sides,  and  things  beyond  all 
human  comprehension  became  the  fashionable  topic  of  conver- 
sation at  Court.  The  dispute  spread  to  the  people  of  high  rank, 
and  then  pervaded  the  classes  below.  Socrates  said  that  a  war 
of  dialectics  was  carried  on  in  every  family.  Gregory  of  Nyssa 
in  one  of  his  orations  thus  graphically  described  the  state  of 
public  excitement :  "  Every  corner  and  nook  of  the  city  is  full 
of  men  who  discuss  incomprehensible  subjects — the  streets,    the 


106  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

markets,  the  people  who  sell  old  clothes,  those  who  sit  at  the 
tables  of  the  money-changers,  those  who  deal  in  provisions.  Ask 
a  man  how  many  pence  it  comes  to,  he  gives  you  a  specimen  of 
dogmatising  on  generated  and  ungenerated  beings.  Inquire  the 
price  of  bread,  you  are  answered,  '  The  Father  is  greater  than  the 
Son,  and  the  Son  subordinate  to  the  Father.'  Ask  if  the  bath 
is  ready,  and  you  are  answered,  '  The  Son  of  God  was  created 
from  nothing.' " 

THE   GREAT   CONTROVERSY    ABOUT   THE   TRINITY. 

The  controversy  between  the  Arians  and  the  Athanasians 
exercised  the  leaders  of  the  Church  from  the  time  of  Constantine 
to  the  Second  Ecumenic  Council  in  381.  All  the  great  and 
commanding  minds  of  the  age  were  with  the  Trinitarians,  each 
condemning  the  Arian  heresy  in  his  own  peculiar  way.  One 
leader  was  Ephraim,  the  Syrian  monk,  who  wept  night  and  day 
for  the  sins  of  mankind  and  for  his  own,  and  who  poured  forth 
verse  and  prose  in  defence  of  orthodoxy.  It  was  said  his  very 
writings  wept,  even  his  panegyrics  and  festival  homilies  flowed 
with  tears.  His  psalms  and  hymns,  however,  animated  his  monkish 
companions,  and  were  the  occupation  and  delight  of  all  the  earnest 
believers,  and  all  his  thoughts  and  emotions  were  rigidly  Trini- 
tarian. St.  Basil  the  monk,  whose  boast  it  was  to  be  "  without 
wife,  without  property,  without  flesh,  almost  without  blood,"  was 
equally  zealous  for  the  Trinity,  and  as  its  champion  he  was  made 
Archbishop  of  CaRsarea.  St.  Gregory  of  Nazianzen  was  equally 
zealous  and  eloquent  in  the  same  cause  ;  and  even  the  Arian 
monks  and  virgins  were  excited  to  tumults  and  bloodshed  by  his 
exasperating  popularity.  Chrysostom  in  the  same  cause  offended 
the  Empress,  who  was  inclined  to  the  Arians.  He  was  banished ; 
but  the  Empress,  on  seeing  the  commotion  caused  by  an  earth- 
quake, was  afraid,  and  he  was  recalled  amid  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  whole  inhabitants,  who  went  forth  to  welcome  his  return. 
His  renewed  insults  led  the  Emperor  to  send  his  military  officers 
to  seize  Chrysostom  at  the  altar  during  the  celebration  of  the 
Sacrament,  and  he  was  carried  off.  The  same  night  the  church 
took  fire,  for  which  his  followers  were  blamed,  and  he  never 
returned  from  exile.  The  cause  of  the  Trinitarians  triumphed 
at  last  and  became  the  settled  faith. 

ATHANASIUS    ATTACKED    IN    HIS    OWN    CHURCH. 

Athanasius,  the  great  champion  of  the  orthodox  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity,  who  died  in  373,  escaped  many  imminent  dangers  in 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   PAGANS.  107 

Lis  career.  When  Syrianus,  Duke  of  Egypt,  at  the  head  of  five 
thousand  soldiers  attacked  Alexandria  in  356,  the  Archbishop 
Athanasius  was  with  his  clergy  and  people  engaged  in  their 
nocturnal  devotions.  The  troops  with  horrid  imprecations  battered 
in  the  door  and  interrupted  the  service  ;  but  the  archbishop,  seated 
on  his  throne  and  expecting  the  approach  of  death,  merely  desired 
the  trembling  congregation  to  chant  one  of  the  Psalms  of  David 
which  celebrates  the  triumph  of  the  God  of  Israel  over  the 
haughty  and  impious  tyrant  of  Egypt.  When  the  door  was  burst 
in,  a  cloud  of  arrows  was  discharged,  and  the  soldiers  with  drawn 
swords  rushed  forward,  their  armour  gleaming  under  the  lights 
round  the  altar.  Athanasius  refused  the  importunate  prayers  of 
the  monks  and  presbyters  who  urged  him  to  escape,  and  insisted 
on  keeping  his  seat  till  he  had  dismissed  in  safety  the  last  of  the 
congregation.  The  darkness  and  tumult  of  the  night  favoured 
his  own  retreat,  though  he  was  thrown  down  in  the  crowd  and  was 
eagerly  searched  for  by  the  soldiers,  who  had  been  instructed  by 
their  Arian  guides  that  the  head  of  Athanasius  would  be  a  nu>>i 
acceptable  present  to  the  Emperor  Constant  ins.  who  was  zealous 
for  the  Arian  faction.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  Athanasius 
was  lost  sight  of  for  six  years,  making  hairbreadth  escapes  during 
all  that  period. 

ATHANASIUS    CONCEALED   BY   A    HOLY    VIRGIN. 

Sozomen  says  that  Athanasius,  the  champion  of  oithodoxy,  on 
hearing  of  the  death  of  Constantius  in  362,  appeared  by  night 
in  the  church  at  Alexandria,  to  the  astonishment  (if  his  friends. 
He  told  them  that  while  his  enemies  were  seeking  to  arrest  him 
he  had  concealed  himself  in  the  house  of  a  holy  virgin  in  Alex- 
andria. She  was  only  twenty  years  old,  and  was  of  such  extra- 
ordinary beauty,  modesty,  and  wisdom  that  the  gravest  and  best 
men  felt  indescribable  fascination  in  her  presence.  It  is  said 
that  Athanasius  was  led  by  the  revelation  of  God  to  seek  refuge 
in  her  house,  and  the  result  showed  that  all  the  events  were 
directed  by  Providence.  The  friends  and  relatives  of  Athanasius 
would  thus  have  been  preserved  from  danger  had  search  been 
made  for  him  amongst  them,  and  had  they  been  compelled  to 
swear  that  he  was  not  concealed  with  them.  There  was  nothing 
to  excite  suspicion  of  a  bishop  being  concealed  in  the  house  of  so 
lovely  a  virgin.  She  had,  moreover,  the  courage  to  receive  him 
and  sufficient  prudence  to  preserve  his  life.  She  alone  ministered 
to  him  and  supplied  his  wants.  She  washed  his  feet,  brought 
him  food,  provided  him  with  the  books  he  wanted,  and  acted  so 


108  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

prudently  that  during  the  whole  time  of  his  residence  with  her 
none  of  the  inhabitants  of  Alexandria  suspected  the  place  of  his 
retreat.  The  people  of  Alexandria  rejoiced  at  this  unexpected 
reappearance  of  Athanasius,  and  at  once  restored  his  churches 
to  him. 

AN    IMPRESSIVE    SERMON    ON    THE   TRINITY. 

Alanus  de  Insulis  was  a  schoolman  of  immense  renown  in  the 
eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries.  He  had  appointed  a  certain  day 
to  preach  on  the  Blessed  Trinity  and  to  give  a  perfect  explanation 
of  that  mystery  to  his  auditors.  On  the  preceding  day,  as  he 
took  a  solitary  walk  on  the  margin  of  a  river,  he  saw  a  little  boy 
scooping  out  a  small  trench,  and  trying  to  fill  it  with  water  from 
a  shell ;  but  the  water  escaped  through  the  sandy  bottom  as  fast 
as  he  filled  it.  "  What  are  you  doing,  my  pretty  child  ?  "  asked 
Alanus.  The  reply  was,  "  I  am  going  to  put  all  the  water  of  the 
river  into  my  trench."  "  And  when  do  you  think,  my  child,  that 
you  will  succeed  in  this  great  design?"  "  Oh,"  said  the  child,  "I 
shall  succeed  before  you  succeed  in  yours.  For  they  say  you  are 
to  explain  the  Trinity,  in  your  sermon  to-morrow,  by  the  rules  of 
science."  Alanus  was  struck  with  this  reply  and  seized  with  com- 
punction. He  returned  home  meditating  deeply  on  the  child's 
remarks  and  his  own  presumption.  On  the  morrow,  when  the 
hour  of  the  sermon  arrived,  a  great  crowd  assembled.  Alanus 
mounted  the  pidpit  and  uttered  these  words,  which  were  his  whole 
discourse,  "  It  is  sufficient,  my  friends,  that  you  have  seen  Alanus." 
He  immediately  descended  and  withdrew,  leaving  the  people  in 
astonishment.  The  same  day  he  left  Paris  for  Burgundy,  and 
repaired  to  the  abbey  of  Citeaux,  where  he  became  a  monk,  and 
ended  his  days  in  holy  offices  and  far-reaching  reflections. 

PAGANS    PLEADING    AGAINST    DEMOLISHING    TEMPLES. 

When  the  young  Emperor  Valentinian,  who  died  a.d.  375,  was 
about  to  carry  out  the  edict  of  his  predecessor  and  demolish  the 
Pagan  temples  and  remove  the  statue  of  Victory,  the  eloquent 
prefect  of  Rome,  Symmachus,  ventured  to  remonstrate,  and  in  the 
Senate  he  lavished  his  eloquence  in  defence  of  the  immortal  gods 
and  the  religion  of  his  ancestors.  He  was  cautious,  dextrous,  and 
conciliatory.  He  told  the  Emperor  how  their  old  religion  had 
subdued  the  world  to  the  Roman  dominion,  that  Heaven  was 
above  them  all,  and  there  were  many  ways  by  which  we  arrive 
at  the  great  secret.  But  he  presumed  not  to  contend  on  this 
occasion ;    he   was  a  humble   suppliant.     It   would   surely   be  a 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   PAGANS.  109 

disgrace  to  the  imperial  treasury  to  be  enriched  by  the  paltry 
saving  in  the  maintenance  of  the  Vestal  Virgins  and  by  confiscat- 
ing legacies  bequeathed  by  the  piety  of  individuals.  Yea,  the 
deified  father  of  the  Emperor  would  look  down  with  sorrow  from 
the  starry  citadel  to  see  the  intolerance  of  tbat  day's  proceedings. 
Ambrose,  the  Archbishop  of  Milan,  was,  however,  at  hand  to 
confront  and  confute  this  Pagan  harangue.  He  told  the  Emperor 
that  ancestors  were  to  be  treated  with  reverence,  but  that  the 
question  now  was  the  right  way  of  treating  with  God  alone.  No 
part  of  the  public  revenue  must  be  given  to  maintain  idolatry. 
He  who  offered  to  images  would  have  his  offerings  returned  by 
the  Church  with  disdain.  All  the  gods  of  Rome  had  done  nothing 
for  her.  It  was  the  courage  of  the  legions,  and  not  the  influence 
of  all  the  false  idols,  that  turned  in  their  favour  the  issue  of  battles. 
Valentinian  was  murdered  before  the  final  step  was  taken,  and 
his  successor  hesitated.  Ambrose  had  to  fly  from  Milan,  for  the 
soldiery  boasted  that  they  would  stable  their  horses  in  the  churches 
and  press  the  clergy  as  soldiers.  Alaric  soon  arrived  on  the  scene, 
the  Roman  aristocracy  became  absorbed  by  the  Christianising 
population,  and  Paganism  at  last  gradually  died  out  in  493,  and 
the  new  religion  took  its  place  in  the  old  temples. 

THE  DEFENCE  OF  THE  PAGAN  IDOLS. 

The  ruin  of  Paganism  and  its  idols  took  place  in  the  age  of  the 
Emperor  Theodosius  (378 — 395).  The  Roman  priests,  with  their 
robes  of  purple,  chariots  of  state,  and  sumptuous  entertainments, 
were  the  admiration  of  the  people ;  and  they  found  their  great 
champion  and  advocate  in  Syminachus,  who  in  turn  was  baffled 
by  Ambrose,  Archbishop  of  Milan,  whose  influence  caused  the 
Pagan  orator  to  be  exiled.  On  a  vote  of  the  Senate  as  to  whether 
the  worship  of  Jupiter  or  of  Christ  should  be  the  religion  of  the 
Romans,  a  large  majority  condemned  Jupiter,  and  this  led  to  a 
special  committee  of  officers,  who  were  directed  to  shut  up  the 
temples  and  destroy  the  instruments  of  idolatry.  The  Sophists 
who  stood  by  the  Pagan  religion  describe  the  acts  of  the  Christian 
image-breakers  as  a  dreadful  and  amazing  prodigy  which  covered 
the  earth  with  darkness.  They  pathetically  relate  how  the  Pagan 
temples  were  converted  into  sepulchres,  and  how  the  filthy  monks 
polluted  holy  places  with  relics  of  martyrs  which  were  nothing 
better  than  the  heads — salted  and  pickled — of  those  infamous 
malefactors  who,  for  the  multitude  of  their  crimes,  had  suffered 
an  ignominious  death.  But  the  monks  triumphed,  and  the  bodies 
of  St.  Andrew,  St.  Luke,  and  St.  Timothy  were  transported  from 


110  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

their  obscure  graves  in  solemn  pomp  and  deposited  in  the  Church 
of  the  Apostles,  which  the  magnificence  of  Constantino  had 
founded  in  Constantinople.  The  example  of  Rome  and  Constan- 
tinople confirmed  the  faith  and  discipline  of  the  Catholic  world ; 
and  the  influence  of  this  part  of  the  worship  of  the  faithful 
lasted  during  the  twelve  hundred  years  which  elapsed  between 
the  reigu  of  Constantino  and  the  reformation  of  Luther. 

THE    FIRST    CHRISTIAN    DEMOLITION    OF    TEMPLES. 

When  Theodosius,  the  Christian  Emperor,  in  379  made  an  edict 
ordering  the  demolition  of  idolatrous  temples,  it  filled  the  Pagans 
with  dismay.  Theophilus,  the  Archbishop  of  Alexandria,  hastened 
to  execute  the  order.  Marching  at  the  head  of  the  military,  he 
entered  the  proud  temple  of  the  god  Serapis,  to  which  a  hundred 
steps  led  up,  and  magnificent  porticos  and  pillars  surrounded  the 
spot.  There  stood  the  celebrated  colossal  statue  of  the  god,  made 
of  gold,  silver,  and  other  metals  fused  together,  and  inlaid  with 
precious  stones.  When  the  Christians  entered  the  vast  deserted 
building,  the  centre  of  adoration  for  centuries,  they  stood  silent 
and  awestruck,  and  after  a  pause  of  wonder  a  soldier  was  ordered 
to  strike  the  statue  on  the  knee.  He  did  so  timidly,  for  the 
spectators  expected  some  terrific  outburst  of  thunder  and  lightning 
to  destroy  him  instantaneously.  There  was  an  echo,  but  no  sign 
came.  The  man,  being  emboldened,  then  climbed  up  to  the  head, 
and  with  one  blow  struck  it  off  and  made  it  roll  to  the  ground. 
Another  pause.  Still  no  sign  of  insulted  godhead  ;  but  a  large 
colony  of  rats,  disturbed  from  their  peaceful  abode,  suddenly  leapt 
out  and  scampered  about  in  all  directions.  The  multitude,  with 
their  high-strung  nerves,  were  prepared  for  some  act  of  personal 
vengeance,  but  at  once  dissolved  with  mirth  ;  peals  of  loud  laughter 
and  jests  and  mockery  mingled  with  the  rest  of  the  work.  The 
curious  crowd  were  further  gratified  by  discovering  some  of  the 
machinery  by  which  the  tricks  were  produced  which  had  so  long 
imposed  on  their  simple  faith,  such  as  letting  the  light  through 
an  aperture  fall  suddenly  on  the  lips  of  the  statue  at  the  right 
moment,  also  a  magnet  in  the  roof,  which  kept  a  small  statue 
suspended  in  the  air.  The  fragments  of  the  statue  of  Serapis 
were  zealously  dragged  through  the  streets,  and  the  foundations 
of  the  walls  were  rooted  up.  The  Pagans  waited  in  vain  for 
some  sequel  of  god-like  retribution  to  come ;  but  the  river  Nile 
flowed  on  unmindful  of  its  god  without  any  unusual  outbreak. 
And  like  scenes  were  repeated  in  other  cities  with  the  same 
impunity.     In  some  of  the  earlier  demolitions,  however,  in  other 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   PAGANS.  Ill 

parts  of  the  empire  the  Pagans  resisted,  and  in  some  cases  suc- 
cessfully. The  war  against  the  temples  began  in  Syria.  One 
enthusiastic  iconoclast,  named  Marcellus  of  Apamea,  after  suc- 
cessfully defraying  temples  in  other  neighbouring  places,  when 
attacking  that  in  his  own  district  was  seized  rudely  by  the 
inhabitants  and  burned  alive.  The  synod  of  Christians,  thinking 
it  a  glorious  death,  refused  to  revenge  on  the  ignorant  barbarians 
their  precipitate  outrage. 

DESTROYING  PAGAN  TEMPLES  TOO  ABRUPTLY. 

When  the  Emperor  Theodosius  in  386  directed  the  praetorian 
prefect  Cynegius,  an  ardent  supporter  of  Christianity,  to  shut  up 
all  the  Pagan  temples,  this  was  not  done  without  great  excite- 
ment. One  Theophilus,  Bishop  of  Alexandria,  a  somewhat  worldly 
man,  who  was  rather  bent  on  erecting  splendid  churches  than  on 
carrying  out  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  obtained  from  the  Emperor 
a  gift  of  a  temple  of  Bacchus,  and  he  proceeded  to  convert  it  into 
a  Christian  church.  He  acted  most  injudiciously,  first  collect- 
ing all  the  indecent  decorations  out  of  that  impure  place,  and 
ordering  these  to  be  carried  in  a  procession  through  the  streets, 
so  as  to  expose  them  to  the  ridicule  and  contempt  of  the  people. 
But  it  had  rather  a  contrary  effect,  for  it  roused  the  fanatical 
spirit,  and  caused  the  mob  to  create  a  riot  and  retaliate  on  the 
Christians,  driving  them  off  and  themselves  taking  refuge  in 
the  magnificent  temple  of  Serapis,  the  pride  of  Pagan  idolaters. 
There  a  fanatical  Pagan  named  Olympius,  who  was  clad  in  the 
garb  of  a  philosopher,  haiangued  his  followers  and  instigated 
them  to  fight  for  the  sanctuaries  of  their  fathers.  The  spirit  of 
the  mob  rose  to  fever  heat,  and  the  loss  of  life  in  these  commo- 
tions was  so  great  that  the  Emperor  took  occasion  of  it  to  issue 
a  decree,  in  which  he  found  it  necessary  to  pardon  the  ringleaders 
of  the  Pagans,  but  at  the  same  time  he  directed  all  the  heathen 
temples  at  Alexandria  to  be  destroyed,  since  it  was  through  these 
that  such  serious  disturbances  had  been  created.  And  thLs  led, 
amongst  others,  to  the  demolition  of  the  celebrated  temple  of 
Serapis,  and  its  conversion  into  churches  and  cloisters.  After 
these  events  it  was  expected  that  Paganism  woidd  soon  die  out. 

DEMOLISHING    AN    IMAGE   AT   THE    PALACE. 

There  was  a  magnificent  image  of  Christ  erected  over  the 
bronze  poital  of  the  Imperial  Palace  at  Constantinople.  The 
legend  was,  that  Theodore,  a  wealthy  merchant,  after  losing  all 
his  property  at  sea,  went  to  borrow  some  capital  from  a  wealthy 


112  FLOWERS    OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

Jew,  who  demanded  good  security.  Theodore  had  nothing  of  value 
but  an  image  of  Christ,  and  this  he  boldly  offered  as  his  surety. 
The  Jew  was  so  amused  and  yet  overwhelmed  at  this  simplicity 
that  he  agreed  to  accept  it.  The  result  was  that  the  merchant 
won  back  all  his  wealth,  and  repaid  the  Jew  to  the  uttermost 
farthing,  and  the  great  image  called  the  Surety  was  set  up. 
"When  the  imperial  decree  was  published  against  this  and  other 
images,  a  soldier  of  the  Emperor's  guard  erected  a  ladder  in  order 
to  take  it  down  to  be  burned.  But  a  crowd  of  women  collected, 
demanding  that  the  image  should  be  spared ;  and  when  they 
watched  the  soldier  striking  his  axe  at  it,  they  were  so  maddened 
with  indignation,  that  they  pulled  the  ladder  from  under  his  feet, 
and  caused  him  to  fall,  and  he  was  killed.  The  Emperor  sent 
troops  to  the  spot  to  drive  away  the  people,  and  set  up  a  plain 
cross  instead  of  the  image  which  had  so  won  upon  the  reverence 
of  the  lieges. 

ST.    MARTIN    OF    TOURS    DEMOLISHING    TEMPLES   (A.D.   380). 

St.  Martin  of  Tours  (who  died  396)  distinguished  himself  by 
his  zeal  and  efficiency  as  a  destroyer  of  the  Pagan  temples  when 
the  word  was  given  to  destroy  them.  The  Pagans  occasionally 
used  to  resist.  Once,  after  demolishing  a  temple,  he  was  also 
desirous  of  cutting  down  a  pine  that  stood  near  it.  But  the 
Pagans  opposed  this,  and  after  some  argument  agreed  that 
they  themselves  would  fell  it  upon  condition  that  he,  who  boasted 
so  much  of  his  trust  in  God,  would  stand  under  it  where  they 
would  place  him.  The  saint  consented,  and  suffered  himself  to  be 
tied  to  that  side  of  the  tree  on  which  it  leaned.  When  it  seemed 
just  ready  to  fall  upon  him,  he  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and 
it  fell  on  the  contrary  side.  Whereupon  the  Pagans  were  so 
astonished  that  they  all  upon  the  spot  demanded  to  be  enrolled 
in  his  list  of  catechumens.  Another  time  he  was  pulling  down 
a  temple,  when  a  great  number  of  Pagans  fell  upon  him  with  fury, 
and  one  attacked  him  sword  in  hand.  The  saint,  however,  merely 
took  off  his  mantle  and  presented  his  bare  neck  to  him,  whereupon 
the  Pagan  was  so  terrified  that  he  fell  backwards,  and  begged  the 
saint  to  forgive  him. 

THE    KING    OF    THE    GOTHS    RESPECTS    THE    CHURCHES. 

When  Alaric,  King  of  the  Goths,  besieged  Rome  the  third  time, 
in  410,  the  Salarian  Gate  was  silently  opened  by  his  confederates 
inside  at  midnight,  ami  the  inhabitants  were  roused  by  the 
piercing  sound  of  the  Gothic  tnimpet.     The  tribes  of  Germany 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   PAGANS.  113 

and  Scythia  then  rushed  in,  eager  to  enrich  themselves  with  the 
spoils  of  the  great  city.  Alaric  exhorted  his  troops  to  respect  the 
churches  of  the  Apostles,  St.  Peter,  and  St.  Paul.  -The  Goths  were 
impressed,  and  showed  here  and  there  some  self-restraint.  One 
barbarian  chief  burst  open  the  humble  dwelling  of  an  aged  virgin, 
demanding  all  her  silver  and  gold,  and  was  astounded  at  the 
readiness  with  which  she  conducted  him  to  a  splendid  hoard  of 
massy  plate  curiously  inwrought,  which  made  the  eye  of  the 
captor  sparkle  with  delight.  But  the  woman  with  a  confident 
air  said  to  him,  "  These  are  the  consecrated  vessels  belonging  to 
St.  Peter ;  if  you  presume  to  touch  them,  the  sacrilegious  deed 
will  haunt  your  conscience.  As  for  me,  I  dare  not  keep  what 
I  am  unable  to  defend."  The  captain  was  awestruck ;  and  after 
reporting  the  circumstance  to  the  king,  the  latter  ordered  all 
the  consecrated  plate  and  ornaments  to  be  transported  without 
damage  or  delay  to  the  Church  of  the  Apostles,  and  a  detachment 
of  Goths  thereupon  marched  in  battle-array,  bearing  aloft  these 
sacred  treasures  amid  barbarian  shouts  and  the  psalms  of  rejoicing 
Christians  who  joined  in  the  procession.  The  Goths,  in  pillaging 
the  city,  spared  nothing  beyond  these  select  vessels  of  the  Church  ; 
and  gold,  jewels,  silks,  and  works  of  art  were  piled  in  waggons 
for  their  own  spoil.  The  victorious  Goths  evacuated  the  city  on 
the  sixth  day  and  marched  south,  spreading  terror  and  destruction. 
On  reaching  Sicily,  Alaric's  life  was  cut  short,  and  his  funeral  was 
celebrated  with  barbaric  pomp.  A  small  river,  Busentinus,  that 
washes  the  walls  of  Consentia,  was  diverted  from  its  course,  and 
in  its  bed  the  hero's  body  with  the  spoils  and  trophies  of  Rome 
were  buried.  The  prisoners  who  had  been  compelled  to  execute 
this  work  were  then  massacred,  and  the  river  was  restored  to  its 
former  channel,  so  as  to  conceal  for  ever  the  place  of  burial. 

ATTILA,   KING    OF   THE   HUNS,    IMPRESSED   BY   THE   POPE   (a.D.    453). 

When  Attila,  the  King  of  the  Huns,  was  supposed  to  meditate 
the  invasion  of  Italy,  so  great  was  the  consternation  that  the 
Senate  and  people  thought  it  prudent  to  send  a  solemn  embassy 
to  deprecate  the  wrath  of  that  ferocious  monarch.  He  listened 
to  the  appeal,  and  the  deliverance  of  Italy  was  purchased  by 
the  immense  ransom  or  dowry  of  the  Princess  Honoria.  When 
Attila  talked  of  carrying  his  victorious  arms  to  the  gates  ot 
Pvome,  both  friends  and  foes  warned  him  that  Alaric  did  not  long 
survive  the  conquest  of  the  Eternal  City ;  but  in  453  he  carrit  d 
out  his  resolution.  Meanwhile,  Leo,  the  bishop,  was  induced  to 
venture  his  life  to  endeavour  to  mollify  the   conqueror.     Leo's 

8 


114  FLOWEKS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

eloquence  and  majestic  aspect  and  sacerdotal  robes  made  an 
immense  impression  on  the  superstitious  barbarian.  It  was  said 
by  the  chroniclers  that  the  two  apostles  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul 
appeared  in  person  on  the  occasion,  and  threatened  Attila  with 
instant  death  if  he  rejected  the  prayer  of  then-  successor.  He 
was  much  embarrassed ;  but  before  he  evacuated  Italy  he  still 
threatened  to  return  more  dreadful  and  implacable  if  the  Princess 
Honoria  were  not  delivered  up  to  him  according  to  the  treaty. 
Fortunately  for  Italy,  Attila  was  one  night  seized  with  sudden 
illness,  during  which  a  blood-vessel  burst  and  suffocated  him  in 
his  sleep.  After  solemnly  exposing  his  body  under  a  silken 
pavilion,  squadrons  of  Huns  wheeled  round,  chanting  a  funeral 
songlto  his  memory.  They  inclosed  his  remains  in  three  coffins, 
of  gold,  of  silver,  and  of  iron,  and  privately  buried  him  in  the 
night,  throwing  into  his  grave  the  spoils  of  nations  and  the  bodies 
of  captives  massacred  for  the  purpose. 

THE  VANDALS  SACKING  ROME  AND  CAPTURING  SACRED  VESSELS  (455). 

When  Genseric,  King  of  the  Vandals,  was  secretly  invited  by 
the  Empress  Eudoxia  to  deliver  her  from  the  brutal  treatment 
of  the  Emperor  Maximus,  the  African  galleys  brought  an  army 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Tiber.  Maximus  being,  meanwhile,  slain  in 
a  tumult  of  his  subjects,  the  Vandals  advanced  at  once  to  the  gates 
of  Rome ;  but  instead  of  meeting  an  army,  saw  only  a  procession 
of  clergy,  headed  by  the  bishop,  who  by  his  venerable  appearance 
sought  to  mitigate  the  ferocity  of  the  conqueror.  Some  show 
of  mercy  was  promised ;  but  the  conquerors,  nevertheless,  were 
allowed  to  pillage  the  city,  which  they  did  for  fourteen  days  and 
nights.  Vast  spoils  were  collected,  including  the  splendid  relics 
of  the  temples,  both  Pagan  and  Christian.  Magnificent  furniture, 
sideboards  of  massy  plate,  and  jewels  stripped  from  the  persons 
of  the  Empress  and  her  daughters  were  collected  and  stowed  in 
the  ships.  Amongst  others,  the  holy  instruments  of  the  Jewish 
worship,  the  gold  table  and  the  gold  candlestick  with  seven 
branches,  originally  framed  by  the  direction  of  God  Himself,  and 
which  were  placed  in  the  sanctuary  of  His  Temple,  had  been 
displayed  to  the  Roman  people  by  Titus,  and  afterwards  deposited 
in  the  Temple  of  Peace.  These  spoils  of  Jerusalem  at  the  end 
of  four  hundred  years  were  transferred  from  Rome  to  Carthage 
by  the  Vandals.  It  has  been  related  that  the  vessel  which 
transported  the  relics  of  the  Capitol  was  the  only  one  of  the  fleet 
which  suffered  shipwreck.  Thousands  of  Romans  of  both  sexes, 
and  mostly  those  skilled  in  the  arts,  were  included  among  the 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES    WITH    PAGANS.  115 

captives ;  and  the  Bishop  of  Carthage  generously  sold  the  gold  and 
silver  plate  of  his  church  to  relieve  them. 

JUSTINIAN    DRIVING    OUT   THE    GREEK    PHILOSOPHERS  (526). 

Though  Julian  the  Apostate,  in  his  zeal  to  re-establish  Paganism, 
made  no  great  impression,  the  schools  of  the  Greek  philosophers, 
with  their  dreamy  morality,  were  not  allowed  to  expire  like  a 
worn-out  veteran  in  peaceful  dignity.  The  impatient  zeal  of  the 
Emperor  Justinian  in  526  led  him  to  forcibly  expel  the  remnant 
of  the  old  philosophers  from  the  ancient  groves  and  porches 
of  Athens.  Seven  followers  of  Proclus  were  obliged  to  find  a 
retreat  in  Persia  ;  but  the  Magi  there  were  still  more  intolerant 
than  the  Christians.  Philosophy  found  no  resting-place ;  it  found 
itself  supplanted  by  a  new  faith,  which  now  domineered  over  the 
human  mind.  Justinian  governed  the  Poman  Empire  for  thirty- 
eight  years  (527 — 565),  and  great  and  curious  events  occurred  in 
his  time.  The  Empress  Theodora  was  daughter  of  an  official  called 
the  Master  of  the  Bears,  and  took  to  the  stage  in  her  youth. 
Her  forte  was  not  to  sing  or  dance  or  play  on  the  flute,  but  to 
act  in  pantomime  and  buffoonery,  her  eyes  being  bright,  and  her 
agile  and  elegant  form  drawing  down  endless  applause.  She 
captivated  the  nephew  of  the  Emperor  Justin,  young  Justinian, 
whom  she  married,  and  she  maintained  an  ascendency  over  him 
to  the  last.  She  developed  into  a  rapacious  and  cruel  tyrant, 
and  yet  patronised  many  charitable  schemes ;  and  her  influence 
and  power  with  the  Emperor  were  unbounded,  and  many  a 
courtier  fell  a  victim  to  her  caprice.  Her  physicians  at  last 
warned  her  that  her  health  required  her  to  use  the  Pythian 
warm  baths.  She  went  there  attended  by  a  splendid  train  of 
four  thousand  officials.  Highways  and  palaces  were  repaired 
and  made  ready  during  the  progress.  In  passing  through  Bithynia 
she  distributed  liberal  alms  to  the  churches,  the  monasteries,  and 
hospitals  that  they  might  implore  Heaven  for  the  restoration  of 
her  health.  At  last  in  548,  the  twenty-second  year  of  her  reign, 
she  was  carried  away  by  a  cancer. 

MAHOMET'S    KNOWLEDGE    OF    CHRISTIANITY  (632). 

Mahomet's  knowledge  of  and  connection  with  Christianity 
are  inferred  from  the  fact  that  his  favourite  slave  Zeyd  leaned 
to  the  Christian  faith.  And  the  monk  Bahari,  who  conversed 
with  Mahomet  on  his  first  journey  with  the  camel-drivers,  who 
professed  to  foresee  and  welcome  the  future  greatness  of  the 
prophet,    may   have  communicated   many   of   the   traditions   of 


116  FLOWERS    OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

the  faith.  Though  Mahomet  was  not  well  acquainted  with  the 
canonical  gospels,  yet  the  apocryphal  gospels  with  the  current 
traditions  of  the  time  were  fa-miliar  to  him.  He  adopted  the 
legend  of  the  Seven  Sleepers  at  Ephesus,  and  of  the  Wandering 
Jew.  Many  incidents  of  ecclesiastical  history  have  analogies  in 
the  Koran.  There  is  a  priesthood  in  the  sense  of  men  devoted 
to  the  interpretation  of  the  Koran.  The  saints  are  also  venerated, 
and  pilgrims  make  annual  visitations.  The  ceremonial  rites  are 
even  more  mechanical  than  are  to  be  found  in  any  portion  of 
the  Christian  Church. 

THE    OAK    OF    GEISMAR    DEMOLISHED    (724). 

When  St.  Boniface  was  sent  as  a  missionary  by  the  Pope  in 
724  to  convert  the  Germans,  they  were  found  grovelling  in  Pagan 
superstition,  putting  their  faith  in  sacred  groves  and  fountains. 
The  missionary,  when  made  a  bishop,  determined  to  strike  a 
blow  at  this  creed.  There  was  an  old  and  venerable  oak  of 
immense  size  in  the  grove  of  Geismar,  in  Upper  Hesse,  hallowed 
for  ages  to  Thor,  the  thunder-god.  Attended  by  all  the  clergy, 
Boniface,  who  felt  that  one  visible  ark  of  sacred  confidence  must 
be  replaced  by  another,  went  publicly  forth  to  fell  this  tree. 
The  Pagans  assembled  in  multitudes  to  behold  a  trial  of  strength 
between  the  rival  gods.  They  awaited  the  issue  in  profound 
silence,  some  expecting  that  the  sacrilegious  axe  would  recoil 
on  the  impious  Christians.  But  only  a  few  blows  had  been 
struck  when  a  sudden  wind  was  heard  in  the  groaning  branches, 
and  down  it  came  toppling,  and  split  into  four  pieces.  The 
shuddering  Pagans  at  once  bowed  before  the  superior  might  of 
Christianity.  Boniface  at  once  built  out  of  the  wood  a  chapel 
dedicated  to  St.  Peter.  After  this  churches  and  monasteries 
sprang  up,  and  zealous  labourers  from  England  nocked  to  help 
in  civilising  the  Teutonic  race.  Eadberga,  the  abbess  of  Minster, 
in  the  isle  of  Thanet,  sent  presents  of  clothes  and  books. 
Boniface  was  then  made  a  metropolitan,  with  his  throne  at 
Mentz,  on  the  Rhine,  and  Christianity  spread  from  that  time 
throughout  that  district,  and  it  was  by  his  hand  that  Pepin  the 
Little  was  anointed  king.  In  his  old  age  Boniface  descended 
the  Rhine  in  a  boat  towards  the  Zuyder  Zee.  He  took  with 
him  a  shroud,  in  which  his  body  might  be  wrapped  and  sent 
back  to  Pulda  in  Hesse  in  case  of  accident.  It  proved  that  the 
Pagan  priests  attacked  him,  and  then,  laying  his  head  upon  a 
volume  of  the  gospels,  he  received  the  fatal  blow,  being  killed 
in  755,  and  his  seventy-fifth  year. 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH    PAGANS.  117 

THE    POPE    DEFENDING    ROME    AGAINST    FOREIGNERS    (742). 

When  Luitprand,  the  Lombard  King,  was  conquering  Italy 
in  742,  and  wis  approaching  Eome,  Pope  Zacharias  went  and 
met  him  at  Terni,  surrounded  with  a  courtly  array  of  bishops. 
He  chose  the  church  of  St.  Valentine  for  the  place  of  meeting ; 
and  the  Pope,  availing  himself  of  the  solemnity  of  the  building, 
and  reminding  the  king  of  the  last  account  and  the  damnation 
that  must  await  him,  made  such  an  impression  that  the  king 
was  overawed  and  agreed  to  a  treaty,  making  the  concessions 
asked  ;  and  the  Pope,  after  a  solemn  service  in  church,  ended  by 
inviting  the  king  to  a  banquet.  But  ten  years  later  another 
Pope  (Stephen)  was  less  successful  with  the  next  Lombard 
king,  Astolph.  The  Pope's  ambassadors  were  received  and 
listened  to,  but  nothing  more.  The  king  did  not  stay  his  career, 
but  approached  Rome.  Not  all  the  Litanies,  not  all  the  solemn 
processions  to  the  most  revered  altars  of  the  city,  in  which  the 
Pope  himself  with  naked  feet  bore  the  cross  and  the  whole 
people  followed  with  ashes  on  their  heads,  and  with  a  wild 
howl  of  agony  implored  the  protection  of  God  against  the 
blaspheming  Lombards,  arrested  for  an  instant  his  progress. 
The  Pope  appealed  to  Heaven  by  tying  a  copy  of  the  treaty 
violated  by  Astolph  to  the  holy  cross.  Astolph  entered  notwith- 
standing ;  and,  strange  to  say,  while  he  remained  he  busied 
himself  digging  up  the  bodies  of  saints,  not  for  insult,  but  as 
the  most  precious  trophies,  and  carried  them  off  as  tutelar  deities 
to  Lombardy.  At  the  same  time  the  Pope  was  making  a  journey 
to  King  Pepin  of  France,  and  there  met  with  a  warm  reception, 
which  led  to  many  future  favours  from  that  quarter. 

THE  FORGED  DECRETALS  ABOUT  CONSTANTINE  (795). 

Pope  Adrian  I.,  who  died  795,  in  his  troubles  with  emperors 
and  kings,  finding  Charlemagne  a  rising  power,  wrote  a  letter  to 
him  exhorting  him  to  imitate  the  liberality  and  revive  the  name 
of  the  great  Constantine.  He  used  for  that  purpose  a  legend  for 
which  he  vouched,  and  which  was  to  this  effect :  The  first  of  the 
Christian  emperors  was  healed  of  the  leprosy,  and  purified  in  the 
waters  of  baptism  by  St.  Sylvester,  the  Roman  bishop,  and  the 
physician  was  gloriously  recompensed,  for  that  emperor  withdrew 
from  the  seat  and  patrimony  of  St.  Peter,  declared  his  resolution 
of  founding  a  new  capital  in  the  East,  and  resigned  to  the  Popes 
the  free  and  perpetual  sovereignty  of  Rome,  Italy,  and  the  pro- 
vinces of  the  West.  By  this  plausible  story  it  was  made  to  appear 
that  the  Popes   were  made  by  the  best  of  titles  supreme ;   and 


118  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

such  were  the  ignorance  and  credulity  of  the  times,  that  this 
absurd  fable  was  received  with  equal  reverence  in  Greece  and 
France.  It  turned  out  that  the  story  was  a  forgery  concocted 
near  the  end  of  the  eighth  century  by  one  Isidore,  a  scribe.  It 
was,  nevertheless,  accepted  and  handed  down  as  a  magna  charta 
of  papal  rights,  until  some  opposition  to  its  authenticity  proceeded 
from  a  Sabine  monastery  about  1100.  In  the  revival  .of  letters, 
an  eloquent  critic  and  Roman  patriot,  named  Laurentius  Valla, 
who  died  1457,  completed  the  exposure  of  the  forgery,  to  the 
amazement  of  his  contemporaries,  and  before  the  end  of  the  next 
age  the  imposture  was  rejected  with  the  contempt  of  all  the 
historians.  But  it  served  its  purpose.  As  Gibbon  observes,  "  The 
Popes  themselves  have  indulged  a  smile  at  the  credulity  of  the 
vulgar,  but  a  false  obsolete  title  still  sanctifies  their  reign ;  and 
by  the  same  fortune  which  has  attended  these  forged  decretals, 
and  the  Sibylline  oracles,  the  edifice  has  subsisted  after  the 
foundations  have  been  undermined." 

POPE    NICOLAS    AND   THE    FALSE    DECRETALS    (867). 

One  of  the  clever  stratagems  by  which  Pope  Nicolas  I.,  who 
died  in  867,  tried  to  establish  his  supremacy  over  the  whole  world 
in  all  things  spiritual  was  the  promulgation  of  the  false  decretals. 
This  Pope  was  said  to  have  tamed  kings  and  tyrants,  and  to  have 
ruled  the  world  like  a  sovereign.  A  rebel  Transalpine  prelate, 
Hincmar,  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  had  disputed  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Pope,  but  was  compelled  to  submit.  On  a  sudden,  at  the 
nick  of  time,  there  was  promulgated  a  new  code,  including  thirty- 
nine  (false)  decrees  of  Popes  and  councils.  These  not  only  asserted 
the  supremacy  of  the  Pope,  his  dignity  and  privileges,  but  included 
a  whole  system  of  Church  discipline  on  Church  property,  sacra- 
ments, festivals,  rites,  and  ceremonies.  The  whole  is  composed 
with  an  air  of  profound  piety  and  reverence,  and  a  specious  purity 
of  tone.  But  for  the  too  manifest  design,  the  aggrandisement  of 
the  whole  clergy  in  subordination  to  the  See  of  Rome ;  but  for  the 
monstrous  ignorance  of  history,  which  betrayed  itself  in  glaring 
anachronisms,  and  in  the  utter  confusion  of  the  order  of  events 
and  the  lives  of  distinguished  men — the  former  awakening  keen 
and  jealous  suspicion,  the  latter  making  the  detection  of  the 
spuriousness  of  the  whole  easy,  clear,  irrefragable — the  false 
decretals  might  still  have  maintained  their  place  in  ecclesiastical 
history.  They  are  now  given  up  by  all ;  not  a  voice  is  raised  in 
their  favour.  The  utmost  done  is  to  palliate  the  guilt  of  the  forger, 
who  fortunately  is  unknown. 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   JEWS.  119 

SEPARATION    OF   THE    GREEK    AND    LATIN    CHURCHES  (1054). 

The  restoration  of  the  Western  Empire  by  Charlemagne  was 
speedily  followed  by  the  permanent  separation  of  the  Greek  and 
Latin  Churches.  About  850  Photius,  an  ambitious  layman  and 
captain  of  the  guards,  was  promoted  to  the  office  of  Patriarch  of 
Constantinople,  thereby  superseding  Ignatius,  who  had  a  large 
following.  Both  appealed  to  Pope  Nicolas  L,  a  proud  and 
aspiring  pontiff,  who  embraced  the  welcome  opportunity  of  judg- 
ing and  condemning  his  rival  of  the  East.  The  patriarch  had 
the  aid  of  his  own  court,  and  deposed  the  Pope ;  but  in  turn  he 
and  his  patrons  lost  ground,  and  the  original  patriarch,  Ignatius, 
was  restored.  Thereafter  the  feud  continued  more  or  less  fiercely, 
till  at  last,  in  1054,  the  then  patriarch  was  excommunicated  in 
Constantinople  by  the  Pope's  legates.  Shaking  the  dust  from 
their  feet,  they  deposited  on  the  altar  of  St.  Sophia  a  direful 
anathema,  which  enumerated  seven  mortal  heresies  of  the  Greeks, 
and  consigned  the  Eastern  Church,  its  teachers  and  sectaries,  to 
everlasting  damnation.  Though  the  forms  of  civility  thereafter 
were  sometimes  maintained,  the  Greeks  never  recanted  the  errors 
and  the  Popes  never  repealed  their  sentence.  This  aversion  of 
the  Greeks  and  Lathis  was  nourished  and  manifested  in  the  three 
first  expeditions  to  the  Holy  Land.  The  Eastern  Christians  never 
gave  a  cordial  welcome  to  the  Crusaders,  and  rather  treated  them 
as  schismatics,  and  sometimes  took  part  in  thwarting  them.  In 
1183  the  Greeks  carried  out  a  massacre,  in  which  the  Latins  were 
slaughtered  in  houses  and  streets,  their  clergy  burnt  in  the 
churches,  and  the  sick  in  their  hospitals.  The  Greek  monks  and 
priests  actually  chanted  a  thanksgiving  to  the  Lord  when  the 
head  of  a  Roman  cardinal,  the  Pope's  legate,  was  severed  from 
his  body,  fastened  to  the  tail  of  a  dog,  and  dragged  in  savage 
mockery  through  the  city. 

EARLY    CONTENTIONS    OF    JEW    AND    CHRISTIAN. 

In  the  fourth  century,  after  miraculous  powers  ceased  to  attend 
the  progress  of  Christianity,  and  a  system  of  wonder-working  was 
established,  the  Jews,  who  had  long  watched  with  jealousy  the 
advance  of  them  rivals,  began  to  think  that  they  could  also 
become  adepts  in  pious  frauds.  Next  one  party  took  to  magical 
arts  as  weapons  of  superiority.  A  conference  is  said  to  have 
taken  place  in  the  presence  of  Constantine  and  the  devout 
empress-mother  Helena  between  the  Jews  and  the  Christians. 
Pope    Sylvester  had  already  triumphed  in  argument   over   his 


120  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

infatuated  opponents,  when  the  Jews  had  recourse  to  magic. 
A  noted  enchanter  commanded  an  ox  to  be  brought  forward  ; 
he  whispered  into  the  ear  of  the  animal,  which  instantly  fell  dead 
at  the  feet  of  Constantine.  The  Jews  shouted  in  triumph,  for 
it  was  the  word  Ilam-semjihorash,  the  ineffable  name  of  God,  at 
the  sound  of  which  the  awestruck  beast  had  expired.  Sylvester, 
with  some  shrewdness,  observed,  "  As  he  who  whispered  the  name 
must  be  well  acquainted  with  it,  why  does  not  he  fall  dead  in 
like  manner?"  The  Jews  answered  contemptuously,  "Let  us 
have  no  more  verbal  disputations  ;  let  us  come  to  actions."  "  So 
be  it,"  said  Sylvester ;  "  and  if  this  comes  to  life  again  at  the 
name  of  Christ,  will  ye  believe  1 "  They  all  assented.  Sylvester 
then  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  said  with  a  loud  voice,  "  If 
He  be  the  true  God  whom  I  preach,  in  the  name  of  Christ  arise, 
you  ox,  and  stand  on  your  feet."  The  ox  sprang  up  and  began 
to  move  and  feed.  The  legend  then  adds  that  the  whole  assembly 
was  baptised. 

JULIAN    INCITING   THE    JEWS    TO    REBUILD    THE   TEMPLE. 

Sozomen  says  that,  though  Julian  the  Apostate  hated  and 
oppressed  the  Christians,  he  was  benevolent  to  the  Jews  merely 
in  order  to  spite  the  Christians.  He  commanded  the  Jews  to 
rebuild  them  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  gave  them  money  to  do  so. 
They  entered  on  the  undertaking  without  reflecting  that  accord- 
ing to  their  holy  prophets  it  could  not  be  accomplished.  They 
sought  the  most  skilful  artisans,  collected  materials,  cleared  the 
ground,  and  entered  so  earnestly  on  the  task  that  even  the  women 
carried  heaps  of  earth  and  sold  them  ornaments  towards  defraying 
the  expense.  Yet  when  they  cleared  the  ground  an  earthquake 
occurred,  and  stones  were  thrown  up  from  the  earth,  wounding 
those  near,  and  houses  were  thrown  down.  After  the  earthquake 
the  workmen  returned  to  the  task ;  and  instead  of  regarding 
the  unexpected  wonder  as  a  manifest  indication  that  God  was 
opposed  to  the  re-creation  of  the  Temple,  they  were  consumed  by 
a  fire  which  burst  from  the  foundations.  This  fact  is  related 
by  all  the  contemporaries,  who  agree  that  the  fire  burst  out 
either  from  the  foundations  or  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 
A  still  more  extraordinary  prodigy  occurred,  for  the  sign  of  the 
cross  appeared  on  the  garments  of  the  workmen.  These  crosses 
were  disposed  like  stars,  and  appeared  the  work  of  art.  Many 
were  hence  led  to  confess  that  Christ  was  God,  and  repented  and 
were  baptised. 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   JEWS.  121 

CHRISTIANS   HATING   THE   JEWS. 

Southey  says,  "  That  the  primitive  Christians  should  have 
regarded  the  Jews  with  hostile  feelings  as  their  first  persecutors 
was  but  natural,  and  that  that  feeling  should  have  been  aggra- 
vated by  a  just  and  religious  horror  for  the  crime  which  has 
drawn  upon  this  unhappy  nation  its  abiding  punishment.  But 
it  is  indeed  strange  that  during  so  many  centuries  this  enmity 
should  have  continued  to  exist,  and  that  no  sense  of  compassion 
should  have  mitigated  it.  For  the  Jews  to  have  inherited  the 
curse  of  their  fathers  was  in  the  apprehension  of  ordinary  minds 
to  inherit  their  guilt ;  and  the  cruelties  which  man  inflicted  upon 
them  were  interpreted  as  proofs  of  the  continued  wrath  of 
Heaven,  so  that  the  very  injuries  and  sufferings  which  in  any 
other  case  would  have  excited  commiseration  served  in  this  to 
close  the  heart  against  it.  Being  looked  on  as  God's  outlaws, 
they  were  everywhere  placed,  as  it  were,  under  the  ban  of 
humanity.  And  while  these  heart-hardening  prepossessions  sub- 
sisted against  them  in  full  force,  the  very  advantages  of  which 
they  were  in  possession  rendered  them  more  especial  objects  of 
envy,  suspicion,  and  popular  hatred." 

THE  GOLDEN  AGE  OF  JUDAISM  (A.D.  800). 

The  Jews  seemed  never  to  be  so  prosperous  as  in  the  age  of 
Pepin  and  Charlemagne  (about  768 — 800).  The  laws  were  not 
enforced  against  them,  and  they  were  practically  free  from 
restrictions,  except  as  to  keeping  Christian  slaves  and  following 
the  law  of  dower.  Bishops,  abbots,  and  abbesses  were  only  pre- 
vented by  heavy  penalties  from  pledging  or  selling  to  the  circum- 
cised the  costly  vestments,  rich  furniture,  and  precious  vessels  of 
the  churches.  Jews  became  physicians,  ministers  of  finance  to 
nobles  and  monarchs ;  and  when  Charlemagne  sent  an  embassy 
to  Caliph  Haroun  al  Baschid,  a  Jew  was  sent  with  two  Christian 
counts  as  ambassadors,  and  as  they  died  on  the  road  he  conducted 
the  business  and  brought  back  costly  presents,  including  an  enor- 
mous elephant,  which  the  monks  of  the  period  described  as  a 
wonder  of  the  world.  The  monks  also  described  the  accomplish- 
ments of  a  Jew  physician  named  Zedekiah,  who  was  a  confidential 
adviser  of  Louis  the  Debonnaire  or  the  Pious.  They  relate  that 
he  could  swallow  a  whole  cart  of  hay  and  fly  in  the  ah-.  The 
toleration  and  equal  treatment  of  Jews  and  Christians  greatly 
shocked  Agobard,  Bishop  of  Lyons,  who  issued  edicts  to  his  people 
prohibiting  then  intercourse.     But  on  appeal  the  king  ordered  an 


122  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

inquiry,  and  the  edicts  were  withdrawn.  About  the  same  time  in 
Spain,  from  the  conquest  by  the  Moors  till  the  end  of  the  tenth 
century,  the  Jews  enjoyed  nearly  equal  laws  ;  and  one  Moses,  their 
rabbi,  became  wealthy  and  influential;  and  when  his  grandson 
Nathan  enjoyed  a  drive  in  the  groves  near  Cordova,  seven  hundred 
chariots  joined  in  the  procession  that  followed  him. 

THE    POPE   AND    THE   JEWS    (1140). 

Various  Christian  countries  for  centuries  maintained  laws 
making  it  necessary  that  Jews  should  wear  a  particular  dress  or 
badge  to  distinguish  them.  They  were  always  viewed  by  Chris- 
tian communities  with  suspicion.  One  of  the  common  accusations 
against  them  was  that  of  crucifying  children,  after  scourging 
them  and  crowning  them  with  thorns ;  and  this  they  were 
suspected  of  doing  annually.  This  was  said  to  be  done  out  of 
hatred  to  the  Christian  religion,  and  it  was  even  alleged  that  the 
Jews  received  the  heart  of  the  sacrificed  child  at  their  own 
Communion.  The  Jews  were  also  accused  of  scourging  crucifixes 
and  profaning  images  and  crosses.  These  and  other  imputations 
were  adroitly  used  as  pretexts  for  confiscating  the  wealth  of  the 
JewTs.  One  remarkable  badge  of  subjection  and  suspicion  took 
its  rise  in  the  twelfth  century — namely,  the  conduct  of  the  Jews 
at  the  installation  of  a  new  Pope.  They  are  obliged  to  wait  for 
the  Pontiff  on  the  ioad  to  St.  John  de  Lateran,  and  there  on  their 
knees  they  present  him  with  a  copy  of  their  Law.  On  receiving 
this,  the  Pope  thus  addresses  them :  "  I  revere  the  law  which 
God  gave  to  Moses,  but  condemn  the  false  sense  you  give  it  by 
vainly  expecting  the  Messiah  who  has  been  long  come,  and  whom 
the  Church  believes  to  be  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  This  custom 
took  its  rise  when  Pope  Innocent  II.,  on  his  retreat  to  France, 
made  his  entry  into  Paris,  on  which  occasion  the  Jews  went  to 
meet  him  with  great  solemnity,  and  in  a  very  respectful  manner 
presented  him  with  the  holy  books  of  their  Law. 

THE  JEWS  OF  YORK  DEFENDING  THEMSELVES  (1189). 

A  time  of  monstrous  persecution  and  cruelty  towards  the  Jews 
was  the  coronation  of  Richard  I.  in  1189.  One  Benedict,  a  York 
Jew,  to  save  his  life  had  submitted  to  baptism  in  London,  but 
died  of  injuries  received  during  a  riot  there.  The  people  of 
York,  equally  excited,  attacked  Benedict's  house  there,  and  his 
wife  and  children  took  refuge  in  the  Castle  with  their  valuable 
effects.  Other  Jews  being  with  them,  all  at  last  suspected  that  the 
governor  was  in  treaty  with  their  enemies  to  surrender  them,  and 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   JEWS.  123 

while  the  governor  was  temporarily  absent  they  shut  the  gates 
against  him.  This  made  the  populace  frantic,  and  eager  to  enter 
and  despatch  them.  A  canon  urged  the  mob  on;  and  at  last  a 
rabbi,  seeing  the  hopelessness  of  their  situation,  addressed  his 
fellow  Jews  as  follows  :  "  Men  of  Israel,  the  God  of  our  fathers 
calls  upon  us  to  die  for  our  Law.  Death  is  inevitable,  but  we 
may  yet  choose  whether  we  will  die  speedily  and  nobly,  or  igno- 
miniously,  after  horrible  torments.  My  advice  is  that  we  shall 
voluntarily  render  up  our  souls  to  our  Creator,  and  fall  by  our 
own  hands.  The  deed  is  both  i-easonable  and  according  to  the 
Law,  and  is  sanctioned  by  the  example  of  our  most  illustrious 
ancestors."  The  old  man  sat  clown  in  tears.  The  assembly  was 
divided,  but  debated ;  and  finally,  while  a  few  left  the  place,  the 
great  majority  made  up  their  minds  to  die.  They  collected  their 
precious  effects  into  a  pile  and  burnt  them.  They  then  cut  the 
throats  of  their  wives  and  children.  The  rabbi  and  Joachim 
were  the  last  to  suffer ;  but  one  slew  the  other  and  then  himself. 
Next  morning  the  mob  broke  in,  only  to  find  the  lire  burning  in 
all  quarters,  and  they  took  care  to  have  all  the  bonds  and  obliga- 
tions and  money  securities  of  the  dead  men  burned  in  an 
enormous  bonfire.  No  proper  punishment  was  ever  inflicted  on 
the  ringleaders  who  thus  caused  the  death  of  seven  or  eight 
hundred  persons,  though  some  of  the  ringleaders  were  arrested. 

JEWS    ATTEMPTING    TO    CRUCIFY   AN    ENGLISH    BOY. 

Matthew  Paris  says:   "About   1240  the  Jews  circumcised  a 

Christian  boy  at  Norwich,  and  after  he  was  circumcised  they 
called  him  Jurnim ;  they  then  kept  him  to  crucify  him,  in 
contempt  of  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  father  of  the 
boy,  however,  from  whom  the  Jews  had  stolen  him,  after  a 
diligent  search  at  length  discovered  liim  confined  in  custody  of 
the  Jews,  and  with  a  loud  cry  he  pointed  out  his  son,  whom  he 
believed  lost,  shut  up  in  a  room  of  one  of  the  Jews'  houses. 
When  this  extraordinary  crime  came  to  the  knowledge  of 
William  de  Kele,  the  bishop,  a  wise  and  circumspect  prelate,  and 
of  some  other  nobles,  in  order  that  such  an  insult  to  Christ 
should  not  be  passed  over  unpunished  through  the  neglect  of  the 
Christians,  all  the  Jews  of  that  city  were  made  prisoners ;  and 
when  they  wished  to  place  themselves  under  the  protection  of 
the  royal  authority,  the  bishop  said,  '  These  matters  belong  to  the 
Church  ;  and  when  the  question  raised  is  concerning  circumcision 
and  insult  to  religion,  it  is  not  to  be  decided  by  the  King's 
Court.'     Four  of  the  Jews  therefore,  having  been  found  guilty  of 


124  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  aforesaid  crime,  were  first  dragged  at  the  tails  of  horses, 
and  afterwards  hung  on  a  gibbet,  where  they  breathed  forth 
the  wretched  remains  of  life." 

JEWS    CRUCIFYING    AN    ENGLISH    BOY    (1255). 

Matthew  Paris  also  says  that  in  1255  some  Jews  of  Lincoln 
stole  a  boy  of  eight  years,  shut  him  up  in  a  room,  fed  him  on 
milk,  and  then  sent  to  all  the  cities  in  England  where  Jews 
lived  to  come  and  be  present  at  a  sacrifice  to  take  place  at 
Lincoln,  when  a  boy  was  to  be  crucified.  A  great  many  Jews 
attended,  and  one  was  appointed  to  take  the  place  of  Pilate,  who 
subjected  the  boy  to  divers  tortures.  They  beat  him  till  blood 
flowed  and  he  was  quite  livid ;  they  crowned  him  with  thorns, 
derided  him,  and  spat  upon  him.  Then  he  was  pierced  by  each 
of  them  with  a  wood  knife,  was  made  to  drink  gall,  was  over- 
whelmed with  reproaches  and  blasphemies,  and  was  repeatedly 
called  "  Jesus,  the  false  prophet,"  by  his  tormentors,  who  sur- 
rounded him,  grinding  and  gnashing  their  teeth.  At  last  they 
crucified  him,  and  pierced  him  to  the  heart  with  a  lance,  took 
down  his  body  from  the  cross,  disembowelled  him,  and  used  his 
body  to  practise  magical  operations,  and  then  threw  it  into  a 
well.  The  boy's  mother  began  tracing  the  boy  to  a  Jew's  house, 
and  excited  the  compassion  of  the  citizens  by  her  suspicions.  A 
wise  man,  John  of  Lexington,  encouraged  the  hue  and  cry  with 
his  eloquence,  and  one  or  two  Jews  were  arrested,  and  a  pardon 
offered  if  confession  were  made.  One  Jew  professed  then  to 
confess  that  the  Jews  crucified  a  boy  every  year  as  an  insult  to 
the  name  of  Jesus.  The  boy's  body  was  afterwards  found  in  the 
well,  and  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  the  citizens.  The  canons  of  the 
cathedral  inquired  into  it,  and  the  king  was  informed.  The  Jew 
who  confessed  was  tied  to  a  horse's  tail  and  dragged  to  the 
gallows;  and  at  a  later  day  eighteen  wealthy  Jews  were  also 
hanged,  and  others  imprisoned  to  await  a  like  fate,  though  it  was 
said  that  some  indiscreet  minor  brethren  interceded  for  them. 

JEWS  BLAMED  FOR  THE  BLACK  DEATH  IN  1347. 

The  disease  known  as  the  Black  Death  first  appeared  at  Con- 
stantinople in  1347,  and  soon  spread  along  the  north  of  the  Black 
Sea,  then  to  Sicily,  Mai'seilles,  France,  Italy,  and  Spain.  The 
black  patches  on  the  skin  and  the  pestilential  breath  of  the  sick, 
who  spat  blood,  carried  contagion  far  and  near.  There  were  also 
atmospheric  disturbances,  deluges  of  rain,  and  earthquakes.     In 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES    WITH    JEWS.  125 

England  in  1349  the  Parliament  was  prorogued  on  account  of 
this  plague.  The  Princess  Joan,  daughter  of  Edward  III.,  then 
on  her  way  to  marry  the  eldest  son  of  the  King  of  Castile,  caught 
the  disease  at  Bordeaux  and  died.  Wiclift*  then  a  student  at 
Oxford,  wrote  a  book  on  "  The  Last  Age  of  the  Church,"  in  which 
it  was  predicted  that  the  end  of  the  world  would  be  in  1400  at 
latest.  The  effect  on  people  was  twofold.  Some  lived  more 
temperately,  while  others  gave  themselves  up  to  revelling  and 
drinking.  The  Flagellants,  as  a  new  religious  order,  went  about 
scourging  and  being  scourged,  as  a  means  of  propitiating  Heaven, 
and  singing  psalms  and  ringing  bells.  Some  started  the  theory 
that  the  Jews  were  the  cause  of  this  disease,  and  many  were  put 
to  death  (as  was  mentioned  ante,  p.  90).  Labourers,  from  the 
scarcity,  demanded  higher  wages,  and  under  Wat  Tyler  many 
joined  in  a  local  rebellion. 

JEWS   STEALING   THE   HOST   TO   INSULT   IT    (1350). 

In  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries  the  German  Jews 
were  subject  to  frequent  spoliations  and  massacres.  The  sect  of 
Flagellants,  who,  -with  mad  enthusiasm,  passed  through  the  cities 
of  Germany,  preceded  by  a  crucifix  and  scourging  their  naked 
and  bleeding  backs,  used,  as  they  said,  to  atone  for  their  own 
transgressions  by  plundering  and  murdering  as  many  Jews  as 
they  could  in  Frankfort  and  other  places.  The  Jews  were  thus 
hunted  through  all  Germany,  Silesia,  Brandenburg,  Bohemia, 
Lithuania,  and  Poland.  As  a  justification  for  this  systematic 
cruelty,  the  following  legend  was  circulated  and  believed  in  most 
countries  :  A  certain  Jew,  named  Jonathan  of  Enghien,  desired 
to  possess  himself  of  the  consecrated  Host  in  order  to  treat  it 
with  sacrilegious  insult.  He  bribed  a  desperado,  named  John 
of  Louvain,  to  procure  the  sacred  symbol.  John  mounted  by 
night  into  the  chapel  of  St.  Catherine,  stole  the  pyx,  with  the 
sacred  contents,  and  conveyed  it  to  Jonathan.  The  latter  as- 
sembled his  friends,  who  most  impiously  met  and  blasphemed 
and  pierced  it  with  knives.  At  that  time  Jonathan  was  advised 
for  safety  to  migrate  to  Brussels  ;  and  there,  in  the  synagogue,  the 
Jews  treated  the  Host  with  every  insult,  piercing  it  with  knives. 
and  though  blood  flowed  forth  the  obdurate  unbelievers,  unmoved, 
continued  their  insults.  They  next  sent  the  treasure  to  Cologne 
for  similar  treatment ;  but  having  entrusted  it  to  a  woman  whose 
conscience  smote  her,  she  betrayed  them  to  the  clergy.  The 
consequence  was  that  the  Jews  were  arrested,  put  to  the  torture, 
convicted,  and  sentenced  to  be  torn  with  red-hot  pincers  and  then 


126  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

burnt  alive.  This  memorable  act  of  vengeance  was  said  to  be 
justified  by  many  miracles  that  were  worked  in  Brussels,  the  place 
of  punishment. 

BANQUETING    WITH    THE    JEWS    (1478). 

Though  the  Jews  were  often  treated  with  gross  cruelty  and 
injustice  in  the  Middle  Ages,  they  sometimes  had  it  in  their  power 
to  retaliate.  The  Jews,  often  acquiring  great  wealth,  defied  the 
clergy  and  refused  to  pay  tithe.  It  was  often  a  question  whether 
the  clergy  should  admit  servants  of  the  Jews  to  baptism.  Once 
large  numbers  of  bishops  forbade  Christians,  under  pain  of  excom- 
munication, to  frequent  the  banquets  of  the  Jews.  In  1478  one 
Francis  de  Pizicardis,  a  great  and  cruel  usurer,  was  buried  in  the 
Church  of  St.  Francis  in  Placentia.  It  happened  to  rain  torrents 
during  many  days,  till  a  report  spread  through  the  city  that  it 
would  never  cease  as  long  as  the  said  body  was  in  holy  ground. 
The  young  men  of  the  city  in  a  body,  as  if  convoked  by  the  bishop, 
went  to  the  church,  burst  open  the  gates,  dug  up  the  body,  and 
dragged  it  by  a  cord  through  all  the  streets  of  the  city.  And  as 
they  passed  the  house  of  one  old  woman,  she  ran  out  and  insulted 
it,  saying,  "  Give  me  back  my  eggs ! "  for  she  had  given  him  two 
fresh  eggs  every  day  as  interest  for  a  ducat  which  she  owed  him. 
At  length  the  body  was  dragged  out  of  the  city,  suspended  from 
a  willow  tree,  and  finally  thrown  into  the  Po.  And,  strange 
to  say,  according  to  the  annalist,  the  rain  then  ceased.  Some 
Polish  rulers  were  so  indebted  to  the  Jews  that,  in  order  to  keep 
their  creditors  quiet,  they  favoured  the  Jewish  merchants  more 
than  the  Christian. 

torquemada's  zeal  AGAINST  SPANISH  jews  (1492). 
After  the  Spanish  sovereigns  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  had 
succeeded  in  driving  the  Moors  froni  Spain,  and  when  at  last 
they  had  agreed  to  send  Columbus  on  his  expedition  to  the  New 
World,  the  clergy  inflamed  the  minds  of  the  sovereigns  and  the 
Inquisition  against  the  Jews,  who  obstinately  resisted  all  efforts 
to  convert  them.  While  the  Jews  were  negotiating  with  the 
sovereign  to  avert  this  odium,  Torquemada,  the  Inquisitor-General, 
burst  into  the  apartment  of  the  palace,  and,  drawing  a  crucifix 
from  under  his  mantle,  held  it  up,  and  exclaimed,  "Judas  Iscariot 
sold  his  Master  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  Your  Highnesses  would 
sell  Him  anew  for  thirty  thousand.  Here  He  is  ;  take  Him  and 
barter  Him  away."  So  saying,  this  demon  priest  threw  the  crucifix 
on  the  table,  and  left  the  apartment.     The  royal  pair  were  over- 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   JEWS.  1 27 

awed,  and  their  superstitious  forebodings  were  so  effectually  worked 
upon  that  they  signed,  in  1492,  the  edict  for  the  expulsion  of  the 
Jews  which  caused  so  much  misery.  The  Jews,  who  were  then 
estimated  to  be  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  resolved  to 
abandon  the  country  and  sacrifice  all  rather  than  their  religion. 
They  had  to  sell  their  property  for  a  trifle,  owing  to  the  market 
being  glutted.  A  house  would  be  sold  for  an  ass  and  a  vineyard  for 
a  piece  of  cloth.  Some  Jews  swallowed  their  jewels ;  others  tried 
to  conceal  them  in  clothes  and  saddles.  Some  ships  carrying  the 
fugitives  were  visited  by  the  plague.  Those  suffered  all  the  miseries 
of  hunger  who  travelled  by  land,  and  many  sold  their  children  for 
bread.  Some  were  cast  naked  and  desolate  on  the  African  coast. 
Some  tried  to  escape  into  Portugal ;  and  King  Joan  II.  drove  a  hard 
bargain,  fixing  a  high  capitation  tax,  which  his  tax-gatherers  lined 
the  frontiers  in  order  to  collect.  This  was  only  for  permission  to 
pass  through  the  country  and  embark  for  Africa.  The  new  king, 
Emanuel,  acted  still  more  brutally,  and  ordered  all  Jewish  children 
to  be  kidnapped  and  torn  from  their  parents'  arms,  in  order  to 
be  brought  up  in  the  Catholic  faith.  The  Dominicans  watched, 
during  these  years  of  massacre  and  pillage,  the  moment  when  a 
Jewish  person  was  visible,  rushed  forth  with  crucifix  in  their 
hands  to  hunt  and  roast  the  offender,  and  for  this  brutal  work 
of  merit  the  reward  was  said  to  be  that  the  sufferings  in  purgatory 
should  be  confined  to  a  hundred  days.  This  expulsion  of  Jews 
seriously  marred  the  national  prosperity. 

THE    PREJUDICE    AGAIXST    JEWISH    PHYSICIANS. 

Southey  says  that  nothing  exposed  the  Jews  fo  more  odium, 
in  ages  when  they  were  held  most  odious,  than  the  reputation 
which  they  possessed  as  physicians.  So  late  as  the  middle  of  the 
sixteeth  century,  Francis  I.,  after  a  long  illness,  finding  no  benefit 
from  his  own  physicians,  despatched  a  courier  to  Spain,  requesting 
Charles  V.  to  send  him  the  most  skilful  Jewish  practitioner  in 
his  dominions.  This  afforded  matter  for  merriment  to  the 
Spaniards.  No  Jewish  physician  being  heard  of,  a  Christian  one 
was  sent,  but  was  dismissed  without  a  trial ;  and  at  last  a  Jew 
came  from  Constantinople,  who,  however,  prescribed  nothing  rnore 
for  the  royal  patient  than  asses'  milk.  This  reputation  of  the 
Jewish  physicians  was  said  to  be  founded  on  the  notion  that 
they  had  stores  of  knowledge  not  accessible  to  other  people, 
especially  as  to  all  the  drugs  known  in  the  East.  Yet  at  the 
same  time  there  were  tales  as  to  the  disreputable  knowledge  they 
had,   such  as  killing  Christian  children  to  use  their  fat  as  cos- 


128  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

luetics.  The  conduct  of  the  Romish  Church  tended  to  strengthen 
this  obloquy.  Several  councils  of  the  Church  denounced  excom- 
munication against  any  persons  who  should  place  themselves 
under  the  care  of  a  Jewish  physician ;  for  it  was  said  to  be  per- 
nicious and  scandalous  that  Christians,  who  ought  to  despise  and 
hold  in  horror  the  enemies  of  their  holy  religion,  should  have 
recourse  to  them  for  remedies  in  sickness.  The  decree  of  the 
Lateran  Council,  by  which  physicians  were  enjoined  under  heavy 
penalties  to  require  that  their  patients  should  confess  and  com- 
municate before  they  administered  any  medicines  to  them,  seems 
to  have  been  designed  as  much  against  Jewish  practitioners  as 
heretical  patients.  The  Jews  on  their  part  were  not  more  charit- 
able, and  used  to  forbid  rabbis  to  attend  upon  either  a  Christian 
or  Gentile  unless  he  dared  not  refuse,  and  above  all  never  to 
attend  such  patients  gratuitously. 

A  HOLY  FATHER  CONVERTING  A  JEW  (1600). 

In  the  seventeenth  centuiy  one  Engelberger,  a  Bohemian  Jew, 
was  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  stealing  the  plate  from  a 
synagogue  at  Prague.  In  prison  he  became  a  great  reader  ;  and 
a  holy  Father,  who  visited  him  and  took  an  interest  in  him, 
promised  him  not  only  absolution  but  a  considerable  reward  if 
he  would  renounce  his  faith.  He  did  so,  and  was  received  into 
the  Church,  thereby  drawing  on  him  the  contempt  and  vengeance 
of  the  other  Jews,  and  the  praise  and  congratulation  of  the  Chris- 
tians. He  published  a  book  vindicating  his  conversion,  became 
a  favourite  of  high  society,  and  was  invited  to  Vienna,  where 
he  was  well  received  by  the  Emperor  Ferdinand  III.  But  the 
convert  by  degrees  was  suspected  of  hypocrisy ;  and  on  the  first 
opportunity  he  robbed  the  royal  treasury,  and  after  trial  was 
condemned  to  death.  He  again  affected  sincere  piety  and  con- 
trition, expecting  that  his  sentence  would  be  remitted.  But  at 
the  last  moment,  being  told  the  contrary,  and  while  receiving  the 
last  Sacrament  on  the  scaffold,  he  spat  the  sacred  wafer  from  his 
mouth ;  he  shouted  to  the  mob  that  he  deserved  his  fate  for 
abjuring  the  faith  of  Moses,  and  he  called  on  them  to  bear  witness 
that  he  died  in  the  faith  of  the  patriarchs.  The  mob,  who  had 
formerly  almost  deified  the  renegade,  were  now  enraged  at  this 
insult  to  the  Catholic  faith,  and  wanted  to  tear  him  to  pieces ; 
but  he  was  withdrawn  for  a  few  days.  He  was  then  again  ex- 
posed, and  drawn  on  a  hurdle  through  the  streets  of  Vienna.  And 
a  more  diabolical  sentence  had  meanwhile  been  passed.  His 
light  hand  was  first  cut  off;  his  tongue  torn  from  his  mouth  ;  he 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   ABOUT   IMAGES.  129 

was  suspended  from  the  gallows  with  his  head  downward,  and 
dogs  were  allowed  to  tear  him  to  pieces ;  and  then  his  dead  body- 
was  thrown  into  the  Danube.  An  inscription  in  the  Guildhall  at 
Vienna  records  the  date  of  this  appalling  example  of  religious 
fanaticism. 

THE  CONTROVERSY  ABOUT  IMAGE  WORSHIP  (A.D.  726). 

The  mode  in  which  the  great  controversy  about  worship  of 
images  in  churches  arose  was  said  to  be  as  follows :  A  hermit 
had  sent  to  Gregory  the  Great,  who  was  appointed  Pope  in  589, 
for  an  image  of  Christ  and  other  religious  symbols.  The  latter 
sent  him  a  picture  of  Christ  and  the  Virgin  Mary,  also  of  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and  added  some  observations  as  to  the  right 
use  of  images.  The  Pope  observed  that,  though  it  was  grounded 
in  man's  nature  that  he  should  seek  to  represent  things  invisible 
by  means  of  the  visible,  yet  the  representations  were  not  to  be 
worshipped  as  God,  but  only  used  to  enkindle  the  love  of  Him 
whose  image  was  present  to  the  eye.  About  that  time  country 
bishops  reported  that  the  worship  of  images  was  spreading,  and 
that  those  opposed  to  that  tendency  demolished  them  and  cast 
them  out  of  churches.  Parties  began  to  be  formed  on  both  sides. 
In  the  Greek  Church  the  church  books  had  long  been  ornament  i  d 
with  pictures  of  Christ,  of  the  Virgin,  and  the  Saints  ;  and  private 
houses  and  household  furniture  also  had  like  embellishments. 
There  were  legends  connected  with  each.  Some  prostrated  them- 
selves whenever  they  approached  within  sight  of  these  symbols. 
The  most  noted  and  determined  enemy  of  images  was  the 
Emperor  Leo,  the  Isaurian,  who  was  full  of  zeal,  and  paid  small 
respect  to  what  bethought  to  be  wrong.  He  was  very  arbitrary. 
He  forced  the  Jews  to  receive  baptism,  which  only  made  tli<  m 
more  and  more  tenacious  of  their  antipathy.  He  also  forced  the 
Montanists  to  join  the  dominant  Church,  and  this  so  enraged 
them  that  they  burned  themselves  in  their  own  churches.  Leo's 
first  ordinance  of  726  forbade  any  kind  of  reverence  to  be  paid 
to  images  or  pictures,  and  any  prostration  or  kneeling.  One 
bishop  hi  defence  attributed  miracles  which  were  wrought  to 
these  images,  and  said  he  knew  from  his  personal  experience 
this  was  not  a  delusion ;  moreover,  an  image  of  Mary  at  Sozopolis, 
in  Posidia,  distilled  balsam,  as  was  well  attested.  In  short,  party 
spirit  ran  high,  and  at  last  a  great  champion  of  images  arose, 
named  John  of  Damascus.  Leo  waged  war  against  images  for 
twelve  years,  until  his  death.  His  son  Constantine  was  as 
zealous  an  iconoclast  as  his  father ;  but  great  disturbances  were 

9 


130  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

caused  by  his  proceedings.  In  754  he  convoked  a  council  of  three 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  bishops,  who  agreed  with  the  Emperor. 
They  denounced  the  wretched  painters  who  with  profane  hands 
attempted  to  depict  the  sacred  feelings  of  the  heart,  and  laid 
down  the  rule  of  faith  to  be,  that  there  was  only  one  tme  image 
or  symbol,  which  was  the  bread  and  wine  used  in  the  Sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Painting  was  described  as  a  Pagan,  godless 
art,  which  degraded  the  Divine  Majesty ;  and  whoever  in  future 
should  manufacture  an  image  to  worship  it  either  in  church  or 
dwelling-house  should,  if  an  ecclesiastic,  be  deposed ;  if  a  monk 
or  a  layman,  he  should  be  expelled  from  the  communion  of  the 
Church.  An  anathema  was  pronounced  accordingly  against  all 
images.  Though  the  council  by  a  majority  so  decided,  yet  the 
monks  as  a  body  were  equally  zealous  and  determined  to  resist 
all  attempts  to  do  away  with  images.  It  was  said  the  monk 
Stephen  was  thrown  into  prison  for  his  zeal  in  favour  of  images ; 
he  refused  to  touch  the  food  which  the  gaoler's  wife  secretly 
brought  to  him,  until  she  secretly  assured  him  that  she  kept  a 
casket  in  her  own  chamber  containing  several  images  of  Divine 
persons,  and  which  she  showed  to  the  monk  to  reassure  him  of 
her  genuine  devotion.  Constantine,  during  the  thirty  years  of  his 
reign,  flattered  himself  that  he  had  struck  a  final  blow  at  image 
worship ;  but  after  his  death  the  next  emperor  married  Irene,  an 
Athenian  lady,  who  was  an  unscrupulous  supporter  of  images, 
and  she  cunningly  brought  about  a  reaction  and  restored  things 
to  their  former  footing. 

THE   ICONOCLASTS    AND   THEIR    FIRST    REVOLT. 

Thus  a  strong  feeling  grew  up,  maintained  by  the  Emperor  Leo, 
the  Isaurian,  that  the  Christians  were  going  to  an  excess  in  their 
worship  of  images,  and  the  contest  raged  for  a  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  years,  and  led  to  bloodshed  and  civil  war.  The  precise  occasion 
of  this  revolt  is  not  known  with  certainty ;  and  it  was  thought 
afterwards  to  be  unfortunate,  for  Christians  at  that  time  were 
called  upon  rather  to  combine  against  Mohammedanism  than  think 
of  dividing  their  forces.  When  Leo  had  reigned  ten  years,  he 
issued  in  726  a  prohibition  against  the  worship  of  all  statues 
and  pictures  of  the  Saviour,  the  Virgin,  and  the  Saints ;  and 
all  statues  and  pictures  were  to  be  raised  sufficiently  high  that 
they  could  not  receive  pious  kisses.  Soon  after  a  second  edict  was 
issued,  commanding  the  total  destruction  of  all  images  and  the 
whitewashing  of  the  walls  of  churches.  The  clergy  and  monks  were 
driven  to  absolute  fury  by  this  tyrannical  measure.     An  imperial 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   ABOUT   IMAGES.  131 

officei1  had  orders  to  destroy  a  statue  of  our  Saviour  in  a  church 
in  Constantinople,  an  image  renowned  for  its  miracles.  The 
crowd  (as  stated  ante,  p.  112),  consisting  chiefly  of  women,  saw  with 
horror  the  officer  moimt  the  ladder.  Thrice  he  struck  with  his 
impious  axe  the  holy  countenance  which  had  so  benignly  looked 
down  upon  them.  Heaven  interfered  not ;  but  the  women  seized 
the  ladder,  threw  down  the  officer,  and  beat  him  to  death  with 
clubs.  The  Emperor  sent  his  troops  to  put  down  the  riot,  and 
a  frightful  massacre  ensued ;  but  the  image  worshippers  were 
viewed  as  martyrs,  and  cheerfully  encountered  mutilation  and 
banishment,  while  the  Emperor  was  denounced  as  worse  than  a 
•Saracen.  The  Pope  prohibited  the  Italians  from  paying  tribute 
to  the  Emperor,  and  wrote  letters  defending  the  practice  of  the 
Church.  He  alludes  to  that  practice  as  including  pictures  of 
the  miracles,  of  the  Virgin  with  choirs  of  angels,  of  the  Last 
Sapper,  the  Transfiguration,  Crucifixion,  Resurrection,  and  other 
like  subjects.     The  Pope's  letter,  however,  had  no  effect. 

JOHN    OF    DAMASCUS,    CHAMPION    OF    IMAGES    (a.D.    756). 

The  great  champion  who  rose  to  defend  image  worship  against 
Leo,  the  iconoclast,  was  John  of  Damascus,  the  most  learned  man 
in  the  East,  and  a  subject  of  the  Sultan.  The  ancestors  of  John, 
when  that  city  was  taken  by  the  Mohammedans,  had  remained 
faithful  Christians;  but,  being  wealthy  and  respectable,  were 
employed  by  the  Sultan  in  high  judicial  posts.  One  day,  when 
John's  father  was  a  judge,  a  Christian  monk,  named  Cosmas,  was 
about  to  be  executed,  and  was  weeping  and  bewailing  so  much 
that  he  was  asked  why  he,  a  monk,  should  so  earnestly  plead  for 
his  life.  The  monk  answered  that  he  did  not  weep  so  much  for 
losing  life  as  for  the  treasures  of  knowledge  that  would  be  buried 
with  him,  for  he  knew  nearly  everything  under  the  sun — rhetoric, 
logic,  philosophy,  geometry,  music,  astronomy,  theology.  All  he 
wanted  was  some  heir  who  could  inherit  this  vast  patrimony  of 
knowledge,  so  that  he  might  not  go  down  to  the  tomb  an  un- 
profitable servant.  John's  father  saw  at  once  that  this  was  a 
remarkable  monk,  begged  his  life,  and  made  him  tutor  to  his  son  ; 
and  in  due  course  the  son  John  became,  under  such  tuition,  the 
greatest  master  of  knowledge  extant,  as  the  monk  took  care  to 
assure  the  grateful  father.  With  these  accomplishments  John 
of  Damascus  entered  the  lists  in  due  course,  and  composed  three 
immortal  orations  hi  favour  of  image  worship,  in  which  all  the 
learning  of  the  world  was  brought  to  bear  upon  that  delicate 
subject.     The  Emperor  being  indignant  at  John's  oration,  pro- 


132  FLOWERS    OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

cured  a  letter  to  be  forged  in  a  similar  handwriting,  containing 
a  proposal  to  betray  his  native  city  of  Damascus  to  the  Christians, 
and  purporting  to  be  signed  by  John.  This  letter  was  sent  by 
the  Emperor  to  the  Sultan  with  specious  friendly  comments. 
The  result  was  that  John's  right  hand  was  cut  off  for  his  wicked 
treason.  John,  however,  entreated  the  Virgin  to  restore  his 
hand  ;  and  after  kneeling  before  her  image  and  praying  fervently, 
he  fell  asleep,  and  when  he  woke  his  hand  was  restored  and 
was  as  well  as  ever.  This  astonished  and  convinced  the  Sultan, 
who  reinstated  John  at  once  in  all  his  honours.  These  orations, 
while  containing  some  puerile  matter,  are  distinguished  for  zeal 
and  ingenuity.  John  of  Damascus  maintained  that  pictures  were 
great  standing  memorials  of  triumph  over  the  devil ;  that  who- 
ever destroys  these  memorials  is  a  friend  of  the  devil ;  that  to 
reprove  material  images  is  Manicheism,  as  betraying  the  hatred 
of  matter,  which  is  the  first  tenet  of  that  odious  heresy ;  and  that 
it  was  a  kind  of  Docetism  too,  asserting  the  unreality  of  the  body 
of  the  Saviour.  In  support  of  his  doctrine  John  concluded  by 
citing  a  copious  list  of  miracles  wrought  by  certain  images.  This 
question  of  images  was  so  serious  a  disturbance  that  a  council 
met,  called  the  Third  Council  of  Constantinople,  in  746  ;  and 
three  hundred  and  forty-eight  bishops  attended,  and  all  these 
united  in  condemning  images  and  excommunicating  those  who 
set  them  up.  The  Empress  Irene,  however,  afterwards  favoured 
the  image  worshippers  ;  and  in  787  another  council,  called  the 
Second  Council  of  Nicsea,  again  considered  the  subject ;  and  three 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  bishops  and  monks  came  to  a  decision 
the  reverse  of  the  decision  of  the  former  council.  Succeeding 
emperors,  however,  again  favoured  the  iconoclasts,  till  the  Em- 
press Theodora,  in  842,  at  last  restored  the  images  and  made 
the  clergy  happy.  They  all  then  met  and  held  a  solemn  festival, 
marching  with  processions  of  crosses,  torches,  and  incense  to  the 
church  of  St.  Sophia,  in  Constantinople.  They  made  the  circuit  of 
the  church,  and  bowed  to  every  statue  and  picture  ;  and  the  heresy 
of  the  iconoclasts  was  extinguished  for  ever  from  that  time. 

JOHN    OF    DAMASCUS    AND    HIS    TAUNTS. 

John  of  Damascus,  the  champion  of  image  worship,  in  his 
many  eloquent  discourses  in  support  of  it,  sneered  at  Leo's 
arbitrary  decrees  against  what  was  noticed  to  be  a  rising  influ- 
ence among  the  nations  of  the  West.  "  You  have  only  to  go," 
said  John,  "  into  the  schools  where  the  children  are  learning  to 
read  and  write,  and  tell  them  you  are  the  persecutor  of  images, 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   ABOUT    IMAGES.  133 

and  they  would  instantly  throw  their  tablets  at  your  head.  Even 
the  ignorant  would  teach  you  what  you  would  not  learn  from  the 
wise."  "  Men,"  he  further  said,  "  spent  their  estates  to  have 
these  sacred  stories  represented  in  paintings.  Husbands  and 
wives  took  their  children  by  the  hand,  others  led  youths  and 
strangers  from  Pagan  lands,  to  these  paintings,  where  they  could 
point  out  to  them  the  sacred  stories  with  the  finger,  and  so  edify 
them  as  to  lift  their  hearts  and  minds  to  God ;  but  you  hinder 
poor  people  from  doing  all  this,  and  teach  them  to  find  their 
amusements  in  harp-playing  and  flute-playing,  in  carousals  and 
buffoonery." 

CLAUDIUS    OF    TURIN    AGAINST    IMAGES    AND    PILGRIMAGES. 

Claudius  of  Turin,  a  bishop  who  flourished  about  795 — 839, 
was  great  in  censuring  the  gross  superstition  attaching  to  the 
use  of  the  cross  and  pilgrimages.  Though  a  chaplain  of  King 
Louis  1.  of  France,  who  became  emperor,  he  devoted  himself  to 
purifying  the  ritual  of  the  Church  by  writing  commentaries  on 
the  Scriptures  and  exposing  the  abuses  of  image  worship.  He 
said  those  who  worship  the  images  of  the  saints  have  not  for- 
saken idols,  but  changed  their  names.  Whether  the  walls  of 
churches  are  painted  with  figures  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul 
or  of  Jupiter  and  Saturn,  the  latter  are  nut  gods,  and  the 
former  are  not  apostles.  Better  worship  the  living  than  the 
dead.  If  the  works  of  God's  hands,  the  stars  of  heaven,  are 
not  to  be  worshipped,  much  less  ought  the  works  of  human  hands 
to  be  worshipped.  Whoever  seeks  from  any  creature  in  heaven 
or  on  earth  the  salvation  which  he  should  seek  from  God  alone 
is  an  idolater.  Those  who  pretend  to  honour  the  memory  of 
Christ's  passion  forget  His  resurrection.  If  one  must  worship 
every  piece  of  wood  bearing  the  image  of  the  cross  because 
Christ  hung  on  the  cross,  for  the  same  reason  one  should  worship 
many  other  things  with  which  Christ  came  in  contact  while 
living  in  the  flesh.  God  has  commanded  us  to  bear  the  cross, 
not  to  adore  it.  Those  are  not  adoring  it  who  are  unwilling  to 
bear  it  either  spiritually  or  bodily.  In  like  manner  it  is  foolish 
in  people,  and  an  undervaluing  of  spiritual  instruction,  to  be 
always  striving  to  go  to  Pome  in  order  to  obtain  everlasting 
life.  It  is  vain  to  ascribe  so  much  merit  to  pilgrimages,  and 
forget  the  seal  of  true  penitence  in  the  soul.  One  gets  no  nearer 
to  St.  Peter  by  finding  himself  on  the  spot  where  his  body  was 
buried,  for  the  soul  is  the  real  man.  In  this  manner  Claudius 
displayed  his  aversion  to  the  monastic  life  as  misleading.     It  was 


134  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

thought  that  he  must  soon  be  proceeded  against  as  a  heretic ; 
but  after  publishing  works  which  made  a  great  impression  on  his 
age,  the  bishop  died. 

TRYING  TO  CONVERT  THE  IMAGE  WORSHIPPERS. 

When  Leo  the  Isaurian  had  secured  his  empire  against  foreign 

enemies,  he  set  himself  resolutely  to  convert  heretics.     He  issued 

a  decree  that  Jews  and  Montanists  should  be  forcibly  baptised. 

In   724  he  issued  his  first  decree  against  the  superstitious  use 

of  images,   which   made  the  monks    and  John  of  Damascus  so 

furious.     When  Leo  died  in  741,  his  son,  Constantine  Copronymus, 

so  called  from  his  having  polluted  the  baptismal  font,  succeeded 

him,   and  reigned  thirty-four   years.      He   was  also   a  resolute 

enemy  of  image  worship.     He  procured  a  council  of  three  hundred 

and  thirty-eight  bishops  to  sit  in  754,  and  resolve  unanimously 

that  all  pictures  and  sculptures  of  sacred  subjects  were  Pagan 

and   idolatrous,    and  that  all  images  must  be  removed  out  of 

churches.     They  pronounced  anathemas  against  John  of  Damascus 

and  other  champions  of  images.     Constantine,  on  the  strength  of 

this  council,  ordered  paintings  on  church  walls  to  be  effaced,  and 

paintings  of  birds  and  fruits  to  be  substituted.     The  monks  were 

furious  ;  and  he  ordered,  in  retaliation,  monasteries  to  be  destroyed 

and  turned  into  barracks.     One  of  his  governors,  named  Lachana- 

draco,  put  many  rebellious   monks  to  death.     He  anointed   the 

beards  of  some  of  these  with  oil  and  wax,  and  set  them  on  fire ; 

he  burnt  the  monasteries,  the  books,  and  the  relics.    The  relics  of 

St.    Euphemia  at  Chalcedon,  which  used   to   exude  a  fragrant 

balsam,  were  thrown  into  the  sea,  though  the  monks  afterwards 

narrated   that  these  were  miraculously  preserved.      One   monk, 

named  Stephen,  exasperated  by  these  brutalities,  boldly  defied  the 

Emperor,   and  to  show  his   contempt  produced  a  coin  stamped 

with  the  Emperor's  head,  threw  it  on  the  ground,  and  trod  on  it. 

The  Emperor   ordered  him  to   prison ;  but   noticing  that   some 

sympathy  seemed  to  be  shown  by  his  attendants,  exclaimed,  "  Am 

I   or  is  this  monk  emperor  of  the  world  ?  "     The  courtiers  in 

turn,  in  their  zeal  to  defend  the  Emperor,  rushed  to  the  prison 

where  Stephen  was   kept,   brought  him  out,  and,   tying  a   rope 

round  his  neck,  dragged  the  body  through  the  streets,  and  then 

tore  it  to  pieces.     The  patriarch  being  also  charged  with  abetting 

the  monks,  was  stripped  of  his  robes,  set  upon  an  ass  with  his 

face  towards  the  tail,  led  through  the  streets,  jeered  by  the  mob, 

and  then  beheaded.     Constantine  died  in  775,  a  resolute  enemy 

of  images  to  the  last. 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   ABOUT   IMAGES.  135 

THE   EMPRESS   IRENE   RESTORING   IMAGES    (A.D.    780). 

Though  Leo  the  Isaurian  and  his  son  Constantine  had  for 
thirty  years  worked  so  energetically  in  stamping  out  image 
worship,  yet  at  the  death  of  the  latter  a  reaction  was  brought 
about.  The  Emperor  Leo,  grandson  of  the  Isaurian,  married  an 
Athenian  wife,  Irene,  who  was  constitutionally  devoted  to  image 
worship  and  sensuous  art,  and  her  devotion  to  these  so  worked 
on  her  irresolute  husband  as  to  baffle  the  labour  of  years.  She 
took  care  to  procure  all  the  important  vacancies  in  the  Church  to 
be  filled  by  monks.  Her  household  officers  were  encouraged  to 
practise  in  secret  the  adoration  of  images,  and  there  were  con- 
cealed some  figures  under  her  pillow ;  and  though  the  Emperor, 
on  discovering  this  petty  treason,  ordered  the  chief  actors  to  be 
scourged,  yet  on  his  death  in  780  Irene  assumed  the  government 
and  changed  everything.  She  took  care  to  get  a  patriarch 
appointed  who  was  of  her  way  of  thinking,  and  for  that  purpose 
first  induced  the  then  holder  of  the  office  to  resign  and  retire 
into  a  monastery.  She  then  spread  the  report  that  this  change 
was  due  to  remorse  of  conscience ;  and  the  new  patriarch,  acting 
in  concert  with  her,  professed  his  inability  to  assume  the  high 
office  unless  she  would  convoke  a  council  to  review  the  late  heresy 
of  the  iconoclasts.  After  great  manoeuvring  on  the  part  of  the 
monks,  and  secret  meetings  to  canvas  the  chief  men  of  the 
assembly,  and  by  the  Empress  deciding  to  attend  in  person  and 
with  great  state,  she  so  managed  affairs  that  a  council  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  bishops  met,  and  they  all  in  her  presence 
returned  to  the  old  traditions,  declaring  the  worship  of  images 
agreeable  to  Scripture  and  reason,  and  shouted  their  approval 
and  ended  with  the  enthusiastic  exclamation,  "  Long  live  the 
orthodox  Queen  Regent  !  " 

EMPRESS   THEODORA    CONQUERING   FOR   THE 'IMAGES    (A.D.    842). 

The  Empress  Irene  having  in  780  so  skilfully  turned  the  tide 
in  favour  of  images,  the  contest  was  still  maintained  during  the 
five  succeeding  reigns,  a  period  of  thirty-eight  years  between  the 
worshippers  of  images  and  the  iconoclasts.  The  final  victory  of 
the  images  was  achieved  by  a  second  female,  the  widow  Theo- 
dora, after  the  death  of  the  Emperor  Theophilus  in  842.  Her 
measures  were  bold  and  decisive.  She  sentenced  the  iconoclast 
patriarch  to  a  whipping  of  two  hundred  lashes  instead  of  the  loss 
of  his  eyes.     At  this  stroke  of  power  the  bishops  trembled,  the 


136  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

ruonks  shouted,  and  the  festival  of  orthodoxy  preserves  the 
annual  memory  of  the  triumph  of  the  images.  The  only  point 
left  unsettled  was,  whether  images  were  endowed  with  any  proper 
and  inherent  sanctity,  and  this  continued  to  be  discussed  in  the 
eleventh  century.  The  Churches  of  France,  Germany,  England, 
and  Spain  had  steered  a  middle  course  between  the  adoration 
and  the  destruction  of  images,  which  they  professed  to  admit 
into  their  temples,  not  as  objects  of  worship,  but  as  lively  and 
useful  memorials  of  faith  and  history.  Charlemagne  had  used 
his  authority  in  assembling  a  synod  of  three  hundred  bishops  at 
Frankfort  in  794,  who  professed  to  blame  the  superstition  of  the 
Greeks.  But  the  worship  of  images  advanced  with  silent  progress, 
and  reached  to  the  idolatry  of  the  ages  which  preceded  the  Refor- 
mation. Theodora  skilfully  gained  over  many  bishops  by  repre- 
senting that  her  husband  the  Emperor  on  his  deathbed  repented 
of  his  errors,  and  that  her  young  son  at  the  same  time  had  also 
registered  a  vow  to  restore  images. 


IMAGE    WORSHIP    IN    SPAIN. 

In  Spain  image  worship  reached  a  height  hardly  attained  in 
any  other  part  of  Christendom.  Besides  the  most  holy  effigies 
heaven-descended,  like  the  Black  Lady  of  the  Pillar  at  Saragossa, 
and  the  Christ  of  the  Vine  Stock  at  Valladolid,  there  were  many 
sacred  images,  which,  even  before  the  hands  which  fashioned 
them  were  cold,  began  to  make  the  blind  see,  the  lame  walk,  and 
friars  nourish  and  grow  powerful.  St.  Bernard  was  modelled  and 
clothed  like  a"  brother  of  the  order  in  his  own  white  robes ;  St. 
Dominic  scourged  himself  in  effigy  till  the  red  blood  flowed  from 
his  painted  shoulders  ;  and  the  Virgin,  copied  from  the  loveliest 
models,  was  presented  to  her  adorers  gloriously  apparelled  in 
clothing  of  wrought  gold.  Many  of  these  figures  not  only  pre- 
sided in  their  chapels  throughout  the  year,  but,  decked  with 
garlands  and  illuminated  by  tapers,  were  cari-ied  by  brotherhoods 
or  guilds  instituted  in  their  honour  in  the  religious  processions. 
The  colouring  was  sometimes  laid  on  canvas,  with  which  the 
figure  was  covered  as  with  a  skin.  The  effects  and  gradation  of 
tints  were  studied  as  carefully  as  in  paintings  on  canvas.  The 
imitation  of  rich  stuffs  for  draperies  was  a  nice  and  difficult 
branch  of  the  art.  For  single  figures  real  draperies  were  some- 
times used,  especially  for  those  of  the  Madonnas,  which  possessed 
large  and  magnificent  wardrobes  and  caskets  of  jewels  worthy 
of  the  queens  of  the  Mogul. 


Chap,  v.]               DIFFICULTIES   WITH   CIVIL   POWERS.  137 

THE   AMBITIOUS    POPE    HILDEBRAND    (1046 1085). 

During  the  time  that  Hildebrarid,  son  of  a  carpenter  of  Soan 
in  Tuscany,  became  noted  and  acquired  an  ascendency  with  the 
Popes,  he  advocated  certain  reforms.  The  first  was  to  make  the 
Popes  independent  of  the  Emperor  :  this  he  achieved  by  procuring 
a  decree  that  the  Pope  should  be  chosen  by  the  cardinals,  bishops, 
and  priests  assembled  in  college.  He  also  put  a  stop  to  the 
immorality  of  the  clergy  by  enforcing  celibacy  of  priests.  He 
also  procured  more  stringent  laws  against  simony.  He  succeeded 
to  the  popedom  in  1073  as  Gregory  VII.,  and  in  carrying  out  his 
ambitious  schemes  he  summoned  the  German  king,  Henry  IV., 
and  ultimately  excommunicated  him,  in  retaliation  for  Henry 
having  procured  a  sentence  of  deposition  by  the  Synod  of  Worms 
against  himself  as  Pope.  These  two  potentates  exchanged  some 
defiant  and  insulting  letters.  Henry  at  last  was  reduced  to  such 
difficulties  that  he  had  to  go  in  the  guise  of  a  penitent,  clad  in 
a  thin  white  dress,  while  the  ground  was  deep  in  snow,  and  he 
waited  humbly  at  the  outer  gate  of  the  Castle  of  Canossa  three 
days  before  he  was  received  into  the  presence  of  his  Holiness, 
who  gave  him  absolution,  but  under  most  humiliating  circum- 
stances. Gregory,  however,  at  last  was  punished  in  his  turn  in 
1080,  and  he  had  to  become  an  exile,  in  which  condition  he  died 
friendless  and  deserted  in  1085,  and  muttering  the  words  :  "I 
have  loved  righteousness  and  hated  iniquity ;  therefore  I  die  an 
exile." 

ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS,  THE  ANGELIC  DOCTOR  (A.D.  1227). 

St.  Thomas  Aquinas  was  born  in  1227,  and  became  the  greatest 
theologian  and  master  of  logic  and  powerful  reasoner  of  his  age. 
He  was  at  first  thought  dull  at  school,  and  used  to  be  called  the 
great  dumb  Sicilian  ox ;  but  his  genius  soon  broke  forth,  and  he 
came  to  be  called  the  angelical  doctor.  His  versatility,  power 
of  abstraction,  and  memoiy  astonished  everybody.  Louis  IX.  of 
France  (St.  Louis)  made  him  a  privy  councillor,  and  often  con- 
sulted him.  Once  at  dinner  with  the  king,  after  a  long  silence, 
Thomas  thumped  the  table  energetically,  muttering  to  himself, 
"  That  is  an  overwhelming  argument  against  the  Manicheans  !  " 
and  the  king,  curious  to  know  what  sudden  thought  it  was,  begged 
him  to  explain  it,  which  was  done,  and  committed  to  writing  by 
clerks.  While  praying  one  day  in  the  church  at  Naples,  his 
friend  Eomanus,  who  had  died  some  time  before,  appeared  to 
Thomas  and  spoke  to  him,  and  said  that  his  works  pleased  God, 


138  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

and  that  he  (Romanus)  was  now  in  eternal  bliss.  Thomas  then 
asked  whether  the  habits  which  are  acquired  in  this  life  remain 
to  us  in  heaven.  Romanus  answered,  "  Brother  Thomas,  I  see 
God,  and  do  not  ask  for  more."  He  then  vanished.  One  day 
Thomas  was  writing  a  treatise  on  the  Sacrament,  and  was  pray- 
ing, when  the  figure  on  the  crucifix  turned  towards  him  and  said, 
"  Thomas,  thou  hast  written  well  of  Me  :  what  reward  desirest 
thou  1  "  "  Nought,  save  Thyself,  Lord,"  was  the  saint's  immediate 
reply.  Another  time  Thomas,  while  celebrating  Mass,  was  seized 
with  a  sudden  rapture,  owing  to  a  vision  which  appeared  to  him, 
and  which  he  said  was  so  glorious  that  all  he  had  written  appeared 
worthless  compared  with  what  he  had  just  seen.  In  his  last 
illness  the  monks  of  Fossa  Nuova,  near  Maienza,  waited  on  him 
Avith  unceasing  devotion,  and  begged  of  him  to  expound  to  them 
the  Canticle  of  Canticles,  as  St.  Bernard  did.  The  saint  replied, 
"  Get  me  Bernard's  spirit,  and  I  will  do  your  bidding."  He 
yielded  to  their  wish.  The  saint,  growing  feebler,  died ;  and  while 
a  corpse,  a  blind  man  begged  to  approach  and  pay  his  last  tribute 
of  respect,  when  the  man's  sight  was  restored  that  moment. 

ATTITUDE    OF    POPES    TO    FOREIGN    GOVERNMENTS. 

Guizot  thus  sums  up  the  attitude  between  Popes  and  foreign 
governments  :  "  From  the  tenth  century  and  the  accession  of  the 
Capetians  (989)  the  policy  of  the  Holy  See  had  been  enterprising, 
bold,  full  of  initiative,  often  even  aggressive,  and  more  often 
than  not  successful  in  the  prosecution  of  its  designs.  Under 
Innocent  III.  (1198 — 1216)  it  had  attained  the  apogee  of  its 
strength  and  fortune.  At  that  point  its  motion  forward  and 
upward  came  to  a  stop.  Boniface  VIII.  (1294 — 1303)  had  not 
the  wit  to  recognise  the  changes  which  had  taken  place  in 
European  communities,  and  the  decided  progress  which  had  been 
made  by  laic  influences  and  civil  powers.  He  was  a  stubborn 
preacher  of  maxims  he  could  no  longer  practise.  He  was  beaten 
in  his  enterprise ;  and  the  Papacy,  even  on  recovering  from  his 
defeat,  found  itself  no  longer  what  it  had  been  before  him. 
Starting  from  the  fourteenth  century,  we  find  no  second  Gre- 
gory VII.  or  Innocent  III.  Without  expressly  abandoning  their 
principles,  the  policy  of  the  Holy  See  became  essentially  defensive 
and  conservative,  more  occupied  in  the  maintenance  than  the 
aggrandisement  of  itself,  and  sometimes  even  more  stationary 
and  stagnant  than  was  required  by  necessity  or  recommended 
by  foresight.  The  posture  assumed  and  the  conduct  adopted  by 
the  earliest   successors  of  Boniface  VIII.  showed   how  far  the 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   CIVIL   POWERS.  139 

situation  of  the  Papacy  was  altered,  and  how  deep  had  been  the 
stab  which,  in  the  conflict  between  the  two  aspirants  to  absolute 
power,  Philip  the  Fair  (1283 — 1314)  had  inflicted  on  his  rival." 

THE   POPES   AS   TEMPORAL    PRINCES    (1118 — 1185). 

The  feuds  of  Guelphs  and  Ghibellines  kept  up  constant  irrita- 
tion at  Pome.  In  1118,  when  Paschal  II.  was  officiating  at  the 
altar  on  Holy  Thursday,  he  was  interrupted  by  a  mob,  who 
demanded  that  he  should  confirm  the  appointment  of  a  favourite 
magistrate,  and  his  silence  only  exasperated  them.  During  the 
festival  of  Easter,  while  the  bishop  and  clergy  barefoot  and  in 
procession  visited  the  tombs  of  the  martyrs,  they  were  twice 
assaulted  with  volleys  of  stones  and  darts.  The  houses  of  the 
Pope's  friends  were  demolished,  he  escaped  with  difficulty,  and 
his  last  days  were  embittered  by  the  strife  of  civil  war.  His 
successor,  Gelasius  II.,  in  1118  was  dragged  by  his  hair  along  the 
ground,  beaten  and  wounded,  and  bound  with  an  iron  chain  hi 
the  house  of  a  factious  baron  named  Oencio  Frangipani,  who 
stripped  and  beat  and  trampled  on  the  cardinals.  An  insurrec- 
tion of  the  people  delivered  the  Pope  for  a  while ;  but  a  few  days 
later  he  was  again  assaulted  at  the  altar,  and  during  a  bloody  en- 
counter between  the  factions  he  escaped  in  his  sacerdotal  garments. 
He  then  shook  the  dust  from  his  feet,  and  withdrew  from  a  city 
where,  as  he  described  it,  one  emperor  would  be  more  tolerable 
than  twenty.  About  a  quarter  of  a  century  later,  Pope  Lucius  II., 
as  he  ascended  in  battle-array  to  assault  the  Capitol,  was  struck 
on  the  temple  by  a  stone,  and  expired  in  a  few  -lavs  in  1145. 
Again  in  1185  a  body  of  priests  were  seized,  and  the  eyes  of  all 
put  out  except  those  of  one.  They  were  crowned  with  mock  mitr<  s, 
mounted  on  asses  with  then-  faces  to  the  tail,  and  paraded  as  a 
lesson  to  Pope  Lucius  III. 

RIENZI    AS   TRIBUNE    OF    ROME    (1353). 

The  Pope  having  lived  long  away  from  Rome,  and  the  govern- 
ment of  the  city  being  impracticable,  a  youth  named  Puenzi,  the 
son  of  a  publican  and  a  washerwoman,  who  was  handsome  and 
gifted  with  elocpience,  aspired  to  raise  the  enthusiasm  of  the  mob 
and  revive  the  old  glory  of  the  first  city  of  the  world.  He  assumed 
the  title  of  tribune,  began  to  introduce  order,  and  for  a  time  he 
carried  all  before  him.  He  was,  however,  soon  intoxicated  with 
his  success,  claimed  a  Divine  mission,  procured  himself  to  be 
ciowned  as  a  successor  of  the  Caesars,  imposed  heavy  taxes,  and 


140  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

displayed  great  extravagance  in  dress  and  in  vulgar  exhibitions 
of  grandeur.  At  last  the  Pope's  legate  anathematised  him  as  a 
heretic,  and  enemies  combined  to  crush  him.  He  fled  in  1308 
to  Prague  ;  there  he  entered  into  wild  schemes,  was  captured 
and  imprisoned,  but  was  spared  from  punishment  as  a  heretic. 
He  reappeared,  and  again  obtained  such  favour  with  the  Pope 
as  to  be  made  a  senator  in  1353,  and  encouraged  to  resume  his 
influence  over  the  mob  in  Rome.  He  was  placed  in  high  com- 
mand, but  again  ruined  his  position  with  tyrannical  and  foolish 
schemes.  His  personal  habits  were  gross  and  sensual ;  he  became 
addicted  to  wine,  and  his  body  became  bloated  with  his  indulgences 
till  he  was  likened  to  a  fatted  ox.  In  a  sudden  riot  brought  on 
by  his  own  folly  he  attempted  to  escape,  but  the  mob  captured 
him  and  cut  him  to  pieces. 

LAST    HOURS    OF    THE    ROMAN    EMPIRE    (1453). 

When  Mahomet  II.  in  1453  besieged  Constantinople,  the  Greek 
Emperor  implored  the  assistance  of  earth  and  Heaven  to  check 
the  invaders  and  ward  off  the  destruction  of  the  Roman  Empire. 
The  celestial  image  of  the  Virgin  was  exposed  in  solemn  proces- 
sion, but  no  succour  came.  At  last  the  houses  and  convents 
were  deserted,  and  the  inhabitants  flocked  together  in  the  streets 
like  a  herd  of  timid  animals,  and  poured  into  the  church  of 
St.  Sophia,  filling  every  corner.  They  placed  no  small  confidence 
on  some  prophecy  that  had  been  circulated  that  an  angel  would 
descend  from  heaven  and  deliver  the  empire  with  some  celestial 
weapon.  While  so  wailing  and  confiding,  the  doors  were  broken 
in  with  axes,  and  the  Turks  seized  the  company,  binding  the 
males  with  cords,  and  the  females  with  their  veils  and  girdles. 
All  ranks  were  mixed  in  groups — senators,  slaves,  plebeians  aud 
nobles,  maids  and  children.  The  loudest  in  their  wailings  were 
the  nuns,  who  were  torn  from  the  altar  and  con>igned  to  the 
usual  fate  of  slavery,  and  worse.  The  monasteries  and  churches 
were  profaned.  The  dome  of  St.  Sophia  itself,  a  throne  of  heavenly 
splendour,  was  despoiled  of  the  oblations  of  ages,  and  the  gold  and 
silver,  the  pearls  and  jewels,  the  vases  and  sacerdotal  ornaments, 
were  most  wickedly  perverted  to  the  basest  uses.  After  the  divine 
images  were  stripped,  the  canvas  and  woodwork  were  torn  or  burnt 
or  trodden  under  foot.  The  libraries,  with  a  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  manuscripts,  were  sold  as  wastepaper.  The  Sultan  passed 
in  triumph  through  the  wreck  and  plunder.  He  ordered  the  church 
to  be  converted  into  a  mosque  ;  the  instruments  of  superstition 
to  be  removed ;  the  crosses,  images,  and  mosaics  to  be  dismantled 


Chap,  v.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   CIVIL   POWERS.  141 

and  washed  and  purified.  The  cathedral  of  St.  Sophia  was  soon 
crowned  with  lofty  minarets,  and  surrounded  with  groves  and 
fountains  for  the  devotion  and  refreshment  of  the  Moslems.  He 
took  care,  however,  to  leave  the  churches  of  Constantinople  to 
be  shared  between  the  Mussulmans  and  the  Christians. 


ELECTION    TO   THE    HOLY    ROMAN    EMPIRE. 

The  empire  which  Charlemagne  founded  over  so  many  kingdoms, 
being  a  revival  of  the  old  Roman  Empire  and  in  imitation  of  the 
empire  claimed  by  the  Bishop  of  Rome  over  all  other  Churches, 
was  commonly  believed  till  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century  to 
be  elective,  and  the  privilege  of  electing  was  confined  by  a  decree 
of  Gregory  V.  about  996  to  seven  persons.  These  were  the  arch- 
bishops of  Mentz,  Treves,  and  Cologne ;  the  dukes  of  the  Franks, 
Swabians,  Saxons,  and  Bavarians.  The  Franks  and  Swabians 
were  superseded  respectively  by  the  palatinate  of  the  Rhine  and 
the  margravate  of  Brandenburg.  A  golden  bidl  of  Charles  IV. 
in  1356  regulated  the  mode  of  election  and  fixed  the  place  at 
Frankfort.  A  majority  of  votes  carried  the  election.  An  eighth 
and  ninth  elector  were  added  afterwards,  the  eighth  being  the 
elector  of  Brunswick,  who  succeeded  to  the  English  throne  in 
1714.  An  extravagant  importance  was  attached  to  this  titular 
potentate  and  his  electors.  Though  he  was  only  elected,  yet  he 
was  thought  to  reign  by  a  Divine  right  as  a  sort  of  Lord  of  the 
World.  The  sovereigns  of  Europe  long  continued  to  address 
the  Emperor  as  a  superior  and  as  entitled  to  precedence,  and  it 
was  even  thought  that  he  had  the  power  of  creating  kings,  though 
in  actual  resources  he  stood  below  the  kings  of  France  and 
England.  The  epithet  "  holy "  was  applied  by  Frederick  I. 
(Barbarossa)  in  1156.  There  was  once  a  vague  notion  that  the 
English  kingdom  was  a  vassal  of  the  empire,  but  Edward  I.  and 
Edward  III.  notably  disclaimed  any  such  submissiveness.  When 
Charles  V.  was  elected,  Francis  I.  of  France  and  Henry  VIII. 
of  England  were  competitors.  Charles  V.  not  succeeding  in 
dragooning  the  Protestants  into  conformity  to  the  Catholic 
Church,  the  influence  of  the  empire  declined.  After  long  flicker- 
ing, the  Holy  Roman  Empire  came  to  an  end  by  the  resignation 
of  Francis  II.  in  1800,  about  a  thousand  years  after  the  corona- 
tion of  Charlemagne. 


142 


CHAPTER    VI. 

MARTYRS,  HERMITS,  ANCHORITES,  AND  RELICS. 

THE   VIRGIN   MARTYR  VALERIA   (A.D.    50). 

St.  Martial,  the  apostle  of  the  Gauls,  when  a  lad  of  fifteen,  was 
taken  by  his  father  to  see  Christ,  and  became  thenceforth  a 
constant  follower,  and  at  a  later  date  was  a  companion  of  St. 
Peter.  In  his  career  as  first  bishop  of  Limoges,  he  was  hospitably 
entertained  by  a  noble  widow  named  Susanna.  Her  daughter 
Valeria  devoted  her  virginity  to  the  Lord,  and  having  taken  a 
vow  of  chastity  she  rejected  the  marriage  which  had  been 
arranged  for  her  with  Duke  Stephen.  He  was  so  enraged  at 
her  indifference  to  his  offers  that  he  ordered  her  to  be  beheaded. 
When  she  reached  the  place  of  execution,  she  spread  out  her 
hands  in  prayer  and  commended  herself  to  the  Lord,  during  which 
voices  from  heaven  were  heard  encouraging  her.  She  voluntarily 
offered  to  her  executioner  her  head,  which  was  cut  off  with  a 
blow.  Before  her  death  she  had  predicted  the  death  of  the 
tyrant  Stephen ;  and  when  this  was  afterwards  reported  to  him 
by  a  squire,  the  latter  was  seized  with  fear  and  trembling,  and 
fell  dead.  The  duke  was  then  greatly  alarmed,  and  besought 
Martial  to  come  to  him  and  restore  his  squire  to  life.  Martial 
came  and  prayed  with  a  loud  voice,  and  in  presence  of  the  people 
restored  the  dead  squire,  whereupon  the  duke  knelt  before  the 
holy  bishop  and  implored  forgiveness  for  his  sins.  The  bishop 
enjoined  penance  for  putting  to  death  the  virgin  martyr,  and 
baptised  the  duke  and  his  officers,  and  they  gave  large  sums  of 
gold  to  build  churches  and  endow  a  hospital  to  the  memory  of 
Valeria,  and  also  erected  a  church  over  her  tomb.  The  duke 
after  these  events  lived  an  exemplary  life ;  and  while  he  was  a 
wise  father  of  the  Christians,  he  was  a  fierce  persecutor  of  the 
Pagans. 


Chap,  vi.]  EARLY  MARTYRS.  143 

ST.   THECLA    CONVERTED   BY   ST.    PAUL. 

St.  Thecla  was  a  native  of  Lycaonia,  of  great  beauty,  and  was 
early  engaged  to  be  married  to  a  rich  noble  named  Thamyris, 
but  she  was  converted  by  St.  Paul,  and  she  then  and  there  vowed 
that  she  would  renounce  the  world  and  devote  herself  to  virginity. 
She  broke  her  plighted  troth.  The  friends  of  the  youth  pressed 
her  to  keep  her  promise ;  but  she  forsook  father  and  mother  and 
riches  and  plenty,  and  would  not  listen  to  any  of  them.  So  the 
youth  in  revenge  obtained  a  decree  that  she  should  be  torn  by 
wild  beasts.  She  remained  undaunted,  and  was  exposed  naked 
in  the  amphitheatre ;  and  tigers,  lions,  and  pards,  starved  and 
raging  with  fury,  were  let  loose  upon  her.  But  the  lions,  instead 
of  attacking,  crouched  at  her  feet  and  meekly  kissed  them ;  and 
though  excited  by  the  keepers  again  and  again,  they  shrank  like 
lambs.  This  startling  picture  of  innocence  saved  from  harm  was 
a  standing  text  with  the  Fathers,  who  glowed  with  enthusiastic 
eloquence  while  dilating  on  the  story.  At  another  time  the  virgin 
martyr  was  exposed  to  tire,  and  was  in  like  manner  untouched. 
It  was  said  she  was  first  converted  by  listening  to  St.  Paul,  whom 
she  attended  in  several  of  his  apostolic  journeys.  At  last  she 
died  in  peace  in  a  retirement  in  Isauria,  aged  ninety,  and  was  buried 
at  Silencia,  being  treated  as  the  first  female  martyr.  A  sumptuous 
church  bearing  her  name  was  erected  over  the  body,  and  crowds 
of  pilgrims  have  always  visited  the  spot.  The  great  cathedral 
at  Milan  is  dedicated  to  God  in  her  honour,  and  part  of  her  relics 
are  deposited  there.  It  is  said  that  St.  John  deposed  a  priest 
for  forging  some  scandalous  tales  about  St.  Paul  and  St.  Thecla, 
and  such  tales  were  repeated  in  later  ages  also. 

MARTYRDOM    OF    POLYCARP    (A.D.    168). 

When  Poly  carp,  the  Bishop  of  Smyrna,  was  burnt  as  a  martyr 
about  168,  a  contemporary  account  by  the  leaders  of  the  Church 
contained  in  Eusebius  says  this  :  "  As  soon  as  the  martyr  uttered 
'  Amen '  after  his  prayer  the  fire  was  lighted,  and  a  great  flame 
burst  out  in  the  form  of  an  arch,  as  the  sail  of  a  vessel  filled  with 
wind,  surrounding  as  with  a  wall  the  body,  which  was  in  the  midst, 
not  as  burning  flesh,  but  as  gold  and  silver  refining  in  the  furnace. 
We  received  in  our  nostrils  such  a  fragrance  as  proceeds  from 
frankincense  or  some  other  precious  perfume.  At  length  the 
wicked  people,  observing  that  the  body  could  not  be  consumed 
with  the  fire,  ordered  the  executioner  to  approach  and  to  plunge 
his  sword  into  his  body.    Upon  this  such  a  quantity  of  blood  gushed 


144  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

out  that  the  fire  was  extinguished,  and  all  the  multitude  were 
astonished  to  see  such  a  difference  providentially  made  between  the 
unbelievers  and  the  elect.  Afterwards  the  body  was  burned,  and 
we  gathered  up  the  bones,  more  precious  than  gold  and  jewels,  and 
deposited  them  in  a  proper  place,  where,  if  possible,  we  shall  meet, 
and  the  Lord  will  grant  us  in  gladness  and  joy  to  celebrate  the 
birthday  of  his  martyrdom,  both  in  commemoration  of  those  who 
have  wrestled  before  us,  and  for  the  instruction  and  confirmation 
of  those  who  come  after."  Polycarp  was  burned  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six,  and  had  been  a  pupil  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 

ST.  FELICITAS    AND    HER    SEVEN    SONS    (A.D.    173). 

A  rich  widow  named  Felicitas  lived  at  Rome  about  173,  and 
had  seven  sons,  whom  she  brought  up  as  Christians.  She  was 
cited  before  the  tribunals  for  not  sacrificing  to  the  false  gods. 
But  she  refused ;  and  being  told  she  should  comply  out  of  regard 
to  her  sons,  she  replied  that  her  sons  would  know  how  to  choose 
between  everlasting  death  and  everlasting  life.  They  also  were 
cited ;  but  the  mother  encouraged  them  to  defy  the  tyranny  and 
refuse  to  obey.  Then  they  were  ordered  to  be  tortured  most 
cruelly,  each  in  different  form  and  before  the  mother's  eyes ;  but 
she  heroically  stood  by  and  encouraged  them  to  be  firm.  Instead 
of  flinching,  she  gloried  that  she  had  seven  sons  worthy  to  be 
saints  in  Paradise,  and  she  herself  was  subjected  to  a  barbarous 
and  lingering  death,  and  at  length  beheaded  or  plunged  into 
boiling  oil. 

THE    MARTYRS    OF    LYONS,    BLANDINA    AND    ATTALUS  (A.D.    199). 

Eusebius,  referring  to  the  end  of  the  second  century,  says  that 
one  day,  in  place  of  the  gladiatorial  combats  at  Lyons,  Blandina 
and  Attalus  were  thrown  to  the  wild  beasts.  Blandina  was  bound 
to  a  stake  ;  and  as  her  body  appealed  to  hang  in  the  form  of  the 
cross,  this  greatly  encouraged  her  fellow-martyr.  As  none  of  the 
beasts  touched  her,  she  was  remanded  to  prison  to  be  kept  for 
another  day.  Attalus  was  then  demanded  by  the  mob.  He  bore 
a  label :  "  This  is  Attalus  the  Christian."  He  was  placed  on  the 
iron  chair  and  his  body  roasted ;  but  he  maintained  his  courage 
to  the  last.  Blandina  was  again  brought  forward,  along  with  a 
youth  of  fifteen,  named  Ponticus.  Refusing  to  swear  as  they  were 
ordered,  they  were  led  the  whole  round,  and  subjected  to  horrible 
brutalities.  When  Ponticus  drew  his  last  breath,  Blandina 
stood  exulting,  as  if  she  were  invited  to  a  marriage  feast  rather 


Chap,  vi.]  EARLY   MARTYRS.  145 

than  thrown  to  the  wild  beasts.  After  scourging  and  exposure 
to  the  beasts,  and  after  being  roasted,  she  was  finally  wrapped  in 
a  net  and  tossed  in  the  air  before  a  bull ;  and  when  she  had  been 
tossed  by  that  beast,  and  had  now  no  longer  any  sense  of  what 
was  done  to  her  by  reason  of  her  hope,  confidence,  and  faith  in 
Christ,  she  too  was  despatched.  The  Gentiles  confessed  that  no 
woman  among  them  had  ever  endured  sufferings  as  many  and 
great  as  these ;  yet  they  insisted  on  watching  the  dead  bodies, 
and  what  remained  after  the  mangling  of  beasts,  day  and  night, 
lest  the  Christians  should  attempt  to  bury  them.  They  finally 
burnt  the  remains  to  ashes,  and  cast  them  into  the  Rhone,  that 
there  might  not  be  a  vestige  of  them  left  on  dry  land.  Some  of 
the  ashes,  however,  were  preserved  in  the  church  at  Lyons. 


ST.    CECILIA   THE   MARTYR  AND   HER   SINGING    (A.D.    200). 

Peter  de  Natalibus  says :  Cecilia,  virgin  and  martyr,  born  of  a 
noble  house  among  the  Romans  about  180,  was  brought  up  in 
the  faith  of  Christ,  and  always  carried  the  Gospel  hid  in  her 
bosom,  and  never  ceased  from  Divine  colloquy  and  prayer.  She 
composed  hymns  to  the  glory  of  God,  which  she  sang  so  sweetly 
that  the  angels  came  down  from  heaven  to  hear  them  and  sing 
along  with  her.  Being  espoused  to  a  youth  named  Valerian, 
who  heard  her  often  speaking  of  an  angel  whom  he  desired  to 
see,  she  told  him  where  to  go ;  he  was  directed  to  the  Catacombs, 
where  the  angel  appeared  to  him  in  white  raiment,  holding  a 
book,  on  which  was  written,  "  One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism." 
Valerian  thereupon  received  baptism  from  Pope  Urban.  Valerian 
earnestly  desired  that  his  brother  Tiburtius  should  be  brought  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  So  when  on  the  morrow  Tiburtius 
came  to  salute  his  sister-in-law  Cecilia,  he  perceived  an  excellent 
odour  of  lilies  and  roses,  and  asked  her  wondering  whence  she 
had  roses  at  that  untimely  season.  He  was  told  that  God  had 
sent  them  crowns  of  roses  and  lilies,  but  that  he  could  not  see 
them  till  his  eyes  were  opened  and  his  body  purified,  and  yet  that 
he  also  might  see  them  if  he  would  believe  in  Christ  and  renounce 
idols.  And  Tiburtius  also  believed  and  was  baptised.  The  two 
brothers  were  afterwards  seized  and  put  to  death.  Cecilia  also 
was  ordered  by  the  prefect  Almachius  to  be  burned  ;  but  though 
put  in  the  fire  a  day  and  night,  it  had  no  effect  on  her.  Nor 
could  the  executioner,  though  striking  thrice  at  her  neck,  kill  her. 
On  the  third  day  of  her  sufferings  she  distributed  her  goods  and 
departed  this  life. 

10 


146  FLOWERS    OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

THE   MARTYR    PERPETUA    (A.D.    202). 

In  the  early  persecution  of  202  under  the  Emperor  Severus,  a 
touching  scene  occurred  between  a  young  wife,  aged  twenty-two, 
named  Perpetua,  and  her  father.  She  was  arrested,  and  implored 
by  her  father,  who  threw  himself  in  tears  at  her  feet,  beseeching 
her  to  renounce  her  creed,  and  not  bring  ruin  on  her  brothers 
and  parents  and  relatives.  But  she  gloried  in  being  called  and 
in  calling  herself  a  Christian.  The  father  brought  her  child  in 
his  arms,  and  called  on  her  in  vain  to  spare  his  grey  hairs  and 
to  pity  the  child,  and  join  in  the  Pagan  sacrifice  to  the  Emperor. 
The  guards  at  last  ordered  him  to  be  removed  after  his  last  appeal 
to  her  pity  ;  and  after  tearing  the  hair  of  his  beard  in  his  anguish, 
she  only  exclaimed,  "  I  am  pained  at  the  sight  of  my  father  as 
if  I  had  been  struck  with  a  blow.  His  grief  is  enough  to  move 
any  creature."  But  no  other  faltering  word  escaped  her.  She 
and  some  young  companions  were  thrown  to  the  wild  beasts  to 
gratify  the  brutal  tastes  of  the  multitude  when  celebrating  a 
prince's  birthday.  The  cruel  spectacle  made  such  an  impression 
on  one  of  the  jailers,  named  Puclens,  that  he  felt  an  irresistible 
impulse  to  acknowledge  that  there  must  be  something  divine  in 
such  a  triumph  over  human  weakness.  He  could  not  choose  but 
indulge  the  friends  of  the  wretched  prisoners  by  giving  them  access 
to  cheer  the  latter  in  their  desolate  state. 

ST.  URSULA  AND  THE  ELEVEN  THOUSAND  VIRGIN  SIARTYRS  (A.D.  237). 

Ursula  and  eleven  thousand  British  virgins  were  said  to  have 
suffered  martyrdom  at  Cologne  in  237.  The  story  is  somewhat 
vague,  and  some  even  suggest  that,  another  virgin  being  named 
Undecimilla,  some  play  on  that  word  gave  rise  to  the  extra- 
ordinary number  mentioned.  The  writers  of  the  tenth  century 
began  to  tell  the  story  that  Ursula  was  the  daughter  of  a  British 
prince,  and  had  taken  a  vow  of  celibacy,  but  her  father  had 
wished  her  to  marry  the  son  of  some  ferocious  tyrant.  To  get 
quit  of  the  proposal,  she  said  she  would  agree  if  her  father  and 
the  king  should  choose  each  ten  virgins  of  her  own  age  and 
beauty,  and  that  each  of  those  ten  should  have  a  thousand 
damsels  under  them,  and  that  they  should  all  be  allowed  to  cruise 
about  as  unsullied  virgins  for  three  years  in  eleven  triremes. 
The  tyrant  succeeded  in  collecting  the  virgins  and  in  providing 
gaily  equipped  galleys,  and  they  put  to  sea  and  were  driven  by 
stress  of  weather  up  the  Rhine  to  Cologne.  From  that  place 
they  went  to  visit  the  Apostles'  tombs  at  Borne,  and  on  their 


Chap,  vi.]  EARLY   MARTYRS.  147 

return  the  barbarous  Huns  murdered  them  all  at  Cologne.  The 
church  of  St.  Ursula  at  Cologne  is  still  visited  by  pilgrims  who 
invoke  the  saint. 

ST.    BARBARA   AND   THE   PRISON   TOWER   (A.D.    250). 

St.  Barbara  was  the  daughter  of  a  rich  noble  in  Heliopolis, 
and,  being  of  singular  beauty,  her  father  destined  her  for  some 
great  alliance.  But  she  heard  of  Origen  and  visited  him,  and 
took  his  instruction  and  was  converted  to  the  Christian  religion. 
Her  father  being  a  rabid  Pagan,  built  a  high  tower  in  which  to 
imprison  her ;  and  one  day,  on  visiting  it,  and  seeing  only  two 
windows  in  the  plan,  she  ordered  the  workmen  to  add  a  third. 
Her  father  on  hearing  of  this  became  enraged,  dragged  her  by 
her  hair  to  a  dungeon,  and  procured  a  decree  that  she  should  be 
scourged  and  tortured  ;  and  as  she  still  refused  to  acknowledge 
his  gods  he  cut  off  her  head.  But  thunder  and  lightning  at  once 
descended  and  consumed  him.  She  became  the  patron  saint  to 
protect  from  lightning  and  gunpowder. 

THE    MARTYR   POTAMIANA   CONVERTS   A   SOLDIER   (A.D.    299). 

Eusebius  says  that  at  the  end  of  the  third  century  a  soldier 
named  Basilides  was  ordered  to  lead  the  celebrated  Potamiana 
to  execution,  who  had  resisted  many  attacks  on  her  purity.  She 
was  in  the  bloom  of  beauty,  and  was  known  far  and  wide  for  her 
virtues.  She  was,  after  horrible  tortures,  the  mere  relation  of 
which  made  one  shudder,  ordered  by  a  brutal  judge  for  execution. 
The  soldier  who  had  charge  of  her  showed  much  compassion  and 
kindness  in  warding  off  the  insolent  mob.  Perceiving  this,  she 
exhorted  the  soldier  to  be  of  good  cheer,  for  that  after  she  was 
gone  she  would  intercede  with  her  Lord  for  him.  Boiling  pitch 
was  then  poured  over  different  parts  of  her  body,  gradually  by 
little  and  little,  from  her  feet  up  to  the  crown  of  her  head.  Not 
long  afterwards  it  was  observed  by  his  comrades  that  Basilides 
himself  refused  to  swear  and  take  the  oaths,  and  for  this  offence  he 
was  committed  to  prison.  When  some  of  the  Christian  brethren 
visited  him  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  this  unexpected  conduct,  he 
declared  to  them  that  for  three  days  after  the  martyrdom  of 
Potamiana  she  stood  before  him  at  night,  placed  a  crown  upon 
his  head,  and  said  that  she  had  entreated  the  Lord  on  his  account, 
that  she  had  obtained  her  prayer,  and  that  ere  long  she  would 
take  him  with  her.  Thereupon  the  brethren  baptised  him,  and 
he,  bearing  his  testimony  to  the  Lord,  was  beheaded. 


148  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

ST.    GENES   THE   ACTOR    BECOMING   A   SAINT    AND   MARTYR   (A.D.  303). 

St.  Genes  was  an  actor  performing  before  the  Emperor 
Diocletian  in  303,  and,  being  a  clever  mimic,  played  the  character 
of  a  sick  man,  troubled  in  mind  about  the  false  gods  and  the 
future,  before  him.  He  professed  to  lie  on  his  deathbed  groaning 
over  his  sins,  which  he  said  were  heavy  and  burdensome,  and  he 
wished  to  be  lightened  of  them.  The  other  actors  then  approached 
him  ;  and  one  of  them,  being  the  clown,  exclaimed  to  the  rest,  "  Oh, 
if  the  poor  fellow  feels  overweighted,  we  can  only  do  one  thing 
with  him — take  him  to  the  carpenter's  and  get  him  planed,  and 
so  lighten  him."  At  this  sally  there  was  a  great  roar  of  laughter. 
The  sick  man  still  groaned  and  sighed,  and  said  he  desired  to  be 
a  Christian,  and  wished  them  to  call  in  a  priest  and  an  exorcist. 
Thereupon  two  actors  came  in  dressed  to  represent  these  two 
characters,  and  they  suggested  baptism,  whereon  a  great  vat  of 
water  was  brought  on  the  stage,  and  the  sick  man  dragged  out 
of  his  bed  and  plunged  in,  clothed  in  white.  At  this  last  sally 
there  was  another  roar  of  laughter.  At  the  next  moment 
some  actors  dressed  as  Roman  soldiers  rushed  on  the  stage,  and 
arrested  the  new  convert  and  had  him  tried  and  sentenced.  This 
was  part  of  the  jest.  But  Genes  sprang  to  his  feet,  threw  off  the 
guards,  and  knocking  down  a  statue  of  Venus,  addressed  the 
Emperor,  saying  that  though  he  had  amused  them  with  mimicking 
the  Christians,  yet  after  all  he  was  himself  one  in  his  heart,  and 
having  in  sickness  felt  the  comfort,  he  now  confessed  Christ  to 
be  very  God,  and  in  Him  alone  he  would  trust.  The  mimic  was 
so  earnest  and  serious  in  this  address  that  the  whole  assembly 
were  petrified.  The  Emperor  called  the  actor  before  him,  and 
told  him  not  to  carry  the  joke  too  far.  But  the  actor  persisted, 
said  he  was  in  earnest,  and  defied  all  the  threats  of  power.  He 
was  first  tortured  and  then  beheaded.  The  artists  often  represent 
this  saint  with  a  clown's  cap  and  bells. 

GENESIUS    BAPTISED   WITH   HIS    OWN   BLOOD    (A.D.    303). 

Genesius  was  a  notary  at  Aries  in  303.  He  had  originally 
been  a  soldier,  and  then  he  became  registrar  of  a  local  court.  In 
this  capacity  he  was  called  on  to  read  an  edict  of  persecution 
issued  by  Diocletian,  and  rather  than  read  it  he  resigned  his  office 
and  fled.  He  ardently  longed  to  be  baptised,  and  requested  the 
Bishop  of  Aries  to  grant  him  this  favour.  The  bishop,  for  some 
reason  not  known,  deferred  it,  but  assured  Genesius  that,  if  called 
upon  to  die  for  Christ,  he  should  in  thus  shedding  his  blood  receive 


Chap,  vi.]  EARLY  MARTYRS.  149 

the  perfection  of  the  grace  of  baptism.  Genesius  was  soon  after- 
wards arrested,  whereupon  it  is  related  that  by  the  inspiration 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  he  flung  himself  into  the  Rhone,  wherein  he 
received  baptism,  the  river  having  become  for  him  a  second 
Jordan.  The  officers  followed  him  to  the  other  bank,  and  there 
beheaded  him  without  any  formal  trial.  Ado,  speaking  of  this 
death  of  Genesius,  says  that  "  he  received  the  crown  of  martyrdom, 
being  baptised  with  his  own  blood.'' 

ST.    ALBAN,    THE    FIRST    BRITISH    MARTYR    (a.D.    303). 

The  first  of  the  British  martyrs  was  St.  Alban,  a  wealthy  native 
of  Verulam  and  citizen  of  Rome,  who  in  303  entertained  one 
Amphibalus,  a  Christian  preacher  from  Caerleon  in  South  Wales, 
then  a  Roman  settlement.  It  was  said  that  Alban  exchanged 
clothes  with  his  guest,  and  thus  effected  his  escape.  For  this  act 
of  friendship  Alban  was  beheaded  in  presence  of  a  great  concourse 
of  people.  And  many  other  martyrdoms  followed.  About  the 
same  time  Constantius,  the  father  of  Constantine  the  Great,  who 
had  been  chosen  emperor  of  the  western  provinces  of  France, 
Spain,  and  Britain,  died  at  York,  at  which  last  city  Constantine 
was  born,  who  was  the  fix^st  Christian  Emperor.  Some,  however, 
alleged  that  Constantine  was  born  at  London,  and  some  at 
Colchester.  Ten  years  after  Alban's  death  a  stately  church  was 
erected  and  dedicated  to  his  memory  ;  and  in  1880  a  new  and 
separate  bishopric  of  St.  Albans  was  created. 

DIDYMUS    AND   THEODORA    (A.D.    304). 

The  virgin  Theodora,  about  304,  was  a  great  beauty,  and  was 
condemned  to  hatefid  punishment  for  not  sacrificing  to  the  gods, 
and  was  kept  in  prison  awaiting  her  terrible  doom.  Didymus 
was  a  young  man  moved  to  pity,  and  resolved  to  rescue  the  virgin 
of  Christ  out  of  her  danger.  He  dressed  himself  as  a  soldier,  and 
went  into  her  room  and  told  her  to  change  clothes,  and  he  would 
remain  in  her  stead.  She  consented,  and  being  instructed  not 
to  betray  herself  by  any  unusual  walk  or  conduct,  she  escaped. 
When  the  truth  was  discovered,  Didymus  said  he  was  inspired  by 
God  to  rescue  Theodora,  and  he  was  ready  to  undergo  any  tortures 
to  which  he  might  be  exposed,  for  he  would  never  consent  to 
sacrifice  to  devils.  He  was  ordered  to  be  burnt.  Then  Theodora, 
hearing  of  this,  ran  to  the  spot,  and  wished  to  die  in  his  place, 
and  she  was  beheaded  soon  after  his  death.  St.  Ambrose  dwells 
with  rapture  on  the  glorious  contention  between  those  two  for 
the  crown  of  martyrdom. 


150  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

ST.    CYPRIAN   AND   JUSTINA   (A.D.    304). 

St.  Cyprian,  surnamed  the  Magician,  who  died  in  304,  was  a 
native  of  Antioch,  and  had  travelled  in  all  the  countries  where 
magic  was  cultivated,  in  order  to  acquire  that  diabolic  art.  In 
Antioch  lived  a  young  heathen  virgin,  named  Justina,  with  whom 
a  pagan  noble,  named  Agladius,  was  deeply  in  love.  And  as  she 
would  not  listen  to  him,  Cyprian's  magical  powers  were  invoked 
in  order  to  overcome  her  resolution.  She  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross  and  warded  off  all  their  evil  arts.  Cyprian  himself  was 
equally  enamoured,  and,  enraged  at  being  baffled,  resolved  to  give 
up  the  diabolic  art.  He  consulted  a  priest,  named  Eusebius,  who 
took  him  to  an  assembly  of  Christians,  when  he  was  struck  with 
the  new  signs  of  devotion.  He  became  a  convert,  and  burned  his 
books  of  magic,  gave  all  his  goods  to  the  poor,  and  enrolled 
himself  as  a  catechumen.  Agladius  was  also  about  the  same 
time  converted.  Justina  was  delighted  to  see  this  change,  cut 
off  her  hair,  gave  away  her  jewels,  and  dedicated  herself  to  a  holy 
life.  The  persecution  of  Diocletian  breaking  out,  they  were  all 
scourged,  and  torn  with  hooks,  kept  in  chains,  and  finally  beheaded. 
Their  relics  were  carried  to  Rome  by  Christians,  and  a  pious  lady, 
named  Rufina,  built  a  church  to  their  memory,  near  the  square 
which  bears  the  name  of  Claudius.  The  relics  were  afterwards 
removed  to  the  Lateran  basilica. 

ST.    JOHN   CHRYSOSTOH   AS   HERMIT   (A.D.  400). 

St.  John  Chrysostom,  who  died  about  407,  passed  many  years 
among  the  anchorites  who  lived  on  the  mountains  near  Antioch. 
When  he  was  ordained  deacon,  he  became  a  powerful  and  fervid 
preacher.  Once,  on  a  seditious  resistance  made  by  the  people  to 
a  new  tax  levied  by  Theodosius  I.,  he  assisted  the  bishop  in 
obtaining  a  pardon  for  the  ringleaders.  When  he  became  himself 
bishop,  he  preached  with  great  force  against  the  indelicacy  of 
the  female  dress,  and  against  gaming,  theatres,  and  swearing. 
The  other  bishops  conspired  against  him,  and  obtained  his  banish- 
ment for  alleged  seditious  acts,  but  he  was  soon  recalled  at  the 
instance  of  the  people.  He  was  again  banished  to  a  bleak  desert, 
and  died  after  being  a  bishop  about  ten  years.  His  body  was 
carried  to  Constantinople,  and  was  laid  in  the  Church  of  the 
Apostles.  He  was  said  to  be  the  most  eloquent  and  fervid  of  the 
Fathers.  Thomas  Aquinas  said  he  would  rather  be  author  of 
his  homilies  on  St,  Matthew  than  own  the  whole  city  of  Paris. 


Chap,  vi.]  EARLY   MARTYRS.  151 

ST.    JAMES,    INTERCISUS   A.D.    421. 

St.  James  was  a  Persian  noble.  The  king  declared  war  against 
the  Christians,  and  the  noble  had  not  firmness  to  refuse.  His 
wife  and  mother,  however,  being  Christians,  and  shocked  to  see 
this,  upbraided  him,  and  wrote  a  letter  that  they  renounced  him 
for  ever.  This  sank  into  his  soul,  and  he  withdrew  from  the 
Court,  bewailing  the  crime  he  had  committed ;  and  the  king, 
hearing  of  his  change  of  views,  was  enraged,  and,  after  calling 
the  Council  of  Ministers,  they  all  agreed  that  James  should  be 
hung  on  the  rack,  and  his  limbs  cut  off,  joint  after  joint.  The 
executioners,  after  entreating  him  in  vain  to  recant,  with  their 
scimitars  cut  off*  his  right  thumb.  The  judge  and  bystanders,  in 
tears,  called  out  to  him  that  it  was  enough,  and  he  ought  to 
surrender.  But  he  exulted,  and  finger  after  finger  was  cut  off; 
then  the  little  toe  of  the  left  foot,  and  all  the  other  toes.  After 
fingers  and  toes  and  arms  and  feet  left  him  only  a  trunk  welter- 
ing in  his  blood,  he  continued  to  pray  and  speak  cheerfully,  till 
at  last  a  guard  severed  the  head  from  the  body.  This  happened 
in  421.  The  Christians  offered  a  large  sum  to  obtain  the  relics, 
but  were  refused.  They,  however,  watched  an  opportunity,  and 
collected  them  by  stealth,  finding  the  limbs  in  twenty-eight 
different  places.  They  were  all  buried  in  an  urn,  and  in  a  place 
concealed  from  the  heathen.  The  glory  of  this  martyr  was 
renowned  in  all  the  Persian,  Syrian,  Greek,  and  Latin  Churches. 

STEPHEN   A   MARTYR   FOR   IMAGE   WORSHIP   (a.D.    720). 

During  the  controversy  raised  by  the  iconoclasts,  when  all  the 
monks  resisted  the  decrees  against  image  worship,  one  monk, 
Stephen,  a  hermit  who  had  lived  thirty  years  in  a  cave  at  Sinope, 
greatly  distinguished  himself.  The  monks  had  flocked  to  the 
desert  to  watch  in  security  over  their  tutelary  images,  and  the 
most  devout  of  the  laity  crowded  round  the  cell  of  Stephen,  who 
furiously  denounced  the  iconoclasts.  So  many  pilgrims  resorted 
to  him  as  their  champion  that  the  Emperor  ordered  him  to  be 
carried  away  from  his  cell,  and  shut  up  in  a  cloister  at  Chrv- 
sopolis.  This  act  drove  the  other  monks  to  frenzy.  One  named 
Andrew  hastened  from  his  dwelling  in  the  desert  and  boldly 
confronted  the  Emperor  in  the  church  of  St.  Mammas,  and  sternly 
addressed  him  thus  :  "  If  thou  art  a  Christian,  why  do  you  treat 
Christians  with  such  indignity  1 "  The  Emperor  commanded  his 
temper,  but  after  again  ordering  this  monk  into  his  presence,  the 
latter  was  so  violent  and  scornful  that  the  Emperor  ordered  him 


152  FLOWEKS  OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

to  be  scourged.  Stephen,  however,  continued  to  thunder  from 
his  cell  against  the  iconoclasts,  and  mounted  a  pillar  to  be  better 
heard ;  and  other  monks  flocked  and  built  their  cells  round  this 
pillar.  But  this  did  not  satisfy  Stephen,  who  returned  to  the 
city  and  openly  denounced  and  defied  the  Emperor,  and  collected 
a  large  following.  The  Emperor  ordered  him  to  prison.  His 
followers  on  hearing  of  his  majesty's  annoyance  at  last  rushed  to 
the  prison,  dragged  the  old  man  into  the  streets  and  murdered 
him,  and  threw  his  body  into  the  malefactors'  grave  (as  is  else- 
where mentioned,  ante,  p.  134). 

HUSS    THE    BOHEMIAN    BURNT    FOR    HERESY    IN    1415. 

John  Huss,  who  was  a  Luther  a  century  too  soon,  was  born  in 
1369,  became  a  preacher,  and  soon  began  to  see  the  impostures 
connected  with  relic  worshipping  and  indulgences,  and  became 
known  as  a  great  admirer  of  Wicliffs  writings.  He  was  soon 
marked  out  as  a  heretic,  and  worried  with  citations  and  excom- 
municated. "When  three  young  artisans  publicly  exclaimed 
against  the  sale  of  indulgences  and  were  seized  and  condemned 
and  executed,  great  excitement  arose.  Some  friends  dipped  their 
handkerchiefs  in  the  blood  of  the  victims,  a  woman  in  the  crowd 
offered  white  linen  to  enshroud  them ;  the  dead  bodies  were 
carried  as  saints  with  chanted  hymns  and  anthems,  and  buried 
with  great  solemnity  under  the  direction  of  Huss.  Huss  was 
summoned  to  answer  for  his  many  heresies,  and  he  offered  to 
defend  himself  before  the  Council  of  Constance,  on  condition  of 
the  Emperor  securing  him  a  safe  conduct.  The  assurance  was 
given,  the  Emperor  Sigismund  being  at  first  thoiight  favourable 
to  the  views  of  Huss.  But  the  bishops  craftily,  on  pretence  of 
his  attempt  at  escape,  seized  and  imprisoned  him.  The  Emperor 
acted  weakly  and  with  too  much  deference  to  the  cardinals,  who 
professed  to  give  Huss  a  hearing,  but  took  care  that  it  should  be 
only  before  themselves.  His  friends  had  early  presentiment  that 
Huss  would  be  done  to  death  by  hook  or  crook.  His  faithful 
friend  the  Knight  of  Chlum  stood  always  by  his  side,  and  protested 
vigorously  against  the  breach  of  faith,  in  all  the  crafty  steps  taken, 
and  by  the  imprisonments  imposed  before  the  hearing  of  the  case. 
At  one  prison  on  the  Bhine  Huss  was  nearly  killed  by  the 
noisome  effluvia.  He  was  next  removed  and  imprisoned  in  a 
tower,  and  chained  day  and  night.  The  visual  result  followed 
after  a  few  hearings  before  the  council,  where  he  had  no  oppor- 
tunity of  meeting  most  of  the  charges,  and  where  he  was  mocked 
and  offered  a  period  to  recant,  and  then  sentenced  to  be  burnt 


Chap,  vi.]  JOAN,    THE   PATRIOTIC  MARTYR.  153 

as  an  incorrigible  heretic.  Seven  bishops  were  appointed  to  see 
him  clothed  in  priestly  vestments,  then  stripped  and  degraded. 
A  cap  painted  with  devils  was  placed  on  his  head  and  inscribed 
with  the  word  "Arch-heretic."  He  was  placed  on  a  pile  of 
fagots,  and  chained  to  it  by  the  neck.  He  sang  hymns  till  the 
smoke  and  names  stopped  him.  When  his  body  was  burned  the 
ashes  were  cast  into  the  Rhine,  so  that  nothing  of  him  might  be 
left  to  pollute  the  earth,  as  his  murderers  vainly  imagined. 

JOAN    OF    ARC,    A    MODERN    PATRIOTIC    MARTYR    (A.D.    1430). 

One  consequence  of  William  the  Conqueror's  success  was  the 
long  and  bloody  wars  which  lasted  for  three  centuries.  It  was 
a  misfortune  that  William  Duke  of  Normandy,  one  of  the  great 
French  vassals,  should  become  King  of  England.  From  the 
eleventh  to  the  fourteenth  century — from  Philip  I.  to  Philip  de 
Valois — this  position  gave  rise  between  the  two  crowns  and  the 
two  states  to  questions,  to  quarrels,  to  political  struggles,  and  to 
wars  which  were  a  frequent  source  of  trouble  to  France.  The 
evil  and  the  peril  became  far  greater  still  when  in  the  fourteenth 
century  there  arose  between  France  and  England — -between  Philip 
de  Valois  and  Edward  III. — a  question  touching  the  succession  to 
the  throne  of  France,  and  the  application  of  exemption  from  the 
Salic  law.  Then  there  commenced  between  the  two  crowns  and 
the  two  peoples  that  war  which  was  to  last  more  than  a  hundred 
years,  was  to  bring  upon  France  the  saddest  days  of  her  history, 
and  was  to  be  ended  only  by  the  inspired  heroism  of  a  young 
gild,  who  alone  hi  the  name  of  her  God  and  His  saints  restored 
conlidence  and  victory  to  her  king  and  country.  Joan  of  Arc 
at  the  cost  of  her  life  brought  to  the  most  glorious  conclusion  the 
longest  and  bloodiest  struggle  that  had  devastated  France  and 
sometimes  compromised  its  glory. 

JOAN    OF    ARC    BELIEVES    SHE    HAS    A    MISSION. 

In  1412  this  little  girl  was  born  at  Domremy,  and  soon  learnt 
to  sew  and  spin  and  to  tend  her  parents'  cattle  and  sheep.  She  did 
not  take  to  dancing,  like  other  girls,  though  willing  to  sing  and 
eat  cakes  under  the  fairy  beech  tree  of  her  village.  At  the  age 
of  nine  she  was  noted  for  her  constant  attendance  at  church  ;  the 
sound  of  bells  enchanted  her,  and  she  went  often  to  confession 
and  communion,  and  was  even  then  taxed  with  being  too  religious. 
France  was  then  torn  with  civil  strife ;  and  the  sight  of  lads  of  the 
village  sent  home  torn  and  bleeding  from  the  wars,  and  the  stories 


154  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN  HISTORY. 

of  her  poor  neighbo\irs  whose  houses  were  fired  and  homesteads 
devastated  by  troopers,  and  the  domineering  and  brutal  English, 
then  masters  of  France,  whom  she  always  called  "  Goddams," 
stirred  her  blood  and  made  her  wonder  that  the  God  in  heaven 
could  allow  such  mad  work  to  go  on.  When  she  was  thirteen, 
she  declared  then,  and  ever  after,  that,  as  she  was  sitting  in  her 
father's  garden,  she  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  calling  her,  and 
a  great  brightness  all  round  the  church  ;  and  listening  with  awe, 
she  heard  the  voice  of  angels  which  urged  her  to  go  to  France 
and  deliver  the  kingdom.  She  became  then  rapt  in  thought, 
and  often  the  voices  came  to  her  again  and  again,  urging  her  on. 
She  at  last  broke  the  secret  to  her  father ;  but  he,  being  only  a 
stupid  peasant,  eluded  her  for  her  nonsense,  and  even  threatened 
to  drown  her  if  she  repeated  it.  She  soon  found  home  uncom- 
fortable, and  went  and  nursed  her  aunt,  and  also  opened  her  heart 
to  her  uncle,  begging  him  to  take  her  to  see  the  captain  of  the 
bailiwick,  for  she  was  sure  he  would  help  her  to  go  to  the  Dauphin 
and  assist  to  recover  France  for  the  French.  She  did  get  an 
audience,  and  told  the  captain  she  came  from  the  Lord,  who  Avould 
be  sure  to  help  the  Dauphin.  On  asking  her  who  was  her  Lord, 
she  said  He  was  the  King  of  Heaven,  at  which  the  captain  set 
her  down  at  once  for  a  little  madcap  who  should  be  sent  borne 
and  well  whipped.  But  the  little  persistent  cow-girl,  still  further 
excited  by  news  of  the  wars,  told  the  captain  that  she  was  deter- 
mined to  go  and  raise  the  siege  of  Orleans,  and  that  if  she  had 
a  hundred  fathers  and  mothers,  and  if  she  were  the  King's  daughter, 
she  must  and  would  go  in  spite  of  them  all.  At  last  the  captain, 
puzzled  and  at  his  wits'  end,  wrote  about  the  little  crazy  girl  and 
her  visions  to  the  Duke  of  Lorraine,  who  was  so  impressed  that 
he  sent  for  her,  and  then  everybody  began  to  talk  of  her  wild 
schemes  and  enterprise  as  the  wonder  of  the  times. 

JOAN  OP  ARC  GOES  TO  INTERVIEW  THE  KING. 

When  Joan  of  Arc,  aged  nineteen,  got  the  length  of  being  sent 
for  by  the  Duke  of  Lorraine,  John  of  Metz,  the  knight,  was 
assigned  to  escort  her,  and  he  asked  if  she  meant  to  go  hi  her 
little  red  petticoat.  "  No,"  said  she,  "  I  should  like  to  be  in  man's 
clothes."  When  this  was  known,  the  people  round  about  sub- 
scribed to  get  her  a  military  costume,  and  she  was  supplied  with 
a  horse,  a  coat  of  mail,  a  lance,  a  sword,  a  messenger,  and  a 
tram ;  and  she  took  farewell  of  her  rustic  friends  and  got  their 
blessing.  In  the  journey  of  eleven  days  her  spirit  never  flagged, 
and  she  only  wished  she  could  hear  Mass  daily  which  she  contrived 


Chap,  vi.]  JOAN,    THE   PATRIOTIC  MARTYR.  155 

once  or  twice  to  do.  Everybody  treated  with  respect  the  inspired 
cow-girl,  .and  her  constant  appeals  to  Heaven  and  to  the  commis- 
sion which  she  said  she  bore  direct  from  the  God  of  Battles.  She 
was  rather  tall,  well  shaped,  dark,  with  a  look  of  composed 
assurance  which  staggered  even  the  old  veterans  of  the  war. 
Once  on  her  journey  a  band  of  roughs  had  prepared  to  waylay 
and  rob  her ;  but  on  a  sight  of  her  they  were  struck  motionless 
and  quailed.  When  she  arrived  near  to  headquarters,  the  King's 
council  debated  whether  the  King  ought  to  receive  her ;  and  as 
he  was  then  at  his  wits'  end,  and  had  spent  all  the  money  in  the 
treasury,  it  was  decided  that  he  might.  The  high  steward  con- 
ducted her  forward  ;  it  was  candlelight :  warriors  and  knights, 
richly  dressed,  stood  in  rows  looking  on  ;  and  yet  it  was  noticed 
,  that  she  by  instinct  fixed  on  the  King  among  the  crowd  of  grandees, 
and  the  young  shepherdess  at  once  made  her  bends  and  courtesies, 
as  if  she  had  been  bred  in  courts.  She  at  once  took  high  ground, 
and  said,  "Good  Dauphin,  my  name  is  Joan,  the  maid.  The  King 
of  Heaven  sends  me  to  assure  you  that  you  shall  be  anointed  and 
crowned  in  the  city  of  Rheims,  and  shall  be  lieutenant  of  the 
King  of  Heaven,  who  is  King  of  France.  It  is  God's  will  that 
these  English  foes  shall  be  driven  out  of  our  country."  The  King 
was  astounded,  and  the  chroniclers  say  he  received  her  message 
with  radiant  face  as  a  message  from  Heaven.  Many  interviews 
followed,  and  as  he  listened  he  began  to  believe  in  Heaven,  and 
even  in  himself  as  destined  to  recover  his  kingdom  as  the  true 
heir  of  France. 

JOAN  OF  ARC  PUT  AT  THE  HEAD  OF  AN  ARMY. 

After  Joan  of  Arc  had  had  an  interview  with  the  King  and 
assured  him  that  God  was  on  her  side,  the  King  took  the  advice 
kindly,  but  his  stiff-necked  courtiers  shook  their  heads  at  the  shep- 
herdess and  her  schemes.  At  last  a  large  committee  of  bishops, 
kings,  councillors,  and  learned  doctors  resolved  to  go  and  question 
this  presumptuous  young  person.  One  doctor  tried  to  puzzle  her 
by  asking  why  she  wanted  men-at-arms  to  go  and  rout  out  the 
English,  when,  if  it  were  God's  will,  no  men  would  be  needed.  She 
answered  that  warriors  wordd  fight,  and  God  would  give  them  the 
victory.  Another  purdit  asked  her  in  what  language  the  voices 
spoke  to  her,  and  she  retorted,  "  A  better  dialect  than  yours." 
A  third  pundit  thought  he  would  stop  her  by  asking  if  she 
believed  in  God,  to  which  she  replied,  "  More  than  you  do."  Next 
the  wiseacres  told  her  they  must  have  a  sign  before  they  could 
trust  her  with  an  army.     She  answered,  "  In  the  name  of  God,  I 


156  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN  HISTORY. 

am  not  come  to  Poitiers  to  show  signs ;  take  me  to  Orleans  and  I 
will  give  you  signs  of  what  I  am  sent  for.  I  come  on  behalf  of 
the  King  of  Heaven  to  cause  the  siege  of  Orleans  to  be  raised, 
and  to  take  the  King  to  Rheims  that  he  may  be  crowned  and 
anointed  there."  The  doctors  and  councillors  kept  up  then  siege 
of  questions  at  this  obscure  shepherdess  for  a  fortnight,  and  her 
good  temper  and  unflagging  faith  in  her  mission  broke  down 
their  unbelief,  so  that  they  all  decided  that  she  must  surely  be 
inspired.  Next  a  deputation  of  princesses  and  court  ladies  visited 
and  questioned  her,  and  they  also  were  all  so  struck  with  the 
modesty,  sweetness,  and  grace  of  her  demeanour  and  speech  that 
they  were  subdued  to  tears.  The  King  no  longer  hesitated.  Joan 
was  accepted  as  a  heaven-born  marshal,  and  there  was  assigned  to 
her  a  squire,  a  page,  two  heralds,  a  chaplain,  many  serving-men, 
and  a  complete  suit  of  armour.  She  asked  that  her  sword  should 
be  marked  with  five  crosses ;  her  banner  was  white  and  studded 
with  lilies,  and  there  were  the  words  "  Jesu  Maria,"  with  angels 
adoring,  and  a  picture  of  God  in  the  clouds  holding  in  His  hand 
the  globe  and  its  destinies.  These  accoutrements  being  provided, 
she  was  urgent  for  the  immediate  departure  of  the  expedition,  as 
she  said  Orleans  was  crying  aloud  for  succour.  It  took  five 
weeks  to  get  together  an  army  of  twelve  thousand  men ;  but  at 
last  off  they  went,  Joan's  chaplain  and  some  priests  chanting 
sacred  hymns,  much  to  the  amazement  of  the  swearing  troopers, 
who  had  never  seen  the  like  before. 

JOAN    OF   ARC    RAISES    THE    SIEGE    OF    ORLEANS. 

When  the"  army  marched  with  Joan  to  succour  Orleans,  the 
generals  suggested  that  the  best  plan  would  be  for  her  to  go 
into  the  city  with  a  convoy  of  provisions,  and  she  at  once  acted 
on  the  advice ;  and  with  her  banner  and  priests  and  two  hundred 
men-at-arms  she  entered  the  city  at  night ;  and  on  sight  of  her 
the  besieged  inhabitants  rose  in  a  mass,  and  with  torches  and 
shouts  of  joy  hailed  her  as  a  goddess  sent  to  deliver  them.  She 
said  her  first  duty  was  to  enter  the  church  and  give  thanks  to 
God,  and  then  she  would  go  to  the  governor's  house.  A  splendid 
supper  was  prepared  for  her,  but  she  would  only  dip  some  slices 
of  bread  in  wine  and  water.  Her  modesty  and  simplicity  charmed 
all  the  company,  and  she  had  quarters  in  the  governor's  house, 
and  slept  with  one  of  his  daughters.  The  besiegers  heard  of 
Joan  and  the  frenzy  she  had  excited,  and  they  cursed  her  as  a 
little  sorceress.  But  her  own  soldiers  were  keen  to  go  out  at 
once  and  storm  the  bastiles  of  the  English.     She  thought  it  fair 


Chap,  vi.]  JOAN,   THE   PATRIOTIC   MARTYR.  157 

to  give  the  enemy  warning,  and  mounted  one  of  the  bastions  and 
shouted  to  the  English  to  stop  and  be  gone;  but  the  English 
general  only  jeered  at  her ;  and  told  her  to  go  home  and  mind 
her  cows.  The  battle  went  on  a  few  days,  and  Joan,  having  called 
for  her  horse  and  armour,  eagerly  joined  and  encouraged  the 
garrison.  At  one  stage  of  the  attack  she  took  a  scaling-ladder, 
set  it  against  the  rampart,  and  was  the  first  to  mount.  But  an 
arrow  struck  her  between  the  neck  and  shoulder,  and  she  fell. 
Yet,  after  retiring  to  have  her  wound  dressed,  she  remounted  her 
horse  and  shook  her  banner  in  the  air  ;  her  men  rallied,  and  with 
one  great  rush  carried  the  bastile  and  routed  the  English.  The 
bells  rang  out  all  night  at  this  victory,  and  the  Te  Deicm  was 
chanted.  The  English  were  soon  seen  to  be  in  retreat,  leaving 
much  victual  and  ammunition  behind,  and  many  sick  and 
prisoners.  The  siege  of  Orleans  was  raised.  A  few  days  later 
Joan  was  anxious  to  visit  the  King ;  and  when  they  met,  he  took 
off  his  cap  and  held  out  his  hand,  and  the  chroniclers  say  he 
would  fain  have  kissed  her  for  the  joy  that  he  felt.  8he  on  her 
side  thought  of  nothing  but  to  urge  him  to  march  at  once  while 
the  enemy  was  flying,  and  get  himself  crowned  at  Bheinis.  The 
pious  maid  again  reminded  him  that  the  voices  were  urging  her 
and  would  not  let  her  rest. 

JOAN    GETS    THE    KING    CROWNED    AT    RHEIMS. 

After  the  siege  of  Orleans  was  raised,  and  Joan  of  Arc  was 
urging  the  next  part  of  the  programme,  to  have  the  King  crowned 
at  Kheims,  she  took  part  in  sieges  and  assaults,  and  was  gravely 
consulted  by  the  generals.  Difficulties  were  started  about  going 
at  once  to  Bheims,  and  sometimes  she  issued  military  orders 
herself  which  embarrassed  the  plans ;  but  she  had  great  influence 
with  the  army  and  the  people  and  those  who  flocked  to  join  the 
standard  attracted  by  her  fame.  She  urged  an  instant  assaidt 
on  Troyes,  and  got  a  grumbling  assent  of  the  chiefs ;  and  when 
mounting  the  earthwork  and  shouting  out  "  Assault,"  it  so 
happened  that  Troyes  capitulated  to  the  King  on  terms.  The 
royal  forces  then  entered  in  triumph,  with  the  maid  at  the 
King's  side  carrying  her  banner.  At  that  stage  some  of  her 
old  village  friends  came  to  see  her  in  her  great  position,  and  she 
received  and  welcomed  them  like  a  born  princess,  so  that  they 
were  charmed.  The  King  in  a  clay  or  two  thereafter  entered 
Eheims,  and  at  the  coronation  Joan  rode  in  state  between  a 
general,  an  archbishop,  and  the  Chancellor  of  France.  When 
this  great  ceremony  was  over,  Joan  said  she  had  completed  the 


158  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

charge  given  her  by  the  Lord,  and  now  if  it  pleased  Him  she 
would  gladly  go  back  to  her  father  and  mother  and  tend  the 
cattle  as  before.  On  hearing  this  the  great  councillors  more 
and  more  believed  that  Joan  had  been  sent  as  a  messenger  from 
Heaven.  But  difficulties  still  surrounded  the  army,  and  Joan 
seemed  bent  on  driving  out  the  English.  Yet  people  noticed 
that  Joan's  power  somehow  drooped  after  the  King  was  crowned. 
She  kept  with  the  King  and  busied  herself  with  affairs.  Talbot, 
the  English  general,  insulted  her  by  sending  flags  painted  with 
a  sign  of  the  distaff  and  the  words,  "  Now,  fair  one,  come  on !  " 
The  King  moved  on  to  Paris,  and  she  took  part  in  an  unsuccessful 
assault  there  and  elsewhere.  When  she  was  fighting  at  Oom- 
piegne,  and  the  enemy  being  determined  to  capture  the  little 
warrior  in  her  red  sash  and  rich  surcoat,  she  was  at  last  over- 
mastered, and  was  taken  prisoner.  She  had  for  some  time 
before  surmised  that  she  would  be  betrayed,  and  that  her  career 
was  near  its  close. 


A   YOUNG    PRINCES    FIRST   SIGHT   OF   JOAN. 

"When  Joan  had  raised  the  siege  of  Orleans  and  was  urging 
the  King  to  go  to  Bheims  to  be  crowned,  and  he  was  distracted 
by  the  diversity  of  his  councillors,  a  young  prince,  Guy  de  Laval, 
wrote  on  June  8th,  1429,  to  his  mother  about  Joan  as  follows: 
"  The  King  had  sent  for  Joan  to  come  and  meet  him  at  Selles-en- 
Berry.  Some  say  that  it  was  for  my  sake,  in  order  that  I  might 
see  her.  She  gave  right  good  welcome  to  my  brother  and  myself, 
and  after  we  had  dismounted  at  Selles  I  went  to  see  her  in 
her  quarters.  She  ordered  wine,  and  told  me  that  she  should 
soon  have  me  drinking  some  at  Paris.  It  seems  a  thing  divine 
to  look  on  her  and  listen  to  her.  I  saw  her  mount  on  horseback, 
clad  all  in  white  armour  save  her  head,  and  with  a  little  axe  in 
her  hand,  on  a  great  black  charger,  which  at  the  door  of  her 
quarters  was  very  restive  and  would  not  let  her  mount.  Then 
said  she,  '  Lead  him  to  the  cross,'  which  was  in  front  of  the 
neighbouring  church  on  the  road.  There  she  mounted  him 
without  his  moving,  and  as  if  he  were  tied  up;  and  turning 
towards  the  door  of  the  church,  which  was  very  nigh  at  hand, 
she  said  in  a  soft  womanly  voice,  '  You  priests  and  churchmen, 
make  procession  and  prayer  to  God.'  Then  she  resumed  her 
road,  saying,  '  Push  forward  !  push  forward  ! '  She  told  me  that 
three  days  before  my  arrival  she  had  sent  my  dear  grandmother 
a  little  golden  ring,  but  that  it  was  a  very  small  matter,  and 


Chap,  vi.]  JOAN,   THE   PATRIOTIC   MARTYR.  150 

she  would  have  liked  to  send  you  something  better,  having  regard 
to  your  dignity." 

JOAN   TAKEN   CAPTIVE   AND   BURNT   AS   A    HERETIC  (1431). 

When  Joan  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  siege  of  Coinpiegne,  she 
was  kept  six  months  in  various  castles  by  John  of  Luxemburg ; 
but  her  youth,  virtue,  and  courage  made  friends  of  her  gaolers. 
The  governor,  however,  was  a  sordid  creature,  and  sold  her  to  her 
enemies  for  English  gold.  Then  another  brutal  creature  called  a 
bishop  of  Beauvais,  also  an  inquisitor,  rose  up  and  insisted  on 
his  right  to  judge  her,  as  she  was  captured  within  his  diocese. 
She  was  taken  to  Rouen  to  be  tried  as  a  rebel  heretic.  Joan  had 
a  presentiment  of  her  fate,  and  said,  "  I  know  well  that  these 
English  will  put  me  to  death ;  but  were  they  a  hundred  thousand 
more  Goddams  than  have  already  been  in  France,  they  shall 
never  have  the  kingdom."  On  hearing  this,  the  English  Earl  of 
Stafford  half  drew  his  dagger  to  strike  her,  but  was  held  back. 
As  she  was  led  to  Rouen,  great  crowds  came  to  see  her;  ladies 
of  distinction  went  five  leagues  to  speak  comfort  to  her  and 
encourage  her,  and  wept  on  parting.  The  brutal  bishop,  like 
a  vulture  of  the  desert,  seized  on  her  as  his  prey ;  and  though 
some  lookers-on  cried  shame,  and  pi-otested  that  the  trial  was 
illegal,  this  demon  inquisitor  had  her  locked  in  an  iron  cage,  with 
irons  on  her  feet,  and  kept  in  a  dark  room,  guarded  night  and  day 
in  a  castle  tower,  while  a  sham  trial  was  kept  up  for  forty  days, 
and  idle  questions  cast  at  her.  The  demon  judge,  after  trying  in 
vain  to  shake  her  fortitude,  at  last  had  her  brought  into  the 
torture  chamber.  But  Joan  told  him,  "  If  you  tear  me  limb  from 
limb,  you  shall  get  nothing  more  from  me ;  nay,  if  I  were  at 
the  stake  and  saw  the  torch  lighting  the  fagots,  I  shall  say 
naught  else."  Joan  was  declared  a  heretic  and  a  rebel ;  she  was 
harassed  to  sign  an  abjuration,  and  a  mock  signature  being  forced 
from  her,  she  was  at  first  condemned  to  perpetual  imprisonment. 
Part  of  her  alleged  crirne  was  the  wearing  of  man's  clothes,  and 
after  a  struggle  she  refused  to  give  this  up.  She  was  tried  and 
retried,  and  at  last  forty  judges  agreed  that  she  must  be  burned 
at  the  stake.  A  woman's  dress  was  put  on  her,  and  she  was 
dragged  to  the  place  of  execution.  Her  last  wish  was  to  have 
the  cross,  whereon  God  hung,  kept  continually  in  her  sight  as 
long  as  she  lived.  She  was  then  done  to  death,  and  even  the 
demon  bishop  was  said  for  once  to  drop  a  tear  as  the  inspired  maid 
was  in  her  last  agony. 


160  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

OUTBREAK    OF    THE    HERMIT    ZEAL  (A.D.  340). 

Egypt  afforded  the  first  example  of  the  monastic  life ;  and  at 
the  head  of  the  new  zealots  for  macerating  the  body  in  order  to 
perfect  the  soul  was  Antony,  an  illiterate  youth,  born  in  305. 
After  rehearsing  the  solitary  life  in  Thebais  and  searching  for  a 
suitable  site  in  the  desert,  he  settled  on  Mount  Colzim,  near  the 
Red  Sea.  He  was  a  friend  of  Athanasius,  the  champion  of  the 
orthodox  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  Others  followed  his  example, 
and  the  region  of  the  Nile  soon  swarmed  with  disciples.  It  was 
said  that  five  thousand  anchorites  peopled  the  Desert  of  Nitria, 
south  of  Alexandria.  Some  thought  that  half  of  the  population 
had  taken  to  this  sequestered  mode  of  life,  so  that  the  old  saying 
was  repeated  that  in  Egypt  it  was  less  difficult  to  find  a  god  than 
a  man.  Athanasius  introduced  the  knowledge  and  admiration  of 
the  monastic  life  to  the  Roman  senators  who  began  to  take  an 
interest  in  this  new  philosophy.  A  Syrian  youth,  named  Hilarion, 
was  incited  by  his  enthusiasm  to  follow  Antony's  example,  and 
fix  his  cell  on  a  sandy  beach  seven  miles  from  Gaza,  whei*e  he 
lived  forty-eight  years.  Even  Basil  once  spent  some  time  in 
a  savage  solitude  in  Pontus.  And  Martin  of  Tours,  who  was 
soldier,  hermit,  bishop,  and  saint,  established  the  monasteries  of 
Gaul.  The  fame  of  these  hermits  filled  the  whole  earth  wherever 
a  knowledge  of  Christianity  had  spread.  This  pilgrim,  visiting 
Jerusalem,  carried  there  the  habits  of  the  new  models  of  Christian 
fife,  and  members  of  wealthy  families  yielded  to  the  fashion  of 
piety.  Jerome  himself  persuaded  Paula  and  her  daughter  Eusto- 
chium  to  retire  to  Bethlehem  and  found  monasteries,  and  pursue 
a  system  of  rigid  self -mortification. 

FIRST   BEGINNINGS    OF   MONASTIC    LIFE  (A.D.  340). 

The  monastic  life,  as  a  system,  was  not  much  known  till  the 
end  of  the  fourth  century.  It  has  been  conjectured  that  the 
circumstances  of  the  Decian  persecution,  about  the  middle  of 
the  third  century,  caused  many  persons  in  Egypt  to  retreat  for 
safety  to  the  desert,  and  then,  finding  complete  security,  this 
became  a  second  nature,  the  climate  being  mild  and  cells  and 
cottages  being  easily  constructed.  There  were  at  first  only 
individuals  here  and  there,  and  no  regular  society  till  the  peace- 
able reign  of  Constantine,  when  Pachomius  is  said  to  have  founded 
some  monasteries  in  Thebais.  Antony,  the  first  hermit  of  note,  gave 
a  contemporary  of  Pachomius  this  account :  "When  I  first  became  a 
monk,  there  was  as  yet  no  monastery  in  any  part  of  the  world  where 


Chap,  vi.]  HERMITS   AND   ANCHORITES.  161 

one  man  was  obliged  to  take  care  of  another,  but  every  one  of  the 
ancient  monks,  when  the  persecution  was  ended,  exercised  the 
monastic  life  by  himself  in  private.  Afterwards  Father  Pachomius, 
by  the  help  of  God,  brought  the  monks  to  live  in  communities." 
Before  250  those  who  lived  a  lonely  life  were  called  ascetics. 
Hilarion,  who  was  scholar  to  Antony,  was  the  first  monk  who 
ever  lived  in  Palestine  or  Syria.  Not  long  after  this  new  mode 
of  life  spread  to  Armenia,  Paphlagonia,  and  Pontus ;  then  it 
reached  Thrace  and  parts  of  Europe.  It  was  not  till  Athanasius 
came  to  Italy  and  Rome  in  340  that  he  introduced  this  mode  of 
society.  Marcella  was  the  first  noble  woman  who  took  to  this 
life  at  Pome,  being  instructed  by  Athanasius  during  the  Arian 
persecution.  Pelagius,  about  400,  introduced  monastic  life  into 
Britain.  Monks  at  first  were  laymen  and  not  clergy,  their  office 
being  not  to  teach  but  to  mourn.  It  was  not  till  after  1311 
that  Pope  Clement  obliged  all  monks  to  take  holy  orders,  so  that 
they  might  say  private  Mass  for  the  honour  of  God. 

THE    TEMPTATIONS    OF    ST.    ANTONY    (a.D.  340). 

St.  Antony,  the  founder  of  the  monastic  life  in  Egypt,  who  died 
in  356,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  four,  soon  after  he  began  to 
live  in  the  tombs  as  a  hermit  was  found  in  a  trance,  and  carried  to 
a  church  as  one  dead.  He  afterwards  related  that  in  the  night  the 
devil  had  sent  his  legions  to  terrify  him.  They  upraised  so  great  a 
clamour  that  the  whole  place  seemed  to  quake,  and,  as  if  bursting 
through  the  four  walls  of  the  cell,  devils  rushed  in  upon  him 
from  all  sides,  transformed  in  the  guise  of  wild  beasts  and  creeping 
things,  and  the  place  was  straightway  filled  with  spectres  of  lions, 
bears,  leopards,  bulls,  serpents,  asps,  scorpions,  and  wolves,  all  of 
them  in  motion  after  their  proper  fashion, — the  lion  roaring  as 
about  to  spring  on  him,  the  bull  threatening  to  gore  him,  the 
serpent  hissing,  the  wolf  in  the  act  of  flying  at  him,  but  all  in 
seeming  only  as  under  restraint,  though  dire  were  the  noises  and 
fierce  the  menaces  of  those  phantoms  crowding  around  him.  And 
Antony  mocked  them  and  said,  "  Ye  seek  to  terrify  me  with 
numbers,  but  this  aping  of  wild  beasts  only  proves  your  weakness. 
If  you  have  any  power,  delay  not,  but  come  on  ;  for  faith  in  the 
Lord  is  my  seal  and  my  wall  of  salvation."  And  they  all  gnashed 
their  teeth  at  him,  looking  as  if  preparing  to  assail  him.  But 
the  Lord  meanwhile  did  not  forget  Antony,  and  came  to  his 
assistance.  The  saint,  looking  up,  saw  as  it  were  the  roof  opened 
and  a  ray  of  light  descending  upon  him.  And  the  devils  on  a 
sudden  disappeared ;  and  the  pain  of  his  body  was  straightway 

11 


162  FLOWERS  OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

assuaged,  and  the  cell  was  clear  as  before.     And  Antony  rose  up 
and  prayed,  and  received  more  strength  than  he  ever  had  before. 

ONE    HERMIT   VISITING    ANOTHER    (A.D.    340). 

Ruffinus  says  that  Macarius  once  went  to  visit  Antony  in  the 
mountain,  and,  knocking  at  the  door,  Antony  opened  to  him  and 
asked,  "  Who  art  thou  1  "  He  answered,  "  I  am  Macarius."  And 
Antony,  to  prove  him,  shut  the  door  and  left  him  without,  as  if 
holding  him  in  contempt,  till,  considering  his  patience,  he  opened 
and  admitted  him  joyfully,  saying,  "  Long  have  I  heard  of  thy 
fame  and  desired  to  see  thee."  And  then  he  made  ready,  and 
they  ate  together  in  charity.  And  in  the  evening  Antony  wetted 
certain  palm  leaves  to  weave  baskets  with,  and  Macarius  asked  for 
some  likewise  to  work  along  with  him ;  and  thus  sitting  and  dis- 
coursing of  things  useful  to  the  soul  they  made  a  mat  of  those 
leaves ;  and  Antony,  seeing  that  what  Macarius  had  woven  was 
well  done,  kissed  his  hands,  and  said,  "  Much  virtue  issues  forth 
of  these  hands,  my  brother." 

A    STARVED    HERMIT   AND   THE    BUNCH    OF    GRAPES. 

Macarius  the  hermit,  in  order  to  subdue  the  rebellious  flesh, 
remained  six  months  in  a  marsh,  and  exposed  his  naked  body  to 
the  attacks  of  African  gnats.  Once  he  was  presented  by  a 
traveller  with  a  bunch  of  grapes,  at  which  he  looked  longingly ; 
but  on  reflection  he  thought  another  brother  was  more  worthy,  to 
whom  he  gave  them.  That  brother  again  remembered  another 
still  more  worthy,  and  passed  them  on.  The  tempting  cluster 
passed  from  hand  to  hand,  from  worthy  to  more  worthy,  until 
it  came  back  once  more  to  the  hands  of  Macarius,  who,  not  to  be 
tempted  overmuch  by  the  devil,  flung  the  morsel  far  out  of  his 
reach. 

TWO    HERMITS    EXCHANGING    COURTESIES    OVER   A    LOAF    (a.D.    340). 

St.  Jerome,  in  his  Life  of  Paul,  the  first  hermit,  who  for  fifteen 
years  never  slept  except  standing  against  a  wall,  relates  that 
Antony,  hearing  that  there  was  a  better  hermit  than  himself, 
went  across  the  desert  to  find  him,  and  after  many  dangers  at 
last  saw  a  wolf  enter  a  cave,  and  divined  that  this  must  be  the 
cell  of  Paul.  So  he  went  in,  and  at  the  noise  Paul  shut  his  door ; 
but  Antony  fell  on  his  knees  and  prayed,  and  then  besought 
admittance,  which  was  granted.  Paul  then  said,  "  Behold  him 
whom  thou  hast  sought  with  such  labour,  with  limbs  decayed  by 


Chap,  vi.]  HERMITS   AND   ANCHORITES.  163 

age,  and  covered  with  unkempt  white  hair.  Behold,  thou  seest 
but  a  mortal  soon  to  become  dust.  But  because  charity  bears 
all  things,  tell  me,  I  pray  thee,  how  fares  the  human  race — 
whether  new  houses  are  rising  in  the  ancient  cities,  by  what 
emperor  is  the  world  governed — whether  there  are  any  left  who 
are  led  captive  by  the  deceits  of  the  devil."  As  they  spoke  thus, 
they  saw  a  raven  settle  on  a  bough,  which,  flying  gently  down, 
deposited,  to  their  wonder,  a  whole  loaf  for  their  use.  When  he 
was  gone,  "Ah  !  "  said  Paul,  "  the  Lord,  truly  loving,  truly  merciful, 
has  sent  us  a  meal.  For  sixty  years  past  I  have  received  daily 
half  a  loaf,  but  at  thy  coming  Christ  has  doubled  his  soldier's 
allowance."  Then  having  thanked  God,  they  sat  down  on  the 
bank  of  a  glassy  spring.  But  here  a  contention  arising  as  to 
which  of  them  should  break  the  loaf,  occupied  the  day  till  well- 
nigh  evening.  Paul  insisted  as  the  host ;  Antony  declined  as 
the  younger  man.  At  last  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  take 
hold  of  the  loaf  at  opposite  ends,  and  each  pull  towards  himself, 
and  keep  what  was  left  in  his  hand.  Next  they  stooped  down 
and  drank  a  little  water  from  the  spring ;  then  raising  to  God  the 
sacrifice  of  praise,  they  passed  the  night  watching. 

TWO    HERMITS    TRYING    TO    QUARREL    (A.D.    350). 

Ruflinus,  in  his  Lives  of  the  Fathers,  relates  that  there  were 
two  ancient  hermits  who  dwelt  together  and  never  quarrelled. 
At  last  one  said  to  the  other,  with  much  simplicity,  "  Let  us  have 
a  quarrel,  as  other  men  have."  And  the  other  answering  that  he 
did  not  know  how  to  quarrel,  the  first  replied,  "  Look  here,  I  will 
place  this  stone  in  the  middle  between  you  and  me.  I  will  say 
it  is  mine,  and  do  you  say  that  it  is  not  true,  for  that  it  is  yours  ; 
in  this  manner  we  will  make  a  quarrel."  And  placing  the  stone 
in  the  midst,  he  said,  "  This  stone  is  mine."  And  the  other  said 
"  No,  it  is  mine."  And  the  first  said,  "  If  it  be  yours,  then  take 
it."  Not  being  able  either  to  stamp  and  swear  and  blaspheme 
and  slang  and  defame  each  other's  parents,  and  shake  then  fists 
or  strike  a  blow  at  a  venture  at  each  other,  they  could  not  carry 
the  conversation  further,  and  the  whole  quarrel  collapsed. 

THE    POLITICAL    ECONOMY    OF    HERMITS. 

St.  Jerome  and  others  relate  that  a  certain  anchorite  in  Nitria 
having  left  one  hundred  crowns  at  his  death,  which  he  had  acquired 
by  weaving  cloth,  the  monks  of  that  desert  met  to  deliberate  what 
should  be  done  with  all  that  money.     Some  were  for  giving  it  to 


164  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  poor,  others  to  the  Church ;  but  Macarius,  Pambo,  Isidore, 
and  others,  who  were  called  the  Fathers,  ordered  that  the  one 
hundred  crowns  should  be  thrown  into  the  grave  and  buried  with 
the  corpse  of  the  deceased,  and  that,  at  the  same  time,  the  follow- 
ing words  should  be  pronounced :  "  May  thy  money  go  with  thee 
to  perch tion  ! "  This  example  struck  such  a  terror  into  all  the 
monks  that  no  one  dared  lay  up  any  money. 

THE    WISE    SAYINGS    OF    ST.    PAMBO    THE    HERMIT    (A.D.    350). 

In  the  fourth  century  lived  St.  Pambo,  who  became  a  famous 
hermit,  and  practised  rush-weaving.  One  day  the  blessed  Melania 
took  a  fine  present  to  him  of  a  silver  vessel,  which  he  did  not  raise 
his  head  from  his  work  even  to  acknowledge,  and  which  caused 
her  to  ask  if  he  knew  its  value.  He  replied,  "  He  to  whom  it 
was  offered  need  not  that  you  should  tell  him."  Two  Spanish 
brothers  spent  their  fortune,  one  by  building  hospitals,  and  the 
other  by  giving  it  away  and  becoming  an  anchorite,  and  Pambo 
was  asked  which  was  the  more  perfect.  His  reply  was,  "  Both 
are  perfect  before  God  :  there  are  many  roads  to  perfection, 
besides  that  which  leads  through  the  desert  cell."  Some  one  gave 
Pambo  gold  to  distribute  in  alms,  and  told  him  to  count  it.  He 
answered,  "  God  does  not  ask  how  much,  but  how  f"  He  was  on 
a  visit  at  Alexandria,  and  there  saw  an  actress  perform.  Pambo 
looked  sad  and  observed,  "  Alas  !  how  much  less  do  I  labour  to 
please  God  than  does  this  poor  girl  to  delight  the  eyes  of  men ! " 
He  used  to  say  that  "  a  monk  should  only  wear  such  a  dress  as 
no  one  would  pick  up,  if  thrown  away."  When  Pambo  wTas  on 
his  deathbed,  he  said,  "  I  thank  God  that  not  a  day  of  my  life 
has  been  spent  in  idleness  ;  never  have  I  eaten  bread  that  I  have 
not  earned  with  the  sweat  of  my  brow.  I  thank  God  that  I  do 
not  recall  any  bitter  speech  I  have  made,  for  which  I  ought  to 
repent  now."  It  is  said  that  Pambo,  on  beginning  his  own  career, 
consulted  Antony  how  to  act,  and  the  latter  gave  this  advice : 
"  Never  trust  in  your  own  merits ;  never  trouble  yourself  about 
transitory  affairs ;  keep  a  check  on  your  stomach,  and  learn  to 
hold  your  tongue."     And  Pambo  acted  strictly  on  these  fines. 

A    HERMIT    CULTIVATING    AN    OLIVE   TREE    (A.D.    350). 

Mr.  Baring-Gould  says  that  Meffreth,  a  German  priest  of 
Meissen,  in  1443,  told,  in  one  of  his  sermons,  this  story  of  a 
hermit :  There  was  once  an  aged  hermit  in  the  Egyptian  Desert, 
who  thought  it  woidd  be  well  with  him  if  he  had  an  olive  tree 


Chap,  vi.]  HERMITS  AND   ANCHORITES.  165 

near  his  cave.  So  he  planted  a  little  tree ;  and  thinking  it  might 
want  water,  he  prayed  to  God  for  rain;  and  so  rain  came  and 
watered  his  olive.  Then  he  thought  that  some  warm  sunshine 
would  do  good  and  swell  its  buds  ;  so  he  prayed,  and  the  sun  shone 
out.  Now  the  nursling  looked  feeble,  and  the  old  man  deemed 
it  would  do  good  if  some  frost  would  come  and  harden  it.  He 
prayed  for  frost,  and  hoarfrost  settled  that  night  on  its  branches. 
Next  he  thought  a  hot  southerly  wind  would  benefit  his  tree,  and, 
after  praying,  the  south  wind  blew  upon  the  olive  tree.  And 
then  it  died.  Home  little  while  after,  the  hermit  visited  a  brother 
hermit,  and  lo  !  by  his  cell  door  there  grew  a  flourishing  olive 
tree.  "  How  came  that  goodly  plant  here,  brother  1  "  asked  the 
unsuccessful  hermit.  "  I  planted  it,  and  God  blessed  it  as  it 
grew."  "  Ah  !  brother,  I,  too,  planted  an  olive,  and  when  I 
thought  it  wanted  water  I  asked  God  to  give  it  rain,  and  the 
rain  came ;  and  when  I  thought  it  needed  sun,  I  asked,  and  the 
sun  shone ;  and  when  I  thought  it  needed  strengthening,  I 
prayed,  and  the  frost  came.  God  gave  me  all  I  demanded  for 
my  tree,  as  I  saw  fit,  and  yet  it  is  dead."  "And  I,  brother," 
replied  the  other  hermit,  "  left  my  tree  in  God's  hands,  for  He 
knew  what  it  wanted  better  than  I." 

MACARIUS    STUNG    BY    A    GNAT    (A.D.  380). 

Ruffinus,  in  his  Life  of  the  hermit  Macarius,  says  that  that  holy 
man,  sitting  one  day  in  his  cell  and  feeling  himself  bitten  in  the 
foot  by  a  gnat,  put  his  hand  to  the  place,  and,  finding  the  gnat, 
killed  it.  On  seeing  the  blood  he  blamed  himself,  as  it  seemed  to 
him  he  had  revenged  himself  for  the  injury  received.  For  this 
thing  and  in  order  to  learn  meekness  he  went  into  the  utmost 
solitude  of  the  wilderness  called  Scilis,  where  those  gnats  are 
largest  and  most  venomous.  He  lived  there  for  six  months 
naked,  that  he  might  be  stung  by  them ;  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  returned  so  disfigured  and  wounded  that  he  was  unrecog- 
nisable save  by  his  voice,  being  covered  all  over  with  boils  and 
blisters,  so  that  he  lost  all  shape  and  appeared  leprous. 

ST.    MARTIN,    BISHOP    OF    TOURS,    HERMIT    MONK    (A.D.    380). 

St.  Martin  of  Tours,  who  died  397,  was  from  infancy  devout, 
but  was  obliged  to  enter  the  army,  owing  to  a  decree  of  the 
Emperor.  While  in  the  army,  one  very  cold  and  frosty  day  a 
poor  naked  and  shivering  beggar  stood  near  the  gate  of  Amiens ; 
and  as  none  relieved  him,  St.  Martin,  having  already  given  away 
all  he  had,  took  off  his  own  cloak,  and  with  his  sword  cut  it  in 


166  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

two,  giving  one  half  to  the  beggar  and  keeping  the  other.  The 
bystanders  laughed  at  the  figure  of  the  saint ;  but  the  following 
night  in  his  sleep  he  was  astonished  to  see  Jesus  Christ  appear  to 
him  dressed  in  the  beggar's  half  of  the  cloak,  and  asked  if  he  knew 
it.  Jesus  then  said  to  a  troop  of  angels  attending  him,  "  Martin, 
yet  a  catechumen,  has  clothed  Me  with  this  garment."  This 
vision  encouraged  the  saint  to  persevere  in  his  course.  He  soon 
left  the  army,  went  into  a  monastery,  and  afterwards  became 
a  bishop.  He  had  many  visions  and  had  great  insight  into 
impostors.  One  clay  when  he  was  praying  in  his  cell,  the  devil 
came  to  him  environed  with  light  and  clothed  in  royal  robes,  with 
a  crown  of  gold  and  precious  stones  upon  his  head,  and  with  a 
gracious  and  pleasant  countenance  told  Martin  how  that  he  was 
Christ.  Martin  looked  hai-d  at  him  and  said,  "  The  Lord  Jesus 
said  not  that  He  was  to  come  clothed  with  purple  and  crowned 
and  adorned  with  a  diadem.  Nor  will  I  ever  believe  Him  to  be 
Christ  who  shall  not  come  in  the  habit  and  figure  in  which  Christ 
suffered ,  and  who  shall  not  bear  the  marks  of  the  cross  in  his 
body."  At  these  words  the  fiend  vanished  and  left  in  his  cell  an 
intolerable  stench.  The  bishop  died  of  a  fever  at  the  age  of  eighty, 
and  insisted  in  his  last  days  on  lying  among  ashes  and  in  a  hair 
shirt,  refusing  any  comforts ;  for  he  said,  "  It  becomes  not  a 
Christian  to  die  otherwise  than  on  ashes."  Thousands  of  monks 
and  virgins  and  the  whole  population,  with  hymns,  carried  his 
body  to  its  resting-place. 

DOROTHEUS,    THE    HERMITS'    ARCHITECT    (A.D.    440). 

Sozomen,-who  wrote  his  history  about  440,  says  that  about 
two  thousand  monks  dwelt  near  Alexandria  in  a  district  called 
the  Hermitage.  Dorotheus,  a  native  of  Thebes,  was  among  the 
most  celebrated  of  these.  He  spent  the  day  in  collecting  stones 
upon  the  seashore,  which  he  used  in  erecting  cells  for  those  who 
were  unable  to  build  them.  During  the  night  he  employed  him- 
self in  weaving  baskets  of  palm  leaves,  and  these  he  sold  to 
obtain  the  means  of  subsistence.  He  ate  six  ounces  of  bread  with 
a  few  vegetables  daily,  and  drank  nothing  but  water.  Having 
accustomed  himself  to  this  extreme  abstinence  from  his  youth,  he 
contimied  to  observe  it  in  old  age.  He  was  never  seen  to  recline 
on  a  mat  or  a  bed,  nor  even  to  place  his  limbs  in  an  easy  atti- 
tude for  sleep.  Sometimes  from  natural  lassitude  his  eyes  would 
involuntarily  close  when  he  was  at  his  daily  labour  or  his  meals, 
and  the  food  would  drop  on  the  way  to  his  mouth.  One  day 
Piammon,  a  presbyter,  was  conducting  the  service,  and  said  that  he 


Chap,  vi.]  HERMITS   AND   ANCHORITES.  167 

noticed  an  angel  standing  near  the  altar,  and  writing  down  the 
names  of  the  monks  who  were  present  and  erasing  the  names  of 
those  who  were  absent. 

ST.    PCEMEN,    THE    PRINCE    OF    HERMITS    (A.D.    450). 

The  prince  of  the  desert,  the  chief  of  the  solitaries  and  the 
fellow-citizen  of  angels,  as  he  was  long  called,  was  St.  Pcemen,  an 
Egyptian  who  flourished  in  450.  He  had  six  brothers,  and  they 
all  had  a  turn  for  fasting  and  self-mortifications,  and  retired  to 
the  desert  and  lived  there,  scorning  the  indulgences  of  ordinary 
life.  All  the  people  round  soon  confessed  that  Pcemen  was  the 
greatest  hermit  of  his  time,  and  his  sayings  were  quoted  over  all 
Christendom.  A  monk  who  suffered  from  violent  temptations 
consulted  Pcemen  how  to  overcome  his  evil  temper,  and  was  told 
to  retire  into  the  desert  and  wrestle  there  with  his  temper 
and  conquer  it.  The  monk  said,  "  But,  father,  how  if  I  were  to 
die  without  Sacraments  in  the  wild  waste  1 "  To  this  Pcemen 
answered,  "  Do  you  think  God  would  not  receive  you,  coming  from 
the  battle-field  1 "  Another  monk,  perplexed  where  to  live  and 
how  to  act,  asked  Pcemen  whether  he  should  live  in  community  or 
in  solitude.  Pcemen  replied,  "  Wherever  you  find  yourself  humble- 
minded,  there  you  may  settle  down  and  dwell  with  security." 
Another  monk  went  a  long  journey  to  see  and  consult  Pcemen, 
and  began  to  talk  about  subtle  theological  niceties.  Pcemen 
looked  grave  and  silent,  till  the  visitor  departed,  expressing  his 
disgust  at  coming  so  far  for  nothing.  Pcemen  observed  on  this 
afterwards,  "  This  anchorite  flies  far  above  my  reach.  He  sails 
up  to  heaven,  while  I  creep  along  the  earth.  If  he  would  talk 
about  our  passions  and  infirmities  and  how  *to  overcome  them, 
then  we  should  have  some  subject  in  common  to  talk  about." 
Another  time  Pcemen,  asked  by  a  troublesome  monk  to  tell 
him  what  was  a  living  faith,  replied.  "A  living  faith  consists  in 
thinking  little  of  oneself  and  showing  tenderness  to  others."  He 
also  once  said,  "  A  warm  heart,  boiling  with  charity,  is  not  troubled 
with  temptations,  any  more  than  with  the  flies  hovering  round  it. 
When  the  caldron  cools,  then  the  flies  collect  and  swarm  round 
it."  Poemen  lived  to  one  hundred  and  ten,  and  had  no  equal  in 
his  time. 

ST.    MOYSES,   WATER-CARRIER    TO    THE    SICK    HERMITS    (A.D.    470). 

St.  Moyses  of  the  tenth  century  was  a  brawny  negro  slave  who 
had  escaped  from  his  master  and  lived  for  a  time  by  rapine  and 
murder.     In  one  of  his  hairbreadth  escapes  he  took  refuge  among 


168  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  hermits,  and  began  to  see  great  merit  in  them,  and  tried  to 
live  like  them  and  conquer  his  own  furious  passions.  He  con- 
sulted the  Abbot  Isidore,  who  told  him  this  enterprise  would  take 
some  time.  Moyses  said  he  would  wait  and  try,  and  he  became 
a  priest.  In  order  to  give  himself  exercise  and  tame  his  evil 
spirit,  he  made  a  practice  of  regularly  going  round  the  cells  of 
the  hermits,  and  wherever  he  found  one  sick  he  would  go  and 
fetch  water  and  fill  his  pitcher.  And  this  he  would  do  at  any 
hour  of  the  night  and  go  any  distance.  One  night,  in  stooping 
over  a  pool  and  filling  a  hermit's  pitcher,  he  was  doubled  up  with 
an  attack  of  lumbago,  and  thought  the  devil  had  given  him  a 
sudden  stroke  with  a  club.  Moyses  lay  groaning  with  pain  till 
next  morning,  when  he  was  carried  to  a  church,  and  there  people 
took  care  of  him.  He  was  many  months  disabled,  but  on 
recovery  at  once  resumed  his  work.  One  day,  the  governor 
hearing  of  Moyses  and  being  curious  to  see  him,  met  Moyses,  and 
asked  where  that  famous  hermit  Moyses  lived.  Moyses  replied, 
"  He's  not  worth  visiting,  for  he  is  only  a  fool."  The  governor 
related  this  to  the  monks  at  the  nearest  monastery,  and  said  that 
the  man  who  thus  answered  him  was  a  huge  old  black  fellow, 
covered  with  rags.  The  monks  thereupon  all  exclaimed,  "  That 
was  Moyses  himself ;  it  could  be  no  other." 

A    HERMIT    DEVISING    NEW   AUSTERITIES    (A.D.    479). 

In  479  Barnadatus,  a  Syrian  monk,  devised  some  new  ways  of 
self-mortification.  First  he  shut  himself  up  in  a  small  chamber  ; 
and  then,  ascending  a  mountain,  he  made  for  himself  a  wooden 
box,  in  which  he  could  not  stand  upright,  and  was  always  confined 
to  a  stooping  posture.  This  box  having  no  close  covering,  he  was 
exposed  to  the  wind,  to  the  rain,  and  to  the  sun,  and  for  a  long 
time  dwelt  in  this  incommodious  house.  Afterwards  he  always 
stood  upright,  stretching  up  his  hands  to  heaven,  covered  with  a 
garment  of  skin,  with  only  a  small  aperture  to  draw  his  breath. 
James,  another  contemporary  monk,  lived  at  first  in  a  small  hut, 
and  afterwards  in  the  open  air,  with  only  heaven  for  his  covering, 
enduring  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  He  had  iron  chains 
round  his  neck  and  waist,  and  four  other  chains  hung  down  from 
his  neck,  two  before  and  two  behind.  He  had  also  chains  about 
his  arms.  His  only  food  was  lentils.  For  three  days  and  nights 
he  was  often  so  covered  with  snow,  whilst  he  was  prostrate  and 
praying,  that  he  could  hardly  be  seen.  This  man,  according  to 
Theodoret,  was  celebrated  for  the  many  miracles  which  he 
wrought. 


Chap,  vi.]  HERMITS   AND   ANCHORITES.  169 

HERMIT    ST.    CARILEFF    REFUSING    A   QUEEN'S    VISIT    (A.D.    540). 

St.  Carileff  was  a  monk  at  Menat,  near  Clermont,  and  died 
about  540.  He  early  became  dissatisfied  with  his  monastery,  and 
resolved  to  penetrate  farther  into  the  forest,  and  live  a  more 
retired  and  perfect  life.  He  and  a  companion  went  to  recon- 
noitre, and  in  a  remote  corner  came  upon  an  old  neglected  vine- 
yard, where  they  thought  of  settling  down.  One  hot  clay  the 
saint  was  working  and  had  hung  his  hood  on  an  oak  tree,  and 
on  returning  to  resume  it  he  found  a  wren  had  laid  an  egg  in  it. 
So  the  good  hermit  rejoiced  and  left  his  hood,  so  as  not  to  disturb 
the  tiny  creature's  nest.  When  he  reported  to  his  abbot  this 
circumstance,  the  latter  said,  "  This  is  no  accident ;  return  thither, 
and  there  a  monastery  shall  arise  some  day."  Carileff  returned 
and  settled  in  the  old  vineyard,  and  he  gained  the  confidence  of 
other  animals  besides  the  wren ;  for  a  large  buffalo  used  to  come 
to  his  cell  and  let  him  rub  his  shaggy  neck,  and  then  it  galloped 
back  into  the  forest.  One  day  the  king  heard  of  this  splendid 
buffalo  roaming  about,  and  made  up  a  hunting  party  to  secure 
it.  But  it  took  refuge  in  the  hermit's  cell ;  and  the  huntsmen, 
hot  with  pursuit,  were  so  amazed  at  seeing  the  great  monarch  of 
the  forest  standing  thus  peaceably  beside  its  protector,  that  they 
acknowledged  the  man  of  God's  superior  power,  and  ended  by 
giving  him  a  grant  of  lands  to  build  a  monastery  there.  When 
the  king  told  this  story,  the  queen  was  eager  to  visit  the  holy 
recluse,  and  sent  a  message ;  but  he  most  peremptorily  refused  to 
see  her,  saying,  "  As  long  as  I  live  I  shall  never  see  the  face  of 
a  woman,  and  no  woman  shall  ever  enter  my  cell.  Why  should 
this  queen  be  so  anxious  to  see  a  man  disfigured  by  fasting  and 
toil,  and  as  brown  as  a  chameleon  ?  I  will  pray  for  her.  A  monk 
has  no  need  of  great  possessions,  nor  has  she  of  a  monk's  blessing. 
But  his  blessing  she  shall  have,  if  she  will  only  leave  him  alone." 

THE    FIRST    SAXON    HERMIT    (a.D.    708). 

Fuller,  in  his  "  Church  History,"  says:  "  St.  Guthlake,  a  Benedic- 
tine monk  in  708,  was  the  first  Saxon  that  professed  a  hermitical 
life  in  England,  to  which  purpose  he  chose  a  fenny  place  in  Lincoln- 
shire called  Crowland — that  is,  the  '  raw  or  crude  land  ' ;  so  raw, 
indeed,  that  before  him  no  man  could  digest  to  live  therein.  Yea, 
the  devils  are  said  to  claim  this  place  as  their  peculiar,  and  to 
call  it  then  own  land.  Could  those  infernal  fiends,  tortured  with 
immaterial  fire,  take  any  pleasure  or  make  any  ease  to  themselves 


170  FLOWERS  OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

by  paddling  here  in  puddles  and  dabbling  in  the  moist  dirty 
marshes  1  However,  Guthlake  took  the  boldness  to  '  enter  com- 
mon '  with  them,  and  erect  his  cell  in  Crowland.  But  if  his 
prodigious  life  may  be  believed,  ducks  and  mallards  do  not  now 
flock  thither  faster  in  September  than  herds  of  devils  came  about 
him,  all  whom  he  is  said  victoriously  to  have  vanquished.  After 
the  example  of  Moses  and  Elias,  he  fasted  forty  days  and  nights, 
till,  finding  this  project  destructive  to  nature,  he  was  forced  in  his 
own  defence  to  take  some  necessary  but  very  sparing  refection. 
He  died  in  his  own  cell ;  and  Pega,  his  sister,  an  anchoritess,  led 
a  solitary  life  not  far  from  him." 


ST.    GUTHLAC,    HERMIT    OF    CROYLAND    (A.D.    708). 

This  St.  Guthlac,  according  to  his  biographer,  after  he  had 
been  two  years  living  in  a  monastery,  began  to  long  for  the 
wilderness  and  a  hermitage.  Being  directed  to  a  fen  of  immense 
size  in  the  east  of  England,  he  met  a  man  named  Tatwaine,  who 
told  him  of  an  island  which  many  had  attempted  to  inhabit,  but 
no  man  could  do  it  on  account  of  manifold  horrors  and  fears  and 
the  loneliness  of  the  wide  wilderness,  so  that  no  man  could  endure 
it  and  fled  from  it.  The  holy  man  at  once  selected  and  went  through 
the  wild  fens  till  he  came  to  a  spot  called  Oroyland.  It  was  a 
place  of  accursed  spirits ;  but  he  was  strengthened  with  heavenly 
support,  and  vowed  that  he  would  serve  God  on  that  island  all 
the  clays  of  his  life.  He  used  neither  woollen  nor  linen  garments, 
but  was  clothed  in  skins ;  and  he  tasted  nothing  but  barley  bread 
and  water.  .  He  was  sorely  tempted  by  the  devil ;  but  at  last  the 
ravens,  the  beasts,  and  the  fishes  came  to  obey  him.  Once  a 
venerable  brother  named  Wilfred  visited  him,  and  they  held  many 
discourses  on  the  spiritual  life,  when  suddenly  two  swallows  came 
flying  in,  and,  behold,  they  raised  up  their  song  rejoicing.  And 
often  they  sat  fearlessly  on  the  shoulders  of  the  holy  man  Guthlac, 
and  then  lifted  up  their  song,  and  afterwards  they  sat  on  his 
bosom  and  on  his  arms  and  his  knees.  When  Wilfred  had  long 
beheld  with  wonder  the  birds  so  submissively  sitting  with  him, 
he  asked  the  reason,  and  Guthlac  answered  him  thus :  "  Hast 
thou  never  learned,  brother  Wilfred,  in  Holy  Writ,  that  he  who 
hath  led  his  life  after  God's  will,  the  wild  beasts  and  birds  have 
made  friends  with  him  1  And  the  man  who  would  separate 
himself  from  worldly  thoughts,  to  him  the  very  angels  come  near." 
When  Guthlac  died  in  due  time,  angelic  songs  were  heard  in  the 
sky,  and  all  the  air  had  a  wondrous  odour  of  exceeding  sweetness. 


Chap,  vi.]  HERMITS   AND   ANCHORITES.  171 

ST.    SIMEON    STYLITES    (A.D.    459). 

St.  Simeon  Stylites,  who  immortalised  himself  by  living  on  a 
high  pillar,  nourished  about  459,  was  the  son  of  a  shepherd,  and 
in  his  youth  displayed  a  genius  for  mortifications  of  the  flesh. 
He  begged  admittance  to  a  monastery,  and  at  once  outdid  all  the 
monks  there ;  for  while  they  ate  only  once  a  day,  he  ate  only  once 
a  week,  and  that  on  Sunday.  He  at  a  later  stage  passed  the 
forty  days  of  each  Lent  without  eating  or  drinking.  Not  content 
with  a  hermitage,  he  built  himself  a  small  unroofed  enclosure  of 
rude  stones,  on  a  high  mountain  forty  miles  east  of  Antioch,  ex- 
posed to  the  weather.  Crowds  began  to  flock  to  see  him  and  get 
his  bendiction.  He  next  built  a  pillar  six  cubits  high,  and  lived 
on  it  four  years.  He  gradually  raised  higher  pillars ;  and  the 
fourth  time  he  made  a  pillar  of  forty  cubits  (sixty  feet)  high,  on 
which  he  spent  his  last  twenty  years  of  life.  It  was  only  three 
feet  in  diameter  at  the  top,  so  that  he  might  not  have  even  the 
luxury  of  lying  down  or  sitting.  He  sometimes  prayed  in  an 
erect  attitude,  with  his  outstretched  arms  in  the  figure  of  a  cross  ; 
but  his  most  familiar  practice  was  that  of  bending  his  meagre 
skeleton  from  the  forehead  to  the  feet.  He  bowed  his  body  in 
continual  prayer,  and  a  visitor  once  counted  twelve  hundred  and 
forty-four  reverences  of  adoration  made  by  him  in  one  day.  He 
made  exhortations  to  the  people  twice  a  day.  lie  died  a1  sixty- 
nine  in  the  act  of  prayer  on  his  pillar,  and  the  bishops  and  all 
the  people  round  attended  his  burial,  and  many  miracles  were 
said  to  have  been  worked  that  day  in  testimony  of  his  sanctity. 

A    PILLAR   MONK   IN    WESTERN   CLIMATES    (A.D.    591). 

In  591  Vulfilaic,  a  monk  of  Lombardy,  had  a  pillar  erected  for 
him  at  Treves,  and  stood  upon  it  barefoot,  enduring  great  hard- 
ship in  the  winter.  The  bishops  therefore  compelled  him  to  come 
down  and  to  live  like  other  monks,  telling  him  that  the  severity 
of  the  climate  would  not  permit  him  to  imitate  the  great  Simeon 
of  Antioch.  He  obeyed  his  superiors,  but  with  tears  and  reluct- 
ance. And  this,  says  Fleury,  is  the  only  instance  that  we  know 
of  a  stylites  or  pillar  monk  in  the  Western  world. 

ST.    HERBERT,    THE    HERMIT    OF    DERWENTWATER    (A.D.    650). 

Herbert  was  a  monk  of  Lindisfarne  or  of  Melrose  at  the  same 
time  as  St.  Cuthbert,  by  whose  advice  he  retired  to  the  island  in 
Derwent water,  which  is  five  miles  long  and  one  and  a  half  miles 


172  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

broad,  and  lived  there.  He  used  to  meet  St.  Cuthbert  once  every 
year ;  and  at  their  meeting  about  687  that  saint,  being  then 
Bishop  of  Lindisfarne,  said  to  him  on  parting,  "  Remember  at 
this  time,  brother  Herbert,  to  ask  and  say  to  me  all  that  you 
wish,  for  after  our  parting  now  we  shall  not  see  each  other  with 
the  eyes  of  the  flesh  in  this  world ;  for  I  know  that  the  time  of 
my  departure  is  at  hand,  and  that  I  must  shortly  put  off  this 
tabei-nacle."  On  this  Herbert,  falling  at  his  feet  with  groans  and 
tears,  said,  "  For  our  Lord's  sake,  I  beseech  you  not  to  leave  me, 
but  remember  your  most  faithful  companion,  and  entreat  the 
mercy  of  Heaven  that  we  who  have  together  served  Him  on  earth 
may  pass  together  to  behold  His  grace  and  glory  in  the  heavens. 
You  know  I  have  always  studied  to  live  according  to  your  direc- 
tion ;  and  if  from  ignorance  or  infirmity  I  have  in  any  point  failed, 
I  have  taken  pains  to  chastise  and  amend  my  fault  according  to 
the  decision  of  your  will."  The  bishop  bent  in  prayer,  and  being 
immediately  informed  by  the  Spirit  that  his  request  was  granted, 
said,  "Rise  up,  my  brother,  and  do  not  mourn,  but  rather 
rejoice  greatly,  for  the  mercy  of  Heaven  has  granted  what  we 
asked."  They  separated,  and  never  again  met ;  for  on  March  20th, 
687,  their  spirits,  departing  from  the  body,  were  immediately 
united  in  the  blessed  vision  of  each  other,  and  by  the  ministry  of 
angels  translated  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  In  1374  the  then 
Bishop  of  Carlisle  directed  that  the  anniversary  of  these  saints' 
death  should  be  commemorated  by  the  vicar  of  Crosthwaite,  with 
a  choir  chanting  the  Mass  of  St.  Cuthbert  on  this  St.  Herbert's 
isle. 

ST.    ETHELWALD,    HERMIT    AT    FARNE    (A.D.    700). 

St.  Cuthbert,  the  first  hermit  of  Fame,  near  Holy  Island,  was 
succeeded  by  Edelwald  about  700,  and  next  by  Felgund,  who  told 
the  following  anecdote  to  the  Venerable  Bede  :  The  walls  of  St. 
Cuthbert's  oratory  in  Fame,  being  composed  of  planks  somewhat 
carelessly  put  together,  had  become  loose  and  tottering  by  age,  and 
the  planks  left  an  opening  to  the  weather.  The  venerable  man, 
whose  aim  was  rather  the  splendour  of  the  heavenly  than  of  an 
earthly  mansion,  had  taken  hay  or  clay  or  whatever  he  could  get, 
and  filled  up  the  crevices,  that  he  might  not  be  disturbed  from  the 
earnestness  of  his  prayers  by  the  daily  violence  of  the  winds  and 
storms.  When  Ethelwald  entered  and  saw  these  contrivances, 
he  begged  the  brethren  who  came  thither  to  give  him  a  calf's 
skin,  and  fastened  it  with  nails  in  the  corner  where  himself  and 
his   predecessor  used  to  kneel  or  stand  when  they  prayed,  as  a 


Chap,  vi.]  HERMITS  AND   ANCHORITES.  173 

protection  against  the  storm.  Twelve  years  after,  he  also  ascended 
to  the  joys  of  the  heavenly  kingdom,  and  Felgund  became  the 
third  inhabitant  of  the  place.  It  then  seemed  good  to  the  Bishop 
of  Lindisfarne  to  restore  from  its  foundation  the  time-worn 
oratory.  This  being  done,  many  devout  persons  begged  of 
Christ's  boly  servant  Felgund  to  give  them  a  small  portion  of  the 
relics  of  God's  servants  Cuthbert  and  Ethelwald.  He  accordingly 
determined  to  cut  up  the  above-named  calf's  skin  into  pieces,  and 
give  a  portion  to  each.  But  he  first  experienced  the  influence  on 
his  own  person,  for  his  face  was  much  deformed  by  a  swelling  and 
a  red  patch.  The  malady  increased,  and  fearing  lest  he  should 
be  obliged  to  abandon  the  solitary  life  and  return  to  the 
monastery,  presuming  in  his  faith,  he  trusted  to  heal  himself  by 
the  aid  of  those  boly  men  whose  house  he  dwelt  in,  and  whose 
holy  life  he  sought  to  imitate ;  for  he  steeped  a  piece  of  the 
skin  above  mentioned  in  water  and  washed  his  face  therewith, 
whereupon  the  swelling  was  immediately  healed,  and  the  cicatrice 
disappeared.  "  This  I  was  told,"  says  Bede,  "  in  the  first  instance  by 
a  priest  of  the  monastery  of  Jarrow,  who  said  he  knew  Felgund, 
and  saw  his  face  before  and  after  the  cure,  and  Felgund  also  told 
me  the  same.  This  he  ascribed  to  the  agency  of  the  Almighty 
grace."  The  Venerable  Bede  says  he  was  told  also  of  another 
miracle  by  one  of  the  brothers  on  whom  it  was  wrought,  namely 
Guthrid,  who  narrated  as  follows  :  "  I  came  to  the  island  of  Fame 
to  speak  with  the  reverend  father  Ethelwald.  Having  been 
refreshed  with  his  discourse,  and  taken  his  blessing,  as  we  were 
returning  home,  on  a  sudden  when  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the 
sea,  there  ensued  so  dismal  a  tempest  that  neither  the  sails  nor 
the  oars  were  of  any  use  to  us,  nor  had  we  anything  to  expect 
but  death.  After  long  struggling  with  the  wind  and  waves  to  no 
effect,  we  looked  behind  us  to  see  if  we  could  return,  and  then  we 
observed  on  the  island  of  Fame  Father  Ethelwald,  beloved  of  God, 
come  out  of  his  cavern  to  watch  our  course.  When  he  beheld  us 
in  distress  and  despair,  he  bowed  his  knees  to  the  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  prayer  for  our  life  and  safety,  upon  which 
the  swelling  sea  was  calmed,  so  that  the  storm  ceased  on  all  sides, 
and  a  fair  wind  attended  us  to  the  very  shore.  When  we  had 
landed,  the  storm  which  had  ceased  for  a  short  time  for  our  sakes 
immediately  returned,  and  raged  continually  during  the  whole 
day ;  so  that  it  plainly  appeared  that  the  brief  cessation  of  the 
storm  had  been  granted  from  Heaven,  at  the  request  of  the  man  of 
God,  in  order  that  we  might  escape."  Ethelwald  lived  twelve  years 
on  the  island  of  Fame,  and  at  his  death  his  remains  wTere  taken 


174  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

to  Lindisfarne  and  buried  beside  his  master,  St.  Cuthbert.  Here 
they  remained  two  centuries  till  the  Danes  frightened  the  holy- 
household,  when  they  were  taken  away,  and  at  last  in  the  tenth 
century  were  buried  under  the  shadow  of  the  new  cathedral  at 
Durham. 


AN    ENGLISH    QUEEN    CONSULTING     A     HERMIT     ON     FAMILY    TROUBLES 

(A.D.    1082). 

Matilda  of  Flanders,  the  wife  of  William  the  Conqueror,  being 
greatly  distressed  by  the  constant  quarrels  between  the  King  and 
her  favourite  son  Robert,  sent  to  a  German  hermit  of  great 
sanctity,  entreating  his  prayers  and  advice.  The  hermit  gave  his 
answer  thus :  "  Tell  your  mistress  I  have  prayed  in  her  behalf, 
and  the  Most  High  has  made  known  to  me  in  a  dream  the  things 
she  desires  to  learn.  I  saw  in  my  vision  a  beautiful  pasture 
covered  with  grass  and  flowers,  and  a  noble  charger  feeding 
therein.  A  numerous  herd  gathered  round  about,  eager  to 
enter  and  share  the  feast,  but  the  fiery  charger  would  not  permit 
them  to  approach  near  enough  to  crop  the  flowers  and  herbage. 
But  alas !  the  majestic  steed  in  the  midst  of  his  pride  and 
courage  died,  the  terror  of  his  presence  ceased,  and  a  poor  silly 
steer  appeared  in  his  place  as  the  guardian  of  the  pasture. 
Then  the  throng  of  meaner  animals,  who  had  hitherto  feared  his 
approach,  rushed  in  and  trampled  the  flowers  and  grass  beneath 
their  feet,  and  that  which  they  coidd  not  devour  they  defiled  and 
destroyed."  The  hermit  then  explained  that  the  steed  was 
William  the  Conqueror,  the  silly  steer  was  Robert,  and  added, 
"  Illustrious  lady,  if,  after  hearing  the  words  of  the  vision  in 
which  the  Lord  has  vouchsafed  to  reply  to  my  prayers,  you  do 
not  labour  to  restore  the  peace  of  Normandy,  you  will  henceforth 
behold  nothing  but  misery,  the  death  of  your  royal  spouse,  the 
ruin  of  all  your  race,  and  the  desolation  of  your  beloved  country." 
It  is  said  that  this  answer  of  the  hermit  gave  no  comfort  to  the 
Queen,  who  redoubled  her  prayers  and  penitential  exercises,  but 
drooped  and  soon  died  of  a  broken  heart  at  the  age  of  fifty-one. 
She  was  buried  at  C«.en  in  a  convent. 

A    THOROUGHLY    CONSCIENTIOUS    HERMIT    (A.D.    1138). 

The  blessed  Schetzelo  was  a  hermit  about  1138,  living  in  the 
woods  near  Luxemburg,  feeding  on  roots  and  acorns.  His  clothing 
was  so  scanty  as  to  be  scarcely  decent ;  and  St.  Bernard,  who 
greatly  respected  him,  sent  his  monks  with  a  present  of  a  shirt 


Chap,  vi.]  HERMITS   AND   ANCHORITES.  175 

and  a  pair  of  drawers.  Schetzelo  at  once  put  them  on,  but  on 
reflection  he  pulled  them  off  again,  saying  that  he  found  he  could  do 
without  them,  and  that  it  was  his  earnest  desire  to  live  without 
superfluities.  The  monks  asked  him  if  he  had  suffered  many 
temptations  in  his  time.  "  Yes,"  he  answered  ;  "  the  life  of  man 
is  one  long  series  of  temptations."  And  he  then  told  them  how 
he  had  once  given  way,  and  how  heavily  he  felt  the  bitterness  of 
self-reproach  ever  since.  One  winter,  he  said,  he  was  lying  out  in 
the  snow,  and  the  drift  covered  all  his  body  except  the  face,  where 
his  breath  had  melted  a  hole.  A  poor,  half-frozen  rabbit,  seeking 
shelter,  jumped  into  the  hole  and  crouched  on  the  hermit's  breast. 
He  was  moved  first  to  laughter,  and  then  to  compassion  and 
pleasure,  for  the  little  creature,  benumbed  with  cold,  suffered  him 
to  stroke  its  fur ;  and  so,  said  Schetzelo,  "  when  I  ought  to  have 
been  praying  and  meditating,  I  was  playing  with  the  rabbit  under 
the  snow." 

ST.  BARTHOLOMEW,  THE  HERMIT  OF  FARXE  (A.D.  1151). 

St.  Bartholomew,  in  1151,  was  living  quietly  as  a  monk  in  the 
cathedral  monastery  at  Durham,  when  St.  Cuthbert  appeared  to 
him  in  a  dream  and  bade  him  go  to  the  island  of  Fame,  near 
Holy  Island,  and  there  live  as  a  hermit.  He  went  off  with  the 
prayers  of  all  the  convent,  and  took  up  his  abode  and  lived 
sequestered  from  the  world.  He  found,  however,  another  monk 
there  before  him,  called  Ebwin,  who  was  very  jealous  of  the  new- 
comer; but  Bartholomew  endured  all  the  scoffs  and  reproaches 
patiently,  and  at  last  Ebwin  left  the  place  encirely  to  him. 
Bartholomew  had  a  cow  and  a  little  patch  of  ground  on  which  he 
grew  barley.  He  also  caught  fish  occasionally,  and  filled  up  the 
pauses  with  chanting  psalms  and  hymns,  repeating  the  whole 
Psalter  once,  twice,  and  thrice  every  day.  He  was  charmed  to 
watclL  the  seagulls  and  cormorants,  his  only  companions.  He 
would  allow  no  passing  sailor  to  throw  stones  at  these  birds.  He 
even  tamed  one,  which  came  regularly  to  feed  out  of  his  hand 
every  day.  One  day  when  he  was  out  fishing,  a  hawk  pursued 
this  pooi-  bird  into  the  chapel  and  killed  it,  leaving  only  the 
feathers  and  bones  lying  on  the  portal  of  the  holy  place.  The 
assassin,  however,  could  not  find  its  way  out  of  the  chapel,  and 
kept  wheeling  round  and  round,  beating  against  the  windows  and 
walls.  Brother  Bartholomew  entered  at  last  and  found  the  cruel 
bird  with  its  bloody  talons,  looking  shameless  and  helpless.  He 
mourned  bitterly  over  the  fate  of  his  poor  favourite  and  caught 
the  hawk.     He  kept  it  two  days  without  food  to  punish  it  for  its 


176  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

crime,  and  then,  seized  with  compassion,  let  go  the  guilty  prisoner. 
Another  time  the  saint  was  sitting  on  the  seashore,  when  he  was 
surprised  to  feel  a  cormorant  close  by  his  side,  pulling  with  its 
bill  the  corner  of  his  garment.  He  rose  and  followed  the  bird 
along  the  beach  till  he  came  to  a  hole  in  the  rock,  down  which 
one  of  the  young  ones  had  fallen.  He  soon  extricated  the 
trembling  creature  and  restored  it  to  its  mother.  After  living 
forty-two  years  in  this  way,  one  night  one  of  the  brethren  at  Lin- 
disfarne  dreamed  that  Bartholomew  was  dead.  He  immediately 
aroused  the  convent,  and  a  party  of  monks  at  once  sailed  across 
to  Fame,  and  sure  enough  the  holy  hermit  was  lying  in  his  stone 
coffin,  having  just  died  at  the  time  indicated  by  the  dreamer. 


A  FRENCH  KING  ON  HIS  DEATHBED  SENDS  FOR  A  HERMIT  (1483). 

When  Louis  XI.  of  France  was  in  his  last  illness,  in  1483,  and 
his  sufferings  awoke  in  him  remorse  for  many  crimes,  he  gathered 
round  him  all  the  most  famous  relics  which  could  be  procured — 
among  others,  the  holy  phial,  which  had  never  been  removed  from 
Rheims  since  the  timeof  Clovis  (656).  He  entreated  Pope  Sixtus  IV. 
to  send  him  any  relics  to  relieve  his  agonies,  and  liberal  supplies 
were  given.  The  King  also  sent  for  hermits  and  other  holy  men, 
in  the  hope  that  their  intercessions  for  his  life  might  prevail. 
The  most  renowned  of  the  holy  men  of  the  period  was  Francis  of 
Paola,  in  Calabria,  who  was  born  with  one  eye;  but  his  mother 
had  vowed  that,  if  the  other  eye  might  be  granted  to  him, 
he  should  -  become  a  Franciscan.  And  her  desire  was  fulfilled. 
Though  utterly  illiterate,  he  became  a  Minorite  friar,  and  soon 
withdrew  to  live  in  a  cave,  where  the  austerity  of  his  life  and  his 
supposed  miraculous  powers  made  him  famous.  When  Louis  first 
sent  a  message  to  Francis,  the  latter  refused ;  but  the  Pope  inter- 
posed and  commanded  him.  The  hermit  passed  through  Rome, 
and  caused  great  excitement,  and  led  the  Pope  to  give  leave  to 
Francis  to  found  a  society  of  "  Hermits  of  St.  Francis."  On 
reaching  the  French  Court,  Francis  was  received  with  as  much 
honour  as  if  he  had  been  the  Pope  himself.  Louis  could  not  live 
without  his  company,  knelt  before  him,  hung  on  his  words,  and 
entreated  the  holy  man  to  spare  his  life,  even  if  for  a  little 
longer.  Rich  rewards  were  heaped  on  the  hermit,  and  even 
convents  founded  in  his  honour,  the  members  of  which  were 
called  Minims,  owing  to  their  habit  of  self-abasement.  After 
a  few  weeks  Louis  died,  notwithstanding  the  hermit's  merit. 


Chap,  vi.]  MARTYRS,   HERMITS,    AND   ANCHORITES.  177 

CONSECRATION    OF    HERMITS    AND    RECLUSES. 

The  great  idea  of  the  hermit  life  was  to  live  entirely  alone, 
though  some  hermits  lived  in  small  communities  in  one  district 
in  close  neighbourhood.  Pope  Innocent  IV.,  in  the  middle  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  enrolled  these  into  a  separate  order  with  the 
rule  of  St.  Augustine,  and  hence  called  Austin  Friars.  There 
were  also  two  grades  of  hermits.  Hermits  occasionally  visited 
their  fellow-men,  but  those  called  recluses  abstained  from  any 
such  visits.  The  female  solitaries  were  usually  recluses.  The 
English  hermit  of  the  Middle  Ages  lived  more  luxuriously  than 
the  foreign  hermit,  and  sometimes  had  one  or  two  servants  to 
wait  ujion  him  in  the  hermitage,  which  was  often  a  comfortable 
house.  The  usual  garb  of  a  hermit  was  a  brown  frock  with  girdle, 
and  over  it  an  ample  gown  or  cloak  with  hood.  A  man  latterly 
could  not  become  a  recognised  hermit  without  consecration  by 
a  bishop,  which  was  a  religious  service,  and  he  was  assigned  a 
district.  The  service  for  blessing  a  hermit  consisted  of  prayers 
and  psalms  and  a  gift  of  the  eremitical  habit.  Some  hermitages 
had  cells  to  accommodate  more  than  one,  as  the  hermitage  at 
Wetheral,  near  Carlisle,  cut  out  of  the  face  of  a  rock  one  hundred 
feet  high,  nearly  midway.  These  hermits  and  recluses  lived  in 
places  where  alms  were  likely  to  be  found,  and  an  almsbox  was 
hung  up  for  receiving  gifts.  The  bishop,  before  giving  his  licence, 
usually  satisfied  himself  that  alms  would  be  forthcoming  sufficient 
for  maintenance.  Some  female  recluses  had  a  room  or  anchor- 
house  assigned  to  them  near  a  church  or  in  a  churchyard,  as  was 
the  case  at  St.  Julian,  Norwich,  and  other  places,  so  that  the 
benefit  of  hearing  or  seeing  Mass  was  available.  In  the  latter 
days  anchoresses  were  blamed  as  having  too  great  a  tendency  to 
gossip.  Their  founder  and  patroness  was  Judith,  and  the  first 
who  made  any  formal  rule  for  their  mode  of  life  was  one  Griinlac, 
who  lived  about  a.d.  900. 

ST.    METHODIUS,    THE    MARTYR    FOR    IMAGES    (A.D.    842). 

When  the  iconoclastic  Emperor  Leo  was  persecuting  all  who 
defended  images  in  churches,  those  calling  themselves  the  orthodox 
party  were  equally  resolute,  and  furnished  also  their  martyrs 
ready  to  die  for  what  they  thought  to  be  the  truth.  St.  Methodius 
was  sent  by  the  Pope  to  make  requisitions  for  the  orthodox,  but 
was  thrown  by  the  Emperor  into  prison,  and  shut  up  with  two 
thieves  in  a  narrow  cell.  One  of  the  thieves  died,  and  the  corpse 
was  left  to  putrefy ;  yet  the  patience  and  sweetness  of  Methodius 

12 


178  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

so  gained  upon  the  other  thief,  that  when  offered  his  liberty  the 
thief  preferred  to  remain  where  he  was.  After  nine  years'  con- 
finement, Methodius,  when  drawn  out  of  the  cave,  was  shrivelled 
to  the  bone,  his  skin  was  bleached,  and  his  rags  clotted  with  filth. 
Soon  again  Methodius  was  brought  before  the  Emperor  Theophilus, 
charged  with  opposing  the  destruction  of  images,  and  he  thus 
addressed  his  oppressor  :  "  Sire,  be  consistent.  If  we  are  to  have 
the  images  of  Christ  overthrown,  then  down  with  the  images  of 
the  Emperors  also."  At  this  Theophilus,  being  enraged,  ordered 
the  monk  to  be  stripped  and  lashed  with  thongs  of  leather,  till 
he  fainted  with  loss  of  blood.  Methodius  was  then  thrown  into 
a  dungeon,  and  his  jaw  was  broken  in  the  struggle.  In  842, 
however,  on  the  death  of  Theophilus,  Methodius  was  released  and 
made  Patriarch  of  Constantinople.  The  saint  mounted  the  throne 
humble  as  a  monk,  and  wearing  a  bandage  round  his  face  to 
support  his  broken  jaw,  a  living  monument  of  the  violence  of  his 
persecutors  and  of  his  confessorship  of  the  orthodox  faith.  He 
instituted  an  annual  festival,  called  the  Festival  of  Orthodoxy,  and 
died  in  846. 

THE   MIRACLES   OF   SAINTS. 

The  view  taken  of  the  alleged  miracles  performed  by  saints, 
especially  in  the  earlier  centuries,  divided  broadly  the  Roman 
Catholic  from  the  Protestant  Christians,  the  former  still  main- 
taining, defending,  and  believing  in  the  existence  of  the  power 
of  working  miracles,  the  latter  ostentatiously  and  dogmatically 
denying  such  power.  Guizot  says  that  the  Bollandist  collection 
of  Lives  of  Saints  includes  twenty-five  thousand,  and  nearly  all 
the  saints  there  recorded  occasionally  worked  miracles.  It  is  true 
that  many  educated  Roman  Catholics  admit  that  it  is  not  necessary 
for  them  to  believe  all  these  records.  Since  the  revival  of  learning 
and  the  Reformation  incredulity  has  set  in,  and  sapped  and  mined 
nearly  all  the  miraculous  feats  recorded  in  the  Lives  of  the  Saints. 
Middleton  in  1748  published  his  "Free  Inquiry,"  and  shook  the 
faith  of  the  moderns  in  any  of  these  miracles  subsequent  to  those 
recorded  in  the  New  Testament.  As  Lecky  observes  in  his 
"  History  of  Rationalism,"  the  miracles  of  the  New  Testament 
were  always  characterised  by  dignity  and  solemnity ;  they  always 
conveyed  some  spiritual  lesson,  and  conferred  some  actual  benefit, 
besides  attesting  the  character  of  the  worker.  The  mediaeval 
miracles,  on  the  contrary,  were  frequently  trivial,  purposeless, 
and  unimpressive,  constantly  verging  on  the  grotesque,  and  not 
unfrequently  passing  the  border. 


Chap,  vi.]  MAKTYRS   AND   PATRON   SAINTS.  179 


LOCAL    AND    PATRON    SAINTS. 

There  were  some  universal  saints  of  Christendom,  such  as  the 
Apostles  and  eaidy  martyrs,  the  four  great  Fathers  of  the  Latin 
Church — some  few  like  St.  Thomas  a  Becket,  held  up  as  a  martyr 
of  his  order ;  St.  Benedict,  the  founder  of  the  Benedictine  order ; 
and  some  founders  of  monastic  institutes,  as  Dominic  and  Francis. 
Other  saints  had  a  more  limited  fame,  and  each  kingdom  of 
Christendom  had  its  tutelar  saint.  France  had  three — St.  Martin 
of  Tours,  St.  Reine,  St.  Denys ;  Spain  had  the  Apostle  James, 
St.  Jago  of  Compostella ;  Germany  had  Boniface ;  Scotland  had 
St.  Andrew  ;  Ireland  had  St.  Patrick ;  and  England  had  St.  George. 
Every  city,  town,  or  village  also  usually  had  its  own  saint.  Female 
prophets  were  called  Brides  of  Christ,  and  were  thought  to  have 
constant  personal  intercourse  with  the  saints,  the  Virgin,  and  our 
Lord  Himself,  like  St.  Catherine  of  Sienna  and  St.  Bridget  of 
Sweden.  In  later  days  Christian  charity  had  its  saints,  as  Vincent 
de  Paul,  St.  Teresa,  and  St.  Francis  de  Sales.  Every  one  of  the 
saints  had  his  life  of  wonder,  the  legend  of  his  virtues,  his  miracles, 
perhaps  his  martyrdom,  his  shrines,  his  reliques.  The  legend  was 
the  dominant  universal  poetry  of  the  times.  And  the  legend  was 
perpetually  confirmed,  illustrated,  and  kept  alive  by  reliques, 
shown  either  in  the  church  or  under  the  altar  or  upon  the  altar. 
It  was  a  pious  enterprise  even  to  steal  reliques.  Clotaire  II.  cut 
off  and  stole  an  arm  of  St.  Denys.  The  head  of  St.  Andrew  was 
once  carried  away  by  a  king  in  his  flight ;  kings  vied  for  the 
purchase,  and  vast  sums  were  offered  for  it. 

ST.  GENEVIEVE,  PATRON  SAINT  OF  PARIS  AND  FRANCE  (A.D.  430). 

About  430,  as  St.  Germanus  and  St.  Lupus  were  on  their  way 
to  England  to  refute  the  Pelagian  heresy,  they  stayed  one  night 
at  Nanterre,  a  village  near  Paris.  The  villagers  went  in  a  crowd 
to  look  at  these  renowned  saints,  and  a  little  girl  in  the  crowd 
attracted  the  notice  of  Germanus,  who  called  her  to  him,  asked 
her  name  and  all  about  her,  and  ended  by  bidding  her  parents  to 
rejoice  in  the  sanctity  of  their  daughter.  He  then  addressed  little 
Genevieve  on  the  exalted  condition  of  perpetual  virginity,  and 
appointed  a  service  in  the  church  that  he  might  consecrate  her  at 
once  to  that  holy  life.  The  service  was  performed,  and  the  saint 
gave  her  at  parting  a  brass  coin,  shaped  like  a  cross,  which  he  told 
her  to  wear  as  her  only  ornament,  and  leave  silver  and  precious 
stones  for  the  children  of  this  world.     From  that  day  miraculous 


180  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

gifts  descended  on  the  child,  who  excelled  all  others.  She  once  had 
a  trance,  in  which  she  was  led  by  an  angel  to  survey  the  dwellings 
of  the  just,  and  the  rewards  of  the  spiritual  life.  She  also  received 
the  gift  of  divining  people's  thoughts.  She  soon  became  marked 
out,  and,  like  other  holy  people,  excited  envy  for  the  powers  she 
possessed.  When  the  Huns  invaded  Paris,  the  terrified  citizens 
were  told  by  her  to  take  courage,  and  she  assembled  the  matrons 
that  they  might  seek  deliverance  by  prayer  and  fasting ;  and  the 
deliverance  came,  for  the  Huns  were  diverted  through  the  efficacy 
of  her  prayers  from  Paris.  She  had  great  powers  of  abstinence, 
and  from  her  fifteenth  to  her  fiftieth  year  sbe  ate  only  twice  a 
week,  and  that  was  bread  of  barley  or  beans ;  and  after  fifty  a 
little  fish  and  milk  were  added  to  her  diet.  Every  Saturday  night 
she  kept  a  vigil  in  the  church  of  St.  Denys,  and  then  retired  to 
her  cell,  where  she  was  as  much  visited  by  crowds  as  a  saint  on 
his  pillar.  After  she  was  dead  her  relics  were  eagerly  sought 
after  by  rival  Churches,  and  these  stayed  the  horrors  of  plague 
and  famine  and  flood  wherever  they  were  taken.  All  Paris 
believed  in  her  as  the  patron  saint. 


EXCESSIVE   REVERENCE   FOR   RELICS   (A.D.  406). 

The  extravagant  veneration  paid  to  the  martyrs  roused  great 
opposition  in  the  fifth  century,  and  the  presbyter  Vigilantius  of 
Barcelona  wrote  a  tract  censuring  these  ashes-worshippers  and 
idolaters.  He  represented  it  as  supremely  ridiculous  to  manifest 
this  adoration  of  a  miserable  heap  of  ashes  and  wretched  bones, 
and  covering  these  with  costly  drapery  and  kissing  them.  He 
also  complained  that  the  practice  of  placing  lighted  lamps  before 
the  mai'tyrs  was  only  an  imitation  of  the  Pagan  practice  before 
the  images  of  their  gods.  Why  should  they  think  it  a  merit  to 
place  miserable  wax  candles  before  the  effigies  of  those  on  whom 
the  Lamb  in  the  midst  of  God's  throne  reflected  all  the  brightness 
of  His  majesty  ?  He  also  thought  the  practice  of  nocturnal 
assemblies,  held  by  both  sexes  in  the  churches  of  the  martyrs,  was 
a  temptation  to  misconduct.  And  he  even  questioned  the  reliance 
placed  in  the  intercessions  of  the  martyrs.  Jerome,  on  the  other 
hand,  defended  most  of  these  practices.  His  answer  was,  that  if 
the  Apostles  and  martyrs  in  their  earthly  life,  before  they  were 
out  of  the  conflict,  were  able  to  pray  effectually  for  others,  how 
much  more  could  they  do  so  after  they  had  obtained  the  victory  ! 
The  worship  of  the  Virgin  Mary  was  thought  to  be  mainly  due 
to  the  ascetic  spirit  brooding  over  the  cradle  of  Christianity. 


Chap,  vi.]  REVERENCE   FOR  RELICS.  181 


GREAT   SECRECY   IN    REMOVING   RELICS. 

The  acquisition  and  preservation  of  relics  by  the  monks  may  be 
said  to  absorb  all  their  zeal.  It  was  decreed  once  that  the  body 
of  St.  John  of  the  Cross  should  be  secretly  removed  from  Ubede 
to  Segovia,  and  an  officer  of  the  Court  arrived  by  night  at  the 
monastery,  and  having  desired  an  audience  of  the  father  prior  on 
a  matter  of  the  greatest  consequence,  he  intimated  to  him  the 
order  of  which  he  was  the  bearer.  The  order  enjoined  the  prior, 
on  pain  of  excommunication,  to  take  up  the  body  secretly,  without 
apprising  any  one  of  what  was  to  be  done.  This  was  an  unexpected 
blow  to  the  prior  ;  but  he  took  precautions,  and  when  every  one  in 
the  monastery  was  asleep,  he  went  down  into  the  grave  accom- 
panied by  the  officer  and  two  monks  bound  to  secrecy.  They 
opened  the  grave ;  but  lo  !  the  saint  being  dead  a  year,  the  body 
was  still  perfect  and  the  flesh  undecayed.  As  the  bones  only  were 
demanded,  the  object  could  not  be  effected,  but  quicklime  was  laid 
in  the  grave,  and  the  officer  departed  and  returned  in  nine  months. 
The  same  precautions  being  adopted  and  the  grave  opened,  the 
body  was  still  perfect ;  but  being  dried  by  the  lime,  it  was  put  in 
a  leather  case  and  committed  to  the  messenger.  The  men  left  at 
about  midnight,  and  strange  visions  were  seen  the  same  hour. 
One  monk  awoke  greatly  perturbed  and  went  down  to  the  church  ; 
but  finding  the  prior  standing  at  the  door,  who  refused  to  allow 
any  one  to  enter,  the  uneasy  and  curious  monk  was  ordered  to 
return  to  his  bed  without  receiving  any  explanation.  The  officer 
meanwhile  bearing  the  body,  declared  that  aftei  leaving  Ubede 
and  passing  some  desert  mountains,  he  heard  awful  voices  in  the 
air  which  were  not  human,  and  which  greatly  disturbed  him. 


RIVAL   MONKS   CAPTURING   HOLY   RELICS  (A.D.  1030). 

Bishop  Etheric  of  Dorchester,  who  died  in  1038,  having  ascer- 
tained that  the  remains  of  St.  Felix,  formerly  Bishop  of  East 
Angles,  were  lying  neglected,  obtained  leave  from  King  Canute 
to  have  these  taken  charge  of,  and  privately  informed  the  monks 
of  Ramsey  of  the  inexhaustible  treasure  which  they  might  secure 
to  themselves  by  getting  the  possession.  On  receiving  this  mes- 
sage Alfwin,  the  prior,  and  a  number  of  his  monks  proceeded  by 
water  to  the  place  pointed  out,  and  being  armed  with  the  authority 
of  the  king  and  bishop,  they  overmastered  all  opposition,  and 
placed  on  board  their  boat  the  holy  ashes  and  the  bones  of  St. 
Felix,  and  with  psalms  of  joy  steered  their  way  back  to  Ramsey, 


182  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

No  sooner,  however,  did  the  monks  of  Ely  hear  of  what  was  on 
foot,  than  they  became  desirous  of  possessing  so  great  a  treasure 
themselves,  and  therefore  they  hurried  on  board  their  ships  with 
a  strong  body  of  armed  persons,  resolved  by  their  superior  numbers 
to  capture  the  relics.  An  event,  however,  occurred  which  was 
evidently  not  the  work  of  human  hands,  but  was  the  dispensation 
of  the  Divine  will,  for  at  the  very  moment  when  the  vessels  came 
in  sight  of  each  other  a  dense  mist  arose,  which  blinded  the  Ely 
crew,  and  yet  allowed  the  Ramsey  boat  to  steer  right  on  to  its 
destination.  Whether  this  can  be  viewed  as  a  miracle  or  not, 
still  the  fact  is  handed  down  by  tradition  that  the  relics  of 
St.  Felix  were  successfully  removed  to  the  church  of  Ramsey, 
where  they  were  with  clue  honour  enshrined,  and  where  that  holy 
saint  for  ages  bestowed  benefits  on  those  who  sought  his  prayers. 

A    MONK    JUDICIOUSLY    STEALING    RELICS    (A.D.    1090). 

About  the  year  1090,  says  Orderic,  one  Stephen,  the  chanter 
of  the  monastery  of  Venosa  in  the  city  of  Angers,  went  to  Apulia, 
with  the  express  sanction  of  the  Lord  Natalis,  his  abbot,  divested 
himself  of  the  monastic  habit,  and  lived  as  a  clerk  at  Bari,  where 
he  became  familiar  with  the  sacristans  of  the  church.    At  length, 
watching  his  opportunity,  he  secretly  purloined  an  arm  of   St. 
Nicholas,  which,  set  in  silver,  was  kept  outside  the  shrine  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  the  benediction  to  the  people.     He  then 
attempted  to  withdraw  into  France,  that  he   might  enrich  his 
own  monastery  with  the  precious  treasure.     The  people  of  Bari, 
however,  soon  discovered  their  loss,  and  guarded  all  the  avenues 
to   prevent   the   thief's   escape.     Nevertheless,  Stephen   reached 
Venosa  safely,  where  he  passed  the  winter  in  great  alarm,  trying 
to  conceal  himself.     He  then  fell  into   great  poverty,  and  was 
compelled  to  detach  the  silver  from  the  holy  relic  and  apply  it  for 
his  support.     Meanwhile,  the  noise  of  the  robbery  of  the  arm  of 
St.  Nicholas  spread  through  the  whole  of  Italy  and  Sicily,  and 
at  last  some  one  recognised  the  silver  covering.    The  monks  heard 
of  this,  and  Erembert,  an  active  monk,  suddenly  presented  him- 
self and  demanded  from  the  sick  man  with  great  vehemence  the 
arm  of  St.  Nicholas.     The  sick  man,  perceiving  he  was  detected, 
and  not  knowing  where  to  turn,   pale  and  trembling,  produced 
the  precious   relic.     The   resolute  monk   joyfully  seized  its   and 
carried  it  to  the  abbey  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  the  other  monks  and 
citizens  returning  thanks  to  God  to  this  day.     St.  Nicholas  there 
miraculously  succoured  all  who  implored  his  aid. 


Chap,  vi.]  REVERENCE   FOR   RELICS.  183 

A    CATHOLIC    DEFENDING    HIS    RELICS. 

Sir  Thomas  More,  contemporary  of  Luther,  says  :  "  Luther 
wisheth  in  a  sermon  of  his  that  he  had  in  his  hand  all  the  pieces 
of  the  holy  cross,  and  saith  that,  if  he  so  had,  he  would  throw 
them  there  as  never  sun  shoidd  shine  on  them.  And  for  what 
worshipful  reason  would  the  wretch  do  such  villainy  to  the  cross 
of  Christ  ?  Because,  as  he  saith,  that  there  is  so  much  gold  now 
bestowed  about  the  garnishing  of  the  pieces  of  the  cross  that 
there  is  none  left  for  poor  folk.  Is  not  this  an  high  reason  ?  As 
though  all  the  gold  that  is  now  bestowed  about  the  pieces  of  the 
holy  cross  would  not  have  failed  to  have  been  given  to  poor 
men,  if  they  had  not  been  bestowed  about  the  garnishing  of  the 
cross.  And  as  though  there  were  nothing  but  that  is  bestowed 
about  Christ's  cross  !  How  small  a  portion,  ween  we,  were  the 
gold  about  all  the  pieces  of  Christ's  cross,  if  it  were  compared 
with  the  gold  that  is  quite  cast  away  about  the  gilting  of  knives, 
swords,  spurs,  arras,  and  painted  cloths  ;  and  (as  though  these 
things  could  not  consume  gold  fast  enough)  the  gilding  of  posts 
and  whole  roofs,  not  only  in  the  palaces  of  princes  and  great 
prelates,  but  also  many  righteous  men's  houses.  And  yet  among 
all  these  things  could  Luther  spy  no  gold  that  grievously  glittered 
in  his  bleared  eyes,  but  only  about  the  cross  of  Christ  !  " 

FORGERY    OF    SAINTS'    RELICS. 

Fuller,  in  his  "  Church  History,"  observes  as  follows  :  "  The  pre- 
tended causes  of  miracles  are  generally  reducible  to  these  two  heads : 
(1)  Saints'  relics;  (2)  saints'  images.  How  much  forgery  there  is 
in  the  first  of  these  is  generally  known,  so  many  pieces  being  pre- 
tended of  Christ's  cross  as  would  load  a  great  ship.  But  amongst 
all  of  them  commend  me  to  the  cross  at  the  priory  of  Benedictines 
at  -  Bromehead  in  Norfolk,  the  legend  whereof  deserveth  to  be 
inserted.  Queen  Helen,  they  say,  finding  the  cross  of  Christ  at 
Jerusalem,  divided  it  into  nine  parts,  according  to  the  nine  orders 
of  angels.  Of  one  of  these  (most  besprinkled  with  Christ's  blood) 
she  made  a  little  cross,  and,  putting  it  into  a  box  adorned  with 
precious  stones,  bestowed  it  on  Constantine  her  son.  This  relic 
was  kept  by  his  successors  until  Baldwin,  Emperor  of  Greece, 
fortunate  so  long  as  he  carried  it  about  him,  but  slain  in  fight 
when  forgetting  the  same  :  after  whose  death  Hugh,  his  chaplain, 
born  in  Norfolk,  and  who  constantly  said  prayers  before  the 
ci'oss,  stole  it  away  box  and  all,  brought  it  into  England,  and 
bestowed  it  on  Brome  Holme  in  Norfolk.     It  seems  there  is  no 


184  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

felony  in  such  wares,  but  '  catch  who  catch  may ' ;  yea,  such 
sacrilege  is  supererogation.  By  this  cross  thirty-nine  dead  men 
are  said  to  be  raised  to  life,  and  nineteen  blind  men  restored  to 
their  sight.  It  seems  such  merchants  trade  much  in  odd  numbers, 
which  best  fasteneth  the  fancies  of  folk ;  whilst  the  smoothness 
of  even  numbers  makes  them  slip  the  sooner  out  of  men's 
memories.  Chemnitius  affirmeth  from  the  mouth  of  a  grave 
author  that  the  teeth  of  St.  Apollonia  being  conceived  effectual 
to  cure  the  toothache  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  (when  many 
ignorant  people  in  England  relied  on  that  receipt  to  carry  one  of 
her  teeth  about  them),  the  King  gave  command  in  extirpation  of 
superstition  that  all  her  teeth  should  be  brought  in  to  a  public 
officer  deputed  for  that  purpose  ;  and  they  filled  a  tun  therewith. 
Were  her  stomach  proportionable  to  her  teeth,  a  county  could 
scarcely  afford  her  a  meal's  meat.  The  English  nuns  at  Lisbon 
do  pretend  that  they  have  both  the  arms  of  Thomas  Becket, 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury ;  and  yet  Pope  Paul  III.,  in  a  public 
Bull  set  down  by  Sanders,  doth  pitifully  complain  of  the  cruelty 
of  King  Henry  VIII.  for  causing  the  bones  of  Becket  to  be 
burned  and  the  ashes  scattered  to  the  wind,  the  solemnity  whereof 
is  recorded  in  our  chronicles.  And  how  his  arms  could  escape 
that  bonfire  is  to  me  incredible  ! " 

HOW   TO    FLATTER    A    RELIC    WORSHIPPER. 

The  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  saints'  relics  to  work  miracles  was 
so  general  in  the  ninth  century  that  at  last  monks  and  bishops 
aspired  also  in  their  own  lifetime  to  imitate  this  wonder-working 
power.  A  monk  who  was  credited  in  his  lifetime  as  a  miracle 
worker  begged  that  his  brethren  would  not  bury  his  body  in  the 
cloister,  for  that  after  his  death  the  crowds  of  people  coming  to 
be  cured  of  their  diseases  there  would  be  too  troublesome  to  them 
all.  Another  monk  of  St.  Gall,  being  anxious  to  ingratiate  himself 
with  his  bishop  and  the  lord  of  the  manor,  bethought  himself  of 
the  following  expedient :  He  one  day  entrapped  a  fox  without 
injuring  it,  and  then  carried  it  as  a  present  to  Bishop  Becko. 
The  bishop,  after  admiring  the  creature,  expressed  his  wonder  how 
the  monk  could  have  caught  it  without  doing  it  any  injury,  where- 
upon the  monk  replied,  "  Oh,  I  can  explain  that.  When  I  saw 
the  fox  in  full  chase,  I  cried  out  to  it,  '  In  the  name  of  Lord 
Becko,  stop  and  be  still  ! '  The  fox  at  once  on  hearing  the  name 
stood  stockstill  till  I  seized  him,  and  I  thought  it  due  to  your 
lordship  to  bring  it  as  an  offering."  The  bishop  was  so  pleased 
at   this  efficacious  appliance  of  his  own  reputation  for  sanctity 


Chap,  vi.]  REVERENCE   FOR  RELICS.  185 

that  he  became  a  warm  patron  thenceforth  of  the  artful  ways  of 
relic  hunters. 

AN    EMPRESS    BEGGING    FOR    RELICS. 

The  Empress  Constantina  asked  of  St.  Gregory  the  head  of 
St.  Paul  or  some  part  of  his  body  to  put  in  the  church  which  they 
were  building  at  Constantinople  in  honour  of  that  apostle.  Gregory 
sent  this  answer  :  "  You  ask  of  me  what  I  dare  not  and  cannot  do. 
For  the  bodies  of  the  apostles  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paid  are  so 
formidable  by  their  miracles  that  none  can  approach  them,  even 
to  pray,  without  being  seized  with  great  terror.  My  predecessor, 
having  attempted  to  change  a  silver  ornament  which  was  over 
the  body  of  St.  Peter,  though  at  the  distance  of  fifteen  feet,  had  a 
frightful  vision.  I  myself  wanted  to  repair  something  near  the 
body  of  St.  Paul,  and  we  were  obliged  to  dig  near  the  sepulchre. 
The  superior  of  the  place  found  some  bones  which  yet  did  not 
touch  the  sepulchre,  and  moved  them  to  another  place.  After 
having  seen  a  terrible  apparition  he  died  suddenly.  So  when 
some  monks  assisted  in  repairs  near  the  body  of  St.  Lawrence, 
though  they  did  not  touch  the  body,  they  died  within  ten  days. 
Know  then,  madam,  that  when  the  Romans  give  any  relics  of 
saints  they  never  touch  the  bodies ;  they  only  put  in  a  box  a  piece 
of  linen,  which  they  place  near  the  holy  body.  Then  it  is  with- 
drawn and  shut  up  in  the  church  which  is  to  be  dedicated,  and 
then  as  many  miracles  are  wrought  by  it  as  if  the  body  itself 
were  there.  In  the  time  of  St.  Leo  some  Greeks  doubting  of  the 
value  of  such  relics,  he  called  for  a  pair  of  scissors  and  cut  the 
linen,  and  blood  issued  out,  as  our  ancestors  assure  us.  But  not  to 
frustrate  your  pious  desire,  I  will  send  you  some  portion  of  the 
chains  which  St.  Paid  wore,  and  which  work  many  miracles,  if, 
however,  I  be  able  to  file  off  any.  These  filings  are  often  begged. 
And  the  bishop  applies  the  file  ;  and  sometimes  he  immediately 
gets  the  filings;  at  other  times  he  labours  in  vain." 

HOW   TO    DECIDE    ON    GENUINE    RELICS    (A.D.    844). 

In  844  two  pretended  monks  brought  to  the  church  of  St. 
Cenignus  at  Dijon  a  parcel  of  bones,  which  they  said  were  the 
relics  of  some  saint  brought  from  Italy.  The  bishop  did  not  wish 
to  acknowledge  nor  yet  to  despise  them,  but  desired  the  monks  to 
get  testimonials.  One  monk  went  away  in  quest  of  a  certificate, 
but  never  returned ;  the  other  monk  died.  Meanwhile,  it  was 
reported  that  the  bones  worked  miracles  ;  for  a  woman  fell  down 
suddenly  in  church,  as  if  tormented,  and  yet  with  no  visible  cause 


186  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

for  her  ailment.  A  rumour  then  arose,  and  crowds  flocked  to  the 
church  of  all  ages  and  refused  to  leave.  The  bishop  then  consulted 
the  archbishop  as  to  what  should  be  done.  The  archbishop  said 
that,  as  there  was  no  certainty,  the  bones  should  be  removed 
secretly  in  presence  of  witnesses  and  buried.  He  said  that  the 
bones  might  have  been  brought  by  beggarly  knaves  only  to 
gratify  their  avarice,  and  cause  pretended  miracles  to  give  them 
an  appearance  of  sanctity.  It  was  not  uncommon  for  knaves  to 
encourage  these  abuses,  that  they  might  share  in  the  profit  and  fill 
their  bellies  and  their  purses.  He  himself  had  seen  in  his  own 
diocese  persons  brought  to  him  who  said  that  they  were  possessed, 
but  by  the  exorcism  of  a  few  bastinadoes  properly  applied  con- 
fessed the  imposture,  and  declared  that  poverty  had  led  them  into 
it.  He  advised  the  bishop  to  exhort  the  people  to  stay  quietly 
each  in  his  own  parish ;  and  that  when  the  alms  and  oblations 
should  be  cut  off,  the  rabble  would  quietly  disperse,  the  illusion 
would  cease,  and  all  would  be  quiet. 

THE    CROWN    OF    THORNS    PAWNED   AND    SOLD    (a.D.    1240). 

When  Baldwin  II.  was  Emperor  of  Constantinople,  the  crown 
of  thorns  was  pawned,  as  narrated  ante,  p.  19.  Another  chronicler 
gives  l  the  following  account  of  that  interesting  event :  In  the 
absence  of  the  Emperor  the  barons  of  Romania  borrowed  money 
upon  the  security  of  this  precious  relic ;  and  as  they  could  not 
redeeem  it,  a  rich  Venetian,  Nicholas  Querini,  undertook  to  satisfy 
the  creditors  on  the  condition  that  the  relic  should  be  lodged  at 
Venice.  The  barons  informed  the  Emperor  of  this  bargain ;  but 
Baldwin  was  anxious  to  snatch  the  prize  from  the  Venetians,  and  to 
vest  it  with  more  honour  and  emolument  in  the  hands  of  St.  Louis, 
King  of  France.  The  King  sent  two  ambassadors  to  Venice  to 
negotiate  for  the  redemption  of  the  holy  crown.  The  crown  was 
enclosed  in  a  golden  vase,  and  was  duly  forwarded  to  Troyes  in 
Champagne,  where  the  Court  of  France  were  ready  to  welcome  the 
inestimable  relic.  The  King  made  a  free  gift  of  ten  thousand 
marks  of  silver  to  Baldwin,  who  was  so  pleased  that  he  was 
encouraged  to  offer  the  remaining  furniture  of  his  chapel,  and  for 
twenty  thousand  marks  more  the  King  acquired  a  large  portion  of 
the  true  cross  ;  the  baby  linen  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  the  lance,  the 
sponge,  and  the  chain  of  the  Passion ;  and  part  of  the  skull  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist. 

THE  CROWN  OF  THORNS  BROUGHT  TO  FRANCE  (A.D.  1240). 

Matthew  Paris's  account  is  this:   In  1240  France  exulted  in 


Chap,  vi.]  REVERENCE   FOR   RELICS.  187 

repeated  favours  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  besides  being 
rewarded  with  the  body  of  the  Confessor  Edmund,  who  had 
removed  himself  from  England,  it  was  rejoiced  by  obtaining 
our  Lord's  crown  of  thorns  from  Constantinople.  Baldwin, 
Emperor  of  Constantinople,  had  sent  word  that  if  the  French 
King  would  give  him  effectual  pecuniary  assistance,  he,  the  Em- 
peror, would,  in  consideration  of  his  old  ties  of  friendship,  give 
him  the  veritable  crown  of  our  Lord,  which  the  Jews  had  woven 
and  placed  on  His  head  when  about  to  suffer  on  the  cross  for  the 
redemption  of  the  human  race.  The  French  King,  by  the  advice 
of  his  council,  willingly  agreed  to  this,  and,  with  his  mother's 
concurrence,  liberally  sent  a  large  sum  of  money  to  the  Emperor, 
whose  treasury  had  been  exhausted  by  continual  wars,  and  this 
supply  inspired  the  said  Baldwin  with  confident  hopes  of  obtain- 
ing a  victory  over  the  Greeks.  In  return  for  this  great  benefit 
obtained  from  the  King,  the  Emperor,  according  to  promise,  faith- 
fully sent  to  him  the  crown  of  Christ,  precious  beyond  gold  or 
topaz.  It  was  therefore  solemnly  and  devoutly  received,  to  the 
credit  of  the  French  kingdom,  and  indeed  of  all  the  Latins,  in 
grand  procession,  amidst  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  devout 
prayers  of  the  faithful  followers  of  Christ,  and  was  placed  with 
due  respect  in  the  King's  Chapel  at  Paris. 

THE    KING    OF    FRANCE    SHOWS    THE    HOLY    CROSS    (A.D.    1241). 

Matthew  Paris  says  that  in  1241  the  French  King  and  his 
mother,  Blanche,  gave  a  large  sum  of  money  to  the  Saracens,  in 
order  to  obtain  possession  of  the  holy  cross  of  our  Lord.  The 
cross  had  at  first  been  bought  by  the  Venetians,  then  pawned 
by  Baldwin,  and  at  last  was  sold  to  the  French  King.  This  cross, 
on  reaching  Paris,  was  placed  in  a  carriage,  in  which  sat  the  King, 
his  mother,  his  wife,  and  brothers,  in  presence  of  the  archbishops 
and  nobles,  and  a  countless  host  of  people  who  were  awaiting  the 
glorious  sight  with  great  joy  of  heart.  After  all  had  worshipped 
it  with  clue  reverence  and  devotion,  the  King  himself,  barefooted, 
ungirt,  and  with  head  bare,  and  after  a  fast  of  three  days,  carried 
it  in  wool  to  the  cathedral  church  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  at  Paris. 
The  two  queens  also  followed  on  foot.  They  also  carried  the 
crown  of  thorns,  which  the  Divine  mercy  had  given  to  France 
the  year  before,  and  raising  it  on  high  on  a  similar  carriage, 
presented  it  to  the  gaze  of  the  people.  When  they  arrived  at  the 
cathedral  church,  all  the  bells  in  the  city  were  set  ringing ;  and 
after  special  prayers  had  been  solemnly  read,  the  King  returned 
to  his  palace,  carrying  his  cross,  his  brothers  carrying  the  crown, 


188  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

and  the  priests  following  in  a  regular  procession — a  sight  more 
solemn  or  more  joyful  than  which  the  kingdom  of  France  had 
never  seen.  The  King  ordered  a  chapel  of  handsome  structure, 
suitable  for  the  reception  of  the  said  treasure,  to  be  built  near 
his  palace,  and  in  it  he  afterwards  placed  the  said  relics  with  due 
honour.  Besides  these,  there  were  in  the  same  beautiful  chapel 
the  garment  belonging  to  Christ,  the  lance — that  is  to  say,  the 
iron  head  of  the  lance — the  sponge,  and  other  relics  besides. 

THE    BLOOD    OF    CHRIST   AT    WESTMINSTER    (A.D.   1247). 

Matthew  of  Westminster  says  that  about  the  year  1247  the 
blood  of  Christ,  which  was  preserved  in  the  Holy  Land  as  a  most 
precious  treasure,  was  sent  and  presented  to  the  lord  the  King  of 
England  (Henry  III.)  by  a  certain  brother  of  the  Hospital,  who 
also  sent  the  treasure  written  by  the  lord  the  Patriarch  of 
Jerusalem,  and  the  masters  of  the  body  of  knights  of  the  Temple 
and  Hospital,  who  all  with  unanimous  goodwill  and  prompt  devo- 
tion sent  and  gave  and  presented  this  treasure  to  the  lord  the 
King  ;  and  he  consigned  it  to  his  own  special  house  in  the  church 
of  St.  Peter,  at  Westminster,  on  the  day  of  the  translation  of 
St.  Edward,  giving  it  to  that  church  out  of  his  own  spontaneous 
magnificence  and  liberality.  He  also  on  the  same  day  obtained 
from  the  bishops  who  were  then  present  an  indulgence  of  six  years 
and  one  hundred  and  sixteen  days  for  all  those  who  came  to  worship 
the  holy  relics  and  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  And  about  the  year 
1249  the  preaching  brothers  brought  a  stone  of  white  marble,  which 
ever  since  the  time  of  Christ  had  borne  the  print  of  the  Saviour 
in  the  Holy  Land  ;  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  Holy  Land  asserted 
that  that  impression  was  the  print  of  the  footstep  of  Christ  when 
He  was  ascending  into  heaven.  And  the  aforesaid  lord  the  King 
gave  it  as  a  noble  present  to  the  church  of  Westminster,  as  he 
had,  a  little  while  before,  given  it  the  blood  of  Christ. 

THE    DISCOVERY    OF    ST.    STEPHEN'S    RELICS    (A.D.    415). 

Though  Stephen  was  the  first  martyr,  nobody  knew  for  near  four 
hundred  years  where  his  body  was  buried,  except  that  it  was  at  Cap- 
hargamala  or  borough  of  Gamaliel,  twenty  miles  from  Jerusalem. 
Lucian,  the  priest  of  that  place,  in  415  was  one  night  asleep  or 
half  awake,  when  suddenly  a  comely  old  man,  of  venerable  garb  and 
long  white  beard,  with  a  golden  wand,  entered  the  baptistery 
and  told  Lucian  to  go  to  Jerusalem  and  ask  Bishop  John  to  come 
and  open  the  tomb  where  lay  Stephen,  who  was  stoned  by  the 
Jews,  and  whose  body  was  exposed  to  wild  beasts  ;  but  they  would 


Chap,  vi.]  REVERENCE   FOR   RELICS.  189 

not  touch  it.  Whereupon  the  body  was  taken  away  by  Gamaliel 
and  buried  in  a  particular  spot  near  the  body  of  Nicodemus. 
Lucian  asked  who  this  venerable  messenger  was,  and  the  answer 
was,  "  I  am  Gamaliel,  who  instructed  Paul."  The  vision  appeared 
several  times  to  Lucian,  as  well  as  others,  giving  f urther  parti- 
culars. The  search  was  afterwards  made,  and  three  coffins  found, 
one  of  which  was  Stephen's,  at  the  opening  of  which  the  earth 
shook  and  an  agreeable  odour  issued.  Many  miracles  were 
wrought  by  these  relics,  and  they  were  carried  amid  singing  of 
psalms  and  hymns  to  the  church  of  Sion  at  Jerusalem.  Portions 
of  the  relics  were  carried  to  Spain  by  Orosius,  and  there  caused 
many  sudden  conversions.  Some  also  were  given  to  St.  Austin 
for  his  church  of  Hippo.  In  444  the  Empress  Eudocia  built  a 
stately  church  about  a  furlong  from  Jerusalem,  where  Stephen's 
relics  were  translated,  the  site  being  supposed  to  be  that  where 
he  was  stoned  to  death. 

THE    RELICS    OF    ST.    DUNSTAN    AT    GLASTONBURY  (A.D.   1184). 

As  Dunstan,  who  died  988,  was  a  most  domineering  and  impe- 
rious monk  in  his  day,  and  stood  up  for  his  order,  his  bones  were 
sacred.  When  Glastonbury  Abbey,  after  a  great  fire  in  1184,  was 
rebuilt,  there  was  a  great  stirring  up  of  relics  which  were  placed 
in  slmnes.  Amongst  others  the  St.  Dunstan  relics  gave  rise  to 
a  quarrel  between  the  monks  of  Glastonbury  and  those  of  Canter- 
bury, which  lasted  some  four  centuries.  There  was  an  old  monk 
at  Glastonbury,  named  John  Canan,  who  was  believed  to  be  the 
sole  depositary  of  the  secret  of  Dunstan's  burying-place,  and  a 
boy  named  John  Waterleighe  was  employed  to  get  at  the  secret. 
The  old  monk,  in  circuitous  phrase,  told  the  boy  at  last  that  the 
place  was  near  the  door  where  the  holy  water  was  sprinkled,  and 
this  was  divulged,  and  the  other  monks  lifted  a  stone  and  found 
a  wooden  chest  plated  with  iron.  The  prior  and  all  the  convent 
assembled  to  see  it  opened,  and  they  found  some  of  the  bones  of 
Dunstan  and  a  ring,  in  one  half  of  which  was  a  picture  curiously 
worked.  There  was  a  crown  and  the  word  sanctics  under  it,  so 
that  they  all  were  confident  these  were  the  right  relics.  The 
relics  were  accordingly  solemnly  placed  in  a  shrine  covered  with 
gold  and  silver.  When  the  monks  of  Canterbury  heard  of  this 
they  were  profoundly  agitated,  for  they  drew  pilgrims  chiefly 
under  the  belief  that  their  own  abbey  had  the  better  part  of  the 
saint.  The  rival  monks  wrote  f urious  letters  against  each  other ; 
and  intrigues  continued  at  Canterbury  with  varying  success  till 
the  time  of  the  Reformation. 


190  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

JOHN    HUSS    ON    RELICS  (A.D.  1401). 

John  Huss,  born  1369,  became  a  stirring  preacher,  and  was 
appointed  in  1401  to  officiate  at  the  chapel  of  Bethlehem,  where 
poor  people  chiefly  attended.  The  archbishop  of  that  time  was 
anxious  to  check  some  of  the  current  superstitions,  and  used  Huss 
as  a  means  to  that  end.  One  matter  caused  great  wonder.  A 
knight  had  destroyed  a  church  some  years  before,  but  left  a  stone 
altar  standing.  In  one  of  the  cavities  were  found  three  wafers 
coloured  l'ed,  as  if  with  blood.  Though  such  a  colour  is  naturally 
produced  in  bread  and  similar  substances  long  exposed  to  moisture, 
there  being  a  fungus  gradually  formed,  which  under  the  micro- 
scope is  easily  seen,  but  to  the  naked  eye  having  a  close  resem- 
blance to  blood,  the  ignorant  multitude  at  once  accepted  this  as 
a  miracle,  symbolical  of  the  blood  of  Christ ;  and  extraordinary 
excitement  grew  up,  and  pilgrimages  were  made  from  Denmark, 
Sweden,  Norway,  Hungary,  Poland,  and  Bohemia,  in  order  to 
view  it.  The  monks  and  clergy  encouraged  the  wonder.  The 
archbishop,  shocked  by  such  a  scandal,  appointed  a  committee 
of  three,  one  of  whom  was  Huss,  to  examine  and  report.  Huss 
drew  up  a  report  reflecting  on  this  and  many  similar  relics  as 
entire  delusions,  and  hinting  that  they  were  put  forward  merely 
by  greedy  ecclesiastics  for  base  purposes.  He  reviewed  the  history 
of  these  impostures,  and  also  exposed  another  fraud,  about  a  silver 
hand  hung  up  by  a  citizen  of  Prague  in  a  church,  and  which  was 
long  believed  to  be  in  testimony  of  a  lame  hand  of  the  donor  being 
miraculously  cured,  though  there  had  been  really  no  cure,  as 
hundreds  could  attest. 

POWER   OF   THE    CRUCIFIX   DURING   THE   PLAGUE    (A.D.    1649). 

The  extent  to  which  images  and  their  makers  have  produced 
effects  on  excitable  crowds  was  shown  during  the  plague  of  Malaga 
in  1649.  A  certain  statue  of  Christ  at  the  column  carved  for  the 
cathedral  by  Giuseppe  Micael,  an  Italian,  pei-formed  prodigies 
of  healing,  and  bade  fair  to  rival  that  holy  crucifix  sculptured 
at  Jerusalem  by  Nicodemus,  and  possessed  by  the  Capuchins  of 
Burgos,  which  sweated  on  Fridays  and  wrought  miracles  all  the 
week.  While  the  pestilence  was  yet  raging,  the  sculptor  stood 
one  evening  musing  near  the  door  of  the  sanctuary  where  his 
work  was  enshrined,  but  with  so  sorrowful  a  countenance  that  a 
friend,  hailing  him  from  afar,  according  to  the  usages  of  plague- 
stricken  society,  inquired  the  cause  of  his  sadness.  "  Think  you," 
said  the  artist,  "  that  I  have  anything  more  to  look  for  on  earth 


Chap,  vi.]  REVERENCE   FOR   RELICS.  191 

after  seeing  and  hearing  the  prodigies  and  marvels  of  this  sovereign 
image  which  my  unworthy  hands  have  made  1  It  is  an  old 
tradition  among  the  masters  of  our  craft  that  he  shall  soon  die 
to  whom  it  is  given  to  make  a  miraculous  image."  And  Giuseppe 
erred  not  in  his  presentiment ;  his  chisel's  task  was  done.  Within 
eight  days  the  dead-cart  carried  him  to  the  gorged  cemetery  of 
Malaga.  His  fame  was  long  preserved  by  his  statue,  which 
obtained  the  name  of  the  "  Lord  of  Health." 

THE  POPE  PURCHASES  THE  HEAD  OF  ST.  ANDREW  (A.D.  1461). 

In  1461  great  excitement  was  caused  in  Rome  by  the  arrival 
of  Thomas  Pala?ologus,  brother  of  the  last  Byzantine  emperor, 
who  had  been  driven  from  Greece,  and  brought  with  him  from 
Patras,  the  supposed  place  of  St.  Andrew's  martyrdom,  a  head  of 
that  saint.  The  Pope  (Pius  II.),  on  hearing  of  this  venerable 
relic,  eagerly  entered  into  a  treaty  and  secured  it,  notwithstanding 
that  many  princes  were  his  competitors.  The  head  was  brought, 
with  much  ceremony,  from  Ancona,  and  was  met  at  Narni  by 
Bessarion  and  other  cardinals,  and  on  its  arrival  in  Rome  it  was 
received  with  extraordinary  reverence.  Invitations  were  at  once 
sent  out  by  the  Pope  on  the  same  terms  as  for  a  jubilee,  and  great 
crowds  flocked  from  all  parts.  The  head  was  carried  to  St.  Peter's 
by  a  procession  attended  by  thirty  thousand  torches,  while  the 
palaces  and  houses  along  the  route  were  hung  with  tapestry  and 
filled  with  altars.  The  weather  was  exceptionally  fine,  and  the 
procession  filed  from  the  Flaminian  gate.  The  Vatican  basilica 
was  splendidly  illuminated,  and  the  Pope  addressed  the  holy  relic 
in  an  eloquent  and  impressive  speech,  the  delivery  of  which  was 
interrupted  by  frequent  tears,  sobs,  and  beating  of  breasts.  When 
the  ceremony  was  concluded,  the  head  of  St.  Andrew  was  deposited 
beside  that  of  St.  Peter. 

PILGRIMAGE   TO    WALSINGHAM    (A.D.  1061). 

In  1061  an  obscure  widow,  inhabiting  a  small  village  on  the 
wild  and  tempestuous  coast  of  Norfolk,  by  erecting  a  little  chapel 
resembling  that  at  Nazareth,  where  the  Virgin  was  saluted  by 
the  angel  Gabriel,  was  able  to  impart  a  renown  to  that  village 
which  extended  to  all  England.  Erasmus  thus  described  it  in  his 
time  :  "  Not  far  from  the  sea,  about  four  miles,  there  standeth 
a  town  living  almost  on  nothing  else  but  upon  the  resort  of 
pilgrims.  There  is  a  college  of  canons  there,  supported  by  their 
offerings.     In  the  church   is   a  small    chapel,   but   all  of  wood, 


192  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

whereunto,  on  either  side,  at  a  narrow  and  little  door,  are  such 
admitted  as  come  with  their  devotions  and  offerings.  Small  light 
there  is  in  it,  and  none  other  than  by  wax  tapers,  yielding  a  most 
dainty  and  pleasant  smell ;  nay,  if  you  look  into  it,  you  would 
say  it  is  the  habitation  of  heavenly  saints,  so  bright  and  shining 
all  over  with  precious  stones,  with  gold  and  silver."  Camden  also 
mentions  that  princes  have  repaired  to  this  chapel,  walking  thither 
barefoot. 

A  WINTER  PILGRIMAGE  IN  SWITZERLAND  (A.D.  1110). 

Abbot  Rodolph,  about  1110,  describes  his  pilgrimage  across  the 
Alps :  "  We  were  detained  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Jove  (Great 
St.  Bernard),  in  a  village  called  Restopolis,  from  which  we  could 
neither  advance  nor  retreat,  in  consequence  of  the  heavy  snow. 
At  length  the  guides  conducted  us  as  far  as  St.  Remi,  which  is 
on  the  same  mountain,  where  we  found  a  vast  multitude  of 
travellers,  and  where  we  were  in  danger  of  death  from  the  repeated 
falls  of  snow  from  the  rocks.  We  were  detained  there  till  at 
length  the  guides  aid  they  would  lead  us,  but  demanded  a  heavy 
price.  Their  heads  and  hands  were  guarded  with  skins  and  fur, 
and  their  shoes  armed  with  iron  nails,  to  prevent  them  from 
slipping  on  the  ice,  and  they  carried  long  spears  in  their  hands, 
to  feel  their  way  over  the  snow.  It  was  very  early  in  the  morning, 
and  with  great  fear  and  trembling  the  travellers  celebrated  and 
received  the  holy  mysteries,  as  if  preparing  themselves  for  death. 
They  contended  with  each  other  who  should  first  make  his  con- 
fession ;  and  since  one  priest  did  not  suffice,  they  went  about  the 
church  confessing  then'  sins  to  each  other.  While  these  things 
were  passing  within  the  church  with  great  devotion,  there  was 
a  lamentable  shout  heard  in  the  street ;  for  the  guides,  who  had 
left  the  town  to  clear  the  way,  were  suddenly  buried  under  a  great 
fall  of  snow,  as  if  under  a  mountain.  The  people  ran  to  save 
them,  and  pulled  them  out — some  dead,  some  but  half  alive,  others 
with  broken  limbs.  Upon  this  we  all  returned  to  Restopolis, 
where  we  passed  the  Epiphany.  Upon  the  weather  clearing,  we 
again  set  out,  and  succeeded,  happily,  in  passing  the  profane 
Mount  of  Jove."  St.  Aderal  of  Troyes  made  twelve  pilgrimages 
to  Rome  on  foot.  He  passed  the  Apennines  in  a  season  of  intense 
cold  barefooted,  that  he  might  suffer  something  for  Jesus  Christ, 
and  he  used  to  beat  the  rocks  with  bare  feet. 

PILGRIMS   TO   CANTERBURY   (A.D.  1179). 

In   1179  Louis  VII.,  King  of  France,  in  the  disguise  of  a 


Chap,  vi.]  MARTYRS    AND    RELICS.  193 

common^  pilgrim  visited  Canterbury  as  a  humble  supplicant  at  the 
tomb  of  A  Becket,  for  the  restoration  of  sanity  to  the  Dauphin, 
a  prayer  that  was  instantly  complied  with.  Louis  proved  his 
sincerity  by  offering  a  rich  cup  of  gold  and  the  famous  stone 
called  Regal  of  France,  which  Hemy  VIII.  appropriated  to  his 
own  use  for  a  thumb  ring.  The  great  St.  Thomas  not  only 
attended  to  the  prayers  of  mankind  and  restored  eyes,  limbs,  and 
even  life  to  hundreds ;  but,  to  evince  his  power  and  exhibit  his 
tenderness  to  all  animated  nature,  frequently,  at  the  intercession 
of  the  monks,  restored  to  life  dead  birds  and  beasts.  The  Pope 
naturally  encouraged  these  enthusiastic  feelings,  though  it  is 
rather  surprising  that  his  holiness  Pope  Alexander  should  cause  a 
liturgy  to  be  composed  and  read,  in  which  our  Saviour  is  suppli- 
cated to  redeem  mankind,  not  by  His  holy  blood,  but  by  that  of 
the  saint.  Indeed,  to  such  an  extent  was  the  adoration  of  Becket 
carried  that  it  nearly  absorbed  all  other  devotion.  In  one  year 
the  offerings  at  the  altar  of  the  Deity  at  Canterbury  amounted 
to  <£3  2s.  Qd. ;  at  the  Virgin's,  £Q3  5s.  Qd.  ;  and  at  Becket's, 
,£832  12s.  3d.  And  in  another  year  £954  6.9.  3d.  was  received 
at  Becket's  altar,  only  <£4  Is.  Sd.  at  the  Virgin's,  while  at  that 
of  the  Deity  the  oblation  did  not  amount  to  one  farthing  ! 


13 


194 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE     FA  THERS. 

ORIGEN,    CHAMPION    OF    ORTHODOXY    (A.D.  253). 

When  a  persecution  was  raging  against  the  Christians  about  206, 
Leonidas  and  his  son  Origen  were  among  the  suspected.  Leonidas 
was  beheaded.  Origen,  then  aged  seventeen,  was  also  eager  to 
meet  the  same  fate,  and  he  would  have  been  beheaded  also,  but 
his  mother  privily  in  the  night  season  conveyed  away  his  clothes 
and  his  shirt.  Whereupon,  more  for  shame  to  be  seen  than  for 
fear  to  die,  he  was  constrained  to  remain  at  home.  He  was 
zealous,  however,  and  wrote  to  his  father,  telling  him  not  to 
change  for  his  and  his  mother's  sake.  Then  Origen,  to  assist  his 
mother  and  six  brothers,  kept  a  school,  and  afterwards  was  made 
a  bishop.  He  was  a  great  worker,  lived  sparingly,  and  went 
barefoot.  He  wrote  as  much  as  seven  notaries  and  so  many 
maids  could  pen  every  day.  The  number  of  his  books  was  six 
thousand  volumes.  He  encouraged  and  comforted  all  the  martyrs, 
and  was  a  redoubted  champion  of  doctrines. 

ST.  AMBROSE,    CHAMPION    OF    HIS   ORDER   (A.D.    397). 

St.  Ambrose,  who  died  397,  was  not  only  the  great  advocate 
and  defender  of  the  order  of  virginity,  but  he  displayed  a  high 
sense  of  dignity  in  guarding  the  purity  of  his  church.  He  refused 
to  allow  the  Emperor  Marcellus  to  enter  the  church  because  he 
was  stained  with  the  blood  of  Gratian.  He  also  opposed  the 
Empress  Justina  in  her  Arian  tendencies.  He  was  also  the 
champion  who  opposed  the  orator  Symmachus,  who  pleaded  for 
retaining  the  old  heathen  idols  in  their  old  places  of  worship. 
When  the  Emperor  Theodosius,  in  the  fourth  century,  had 
ordered  what  most  people  considered  a  brutal  massacre  at  Thessa- 
lonica  of  seven  thousand  persons  as  they  were  sitting  in  a  circus 


Chap,  vii.]  THE    FATHERS.  195 

to  witness  a  race,  and  this  by  way  of  punishment  for  a  previous 
riot  in  the  city,  all  eyes  were  turned  to  the  Bishop  of  Milan  to 
avenge  this  outrage.  When  the  Emperor  reached  the  city  some 
days  later,  the  bishop  avoided  meeting  him,  but  wrote  a  letter,  in 
which  he  said :  "  So  bloody  a  scene  as  that  at  Thessalonica  is 
unheard  of  in  the  world's  history.  I  had  warned  and  entreated 
you  against  it.  You  yourself  recognised  its  atrocity.  You 
endeavoured  to  recall  your  decree.  And  now  I  call  on  you  to 
repent."  Soon  after,  when  Ambrose  came  back  to  Milan,  the 
Emperor,  as  usual,  presented  himself  at  the  hour  of  service. 
Ambrose  met  him  in  the  porch,  and  thus  spoke  :  "  It  seems  your 
majesty  has  not  repented  of  the  heinousness  of  your  murder. 
Your  imperial  power  has  darkened  your  understanding,  and  stood 
between  you  and  the  recognition  of  your  sin.  Consider  the  dust 
from  which  you  spring.  How  can  you  uplift  in  prayer  the  hands 
which  still  drip  with  innocent  blood,  or  receive  into  such  bauds 
the  body  of  the  Lord  !  Depart ;  add  not  sin  to  sin.  Find  in 
repentance  the  means  of  mercy  which  can  restore  you  to  health 
of  soul."  The  Einperor  humbled  himself.  For  eight  months  as 
a  penitent  he  abstained  from  presenting  himself  at  Divine  Bervice. 
During  the  penance  Theodosius  bitterly  complained  that  the 
Church  of  God  was  opened  to  slaves  and  beggars,  but  to  him  was 
closed,  and  with  it  the  gates  of  heaven.  He  tried  once  to  gain 
admittance,  but  Ambrose  sternly  refused  until  the  Emperor 
promised  to  show  openly  his  repentance  by  taking  his  place  in  the 
church  among  the  penitents.  The  spirit  displayed  by  Ambrose 
in  this  episode  raised  his  reputation,  and  has  Left  on  example  to  all 
future  bishops  when  contending  against  absolute  power. 

WHY    ST.    AMBROSE    FELL    ASLEEP    AT    MASS. 

St.  Martin,  Bishop  of  Tours,  died  in  397,  on  the  day  which  he 
himself  had  predicted.  On  that  day  Severinus,  Bishop  of  Cologne, 
asked  his  archdeacon  if  he  heard  any  sounds  in  the  air.  The 
latter  stood  erect  and  listened,  and  then  answered,  "  I  hear  voices 
as  of  those  singing  in  heaven,  but  what  they  may  be  I  know  not." 
And  Severinus  was  then  informed  that  these  were  the  songs  of 
angels  as  they  carried  Martin  up  to  heaven.  At  that  same  hour 
also  the  blessed  Ambrose  was  celebrating  Mass  at  Milan,  and  the 
custom  was,  that  the  reader  should  not  begin  to  read  till  the 
bishop  nodded  to  him.  And  when  he  would  have  begun  standing 
before  the  altar,  the  blessed  Ambrose  fell  asleep  on  the  altar. 
Though  many  saw  this,  no  man  presumed  to  wake  him,  till  after 
two  or  three  hours  had  elapsed,  when  they  spoke  to  him,  saying, 


196  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

"  The  hour  has  passed  by ;  let  my  lord  the  bishop  command  the 
lector  to  read,  for  the  people  are  waiting  and  already  are  very 
weary."  And  Ambrose  bade  them  not  be  disturbed,  for  that  his 
brother  Martin  had  departed  from  the  flesh,  and  he  had  just  been 
attending  his  funeral.  And  greatly  astonished,  and  noting  the 
day  and  hour,  they  afterwards  discovered  that  at  that  very  time 
the  blessed  Martin  had  been  buried  at  Tours,  where  the  whole 
city  and  neighbourhood  had  followed  him  with  hymns  and  tears 
to  the  grave. 

SOME   SAYINGS   OF   ST.    AMBROSE. 

It  was  related  that  an  obstinate  heretic  who  went  to  hear 
St.  Ambrose  preach,  only  to  confute  and  mock  him,  beheld  an  angel 
visible  at  his  side  and  prompting  the  words  the  saint  uttered. 
On  seeing  this,  the  scoffer  was  self -convicted  and  became  a  convert. 
One  day  St.  Ambrose,  calling  at  the  house  of  a  Tuscan  nobleman, 
was  hospitably  received,  and  began  to  inquire  into  the  condition 
of  his  host,  who  replied,  "  I  have  never  known  adversity — every 
day  has  seen  me  increasing  in  fortune,  in  honours  and  possessions ; 
I  have  a  numerous  family  of  sons  and  daughters,  who  have  never 
caused  me  a  moment  of  sorrow  ;  I  have  a  multitude  of  slaves,  to 
whom  my  word  is  law  ;  and  T  have  never  suffered  either  sickness 
or  pain."  On  hearing  this,  Ambrose  rose  suddenly  from  the 
table  and  said,  "  Let  us  make  haste  to  quit  this  roof  ere  it  fall 
upon  us,  for  the  Lord  is  not  here  !  "  And  he  had  scarcely  left 
the  house  when  an  earthquake  shook  the  ground  and  swallowed 
up  the  palace  and  all  its  inhabitants.  The  church,  the  basilica 
of  St.  Ambrogio  Maggiore  at  Milan,  is  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  interesting  in  Christendom,  and  was  founded  in  387.  Though 
rebuilt  and  restored  at  least  twice,  it  still  retains  the  form  of  the 
primitive  churches,  with  doors  of  cypress  wood.  On  the  front  of 
the  high  altar,  which  is  all  of  plates  of  gold  enamelled  with 
precious  stones,  are  represented  in  relief  scenes  from  the  life  of 
our  Saviour. 

ST.    AMBROSE   AND  THE   RELICS   OF   ST.    GERVASIUS. 

One  of  the  points  which  stagger  modern  Christians  about  St. 
Ambrose  and  St.  Augustine  is  their  enthusiastic  and  apparent^ 
genuine  belief  in  saints'  relics.  When  St.  Ambrose  was  asked  to 
consecrate  a  new  church,  and  he  consented  on  condition  that  he 
should  have  some  new  relics  to  place  therein,  the  relics  were  soon 
forthcoming.  He  professed  that  he  was  told  in  a  dream  where 
the   relics   of   Gervasius   and   another  saint  were  buried.     The 


Chap,  vii.]  THE   FATHERS.  197 

bodies  were  afterwards  found  in  the  spot  indicated  and  placed 
in  the  new  church.  Ambrose  delivered  impassioned  and  fanciful 
harangues  during  the  proceedings,  claiming  for  these  relics  that 
they  had  expelled  demons  and  restored  sight  to  a  blind  butcher 
named  Severus,  who  merely  touched  them.  Mosheim,  Gibbon,  and 
Isaac  Taylor  treat  all  this  as  a  mere  trick  or  imposture.  But 
others  are  not  prepared  to  come  to  any  decision,  as  next  to  nothing 
is  known  as  to  the  circumstances  under  which  all  these  events 
or  apparent  events  happened.  The  expelling  of  demons  may  be 
explained  by  some  hysterical  excitement ;  and  the  blindness  may 
have  been  something  more  or  less  temporary.  Ambrose,  however, 
apparently  had  the  most  unfeigned  belief  in  the  miracles,  and  he 
related  the  whole  story  to  his  sister  Marcellina  in  a  letter  which 
does  not  savour  of  knavery.  St.  Augustine,  at  a  later  date,  also 
related  similar  miracles  worked  by  the  same  relics,  which  he 
vouches  to  be  true. 

st.  jerome's  life  of  paul,  tiie  first  hermit  (a.d.  400). 
St.  Jerome,  in  his  Life  of  Paid,  the  first  hermit,  says  that 
Paul,  when  a  boy,  suspecting  his  life  to  be  in  danger,  fled  to  the 
wilderness,  and  found  a  convenient  great  cave  in  which  to  live. 
"  In  this  beloved  dwelling,"  says  Jerome,  "  offered  him  as  it  were 
by  God,  Paul  spent  all  his  life  in  prayer  and  solitude,  while  the 
palm  tree  gave  him  food  and  clothes  ;  as  to  which,  lest  it  should  seem 
impossible  to  some,  I  call  Jesus  and  His  holy  angels  to  witness 
that  I  have  seen  monks,  one  of  whom,  shut  up  for  thirty  years, 
lived  on  barley  bread  and  muddy  water  ;  another,  in  an  old  cistern, 
which  in  the  country  speech  they  call  the  Syrian's  bed,  was  kept 
alive  on  five  figs  each  day.  These  things  therefore  will  seem 
incredible  to  those  who  do  not  believe,  for  to  those  who  do  believe 
all  things  are  possible."  St.  Paul  the  hermit,  in  his  one  hundred 
and  thirteenth  year,  was  visited  by  Antony,  who  was  ninety, 
Paul  being  in  a  dying  state  in  a  sequestered  cell.  Antony  was 
sent  on  a  message,  and  on  his  return  Paul  was  found  on  his  knees 
with  hands  uplifted  as  if  in  prayer,  but  was  quite  dead.  Antony, 
according  to  previous  instructions,  wished  to  bury  the  saint,  but 
had  no  spade,  and  sat  down  to  consider  how  he  was  to  proceed. 
Forthwith,  as  Jerome  relates,  two  lions  came  running  from  the 
desert  tossing  their  manes,  fearless  and  innocent  as  doves.  They 
went  straight  to  the  corpse,  crouched,  wagged  their  tails  and 
roared,  and  then  began  to  claw  the  ground  and  dig  a  deep  place, 
large  enough  to  hold  a  man.  When  they  had  finished  they  came 
to  Antony,  dropped  their  necks,  and  licked  his  hands  and  feet,  as 


198  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

if  praying  for  a  blessing.  Antony  praised  God,  who  taught  the 
dumb  animals,  and  without  whose  word  not  a  leaf  drops  nor  one 
sparrow  falls  to  the  ground ;  and  then  signing  with  his  hand  to 
the  lions,  they  went  away  peaceably  to  the  desert  from  which  they 
came. 

st.  jerome's  reflections  on  paul  the  hermit. 
St.  Jerome,  after  narrating  the  life  and  death  of  Paul,  the  first 
hermit,  thus  concludes :  "I  am  inclined  at  the  end  of  my  treatise 
to  ask  those  who  know  not  the  extent  of  their  patrimonies,  who 
cover  their  houses  with  marbles,  who  sew  the  price  of  whole  farms 
into  their  garments  with  a  single  thread,  What  was  ever  wanting 
to  this  naked  old  man  ?  Ye  drink  from  a  gem ;  he  satisfied  nature 
from  the  hollow  of  his  hands.  Ye  weave  gold  into  your  tunics, 
he  had  not  even  the  vilest  garment  of  your  bondslave.  But,  on 
the  other  hand,  to  that  poor  man  Paradise  is  open ;  you,  gilded 
as  you  are,  Gehenna  will  receive.  He,  though  naked,  kept  the 
garment  of  Christ ;  you,  clothed  in  silk,  have  lost  Christ's  robe. 
Paul  lies  covered  with  the  meanest  dust  to  rise  in  glory  ;  you  are 
crushed  by  wrought  sepulchres  of  stone,  to  burn  with  all  your 
works.  Spare,  I  beseech  you,  yourselves ;  spare  at  least  the 
riches  which  you  love.  Why  do  you  wrap  even  your  dead  in 
golden  vestments?  Why  does  not  ambition  stop  amid  grief  and 
tears  1  Cannot  the  corpses  of  the  rich  decay  save  in  silk  1  I 
beseech  thee,  whosoever  thou  art  that  reaclest  this,  to  remember 
Jerome  the  sinner,  who,  if  the  Lord  gave  him  choice,  would  much 
sooner  choose  Paul's  tunic  with  his  merits  than  the  purple  of 
kings  with  then-  punishments." 

ST.  JEROME  WITH  THE  LION  AND  THE  ASS. 

A  legend  of  St.  Jerome,  who  died  420,  relates  that  one  evening 
as  he  sat  within  the  gates  of  his  monastery  at  Bethlehem,  a  lion 
entered,  limping  as  in  pain,  and  all  the  brethren  when  they  saw 
the  beast  fled  in  terror.  But  Jerome  arose,  and  went  forward  to 
meet  the  lion  as  though  it  had  been  a  guest.  And  the  lion  lifted 
up  his  paw,  and  Jerome,  on  examining  it,  found  that  it  was 
wounded  by  a  thorn,  which  he  extracted ;  and  he  tended  the  lion 
till  it  was  healed.  The  grateful  beast  remained  with  his  bene- 
factor, and  Jerome  confided  to  him  the  task  of  guarding  the  ass, 
which  was  employed  in  bringing  firewood  from  the  forest.  On 
one  occasion,  the  lion  having  gone  to  sleep  while  the  ass  was  at 
pasture,  some  merchants  passing  by  carried  away  the  ass,  and 
the  lion,  after  searching  for  him  in  vain,  returned  to  the  monastery 


Chap,  vii.]  THE   FATHERS.  199 

with  drooping  head  as  one  ashamed.  St.  Jerome,  believing  that 
it  had  devoured  its  companion,  commanded  that  the  daily  task 
of  the  ass  should  be  laid  upon  the  lion,  and  that  the  faggots 
should  be  bound  on  its  back,  to  which  it  magnanimously  submitted, 
until  the  ass  should  be  recovered,  which  was  in  this  wise.  One 
day,  the  lion  having  finished  its  task,  ran  hither  and  thither, 
still  seeking  its  companion,  and  it  saw  a  caravan  of  merchants 
approaching,  and  a  string  of  camels,  which,  according  to  the 
Arabian  custom,  was  led  by  an  ass.  And  when  the  lion  recognised 
its  friend  it  drove  the  camels  into  the  convent,  and  so  terrified 
the  merchants  that  they  confessed  the  theft  and  received  pardon 
from  St.  Jerome.  Hence  the  lion  is  often  introduced  into  the 
pictures  of  St.  Jerome. 

THE    DEATHBED    OF    ST.    JEROME. 

The  ancient  biographer  Peter  de  Natalibus  thus  describes  the 
last   hours  of  Jerome  :    As  Jerome's   death   drew  near,  he  com- 
manded that  he  should  be  laid  on  the  bare  ground  and  covered 
with  sackcloth,  and  calling  the  brethren  around  him,  he  spoke 
sweetly  to  them,  and  exhorted   them  in  many  holy  words,  and 
with  tears  received  the  blessed   Eucharist.      And  sinking  back- 
wards again  on  the  earth,  his  hands  crossed  on  his  heart,  he  >ang 
the  Nunc  Dimittis,  which  being  finished,  suddenly  a  great  light 
as  of  the  noonday  sun  shone  round  about  him,  within  which  light 
angels  innumerable  were  seen  by  the  bystanders  in  shifting  motion. 
And  the  voice  of  the  Saviour  was  heard  inviting  him  to  heaven, 
and  the  holy  doctor  answered  that  he  was  ready.     And  after  an 
hour  that  light  departed,  and  Jerome's  spirit  with  it.     And  at 
that  very  hour  Augustine,  Bishop  of  Hippo,  was  sitting  in  his 
cell  meditating  a  treatise  on  the  beatific  vision,  anil  had  begun 
an 'epistle  to  Jerome,  consulting  him  on  that   mystery,  when  an 
ineffable  light  with  a  fragrant  odour  filled  Ins  cell,  and  a  voice 
came  to  him  therefrom,  reproving  him  of  presumption  for  deeming 
that,   while  yet  in  the  flesh,  he   could   comprehend   the  eternal 
beatitude.     And  Augustine  demanding  who  spoke   to   him,  the 
voice  answered,  "  Jerome's  soul,  to  whom  thou  writest,  for  I  am 
this  very  hour  loosed  from  the  flesh,  and  on  my  way  to  heaven." 
And  after  Augustine  had  asked  him  many  questions  concerning 
the  joys  of  heaven,  the  angelic  nature,  and  the  Blessed  Trinity, 
and  Jerome  had  answered  thereto,  the  light  and  the  voice  departed. 

st.  jerome's  epistles. 
Mr.  Boberts,  in  his  "  Church  Memorials,"  speaks  of  St.  Jerome 


200  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN  HISTORY. 

as  follows :  The  various  letters  of  Jerome  to  Helvidius,  Jovinian 
Vigilantius,  and  even  to  Augustine,  leave  the  fact  unquestionable 
that  he  was  a  man  of  great  infirmity  of  temper,  disposed  alike 
to  depreciate  the  merits  of  others  and  unduly  exalt  his  own.  To 
the  exercise  of  his  vituperative  talents  it  must  be  owned  that  we 
are  indebted  for  some  of  his  most  vigorous  productions.  Few  of 
his  corresponding  friends  were  without  some  experience  of  the 
rough  discipline  of  his  pen.  Ruffinus  says  he  spared  none,  neither 
monk  nor  maiden.  Ambrose  and  Lidymus  and  Chrysostom 
himself  shared  his  reproaches.  Those  who  submitted  to  the  obliga- 
tion of  celibacy  on  the  ostensible  ground  of  religious  abstinence 
were  among  the  rare  objects  of  his  eulogy.  He  breaks  out  in  his 
writings  into  gross  and  unwarrantable  sallies  against  the  matri- 
monial estate,  and  exalting  above  all  comparison  with  it  the 
felicity  of  virgins.  His  opinions  on  this  subject  appear  to  have 
arisen  out  of  the  self-sufficiency  of  his  own  brain,  which  led  him 
to  consult  his  own  fervid  impressions  and  prejudices  rather  than 
the  teaching  of  Divine  wisdom.  But  after  making  all  necessary 
deductions  from  the  dignity  and  deserts  of  Jerome  on  the  score 
of  prejudice  and  passion,  our  obligations  to  him  remain  very  great, 
not  only  for  his  admirable  contributions  to  the  stores  of  sacred 
learning  in  all  its  departments,  but  for  his  strenuous  and  efficacious 
advocacy  of  the  truth  as  it  is  set  forth  in  the  oracles  of  God. 
Lessons  of  practical  piety  and  discriminating  Christian  prudence 
not  seldom  flowed  from  his  able  pen. 

st.  chrysostom's  eloquence  as  a  preacher  (a.d.  407). 
St.  Chrysostom  became  noted  for  the  eloquence  of  his  sermons 
soon  after  he  was  ordained  a  presbyter  in  386.  One  of  his 
sermons  at  a  time  when  the  people  were  given  to  riots  ended  thus  : 
"  When  you  return  home,  converse  on  these  subjects  with  all 
your  house,  as  some,  when  returning  from  the  meadows,  take 
home  to  their  families  garlands  of  roses  or  violets  or  some  such 
flowers ;  others  branches  laden  with  fruit  from  the  gardens ;  or 
the  superfluous  dainties  from  costly  feasts  in  like  manner.  When 
you  depart  home,  carry  admonitions  to  your  wives,  your  children, 
your  dependants.  For  these  counsels  are  more  profitable  to  you 
than  flowers,  fruit,  or  feasts.  These  roses  never  wither ;  these 
fruits  never  decay ;  these  meats  never  corrupt.  The  former  im- 
part a  transitory  pleasure  ;  the  latter  insure  a  lasting  advantage, 
an  enjoyment  both  present  and  to  come.  Let  us  thus  occupy  our- 
selves instead  of  the  accustomed  anxiety  with  which  we  trouble 
to  ask  each  other,  '  Has  the  Emperor  heard  of  the  things  that 


Chap,  vii.]  THE   FATHERS.  201 

have  happened  ?  Is  he  incensed  1  What  sentence  has  he  pro- 
nounced ?  Has  any  one  appeased  him  1  Can  he  persuade  himself 
to  utterly  destroy  so  great  and  populous  a  city  ] '  Casting  these 
and  the  like  cares  upon  God,  we  shall  do  well  to  heed  only  the 
observance  of  His  commandments.  Thus  will  all  our  present 
sorrows  pass  away." 

ST.    CHRYSOSTOM    ON   THE    WEAK    POINT    OF    MONKERY. 

Though  St.  Chrysostom  was  himself  a  hermit  for  six  years,  he 
thus,  in  the  height  of  the  mania  for  monkery,  exposed  the  weakness 
of  that  practice  in  one  of  his  sermons  :  "  Those  who  forsake  the 
city,  the  favour  and  society  of  men,  and  cease  to  instruct  others, 
are  apt  to  excuse  themselves  by  saying  that  they  must  not  become 
dead  to  godliness.  How  much  better  were  it  to  become  more 
dead  to  godliness,  and  to  profit  others  rather  than  remain  on  the 
heights  looking  down  on  their  perishing  brethren  !  For  how  shall 
we  overcome  our  enemies  if  the  greater  part  of  us  have  no  heed 
to  godliness,  and  those  who  have  a  heed  to  it  withdraw  from  the 
order  of  battle?  No  deed  can  be  truly  great  unless  it  impart 
benefit  to  others.  This  is  manifest  from  the  example  of  him  who 
returned  the  talent,  which  he  had  received,  whole,  because  he  had 
added  naught  to  its  value.  Wherefore,  my  brethren,  though  ye 
fast,  though  ye  sleep  upon  the  bare  ground,  though  ye  strew 
yourselves  with  ashes,  though  ye  mourn  without  ceasing,  yet  if  ye 
do  no  good  to  any  one,  ye  shall  have  done  no  great  thing,  for  this 
was  the  chief  care  of  those  great  and  holy  men  who  were  in  the 
beginning.  Examine  closely  their  lives,  and  ye  will  see  clearly 
that  none  of  them  ever  looked  to  Iris  own  interest,  but  to  that  of 
his  neighbour.  If  ye  seek  not  the  advantage  of  your  neighbour, 
ye  cannot  attain  unto  salvation." 

ST.    CHRYSOSTOM    ON    PEOPLE    SPEAKING    IN    CHURCH. 

St.  Chrysostom,  who  died  407,  in  his  homily  on  the  text, 
11  Brethren,  be  not  children  in  understanding,"  thus  rebuked  the 
habits  of  his  people  in  church  :  "  The  church  itself  is  a  house,  or 
rather  worse  than  any  house.  For  in  a  house  one  may  see  much 
good  order.  But  here  great  is  the  tumult,  great  the  confusion, 
and  our  assemblies  differ  in  nothing  from  a  vintner's  shop,  so 
loud  is  the  laughter,  so  great  the  disturbance :  as  in  baths,  as  in 
markets,  the  cry  and  tumult  is  universal.  And  these  things  occur 
here  only :  since  elsewhere  it  is  not  permitted  even  to  address 
one's  neighbour  in  the  church,  not  even  if  one  have  recognised  a 
long-absent  friend ;  but  these  things  are  done  without,  and  very 


202  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

properly.  For  the  church  is  no  barber's  or  perfumer's  shop,  nor 
any  other  merchant's  warehouse  in  the  market-place,  but  a  place 
of  angels,  a  place  of  archangels,  a  palace  of  God,  heaven  itself. 
As  therefore  if  one  had  rent  the  heaven  and  had  brought  thee 
in  thither,  though  thou  shouldst  see  thy  father  or  thy  brother, 
thou  wouldst  not  venture  to  speak,  so  neither  here  ought  one  to 
utter  any  other  sound  but  those  which  are  spiritual.  For  in 
truth  the  things  in  this  place  are  also  a  heaven.  Here  the 
buffoon  who  is  moving  laughter  or  the  giddy  woman  who  collects 
vast  crowds  is  listened  to ;  but  when  God  is  speaking  from  heaven 
on  subjects  so  awful,  we  behave  ourselves  more  shamelessly  than 
dogs." 

ST.    AUGUSTINE   WITNESSING   TWO   MIRACLES. 

St.  Augustine  in  426  relates  two  miracles  which  he  himself 
witnessed.  Two  persons,  Paul  and  Palladia,  brother  and  sister, 
natives  of  Csesarea,  were  afflicted  with  excessive  trembling  in 
their  limbs.  They  had  visited  many  places  in  search  of  a  cure, 
and  at  last  were  directed  by  a  venerable  person,  who  appeared  in 
a  vision  to  Paul,  to  go  to  the  church  at  Hippo,  where  St.  Stephen's 
relics  had  been  deposited  a  year  before.  One  Easter  Sunday 
Paul  was  praying  before  the  relics,  when  he  suddenly  fell  and 
lay  motionless,  as  if  asleep,  but  without  trembling.  The  spectators 
were  astonished,  and  uncertain  whether  to  raise  him  up  or  leave 
him  alone.  He  rose  up  soon  quite  healed,  whereon  the  congrega- 
tion began  to  praise  God  and  shouted  with  joy.  They  ran  to 
another  part  of  the  church  to  tell  St.  Augustine,  who  was  already 
beginning  the  service.  He  next  day  made  Paul  and  his  sister  sit 
in  a  raised  part  of  the  church,  the  one  healed,  the  other  trembling, 
and  after  a  general  discourse  thus  concluded:  "Now,  listen  to 
what  we  have  heard  of  this  miracle.  During  the  stoning  of 
St.  Stephen  a  stone  which  had  struck  him  on  the  elbow  rebounded 
on  a  believer  who  was  present.  He  took  it  up  and  kept  it.  This 
man  was  a  sailor,  whom  chance  at  last  brought  to  Ancona,  and 
he  knew  by  revelation  that  he  was  to  leave  this  stone  there.  A 
chapel  was  erected  there  to  St.  Stephen,  and  a  report  was  spread 
that  one  of  his  elbows  was  there.  It  was  afterwards  understood 
that  the  sailor  had  been  inspired  to  leave  this  stone  in  that  place 
because  Ancona  signifies  '  the  elbow '  in  Greek.  But  no  miracles 
were  wrought  there  till  after  the  body  of  Stephen  had  been 
discovered."  St.  Augustine  was  going  on  with  his  discourse, 
recounting  other  miracles  from  these  relics,  when  a  great  shout 
arose,  and  the  congregation  interrupted  him,  and  some  brought 


Chap,  vii.]  THE   FATHERS.  203 

before  him  Palladia,  who  had  just  been  suddenly  healed  in  the 
same  way  as  her  brother  Paul  when  she  went  again  to  pray 
before  the  relics.  The  people  were  overjoyed,  and  continued  their 
shouts  till  Augustine  had  to  pause ;  and  when  they  were  a  little 
silent,  he  concluded  with  a  thanksgiving. 

THE   VISION    OF    ST.    AUGUSTIXE. 

St.  Augustine,  Bishop  of  Hippo,  near  Carthage,  who  died  430, 
and  whose  magnificent  tomb  in  the  cathedral  of  Pavia  is  rich 
as  a  work  of  art,  had  in  the  course  of  his  studies,  while  writing 
discourses  on  the  Trinity,  a  dream  or  vision,  which  he  thus  related  : 
"  I  was  wandering  along  the  seashore  lost  in  meditation.  Suddenly 
I  beheld  a  child,  who,  having  dug  a  hole  in  the  sand,  appeared 
to  be  bringing  water  from  the  sea  to  fill  it.  I  inquired  of  the 
child  what  was  jthe  object  of  this  task,  and  it  replied,  '  I  intend 
to  empty  into  this  hole  all  the  waters  of  the  great  deep.'  '  Im- 
possible ! '  I  exclaimed.  '  Not  more  impossible,'  replied  the  child, 
'  than  for  you,  O  Augustine,  to  explain  the  mystery  on  which 
you  are  now  meditating.'  "  This  incident  is  also  related  of  another 
great  preacher  (see  ante,  p.  108).  St.  Augustine  is  often  in 
mediaeval  pictures  represented  as  standing  arrayed  in  his  episcopal 
robes  on  the  seashore,  gazing  with  astonishment  on  an  infant 
Christ,  who  holds  a  bowl,  a  cup,  and  a  ladle.  Murillo  has  a  great 
picture  on  this  subject.  St.  Augustine  admitted  with  shame  that 
when  a  boy  he  had  robbed  an  orchard,  and  that  the  multiplication 
table  was  detestable  to  him. 

ST.  AUGUSTIXE's  FAITH  IX  DKEAMS. 
St.  Augustine's  faith  in  dreanis  was  illustrated  by  him  in  a 
letter  to  a  friend,  who  was  specidating  about  future  life.  He  said 
there  was  a  beloved  physician  at  Carthage  named  Gennadius,  who, 
though  an  earnest  benefactor  of  the  poor,  had  doubts  about  the 
future  life.  One  night  Gennadius  dreamt  that  a  noble-looking 
youth  came  to  him  and  said,  "  Follow  me."  He  followed,  and 
was  led  to  a  city  in  which  he  heard  delicious  music  of  hymns  and 
psalms,  and  the  youth  explained  that  this  was  the  singing  of  the 
blessed  and  the  holy.  When  he  awoke  and  found  it  was  a  dream, 
he  attached  no  importance  to  it.  But  on  another  night  the  same 
youth  came  again,  and  asked,  "  Do  you  remember  me  1 "  "  Yes," 
said  Gennadius,  "  I  saw  you  in  my  dream,  and  you  took  me  to 
hear  the  songs  of  the  blessed."  "  Are  you  dreaming  now  ? " 
"  Yes."     "  Where  is  your  body  at  this  moment  ?  "     "  In  my  bed." 


204  FLOWERS  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

"  Your  eyes,  then,  are  closed  and  bound  in  sleep  ?  "  "  Yes."  "  How 
is  it,  then,  that  you  see  me?"  Gennadius  could  give  no  answer, 
and  the  angel  said,  "  Just  as  you  see  me  without  the  eyes  of  the 
flesh,  so  it  will  be  when  all  your  senses  are  removed  by  death. 
There  shall  still  be  life  in  you  and  a  faculty  to  perceive.  Take 
care  that  henceforth  you  have  no  doubts  about  the  life  to  come." 
St.  Austin  adds  :  "  You  may  say  that  this  was  a  dream,  and  any 
one  may  think  what  he  likes  about  it.  Nevertheless,  there  are 
some  dreams  which  have  a  Divine  significance." 

ST.   CYRIL   OF   ALEXANDRIA    (A.D.    444). 

A  famous  champion  of  orthodoxy  was  St.  Cyril  of  Alexandria, 
who  flourished  in  444.  He  spent  five  years  of  his  youth  in  the 
monasteries  of  Nitria,  and  became  an  ardent  student  of  theology, 
and  his  uncle,  the  Archbishop  Theophilus,  recalled  him  to  take 
office  in  the  church.  He  soon  became  a  popular  preacher,  having 
a  comely  person  and  a  sonorous  voice,  and  his  friends  stationed 
themselves  in  convenient  places  in  the  church  to  applaud  him 
and  bring  out  all  his  merits.  He  soon  succeeded  to  the  patri- 
archate, which  gave  him  civil  as  well  as  ecclesiastical  powers.  He 
had  no  patience  with  heretics,  and  not  only  interdicted  the 
Moravians  from  performing  public  worship,  but  confiscated  their 
holy  vessels.  His  virulent  rage  against  the  Jews  had  no  bounds, 
and  without  warning  or  authority  he  led  a  fanatic  mob  early  one 
morning  and  attacked  their  synagogues  and  demolished  them, 
rewarded  his  followers  with  the  plunder,  and  expelled  the  ancient 
people  from  the  city.  He  insisted  on  paying  the  highest  honours 
to  a  monk  who,  like  an  assassin,  had  wounded  the  prefect.  He 
also  took  umbrage  at  Hypatia,  a  young  and  beautiful  woman, 
who  taught  philosophy,  and  who  was  said  to  take  the  part  of  the 
prefect  against  Cyril.  One  day  it  was  said  Cyril's  fanatical 
followers  seized  this  lady,  stripped  and  butchered  her,  and  burnt 
her  body  in  the  church,  thereby  leaving  an  indelible  stain  on  his 
character.  He  also  was  indefatigable  in  persecuting  Nestoiius,  an 
alleged  heretic. 

SOME    NOTIONS    OP    THE    FATHERS. 

Some  of  the  notions  to  which  the  Fathers  clung  were  these : 
That  Christ  would  return  and  reign  with  the  saints  in  Jerusalem 
in  the  flesh  for  a  thousand  years ;  that  the  angels  had  bodies 
and  appetites ;  that  Christ's  body  was  not  sensitive  to  the  stripes 
and  torments  inflicted ;  that  after  death  all  should  pass  a  fiery 


Chap,  vii.]  THE   FATHERS.  205 

trial  before  the  final  judgment  day ;  that  God's  Providence  was 
confined  only  to  men  as  rational  creatures,  but  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  beasts  of  the  field,  with  bugs  and  flies  and  worms ;  that 
marriage  was  in  any  circumstances  a  degrading  institution,  but 
a  second  marriage  was  accursed ;  that  infants  which  die  before 
baptism  cannot  be  saved;  that  the  baptism  of  heretics  was 
invalid  and  null ;  that  an  oath  was  utterly  unlawful  for  Chris- 
tians to  take ;  that  our  Saviour  lived  fifty  years,  and  was  not 
crucified  at  the  age  of  thirty-three. 


206 


CHAPTER   VIII. 
THE  MONKS  AND   THEIR    WAYS. 

ORIGIN   AND   PROGRESS   OF   MONACHISM. 

As  early  as  the  second  century  men  and  women  began  to  feel 
the  charm  of  a  peaceful,  contemplative  life,  wholly  severed  from 
the  selfish,  sensual,  and  brutish  ways  of  large  communities. 
Hence  they  were  attracted  to  deserts  and  secluded  places,  and 
to  seek  happiness  by  living  entirely  alone.  It  is  thought  this 
turn  of  religious  life  was  first  developed  in  Egypt.  About  378  St. 
Basil,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Csesarea,  introduced  monachism  into 
Asia  Minor,  and  thence  into  the  East,  and  he  enjoined  poverty, 
obedience,  chastity,  and  self -mortification  as  the  great  objects  to  be 
kept  in  view.  A  peculiar  habit  was  found  to  answer  best  to  this 
kind  of  life.  Both  monks  and  nuns  chose  plain  coarse  clothes 
and  girdles.  The  monks  went  barelegged,  and  their  hair  was 
more  or  less  shaven.  In  529  St.  Benedict,  an  Italian  of  noble 
birth,  instituted  a  code  of  conduct  for  his  monastery  on  Monte 
Cassino,  a  hill  between  Rome  and  Naples,  and  added  manual 
labour  for  seven  hours  a  day.  St.  Augustine,  the  apostle  to 
the  Anglo-Saxons,  about  596,  belonged  to  the  Benedictine  order, 
and  so  did  St.  Dunstan,  about  930.  The  habit  of  the  Bene- 
dictines consisted  of  a  white  woollen  cassock,  and  over  that  an 
ample  black  gown  and  a  black  hood.  The  female  houses  had 
also  a  white  under-garment,  a  black  gown  and  black  veil,  with 
a  white  wimple  round  the  face  and  neck.  The  monks  of  Clugny, 
in  Burgundy,  founded  in  927,  abandoned  manual  labour  and 
devoted  themselves  more  to  contemplative  studies.  The  Clng- 
niacs,  the  Carthusians,  the  Cistercians,  and  the  orders  of 
Camaldoli  and  Grandmont,  all  sprang  from  the  Benedictine 
order,  each  having  their  own  variations.  St.  Bernard  joined 
the  Cistercians  in  1113.  The  Augustinians  were  a  milder  order 
than   the    Benedictines,    and   were   divided   into  canons  secular 


Chap.  viii.J  THE   MONKS   AND   THEIR   WAYS.  207 

and  canons  regular.  A  branch  of  the  Augustinians  were  the 
military  orders,  or  Knights  of  the  Temple,  who  arose  about 
1118,  after  the  experience  of  the  Crusaders,  and  devoted  them- 
selves to  escorting  pilgrims  to  Jerusalem  and  the  holy  places. 

THE   MIRACLES   AND   WORSHIP   OF   THE    MONKS. 

Gibbon  sums  up  his  account  of  the  monks  as  follows :  "  The 
monastic  saints,  who  excite  only  the  contempt  and  pity  of  a 
philosopher,  were  respected  and  almost  adored  by  the  prince 
and  people.  The  Christian  world  fell  prostrate  before  their 
shrines,  and  the  miracles  ascribed  to  their  relics  exceeded  at 
least  in  number  and  duration  the  spiritual  exploits  of  their 
lives.  But  the  golden  legend  of  then*  lives  was  greatly 
embellished  by  the  artful  credulity  of  their  interested  brethren  ; 
and  a  believing  age  was  easily  persuaded  that  the  slightest 
caprice  of  an  Egyptian  or  a  Syrian  monk  had  been  sufficient 
to  interrupt  the  eternal  laws  of  the  universe.  The  favourites 
of  Heaven  were  accustomed  to  cure  inveterate  diseases  with 
a  touch,  a  word,  or  a  distant  message,  and  to  expel  the  most 
obstinate  demons  from  the  souls  or  bodies  which  they  possessed. 
They  familiarly  or  imperiously  commanded  the  lions  and  serpents 
of  the  desert,  infused  vegetation  into  a  sapless  trunk,  suspended 
iron  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  passed  the  Nile  on  the  back  of 
a  crocodile,  and  refreshed  themselves  in  a  fiery  furnace.  These 
extravagant  tales,  which  display  the  fiction  without  the  genius 
of  poetry,  have  seriously  affected  the  reason,  the  faith,  and  the 
morals  of  the  Christians.  Their  credulity  debas  d  and  vitiated 
the  faculties  of  the  mind  •  they  corrupted  the  evidence  of  history, 
and  superstition  gradually  extinguished  the  hostile  light  of 
philosophy  and  science.  Every  mode  of  religious  worship  which 
had  been  practised  by  the  saints,  every  mysterious  doctrine  which 
they  believed  was  fortified  by  the  sanction  of  Divine  revelation, 
and  all  the  manly  virtues,  were  oppressed  by  the  servile  and 
pusillanimous  reign  of  the  monks." 

PHILOSOPHY   OF   MONKERY. 

Dr.  Johnson  said :  "I  do  not  wonder  that,  where  the  mona>t it- 
life  is  permitted,  every  order  finds  votaries  and  every  monastery 
inhabitants.  Men  will  submit  to  any  rule  by  which  they  will 
be  exempted  from  the  tyranny  of  caprice  and  of  chance.  They 
are  glad  to  supply  by  external  authority  then-  own  want  of 
constancy  and  resolution,  and  court  the  government  of  others, 


208  FLOWERS   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

when  long  experience  has  convinced  them  of  their  own  inability 
to  govern  themselves." 

MOTIVES    FOR    BECOMING    MONKS. 

It  would  be  vain  to  analyse  the  many  modes  by  which  men 
were  induced  to  become  monks.  It  has  been  remarked  that 
young  men  who  became  monks  out  of  penitence  for  their  sins 
were  most  distinguished  for  zeal.  Men  of  the  first  rank,  struck 
by  the  force  of  momentary  impressions  or  by  sudden  reverses  of 
fortune,  reminded  of  the  uncertainty  of  worldly  goods,  the  near- 
ness of  death,  the  vanity  of  earthly  glory,  would  go  into  solitude 
as  anchorites  or  enter  a  monastery.  About  1090  Count  Ebrard, 
of  Breteuil,  a  youth  of  family  and  fortune,  suddenly  forsook  all 
his  pleasures,  and  went  about  earning  his  bread  as  an  itinerant 
charcoal  burner,  and  then  for  the  first  time  found  true  peace  of 
mind.  Another  noble  youth,  named  Simon,  about  the  same  time 
was  so  struck  by  the  transitoriness  of  wealth  on  seeing  his  father's 
dead  body,  that  he  also  became  a  monk.  Many  were  driven  by 
sickness,  poverty,  shame,  and  remorse  to  do  likewise.  Those 
driven  into  monasteries  by  the  fear  of  death  were  said  soon  to 
lose  their  firmness  of  purpose.  Once  St.  Bernard,  when  visiting 
Count  Theobald  of  Champagne,  and  seeing  a  crowd  following  a 
robber  who  was  about  to  be  executed,  begged  of  the  count  to  give 
up  to  him  the  criminal  to  be  reformed,  and  Bernard  converted 
him  into  an  exemplary  monk,  who  lived  such  for  thirty  years  there- 
after. Another  monk,  Bernard,  who  lived  on  a  desert  island  near 
Jersey,  made  sach  an  impression  on  a  band  of  pirates,  that  when 
afterwards  they  were  on  the  point  of  shipwreck  and  in  fear  of 
sudden  death,  they  remembered  the  good  advice  of  the  hermit,  and 
repented,  returned,  and  joined  him  in  holy  exercises  for  the  rest 
of  their  days.  Ansel  m  of  Canterbury,  when  discoursing  on  the 
virtues  of  monks  and  the  temptations  of  worldly  life,  said,  "  It 
was  true  that  it  was  not  monks  only  who  are  saved.  Still,  it 
may  be  asked,  Which  of  the  two  attains  salvation  in  the  most 
certain  and  noble  way — he  who  seeks  to  love  God  alone,  or  he 
who  seeks  to  love  God  and  the  world  too  at  the  same  time  1  Was 
it  rational,  when  danger  is  on  every  side,  to  choose  to  remain 
where  the  danger  is  greatest  1 " 

THE    WEAK    SIDE    OF    MONACHISM. 

Though  there  were  many  good  points  in  monachism,  the 
Fathers  were  not  slow  to  point  out  its  defects.  Chrysostom 
lamented  that  Christian  virtue  which  ought  to  dwell  in  cities  had 


(bap.  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND    THEIR    WAYS.  209 

fled  into  deserts.  Vigilantius  observed,  "  If  all  Christian  men 
shut  themselves  up  in  cloisters  and  withdrew  into  deserts,  who 
shall  preach  the  Gospel  anc1  call  sinners  to  repentance  1 "  There 
was  one  Roman  monk  named  Jovinian,  sometimes  called  a 
prototype  of  Luther,  and  obviously  before  his  time,  who  was  un- 
compromising in  his  denunciations  of  the  whole  system.  "There 
is,"  he  said,  "  one  and  the  same  Divine  life  springing  from  fellow- 
ship with  the  Redeemer,  in  which  all  genuine  Christians  share,  and 
a  higher  stage  cannot  exist."  But  in  spite  of  all  cavils  the  system 
held  its  ground  down  to  the  time  of  Luther.  As  Neander 
remarks :  "  The  more  the  monks  occupied  themselves  with  their 
temptations,  instead  of  looking  from  themselves  to  the  Lord,  so 
much  the  more  those  temptations  increased,  many  of  which  they 
could  easily  have  overcome  if  they  had  been  willing  to  forget 
themselves  in  an  activity  of  a  calling  that  would  have  laid  under 
requisition  all  the  powers  of  their  nature ;  on  which  account  they 
felt  the  need  of  occupying  by  manual  labour,  such  as  basket- 
making  and  other  handicrafts,  the  senses  and  lower  powers  of 
their  nature." 

ST.    BENEDICT   AT   MONTE    CASSINO    (A.D.    528). 

St.  Benedict  was  born  in  480,  and  gave  a  fresh  impetus  to 
monkish  communities  and  devised  better  laws.  After  some 
experience  in  other  places,  he  selected  one  of  the  heights  of  the 
Apennines  for  the  great  capital  of  the  monastery  orders — namely, 
Monte  Oassino.  He  combined  agriculture  and  woodcutting  with 
exercises  of  piety,  and  introduced  a  more  severe  system  of  disci- 
pline. Many  young  nobles  flocked  to  take  up  their  abode.  They 
acted  as  missionaries  and  almsmen  to  the  poor.  After  fourteen 
years'  presiding  over  the  monastery,  he  had  a  last  interview  with 
his  sister  Scholastica,  whom  he  survived  forty  days.  A  violent 
fever  seized  him,  and  he  ordered  his  sister's  tomb  to  be  opened  for 
him,  and  himself  to  be  carried  to  the  chapel  of  John  the  Baptist. 
Then,  supported  by  his  disciples,  he  insisted  on  standing  and 
receiving  the  holy  viaticum,  and  extending  his  arms  and  uttering 
his  prayers,  he  died  standing  like  a  sentinel  at  his  post.  His 
influence  lasted  a  thousand  years ;  his  relics  were  carefully 
guarded  and  taken  to  France.  In  the  eleventh  century  one  of 
his  bones  was  sent  from  France  to  Monte  Cassino,  and  there 
received  with  great  enthusiasm. 

THE    REFORMERS    OF    MONKERY    (a.D.    528 — 1226). 

Though  Benedict  was  a  great  reformer  of  the  monks  by  intro- 

14 


210  FLOWERS   OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

during  systematic  labour  into  the  spiritual  life,  and  though  his 
new  order  of  things  began  with  so  fair  a  promise  and  had  done 
wonders,  yet  the  monks  had  by  degrees  yielded  to  the  treacherous 
influences  of  fame,  ease,  and  wealth.  The  Benedictine  monasteries 
were  filled  with  scholars,  whose  devotion  was  directed  more  to  the 
preservation  of  classic  texts  than  the  performance  of  the  Divine 
office ;  with  luxurious  monks,  strangers  to  fasting  and  unused 
to  vigils,  levelling  in  the  good  things  of  life,  and  in  their  rich 
revenues ;  then  abbots  were  lords  and  rulers  living  in  princely 
state,  and  riding  out  on  richly  caparisoned  palfreys.  The  old 
humility  of  the  monastic  life  was  lost ;  they  took  part  in  state 
intrigues,  dictated  laws  to  kings,  shook  the  thrones  of  monarchs 
who  had  offended  them,  and  began  to  aspire  after  worldly  power 
and  dominion.  At  last  St.  Francis  arose  in  1180,  the  founder  of 
the  Friars  Minors,  who  discovered  that  there  was  nothing  in  the 
world  really  great  and  thoroughly  satisfactory  except  poverty 
and  self-humiliation,  accompanied  with  efficient  street  preaching. 
St.  Dominic  also  about  the  same  time  introduced  mendicancy,  or 
the  absence  of  wealth,  as  part  of  the  system  of  life.  Yet  in  course 
of  time  both  these  last  systems  broke  down,  long  before  the  period 
of  the  Reformation. 

EARLY    DIFFICULTIES    OF    MONASTERIES    (A.D.    600). 

When  the  Irish  abbot  Columban  (who  died  615)  left  the 
monastery  of  Bangor,  where  he  had  been  reared,  he  became  at  the 
age  of  thirty  consumed  with  a  zeal  to  found  a  monastery  of  his 
own ;  and  having  obtained  his  abbot's  permission,  he  went  off 
with  twelve  youths  to  France,  and  they  betook  themselves  to  an 
immense  wilderness  in  Vosges,  and  chose  the  ruins  of  an  old 
castle  as  a  settlement.  As  the  monks  were  obliged  to  till  the 
adjoining  land,  they  at  first  suffered  greatly  from  hunger.  At 
one  time  the  monks  had  nothing  to  eat  but  the  bark  of  trees  and 
wild  herbs ;  and  what  made  matters  worse,  one  of  their  number 
was  sick,  and  the  others  could  do  nothing  to  relieve  him.  Three 
days  they  spent  in  prayer,  seeking  relief  for  their  sick  brother, 
when  suddenly  they  saw  a  man  standing  at  the  door  of  the 
convent,  whose  horses  were  laden  with  sacks  of  provisions.  The 
man  told  them  that  he  had  felt  an  indescribable  impulse  to  go 
and  assist  with  his  means  those  who  from  love  to  Christ  endured 
such  privations  in  the  wilderness.  Another  time  they  had  for 
nine  days  suffered  similar  want,  when  the  heart  of  another  abbot 
moved  him  to  send  provisions.  When  a  foreign  priest  once 
visited  them  and  expressed  surprise  at  their  cheerfulness  amid 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND    THEIR    WAYS.  211 

such  trials,  Columban  only  said,  "  If  people  faithfully  serve  their 
Creator,  they  will  suffer  no  want ;  for  in  the  Psalms  it  is  said, 
1 1  have  never  seen  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging 
bread.'  He  who  could  satisfy  five  thousand  men  with  five  loaves 
can  easily  till  our  barns  with  meal." 

ADVICE   TO    MONKS    SETTLING    IX    A    FOREST    (a.D.    650). 

When  the  Abbot  Ebrolf  settled  with  his  monks  in  the  seventh 
century  in  a  thick  forest  inhabited  by  wild  beasts  and  robbers, 
one  of  the  robbers,  struck  with  awe  at  the  simplicity  of  the  new- 
comers, said  to  them,  "  You  have  not  chosen  a  suitable  place  for 
yourselves.  The  inhabitants  of  this  forest  live  by  robbery,  and 
can  endure  nobody  near  them  who  seeks  to  support  himself  by 
the  labour  of  his  hands.  This  is  no  place  for  you."  The  monk 
answered,  "  Know,  my  brother,  that  the  Lord  is  with  us  ;  and 
since  we  are  under  His  protection,  we  fear  not  the  threat  filings  of 
men  who  can  kill  the  body,  but  cannot  kill  the  soul.  Know  that 
He  will  supply  His  servants  abundantly  with  food  even  in  a 
desert.  And  thou  also,  my  friend,  mayst  be  a  partaker  of  these 
riches,  if  thou  wilt  renounce  thy  evil  vocation  and  vow  to  serve 
the  true  and  living  God.  Despair  not  of  God's  goodness  on 
account  of  the  greatness  of  thy  sins,  but  be  assured  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord  are  upon  the  righteous,  and  His  ears  are  open  to  their  cry, 
and  the  face  of  the  Lord  is  against  them  that  do  evil,  to  cut  off 
the  remembrance  of  them  from  the  earth."  Upon  this  the  robber 
departed,  meditating  upon  these  words,  which  to  him  wei 
extraordinary.  The  next  morning  he  hastened  back  to  the  monks, 
carrying  to  the  abbot  a  present,  such  as  his  poverty  could  furnish, 
of  three  coarse  loaves  and  a  honeycomb,  and  professing  his  willing- 
ness to  join  them  and  become  a  monk.  After  his  example  other 
robbers  were  from  time  to  time  persuaded  either  to  become  monks 
or  to  labour  honestly  for  a  livelihood  with  their  own  hands. 

A    MONK   DENOUNCES    THE   FEROCITY    OF    LOMBARD    KINGS    (A.D.    7-49). 

The  monk  Paul  Diaconus  was  at  Court  in  the  time  of  King 
Rutchis  (a.d.  744 — 749),  and  relates  having  himself  seen  that  king 
after  a  banquet  show  the  famous  goblet  which  Album  had  made 
of  the  skull  of  Cummund,  King  of  the  Gepidi.  As  is  known, 
Albuin  had  killed  King  Cummund  in  battle,  and  afterwards 
married  his  daughter  Rosamund,  and  used  on  solemn  occasions  to 
drink  out  of  his  skull,  which  had  been  made  into  a  cup.  One  day 
Albuin  commanded  that  the  goblet  should  be  handed  to  the  Queen, 


212  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

calling  upon  her  to  drink  gaily  with  her  father.  This  horrible 
outrage  was  at  a  later  time  cruelly  avenged  by  Rosamund.  Paul 
Diaconus,  on  seeing  the  goblet  and  remembering  this  brutal  act  of 
a  former  king,  made  this  entry  in  his  memoirs  :  "  Lest  this  should 
seem  incredible  to  any,  take  note  that  I  speak  the  truth  in 
Christ,  for  indeed  I  saw  on  a  certain  feast  day  King  Rutchis 
holding  this  cup  in  his  hand  and  showing  it  to  his  guests." 

ANOTHER  BENEDICT  TRIES  TO  MAKE  THE  MONKS  WORK  (A.D.   780). 

Amid  the  growing  demoralisation  of  monasteries,  Benedict  of 
Aniane,  whose  original  name  was  Witiza,  when  a  boy,  was  cup- 
bearer in  the  Court  of  Pepin,  and  continued  with  Charlemagne. 
In  returning  from  Rome  in  774,  in  the  retinue  of  that  king,  he 
narrowly  escaped  drowning  in  attempting  to  save  his  brother. 
This  turned  his  thoughts  towards  joining  a  monastery,  which  he 
soon  entered,  and  at  once  excelled  in  all  the  austerities.  He 
macerated  his  body  by  excessive  fasting,  clothed  himself  with 
rags,  which  soon  swarmed  with  vermin,  slept  little  and  on  the 
bare  ground,  never  bathed,  courted  derision  and  insult  like  a 
madman,  and  expressed  his  fear  of  hell  in  loud  outcries.  On  the 
death  of  his  abbot  Benedict  became  his  successor,  and  built  a  little 
hermitage  on  the  bank  of  the  river  Aniane.  Some  monks  tried 
to  live  with  him,  but  found  the  regimen  too  severe ;  others  suc- 
ceeded better.  He  and  his  monks  resolved  to  build  a  monastery 
between  them.  They  had  no  oxen  to  drag  the  materials,  and  they 
did  the  work  themselves.  The  walls  were  of  wood,  the  roof 
thatched  with  straw,  the  vestments  were  coarse,  the  vessels  of 
wood,  but  all -of  their  own  making.  They  lived  chiefly  on  bread 
and  water,  sometimes  a  little  milk,  and  on  Sundays  a  scanty 
allowance  of  wine.  Yet  it  was  noticed  that  they  soon  tended  to 
greater  luxury  and  splendour,  for  in  782  the  wooden  monastery 
was  replaced  by  one  more  solid — marble  and  decorations  and  costly 
vessels.  Charlemagne  himself  contributed,  and  exempted  the 
building  from  all  taxes ;  and  he  appointed  Benedict  and  two 
others  to  collect  and  recast  the  rules  of  monasteries  and  nunneries. 
Benedict  to  the- last  helped  to  plough  and  dig  and  reap,  and  died 
in  821,  aged  seventy. 

IMPROVEMENTS    IN    MONASTICISM    (A.D.    780). 

When  Benedict,  Abbot  of  Aniane,  in  Languedoc,  born  in  750, 
left  the  Court  in  early  life,  disgusted  with  its  ways  and  bent  on 
monastic  labours,  thought  of  founding  a  new  monastery,  he  found 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND   THEIR  WAYS.  213 

the  system  then  in  vogue  far  too  lax.  He  taught  his  monks  to 
accustom  themselves  to  earn  a  living  by  their  own  industry,  and 
then  do  the  utmost  good  with  their  earnings.  When  starving 
crowds  came  to  his  new  settlement,  he  taught  them  to  join  in 
storing  all  the  grain  that  could  be  spared  till  next  harvest,  and 
each  made  his  portion  support  himself  and  supply  a  surplus,  as 
a  boon  to  the  needy  ones  outside.  The  monastery  was  also  turned 
into  an  industrial  centre  for  library  work.  Louis  the  Pious 
thought  so  well  of  these  improvements  in  discipline,  that  he  drew 
up  a  code  in  817  on  the  same  principles,  and  circulated  it  through- 
out the  Frankish  Empire.  Benedict  used  to  say,  "  If  it  seem  to 
you  impossible  to  observe  many  of  the  commandments,  then  try 
only  this  one  little  commandment :  '  Depart  from  evil  and  learn 
to  do  good.' " 

A    MONK    AT    COURT    WRITES    HOME   TO    HIS    OLD    CONVENT    (a.D.    750). 

Paul  Diaconus  was  for  some  time  a  monk  at  Monte  (Jassino,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Moselle,  and  was  sent  to  the  Court  of  Charle- 
magne to  use  influence  to  obtain  a  pardon  for  his  brother,  then  in 
banishment.  The  King  treated  him  well,  and  Paul  thus  wrote 
to  Theodomar,  the  abbot :  "  Although  my  body  is  separated  by  a 
vast  distance,  yet  my  affection  for  you  can  never  suffer  any  dimi- 
nution, nor  can  I  hope  to  express  in  a  letter,  and  within  the  brief 
limit  of  these  lines,  how  constantly  and  profoundly  I  am  moved  by 
the  thought  of  your  affection  and  that  of  my  elders  and  brethren. 
For  when  I  consider  the  leisure,  filled  with  sacred  occupations, 
the  delectable  refuge  of  my  dwelling,  your  pious  and  holy  dis- 
positions— when  I  think  of  the  holy  band  of  so  many  soldiers  of 
Christ,  zealous  in  all  Divine  offices,  and  the  shining  examples  of 
special  excellence  in  particular  brethren,  and  the  sweet  converse 
we  had  on  the  perfections  of  our  celestial  home — I  tremble, 
I  gaze,  I  languish,  I  cannot  restrain  my  tears,  and  my  breast 
is  rent  with  many  sighs.  I  am  living  amongst  Catholics  and 
followers  of  Christian  worship.  I  am  well  received.  All  show 
me  abundant  kindness  for  the  love  of  our  Father  Benedict  and 
for  the  sake  of  your  own  merits.  But  compared  to  your  convent, 
this  palace  is  a  prison  in  contrast  to  the  great  serenity  of  your 
life;  my  life  here  seems  only  a  continual  storm.  I  am  only 
detained  in  this  country  by  the  weakness  of  my  body,  but  my 
whole  soul  goes  out  to  you.  Now  I  seem  to  be  in  the  midst  of 
your  Divine  songs,  now  to  be  sitting  with  you  in  the  refectory, 
where  the  reading  is  even  more  satisfying  than  the  bodily  food. 
Now,  methinks,  I  am  watching  each  at  his  own  special  work,  now 


214  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

inquiring  into  the  health  of  the  aged  and  sick,  now  wearing  with 
my  feet  the  tombs  of  the  saints,  who  are  dear  to  me  as  heaven 
itself." 

THE    MONKS    FIRST    DRINKING   WINE    IN    ENGLAND    (a.D.    760). 

Fuller,  in  his  "  Church  History,"  says  that  about  760  the  bill 
of  fare  of  monks  was  bettered  generally  in  England,  and  more 
liberally  indulged  in  their  diet.  It  was  first  occasioned  when 
Oeolwolphus,  formerly  King  of  Northumberland,  but  then  a  monk 
in  the  convent  of  Lindisfarne,  or  Holy  Island,  gave  leave  to  that 
convent  to  drink  ale  and  wine,  anciently  confined  by  Aidan,  their 
first  founder,  to  milk  and  water.  Let  others  dispute  whether 
Oeolwolphus  thus  dispensed  with  them  by  his  new  abbatical  or 
old  regal  power,  which  he  so  resigned  that  in  some  cases  he  might 
resume  it,  especially  to  be  king  in  his  own  convent.  And  indeed 
the  cold,  raw,  and  bleak  situation  of  that  place,  with  many  bitter 
blasts  from  the  sea  and  no  shelter  on  the  land,  speaks  itself  to 
each  inhabitant  there.  This  local  privilege,  first  justly  indulged 
to  the  monks  of  Lindisfarne,  was  about  this  time  extended  to 
all  the  monasteries  in  England,  whose  primitive  over-austerity  in 
abstinence  was  turned  now  into  a  self-sufficiency  that  soon  im- 
proved into  plenty,  that  quickly  depraved  into  riot,  and  that  at 
last  occasioned  their  ruin. 

CHARLEMAGNE  HAS  HIS  DOUBTS  ABOUT  MONKERY  (A.D.  800). 

The  monasteries  were  growing  rich  in  the  time  of  Charlemagne, 
and  he  saw  many  weak  points  in  the  system.  He  thought  many 
made  false  prof essions  of  withdrawing  from  the  world  and  entering 
as  monks  merely  to  escape  military  service.  He  therefore  made 
an  order  in  805  that  those  who  forsake  the  world  shall  be  obliged 
to  live  strictly  as  canons  or  monks  according  to  rule.  In  811 
the  King  censured  the  abbots  as  caring  only  to  swell  the  number 
of  their  monks,  and  to  obtain  good  chanters  and  readers  without 
caring  about  their  morals.  He  asked  sarcastically  how  the  monks 
and  clergy  understood  the  text  against  entangling  themselves  with 
worldly  affairs  :  whether  those  could  be  said  to  have  forsaken  the 
world  who  were  incessantly  striving  to  increase  their  possessions 
by  all  sorts  of  means — who  used  the  hopes  of  heaven  and  the 
terrors  of  hell,  the  names  of  God  and  the  saints,  to  extort  gifts 
not  only  from  the  rich,  but  from  the  poor  and  ignorant,  and  by 
diverting  property  from  the  lawful  heirs  drive  these  to  theft  and 
robbery.  "  How,"  asked  the  King,  "  can  they  be  said  to  have  for- 
saken the  world  who  suborn  perjury  in  order  to  acquire  what  they 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND   THEIR  WAYS.  215 

covet,  who  keep  what  secular  property  they  can  get  and  surround 
themselves  with  bands  of  armed  men?  In  that  age  abbots  as 
well  as  bishops  were  addicted  to  war,  as  well  as  hunting  and 
hawking,  to  games  of  chance,  and  to  the  society  of  minstrels  and 
jesters.  Gross  immorality  was  winked  at  among  the  recluses 
of  both  sexes.  That  state  of  things  led  to  the  appearance  of 
St.  Benedict,  a  renowned  reformer  of  monkish  life  (ante,  p.  212). 

leaving  Charlemagne's  court  to  be  monk  (a.d.  801). 
Duke  William  had  well  served  Charlemagne  and  often  routed 
the  infidels,  but  at  last  in  801  he  resolved  to  retire  from  the  world 
and  be  a  monk  in  a  desert  in  the  Cevennes.  But  he  must  first 
obtain  the  consent  of  his  King,  and  in  seeking  an  interview  he 
began:  "My  lord,  you  know  how  I  have  loved  you  more  than 
my  life  and  the  light  of  day.  I  have  followed  you  in  the  field 
and  been  always  ready  to  lay  down  my  life  for  you.  Now  1  ask 
leave  to  become  a  soldier  of  the  Eternal  King.  I  have  long  vowed 
to  retire  to  a  monastery  and  renounce  the  world."  At  these 
words  Charlemagne's  eyes  overflowed  with  tears,  and  he  said,  "  My 
Lord  William,  these  are  hard  and  bitter  words,  which  have 
wounded  my  heart ;  nevertheless,  since  it  is  devout  and  reasonable, 
I  will  not  oppose.  If  you  had  preferred  the  service  of  any  other 
mortal  king,  I  might  have  felt  it  an  injustice;  but  as  you  wish 
to  be  a  soldier  of  the  King  of  angels,  I  consent.  Only  you  must 
take  with  you  some  gift  as  a  token  and  memorial  of  our  friend- 
ship." With  these  words  the  King  fell  on  his  neck  and  wept  bitter 
tears.  William  thereafter  returned  to  Aquitaine  ;  and  visiting  the 
monastery  of  St.  Julian,  at  Brives,  he  deposited  his  arms  as  an 
offering  to  God.  His  buckler  was  long  shown  there  as  a  priceless 
possession,  and  its  gigantic  form  and  strength  long  attracted  all 
eyes.  William  then  took  the  humble  habit,  and  entered  the 
monastery  of  Gelon,  comporting  himself  as  the  lowliest  of  the 
brethren.  He  might  be  seen  at  harvest  among  the  reapers, 
mounted  on  an  ass,  carrying  a  vessel  of  wine,  from  which  he  re- 
freshed each  reaper.  Thus  he  who  had  so  often  given  battle  to 
the  Saracens,  and  won  renown  among  the  warriors  of  his  age, 
gave  himself  up  entirely  to  humble  occupations  and  works  of 
charity. 

A    MONK    GOING   TO    LIVE    AT    COURT    (A.D.    801). 

When  Alcuin,  a  monk,  who  died  in  804,  was  called  to  the  Court 
of  Charlemagne,  he  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  thus  :  "  O  my  cell, 
swreet  and  well-beloved  home,  adieu  for  ever  !     I  shall  see  no  more 


216  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  woods  that  surround  thee  with  their  interlacing  branches  and 
flowery  verdure,  nor  thy  fields  full  of  wholesome  and  aromatic 
herbs,  nor  thy  streams  of  fish,  nor  thy  orchards,  nor  thy  gardens 
where  the  lily  mingles  with  the  rose.  I  shall  hear  no  more  those 
birds,  who,  like  ourselves,  sing  matins  and  celebrate  their  Creator 
in  their  own  fashion ;  nor  those  instructions  of  sweet  and  holy 
wisdom,  which  sound  in  the  same  breath  as  the  praises  of  the 
Most  High,  from  lips  and  hearts  always  serene.  Dear  cell !  I 
shall  weep  and  mourn  for  thee  always.  But  thus  it  is :  every- 
thing changes  and  passes  away ;  night  succeeds  to  day,  winter  to 
summer,  storm  to  sunshine,  weary  age  to  ardent  youth.  And 
we — unhappy  that  we  are  ! — we  cling  to  this  fugitive  world.  It 
is  Thou,  O  Christ,  that  puttest  all  away,  that  we  may  love  Thee 
only,  and  Thou  canst  satisfy  every  heart." 

THE    REASONS    FOR    SO    MANY    MONASTERIES    (A.D.    1150). 

Bishop  Otho  of  Bamberg,  the  apostle  of  Pomerania,  being 
asked  in  1150  why  he  founded  and  built  so  many  monasteries, 
replied,  citing  the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  thus :  "  The 
world  is  only  a  place  of  exile,  and  as  long  as  we  live  in  it  we 
are  at  a  distance  from  our  Lord.  Therefore  we  need  inns  and 
stables.  Now,  monasteries  and  cells  are  inns  and  stables.  These 
are  then  of  great  utility  to  us  poor  wanderers ;  and  if  we  fall 
among  robbers  and  are  stripped  and  wounded  and  left  half  dead, 
certainly  we  shall  find  by  experience  how  much  better  it  is  to 
be  near  an  inn  than  at  a  distance  from  one.  For  when  sudden 
destruction  comes  upon  us,  how  can  we  be  carried  to  a  stable 
if  it  be  far  off?  So  it  is  much  better  that  there  shoidd  be  many 
such  places  than  few,  seeing  how  great  is  the  danger,  and  how 
large  is  the  number  of  persons  exposed  to  it.  And  now,  especially 
that  men  are  so  multiplied  upon  earth,  it  is  not  absurd  that 
monasteries  should  be  multiplied,  since  the  abundant  population 
admits  of  numbers  embracing  a  chaste  life.  Finally,  it  is  well 
to  have  these  built,  that  in  all  things  God  might  be  honoured 
and  man  assisted ;  and  how  great  is  the  honour  to  God  and  the 
utility  to  man  which  daily  result  from  monasteries  !  The  spiritual 
is  even  greater  than  the  temporal  utility ;  for  there  the  blind 
see,  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  the  dead  are  raised, 
and  the  poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them." 

LIFE    IN    A    CONVENT. 

A  convent  or  monastery  as  a  place  of  residence  for  a  religious 
community  was  made  up  of  various  orders  and  degrees.     There 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS  AND   THEIK  WAYS.  217 

were  cloister  monks,  lay  and  clerical  ;  the  professed  brethren,  also 
lay  and  clerical ;  the  clerks ;  the  novices ;  and  the  servants  and 
artificers.  There  were  recruits  from  every  rank  of  society — 
knights  and  ladies,  scions  of  noble  houses,  minstrels,  and 
merchants.  All  were  governed  by  the  abbot,  who  was  elected  by 
the  community,  who  lived  like  a  prince,  and  who  had  a  separate 
establishment  within  the  precincts  set  apart  for  him.  He 
administered  the  property  and  enforced  discipline,  being  also 
confessor  to  the  monks.  He  had  his  falconer  and  his  forester, 
and  his  minstrels  entertained  company  and  travellers.  He  had 
officers  under  him,  such  as  the  prior,  precentor,  cellarer,  sacrist, 
hospitaller,  iniirmarer,  almoner,  master  of  the  novices,  porter, 
kitchener,  seneschal,  etc.,  according  to  the  size  of  the  building ; 
and  these  were  usually  elected  by  the  convent  and  approved  by 
the  abbot.  Under  the  monastery  were  abbeys,  or  smaller  establish- 
ments, each  governed  by  a  prior,  who  had  all  the  abbot's  powers, 
except  deposing  and  consecrating,  and  he  also  had  a  separate 
chamber.  The  nucleus  of  a  monastery  was  the  cloister  court, 
a  quadrangular  space  of  greensward  surrounded  by  the  cloister 
buildings,  and  a  covered  ambulatory  went  round  the  four  sides 
as  a  promenade  for  the  monks.  The  church  was  the  principal 
building,  and  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  with  a  nave  and  aisles. 
The  scriptorium  was  a  large  apartment,  where  much  work  was 
done  in  transcribing  books  and  illuminating  them.  The  abbot 
kept  open  house  in  the  hospitium,  and  entertained  travellers  of 
every  degree. 

a  day's  life  in  a  monastery. 
The  following  is  Mr.  Travers  Hill's  account,  given  in  his 
"  English  Monasticism,"  of  the  order  of  the  day  in  the  monastery 
at  Glastonbury,  and  which  went  on  much  the  same  for  ten 
centuries:  At  2  a.m.  the  bell  tolled  for  matins,  when  every 
monk  arose,  and,  after  performing  his  private  devotions,  hastened 
to  the  church  and  took  his  seat.  When  all  were  assembled,  fifteen 
psalms  were  sung ;  then  came  the  nocturn  and  more  psalms.  A 
short  interval  ensued,  during  which  the  chanter,  choir,  and  those 
who  needed  it  had  permission  to  retire  for  a  short  time  if  they 
wished ;  then  followed  lauds,  which  were  generally  finished  by 
6  a.m.,  when  the  bell  rang  for  prime.  When  this  was  finished, 
the  monks  continued  reading  till  7  a.m.,  when  the  bell  was 
rung  and  they  retired  to  put  on  their  day-clothes.  Afterwards 
the  whole  convent,  having  performed  their  ablutions  and  broken 
their  fast,  proceeded  again  to  the  church,  and  the  bell  was  rung 


218  FLOWEES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

for  tierce  at  9  a.m.  After  tierce  came  the  morning  Mass,  and 
as  soon  as  that  was  over  they  marched  in  procession  to  the 
chapter-house  for  business  and  correction  of  faults.  This  ceremony 
over,  the  monks  worked  or  read  till  sext  (12  a.m.),  which  service 
being  concluded,  they  dined.  Then  followed  one  hour's  sleep 
in  their  clothes  in  the  dormitory,  unless  any  of  them  preferred 
reading.  Nones  commenced  at  3  p.m.,  first  vespers  at  4  p.m., 
then  work  or  reading  till  second  vespers  at  7  p.m.  ;  afterwards 
reading  till  collation  ;  then  came  the  service  of  complin,  confession 
of  sins,  evening  prayers,  and  retirement  to  rest  about  9  p.m. 

THE    ROUTINE    OP    ENGLISH    MONKS    IN    1080. 

The  formalism  of  monkery  was  well  displayed  in  the  code 
drawn  up  by  Lanfranc,  who  was  made  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
by  William  the  Conqueror.  By  this  code  the  monks  were  to  be 
called  from  their  beds  before  daybreak,  and  go  in  their  night- 
clothes  to  the  church  to  sing.  Thence  to  the  cloister  and  hear 
the  boys  read  till  the  bell  tolls  for  them  to  put  on  their  shoes. 
They  were  to  pass  to  the  dormitory  for  their  day-dress  and  to  the 
lavatory  to  wash.  They  were  then  to  comb  themselves,  and 
when  the  great  bell  sounded  they  were  to  enter  the  church  to 
receive  the  holy  water.  On  the  signal  of  another  bell,  they  were 
to  pray,  and  of  another  bell  to  sing,  and  afterwards  to  proceed  to 
the  altar  to  say  or  hear  Mass.  They  were  again  to  dress  them- 
selves and  to  return  to  the  choir,  to  sit  there  till  the  bell  sum- 
moned them  to  the  chapter-house.  On  another  signal,  they  were 
to  resort  to  the  refectory.  After  a  certain  hour  no  one  was  to 
speak  till  the  children  left  the  monastery ;  then  when  the  bell 
sounded  again,  their  shoes  were  to  be  taken  off,  their  hands  to  be 
washed,  and  they  were  to  enter  the  church  to  repeat  the  Litany 
and  to  hear  High  Mass.  At  another  signal  they  were  to  go  in 
procession.  When  the  bell  rang  again,  they  were  to  pray,  and 
afterwards  to  revisit  the  refectory.  Some  were  then  to  sit  in  the 
choir,  and  those  who  liked  might  read.  At  a  fresh  signal  the 
nones  were  to  be  sung;  similar  tasks  were  to  succeed  again  in 
allotted  order,  till  they  were  dismissed  to  their  beds. 

THE    OFFICIALS    AND   ARRANGEMENTS    OF   AN    ABBEY. 

The  officers  in  abbeys  are,  first,  the  abbot,  who  is  supreme,  and 
to  whom  all  the  others  owe  obedience.  Next  is  the  prior  or 
president,  then  the  subprior  and  lower  officers.  The  gatehouse  was 
the  place  where  guests  are  admitted.     The  refectory  was  the  hall 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND   THEIR   WAYS.  219 

where  the  monks  dine.  The  locutorium  or  parlour  where  leave 
was  given  to  them  to  converse,  there  being  silence  enforced  in 
other  parts.  The  oriel  was  a  side-room  where  the  indisposed 
monks  were  allowed  to  dine.  In  the  abbey  church  the  cloisters 
were  the  consecrated  ground.  The  navis  ecclesim  was  the  nave  or 
body  of  the  church.  The  presbyterium  was  the  raised  choir  on 
which  the  monks  chanted.  The  vestiarium  or  vestry  where  tin- 
copes  and  clothes  were  deposited.  The  century  or  sanctuary  was 
the  place  where  debtors  took  refuge.  The  farm  or  grange  was  so 
called  a  grama  gerendo — the  overseer  whereof  was  called  the  prior 
of  the  grange.  The  abbot  was  a  baron  in  the  English  Parliament, 
and  was  summoned  during  and  after  the  reign  of  Henry  III.  ; 
and  so  were  priors  of  quality.  In  49  Henry  III.  no  less  than 
sixty-four  abbots  and  thirty-six  priors  with  the  master  of  the 
Temple  were  all  summoned.  In  Edward  III.  they  were  reduced  to 
twenty-six.  Gloucestershire  was  said  to  be  fullest  of  monasteries, 
and  Westmoreland  the  freest  from  them.  Shaftesbury  had  the 
richest  nunnery. 

DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN   MONKS   AND   FRIARS. 

Fuller,  in  his  "  Church  History,"  says  :  "  It  is  necessary  to  premise 
what  was  the  distinction  between  monks  and  friars.  For  though 
some  will  say  the  matter  is  not  much,  if  monks  and  friars  were 
confounded  together,  yet  the  distinguishing  of  them  conduct  -tit 
much  to  the  clearing  of  history.  Some  make  monks  the  genus 
and  friars  but  the  species,  so  that  all  friars  were  monks,  but 
e  contra  all  monks  were  not  friars  ;  others,  that  monks  were  con- 
fined to  their  cloisters,  whilst  more  liberty  was  allowed  to  friars  to 
go  about  and  preach  in  neighbouring  parishes.  I  see  it  is  very 
hard  just  to  hit  the  joint,  so  as  to  cleave  them  asunder  at  an  hair's 
breadth,  authors  being  so  divided  in  their  opinions.  But  the 
most  essential  difference  whereon  we  must  confide  is  this — monks 
had  nothing  in  propriety  (exclusive  property),  but  all  in  common  ; 
friars  had  nothing  in  propriety  nor  in  common,  biit,  being  mendi- 
cants, begged  all  their  substance  from  the  charity  of  others. 
True  it  is  they  had  cells  or  houses  to  dwell  or  rather  hide  them- 
selves in,  so  the  foxes  have  holes  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have 
nests ;  but  all  this  went  for  nothing,  seeing  they  had  no  means 
belonging  thereunto.  Yea,  it  hath  borne  a  tough  debate  betwixt 
them  whether  a  friar  may  be  said  to  be  owner  of  the  clothes  he 
weareth ;  and  it  hath  been  for  the  most  part  overruled  in  the 
negative.  Foresters  laugh  at  the  ignorance  of  that  gentleman 
who  made  the  difference  between  a  stag  and  a  hart  that  the  one 


220  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

was  a  red,  the  other  a  fallow  deer,  being  both  of  a  kind,  only- 
different  in  age  and  some  other  circumstances.  Monks  and  friars 
hate  each  other  heartily." 

BRAWLS    BETWEEN    FRIARS    AND    SECULAR    PRIESTS. 

In  the  time  of  Edward  IV.  a  contest  raged  between  the  Begging 
Friars  and  secular  priests.  Fuller,  in  his  "  Church  History,"  says 
that  "  it  was  beheld  to  be  a  most  pestiferous  doctrine  that  the 
friars  so  heightened  the  perfection  of  begging  that,  according  to 
their  principles,  all  the  priesthood  and  prelacy  in  the  land,  yea  by 
consequence  the  Pope  himself,  did  fall  short  of  the  sanctity  of 
their  order.  Yet  hard  it  was  for  them  to  persuade  his  Holiness 
to  quit  Peter's  patrimony  and  betake  himself  to  poverty,  although 
a  friar  (Thomas  Holden  by  name)  did  not  blush  to  preach  at 
Paul's  Cross  that  Christ  Himself,  as  first  founder  of  their 
society,  was  a  beggar — a  manifest  untruth,  and  easily  confuted 
out  of  Scripture.  For  vast  the  difference  betwixt  begging  and 
taking  what  the  bounty  of  others  doth  freely  confer,  as  our  .Saviour 
did  from  such  who  ministered  unto  Him  of  their  substance  (Luke 
viii.  3).  After  zealous  preachings  and  disputings,  Pope  Paul  II. 
interposed,  concluding  that  it  was  a  damnable  heresy  to  say  that 
Christ  publicly  begged,  whereon  the  mendicants  let  the  controversy 
sink  into  silence  never  more  to  be  revived." 

ENMITY    BETWEEN    ORDERS    OF    MONKS. 

The  enmity  between  the  Franciscans  and  Dominicans  was 
notorious.  A  friar  of  each  order  came  at  the  same  time  to  the 
side  of  a  brook,  which  it  was  necessary  to  ford,  and  the  Dominican 
requested  the  Franciscan  to  carry  him  across,  as  he  was  barefooted, 
and  must  otherwise  undress.  The  Franciscan  took  him  on  his 
shoulders  and  carried  him  to  the  middle ;  then  suddenly  stopped 
and  asked  if  he  had  any  money  with  him.  "  Only  two  reals," 
replied  the  Dominican.  "  Excuse  me  then,  father,"  said  the 
Franciscan  ;  "  you  know  my  vow — I  cannot  carry  money."  And 
in  he  dropped  him.  It  is  stated  in  Surtees'  "  History  of  Durham  " 
(vol.  i.,  p.  42) :  "  The  monks  well  knew  how  impossible  it  was  to 
preserve  peace  betwixt  two  bodies  of  ecclesiastics  having  property 
contiguous  to  each  other,  and  therefore  wisely  provided  in  most 
of  their  grants  that  neither  their  feoffees  nor  tenants  shoidd  lease 
or  alienate  to  Jews,  nor  to  any  religious  house  save  their  own." 

MONKS    DISLIKED    BY    CLERGY. 

The  chronicler  Matthew  Paris  says  that  in  1207  the  preachers 


Chap,  viii.]  THE    MONKS  AND   THEIR   WAYS.  221 

who  weie  called  Minors  arose  under  the  favour  of  Pope  Innocent 
and  filled  the  earth,  dwelling  in  towns  and  cities  in  bodies  of 
ten  or  seven,  possessing  nothing  whatever,  living  on  the  Gospel, 
displaying  a  true  and  voluntary  poverty  in  their  clothes  and 
food,  walking  barefoot,  girded  with  knotted  ropes,  and  showing 
a  noble  example  of  humility  to  all  men.  But  they  caused  great 
alarm  to  many  of  the  prelates  because  they  began  to  weaken 
their  authority — first  of  all  by  their  preaching  and  secret  con- 
fessions of  penitents,  afterwards  by  their  open  receptions. 

A  MONK  WHO  WANTED  TO  BE  AX  AXGEL. 

It  is  related  among  the  wise  sayings  of  Antony  the  hermit 
and  others,  that  a  monk  of  Mount  Sinai,  finding  his  brethren 
working,  said,  "Why  labour  for  the  meat  which  perisheth  ? 
Mary  chose  the  good  part."  On  hearing  this  the  abbot  ordered 
the  monk  to  be  put  in  his  cell,  and  when  the  dinner-bell  rang 
the  monk  was  not  called,  which  made  the  monk  ask  the  reason 
why.  The  abbot  replied,  "  Thou  art  a  spiritual  man,  and  needest 
not  food.  We  are  carnal,  and  must  eat  because  we  work ;  but 
thou  hast  chosen  the  better  part."  The  monk  was  then  rather 
ashamed  of  his  brave  resolution.  Another  monk,  John  the  dwarf, 
also  wanted  to  be  "  without  care  like  the  angels,  doing  nothing 
but  praising  God."  So  he  threw  away  his  cloak,  left  his  brother 
the  abbot,  and  went  into  the  desert.  But  after  seven  days  he 
came  back  and  knocked  at  the  door.  "  Who  is  there  ?  "  asked 
his  brother.  "  John."  "Nay,  John  is  turned  into  an  angel  and 
is  no  more  among  men."  So  he  left  John  outside  all  night;  and 
in  the  morning  gave  John  to  understand  that,  if  he  was  a  man,  he 
must  work  ;  but  that  if  he  was  an  angel,  he  had  no  need  to  live 
in  a  cell. 

DEATH    OF    AN    ABBESS    AT    ARLES    (A.D.    632). 

In  632  St.  Rusticule,  abbess  of  the  convent  of  St.  Cesarius  at 
Aries,  died,  and  her  last  illness  is  thus  related  :  "  It  happened  on 
a  certain  Friday  that  after  singing  vespers  as  usual  with  her  nuns, 
finding  herself  fatigued,  she  exceeded  her  strength  in  making  the 
usual  reading.  She  knew  that  she  was  shortly  to  pass  to  the 
Lord.  On  the  Saturday  morning  she  felt  cold  and  lost  the  use 
of  her  limbs.  Lying  down  on  a  little  bed,  she  was  seized  with 
fever ;  but  she  never  ceased  praising  God  with  her  eyes  raised  to 
heaven.  She  commended  to  Him  her  daughters,  whom  she  was 
about  to  leave  orphans,  and  with  a  firm  mind  she  comforted  those 
who  wept  around  her.     She  found  herself  still  worse  on  Sunday ; 


222  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

and  as  it  was  her  custom  that  her  bed  should  only  be  made  once 
a  year,  the  servants  of  God  begged  permission  to  give  her  a  softer 
bed,  but  she  would  not  consent.  On  Monday,  which  was  the  day 
of  St.  Laurence,  she  lost  all  strength,  and  her  breathing  became 
difficult.  At  this  sight  the  sad  virgins  of  Christ  poured  forth 
tears  and  sighs.  It  being  the  third  hour  of  the  day,  as  the  con- 
gregation in  its  affliction  repeated  the  Psalms  in  silence,  the  holy 
mother  in  displeasure  asked,  '  Why  do  I  not  hear  the  chanting 
of  psalmody  ? '  The  nuns  replied  that  they  could  not  sing  through 
grief.  '  Do  sing  still  louder,'  she  replied,  '  in  order  that  I  may 
receive  the  benefit  of  it,  for  it  is  very  sweet  for  me  to  hear  it.' 
The  next  day  her  body  had  lost  the  power  of  motion,  but  her 
eyes  preserved  their  lustre  and  shone  like  stars.  Looking  on  all 
sides,  and  not  being  able  to  speak,  she  made  signs  with  her  hand 
that  they  should  cease  weeping  and  be  comforted.  When  one  of 
the  sisters  felt  her  feet,  she  said  it  was  not  yet  time ;  but  shortly 
after,  at  the  sixth  hour  of  the  day,  with  a  serene  countenance  and 
eyes  that  seemed  to  smile,  this  glorious  and  blessed  soul  passed  to 
heaven  and  joined  the  innumerable  choir  of  saints." 

HOW    C.EDMON,    A    COWHERD,    BECAME    THE    MONK    POET    (A.D.    680). 

When  St.  Hilda  was  abbess  of  Whitby,  about  660,  the  rustics 
used  to  have  their  beer-parties,  at  which  they  sang  or  recited 
warlike  songs,  turn  about,  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  harp. 
One  of  the  rustics,  when  the  harp  was  passed  round  to  him  in 
his  turn,  confessed  he  could  not  sing,  and  left  the  company  covered 
with  shame  and  confusion.  That  night  he  lay  in  his  cattle-shed 
and  had  a  dream.  Some  one  approached  him  and  said,  "  Credmon, 
sing  me  something."  He  said  he  could  not,  and  that  was  the 
reason  of  his  leaving  the  party ;  but  the  visitor  said  he  knew 
better,  and  insisted  that  Csedmon  should  sing,  and  sing  then  and 
there  of  the  Creation.  Whereupon  in  his  sleep  he  sang  some 
verses.  On  waking  he  remembered  the  verses,  and  told  the  bailiff 
what  had  happened.  All  who  heard  the  verses  believed  he  was 
inspired,  and  suggested  to  him  fresh  subjects,  and  he  immediately 
turned  them  into  sacred  songs  equally  impressive.  The  abbess 
hearing  of  this,  told  C?edmon  to  become  a  monk  and  learn  sacred 
history,  which  he  did.  He  soon  became  famous  for  his  extem- 
poraneous versifications  of  all  kinds  of  sacred  subjects,  such  as  the 
Resurrection,  the  future  judgment,  the  Passion,  and  the  heavenly 
kingdom.  He  is  now  known  as  the  father  of  English  poetry,  and 
the  metrical  paraphrase  now  extant  and  known  as  "  Csedmon  "  is 
a  singularly  graphic  description  of  sacred  scenes.     He  was  the 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND   THEIR   WAYS.  223 

wonder  of  his  time  for  this  gift  of  .song,  and  lived  long  among  the 
monks  of  Whitby.  He  was  cheery  in  his  talk  ;  and  when  he  drew 
near  his  end,  he  asked  them  to  bring  the  Housel,  which  he  took  into 
his  hands,  and  solemnly  said  he  had  friendly  disposition  towards 
all  God's  servants.  The  monks  wondered  what  he  meant.  He 
asked  them  how  long  it  would  be  before  the  brethren  would  be 
awakened  for  nocturnal  lauds.  On  being  answered  he  said, 
"  Good;  let  us  wait  for  that  hour."  They  waited  ;  he  then  signed 
himself  with  the  cross,  lay  back  on  his  pillow,  and  died  amid  the 
music  of  the  sacred  hymns  he  loved  so  well. 

A    MONK    SLEEPING    TOO    LONG    (A.D.    744). 

Alcuin  (who  died  804),  when  a  boy  of  eleven  and  devoted  to  the 
church,  was  one  night  sent  by  the  schoolmaster  of  the  monastery 
at  the  request  of  a  lay  brother  who  was  left  alone  in  charge  of 
the  building  to  go  up  and  sleep  there  that  night  as  some  company 
to  the  brother.  They  retired  to  rest ;  and  when  it  was  about  cock- 
crowing,  they  were  awoke  by  the  signal  for  service.  The  rustic 
monk  only  turned  in  his  bed,  and  went  to  sleep  again.  Not  so 
Alcuin,  who  soon  perceived  that  the  room  was  full  of  demons. 
They  surrounded  the  bed  of  the  sleeping  monk,  and  cried,  "You 
sleep  well,  brother  ! '  He  at  once  awoke,  and  they  called  out, 
"  Why  do  you  alone  lie  snoring  here,  while  all  your  brethren  are 
watching  in  the  church  1 "  And  they  belaboured  him  heavily  as 
a  warning.  Meanwhile  Alcuin  lay  trembling  under  the  impres- 
sion that  his  turn  would  come  next,  and  ejaculated  to  himself 
that  if  he  were  only  delivered  he  would  never  again  love  Virgil 
more  than  the  melody  of  Psalms.  The  demons,  after  punishing 
the  monk,  then  looked  about,  and  found  the  boy  completely  covert  d 
up  in  his  bedclothes,  panting  and  almost  senseless.  On  seeing 
himself  discovered,  he  burst  into  tears  and  screamed,  whereupon 
his  avengers  consulted  together,  and  after  a  little  resolved  that 
they  would  not  beat  him,  but  would  turn  up  the  clothes  at  the 
foot  of  the  bed  and  cut  his  corns,  by  way  of  making  him  re- 
member his  promise.  The  clothes  were  no  sooner  touched  than 
Alcuin  jumped  up,  crossed  himself,  and  sang  the  12th  Psalm  with 
all  his  might ;  the  demons  thereupon  vanished,  and  he  and  his 
companion  set  off  to  church  for  safety. 

AN    ABBOT    LECTURING    HIS    MONKS    AGAINST    IDLENESS    (A.D.    1040). 

Theodoric,  abbot  of  St.  Evroult,  in  Normandy,  about  1040  used 
to  lecture  his  monks  and  warn  them  against  idleness,  and  told 


224  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

tkein  this  story  :  "  There  was  a  monk  in  a  certain  monastery 
who  was  gnilty  of  many  transgressions  against  its  rules  ;  but  he 
was  a  transcriber ;  and  being  devoted  to  that  work,  he  of  his  own 
accord  wrote  out  an  enormous  volume  of  the  Divine  law.  After 
his  death  his  soul  was  brought  before  the  tribunal  of  the  just 
Judge  for  judgment.  And  when  the  evil  spirits  sharply  accused 
him,  and  brought  forward  his  innumerable  crimes,  the  holy 
angels  on  the  other  hand  showed  the  book  which  that  monk  had 
written  in  the  house  of  God,  and  counted  up  the  letters  of  that 
enormous  volume  as  a  set-off  against  the  like  number  of  sins.  At 
length  the  letters  had  a  majority  of  only  one,  against  which,  how- 
ever, the  demons  in  vain  attempted  to  object  any  sin.  The 
clemency  of  the  Judge  therefore  spared  the  monk,  commanded 
his  soul  to  return  to  his  body,  and  mercifully  granted  him  space 
for  reformation  of  his  life.  Frequently  think  of  this,  dear 
brethren  ;  cleanse  your  hearts  from  vain  and  noxious  desires  ; 
constantly  offer  the  sacrifice  of  the  works  of  your  hands  to  the 
Lord  God.  Shun  idleness  with  all  your  power.  Frequently  con- 
sider that  only  one  devil  tempts  a  monk  who  is  employed  in  any 
good  occupation,  while  a  thousand  devils  attack  him  who  is  idle. 
Pray,  read,  chant,  write,  and  employ  yourselves,  and  wisely  arm 
yourselves  against  the  temptations  of  evil  spirits." 

THE    WAR   OF   THE   TWO    ABBOTS    (A.D.    1077). 

At  the  critical  epoch  when  the  Emperor  and  Pope  were  at 
war,  two  abbots  living  twenty  miles  apart  took  opposite  sides. 
The  monastery  of  St.  Gall,  on  Lake  Constance,  founded  about 
650,  was  ruled  about  1077  by  Ulric  of  Eppinstein  as  abbot,  who 
took  the  side  of  the  Emperor  ;  while  Eckarcl,  abbot  of  Reichnau, 
took  the  side  of  the  Pope.  Ulric  was  a  man  of  polished  manners, 
versed  in  the  ways  of  the  world,  as  fit  to  lead  an  army  as  to  wield 
the  crosier,  of  great  wealth,  and  with  a  host  of  retainers.  He  was 
a  little  king,  at  the  head  of  the  richest  abbey  in  Europe.  The 
monastery  was,  however,  exposed,  being  merely  the  centre  of  a 
large  village  ;  while  Reichnau  was  on  an  island,  with  strong 
fortifications  and  safe  from  attack.  For  fifteen  years  the  two 
monasteries  were  at  feud,  each  seeking  occasion  to  take  advantage 
and  overcome  its  opponent,  and  engaged  in  constant  skirmishes. 
Each  of  the  abbots  was  proud,  ambitious,  and  eager  to  crush  his 
enemy.  The  abbot  of  Reichnau  one  clay  tried  to  draw  Ulric, 
and  advanced  almost  to  the  gates,  but  failed  to  bring  on  an 
engagement.  After  long  fencing,  a  traitor  was  found  in  the 
abbey  of   Reichnau.     As  the  abbot  of    Reichnau    was   making 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND  THEIR   WAYS.  225 

a  journey  to  obtain  a  personal  interview  with  the  Pope,  the 
Emperor's  troops  captured  him,  and  kept  him  in  prison  for  two 
years,  and  a  report  was  circulated  of  his  death.  The  Emperor 
then  conferred  the  vacant  abbey  on  Ulric,  as  a  recompense  for 
his  eminent  services.  A  friendly  duke  then  seized  the  opportunity 
of  getting  charge  of  St.  Gall  and  appropriating  its  revenues. 
The  abbot  of  Reichnau,  on  obtaining  his  freedom  from  prison, 
resumed  the  warfare  ;  but  after  many  intricate  turns  of  affairs  a 
peace  was  at  last  concluded  in  1094,  and  put  an  end  to  the  long 
series  of  skirmishes,  battles,  conflagrations,  sieges,  and  plunderings 
between  these  two  belligerents. 

MONKS    ATTACHED    TO    THE    GREGORIAN    CHANT    (a.D.    1083). 

In  1083  Roger  de  Hoveden  says  that  a  disgraceful  quarrel 
arose  between  the  monks  and  the  Abbot  Tm\stin  of  Glastonbury, 
who  had  been  most  unworthily  appointed  to  his  office.  In  his 
folly  he  treated  the  Gregorian  chant  with  contempt,  and  wanted 
to  force  the  monks  to  learn  instead  the  chant  of  one  William  of 
Eeschamp.  The  monks  were  averse  to  the  change  ;  but  one  day 
Turstin  rushed  unexpectedly  into  the  chapter-house  with  a  body 
of  soldiers.  The  monks  fled  into  the  church  and  to  the  altar, 
and  the  soldiers  pursued  them,  piercing  the  crosses,  images,  and 
shrines  of  the  saints  with  darts  and  arrows,  and  even  speared  a 
monk  while  embracing  the  altar.  The  monks  stoutly  defended 
themselves  with  the  benches  and  candlesticks ;  and  though 
grievously  wounded,  at  last  drove  the  soldiers  beyond  the  choir. 
The  result  was  that  two  monks  were  killed  and  fourteen  wounded, 
and  some  of  the  soldiers  also  were  wounded.  On  investigation  the 
King  removed  the  abbot,  and  some  of  the  monks  also  were  trans- 
ferred to  other  abbeys.  The  abbot  afterwards  wandered  about, 
and  died  in  misery,  as  became  a  homicide. 

THE    RETRIBUTION    OP    THOSE    WHO    PILLAGE    MONKS    (A.D.    1136). 

In  1136  we  are  told  by  Orderic,  a  contemporary,  that  a  famous 
archer,  Robert  Boet,  with  his  banditti,  rushed  like  wolves  on  their 
prey  and  ravaged  the  lands  of  his  fellow-monks  of  St.  Evroult. 
The  people  of  the  neighbouring  bourg  were  so  incensed  that  they 
caught  and  hanged  six  of  the  gang.  But  the  other  robbers  came 
soon  after,  in  great  fury,  to  take  revenge,  and  set  fire  to  the 
village,  burning  eighty-four  houses  to  ashes.  The  monks,  in  a 
paroxysm  of  terror,  tolled  the  bells  and  chanted  psalms  and 
litanies  in  the  church,  fearing  that  instant  ruin  threatened  the 

15 


226  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

monastery.  Some  of  the  monks  went  forth  with  tears  to  entreat 
the  assailants  to  desist,  and  lawful  satisfaction  would  be  given ; 
but  the  bandits,  maddened  with  fury  and  blind  with  rage,  insulted 
the  envoys  and  dragged  them  from  their  palfreys,  and  fired  the 
houses  near  the  church.  It  was  only  through  God's  mercy  that 
the  wind  changed  at  the  right  moment  and  drove  the  flames 
in  another  direction.  The  monks'  lodgings,  with  the  books  and 
ecclesiastical  ornaments,  were  saved.  It  was  noticed  that  after 
sacking  the  village  of  St.  Evroult  no  enterprise  of  those  robbers 
against  their  enemies  prospered.  On  the  contrary,  by  God's 
judgment,  they  suffered  frequent  losses,  some  of  their  gang  being 
slain  and  others  taken  prisoners.  It  was  but  just  that  those  who 
had  attacked  unarmed  and  inoffensive  people,  whom  no  fear  of 
God  induced  them  to  spare,  should  meet  with  the  derision  of 
stronger  and  well-trained  troops,  by  whose  superiority  they  were 
soon  brought  low. 


URGING    THE    MONKS    TO    LIVE    FRUGALLY. 

In  the  time  of  Philip,  King  of  France,  the  venerable  abbot 
Robert  of  Moleme  assembled  some  devoted  disciples,  and  agreed 
that  they  did  not  live,  as  they  ought,  in  holy  poverty,  and  procure 
food  and  raiment  by  the  labour  of  their  hands.  But  the  convent 
of  monks  did  not  agree  with  this  view,  and  said  that  they  must 
wear  garments  suited  to  the  climate  of  their  own  convent.  The 
men  in  cold  climates  must  wear  trousers,  and  could  not  go  about 
like  women,  with  loose  robes  reaching  to  the  ankles.  Manual 
labour  was  very  well,  but  it  was  wholly  incompatible  with  constant 
meditation  and  profitable  silence,  or  with  chanting  day  and  night 
the  Psalms  of  David.  They  objected  to  all  innovations.  There- 
fore the  abbot  and  twelve  monks  withdrew ;  and  having  received 
a  gift  from  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  built  a  monastery  at  Citeaux 
in  the  diocese  of  Chalons,  and  lived  there  in  strict  rule.  But  the 
Pope  being  referred  to,  ordered  the  Abbot  Robert  to  return  to 
Moleme,  which  he  did,  and  a  substitute  was  appointed  to  be 
abbot  of  Citeaux.  The  impulse  given  by  Abbot  Robert  at 
Citeaux  drew  there  a  great  concourse  of  monks,  and  sixty-five 
monasteries  were  soon  after  founded,  all  subject  to  the  superior 
abbot  of  Citeaux.  The  monks  of  the  Cistercian  order  wear 
neither  trousers  nor  robes  of  fur,  abstain  from  fat  and  flesh  meat, 
maintain  perpetual  silence,  and  labour  with  their  own  hands  for 
their  food  and  raiment.  From  September  13th  to  Easter  they 
fast  every  clay  except  Sunday  ;  their  doors  are  always  shut  close  ; 


(bap.  viii.]  THE    MONKS   AND   THEIR    WAYS.  227 

they  bury  themselves  in  profound  secrecy,  admitting  no  monks 
belonging  to  any  other  religious  house  into  their  cells,  nor  allow- 
ing them  to  be  present  in  the  chapel  at  Mass  or  other  Divine 
offices.  Multitudes  of  noble  champions  and  learned  men  join 
their  society  from  the  novelty  of  its  institution,  and  rejoice  to 
chant  triumphant  anthems  to  Christ  in  the  right  way. 

FORM    OF    A    MONK'S    BURIAL. 

In  the  records  of  the  church  of  Durham  it  is  written  that 
when  any  monk  died  there  he  was  dressed  in  his  cowl  and  habit, 
and  boots  were  put  on  his  legs,  and  immediately  he  was  carried 
to  a  chamber  called  the  dead  man's  chamber,  where  he  remained 
till  night.  At  night  he  was  removed  thence  into  St.  Andrew's 
Chapel,  adjoining  to  the  same  chamber,  and  there  the  body 
remained  till  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  night  before  the 
funeral  two  monks,  either  in  kindred  or  kindness  nearest  to  him, 
were  appointed  by  the  prior  to  be  especial  mourners,  sitting  all 
night  on  their  knees  at  the  dead  man's  feet.  Then  were  the 
children  of  the  ambry,  sitting  on  their  knees  in  stalls  on  either 
side  of  the  corpse,  appointed  to  read  David's  Psalter  all  night 
through  incessantly  till  eight  in  the  morning,  when  the  body  was 
conveyed  to  the  chapter- house,  where  the  prior  and  the  whole 
convent  met  it,  and  there  did  say  their  dirge  and  devotion  ;  and 
then  the  dead  corpse  was  carried  by  the  monks  into  the  centry- 
garth,  where  it  was  buried,  and  there  was  but  one  peal  rung  for 
him.  The  body  of  St.  Francis  is  placed  in  a  vault  under  the 
marble  vault  in  the  great  church  at  Assisi,  and  it  is  in  an  upright 
position,  and  the  vault  has  a  small  opening,  through  which  one 
may  look  and  see  a  lamp  burning.  In  the  convent  of  the  Poor 
Clares  at  Assisi,  in  a  vault  under  the  high  altar,  lies  the  body  of 
St.  Clare,  with  a  lamp  burning  in  front  of  the  opening  over  it. 

HOW   SICK   MONKS   WERE   TENDED. 

When  a  monk  was  sick  and  in  prospect  of  death,  a  servant 
brother  was  appointed,  who  should  have  nothing  else  to  do  but  to 
tend  him  clay  and  night.  The  cross  was  placed  before  his  face, 
and  every  night  a  wax  taper  was  kept  burning  by  his  side  until 
broad  day.  Other  monks  were  allowed  to  be  in  attendance  on 
him,  in  order  to  sing  the  regular  hours  and  to  read  the  Passion 
in  his  extremity.  The  experienced  servants  were  to  watch  the 
proper  moment,  and  to  spread  the  ashes  and  gently  to  place 
the  sick  man  upon  them,  and  then  to  give  a  signal  by  striking 


228  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

the  door  of  the  cloister,  when  all  the  brethren  were  to  run  to 
the  chamber,  for  this  was  one  of  the  two  occasions  when  it  was 
permitted  to  them  to  depart  from  their  usual  measured  pace,  the 
other  being  in  the  event  of  fire.  If  Mass  should  be  celebrating 
or  any  regular  office,  all  who  were  without  the  choir  were  to 
hasten,  and  those  within  were  to  remain.  If  the  monks  were  in 
the  refectory,  the  reading  was  to  be  instantly  suspended,  and  the 
monks  were  to  haston.  The  Litany  was  then  to  be  chanted  and 
the  prayers,  according  to  the  progress  of  his  agony.  The  custom 
of  showing  penitence  by  spreading  ashes  was  well  observed.  Thus 
at  the  death  of  St.  Martin,  who  desired  it,  sackcloth  was  spread 
on  the  ground,  and  ashes  were  strewed  upon  it  in  form  of  a  cross, 
and  the  assistants  gently  laid  his  dying  body  upon  it.  The  monk 
of  St.  Denis  says  that  Louis  IX.  gave  up  the  ghost  on  sackcloth 
and  ashes,  and  with  his  arms  composed  in  the  form  of  a  cross. 
When  the  Maid  of  Orleans  asked  at  her  death  for  a  crucifix  and 
none  was  at  hand,  an  Englishman  broke  a  stick  in  two  parts  and 
made  a  cross,  whereupon  the  maid  kissed  it,  pressed  it  to  her 
bosom,  and  mounted  the  martyr's  pile. 


WHY    MONKS    HONOUR    RICH    MEN    MORE    THAN    POOR. 

St.  Bonaventura  explains  it  thus  :  "  It  may  be  asked  why  do 
monks  and  friars  honour  rich  men  more  than  poor,  serving  them 
more  promptly  in  confessions  and  other  things  ?  God  has  care  of 
all  men  alike  ;  therefore  we  ought  to  love  all  men  alike.  If  the 
poor  man  be  better  than  the  rich,  we  should  love  him  more,  and 
yet  we  must  honour  the  rich  more  for  four  reasons.  First,  because 
God  in  this  world  has  given  pre-eminence  to  the  rich  and 
powerful ;  and  therefore  we  conform  to  His  ordination  in  honour- 
ing them  so  far  as  relates  to  this  order.  Secondly,  because  of  the 
infirmity  of  the  rich,  who,  if  they  are  not  honoured,  grow 
indignant,  and  so  become  more  infirm  and  worse,  and  a  burden  to 
us  and  to  other  poor ;  whereas  we  ought  not  to  be  a  scandal  to 
the  weak  and  a  cause  of  their  becoming  weaker  still,  but  should 
rather  provoke  them  to  good.  Thirdly,  because  a  greater  utility 
results  from  the  correction  of  one  rich  man  than  of  many  poor ; 
for  a  rich  man's  conversion  is  of  advantage  to  many  in  several 
respects.  Fourthly,  since  we  receive  more  corporeal  support  from 
the  rich,  it  is  but  just  that  we  should  repay  them  spiritually. 
Besides,  the  affairs  of  the  poor  are  more  easily  expedited,  because 
they  are  not  bound  by  so  many  ties  nor  involved  in  so  many 
perplexities  which  require  counsel  oftener." 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND   THEIR   WAYS.  229 

GOOD    LESSONS    INCULCATED    BY   THE    MONKS    (A.D.    1199). 

One  of  the  narratives  told  by  monks  about  the  year  1199, 
according  to  Caesar  of  Heisterback,  was  this  :  Two  citizens  of 
Cologne  confessed  in  Lent  that  they  were  guilty  of  lying  and 
perjury,  but  then  that  they  could  not  sell  anything  without  both. 
The  priest  thereupon  reproved  them,  and  strongly  recommended 
them  just  to  try  for  one  year  to  do  without  lying.  They  did  agree  ; 
but  Satan  having  found  out  their  plan,  contrived  that  nobody 
should  enter  their  shops ;  and  the  tradesmen  returned  and  reported 
that  their  obedience  had  cost  them  dear,  and  that  really  they 
could  not  carry  on  their  business  that  way  at  all.  The  priest, 
however,  reassured  them  once  more,  telling  them  that  they  should 
really  resolve  never  to  offend  God  this  way,  whatever  might  be 
the  consequence.  They  made  this  solemn  promise ;  and,  strange 
to  relate,  from  that  hour  people  flocked  to  their  shops,  and  they 
soon  prospered  exceedingly.  Another  narrative  was  about  one 
Rocherus,  a  high  dignitary  in  the  church  at  Magdeburg,  who  was 
playing  at  chess,  when  a  servant  boy  entered  and  whispered  to  the 
butler  that  a  poor  sick  woman  was  at  the  gate,  and  sent  him  to 
beg  just  a  little  wine.  Rocherus  overhearing  this,  ordered  that 
some  wine  should  be  given  to  her  ;  but  the  butler  said  there  was 
none  unless  he  opened  a  now  cask.  Rocherus  ordered  him  at 
once  to  open  one  for  the  purpose ;  but  the  butler,  going  out,  pre- 
tended only  to  comply,  and  sent  away  the  messenger  empty. 
Scarcely  had  two  hours  elapsed  when  the  church  bells  tolled  for  a 
death  ;  and  on  Rocherus  making  strict  inquiry,  and  finding  that 
it  was  the  poor  woman  who  asked  for  wine,  and  who  had  not  been 
supplied  with  any,  he  summoned  the  butler  to  appear,  and,  boiling 
with  indignation,  commanded  him  instantly  to  empty  the  entire 
hogshead  of  wine  on  the  ground,  declaring  that  he  would  never 
make  use  of  that  of  which  a  part  had  been  refused  to  one  of 
Christ's  poor.  He  also  dismissed  the  man,  and  forbade  him  ever 
again  to  enter  his  presence. 

A   POPE   INVITING    A   FELLOW-MONK   TO   COURT. 

Pope  Paul  IV.,  on  his  election  to  the  papal  chair  in  1555. 
being  mindful  of  his  ancient  friendship  for  Jerome  Suessanus, 
the  hermit  of  Monte  Corona,  sent  orders  to  him  to  come  to  Rome. 
The  obedient  hermit  arrived,  and  was  joyfully  welcomed ;  but 
the  Pope,  raising  him  up,  said,  "  What  garment  is  this,  Jerome? 
It  is  too  mean.  You  must  lay  it  aside."  "  Nay,  holy  father," 
said  Jerome ;  "  when  clad  in  this  habit  I  can  walk  more  easily 


230  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

amid  the  oaks  and  brushwood  ;  nor  would  any  other  be  suitable 
to  a  penitent."  "  Oh,  but,"  said  the  Pope,  "  you  shall  be  no 
longer  in  the  woods  and  desert ;  you  shall  remain  here  with  us, 
and  from  a  hermit  become  a  cardinal."  The  hermit  at  once  fell 
prostrate  on  the  earth,  and  with  tears  implored  the  Pontiff  not 
to  think  of  executing  such  a  resolution,  declaring  that  he  knew 
of  no  happiness  beyond  the  solitude  of  the  desert.  The  Pope 
admitted,  on  reflection,  that  it  would  be  grievous  to  press  him 
further ;  so  the  holy  man  returned  in  triumph  to  his  cell  in  the 
woods. 

THE   ORDER   OF   FRIARS. 

The  thirteenth  century  saw  the  rise  of  a  new  class  of  religious 
orders,  actuated  by  different  views  from  monachism.  The  basis 
of  monkery  was  entire  seclusion  from  the  Avorld  and  its  busy 
ways,  in  order  to  fix  the  mind  on  holy  contemplations,  and  hence 
monasteries  were  built  in  wilds  and  deserts.  The  friars  thought 
they  coidd  improve  their  usefulness  by  mixing  with  mankind 
and  helping  them  by  active  duties.  Hence  they  established 
their  houses  in  or  near  great  towns,  and  acted  like  home  mis- 
sionaries, teaching  and  preaching ;  and  they  cultivated  science 
as  well  as  religion.  There  soon  grew  up  four  leading  orders  of 
friars — Dominicans,  Franciscans,  Carmelites,  and  Augustines.  The 
Dominicans  laid  themselves  out  for  converting  heretics ;  the 
Franciscans  for  preaching  the  Gospel  and  promoting  charity ; 
the  Carmelites  originated  at  Mount  Carmel,  in  Palestine ;  the 
Augustines  were  called  Austin  Friars.  The  friars  renounced 
property,  and  resolved  to  work  for  a  livelihood  or  live  on  alms  ; 
and  they  were-  called  the  Pope's  Militia. 

THE    CINDERELLA    OF   THE    CONVENT. 

St.  Basil  relates  that  in  a  female  convent  at  Tabennes,  in 
Egypt,  one  of  the  sisters  was  treated  by  all  the  rest  as  the  fool 
of  the  convent,  and  made  to  wash  up  the  dishes  and  do  the 
humblest  menial  work.  And  to  crown  the  contempt  shown 
towards  her,  she  was  made  to  wear  a  turban  of  patchwork  and 
a  dress  of  rags.  She  was  never  seen  to  sit  at  table  and  join  in 
meals.  Yet  she  never  complained  nor  uttered  a  reproach.  A 
holy  man  named  Pyoterus  lived  not  far  from  the  convent,  and 
one  night  an  angel  appeared  and  bade  him  go  and  visit  a  sister 
in  the  convent  who  wore  a  turban  as  a  headdress.  "  That  sister," 
said  the  angel,  "  is  holier  than  thou  art.  Though  always  in 
tribulation  both  night  and  day,  she  is  always  mindful  of  God, 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND   THEIR  WAYS.  231 

and  never  troubled  in  mind,  as  you  are."  Pyoterus  went  to  the 
convent  and  asked  to  see  the  sisters.  All  were  brought  and 
presented  to  him.  But  he  said,  "  One  is  still  missing."  "  Nay, 
holy  father,"  said  the  abbess,  "  all  are  here,  except  the  poor 
scullion,  who  is  a  fool."  "  Let  me  see  her,"  said  the  hermit. 
Then  Isidora  was  brought ;  whereupon  Pyoterus  fell  at  her  feet 
and  exclaimed,  "  Bless  me,  my  sister,  beloved  of  the  Lord."  The 
four  hundred  sisters  were  astounded  at  this  spectacle  ;  but  Pyoterus 
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  it  would  be  well  if  you  were 
as  wise  as  this  fool."  So  saying,  he  left  the  convent.  The 
treatment  afterwards  bestowed  on  Isidora  caused  her  to  leave 
the  convent  altogether. 

THE    NUNS    AND    LAY    BROTHERS    AT    SEMPRINGHAM    (a.D.   1139). 

About  1139,  says  Robert  Manning,  of  Brine,  St.  Gilbert 
established  a  priory  at  Sempringham,  in  Lincolnshire,  for  poor 
maidens.  At  first  these  were  served  only  by  poor  maids;  but 
soon  lay  brothers  did  that  duty,  and  priests  ministered  to  them. 
The  two  sexes  lived  within  the  same  enclosure,  but  were  separated 
by  a  high  wall,  with  a  small  hole  of  a  window  to  pass  food  and 
necessaries.  On  high  feast  days  both  sexes  met  in  the  church 
of  the  nuns,  but  they  were  separated  by  a  cloth.  All  the  food 
was  prepared  by  the  nuns  and  the  sisters,  and  passed  through 
the  small  window.  When  the  priests  entered  the  nuns'  house, 
they  were  to  be  accompanied  by  a  number  of  persons,  and  the 
nuns  were  to  have  their  faces  covered  in  their  presence.  No 
gossiping  or  talebearing  was  allowed.  The  lay  brothers  were 
never  to  enter  the  nuns'  enclosure  save  in  case  of  fire,  thieves,  etc. 
The  nuns  and  sisters  washed  the  linen  of  the  canons,  but  not 
of  the  lay  brothers,  who  had  to  do  their  own.  The  women  were 
permitted  to  sew  for  the  men,  but  not  to  cut  out,  make,  or  mend 
their  breeches  for  them.  The  head  prioress  and  nuns,  on  their 
annual  journey  round  the  nuns'  houses,  were  to  have  an  escort 
of  a  canon  and  a  lay  brother  to  protect  them  and  supply  neces- 
saries. There  was  to  be  no  more  conversation  between  them 
than  was  absolutely  necessary,  and  the  men  were  enjoined  to 
retire  to  a  respectful  distance  whenever  the  women  had  to 
descend  from  their  travelling  waggon.  On  journeys  the  women 
were  never  to  lodge  in  the  same  houses  as  the  men,  if  it  could 
possibly  be  helped.  Disorderly  monks  were  expelled,  and  dis- 
orderly  nuns  were   shut  up  in   a  little  hut    separate   from  the 


232  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

rest,  there  to  repent  till  death  released  them.  In  the  priory  no 
flesh  was  allowed :  beer  was  the  only  liquor  allowed ;  and  if  it 
ran  short,  wine  might  be  used  if  well  watered.  In  the  manage- 
ment of  the  farms,  where  milkmaids  and  reapers  were  hired,  no 
lay  brother  was  allowed  to  speak  except  in  presence  of  witnesses. 
And  young  and  pretty  women  were  to  be  especially  shunned. 
The  lay  brothers  were  not  allowed  any  books,  and  learned  only 
the  Paternoster,  the  Credo,  the  Miserere,  and  other  necessary 
prayers. 

COMPUNCTIOUS   VISITINGS    OP   MONKS. 

St.  Waltheof  was  a  son  of  the  Earl  of  Northumberland,  and 
died  about  1160.  He  became  a  monk  and  entered  a  monastery 
in  Lincolnshire.  He  was  most  vigorous  and  scrupulous  in  his 
habits.  One  day,  riding  with  the  abbot,  he  was  pestered  by  a 
horsefly,  and  often  flapped  it  away  with  his  sleeve,  till  at  last  in 
a  fit  of  anger  he  gave  a  violent  snap  and  killed  it.  At  this  fatal 
turn  of  affairs  he  immediately  dismounted  and  flung  himself 
prostrate  before  the  dead  fly,  and  in  presence  of  the  abbot  con- 
fessed his  sin  in  thus  killing  a  creature  of  God,  which  he  was 
unable  to  restore  to  life  again.  The  abbot  smiled  benignly,  and 
imposed  a  very  light  penance  for  the  offence.  St.  Benno,  born  at 
Hildesheim  and  Bishop  of  Meissen,  was  an  enthusiastic  reviver  of 
church  music.  When  the  Pope  excommunicated  his  king,  Benno 
ordered  two  of  his  canons  to  throw  the  keys  of  his  minster  into 
the  river  Elbe.  He  was  intensely  conscientious  and  mindful  of 
the  feelings  of  others.  One  evening,  as  he  was  walking  in  the 
fields  near  Meissen,  meditating  and  praying,  he  was  disturbed  by 
the  croaking  of  the  frogs.  He  angrily  bade  them  be  silent,  and 
they  obeyed.  But  he  had  not  gone  far  when  his  conscience 
smote  him.  He  repeated  to  himself  the  verse,  "  0  ye  whales 
and  all  that  move  in  the  waters,  bless  ye  the  Lord."  Then  over- 
whelmed with  shame,  as  the  thought  occurred  to  him  that 
perhaps  the  praises  of  the  poor  frogs  might  be  'as  acceptable  as 
his  own  to  the  great  Creator,  he  returned  to  the  marsh  and  said 
aloud,  "  O  ye  frogs,  sing  on  to  the  Lord  your  song  of  thanks- 
giving."    This  good  bishop  died  in  1106. 

MONKERY    BECOMING    WORKED    OUT. 

By  the  twelfth  century  the  status  of  monk  was  beginning  to 
deteriorate.  The  fine  theories  on  which  it  started  lost  hold,  and 
demoralisation  was  setting  in.  The  loose  way  of  admitting  all 
and  sundry  led  to  a  difficulty  in  keeping  strict  control.     It  used 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND   THEIR   WAYS.  233 

to  be  said  they  began  to  steal  each  other's  clothes  and  cups 
and  little  articles  of  property.  It  is  said  that  in  the  abbey  of 
St.  Tron,  about  1200,  each  monk  had  a  locked  cupboard  behind 
his  seat  in  the  refectory,  wherein  he  carefully  secured  his  napkin, 
spoon,  cup,  and  dish.  Even  the  bedclothes  were  not  safe.  Then 
so  many  went  about  traversing  every  corner  of  Christendom, 
bearded  and  tonsured  and  wearing  the  religious  habit,  living  by 
begging  and  imposture,  and  peddling  false  relics,  that  the  very 
name  of  monk  became  a  term  of  contempt.  Yet  William  of 
Newburgh  says  that  under  Stephen's  short  reign  (1135 — 1154) 
more  monasteries  were  founded  in  England  than  during  the 
hundred  years  preceding. 

THE   WAR    OF    THE    NUNS    OF    BASLE    (A.D.    1430). 

About  1297  a  convent  was  established  at  Little  Basle  called 
the  Sisters  of  Klurgenthal,  who  dming  the  next  century  acquired 
great  reputation,  not  so  much  from  the  austerity  of  their  rules 
as  for  their  wealthy  connections  among  all  the  nobles  of  the 
district.  The  prior  of  a  Dominican  monastery  in  Basle  was  the 
advocate  of  the  sisterhood;  but  they  had  long  felt  this  a  grievous 
burden,  and  they  resolved  to  get  rid  of  the  interference  of  the 
monks.  About  1430,  one  day,  the  friar  called,  when  they  barred 
him  out,  and  let  him  know  he  need  not  show  his  face  again  within 
the  house.  The  indignant  monks  then  spread  abroad  rumours  of 
the  luxurious  dresses,  habits,  and  loose  living  of  the  sisters,  and 
even  slandered  their  characters  and  invoked  the  interference  of  the 
Pope  to  put  down  the  scandal  thereby  created.  The  Pope  sent 
commissioners,  who  felt  it  their  duty  to  hold  a  solemn  inquiry 
into  the  allegations  against  their  dissipated  and  ungodly  lives. 
The  ladies  demurely  listened  to  the  papal  commissioner,  and  then 
retired  without  saying  a  word  ;  but  a  few  minutes  later  they  each 
and  all  returned,  armed  with  every  kitchen  implement  they  could 
find,  and  belaboured  light  and  left  the  commissioners,  who  in 
their  terror  fled,  leaving  the  papal  bull  behind  them,  and  with 
their  clothes  torn  off  their  backs.  This  appalling  treason  shocked 
the  papal  authorities,  who  ordered  the  sisters  to  be  expelled  and 
stripped  of  their  possessions.  One  or  two  of  the  sisters  who 
professed  to  be  shocked  at  their  companions  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  remain  till  they  coidd  get  their  things  put  together ;  and  during 
this  interval,  which  was  extended  on  one  pretext  or  another  to 
months,  they  appealed  to  then'  noble  cousins,  brothers,  and 
relatives  to  come  to  their  rescue,  and  they  even  procured  the 
support  of  the  Empei'or  to  them  claims.     The  nobles  did  so,  and 


234  FLOWERS  OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

with  a  large  body  of  retainers  so  contrived  that  the  Pope  had  to 
consent  to  an  arbitration  to  settle  all  matters  in  difference  with 
the  jealous  and  rapacious  monks  who  longed  to  succeed  to  the 
nuns'  possessions.  So  skilfully  was  the  rest  of  the  war  directed 
on  the  part  of  the  nuns  that  they  practically  reversed  the  adverse 
judgment,  and  were  restored  to  all  that  they  had  lost,  returning 
with  pomp  like  deposed  queens,  and  they  became  more  powerful 
and  kept  up  a  more  brilliant  establishment  than  ever. 

ONE    MONK    STEALING    ANOTHER    MONK'S    FOOD. 

It  is  related  by  Puffinus  that  a  monk  was  in  the  habit  of 
coming  to  the  cell  of  a  holy  anchorite  and  secretly  stealing  his 
food  ;  and  although  the  latter  knew  of  it,  still,  in  order  to  subdue 
himself,  he  made  as  if  he  perceived  him  not,  and  exerted  himself 
to  work  more  diligently  in  order  to  repair  his  loss.  He  thus 
reasoned  with  himself  :  "  God  hath  sent  me  aforetime  that  which 
I  needed,  and  this  brother  too  will  be  a  blessing  to  me."  And 
having  sustained  this  tribulation  a  long  time,  his  strength  failed, 
and  he  was  dying.  And  many  brethren  stood  around  looking 
upon  him ;  and  seeing  among  them  the  brother  who  had  for  so 
long  a  time  stolen  his  bread,  he  called  him  to  his  side  and  kissed 
his  hands,  and  said  before  them  all,  "  I  render  thanks  to  these 
hands,  my  brethren,  for  by  means  of  them  I  trust  to  enter 
Paradise."  On  hearing  and  understanding  this,  that  brother  took 
shame  to  himself,  and  was  touched  with  remorse,  changed  his 
life,  did  heavy  penance  for  his  sins,  and  became  a  perfect  monk 
through  the  example  of  the  holy  father  who  had  died. 

A    MONKISH    MODE    OF    DECIDING    ON    CREEDS  (A.D.  680). 

When  the  Monothelite  heresy  arose  and  disturbed  the  Church — 
namely,  the  doctrine  that  Christ  had  only  one  will,  though  He 
had  the  human  and  Godlike  natures  separate — the  sixth  general 
council  of  the  Church  was  held  at  Constantinople  in  680  to  settle 
it.  A  monk  named  Polychronius,  and  a  resolute  Monothelite,  rose 
and  challenged  the  council  to  put  the  doctrine  to  the  test  of  a 
miracle.  He  proposed  to  lay  his  creed  on  a  dead  body :  if  the 
dead  rose  not,  he  surrendered  himself  to  the  will  of  the  Emperor. 
A  body  accordingly  was  brought  into  a  neighbouring  bath.  The 
Emperor,  the  ministers,  the  whole  council,  and  a  wondering 
multitude  adjourned  to  this  place.  Polychronius  presented  a 
sealed  paper,  which  was  opened  and  read ;  it  declared  his  creed, 
and    that    he   had    been    commanded    in    a   vision    to    hasten  to 


Chap,  viii.]  THE    MONKS   AND   THETR    WAYS.  235 

Constantinople  to  prevent  the  Emperor  from  establishing  heresy. 
The  paper  was  laid  on  the  corpse ;  Polychronius  sat  whisper 
ing  into  its  ear ;  and  the  patient  assembly  awaited  the  issne  for 
some  hours.  But  the  obstinate  dead  would  not  come  to  life.  A 
unanimous  anathema  was  then  pronounced,  condemning  Poly- 
chronius as  a  heretic  and  deceiver ;  and  he  was  degraded  from  his 
functions.  The  council  then  anathematised  all  round  who  there- 
after disbelieved  the  doctrine  that  there  were  two  wills  and  two 
operations  in  Christ's  nature. 

A    MONK    INTERCEDING    FOR    PRISONERS    (A.D.   460). 

The  monk  Severinus,  in  the  fifth  century,  was  asked  to  inter- 
cede for  some  Roman  subjects  who  were  condemned  to  hard 
labour  by  Gisa,  Queen  of  the  Rugii.  She  made  an  angry  answer, 
and  bade  the  monk  to  be  gone  to  his  cell  to  his  prayers,  and  not 
presume  to  interfere  with  her  doing  as  she  pleased  with  her  own 
prisoners.  Not  long  afterwards  she  issued  harsh  orders  to  some 
goldsmiths  who  were  imprisoned,  and  compelled  to  work  beyond 
their  strength,  in  order  to  complete  some  royal  ornaments  which 
she  required.  By  accident  her  little  son  one  day  strayed  into  the 
prison,  whereupon  the  prisoners  seized  him  and  threatened  that, 
as  they  were  tired  of  life  and  reckless  of  consequences,  they  would 
first  kill  the  child  and  then  themselves,  unless  some  royal 
messenger  was  sent  to  assure  them  of  their  immediate  release. 
The  Queen,  filled  with  alarm,  was  conscience-struck,  and  acknow- 
ledged the  Divine  retribution  thus  prepared  for  her.  She  acceded 
to  the  prisoners'  demands,  and  not  only  released  the  men,  but 
she  sent  to  Severinus  to  entreat  his  forgiveness  for  the  way  in 
which  she  had  neglected  his  admonitions. 

HOW   THE    CARTHUSIANS    ACQUIRED    AN    ELIGIBLE    SITE. 

The  order  of  Carthusian  monks  had  the  credit  of  having,  the 
most  strictly  of  all  the  orders,  adhered  to  its  rules  for  some  six 
hundred  years.  One  of  the  rules,  that  each  monk  was  to  be  bled 
five  times  a  year — which  modern  science,  however,  shuns — 
must  have  been  founded  on  some  misapprehension.  The  astute 
manner  in  which  this  order  acquired  a  gift  of  land  in  Paris  has 
been  recorded  as  follows  :  St.  Louis  had  given  the  order  a  house 
at  Paris,  from  the  windows  of  which  they  saw  another  more 
extensive  and  convenient  mansion  and  site  in  the  neighbourhood. 
Soon  afterwards  this  house  opposite  was  found  to  be  haunted 
by  spirits  and  goblins,  which  made  a  great   noise  in  the  night, 


236  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

rattling  their  chains,  and  sending  forth  the  most  hoi'rid  yells  and 
groans.  Amongst  other  hideous  things  a  green  monster  appeared 
every  night,  with  a  large  white  beard,  half  man  and  half  serpent, 
terrifying  all  the  passengers  and  neighbourhood.  What  was 
to  be  done  with  this  intolerable  nuisance  ?  The  pious  monarch 
gave  the  house  to  the  Carthusians,  after  which  no  more  noises 
were  heard  and  no  more  spectres  appeared ;  but  the  street  in 
which  the  house  was  situated  was  long  known  as  Hell-fire  Sti'eet, 
which  name  it  bore  in  St.  Foix's  time. 

LUTHER    SOFTENED    AT    REVISITING    HIS    OLD    CONVENT. 

It  is  related  by  Audin,  in  his  Life  of  Luther,  that  on  the  eve 
of  Palm  Sunday  Luther  arrived  at  Erfurth  and  descended  at  the 
convent  of  the  Augustines,  where  a  few  years  before  he  had  taken 
the  habit.  It  was  nightfall ;  a  little  wooden  cross  over  the  tomb 
of  a  brother  whom  he  had  known,  and  who  had  lately  departed 
sweetly  to  the  Lord,  struck  his  attention  and  troubled  his  soul. 
He  was  himself  no  longer  the  poor  friar  travelling  on  foot  and 
begging  his  bi^ead.  His  power  equalled  that  of  Charles  Y.,  and 
all  men  had  their  eyes  on  him.  That  morning,  on  his  march,  he 
had  sung  the  famous  war  hymn,  which  Heyne  compares  to  the 
Marseillaise,  and  the  Emperor  was  about  to  resist  him,  as  he  said 
in  his  imperial  rescript,  "  though  at  the  peril  of  his  own  blood,  of 
his  dignity,  and  of  the  fortune  of  the  empire."  The  triumphant 
innovator  was  recalled  to  himself  for  an  instant  by  seeing  the 
tomb  of  a  faithful  brother.     He  pointed  it  out  to  Doctor  Jonas. 

"  See,  there  he  rests  ;  and  I "     He  could  not  finish.     After  a 

little  while  he  returned  to  it  and  sat  down  on  the  stone,  where 
he  remained  more  than  an  hour,  and  till  Amsdorf  was  obliged  to 
remind  him  that  the  convent  bell  had  tolled  the  hour  for  sleep. 
Well  might  the  heart  in  which  such  tempests  were  still  gathering 
have  wept  at  the  image  of  that  quiet  gi'ave. 

THE    MONKS    AND    POLITE    LETTERS    (A.D.    527). 

Cassiodorus,  a  most  accomplished  and  high-born  youth,  became 
prime  minister  to  Odoacer  and  then  to  Theodoric ;  but  on  the 
downfall  of  the  Ostrogoths  he  become  tired  of  diplomacy,  and  at 
seventy  years  of  age  retired  and  founded  the  monastery  of  Viviers 
about  527,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Moscius.  He  was  not  satisfied 
with  the  usual  occupations  of  monastic  life ;  and  having  always 
been  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  learning  and  science,  he  sought  to 
distinguish  his  monastery  from  the  others  by  making  it  the  asylum 
of  literature  and  the  arts.     He  endowed  the  institution  with  his 


<  lhap.  viii.J  THE    MONKS    AND    TJIEJK    WAYS.  237 

Roman  library,  containing  the  accumulations  of  half  a  century. 
Not  only  were  the  monks  incited  by  his  example  to  the  study  of 
classical  and  sacred  literature,  but  he  trained  them  likewise  to 
the  art  of  carefully  transcribing  manuscripts  of  rare  and  precious 
works.  He  introduced  also  the  arts  of  bookbinding,  gardening, 
and  medicine.  He  employed  much  of  his  own  spare  time  also 
in  the  composition  of  scientific  treatises,  and  in  makiDg  clocks, 
sundials,  and  lamps.  His  mode  of  arranging  the  occupations  of 
monks  became  known  as  a  system,  and  was  adopted  beyond  the 
boundaries  of  Italy ;  and  thus  the  multiplication  of  manuscripts 
became  a  recognised  employment,  like  prayer  and  fasting.  He 
is  said  to  have  lived  to  be  a  hundred  yeai's  old,  and  left  several 
interesting  works  of  his  own  on  sacred  literature. 

THE    MONKISH    LITERATURE    ABOUT    THE    SAINTS: 

The  early  Christians  had  great  difficulty  in  obtaining  knowledge 
of  the  Scriptures,  though  it  was  the  duty  of  the  bishops  and  pries!  - 
and  deacons  to  read  these  as  part  of  the  service.  And  the  wanl 
of  printing  was  a  great  drawback  to  the  circulation  of  every  kind 
of  book  knowledge  at  the  fireside.  But  the  Lives  of  the  Saints 
were  the  favourites,  and  the  most  keenly  sought  after  from  the 
sixth  to  the  sixteenth  century.  Many  of  the  biographies  were 
written  by  some  friend  or  pupil  of  the  deceased  person,  and  still 
remain  most  graphic  pictures  of  the  habits  of  the  age.  The  in- 
genuity of  the  authors,  when  they  lived  long  after  their  hero,  was 
taxed  in  order  to  crowd  into  the  narrative  every  incident  which 
could  sustain  the  craving  for  the  marvellous  and  romantic,  and 
these  were  the  inventions  of  the  composer.  The  Lives  were 
written  in  the  language  of  the  people,  and  the  supply  seemed  to 
be  equal  to  the  demand.  They  moulded  the  creed  of  all  the 
common  people,  and  the  artists  embodied  them  in  endless  forms 
in  stained  windows,  mosaics,  and  pictures.  So  wonderful  were 
the  works  usually  recorded  that  they  not  only  arrested  the  ear 
at  once,  but  they  became  so  blended  and  intermixed  with  history, 
that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  separate  the  fact  from  the  fiction. 
Many  of  the  details  seem  purposeless  in  their  absurdity ;  while 
a  few  are  well  narrated  and  so  probable  that  they  were  implicitly 
believed  by  all  who  enrolled  themselves  among  the  faithful. 

THE    SCRIPTORIUM    IN    THE    MONASTERY    OF    ST.    GALL. 

The  monastery  of  St.  Gall,  in  Switzerland,  which  rose  to  be 
one  of  the  chief  religious  houses  in  the  Frankish  Empire  in 
816 — 883,  had  a  fine  library  and  scriptorium,  where  the  monks 


238  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

excelled  in  copying  manuscripts  and  illuminating  them.  The 
monks  sat  daily  in  perfect  silence  at  writing-tables,  copying  the 
works  of  the  Fathers  and  the  Bible.  They  often  wrote  marginal 
notes,  giving  vent  to  their  wants  and  desires  of  the  moment.  Each 
house  had  its  peculiar  style  of  penmanship.  In  the  time  of  the 
Abbot  Hartmut,  about  870,  there  were  three  famous  monks  at 
St.  Gall,  called  Notker  the  Stammerer,  Ratpert,  and  Tutilo,  and 
close  friends.  Notker  was  said  to  be  the  most  learned  man  of  his 
time ;  and  one  day  a  presumptuous  empei-or's  chaplain  went  up  to 
him,  saying,  "  Most  learned  sir,  you  know  everything;  pray  tell 
us  what  God  is  doing  now."  Notker  at  once  replied,  "  He  is 
doing  now  what  He  is  always  doing,  and  what  He  will  soon  do  to 
thee.  He  is  exalting  the  humble  and  abasing  the  proud."  A 
chronicler  says  that  this  chaplain,  in  departing  in  the  Emperor's 
train,  was  thrown  from  his  horse  and  disfigured  for  life.  Notker 
was  a  great  musician,  and  set  the  best  hymns  to  music  for  use  in 
al|l  the  Western  Churchts.  Ratpert  also  composed  sacred  songs 
and  a  chronicle  of  the  abbey.  Tutilo  was  skilful  as  an  orator,  as 
well  as  carver  and  painter,  and  played  on  the  flute.  His  delight 
was  to  travel  from  monastery  to  monastery,  where  he  was  always 
welcome ;  for  he  carved  and  painted  and  made  gifts  of  his  own 
fine  workmanship.  These  three  friends  greatly  enjoyed  their 
time  of  meeting  each  night  in  the  scriptorium,  where  they  dis- 
coursed on  Bible  subjects.  One  night  they  overheard  the  new 
abbot,  who  was  greatly  disliked,  listening  at  the  door,  and  they 
seized  him  and  chastised  him  vigorously,  to  the  great  delight  of 
the  brethren.  In  revenge  the  abbot  wilfiilly  cut  and  spoiled  the 
leaves  of  some  valuable  Greek  works  then  in  course  of  being  copied 
by  Notker. 

BEAUTIFUL    MANUSCRIPTS    OF    MONKS. 

The  art  of  transcribing  manuscripts  flourished  in  the  monasteries 
till  about  a  century  before  the  discovery  of  printing.  Gerbert,  in 
his  "  History  of  the  Black  Forest,"  says  that  if  there  was  nothing 
else,  the  beautiful  writing  of  the  tenth  century,  by  means  of  which 
so  many  valuable  monuments  have  been  transmitted  to  us,  ought 
to  convince  us  that  it  was  not  a  barbarous  age.  Books  were 
then  so  beautifully  painted  and  embellished  with  emblems  and 
miniatures  that  the  whole  seemed  to  be  the  produce  not  of 
human  but  of  angelic  hands.  The  fervour  of  the  abbots  in  that 
tenth  century  in  employing  writers  to  preserve  valuable  books  by 
multiplying  copies  can  never  be  sufficiently  praised.  Tangmar, 
in  his  Life  of  St.  Berward  of  Hildesheim,  says  that  he  established 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND   THEIR   WAYS.  239 

scriptoriums,  not  only  in  the  monasteries,  but  in  divers  places,  by 
means  of  which  he  collected  a  copious  library  of  books,  both  of 
divines  and  philosophers.  In  fact,  the  art  of  writing  never 
attained  to  such  perfection  as  in  the  ninth  and  tenth  centuries ; 
and  all  antiquarians  will  admit  that  the  forni — more  or  less 
elegant — of  characters  in  the  manuscripts  of  different  ages  places 
before  our  eyes  the  state  of  the  sciences  at  that  time,  according 
as  it  was  more  or  less  flourishing.  The  same  parchment  was  some- 
times twice  or  thrice  written  upon.  The  monks  only  followed  the 
practice  of  the  Romans  in  thus  rewriting  on  the  same  parchment. 

THE  PENMANSHIP  OF  THE  MONKS. 

One  of  the  departments  of  every  monastery  was  the  scriptorium 
or  writing-office,  where,  during  the  dark  ages,  many  precious 
books  were  copied  and  circulated,  and  no  member  was  admitted 
except  the  heads  of  the  house  or  on  business.  There  were  two 
classes  of  monks  in  this  department,  called  the  antiquarii,  who 
made  copies  of  valuable  old  books,  and  the  Kbrarii,  who  copied 
new  books  and  inferior  ones.  The  books  chiefly  copied  were  the 
Scriptures,  also  missals  or  church  services,  works  on  theology,  and 
the  classics.  St.  David,  the  patron  saint  of  Wales,  is  said  to  have 
begun  shortly  before  his  death  to  transcribe  the  Gospel  of  St.  John 
in  letters  of  gold  with  his  own  hand.  In  this  constant  practice 
sprang  up  the  art  of  illumination,  so  vainly  imitated  by  the  artists 
of  the  present  day,  not  from  want  of  genius,  but  from  want  of 
something  almost  indescribable  in  the  conception  and  execution 
— a  tone  and  preservation  of  colour,  and  especially  of  gilding, 
which  was  essentially  peculiar  to  the  old  monks,  who  must  have 
possessed  some  secret  both  of  combination  and  fixing  of  colours 
which  has  been  lost  with  them.  This  elaborate  illumination  was 
devoted  to  religious  books,  psalms,  missals,  and  prayer-books  j  in 
other  works  the  first  letters  of  chapters  were  beautifully  illuminated, 
and  other  leading  letters  in  a  lesser  degree.  Such  were  the  pecu- 
liar labours  of  the  scriptorium ;  and  to  encourage  those  who 
dedicated  their  time  to  it,  a  special  benediction  was  attached  to 
the  office.     We  got  our  Bible  and  our  classics  from  them. 

THE    MONASTERIES    AS    MUSEUMS    OF    ART. 

Kings  and  emperors  often  bequeathed  their  rarest  treasures  of 
gold  and  jewels  to  monasteries.  The  kings  of  France  often  left 
then*  crowns  to  the  abbey  of  St.  Denis.  Monte  Cassino  had  great 
store  of  presents  from  kings  of  chalices  and  patens,  crowns  and 
crosses,  phials  and  vases,  and  precious  ornaments  of  purest  gold, 


240  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

and  silks  with  gold  and  gems.  When  the  Danes  arrived  at  the 
abbey  of  Peterborough  in  1070,  they  took  away  the  golden  crown 
in  the  church  embellished  with  gems  from  the  head  of  the  crucifix, 
and  the  golden  stool  set  with  gems,  and  rare  articles  of  gold  and 
precious  stones.  In  the  monastery  of  Ripon  were  four  gospels 
written  on  a  purple  ground  in  letters  of  gold,  inclosed  in  a  golden 
casket.  The  furniture  for  St.  Ina's  famous  chapel  in  Glastonbury 
was  of  silver  and  gold  of  great  value,  the  covers  of  the  gospels 
were  of  gold,  and  the  priests'  vestments  interwoven  with  gold  and 
cunningly  ornamented  with  precious  stones.  In  the  treasury  of 
the  abbey  of  the  Isle  Bar  be,  the  horn  of  Roland  was  preserved ; 
in  the  abbey  of  St.  Denis  the  chessboard  and  men  used  by 
Charlemagne.  In  the  abbey  of  Rheinau  was  a  wooden  cross 
nine  inches  high,  cut  out  of  a  single  piece,  and  showing  in  more 
than  a  hundred  figures  the  chief  passages  of  our  Saviour's  life. 
In  the  abbey  of  St.  Stephen,  at  Troyes,  the  Psalter  of  Count 
Henry,  the  founder,  written  in  letters  of  gold,  was  still  fresh  after 
eight  hunched  years.  In  the  treasury  of  Citeaux  was  the  chair  in 
which  St.  Bernard  sat  as  a  novice ;  and  there  were  ancient  breviaries 
of  the  monks,  written  in  small  letters,  as  pocket  companions  in 
their  travels.  At  Treves  the  gospels,  written  in  letters  of  gold 
covered  with  jewels,  were  the  present  of  Princess  Ada,  sister  of 
Charlemagne. 

LEARNING    AND    EMBROIDERY    OF    THE    NUNS. 

The  nuns  who  followed  the  Benedictine  order  often  displayed 
learning  as  well  as  manual  skill.  Willibald  says  those  of  Britain 
and  Germany  excelled  in  the  studies  usual  to  men.  They  followed 
the  example  of  the  monks  in  transcribing  books,  and  even  in  com- 
posing others.  Those  of  the  monastery  of  Eikers,  in  Belgium,  were 
celebrated  for  their  labours  in  reading  and  meditating,  in  writing 
and  in  painting.  The  abbesses  Harlind  and  Renild,  besides  works 
of  embroidery  and  weaving,  were  said  to  have  written  with  their 
own  hands  the  four  gospels,  the  whole  Psalter,  and  many  other 
books  of  Scripture,  which  they  ornamented  with  liquid  gold,  gems, 
and  pearls.  Cpesaria,  abbess  of  Aries,  and  her  nuns  wrote  out 
many  Divine  books  during  the  time  that  was  spent  between 
psalmody  and  fasting,  vigils  and  readings.  Heloise  and  her  nuns 
proposed  difficult  questions  on  the  sacred  Scriptures  to  Abelard, 
and  showed  an  acuteness  and  discernment  little  inferior  to  his 
own.  Peter  the  Venerable,  in  his  letter  to  Heloise,  said  it  was 
sweet  to  prolong  discourse  with  her,  for  her  erudition  was  not  less 
celebrated  than  her  sanctity.     So  that  there  was  always  a  succes- 


Chap,  viii.]  THE   MONKS   AND   THEIR   WAYS.  241 

sion  of  noted  women  from  age  to  age,  like  Marcella,  whose  acuteness 
and  learning  were  constantly  extolled  by  St.  Jerome  in  his  letters. 

THE   MONKS   AT   MISSAL    PAINTING. 

The  art  of  illumination  was  one  of  the  great  triumphs  of  the 
monks  in  the  Middle  Ages,  though  the  same,  or  at  least  a  kindred, 
art  was  practised  in  Egypt  long  before  the  Christian  era.  So 
early  as  the  fourth  century  St.  Jerome  complained  of  the  orna- 
mentation of  enormous  capital  letters  in  books  as  an  abuse.  A 
copy  of  the  New  Testament  was  executed  in  the  fourth  century  in 
letters  of  silver,  with  the  initials  in  gold,  and  is  still  preserved  in 
the  royal  library  at  Upsal  under  the  title  of  the  "  Codex  Argenteus." 
In  the  seventh  century  enormous  initial  letters  began  to  supersede 
the  current  practice  of  introducing  miniatures  in  the  ornamenta- 
tion. The  new  style  then  consisted  of  interlaced  fretwork  or 
entwined  branches  of  white  and  gold  on  a  background  of  variegated 
colours.  Irish  monasteries  excelled  the  British  about  that  age  in 
this  kind  of  work,  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  youths  went  to  Ireland 
to  obtain  a  mastery  of  the  favourite  styles.  St.  Danstas  was 
himself  an  expert  illuminator.  A  fine  specimen,  called  St.  Cuth- 
bert's  Cospels,  was  executed  by  a  bishop  of  Lindisfarne  about  721, 
and  is  now  in  the  Cottonian  Library.  The  finest  specimen  of 
English  illumination  of  the  tenth  century  is  the  Duke  of  Devon- 
shire's "  Benedictional,"  executed  by  the  Bishop  of  Winchester  in 
984,  where  pictures  of  glorified  confessors  are  on  the  first  page. 
The  initial  letters  became  longer  and  longer,  until  their  tails 
reached  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  page,  and  next  they  were 
carried  round  the  three  sides.  The  foliage,  flowers,  birds,  animals, 
and  miniatures  in  the  background  were  cart  fully  drawn.  The 
printing-press  was  the  death-knell  of  this  elaborate  style  of 
decorating  books  ;  yet  the  earliest  printed  books  had  also  spaces  for 
illumination.  While  it  flourished,  the  great  artists  were  vastly 
appreciated.  It  was  a  saintly  work  and  a  labour  of  love,  and 
success  in  it  was  the  highest  ambition  of  the  best  men  of  the  age. 

A    MONK   GREAT   IN   MUSIC   AND   ILLUMINATING. 

Boger  De  Warrene,  nephew  of  the  Earl  of  Surrey,  became  a 
monk  in  the  abbey  of  St.  Evroult,  and  lived  there  forty-six  years, 
abounding  in  zeal  and  every  good  work.  Though  his  person  was 
handsome,  he  chose  to  disfigure  it  by  a  mean  dress.  A  respectful 
modesty  marked  his  whole  demeanour ;  his  voice  was  musical, 
and  he  had  an  agreeable  mode  of  speech.     His  strength  of  body 

16 


242  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

enabled  him  to  undergo  much  toil,  while  he  was  at  all  times  ready 
to  sing  psalms  and  hymns.  He  was  gifted  with  pleasing  manners, 
and  was  courteous  towards  his  brother  monks.  He  was  abstemious 
himself,  but  generous  to  others  ;  always  alive  for  vigils,  and  in- 
credibly modi  st.  He  did  not  plume  himself  with  worldly  ostentation 
on  his  noble  birth,  but  obeyed  the  rules  with  unhesitating  humility, 
and  was  always  pleased  to  do  the  lowest  offices  required  of  the 
monks.  For  many  years  he  was  in  the  habit  of  cleaning  the 
brethren's  shoes,  washing  their  stockings,  and  cheerfully  eloing 
other  services  which  would  be  irksome  to  stupid  anel  conceited 
persons.  He  ornamented  a  book  of  the  gospels  with  gold,  silver, 
and  precious  stones,  and  procured  several  vestments  and  copes  for 
the  chanters,  with  carpets  and  curtains  and  other  ornaments  for 
the  church.  He  got  all  he  could  from  his  brothers  and  relations 
as  occasion  offered,  anel  what  he  wrested  from  their  bodily  grati- 
fications he  applied  with  joy  to  Divine  offices  for  the  good  of  their 
souls. 


243 


CHAPTER   IX. 
PROSELYTISING  MONKS  AND  PREACHERS. 

A    CAPTIVE    NUN    CONVERTJNG   THE    IBERIANS. 

In  the  reign  of  the  Christian  Emperor  Constantino,  early  in  the 
fourth  century,  a  Christian  nun,  called  Nunia,  was  carried  off 
captive  by  the  Iberians,  and  was  given  as  a  slave  to  one  of  the 
natives.  Her  ascetic  and  devotional  life  soon  attracted  the  notice 
of  the  Pagans,  who  became  convinced  that  she  had  some  magical 
power  of  life  and  death.  A  child  was  thought  to  be  at  the  point 
of  death,  and  was  carried  from  place  to  place  in  search  of  a 
physician.  Some  one  suggested  the  nun,  who  when  challenged 
said  she  knew  of  no  remedy  but  Christ,  when  all  other  help  was 
wanting.  She  prayed  for  the  child,  and  it  recovered.  This  made 
an  extraordinary  impression,  and  the  miracle  reached  the  ears  of 
the  Queen.  The  Queen  fell  sick,  and  was  prayed  for.  and  also 
recovered.  The  King  hearing  of  this,  wanted  to  send  a  rich 
present,  but  was  told  the  Christian  woman  despised  such  earthly 
goods,  and  looked  for  her  only  reward  in  bringing  people  to  join  in 
worshipping  the  true  God.  Some  time  afterwards  the  King  h>.->t 
his  way  while  hunting,  and  renumbered  this  Christian  woman's 
action,  and  made  a  vowT  that,  if  he  were  saved,  he  would  join  in 
this  new  worship.  Presently  the  sky  cleared,  and  the  King  was 
able  to  find  his  way  back.  He  then  set  about  inquiring,  and  soon 
engaged  teachers  and  preachers  of  the  new  doctrine.  And  this 
was  the  beginning  of  Christianity  among  the  Iberians,  who  soon 
united  with  the  Armenian  Church. 

A    FOURTH-CENTURY    MISSIONARY. 

Near  the  end  of  the  fourth  century,  a  monk,  Abraham,  in 
Phoenicia,  having  recovered  from  a  dangerous  illness,  felt  impelled 
to  prove  his  gratitude  to  the  Lord  by  exposing  himself  to  great 


244  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

danger  in  publishing  the  Gospel.  In  the  disguise  of  a  merchant 
he  betook  himself  with  some  companions  to  a  village  in  Lebanon, 
where  all  were  Pagans,  under  the  pretext  that  they  wished  to 
purchase]  walnuts,  for  which  the  place  was  noted.  They  took 
sacks  for  the  purpose.  But  when  the  people  heard  him  singing 
spiritual  songs  with  his  friends  in  a  hired  house,  they  met  in  a 
rage,  barricaded  the  house,  and  were  on  the  point  of  murdering 
the  inmates,  though  at  last  these  were  allowed  to  escape.  Just 
at  that  moment  the  tax-gatherers  came  and  made  heavier  demands 
than  the  people  could  meet,  whereupon  Abraham  interceded,  and 
raised  among  his  friends  a  sum  sufficient  to  buy  out  the  excisemen, 
and  became  surety  for  them  also.  This  conduct  made  at  once 
a  great  impression  on  the  villagers,  who  changed  from  violent 
hostility  into  great  gratitude  and  reverence.  They  requested 
their  deliverer  to  undertake  the  office  of  their  overseer  or  governor 
— an  office  then  vacant.  He  agreed,  on  condition  of  their  building 
a  church,  which  they  soon  assented  to.  He  then  urged  them  to 
appoint  a  priest,  and  they  begged  him  to  act  as  such  himself. 
He  did  so,  and  in  three  yeai-s  he  established  a  mission  which  was 
afterwards  known  as  the  tribe  of  Maronites,  who  became  noted 
for  their  pure  and  simple  way  of  life. 

A    LONG    SERMON    BY    ST.  PATRICK. 

It  is  said  that  St.  Patrick,  who  died  466,  once  went  through 
the  four  gospels  in  one  exposition  to  the  Irish  at  a  place  called 
Finnablair,  and  he  was  three  days  and  nights  about  it,  without 
intermission,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  hearers,  who  thought 
that  only  one  day  had  passed.  St.  Bridget  was  present,  but  it 
was  observed  that  she  took  a  sleep  and  had  a  comfortable  vision 
during  its  continuance. 

HOW   A   MONK   WARDED    OFF   THE   LOCUSTS. 

Severinus,  a  monk  missionary,  who  laboured  among  the  German 
races  near  the  Danube,  and  who  died  in  482,  was  deemed  the 
holiest  man  of  his  generation,  and  Providence  was  said  to  be 
visibly  supporting  his  ministry.  Once  a  great  swarm  of  locusts 
settled  on  the  country.  Severinus  was  asked  for  his  prayers,  as  a 
means  of  deliverance  from  the  plague.  After  quoting  Scripture 
and  urging  them  to  works  of  repentance,  he  said,  "  Let  no  one 
of  you  now  go  to  his  fields,  thinking  that  by  human  care  you 
can  ward  off  the  locusts."  All  were  affected  by  this  advice,  and 
assembled  in  church,  acknowledging  with  tears  their  sinful  courses. 


Chap,  ix.]         PROSELYTISING    MONKS   AND   PREACHERS.  24.3 

Only  one  poor  man,  from  anxiety  about  his  land,  while  the  rest 
were  at  church  was  absent  all  day,  trying  to  drive  away  the 
locusts,  and  only  in  the  evening  found  time  to  join  the  rest  at 
church.  But  next  morning  he  found  his  field  devoured  by  the 
locusts,  while  the  other  fields  had  escaped.  This  occurrence  made 
a  great  impression,  which  Severinus  turned  to  account  by  teaching 
them  how  their  duties  towards  God  should  take  precedence  of 
everything  else.  But  he  also  added,  "  It  is  but  reasonable  that 
by  your  bounty  this  poor  man  should  be  maintained  during  the 
present  year,  seeing  that  by  the  punishment  he  has  suffered  he 
has  given  you  a  lesson  of  humility."  Accordingly,  they  all  con- 
tributed jointly  to  support  the  poor  man  for  a  year. 

FIRST   PLANTING    OF   THE    CROSS   IN    ENGLAND. 

There  are  two  theories  of  historians  as  to  the  first  foundation 
of  the  Anglican  Church.  Some  say  it  began  with  the  mission  of 
St.  Augustine ;  others  say  it  was  coeval  with  the  Apostles.  The 
latter  party  maintain  that  there  were  Christian  Britons  at  Rome 
when  St.  Peter  was  there,  and  that  the  British  kings  and  nobles 
used  to  send  their  sons  to  be  educated  at  that  period  in  Rome. 
It  is  said  that  at  the  time  of  Peter's  preaching  there  were  about 
a  hundred  converts,  Britons  and  others,  who  were  in  the  habit 
of  assembling  at  a  certain  house  for  prayer  and  worship.  This 
house  belonged  to  a  British  lady,  Claudia,  and  her  husband,  Pudens. 
One  Eubulus  was  the  father  of  Claudia.  In  this  house,  and 
entertained  by  Claudia  and  Pudens,  lived  St.  Peter,  by  whom 
they  had  been  converted  to  Christianity,  and  many  of  their  friends 
and  acquaintances.  Few  things  are  said  to  be  clearer  than  that  St. 
Peter,  when  in  Rome,  was  the  guest  of  this  British  lady  Claudia. 
Claudia  and  Pudens  had  two  daughters,  Pudentiana  and  Praxedes, 
and  their  son  Novatus.  Nearly  all  these  persons  are  mentioned 
by  St.  Paul,  who  must  have  known  them  well.  The  poet  Martial 
corroborates  this  account  in  his  fifty-third  epigram.  Therefore, 
as  there  were  British  Christians  at  Rome  known  to  St.  Peter  and 
to  St.  Paul,  it  is  highly  probable  that  those  converts  increased  in 
number,  and  that  some  of  them  found  their  way  to  their  native 
place.  Justin  Martyr,  in  the  early  part  of  the  second  century, 
says  that  professors  of  Christianity  had  gone  to  every  country ; 
and  Tertullian  expressly  mentions  Britain  as  one  of  these  countries. 
So  does  Eusebius  in  the  fourth  century.  Moreover,  Gregory  and 
St.  Augustine,  in  sending  their  mission  to  England  at  the  end  of 
the  sixth  century,  recognise  the  fact  of  an  already  existing  Church 
in  Britain. 


246  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 


HOW    TOPE    GREGORY    CAME    TO    SEND    MISSIONARIES    TO    ENGLAND. 

Bede  narrates  the  origin  of  the  mission  to  Christianise  England 
thus  :  One  day,  certain  merchants  having  lately  arrived  at  Rome, 
a  quantity  of  goods  was  brought  into  the  market  for  sale,  and 
many  people  had  resorted  thither  to  buy ;  and  among  the  rest 
Gregory  the  Great  himself  came,  and  saw,  together  with  other 
merchandise,  some  boys  exposed  for  sale — their  bodies  white,  their 
faces  handsome,  and  their  hair  very  beautiful.  And  having 
looked  at  them,  he  asked,  as  they  say,  from  what  country  or 
land  they  had  been  brought,  and  was  told  from  the  island  of 
Britain,  whose  inhabitants  were  of  such  appearance.  Again  he 
asked  whether  the  same  islanders  were  Christians,  or  were  still 
involved  in  Pagan  errors ;  and  was  told  that  they  were  Pagans. 
Then  fetching  a  deep  sigh  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  "  Alas ! 
the  pity,"  said  he,  "  that  the  author  of  darkness  should  possess  men 
of  so  bright  a  countenance,  and  that  persons  conspicuous  for  so 
much  grace  of  aspect  should  have  minds  void  of  inward  grace." 
He  therefore  again  asked  what  was  the  name  of  that  nation. 
He  was  answered  that  they  were  Angles.  "  That  is  well,"  said 
he,  "  for  they  have  angelic  faces,  and  such  men  ought  to  be  coheirs 
with  the  angels  in  heaven."  He  asked  other  things;  and  then 
repairing  to  the  Bishop  of  the  Roman  and  Apostolic  See  (for  he 
himself  had  not  yet  been  made  Pontiff),  he  asked  him  to  send  into 
Britain  some  ministers  of  the  Word,  by  whom  they  might  be  con- 
verted to  Christ,  declaring  himself  ready  to  undertake  the  work 
with  the  Lord's  assistance,  if  only  the  Pope  were  pleased  that  he 
should  do  so  ;  which  thing  he  was  not  for  a  while  able  to  perform, 
because,  although  the  Pope  was  willing,  yet  the  citizens  of  Rome 
would  not  allow  him  to  withdraw  so  far  from  the  city.  Afterwards, 
when  he  was  himself  made  Pope,  he  achieved  the  work  so  long 
desired,  sending  other  preachers  indeed,  but  himself  aiding  by  his 
exhortations  and  prayers  that  their  preaching  should  bear  fruit. 

HOW  ST.  AUGUSTINE  MADE  IMPRESSION  ON  THE  SAXON  KING  (A.D.  596). 

When  Gregory  the  Great,  in  596,  sent  St.  Augustine  to  convert 
the  Anglo-Saxons,  the  saint,  on  landing  in  the  Isle  of  Thanet, 
sent  messengers  to  Ethelbert,  the  Saxon  King,  to  say  he  was  the 
bearer  of  joyful  tidings.  The  King,  however,  stipulated  that  their 
first  interview  should  be  in  the  open  ah-,  as  he  had  a  fear  of 
charms  and  spells.  So  the  King  crossed  the  river  Stour,  and  waited 
under  an  oak  in  the  middle  of  the  Isle  of  Thanet.  To  make  a 
deeper  impression,  Augustine  came  up  from  the  shore  in  solemn 


Chap,  be]         PROSELYTISING    MONKS   AND    PREACHERS.  247 

procession,  preceded  by  a  verger  carrying  a  large  silver  cross,  and 
followed  by  one  bearing  aloft,  on  a  board,  a  well-gilt  picture  of 
the  Saviour.  Then  came  the  rest  of  the  brethren  and  the  choir 
chanting  a  solemn  litany  for  the  eternal  welfare  of  the  Saxon 
people.  On  their  meeting,  the  saint  could  not  speak  Anglo-Saxon, 
and  the  King  could  not  speak  Latin,  but  the  priests  interpreted 
the  conversation.  The  saint  told  of  the  Son  of  God  having  left 
His  heavenly  throne  to  come  to  the  world,  where  He  died  for  the 
sins  of  the  guilty.  The  King  listened  fairly,  and  confessed  that 
the  tidings  were  new  and  full  of  significance.  He  would  not  at 
once  engage  to  change  the  customs  of  his  people,  but  he  promised 
hospitality  and  kindness  to  the  strangers,  and  agreed  that  none 
of  his  people  should  be  prohibited  from  adopting  the  new  religion. 
The  saint  was  pleased  at  this  success,  and  with  his  companions 
again  formed  a  procession  and  crossed  the  river  to  Canterbury 
(which  was  then  a  rude  place  surrounded  with  thickets,  and  the 
capital  of  the  kingdom),  chanting  all  the  way  their  solemn  litanies. 
The  missionaries  took  up  their  abode,  waiting  till  the  King  made 
up  his  mind,  and  they  devoted  themselves  to  prayers  and  fasting. 
Their  conduct  made  a  great  impression ;  and  Ethelbert,  a  year 
after  the  first  interview,  avowed  his  acceptance  of  Christianity 
and  was  baptised.  Augustine,  soon  after,  returned  to  France, 
and  was  consecrated  at  Aries  the  first  Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 

METHODIUS  PREACHES  IN  THE  NATIVE  LANGUAGE  (A.D.  862). 

In  Moravia,  King  Swatopluk  and  his  Queen  having  been 
converted  to  the  new  faith,  applied,  about  862,  to  the  Emperor 
Michael  to  send  them  some  Christian  teachers,  and  two  mis- 
sionaries named  Cyril  and  Methodius  were  sent.  They  took 
with  them  a  relic,  supposed  to  be  the  body  of  St.  Clement  of 
Rome,  a  martyr.  They  obtained  great  success,  for  the  ordinary 
practice  of  the  time  was  to  use  the  Greek  and  Latin  tongues ; 
whereas  these  men  saw  that  nothing  could  be  done  without  first 
mastering  the  language  of  the  country.  They  set  about  learning 
the  Slavonic  tongue,  compiled  "an  alphabet,  and  rapidly  spread  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  which  led  to  the  building  of  churches  and 
great  interest  in  the  new  doctrines,  so  that  they  were  summoned 
to  Rome,  charged  with  some  kind  of  heretical  error.  But  they 
proved  their  orthodoxy,  and  the  Pope  consecrated  Methodius  as 
Archbishop  of  the  Moravians.  At  a  later  date  he  was  again 
cited  before  the  Pope  for  using  the  Slavonic  tongue  in  the  Liturgy. 
But  he  again  overcame  all  opposition,  and  showed  that  the  praises 
of  the  Lord  were  not  confined  to  the  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  Latin 


248  FLOWEBS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

languages,  for  St.  Paul  said,  "  Let  every  tongue  confess  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  Lord,"  and  it  was  a  scriptural  command,  "  Praise  the 
Lord,  all  ye  nations."  It  was  said  that  Methodius  afterwards 
met  some  heathen  dukes  at  the  King's  table ;  and  after  talking  to 
them,  one  of  the  dukes  asked  what  he  might  expect  to  gain  by 
becoming  a  Christian.  The  answer  given  was  that  the  change 
would  exalt  him  above  all  kings  and  princes ;  whereupon  the 
savage  chiefs  were  all  there  and  then  baptised.  It  seemed  that 
after  the  death  of  Methodius,  about  885,  the  orthodox  people  still 
professed  antipathy  to  the  Slavonic  liturgy  as  an  innovation ;  but 
it  lasted  at  least  to  the  fall  of  the  Moravian  kingdom  in  908. 

GALLUS,   THE   APOSTLE   OF   SWITZERLAND   (A.D.    630). 

One  of  the  Abbot  Columban's  favourite  scholars  who  went  with 
him  from  Ireland  to  Prance  was  Callus,  who  died  646.  The 
party,  on  settling  in  the  old  castle  in  Bregenz,  found  three  gilded 
images  of  Pagan  idols ;  and  at  the  first  discourse  preached  to  a 
large  company  by  Gallus,  he  in  his  zeal  dashed  the  idols  in  pieces, 
which  made  a  great  impression  on  the  congregation.  Gallus, 
besides  being  a  zealous  preacher,  was  expert  at  gardening  and 
weaving  nets,  and  was  so  successful  in  fishing  that  he  not  only 
supplied  the  monks'  table,  but  made  gifts  to  guests  and  strangers. 
Callus  was  too  sick  to  accompany  Columban  from  France  to  Italy ; 
and  when  left  behind  he  took  a  few  friends  and  ranged  the  forests, 
which  abounded  in  wild  beasts,  and  looked  out  for  a  settlement. 
They  came  to  a  stream  full  of  fish.  These  Gallus  caught  with 
ease,  and  they  broiled  them  on  the  banks,  and  with  some  bread 
out  of  their  knapsack  made  a  meal.  Gallus  then  went  into  the 
bush  to  pray,  and  was  so  pleased  with  the  situation  that  he 
suddenly  became  satisfied  that  there  he  should  settle.  He  made 
a  cross  with  a  small  twig,  thrust  it  in  the  ground,  and  hung  up 
some  relics,  and  the  party  knelt  in  prayer.  On  this  spot  was 
founded  the  great  monastery  called  by  his  name,  St.  Gall.  There 
he  trained  many  monks  and  spread  the  light  of  the  Gospel  among 
the  surrounding  people.  He  preached  in  Latin,  and  one  of  his 
scholars  translated  the  discourse  into  German. 

ST.    ELIGIUS    DENOUNCING    PAGAN    SUPERSTITIONS    (A.D.    650). 

St.  Eligius  is  said  to  have  rebuked  the  superstitions  of  his  time, 
such  as  fortune-telling.  He  said,  "  Attend  not  to  omens,  to 
sneezing,  the  flight  of  birds,  or  strange  creatures  met  in  journeys ; 
but  whatever  you  do  sign  yourself  in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  say 


Chap. is.]        PROSELYTISING    MONKS   AND   PREACHERS.  249 

the  Creed  and  Paternoster  with  faith  and  devotion,  and  then  no 
enemy  can  hurt  you.  Let  no  Christian  attend  to  the  day  or  to 
the  moon  for  beginning  any  work.  Practise  no  Pagan  buffooneries, 
believe  in  no  charms,  for  these  are  diabolical  works ;  for  the  sun 
and  moon  are  the  creatures  of  God,  and  serve  the  necessities  of 
men  by  His  order.  Let  the  sick  have  no  recourse  to  magicians, 
bufc  let  them  trust  in  the  sole  mercy  of  God.  Adore  not  the 
heavens,  or  the  stars,  or  the  earth,  or  any  other  creature,  because 
God  has  made  and  disposed  them  all.  High  indeed  are  the 
heavens,  vast  the  earth,  immense  the  sea,  beautiful  the  stars,  but 
more  immense  and  beautiful  is  He  who  created  them.  And  if 
those  things  that  we  see  are  so  incomprehensible — that  is,  the 
various  sights  of  the  earth,  the  beauty  of  flowers,  the  diversity  of 
fruits,  the  races  of  animals,  the  prudence  of  the  bees,  the  winds 
and  the  dew,  and  the  lightning  and  the  succession  of  the  seasons, 
all  which  things  no  human  mind  can  fully  compi-ehend, — if  these 
things  are  such  Avhich  we  behold,  what  must  be  those  heavenly 
things  which  have  not  yet  been  seen  ?  or  what  their  Maker,  whose 
hand  created  them,  or  by  whose  will  they  are  all  governed  1 
Brethren,  Him  you  must  fear,  adore,  and  love  ;  hold  to  His  mercy, 
and  never  despair  of  His  goodness." 

ANSC1IAR,  THE  APOSTLE  OF  THE  NORTH  (A.D.  825). 
Anschar  was  born  in  801,  near  Amiens,  his  mother  being  noted 
for  her  piety,  but  dying  while  he  was  in  his  fifth  year.  One  night, 
in  his  schooldays,  he  had  a  vision  and  an  ecstasy.  He  dreamt 
that  he  stood  on  a  slippery  precipice,  and  could  see  no  way  of 
extricating  himself ;  but  on  a  pleasant  meadow  not  far  off  a 
shining  group  of  white-robed  females  attracted  his  eye ;  and  in 
scanning  them  he  beheld  his  own  mother  in  the  crowd,  which  wa- 
led on  by  the  Virgin  Mary  as  Queen.  The  Virgin  kindly  saluted 
him,  and  asked  if  he  would  not  come  to  his  mother.  He  answered 
that  he  would  gladly  do  so  if  he  could  ;  whereon  the  Queen  replied, 
11  If  you  wish  to  join  us,  you  must  eschew  vanity  and  diligently 
take  heed  to  your  ways."  From  that  time  a  change  came  over 
him.  He  joined  the  convent  of  Corbie,  and  there  he  had  another 
vision  and  ecstasy.  He  dreamt  that  he  was  transported  to  the 
assembly  of  the  blessed,  and  saw  and  heard  what  filled  him  with  in- 
expressible delight — a  company  of  angels  surrounded  with  glorious 
colours;  and  Peter  and  John  came  to  be  his  guides,  when  sud- 
denly a  voice  issued  from  the  centre  of  light,  fidl  of  sweetness  and 
majesty.  It  said,  "  Go  hence,  and  return  to  Me  with  a  crown  of 
martyrdom. "     Two  years  afterwards  he  had  a   third  vision,  in 


250  FLOWERS   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

which  he  beheld  the  glorified  figure  of  Christ,  who  invited  him  to 
confess  his  sins,  tha,t  he  might  receive  forgiveness,  at  which  he 
knelt  down  and  made  confession.  From  that  time  Anschar  felt 
that  he  was  consecrated  to  be  a  missionary.  As  a  monk  he 
became  known  to  the  Jutland  King,  Harold,  who  had  just  been 
baptised  at  the  monastery  near  the  Rhine,  and  who  wished  to 
take  home  with  him  a  Gospel  preacher.  Anschar  was  selected, 
and  for  forty  years  he  laboured  incessantly  in  Denmark  and 
Sweden,  and  became  a  great  civiliser  of  men.  When  at  last  a 
mortal  sickness  attacked  him,  his  only  regret  was  that  he  had  not 
been  thought  worthy  to  die  a  martyr,  instead  of  being  tended  by 
loving  hands  all  the  days  he  lay  on  his  bed  (in  865). 

ST.    NEOT,    THE    CORNISH    SAINT    (A.D.    890). 

St.  Neot  was  a  monk  at  Glastonbury,  and  an  angel  was  sent 
to  him,  telling  him  to  prepare  to  go  a  long  journey.  After  many 
wanderings,  he  reached  a  place  in  Cornwall  among  the  hills. 
Each  morning,  both  in  summer  and  winter,  he  went  and  stood  up 
to  the  neck  in  a  well,  repeating  the  Psalter  through.  One  day,  in 
the  depth  of  winter,  he  was  disturbed  by  a  hunting  party,  and 
sprang  hastily  out  of  the  well,  and  was  retiring,  but  dropped  one 
of  his  shoes.  He  had  not  time  to  wait ;  but  soon  afterwards,  when 
he  had  finished  his  psalms  and  prayers,  he  remembered  the  shoe, 
and  sent  his  servant  to  fetch  it.  Meantime  a  fox  had  passed 
and  wanted  to  steal  the  shoe ;  but  an  angel  who  hovered  over  that 
place  smote  the- fox,  and  the  thongs  of  the  shoe  were  found  in  the 
creature's  mouth  at  the  time  of  its  death.  Another  time  St.  Neot 
was  standing  in  his  valley  by  the  water's  side,  when  a  young  and 
beautiful  fawn  bounded  from  the  adjoining  thicket,  and,  panting 
from  weariness  and  terror,  sought  a  refuge  at  his  feet.  Hitherto 
the  pooi-  creature  had  known  man  only  as  its  foe ;  but  the  serene 
countenance  of  the  holy  man  had  no  terror  for  the  innocent  and 
oppressed  ;  and  crouching  closely  to  him,  with  upturned  imploring 
eyes,  it  appeared  to  beseech  his  protection.  Not  so  the  fierce  and 
hungry  bloodhounds  that  followed  hot  behind.  Nature  has  nothing 
more  terrible  to  savageness  and  cruelty  than  the  gentle  majesty 
of  virtue,  and  the  frightened  animals  shrank  back  cowed  and 
overawed  into  the  wood.  Up  came  the  wild  huntsman,  and 
hallooed  them  towards  the  prey ;  but  his  hot  spirit  too  was 
quenched  in  the  pure  influences  which  flowed  from  the  countenance 
of  the  saint.  He  felt  the  reproach  ;  the  mild  rebuke  cut  him  to 
the  heart ;  and  in  the  first  enthusiasm  of  repentance  he  hung  up 
his  horn  as  an  offering  at  the  shrine  of  St.  Petrox,  and  himself 


<  hap.  ix.J         PROSELYTISING    MONKS  AND   PREACHERS.  251 

assumed  the  habit  of  a  monk.     St.  Neot  soon  founded  the  monas- 
tery of  Neotstowe,  where  he  not  long  afterwards  died,  about  890. 

THE    CONVERSION    OF    RUSSIA    IN    864. 

Photius,  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  took  credit  for  having 
assisted  in  the  conversion  of  the  Russians  about  864.  with  the 
aid  of  the  missionaries.  But  the  new  doctrine  took  no  visible  root 
till  955,  when  the  then  riding  Queen,  Olga,  resolved  to  visit  Con- 
stantinople. Constantine  Porphyrogenitus  is  said  to  have  received 
her  with  great  pomp,  and  her  vanity  was  gratified  with  titles, 
banquets,  and  presents.  She  openly  professed  to  be  baptised 
along  with  her  retinue  of  domestic^,  ministers,  and  leading  mer- 
chants. On  her  return  to  Kion  and  Novgorod,  she  persisted  in 
her  new  religion,  but  her  family  and  nation  remained  obstinate 
and  indifferent.  Her  example,  however,  was  long  appealed  to  by 
a  few,  and  the  Greek  missionaries  worked  with  zeal  and  led  the 
people  to  imitate  the  dome  of  St.  Sophia,  with  its  pictures  of 
saints  and  martyrs,  the  pomp  of  priestly  vestments  and  ceremonies. 
A  little  later,  in  968,  the  marriage  of  King  Wolodomor  with  ;t 
Roman  bride  gave  a  fresh  impulse  to  Christian  zeal  ;  and  the  lt< >< I 
of  thunder,  the  chief  Pagan  deity,  was  dragged  through  the 
streets,  battered  with  clubs,  and  thrown  into  the  sea.  Other  relics 
of  Paganism  soon  followed,  and  a  broad  foundation  was  laid  for 
the  culture  of  Christian  rites. 

BISHOP    OTTO    IX    POMERANIA    (a.D.    1121). 

Bishop  Otto,  of  Bamberg,  was  induced  in  1124  to  set  out  as 
a  missionary  to  Pomerania.  Amid  the  difficulties  caused  by  the 
Pagan  superstitions,  a  mob  in  Stettin  was  incited  by  the  native 
priests  to  destroy  the  Christian  church  and  all  who  were  assem- 
bled hi  it.  Otto  was  not  alarmed,  but  by  his  calm  confidence 
and  courage  reassured  his  band  of  followers.  After  commending 
himself  and  his  friends  in  prayer  to  Gcd,  he  went  forth  in  his 
episcopal  robes  in  the  midst  of  the  clergy,  who  bore  before  him 
the  crucifix  and  relics,  singing  psalms  and  hymns.  The  calm- 
ness of  the  bishop  confounded  the  raging  multitude  for  a  while. 
A  stout  priest,  of  portly  stature  and  sonorous  voice,  tried  to 
inflame  the  fury  of  the  Pagans  and  incite  them  to  vengeance. 
But  Otto's  venerable  appearance,  at  the  head  of  a  company  of 
believers,  enabled  them  to  proceed  without  further  ditficulty  in 
consecrating  a  church  and  founding  a  permanent  society  of 
Christian  worshippers. 


252  FLOWERS  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

NORBERT   DENOUNCING    CLERICAL    VICES    (A.D.   1134). 

About  1114  Norbert,  the  founder  of  the  Premonstrants,  had 
been  in  early  life  a  courtly  ecclesiastic,  and  a  favourite  of 
Henry  Y.  While  riding  for  pleasure  he  was  caught  in  a  storm, 
and  prostrated  by  a  flash  of  lightning.  On  recovering  his  senses, 
he  was  so  impressed  by  this  escape  from  sudden  death  that  he 
at  once  began  a  new  life.  He  laid  aside  his  sumptuous  apparel, 
entered  the  order  of  priests,  became  an  itinerant  preacher,  went 
barefoot  and  wearing  a  sheepskin,  and  having  his  body  girt 
with  a  cord.  He  exposed  the  worldly-minded  and  degenerate 
clergy  of  his  time,  and  became  popular,  having  obtained  from  the 
Pope  a  roving  licence  to  preach.  Whenever  he  entered  a  village 
or  approached  a  castle,  the  herdsmen  who  caught  sight  of  him 
circulated  the  news ;  the  bells  were  rung,  and  young  and  old 
hastened  to  church,  where,  after  performing  Mass,  he  exhorted 
the  people.  After  the  sermon  he  conversed  with  individuals  on  the 
concerns  of  their  souls.  Towards  evening  he  was  conducted  to 
his  lodgings,  and  all  were  eager  to  have  him  as  their  guest.  He 
did  not,  like  others,  take  up  his  abode  in  monasteries  or  priests' 
houses,  but  prefei-red  the  populous  places,  where  he  could  reach 
the  multitude  with  ease.  The  Pope  wished  to  see  him,  as  a 
means  of  reforming  the  lives  of  the  clergy;  but  so  violent  was  then- 
opposition  that  Norbert  retired  to  a  desert  region  in  the  valley 
of  Premonstre,  in  the  forest  of  Couchy,  and  founded  a  new 
spiritual  society,  resembling  in  its  rule  that  of  Augustine  ;  and 
his  power  was  so  great  that  he  made  the  wolves  do  the  duty 
of  sheepdogs.  Finally,  Norbert  became  Archbishop  of  Magdeburg, 
being  chosen  because  he  suddenly  appeared  at  an  election  there. 
He  died  in  1134.  The  Premonstrantensians  were,  by  their  rules, 
specially  forbidden  to  keep  rare  and  curious  tame  animals,  as 
deer,  bears,  monkeys,  peacocks,  swans,  or  hawks.  Even  when 
Norbert  became  archbishop  he  went  barefooted  and  meanly 
dressed,  and  once  his  own  porter  was  about  to  shut  him  out 
as  a  beggar.  The  order  thus  founded  long  kept  up  its  austere 
discipline ;  but  after  a  time,  like  other  societies,  it  grew  rich  and 
careless. 

FULK,    A    ROUSING    MONK    PREACHER  (a.D.   1190). 

About  1190  a  bustling  priest  near  Paris,  named  Fulco  of 
Neuilly,  said  to  be  ignorant  and  worldly-minded,  achieved  a  great 
reputation.  He  had  attended  the  lectures  of  Peter  Cantor,  and 
obtained  an  insight  into  his  impressive  style.     In  a  coarse  cowl, 


Chap,  ix.]         PROSELYTISING   MONKS   AND   PREACHERS.  253 

and  girt  about  with  a  leather  thong,  he  fearlessly  denounced  the 
vices  of  the  time.  His  sermons  wrought  such  deep  conviction 
that  people  scourged  themselves,  fell  down  before  him  on  tbe 
ground,  and  confessed  themselves  in  public.  Usurers  made  resti- 
tution of  their  gains ;  engrossers  and  corndealers  threw  open 
their  granaries ;  abandoned  women  forsook  then-  haunts ;  the 
clergy  separated  from  their  concubines.  A  curse  from  his  lips 
spread  alarm  like  a  thunderbolt.  His  hearers  would  fall  down 
in  convulsive  fits,  foaming  at  the  mouth.  The  sick  were  brought 
to  him  to  be  healed  by  his  touch.  His  garments  were  sometimes 
seized  and  torn  into  shreds,  to  be  preserved  as  precious  relics. 
He  was  so  mobbed  in  the  street  that  he  had  to  swing  his  stall" 
violently  about  to  clear  his  way  ;  and  those  wounded,  so  far  from 
murmuring,  kissed  the  blood  that  flowed  from  their  wounds,  as 
if  they  had  been  instantaneously  healed.  His  stirring  example 
gave  a  great  impetus  to  preachers,  and  students  of  theology  were 
turned  into  itinerant  missionaries.  Afterwards  Fulco  stood  forth 
as  a  preacher  of  the  Crusades,  and  great  sums  of  money  were 
sent  to  him,  which  he  divided  among  the  Crusaders.  It  was 
noticed  that,  however  impressive  were  his  discourses  when 
delivered  by  himself,  those  who  redelivered  the  same  after  they 
had  been  taken  down  by  shorthand  writers  and  copied  fell  far  short 
in  their  effect.  It  was  also  said  that  he  impaired  his  inlluence 
by  riding  on  horseback,  shaving  his  hair,  and  indulging  in  dress 
and  food.  It  was  he  who  reproved  Eichard  of  England  for 
cherishing  his  three  daughters — pride,  covetousness,  and  luxury ; 
to  which  the  King  replied  that  he  had  bestowed  his  pride  on  the 
Templars,  his  greed  on  the  Cistercians,  and  his  luxury  on  the 
prelates. 

st.  dominic's  zeal  in  preaching  (a.d.  1221). 

St.  Dominic,  who  died  1221,  said  it  is  not  by  the  display  of 
power  and  pomp,  by  cavalcades  of  retainers,  and  richly  houselled 
palfreys,  or  by  gorgeous  apparel  that  the  heretics  win  proselytes  ; 
it  is  by  zealous  preaching,  by  apostolic  humility,  by  austerity,  by 
seeming,  it  is  true,  but  yet  seeming,  holiness.  Zeal  must  be  met 
by  zeal,  humility  by  humility,  false  sanctity  by  real  sanctity, 
preaching  falsehood  by  preaching  truth.  He  noticed  how  eagerly 
the  women,  especially  the  noble  ladies  of  Languedoc,  listened  to  the 
heretical  preachers;  hence  he  first  founded  a  convent  of  females, 
so  as  to  dispose  of  the  most  impressible  of  that  sex.  St.  Dominic's 
great  maxim  was — the  man  who  governs  his  passions  is  master  of 
the  world ;  we  must  command  them  or  be  enslaved  by  them. 


254  FLOWERS    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

ST.    FRANCIS    OF    ASS1SIUM    (A.D.    1226). 

St.  Francis,  who  died  in  1226,  was  born  at  Assisium,  a  town 
situated  on  the  brow  of  a  hill  called  Assisi,  in  Umbria,  Italy.  He 
was  in  youth  abandoned  to  all  sorts  of  amusements,  but  became 
serious  by  being  made  a  prisoner  and  also  by  a  long  illness.  One 
day,  on  riding  out  and  seeing  a  beggar,  he  changed  clothes  with 
him,  and  then  became  conscious  of  the  innate  beauty  of  poverty 
and  humility.  He  visited  Rome  to  see  the  tombs  of  the  Apostles. 
He  gloried  in  tending  the  sick  lepers  and  in  all  the  hardships  of 
poverty.  He  wandered  over  the  Umbrian  Mountains,  praising 
God  for  all  things — for  the  sun  which  shone  above,  for  the  day 
and  for  the  night,  for  his  mother  the  earth,  and  for  his  sister  the 
moon,  for  the  winds  which  blew  in  his  face,  for  the  pure  precious 
water  and  for  the  jocund  fire,  for  the  flames  under  his  feet  and 
for  the  stars  above  his  head,  saluting  and  blessing  all  creatures, 
whether  animate  or  inanimate,  as  his  brethren  and  sisters  in  the 
Lord.  He  existed  entirely  on  the  alms  begged  from  door  to  door. 
He  espoused  poverty.  He  was  endowed  with  an  extraordinary 
gift  of  tears ;  he  wept  continually  for  his  own  sins  and  those  of 
others.  He  founded  the  order  of  Franciscans.  He  held  his  first 
chapter  of  the  order  when  five  thousand  friars  assembled  in  tents 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill  of  Assisi,  called  the  Chapter  of  Mats, 
because  mats  were  spread  over  their  booths  for  shelter.  He 
created  an  enthusiasm  for  austerities  and  mortifications.  The 
body  of  St.  Francis  stands  upright  in  a  subterranean  vault  under 
the  altar  of  the  rich  chapel  of  St.  Francis  at  Assisium.  On  his 
deathbed  he  particularly  requested  to  be  buried  at  the  common 
place  of  execution  among  the  bodies  of  malefactors.  All  the 
princes  of  Christendom  sent  offerings,  and  all  the  neighbouring 
towns  sent  their  artists  to  decorate  his  church. 

HOW    FRANCIS    OF    ASSISI    TENDED   THE    LEPERS. 

In  the  Speculum  Vitse  this  is  related  as  to  the  attempts  of 
the  friars  to  help  the  lepers  :  "  There  was  in  a  certain  place  a 
leper  so  impatient,  frowaid,  and  impious  that  every  one  thought 
he  was  possessed  by  an  evil  spirit.  He  abused  all  that  served 
him  with  terrible  oaths  and  imprecations,  often  proceeding  to 
blows.  What  was  still  more  fearful,  he  uttered  the  direst  blas- 
phemy against  Christ  and  His  holy  mother  and  the  holy  angels. 
The  friars  endured  this  ill-usage  patiently,  but  they  could  not 
tolerate  his  blasphemies  ;  they  felt  they  ought  not,  and  therefore 
they  resolved  to  abandon  the  leper  to  his  fate,  having  first  taken 


Chap,  ix.]         PROSELYTISING    MONKS   AND    PREACHERS.  255 

counsel  with  St.  Francis.  Brother  Francis  visited  the  leper,  and 
upon  entering  the  room  said  to  him  in  the  usual  salutation,  '  The 
Lord  give  thee  peace,  brother.'  '  What  peace,'  exclaimed  the  leper, 
'  can  I  have  who  am  utterly  diseased  ? '  '  Pains  that  torment 
the  body,'  replied  St.  Francis,  'turn  to  the  salvation  of  the  soul, 
if  they  are  borne  patiently.'  '  And  how  can  I  endure  patiently,' 
rejoined  the  leper,  '  since  my  pains  are  without  intermission  night 
and  day  ?  Besides,  my  sufferings  are  made  worse  by  the  vexation 
I  endure  from  these  friars  you  have  appointed  to  wait  upon  me. 
There  is  not  one  of  them  who  serves  me  as  he  ought.'  St.  Francis 
perceived  that  the  man  was  troubled  by  a  malignant  spirit,  and 
went  away  and  prayed  to  God  for  him.  Then  returning,  he  said, 
'  Since  others  do  not  satisfy  you,  let  me  try.'  '  You  may  if  you 
like  ;  but  what  can  you  do  more  than  the  rest? '  '  J  am  ready  to 
do  whatever  you  please,'  replied  St.  Francis.  '  Then  wash  me,' 
replied  the  leper,  '  because  I  cannot  endure  myself ;  the  stench  of 
my  wounds  is  intolerable.'  Then  St.  Francis  ordered  water  to 
be  warmed  with  sweet  herbs;  and  stripping  the  leper,  began  to 
wash  him  with  his  own  hands,  whilst  a  friar  standing  by  poured 
water  upon  him." 

st.  Francis's  dexterity. 
After  giving  away  all  his  property,  St.  Francis  <A'  Assisi,  who 
ditd  1226,  set  himself  the  task  of  repairing  the  church  of  St. 
Damian  at  Assisi.  And  he  had  an  ingenious  modi'  of  collecting 
funds.  He  said  to  the  mob,  "  Whoever  will  give  me  one  stone 
shall  have  one  prayer;  whoever  gives  me  two  shall  have  two 
prayers;  and  three  stones  three  prayers."  The  mob  laughed 
and  jeered;  but  he  carried  the  stones  with  his  own  hands,  and 
gradually  he  accumulated  materials  enough.  He  was  equally 
adroit  with  the  Pope,  Innocent  III.  One  day  his  Holiness  was 
walking  on  the  terrace  of  the  Lateran,  when  a  mendicant  of  the 
meanest  appearance  presented  himself,  proposing  to  convert  the 
world  by  poverty  and  humility.  The  haughty  pontiff  dismissed 
him  with  contempt.  But  on  seconel  thoughts  he  had  a  vision,  and 
then  saw  that  this  was  a  very  feasible  way  of  meeting  the  heretics 
on  their  own  gremnd.  He  sent  for  St.  Francis,  anel  on  the  whole 
approve  el  of  the  new  oi-cler. 

THE    STIGMATA    OF    ST.    FRANCIS. 

The  remarkable  characteristic  of  St.  Francis  was  that  his  hands 
anel  feet  had  marks  resembling  those  of  Christ  after  the  Crucifixion, 
calleel  the  stigmata  of  St.   Francis,     He  had  in  the  solitude  of 


256  FLOWERS  .OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

Monte  Alverno  been  holding  a  solemn  fast  in  honour  of  the 
archangel  Michael.  He  had  thrice  opened  the  Scriptures,  and 
thrice  they  opened  on  the  Passion  of  our  Lord.  One  morning,  it 
is  said,  he  was  praying  with  great  devotion,  when  he  saw  a  vision, 
which,  on  approaching,  was  a  seraph  with  six  wings,  and  having 
the  likeness  of  the  crucified  Saviour.  This  left  on  his  mind  an 
indescribable  impression  of  delight  and  awe.  Instantaneously 
there  appeared  on  his  hands  and  feet  marks  of  the  Crucifixion, 
like  those  he  had  seen  in  the  vision.  Two  black  excrescences,  like 
nails  having  heads  and  points,  grew  in  these  spots.  There  was 
also  a  wound  on  his  side,  which  frequently  flowed  with  blood  and 
stained  his  garment.  Francis,  in  his  humility,  sought  to  conceal 
this  wondrous  sight  from  his  disciples,  but  fifty  of  them  at  one 
time  had  seen  these  marks.  Afterwards  Pope  Alexander  IV.  also 
saw  them,  and  publicly  declared  that  they  were  there.  Francis 
died  two  years  afterwards,  and  then  again  the  wondering  disciples 
saw  this  sight  on  his  body.  These  marks  at  once  identified  Francis 
with  the  Saviour,  and  this  singularity  became  part  of  the  creed 
of  Christendom. 

A   CONTEMPORARY   BIOGRAEHY   OP   ST.    FRANCIS. 

Thomas  of  Celano  was  a  friend  and  biographer  of  St.  Francis, 
and  gives  this  portrait  of  the  saint :  "  Oh,  how  beautiful,  how 
splendid,  how  glorious,  did  he  appear  in  the  innocence  of  his  life, 
in  the  simplicity  of  his  words,  in  the  purity  of  his  heart,  in  his 
love  of  God,  hi  brotherly  charity,  in  fragrant  obedience,  in  angelic 
aspect !  Gentle  in  manners,  placid  in  nature,  affable  in  conver- 
sation, faithful  in  undertakings,  of  admirable  foresight  in  counsel, 
able  in  business,  gracious  to  all,  serene  in  mind,  gentle  in  temper, 
sober  in  spirit,  steadfast  in  contemplation,  persevering  in  grace, 
and  in  all  things  the  same ;  swift  to  forgive,  slow  to  anger,  free 
in  intellect,  bright  in  memory,  subtle  in  dissertation,  circumspect 
in  judgment,  simple  in  all  things.  Rigid  towards  himself,  pious 
towards  others,  discreet  to  everybody — a  most  eloquent  man,  of 
cheerful  aspect  and  benevolent  countenance,  free  from  idleness, 
void  of  insolence.  He  was  of  the  middle  stature,  rather  inclined 
to  shortness,  his  head  was  of  the  medium  size  and  round,  with  an 
oblong  and  long  face,  a  small  smooth  forehead,  black  and  simple 
eyes,  dark-brown  hair  and  straight  eyebrows ;  his  nose  was  thin, 
well  proportioned,  and  straight ;  his  tongue  was  placable,  though 
fiery  and  sharp ;  his  voice  was  vehement,  though  sweet,  clear, 
and  sonorous ;  his  teeth  well  set,  his  lips  of  moderate  size,  his 
beard  black,  his  neck  thin  ;  small  arms,  thin  hands,  long  fingers 


Chap,  ix.]         PROSELYTLSING    MONKS  AND   PREACHERS.  257 

and  nails ;  thin  legs,  small  feet,  a  delicate  skin,  and  very  little  flesh. 
He  wore  a  rough  vest,  took  very  little  sleep,  and  though  he  was 
most  humble  he  showed  every  courtesy  to  all  men,  conforming 
himself  to  the  manners  of  every  one.  As  he  was  holy  among  the 
holy,  so  among  sinners  he  was  as  one  of  them." 

ST.    ANTONY    OP    PADUA    AS    A    STREET    PREACHER    (A.D.   1220). 

St.  Antony  of  Padua,  who  died  in  1231,  was  in  early  life  fired 
with  zeal  for  martyrdom,  and  was  anxious  to  enter  the  Franciscan 
convent  at  Assisi ;  but  there  was  no  opportunity,  and  he  entered 
a  hermitage  at  Bologna.  There  he  was  made  to  serve  in  the 
kitchen,  and  his  talents  and  learning  were  not  suspected  till  one 
clay,  owing  to  there  being  no  one  ready  to  preach,  the  managers 
asked  Antony  to  take  the  duty.  Antony  answered  that  his 
proper  work  was  to  wash  up  dishes  and  scrub  the  floors  ;  but 
these  objections  being  overruled,  he  entered  the  pulpit.  From 
the  first  his  manner  and  style  attracted  attention.  He  had 
a  rich  voice  of  great  compass  and  flexibility ;  his  action  was 
graceful,  his  language  was  choice,  and  his  face  shone  with  the 
enthusiasm  of  a  seraph.  The  great  St.  Francis  soon  heard  of 
the  success,  and  gave  his  blessing  to  the  young  recruit.  With 
this  encouragement,  Antony  preached  in  many  leading  cities, 
and  attracted  great  crowds.  The  churches  were  found  too  small, 
and  he  stood  in  churchyards  and  market-places.  Shops  were  shut 
when  he  was  announced,  and  ladies  rose  early  to  secure  places. 
Sometimes  people  remained  all  night  in  the  church  in  order  to 
be  sure  of  a  seat  next  day.  Crowds  pressed  on  him  as  he  went 
to  the  place  appointed,  and  begged  to  kiss  his  hand  and  touch 
his  garment.  He  swayed  the  congregations  as  he  pleased — sobs 
of  the  hardened  sinners  sometimes  drowned  all  sounds  ;  his  clear, 
bell-like  voice  was  heard  in  all  the  neighbouring  streets,  and  the 
excitement  of  the  population  was  intense.  His  memory  was  so 
good  that  he  knew  the  Scriptures  by  heart.  He  once  addressed 
a  ferocious  tyrant  who  used  to  shed  innocent  blood,  calling  on 
the  sword  of  the  Lord  to  smite  him.  The  congregation  was 
worked  to  the  highest  pitch  of  excitement,  when  the  tyrant  fell 
on  his  knees  and  promised  amendment.  Antony's  exertions  under 
this  high  pressure  brought  on  paralysis,  and  he  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty-six. 

HOW   THE   ENGLISH    FRIARS    DISDAINED    SHOES    (A.D.   1224). 

Thomas  of  Eccleston   relates  that  the  Franciscan  friars,    on 
coming  to  England  in  1224,  were  full  of  zeal,  and  resolved  to 

17 


258  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

adhere  to  the  strictest  rules  of  the  order.  In  one  of  their  London 
stations,  two  weary  and  hungry  strangers  one  night  arrived, 
and  the  seniors  had  not  a  drop  of  beer  to  give  them ;  but  after 
much  anxious  consultation,  they  at  last  made  up  their  minds  to 
borrow  a  pot  of  beer,  and  when  the  pot  was  passed  to  them,  the 
brethren  of  the  convent  were  only  to  pretend  to  take  a  sip.  By 
this  device  they  got  through  the  entertainment.  They  resolutely 
made  up  their  minds  to  go  barefooted  in  spite  of  the  cold  and 
mud.  At  the  Oxford  station  it  is  said  that  Friar  Walter  de 
Madeley,  of  happy  memory,  found  two  shoes,  and  when  he  went 
to  matins  put  them  on.  He  stood  at  matins  accordingly,  and 
felt  considerable  comfort.  But  afterwards,  when  he  went  to 
bed,  and  was  resting,  he  dreamt  that  he  had  to  go  through  a 
dangerous  pass  between  Oxford  and  Gloucester — Boysalum — where 
there  are  usually  robbers ;  and  when  he  was  going  down  into  a 
deep  valley,  they  ran  up  to  him  on  each  side  of  the  way,  shouting, 
"  Kill  him  !  kill  him  !  "  Overpowered  with  dread,  he  said  he  was 
a  Friar  Minor ;  but  they  said,  "  You  lie,  for  you  do  not  walk 
barefooted."  He,  believing  himself  to  be  as  usual  unshod,  said, 
"  Yes,  I  do  walk  barefooted";  and  when  he  boldly  put  forth  his 
foot  to  look  at  it,  he  found  himself  standing  before  them  shod  with 
those  shoes.  In  his  excessive  confusion  he  immediately  awoke 
from  sleep,  and  pitched  the  shoes  into  the  middle  of  the  yard  as 
an  unclean  thing. 

HOW  RAIMUND  LULL  WENT  TO  CONVERT  THE  SARACENS  (A.D.  1236). 

In  1236  Raimund  Lull  was  born,  and  early  developed  a  turn 
for  verse,  and  wrote  sprightly  drinking  songs  ;  but  at  the  age  of 
thirty  he  suddenly  felt  a  desire  to  convert  the  Saracens,  as  the 
Crusaders  hitherto  had  made  so  little  impression  on  them.  Yet 
he  did  not  know  the  language ;  hence  he  bought  a  Saracen,  who 
taught  him  Arabic.  His  notion  was  to  go  and  encounter  the 
most  learned  Mohammedans,  and  refute  all  their  arguments 
against  Christianity  face  to  face.  He  first  went  and  urged  the 
Pope  to  found  colleges  to  educate  missionaries  in  foreign  lan- 
guages, saying  that  missions  would  keep  them  better  employed 
than  they  used  to  be  in  their  idle  haunts.  But  he  made  no 
impression,  and  felt  bound  to  go  out  singlehanded  and  encounter 
all  the  dangers  of  the  enterprise  he  advocated.  He  arrived  at 
Tunis,  and  assembled  the  Mohammedan  doctors  and  disputed  with 
them.  One  of  them,  however,  soon  complained  that  he  was 
seditious,  and  proposed  that  Raimund  should  be  put  to  death ; 
but  another  of  the  natives  interceded  and  saved  him,  on  condition 


Chap,  ix.]         PROSELYTISING   MONKS   AND   PREACHERS.  259 

of  his  quitting  the  country.  He  then  composed  a  learned  work, 
in  which  he  refuted  all  the  arguments  usually  brought  against 
Christians,  urging  again  and  again  the  necessity  of  schools  and 
colleges  to  tram  the  missionary  mind.  He  also  tried  his  skill  at 
argument  on  all  the  Jews  and  Saracens  within  his  reach  at 
Majorca  and  Cyprus.  He  soon  again  became  restless,  and  sailed 
to  Africa  and  attacked  the  Mohammedan  religion,  and  again 
he  narrowly  escaped  death  and  was  banished.  He  next  wrote  a 
treatise,  setting  forth  his  plan  for  establishing  colleges  for  mis- 
sionaries, and  also  for  uniting  the  various  orders  of  knighthood, 
to  recover  the  countries  taken  from  the  Christians  by  unbelievers. 
He  thought  that  unbelievers  ought  never  to  be  fought  with  the 
sword,  but  only  by  the  force  of  truth,  and  that  martyrdom  in 
such  a  cause  was  the  greatest  of  honours.  He  could  not  repress 
his  desire  to  act  on  this  view,  and  again  he  sailed  to  Africa  and 
attacked  the  leading  men  with  fiery  zeal.  They  at  last  stoned 
him  to  death,  and  his  body  was  afterwards  brought  and  buried 
in  his  native  island,  Majorca. 

ST.    IGNATIUS    OF    LOYOLA    (A.D.    1520). 

Ignatius  was  born  in  1491  in  his  father's  castle  of  Loyola,  the 
family  being  ancient  and  noble.  He  was  the  youngest  of  eight 
sons,  and  was  spirited  and  keen-witted  from  his  earliest  years. 
One  day,  after  he  had  vowed  to  be  a  monk,  he  gave  away  his  rich 
clothes  to  a  beggar,  who  was  then  accused  of  larceny,  but  released 
after  the  donor  followed  to  explain  the  gift ;  while  Ignatius 
gloried  in  his  freedom  from  the  livery  of  sin,  and  indulged  in  the 
self-imposed  austerities  of  his  order.  Being  wounded  in  both  legs 
at  the  siege  of  Pampeluna,  he  was  long  confined  to  his  couch  ;  and 
it  was  in  seeking  for  amusement  from  romances  that  he  was 
supplied  with  the  Lives  of  the  Saints,  which  first  struck  the  new 
chord  in  his  heart ;  and  he  vowed  that  he  would  devote  his  life 
to  the  service  of  Jesus  and  the  Virgin.  He  transferred  the 
habits  of  military  obedience  to  the  order  he  founded,  and  called 
it  the  Company  of  Jesus.  He  had  nine  associates  closely  con- 
nected with  him,  of  whom  Xavier  and  Faber  were  two.  His 
head  and  face  showed  an  imperious  temper ;  and  his  visions, 
penances,  and  miracles  soon  attracted  attention  far  and  wide. 
Ignatius  was  general  of  his  society  about  fifteen  years,  and  died 
in  1556,  aged  sixty-five.  He  lived  to  see  his  society  flourishing 
in  every  country.  His  body  was  buried  in  the  church  of  the 
Virgin  in  Rome,  and  in  1587  removed  to  the  church  of  Jesus 
under  the  altar,  being  the  most  magnificent  church  in  the  world 


260  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

next  to  the  Vatican,  and  called  the  church  of  St.  Ignatius,  where 
is  a  statue  of  gold  and  silver  and  diamonds.  He  was  beatified 
in  1609  and  canonised  in  1622. 

ST.    VINCENT    DE    PAUL,  THE    PHILANTHROPIST    (a.D.    1600). 

St.  Vincent  was  born  in  1576,  and  in  his  time  originated  many- 
useful  philanthropic  institutions.     In  his   youth  he  was  taken 
by  pirates  and  carried  off  to  slavery,  and  kept  as  a  slave  for  two 
years.     When  afterwards  a   domestic  chaplain  to  a  benevolent 
countess,  he  had  to  visit  and  distribute  alms,  and  he  set  to  work 
to  organise  a   system  of  relief    in  some  respects  resembling   a 
modern   poor  law.     He  divided  a  town  into   districts,   and  set 
inspectors  to  weed  out  the  tramps  and  beggars  and  arrange  lists 
of  the  really  necessitous.     He  also  devised  a  system  of  home 
missions  for  preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  poor.     In  Paris  a  large 
building  of  the  name  of  St.  Lazare  was  dedicated  to  the  service 
of  candidates  for  holy  orders,  and  he  introduced  method  into  the 
institution  for  training  all  the  recruits  who  came,  and  to  this 
was   added  soon  a  seminary  for  training  young  clergymen.     In 
course  of  his  works  of  charity  he  met  with  Madame  le  Gras,  a 
lady  of  good  family  and  devoted  to  good  works,  and  they  founded 
in   1633   the  institution  known  as  a  new  Society  of   Sisters  of 
Charity,  which  grew  rapidly  into  favour,  and  soon  twenty-eight 
houses  were  established  in  different  districts.     The  rest  of  France 
and  Poland  followed  the  example.     Their  chief  care  were  the 
sick,    poor,    widows,    orphans,    wounded    soldiers,    and   hospital 
patients.     They  soon   added   to   their   flock   the  foundlings  and 
convicts.     These  Sisters  of  Charity  or  Grey  Sisters  underwent  a 
five  years'  training.     He  also  instituted  a  kindred  order,  called 
the  Company  of  Ladies  of  Charity,  with  like  objects.     It  is  said 
that  in  one  year  these  ladies  converted  or  reclaimed  seven  hundred 
and   sixty  heretics.     The   number  of  foundlings   taken  care  of 
averaged  about  three  hundred  and  four  each  year,  and  the  Con- 
gregation of  St.  Vincent   Sisters  are  said  to  take  charge  of  such 
poor  children  in  Paris.     Many  other  institutions  were  originated 
by  this  apostle  of  charity.     He  died  in  1660  in  his  armchair,  as 
the  Fathers  of  the  Mission  were  saying  matins,  having  reached 
his  eighty-fifth  year.     St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  the  apostle  of  com- 
passion, thus  showed  a  genius  for  his  work,  and  also  founded  the 
hospital  of  La  Madeleine  for  penitent  girls.     He  became  a  friend 
of  Richelieu,  and  was  summoned  from  his  attendance  on  the 
galley  slaves  to  the  deathbed  of  Louis  XIII.     He  was  called  the 
Father  of  the  Poor.     In  some  of  the  sacred  pictures  he  is  shown 


Chap,  ix.]         PROSELYTISING   MONKS   AND   PREACHERS.  261 

with  a  newborn  infant  in  his  arms  and  a  Sister  of  Mercy  at  his 
side. 

MISTAKES   OF   MEDIAEVAL   MISSIONARIES. 

It  is  related  by  Pasquier,  on  the  authority  of  Joinville,  born  in 
1220,  and  the  biographer  of  St.  Louis  IX.  of  France,  that  when 
Louis  was  in  the  island  of  Cyprus,  he  there  received  from  the 
Cham  of  the  Tartars  an  embassy,  informing  him  of  the  Cham's 
conversion  to  Christianity.  On  this  intelligence,  the  zealous 
monarch,  full  of  joy,  despatched  preachers  to  attempt  the  conver- 
sion of  the  other  Tartars.  These  preachers  incessantly  in  their 
sermons  repeated  that  the  Pope  was  the  Vicar  of  God  on  earth, 
whereupon  it  occurred  to  the  Cham  that  he  should  send  am- 
bassadors to  the  Pope  to  pay  him  filial  obedience.  The  preachers, 
hearing  of  this  design,  thereupon  began  to  fear  that  if  the 
ambassadors  should  go  to  Rome,  and  there  witness  the  disorders 
that  reigned  among  Christians,  they  would  on  their  return  re- 
commend their  master  to  continue  in  his  errors,  and  resolved 
to  dissuade  the  Cham  from  carrying  out  any  such  enterprise. 

A    FRIAR    STARTLING    THE    BENCH    OF   JUDGES. 

In  Venice,  one  day  in  1552,  when  the  tribunal  of  Quaranthia, 
consisting  of  the  Doge  and  senators,  sat  to  try  causes  of  life  and 
death,  a  hermit  or  friar  suddenly  called  out  with  a  terrific  voice, 
"  To  hell  shall  go  all  who  do  not  administer  true  justice — to  hell 
the  mighty  who  oppress  the  poor — to  hell  the  judges  who  shed 
the  blood  of  the  innocent  !  "  After  the  first  emotions  of  surprise, 
the  intruder  was  recognised  to  be  a  Capuchin  friar  who  had  been 
a  well-known  preacher  in  Venice,  and  not  only  admonished 
sinners,  but  spent  his  days  in  works  of  mercy.  He  had  no  habi- 
tation, but  slept  at  nights  under  the  portico  of  St.  Mark  or  of  the 
Pualto,  or  under  the  campanile  of  the  church  of  St.  Moses,  and 
was  often  seen  at  early  dawn  before  the  church  doors  in  prayer. 
The  Doge  was  annoyed  at  this  unseemly  interruption,  and  was 
about  to  order  his  expulsion,  but  an  illustrious  senator  named 
Sebastian  Venerius  interposed,  and  thus  addressed  his  brother 
judges :  "  Most  serene  prince  and  conscript  fathers,  we  are  con- 
stituted judges  in  this  republic;  and  what  ought  to  be  more  desired 
by  us  in  our  administration  of  justice  than  that  we  should  be 
admonished  of  our  duty  by  celestial  messengers  1  This  is  a  most 
serious  judgment  we  are  engaged  in,  for  another  sentence  can 
be  corrected;  but  that  which  deprives  men  of  life  is  immutable. 


262  CURIOSITIES    OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

These  words  of  the  holy  man  recall  to  our  minds  how  important 
and  perilous  is  the  office  which  we  discharge.  Though  we  all  hold 
in  horror  a  wilful  violation  of  justice,  yet  our  judgment  may 
sometimes  sleep.  And  now  if  God  should  have  sent  this  man  as 
an  angel  to  awaken  us  from  sleep,  ought  he  to  be  driven  out  and 
his  admonition  rejected,  because  we  judge  the  man  who  conveys 
it  to  be  mean,  estimating  his  mind  from  the  habit  he  wears  1  Far 
be  such  scorn  from  us  who  boast  to  be  disciples  of  the  humble 
Fisherman  !  "  This  address  made  such  an  impression  on  the 
assembly  that  the  friar  was  allowed  ever  after  to  repeat  his 
imprecations. 

MENDICANT    FRIARS    AND    SCHOOLMEN. 

The  mendicant  friars  under  St.  Francis  and  St.  Dominic  early 
forced  their  way  into  the  chairs  of  the  chief  universities  of 
Europe.  Alexander  Hales  went  first  into  Paris,  then  Oxford, 
giving  a  great  impulse  to  the  higher  studies.  The  Dominicans 
produced  Thomas  Aquinas,  the  prince  of  schoolmen,  who  was  born 
in  1228.  The  Franciscans  also  claimed  Alexander  Hales,  Bona- 
ventura,  and  Duns  Scotus.  These  rival  schoolmen  divided  the 
allegiance  of  the  leading  intellects  of  then-  time. 

FRIARS    BURNING    SENSELESS    ORNAMENTS    (a.D.    1429). 

It  is  related  that  in  1429,  when  Brother  Richard,  a  Franciscan, 
returned  from  Jerusalem,  he  delivered  so  stirring  a  sermon  that 
the  people  of  Paris  kindled  hundreds  of  fires,  in  which  men  burned 
card  and  billiard  tables,  and  the  women  their  extravagant  and 
gaudy  ornaments.  So  at  the  preaching  of  Friar  Jerome  at  Florence, 
the  friars  during  the  carnival  incited  a  numerous  flock  of  children 
to  go  round  in  all  districts  and  in  a  sjiirit  of  humility  and  devo- 
tion beg  people  to  deliver  up  all  the  profane  books  and  pictures 
that  were  kept  by  them.  These  were  freely  given;  and  the  devout 
women  yielded  humbly  to  these  innocent  preachers,  suffered  them- 
selves to  be  despoiled  of  then-  dearest  personal  ornaments,  and  of 
everything  that  was  used  to  give  them  a  fictitious  beauty.  On 
the  last  day  of  the  carnival,  after  having  heard  Mass,  clothed  in 
white,  carrying  on  their  heads  garlands  of  olive,  and  red  crosses 
in  then-  hands,  the  children  made  a  procession,  singing  psalms 
to  the  Piazzo  dei  Signori,  where  a  pyramidal  scaffold  had  been 
erected,  upon  which  these  instruments  of  pleasure  and  profane 
luxury  were  deposited.  The  children  mounted  the  rostrum,  and 
after  having  sung  spiritual  hymns  the  four  deputies  came  down 


Chap,  ix.]         PROSELYTISING   MONKS   AND   PREACHERS.  263 

with  lighted  torches  and  set  fire  to  the  pile,  and  watched  it  as  it 
was  consumed  amidst  voices  of  joy  and  the  sound  of  trumpets. 
Another  saint  of  the  Franciscan  order,  named  Bernardino  of 
Sienna,  born  in  1380,  undertook  a  reform  which  was  styled  of 
the  strict  observance,  and  was  the  means  of  founding  five  hundred 
convents  in  Italy.  He  was  a  most  famous  preacher,  and  shone  in 
his  denunciations  of  the  then  prevailing  weaknesses,  which  were 
the  vices  of  gaming  and  divination  and  magic.  His  power  over 
his  contemporaries  was  supreme  as  a  reconciler  of  long-standing 
enmities.  He  distinguished  himself  by  collecting  on  the  Capitoline 
Hill  an  immense  assemblage  of  pictures,  musical  instruments, 
implements  of  gaming,  false  hair,  and  extravagant  female  dresses, 
of  which  he  made  an  enormous  bonfire.  This  saint  was  said  to 
work  miracles,  but  at  last  was  charged  with  heresy  and  idolatry, 
on  account  of  his  using  an  ornament  which  he  invented  as  a  help 
to  devotion.  The  Pope  pronounced  against  this  ornament,  and 
the  saint  dutifully  gave  it  up.  He  died  in  1444,  and  at  the 
jubilee  in  1450  was  canonised  at  the  instance  of  Pope  Nicolas  V. 

AN   ELOQUENT   FRIAR   ON   THE   FASHIONABLE   VICES. 

John  Capistran,  a  Franciscan  friar  of  the  fifteenth  century,  was 
noted  for  his  eloquence.  At  Nuremberg,  where  he  went  to  preach 
in  1452,  he  caused  a  pulpit  to  be  set  up  in  the  middle  of  the 
great  square,  and  there  preached  for  some  days  in  so  forcible  a 
manner  against  vice  that  he  led  the  inhabitants  to  make  a  pile 
of  their  cards  and  dice,  and  afterwards  set  fire  to  them  ;  which 
being  done,  he  exhorted  them  to  take  up  arms  against  the  Turks. 
The  year  after,  he  went  to  Breslau,  in  Silesia,  and  there  inveighed 
strongly  against  cards  and  dice ;  and  commanding  a  pile  to  be 
made  of  them  all,  he  set  fire  to  it.  But  the  power  of  his  eloquence 
was  not  confined  to  inanimate  things ;  for  exerting  his  eloquence 
in  a  most  intolerant  manner  against  the  Jews,  he  caused  a  great 
number  of  these  people  to  be  burnt  hi  all  parts  of  Silesia,  upon 
pretence  of  their  behaving  with  irreverence  towards  the  conse- 
crated bread. 

A   MONK    DENOUNCING    FEMALE   HEAD-DRESSES. 

Thomas  Conecte,  a  Carmelite  monk,  born  in  Brittany  in  1434, 
was  the  greatest  preacher  of  his  time.  When  in  Flanders,  he 
drew  vast  crowds  and  discoursed  vehemently  on  the  vices  of  the 
clergy,  the  luxury  and  extravagance  of  women's  head-dresses, 
which  were  of  prodigious  height,  called  hennins.     These  were  high 


264  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

and  broad  horns  an  ell  long,  having  on  each  side  ears  so  large 
that  they  could  not  get  through  doors.  The  preacher  not  only 
denounced  these,  but  gave  presents  to  little  children  to  cry  and 
hoot  at  them,  and  even  throw  stones  at  the  wearers.  The  ladies 
at  last  durst  not  appear,  except  in  disguise,  to  listen  to  Brother 
Thomas's  fervent  appeals.  For  a  time  the  excess  was  reduced ; 
but  when  he  left  the  country  the  head-dresses  were  put  on  again, 
with  still  higher  toppings  than  before,  as  if  to  redeem  the  lost 
time.  As  Paradin  relates  :  "  After  Thomas's  departure  the  ladies 
lifted  their  horns  again,  and  did  like  the  snails,  which,  when  they 
hear  any  noise,  pull  in  their  horns,  but  when  the  noise  is  over 
suddenly  lift  them  higher  than  before."  Wherever  Thomas  went 
his  zeal  against  the  senseless  ornaments  and  crying  vices  of  the 
day  led  to  many  superfluous  clothes,  tables,  dice,  cards,  and  frivolities 
being  burned.  He  passed  triumphantly  from  the  Netherlands  to 
Italy,  exciting  great  attention  and  awakening  no  small  jealousy. 
At  last  the  Pope  was  moved  to  put  him  on  his  trial,  when  he  was 
found  guilty  of  the  dangerous  heresy  of  denouncing  the  vices  of  the 
clergy  and  the  gluttony  of  the  monks.  He  met  an  appropriate 
fate  by  refusing  to  retract,  and  then  by  being  burnt,  as  being  far 
too  advanced  a  reformer  for  his  times. 

SAVONAROLA,    THE   MARTYRED    PREACHER    (a.D.    1498). 

Savonarola  at  an  early  age  chose  the  study  of  theology  for 
a  profession,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two  was  greatly  impressed  by  the  preaching  of 
a  friar.  He  became  member  of  a  Dominican  convent  at  Bologna. 
He  was  removed  to  Florence,  then  became  friar,  and  saw  great 
need  of  reform  in  the  lax  and  worldly  ways  of  the  monks.  He 
soon  developed  great  gifts  as  a  preacher,  and  had  a  rapt  and 
impassioned  style  of  oratory ;  and  his  early  study  of  the  Apocalypse 
led  him  into  mystical  language,  which  heightened  the  effect.  His 
denunciations  of  the  current  vices  made  him  a  formidable  censor, 
and  even  gave  him  political  influence,  and  excited  enmities.  Like 
some  of  his  near  contemporaries,  his  influence  over  the  ardent 
youths  caused  them  at  the  carnival  of  1497  to  go  the  round  of 
the  city  and  collect  all  the  rich  and  extravagant  dresses,  pictures, 
musical  instruments,  books  of  sorcery,  and  false  hair  into  a  large 
pile ;  and  then,  amid  singing  of  hymns,  sounding  of  bells  and 
trumpets,  the  heap  was  fired  amid  great  enthusiasm.  His  attacks 
on  the  vices  of  the  period  led  the  Pope  to  excommunicate  him. 
But  his  preaching  was  a  constant  attraction  and  kept  up  the 
excitement.     Shorthand  writers  took  the  sermons  down,  printed 


Chap,  ix.]         PROSELYTISING   MONKS   AND   PREACHERS.  26.5 

and  dispersed  theni  all  over  Italy.  Once  he  was  challenged  by  a 
bitter  enemy  to  walk  through  a  burning  pile  forty  yards  long, 
in  order  to  test  which  of  two  opposing  doctrines  was  true ;  and  he 
felt  bound  to  accept  the  challenge,  though  ultimately  this  mode 
of  trial  was  prohibited  by  the  magistrates.  He  was,  like  other 
advanced  reformers,  charged  with  heresy,  tortured,  and  ultimately 
sentenced  to  be  burnt  alive,  after  being  degraded.  The  sentence 
was  carried  out  in  1498,  and  his  ashes  were  thrown  into  the  river, 
under  the  idle  notion  that  his  name  and  influence  would  perish. 
Some  have  denounced  him  as  a  fanatic,  and  others  as  a  reformer  too 
far  advanced  for  his  age,  though  Luther  was  only  a  few  years  his 
junior.  In  C4ermany  also  three  noted  reformers  appeared  between 
1450  and  1489 — namely,  John  of  Goch,  John  of  Wesel,  and  John 
Wessel,  whose  teaching  tended  towards  Lutheranism,  then  in  the 
bud  and  soon  about  to  flower. 


266 


CHAPTER   X. 

FAMOUS  MONKS  AND  MONASTERIES. 

A    MONK   WITH    A    GENIUS    FOR    MONKERY    (a.D.    400). 

Arsenius  the  Great  was  a  famous  monk,  born  about  354,  and 
had  been  early  in  life  made  tutor  to  the  sons  of  the  Emperor 
Theodosius ;  but  finding  it  an  unsatisfactory  post,  retired  at  the 
age  of  forty,  resolving  to  cleanse  his  soul  and  fly  from  the  society 
of  men.  He  went  to  Egypt ;  and  being  anxious  to  be  taken  in  as 
a  monk,  applied  to  John  Colobus  (the  Dwarfish),  who  invited  him 
to  a  meal  to  test  his  suitability.  Arsenius  was  kept  standing 
while  the  others  sat.  John  then  flung  a  biscuit  to  him,  which 
Arsenius  ate  in  a  kneeling  posture.  "  He  will  make  a  monk," 
said  John  ;  and  he  was  admitted  forthwith.  Arsenius  soon  after- 
wards went  to  Scetis,  and  lived  as  a  hermit.  A  senator  once 
left  him  a  legacy ;  but  the  hermit  rejected  it,  saying,  "  I  was  dead 
before  him."  Two  monks  once  called  on  Arsenius,  and  were 
received  with  absolute  silence ;  they  waited  on  another  famous 
monk,  called  Moses,  who  received  them  with  cordial  welcome. 
The  visitors  were  perplexed  at  two  great  men  acting  so  dissimi- 
larly ;  but  the  doubt  was  solved  by  another  monk,  who  one  day 
saw  in  a  vision  two  boats  on  the  Nile.  One  boat  contained 
Arsenius,  with  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  the  other  boat  contained  Moses, 
fed  with  honey  by  angels.  Arsenius  was  often  rude  to  his  visitors. 
One  was  a  high-born  Roman  lady,  who  requested  to  be  remem- 
bered in  his  prayers ;  but  the  monk  brusquely  told  her  that  he 
hoped  he  might  be  able  to  forget  her.  She  complained  of  this  to 
Theophilus,  who  told  her  she  was  but  a  woman,  and  the  old  man 
would  pray  for  her  soul  notwithstanding.  Arsenius  once  took  a 
thievish  monk  into  his  cell  to  cure  him,  but  found  it  impossible. 
He  vised  often  to  say  that  he  had  been  sorry  for  having  spoken, 
but  never  for  having  been  silent.  When  his  end  drew  near,  he 
was  seen  to  weep,  which  made  the  other  monks  ask,  "  Are  you 


Chap.  x.J  FAMOUS  MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  267 

then,  father,  afraid?"  "Truly,"  said  Arsenius,  "the  fear  that 
is  with  me  in  this  hour  has  been  with  me  ever  since  I  became  a 
monk." 

ST.    NINIAN,    THE    SCOTTISH    SAINT    (A.D.    400). 

St.  Ninian  was  a  Briton,  born  about  360,  of  Christian  parents, 
and  of  a  grave  and  earnest  disposition.  After  much  searching 
of  the  Scriptures,  he  went  to  Rome  in  order  to  know  more  of 
the  truth.  When  arrived  there,  he  wept  over  the  relics  of  the 
Apostles,  and  the  Pope  received  him  graciously.  After  spending 
some  years  there,  it  was  made  clear  to  the  Pope  that  Western 
Britain  was  much  in  need  of  Christian  enlightenment,  and  Ninian 
was  consecrated  a  bishop,  and  sent  there  as  the  first  bishop  of  his 
nation.  On  his  way  he  visited  the  famous  St.  Martin  of  Tours, 
the  demolisher  of  Pagan  temples.  The  two  saints  were  mutually 
pleased  and  edified.  They  were  described  as  two  cherubims,  from 
the  intimate  understanding  and  mutual  light  displayed  by  them. 
Ninian,  on  returning  to  Scotland,  erected  a  church  at  Whithorn, 
in  Galloway,  and  he  was  anxious  to  imitate  what  he  had  seen  at 
Tours,  and  begged  the  loan  of  masons  from  that  place,  and  the 
church  was  dedicated  to  St.  Martin.  Ninian  became  there  a 
great  preacher  and  evangelist,  and  the  miracles  he  performed 
spread  his  fame  everywhere.  If  he  read  the  Psalter  hi  the  open 
air,  the  shower  would  avoid  touching  him  and  his  book.  If 
thieves  tried  to  steal  his  cattle,  an  angel  drove  them  away.  One 
of  Ninian's  scholars,  being  afraid  of  a  whipping,  fled  to  the  sea- 
shore, but  took  care  to  steal  his  master's  pastoral  stali" ;  and  this 
staff,  after  the  youth  had  prayed,  guided  his  boat  in  safety,  and 
was  both  rudder  and  mast  and  sail  by  turns.  The  saint  con- 
verted the  Picts  far  and  near,  and  was  succeeded  by  St.  Mango 
and  St.  Columba.  Iiis  relics  also  were  said  to  continue  to  work 
miracles  long  after  be  was  dead. 

ST.    MUNGO,    AN   EAST   LOTHIAN    SAINT    (A.D.    580). 

While  St.  Servanus,  an  early  bishop  of  the  Scots,  was  settled 
at  Culross,  near  Loch  Leven,  one  Kentigern,  who  had  been  born 
about  514,  under  mysterious  circumstances,  at  a  seaport  in  East 
Lothian,  was  taken  to  the  bishop  by  the  shepherds,  and  said  to 
be  a  child  of  promise.  On  seeing  the  child,  Servanus  smiled 
welcome,  carefully  instructed  him,  and  gave  him  the  name  of 
Mun  Cu  or  Mungdu  (the  Gaelic  words  for  "  Dear  one "),  since 
named  Mungo.  The  boy  soon  began  to  work  miracles  by  restor- 
ing birds  and  dead  bodies  to  life.     This  gift  excited  the  jealousy 


268  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

of  the  other  pupils,  and  caused  Mungo  to  flee.  He  went  to 
Dumfries,  and  thereafter  settled  at  Glasgow.  The  King  and  clergy- 
soon  afterwards  elected  him  as  bishop,  an  office  then  vacant.  He 
lived  on  bread  and  butter  and  cheese,  abstaining  from  flesh  and 
wine.  He  was  clothed  in  a  rough  hair  shirt,  and  slept  every 
night  in  a  stone  trough,  which  was  in  shape  like  a  coffin,  strewed 
with  ashes,  and  a  stone  for  a  pillow.  Every  morning  he  went 
and  stood  in  the  neighbouring  stream  up  to  the  neck,  however 
cold  it  might  be,  till  he  had  chanted  the  Psalter,  after  which  he 
came  out  clean  and  pure  as  a  dove  washed  in  milk.  He  had  the 
gift  of  silence,  and  spoke  seldom,  yet  weightily.  He  could  scarcely 
help  working  miracles.  One  day  he  went  to  plough,  but  had  no 
oxen  at  hand ;  and  a  wolf  and  deer  passing  that  way,  he  hailed 
them,  and  they  both  came  and  quietly  entered  under  the  yoke. 
After  he  had  given  away  all  his  corn  to  the  poor,  he  would  sow 
the  land  with  sand,  and  great  crops  grew  up.  One  day  he  asked 
the  King  to  supply  him  with  corn,  but  met  with  an  indignant 
refusal,  whereon  the  river  Clyde  rose  and  swept  away  the  King's 
barn,  and  floated  the  contents  up  the  Molendinar  burn,  and  they 
landed  near  the  saint's  dwelling.  The  King  in  a  passion  once 
lifted  his  foot  to  strike  the  saint,  and  the  foot  became  gangrened, 
and  the  King  died  soon  after.  The  saint  went  seven  journeys  to 
Rome,  where  he  was  highly  valued.  The  Queen  once  lost  a  ring, 
which  had  been  thrown  into  the  Clyde,  and  she  applied  to  St. 
Mungo,  who  caused  a  salmon  to  be  caught  which  had  swallowed 
the  ring.  He  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-five,  full 
of  years,  and  in  the  odour  of  sanctity. 

A    MONK    CURED    OF    ABSENTING    HIMSELF    FROM    PRAYERS  (A.D.    540). 

It  is  related  in  the  Life  of  St.  Benedict,  born  in  480,  who  founded 
the  famous  monasteries  for  monks,  that  in  one  of  these  monas- 
teries there  was  a  certain  monk,  who  could  not  endure  to  abide 
with  the  brethren  during  the  time  of  prayer,  but  the  moment 
they  knelt  down  went  out,  and  with  a  wandering  mind  betook 
himself  to  things  purely  transitory  and  worldly.  And  this  being 
told  to  the  man  of  God,  and  admonition  proving  unavailing,  Bene- 
dict visited  the  monastery ;  and  when  the  psalms  were  ended,  and 
the  brethren  knelt  down  to  pray,  he  saw  a  little  black  boy 
drawing  the  monk  referred  to  out  of  the  church.  And  pointing 
it  out  to  the  superior,  and  the  latter  not  being  able  to  see  the  boy, 
"  Let  us  pray,"  said  Benedict,  "  that  you  may."  And  after  two 
clays  Maurus,  a  pupil  of  Benedict,  saw  him ;  but  still  the  superior 
could  not.     And  on  the  third  day,  after  prayer,  Benedict  found 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  269 

the  monk  standing  outside  the  door ;  and  striking  him  with  his 
staff  in  reproof  of  the  blindness  of  his  heart,  from  that  day  forth 
he  was  no  more  troubled  by  that  black  boy,  but  stayed  out  the 
prayers  patiently  with  his  brethren. 

THE    DEATH    OF    ST.    BENEDICT    (A.D.    543). 

St.  Benedict,  the  patriarch  of  the  Western  monks  and  founder  of 
the  Benedictine  order,  died  in  543,  and  his  biographers  and  con- 
temporaries thus  described  his  death  :  "  Shortty  before  the  decease 
of  St.  Benedict,  standing  at  the  window  by  night  and  praying  to 
God,  suddenly  he  perceived  a  great  light,  and  (as  he  thereafter 
declared)  the  whole  world  was  brought  together  before  his  eyes, 
collected  as  under  a  single  ray  of  the  sun.  For  his  spirit  being 
dilated  and  rapt  into  God,  he  saw  without  difficulty  everything 
that  is  beneath  God.  And  at  the  hour  of  his  death  there  appeared 
unto  two  of  the  brethren,  then  absent  and  apart  from  each  other, 
the  self -same  vision ;  for  they  saw  a  path  stretching  from  his  cell 
up  to  heaven,  strewed  with  robes  of  silk  and  with  numberless 
lamps,  burning  all  along  it,  ascending  towards  the  east.  And, 
behold,  a  man  of  majestic  mien  and  in  seemly  attire  stood  over 
against  them,  and  asked  whose  that  path  was.  And  they 
confessing  that  they  knew  not,  he  answered,  '  This  is  the  path 
through  which  Benedict,  the  beloved  of  God,  is  ascending  to 
heaven.'     And  thereby  they  knew  of  his  decease." 

ST.    COLUMBA   OF   IONA   (A.D.  597). 

Columba,  who  had  first  an  Irish  name,  was  born  about  518 
at  Gartan,  in  Donegal,  of  good  family.  After  his  ordination  he 
entered  the  monastery  of  Glasnevin,  near  Dublin.  He  soon  after 
founded  the  monasteries  of  Deny  and  of  Durrow.  He  deter- 
mined to  be  a  missionary,  after  engaging  in  some  family  feuds  and 
being  tired  of  fighting.  About  563  he  left  Ireland,  then  called 
Scotia,  and,  accompanied  by  twelve  disciples,  took  to  the  sea  in  a 
wicker  wherry  covered  with  hides,  leaving  the  result  to  Providence. 
They  first  landed  at  Colonsay,  then  crossed  to  Ionu.  Two  savage 
kings  having  fought  a  battle,  the  successful  one  gave  him  the 
island  to  settle  in.  He  made  an  early  visit  to  the  Pictish  King ; 
and  though  at  first  rudely  treated,  he  made  a  conquest  and 
obtained  speedy  honours.  He  soon  became  known  also  as  a  worker 
of  miracles.  One  day  the  inhabitants  were  much  alarmed  at  the 
visits  of  a  sea  monster  that  lived  in  the  river  Ness  and  roared 
terribly ;  the  saint  raised  his  hand,  and  making  the  sign  of  the 
cross  in  the  air,  called  on  the  brute  to  desist,  and,  strange  to  say,  it 


270  CURIOSITIES  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

vanished  amid  the  breathless  amazement  of  the  crowds  that  were 
watching  it.  The  saint  and  his  followers  settled  in  the  island  of 
Iona,  and  lived  somewhat  in  the  fashion  of  a  monastery,  but  they 
acted  as  missionaries.  One  day  a  stranger  visited  Iona  in  disguise  ; 
and  joining  Columba  in  celebrating  the  Eucharist,  the  latter 
suddenly  looking  the  stranger  in  the  face  as  he  stood  at  the  altar, 
said,  "  Christ  bless  thee,  brother,  consecrate  alone,  for  I  know  thou 
art  a  bishop."  On  hearing  this  the  stranger  wondered  exceedingly 
at  the  second  sight  of  the  saint,  and  all  the  bystanders  gave  glory 
to  God  for  the  honour  done  by  the  visit  of  a  bishop,  a  personage 
then  unknown  in  that  quarter.  Columba  died  in  597  as  he  was 
praying  at  the  altar,  and  the  other  monks  saw  the  church  filled 
with  a  strange  light,  for  the  saint  was  leaving  an  example  of  piety 
to  all  future  ages. 

ST.  COLUMBA  PUNISHING  A  SAVAGE  CHIEF  (a.D.  520). 

It  is  related  by  Adamnan,  the  biographer  of  St.  Columba,  that 
in  the  early  days,  when  Columba  was  in  deacon's  orders,  going 
about  in  Leinster  along  with  his  tutor  Gemman,  a  brutal  chief 
was  pursuing  a  young  girl  who  fled  before  him  on  the  level  plain. 
As  she  chanced  to  notice  the  aged  Gemman  as  he  sat  reading,  she 
ran  straight  towards  him.  The  old  man  being  alarmed  at  this 
spectacle,  called  to  Columba,  who  was  reading  at  some  distance,  to 
help  him  in  defending  the  girl.  But  the  brutal  chief  on  coming 
up  to  them,  without  taking  the  least  notice  of  their  presence,  in 
his  rage  stabbed  the  child  as  she  was  hiding  herself  under  their 
cloaks,  and  leaving  her  dead  at  their  feet,  turned  to  go  back. 
At  this  the  old  man,  turning  to  Columba,  said,  "  How  long,  0 
holy  youth,  shall  God  the  just  Judge  allow  this  horrid  crime  and 
this  contempt  of  our  faith  to  go  unpunished  1 "  Then  the  saint 
at  once  pronounced  this  sentence  :  "  Mark  well,  that  at  the  very 
instant,  when  the  soul  of  this  young  innocent  ascends  to  heaven, 
shall  the  soul  of  the  murderer  descend  into  hell."  Scarcely  had 
Columba  spoken  the  word,  when  the  murderer  of  innocent  blood, 
like  Ananias  before  Peter,  fell  down  dead  on  the  spot.  The 
news  of  this  awful  retribution  soon  spread  through  the  land ;  it 
made  the  name  of  the  holy  deacon  a  praise  and  protection  to  the 
innocent,  and  a  sure  avenger  of  every  brutal  oppression  on  the 
part  of  those  savage  chiefs  who  then  ruled  the  land. 

DEATH    OF    ST.    COLUMBA    IN    IONA    (A.D.    597). 

The  biographer  of  St.  Columba  of  Iona,  who  died  in  597,  aged 
seventy-seven,  after  thirty-four  years'  missionary  work,  says  that 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  271 

on  feeling  the  hand  of  death  he  was  at  his  own  request  carried  out 
of  doors  in  a  car  to  visit  the  working  brethren,  and  then  he  warned 
them  of  his  early  departure,  and  blessed  them  and  the  island  and 
its  inhabitants.  On  the  following  Saturday,  he  told  the  friends 
that  that  would  be  the  last  day  of  his  life.  He  begged  them  to 
take  him  out,  that  he  might  bless  the  barn  and  the  crops  of  corn 
which  were  the  supplies  of  their  food.  On  going  back  to  the 
monastery,  the  old  white  pack-horse,  that  used  to  carry  the  milk- 
pails,  strange  to  say,  came  up  to  the  saint,  laid  its  head  on  his 
bosom,  and  uttered  plaintive  cries,  like  a  human  being,  also  shed- 
ding tears.  The  attendant  began  to  drive  away  the  beast ;  but 
the  saint  forbade  him,  saying,  "  Let  it  alone ;  let  it  pour  out  its 
bitter  grief.  Lo,  thou  who  hast  a  rational  soul  canst  know 
nothing  of  my  departure — only  expect  what  I  have  just  told 
you ;  but  to  this  brute  beast,  devoid  of  reason,  the  Creator  Him- 
self hath  evidently  in  some  way  made  it  known  that  its  master 
is  going  to  leave  it."  And  saying  this,  he  blessed  the  poor  work- 
horse, which  turned  away  from  him  in  sadness.  The  saint  then 
ascended  a  hillock  overhanging  the  monastery,  and  stood  musing 
and  looking  round,  and  said  that,  small  as  that  place  was,  it  would 
be  held  in  after-times  in  great  honour  by  kings  and  foreign  rulers 
and  saints  of  other  Churches.  On  returning  to  the  monastery, 
he  sat  in  his  cell  and  transcribed  part  of  the  thirty-third 
Psalm.  The  rest  of  the  night  he  lay  on  the  bare  ground,  with 
a  stone  for  his  pillow.  He  discoursed  to  the  brethren  on  the 
blessing  of  peace,  harmony,  and  charity  among  themselves.  When 
the  bell  rang  at  midnight,  he  rose  quickly  and  knelt  before  the 
altar,  and  a  heavenly  light  was  noticed  to  surround  him ;  and  the 
brethren  knew  that  his  soul  was  departing ;  and  after  signifying 
to  them  his  holy  benediction,  he  breathed  his  last.  The  matin 
hymns  being  then  finished,  his  sacred  body  was  carried,  the 
brethren  chanting  psalms ;  and  being  wrapped  in  fine  clean  linen, 
was  buried  after  three  days  and  nights.  A  violent  storm  had 
been  raging  for  these  days,  preventing  any  person  crossing  the 
sound ;  but  after  the  burial  the  storm  ceased,  and  all  was  calm. 

THE    MONK    COLUMBAN    (A.D.    615). 

The  monk  Columban,  who  died  615,  was  held  in  great  honour 
by  Thierry  II.,  the  King  of  Burgundy,  where  his  convents  were 
situated.  The  abbot  took  on  himself  at  times  to  reprove  the 
King's  voluptuous  life ;  but  the  grandmother  of  the  King  took 
offence,  and  schemed  till  she  got  Columban  banished.  In  his 
journeying  through  France,  he  arrived  with  some  followers  at  the 


272  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

city  of  Nantes,  and  was  meditating  in  his  cell,  when  a  beggar 
came  before  it.  Columban  caused  the  last  measure  of  meal  to  be 
served  out  of  his  stores  to  the  hungry  man.  The  next  two  days 
the  abbot  had  to  contend  with  want  himself,  yet  he  kept  up  his 
spirits,  full  of  faith  and  hope,  when  suddenly  some  one  knocked 
at  the  door,  and  this  person  turned  out  to  be  the  servant  of  a 
pious  female  of  the  city,  who  had  sent  a  considerable  supply  of 
corn  and  wine  for  him.  Afterwards  he  went  to  Italy,  and  esta- 
blished in  the  vicinity  of  the  Apennines  the  famous  monastery 
of  Bobbio,  and  there  the  abbot  found  rest  and  ended  his  clays. 
One  of  his  sayings  was,  "  If  thou  hast  conquered  thyself,  thou 
has  conquered  all  things."  He  was  a  disciplinarian  among  his 
monks.  He  said  to  them,  "A  monk  must  learn  humility  and 
patience,  silent  obedience  and  gentleness.  Let  him  not  do  his  own 
will ;  let  him  eat  what  is  offered  to  him,  let  him  fulfil  the  clay's 
work  prescribed  to  him,  let  him  go  to  bed  weary,  and  let  him  be 
taught  to  get  up  at  the  time  appointed." 

ST.    AIDAN   OF   LINDISFARNE    (A.D.    651). 

St.  Aidan,  whose  death  made  such  an  impression  on  the  youthful 
Cuthbert,  was  the  most  shining  character  among  the  early  British 
Christians,  a  man  of  the  utmost  gentleness,  piety,  and  modera- 
tion. He  came  from  Iona  in  635,  settled  in  Northumbria,  and 
became  Bishop  of  Lindisfarne.  He  established  a  training  school 
for  twelve  English  boys,  one  of  whom  was  St.  Chad.  He  used  to 
retire  occasionally  to  complete  solitude  in  Fame  Island,  and  there 
fast.  He  was  an  earnest  missionary,  and  used  to  travel  on  foot 
and  get  into  conversation  with  any  fellow-traveller,  rich  or  poor. 
As  he  walked  along  with  them,  they  used  to  meditate  on  texts 
or  recite  psalms.  Oswald  was  then  king;  and  being  himself  a 
saint,  both  worked  amicably  together.  Oswald  often  invited 
Aidan  to  the  royal  table ;  but  the  saint,  after  taking  very  httle 
refreshment,  was  always  called  away  to  some  prayer  meeting  or 
mission  work  of  an  urgent  kind.  One  Easter  Sunday  he  took 
luncheon  with  the  King,  and  they  were  just  about  to  help  them- 
selves to  some  dainties,  when  a  thane  rushed  in  and  said  that 
there  was  a  mob  of  famished  people  at  the  gates  begging  for  alms. 
Oswald  at  once  ordered  the  dish  of  untasted  dainties  to  be  carried 
away  and  divided  among  them,  and  the  saint  was  so  charmed 
that  he  seized  the  King's  right  hand  and  said,  "  May  this  hand 
never  decay ! "  That  hand  never  decayed,  and  was  kept  with 
pride  in  a  silver  casket  for  four  centuries  later  by  the  monks  of 
Durham.     Another  time  King  Oswy  gave  a  fine  horse  to  Aidan, 


Chap,  s.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  273 

on  which  he  might  ride  during  his  mission  work,  so  as  to  save 
much  time ;  but  soon  afterwards,  a  beggar  man  coming  up,  and 
Aidan  having  no  change  in  his  pocket,  dismounted  and  gave  horse 
and  all  the  trappings  to  the  beggar  instead.  The  King  hearing 
of  this,  asked  Aidan  why  he  did  such  a  thing,  and  the  answer  was, 
"  Surely  a  mare  is  nothing  to  compare  with  that  son  of  God  ?  " 
The  King  at  first  thought  this  no  answer  at  all,  and  was  moody ; 
but  on  reflection  he  relented,  and  threw  himself  at  the  feet  of 
Aidan,  saying  he  would  never  again  dispute  as  to  what  or  how 
much  should  be  bestowed  on  sons  of  God.  So  they  were  good 
friends  ever  after.  Aidan  was  the  glory  of  his  age,  and  died  in 
651,  and  his  relics  long  worked  miracles. 

ST.  CHAD  SUBJECT  TO  THE  FEAR  OF  THE  LORD  (A.D.  673). 

St.  Chad  was  one  of  the  twelve  pupils  of  St.  Aidan  of  Lindisf  arne, 
and  in  due  time  was  recommended  by  Archbishop  Theodore  as 
Bishop  of  Lichfield.  St.  Chad  was  of  an  ascetic  and  retiring 
manner,  and  went  his  rounds  on  foot ;  but  Theodore  insisted  that 
he  should  ride,  and  gave  him  a  horse,  and  with  his  own  hands 
lifted  him  up  to  mount.  Chad  was  a  busy  and  careful  bishop, 
but  pre-eminently  a  grave  and  serious  man,  and  dwelt  most  on 
the  awful  side  of  religion.  Bede  says,  "  He  was  ever  subject  to  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  in  all  his  actions  mindful  of  his  end." 
Everything  in  Nature  was  viewed  as  a  call  to  sacred  employments. 
If  it  was  a  high  wind  during  the  service,  Chad  would  stop  his 
reading  and  implore  the  Divine  mercy  for  all  mankind.  If  it 
became  a  storm  or  thunder  and  lightning,  he  woidd  repair  to  the 
church  and  give  himself  up  with  a  fixed  mind  to  prayer  and  the 
recitation  of  psalms  until  the  weather  cleared  up.  If  questioned  as 
to  this,  he  woidd  quote  the  Psalmist's  words,  "  The  Lord  thundered 
out  of  heaven,"  and  he  spoke  of  the  last  great  fire,  and  of  the 
Lord  coming  in  the  clouds  with  great  power  and  majesty  to  judge 
the  quick  and  the  dead.  Chad's  death  was  remarkable,  and  occurred 
during  a  pestilence  which  swept  away  many  of  his  flock.  One 
night  his  faithful  monk,  Owin,  when  at  work  in  the  fields,  heard  a 
sweet  sound  as  of  angelic  melody,  which  came  from  the  south-east 
and  entered  and  filled  the  oratory  where  Chad  then  was,  and 
next  it  rose  heavenward.  As  Owin  was  wondering  what  this  could 
mean,  he  noticed  Chad  open  the  window  and  clap  his  hands,  as  if 
beckoning  to  some  one.  Owin  entered,  and  was  told  to  summon 
the  brethren ;  and  Chad  addressing  them  seriously,  and  charging 
them  to  carry  on  the  good  work  steadily,  told  them  his  end  was 
near,  for  the  lovable  guest  who  had  summoned  so  many  brethren 

18 


274  CURIOSITIES  OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

had  come  to  him  that  day.  He  gave  them  his  blessing,  and  told 
Owin  privately  that  the  voices  he  had  heard  were  those  of  angels 
come  to  summon  him  to  his  heavenly  reward,  and  that  they  would 
return  for  him  in  seven  days.  So  on  the  seventh  day  he  died,  and 
was  always  called  the  "  most  glorious  "  St.  Chad. 

DEATH    OF    ST.    HILDA,    ABBESS    OF    WHITBY    (A.D.    680). 

St.  Hilda,  who  died  in  680,  was  of  the  royal  family  of  Northum- 
bria,  and  devoted  her  life  to  the  monastic  profession,  and  taught 
the  strict  observance  of  justice,  piety,  and  chastity.  She  was 
usually  called  mother,  in  token  of  her  piety  and  grace.  For  the 
last  eight  years  of  her  life  she  was  sorely  tried  by  a  long  sickness, 
accompanied  with  fever  ;  but  during  all  that  time  she  never 
omitted  either  to  give  thanks  to  her  Maker  or  to  teach  both 
publicly  and  privately  the  flock  committed  to  her.  When  at  the 
last  she  felt  her  end  to  be  near,  she  received  the  viaticum  of  the 
Holy  Communion ;  and  then,  having  summoned  to  her  the  hand- 
maids of  Christ  who  were  in  the  same  monastery,  she  continued 
admonishing  them,  all  the  while  she  perceived  with  joy  her  own 
death  approaching.  On  that  same  night  the  Omnipotent  Lord 
deigned  to  reveal  by  a  manifest  vision  her  death  to  another 
monastery,  where  a  holy  woman,  named  Begu,  had  dedicated  her 
virginity  to  the  Lord  for  thirty  years.  Begu  was  then  resting  in 
the  dormitory,  when  she  suddenly  heard  in  the  air  the  well-known 
sound  of  the  bell  by  which  they  were  wont  to  be  aroused  when 
any  one  of  them  was  called  forth  from  the  world.  She  noticed  a 
great  light  in  the  heavens  ;  and  looking  earnestly  at  it,  she  saw  the 
soul  of  Hilda,  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord,  borne  to  heaven  by 
attendant  and  conducting  angels.  Begu  immediately  arose  and 
told  her  abbess  how  Hilda,  the  mother  of  them  all,  had  just  then 
departed  from  this  world,  ascending  with  exceeding  light,  having 
angels  for  guides  to  the  abodes  of  eternal  light,  and  the  society  of 
the  celestial  citizens.  Yet  these  monasteries  were  distant  from 
each  other  thirteen  miles. 

THE  ABBEY  AND  MONKS  OF  ST.  GALL  (A.D.  680). 

The  abbey  of  St.  Gall  was  founded  by  St.  Gallus,  an  Irish 
monk,  who  left  his  monastery  hi  Belfast  Lough  hi  the  seventh 
century  to  preach  the  Gospel  on  the  Continent ;  and  he  settled 
near  Lake  Constance,  on  the  banks  of  the  Steinach,  then  a  wilder- 
ness. He  taught  the  savage  tribes  the  arts  of  peace  and  civilised 
them,  and  the  cell  which   he  inhabited  began  to  be  visited  by 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  275 

pilgrims,  and  after  his  death  miracles  were  wrought  at  his  tomb. 
This  led  to  an  abbey  being  founded,  which  became  the  most 
famous  as  well  as  being  the  oldest  in  Germany.  It  was  the 
asylum  of  learning  from  the  eighth  to  the  tenth  centimes,  where 
the  classics  were  most  studied  and  copied.  The  monks  of  St.  Gall 
in  time  grew  ambitious,  and  became  imbued  with  a  military 
disposition,  and  vised  to  sally  forth  sword  in  hand  to  conquer 
(as  narrated  ante,  p.  224).  Their  wealth,  from  the  donations  of 
pilgrims,  also  turned  their  heads,  and  their  military  campaigns 
embroiled  them  with  the  authorities ;  and  hi  the  fifteenth  century 
the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbouring  town  obtained  the  mastery, 
and  soon  afterwards  the  estates  were  secularised.  The  library 
is  still  exhibited  as  a  famous  collection  of  old  manuscripts. 

THE   VENERABLE    BEDE,    MONK    AND    HISTORIAN    (a.D.    735). 

Bede,  the  most  valuable  of  the  early  historians  of  English 
ecclesiastical  affairs,  who  died  in  735,  gives  this  account  of  him- 
self :  "  Thus  much  of  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  the  Britons,  and 
especially  of  the  English  nation,  as  far  as  I  could  learn,  either 
by  the  writings  of  the  ancients  or  from  the  tradition  of  our 
ancestors,  or  by  my  own  knowledge,  I,  Bede,  a  servant  of  God, 
and  priest  of  the  monastery  of  the  blessed  Apostles  Peter  and 
Paul,  which  is  at  Wearmouth  and  Jarrow,  have  composed.  And 
being  born  in  the  territory  of  that  monastery,  when  I  was  seven 
years  old,  I  was  given  to  be  educated  to  the  most  reverend  Abbot 
Benedict  and  afterwards  to  Ceolfrid ;  and  having  spent  my  whole 
life  since  that  time  in  the  same  monastery,  I  have  devoted  myself 
entirely  to  the  study  of  Scripture,  and  at  intervals  between  the 
observance  of  regular  chscipliiie  and  the  daily  care  of  singing  in 
church,  I  always  took  delight  in  learning,  or  teaching,  or  writing. 
In  the  nineteenth  year  of  my  life,  I  received  deacon's  orders ;  in 
the  thirtieth,  those  of  the  priesthood, — both  by  the  ministry  of  the 
most  reverend  Bishop  John,  and  by  order  of  Abbot  Ceolfrid. 
From  which  time  of  my  becoming  a  priest,  till  the  fifty-ninth 
year  of  my  age,  I  have  made  it  my  business,  for  the  use  of  me 
and  niine,  to  make  brief  notes  on  Holy  Scriptures  from  the 
writings  of  venerable  Fathers,  or  even  to  add  something  to  their 
interpretations,  hi  accordance  with  their  views  on  the  beginning 
of  Genesis  and  part  of  Samuel."     Bede  died  aged  sixty -two. 

ST.    CUTHBERT   ADMITTED    MONK    (A.D.    651 — 758)v 

Cuthbert  was  a  shepherd-boy  in  651,  watching  his  flock  on  the 
Lammermuir  Hills,  by  the  side  of  the  river  Leader,  not  far  from 


276  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  ancient  town  of  Lauder.  One  night,  as  his  companions  were 
sleeping  and  he  was  praying,  on  a  sudden  he  saw  a  long  stream 
of  light  break  through  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  in  the 
midst  of  it  a  company  of  the  heavenly  host  descended  to  the 
earth,  and  having  received  among  them  a  spirit  of  surpassing 
brightness,  returned  without  delay  to  their  heavenly  home.  The 
young  man  beloved  of  God  was  struck  with  awe  at  this  sight, 
and  stimulated  to  encounter  the  honours  of  spiritual  warfare,  and 
to  earn  for  himself  eternal  life  and  happiness.  He  began  to 
offer  up  praise  and  thanksgiving,  and  called  on  his  companions 
to  join.  He  then  told  them  he  had  just  seen  the  door  of  heaven 
opened,  and  there  was  led  in  thither  amidst  an  angelic  com- 
pany the  spirit  of  some  holy  man,  who  now,  for  ever  blessed, 
beholds  the  glory  of  the  heavenly  mansion  and  Christ  its  King, 
while  they  were  still  grovelling  amid  this  earthly  darkness.  He 
said  he  thought  it  must  have  been  some  holy  bishop,  or  some 
favoured  one  of  the  company  of  the  faithful,  whom  he  saw  thus 
carried  into  heaven  amidst  so  much  splendour  by  that  large  angelic 
choir.  As  Cuthbert  said  these  words,  the  hearts  of  the  shepherds 
were  kindled  up  to  reverence  and  praise.  When  the  morning 
came,  he  found  that  Aidan,  Bishop  of  the  Church  of  Lindis- 
farne,  a  man  of  exalted  piety,  had  ascended  to  the  heavenly 
kingdom  at  the  very  moment  of  the  vision.  Immediately,  there- 
fore, he  delivered  over  the  sheep  that  he  was  feeding  to  their 
owners,  and  determined  forthwith  to  enter  a  monastery.  He 
went  to  Melrose,  the  monastery  two  miles  east  of  the  present 
abbey,  where  Boisil  was  prior,  and  being  admitted,  Boisil  at  once 
saw  the  future  greatness  of  this  young  novice,  who  lived  a  holy 
life  there  for  ten  years  more.  Some  other  accounts  state  that 
St.  Cuthbert  was  of  Irish  parentage,  and  was  brought  by  his 
mother  when  a  child  into  Britain. 

ST.    CUTHBERT   AS    MONK    BISHOP    (A.D.    687). 

St.  Cuthbert,  after  leaving  the  monastery  at  Melrose,  became 
an  eloquent  preacher  in  Galloway  and  that  neighbourhood,  and 
in  664  was  made  prior  of  Lindisfarne,  in  the  Fame  Islands,  where 
to  this  day  the  little  shells  found  only  on  that  coast  are  called 
St.  Cuthbert's  shells,  and  the  sea  birds,  his  favourite  friends,  are 
called  St.  Cuthbert's  birds.  He  built  a  cell,  and  pilgrims  from 
all  parts  nocked  to  ask  his  counsel  and  his  blessing  during 
eight  years,  when  he  was  chosen  Bishop  of  Lindisfarne.  He 
took  special  interest  in  the  monasteries  of  nuns,  of  which  there 
were  several  in  his  diocese,   such  as  Coldingham  and  Whitby. 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  277 

When  not  visiting  officially  his  charges,  he  retired  to  his  cell  at 
Fame.  When  his  last  days  drew  near,  in  687,  he  directed  his 
brethren  to  v.  rap  his  body  after  his  death  in  the  linen  which  the 
Abbess  Verca  had  given  to  him,  and  to  bury  it,  as  they  so 
earnestly  desired,  in  their  church  at  Lindisfarne.  "  Keep  peace 
with  one  another,"  were  his  last  words,  "  and  ever  guard  the 
Divine  gift  of  charity.  Maintain  concord  with  other  servants  of 
Christ.  Despise  not  any  of  the  household  of  faith  who  come  to 
you  seeking  hospitality ;  but  receive,  and  entertain,  and  dismiss 
them  with  friendliness  and  affection.  And  do  not  think  your- 
selves better  than  others  of  the  same  faith  and  manner  of  life ; 
only  with  such  as  err  from  the  unity  of  Catholic  peace  have  no 
communion."  These  were  his  last  words.  His  remains  were 
taken  to  Lindisfarne,  where,  amid  the  prayers  and  solemn  chants 
of  the  brethren,  they  were  interred  in  a  stone  sarcophagus  on  the 
right  of  the  altar  in  St.  Peter's  Church.  Eleven  years  later  the 
body,  still  uncorrupt,  was  taken  from  the  tomb,  wrapped  in  fresh 
linen,  and  placed  in  a  shrine  of  wood  which  was  laid  on  the  floor 
of  the  sanctuary.  Great  sanctity  was  shown  to  the  saint's  relics 
by  King  Alfred,  King  Canute,  and  William  the  Conqueror.  His 
own  copy  of  the  Gospels  is  still  preserved  in  the  British  Museum 
as  a  fine  specimen  of  Celtic  art.  The  cathedral  of  Durham  was  at 
a  later  date  dedicated  to  his  memory,  and  in  the  twelfth  century 
his  relics  were  transferred  to  that  place  ;  and  in  1537,  when  his 
shrine  was  plundered,  his  body  was  found  still  to  be  uncorrupt. 

THE    BODY    OF    ST.    CUTHBERT  CARRIED    ABOUT   BY    MONKS    FOR  SEYEX 
YEARS    (A.D.    875). 

When  the  Danes  were  ravaging  the  north  of  England  in  875, 
causing  great  terror  among  all  the  monasteries,  Eardulph,  Bishop 
of  Lindisfarne,  in  which  church  the  body  of  St.  Cuthbert  rested, 
and  Abbot  Edred  took  suddenly  the  resolution  to  carry  away  the 
body  for  safety.  When  the  people  living  near  heard  of  this,  they 
also  resolved  to  leave  their  houses,  and  with  their  wives  and 
children  accompany  the  sacred  charge,  thinking  that  life  without 
the  saint's  protection  would  be  unsafe.  This  company  traversed 
nearly  the  whole  country,  carrying  the  body  with  them  ;  and  being 
after  a  time  advised  to  seek  refuge  in  Ireland,  sailed  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Derwent,  in  Cumberland,  after  taking  a  distressing 
farewell  of  their  friends,  who  stood  watching  on  the  shore.  A 
dreadful  storm  overtook  the  ship,  and  a  copy  of  the  Evangelists 
adorned  with  gold  and  jewels  fell  overboard  into  the  sea.  The 
vessel  was  in  such  distress  that  the  party  turned  back,  and  landed 


278  CURIOSITIES    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

at  the  place  from  which  they  started.  They  suffered  many  trials, 
and  it  is  said  for  seven  years  they  were  in  charge  of  the  holy 
body  and  fleeing  from  the  barbarians.  At  length  the  saint  him- 
self appeared  in  a  vision,  and  told  the  monk  Hunred  where  to 
search  for  the  book  when  the  tide  was  out,  and  also  where  to  find 
a  horse  to  draw  the  carriage  on  which  the  body  lay.  The  book 
was  duly  found,  and  its  leaves  were  all  sound  and  perfect.  And 
when  a  bridle  was  held  up  before  the  horse,  it  ran  up  to  the 
monk  and  offered  itself  to  be  yoked.  The  body  was  afterwards 
carried  to  Chester-le-Street,  the  second  see  of  the  diocese  of 
Durham,  and  there  deposited  ;  and  on  account  of  the  sanctity 
thereby  imparted,  the  King  settled  extensive  lands  on  the  Church 
for  ever.  King  Alfred  confirmed  this  grant,  and  on  one  occasion 
St.  Cuthbert  appeared  to  King  Alfred  as  he  was  sitting  reading 
the  Scriptures,  while  his  men  were  out  fishing,  and  not  only 
promised  an  abundant  supply  to  their  nets,  but  encouraged  him 
to  persevere  in  routing  the  Danes,  all  which  promises  were  duly 
fulfilled. 

DEATHBED  OF  THE  VENERABLE  BEDE  (A.D.  735). 

St.  Cuthbert,  pupil  of  Bede,  wrote  to  a  friend  this  account  of 
the  last  days  of  his  master  :  "  Bede  was  much  troubled  with 
shortness  of  breath,  yet  without  pain,  for  a  fortnight  before  the 
day  of  our  Lord's  resurrection ;  but  he  passed  his  time  cheerful 
and  rejoicing,  giving  thanks  to  Almighty  God  every  day  and  every 
night,  nay  every  hour,  and  daily  read  lessons  to  us  his  disciples ; 
and  whatever  remained  of  the  day  he  spent  in  singing  psalms. 
He  also  passed  all  the  night  awake  in  joy  and  thanksgiving, 
except  so  far  as  a  very  slight  slumber  prevented  it ;  but  he  no 
sooner  awoke  than  he  presently  repeated  his  wonted  exercises, 
and  ceased  not  to  give  thanks  to  God  with  uplifted  hands.  0 
truly  happy  man  !  He  chanted  the  sentence  of  St.  Paul  the 
apostle,  '  It  is  dreadful  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God,' 
and  much  more  out  of  Holy  Writ,  wherein  also  he  admonished 
us  to  think  of  our  last  hour  and  to  shake  off  the  sleep  of  the 
soul ;  and  being  learned  in  our  poetry,  he  quoted  some  things  in  it. 
He  also  sang  antiphons,  according  to  our  custom  and  his  own, 
one  of  which  is,  '  0  King  of  glory,  Lord  of  all  power,  who 
triumphing  this  day  did  ascend  above  all  the  heavens,  do  not  leave 
us  orphans,  but  send  down  upon  us  the  Spirit  of  truth  which  was 
promised  by  the  Father  !  Hallelujah  ! '  And  when  he  came  to 
the  words  '  do  not  leave  us  orphans,'  he  burst  into  tears  and  wept 
much ;    and  an  hour  after   he   began  to  repeat  what  he  had 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  279 

commenced,  and  we  hearing  it,  mourned  with  him.  By  turns  we 
read  and  by  turns  we  wept ;  nay,  we  wept  always  while  we  read. 
In  such  joy  we  passed  a  period  of  fifty  days.  During  these  days 
he  laboured  to  compose  two  works,  well  worthy  to  be  remembered 
— the  translation  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  and  some  collections 
from  the  '  Book  of  Notes  '  of  Bishop  Isidorus.  When  the  Tuesday 
before  the  ascension  of  our  Lord  came,  he  began  to  suffer  more  in 
his  breath,  and  a  small  swelling  appeared  in  his  feet.  But  he 
passed  all  that  day,  and  dictated  cheerfully,  and  now  and  then 
among  other  things  said,  '  Go  on  quickly.  I  know  not  how  long 
I  shall  hold  out,  and  whether  my  Maker  will  not  soon  take  me 
away.'  When  the  morning  appeared,  he  ordered  us  to  write 
with  all  speed  what  he  had  begun,  and  this  done,  we  walked  in 
procession  with  the  relics  of  the  saints  till  the  third  Lour,  as  the 
custom  of  that  day  was.  There  was  one  of  us,  however,  with  him 
who  said  to  him,  '  Most  dear  master,  there  is  still  one  chapter 
wanting.  Do  you  think  it  troublesome  to  be  asked  any  more 
questions  ? '  He  answered,  '  It  is  no  trouble.  Take  your  pen, 
and  dip  and  write  fast.'  Which  he  did.  But  at  the  ninth  hour 
he  said  to  me,  '  I  have  some  little  articles  of  value  in  my  chest, 
such  as  pepper,  napkins,  and  incense ;  run  quickly  and  bring  the 
priests  of  our  monastery  to  me,  that  I  may  distribute  among 
them  the  gifts  which  God  has  bestowed  on  me.  The  rich  in  this 
world  are  bent  on  giving  gold  and  silver  and  other  precious 
things.  But  I,  with  much  charity  and  joy,  wdl  give  my  brothers 
that  which  God  has  given  to  me.'  He  spoke  to  every  one  of 
them,  admonishing  and  entreating  them  that  they  would  carefully 
say  masses  and  prayers  for  him,  which  they  readily  promised  ; 
but  they  all  mourned  and  wept,  especially  because  they  said  that 
they  should  no  more  see  his  face  in  this  world.  They  rejoiced, 
however,  because  he  said,  '  The  time  is  come  that  I  shall  return 
to  Him  who  formed  me  out  of  nothing.  I  have  lived  long  ;  my 
merciful  Judge  well  foresaw  my  life  for  me ;  the  time  of  my  dis- 
solution draws  nigh,  for  I  desire  to  die  and  be  with  Christ.' 
Having  said  much  more,  he  passed  the  day  joyfully  till  the 
evening ;  but  fehe  boy  above  mentioned  said,  '  Dear  master,  there 
is  yet  one  sentence  not  written.'  He  answered,  '  Write  quickly.' 
Soon  after  the  boy  said,  '  The  sentence  is  now  written.'  He 
replied,  '  It  is  well ;  you  have  said  the  truth.  It  is  ended.  Let 
my  head  rest  on  your  hands,  for  it  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  me 
to  sit  opposite  my  holy  place,  in  which  I  was  wont  to  pray,  that 
I  may  also,  sitting,  call  upon  my  Father.'  And  thus  on  the  floor 
of  his  little  cell,  singing,  '  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son, 


280  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

and  to  the  Holy  Ghost,'  when  he  had  named  the  Holy  Ghost,  he 
breathed  his  last,  and  so  departed  to  the  heavenly  kingdom. 
All  who  were  present  at  the  death  of  the  blessed  Father  said 
they  had  never  seen  any  other  person  expire  with  so  much  devo- 
tion and  in  so  tranquil  a  frame  of  mind.  For,  as  you  have  heard, 
so  long  as  the  soul  animated  his  body,  he  never  ceased  to  give 
thanks  to  the  true  and  living  God,  with  outstretched  hands 
exclaiming,  '  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to  the 
Holy  Ghost,'  with  other  spiritual  ejaculations." 

A    WARRIOR   DUKE    BECOMES    MONK    (A.D.    806). 

Duke  William  was  commander  of  the  first  cohort  in  Charle- 
magne's army,  and  fought  many  battles  with  the  infidels  and 
subdued  the  Saracens,  and  then  founded  the  monastery  of  St. 
Saviour,  in  the  Herault.  Afterwards,  in  806,  he  disclosed  to  the 
King  his  desire  of  becoming  a  monk,  a  resolution  which  caused 
much  grief  to  all  the  Court.  He  rejected  the  liberal  gifts  which 
were  then  offered  him,  but  only  asked  for  and  obtained  a  reliquary 
containing  a  portion  of  the  wood  of  the  holy  cross.  It  had  been 
sent  to  Charles  by  Zechariah,  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem.  A  crowd 
of  nobles  forced  their  way  into  his  presence  and  implored  William 
not  to  desert  them.  But  being  inflamed  with  a  Divine  ardour,  he 
abandoned  all  he  held  dear,  and  amid  tears  and  groans  took  his 
farewell.  When  he  reached  the  town  of  Brives,  he  offered  his 
armour  on  the  altar  of  St.  Julian,  the  martyr,  hanging  his  helmet 
and  splendid  shield  over  the  martyr's  tomb  in  the  church,  and 
suspending  outside  the  door  his  quiver  and  bow,  with  his  long  lance 
and  two-edged  sword,  as  an  offering  to  God.  He  then  set  forth  in 
the  guise  of  a  pilgrim  of  Christ,  and  passed  through  Aquitaine  to 
the  monastery  which  he  had  built  a  short  time  before  in  the 
wilderness.  He  drew  near  to  it  with  naked  feet,  and  with  hair- 
cloth about  his  body.  When  the  brethren  heard  of  his  approach, 
they  met  him  at  the  cross-roads,  and  forming  a  triumphal  pro- 
cession against  his  will,  conducted  him  to  the  abbey.  He  then 
made  his  offering  of  the  reliquary  more  precious  than  gold,  with 
gold  and  silver  vessels  and  all  kinds  of  ornaments  ;  and  having 
proffered  his  petition,  gave  up  the  world  with  all  its  pomps  and 
enticements,  was  made  a  monk,  and  became  another  person  in 
Christ  Jesus.     (See  another  account,  ante,  p.  215.) 

HOW    THE    WARRIOR    DUKE    BEHAVED   AS    MONK    (A.D.    806). 

When  Duke  William,  in  806,  became  a  monk  in  the  abbey  of 
St.   Saviour,  in  the  Herault,  he  at  once  showed  his  delight  in 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  281 

every  lowly  task.  He  set  about  making  a  good  road  up  the  steep 
cliffs,  and  cut  through  rocks  to  make  a  causeway,  using  hammer 
and  pickaxe  like  a  day  labourer.  He  also  planted  vineyards  and 
fruit-trees  and  laid  out  gardens.  He  laboured  in  all  ways  with 
his  own  hands  in  true  humility.  He  often  prostrated  himself  before 
the  abbot  and  brethren,  beseeching  that  for  God's  mercy  he 
might  be  allowed  still  greater  self-renunciation  and  hard  work. 
He  sought  the  lowest  offices  in  the  monastery,  and  the  meaner 
the  toil  the  more  welcome.  He  would  gladly  act  as  a  beast  of 
burden  for  the  brethren  in  the  Lord's  house.  He  who  had  been 
a  mighty  duke  was  not  ashamed  to  mount  a  poor  donkey  with  a 
load  of  bottles,  or  cai'ry  fagots  and  pitchers  of  water,  or  light  the 
fires,  or  wash  the  bowls  and  platters.  When  the  hour  of  refection 
came,  he  would  spread  the  table  for  the  monks  in  due  order, 
and  remain  to  watch  the  house,  fasting  till  the  meal  was  over. 
Once,  when  the  wood  for  baking  was  exhausted,  he  was  forced  to 
use  twigs  and  straw,  vt  hich  choked  the  oven,  and  was  chidden  for 
his  delay.  He  had  nothing  with  which  to  clear  out  the  ashes ; 
but,  rather  than  be  late,  he  invoked  Christ,  and  making  the  sign 
of  the  cross,  entered  the  oven  himself  and  used  his  hands,  and 
neither  was  he  scorched  while  throwing  out  hot  cinders,  nor  was 
his  cowl  singed.  After  this,  the  abbot  and  brethren  consult- 
ing, forbade  his  engaging  in  servile  work,  and  allotted  him  a 
suitable  cell,  so  that  he  might  apply  his  leisure  to  prayer  and 
holy  meditation.  Thus,  by  degrees,  William  arrived  at  great 
perfection  in  every  virtue.  He  predicted  the  day  of  his  death, 
and  when  it  occurred  there  was  heard  in  the  air  a  loud  and  strange 
tolling  of  bells,  though  no  human  hands  touched  them. 

THE   SWISS   ABBEY   OF   EINSIEDELN   AND   ITS    PILGRIMS    (A.D.    860). 

The  second  most  famous  monastery  in  Switzerland  is  Einsiedeln, 
which  rises  high  on  an  undulating  plain,  and  was  founded  in  the 
days  of  Charlemagne.  A  monk  named  Meinrad  lived  at  that 
time,  and  had  resolved  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life  in  the  wilder- 
ness devoted  to  prayer  and  to  the  faithful  guardianship  of  a  little 
black  image  of  the  Virgin,  which  had  been  given  to  him  by 
Hildegarde,  the  abbess  of  Ziirich.  In  861  this  holy  man  was 
murdered  by  two  robbers,  who  hoped  to  escape,  but  were  pursued 
by  two  pet  ravens  of  the  saint,  which  flapped  their  wings  and 
haunted  them  till  the  men  reached  Zurich,  when  notice  was  taken 
of  the  strange  sight,  and  the  men  were  convicted  and  executed. 
The  fame  of  the  ravens  and  the  saint  became  published,  and 
pilgrims  and  hermits  flocked  to  the  spot  where  the  saint  had 


282  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

lived,  and  a  Benedictine  community  built  an  abbey  and  church 
there.  They  got  a  bull  of  Pope  Pius  VIII.,  authorising  the  con- 
secration of  the  church,  and  the  bishop  of  Constance  was  about  to 
proceed  with  the  consecration,  when,  on  the  night  before,  he  was 
aroused  by  sounds  of  angelic  minstrels,  and  it  was  announced  by  a 
voice  from  heaven  that  there  was  no  need  to  go  on  with  the 
sacred  rite,  as  it  had  already  been  consecrated  by  the  powers  of 
heaven  and  by  the  Saviour  in  person.  The  Pope  was  satisfied 
that  this  was  a  true  miracle,  and  granted  plenary  indulgence  to 
all  pilgrims  who  should  repair  to  this  shrine  of  Our  Lady  of  the 
Hermits.  From  that  time,  during  nine  centuries,  there  has  been 
a  constant  series  of  pilgrimages,  and  the  wealth  of  the  monastery 
has  grown  immensely,  the  abbot  being  a  prince  of  the  Holy  Roman 
Empire.  The  French,  in  1798,  stripped  the  chapel  of  its  holy 
image ;  but  the  monks  were  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  produced  a 
duplicate,  which  they  said  was  the  original.  Another  attraction 
to  pilgrims  is  a  fountain  with  fourteen  jets,  from  one  of  which  it 
is  believed  the  Saviour  once  drank.  Here  pilgrims  and  worshippers 
swarm,  and  rejoice  in  being  near  so  hallowed  a  place. 

ST.   MEINRAD,    A  MONK    OF   THE  ALPS    (a.D.    890). 

This  St.  Meinrad,  born  about  863,  when  a  young  monk  yearned 
to  live  alone  on  the  serene  heights  of  the  Alps,  and  he  fixed  on 
Mount  Etzell,  about  six  miles  from  Lake  Zurich.  The  pine  forest 
behind,  though  frequented  by  wolves,  did  not  deter  him.  He  tore 
himself  from  his  brethren,  and  with  one  pupil  set  out.  He  took 
nothing  with  him  but  his  missal,  a  book  of  instructions  on  the 
Gospels,  the  rule  of  St.  Benedict,  and  the  works  of  Cassian.  He 
fixed  his  eyes  on  the  glittering  pinnacles  of  ice  and  snow,  and 
settled  down  in  solemn  silence,  with  nothing  but  the  creaking  of 
the  pines  and  the  chatter  of  the  magpie  within  hearing.  He  made 
a  little  pine  house  interlaced  with  boughs,  and  a  widow  who  enter- 
tained him  at  a  half-way  house  built  for .  him  a  little  chapel  and 
oratory.  The  mysterious  noises  of  this  lofty  abode,  and  its  grand 
panorama  of  shining  realms  and  flitting  colours,  made  his  hut  a 
constant  pleasure.  But  pilgrims  found  him  out  and  began  to 
increase,  so  that  he  had  to  leave  it  and  retire  far  into  the  forest. 
He  took  with  him  two  young  ravens  to  be  the  companions  of  his 
solitude.  One  day,  after  he  had  been  some  years  enjoying  perfect 
solitude,  a  carpenter  in  search  of  wood  discovered  his  cell  and 
gave  him  a  present  of  a  little  statue  of  the  Virgin,  which  became 
miraculous.  Pilgrims  found  this  out,  and  gave  him  presents  till 
he  was  thought  to  be  rich.     Then  two  robbers  murdered  him ;  but 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  283 

owing  to  their  being  pursued  by  the  ravens,  they  were  suspected, 
then  watched,  and  then  convicted,  as  already  stated. 

CROYLAND  ABBEY  BURNED  BY  THE  DANES  (A.D.  870). 

In  870,  the  Danes  having  defeated  the  English  near  Croyland 
Abbey,  the  fugitives  reaching  that  place  and  relating  the  news 
caused  the  greatest  terror.  The  abbot  and  monks,  confounded  at 
the  disaster,  at  once  resolved  to  keep  with  them  the  elder  monks  and 
children  in  the  abbey,  in  the  hope  of  exciting  pity,  and  to  send  off 
all  the  younger  brethren  with  the  relics  and  jewels  and  the  body  of 
St.  Guthlac  by  water.  Among  their  treasures  was  a  large  silver 
table,  which,  with  some  chalices,  they  threw  into  the  well  of  the 
cloister ;  but  the  table  was  so  long  that  it  could  not  be  concealed, 
and  so  had  to  be  buried  under  ground.  The  younger  monks  carried 
off  the  rest  of  the  property  into  the  woods.  Meanwhile  the  abbot 
and  monks  clothed  themselves  in  their  vestments,  and  entering 
the  choir,  chanted  the  services  of  the  hours,  and  went  through  all 
the  Psalms  of  David,  after  which  the  abbot  himself  said  the  High 
Mass.  When  the  Mass  was  finished,  ami  the  abbot  and  attendants 
had  communicated,  the  Danes  burst  into  the  church  and  slew  the 
venerable  abbot  on  the  altar.  The  rest  of  the  brethren  in  vain 
endeavoured  to  escape,  and  were  put  to  the  torture,  so  that  they 
might  reveal  the  place  where  the  treasure  was  concealed.  One 
little  boy,  aged  ten,  who  was  under  the  charge  of  the  prior,  seeing  his 
patron  about  to  be  put  to  death,  nobly  entreated  that  he  might  be 
allowed  to  perish  with  him.  Fortunately  one  of  the  Danish  earls 
took  a  fancy  to  the  boy  and  saved  him.  But  all  the  monks  were 
slain,  and  the  brutal  pirates  broke  into  the  tombs  and  monuments 
of  saints  in  search  of  treasure.  When  disappointed,  they  collected 
all  the  dead  bodies  of  their  victims  and  set  tire  to  the  monastery, 
and  all  were  consumed.  Next  day  the  Danes  proceeded  to  Peter- 
borough, and  broke  into  the  abbey,  destroyed  the  altars  and  tombs, 
and  burned  the  books  and  charters,  reducing  the  whole  to  a  heap 
of  ashes,  which  smouldered  for  a  fortnight. 

NUNS    OF    COLDIN'IHAM    CUTTING    OFF   THEIR   NOSES    (A.D.    870). 

During  one  of  the  marauding  expeditions  of  the  Danes  in  870, 
when  they  fixed  their  headquarters  at  York  and  ravaged  all  the 
country  round,  brutally  killing  men,  women,  and  children,  the 
monks  and  nuns  were  especial  objects  of  their  fury,  and  all  lived 
in  terror  of  a  visit.  In  Coldingham,  an  abbey  in  Yorkshire,  the 
lady  abbess,  foreseeing,  from  the  proximity  of  the  enemy,  that 
her  own  house  would  shortly  be  attacked,  and  valuing  her  honour 


284  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

more  than  life  itself,  called  the  nuns  into  the  chapter-house.  There 
she  made  to  them  a  touching  address,  setting  forth  the  brutal 
passions  of  the  Danes  and  their  own  imminent  peril.  All  promised 
to  listen  to  her  advice  and  implicitly  follow  it.  Upon  this  the  abbess, 
seizing  a  knife,  cut  off  with  it  her  nose  and  upper  lip,  and  the  whole 
sisterhood  immediately  redeemed  their  promise  by  mutilating  them- 
selves in  the  same  manner.  The  next  day  the  Danish  troops 
invaded  the  monastery,  and  seeing  the  horrible  spectacle,  recoiled 
from  their  victims  and  gave  orders  that  the  house  should  be  fired. 
This  command  was  immediately  executed,  and  the  abbey  was 
burned  to  ashes,  together  with  the  abbess  and  nuns,  who  thus 
nobly  suffered  martyrdom  rather  than  risk  a  worse  fate. 

THE    MONKS    OF    CLUNY    (A.D.    909). 

After  the  Council  of  Trosley  in  909  expressed  a  resolution  as 
to  the  disorderly  life  carried  on  in  monasteries,  where  lay  abbots, 
with  wives  and  children,  soldiers  and  dogs,  occupied  the  cloisters 
of  monks  and  nuns,  some  wealthy  chiefs  sought  after  new  foun- 
dations. Duke  William  of  Auvergne  invited  Berno,  abbot  of 
Beaune,  to  take  charge  of  a  new  institution  at  Cluny.  Berno 
began  with  twelve  monks,  and  soon  showed  his  skill  in  reforms. 
He  required  his  monks  at  the  end  of  meals  to  gather  up  and 
swallow  all  the  crumbs  of  bread.  This  rule  was  complained  of ; 
but  a  dying  monk  one  day  exclaimed  in  horror  that  he  saw  the 
devil  was  holding  up  in  accusation  against  him  a  bag  of  crumbs 
which  he  had  been  unwilling  to  swallow.  This  glimpse  of  the 
future  terrified  the  other  monks  into  submission.  The  monks  of 
Cluny  were  also  obliged  to  observe  periods  of  perfect  silence,  and 
this  was  also  complained  of ;  for  they  dare  not  shout,  even  if  they 
saw  their  horses  stolen,  or  if  they  were  seized  and  carried  to 
prison  by  the  Northmen.  The  monks  were  bled  five  times  a 
year,  as  their  only  safeguard  against  disease ;  and  when  once  two 
monks  entreated  the  abbot  to  allow  them  to  take  some  medicine, 
he  told  them  angrily  that  they  would  never  recover,  and  sure 
enough  they  died  after  taking  it.  Cluny  soon  obtained  much 
reputation,  and  bred  saints  and  attracted  great  wealth.  Popes, 
kings,  and  emperors  consulted  the  abbot  as  if  he  were  an  oracle. 
One  abbot  was  called  the  "  archangel  of  monks  "  ;  another,  named 
Odilo,  was  called  "  King  Odilo  of  Cluny."  To  be  the  abbot  of 
Cluny  came  to  be  a  higher  station  than  an  archbishop  or  even  a 
Pope.  At  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century  there  were  no  less  than 
two  thousand  monasteries  affiliated  with  that  of  Cluny  as  head 
centre. 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  285 

ST.    DUNSTAN,    MONK   AND   ARCHBISHOP   (A.D.    953). 

Monastic  life  in  England  had  been  at  a  low  ebb  when  St. 
Dunstan  was  born  at  Glastonbury,  in  Wiltshire,  of  noble  parentage, 
in  925.  He  was  an  excellent  musician,  as  well  as  a  painter  and 
worker  in  brass  and  iron,  which  accomplishments  recommended 
him  to  the  Court  of  King  Edmund  about  933.  He  was  so 
ingenious  that  he  was  accused  of  magic  arts ;  and  it  was  an  item 
of  evidence  against  him  that  his  harp,  when  hanging  on  the  wall, 
twanged  of  itself.  He  was  banished  from  Court,  and  lived  for  a 
time  hi  a  small  cell  at  Glastonbury.  One  night  the  devil  appeared 
to  him  in  the  shape  of  a  beautiful  woman  ;  but  he,  knowing  better, 
plucked  a  red-hot  pair  of  tongs  from  the  fire,  and  seized  her  or 
him  by  the  nose  till  the  fiend  roared  and  bellowed.  It  was 
thought  this  legend  was  founded  on  the  fact  that  a  lady  of 
wealth  who  greatly  admired  Dunstan  made  him  her  heir,  and  he 
built  the  abbey  of  Glastonbury  with  her  money,  and  became  the 
first  abbot  thereof.  He  built  also  other  monasteries.  After 
many  reverses  of  his  Court  favour,  he  at  length  was  made  Bishop 
of  Worcester,  then  of  London,  and  next  Archbishop  of  Canterbury ; 
and  he  died  and  was  buried  there  in  987,  though  his  body  was 
afterwards  carried  off  clandestinely  by  the  monks  of  Glastonbury 
to  lie  in  then-  own  abbey.  On  one  occasion  he  is  said  to  have 
gained  a  victory  over  his  opponents  by  exhibithig  a  crucifix  which 
spoke  on  his  side ;  and  another  time,  after  arguments,  he  ended  by 
committing  the  cause  of  the  Church  to  God,  and  immediately  the 
floor  of  the  room  fell  where  his  enemies  stood,  while  his  own 
friends  remained  unharmed,  owing  to  the  firmness  of  the  beam 
supporting  their  side. 

THE    MONKS    OF    ST.    BERNARD    (A.D.    952). 

The  monastery  of  St.  Bernard  was  founded  about  962  by  a 
famous  saint  of  that  name,  at  the  head  of  a  pass  of  the  Alps, 
about  8,131  feet  above  the  sea.  It  is  a  massive  building  and 
exposed  to  tremendous  storms.  The  chief  budding  accommodates 
eighty  travellers,  with  stabling  and  storerooms.  Here  live  a 
community  devoted  to  works  of  benevolence,  in  a  desolate  region 
where  seldom  a  week  passes  without  a  fall  of  snow,  and  which 
lies  eight  feet  deep  all  the  year  round,  and  often  more.  No  wood 
grows  within  two  leagues,  and  all  fuel  is  brought  from  a  forest 
four  leagues  distant,  and  forty  horses  are  kept  to  fetch  it.  Ten 
or  twelve  brethren  are  always  on  duty,  for  travellers  pass  nearly 
every  day,  notwithstanding  all  the  perils ;  and  five  or  six  dogs  are 


286  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

kept  in  the  hospice.  When  a  traveller  reaches  a  certain  house 
not  far  from  the  summit,  a  servant  and  clog  issue  from  the 
monastery  to  conduct  the  stranger.  The  dog  is  the  only  guide, 
and  nothing  is  seen  of  it  except  its  tail,  which  directs  the  caval- 
cade. These  dogs  are  a  cross  between  the  Newfoundland  and  the 
Pyrenean.  This  hospice  soon  became  famous,  and  attracted  many 
donations  and  grew  wealthy.  In  1480  it  possessed  ninety-eight 
benefices  of  the  Church,  and  attained  its  greatest  prosperity ;  but 
its  resources  are  now  greatly  reduced. 

A    CHANCELLOR    BECOMES    A    MONK    (a.D.  946). 

About  946  Turketul,  who  had  been  chancellor  to  King 
Edward,  as  well  as  to  his  son  Edmund  and  his  other  son  Edred, 
had  occasion  to  pass  through  Croyland,  when  three  old  monks 
invited  him  to  stay  overnight  in  that  monastery.  They  took 
him  to  prayers,  showed  their  relics,  told  their  wants,  and  begged 
him  to  act  as  their  advocate  with  the  King.  The  hospitality  of 
that  night  made  a  great  impression  on  the  chancellor,  who 
expressed  to  the  King  his  wish  to  go  there  and  turn  monk 
himself  some  early  clay.  The  King  was  amazed,  yet  could  not 
thwart  bis  faithful  servant,  and  at  last  consented  and  fixed  a  day 
to  accompany  the  new  monk  to  his  destination ;  and  meanwhile 
the  chancellor  gave  away  all  his  manors  to  the  King,  giving  one- 
tenth  to  the  monastery.  The  day  arrived,  and  also  the  King,  and 
his  old  servant,  who,  after  laying  aside  his  lay  habit  and  receiv- 
ing the  benediction  of  the  bishop,  became  abbot  of  Croyland. 
Many  learned  men  soon  joined  and  became  priests  or  monks  in 
the  same  house.  The  abbot  employed  them  in  school-keeping, 
and  made  a  point  of  going  every  day  to  inspect  the  progress  of 
each  pupil,  taking  with  him  a  servant,  who  carried  figs  or  raisins, 
nuts  or  walnuts,  apples  or  pears,  to  distribute  as  rewards. 
Turketul  made  great  improvements  at  Croyland  during  his  rule, 
wbich  continued  till  975,  and  the  monastery  became  wealthy  and 
powerful.  He  presented  a  great  bell  to  the  monastery,  called 
Guthlac,  and  it  and  some  others,  soon  afterwards  added,  made  up 
the  best  peal  of  bells  in  all  England  of  that  day.  A  great  fire 
destroyed  this  famous  monastery  hi  1091. 

DEATHBED  OF  ABBOT  TURKETUL,  OF  CROYLAND  (A.D.  975). 

In  975  Abbot  Turketul,  of  Croyland,  caught  a  fever,  and  on 
the  fourth  clay,  lying  on  his  bed,  he  assembled  forty-seven  monks 
and  four  lay  brethren  in  his  chamber,  and  called  his  steward  to 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND  MONASTERIES.  287 

state  the  position  and  treasures  of  the  convent.  There  were 
numerous  most  precious  relics,  which  the  Emperor  Henry  and 
other  kings  and  nobles,  desiring  to  obtain  the  goodwill  of  Turketul, 
had  bestowed  upon  him  while  he  was  chancellor.  Among  these 
he  chiefly  reverenced  the  thumb  of  the  blessed  Apostle  Bar- 
tholomew (a  gift  of  the  Emperor),  so  that  he  always  carried  it 
about  with  him,  and  crossed  himself  with  it  in  all  perils  and  in 
storm  or  lightning.  He  greatly  reverenced  likewise  some  of  the 
hairs  of  the  holy  mother  of  God,  Mary,  which  the  King  of  Fiance 
had  given  him,  enclosed  in  a  golden  box.  Also  a  bone  of  St. 
Leodegarius,  bishop  and  martyr,  a  gift  of  the  Prince  of  Aquitaine, 
and  many  other  relics.  The  steward  also  produced  the  whole  of 
the  gold  and  silver  vessels,  which  he  and  the  treasurer  preserved 
entirely  for  the  wants  of  the  monastery.  As  the  fever  increased, 
Turketul  communicated  in  the  sacred  mysteries  of  Christ,  and 
embracing  with  both  arms  the  cross  which  his  attendants  had 
brought  from  the  church  before  the  convent,  he  kissed  it  so 
frequently  with  many  sighs,  tears,  and  groans,  and  so  devout 
were  the  sayings  which  he  addressed  to  each  of  the  wounds  of 
Christ,  that  he  excited  to  copious  tears  all  the  brethren  who 
stood  around  him.  On  the  day  before  his  death  he  delivered  a 
short  discourse  to  his  brethren  who  were  present  on  the  observ- 
ance of  order,  on  brotherly  love,  on  guarding  against  negligence. 
He  also,  in  a  prophetic  admonition,  cautioned  them  thus:  "Guard 
well  your  lire  " — which  some  interpreted  to  mean  love,  and  others 
the  conflagration  of  the  building,  which  afterwards  actually  took 
place.  Then  bidding  them  a  last  farewell,  he  from  the  bottom  of 
his  heart  besought  God  for  them  all.  And  then  the  vital  powers 
failed,  and  languor  oppressed  him  till  he  passed  from  this  world 
to  the  Father — from  the  toils  of  the  abbey  to  Abraham's  bosom. 
He  was  buried  in  his  own  church  which  he  had  built  from  the 
foundations  near  the  grtat  altar  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his 
age  and  the  twenty-seventh  of  his  monkhood.  The  great  fire 
took  place  one  hundred  years  later. 

MONK    NILUS    AVOIDING    SAINTHOOD    (a.D.    900 1005). 

The  monk  Nilus,  who  was  reputed  to  be  the  wisest  man  of  his  age, 
was  grieved  that  his  friend  John,  Archbishop  of  Placenza,  should  be 
so  much  inclined  to  meddle  in  politics,  and  warned  him  rather 
to  retire  from  the  world.  John  would  not  be  warned,  and  was 
punished  for  joining  a  conspiracy  against  the  Pope  by  having  his 
eyes  put  out,  his  tongue  cut  off,  and  being  cast  into  a  dungton. 
Nilus  was  so  shocked  at  this  news  that  he  left  his  monastery  near 


288  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

Gaeta  and  journeyed  to  Rome,  and  begged  the  Emperor  then  to 
let  him  join  the  archbishop,  that  they  might  do  penance  together 
for  their  sins.  But  the  Pope  and  Emperor,  instead  of  this,  ordered 
further  punishments  for  the  archbishop.  Nilus  then  told  them 
both  plainly  that,  as  they  had  shown  no  mercy  to  the  poor  prisoner 
who  had  been  committed  to  their  hands,  neither  could  they  expect 
any  mercy  from  the  Heavenly  Father  for  their  own  sins.  The 
young  Emperor  Otho  III.  was  rather  pleased  with  his  plain 
speaking,  and  invited  Nilus  to  ask  any  other  favour  he  pleased ; 
but  Nilus  answered,  "  I  have  nothing  to  ask  of  you  but  the 
salvation  of  your  own  soul ;  for  though  you  are  an  emperor,  you 
must  die  like  other  men,  and  then  must  give  account  of  your 
deeds,  be  they  good  or  bad."  The  Emperor  on  hearing  this  burst 
into  tears',  took  the  crown  off  his  head,  and  begged  the  man  of  God 
to  give  him  his  blessing.  When  Nilus  had  reason  to  know  that 
when  he  died  the  Governor  of  Gaeta  intended  to  bring  his  body 
to  Gaeta  for  public  burial,  and  to  preserve  his  bones  as  a  patron 
saint  to  Gaeta,  Nilus  was  shocked,  and  protested  that  he  would 
rather  let  no  one  know  where  he  would  be  buried.  So  in  his  old 
age  he  took  leave  of  his  monks  and  set  off  towards  Rome,  telling 
them,  as  they  wept,  that  he  was  going  to  prepare  a  monastery 
where  they  should  all  meet  once  more.  On  reaching  Tusculum, 
he  rode  into  a  small  convent  of  St.  Agatha,  saying,  "  Here  is  my 
resting-place  for  ever."  He  would  not  leave  the  spot,  and  charged 
the  monks  not  to  bury  him  in  a  church  nor  build  any  arch  or 
monument  over  his  grave ;  but  if  they  wished  some  token,  then 
to  make  it  a  resting-place  for  pilgrims,  for  he  had  been  a  pilgrim 
all  his  life. 

THE   MONK   NILUS   AS   AN   ADVISER   (A.D.    990). 

The  monk  Nilus,  who  lived  in  the  tenth  century,  was  dedicated 
in  his  infancy  to  the  service  of  God,  and  at  an  early  age  was 
delighted  to  read  of  the  monks  St.  Antony  and  St.  Hilarion  and 
St.  Simeon  Stylites,  and  developed  a  turn  for  an  ascetic  life.  This 
led  to  his  being  consulted  by  men  of  all  ranks,  who  put  to  him 
puzzling  questions.  One  day  a  noble,  who  lived  a  loose  life,  put 
some  unbecoming  queries,  when  a  priest,  to  divert  the  conversa- 
tion, asked  Nilus  of  what  kind  was  the  forbidden  fruit  which 
Adam  tasted  in  Paradise.  Nilus  answered,  "  A  crab-apple." 
Whereupon  the  party  laughed.  He  then  rebuked  them.  "  Laugh 
not ;  such  a  question  deserves  such  an  answer.  Moses  has  not 
told  us  precisely  what  tree  it  was  :  why  should  we  wish  to  know 
what  the  Holy  Scriptures  have  concealed  1 "     Another  day  Nilus 


Chap.  x.J  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND    MONASTERIES.  289 

was  visiting  a  castle,  when  he  met  a  Jewish  physician,  who  professed 
to  fear  that  Nilus's  habits  of  fasting  might  bring  on  epileptic  fits, 
and  gave  him  a  medicine  that  would  save  him  from  all  diseases. 
Nilus  only  replied,  "  One  of  your  own  countrymen,  a  Hebrew,  has 
told  us  that  it  is  better  to  trust  in  the  Lord  than  to  put  confidence 
in  man.  We  have  a  great  Physician  of  our  own — the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  in  Him  we  trust,  and  do  not  need  your  remedies."  Is  ihis 
was  once  sent  for  to  advise  a  rich  duchess  who  had  incited  her 
two  sons  to  murder  her  nephew,  and  her  conscience  was  ill  at 
ease.  The  bishops  had  prescribed  for  her  to  repeat  the  Psalter 
three  times  a  week  and  to  give  alms  to  the  poor.  But  she  could 
not  rest  till  she  took  the  advice  of  Nilus.  After  thinking  a  little 
he  said  to  her,  "  Give  one  of  your  sons  to  the  relations  of  the 
murdered  man,  to  do  with  him  what  they  please,  for  the  Lord  has 
said,  '  Whoso  sheddeth  man's  blood  his  blood  shall  be  sh<  <1  again.'  " 
The  widow  said  she  could  not  do  that,  fur  they  might  kill  her  son. 
She  then  wept  bitterly,  and  gave  money  to  Nilus  that  he  might 
purchase  from  God  a  foi'giveness  of  her  sins.  This  excited  the 
auger  of  Nilus,  who  hurried  away,  determined  to  be  no  partaker 
in  her  sins. 

THE    MONASTERY    OF    BEC,    FOUNDED   A.D.    1034. 

The  chronicle  Beccense  thus  describes  the  origin  of  the  famous 
monastery  of  Bee  :  "  In  the  year  1034  Herluinus.  at  the  inspira- 
tion of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Author  of  all  good  things, 
casting  aside  the  nobility  of  the  world,  for  which  he  had  been  not 
a  little  conspicuous,  having  thrown  off  the  girdle  of  military 
service,  betook  himself  with  entire  devotion  to  the  poverty  of 
Christ,  and  that  he  might  be  free  for  the  service  of  God  alone, 
through  the  single  love  of  God,  assumed  with  great  joy  the  habit 
of  a  monk.  This  man,  who  had  been  a  passionate  warrior,  and 
who  had  gotten  himself  a  great  name  and  favour  with  Robert, 
the  son  of  the  second  Richard,  and  with  the  lords  of  different 
foreign  countries,  first  built  a  church  on  a  farm  of  his,  which  was 
called  Burnevilla.  But  because  this  place  was  on  a  plain  and 
lacked  water,  being  admonished  in  a  dream  by  the  Blessed  Mother 
of  God,  he  retired  to  a  valley  close  to  a  river,  which  is  called  Bee, 
and  there  began  to  build  a  noble  monastery  to  the  honour  of  the 
same  St.  Mary,  which  God  brought  to  perfection  for  the  glory  of 
His  name,  and  to  be  the  comfort  and  salvation  of  many  men 
To  which  Herluinus  God,  according  to  the  desire  of  his  heart, 
gave  for  his  helpers  and  counsellors  Lanfranc,  a  man  every  way 
accomplished  in  liberal  acts  ;  then  Anselm,  a  man  approved  in  all 

19 


290  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

things,  a  man  affable  in  counsel,  pitiful,  chaste,  sober  in  every 
clerical  duty,  wonderfully  instructed — which  two  men  through 
God's  grace  were  afterwards  consecrated  Archbishops  of  Canter- 
bury. And  to  this  same  Bee,  which  began  in  the  greatest  poverty, 
so  many  and  such  great  men,  clerical  as  well  as  lay  men,  resorted, 
that  it  might  fitly  be  said  to  the  holy  abbot,  '  With  the  riches  of 
thy  name  hast  thou  made  thy  house  drunk,  and  with  the  torrent 
of  the  wisdom  of  thy  sons  hast  thou  filled  the  world.'  " 

THE    GREAT    FIRE    AT    CROYLAND    MONASTERY    (a.D.    1091). 

Ingulph,  abbot  of  Croyland,  describes  the  fire  of  1091  thus  : 
"  Our  plumber,  who  had  been  employed  on  the  tower  of  the 
church,  one  night,  with  fatal  madness,  covered  his  fire  over 
with  dead  cinders,  so  that  he  might  be  more  prepared  to  begin 
work  next  morning,  and  left  for  supper.  Some  hours  after,  when 
all  were  buried  in  slumber,  and  a  strong  north  wind  blowing,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town,  seeing  great  flames  in  the  belfry,  began 
to  shout  and  batter  at  the  gates.  The  clamour  of  the  popidace 
awoke  me,  and  I  could  discern,  as  clear  as  noonday,  the  servants 
of  the  monastery  shouting,  wailing,  and  rushing  hither  and 
thither.  As  I  rushed  to  the  dormitory  I  was  severely  burnt 
with  the  drippings  of  molten  lead  and  brass.  I  called  and  shouted 
to  the  brethren,  still  plunged  in  sleep,  and  on  recognising  my  voice 
they  leaped  from  their  beds  in  terror  in  their  nightdresses  and 
half  naked,  many  being  wounded  and  maimed  in  the  hurry  of 
escape.  I  attempted  to  regain  my  own  chamber  to  get  the 
clothes  which  I  had  there,  and  distribute  them  in  case  of  neces- 
sity. But  the  heat  was  so  excessive  and  the  streams  of  molten 
lead  so  copious  that  even  the  boldest  of  the  young  men  dared  not 
to  enter.  I  then  found  that  the  infirmary  had  been  caught  with 
the  flames,  invincible  in  their  fury;  and  even  the  green  trees, 
ashes,  oaks,  and  osiers,  growing  near,  were  scorched.  The  tower 
of  the  church  soon  fell  on  the  southern  side ;  and  I,  terrified  at 
the  crash,  dropped  upon  the  ground  half  dead  in  a  swoon,  and  lay 
till  I  was  rescued  by  my  brethren.  At  dawn  of  day  the  brethren, 
weeping  and  depressed,  some  of  them  pitiably  mangled  in  the 
limbs,  performed  in  common  Divine  service  with  mournful  voices 
and  woful  accents  in  the  hall  of  our  great  master.  After  having 
fully  completed  the  daily  and  nightly  hours  of  Divine  service,  we 
proceeded  to  examine  the  state  of  the  whole  monastery.  The  fire 
still  raged  and  destroyed  the  granary  and  stable.  We  searched 
the  choir,  which  had  been  reduced  to  ashes,  and  found  that  all 
lie  books  of  the  Divine  service,  both  the  antiphoners  and  gradtials, 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  291 

had  perished.     Entering  the  vestry,  we  found  that  all  our  sacred 
vestments,  the  relics  of  the  saints,  and  some  other  valuables  there 
deposited,  were  uninjured  by  the  fire.     Some  of  the  muniments 
in  the  charter  room  were  shrivelled   up  by  the  heat ;   and  our 
beautiful  writings,  ornamented  with  golden  crosses,  paintings,  and 
ornamented  letters,  were  destroyed  in  this  night   of  blackness. 
Besides  these   our  whole   library,    containing   more   than   three 
hundred  original  volumes,  besides  the  lesser  volumes,  numbering 
more  than  four  hundred,  perished.     By  that  casualty  we  "lost  a 
very  beautiful  tablet,  admirably  constructed  of  every  kind  of  metal 
to  represent  the  various  stars  and  signs  of  the  zodiac,  each  of 
a  different  colour — a  gift  from  the  King  of  France  to  Turketul. 
Our  dormitory,  as  also  the  necessary  house,  the  infirmary,  and 
washing  house,  the  refectory  and  all   its  contents  except  a  few 
dark-coloured  cups,  and  the  cross  cup  of  the  late  King  of  the 
Mercians,  were,  together  with  the  kitchens  and  all  their  contents, 
reduced  to  ashes.     Our  cellar  and  the  very  casks  full  of  beer  were 
destroyed.     The  abbot's  hall  also,  and  his  chamber,  and  the  court 
of  the  monastery   perished  in   the  conflagration,   the  flames  of 
which,  burning  as  it  were  with  Greek  fury,  overran  them  on  all 
sides.     A  few  of  the  huts  of  the  almsmen,  the  feeding  houses  of 
our  beasts  of  burden,  and  the  sheds  of  the  other  animals,  which 
were  separated  by  stone  walls,  alone  remained  unburnt.     This 
conflagration  was  prognosticated  by  many   s'gns   and  portents. 
Repeated  visions  by  night  predicted  it ;  all  were  understood  after 
the  occurrence  of  the  fact.     The  words  of  our  holy  Father  Turketul 
in  his  last  moments,  earnestly  warning  us  to  guard  diligently  our 
fire ;  the  words  of  our  blessed   Father  Ulfran,  bidding  me  in  a 
nightly  vision  at  Fontenelle  to  preserve  well  the  fire  of  the  hospice 
and  the  three  saints  Guthlac,  Neot,  and  Waldeve, — of  all  these  plain 
warnings  I  now  understand  and  recognise  the  meaning ;   but  I 
do  so  unprofitably  and  too  late.     I  now  indulge  in  vain  complain- 
ings, and  pour  forth  those  lamentations  and  inconsolable  tears 
righteously  exacted  by  my  faults.     Many  nobles  contributed  to 
our  wants,  and  in  the  long  list  of  benefactors  let  not  the  sainted 
memory  of  a  poor  woman,  Juliana  of  Weston,  be  forgotten,  who 
gave  us  of  her  poverty  her  whole  substance — namely,   a  great 
quantity  of  reels  of  cotton  wherewith  to  sew  the  vestments  of  the 
brethren  of  our  monastery." 

THE   MONKS   OF   VALLOMBROSA    (a.D.    1039). 

The  constant  desire  to  reform  the  ways  of  monks  brought  for 
ward  John  Gualbert,  a  Florentine  of  noble  birth.     When  a  youth 


292  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

he  was  ordered  by  his  father  to  avenge  a  kinsman's  death ;  and 
meeting  the  murderer  on  Good  Friday  in  a  narrow  pass,  he  was 
about  to  fall  upon  him  and  slay  him,  when  suddenly  the  murderer 
threw  himself  from  his  horse  and  placed  his  arms  in  the  form  of 
a  cross,  as  if  expecting  certain  death.  The  avenger,  however,  in 
token  of  the  holy  sign  and  sacred  day,  spared  him.  Another  time 
Gualbert  halted  to  pay  his  devotions  in  the  monastic  church  of 
St.  Minian's,  near  Florence,  when  he  noticed  that  the  crucifix 
inclined  its  head  towards  him.  This  turned  his  thoughts  to  holy 
things.  He  entered  a  monastery,  and  after  ten  years'  experience 
he  resolved  to  found  one  of  his  own  at  Vallombrosa,  in  1039.  He 
drew  together  a  society  of  hermits  and  coenobites.  But  his  great 
discovery  was  the  introduction  of  lay  brethren,  whose  business  it 
was  to  practise  handicrafts,  and  to  manage  the  secular  affairs  of 
the  community,  while  by  these  labours  the  monks  were  enabled 
to  devote  themselves  wholly  to  spiritual  contemplation.  The 
system  estabbshed  was  rigorous.  A  novice  had  to  undergo  a 
year's  probation,  doing  degrading  work,  such  as  keeping  swine 
and  daily  cleaning  out  the  pigsty  with  bare  hands.  The  monks 
of  Vallombrosa  were  attired  in  grey;  but  afterwards  this  was 
changed  to  brown,  and  then  to  black.     Gualbert  died  in  1093. 

A  MONK  WHO  TRANSCRIBED  HOLY  BOOKS  (A.D.  1050). 

Of  all  the  incentives  to  monkish  industry  none  excelled  that 
used  by  Theodorie,  abbot  of  St.  Evroult,  and  stated  ante,  p.  223. 
Another  chronicler  gives  this  version  of  the  same  :  "  One  of  the 
brethren  in  a  certain  convent  was  guilty  of  repeated  transgressions 
of  monastic  rule,  but  was  a  good  scribe,  and  so  applied  himself  to 
writing  that  he  copied  of  his  own  accord  a  bulky  volume  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  After  his  death  his  soul  was  brought  before  the 
tribunal  of  the  righteous  Judge.  There  the  evil  spirits  sharply 
accused  him,  and  laid  to  his  charge  innumerable  offences.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  holy  angels  produced  the  volume  which  the 
brother  had  transcribed  in  the  sanctuary  of  the  Lord,  counting 
letter  for  letter  of  the  enormous  volume  against  the  sins  the 
monk  had  committed.  At  last  the  letters  had  a  majority  of  one, 
against  which  all  the  devices  of  the  devils  could  discover  nothing 
as  a  set-off.  The  mercy  of  the  Judge  was  therefore  extended  to 
the  sinful  brother,  and  his  soul  was  permitted  to  return  to  his 
body,  in  order  that  he  might  enjoy  an  opportunity  of  amending 
his  life.  Ponder  well,  then,  my  dearly  beloved  brethren,  and 
shun  sloth  as  a  deadly  poison.  Remember  what  an  eminent 
Father  once  said — that  only  a  single  evil  spirt  vexes  with  his  wiles 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS  MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  293 

the  monk  who  is  laboriously  occupied,  while  a  thousand  devils 
infest  the  idler,  and  provoke  him  by  manifold  temptations  on 
every  side,  causing  him  to  hanker  after  the  soul-destroying 
vanities  of  the  woi-ld,  and  after  indulgence  in  fatal  delights.  You 
have  not  the  means  to  feed  the  poor  or  build  stately  churches, 
but  you  can  pray  that  the  avenues  to  your  hearts  may  be  guarded. 
Pray,  read,  chant,  write  ;  be  instant  in  occupations  of  a  like  kind  ; 
and  you  will  prudently  arm  yourselves  against  the  temptations  of 
evil  spirits. 

A   MONK    AN   ACCOMPLISHED   MUSICIAN    (a.D.    1063). 

Among  the  monks  of  St.  Evroult,  a  monk  named  Witmund, 
about  1063,  was  an  accomplished  musician  as  well  as  grammarian, 
of  which  he  left  evidence  in  the  antiphons  and  responses  which  he 
composed,  consisting  of  some  charming  melodies  in  the  antiphonary 
and  collection  of  versicles.  He  completed  the  history  of  the  Life 
of  St.  Evroult  by  adding  nine  an  tip!  ions  and  three  responses. 
He  composed  four  antiphons  to  the  psalms  at  vespers,  and  addi  d 
the  three  last  for  the  second  nocturn  with  the  fourth,  eighth,  and 
twelfth  response,  and  an  antiphon  at  the  canticle,  and  produced  a 
most  beautiful  antiphon  for  the  canticle,  at  the  Gospel  in  the 
second  vespers.  The  history  of  the  Life  of  St.  Evroult,  composed 
for  the  use  of  the  monks,  was  first  recited  by  two  young  monks, 
Hubert  and  Rodolph,  sent  for  that  purpose  by  the  abbot  of 
Chartres.  Afterwards  Reginald  the  Bald  composed  the  response 
"  To  the  glory  of  God,"  sung  at  vespers  with  seven  antiphons, 
which  still  appeared  in  1063  hi  the  service  books  of  the  monks  of 
St.  Evroult.  Roger  de  Sap  also  and  other  studious  brethren 
produced  with  pious  devotion  several  hymns,  having  the  same 
holy  Father  for  then  subject,  and  which  they  placed  in  the  library 
of  the  abbey  for  the  use  of  their  successors. 

THE   TRAINING    OF    A    MONK    BISHOP    (A.D.    1062). 

In  1062  Wulfstan  was  made  Bishop  of  Worcester.  His  parents 
devoted  him  to  a  religious  life  from  his  childhood,  and  he  took 
the  monastic  habit  in  the  monastery  at  Worcester.  He  quickly 
became  remarkable  for  his  vigils,  his  fastings,  his  prayers,  and  all 
kinds  of  virtues,  and  was  soon  made  master  and  tutor  of  the 
novices,  and  then  precentor  and  treasurer  of  the  church.  Having 
these  opportunities  and  devoting  himself  wholly  to  a  life  of  con- 
templation, he  resorted  to  it  day  and  night,  either  for  prayer 
or  holy  reading,  and  assiduously  mortified  his  body  by  fasting  for 


294  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

two  or  three  days  together.  He  was  so  addicted  to  devout  vigils 
that  he  not  only  spent  the  nights  sleepless,  but  often  the  day  and 
night  together,  and  sometimes  went  for  four  days  and  nights 
without  sleep — a  thing  we  could  hardly  have  believed  if  we  (says 
Orderic)  had  not  heard  it  from  his  own  mouth — so  that  he  ran 
great  risk  from  his  brains  being  parched,  unless  he  hastened  to 
satisfy  the  demands  of  nature  by  the  refreshment  of  sleep.  Even 
at  last,  when  the  urgent  claims  of  nature  compelled  him  to  yield 
to  sleep,  he  did  not  indulge  himself  by  stretching  his  limbs  to  rest 
on  a  bed  or  couch,  but  would  lie  down  for  a  while  on  one  of  the 
benches  in  the  church,  resting  his  head  on  the  book  which  he 
had  used  for  praying  and  reading.  After  some  time  this  reverend 
man  was  appointed  prior  and  father  of  the  convent,  an  office 
which  he  worthily  filled,  by  no  means  abating  the  strictness  of 
his  previous  habits,  but  rather  increasing  it  in  many  respects, 
in  order  to  afford  a  good  example  to  others.  When,  after  the 
lapse  of  some  years,  he  was  named  for  the  office  of  bishop,  though 
at  first  he  declared  with  an  oath  that  he  would  rather  submit  to 
lose  his  head  than  be  advanced  to  so  high  a  dignity,  he  at  last 
yielded  to  the  general  desire. 

THE  MONK  ABELARD  AND  THE  NUN  HEL01SE  (a.D.  1079 1164). 

The  monk  Abelard,  or  Master  Peter,  was  twelve  years  the 
senior  of  Bernard,  of  noble  family,  haughty  in  manner,  singularly 
handsome,  and  dressed  to  great  advantage.  He  had  a  command- 
ing intellect,  and  became  a  teacher  of  renown,  being  followed  by 
crowds  of  admirers.  His  success  intoxicated  him,  and  he  gave 
way  to  pleasure.  He  was  said  to  have  been  a  tutor  to  a  niece  of 
a  Canon  Fulbert,  named  Helo'ise,  and  their  intimacy  led  to  an 
unconquerable  love,  since  celebrated  by  all  the  poets.  They  were 
at  last  secretly  married,  and  after  being  covered  with  reproaches 
from  relatives,  were  separated,  he  seeking  refuge  in  the  abbey 
of  St.  Denis,  and  Heloi'se  becoming  a  nun  at  Argenteuil,  and 
afterwards  a  prioress  in  Troyes  district.  Abelard  was  dogged 
by  enemies,  charged  with  heresy,  and  he  became  a  hermit  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ardusson,  near  Troyes.  Yet  wherever  he  was,  his 
magnetic  power  drew  the  crowd  after  him,  and  he  had  again  to 
escape  to  a  monastery  of  St.  Gildas  on  the  coast  of  Brittany, 
where,  however,  the  morals  of  the  fraternity  were  very  loose. 
At  intervals  he  and  Heloise  met  and  corresponded,  and  their  con- 
stancy was  well  known.  Abelard's  views  relating  to  the  Trinity, 
which   he  expounded  with   extraordinary  ingenuity  and    power, 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  295 

roused  the  enmity  of  the  orthodox  Bernard,  who  challenged  him 
to  a  public  discussion  at  Sens.  These  two  men  were  the  ablest 
theologians  of  their  day,  and  the  approaching  contest  excited 
extraordinary  interest  in  the  civilised  world ;  the  king,  and 
bishops,  and  abbots,  and  grandees  watched  keenly  the  stages  of 
the  meeting.  After,  however,  Bernard  had  begun  to  attack  the 
heretical  book,  Abelard  abruptly  left  the  meeting,  saying  that  he 
preferred  to  appeal  to  Rome.  Abelard  ended  his  days  in  pious 
exercises  in  the  monastery  of  Cluny. 

ABELARD    AND   ST.    BERNARD   IN    CONTROVERSY. 

This  public  discussion  as  to  orthodox  doctrines  so  eagerly  looked 
forward  to  between  Abelard  and  St.  Bernard,  and  which  ended 
so  abortively,  was  described  by  Abelard's  disciple  Berenger  in  a 
letter  somewhat  satirically.  He  describes  Bernard  as  a  mere  idol 
of  the  crowd — gifted  with  a  plentiful  flow  of  words,  but  destitute 
of  liberal  culture  and  of  solid  abilities — one  who,  by  the  solemnity 
of  his  manner,  imposed  the  merest  truisms  on  his  followers  as  if 
they  were  profound  oracles.  He  ridicules  Bernard's  reputation 
as  a  worker  of  miracles ;  hints  that  his  proceedings  against  Abelard 
were  prompted  by  a  spirit  of  bigotry,  jealousy,  and  vindictiveness, 
rendered  more  odious  by  his  professions  of  sanctity  and  charity. 
Of  the  opinions  imputed  to  his  master,  he  maintains  that  some 
were  never  held  by  Abelard,  and  the  rest,  if  rightly  interpreted, 
were  true  and  Catholic.  The  book  of  Abelard,  he  says,  had  been 
brought  up  for  consideration  at  Sens  when  the  bishops  had  dined, 
and  it  was  then  read  amidst  jests  and  laughter  while  the  wine 
was  doing  its  work  in  their  brains.  Any  expression  above  the 
reach  of  their  understanding  excited  their  rage  and  curses  against 
Abelard.  As  the  reading  went  on,  one  after  another  succumbed 
to  sleep,  and  when  the  question  was  put  to  them  they  answered 
without  being  able  to  articulate  a  word.  The  council  reported 
their  condemnation  of  Abelard's  doctrines,  and  requested  Abelard 
to  be  interdicted  from  teaching.  Bernard  also  used  his  influence 
with  the  Pope,  who.  without  even  calling  on  Abelard  for  explana- 
tions, ordered  him  to  be  shut  up  in  a  monastery  ;  and  it  was  there 
that  the  abbot  of  Cluny  offered  an  asylum,  in  which  Abelard 
ended  his  days. 

abelard's  last  days  in  cluny  (a.d.  1142). 
After  Abelard  died  a  monk  in  Cluny,  the  lord  abbot  of  Cluny 
gave  this  account  of  him  to  Heloi'se :  "  I  write  of  that  servant 


296  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

and  true  philosophei'  of  Christ,  Master  Peter,  whom  the  Divine 
dispensation  sent  to  Cluny  in  the  last  days  of  his  life.  A  long 
letter  would  not  unfold  the  humility  and  devotion  of  his  conversa- 
tion while  among  us.  When  at  my  order  he  took  a  high  place 
in  our  large  company,  he  always  appeared  the  least  of  all  by  the 
meanness  of  his  attire.  In  the  processions,  when  he  with  the 
others  preceded  me,  I  wondered,  nay,  I  was  well-nigh  confounded, 
to  see  so  famous  a  man  able  so  to  despise  and  abase  himself.  He 
was  so  sparing  in  his  food,  in  his  drink,  in  all  that  related  to  his 
body,  as  in  his  dress ;  and  he  so  condemned  both  in  himself  and 
others,  both  by  word  and  deed,  I  do  not  say  superfluities,  but  all 
save  the  merest  necessaries.  He  read  continually ;  he  prayed 
frequently ;  he  was  silent  always,  unless  the  conversation  of  the 
monks,  or  a  public  discourse  in  the  convent,  addressed  to  them, 
urged  him  to  speak.  What  more  shall  I  say1?  His  mind,  his 
tongue,  his  work,  always  meditated,  taught,  or  confessed  philoso- 
phical, learned,  or  Divine  things.  A  man  simple  and  upright, 
fearing  God  anel  eschewing  evil — in  this  conversation  for  a  time 
he  consecrated  his  life  to  God.  In  the  exercise  of  all  holy  works, 
the  advent  of  the  Divine  visitor,  found  him,  not  sleeping,  as  it  does 
many,  but  on  the  watch.  When  his  end  came,  how  faithfully 
he  commended  his  body  and  soul  to  Him  here  and  in  eternity,  the 
religious  brethren  are  witnesses,  and  the  whole  congregation  of 
that  monastery.     Thus  Master  Peter  finished  his  elays." 

THE   ORDER   OF   CARTHUSIANS    (A.D.  1084). 

The  popular  legend  as  to  the  origin  of  the  order  of  Carthusians 
is,  that  about  1084  one  Bruno,  a  native  of  Cologne,  and  master 
of  the  cathedral  school  of  Rheims,  was  anxious  to  escape  from 
a  domineering  archbishop,  whose  favourite  saying  was,  "  The 
archbishopric  of  Rheims  would  be  a  fine  thing,  if  one  had  not  to 
sing  masses  for  it."  Bruno  one  day,  being  in  Paris,  witnessed 
the  funeral  procession  of  a  very  pious  and  learned  doctor,  and 
while  on  its  way  to  the  grave  the  corpse  raised  itself  from  the 
bier  and  exclaimed,  "  By  God's  righteous  judgment  I  am  judged." 
This  so  horrified  the  company  that  the  ceremony  was  postponed  to 
next  day.  But  next  day  the  same  thing  happened,  and  again  on 
a  third  day,  the  mournful  tone  of  the  dead  man  shocking  every 
listener.  Bruno  was  so  overcome  with  a  sense  of  the  vanity  of 
all  earthly  things  that  he  resolved  to  retire  into  some  solitude. 
A  bishop  of  Grenoble  advised  him  to  choose  the  rocky  woods  of 
Chartreuse,  and  to  that  place  he  and  six   companions    retired. 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS  MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  297 

They  wore  goatskins,  and  lived  on  the  most  meagre  fare.  They 
spoke  only  on  Sundays  and  festivals,  and  underwent  a  weekly 
flagellation.  But  by  their  rules  no  one  was  to  impose  any  extra- 
ordinary austerity  on  himself  without  the  leave  of  the  prior. 
The  community  at  first  consisted  of  hermits  and  coenobites.  They 
contrived  soon  to  acquire  a  good  library,  and  they  excelled  in 
transcribing  and  literary  labours.  After  six  yeai-s  Bruno  was 
invited  by  the  Pope  to  Rome ;  but  he  grew  weary  of  city  life,  and 
founded  a  second  Chartreuse.  The  order  of  Carthusians  gradually 
flourished  ;  but  their  rule  was  too  rigid  for  females ;  their  habits 
were  less  prone  to  luxury  than  those  of  other  orders.  Yet  the 
convents  in  the  seventeenth  century  were  said  to  be  reduced  to  five. 

THE    ORDER    OF    THE    CISTERCIANS    (A.D.    1098). 

About  1098,  one  Robert,  the  son  of  a  noble  in  Champagne, 
having  entered  a  monastery,  and  finding  the  rule  too  lax  for  his 
tastes,  went,  with  twenty  companions,  to  Cistercium  or  Citeaux, 
a  lonely  wood  near  Dijon,  where  they  settled  and  built  a  monas- 
ters.  The  third  abbot  was  Stephen  Harding,  an  Englishman, 
who  framed  the  rules  of  their  order.  Their  dress  was  white  ;  they 
were  to  avoid  pomp  and  luxury  and  refuse  all  gifts.  From 
September  to  Easter  they  were  to  eat  only  one  meal  daily.  The 
monks  were  to  give  themselves  to  spiritual  employments,  and 
instead  of  slaves  they  hired  servants  to  assist  in  labour.  The 
white  dress,  being  a  novelty  in  France,  gave  offence  and  caused 
rivalry  to  other  orders,  who  wore  black,  the  white  being  deemed 
a  badge  of  overweening  self -righteousness.  The  order  of  Citeaux 
acquired  great  celebrity  by  producing  St.  Bernard,  its  most  famous 
member.  The  mode  of  government  resembled  the  aristocratic 
rather  than  the  monarchical,  the  affiliated  monasteries  joining  in 
the  election  of  abbot.  One  remarkable  feature  of  the  rule  was 
the  holding  of  an  annual  general  chapter,  at  which  every  abbot 
of  the  order  was  imperatively  required  to  attend.  This  meeting 
helped  to  keep  the  branch  societies  in  harmony.  The  order  spread 
very  rapidly,  and  in  1151  was  said  to  consist  of  five  hundred 
monasteries.  Until  the  rise  of  the  mendicant  orders,  the  Cister- 
cians were  the  most  popular  of  the  orders,  and  grew  rich. 

ST.    BERNARD    AS    A    YOUNG    MONK    (A.D.    1100). 

St.  Bernard,  perhaps  the  most  influential  of  all  monks,  was 
born  in  1071,  had  great  beauty  of  person,  charming  manner,  and 
a  facile  eloquence,  which  gave  him   an  early  ascendency.     The 


298  CURIOSITIES  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

monastery  at  Citeaux,  near  Dijon,  had  been  founded  fifteen  years, 
when,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  felt  a  yearning  to  join  the 
company.  One  Stephen  Harding,  an  Englishman,  was  the  abbot, 
and  kept  the  whole  of  St.  Bernard's  rule  literally.  They  had  one 
meal  a  day,  and  never  tasted  meat,  fish,  grease,  or  eggs,  and  even 
milk  only  rarely.  When  Bernard  entered,  a  scarcity  bordering  on 
famine  was  felt  there.  The  rule  of  the  house  then  was  as  follows  : 
At  two  in  the  morning  the  great  bell  was  rung,  and  the  monks 
rose  and  hastened  from  their  dormitory,  along  the  dax-k  cloisters, 
in  solemn  silence,  to  the  church.  A  single  small  lamp  suspended 
from  the  roof  gave  a  glimmering  light.  After  short  private  prayer 
they  began  matins,  which  lasted  two  hours.  The  next  service  was 
lauds,  at  the  first  glimmer  of  dawn.  During  the  interval  the 
monk's  time  was  his  own.  He  went  to  the  cloister,  and  employed 
the  time  in  reading,  writing,  or  meditation.  He  then  devoted 
himself  to  various  religious  exercises  till  nine,  and  next  went 
forth  to  work  in  the  fields.  At  two  they  dined ;  at  nightfall  they 
assembled  to  vespers  ;  and  at  six  or  eight,  according  to  the  season, 
finished  the  day  with  complin,  and  passed  at  once  to  the  dormitory. 
Bernard  took  to  these  austerities  with  great  enthusiasm.  He 
used  to  say  that  whatever  knowledge  he  had  of  the  Scriptures  he 
had  acquired  chiefly  in  the  woods  and  fields,  and  that  the  beeches 
and  oaks  had  been  his  best  teachers  in  the  Word  of  God.  He  said 
cities  to  him  were  like  a  prison,  and  solitude  was  a  paradise. 

ST.    BERNARD    AS   ABBOT. 

St.  Bernard,  the  son  of  a  noble  in  Burgundy,  as  already  stated, 
soon  displayed  a  genius  for  self-mortification  as  a  Cistercian  monk. 
He  was  so  self-concentred  that,  when  he  had  walked  a  whole  day 
on  the  banks  of  Lausanne  Lake,  he  never  noticed  that  there  was 
any  lake  at  all.  Once  he  borrowed  a  horse  for  a  journey,  but 
never  noticed  what  sort  of  bridle  it  had.  He  had  such  a  repu- 
tation for  learning  and  piety  that  many  potentates  referred 
their  differences  to  him,  and  Bolingbroke  said  that  the  cell  of 
Bernard  was  a  scene  of  as  much  intrigue  as  the  court  of  the 
Emperor.  He  said  of  Abelard  that  he  knew  everything  that  is 
in  heaven  and  earth  but  himself.  Bernard  died  at  sixty-three, 
and  was  buried  at  Olairvaux  in  1153.  He  said  many  men  know 
many  things — measure  the  heavens,  count  the  stars,  dive  into 
the  secrets  of  Nature — but  know  not  themselves. 

st.  Bernard's  miracles. 
The  biographers  and  chroniclers  ascribe  abundant  miracles  to 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND    MONASTERIES.  299 

St.  Bernard.  A  boy  with  an  ulcer  in  his  foot  begged  the  holy 
man  to  touch  and  bless  him,  and  the  sign  of  the  cross  was  made 
and  the  lame  was  healed.  Once  a  knight  had  been  suffering  from 
a  quartan  fever  for  eighteen  months,  and  used  to  foam  at  the 
mouth  and  he  unconscious ;  but  Bernard  cured  him  instantly 
with  a  piece  of  consecrated  bread.  Young  Walter  of  Montmh-ail, 
when  three  months  old,  was  brought  by  his  mother  to  be  blessed  ; 
the  conscious  child  clutched  at  Bernard's  hand  and  kissed  it. 
Once  an  incredible  number  of  flies  filled  the  church  at  Foigny  at 
the  time  of  its  dedication,  and  their  noise  and  buzzing  were  an 
intolerable  nuisance  ;  but  the  saint  merely  said,  "  I  excommunicate 
them,"  and  next  morning  they  were  all  dead,  and  had  to  be 
shovelled  out  with  spades.  On  another  occasion,  as  Bernard  was 
returning  from  Chalons,  the  wind  and  rain  and  cold  were  fierce, 
and  one  of  the  company  by  some  accident  lost  his  horse,  which 
scampered  away  over  the  plain.  Bernard  said,  "  Let  us  pray," 
and  they  were  scarcely  able  to  finish  the  Lord's  Prayer  before  the 
horse  came  back  tame  and  mild,  stood  before  Bernard,  and  was 
restored  to  its  owner. 

THE    MONK    BERNARD    AXD    HIS    FASHIONABLE    SISTER. 

St.  Bernard  had  at  an  early  age  converted  his  brothel's  and 
made  monks  of  them  ;  but  he  had  a  sister,  Hunibeline,  who  showed 
no  enthusiasm  for  a  nunnery.  She  married  a  man  of  rank  and 
affluence,  and  did  her  part  in  the  gay  world.  One  day  she  thought 
she  would  like  to  go  and  visit  her  brothers  in  the  monastery,  and 
with  great  pomp  and  retinue  she  drove  to  the  gates  of  Clairvaux 
and  asked  to  see  Bernard.  But  he,  "  detesting  and  execrating  her 
as  a  net  of  the  devil  to  catch  souls,"  refused  to  go  out  and  meet 
her.  Her  brother  Andrew,  whom  she  encountered  at  the  gate, 
also  treated  her  with  harshness,  and  observed  with  unbecoming 
contempt  upon  her  fine  apparel.  She  burst  into  tears  at  this 
coldness,  and  at  last  exclaimed,  "  And  what  if  I  am  a  sinner  ?  It 
is  for  such  that  Christ  died  !  It  is  because  I  am  one  that  I  need 
the  advice  and  conversation  of  godly  men.  If  my  brother  despises 
my  body,  let  not  a  servant  of  the  Lord  despise  my  soul.  Let  him 
come  and  command  :  I  am  ready  to  obey."  This  speech  brought 
out  Bernard,  who  ordered  her  to  imitate  her  saintly  mother  :  to 
renounce  the  luxuries  and  vanities  of  the  world,  to  lay  aside  her 
fine  clothes,  and  to  become  a  nun  inwardly  even  if  she  could  not 
assume  the  outward  appearance.  The  sister  went  home,  thought 
over  all  this,  and  ended  by  coming  round  to  Bernard's  views.  She 
astonished  her  friends  and  neighbours  by  the  sudden  change  in 


300  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

her  ways  of  life.  Her  fastings,  prayers,  and  vigils  showed  that 
she  also  had  a  turn  for  the  monastic  life.  She  got  permission  from 
her  husband  and  retired  to  the  convent  of  Juilly,  where  she 
emulated  his  austere  devotion,  and  became  worthy  of  such  a  brother 
as  Bernard. 


ST.  BERNARD  AND  HIS  EIVAL,  PETER  THE  VENERABLE. 

A  rivalry  sprang  up  between  the  monks  of  Cluny  and  those  of 
Citeaux,  the  white  dress  of  the  latter  causing  much  bitterness  to 
those  in  black.  Bernard  of  Clairvaux  was  the  champion  of  the 
Cistercians,  and  Peter  of  the  Cluniacs.  Bernard  blamed  the 
Cluniacs  for  their  luxury  and  secular  habits.  He  said  many  of 
the  monks,  though  young  and  vigorous,  pretended  sickness,  that 
they  might  be  allowed  to  eat  flesh.  Those  who  abstained  from 
flesh  indulged  their  palate  without  stint  in  exquisite  cookery ; 
while,  in  order  to  provoke  the  appetite,  they  drank  largely  of  the 
strongest  and  most  fragrant  wines,  which  were  often  rendered 
more  stimulating  by  spices.  At  table,  instead  of  grave  silence, 
light  worldly  gossip,  jests,  and  idle  laughter  prevailed.  The 
Cluniacs  had  coverlets  of  fur  or  of  rich  and  variegated  materials 
for  their  beds.  They  dressed  themselves  in  the  costliest  furs,  silk, 
and  cloth,  fit  for  robes  of  princes.  Even  the  stuff  for  a  cowl  was 
chosen  with  feminine  and  fastidious  care.  This  excessive  care  for 
the  body  betokened  a  want  of  mental  culture.  Even  the  mode 
of  worship  and  magnificence  of  the  churches  were  excessive  in 
splendour.  The  churches  were  elaborately  adorned  and  the  poor 
were  neglected.  There  were  pictures  and  monstrous  and  grotesque 
carvings  in  the  walls,  wholly  unsuited  to  sacred  worship  and  apt 
to  distract  the  mind.  The  chandeliers  and  candlesticks  were  of 
gold  and  silver  and  set  with  jewels ;  the  pavements  were  inlaid 
with  figures  of  saints  and  angels,  whose  character  was  thereby 
degraded.  The  golden  shrines  containing  relics  seemed  only  to 
flatter  the  wealthy  and  allure  them  into  opening  their  purse- 
strings.  These  abbots  travelled  at  home  with  a  pomp  and  retinue 
of  sixty  horses,  only  suited  to  distant  undertakings  of  great  pith 
and  moment.     All  these  unseemly  practices  cried  aloud  for  redress. 


PETER  THE  VENERABLE  REPLIES  TO  BERNARD. 

Peter  the  Venerable  replied  to  St.  Bernard  and  defended  the 
Cluniacs.  He  retorts  that  the  white  dress  of  the  Cistercians  was 
too  significant  of  pride,  while  the  black  dress  of  Cluny  was  better 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  301 

suited  to  the  grave  and  sad.  The  severity  of  the  Cistercian 
discipline  was  excessive,  and  only  drove  monks  out  of  the  order. 
The  use  of  furs  and  materials  for  drees  and  bedding  and  the 
relaxation  of  fastings  were  properly  made  to  suit  the  diversities  of 
climate.  Moreover,  as  coats  of  skins  were  given  to  Adam  and 
Eve,  not  for  pride,  but  for  shame,  the  use  of  furs  might  well 
serve  to  remind  us  that  we  were  exiles  from  our  heavenly  country. 
If  the  Cluniacs  had  lands,  they  were  at  least  more  indulgent  to 
their  tenants ;  if  they  had  serfs,  this  was  because  these  could  not 
be  separated  from  the  lands.  If  the  Cluniacs  had  castles,  these 
were  generally  turned  into  houses  of  prayer ;  if  they  had  tolls, 
they  were  reminded  that  St.  Matthew  came  from  the  class  of  toll- 
collecLors ;  if  they  had  tithes,  they  at  least  had  forsaken  all  earthly 
possessions  before  entering  the  order,  and  gave  an  ample  equivalent 
in  the  prayers  and  tears  and  alms  which  the  monks  used  for  the 
benefit  of  the  public.  It  was  not  necessary  for  the  monks  to  work 
at  manual  labour  when  they  had  ample  employment  in  spiritual 
concerns  and  priestly  exercises.  The  washing  of  feet  on  receiving 
pilgrims  and  strangers  always  involved  a  great  waste  of  time. 
Though  the  Cluniacs  were  blamed  for  having  no  bishops,  this  was 
sufficiently  explained  from  their  being  under  the  Bishop  of  Rome. 

THE  SCHOOLMEN  AND  DOCTORS  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES. 

The  subtle  and  ingenious  schoolmen  and  doctors  of  the  Middle 
Ages  were  too  often  only  "  madly  vain  of  dubious  lore."  One 
doctor  of  Paris,  named  Simon  Churnai,  having  acquired  great 
fame  in  1202  by  his  defence  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  was 
so  conceited  as  to  say,  "  Oh,  poor  Jesus !  how  greatly  have  I 
confirmed  and  exalted  Your  position  !  If  I  had  chosen  to  attack 
it,  I  could  have  destroyed  it  by  much  stronger  reasons  and 
objections  !  "  Peter  Lombard,  friend  of  St.  Bernard,  and  author 
of  the  popular  work  entitled  "The  Sentences,"  ventured  to  discuss 
such  problems  as  the  following :  When  the  angels  were  made, 
and  how  ;  whether  they  be  all  equal  in  essence,  wisdom,  and 
freewill ;  whether  they  were  created  perfect  and  happy,  or  the 
reverse ;  whether  the  demons  differ  in  rank  among  themselves ; 
whether  they  all  live  in  hell,  or  out  of  it ;  whether  the  good 
angels  can  sin,  or  the  bad  act  virtuously ;  whether  they  have 
bodies ;  and  whether  every  person  has  or  has  not  a  good  angel 
to  preserve  him  and  a  bad  one  to  destroy  him.  The  mr  st  famous 
of  the  doctors  had  their  favourite  adjectives,  as  in  the  following 
list:— 


/ 


302 


CUKIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 


The  irrefragable  doctor 

Alexander  Hales 

1230 

The  angelical  doctor  ... 

.     Thomas  Aquinas 

1256 

The  seraphic  doctor   ... 

Bonaventura ... 

1260 

The  wonderful  doctor ... 

Roger  Bacon... 

1240 

The  most  profound  doctor 

iEgidius  de  Columna 

1280. 

The  most  subtle  doctor 

John  Duns  Scotus     ... 

1304 

The  most  resolute  doctor 

Durand 

1300 

The  invincible  doctor... 

W.  Occham    ... 

1320. 

The  perspicuous  doctor 

Walter  Burley 

1320. 

The  most  enlightened  doctor  . . 

Raymond  Lully 

1300. 

THE    DEATHBED    OF    AN    ABBOT    (A.D.   1137). 

Warm,  abbot  of  St.  Evroidt,  after  serving  God  under  the 
monastic  ride  for  forty-three  years,  one  day  in  June  1137  was  ob- 
served to  sing  Mass  with  great  devotion  in  the  morning,  when  they 
buried  the  corpse  of  a  soldier.  In  the  course  of  the  day  he  took 
to  his  bed,  and  lay  dangerously  ill  for  five  days,  during  which  the 
sick  man  heard  Mass  daily,  and  said  an  office  which  he  had  regu- 
larly performed  himself  for  the  thirty  years  of  his  priesthood. 
Seeing  now  that  he  was  going  the  way  of  all  flesh,  he  earnestly 
sought  the  viaticum  for  the  great  journey,  and  prepared  to  present 
himself  to  the  Most  High  King  of  Sabaoth  by  confessing  his 
sins  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  earnest  and  constant  prayer,  the  holy 
unction,  and  the  life-giving  participation  of  the  Lord's  body.  At 
last,  strengthened  with  these  great  aids,  he  departed  on  June  21st ; 
and  having  performed  all  that  belonged  to  a  faithful  champion 
of  Christ,  and  commended  himself  and  his  spiritual  sons  to  the 
Lord  God,  fell  asleep  in  the  fifteenth  day  of  his  government. 
The  sorrowing  brethren  all  joined  in  paying  the  last  offices  to 
their  lamented  father,  and  he  was  buried  in  the  chapter  by  the 
side  of  the  tomb  of  Abbot  Osbern.  A  white  stone  was  placed 
over  his  grave ;  and,  adds  Orderic,  "  for  the  love  I  bore  to  my 
old  and  clear  associate,  and  afterwards  my  spiritual  father,  I 
composed  an  epitaph  to  be  engraved  upon  it." 

ECSTATIC   VISIONS   OF    SISTER   HILDEGARD   (A.D.  1147). 

When  Pope  Eugenius  was  visiting  Albero,  Archbishop  of 
Treves,  in  1147,  with  whom  he  remained  three  months,  he  was 
consulted  and  asked  for  an  opinion  as  to  the  prophecies  of 
Hildegard,  head  of  a  monastic  sisterhood  at  St.  Disibod's,  in  the 
diocese  of  Mentz.  Hildegard,  born  in  1098,  had  from  her  child- 
hood been  subject  to  fits  of  ecstasy,  during  which  it  was  said  that, 
though  ignorant  of  Latin,  she  uttered  oracles  in  that  language, 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  303 

and  these  were  eagerly  heard,  recorded,  and  circulated.  With 
the  power  of  prophecy  she  was  credited  with  the  power  of  working 
miracles.  She  came  to  be  consulted  on  all  manner  of  subjects 
by  empei-ors,  kings,  and  popes.  Her  tone  in  addressing  the 
highest  personage  was  like  that  of  a  true  prophetess — one  of 
pronounced  superiority.  She  denounced  the  corruptness  of  the 
monks  and  clergy  with  a  vigour  which  delighted  their  enemies. 
Even  St.  Bernard,  when  in  Germany,  became  interested  in  the 
position  of  Hildegard,  and  it  was  at  his  instance  that  the  Pope 
examined  the  subject,  and  gave  her  his  approval  and  sanctioned 
a  design  she  entertained  of  building  a  convent  in  a  spot  on 
St.  Rupert's  Hill,  near  Bingen,  which  had  been  revealed  to  her 
in  a  vision.  Another  ecstatic  visionary  about  the  same  period 
v,  as  Elizabeth  of  Schonau,  who  used  in  her  trances  to  utter 
oracles  in  Latin,  and  to  relate  her  interviews  with  angels  and 
the  Queen  of  Heaven  ;  and  both  Hildegard  and  she  attained 
the  honour  of  saintship.  A  little  later,  about  1190,  Joachim,  a 
Calabrian,  though  not  a  prophet,  attained  the  dignity  of  a  seer, 
and  was  consulted  by  popes  and  princes. 

THE    SAFEST    WAY    OF   TRAVELLING    TO    ROME    (A.D.    1172). 

Abbot  Sampson  of  Edmundsbury  used  to  relate  this :  "In  my 
earlier  days  as  a  monk  I  journeyed  to  Rome  on  the  business  of 
this  convent,  and  I  passed  through  Italy  at  that  time  when  all 
clerks  bearing  letters  of  our  lord  the  Pope  Alexander  were  taken, 
and  some  were  imprisoned,  and  some  hanged,  and  some  with  nose 
and  lips  cut  off  were  sent  back  to  the  Pope  to  his  shame  and 
confusion.  I,  however,  pretended  to  be  a  Scotchman  ;  and  putting 
on  the  garb  of  a  Scotchman,  I  often  shook  my  staff  in  the  manner 
they  use  that  weapon,  which  they  call  a  pike,  at  those  that 
mocked  me,  uttering  fierce  language  after  the  manner  of  the 
Scotch.  To  those  who  met  and  questioned  me  as  to  who  I  was, 
I  answered  nothing  but  '  Ride,  Rome,  turn  Canter  bury.'  This 
I  did  to  conceal  myself  and  my  errand,  and  that  I  should  get  to 
Rome  safer  under  the  guise  of  a  Scotchman.  Having  obtained 
letters  from  the  Pope  even  as  I  wished,  on  my  return  I  passed 
by  a  certain  castle,  and  was  taking  my  way  from  the  city,  and 
behold  the  officers  thereof  came  about  me,  laying  hold  upon  me 
and  saying,  '  This  vagabond,  who  makes  himself  out  to  be  a 
Scotchman,  is  either  a  spy  or  bears  letters  from  the  false  Pope 
Alexander.'  And  while  they  examined  my  ragged  clothes,  my 
leggings,  my  breeches,  and  even  the  old  shoes  which  I  carried 
over  my  shoulders,  after  the  fashion  of  the  Scotch,  I  thrust  my 


304  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

hand  into  the  little  wallet  which  I  carried,  wherein  was  contained 
the  writing  of  our  lord  the  Pope,  close  by  a  little  mug  I  had  for 
drinking.  And  the  Lord  God  and  St.  Edmund  permitting,  I 
drew  out  that  writing,  together  with  the  mug,  so  that,  extending 
my  arm  aloft,  I  kept  the  writ  underneath  the  mug.  They  could 
see  the  mug  plainly  enough,  but  they  did  not  notice  the  writ ; 
and  so  I  got  clean  out  of  their  hands  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
Whatever  money  I  had  about  me,  they  took  away ;  therefore  I 
was  obliged  to  beg  from  door  to  door,  being  at  no  danger  until 
I  arrived  in  England." 

PORTRAIT    OF    ABBOT    SAMPSON    OF    ST.    EDMUNDSBURY    (A.D.    1182). 

Sampson,  abbot  of  Edmundsbuiy  (Bury  St.  Edmunds),  was 
thus  sketched  by  his  faithful  chronicler  Jocelyn  of  Brakeland : 
"  The  Abbot  Sampson  was  of  middle  stature,  nearly  bald,  having 
a  face  neither  round  nor  yet  long,  a  prominent  nose,  thick  lips, 
clear  and  very  piercing  eyes,  ears  of  the  quickest  hearing,  lofty 
eyebrows  and  often  shaved,  and  he  soon  became  hoarse  from  a 
brief  exposure  to  cold.  On  the  day  of  his  election  he  was  forty- 
seven  yeai's  old,  and  had  been  a  monk  seventeen  years,  having  a 
few  grey  hairs  in  a  reddish  beard,  with  a  few  grey  in  a  black 
head  of  hah',  which  somewhat  curled,  but  within  fourteen  years 
after  his  election  it  all  became  white  as  snow ;  a  man  remarkably 
temperate,  never  slothful,  well  able  and  willing  to  ride  or  walk, 
till  old  age  gained  upon  him  and  moderated  such  inclination ; 
who  on  hearing  the  news  of  the  cross  being  captive,  and  the  loss 
of  Jerusalem,  began  to  use  under-garments  of  horsehair,  and  a 
horsehair  shirt,  and  to  abstain  from  flesh  and  flesh  meats ;  never- 
theless, he  desired  that  meats  should  be  placed  before  him  while  at 
the  table  for  the  increase  of  the  alms-dish.  Sweet  milk,  honey, 
and  suchlike  things  he  ate  with  greater  appetite  than  other  food. 
He  abhorred  liars,  drunkards,  and  chatterers ;  for  virtue  ever  is 
consistent  with  itself  and  rejects  contraries.  He  also  much  con- 
demned persons  given  to  murmur  at  their  meat  and  drink,  and 
particularly  monks  who  were  dissatisfied  therewith,  himself  adher- 
ing to  the  uniform  course  he  had  practised  when  a  monk.  He  had 
likewise  the  good  quality,  that  he  never  changed  the  dish  you  set 
before  him.  Once  when  I,  then  a  novice,  happened  to  serve  in 
the  refectory,  it  came  into  my  head  to  ascertain  if  this  were  true, 
and  I  thought  I  would  place  before  him  a  mess  which  would  have 
displeased  any  other  but  him.  Yet  he  never  noticed  it.  An 
eloquent  man  both  in  French  and  Latin,  but  intent  more  on  the 
substance  of  what  he  said  than  on  the  manner  of  saying  it." 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS  MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  305 


MONKS   OF   ST.    EDMUNDSBURY   REBUILDING   THEIR    ALTAR. 

One  night  Abbot  Sampson  of   St.  Edmundsbury  dreamt  that 
St.  Edmund  complained  to  him  that  bis  altar  required  rebuilding, 
and  that  the  shrine  or  loculus,  in  which  the  .saint  lay  buried,  must 
be  transferred.     Sampson  took  care  to  carry  out  this  monition, 
and  Jocelyn  the  chronicler  relates  the  imposing  ceremony  thus : 
"  The  festival  of  St.  Edmund  now  approaching,  the  marble  blocks 
are   polished,  and  all  things  are  in  readiness  for  lifting  of  the 
si  nine  to  its  new  place.     A  fast  of  three  days  was  held  by  all  the 
people,  and  the  abbot  appointed  the  time  and  way  for  the  work. 
Coming  therefore  that  night  to  matins,  we  found  the  great  shrine 
raised  upon  the  altar,  but  empty,  covered  all  over  with  white 
doeskin  leather,  fixed  to  the  wood  with  silver  nails.     Praises  being 
sung,  we  all  proceeded  with  our  disciplines.     These  finished,  the 
abbot  and  some  others  with  him  are  clothed  in  their  albs,  and 
approaching  reverently  set  about  uncovering  the  loculus.     There 
was  an  outer  cloth  of  linen  inwrapping  the  loculus,  and  all  within 
this  was  a  cloth  of  silk,  and  then  another  linen  cloth,  and  then 
a  third  ;  and  so  at  last  the  loculus  was  uncovered  and  seen  resting 
on  a  little  tray  of  wood,  that  the  bottom  of  it  might  not  be  injured 
by  the  stone.     Over  the  breast  of  the  martyr  there  lay  fixed  to 
the  surface  of  the  loculus  a  golden  angel  about  the  length  of  a 
human  foot,  holding  in  one  hand  a  golden  sword  and  in  the  other 
a  banner.     Lifting  the  loculus  and  body  therefrom,  they  carried 
it  to  the  altar,  and  I  reached  out  my  sinful  hand  to  help  in  carry- 
ing, though  the  abbot  had  commanded  that  none  should  approach 
except  called.     And  the  loculus  was  placed  in  the  shrine,  and  the 
shrine  for  the  present  closed.     We  all  thought  that  the  abbot 
would  show  the  loculus  to  the  people,  and  bring  out  the  sacred 
body  again  at  a  certain  period  of  the  festival.     But  in  this  we 
were  wofully  mistaken.     Our  lord  the  abbot  spoke  privily  with 
the  sacristan  and  Walter,  the  doctor,  and  order  was  taken  that 
twelve  of  the  brethren  should  be  appointed  against  midnight  who 
were  strong  to  carry  the  shrine.     I,  alas  !  was  not  of  the  twelve. 
The  abbot   then   said  that  it   was   among   his   prayers  to   look 
once   upon   the   body  of   his   patron,    and   that    he   wished  the 
sacristan  and  doctor  to  be  with   him.     The  convent,  therefore, 
being  all  asleep,  these  twelve,  clothed  in  their  albs,  with  the  abbot, 
assembled  at  the  altar ;  and  when  the  lid  was  unfastened,  all  except 
the  two  forenamed  associates  were  ordered  to  withdraw.    The  abbot 
and  they  two  were  alone  privileged  to  look  in.     The  head  lay 
united  to  the  body,  a  little  raised  with  a  small  pillow.     But  the 

20 


/ 


306  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

abbot  looking  close,  found  now  a  silk  cloth  veiling  the  whole  body, 
and  then  a  linen  cloth  of  wondrous  whiteness,  and  upon  the  head 
was  spread  a  small  linen  cloth,  and  then  another  small  and  most 
fine  silk  cloth,  as  if  it  were  the  veil  of  a  nun.  These  coverings 
being  lifted  off,  they  found  now  the  sacred  body  all  wrapt  in 
linen,  and  so  at  length  the  lineaments  of  the  same  appeared. 
But  here  the  abbot  stopped,  saying  he  durst  not  proceed  further 
or  look  at  the  sacred  flesh  naked.  Taking  the  head  between  his 
hands,  he  thus  spake,  groaning,  '  Glorious  master,  holy  Edmund, 
blessed  be  the  hour  when  thou  wert  born.  Glorious  martyr,  turn 
it  not  to  my  perdition  that  I  have  so  dared  to  touch  thee, 
miserable  and  sinful  that  I  am ;  thou  knowest  my  devoted  love 
and  my  secret  thought.'  And  proceeding,  he  touched  the  eyes 
and  the  nose,  which  was  very  massive  and  prominent,  and  then 
he  touched  the  breast  and  arms ;  and  raising  the  left  arm,  he 
touched  the  fingers,  and  placed  his  own  fingers  between  the  sacred 
fingers.  And  proceeding,  he  found  the  feet  standing  stiff  up,  like 
the  feet  of  a  man  dead  yesterday ;  and  he  touched  the  toes  and 
counted  them.  And  now  it  was  agreed  that  the  other  brethren 
should  be  called  forward  to  see  the  miracles,  and  accordingly 
those  ten  now  advanced,  and  along  with  them  six  others,  who 
had  stolen  in  without  the  abbot's  assent ;  and  all  these  saw  the 
sacred  body,  but  Thurstan  was  the  only  one  of  them  who  put 
forth  his  hand  and  touched  the  saint's  knees  and  feet.  And  that 
there  might  be  abundance  of  witnesses,  one  of  our  brethren,  John 
of  Dice,  sitting  on  the  roof  of  the  church  with  the  servants  of  the 
vestry,  and  looking  through,  clearly  saw  all  these  things.  The 
body  was  then  lifted  to  its  place  in  the  shrine,  and  the  panels  of 
the  loculus  refixed.  When  we  assembled  to  sing  matins,  and 
understood  what  had  been  done,  grief  took  hold  of  all  that  had 
not  seen  these  things,  each  saying  to  himself,  '  Alas  !  I  was  misled.' 
Matins  over,  the  abbot  called  the  convent  to  the  great  altar,  and 
briefly  recounting  the  matter,  explained  that  it  had  not  been  in 
his  power,  nor  was  it  permissible  or  fit  to  invite  us  all  to  the  sight 
of  such  things.  At  hearing  of  which  we  all  wept,  and  with  tears 
sang  Te  Deum  Icmdamus,  and  hastened  to  toll  the  bells  in  the 
choir." 

AN    ABBOT    HARASSED    WITH    THE    CARES    OF    HIS    HIGH 
OFFICE  (A.D.   1182). 

When  Sampson  was  abbot  of  St.  Edniundsbury,  Jocelyn,  his 
chronicler,  writes :  "  On  one  occasion  I  said,  '  My  lord,  I  heard 
thee  this  night   wakeful  and   sighing  heavily,  contrary  to  thy 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  307 

usual  wont ; '  and  he  answered,  '  No  wonder  :  thou  art  partaker  of 
my  good  things — in  meat  and  drink,  in  riding  abroad,  and  such- 
like ;  but  you  have  little  need  to  care  concerning  the  conduct  of 
the  house  and  household  of  the  saints  and  arduous  businesses  of 
the  pastoral  cares,  which  harass  me  and  make  my  spirit  to  groan 
and  be  heavy.'  Whereto  I,  lifting  up  my  hands  to  Heaven,  made 
answer,  '  From  such  anxiety,  almighty  and  most  merciful  Lord, 
deliver  me  ! '  I  have  heard  the  abbot  say  that,  if  he  could  have 
been  as  he  was  before  he  became  a  monk,  and  could  have  had  five 
or  six  marks  of  rent  wherewith  he  could  have  been  supported 
in  the  schools,  he  never  would  have  been  monk  or  abbot.  On 
another  occasion,  he  said  with  an  oath  that,  if  he  could  have 
foreseen  what  and  how  great  a  charge  it  had  been  to  govern  the 
abbey,  he  would  have  been  master  of  the  almonry  and  keeper  of 
the  books,  rather  than  abbot  and  lord.  And  yet  who  will  credit 
this  ?  Scarcely  myself,  and  not  even  myself,  unless  from  being 
constantly  with  him  by  day  and  night  for  six  years  I  had  had  the 
opportunity  of  becoming  fully  conversant  with  the  worthiness  of 
his  life  and  the  rule  of  his  wisdom." 


THE  MONKS  ANNOYED  AT  THE  VISIT  OF  THE  POPES  LEGATE. 

The  worthy  chronicler  of  St.  Edmundsbury,  Jocelyn,  thus 
relates  the  sensation  caused  in  his  convent:  "In  1176  there 
came  intelligence  to  Hugh,  the  abbot,  that  Richard,  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  purposed  coming  to  make  a  visitation  of 
our  church,  by  virtue  of  his  authority  as  legate ;  and  thereupon 
the  abbot,  after  consultation,  sent  to  Rome  and  sought  a  privilege 
of  exemption  from  the  power  of  the  aforesaid  legate.  On  the 
messenger's  return  from  Rome,  there  was  not  the  means  of  dis- 
charging what  he  had  promised  to  our  lord  the  Pope  and  the 
cardinals,  unless  indeed,  under  the  special  circumstances  of  the 
case,  the  cross  which  was  over  the  high  altar,  the  Virgin  Mary, 
and  the  St.  John,  which  Stigund,  the  archbishop,  had  adorned 
with  a  vast  quantity  of  gold  and  silver,  and  had  given  to  St. 
Edmund,  could  be  made  use  of  for  this  purpose.  There  were 
certain  of  our  convent  who,  being  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  the 
abbot,  said  that  the  shrine  of  St.  Edmund  itself  ought  to  be 
stripped,  as  the  means  of  obtaining  such  privileges,  these  persons 
not  considering  the  great  peril  that  would  ensue  from  obtaining 
ever  so  valuable  a  privilege  by  such  means  as  this,  for  there 
would  be  no  means  of  calling  to  account  any  abbot  who  might 
waste  the  possessions  of  the  Church  and  despoil  the  convent." 


/ 


308  CURIOSITIES    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

DEATHBED    OF    A    REPENTANT    PRINCESS    IN    1199. 

Joanna,  daughter  of  Henry  II.  of  England,  and  a  favourite 
sister  of  Richard  Coenr-de-Lion,  and,  like  him,  fond  of  the  clang 
of  trumpets  and  the  martial  music  of  armies,  went  to  Syria, 
encouraging  the  Crusaders,  and  afterwards  married  Earl  Eaimond 
of  Toulouse.  She  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  ;  and  though 
neglectful  of  the  monks  in  her  busy  clays,  she  repented  and  wished 
she  had  joined  the  nuns.  A  monk  thus  describes  her  deathbed  : 
"  Trusting  to  the  truth  and  mercy  of  the  Most  High,  who  will 
give  a  penny  to  him  who  works  only  at  the  eleventh  hour,  as  well 
as  to  those  who  have  laboured  from  the  first,  she  greatly  desired 
to  assume  a  religious  habit,  and  commanded  the  prioress  of 
Fontevraud  to  be  summoned  by  letters  and  messengers ;  but  when 
distance  delayed  her  coming,  feeling  her  end  approaching,  she 
said  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  who  was  then  present, 
'  My  good  lord,  father,  have  pity  on  me,  and  fulfil  my  earnest 
desire ;  furnish  my  body  with  the  arms  of  religion  to  fight  my 
adversary,  that  my  spirit  may  be  restored  more  pure  and  free  to 
its  Creator ;  for  I  know  and  believe  that,  if  I  might  be  joined  in 
body  to  the  order  of  Fontevraud,  I  should  escape  eternal  punish- 
ment.' But  the  archbishop,  trembling,  said  that  this  could  not  be 
lawfully  done  without  her  husband's  consent ;  but  when  he  saw 
her  constancy  and  the  Spirit  of  God  speaking  in  her,  moved  by 
pity  and  conquered  by  her  prayers,  he  with  his  own  hand  con- 
secrated and  gave  her  the  sacred  veil,  her  mother  and  the  abbot 
of  Tarpigny  with  other  monks  being  present,  and  offered  her  to 
God  and  the  order  of  Fontevraud.  She  now,  rejoicing  and 
unmindful  of  her  pangs,  declared  she  saw  in  a  vision  the  glorious 
Mother  of  God  ;  and  as  the  abbot  told  us,  she  cast  her  veil  at  the 
enemy,  saying,  '  I  am  a  sister  and  a  nun  of  Fontevraud  :  thus 
strengthened,  I  fear  thee  not.'  "  The  royal  nun  died  very  soon, 
and  was  buried  in  the  monastery. 

A    MONK    STEALING    ST.    ANTONY'S    PSALM    BOOK    (A.D.    1200). 

It  is  related  by  Ribadeneira,  in  his  Life  of  St.  Antony  of 
Padua,  that  a  certain  Franciscan  novice,  throwing  off  his  habit, 
ran  away  from  the  monastery  in  which  the  saint  lived,  and  took 
away  with  him  a  psalm  book  written  with  St.  Antony's  own  hand 
and  explained  with  marginal  notes,  which  the  saint  often  used 
when  he  privately  expounded  the  Scriptures  to  the  friars.  As 
soon  as  St.  Antony  perceived  his  book  to  be  stolen,  he  fell  down 
on  his  knees  and  earnestly  entreated  God  to  restore  him  his  book 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS  MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  309 

again.  In  the  meantime,  the  apostate  thief  having  his  book 
with  him,  as  he  prepared  to  swim  over  the  river,  met  the  devil, 
who  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand  commanded  him  to  go  back 
again  immediately,  and  restore  to  St.  Antony  the  book  he  had 
stolen  from  him,  threatening  to  kill  him  in  case  of  noncompliance. 
The  devil  gave  his  order  with  so  dreadful  an  aspect,  that  the 
thief,  being  astonished,  returned  immediately  to  the  monastery, 
restored  the  saint  his  book,  and  continued  in  a  religious  course 
ever  after.  Hence  it  became  a  saying,  that  St.  Antony  is  implored 
to  restore  lost  goods. 

A    MONK    FOR    A    KING    (A.D.    1226). 

St.  Louis,  King  of  France,  in  1226,  had  been  bred  up  a  monk 
by  a  strong-minded  and  austere  mother,  Queen  Blanche.  The 
young  King  took  naturally  to  all  the  austerities.  He  wore  coarse 
sackcloth  next  his  skin,  ate  fruit  once  a  year,  never  laughed  or 
changed  his  raiment  on  Fridays.  In  his  girdle  he  wore  an  ivory 
case  of  iron  chain  scourges,  and  every  Friday  locked  his  door  on 
himself  and  his  confessor,  who  then  used  these  incitements  t<> 
piety  over  his  bleeding  shoulders.  He  would  walk  with  bare  feet 
to  distant  churches;  or  sometimes,  to  disguise  his  devotion,  wore 
sandals  without  soles.  He  constantly  washed  the  feet  of  beggars. 
He  invited  the  poor  and  sick  to  his  table.  He  not  only  gave 
alms  but  even  a  brotherly  kiss  to  lepers.  He  heard  Masses  twice 
or  thrice  a  day.  As  he  rode,  liis  chaplain  chanted  or  recited  the 
offices.  When  challenged  for  these  constantly  repeated  exercises, 
he  would  say,  "  If  I  spent  twice  as  much  time  in  dice  and  hawking, 
should  I  be  so  rebuked  ?  "  A  woman,  one  day  as  he  sat  in  court, 
exclaimed,  "  Fie  !  you  are  not  King  of  France ;  you  are  only  a 
king  of  friars,  of  priests,  and  of  clerks.  It  is  a  great  pity  you 
ever  were  King  of  France ;  you  should  be  turned  out  of  your 
kingship."  He  would  not  allow  his  officers  to  chastise  this  free 
speech,  but  answered,  "  Too  true  !  It  has  pleased  the  Lord  to 
make  me  king  ;  it  had  been  well  if  it  had  been  some  one  who 
had  better  ruled  the  realm."  And  he  ordered  some  money  to  be 
given  to  the  woman.  The  King  was  altogether  ignorant  of  polite 
letters.  He  read  only  his  Latin  Bible  and  the  Fathers.  He 
loved  everybody  except  Jews,  heretics,  and  infidels.  He  once 
thought  of  abdicating  and  becoming  a  real  monk.  He  joined 
the  Crusades  because  he  kneAv  God  would  fight  His  own  battles. 
His  expedition  took  three  years  to  complete,  and  it  was  a  disas- 
trous failure.  He  was  defeated  and  made  a  prisoner,  but  he  bore 
it  all  like  a  monk,  and  his  people  ransomed  him, 


/ 


310  CURIOSITIES    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

ST.    ELIZABETH    OF    HUNGARY    (A.D.    1231). 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  a  King  of  Hungary,  and  who  died  in 
1231,  was  destined  from  a  baby  to  be  married  to  Ludwig,  a  son 
of  the  Landgrave  of  Thuringia,  and  the  two  as  children  were 
rocked  to  sleep  in  the  same  cradle.  When  she  was  fifteen  they 
were  married,  and  she  developed  a  strong  instinct  to  help  the 
pooi-  and  sick,  and  always  kept  up  a  place  of  refuge  for  them. 
Five  years  after  her  marriage  an  inquisitor  named  Conrad 
became  her  confessor,  and  being  of  a  brutal  and  malignant  dis- 
position, became  so  arrogant  and  domineering  that  her  life  was 
made  miserable  by  his  dictation  and  arbitrary  orders.  His  cruel 
treatment  of  many  so-called  heretics  ultimately  roused  the  spirit 
of  some  nobles,  who  waylaid  him  ;  and  when  the  miserable  wretch 
begged  his  life,  they  told  him  he  should  meet  with  the  same 
mercy  he  had  shown  to  others,  and  cut  him  down.  Ludwig  went 
to  join  the  Crusaders,  and  he  afterwards  died  abroad ;  and  during 
his  absence  his  brothers  dispossessed  Elizabeth  and  turned  her 
adrift  with  her  three  children,  and  for  a  time  she  had  scarcely 
the  means  to  live  except  on  charity.  Her  former  subjects  were 
also  afraid  to  shelter  her,  and  she  had  often  to  spin  for  a  liveli- 
hood. Amid  all  her  own  troubles  she  did  not  cease  to  help  the 
poor ;  and  when  some  friends  came  to  her  assistance  with  funds, 
it  was  always  her  first  thought  to  give  away  all  her  means  and 
even  her  clothes  in  charity.  Her  father  at  last  hearing  of  her 
misfortunes,  offered  her  a  home ;  but  she  refused  to  leave  the  place 
where  her  husband  had  lived.  Conrad,  her  confessor,  brutally 
thwarted  her  in  all  her  charitable  schemes.  At  last  her  health 
gave  way,  and  she  lay  on  her  deathbed.  A  little  bird  perched 
on  her  window-sill  and  sang  so  cheerfully  that  she  could  not 
choose  but  to  sing  also.  She  soon,  however,  sank,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four,  and  her  body  was  richly  enshrined  in  the  church 
dedicated  to  her  at  Marburg,  where  her  relics  were  prized  and 
attracted  many  pilgrims.  It  was  after  her  death  that  the 
brutal  Conrad  was  murdered.  She  is  the  patron  saint  of  all 
charities. 

A    SICK    NUN    CAUSING    A    PANIC    AMONG    THE    SARACENS    (A.D.    1253). 

St.  Clara,  who  flourished  in  1253,  was  a  devout  follower  of 
St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  and  though  highly  born  gave  her  life  up 
to  exercises  of  self -mortification.  In  her  nunnery  of  San  Damiano 
it  happened  once  that  the  Saracens  were  about  to  attack  the  city 
of  Assisi,  and  she  was  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  when  roused  by  the 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  311 

cries  of  the  sisterhood.  She  caused  herself  to  he  borne  to  the 
point  of  danger,  preceded  by  the  Host.  She  flung  herself  before 
the  sacred  symbol  and  said,  "  My  God,  suffer  not  these  feeble  ones 
to  fall  a  prey  to  barbarians  without  pity.  I  cannot  protect  theiu. 
I  place  them  in  Thy  hands."  She  thought  she  heard  an  answer, 
"  I  will  preserve  them."  She  further  entreated,  "  Lord,  have 
mercy  on  this  city,  which  has  sustained  us  with  its  alms."  Again 
she  felt  sensible  that  she  heard  the  words,  "  It  shall  not  suffer. 
Be  of  good  courage."  It  was  noticed  that  a  sudden  panic  then 
fell  on  the  Saracens.  They  had  already  climbed  the  walls ;  they 
jumped  down  outside,  withdrew  their  ladders,  and  deserted  Assisi, 
leaving  it  unhurt.  Everybody  then  said  it  was  St.  Clara's  doing; 
the  holy  nun  had  saved  them. 

MORBID    FANCIES    OF    ST.    NICOLAS,    TIIE    STARVED   MONK    (A.D.    1305). 

St.  Nicolas  of  Tolentino,  who  died  in  1305,  was  in  his  youth  so 
impressed  by  a  sermon  on  self -mortification  that  he  resolved  to 
embrace  a  religious  life.  He  showed  great  aptitude  for  fasting, 
even  at  the  growing  age  of  fifteen,  and  the  superior  of  the  monas- 
tery warned  him  against  carrying  it  too  far  and  wearing  himself 
to  a  skeleton  ;  for,  after  all,  the  torture  of  the  body  was  not 
necessary  to  salvation.  But  Nicolas  hesitated;  and  going  to 
church,  he  fell  into  a  trance  and  saw  a  vision,  which  told  him 
to  remain  at  Tolentino.  He  had  great  delight  in  the  spiritual 
exercises  of  Mass.  At  the  altar  his  face  shone  with  rapture  and 
tears  streamed  from  his  eyes.  He  became  a  fervid  preacher,  but 
he  also  took  so  little  food  that  his  mind  was  a  prey  to  thick- 
coming  fancies.  The  cats  racing  over  the  tiles  of  his  cottage  and 
squalling  in  the  night,  and  the  rats  gnawing  pieces  of  mortar 
and  scampering  behind  the  wainscot,  seemed  to  him  to  be  an  army 
of  fiends  let  loose  and  envious  of  Ins  prayers.  Through  his  open 
window  one  ] light  a  great  bat  upset  his  candle,  but  he  blew  the 
extinguished  candle  so  long  that  it  rekindled,  and  this  was  deemed 
by  all  the  neighbours  quite  a  miraculous  revival.  The  devil  one 
day  was  said  to  have  beaten  him  with  a  club  at  cockcrow,  but 
wTent  off  without  the  stick,  and  this  is  still  preserved  as  a  trophy 
in  the  convent.  Nicolas  was  ill  from  exhaustion,  and  was  ordered 
some  meat.  But  when  a  roasted  partridge,  hot  and  steaming 
with  rich  gravy,  was  brought  to  him,  he  looked  with  horror,  as 
if  he  was  asked  to  commit  a  mortal  sin.  With  folded  hands  and 
tearful  eyes  he  implored  his  superior  to  excuse  him ;  and  when  he 
received  consent  not  to  touch  the  tempting  bird,  he  made  the  sign 
of  the  cross  over  it.     All  at  once  the  bird,  shocked  at  his  indif- 


312  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

ference,  rose  in  the  dish,  collected  its  scattered  materials,  resumed 
its  feathers,  and  flew  out  of  the  window  with  a  whir.  One  day 
an  old  lady  baked  Nicolas  some  nice  loaves,  which  he  ate,  and  got 
well.  In  memory  of  the  wonderful  event  little  loaves  are  baked 
and  blessed  and  given  to  the  sick  to  this  day  on  the  feast  of 
St.  Nicolas  of  Tolentino. 

THE    MONASTERIES    OP    MOUNT   ATHOS. 

The  peninsula  of  Mount  Athos  is  about  forty  miles  long  and 
four  miles  wide,  and  abounds  in  ridges  and  valleys  of  the  finest 
scenery  of  rock  and  wood,  with  twenty  monasteries  situated  on 
the  best  spots.  These  are  either  hermit  villages  or  convents  of 
the  ordinary  kind ;  but  they  enjoy  an  organisation  under  what 
is  called  a  Holy  Synod,  consisting  of  representatives,  though  before 
1500  the  supreme  government  was  intrusted  to  a  single  governor 
or  first  man.  Mount  Athos,  at  the  seaward  end,  rises  seven  thou- 
sand feet  high.  Every  part  of  the  promontory  is  covered  with 
vegetation,  and  its  position  in  the  waters  keeps  the  forests  fresh 
and  green  when  all  the  neighbouring  mainlands  are  burnt  up  by 
the  summer  and  autumnal  heats.  The  origin  of  the  monasteries  is 
lost  in  the  early  ages,  and  for  at  least  a  thousand  years  the  hermits 
have  been  known  to  occupy  these  places.  Most  of  these  monas- 
teries possess  ancient  manuscripts  and  relics  of  the  early  saints. 
Nearly  every  convent  on  Athos  possesses  a  portion  of  the  true 
cross.  Among  the  relics  distributed  are  found  a  piece  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  which  is  a  narrow  strip  of  some  red  material 
sewn  with  gold  thread  and  ornamented  with  pearls ;  the  gifts  of 
the  three  kings,  gold,  incense,  and  myrrh ;  a  drop  of  the  blood 
of  St.  John  the  Baptist ;  part  of  the  skull  of  St.  Bartholomew ; 
a  hand  and  a  foot  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene ;  the  left  hand  of 
St.  Anne ;  part  of  the  head  of  St.  Stephen  Protomartyr ;  relics 
of  St.  Andrew  and  St.  Luke ;  a  piece  of  our  Lord's  coat ;  the  jaw 
of  St.  Stephen ;  the  head  of  St.  James  the  Less ;  three  of  our 
Lord's  hairs ;  a  leg  of  St.  Simon  Stylites.  No  instrumental 
music  of  any  kind  is  permitted  in  the  Eastern  Church  ;  but  some- 
times a  sort  of  voice  accompaniment  of  one  note,  like  the  drone 
of  a  bagpipe,  keeps  up  a  low  murmuring  sound  whilst  the  other 
voices  are  engaged  upon  the  tune. 

THE    MONKS    OF    LA    TRAPPE    (A.D.    1122). 

The  convent  of  La  Trappe  had  been  founded  in  1122,  but  about 
the  year  1663  the  monks  had  dwindled  to  seven.     De  Ranee,  who 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  313 

had  been  many  years  a  wealthy  prodigal  and  sensualist,  entered 
La  Trappe,  which  had  an  evil  repute  for  loose  living.  He  became 
abbot  and  began  reforms  ;  and  though  threatened  with  assassina- 
tion, he  introduced  a  system  of  rigorous  self-denial  and  asceticism 
worthy  of  the  hermits  of  the  Thebaid.  By  degrees  his  numbers 
increased.  The  monks,  though  living  in  the  same  house,  were 
strangers  to  each  other.  Each  one  followed  to  the  choir,  the 
garden,  or  the  refectory  the  feet  that  were  moving  before  him, 
but  he  never  raised  his  eyes  to  discover  to  whom  the  feet  belonged. 
There  were  some  who  passed  the  entire  year  of  their  novitiate 
without  lifting  up  their  eyes,  and  who,  after  that  long  period, 
( ould  not  tell  how  the  ceiling  of  their  cells  was  constructed,  or 
whether  they  had  any  ceilings  at  all.  There  is  mention  made  of 
one  whose  whole  anxiety  was  for  an  only  brother  whom  he  left 
leading  a  scandalous  and  disorderly  life  in  the  world.  This  monk 
never  passed  a  day  without  shedding  tears  and  praying  for  the 
grace  of  repentance  to  that  lost  brother.  On  his  dying-bed  he 
had  one  request  to  make  to  his  abbot,  which  was,  that  there 
might  be  a  continuance  of  his  prayers  for  this  brother.  De  Ranee 
retired  for  a  moment,  and  returned  with  one  of  the  most  useful 
and  valued  members  of  the  brotherhood.  When  the  cowl  which 
concealed  his  features  was  removed,  the  dying  monk  recognised 
the  lost  brothei-  for  whom  he  had  so  often  wept  and  prayed. 
De  Ranee  was  a  valued  friend  of  Bossuet,  the  greatest  orator  of 
his  age,  and  received  his  visits.  During  the  last  six  years  of  his 
life  he  sat  in  an  easy-chair  almost  without  changing  his  position. 
He  died  in  1700,  and  was  deemed  the  first  anchorite  of  his  time. 


THE    CERTOSA    MONASTERY    AT    PAVIA    (a.D.    1396). 

The  Oertosa  of  Pavia  is  the  most  splendid  monastery  in  the 
world,  and  is  called  the  monastery  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  of  Grace. 
It  was  founded  in  1396  by  the  first  Duke  of  Milan,  as  an  atone- 
ment for  guilt  and  to  relieve- his  conscience  of  the  murder  of 
his  uncle  and  brother-in-law.  On  the  general  suppression  of 
convents  it  became  a  national  monument.  The  architect  was 
Bernardo  da  Venezia,  and  he  so  contrived  the  building  that  from 
whatever  side  it  was  viewed  the  perspective  lines  were  admirably 
disposed.  Sculptures  and  paintings  in  profusion  decorate  the 
interior.  Rich  bronze  gates  divide  the  nave  of  the  chapel  from 
the  transept.  The  most  rare  and  costly  materials  were  used  hi 
the  structure,  and  the  bas-reliefs  are  exquisite.  There  are  many 
fine  pictures  of  saints,  setting  forth  various  legends  in  sacred  art. 


314  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

ST.    CATHERINE   OP   SIENA,   NUN    (A.D.    1347). 

St.  Catherine  was  born  at  Siena  in  1347.  She  was  of  great 
beauty  and  had  a  genius  for  virginity ;  and  though  her  parents 
wished  her,  at  the  age  of  twelve,  to  engage  herself  in  marriage, 
she  resisted,  and  thereby  brought  on  herself  systematic  tyranny 
and  insult.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  she  began  to  live  on  herbs, 
to  wear  haircloth,  and  an  iron  girdle  armed  with  spikes.  At 
eighteen  she  entered  a  nunnery  and  underwent  with  zeal  a  series 
of  mortifications.  She  elevoted  herself  to  nursing  the  infected  and 
to  delivering  exhortations,  so  that  people  flocked  to  see  and  hear 
her.  When  the  furious  factions  of  Guelphs  and  Ghibellines  raged, 
and  the  Pope  sent  an  army  to  subdue  Florence,  the  inhabitants 
implored  her  to  mediate,  and  she  went,  attended  with  great  pomp 
of  ambassadors,  to  the  Poj^e,  on  whom  she  made  a  great  impres- 
sion. She  was  then  looked  up  to  as  a  sort  of  ambassadress  in 
many  critical  State  affairs,  and  attained  high  honour  in  all  her 
undertakings.  She  had  ecstasies  and  wonderful  visions,  and  was 
deemed  of  sublime  virtue  and  self-denial.  She  died  in  Rome,  aged 
thirty-three,  and  was  buried  there,  her  skull  being  taken  to  the 
Dominican  church  at  Siena,  and  she  was  canonised  in  1461. 
Next  to  Mary  Magdalene  she  is  the  most  popular  of  all  the 
female  saints ;  and  owing  to  her  great  learning  and  to  her  refuting 
the  philosophers  of  Paganism,  she  is  deemed  a  Christian  Minerva. 
In  one  of  her  ecstasies  she  said  the  Virgin  appeared  to  her  and 
introduced  the  Saviour,  who  put  a  ring  on  her  finger.  One  legend 
says  a  wheel  with  spikes  was  used  to  put  her  to  death,  but  fire 
came  from  heaven  and  broke  the  wheel  in  pieces  and  killed  the 
executioners.  The  saint  and  her  wheel  were  painted  by  many  of 
the  great  painters,  and  so  was  her  marriage  to  the  Saviour. 

THE  MONKS  OF  LUCCA  AND  THEIR  DEMON  PREACHER  (A.D.  1320). 

In  the  fourteenth  century  the  Franciscan  monks  of  Lucca 
found  that,  however  industrious  they  were  in  begging,  the  in- 
habitants had  gradually  ceased  to  contribute  alms  to  the  money- 
box, and  they  were  on  the  point  of  starvation.  The  richest  man 
of  the  place  drove  them  from  his  gate  and  called  them  idle 
vagabonds,  who  wanted  to  live  at  their  neighbours'  expense. 
The  courage  of  the  friars  drooped ;  they  saw  their  tables  laid 
out  daily  for  dinner,  but  not  a  morsel  of  bread.  They  thought  of 
selling  the  silver  vessels  or  leaving  the  locality.  The  abbot  felt 
or  feigned  patience,  courage,  and  resignation,  and  counselled  them 
to  trust  in  the  Lord;  but  in  their  inmost  hearts  they  all  felt 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS  MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  315 

despair,  and  the  devil  triumphed  at  their  approaching  ruin.  At 
this  desperate  juncture  the  Archangel  Michael  descended  and 
caught  an  emissary  of  the  devil  as  he  was  gloating  over  his  prey, 
and  condemned  that  emissary  to  do  service  to  the  monks,  in  spite 
of  his  evil  nature.  The  devil  gnashed  his  teeth  and  swore  he 
would  do  nothing  for  the  brood  of  St.  Francis,  his  arch-foe.  But 
Michael  told  the  fiend  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  but  obey.  So 
the  fiend,  sorely  against  his  will,  assumed  the  guise  of  a  friar  of 
higher  degree,  got  into  conversation  with  the  abbot,  and  hearing 
of  the  drooping  fortunes  of  the  house,  said  he  would  compel  the 
public  to  serve  them  and  restore  their  comfort.  The  abbot  looked 
again  and  again  at  this  mysterious  friend,  whose  bearing  and 
confident  airs  made  a  profound  impression,  and  asked  his  name, 
which  th*2  visitor  said  was  "  Obligatus."  So  Obligatus  entered  the 
monastery,  set  to  work,  harangued  the  people  in  byways  and 
corners,  and  his  extraordinary  eloquence  soon  worked  an  immediate 
change  in  the  situation.  The  people  were  spellbound,  and  point  il 
their  contributions  into  the  alms-boxes.  The  fame  of  the  unwilling 
preacher  filled  all  the  country  round,  so  that  the  monastery 
flourished  and  became  too  small,  and  then  he  prevailed  on  the 
people  to  build  a  second  house.  A  rich  man  of  the  place  fell  sick 
unto  death  and  sent  for  the  eloquent  friar,  but  at  last  he  died 
impenitent;  and  this  event  greatly  rejoiced  the  disguised  saint, 
for  Obligatus  felt  the  devil  within  him  so  strong  that  he  broke 
out  into  raptures.  The  secret  of  the  demon  friar  was  then  dis- 
closed. He  tore  off  his  friar's  habit,  declared  that  his  truce  with 
St.  Francis  was  ended,  that  he  had  done  his  work,  and  Francis 
had  conquered.  The  friar  then  vanished  disgust  d  and  enraged, 
and  was  never  more  heard  of.  But  the  monastery  flourished  ever 
after. 

THOMAS  A    KEMPIS   AND   THE  BROTHERS  OF  COMMON  LIFE  (a.D.   1450). 

Thomas  a  Kempis,  the  author  of  the  "  Imitatio  Christi,"  an  in- 
spired handbook  of  all  that  is  best  in  monkish  life,  was  born  in  1380 
at  Kempen,  in  the  diocese  of  Cologne.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
went  and  joined  the  Brothel's  of  Common  Life,  a  small  companv 
or  cloister  founded  by  Gerard  Groot  and  Florentius  at  Deventer, 
and  seven  years  later  he  entered  the  convent  of  St.  Agnes  at 
Zwolle,  where  he  filled  several  offices,  and  died  in  1471,  aged 
ninety.  His  book  was  first  printed  in  1471,  and  soon  became  the 
delight  of  all  the  best  monks,  as  truly  representing  their  higher 
life.  Father  Lamennais  said  of  this  book  that  "  there  is  some- 
thing celestial  in  its  simplicity.     One  would  almost   imagine  it 


316  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

was  written  by  one  of  those  pure  spirits  who  have  seen  God  face 
to  face,  who  had  come  expressly  to  explain  His  ways  and  to  reveal 
His  secrets.  One  is  profoundly  moved  at  this  aspect  of  that  soft 
light  which  nourishes  the  soul  and  fortifies  and  animates  without 
troubling  it."  Mr.  Kettlewell  also  well  says,  "  It  shows  how  the 
life  of  a  Christian  in  ordinary  circumstances  may  be  made  lovely 
by  the  cultivation  of  the  spiritual  life ;  how  a  lowly  life  may 
become  sublime  and  heavenly."  In  appearance  Thomas  had  a 
broad  forehead  and  thoughtful  face  and  bright  eyes.  The  Brothers 
of  Common  Life  were  employed  not  only  in  writing  out  Scripture, 
which  was  to  them  a  great  means  of  support,  but  in  manual 
labour  of  a  homely  kind.  Thomas  in  his  studious  hours  contrived 
to  extract  the  sweetness  out  of  all  the  best  writings  of  those  who 
lived  before  him.  Thomas's  idea  of  a  cloister  is  quoted  by  Mr. 
Kettlewell,  his  biographer,  and  gives  this  charming  picture :  "  A 
well-founded  cloister,  separated  from  the  tumult  of  the  world, 
adorned  with  many  brethren  and  with  sacred  books,  is  acceptable 
to  God  and  to  His  saints.  Such  a  place,  it  is  piously  believed, 
is  pleasing  to  all  that  love  God  and  take  a  delight  in  hearing  the 
things  of  God;  because  the  cloister  is  the  castle  of  the  Supreme 
King,  and  the  palace  of  the  Celestial  Emperor,  prepared  for  the 
dwelling  of  religious  persons  where  they  may  faithfully  serve 
God.  For  this  is  none  other,  as  we  read  and  sing,  than  the 
house  of  God  in  which  to  pray,  the  coxirt  of  God  to  offer  praise, 
the  choir  of  God  to  sing  unto  Him,  the  aitar  of  God  whereon  to 
celebrate,  the  gate  of  God  whereby  to  enter  heaven,  the  ladder 
of  God  to  rise  above  the  clouds.  As  a  noble  city  is  preserved 
with  walls  and  gates  and  bars,  so  also  is  the  monastery  of  the 
religious  with  many  devout  brethren,  with  sacred  books,  and  with 
learned  men.  It  is  decorated  with  gems  and  precious  stones  to 
the  praise  of  God  and  to  the  honour  of  all  his  saints,  who  now 
rejoice  in  heaven  with  Him,  because  they  followed  in  the  foot- 
steps of  His  passion  on  earth." 

ST.  PETER  OP  ALCANTARA,  THE  SELF-CONCENTRATED  MONK  (A.D.  1530). 

At  Estremadura,  in  Spain,  St.  Peter,  a  law  student  and  son 
of  the  governor,  born  in  1499,  early  embraced  the  religious  life, 
and  was  eager  to  crucify  the  flesh  with  its  affections.  He  never 
lifted  his  eyes  from  the  ground,  and  could  not  tell  whether  Ins 
cell  had  a  ceiling  or  bare  rafters.  He  had  charge  of  the  refectory 
for  six  months,  and  allowed  his  brethren  to  go  without  apples 
and  pomegranates  because  he  would  not  lift  his  eyes  to  see 
whether  there  were  any  ripe  for  table.     He  did  not  know  by 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  317 

sight  one  of  the  friars  who  had  lived  for  years  with  him  in  the 
same  house.  He  lay  in  a  small  cell  not  long  enough  to  stretch  his 
body  in  at  full  length.  He  wore  only  one  garment,  and  that  was 
a  serge  habit  made  like  a  short  cloak  with  tight  leggings.  When 
it  was  torn  he  carefully  removed  the  tattered  portion  underneath, 
lest  he  should  be  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  double  cloth.  One  day  he 
was  visited  by  a  stranger,  and  Peter  had  been  washing  his  only 
garment,  and  while  it  was  drying  in  the  sun  he  was  of  course  not 
presentable  to  company.  In  his  devotions  he  roared  and  howled 
so  loudly  that  strangers  thought  he  was  insane,  though  the 
devout  described  him  as  only  struggling  manfully  with  the  devil. 
To  hear  one  of  these  performances  was  said  to  be  far  more  im- 
pressive than  any  sermon  of  his  contemporaries.  One  hot  day, 
going  to  visit  a  nobleman,  he  dismounted  from  his  ass  and  fell 
asleep,  and  the  ass  took  the  opportunity  of  trespassing  and  eating 
up  the  vegetables  in  a  poor  woman's  garden.  On  seeing  the 
mischief  done,  she  tugged  at  Peter's  cloak,  which  caused  him  to 
fall  over  and  cut  his  head  on  a  stone.  The  nobleman  coining  up 
at  this  point,  was  about  to  slay  the  woman  for  this  rudeness,  but 
Peter  interceded  for  her,  and  begged  his  lordship  rather  to  pay 
for  the  damage  done  by  the  ass,  and  this  was  done.  Peter  lived 
for  forty-seven  years  in  a  perpetual  penance,  and  was  highly 
esteemed  for  the  spirit  he  showed  in  so  trampling  the  world 
under  his  feet.  He  had  the  look  of  a  gnarled  root  of  oak,  rugged 
and  eccentric,  yet  when  he  opened  his  mouth  he  was  most  affable 
and  showed  an  excellent  understanding.  He  died  preaching  to 
and  admonishing  the  friars. 

THE    ECSTATIC    VISIONS    OF   ST.    THERESA    (a.D.     1550). 

St.  Theresa  astounded  all  her  contemporaries  with  her  numerous 
visions  and  high-flown  devotional  works.  She  was  thought  in 
her  youth  to  be  too  much  given  to  gossip  ;  and  when  grown  up,  her 
confessors  were  told  so  many  wonderful  things  that  they  plainly 
assured  her  these  were  mere  delusions  of  the  devil.  She  thus 
related  one  of  these  visions  :  "  One  day,  when  our  Lord  was 
communing  with  me,  I  gazed  at  His  great  beauty,  and  the 
sweetness  with  which  He  uttered  His  words  with  His  most  lovely 
and  Divine  mouth,  sometimes  also  with  sternness.  I  had  a  great 
desire  to  observe  the  colour  of  His  eyes,  and  their  shape  and  size, 
that  I  might  give  a  description  of  them ;  but  I  have  never  been 
able  to  behold  them,  nor  have  I  succeeded  in  gaining  my  point,  as 
the  vision  has  usually  faded.  And  though  sometimes  I  see  He 
looks  at  me  with  compassion,  yet  the  sight  is  so   overpowering 


318  CURIOSITIES  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

that  the  soul  is  not  able  to  endure  it,  but  remains  in  so  high 
a  rapture  that,  in  order  to  enjoy  Him  the  more  completely, 
this  beautiful  apparition  disappears  altogether.  When  I  am  in 
trouble,  He  has  shown  me  His  wounds  as  He  hung  on  the  cross 
or  was  in  the  garden.  One  day,  as  I  was  holding  the  cross  in  my 
hand  which  was  at  the  end  of  my  rosary,  He  took  it  into  His 
hand,  and  when  He  returned  it  to  me  it  consisted  of  four  great 
stones  incomparably  more  precious  than  diamonds,"  etc.,  etc. 
St.  Theresa  founded  no  less  than  sixteen  convents  in  Spain,  and 
she  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven,  in  1582,  in  an  ecstasy  such  as 
she  had  so  often  had  during  her  lifetime ;  and  the  nuns  who 
attended  on  her  said  they  saw  our  Lord  waiting  at  the  foot  of  her 
bed  with  saints  to  carry  her  to  realms  of  bliss.  She  had  joined 
with  her  nuns  in  the  penitential  psalms  and  litany,  and  she  then 
lay  in  a  trance  for  her  last  fourteen  hours  in  the  posture  in  which 
the  blessed  Magdalene  is  commonly  drawn  by  painters,  holding  a 
crucifix  firmly  in  her  hands,  so  that  the  nuns  could  not  remove  it 
till  after  her  death.  They  all  noticed  her  lips  moving  and  a  glow 
of  heavenly  hope  on  her  face.  Her  body  was  so  sacred  that  parts 
of  it  were  dispersed  throughout  the  Christian  world. 

THE    EMPEROR   MONK    ENTERS    A    MONASTERY    (A.D.    1557). 

The  Emperor  Charles  V.  having  for  twenty  years  looked  for- 
ward to  the  step  he  was  now  taking,  took  leave  of  many  of  his 
old  servants,  and  on  February  2nd,  1537,  was  placed  in  his  litter, 
and  with  a  company  of  fifty-two  retainers,  besides  his  household  of 
sixty,  crossing  the  leafless  forest,  halted  at  the  gates  of  Yuste,  the 
Jeromite  convent  in  Estremadura  in  Spain.  There  the  bells  were 
ringing  a  peal  of  welcome,  and  the  prior  was  waiting  to  receive 
his  imperial  guest,  who,  on  alighting,  was  placed  in  a  chair  and 
carried  to  the  door  of  the  church.  At  the  threshold  he  was  met 
by  the  whole  brotherhood  in  procession,  chanting  the  Te  Deum  to 
the  music  of  the  organ.  The  altars  and  the  aisle  were  brilliantly 
lighted  up  with  tapers  and  decked  with  their  richest  frontals, 
hangings,  and  plate.  Borne  through  the  pomp  to  the  steps  of 
the  high  altar,  Charles  knelt  down  and  returned  thanks  to  God 
for  the  happy  termination  of  his  journey,  and  joined  in  the  vesper 
service  of  the  feast  of  St.  Bias.  This  ended,  the  prior  stepped 
forward  with  a  congratulatory  speech,  in  which,  to  the  scandal 
of  the  courtiers,  he  addressed  the  Emperor  as  "  jonr  paternity," 
until  some  friar  with  more  presence  of  mind  and  regard  to  the 
situation  whispered  that  the  proper  style  was  "your  majesty." 
The  orator  next  presented  his   Jeromites  to  their  new  brother, 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  319 

each  kissing  his  hand  and  receiving  a  fraternal  embrace.  Some 
of  the  friars  bestowed  on  his  gouty  fingers  so  cordial  a  squeeze 
that  the  pain  compelled  him  to  withdraw  the  hand  and  say,  "  Pray, 
don't,  father ;  it  hurts  me."  During  this  ceremony  the  retiring 
halberdiers  who  had  escorted  their  master  to  the  journey's  close 
stood  round  with  tears  and  lamentations  as  they  took  leave  and 
felt  their  occupation  gone.  Sounds  of  mourning  at  the  final 
parting  were  heard  as  the  Emperor  was  conducted  to  an  in- 
spection of  the  convent,  and  then  to  supper,  and  then  to  a  repose 
which  had  so  long  been  the  dream  of  his  life. 

THE  EMPEROR  MONK'S  DRESS  AND  FURNITURE. 

The  Emperor  monk's  dress  was  always  black  and  very  old.  He 
had  an  old  arm-chair  with  wheels  and  cushions.  Seme  of  the 
apartments  had  some  rich  tapestry  wrought  with  figures, 
landscapes,  and  flowers.  His  usual  black  dress  was  such  another 
as  that  painted  by  Titian  in  the  fine  portrait  wherein  the 
Emperor  sits  before  us,  pale,  thoughtful,  and  dignified,  in  the 
Belvidere  palace  at  Vienna.  He  still  had  an  old  cap  to  save  his 
best  velvet  one  in  case  of  a  shower.  He  had  a  few  rings  and 
bracelets,  medals  and  buttons,  collars  and  badges,  some  crucifixes 
of  gold  and  silver,  various  charms  (such  as  the  bezoar-stone 
against  the  plague,  and  gold  rings  from  England  against  cramp), 
a  morsel  of  the  true  cross  and  other  relics,  three  or  four  pocket 
watches,  and  several  dozen  pairs  of  spectacles.  He  had  a  few 
well-chosen  pictures  worthy  of  the  patron  and  friend  of  Titian, 
a  composition  on  the  subject  of  the  Trinity,  and  three  pictures 
of  Our  Lady  by  that  great  master.  He  had  three  cased 
miniatures  of  the  Empress  painted  in  her  youthful  beauty,  also 
some  family  portraits  of  near  relatives.  Over  the  high  altar  of 
the  convent  and  in  sight  of  his  own  bed  he  had  placed  that 
celebrated  composition  called  the  Glory  of  Titian,  a  picture  of  the 
Last  Judgment,  in  which  Charles,  his  wife,  and  their  royal  children 
wei'e  represented  in  the  master's  grandest  style  as  conducted  by 
angels  into  life  eternal.  Also  another  masterpiece  of  the  great 
Venetian — St.  Jerome  praying  in  his  cavern  with  a  sweet  land- 
scape in  the  distance — was  an  altar-piece  in  the  Emperor's  private 
oratory. 

THE  EMPEROR  MONK'S  APARTMENTS. 

The  Emperor's  house  or  palace,  as  the  friars  loved  to  call  it,  in 
Yustewas  such  as  many  a  country  notary  would  call  comfortable. 
It  had  a  simple  front  of  two  storeys  to  the  garden  and  the  noon- 


320  CUKIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

tide  sun.  Each  of  the  eight  rooms  had  an  ample  fireplace,  such 
as  a  chilly  invalid  of  Flemish  habits  required.  Charles  inhabited 
the  upper  rooms,  and  slept  in  one  which  had  a  window  command- 
ing the  high  altar.  From  the  window  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
corridor,  where  his  cabinet  stood,  the  eye  ranged  over  a  cluster 
of  rounded  knolls,  clad  in  walnut  and  chestnut,  in  which  the 
mountain  died  gently  away  into  the  broad  bosom  of  the  Vera. 
A  summer-house  peered  above  the  mulberry  tops  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  garden,  and  a  hermitage  of  Our  Lady  of  Solitude  about 
a  mile  distant  hung  upon  a  rocky  height  which  rose  like  an  isle 
out  of  the  sea  of  forest.  Immediately  below  the  windows  the 
garden  sloped  gently  to  the  Vera,  shaded  here  and  there  with  the 
massive  foliage  of  the  fig,  or  the  feathery  boughs  of  the  almond, 
and  breathing  perfume  from  tall  orange  trees,  cuttings  of  which 
some  of  the  friars  in  after-days  tried  in  vain  to  keep  alive  at  the 
bleak  Escurial.  The  garden  was  easily  reached  from  the  western 
porch  or  gallery  by  an  inclined  path,  which  had  been  constructed 
to  save  the  gouty  monarch  the  pain  and  fatigue  of  going  up  and 
down  stairs.  This  porch,  which  was  much  more  spacious  than 
the  eastern,  was  his  favourite  seat  when  filled  with  the  warmth 
of  the  declining  day.  A  short  alley  of  cypress  led  from  the 
parterre  to  the  principal  gate  of  the  garden,  and  beyond  was  the 
luxuriant  forest,  and  close  in  the  foreground  a  magnificent  walnut 
tree. 

THE   EMPEROR   MONK'S    DETESTATION   OP   HERETICS. 

While  the  Emperor  monk  was  at  Yuste,  he  retained  all  his 
fiery  zeal  against  heretics,  and  notice  of  any  successful  capture 
of  an  impious  Lutheran  was  welcome  news  when  forwarded  to 
him.  He  always  in  his  letters  entreated  his  daughter,  the  Prin- 
cess Regent,  to  lose  no  time  and  spare  no  pains  to  uproot  the  new 
and  dangerous  doctrines.  He  used  to  say  to  his  confessor,  "  Father, 
if  anything  could  drag  me  from  this  retreat,  it  would  be  to  aid 
in  chastising  these  heretics.  I  have  written  to  the  Inquisition 
to  burn  them  all,  for  none  of  them  will  ever  become  true  Catholics 
or  are  worthy  to  live."  He  would  have  their  crime  treated  in 
a  short  and  summary  manner,  like  sedition  or  rebellion.  The 
King,  his  son  (he  said),  had  executed  sharp  and  speedy  justice 
upon  many  heretics,  and  even  upon  bishops  in  England.  Upon 
news  arriving  about  any  hunt  after  heretics,  he  used  to  converse 
with  his  confessor  and  the  prior  on  a  subject  that  lay  so  near 
his  heart.  He  told  them  that,  in  looking  back  on  the  early 
religious  troubles  of  his  reign,  it  was  ever  his  regret  that  he  did 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  321 

not  put  Luther  to  death  when  he  had  him  in  his  power.  He 
had  spared  him,  he  said,  on  account  of  his  pledged  word,  but  he 
now  saw  that  he  greatly  erred  in  preferring  the  obligation  of  a 
promise  to  the  higher  duty  of  avenging  upon  that  arch -heretic 
his  offences  against  God.  Had  Luther  been  removed  the  plague 
might  have  been  stayed.  He  had  some  consolation,  however, 
in  recollecting  how  steadily  he  had  refused  to  hear  the  points 
at  issue  between  the  Church  and  the  schismatics  argued  in  his 
presence. 

THE    EMPEROR    MONK'S    INTEREST    IN    CLOCKMAKING. 

The  Emperor  Charles,  while  a  monk,  often  visited  in  spare 
hours  the  workshop  of  Torriano,  who  had  long  been  at  work  on 
an  elaborate  astronomical  timepiece,  which  was  to  tell  the  month 
and  year  and  the  movements  of  the  planets.  He  bad  revolved 
the  plan  for  twenty  years,  and  the  making  of  it  actually  occupied 
three  and  a  half  years.  Of  wheels  it  contained  eighteen  hundred  ; 
the  material  of  the  case  was  gilt  bronze,  and  round.  The  clock 
was  two  feet  in  diameter,  rather  less  in  height,  and  with  a  taper- 
ing top,  ending  in  a  tower  containing  the  boll  and  hammer.  The 
Emperor  helped  the  inscription  by  adding  to  the  name  of  Torriano 
"The  Prince  of  Clockmakers,"  and  caused  his  own  portrait  to  be 
engraved  on  the  back.  Torriano  also  made  for  the  Emperor  a 
smaller  clock  in  a  crystal  case,  which  allowed  the  whole  working 
of  the  machinery  to  be  seen.  The  same  artist  constructed  a  self- 
acting  mill,  which,  though  small  enough  to  be  concealed  in  a 
friar's  sleeve,  coidd  grind  two  pecks  of  corn  in  a  day ;  also  the 
figure  of  a  lady  who  danced  on  the  table  to  the  sound  of  her  own 
tambourine.  Other  puppets  were  attributed  to  the  artist:  minute 
men  and  horses,  which  fought,  pranced,  and  blew  tiny  trumpets ; 
and  birds  which  flew  about  the  room,  as  if  alive, — toys  which  at 
first  scared  the  prior  and  his  monks  out  of  their  wits,  and  made 
them  think  the  artificer  a  wizard.  Besides  these  sedentary 
amusements,  the  Emperor  had  also  his  pet  birds,  his  wolf-hounds, 
and  even  sometimes  was  unmonkish  enough  to  stroll  to  the 
forest  with  his  gun,  and  pop  at  the  wood-pigeons  on  the  chestnut 
trees. 

THE    EMPEROR    MONK'S    CONFESSOR. 

Regla,  the  son  of  a  poor  Aragonese  peasant,  and  who  was 
taken  into  the  convent  of  St.  Yuste  at  the  age  of  thirty-six,  and 
became  a  devoted  son  and  rigid  disciplinarian,  was  selected  by  the 

21 


322  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

Emperor  Charles  Y.  as  his  confessor.  The  recipient  of  so  great 
an  honour  felt  unworthy  to  take  charge  of  His  Majesty's  con- 
science. But  Charles  told  him  to  take  courage,  adding,  "  I  have 
had  five  learned  divines,  who  have  been  busy  with  my  conscience 
for  three  years  past  in  Flanders,  and  all  with  which  you  will 
have  to  concern  yourself  will  be  my  life  in  Yuste."  The  meek 
confessor  soon  gamed  the  good  opinion  of  the  Emperor,  and 
obtained  the  great  boon  of  being  allowed  to  be  seated  in  the  royal 
presence — an  act  of  condescension  which  greatly  scandalised  the 
loyal  Quixada,  the  major-domo,  who  regarded  it  as  an  indignity 
that  a  poor  friar  should  be  placed  on  a  level  with  his  a\igust 
sovereign.  The  monk  felt  the  awkwardness — for  it  was  the 
practice  to  keep  up  the  same  high  state  at  Yuste  in  the  Emperor's 
presence — and  he  fell  on  his  knees  and  besought  the  Emperor  to 
allow  him  to  stand  in  his  presence;  "for  when  anyone  enters 
the  room,"  said  the  friar,  "  it  makes  me  feel  like  a  criminal  on  the 
scaffold  dressed  in  his  san  benito."  "  Be  in  no  trouble  about  that," 
said  Charles  to  him  :  "  you  are  my  father  confessor  ;  I  am  glad 
that  people  should  find  you  sitting  when  they  come  into  the  room, 
and  it  does  not  displease  me  that  you  should  change  countenance 
sometimes  at  being  found  so."  After  the  confessor  assisted  Charles 
in  his  morning  devotions,  the  latter  usually  went  and  watched 
Torriano,  the  mechanician,  who  was  always  busy  with  some 
mechanical  invention  and  with  improving  the  watches  and  clocks 
which  so  interested  the  Emperor. 

THE    EMPEROR    MONK'S    CHOIR. 

At  the  convent  of  Yuste  the  Emperor  Charles  had  with  him 
a  little  organ  with  a  silver  case  and  of  exquisite  tone,  which  had 
long  been  kept  at  the  Escurial,  and  which  was  also  the  companion 
of  his  journeys  and  the  solace  of  his  evenings  when  encamped 
before  Tunis.  The  choir  at  Yuste,  in  order  to  gratify  the 
Emperor's  love  of  music,  had  been  reinforced  with  fifteen  friars, 
chosen  from  different  monasteries  for  then-  fine  voices  and  skill 
in  the  art.  The  Emperor  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  choir  and  organ,  and  from  the  window  of  his  bedroom 
his  voice  might  often  be  heard  accompanying  the  chant  of  the 
friars.  His  ear  never  failed  to  detect  a  false  note  and  the  mouth 
from  which  it  came.  A  singing-master  from  Plasencia,  being 
one  day  in  the  church,  ventured  to  join  in  the  service,  but  he 
had  not  sung  many  bars  when  orders  came  down  from  the  palace 
to  keep  silence.  Guerrero,  a  "  chapel-master  "  of  Seville,  having 
composed  and  presented  to  the  Emperor  a  book  of  masses  and 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES.  323 

motets,  one  of  the  former  was  selected  for  performance  at  Yuste. 
When  it  was  ended,  the  imperial  critic  remarked  to  his  confessor 
which  were  the  stolen  passages  skilfully  appropriated  from  the 
best  masters  and  their  works  and  names. 


NOT   A    MONK    AT    DINNER-TIME. 

The  Emperor  Charles  V.,  though  all  his  life  looking  forward 
to  being  a  monk,  did  not  understand  a  monkish  dinner.  After 
a  year's  sojourn  in  Yuste,  his  physician  considered  His  Majesty 
well  enough  to  leave  off  his  sarsaparilla  and  liquorice  water. 
Then,  as  usual,  Charles  ate  voraciously.  His  dinner  began  with 
a  large  dish  of  cherries  or  strawberries,  smothered  in  cream  and 
sugar  ;  then  came  a  highly-seasoned  pasty  ;  and  next  the  principal 
dish  of  the  repast,  which  was  frequently  a  ham,  or  some  pre- 
paration of  rashers — the  Emperor  being  very  fond  of  the  bacon 
products  of  Estremadura.  "  His  Majesty,"  said  the  doctor,  "  will 
not  hear  of  changing  his  diet  or  mode  of  living,  trusting  too 
much  to  the  force  of  habit,  and  forgetting  the  consequences  to 
bodies  like  his,  full  of  bad  humours."  His  hands  occasionally 
troubled  him,  and  his  fingers  were  sometimes  ulcerated.  But 
his  chief  complaint  was  of  the  heat  and  itching  in  his  legs  at 
night,  which  he  endeavoured  to  relieve  by  sleeping  with  them 
uncovered — a  measure  whereby  temporary  ease  was  purchased 
at  the  expense  of  a  chill  which  crept  into  the  upper  part  of  his 
body,  in  spite  of  blankets  and  eiderdown  quilts.  Then  came 
threatenings  of  gout,  attempts  to  cure  by  cold  bathing,  perpetual 
itching,  and  other  symptoms,  which  gradually  enfeebled  him.  It 
was  said  that  His  Majesty's  cook  was  driven  out  of  his  wits  to 
invent  new  dishes  for  table,  and  that  he  believed  there  was  nothing 
left  but  to  serve  up  a  fricassee  of  watches. 

THE  EMPEROR  MONK  CELEBRATES  HIS  OWN  FUNERAL. 

The  Emperor  used,  when  any  of  his  friends  died,  to  do  honour 
to  their  memory  by  causing  their  obsequies  to  be  performed  by 
the  friars,  and  each  on  a  different  day.  At  last  he  asked  bis 
confessor  whether  he  might  not  now  perform  his  own  funeral, 
and  so  do  for  himself  what  would  soon  have  to  be  done  for  him 
by  others.  "Would  it  not  be  good  for  my  soulT'  asked  the 
Emperor.  And  the  monk  replied  that  certainly  it  would,  for 
pious  works  done  during  life  were  far  more  efficacious  than  when 
they  were  postponed  till  after  death.  Preparations  were  there- 
fore at  once  set  on  foot.     A  catafalque  was  erected,  and  next  day 


324 


CURIOSITIES    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 


the  celebrated  service  was  actually  performed.  The  high  altar, 
the  catafalque,  and  the  whole  church  shone  with  a  blaze  of  wax 
lights ;  the  friars  were  all  in  their  places  at  the  altars  and  in 
the  choir,  and  the  household  of  the  Emperor  attended  in  deep 
mourning.  The  pious  monarch  himself  (says  his  biographer)  was 
there,  attired  in  sable  weeds  and  bearing  a  taper  to  see  himself 
interred  and  to  celebrate  his  own  obsequies.  While  they  were 
singing  the  solemn  mass  for  the  dead,  he  came  forward  and  gave 
his  taper  into  the  hands  of  the  officiating  priest,  in  token  of  his 
desire  to  yield  his  soul  into  the  hands  of  his  Maker.  High  above, 
over  the  kneeling  throng,  the  gorgeous  vestments,  the  flowers, 
the  curling  incense,  and  the  glittering  altar,  the  same  idea  shone 
forth  on  that  splendid  canvas  whereon  Titian  had  pictured  Charlt  S 
kneeling  on  the  threshold  of  the  heavenly  mansions  prepared  for 
the  blessed.  The  funeral  rites  ended,  the  Emperor  dined,  but  he 
ate  little  ;  and  feeling  a  violent  pain  in  his  head,  he  lay  clown,  and 
next  day  he  told  his  confessor  that  the  funeral  of  the  day  before 
had  done  him  good.     He  died  six  weeks  later. 


FUNERAL    SERMON    ON    THE    EMPEROR    MONK. 

When  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  died,  a  monk  at  Yuste,  his 
chamberlain  said  of  him  that  he  was  the  greatest  man  that  ever 
lived,  or  ever  would  live,  in  the  world.  In  his  last  moments  he 
said,  "The  time  is  come;  bring  me  the  candle  and  the  crucifix." 
These  cherished  relics  he  had  long  kept  for  this  supreme  hour, 
and  he  died  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  crucifix.  His  body  was 
embalmed  and  laid  in  a  coffin  in  front  of  the  high  altar.  The 
eloquent  preacher  Villalva  preached  a  funeral  sermon  so  im- 
passioned, that  the  hearers  declared  that  it  made  their  flesh  creep 
and  their  hair  stand  on  end.  Sixteen  years  later  messengers 
went  to  remove  the  body  to  the  mausoleum  at  the  Escurial. 
The  monks  bewailed  the  loss  of  so  precious  a  deposit,  and  one  of 
them  took  occasion  to  preach  an  affecting  sermon,  in  which  he 
thus  apostrophised  the  dead  monarch  :  "  Although  you  are  but  a 
lifeless  corpse,  the  garment  of  the  spirit  which  has  long  enjoyed, 
as  we  believe,  the  glory  of  God,  we  thank  your  Csesarean  majesty 
for  the  grace  which  you  have  bestowed  on  Yuste  and  on  our  order. 
In  a  year  and  eight  months  passed  in  this  solitude  we  are  well 
assured  that  you  have  gained  more  renown  than  in  the  whole  of 
your  long  reign.  History,  indeed,  will  never  forget  your  great 
achievements,  but  in  the  end  of  your  life  you  surpassed  them  all. 
Grief  for  losing  you,  who  so  loved  us,  chokes  my  utterance ;  for  I 
know  that  when  you  are  gone,  although  we  who  are  now  alive 


Chap,  x.]  FAMOUS   MONKS  AND   MONASTERIES.  325 

are  your  devoted  servants  and  chaplains,  a  time  will  come  when 
even  in  this  place  your  memory  will  be  regarded  no  more  than 
if  you  had  never  dwelt  within  our  walls."  This  last  allusion  was 
prophetic;  for  in  1849,  when  Mr.  Stirling  visited  Yuste,  he  found 
it  in  ruins,  and  all  save  the  great  walnut  tree  told  only  of 
mouldering  decay.  O'Campo,  the  chronicler  of  the  Emperor 
Charles  V.,  had  undertaken  to  write  his  history ;  but  having 
begun  at  Noah's  flood  was,  after  forty  years'  labour,  surprised 
by  death  while  narrating  the  exploits  of  the  Scipios,  B.C.  183. 


326 


CHAPTER  XL 
SOME  BISHOPS,  KINGS,  POPES,  AND  INQUISITORS. 

THEORY    OF    THE    UNITY    OF    THE    CLERGY. 

The  clergy,  including  the  monks  and  friars,  were  one  throughout 
Latin  Christendom.  Whatever  antagonism,  feud,  hatred,  and 
estrangement  might  rise  between  rival  prelates,  rival  priests, 
rival  orders,  whatever  irreconcilable  jealousy  there  might  be 
between  the  seculars  and  regulars,  yet  the  caste  seldom  betrayed 
the  interest  of  the  caste.  The  clergy  in  general  were  first  the 
subjects  of  the  Pope,  then  the  subjects  of  their  temporal  sovereign. 
The  Pope  came  to  be  acknowledged  over  the  whole  of  Christendom 
as  the  guardian,  and  in  some  respects  the  suzerain,  of  Church 
property  all  over  the  world.  He  was  at  least  a  more  impartial 
judge  than  their  rival  or  antagonist — the  civil  ruler.  The  uni- 
versal fraternity  ef  the  monastic  orders  and  of  the  friars  was  even 
more  intimate  than  the  bond  between  the  clergy.  The  wander- 
ing friars  found  everywhere  a  home.  Their  all-comprehending 
fraternisation  had  the  power  and  some  of  the  mystery,  without 
the  suspicion  and  hatred,  which  attaches  to  secret  societies.  It 
was  a  perpetual  campaign,  set  in  motion  and  still  moving  on  with 
simultaneous  impulse  from  one  or  from  several  centres,  but  with 
a  single  aim  and  object — the  aggrandisement  of  the  society,  with 
all  the  results  for  evil  or  for  good. 

the  supremacy  of  the  pope  in  the  middle  ages. 
Milman  says :  "  The  essential  inherent  supremacy  of  the  spiritual 
over  the  temporal  power  was  in  the  time  of  Innocent  III.  (1198 — 
1216)  an  integral  part  of  Christianity.  Splendid  indeed  it  was, 
as  harmonising  with  man's  natural  sentiment  of  order.  The 
unity  of  the  vast  Christian  republic  was  an  imposing  conception, 
which,  even  now  that  history  has  shown  its  hopeless  impossibility, 
still  infatuates  lofty  minds  :  its  impossibility,  since  it  demands  for 


Chap,  xi.]  THE   POPE'S   AUTHORITY.  327 

its  head  not  merely  that  infallibility  in  doctrine  so  boldly  claimed 
in  later  times,  but  absolute  impeccability  in  every  one  of  its 
possessors ;  more  than  impeccability — an  all-commanding,  inde- 
feasible, unquestionable  majesty  of  virtue,  holiness,  and  wisdom. 
Without  this  it  is  a  baseless  tyranny,  a  senseless  usurpation.  In 
those  days  it  struck  in  with  the  whole  feudal  system,  which  was 
of  strict  gradation  and  subordination ;  to  the  hierarchy  of  Chinch 
and  State  was  equally  wanting  the  crown,  the  sovereign  Liege 
Lord.  The  Crusades  had  made  the  Pope  not  merely  the  spiritual 
but  in  some  sort  the  military  suzerain  of  Europe.  He  had  the 
power  of  summoning  all  Christendom  to  his  banner ;  the  raising 
of  the  cross,  the  standard  of  the  Pope,  was  throughout  Europe  a 
general  and  compulsory  levy.  The  vast  subventions  raised  for 
the  Holy  Land  were  to  a  certain  extent  at  the  disposal  of  the  Pope. 
An  immense  financial  system  grew  up.  Papal  collectors  were  in 
every  land ;  Papal  bankers  in  every  capital  to  transmit  these 
subsidies.  He  claimed  to  be  supreme  judge  of  all  the  ecclesiastical 
courts  in  every  country,  and  to  approve  and  degrade  bishops,  to 
grant  dispensations,  and  to  found  new  orders  and  direct  canonisa- 
tions. This  claim  of  supremacy  made  lawless  kings  tremble,  and 
in  this  way  did  some  good.  Nothing  could  be  more  sublime  than 
the  notion  of  a  great  supreme  religious  power,  the  representa- 
tive of  God's  eternal  and  immutable  justice  upon  earth,  absolutely 
above  all  passion  or  interest,  interposing  with  the  commanding 
voice  of  authority  in  the  quarrels  of  kings  and  nations,  persuading 
peace  by  the  unimpeachable  impartiality  of  its  judgments,  and 
even  invested  with  power  to  enforce  its  unerring  d<  en  es.  But 
the  sublimity  of  the  notion  depends  on  the  arbiter's  absolute 
exemption  from  the  unextinguishable  weaknesses  of  human  nature. 
If  the  tribunal  commands  not  unquestioning  respect,  if  there  be 
the  slightest  just  suspicion  of  partiality,  if  it  goes  beyond  its 
lawful  province,  if  it  has  no  power  of  compelling  obedience,  it 
adds  but  another  element  to  the  general  confusion ;  it  is  a 
partisan  eidisted  on  one  side  or  the  other,  not  a  mediator  con- 
ciliating conflicting  interests  or  overawing  the  collision  of  factions. 
Yet  such  was  the  Papal  power  in  these  times  :  often,  no  doubt, 
on  the  side  of  justice  and  humanity — too  often  on  the  other  ; 
looking  to  the  interests  of  the  Church  alone,  assumed,  but  assumed 
without  ground,  to  be  the  same  as  those  of  Christendom  and 
mankind,  the  representative  of  fallible  man  rather  than  of  the 
infallible  God.  Ten  years  of  strife  and  civil  war  in  Germany 
were  traced,  if  not  to  the  direct  instigation,  to  the  inflexible 
obstinacy  of  Pope  Innocent  III." 


328  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 


THE    ELECTION    OF    POPES. 

Under  the  first  Christian  princes  the  chair  of  St.  Peter,  like 
the  throne  of  other  bishops,  was  submitted  to  a  popular  election, 
and  constant  tumults  attended  these,  owing  to  the  vague  and 
unsettled  views  of  the  voters.  The  voters  were  the  clergy,  the 
nobility,  the  heads  of  monasteries,  and  the  common  people,  who 
all  voted  indiscriminately  by  the  show  of  hands  or  counting  of 
heads.  In  1179  Pope  Alexander  III.  abolished  the  popular  mode 
of  election,  and  assigned  the  sole  right  of  election  to  the  College  of 
Cardinals,  or  two-thirds  of  their  number.  The  number  of  cardinals 
seldom  exceeded  twenty-five,  till  the  reign  of  Leo  X.  (1513).  By 
this  mode  of  election  a  double  choice  had  only  occurred  once  in 
six  hunched  years  after  Alexander  III.  In  1274  Gregory  X.,  by 
his  bull,  fixed  a  short  interval  for  filling  up  the  vacancy.  Nine 
days  were  allowed  for  the  obsequies  of  the  deceased  Pope  and 
the  arrival  of  the  absent  cardinals.  On  the  tenth  day  these  are 
each  sequestered  with  one  domestic  in  a  common  apartment,  or 
conclave,  without  any  separation  of  walls  or  curtains.  A  small 
window  is  reserved  for  the  introduction  of  necessaries ;  but  the 
door  is  locked  on  both  sides  and  guarded  by  the  magistrates  of 
the  city,  so  as  to  exclude  all  correspondence  with  the  world.  If 
the  election  is  not  accomplished  in  three  days,  the  tables  are 
restricted  to  a  single  dish  at  dinner  and  supper.  After  the 
eighth  day  the  food  is  reduced  to  a  scanty  allowance  of  bread, 
water,  and  wine.  During  the  vacancy  the  cardinals  are  pro- 
hibited from  touching  the  revenues  or  government  of  the  Church, 
and  all  agreements  between  the  electors  are  null  and  void.  It 
is  said  that  the  cardinals  have  three  modes  of  election:  (1)  by 
scrutiny ;  (2)  by  compromise ;  (3)  by  inspiration.  By  the  first 
mode  three  of  a  committee  take  the  vote  of  each  elector  in  secret, 
and  two-thirds  carry  the  election.  By  the  second  mode  each  on 
oath  pledges  himself  to  agree  to  whatever  candidate  three  others 
selected  from  the  whole  may  select.  By  the  third  method,  when 
all  agree  without  a  dissentient  on  one  name,  this  is  deemed  to  be 
by  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Or  if  two-thirds  unanimously 
salute  one  candidate  as  Pope,  this  is  called  an  election  by  adoration. 

ORIGIN    AND    DRESS    OF    CARDINALS. 

The  name  of  cardinal  was  merely  a  synonym  for  presbyter  and 
deacon,  and  came  to  be  given  specially  to  those  rectors  or  presbyters 
whom  the  Pope  made  use  of  in  the  government  of  the  Churches 
in  Rome.     Till  the  end  of  the  tenth  century  these  cardinals  were 


Chap,  xi.]  A    BISHOP   DEGRADED.  329 

of  lower  rank  than  the  bishops  who  met  in  Church  councils.  The 
rectors  of  the  seven  Churches  which  were  situated  nearest  to  Rome 
and  helped  the  Pope  in  celebrations  of  the  liturgy  began  at  first 
to  be  called  Roman  bishops,  and  in  the  eleventh  century  cardinal 
bishops  of  the  Lateran  Church,  as  being  assistants  in  Divine 
service  in  the  Lateran  Church.  By  degrees  these  began  to 
obtain  precedence  over  other  bishops.  In  1059  they  were  allowed 
to  have  the  chief  voice  in  electing  the  Pope,  and  their  authoi  ity 
was  continually  increasing,  and  in  the  twelfth  century  the  election 
of  a  Pope  was  taken  away  from  the  people  and  clergy  of  Rome 
and  vested  in  the  cardinals  exclusively.  After  that  the  cardinals 
used  to  be  called  the  "  Pope's  holy  senate,"  "  princes  of  the  world," 
and  "  judges  of  the  earth,"  taking  precedence  of  all  other  bishops. 
In  the  fourteenth  century  the  number  of  cardinals  was  fixed  by 
Urban  VI.  and  directed  not  to  exceed  twenty  ;  in  another  century 
they  became  twenty-four;  in  1514  they  reached  thirty-nine,  and 
in  1535  reached  to  forty,  and  then  to  seventy.  They  began  in 
the  thirteenth  century  to  wear  a  purple  dress  and  a  red  hat, 
which  in  shape  was  like  a  very  small  cap,  with  scaro  ly  any  In  ini. 
A  silk  mitre  of  damascene  work  and  a  red  hood  followed. 

PAUL    OF    SAMOSATA,    THE    DEGRADED    BISHOP    (A.D.    260). 

When  the  severity  of  persecution  relaxed  in  the  first  three 
centuries,  the  effect  was  seen  in  the  growing  vice  of  unprincipled 
persons  assuming  the  Christian  religion  and  using  it  as  a  cloak 
for  licentiousness.  One  Paul  of  Samosata  was  made  Bishop  of 
Antioch  in  2 GO,  and  contrived  to  make  the  service  of  the  Church 
a  lucrative  profession.  He  extorted  frequent  contributions  from 
the  faithful,  and  appropriated  to  his  own  use  much  of  the  public 
revenue.  His  pride  and  luxury  soon  made  liim  odious.  Crowds 
of  suppliants  and  petitioners  frequented  his  house  for  evil  ends. 
When  he  harangued  his  people  from  the  pulpit,  he  affected  the 
figurative  style  and  theatrical  gestures  of  an  Asiatic  sophist, 
whilst  the  cathedral  resounded  with  the  loudest  and  most  extra- 
vagant acclamations  in  the  praise  of  his  Divine  eloquence.  He  was 
arrogant,  rigid,  and  inexorable  to  his  enemies ;  but  he  relaxed  the 
discipline  and  lavished  the  treasure  of  the  Church  on  his  dependent 
clergy,  who  were,  like  himself,  given  up  to  dissipation.  Some 
errors  of  his  as  to  the  Trinity  excited  the  indignation  of  the  other 
bishops.  They  often  met  and  obtained  promises  and  treaties ; 
but  eighty  of  them  of  their  own  authority  took  on  themselves 
at  last  to  excommunicate  him  ;  and  as  they  did  so  somewhat 
irregularly,  it  took  four  years  to  turn  him  out   of  possession. 


330  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

The  Emperor  Aurelian  was  appealed  to ;  and  after  hearing  both 
sides,  he  resolved  to  execute  the  sentence  of  the  other  bishops, 
and  to  expel  Paul  from  the  possession  of  his  see. 

THE    DIGNITY    OF    EMPEROR    AND    THE    FIRST    ABDICATION    (A.D.    305). 

The  Emperor  Diocletian,  who  joined  in  303  in  a  persecution  of 
the  Christians,  and  who  died  in  313,  was  the  first  who  made  the 
throne  of  dazzling  splendour  in  the  eyes  of  the  people.  Up  to  his 
time  the  emperors  assumed  no  airs  and  talked  familiarly  to  the 
citizens.  But  Diocletian  introduced  the  Persian  habits,  which 
approached  adoration  towards  the  king.  Not  content  with  the 
robe  of  purple,  like  his  predecessors,  he  assumed  the  diadem,  a 
broad  white  fillet  set  with  pearls.  His  robes  were  silk  and  gold, 
his  shoes  studded  with  the  most  precious  gems.  The  avenues  of  the 
palace  were  guarded  by  schools  of  officials  and  the  interior  apart- 
ments by  eunuchs.  When  an  audience  was  allowed,  the  subject  was 
obliged  to  fall  prostrate  on  the  ground,  as  if  adoring  the  great  lord 
and  master.  The  whole  ceremony  resembled  a  theatrical  perform- 
ance. All  this  naturally  led  to  a  great  increase  of  taxation.  After 
enjoying  supreme  power  twenty- one  years,  this  emperor  had  the 
glory  of  giving  to  the  world  the  first  example  of  a  voluntary  resigna- 
tion, though  he  did  not,  like  his  successor  Charles  V.,  enter  a  monas- 
tery and  live  like  a  monk.  When  Diocletian  abdicated,  he  was  of 
the  age  of  fifty-five,  and  Charles  was  fifty-nine.  Diocletian  had, 
soon  after  the  ceremony  of  his  triumph,  caught  a  chill  during  the 
cold  and  rainy  winter  of  304,  which  brought  his  body  down  to  a 
state  of  emaciation  and  caused  him  to  seek  repose,  and  it  was  said 
that  he  was  averse  to  enforce  his  edict  against  the  Christians. 
The  ceremony  of  his  abdication  was  performed  in  a  spacious  plain, 
three  miles  from  Nicomedia.  He  ascended  a  lofty  throne,  and  in 
a  speech  full  of  reason  and  dignity  declared  his  intention.  As 
soon  as  he  divested  himself  of  the  purple,  he  withdrew  from  the 
public  gaze  and  in  a  covered  chariot  to  his  favourite  retirement 
of  Salona,  in  Dalmatia,  his  native  country.  He  spent  his  leisure 
hours  in  building,  planting,  and  gardening.  He  prided  himself 
on  his  cabbages ;  but  he  covered  ten  acres  of  ground  with  his  new 
palace,  and  it  was  said  that  the  stately  rooms  had  neither  windows 
nor  chimneys,  but  were  heated  with  pipes.  It  was  said  to  be 
doubtful  how  he  died  in  313,  some  surmising  that  it  was  by 
suicide. 

AN    EARLY    BISHOP    BUILDING    A    WORKHOUSE    (A.D.    373). 

Though  the  care  of  the  poor  was  long  viewed  as  properly  falling 


Chap,  xi.]  EARLY   BISHOPS.  331 

under  the  province  of  the  Church,  ami  after  the  time  of  Elizabeth 
it  was  transferred  by  English  law  to  the  occupiers  of  lands  in 
each  parish,  a  great  outcry  was  made  against  St.  Basil,  Bishop  of 
Csesarea,  about  373,  for  establishing  a  large  workhouse  or  hospital. 
The  Phocotropheion,  or  hospital,  for  the  reception  and  relief  of 
the  poor,  was  erected  by  Basil  in  the  suburbs  of  Caesarea.  His 
enemies  denounced  this  project  to  the  governor  of  the  province 
as  a  dangerous  innovation.  It  was  called  sometimes  "  the  new 
town,"  and  at  a  later  date  the  Basilead,  after  its  founder.  It 
was  a  gigantic  structure,  and  included  a  church,  a  palace  for  the 
bishop,  residences  for  the  clergy ;  hospices  for  the  poor,  sick,  and 
wayfarers ;  workshops  for  the  artisans  and  labourers  connected 
with  the  building,  and  their  apprentices.  There  was  also  a 
special  department  for  lepers,  with  arrangements  for  their  proper 
mechcal  treatment,  and  great  care  was  taken  of  these  loathsome 
patients.  By  this  enormous  establishment  Basil's  enemies  said 
he  was  aiming  at  an  invasion  of  the  civil  power.  But  he 
adroitly  parried  the  accusation  by  pointing  out  that  there  were 
also  apartments  in  his  establishment  provided  for  the  governor 
of  the  province,  and  that,  after  all,  the  chief  glory  of  the  struc- 
ture would  redound  to  the  latter.  This  view  pacified  the  angry 
critics. 

TWO    BISHOPS    STRIVING    FOR    A    CHURCH    SITE    (A.D.    420). 

About  420  two  bishops  in  Libya  had  set  their  hearts  on  secur- 
ing, as  a  site  for  a  new  church,  a  place  which  had  been  formerly 
kept  as  a  strong  refuge,  well  fortified  against  the  incursions  of 
the  barbarians.  Each  intended  to  convert  it  into  a  magnificent 
temple  according  to  a  plan  of  his  own.  In  order  to  secure  the 
spot  one  of  them  resorted  to  the  following  stratagem  :  He  pressed 
his  way  in  by  force,  caused  an  altar  to  be  instantly  set  up,  and 
then  and  there  consecrated  upon  it  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper.  According  to  the  superstition  or  settled  faith  of  the 
time,  this  was  deemed  equivalent  to  consecration,  after  which 
the  place  could  not  be  used  for  any  secular  purpose  of  social  life. 
When  this  incident  was  reported  by  Bishop  Synesius  to  Theophilus, 
Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  he  condemned  it  as  sharp  practice 
and  a  debasing  of  holy  things  to  unworthy  purposes,  most  un- 
becoming to  any  genuine  Christian. 

HOW    BISHOPS    WERE    MADE    IN    THE    FIFTH    CENTURY    (A.D.    448). 

Germanus  of  Auxerre  was  born  in  380,  of  high  family  ami 
rich.     He  was  educated  as  a  lawyer,  soon  became  an  advocate, 


332  CURIOSITIES     OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

next  married  a  wealthy  lady,  and  was  appointed  to  a  high  office 
as  Governor-General.  His  great  delight  was  then  in  hunting, 
and  he  used  to  hang  up  all  the  heads  of  the  beasts  he  killed  on  a 
pear  tree.  The  bishop,  St.  Amator,  used  to  reprove  him  for  this 
weakness ;  and  one  day,  in  the  absence  of  Germanus,  the  bishop 
cut  down  the  pear  tree  as  a  remnant  of  superstition.  Germanus, 
on  his  return,  was  furious  with  rage,  and  threatened  the  bishop 
with  death.  But  the  bishop  knew  by  revelation  that  his  own 
end  was  near,  and  that  Germanus  was  destined  to  be  his  successor. 
St.  Amator  went  away  to  the  Prefect,  and  asked  leave  to  perform 
the  tonsure  on  Germanus.  Leave  being  given,  St.  Amator  assem- 
bled his  people,  told  them  of  his  end,  and  bade  them  choose  a 
successor  and  repair  to  the  church.  When  they  were  there,  he 
ordered  the  doors  to  be  locked ;  and  collecting  a  crowd  of  clergy 
and  nobles,  they  seized  Germanus  by  force,  cut  off  his  hair,  and 
stripped  him  of  his  secular  garments,  clothed  him  as  a  deacon, 
and  told  him  he  was  to  be  next  bishop  after  St.  Amator. 
St.  Amator  died  a  few  days  afterwards,  and  the  clergy  and 
people  elected  Germanus,  and  he  was  obliged  to  act,  though  very 
reluctant.  When  elected,  however,  he  became  another  man. 
He  embraced  a  life  of  poverty;  sold  off  all  his  goods;  gave  up 
wine,  oil,  vinegar,  salt,  and  even  wheaten  bread,  living  entirely 
on  barley  meal,  which  he  made  by  his  own  labour.  He  ate  his 
frugal  meal  only  once  a  day,  and  sometimes  only  once  a  week. 
He  lay  on  a  box  bed  filled  with  ashes  with  his  clothes  on  and  in 
his  hair  shirt.  He  carried  always  a  httle  box  suspended  on 
his  breast,  having  hi  it  relics  of  saints.  He  distributed  all  his 
property  among  the  poor,  founded  several  monasteries,  discovered 
the  sepulchres  of  several  martyrs,  and  worked  many  miracles. 
He  died  in  448. 

A    FIFTH-CENTURY   BISHOP   VISITING   HIS    FRIENDS    (A.D.    471). 

Sidonius  Apollinaris,  elected  bishop  of  Auvergne  in  471,  and 
the  son-in-law  of  the  Emperor  Avitus,  thus  wrote  to  Donidius  : 
"  In  visiting  this  delightful  country  I  have  passed  a  time  of  the 
greatest  enjoyment  with  my  kind  and  polite  friends  Ferreolus  and 
Apollinaris,  who  are  near  neighbours.  On  the  morning  of  each  day 
there  was  an  agreeable  contention  between  our  hosts  whose  kitchen 
should  first  begin  to  smoke  with  the  good  things  to  be  prepared  for 
us.  Thus  we  hurried  from  one  entertainment  to  another.  Hardly 
had  we  passed  the  threshold  when,  behold,  regular  matches  of 
tennis-players  within  the  circular  enclosures,  and  the  frequent 
noise  and  rattling  of  dice,  with  the  clamours  of  the  players.     In 


Chap,  xi.]  EARLY    BISHOPS.  333 

another  part  were  placed  such  an  abundance  of  books  ready  for 
use,  that  you  might  suppose  yourself  in  the  libraries  of  the 
grammarians,  or  among  the  benches  of  the  Roman  Athenaeum. 
After  these  studies  a  messenger  fron  the  chief  cook  reminded  us 
punctually  at  the  third  hour  that  dinner  was  on  the  table.  This 
copious  repast  was  served  up  in  few  dishes,  although  there  were 
both  roast  and  boiled.  Little  stories  were  told  while  we  were 
taking  our  wine,  which  conveyed  delight  and  instruction  as  they 
happened  to  be  dicta  ted  by  experience  or  gaiety.  We  were  decor- 
ously, eloquent  ly,  and  abundantly  entertained.  Having  shaken  oft' 
our  after-dinner  nap,  we  amused  ourselves  with  a  short  i"ide  to  get 
an  appetite  for  our  supper.  We  then  repaired  to  the  hot  baths,  and 
passed  an  hour  or  two  in  the  midst  of  much  wit  and  merriment, 
during  which  we  were  all  thrown  into  a  most  salubrious  perspira- 
tion, being  enveloped  in  the  steam  as  it  came  hissing  from  the 
water.  When  we  had  been  suffused  with  this  long  enough,  we 
were  plunged  into  the  hot  water;  and  being  well  cleansed  and 
refreshed,  we  were  afterwards  braced  by  an  abundance  of  cold 
water  from  the  river  Viardus,  a  transparent  and  gentle  stream 
abounding  in  delicate  fish.  I  might  go  on  and  give  you  a  descrip- 
tion of  our  sumptuous  suppers  did  not  my  paper  put  a  stop  to  my 
loquacity." 

A    BISHOP    PUTTING    DOWN    SOOTHSAYERS    (.' .D.    500). 

Caesarius,  Bishop  of  Aries,  was  born  in  470,  and  in  course  of 
his  career  sought  to  suppress  the  then  growing  superstition  of 
seeking  for  oracles  in  passages  of  Scripture.  The  first  trace 
of  the  abuse  was  found  by  St.  Augustine,  who  said  :  "  Although 
it  is  to  be  wished  that  those  who  seek  their  fortunes  out  of  the 
Gospels  would  rather  do  this  than  run  to  ask  their  idols,  yet  this 
custom  displeases  me — the  wishing  to  use  the  Word  of  God,  which 
speaks  in  reference  to  another  life,  for  worldly  concerns  and  the 
vain  objects  of  the  present  life."  The  clergy  joined  in  this  idle 
superstition.  In  doubtful  earthly  concerns  persons  would  lay 
down  a  Bible  in  a  church  upon  the  altar,  or  especially  upon  the 
grave  of  a  saint,  would  fast  and  pray,  and  invoke  the  saint  that 
he  would  indicate  the  future  by  a  passage  of  Scripture,  and 
sought  for  the  answer  in  the  first  passage  which  met  the  eye  on 
opening  the  Bible.  Caesarius  promoted  a  decree  against  this 
practice  at  the  Council  of  Agde  in  508,  which  excluded  from 
Church  communion  all  persons,  both  of  the  clergy  and  laity,  who 
practised  divination  under  the  semblance  of  religion,  or  promised 
a  disclosure  of  the  future  by  looking  into  the  Scriptures. 


■) 


334  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

A    BISHOP    ZEALOUS    IN    RELEASING    PRISONERS    (A.D.    500). 

In  the  turbulent  age  when  Bishop  Csesarius  lived,  about  A.D.  500, 
a  great  number  of  prisoners  were  brought  into  the  city  of  Aries, 
and  the  bishop  used  all  his  power  in  providing  clothing,  food,  and 
money  to  purchase  their  freedom.  It  is  related  that,  after  ex- 
hausting the  church  chest  and  selling  the  gold  and  silver  vessels, 
he  stripped  the  walls  and  pillars  of  the  church  in  order  to  raise 
money.  One  day  the  steward  suggested  that  all  the  funds  were 
gone,  and  nothing  was  left  except  to  send  out  the  prisoners  into 
the  streets  to  beg.  Before  taking  this  extreme  step  the  bishop 
went  into  his  cell,  and  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  grant  supplies 
for  the  poor.  He  then  returned  with  a  cheerful  face,  and  reproved 
the  steward  for  his  want  of  faith,  telling  him  to  bake  the  last 
grain  of  corn  into  bread,  that  they  might  all  have  one  meal 
together,  so  that  they  might  be  able  to  fast  the  following  day. 
This  was  done,  and  the  next  day  was  looked  forward  to  by  all 
with  great  anxiety ;  but  in  the  early  morning  three  vessels  hove 
in  sight,  laden  with  corn,  which  the  Burgundian  kings  Gundobad 
and  Sigismund  had  sent  to  Caasarius  in  aid  of  his  good  work,  and 
so  all  were  relieved  from  a  critical  situation.  Another  time  a 
poor  man  asked  the  bishop  for  money  to  ransom  a  captive,  and 
the  bishop  went  to  fetch  his  sacerdotal  dress,  and  gave  it  to  be 
sold  for  a  price  to  set  the  captive  free. 

THE    KING    OF    THE    GAULS    PERSUADED   TO    BE    CHRISTIAN    (A.D.   500). 

Clovis  I.,  King  of  the  Gauls,  who  died  in  511,  and  who  by 
successful  battles  made  a  kingdom  for  himself,  had  been  brought 
up  a  Pagan  till  his  thirteenth  year.  He  married  Clotilda,  niece 
of  the  Arian  King  of  Burgundy,  and  she  felt  bound  to  convert 
her  husband.  Bemigius,  Bishop  of  Rheims,  was  induced  to  explain 
the  advantages  of  the  Christian  faith,  whereupon  Clovis  and 
three  thousand  of  his  subjects  were  at  once  baptised  with  great 
solemnity.  When  he  was  told  of  the  sufferings  and  death  of 
Christ,  he  broke  out  into  a  passion,  and  exclaimed,  "  Had  I  been 
present  at  the  head  of  my  valiant  Franks,  I  would  have  revenged 
His  injuries."  The  King,  however,  had  many  battles  still  to 
fight,  and  lived  a  turbulent  life,  but  was  disposed  to  confide  in 
future  in  the  protection  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  The  sepulchre  of 
St.  Martin  of  Tours  was  then  the  centre  of  pious  interest  from 
the  multitude  of  miracles,  and  the  King  made  rich  offerings  to 
the  saint,  whom  he  sometimes  described  as  a  rather  expensive 
friend.     For  he  had  made  a  present  of  his  war-horse  after  a  great 


Chap,  xi.]  EARLY   BISHOPS.  335 

victory,  and  on  wishing  to  redeem  it  by  the  gift  of  a  hundred 
pieces  of  gold,  the  enchanted  horse  refused  to  leave  its  stable  till 
he  had  doubled  the  sum  offered.  In  his  pursuit  of  the  expedition 
against  the  Goths,  and  during  his  march  from  Paris  through 
Tours,  he  directed  his  messengers  to  remark  the  words  of  the 
psalm  which  should  happen  to  be  chanted  at  the  precise  moment 
when  they  entered  the  church.  It  happened  that  the  words  were 
about  Joshua  who  went  forth  to  battle  against  the  enemies  of 
the  Lord.  This  greatly  encouraged  the  army.  A  white  hart  of 
great  size  and  beauty  was  also  noticed  to  guide  the  troops  in 
the  right  direction,  and  a  flaming  meteor  appeared  in  the  air 
above  the  cathedral  of  Poitiers.  With  these  good  omens  Clovia 
went  on  conquering  till  he  established  on  a  sure  foundation  the 
kingdom  of  France.  A  diadem  was  placed  on  his  head,  and  he 
was  invested  in  the  church  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours  with  a  purple 
tunic  and  mantle. 

HOW    THE    POPE    GOT    RIO    OF    A    PESTILENCE    (a.D.    590). 

St.  Michael  being  the  archangel,  captain  of  the  heavenly  host 
who  chained  the  revolted  angels,  and  the  patron  saint  of  the 
Church  militant,  had  a  church  dedicated  to  him  in  Eome  before 
500.  It  is  also  related  that  when  Rome  was  depopulated  by  a 
pestilence  in  the  sixth  century,  St.  Gregory,  afterwards  Pope, 
advised  that  a  procession  should  be  made  through  the  streets  of 
the  city,  singing  the  service  since  called  the  Great  Litanies.  He 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  faithful,  and  during  three  days 
they  perambulated  the  city  ;  and  on  the  third  day,  when  they 
had  arrived  opposite  to  the  mole  of  Hadrian,  Gregory  beheld  the 
Archangel  Michael  alight  on  the  summit  of  that  monument,  and 
sheathe  his  sword  beclropped  with  blood.  Then  Gregory  knew 
that  the  plague  was  stayed,  and  a  church  was  dedicated  to  the 
honour  of  the  archangel ;  and  the  tomb  of  Hadrian  has  since 
been  called  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo  to  this  day. 

CHOOSING    A    SIXTH-CENTURY    ARCHBISHOP. 

The  See  of  Constantinople  once  became  vacant  in  the  sixth 
century  ;  and  to  prevent  troubles  and  secure  a  perfect  appointment, 
the  Emperor  caused  a  blank  paper,  sealed  with  his  own  seal,  to 
be  laid  on  the  altar  of  one  of  the  churches,  accompanied  by  a 
written  instrument,  by  which  he  and  the  clergy  of  Constantinople 
bound  themselves  to  choose  the  person  whose  name  should  be 
fount!  written  on  the  blank  paper  under  the  seal.     The  access  to 


33 G  CURIOSITIES  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

these  papers  was  guarded  night  and  day  by  soldiers  under  the 
command  of  the  great  chamberlain.  A  fast  was  enjoined  for 
forty  days,  during  which  time  prayers  were  unceasingly  offered 
up  for  the  choice  to  be  divinely  directed.  At  the  end  of  the 
forty  days,  the  paper  was  opened  in  the  presence  of  the  Emperor 
and  the  whole  body  of  the  clergy,  and  Fravitas  being  found  to 
be  the  name  written  on  the  blank  paper,  he  was  forthwith  pro- 
claimed Archbishop  of  Constantinople  amidst  loud  acclamations. 
It  so  happened  that  Fravitas  died  within  a  year  after  his  ordina- 
tion, leaving  debts  due  from  his  estate  for  large  sums  borrowed 
at  exorbitant  interest  from  money-lenders.  An  inquiry  into 
these  unlooked-for  circumstances  being  set  on  foot,  it  transpired 
that  the  money  had  been  borrowed  by  Fravitas  to  bribe  the  great 
chamberlain,  who  was  thereby  induced  to  open  the  paper,  and 
having  written  upon  it  the  name  of  Fravitas,  to  reseal  it  with 
the  imperial  seal,  of  which  he  was  the  official  keeper.  On  the 
discovery  of  the  cheat,  the  great  chamberlain  was  put  to  death 
and  his  estate  confiscated.  The  exposure  was  probably  of  some  use 
in  guarding  even  in  those  days  against  the  easy  access  of  pious 
imposture,  and  reflects  light  on  many  supposed  miracles  then  so 
frequently  occurring. 

POPE  GREGORY  THE  GREAT  POINTS  OUT  A  HARD  CASE  TO  THE 
EMPEROR  (A.D.  590). 

Gregory  the  Great,  before  being  elected  Pope  in  590,  had  been 
on  a  mission  to""  Constantinople,  and  then  gained  great  favour  at 
Court.  He  afterwards  thus  wrote  to  the  Empress  Constantina : 
"  Having  heard  that  there  are  many  Gentiles  in  the  island  of 
Sardinia,  and  that  according  to  their  depraved  custom  they  still 
sacrifice  to  idols,  and  that  the  priests  of  the  island  have  become 
lax  in  preaching  our  Redeemer,  I  sent  one  of  the  Italian  bishops 
there,  who  with  the  help  of  God  converted  many  of  these  Gentiles 
to  the  faith.  But  he  has  informed  me  of  a  sacrilegious  custom — 
namely,  that  those  who  sacrifice  to  idols  pay  a  tax  to  the  judge 
for  a  licence  to  do  so,  of  whom  some  now,  being  baptised,  have 
given  up  sacrificing  to  idols  ;  yet  still  this  tax  for  the  licence  is 
exacted  from  them  by  the  same  judge  even  after  baptism.  And 
when  he  was  found  fault  with  by  the  bishop  for  this,  he  answered 
that  he  had  bought  his  office  and  could  not  afford  to  keep  it  up 
unless  the  tax  were  paid.  And  the  island  of  Corsica  is  oppressed 
by  the  tax-gatherers  to  such  an  extent  that  the  inhabitants  can 
hardly  satisfy  these  demands  even  by  selling  their  own  children. 
All  which  things  I  am  quite  sure  have  never  reached  your  pious 


Chap,  xi.]  JOHX  THE   ALMSGIVER.  337 

ears ;  for  if  they  had,  they  would  not  have  lasted  till  now.  Make 
them  known  on  fitting  occasions  to  your  devout  lord,  that  he 
may  remove  such  a  heavy  load  of  sin  from  his  own  soul,  from  the 
Empire,  and  from  his  children.  Whoever  have  children  of  their 
own  should  know  well  how  to  feel  for  the  children  of  others. 
Let  it  therefore  be  enough  for  me  to  have  suggested  these  things, 
in  order  that  your  piety  may  not  he  ignorant  of  what  is  happen- 
ing in  those  parts,  and  I  might  not  be  arraigned  by  the  severe 
Judge  for  my  silence." 

JOHN    THE    ALMSGIVER    (A.D.    613). 

Matthew  of  Westminster  says  that  there  nourished  in  613 
John,  Archbishop  of  Alexandria,  who,  on  account  of  his  eminent 
liberality  to  the  poor  of  Christ,  deserved  to  obtain  the  surname 
of  the  Almsgiver.  And  it  happened  that  a  certain  foreigner, 
beholding  his  excessive  compassion  for  the  poor,  wishing  to  tempt 
him,  came  to  him  whilst  he  was  visiting  the  sick  according  to  hia 
custom,  and  said  to  him,  "  Pity  me,  because  I  am  poor  and  a 
prisoner."  And  the  patriarch  said  to  his  steward,  "  Give  him 
six  pieces  of  gold."  And  when  the  beggar  had  received  them,  he 
changed  his  dress,  and  coming  again  from  another  quarter  he  fell 
at  his  feet,  saying,  "  Have  mercy  upon  me,  because  I  am  tormented 
with  hunger."  Again  the  patriarch  said  to  his  steward,  M  Give 
him  six  pieces  of  gold."  And  when  he  had  done  so,  his  steward 
whispered  in  the  ear  of  the  patriarch,  "  Master,  he  has  now 
received  twice  to-day."  He  came  again  a  third  time  and  asked 
alms;  and  the  servant  told  his  master  that  it  was  the  same  man. 
And  that  merciful  bishop  said,  "  Give  lum  twelve  pieces  of  gold, 
lest  perchance  he  be  Christ  Himself,  who  is  come  to  tempt  me." 

ST.    JOHN    THE    ALMONER'S    SENTIMENTS    (a.D.    609). 

This  John  the  Almoner  became  the  last  Patriarch  of  Alexandria, 
his  reputation  for  piety  prevailing  with  the  Emperor  as  well  as 
the  people  who  joined  in  the  appointment.  His  zeal  in  redeeming 
captives,  establishing  hospitals,  and  rebiulding  churches  was  Boon 
displayed.  He  would  not  allow  applicants  for  charity  to  be  denied 
because  they  wore  golden  ornaments,  saying  that  the  riches  of 
God  were  infinite.  During  a  famine  a  rich  man  offered  to  supply 
a  vast  store  of  grain  for  public  use  provided  he  was  made  a  deacon. 
John  spurned  the  offer,  saying,  "God,  who  supported  the  poor  before 
either  of  us  was  born,  can  find  the  means  of  supporting  them 
now.      He  who  blessed  the  five  loaves  and  multiplied  them  can 

99 


338  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

bless  and  multiply  the  two  measures  of  corn  which  remain  in  my 
granary."  Scarcely  had  the  tempting  bait  been  refused,  when 
tidings  came  that  two  large  cargoes  of  grain  had  arrived  in  the 
ships  belonging  to  the  Church.  Though  John  had  vast  stores 
intrusted  to  him  for  dispensing  to  the  public,  his  own  fare  was 
poor  and  simple,  and  the  couch  on  which  he  slept  was  no  better 
than  an  artisan's.  One  day  a  rich  friend  purchased  and  presented 
to  him  a  magnificent  bed ;  and  John,  being  unwilling  to  hurt  the 
donor's  feelings,  accepted  it ;  but  after  using  it  one  night  he  said 
it  hindered  his  sleep  by  reminding  him  of  his  slothfulness  and 
luxury,  while  so  many  poor  were  lying  in  cold  and  misery.  He 
therefore  sold  the  bed  and  gave  away  the  proceeds  in  charity. 
The  original  donor,  however,  repurchased  it,  and  presented  it 
again,  with  the  same  result ;  and  this  took  place  a  third  time. 
When  he  saw  that  the  Persians  were  advancing  and  that  Alexan- 
dria must  fall  into  their  hands  he  retired  to  Cyprus,  but  on  his 
way  was  strongly  urged  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Emperor  Heraclius 
at  Constantinople.  He  was  about  to  comply,  but  was  forewarned 
in  a  dream  that  his  own  end  was  approaching,  whereupon  he  said 
to  the  royal  messenger,  "  You  invite  me  to  the  Emperor  of  the 
earth,  but  the  King  of  kings  summons  me  elsewhere."  He  died 
at  his  native  place  at  Amathus,  in  Cyprus,  aged  sixty-four,  in 
620,  and  his  tomb  was  long  visited  by  pilgrims. 

A    KING    GIVING    THE    BISHOP    A    HORSE    (A.D.    650). 

King  Oswin  of  Northumbria,  says  Bede,  was  comely  to  behold, 
tall  in  stature,  and  courteous  and  bountiful  to  all.  One  day  he 
gave  an  excellent  horse  to  Bishop  Aidan,  so  that  the  latter  might 
cross  rivers  and  perform  journeys  in  his  diocese.  Soon  after,  a 
poor  man  meeting  the  bishop  and  asking  alms,  the  bishop  dis- 
mounted and  gave  the  horse,  richly  caparisoned,  to  the  beggar. 
The  King  heard  of  this,  and  next  day  at  dinner  said,  "  How  was 
it,  lord  bishop,  that  you  gave  away  that  fine  horse  to  a  beggar 
man  ?  Have  we  not  many  horses  less  valuable  that  would  have 
suited  the  man  just  as  well  ?  "  The  bishop's  answer  was,  "  Surely, 
King,  the  foal  of  a  mare  cannot  be  dearer  to  you  than  that  son 
of  God  ?  "  This  sunk  into  the  heart  of  the  King,  who,  reflecting 
upon  it,  ungirded  his  sword,  and  threw  himself  at  the  bishop's 
feet,  desiring  that  the  bishop  would  forgive  his  hasty  remark,  for 
he  would  never  again  attempt  to  judge  what  or  how  much  he 
might  give  to  the  sons  of  God.  The  bishop  in  turn  begged  the 
King  to  rise  and  be  cheerful,  but  it  was  noticed  that  the  bishop 
was  in  tears,  as  he  knew  that  the  King  would  not  live  long,  for 


Chap,  xi.]  AN   EIGHTH-CENTURY   BISHOP.  339 

the  nation  was  not  worthy  to  have  such  a  ruler.  Not  long  after 
the  King  was  killed,  as  the  bishop  foresaw,  and  the  bishop  himself 
lived  only  twelve  days  afterwards. 

A    KING    IMPRESSED    BY    A    CHRISTIAN'S    SCRUPLES    (A.D.    640). 

Bishop  Eligius  of  Noyon,  who  was  born  in  588,  was  anxious  to 
found  a  monastery,  and  requested  the  French  King  to  grant  him 
a  piece  of  land  as  a  site.  The  King  consented,  but  Eligius  after- 
wards discovered  that  he  had  misrepresented  the  extent  of  the 
ground  to  be  a  foot  less  than  it  actually  measured.  This  vexed 
the  bishop  exceedingly,  and  he  could  not  rest  till  he  had  gone  to 
the  King  to  inform  him  of  the  mistake.  The  King  said  to  the 
bystanders,  "  See,  what  a  noble  thing  is  Christian  integrity  !  My 
nobles  and  treasurers  amass  great  wealth  for  themselves,  and  this 
servant  of  Christ,  on  account  of  his  fidelity  to  his  Lord,  could  not 
be  easy  till  he  had  accounted  for  this  extra  handful  of  earth." 
On  another  occasion  the  King  had  required  Eligius  to  take  an 
oath  in  reference  to  some  matter  of  business ;  and  according  to 
the  custom  of  the  times,  this  required  to  be  done  by  laying  the 
witness's  hand  on  certain  relics.  The  bishop's  conscience  was 
troubled  at  this  requirement,  which  was  contrary  to  his  settled 
convictions.  At  last  the  King  was  touched  with  this  mark  of 
tender  religious  feeling,  and  graciously  expressed  his  consent  to 
waive  the  formality,  and  declared  that  he  would  be  quite  content 
to  believe  his  word  in  preference  to  any  number  of  oaths. 

A    MODEL    CHURCHMAN    OF    THE    EIGHTH    CENTURY    (A.D.    740). 

The  Venerable  Bede  in  his  history  thus  describes  St.  Acca, 
Bishop  of  Hexham,  who  lived  about  740  :  "  He  was  a  most 
active  man,  and  great  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man ;  he  much 
adorned  and  added  to  the  structure  of  his  church  dedicated  to  St. 
Andrew.  For  he  made  it  his  business,  and  does  so  still,  to  procure 
relics  of  the  blessed  Apostles  and  martyrs  of  Christ  from  all  parts 
to  place  them  on  altars,  dividing  the  same  by  arches  in  the  walls 
of  the  church.  Besides  which  he  diligently  gathered  the  histories 
of  their  sufferings,  together  with  other  ecclesiastical  writings,  and 
created  there  a  very  large  and  noble  library.  He  likewise  pro- 
vided industriously  the  holy  vessels,  lights,  and  such  things  as 
pertain  to  the  adornment  of  the  house  of  God.  He  also  invited 
to  come  to  him  a  famous  singer  named  Maban,  who  had  been 
taught  to  sing  by  the  successors  of  the  disciples  of  the  blessed 
Gregory  in  Kent,  so  that  the  clergy  should  be  well  instructed  in 


340  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

music,  and  kept  hiui  twelve  years,  to  teach  such  sacred  songs  as 
were  not  known  and  to  restore  those  which  had  been  corrupted 
or  too  long  neglected.  Bishop  Acca  was  a  most  accomplished 
singer  himself,  and  most  learned  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  most 
pure  in  the  confession  of  the  Catholic  faith,  and  most  observant 
of  the  laws  of  the  Church  ;  nor  did  he  ever  cease  to  bs  so  till 
he  received  the  reward  of  his  pious  devotion."  It  is  related  of 
Aldhelm,  Bishop  of  Sherborne  about  710,  that  he  could  find  no 
better  mode  of  commanding  the  attention  of  his  townsmen  than 
by  standing  on  a  bridge  and  singing  a  ballad  which  he  had 
composed. 

WHY    THE    POPE'S    FOOT    IS    KISSED    (A.D.    795). 

Matthew  of  Westminster  relates  that  Pope  Leo  III.,  when  a 
young  man,  was  doing  penance  for  some  misconduct  before  the 
altar  of  the  Virgin,  that  he  suddenly  became  changed  into  another 
man,  and  afterwards  came  to  be  Pope.  When  he  was  celebrating 
Mass  for  the  first  time,  about  795,  offerings  of  great  value  were 
made  to  him.  And  among  those  who  brought  offerings,  a  woman 
whom  he  had  known  in  early  days  pressed  his  hand  so  warmly 
that  she  made  him  almost  forget  his  sacred  duties.  He  felt  so 
ashamed  that  he  cut  off  this  hand,  and  afterwards  the  Blessed 
Virgin  restored  a  new  hand  to  the  arm.  He  showed  long  after- 
wards the  old  hand,  which  still  remained  unclecayed,  to  his 
brethren,  and  narrated  to  them  all  that  had  happened  in  respect 
to  it.  Prom  that  time  a  rule  was  made,  that  henceforth  those 
who  brought  offerings  should  not  kiss  the  hand  of  the  Pope,  but 
his  foot.  In  memory  of  this  miracle  the  hand  which  was  cut  off 
was  still  preserved  (till  1300,  the  date  of  Matthew's  history)  in 
the  Lateran  treasury,  and  it  was  kept  free  from  decay  by  the 
Lord  in  honour  of  His  mother. 

AGOBARD  OF  LYONS  CENSURES  THE  CLERGY  (A.D.  850). 

Though  previously  some  attempts  had  been  made  to  check 
simony,  and  check  the  evils  of  the  vagrant  friars,  these  abuses 
reached  a  high  pitch  in  the  ninth  century,  as  Agobard,  Archbishop 
of  Lyons,  attested.  He  was  zealous  for  the  dignity  of  the 
spiritual  order  and  calling,  but  lamented  over  its  degradation. 
He  said  that  many  of  the  nobles  procured  the  most  unsuitable 
men,  sometimes  then  own  slaves,  to  be  ordained  as  priests,  and 
employed  these  mechanically  to  perform  the  rites  of  worship  in 
the  chapels  of  their  castles,  and  at  the  same  time  to  do  menial 
offices,   such  as  waiting  at  table  and  feeding  the  hounds.     The 


Chap,  xi.]  KING   ALFRED'S   STUDIES.  341 

bishops  assembled  at  Pavia  in  853  to  deliberate,  and  complained 
that  the  multiplication  of  chapels  in  castles  contributed  greatly 
to  the  decline  of  parochial  worship,  and  to  the  neglect  of  preaching, 
the  nobles  being  satisfied  with  the  mechanical  performance  of 
Jla>s  by  their  priests,  and  taking  no  further  concern  in  the 
public  worship;  whence  it  happened  that  the  parish  churches 
were  frequented  only  by  the  poor,  while  the  rich  and  noble  had 
no  opportunity  of  hearing  sermons  which  might  recall  their 
thoughts  from  their  debasing  worldly  pursuits.  The  council  of 
Pavia  again  in  850  made  a  canon  disapproving  of  the  laity  having 
the  Mass  celebrated  continually  in  their  houses,  and  encouraging 
those  ecclesiastics  and  monks  who  roved  from  one  district  to 
another,  disseminating  their  own  crude  errors  without  let  or 
hindrance. 

BISHOP    ST.    SWITHIN    (A.D.    867). 

Matthew  of  Westminster  says  that  St.  Swithin,  Bishop  of 
Winchester,  died  in  867,  a  pattern  of  clemency  and  humility. 
Once  he  was  sitting  on  Winchester  bridge  encouraging  bis  work- 
men, when  a  woman  came  along  bringing  her  eggs  to  market 
and  the  men  most  wantonly  sprang  at  her  and  broke  her  ^g'^- 
At  this  the  woman's  lamentations  wen'  so  piercing  that,  on 
learning  of  the  loss,  the  good  bishop,  moved  with  pity,  made  the 
sign  of  the  cross,  and  repaired  the  fractures.  The  great  humility 
of  the  bishop  was  shown  in  his  conduct  when  consecrating  a  new 
church.  However  great  the  distance,  he  would  walk  all  the  way 
on  foot,  refusing  the  use  of  horse  or  carriage  ;  and  Lest  this 
singularity  should  excite  ridicule,  he  took  care  to  travel  by  night. 
When  he  was  near  his  end,  he  enjoined  his  domestics  to  bury  his 
corpse  outside  his  church,  where  it  might  be  exposed  to  the  feet 
of  the  passers-by  and  to  the  raindrops  that  fell  from  the  roof. 

KING    ALFRED    ENTERTAINING    JOHN    SCOTUS    (a.D.  884). 

Simeon  of  Durham  says  that,  in  884,  when  Alfred  was  king, 
there  came  to  England  John  Scotus,  a  Scot  by  birth,  a  man  of 
clear  intellect  and  much  eloquence,  who,  leaving  his  country  some 
time  before,  had  gone  over  to  France  to  Charles  the  Bald.  Alfred 
received  him  with  great  respect,  and  John  soon  became  an  in- 
separable companion,  both  at  table  and  in  the  King's  retirement, 
owing  to  his  ready  wit  and  pleasantry.  One  day  at  dinner 
John  was  sitting  at  table  opposite  King  Charles,  who,  wlnle  the 
cups  were  going  round,  with  a  gay  face  had  chid  John  for  some 
want  of  politeness,  and  endtd  by  asking  what   difference  there 


342  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

was  between  a  Scot  and  a  sot.  John  at  once  cleverly  replied. 
"  Only  this  table."  On  another  occasion,  when  a  servant  had 
handed  to  the  King  at  table  a  dish  which  contained  two  very 
large  fishes  and  one  very  small,  the  King  gave  it  to  John  to  divide 
with  two  clerics  seated  beside  him.  The  clerics  were  both  of 
gigantic  stature,  while  John  was  very  little.  John  very  gravely 
kept  the  two  large  fishes  to  himself,  and  gave  the  little  fish  to 
the  two  giants.  The  King  at  once  challenged  this  as  a  most 
unfair  division ;  but  John  had  this  ready  excuse :  "  Nay,  I  have 
done  well  and  fairly.  Here  is  one  small  one,"  pointing  to  himself, 
"  and  there  are  two  large  ones,"  pointing  to  the  fishes.  And  then 
looking  at  the  two  clerics,  "  There  also  are  two  large  ones,  and," 
pointing  to  the  fish,  "  there  is  a  little  one."  John  had  translated 
some  Greek  authors  at  the  request  of  King  Charles,  and  therein 
made  observations  concerning  the  ranks  or  orders  of  celestial 
beings  which  the  Pope  urged  on  Charles  as  flat  heresy,  whereon 
John  grew  disgusted  with  France,  and  went  to  England,  allured 
by  the  munificence  of  King  Alfred,  and  settled  at  Malmesbury  ; 
but  his  pupils  there  greatly  worried  him  and  made  his  life  a 
burden.     He  was  highly  esteemed,  however,  after  his  death. 

KING    ALFRED    INVENTS    A    LANTERN    FOR    PIOUS    USES    (a.D.  890). 

Asser,  the  biographer,  after  stating  that  King  Alfred  was 
anxious  to  give  up  to  God  the  half  of  his  service,  bodily  and 
mental,  by  night  and  by  day,  and  was  at  a  loss  how  to  count  the 
hours,  continues  thus :  "  After  long  reflection  on  these  things, 
Alfred  at  length,  by  a  useful  and  shrewd  invention,  commanded  his 
chaplains  to  provide  wax  in  a  sufficient  quantity,  and  he  caused 
it  to  be  weighed  in  such  a  manner  that,  when  there  was  so  much 
of  it  in  the  scale  as  would  equal  the  weight  of  seventy-two  pence, 
he  caused  his  chaplains  to  make  six  candles  out  of  it  of  equal 
length,  so  that  each  candle  might  have  twelve  divisions  marked 
longitudinally  upon  it.  By  this  plan,  therefore,  those  six  candles 
burned  for  twenty-four  hours,  a  night  and  a  day  exactly,  before 
the  sacred  relics  of  God's  elect,  which  always  accompanied  the 
King  wherever  he  went.  But  sometimes  when  they  would  not 
continue  burning  a  whole  day  and  night  till  the  same  hour  that 
they  were  lighted  the  preceding  evening,  owing  to  the  violence 
of  the  wind  which  blew  day  and  night  without  intermission 
through  the  doors  and  windows  of  the  churches,  the  fissures  of 
the  partitions,  the  plankings  of  the  wall,  and  the  thin  canvas 
of  the  tents,  they  then  unavoidably  burnt  out,  and  finished  their 
course  before  the  appointed  time.     The  King  therefore  considered 


Chap,  xi.]  KING   ALFRED'S   STUDIES.  343 

by  what  means  he  could  shut  out  the  wind,  and  so  by  a  useful 
and  cunning  invention  he  ordered  a  lantern  to  be  beautifully 
constructed  of  wood  and  white  ox-horn,  which,  when  skilfully 
planed  till  it  is  thin,  is  no  less  transparent  than  a  vessel  of  glass. 
This  lantern,  therefore,  was  wonderfully  made  of  wood  and  horn, 
as  we  before  said,  and  by  night  a  candle  was  put  into  it,  which 
shone  as  brightly  without  as  within,  and  was  not  extinguished  by 
the  wind.  By  this  contrivance  six  candles  lighted  in  succession 
lasted  twenty-four  hours,  neither  more  nor  less  ;  and  the  King  gave 
up  to  God  the  half  of  his  daily  service  as  he  had  vowed." 

king  Alfred's  love  of  reading  (a.d.  890). 
Asser,  the  monk,  biographer,  and  friend  of  King  Alfred,  was 
born  in  Wales,  and  says  :  ;'  The  King  had  sent  for  me  toHsit  and 
take  up  my  residence  with  him.  I  was  honourably  received  by 
him,  and  remained  that  time  at  court  eight  months,  during 
which  I  read  to  him  whatever  books  he  liked  and  such  as  he  had 
at  hand,  for  this  was  his  most  usual  custom  night  ami  day  in  the 
midst  of  his  many  other  occupations  of  mind  and  body,  either 
himself  to  read  books  or  to  listen  whilst  others  read  them.  And 
when  I  frequently  asked  his  leave  to  depart,  and  could  in  no  way 
obtain  it,  at  length,  when  I  had  made  up  my  mind  by  all  means 
to  demand  it,  he  called  me  to  him  at  twilight  on  Christmas  Eve, 
and  gave  me  two  letters,  in  which  was  a  long  list  of  all  the  things 
which  were  in  two  monasteries,  called  in  the  Saxon  tongue 
Ambresbury  and  Banwell,  and  on  that  same  day  he  delivered 
to  me  those  two  monasteries,  with  all  the  things  that  were  in 
them,  and  a  silken  pall  of  great  value,  and  a  load  for  a  strong 
man  of  incense,  adding  these  words  :  that  he  did  not  give  me 
these  trifling  presents  because  he  was  unwilling  hereafter  to  give 
me  greater  ;  for  in  the  course  of  time  he  unexpectedly  gave  me 
Exeter,  with  all  the  diocese  that  belonged  to  him  in  Saxony  and 
in  Cornwall,  besides  gifts  every  day  without  number  in  every 
kind  of  worldly  wealth,  which  it  would  be  too  long  to  enumerate 
here,  lest  they  should  make  my  reader  tired.  But  let  no  one 
suppose  that  I  have  mentioned  these  presents  in  this  place  for 
the  sake  of  glory  or  flatteiy,  or  that  I  may  obtain  greater  honour. 
I  merely  certify  to  those  who  are  ignorant  of  it  how  liberal  the 
King  was  in  giving." 

BISHOPS    AT    THE    HEAD    OF    TROOPS    (A.D.    955). 

Bishops  in  the  ninth  century  occupied  so  influential  a  position 
that  they  were  expected  to  take  the  field,  as  Bishop  Fulbert  took 


344  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  command  of  the  besieged  troops  when  the  Hungarians 
attacked  the  city  of  Cambray.  In  955,  when  the  Hungarians 
threatened  the  fortified  town  of  Augsburg,  the  bishop  mounted 
on  horseback  in  his  priestly  robes,  without  shield  or  buckler,  sat 
unmoved  amid  flights  of  javelins  and  stones,  and  directed  the 
mode  of  defence  and  the  erection  of  fortifications  until  nightfall, 
after  which  he  spent  the  night  mostly  in  prayer.  After  matins 
he  distributed  the  Holy  Supper  to  the  combatants  before  they 
returned  to  continue  the  fight,  and  exhorted  them  to  put  their 
trust  in  the  Lord,  who  would  be  with  them,  so  that  they  had 
nothing  to  fear  even  in  the  shadow  of  death.  So,  in  1200,  Ber- 
nard,  Bishop  of  Hildesheim,  led  the  defence  of  his  people  against 
the  incursions  of  the  Normans.  It  is  true  that  Damiani  pro- 
tested against  this  double  function,  saying,  "  With  what  face 
can  the  priest,  as  his  duty  requires,  undertake  to  reconcile  con- 
tending parties  with  each  other,  when  he  himself  strives  to  retiirn 
evil  for  evil  1  Our  Saviour  taught  people  only  to  excel  in  love 
and  patience :  why  should  priests  grasp  the  sword  for  the  tem- 
poral and  perishable  things  of  earth  ? "  A  band  of  unarmed  monks 
dressed  in  monkish  habits  had  once  struck  knights  and  their 
followers  with  such  awe,  that  they  dismounted  and  fled  panic- 
stricken. 

TWO    SCAPEGRACE    POPES    (a.D.    956). 

In  956  Pope  John  XII.  was  elected  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
and  was  a  monster  of  iniquity.  He  was  accused  and  convicted 
in  a  council  of  simony,  perjury,  fornication,  adultery,  sacrilege, 
murder,  incest,  blasphemy,  atheism,  and  was  deposed  for  these 
exploits.  But  he  recovered  his  see  and  deposed  the  Pope  who  had 
been  appointed  in  his  room.  His  real  name  was  Octavianus,  but 
he  took  that  of  John  XII.,  and  was  the  first  Pope  who  introduced 
the  custom  of  assuming  a  new  name.  His  end  was  suitable  to 
his  behaviour ;  for  being  one  night  caught  in  a  scandalous  act,  he 
received  a  blow  on  the  head  from  an  unknown  hand  which  killed 
him.  About  the  same  time  Theophilus  had,  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
been  made  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  and  was  such  another  as 
John  XII.  He  openly  sold  bishoprics  and  all  ecclesiastical  offices. 
He  loved  hunting  and  horses  even  to  madness.  He  kept  two 
thousand,  and  fed  them  with  all  sorts  of  dainties.  On  a  Holy 
Thursday  as  he  was  at  Mass  word  was  brought  to  him  in  church 
that  his  favourite  mare  had  foaled.  He  instantly  left  in  the  middle 
of  the  church  service  to  pay  her  a  visit,  and  then  came  back  to 
make  an  end  of  the  service.    He  introduced  the  custom  of  dancing 


Chap,  xi.]  THE   UGLIEST   OF   ARCHBISHOPS.  345 

in  the  church  on  holy  days,  with  indecent  gestures  and  accom- 
panied with  comic  ballads. 

THE    UGLIEST    OF    MEN    MADE    AN    ARCHBISHOP    (A.D.    1012). 

It  is  reported  by  Matthew  of  Westminster  that,  in  1012,  the 
Emperor  Henry  II.  went  out  one  Sunday  to  hunt,  and  his  com- 
panions being  all  dispersed,  he  lost  himself  near  the  edge  of  a 
wood  where  there  was  a  church,  into  which  he  went,  and  stating 
falsely  that  he  was  a  soldier,  asked  the  priest  in  a  simple  manner 
to  give  him  the  Mass.  The  priest,  named  Hubert,  was  a  man 
eminent  for  his  piety,  biit  so  ugly  in  his  person  that  he  seemed 
rather  a  monster  than  a  man.  And  when  the  Emperor  had  care- 
fully looked  at  him,  he  began  greatly  to  marvel  why  God,  from 
whom  nil  beautiful  things  proceed,  allowed  so  unsightly  a  man  to 
celebrate  His  Sacraments.  But  presently  the  Mass  was  com- 
menced, and  they  came  to  that  pari  of  the  service  in  which  a  boy 
chanted,  "  Be  ye  sure  that  the  Lord  He  is  God."  And  the  priest, 
reproving  the  boy  for  his  negligence  in  singing,  said  with  a  loud 
voice.  "It  is  He  that  hath  made  us,  and  not  we  ourselves."'  at 
which  words  the  Emperor  was  much  struck,  and  thinking  the 
priest  a  prophet,  raised  him,  in  spite  of  great  opposition,  to  the 
Archbishopric  of  Cologne.  And  when  he  had  received  the  arch- 
bishopric, he  adorned  that  see  by  his  religion  and  worthy  course 
of  life.  It  happened  that  out  of  a  monastery  of  nuns  in  that 
city  a  beautiful  damsel  was  captured  by  a  wealthy  young  noble 
and  made  his  wife.  The  archbishop  reclaimed  her;  but  a  second 
time  she  was  carried  off,  and  he  excommunicated  both.  When 
the  archbishop  was  on  his  deathbed,  the  young  man  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  ask  absolution,  which  the  archbishop  refused,  unless  the 
young  man  agreed  to  leave  the  woman.  This  being  refused,  the 
archbishop  foretold  his  own  death,  and  also  that  the  young  man 
woxdd  be  called  to  his  account  on  the  same  day  and  hour  hi  the 
following  year.  And,  strange  to  say,  both  of  them  were  struck 
with  lightning  and  died  at  that  very  time. 

a  bishop's  and  emperor's  jokes  (a.d.  1020). 

Meinwerc,  appointed  Bishop  of  Paderborn  in  1009,  had  occa- 
sionally his  joke  with  the  Emperor  Henry  II.  On  one  occasion 
Henry  sent  the  bishop  after  vespers  his  own  golden  cup  of 
exquisite  workmanship  full  of  good  licjiior,  charging  the  messenger 
not  to  come  away  without  the  cup.  The  bishop  received  the 
present  with  many  thanks,  and  after  a  long  chat  the  messenger 


34G  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

left  the  cup  behind  him.  The  bishop,  noticing  the  cup,  imme- 
diately sent  for  his  goldsmiths,  and  had  the  cup  converted  into  a 
chalice,  and  used  it  next  clay,  which  was  Christmas.  One  of  the 
Emperor's  chaplains,  who  officiated  at  Mass  that  day,  recognised 
the  cup  and  took  it  to  the  Emperor,  who  charged  the  bishop  with 
theft,  telling  him  that  God  abhorred  robbery  for  burnt  offering. 
The  bishop  replied  that  all  he  had  done  was  only  to  rob  the 
vanity  and  avarice  of  Henry  by  consecrating  the  cup  to  the 
service  of  God,  and  dared  Henry  to  take  it  away.  "  I  will  not," 
said  the  Emperor,  "  take  away  that  which  has  been  devoted  to 
the  service  of  God,  but  I  will  myself  humbly  offer  to  Him  that 
which  is  my  own  property ;  and  do  you  honour  the  Lord,  who 
vouchsafed  us  on  this  night  to  be  born  for  the  salvation  of  all 
men,  by  the  performance  of  your  own  duties." 

KING    CANUTE    REBUKING    THE    SEA    (A.D.    1030). 

According  to  Matthew  of  Westminster,  as  King  Canute,  who 
died  in  1035,  was  nourishing  and  magnificent  in  the  kingdom 
of  England  which  he  had  acquired  by  his  bravery,  he  one  day 
ordered  his  royal  chair  to  be  placed  on  the  seashore,  and  then 
mounting,  he  sat  down  in  it,  and  said  in  a  threatening  voice, 
"  You  are  under  my  dominion,  O  sea,  and  the  land  on  which  I 
sit  is  mine,  nor  is  there  any  one  in  it  who  can  dare  with  impunity 
to  resist  my  authority.  I  now  command  you  not  to  come  upon 
my  land,  nor  to  presume  to  wet  my  royal  vestments."  But  as 
wave  after  wave  rose  up  and  disregarded  his  injunctions,  and 
without  any  respect  wetted  the  feet  and  legs  of  the  King,  he 
waited  till  it  was  almost  too  late  to  leap  from  his  chair,  and  said, 
"  Let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  know  that  the  power  of 
kings  is  vain  and  frivolous,  and  that  no  one  is  worthy  of  the 
name  of  king  except  Him  in  obedience  to  whose  nod  the  heaven 
and  earth  and  sea  and  all  that  is  in  them  are  subject  to  eternal 
laws."  And  from  that  time  forth  the  King  never  wore  his  crown, 
but  he  always  placed  it  on  the  head  of  the  image  of  his  crucified 
Master,  and  so  gave  a  great  example  of  humility  to  all  future 
kings.  He  was  buried  at  Winchester  in  the  old  monastery  with 
all  royal  honour.  Other  historians  relate  that  Canute  sat  on 
the  shore  of  the  river  Thames  at  Westminster  on  the  occasion 
referred  to. 

A    KING    DESCRIBING    HIS    VISIT   TO    THE    POPE    (A.D.    1031). 

Canute,  King  of  England  and  Denmark,  in  1031  paid  a  visit 
to  Rome,  and  wrote  a  long  letter  to  the  English  archbishop  and 


Chap,  xi.]  KING   CANUTE   VISITING   ROME.  347 

bishops,  describing  the  honours  paid  to  him.  He  said  :  "  I  have 
lately  been  to  Rome  to  pray  for  the  redemption  of  my  sins  and 
the  salvation  of  my  people.  I  had  long  since  made  a  vow  to  do 
this.  At  Easter  a  great  assembly  of  princes  was  present  with 
Pope  John  and  the  Emperor  Conrad,  and  all  received  me  with 
honour  and  presented  me  with  magnificent  gifts.  But  more 
especially  was  I  honoured  by  the  Emperor  with  various  gifts  and 
offerings  in  gold  and  silver  vessels,  with  palls  and  exceedingly 
costly  garments.  I  spoke  with  the  Emperor  himself,  and  with 
our  lord  the  Pope,  and  with  the  princes  who  were  there,  respecting 
the  necessities  of  my  people  and  their  better  security  on  their 
journeys  to  Rome,  and  their  claim  to  freedom  from  harassing 
barriers  and  exactions.  All  the  princes  declared  and  assured  me 
this  should  be  attended  to.  I  also  complained  to  our  lord  the 
Pope  that  my  archbishops  were  oppressed  by  the  immense  sums 
demanded  from  them  on  receiving  the  pall,  and  it  was  decreed 
that  this  should  never  again  occur.  All  the  princes  willingly 
granted  and  confirmed  their  concessions  by  oaths,  and  with  the 
attestation  of  four  archbishops  and  twenty  bishops  ami  a  number- 
less crowd  of  dukes  and  noblemen  who  were  then  present.  I 
have  humbly  vowed  to  the  Almighty  God  to  reform  my  life  in  all 
tilings,  justly  and  piously  to  govern  my  kingdom  and  the  people 
who  are  subject  to  me.  I  call  to  witness  and  command  my 
councillors  to  allow  no  injustice  to  be  practised  in  any  portion  of 
my  kingdom." 

A    PEASANT    REBUKING    A    POMPOUS    BISHOP    (A.D.    1035). 

Fulgosius  gives  a  story  how  a  peasant  in  the  electorate  of 
Cologne  puzzled  his  bishop.  The  peasant  was  at  work  in  his 
field,  when  he  saw  his  bishop  pass  by,  attended  by  a  train  moi-e 
becoming  a  prince  than  a  successor  of  the  Apostles.  He  could  not 
forbear  laughing  loud  and  long,  which  caused  the  bishop  to  ask 
the  reason.  The  peasant  answered,  ';  I  laugh  when  I  think  of 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and  see  you  in  your  equipage.  Sure,  they 
were  ill  advised  to  trudge  on  foot  when  they  were  heads  of  the 
Christian  Church,  the  lieutenants  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  King  of 
kings ;  and  here  is  yourself,  only  a  bishop,  yet  so  well  mounted 
and  with  such  warlike  attendance  that  thou  resemblest  a  prince 
rather  than  a  pastor  of  the  Church."  To  this  his  reverence  replied, 
"  Nay,  my  friend,  thou  dost  not  consider  that  I  am  both  a  count 
and  a  baron  as  well  as  your  bishop."  The  rustic  laughed  still 
louder  at  this,  and  added,  "  Yea.  but  when  the  count  and  the 
baron,  which  you  say  you  are,  shall  be  in  hell,  where  will  the 


348  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

bishop   be  1 "     This  rather  confounded  the  bishop,  who  rode  off 
without  answering  a  word. 

ST.  MARGARET  OF  SCOTLAND  LEARNED  IN  THE  SCRIPTURES  (A.D.  1080). 

St.  Margaret,  a  great-niece  of  Edward  the  Confessor  and  grand- 
daughter of  Edmund  Ironsides,  married  Malcolm,  King  of  Scotland, 
in  1069.  She  was  of  a  saintly  mind,  and  showed  a  genius  for 
self- mortification  and  fasting,  and  also  for  charity  to  the  poor. 
The  King  was  accustomed  to  offer  coins  of  gold  in  the  church  at 
High  Mass,  but  the  Queen  devoutly  pillaged  them  and  bestowed 
tliem  on  the  beggars  who  besought  her  help.  The  Queen  and  the 
ladies  of  her  Court  were  constantly  employed  in  making  vestments 
and  other  ornaments  for  Divine  service,  and  her  attendants  were 
taught  frequently  to  exercise  themselves  in  works  of  piety  and 
charity.  She  was  not  only  a  model  mother  of  a  family,  but  she 
had  a  wonderful  gift  of  eloquence,  and  could  teach  the  most 
learned  doctors  of  her  time  out  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  things 
that  they  never  knew  or  had  forgotten.  Her  views  about  the 
right  way  of  observing  the  forty  days'  fast  of  Lent  carried  convic- 
tion to  all  the  wise  men,  for  before  her  time  fewer  Sundays  used 
to  be  computed  in  the  forty  days,  so  that  she  added  four  days, 
and  thereby  made  the  Scotch  conform  to  the  rest  of  the  world. 
She  also  taught  her  subjects  to  be  more  sound  and  rigid  in 
observing  Sunday,  so  that  no  one  should  on  that  day  carry  any 
burdens  himself  or  compel  others  to  do  so.  She  was  a  great  friend 
of  the  monasteries,  and  also  of  the  hermits  who  lived  in  cells,  and 
whom  she  often  visited  and  begged  to  remember  her  in  their 
prayers.  As  they  would  not  on  principle  accept  any  gift  from 
her,  she  begged  them  to  bid  her  perform  some  alms  deed  or 
work  of  mercy,  and  she  would  do  it  forthwith.  She  erected  some 
convenient  dwellings  to  entertain  the  many  pilgrims  who  visited 
the  church  of  St.  Andrews,  and  even  chartered  ships  to  bring  the 
pilgrims  from  afar.  She  also  rebuilt  the  monastery  at  Iona. 
She  died  in  1093,  aged  forty-seven,  and  in  1250  she  was  declared 
a  saint  and  her  body  placed  in  a  silver  shrine  in  the  abbey  of 
Dunfermline. 

ALAS  FOR  THE  VANITY  OF  GREAT  CONQUERORS  !  (A.D.  1087). 

When  William  the  Conqueror  had  reigned  seventeen  years,  his 
Queen,  Matilda,  died  in  1083,  after  a  long  sickness.  She  was 
buried  in  her  own  church  at  Caen,  where  her  eldest  daughter  was 
already  a  professed  nun,  and  William  erected  a  tomb  over  her 


Chap,  xi.]  DEATH   OF   WILLIAM   THE   CONQUEROR.  349 

resting-place,  rich  with  gold  and  gems.     After  this  blow  he  never 
recovered  his  spirits.     In  1087  he  was  resting  at  Rouen,  under 
medical  treatment  for  his  corpulency,  and  King  Philip  made  a 
jest  of  it  by  saying  that  William  was  only  lying  in  !     William, 
stung  by  this  levity,  swore  that  he  would  rise  up  again  and  have 
his  revenge.     He  did  rise,  and  set  about  harrying  and  devastating 
the  vineyards  and  harvests  of  France,  gladdening  his  sight  with 
burning  and  demolishing   castles,  churches,   and   monasteries  in 
his  enemy's  country.     But  one  day  his  horse  stumbled,  and  his 
heavy  body  fell  among  some  burning  cinders.     He  was  carried 
a  dying  man  to  Rouen,  and  for  quietness  was  tended  for  some 
weeks  in  the  priory  of  St.  Gervase.     His  physician  gave  him  up. 
He  made  his  will  and  spoke  his  last  wishes,  and  many  a  crime  of 
his  earlier  days  rose  up  against  hiin.     One  morning  he  heard  a 
great  minster  bell  sounding  for  prime ;  and  after  inquiring  what 
it  was,  he  commended  his  soul  to  the  Holy  Mother  of  God  and 
passed  away,  aged  sixty-three.     No  sooner  was  the  breath  out  of 
his  body  than  his  trusty  chiefs  took  to  their  horses  and  scampered 
home,  foreseeing  that  anarchy  was  at  hand  and  self-preservation 
their  first  duty.     The  weeping  attendants  took  care  to  pillage  the 
weapons,  clothes,  and  furniture  in  his  room,  leaving  his  body  to 
lie  a  day  on  the  bare  floor.     An  archbishop  at  last  took  on  him 
to  order  the  body  to  be  borne  to  Caen,  but  all  the  household  had 
vanished,  each  carrying  off  as  much  booty  as  he  could  stow  away, 
and  not  a  vassal  was  to  be  found  ready  to  help.     A  strange  Norman 
knight,  moved  by  natural  piety,  at  last  volunteered  to  wash,  anoint, 
and  embalm  the  royal  corpse,  and  to  find  a  carriage  to  convey  it. 
But  as  the  bier  approached  the  abbey  of  St.   Stephen,   where 
monks  and  clergy  stood  ready  to  receive  it,  and  were  singing  the 
office  of  the  dead,  a  fire  broke  out  near  hand,  and  the  members 
of  the  procession  had  to  leave  and  assist  in  that  emergency.     At 
last  the  Mass  of  the  dead  was  sung,  and  a  bishop  mounted  the 
pulpit  to  harangue  the  audience  on  the  mighty  deeds  of  the  great 
King.     No  sooner  had  this  concluded  when  a  knight  stood  forth 
and  claimed  the  ground  in  which  the  King's  body  was  about  to 
be  laid,  saying  it  was  his  property,  of  which  he  had  been  robbed 
by  the  King,  and  he  challenged  all  and  sundry  to  interfere  with 
it,  and  swore  that  no  robber's  body  should  ever  be  covered  with 
his  mould.     The  company  were  staggered,  and  yet  feared  it  was 
too  true,  so  that  the  bishops  and  nobles  deemed  it  prudent  to 
make  a  bargain  on  the  spot  and  to  pay  a  suitable  purchase  money. 
But  this  was  not  all.     Some  unskilful  workmen  had  made  the 
coffin  too  small  to  hold  the  great  mass  of  flesh  which  William  left 


350  CURIOSITIES  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

behind.  The  body  burst  in  the  process  of  handling,  and  a  fearful 
stench  filled  the  church.  The  rest  of  the  holy  office  was  there- 
fore hurried  over,  and  this  was  the  end  of  all.  It  was  afterwards 
left  to  William  Rufus  to  erect  a  fitting  monument  and  shrine  to 
the  mighty  dead,  with  some  verses  from  the  archbishop,  reciting 
how  small  a  house  was  now  enough  for  the  great  King  William. 
The  monk  Orderic,  a  contemporary,  thus  moralises  on  this  career  : 
"  0  secular  pomp,  how  despicable  art  thou,  because  how  vain 
and  transient !  Thou  art  justly  compared  to  the  bubbles  made 
by  rain ;  for  like  them  thou  swellest  for  a  moment  to  vanish  into 
nothing.  Survey  this  most  potent  hero,  whom  lately  a  hundred 
thousand  knights  were  eager  to  serve,  and  whom  many  nations 
dreaded,  now  lying  for  hours  on  the  naked  ground,  spoiled  and 
abandoned  by  every  one  !  The  citizens  of  Rouen  were  in  con- 
sternation at  the  tidings.  Every  one  fled  from  his  home  and  hid 
his  property  or  tried  to  turn  it  into  money,  that  it  might  not  be 
identified." 

AN    ENGLISH    KING    MARRYING    A    NUN    (A.D.    1100). 

When  Henry  I.  of  England  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  suddenly  suc- 
ceeded to  the  crown  on  the  death  of  William  Rufus,  he  demanded 
in  marriage  Matilda  of  Scotland,  daughter  of  King  Malcolm  and 
of  his  saintly  Queen  Margaret.  It  was  rumoured  that  she  was 
a  nun,  and  Henry  persuaded  Anselm,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
to  question  her,  and  see  if  this  scandal  could  be  avoided.  On 
inquiry  she  explained  that  the  rumour  had  no  foundation,  and 
all  that  happened  was  that,  when  she  was  a  girl  of  eight,  her 
aunt  one  day  put  a  piece  of  black  cloth  over  her  head,  and  she 
sometimes  kept  it  on  as  an  excuse  for  unsuitable  marriages,  and 
as  a  protection  against  the  rudeness  of  the  Norman  nobles.  This 
being  deemed  a  satisfactory  explanation,  the  chronicler  William 
of  Malmesbury  thus  described  the  wedding  that  took  place  in 
1100  as  follows:  "At  the  wedding  of  Matilda  and  Henry  I. 
there  was  a  most  prodigious  concourse  of  nobility  and  people 
assembled  in  and  about  the  church  at  Westminster,  when,  to 
prevent  all  calumny  and  ill  report  that  the  King  was  about  to 
marry  a  nun,  the  Archbishop  Anselm  mounted  into  a  pulpit  and 
gave  the  multitude  a  history  of  the  events  proved  before  the 
synod  and  its  judgment,  that  the  Lady  Matilda  of  Scotland  was 
free  from  any  religious  vow,  and  might  dispose  of  herself  in 
marriage  as  she  thought  fit.  The  archbishop  finished  by  asking 
the  people  in  a  loud  voice  whether  any  one  there  objected  to  this 
decision,  upon   which  they  answered    unanimously  with  a   loud 


Chap,  xi.]  ANSELM,    MONK   ARCHBISHOP.  351 

shout  that  the  matter  was  rightly  settled.  Accordingly  the  lady 
was  immediately  married  to  the  King  and  crowned  before  that- 
vast  assembly."  It  was  said  that  this  virtuous  Queen  took  a 
leading  part  in  persuading  Henry  to  grant  Magna  Charta.  She 
died  in  1118,  aged  1'orty-one. 

AWAKING    A    BISHOP    FOE    EARLY    MASS    (a.D.    1100). 

An  old  chronicler,  Helmandus  of  Froidruont, [about  1100,  relates 
that  "  Philip,  Bishop  of  Beauvais,  once  tarried  with  us — not,  we 
suppose,  for  enjoying  our  hospitality,  but  for  devotion.  '  Now,' 
said  the  bishop,  '  call  me  to  hear  early  Mass.'  On  going  to  him 
on  the  morrow  when  primes  bad  begun,  I  found  him  still  sleeping, 
and  none  of  his  household  dared  to  disturb  him.  But  I  drew 
near  him,  saying  in  joke,  'The  sparrows  have  long  risen  to 
praise  the  Lord,  and  our  bisbops  still  snore  in  bed;  listen,  father, 
to  the  Psalmist  :  "  Mine  eyes  prevent  the  night  watches,  that  I 
meditate  on  Thy  word."  Upon  that  the  gloss  of  Ambrose  says, 
"  It  is  indecent  for  a  Christian  to  be  found  by  the  sun's  rays  lying 
slothful  in  bed."  '  The  bishop,  waking  up,  was  confused  and  wroth 
for  my  reproving  him  so  freely,  and  said  angrily,  '  Bo  off,  you 
wretch,  and  kill  your  lice.'  But  I  turned  his  anger  into  a  joke, 
and  forthwith  rejoined,  '  Beware,  father,  lest  your  worms  kill  you. 
It  is  the  worms  of  the  rich  that  kill  the  rich,  but  the  poor  kill 
theirs.  Read  the  history  of  the  Maccabees  and  Josephus,  and  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  you  will  find  that  the  most  powerful 
kings  Antiochus  and  Herod  Agrippa  were  eaten  by  worms.' 
Crushed  by  this  reason  and  the  authorities,  the  bishop  straight- 
way held  his  peace." 

ANSELM,    THE    MONK    ARCHBISHOP    (a.D.    1093). 

in  the  twelfth  century  the  greatest  theologian  was  said  to  be 
Anselm,  bred  a  monk  in  the  monastery  of  Bee,  in  Normandy. 
He  soon  became  prior  and  afterwards  abbot,  and  was  the  life  and 
soul  of  all  the  best  monkish  work.  He  objected  to  the  rigorous 
discipline  to  which  monks  were  subjected.  He  also  had  an  insight 
into  the  mode  of  educating  children  by  kindly  methods  instead 
of  brutalising  them  by  tyrannical  punishments.  To  show  his 
mastery  of  this  new  method,  he  reclaimed  one  of  the  most  stubborn 
and  intractable  boys,  so  that  this  youth,  named  Osbern,  became 
greatly  attached  to  his  master,  who  in  turn,  when  the  youth 
contracted  a  fatal  disease,  nursed  him  night  and  day.  In  1093 
he  was  made  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  but  he  became  entangled 


352  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

in  the  contests  of  the  time,  as  he  thought  the  Church  should  be 
independent  of  kings ;  and  incurring  too  much  risk,  he  took  refuge 
with  the  Pope,  and  travelled  about  France  and  Italy,  always 
distinguishing  himself  by  works  of  piety  till  he  died  in  1109.  He 
retained  through  life  his  austere  and  self-mortifying  habits  as 
to  food,  so  that  Queen  Matilda  wrote  to  him  a  letter  strongly 
pressing  upon  him  the  necessity  of  avoiding  excessive  abstinence 
as  destructive  to  his  powers  of  doing  good.  He  was  noted  for  his 
placidity  of  mind,  and  his  constant  attempts  to  meditate  on 
the  deeper  problems  of  the  Christian  life.  It  is  said  that,  on 
meditating  about  the  gift  of  prophecy  when  he  was  prior  of  Bee, 
he  awoke  early,  and  he  became  so  absorbed  in  this  mystery 
that  he  at  last  himself  actually  saw  through  the  wall  all  the 
preparations  going  on  for  Mass  in  the  next  building,  and  hence 
he  said  it  was  easy  for  God  to  reveal  the  future  in  the  same  way 
to  chosen  servants.  On  another  occasion  he  fell  into  a  trance, 
and  during  the  celebration  of  vigils  solved  to  his  own  satisfaction 
some  mysteries  that  had  long  baffled  his  researches,  he  being  for 
a  time  in  a  grand  ecstasy  of  supernatural  intuition.  He  also 
distinguished  himself  in  his  controversies  with  the  schoolmen  as 
the  most  expert  and  orthodox  theologian  of  his  age. 

DEATHBED  OF  ARCHBISHOP  ANSELM  (A.D.  1109). 

Before  Archbishop  Anselm  died  in  1109,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six,  he  lay  down  in  his  last  illness,  and  one  of  the  priests  who 
stood  around  his  bed  said  to  him,  it  being  then  Palm  Sunday, 
"  Lord  father,  it  appears  to  us  that,  leaving  this  world,  you  are 
about  to  keep  the  passover  in  the  palace  of  your  Lord."  The 
ambitious  theologian  replied,  "  If  indeed  this  be  His  will,  I 
gainsay  it  not.  But  if  He  should  choose  that  I  should  yet 
remain  among  you  at  least  long  enough  to  settle  the  question 
which  I  am  revolving  in  my  mind  concerning  the  origin  of  the 
soul,  I  should  take  it  gratefully,  because  I  do  not  know  whether 
any  one  will  be  able  to  determine  it  after  I  am  dead.  If  I  could 
but  eat  I  might  hope  to  recover,  for  I  feel  no  pain  in  any  part, 
except  that,  as  my  stomach  sinks  for  lack  of  food  which  it  is 
unable  to  take,  I  am  failing  all  over." 

A    SARACEN    KING    BY    DIVINE    RIGHT    (A.D.    1130). 

When  El  Mehedi,  one  of  the  Arab  kings  in  Spain,  died  hi  1130, 
his  vizier,  Abdelmumen  Aben  Ali,  contrived  to  be  named  his 
successor,  and  vindicated  his  Divine  right  by  the  following  artifice. 


Chap,  xi.]  AECHBISHOP   TURSTIN.  353 

The  premier  kept  the  King's  death  concealed  for  three  years,  and 
meanwhile  taught  a  parrot  to  utter  various  little  speeches.  He 
also  brought  up  a  young  lion  to  fawn  upon  him  and  caress  him. 
He  prepared  a  proper  cage  for  the  bird,  and  a  proper  hiding-place 
for  the  lion  in  a  large  hall,  when  he  invited  the  chief  nobles 
to  meet  and  consult  about  the  royal  demise.  He  announced  the 
death  of  the  King,  which  gave  rise  to  great  lamentations,  and 
then  harangued  them  with  great  propriety  and  due  acknowledg- 
ments of  the  Divine  mercy  in  teaching  the  value  of  harmony  and 
union  against  their  enemies.  He  then  remained  silent,  and  the 
nobles  being  greatly  perplexed  and  undecided,  suddenly,  as  if  by 
some  Divine  intuition,  the  bird  spoke  these  words :  "  Honour, 
victory,  and  power  to  our  lord  the  Caliph  Abdelmumen,  Prince 
of  the  Faithful ;  he  is  the  defence  and  support  of  the  Empire." 
At  the  same  moment  a  fierce  lion  bounded  out  of  a  hole  into  the 
middle  of  the  hall,  lashing  its  tail  and  glaring  at  the  company, 
to  the  terror  of  all,  when  the  vizier,  calmly  advancing,  faced  the 
monster,  which  at  once  succumbed,  and  caressed  him  and  licked 
his  hands.  The  nobles  were  at  once  confounded  ;  and  treating 
these  demonstrations  as  the  voice  of  the  Divine  will,  took  the 
oath  of  allegiance.  This  king  became  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
in  Spain,  who  brought  nearly  the  whole  country  under  his  ride, 
as  well  as  the  dependencies  in  Africa,  and  he  carried  on  the 
Holy  War  against  the  Infidels,  as  the  Christian  rebel  princes  were 
then  called.     He  reigned  thirty-thx^ee  years,  and  died  in  1164. 

DEATHBED  OF  ARCHBISHOP  TURSTIN  (A.D.  1140). 

Archbishop  Turstin  of  York,  in  1138,  though  so  old  and  feeble 
that  he  had  to  be  carried  in  a  litter,  had  energy  enough  to  rouse 
and  summon  the  nobles  of  Yorkshire  to  resist  an  irruption  of 
Scots  under  King  David.  After  a  fast  of  three  days  they  all 
swore  a  solemn  oath  to  fight,  and  they  easily  defeated  the  Scots. 
John  of  Hexham  says  that  the  archbishop  adhered  to  monastic 
usages ;  he  was  frequent  in  prayers,  and  had  from  Gcd  the  grace 
of  tears  in  the  celebration  of  Masses.  He  wore  a  shirt  of  hair- 
cloth, and  amid  frequent  confessions  did  not  spare  himself  from 
corporal  castigation.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  monastery  of 
Fountains,  and  watched  over  the  monks,  and  was  bountiful  in 
offerings  to  the  church  of  York.  Feeling  at  last  in  1140  that 
the  vigour  of  life  was  growing  weak  in  him,  he  wisely  set  his 
house  in  order,  paying  his  servants'  wages,  restoring  what  had 
been  taken  away,  and  taking  thought  about  each  separate  matter. 
Having  assembled  in  his  chapel  the  priests  of  the  church  of  York, 

23 


354  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

and  solemnly  made  confession  before  them,  he  stretched  himself 
naked  on  the  ground  before  the  altar  of  St.  Andrew,  and  received 
from  them  the  discipline  of  corporal  chastisement  with  tears 
flowing  from  a  contrite  heart ;  and  mindful  of  the  vow  which  as 
a  young  man  he  had  made  at  Clugny,  he  went  to  the  monks  of 
the  Olugniac  order  at  Pontefract,  the  elders  of  the  church  of 
York  and  many  of  the  laity  accompanying  him ;  and  there  he 
solemnly  received  the  habit  and  benediction  of  a  monk,  and 
during  the  remaining  days  of  his  life  he  was  intent  on  the  salva- 
tion of  his  soul.  At  last,  surrounded  by  religious  men,  as  the 
hour  of  his  summons  drew  near  he  himself  celebrated  nine  vigils 
for  the  departed,  and  himself  read  the  lesson,  gave  the  verse  of 
the  response,  Dies  ilia,  dies  irce,  laying  a  mournful  and  significant 
emphasis  on  each  word  ;  and  at  the  end  of  lauds,  the  monks  being 
all  assembled,  he  yielded  up  his  spirit.  He  was  buried  with 
becoming  honour  before  the  high  altar.  Many  years  after,  the 
monks  in  carrying  out  repairs  required  to  remove  the  stone  over 
his  tomb,  and  neither  his  corpse  nor  his  vestments  showed  any 
appearance  of  corruption. 

KING   JOHN    SHOCKING    THE    BISHOP    IN    CHURCH    (A.D.   1199). 

When  King  John  succeeded  to  the  English  crown  in  1199,  he 
at  once  sent  for  Hugh,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  and  made  much  of  him, 
promising  to  be  guided  by  his  directions.  For  two  or  three  days 
John's  conduct  in  public  was  very  decorous ;  but  the  biographer 
of  Hugh  relates  that  the  very  next  (Easter)  Sunday  John  attended 
church,  when  the  chamberlain,  according  to  custom,  put  twelve 
pieces  of  gold  in  John's  hand  to  be  presented  to  the  bishop. 
John,  instead  of  giving  it,  held  the  coins  in  his  hand,  rattling 
them  about,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  attendant  nobles.  Hugh 
indignantly  asked  why  this  noise  was  made,  when  John  replied, 
"  In  truth,  I  am  looking  at  these  pieces  of  gold,  and  thinking 
that  if  I  had  got  them  a  few  days  since,  I  should  not  have  given 
them  to  you  at  all,  but  put  them  in  my  own  purse."  Hugh 
drew  back,  refusing  to  touch  the  gold,  nor  suffering  his  hand  to 
be  kissed  by  John,  bidding  him  put  the  money  in  the  offertory 
dish,  and  withdrew.  After  this,  Hugh  preached  a  long  sermon 
containing  much  specially  intended  for  John's  benefit  about  good 
and  bad  princes.  While  all  others  acclaimed,  John  was  exceed- 
ingly wearied.  Three  times  he  sent  messages  to  Hugh,  insisting 
on  his  coming  to  an  end  and  allowing  him  to  get  away  and  break 
his  long  fast.  He  at  last  hurried  away  without  partaking  of  the 
Sacrament,  and  it  was  said  he  had  not  received  it  since  he  had 


Chap,  xi.]  ST.    THOMAS   A   BECKET.  355 

attained  the  years  of  discretion.     John  did  the  same  thing  at  bis 
coronation  on  Ascension  Day. 

MURDER  OF  ST.  THOMAS  A  BECKET  (A.D.  1170). 

Fitzstephen,  the  secretaiy  of  Thomas  a  Becket,  says  that 
Thomas's  countenance  was  mild  and  beautiful ;  he  was  tall  of 
stature,  had  a  prominent  nose,  slightly  aquiline.  He  generally 
amused  himself,  not  incessantly,  but  occasionally,  with  hawks, 
falcons,  hunting  dogs,  or  chess.  His  house  and  table  were  open 
to  every  rank.  He  never  dined  without  the  society  of  earls 
and  barons  whom  he  had  invited.  He  ordered  the  hall  to  be 
strewn  every  day  with  fresh  straw  and  hay  in  winter,  and  with 
green  leaves  in  summer,  that  the  numerous  knights,  for  whom 
the  benches  were  insufficient,  might  find  the  floor  clean  and  neat 
for  them  to  sit  down  on,  and  that  their  rich  clothes  and  beautiful 
tunics  might  not  be  soiled  and  injured.  His  board  shone  with 
vessels  of  gold  and  silver,  and  abounded  with  costly  dishes  and 
precious  beverages,  so  that  whatever  objects  of  food  and  drink 
were  recommended  by  their  rarity  were  purchased  by  his  officers 
at  exorbitant  prices.  But  amid  all  this  he  was  himself  singularly 
frugal.  When  the  King  and  he  one  day  met  a  beggar,  the  King 
proposed  to  take  Thomas's  warm  cloak  and  give  to  the  poor  man, 
while  Thomas  objected,  and  suggested  the  King  should  give  some- 
thing of  hLs  own,  and  they  had  a  sharp  struggle  for  the  cloak, 
each  holding  and  pulling  it  till  a  button  gave  way  and  remained 
in  the  King's  hands.  The  King  gave  the  button  to  the  beggar, 
then  told  the  story  to  his  attendants,  who  burst  into  loud  laughter, 
to  the  annoyance  of  the  grave  Thomas.  When  Thomas's  dead 
body  after  the  murder  was  stripped  by  the  monks,  they  were  not 
a  little  curious  to  discover  whether  he  was  really  a  monk.  They 
found  under  his  outer  garments  a  hah  shirt,  and  then  they  were 
half  convinced  he  must  have  been  a  godly  man.  But  when  they 
found  also  hair  drawers,  and  examined  these  garments,  and  saw 
their  dirty  state,  surpassing  belief,  they  were  in  raptures,  and 
were  then  wholly  convinced  that  Thomas  was  a  true  saint  and 
worthy  of  unbounded  veneration  in  all  ages. 

A    KING'S    PENANCE   AT    ST.    THOMAS'S    TOMB    (A.D.    1174). 

In  1174,  when  Henry  II.  crossed  from  France  to  visit  the 
tomb  of  St.  Thomas  a  Becket,  he  reached  Southampton  after  a 
rough  passage.  Roger  of  Wendover  says  that  the  King  then 
fasted  on  bread  and  water,  and  would  not  enter  any  city  until 


356  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

he  had  fulfilled  the  vow  which  he  had  made  to  pray  at  the  tomb 
of  St.  Thomas,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and  glorious  martyr. 
When  he  came  near  Canterbury  he  dismounted  from  his  horse, 
and  laying  aside  all  emblems  of  royalty,  with  naked  feet,  and  in 
the  form  of  a  penitent  and  supplicating  pilgrim,  arrived  at  the 
cathedral,  and,  like  Hezekiah,  with  tears  and  sighs  sought  the 
tomb  of  the  glorious  martyr,  where,  prostrate  on  the  floor  and 
with  his  hands  stretched  to  heaven,  he  continued  long  in  prayer. 
Meanwhile,  the  Bishop  of  London  was  commanded  by  the  King 
to  declare  in  his  sermon  that  he  neither  commanded,  nor  wished, 
nor  by  any  device  contrived  the  death  of  the  martyr,  which  had 
been  perpetrated  in  consequence  of  his  murderers  having  mis- 
interpreted the  words  which  the  King  had  hastily  pronounced ; 
wherefore  he  requested  absolution  from  the  bishops  present,  and, 
baring  his  back,  received  from  three  to  five  lashes  from  every  one 
of  the  numerous  body  of  ecclesiastics  there  assembled.  The  King 
then  made  costly  offerings  to  the  martyr,  spent  the  remainder  of 
the  day  in  grief  and  bitterness  of  mind,  for  three  days  took  no 
sustenance,  giving  himself  up  to  prayer,  vigils,  and  fasthig — by 
which  means  the  favour  of  the  blessed  martyr  was  secured,  and 
God  delivered  into  his  hands  William,  King  of  Scots,  who  was 
forthwith  confined  in  Richmond  Castle. 

A    MONK    DESCRIBES   A    PAPAL    INTERDICT    (A.D.    1137). 

About  1137  Orderic  says  that  "in  the  diocese  of  Seez,  in 
Normandy,  a  Papal  interdict  was  put  in  force  over  all  the  terri- 
tories of  William  Zalvas.  The  sweet  chants  of  Divine  worship, 
sounds  which  calm  and  gladden  the  hearts  of  the  faithful,  suddenly 
ceased ;  the  laity  were  prohibited  from  entering  the  churches  for 
the  service  of  God,  and  the  doors  were  kept  locked ;  the  bells 
were  no  longer  rung ;  the  bodies  of  the  dead  lay  in  corruption 
without  burial,  striking  the  beholders  with  fear  and  horror ;  the 
pleasures  of  marriage  were  forbidden  to  those  who  sought  them ; 
and  the  solemn  joys  of  the  ecclesiastical  ceremonies  vanished  in 
the  general  humiliation.  The  same  rigorous  discipline  was  ex- 
tended to  the  diocese  of  Evreux,  and  enforced  through  all  the 
lands  of  Roger  de  Toeni,  in  order  to  terrify  and  restrain  the  perverse 
and  disorderly  inhabitants.  Meanwhile  Roger  himself  lies  fettered 
in  close  confinement,  weeping  and  groaning  for  the  loss  of  his 
liberty  of  action,  and  cursed  by  the  Church  for  the  use  he  insolently 
made  of  that  liberty,  when  he  had  it,  in  the  profanation  of  sacred 
things ;  and  all  his  lands  lie  under  a  terrible  interdict.  Thus 
proud  and  desperate  rebels  are  doubly  crushed ;    but  the  hard 


Clap,  aa.]  THE  POPE   PUNISHING   KINGS.  357 

hearts  of  those  who  witness  such  spectacles,  alas  !  are  not  changed 
nor  converted  to  amendment  of  their  perverse  designs." 

THE    POPE'S    MODE    OF    PUNISHING  KINGS    AND  KINGDOMS  (A.D.   1199). 

Pope  Innocent  III.  in  1199  ordered  Philip  Augustus,  King  of 
France,  to  take  back  a  discarded  wife,  which  the  King  would  not 
do.  An  interdict  was  then  pronounced  against  France.  At 
midnight,  each  priest  holding  a  torch,  the  clergy  of  France 
chanted  the  Miserere  and  the  prayers  for  the  dead,  the  last 
prayers  which  were  to  be  uttered  by  them  during  the  interdict. 
The  cross  on  which  the  Saviour  hung  was  veiled  with  black  crape  ; 
the  relics  replaced  within  the  tombs ;  the  Host  was  consumed. 
The  cardinal  in  his  mourning  stole  of  violet  pronounced  the 
territories  of  the  King  of  France  under  the  ban.  All  religious 
offices  from  that  time  ceased ;  there  was  no  access  to  heaven 
by  prayer  or  offering.  The  sobs  of  the  aged,  of  the  women 
and  children,  alone  broke  the  silence.  So,  for  the  injustice 
of  the  King  towards  his  Queen,  the  whole  kingdom  of  France, 
thousands  of  immortal  souls,  were  cut  off  from  those  means  of 
grace  which,  if  not  absolutely  necessary  (the  scanty  mercy  of  the 
Church  allowed  the  baptism  of  infanta  and  the  extreme  unction 
to  the  dying),  were  so  powerfully  conducive  to  eternal  salvation. 
For  the  King's  personal  sin  a  whole  nation  at  least  thought  itself 
in  danger  of  eternal  damnation.  The  doors  of  the  churches  were 
watched,  and  the  Christians  driven  away  froni  them  like  dogs; 
all  Divine  offices  ceased ;  the  Sacrament  of  the  body  and  blood  of 
the  Lord  was  not  offered ;  no  gathering  together  of  the  people  at 
the  festivals  of  saints ;  the  bodies  of  the  dead  not  admitted  to 
Christian  burial,  but  their  stench  infecting  the  air.  There  was 
a  deep  sadness  over  the  whole  realm,  while  the  organs  and  the 
voices  of  those  who  chanted  God's  praises  were  everywhere  mute. 
The  King  had  to  yield,  or  at  least  pretend  to  yield,  within  the 
space  of  a  year.  In  like  manner  Pope  Innocent  III.  ordered 
King  John  of  England  to  accept  Stephen  Langton  as  archbishop, 
and  for  his  refusal  an  interdict  was  levelled  at  England.  From 
Berwick  to  the  British  Channel,  from  the  Land's  End  to  Dover, 
the  churches  were  closed,  the  bells  silent,  the  dead  were  buried 
like  dogs  in  ditches  or  dung-heaps  without  prayer,  without  a  tolling 
bell ;  yet  King  John,  weak,  tyrannical,  and  contemptible  as  he 
was,  held  out  for  four  years.  Had  he  been  a  popular  king  the 
barons  and  people  would  have  stood  by  him.  One  consequence  of 
the  interdict  and  excommunication  was,  that  his  kingdom  was 
declared  to  be  forfeited,  and  any  one  might  seize  it,  and  Philip 


358  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

Augustus  of  France  thought  of  attempting  it.  But  before  any 
regular  encounter  John  made  peace  with  the  Pope,  and  received 
Stephen  Langton  as  archbishop.  And  Stephen  afterwards  became 
a  leader  of  the  barons,  and  on  June  15th,  1215,  extorted  Magna 
Charta  at  Runnymede,  which  became  the  great  title  deed  of  the 
British  Constitution  for  all  time  thereafter.  John  complained  to 
the  Pope  that  the  charter  had  been  forced  from  him  unreasonably, 
and  the  Pope  professed  to  agree,  and  even  ordered  the  rebellious 
barons  to  be  excommunicated.  While  John  was  in  despair  and 
defending  himself  against  the  expected  invasion  of  Philip,  King 
of  France,  whose  design  was  favoured  by  the  barons,  he  was 
marching  northward,  and  his  carriages  were  cast  away  in  crossing 
the  river  Ouse.  This  misfortune  happened  through  the  ignorance 
of  the  guides  and  the  tide  coming  too  fast  upon  them.  And  thus 
the  regalia,  the  King's  plate,  and  all  his  treasure  were  lost.  This 
loss  weighed  heavily  upon  the  King's  spirits,  and  threw  him  into 
a  fever,  of  which  he  died  at  Newark  Castle  a  few  days  after. 
Some  little  time  before  he  expired,  forty  of  the  barons  sent  him 
assurances  of  their  submission,  but  he  was  in  no  condition  to 
receive  that  satisfaction.  The  young  King  Henry  III.,  aged  ten, 
was  crowned  on  October  28th,  1216. 

A    CANDID    FRIEND    TO    THE    POPE    (A.D.   1200). 

When  John  of  Salisbury,  the  friend  of  Thomas  a  Becket,  was 
sent  by  Henry  II.  to  Pope  Adrian  in  1200,  they  had  a  con- 
fidential conversation,  and  the  Pope  said  he  wished  he  had 
never  left  the  obscure  retreat  of  the  cloister  for  the  Papal  chair, 
as  it  was  beset  with  thorns,  and  he  asked  John  what  people 
were  saying  of  him  and  the  Church  of  Rome.  John  says  he 
answered  thus :  "  What  I  have  heard  in  many  countries  I  will 
freely  tell  you.  They  say  the  Church  of  Pome  shows  herself  not 
so  much  the  mother  of  other  Churches  as  their  stepmother. 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  have  their  seats  in  her,  who  lay  grievous 
burdens  on  the  shoulders  of  men,  which  themselves  will  not  touch 
with  one  of  their  fingers.  They  domineer  over  the  clergy  without 
being  an  example  to  the  flock ;  they  heap  together  rich  furniture 
and  load  their  tables  with  gold  and  silver,  whilst  their  hands  are 
kept  shut  by  avarice.  The  poor  rarely  find  access  to  them  unless 
when  vanity  may  introduce  them.  They  raise  contributions  on 
the  Churches,  and  excite  litigations,  promote  disputes  between 
pastor  and  people,  deeming  it  the  best  religion  to  procure  wealth. 
With  them  everything  is  venal,  and  they  may  be  said  to  imitate 
the  devils,  who,  where  they  cease  to  do  mischief,  glory  in  their 


Chap,  xi.]  EXCOMMUNICATING   AN   EMPEROK.  359 

beneficence.  From  this  charge  a  small  number  of  exceptions 
may  exist.  The  Pope  himself  is  a  burden  to  Christendom  which 
is  scarcely  to  be  borne.  The  complaint  is,  that  while  the  churches 
which  the  piety  of  our  fathers  erected  are  in  ruins,  and  their 
altars  neglected,  he  builds  palaces  and  exhibits  his  person  clothed 
not  only  in  purple,  but  resplendent  with  gold.  These  things  and 
more  than  these  the  people  are  heard  to  utter."  The  Pope  listened 
patiently.  "And  what  Is  your  own  opinion?"  asked  Adrian. 
"Your  question  distresses  me,"  said  John ;  "I  wish  neither  to 
be  a  flatterer  nor  to  give  offence.  I  cannot  presume  to  contra- 
dict a  cardinal  of  your  Church  who  says  that  the  real  source  of 
all  the  evils  is  the  fund  of  duplicity  and  avarice  of  its  officers, 
and  yet  I  know  many  living  examples  to  the  contrary.  I  will 
only  say  that  your  precept  is  better  than  your  practice."  Adrian 
smiled,  and  observed  that  it  was  like  the  old  apologue  of  the 
stomach  and  the  limbs. 


HOW    A    MONK    PUBLISHED   THE    EXCOMMUNICATION    OF    AX 
EMPEROR    (A.D.   1238). 

When  the  Emperor  Frederick  II.,  in  his  quarrels  with  the 
Pope,  was  excommunicated  in  1238,  and  sentence  was  ordered  to 
be  published  in  all  Christian  countries,  such  was  the  impression 
of  the  power  of  the  Emperor  that  no  priest  in  Germany  had  the 
courage  to  declare  it.  At  last  a  Jacobite  Friar  was  discovered 
who  ventured  to  make  it  known  in  the  disguise  of  the  following 
fable.  "  Sire,"  said  the  friar,  "  there  was  once  a  lion  so  fierce 
and  strong  that  no  beast  durst  attack  him ;  but  one  hot  summer 
day  a  fly  placed  itself  between  his  two  eyes  and  bit  him  severely. 
'  Who  art  thou,'  said  the  lion,  '  who  darest  to  bite  me  V  'I  am 
a  fly,'  said  the  other.  '  A  fly,'  said  the  Hon,  '  the  most  insignifi- 
cant of  beasts  !  bite  on.  If  thou  wert  not  so  insignificant  a  beast, 
those  shoulders  would  answer  for  it,  but  I  disdain  to  revenge 
myself  on  thee.'  And,  she,"  added  the  friar,  "  I  compare  your 
Majesty  to  the  lion,  and  myself  in  my  little  condition  to  the  fly, 
who  pronounces  upor.  you  from  our  Holy  Father  the  Apostle  the 
sentence  which  you  have  incurred  by  your  rebellion  against  the 
Holy  Church."  "  Well,"  said  the  Emperor,  "  'tis  true  if  it  were 
not  for  your  poor  station  you  should  certainly  be  made  to  repent 
this."  It  was  also  noticed  that  when,  in  the  following  year,  1239, 
the  Emperor  went  to  Padua,  he  was  handsomely  entertained  for 
several  months  by  the  abbot  of  the  monastery  of  St.  Justina  ;  and 
in  spite  of  the  thunders  of  the  Vatican  hurled  at  the  Emperor, 


360  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  latter  was  treated  with  becoming  courtesy,  was  provided  with 
a  throne  and  a  footstool,  and  all  the  necessary  appurtenances  of 
the  most  exalted  rank. 

THE    EMPEROR    RETALIATING    ON    THE    POPE    (A.D.    1239). 

When  Pope  Gregory  IX.  in  1239  excommunicated  the  Emperor, 
the  latter  sent  a  circular  letter  to  the  King  of  England  and  his 
brother,  beginning  with  the  words,  "  Attend,  ye  sons  of  men  ; 
understand,  ye  nations  ; "  and  it  contained  these  scornful  sentences : 
"  Moreover,  we  think  him  (the  Pope)  unworthy  to  be  considered 
a  vicar  of  Christ,  a  successor  of  Peter  and  regulator  of  the  souls 
of  Christians.  We  grieve  at  his  sin  and  prevarication  in  the 
fact  that,  not  content  with  spending  money  in  order  to  gain 
over  the  nobles  and  chiefs  of  Romania  to  become  his  followers 
and  adherents,  he  wasted  the  possessions  of  the  Roman  Church. 
Condole  therefore,  my  good  friend,  with  us  as  well  as  those  dear 
to  thee,  and  not  only  with  us,  but  the  Church  which  is  the 
congregation  of  all  faithful  Christians ;  for  its  head  is  sick,  its 
prince  is  in  the  midst  like  a  roaring  lion,  its  prophet  mad  and 
faithless,  its  priest  polluting  its  sanctuary  and  unjustly  acting 
against  the  law.  We  earnestly  beg  of  you  to  consider  the  con- 
tumely heaped  on  us  as  your  own  injury,  and  to  hasten  to  your 
own  house  with  water  when  the  fire  is  raging  in  the  neighbouring 
houses.  Without  waiting  for  our  decision  or  for  our  taking 
counsel  of  our  advisers,  he  vomited  forth  against  us  the  poison  he 
had  conceived.  We  for  our  own  sake  adjure  you  and  ask  your 
aid,  and  that  of  all  of  you,  the  magnates  and  princes  of  the  whole 
world,  not  because  our  own  strength  is  not  sufficient  to  avert 
such  injuries  from  ourselves,  but  that  the  whole  world  may  know 
that  the  honour  of  all  secular  princes  is  touched  when  the  person 
of  one  is  offended."  The  Pope  replied  thus  :  "  There  has  risen 
from  the  sea  a  beast  full  of  words  of  blasphemy  which,  formed 
with  the  feet  of  a  bear  and  the  mouth  of  a  raging  lion,  opens  its 
mouth  in  blasphemies  against  God's  name,  and  continually  attacks 
His  tabernacle  and  the  saints  who  dwell  in  heaven,"  etc.,  etc. 

HOW  THE  POPE'S  CLERKS  EXTORTED  MONEY  (A.D.  1241). 

During  1241  Matthew  Paris  says  the  avarice  of  the  Romans 
still  continued  unsatiated  ;  for  after  the  legate's  departure  two  of 
the  Pope's  clerks  remained  in  England,  as  if  to  fulfil  the  duty 
of  the  legate.  These  two  were  Peter,  surnamed  Le  Rouge,  and 
Peter   de   Supino — two   indefatigable    extortioners,    who  held   a 


Chap,  xi.]  THE    TOrE's   EXTORTIONERS.  3f>] 

Papal  warrant  for  exacting  procurations,  imposing  interdicts,  ex- 
communicating, and  extorting  money  by  divers  methods  from  the 
wretched  English  Church,  as  they  stated,  that  the  Roman  Church, 
which  was  injured  in  manifold  ways,  might  again  breathe  freely. 
The  aforesaid  Peter  Le  Rouge,  who  placed  himself  above  the 
other  one,  conducted  himself  after  the  manner  of  the  legate, 
wrote  his  letters  to  this  and  that  abbot  and  prior,  and  the  letter 
always  ran  thus  :  "  Master  Peter  Le  Rouge,  familiar  and  relative 
of  his  Holiness  the  Pope,  greeting,"  etc.  On  such  authority  he 
continued  to  exact  and  extort  procurations  and  various  other 
collections.  His  colleague,  Peter  de  Supino,  by  permission  of  the 
Bang,  went  to  Ireland  on  the  part  of  the  Pope,  and  bearing  a 
warrant  from  him  whereby  he  was  assisted  by  secular  power,  he 
with  great  tyranny  extorted  money  from  all  the  prelates  of  that 
island.  This  Peter  in  the  ensuing  autumn  took  his  way  to  Rome, 
carrying  with  him  1,500  marks  (£1,000),  and  having  his  saddle- 
bags well  filled. 

HOW    THE    POPE'S    EXTORTIONERS    WERE    PURSUED    (A.D.    1241). 

Matthew  Paris  says  that  these  two  clerks,  Peter  de  Supino  and 
Peter  Le  Rouge,  with  their  saddle-bags  thus  well  filled,  proceeded 
under  the  escort  of  the  monks  of  Canterbury  to  Dover,  and  suddenly 
and  secretly  set  sail,  for  they  had  heard  that  the  Pope  was  not 
expected  to  live.  They  therefore  suddenly  and  clandestinely  took 
flight  with  their  booty,  lest  the  King  should  hear  of  the  Pope's 
death  and  confiscate  it.  Scarcely  had  they  entered  France,  when 
lo  !  Master  Walter  de  Oera,  a  messenger  of  the  Emperor,  arrived 
in  all  haste,  with  letters  of  credence  from  the  Emperor  and  a 
message  from  the  King  to  detain  the  booty  as  well  as  the  robbers 
if  to  be  found  in  England.  The  messenger  was  indignant  at  not 
having  caught  them,  but  followed  their  steps,  carefully  watching 
the  meanderings  of  the  foxes,  in  order  to  report  the  result  to  the 
Emperor.  Meanwhile  the  Pope's  agents,  hearing  that  they  were 
watched,  spared  not  their  horses,  and  secretly  stowed  away  their 
money  with  relatives  in  secret  places.  The  Emperor,  however, 
ordered  them  and  the  relatives  to  be  arrested  and  imprisoned, 
and  to  render  a  strict  account  of  the  money  collected,  which  was 
committed  to  writing  and  circulated  among  the  merchants  of  the 
chief  cities  and  ultimately  distributed.  Thus  these  wretched 
ecclesiastics,  who  ought  to  have  been  protected  under  the  wings  of 
the  Pope,  were  utterly  despoiled,  and  the  enemies  of  the  Church 
more  daringly  oppressed  them. 


362  CURIOSITIES  OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

AERIAL   MUSIC   AT   A    BISHOP'S    DEATH    (a.D.  1253). 

Matthew  Paris  says  that  Robert,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  died  in 
1253  at  Buckdon,  in  the  night  of  St.  Denis's  day.  During  his 
life  he  had  openly  rebuked  the  Pope  and  the  King  ;  had  corrected 
the  prelates  and  reformed  the  monks;  in  him  the  priests  lost 
a  director,  clerks  an  instructor,  scholars  a  supporter.  He  had 
shown  himself  a  persecutor  of  the  incontinent,  a  careful  examiner 
of  the  Scriptures,  a  despiser  of  the  .Romans.  In  the  discharge 
of  his  Pontifical  duties  he  was  attentive,  indefatigable,  and 
worthy  of  veneration.  That  same  night  Faulkes,  Bishop  of 
London,  then  staying  not  far  off,  heard  in  the  air  above  a 
wonderful  and  most  agreeable  kind  of  sound,  the  melody  of  which 
refreshed  his  ears  and  his  heart  and  fixed  his  attention.  It  was 
a  supernatural  sound,  like  that  of  a  great  convent  bell  ringing 
a  delightful  tune  in  the  air  above.  It  at  once  struck  the  listener 
that  his  beloved  and  venerable  brother  of  Lincoln  was  passing 
from  this  world  to  take  his  place  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and 
this  noise  was  a  warning,  for  there  was  no  convent  near  in  which 
there  was  a  bell  of  that  sort  and  so  loud.  The  Bishop  of  London 
inquired,  and  found  out  that  at  that  very  time  the  Bishop  of 
Lincoln  had  departed  from  this  world.  This  wonderful  circum- 
stance was  told  as  a  fact  to  Matthew  Paris  by  Master  John 
Cratchale,  a  confidential  clerk  to  the  bishop.  On  the  same 
night  also  some  brethren  of  the  order  of  Minorites,  in  passing 
through  the  forest  of  Vauberge,  having  lost  their  way  and 
wandering  about,  heard  in  the  air  sounds  as  of  the  ringing  of 
bells,  amongst  which  they  clearly  distinguished  one  bell  of  a  most 
sweet  tune,  unlike  anything  they  had  ever  heard  before.  This 
circumstance  greatly  excited  their  wonder,  for  they  knew  that 
there  was  no  church  of  note  near.  Next  morning  at  dawn,  being 
directed  by  the  foresters  to  the  right  road  to  Buckdon,  and  in- 
quiring as  they  went  about  the  reason  of  the  solemn  ringing  of 
bells  that  had  filled  the  air  the  night  before,  they  were  informed 
that  at  that  very  hour  the  Bishop  of  Lincoln  had  breathed  forth 
his  happy  spirit. 

A    FOOL    POSING    THE    THEOLOGIANS    (A.D.  1284). 

John  of  Peckham,  about  1284,  says  that  a  fool  was  once  in 
company  with  some  theologians  at  Paris,  and  he  asked  them 
which  was  better — to  do  what  a  man  knows,  or  to  learn  what 
he  does  not  know.  Thereupon  the  doctors  argued  together  for 
and  against,  and  the  fool,  listening  to  their  altercations,  looked  on, 


Chap,  xi.]  A   HERMIT   FOR   A   POPE.  363 

waiting  for  their  conclusion.  At  last  their  deliverance  was,  that 
it  was  better  to  do  what  a  man  already  knows  than  to  learn 
what  he  does  not  know,  because,  as  says  the  apostle  to  the 
Romans,  "  For  not  the  hearei-s  of  the  law  are  just  before  God, 
but  the  doers  of  the  law  shall  be  justified."  And  Isidorus  in 
Be  Summo  Bono  says,  "  A  zealous  student  will  be  more  prompt 
to  perform  what  he  reads  than  to  know,  for  it  is  a  less  sin  not 
to  know  what  you  desire  to  know  than  not  to  perform  what  you 
do  know."  Then  said  the  fool,  "  You  are  all  mad,  for  you  are 
working  day  and  night  only  to  learn  what  you  do  not  know, 
and  you  do  not  care  to  act  up  to  anything  you  do  know." 

A    HERMIT    FOR    A    POPE    (a.D.   1294). 

In  1294,  after  the  cardinals  had  tried  in  vain  for  a  year  and 
a  half  to  agree  upon  a  Pope,  and  no  one  would  give  way  to 
another,  a  sudden  solution  was  found  by  their  choosing  a  solitary 
monk  named  Peter  of  Morone,  in  the  Neapolitan  territory,  then 
distinguished  in  the  wilderness  for  his  austerities.  He  seemed 
to  outdo  the  famous  anchorites  of  old.  He  wore  haircloth  with 
an  iron  cuirass,  lived  on  bread  and  water  and  herbs.  At  the 
age  of  twenty,  when  he  became  an  earnest  monk,  one  day  the 
Virgin  and  St.  John  both  stood  before  him  and  chanted  portions 
of  the  Psalter,  and  every  night  a  celestial  bell  with  sweetest  tones 
aroused  him  to  prayer.  Angels  often  visited  him,  and  showered 
roses  on  his  head.  God  pointed  out  a  great  store,  under  which 
he  dug  a  hole  in  which  he  could  neither  stand  nor  stretch,  but 
only  crouch  behind  a  grating,  and  the  place  abounded  with  lizards, 
serpents,  and  toads.  Yet  crowds  came  to  see  him,  and  hailed 
him  as  a  kind  of  leader  of  a  new  brotherhood.  Somehow  a  voice 
from  heaven  pointed  out  to  the  perplexed  cardinals  that  here 
was  a  Pope  ready  to  their  hands,  and  he  was  fixed  upon  unani- 
mously. A  deputation  went  to  his  cell.  They  found  he  was  an 
old  man,  with  a  long  shaggy  beard,  sunken  eyes,  heavy  brow, 
pale  cheeks,  and  meagre  limbs.  But  they  fell  on  their  knees 
before  him.  He  thought  it  must  be  a  dream.  He  protested  he 
was  unworthy  and  unfit.  But  the  news  spread,  and  the  crowd 
increased  and  urged  him  on,  and  he  could  not  but  accept.  He  at 
first  refused  to  put  on  the  gorgeous  Pontifical  robes,  but  had  to 
consent.  He  then  went  with  them,  riding  on  an  ass,  with  a  king 
on  each  side  holding  the  bridle.  Never  was  an  election  more 
popular,  and  he  took  the  title  of  Celestine  V.  Two  hundred 
thousand  people  crowded  the  streets  as  he  approached,  and  he 
had  to  show  himself  now  and  then  on  a  balcony  and  give  his 


364  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

benediction.  After  a  few  months  the  cardinals,  kings,  and  nobles 
began  to  think  that  this  Pope  was  not  to  be  a  success.  He  was 
incapable  of  business.  He  lavished  his  dignities  and  offices,  and 
was  easily  duped.  He  became  weary  of  his  burden.  He  con- 
trived to  make  a  cell  in  the  palace,  which  shut  out  the  sky.  But 
this  was  not  enough.  He  wanted  to  abdicate.  This  at  first  was 
thought  impossible  and  illegal.  But  he  did  abdicate,  and  at  once 
went  off  to  his  old  hermitage.  It  was  the  first  instance  of  an 
abdication,  and  all  agreed  that  nothing  became  him  so  well  as 
the  leaving  of  the  high  office  a  few  months  after  having  entered 
upon  it.  All  the  other  hermits  praised  this  last  act  as  one  of 
transcendent  humility  enhancing  his  glory. 

PHILIP    THE    FAIR    RETALIATING    ON    THE    POPE  (A.D.  1303). 

When  Philip  IV.  of  France  offended  the  Pope,  the  latter 
harangued  his  council  and  boasted  that,  as  his  predecessors  had 
already  deposed  three  kings  of  France,  he  would  depose  Philip 
like  a  groom.  The  act  was  done  in  1303.  Two  supporters  of  the 
King,  William  of  Nogaret  and  Sciarra  Colonna,  with  three  hundred 
horsemen  and  infantry,  made  their  way  to  Anagni,  where  Pope 
Boniface  VIII.  then  was,  and  beset  his  palace,  and  after  a  short 
truce  set  fire  to  the  doors  of  the  church  adjacent  and  made  their 
way  through  the  flames ;  and  the  crash  so  alarmed  the  Pope  that 
he  felt  his  hour  was  come,  and  resolved  that  he  would  die  with 
dignity.  He  put  on  the  Papal  mantle  and  the  imperial  crown  of 
Oonstantine,  and  sat  on  the  throne  with  the  pastoral  cross  in  one 
hand  and  with  the  keys  of  St.  Peter  in  the  other.  The  assailants, 
though  at  first  awed  at  this  sight,  dragged  him  from  the  throne, 
struck  him  on  the  face,  and  forced  him  to  parade  through  the  town 
on  a  vicious  horse,  with  his  face  to  the  tail.  A  rescue  party, 
however,  surprised  the  guard,  and  carried  the  Pope  to  the  market- 
place, where,  famishing  with  hunger,  his  wants  were  supplied 
by  willing  hands,  and  he  was  sufficiently  restored  to  pronounce 
absolution  on  all  but  the  plunderers  of  the  church.  He  was  then 
conveyed  by  his  friends  to  Borne,  where  a  frenzy  fever  overcame 
him,  and  he  was  put  under  restraint,  dying  very  soon  at  the  age 
of  eighty-two.  Some  say  he  was  poisoned  ;  others  that  he  refused 
food,  and  like  a  mad  dog  bit  his  own  flesh ;  others  that  he  was 
found  with  the  bedclothes  stuffed  in  his  throat,  and  his  staff  lying 
as  if  it  had  been  gnawed  by  him  in  his  rage.  The  saying  was 
that  "  he  entered  like  a  fox,  reigned  like  a  lion,  and  died  like  a 
dog." 


Chap.  xi.J  WICLIFF  THE   REFORMER.  365 

A    POPE    OF    THE    FOURTEENTH    CENTURY  (A.D.  1300). 

Boniface  VIII.,  at  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
carried  Papal  absolution  and  worldliness  to  its  highest  point. 
After  procuring  his  predecessor  Celestine  V.  to  abdicate  and  be 
imprisoned  and  then  taken  off  by  poison,  he  saw  a  great  advantage 
in  the  ushering  in  of  1300  as  a  means  of  satisfying  his  cupidity. 
He  circulated  an  address  that  all  persons  visiting  St.  Peter's  on 
January  1st,  1300,  would  obtain  an  extraordinary  indulgence. 
Crowds  flocked  and  left  their  offerings.  Then  he  issued  a  bull 
offering  the  fullest  indulgence  to  all  who  visited  the  cathedral  at 
Easter,  on  the  condition  that  they  truly  repented  and  confessed 
their  sins.  Attracted  by  his  bull,  multitudes  repented  and  were 
allowed  to  see  the  handkerchief  of  St.  Veronica,  as  many  as  two 
hundred  thousand  a  day.  The  gain  to  the  Church  was  vast. 
This  Pope  persecuted  his  enemies  with  uncommon  zeal.  He 
managed  to  ruin  the  powerful  family  of  Colonna,  which  had 
opposed  his  election,  demolishing  their  castles  and  confiscating 
their  estates.  Philip  the  Fair,  King  of  France,  his  equal  in 
avarice  and  ambition,  had  taxed  the  clergy,  and  a  bull  was  issued 
excommunicating  all  princes  and  nobles  who  dared  to  demand 
tribute  from  the  clergy,  to  which  Philip  replied  with  defiance, 
and  sent  a  troop  to  arrest  the  Pope,  which  was  done,  as  already 
narrated.  The  mob,  after  a  few  days,  at  last  pitied  his  Holiness, 
and  turned  against  the  French,  who  retired.  The  excitement, 
however,  threw  him  into  a  fever,  and  then  into  insanity,  in  which 
state  he  died.  The  Florentine  historian  recognised  the  judgments 
of  God  in  thus  punishing  a  Pope  who  was  so  worldly,  and  further 
in  punishing  such  a  king  as  was  the  instrument  in  the  hands  of 
Providence.  Iving  Philip  made  a  tool  of  his  own  the  next  Pope, 
and  kept  him  in  France,  and  in  1309  began  the  seventy  years' 
residence  of  the  Popes  in  Avignon,  while  they  lived  in  a  state  of 
servility  to  France. 

WICLIFF    THE    REFORMER  (A.D.   1324 1384). 

Wicliff  having  been  early  disgusted  at  the  worthless  creatures 
who  filled  all  the  high  offices  of  the  Church,  and  joined  some 
friends  in  trying  to  restore  the  simplicity  and  self-denying  zeal  of 
Apostolic  times,  was  soon  marked  out  as  a  heretic  to  be  watched. 
Pope  Gregory  XL,  in  1377,  was  advised  to  condemn  Wicliffs 
doctrines,  and  directed  that  he  should  be  imprisoned ;  but  John  of 
Gaunt  and  other  powerful  friends  were  resolved  that  at  least  a 
semblance  of  a  hearing  should  be  given  to  him  first;  and  he 


366  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

managed  without  recanting  anything  to  say  nothing  which  his 
enemies  could  lay  hold  of.  He  published  in  1380  his  translation 
of  the  Scriptures  into  English.  Wicliff  was  a  determined  enemy 
of  the  Mendicant  Friars,  as  disturbing  the  parish  priests  in  their 
more  useful  labours.  Wicliff  was  cited  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury  before  a  council,  but  an  earthquake  occurred  at  the 
time  to  interrupt  this  inquisition.  He  used  to  look  on  this 
earthquake  council,  as  he  called  it,  as  a  judgment  of  God  in  his 
favour. 

THE    TWO   JOHN    WICLIFFS    (a.D.    1324 1384). 

It  has  been  recently  discovered,  as  is  said  by  Mr.  Hill  in  his 
"  English  Monasticism,"  that  there  were  two  John  Wicliff s  con- 
temporaneous and  both  members  of  Oxford  University,  and  that 
the  biographers  of  the  important  John  Wicliff  have  confounded 
these  two  and  their  performances.  The  Reformer  was  master  of 
Balliol  College  in  1361,  and  the  other  John  Wicliff  was  a  fellow  of 
Merton  in  1356  and  warden  of  Canterbury  Hall.  The  Reformer 
was  born  at  Hipswell,  one  mile  from  Richmond  in  Yorkshire.  In 
1361  he  was  appointed  to  the  rectory  of  Fylingham,  and  in  1375  to 
that  of  Lutterworth,  and  resigned  the  mastership  of  Balliol.  His 
first  public  appearance  was  his  reading  lectures  at  Oxford,  in 
which  he  castigated  the  corruptions  of  the  Friars  Mendicants  of 
his  day.  He  was  cited  before  the  judges  for  heresy,  one  of  the 
judges  being  William  of  Wykeham  ;  and  John  of  Gaunt  attended 
with  Wicliff  and  somewhat  resented  the  want  of  fair  play  towards 
his  friend  ;  but  the  proceedings  were  not  carried  out,  owing  to  the 
interference  of  the  Princess  of  Wales.  The  great  work  of  Wicliff's 
life  was  the  first  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  English.  This 
work  he  hved  to  finish,  though  in  all  probability  he  was  assisted 
in  it  by  others.  In  1384,  during  the  celebration  of  Mass  in  his 
parish  church  at  Lutterworth,  Wicliff  was  seized  with  paralysis, 
and  died  on  December  31st.  The  adherents  of  his  opinions  were 
known  as  the  Lollards.  In  1401  the  Franciscans  attacked  his 
Bible,  and  persecution  was  carried  out  against  the  Lollards.  In 
1428  Wicliff's  bones,  or  supposed  bones,  were  dug  up  and  cast  into 
the  river  Severn,  under  the  vain  delusion  that  he  and  his  doings 
would  never  more  be  heard  of. 

the  seventy  years'  residence  of  popes  at  avignon 
(a.d.  1309—1379). 
After  the  death  of  the  ambitious  Pope  Boniface  VIII. ,  whose 
contests  with  Philip  the  Fair  of  France  killed  him  in  1303,  and 


Chap,  xi.]  THE   RIVAL   POPES.  367 

after  the  death  of  the  next  Pope  in  eight  months,  the  election  of 
the  next  Pope  again  was  so  skilfully  brought  about  by  the  leader 
of  the  French  party,  Cardinal  Du  Prat,  that  one  was  chosen  who 
made  a  bargain  with  the  French  King  to  meet  his  views  if  elected. 
He  was  elected,  and  took  the  name  of  Clement  V.  He  disap- 
pointed his  Italian  supporters  by  refusing  to  leave  France,  and  in 
1309  he  settled  at  Avignon,  where  the  Popes  remained  for  seventy 
years.  During  all  that  period  the  Popes  were  noted  for  their 
servility  to  the  French  kings.  Corruption  grew  more  and  more 
to  be  a  second  nature  in  all  the  branches  of  Papal  government. 
The  most  worthless  creatures  purchased  their  way  to  the  highest 
spiritual  dignities.  Extortion  in  collecting  money,  extravagant  ex- 
penditure when  it  was  collected,  simony,  nepotism,  and  debauchery 
ran  through  all  the  ramifications  of  clerical  life.  The  disgrace 
reflected  by  this  scandal  made  laymen  and  learned  men  question 
the  foundations  of  the  Popish  system  of  government.  A  general 
murmur  arose  from  the  universities  as  to  the  degraded  position 
in  which  the  Popes  must  ever  remain  unless  and  until  they 
should  bring  back  the  seat  of  government  to  Rome.  Petrarch, 
then  employed  on  Papal  embassies,  strongly  urged  this  view. 
The  leading  men  advocated  the  calling  of  a  genex-al  council  to 
overrule  the  Pope  and  compel  him  to  act  for  the  sole  good  of 
the  Church.  A  schism  then  prevailed,  which  led  to  two  sets  of 
Popes  being  elected,  who  continued  for  forty  years  to  keep  up 
their  intestine  conflicts. 

THE   RIVAL   POPES    (A.D.    1378). 

The  line  of  Popes,  as  already  stated,  continued  unbroken  till 
1305,  when,  owing  to  their  constant  interference  in  the  politics  of 
Europe,  Clement  V.  submitted  to  the  King  of  France,  and  fixed 
his  chair  within  the  jurisdiction  of  a  Papal  vassal,  Robert  of 
Anjou,  at  Avignon.  For  seventy  years  this  captivity  lasted,  and 
the  effect  was  to  weaken  greatly  the  power  and  influence  of  the 
Church.  In  1376  Catherine  of  Siena,  then  an  influential  saint, 
advised  Pope  Gregory  XL  to  return  to  Rome,  his  old  metropolis. 
Soon  a  fresh  difficulty  arose  at  his  death  in  1378,  owing  to  a  feud 
between  the  cardinals.  The  majority  of  them  being  at  that 
time  French,  the  Roman  mob  burst  into  the  palace  and  demanded 
that  the  new  Pope  should  be  an  Italian.  The  cardinals  yielded 
and  elected  Urban  VI. ;  but  six  months  later  they  repented  and 
wished  to  substitute  a  Frenchman,  and  crowned  Clement  VII. 
There  being  thus  two  Popes  in  the  field,  the  chief  kingdoms  were 
almost  equally  divided  as  to  recognising  the  one  or  the  other  as 


368  CURIOSITIES    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

the  real  Pope.  The  quarrel  lasted  forty  years,  the  two  lines 
being  continued  for  that  period.  At  last  a  general  council,  that 
of  Pisa  in  1409,  met  and  summoned  both  Popes  before  it,  and 
dismissed  both  for  contumacy.  The  cardinals  then  elected 
Alexander  V.  And  there  were  then  three  Popes,  each  claiming 
exclusive  authority.  A  second  council  met  at  Constance  in  1414, 
and  claimed  to  be  superior  to  the  Pope.  Another  election  took 
place,  and  Martin  V.  was  elected  in  1417  ;  and  the  line  of  Popes 
was  resumed  as  before,  but  a  continual  pressure  from  without 
weakened  the  authority  of  the  successors.  The  council  of  Basle 
in  1431  showed  an  antipapal  spirit,  and  set  up  a  higher  power 
in  synods  and  councils,  thereby  lowering  the  other  power  in 
proportion. 

THE    THREE    POPES    AT    ONE    TIME    (a.D.    1394). 

When  Clement  VII.  was  told  that  the  leading  men  and  the 
University  of  Paris  had  resolved  that  both  Popes  should  abdicate 
in  order  to  put  an  end  to  the  absurdity  of  the  dual  election,  he 
was  thrown  into  a  fever  of  agitation,  and  died  in  1394.  Each 
cardinal  then  took  an  oath  that  if  elected  he  would  resign  if 
necessary,  to  put  an  end  to  the  schism.  Benedict  XIII.  was 
elected  ;  but  no  sooner  was  this  appointment  made  than  he  gave 
evasive  answers  to  all  who  reminded  him  of  this  condition. 
Another  assembly  of  bishops  by  a  majority  of  four  to  one  resolved 
that  both  Popes  should  resign.  But  Benedict  conscientiously 
opposed  their  view,  and  said  he  would  rather  be  flayed  alive  than 
resign.  In  1402  Benedict  sent  a  mission  to  his  rival  Boniface  IX., 
asking  for  a  conference.  But  Boniface  treated  him  as  an  anti- 
pope,  and  himself  as  the  only  Pope.  Boniface,  however,  was 
so  frightened  at  the  aspect  of  affairs,  that  he  contracted  an 
illness  and  died  in  1404.  The  cardinals  were  then  implored  not 
to  proceed  to  another  election,  but  they  treated  this  advice  as  a 
jest,  and  elected  Innocent  VII.  Innocent,  though  an  old  man. 
and  though  he  had  bound  himself  if  elected  to  resign  if  necessary, 
yielded  to  the  greed  and  scheming  of  his  relatives,  and  put  off  the 
evil  day;  but  he  died  in  1406.  The  cardinals  were  again  urged 
not  to  appoint  another  Pope,  but  they  said  they  would  choose  one 
who  would  resign  if  his  rivals  would  resign,  and  they  chose 
Gregory  XII.  Though  Gregory  was  the  most  active  in  getting 
all  the  cardinals  to  pledge  themselves  to  resign  if  chosen,  he  soon 
showed  himself  a  mere  dissembler ;  for  though  he  professed  to  be 
willing  to  resign,  his  relatives,  who  saw  the  loss  of  many  good 
appointments,   compelled   him   to   keep   possession.      These  two 


. 


Chap,  xi.]  THREE   POPES  AT   ONE   TIME.  369 

Popes,  Benedict  and  Gregory,  kept  up  appearances  of  meeting 
in  conference  and  settling  a  plan  of  mutual  and  simultaneous 
resignations,  but  they  both  showed  extraordinary  ingenuity 
in  discovering  perpetual  obstacles  to  this  desired  consummation, 
and  for  blaming  each  other  for  every  delay.  At  last  the  Council 
of  Pisa  deposed  both  Popes,  and  the  cardinals  then  elected 
Alexander  Y.  in  14C9.  Both  the  deposed  Popes  claimed  to  be  still 
Popes.  And  Alexander  V.,  instead  of  carrying  out  the  reforms  that 
were  expected,  made  lavish  appointments  to  vacant  offices,  saying 
to  all  who  complained  that  he  was  rich  as  a  bishop,  poor  as  a 
cardinal,  but  a  beggar  as  Pope.  He  was  carried  off  by  poison  in 
1410. 

FURTHER    ACCOUNTS    OF    THE    THREE    POPES    AT    ONE   TIME 
(A.D.    1406—1417). 

The  continuance  of  two  rival  Popes  in  1406  was  felt  to  be  so 
great  a  scandal  that  the  rival  sets  of  cardinals  were  bent  on 
finding  a  way  of  reuniting  the  Papacy  in  one  person.  They 
chose  Gregory  XII.,  then  eighty  years  of  age,  as  a  likely  person 
to  facilitate  this  object  with  the  other  Pope,  Boniface;  for  they 
thought  a  person  on  the  verge  of  the  grave  might  be  relied  upon 
to  consider  the  peace  and  unity  of  the  Church  his  sole  object. 
He  professed  well  at  first,  and  his  supporters  brought  him  to  the 
point  of  trying  to  arrange  some  common  plan  of  action,  by  which 
the  rival  Popes  might  mutually  surrender  in  favour  of  a  third 
person  who  should  supersede  both.  The  two  rival  Popes,  however, 
were  evidently  averse  to  strip  themselves  of  power.  They  played 
against  each  a  series  of  perpetual  evasions,  postponements,  and 
cross-purposes.  Then  progress  to  a  common  ground  where  they 
might  meet  and  settle  their  affairs  was  a  mere  game  of  subter- 
fuges, both  the  actors  being  over  seventy  years  of  age,  and  yet 
exhausting  every  artifice  to  ward  off  the  final  surrender,  each 
blaming  the  other  and  both  acting  as  consummate  hypocrites. 
Their  friends  called  for  a  general  council  to  meet  at  Pisa  and  solve 
the  problem.  At  this  council  a  leading  cardinal  (afterwards 
himself  a  Pope)  thus  described  the  position  of  the  two  Popes : 
"  You  know  how  these  two  wretched  men  calumniate  one  another 
and  disgrace  themselves  by  invectives  full  of  rant  and  fury. 
Each  calls  the  other  antipope,  obstructionist,  antichrist."  The 
council  at  last  deposed  both,  and  declared  the  Papal  chair  vacant. 
The  cardinals  bound  themselves  so  that  whichever  of  them  should 
be  elected  Pope  should  keep  the  council  open  till  all  schism  was 
healed.  They  elected  Alexander  V.,  but  he  proved  useless,  and  dying 

24 


370  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

in  1410,  a  most  dissolute  monster  of  depravity,  John  XXIII. 
succeeded,  who  turned  into  ridicule  and  defeated  all  the  schemes 
of  reform  then  put  forward  by  the  best  men  of  the  time.  The 
leaders  of  reform  were  disgusted,  and  desired  that  all  the  three 
Popes  should  resign,  and  an  upright  man  be  chosen  in  their  place. 
At  last  the  council  deposed  John  also  in  1415,  and  in  1417 
Martin  V.  was  elected. 

THE   DEPOSED    POPE,    JOHN   XXIII.    (a.D.    1410). 

Pope  John  XXIII.,  whose  name  was  Cossa,  was  all  his  life  a 
scandalous  character,  and  more  fit  to  be  a  roystering  and  swearing 
trooper  than  a  priest.  It  was  said  that  he  in  early  life  entered 
the  service  as  a  pirate,  when  Naples  and  Hungary  were  at  war, 
and  he  then  contracted  the  habit  of  sleeping  by  day  and  doing 
his  work  by  night.  He  was  daring  and  ingenious  in  every  kind  of 
corruption,  buying  and  selling  clerical  offices,  vending  indulgences, 
imposing  hateful  taxes,  and  brutal  and  licentious  in  gratifying  his 
lusts.  His  conduct  was  deemed  so  disgraceful  that  a  general 
demand  arose  for  the  Council  of  Constance  to  settle  the  question 
whether  a  Pope  or  a  general  council  be  the  highest  authority 
in  the  Church.  A  meeting  of  eighteen  thousand  ecclesiastics 
met,  and  charges  against  John  were  formulated,  and  at  last 
this  crafty  Pope  agreed  to  the  proposal  that  he  would  resign, 
if  the  other  two  rival  Popes  would  resign.  This  resolution  caused 
general  satisfaction,  though  at  first  he  refused  to  act  on  it. 
It  was  at  this  council  that  Huss  was  brought  to  his  mock  trial. 
John  was  charged  with  seventy-two  offences,  including  nearly  all 
the  vices.  He  was  styled  a  poisoner,  a  murderer ;  he  had  intended 
to  sell  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist  from  the  church  of  St. 
Sylvester  to  some  Florentines  for  50,000  ducats.  John  was  at 
length  deposed.  He  was  stripped  of  the  insignia  of  his  office  on 
May  31st,  1415,  and  at  the  same  time  confessed  that  he  had 
never  passed  a  day  in  comfort  since  he  had  put  them  on.  He 
was  kept  in  prison  at  Heidelberg  till  he  made  submission  to  a 
new  Pope,  who,  out  of  pity,  gave  him  the  dignity  of  a  cardinal 
bishop,  but  he  died  at  Florence  before  he  took  possession  of  his  see. 

AN   OWL   ATTENDING   A   CHURCH   COUNCIL   (A.D.    1412). 

After  John  XXIII.  in  1410  mounted  the  Papal  throne  through 
all  the  grades  of  bribery  and  corruption,  he  convoked  in  1412 
what  he  was  pleased  to  call  a  reformatory  council  at  Rome ;  but 
only  a  few  Italian  prelates  attended  and  disposed  of  some  trifling 
matters,  besides  a  condemnation  of  Wicliff's  writings.     What  was 


I 


Chap.  xi.J  HUSS   ON   INDULGENCES.  371 

chiefly  remarkable  was  the  advent  of  a  congenial  visitor.  At  the 
celebration  of  the  Missa  Spiritus  Sancti,  previous  to  the  opening 
of  the  council,  when  the  Yeni  Creator  Spiritus  was  sung  according 
to  custom,  an  owl  flew  up  suddenly,  screaming  with  a  startling 
hoot,  into  the  middle  of  the  church,  and  perching  itself  upon  a 
beam  opposite  to  the  Pope,  whence  it  stared  him  sedately  in  the 
face.  The  cardinals  ironically  whispered  to  each  other,  "  Only 
look  ;  can  that  be  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  shape  of  an  owl  ?  "  His 
Holiness  was  greatly  annoyed,  and  turned  pale,  then  red,  and  in 
an  awkward  and  abrupt  fashion  dissolved  the  meeting.  All  who 
were  present  were,  however,  singularly  impressed,  and  never  forgot 
what  was  viewed  by  each  as  an  evil  omen.  But  at  the  next 
session,  says  Fleury,  the  owl  took  up  his  position  again,  fixing  his 
eyes  on  John,  who  was  more  dismayed  than  before,  and  ordered 
them  to  drive  away  the  bird.  A  singular  scene  then  ensued,  the 
prelates  hunting  the  bird,  which  insisted  on  remaining,  and  flinging 
their  canes  at  it.  At  last  they  succeeded  in  killing  the  owl  as  an 
incorrigible  heretic. 

THE   SALE   OF   INDULGENCES    (a.D.    1411). 

About  1411,  after  John  Huss  had  published  his  disputation  on 
indulgences,  some  priests  were  engaged  in  selling  these  to  the 
highest  bidders,  when  three  young  men  of  the  artisan  class  came 
up  and  called  out  to  the  priest,  "Thou  liest !  Master  Huss  has 
taught  us  better  than  that.  We  know  that  it  is  all  false."  This 
impious  taunt  was  at  once  followed  up  with  imprisonment  and 
a  summary  sentence  of  death.  Huss,  on  hearing  of  the  matter, 
used  great  exertions  to  save  the  men,  and  two  thousand  students 
attended  him  to  hear  him  address  the  council  in  mitigation  of  the 
sentence.  He  took  on  himself  the  blame,  if  any  there  was.  He 
obtained  a  promise  that  no  blood  should  be  shed,  but  a  few  hours 
later  much  of  the  excitement  of  the  mob  was  over,  and  the  sentence 
was  executed.  This  created  a  still  greater  excitement,  and  as  the 
men  were  viewed  as  martyrs,  handkerchiefs  were  dipped  in  their 
blood  and  cherished  as  precious  relics.  A  woman  present  offered 
white  linen  as  a  shroud  for  the  dead  bodies ;  and  these  were  carried 
to  Huss's  chapel,  as  those  of  saints,  with  chanted  hymns  through 
the  streets,  and  great  solemnities.  The  chapel  was  thereafter 
named  the  chapel  of  the  Three  Saints.  The  part  taken  on  this 
popular  demonstration  was  afterwards  used  as  a  handle  by  Huss's 
enemies  before  the  council  at  Constance,  which  condemned  him  to 
be  burned  alive,  after  which  his  ashes  were  cast  into  the  Rhine, 
so  that  nothing  might  remain  of  him  to  pollute  the  earth. 


372  CUKIOSITIES    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

A    BISHOP    INVITING    HIS    OLD    MASTER    (a.1>.     1420). 

Master  Alan,  the  celebrated  doctor,  bi't  still  poor,  was  invited 
to  dinner  by  a  former  disciple  already  a  bishop,  who,  seeing  his 
poverty,  said,  "  Master,  I  marvel  not  a  little  that  your  scholars 
are  already  become  great  men :  one  is  an  abbot,  another  is  a 
bishop,  another  an  archbishop,  land  you  are  left  in  ridiculous 
poverty."  Alan,  indeed,  thinking  otherwise — for  he  had  a  true 
and  right  judgment  as  to  the  gradations  of  merit — is  said  to  have 
answered  thus :  "  You  do  not  know,"  quoth  he,  "  what  is  the 
height  of  the  most  perfect  dignity,  and  the  true  greatness  of  man  1 
It  is  not  to  be  a  great  bishop,  but  a  good  clei'k.  Everybody 
knows  that  by  the  voice  of  three  rascally  canons,  to  whom  is 
given  the  power  of  election,  a  bishop  is  made ;  but  if  all  the  saints 
in  Paradise  and  all  the  sensible  men  hi  the  world  said  together 
in  one  voice  before  God,  '  Martin  is  a  good  clergyman,'  Martin 
would  not  on  that  account  be  a  good  clergyman  if  he  remained 
an  ignoramus." 

A   SULTAN   WHO   ABDICATED   TWICE   (A.D.   1451). 

Sultan  Amurath  II.,  who  died  in  1451,  was  the  only  sultan  who 
has  twice  abdicated,  being  a  great  warrior  as  well  as  learned,  merci- 
ful, religious,  charitable,  and  a  patron  of  merit.  He  was  a  zealous 
Mussulman ;  and  though  the  scimitar  was  their  usual  instrument 
of  converting  unbelievers,  his  moderation  was  attested  by  the 
Christians.  His  most  striking  characteristic  was  that,  in  the 
plenitude  of  his  power  at  the  age  of  forty,  he  discerned  the  vanity 
of  human  greatness,  resigned  the  crown,  and  retired  to  join  a 
society  of  saints  and  hermits  in  Magnesia.  He  there  submitted 
to  fast  and  pray  and  rotate  with  the  dervishes.  In  two  years, 
owing  to  a  sudden  invasion  of  Hungarians,  his  son  and  successor, 
as  well  as  his  former  subjects,  implored  him  to  return  and  take 
command  of  his  janizaries  ;  and,  after  fighting  and  conquering,  he 
a  second  time  resigned  the  crown  and  resumed  his  monkish  life. 
A  second  time  he  was  recalled  by  another  danger  of  the  State,  and 
again  resumed  the  crown.  He  had  not  another  opportunity  of 
becoming  a  dancing  dervish,  as  he  died  as  Sultan  at  the  age  of 
forty-nine. 

POPE  NICHOLAS  V.  A  GREAT  COLLECTOR  OF  MANUSCRIPTS  (A.D.  1447). 

When  Pope  Nicholas  V.  was  elected  in  1447,  he  had  had  a 
reputation  for  universal  knowledge,  and  within  the  short  period 


Chap,  xi.]  POPE   NICHOLAS   A   GREAT   COLLECTOR.  373 

of  eighteen  months  became  bishop,  cardinal,  and  Pope.  A  little 
spare  man,  with  a  keen  eye  and  overweening  self-confidence,  he 
soon  made  up  his  mind  to  proclaim  a  crusade  against  the  anti- 
pope,  and  authorised  the  French  King  to  seize  his  territories, 
though  this  became  unnecessary,  owing  to  the  antipope's  n  signa- 
tion.  This  Pope  lived  in  an  age  of  great  intellectual  progress, 
and  he  took  pleasure  in  inviting  men  of  letters  and  scholars.  He 
soon  gratified  a  long-standing  desire  to  collect  manuscripts,  and 
caused  many  monastic  libraries  to  be  ransacked  for  treasures. 
He  added  in  eight  years  five  thousand  manuscripts  to  the  Vatican 
library,  and  kept  a  staff  of  copyists  and  translators,  and  even 
carried  out  in  part  a  new  translation  of  the  Bible.  It  was  under 
his  patronage  that  Laurence  Valla,  the  eminent  scholar,  produced 
a  treatise  on  the  donation  of  Constantino,  exposing  the  impudent 
forgery  which  had  so  long  been  palmed  off  by  preceding  Popes 
for  the  foundation  of  their  jurisdiction  over  the  world  in  general. 
The  author,  however,  was  astute  enough  to  withdraw  from 
Rome  before  the  effect  of  his  researches  became  known,  for 
he  was  soon  arrested  by  the  Inquisition,  and  would  have  been 
burned  but  for  the  intercession  of  King  Alfonso.  The  literary 
men  whom  Nicholas  encouraged  were  given  to  quarrels  and 
jealousies,  and  even  tended  towards  too  great  an  admiration  of 
Paganism.  Nicholas  was  also  bent  on  rebuilding  the  Vatican 
quarter  of  Pome,  and  proceeded  to  act  on  a  design  of  a  new 
structure  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross  with  a  cupola  ;  but  the 
execution  of  the  work  had  only  risen  a  few  feet  above  ground 
when  the  Pope  died,  and  a  yet  more  magnificent  structure  was 
carried  out  in  the  following  century.  Though  these  great  palatial 
schemes  were  not  executed,  he  gave  his  contemporaries  a  taste 
for  magnificence  of  every  kind  in  the  services  of  the  Church,  and 
for  mitres,  vestments,  altar-coverings,  and  gold  inwoven  curtains. 
He  patronised  the  saintly  painter  Angelico,  and  sculptors  and 
architects.  He  also  had  a  most  successful  jubilee  in  1450,  which 
recouped  his  great  expenditure,  though  the  occurrence  of  a  plague 
acted  adversely.  It  happened  that  Constantinople  fell  a  prey  in 
Nicholas's  time  to  the  Mohammedans,  who  despoiled  and  profaned 
the  churches  and  dispersed  the  treasures  of  Greek  literature. 
This  disaster,  which  happened  in  1453,  caused  much  sympathy; 
for  the  Emperor  Frederick  was  said  to  weep  at  the  news  and 
express  a  vague  wish  for  a  crusade,  though  he  took  no  active  step. 
At  a  great  festival  at  Lille,  a  lady  representing  the  Church 
appeared  before  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  seated  on  an  elephant 
led  by  a  giant,  and  in  a  versified  speech  invoked  assistance,  which 


374  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

led  the  Duke  to  register  a  vow  to  succour  the  Church ;  but  the 
enthusiasm  soon  died  away.  The  Pope,  however,  consoled  the 
chiefs  of  Christendom  by  issuing  a  bull,  in  which  he  declared  the 
founder  of  Islam  to  be  the  great  red  dragon  of  the  Apocalypse, 
and  invited  the  princes  to  buy  indulgences  in  order  to  raise  a  fund 
to  exterminate  the  infidels.  It  was  maliciously  insinuated,  how- 
ever, that  the  money  thus  raised  only  went  to  pay  for  needless 
fortifications  at  Rome,  and  nowise  to  influence  affairs  in  the  East. 
The  Pope  died  in  1455  before  any  of  these  great  enterprises  were 
begun.  It  was  said  that  Pope  Nicholas's  example  stirred  up  the 
Florentine  merchant  Cosmo  de  Medicis  to  carry  on  similar  re- 
searches for  old  manuscripts,  and  his  grandson  Lorenzo  de  Medicis 
procured  from  the  East  a  further  treasure  of  two  hundred  writings. 
The  Greek  language  came  to  be  publicly  taught  in  the  University 
of  Oxford  towards  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

A   FOP   ELECTED    POPE    PAUL   II.    (a.D.  1464). 

In  1464  the  choice  of  the  cardinals  for  a  new  Pope  fell  on 
Peter  Barbo,  a  Venetian  of  high  descent.  He  had  been  made  a 
cardinal  at  twenty-two  by  his  uncle,  and  had  always  been  noted 
for  his  elegant  and  foppish  manners.  The  previous  Pope,  Pius  II., 
used  to  call  him  Maria  pientissima,  on  account  of  his  soft  and 
affected  manner,  coupled  with  a  faculty  of  shedding  tears  at  will 
when  urging  any  request.  He  was  so  vain  of  his  handsome 
appearance  that  he  proposed  to  assume  the  name  of  Formosus, 
till  some  cardinals  laughed  him  out  of  it.  His  love  of  display  and 
theatrical  show  led  him  to  spend  large  sums  on  jewels,  precious 
stones,  and  millinery ;  and  to  provide  means  for  this  great  end  of 
his  being,  he  took  care  to  keep  in  his  hands  the  income  of  vacant 
offices,  and  postpone  the  appointments.  He  not  only  clothed 
himself  in  gorgeous  attire,  but  to  heighten  the  dramatic  effect  he 
painted  his  face.  One  peculiarity  of  his  was  to  transact  all  his 
business  by  night,  probably  owing  to  the  artificial  manner  in 
which  he  presented  himself,  and  to  prevent  cracks  in  his  enamel 
being  detected.  He  is  said  to  have  given  an  impulse  to  the 
festivities  of  the  Roman  carnival,  and  used  to  watch  with  con- 
genial interest  and  enthusiasm  the  frolics  of  old  and  young  during 
the  races  on  the  Corso,  where  Jews,  horses,  asses,  and  buffaloes 
were  the  performers.  The  cardinals,  on  appointing  this  Pope, 
bound  him  over  to  many  urgent  duties  and  stipulations,  but 
he  threw  off  these  incumbrances  as  he  would  put  off  his 
cloak.  He  spent  most  of  his  energies  in  seeking  and  buying 
alliances  in  Germany  and  in  selling  offices.     He  also  entertained 


Chap,  xi.]  POPE  LEO  X.  375 

the  Emperor  on  a  visit  of  seventeen  days,  and  showed  him  all  the 
jewels.  One  day  Paul  II.  was  found  dead  in  his  bed  in  1471, 
the  popular  belief  being  that  he  had  been  killed  by  a  devil,  which 
he  was  said  to  carry  locked  up  in  a  signet  ring  ;  and  this  solution 
was  entirely  satisfactory. 

HOW    POPE    LEO    X.    WAS    ELECTED    (A.D.    1513). 

John  de  Medicis  was  elected  Pope  in  1513,  and  took  the  title  of 
Leo  X.  He  had  been  made  cardinal  at  fourteen.  He  had  been 
dissipated  in  his  youth,  and  had  undergone  a  serious  surgical 
operation  at  the  time  of  his  predecessor's  death,  and  was  carried 
in  a  horse  litter  to  join  the  conclave  of  cardinals  who  were  busy 
in  measures  for  the  election.  The  Cardinal  de  Medicis  made 
himself  so  busy  in  canvassing  that  his  ulcer  broke,  causing  a 
noisome  smell  in  all  the  cells  he  visited.  While  the  cardinals 
obstinately  supported  the  opposing  candidates,  and  there  appeared 
no  hope  of  agi-eement,  they  were  yet  all  satisfied  that  poor 
de  Medicis  had  not  a  month  to  live.  So  it  occurred  to  several  of 
them  that  it  would  be  as  well  to  select  him  for  the  present,  so 
as  to  stave  oft'  the  discords  raging,  and  give  them  a  few  weeks 
longer  to  complete  their  own  arrangements  and  arrive  at  unanimity. 
This  view  led  to  John  de  Medicis  being  at  once  elected  Pope,  though 
only  thirty-six  years  old.  He  soon  recovered  his  health,  and  lived 
eight  years  longer,  so  that  the  old  cardinals  had  occasion  to  repent 
of  their  credulity.  The  young  Pope  celebrated  his  coronation  by 
lavish  expenses.  He  insisted  on  being  crowned  on  the  same  day 
that  he  lost  the  battle  of  Ravenna  and  was  taken  prisoner,  and 
rode  the  same  Turkish  horse  that  bore  him  on  that  day.  This 
horse  was  greatly  valued,  and  carefully  kept  and  pampered  to  an 
extreme  old  age.  Leo  X.'s  head  wras  full  of  the  magnificence  of 
ancient  Rome,  which  he  sought  to  perpetuate.  His  life  was  volup- 
tuous; he  gloried  in  the  pleasures  of  the  chase.  He  protected 
men  of  wit  and  learning,  and  kept  a  poet  laureate  to  make  verses 
and  act  as  buffoon  at  the  revels  constantly  going  on.  While  he 
thundered  anathemas  against  Luther,  he  did  not  cease  in  private 
to  ridicule  the  wrhole  Christian  doctrine  as  a  mere  fable.  It  is 
said  he  died  in  a  fit  of  extravagant  merrymaking  when  he  heard 
the  news  that  the  Emperor  had  defeated  the  French  at  Milan. 
Leo  X.  kept  a  table  of  extraordinary  luxury.  He  tried  experi- 
ments on  the  cookery  of  monkeys  and  crows  and  peacock  sausages. 
He  kept  poets  and  comedians  to  enliven  the  diversions.  Card- 
playing  for  heavy  stakes  followed  the  banquet.  He  used  to 
scatter  gold  among  the  spectators  of  a  game. 


376  CURIOSITIES  OF  CHRISTIAN  HISTORY. 

THE  POPE  TURNING   PAGAN  INTO  CHRISTIAN  MONUMENTS  (A.D.  1585). 

Pope  Sixtus  V.,  elected  in  1585,  had  a  genius  for  architectural 
projects,  and  seemed  anxious  to  make  the  Rome  of  his  time  rival 
the  ancient  city.  He  had  a  rage  for  destroying  as  well  as  for 
rebuilding.  He  was  bent  on  turning  Pagan  into  Christian  monu- 
ments. He  allowed  a  statue  of  Minerva  to  stand,  but  took  away 
the  spear  of  the  goddess,  and  put  a  huge  cross  in  her  hand.  He 
dedicated  the  column  of  Trajan  to  St.  Peter,  and  the  column  of 
Antoninus  to  St.  Paul.  He  set  his  heart  also  on  erecting  the 
obelisk  before  St.  Peter's,  the  more  because  he  wished  to  see  the 
monuments  of  infidelity  subjected  to  the  cross  on  the  very  spot 
where  the  Christians  once  suffered  crucifixion.  The  architect, 
Fontana,  thought  it  impossible  ;  but  the  Pope  would  not  listen  to 
objections.  It  was  an  extremely  difficult  task  to  upheave  the 
obelisk  from  its  basis  by  the  sacristy  of  the  old  church  of  St.  Peter, 
to  let  it  down  again,  transport  it  to  another  site,  and  there  finally 
set  it  up  again.  It  was  an  attempt  to  earn  renown  throughout 
all  ages.  The  workmen,  nine  hundred  in  number,  began  by 
hearing  Mass,  confessing,  and  receiving  the  Communion.  The 
obelisk  was  sheathed  in  straw  mats  and  planks  riveted  with  iron 
rings.  There  were  thirty-five  windlasses,  each  worked  by  two 
horses  and  ten  men.  The  signal  was  given  by  sound  of  trumpet. 
The  obelisk  was  raised  from  the  site  on  which  it  had  stood 
fifteen  hundred  years.  A  salvo  was  fired  from  the  castle  of 
St.  Angelo ;  all  the  bells  of  the  city  pealed ;  and  the  workmen 
carried  their  architect  in  triumph  round  the  barrier  with  never- 
ending  hurrahs.  Seven  days  afterwards  the  obelisk  was  let  down 
with  no  less  dexterity,  and  then  it  was  conveyed  on  rollers  to  its 
new  site,  and  some  months  elapsed  before  its  re-erection.  A  force 
of  one  hundred  and  forty  horses  was  used  to  elevate  it.  At  three 
great  efforts  the  obelisk  was  moved,  and  it  sank  on  the  backs  of 
the  four  bronze  lions  that  served  to  support  it.  The  people  exulted. 
The  Pope  was  immensely  satisfied,  and  set  it  down  in  his  diary 
that  he  had  achieved  the  most  difficult  work  which  the  human 
mind  could  conceive.  He  erected  a  cross  upon  the  obelisk,  in 
which  was  enclosed  a  piece  of  the  supposed  real  cross.  Sixtus  V. 
also  wanted  to  complete  the  cupola  of  St.  Peter's,  which,  it  was 
estimated,  would  take  ten  years  to  do ;  and  his  eyes  were  never 
wearied  in  watching  its  progress.  He  set  six  hundred  men  to 
work  at  once  night  and  day,  and  in  twenty-two  months  the  cupola 
was  completed.  He  did  not,  it  was  true,  live  to  see  the  leaden 
casing  placed  on  the  roof.     This  Pope  kept  a  memorandum  book 


Chap,  xi.]  THE  INQUISITION.  377 

in  which  every  detail  of  his  daily  life  was  recorded ;  and  on  suc- 
ceeding to  the  Papal  throne  it  was  noticed  that  his  skill  in  finance 
was  displayed  in  a  profusion  of  complexities.  He  amassed  great 
sums,  and  also  spent  great  sums.  One  of  the  great  sources  of 
his  profit  was  the  sale  of  offices.  He  created  offices,  and  then 
sold  the  nominations  at  a  great  price.  He  also  imposed  new 
taxes  on  the  most  laborious  callings,  such  as  those  on  the  men 
who  towed  vessels  on  the  river ;  and  he  taxed  heavily  the .  neces- 
saries of  life,  such  as  wine  and  firewood. 

THE    INQUISITION    AS   AN    INSTITUTION    (a.D.   1232). 

Pope  Gregory  IX.,  on  the  plea  that  the  bishops  were  overtasked, 
transferred  in  1232  the  duty  of  inquiring  into  heretics  to  officers 
specially  appointed  by  himself.  In  the  rules  by  wlrch  these 
inquisitors  should  be  guided  every  principle  of  natural  equity 
was  outraged.  The  accused  were  not  to  be  confronted  with  the 
the  accusers — were  not  even  to  know  their  names.  Persons  of 
infamous  character  might  be  received  as  witnesses  against  them. 
Elaborate  schemes  for  the  treacherous  entrapping  of  victims 
were  part  of  the  instructions  with  which  an  inquisitor  was 
furnished.  A  large  share  of  the  goods  of  the  condemned  went  to 
the  judges  who  condemned  them  ;  the  remainder,  if  sometimes  to 
the  Papal  Exchequer,  very  often  went  to  the  temporal  princes 
who  should  carry  out  the  Church's  sentence,  whose  cupidity  it 
was  thus  sought  to  stimulate,  and  whose  co-operation  was  thus 
rewarded.  The  guiltless  children  of  the  condemned  were  beg- 
gared. They  could  hold  no  office  ;  the  brand  of  lifelong  dishonour 
clung  to  them.  Even  the  very  bones  of  the  dead  were  burnt  to 
dust  and  dispersed  to  the  winds  or  the  waves.  In  the  latter  half 
of  the  fifteenth  century  the  Inquisition  found  its  main  occupation 
in  the  burning  of  Jews.  Torquemada,  in  Spain,  alone  sent  to 
the  stake  some  eight  or  nine  thousand. 

SENTENCE    OF    EXECUTION    BY   THE   INQUISITION. 

Owing  to  the  mode  of  execution  under  a  sentence  of  the  Inqui- 
sition, the  populace  were  gratified  with  a  view  of  the  last  agonies 
of  the  martyrs  for  heresy.  The  culprit  was  not,  as  in  the  later 
Spanish  Inquisition,  strangled  before  the  lighting  of  the  fagots, 
nor  had  the  invention  of  gunpowder  suggested  the  expedient  of 
hanging  a  bag  of  that  explosive  around  his  neck  to  shorten  his 
torture.  An  eyewitness  thus  describes  the  execution  of  John 
Huss  at  Constance  in  1415:   "He  was  made  to  stand  upon  a 


378  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN  HISTORY. 

couple  of  fagots,  and  tightly  bound  to  a  thick  post  with  ropes 
around  the  ankles,  below  the  knee,  above  the  knee,  at  the  groin, 
the  waist,  and  under  the  arms.  A  chain  was  also  secured  around 
the  neck.  Then  it  was  observed  that  he  faced  the  east,  which 
was  not  fitting  for  a  heretic,  and  he  was  shifted  to  the  west. 
Fagots  mixed  with  straw  were  piled  around  him  to  the  chin. 
Then  the  Count  Palatine  Louis,  who  superintended  the  execution, 
approached  with  the  Marshal  of  Constance,  and  asked  him  for 
the  last  time  to  recant.  On  his  refusal  they  withdrew  and  clapped 
their  hands,  which  was  the  signal  for  the  executioners  to  light 
the  pile.  After  it  had  burned  away  there  followed  the  revolting 
process  of  utterly  destroying  the  half-burned  body,  separating  it 
in  pieces,  breaking  up  the  bones,  and  throwing  the  fragments  and 
the  viscera  on  a  fresh  fire  of  logs."  When,  as  in  the  case  of  Arnold 
of  Brescia,  some  of  the  spiritual  Franciscans,  Huss,  Savonarola, 
and  others,  it  was  feared  that  relics  of  the  martyr  would  be 
preserved,  especial  care  was  taken  after  the  fire  to  gather  the 
ashes  and  cast  them  into  a  running  stream. 

THE   PLEASURE   OF   BURNING   HERETICS    (A.D.    1239). 

When  the  Inquisition  was  becoming  popular,  it  was  commonly 
taught  that  compassion  for  the  sufferings  of  a  heretic  was  not 
only  a  weakness  but  a  sin.  As  well  might  one  sympathise  with 
Satan  and  his  demons  writhing  in  the  endless  torment  of  hell. 
The  stern  moralists  of  the  age  held  it  to  be  a  Christian  duty 
to  find  pleasure  in  contemplating  the  anguish  of  the  sinner. 
Gregory  the  Great,  five  centuries  before,  had  argued  that  the  bliss 
of  the  elect  in  heaven  would  not  be  perfect  unless  they  were  able 
to  look  across  the  abyss  and  enjoy  the  agonies  of  their  brethren 
in  eternal  fire.  Peter  Lombard,  the  Master  of  Sentences,  quotes 
St.  Gregory  with  approbation,  and  enlarges  upon  the  satisfaction 
which  the  just  will  feel  in  the  ineffable  misery  of  the  damned. 
Even  the  mystic  tenderness  of  Bonaventura  does  not  prevent  him 
from  echoing  the  same  terrible  exultation.  The  schoolmen  easily 
proved  to  their  own  satisfaction  that  persecution  was  a  work  of 
charity  for  the  benefit  of  the  persecuted.  By  a  series  of  edicts 
from  1220  to  1239  a  complete  code  of  persecution  was  enacted. 
Heretics  and  favourers  of  heretics  were  outlawed ;  their  property 
was  confiscated,  their  heirs  disinherited.  Their  houses  were  to 
be  destroyed,  never  to  be  rebuilt.  All  rulers  and  magistrates 
were  required  to  swear  that  they  would  exterminate  all  whom 
the  Church  might  designate  as  heretics,  under  pain  of  forfeiture 
of  office.     All  this  fiendish  legislation  was  hailed  by  the  Church 


Chap,  xi.]  TORQUEMADA   THE   INQUISITOR.  379 

with  acclamation.     The  Inquisition  has  sometimes  been  said  to 
have  been  founded  in  1233. 

THE   SPANISH   INQUISITION   AT   WORK   (a.D.    1481). 

In  1481  two  Dominican  monks  were  appointed  to  proceed  to 
Seville  and  carry  on  the  work  of  the  Inquisition,  and  the  Jews 
were  hunted  up  with  vigour  and  burnt  in  the  autos-da-fe  of  that 
city.  In  1483  the  brutal  Inquisitor-General  Thomas  de  Torque- 
mada  added  further  horrors.  The  details  of  these  brutalities  are 
now  of  no  interest ;  but  Prescott,  the  historian,  thus  sums  up  the 
situation.  The  proceedings  of  the  tribunal  were  plainly  charac- 
terised throughout  by  the  most  flagrant  injustice  and  inhumanity 
to  the  accused.  Instead  of  presuming  his  innocence  until  his 
guilt  had  been  established,  it  acted  on  exactly  the  opposite  principle. 
Instead  of  affording  him  the  protection  accorded  by  every  other 
judicature,  and  especially  demanded  in  his  forlorn  situation,  it 
used  the  most  insidious  arts  to  circumvent  and  crush  him.  He 
had  no  remedy  against  malice  or  misapprehension  on  the  part 
of  his  accusers  or  the  witnesses  against  him,  who  might  be  his 
bitterest  enemies,  since  they  were  never  revealed  to  nor  confronted 
with  the  prisoner,  nor  subjected  to  a  cross-examination  which  can 
best  expose  error  or  wilful  collusion  in  the  evidence.  Even  the 
poor  forms  of  justice  recognised  in  this  court  might  be  readily 
dispensed  with,  as  its  proceedings  were  impenetrably  shrouded 
from  the  public  eye  by  the  appalling  oath  of  secrecy  imposed  on 
all,  whether  functionaries,  witnesses,  or  prisoners,  who  entered 
within  its  precincts.  The  last  and  not  the  least  odious  feature  of 
the  whole  was  the  connection  established  between  the  condemnation 
of  the  accused  and  the  interests  of  his  judges,  since  the  confiscations 
which  were  the  uniform  penalties  of  heresy  were  not  permitted 
to  flow  into  the  royal  exchequer  until  they  had  first  discharged 
the  expenses,  whether  in  the  shape  of  salaries  or  otherwise,  incident 
to  the  Holy  Office. 

torquemada's  work  as  inquisitor  (a.d.  1483). 

Torquemada,  while  at  the  head  of  the  Inquisition  in  Spain,  is 
said  to  have  convicted  about  six  thousand  persons  annually.  The 
Roman  See  during  his  ministration  made  a  painfid  traffic  by  the 
sale  of  dispensations,  which  those  rich  enough  were  willing  to 
obtain.  This  monster,  the  author  of  incalculable  miseries,  was 
permitted  to  reach  a  very  old  age  and  to  die  quietly  in  his  bed. 
Yet  he  lived  in  such  constant  apprehension  of  assassination  that 


380  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HTSTORY. 

he  is  said  to  have  kept  a  reputed  unicorn's  horn  always  on  his 
table,  which  was  imagined  to  have  the  power  of  detecting  and 
neutralising  poisons,  while  for  the  more  complete  protection  of  his 
person  he  was  allowed  an  escort  of  fifty  horse  and  two  hundred 
foot  in  his  progresses  through  the  kingdom.  Prescott  says  that 
this  man's  zeal  was  of  such  an  extravagant  character  that  it  may 
almost  shelter  itself  under  the  name  of  insanity.  He  waged  war 
on  freedom  of  thought  in  every  form.  In  1490  he  caused  several 
Hebrew  Bibles  to  be  publicly  burnt,  and  some  time  after  more 
than  six  thousand  volumes  of  Oriental  learning,  on  the  imputation 
of  Judaism,  sorcery,  or  heresy,  at  the  autos-da-fe  of  Salamanca, 
the  very  nursery  of  science. 

AN   "  auto-da-f£  "  IN  SPAIN  (a.d.   1483). 

The  last  scene  in  the  dismal  tragedy  of  a  so-called  trial  before 
the  Inquisition,  says  Prescott,  was  the  Act  of  Faith  (auto-da-fe) — 
the  most  imposing  spectacle,  probably,  which  has  been  witnessed 
since  the  ancient  Roman  triumph,  and  which  was  intended,  some- 
what profanely,  to  represent  the  terrors  of  the  Day  of  Judgment. 
The  proudest  grandees  of  the  land,  on  this  occasion,  putting  on  the 
sable  livery  of  familiars  of  the  Holy  Office  and  bearing  aloft  its 
banners,  condescended  to  act  as  the  escort  of  the  ministers,  while 
the  ceremony  was  not  unfrequently  countenanced  by  the  royal 
presence.  It  should  be  stated,  however,  that  neither  of  these 
acts  of  condescension,  or  more  properly  humiliation,  was  witnessed 
until  a  period  posterior  to  the  reign  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella. 
The  effect  was  further  heightened  by  the  concourse  of  ecclesiastics 
in  their  sacerdotal  robes,  and  the  pompous  ceremonial  which  the 
Church  of  Rome  knows  so  well  how  to  display  on  fitting  occasions, 
and  which  was  intended  to  consecrate,  as  it  were,  this  bloody 
sacrifice.  The  most  important  actors  in  the  scene  were  the  unfor- 
tunate convicts,  disgorged  for  the  first  time  from  the  dungeons  of 
the  tribunal. 

ASSASSINATION    OF   A   SPANISH    INQUISITOR   (A.D.    1486). 

When  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  in  1486,  introduced  the  Inquisi- 
tion into  Arragon,  the  higher  orders  and  the  Cortes  were  greatly 
opposed  to  it,  and  sent  a  deputation  to  the  Court  of  Rome  and  to 
Ferdinand  to  suspend  an  institution  so  hateful  and  oppressive. 
Both  Pope  and  King  paid  no  regard  to  the  remonstrance.  The 
Arragonese  thereupon,  in  self -defence,  formed  a  conspiracy  for  the 
assassination  of  Arbues,  and  subscribed  a  large  sum  to  defray  the 


Chap,  xi.]  ASSASSINATING  AN  INQUISITOR.  381 

expenses.  Arbues,  being  conscious  of  his  unpopularity,  wore  under 
his  monastic  robes  a  suit  of  mail  and  a  helmet  under  his  hood, 
and  his  sleeping  apartment  was  well  guarded.  But  the  con- 
spirators managed  to  surprise  him  wbile  at  his  devotions.  Near 
midnight  Arbues  was  on  his  knees  before  the  great  altar  of  the 
cathedral  at  Saragossa.  They  suddenly  surrounded  him  ;  one  of 
them  wounded  him  in  the  arm  with  a  dagger,  while  another  dealt 
a  fatal  bloAV  in  the  back  of  his  neck.  The  priests,  who  were 
preparing  to  celebrate  matins  in  the  choir,  hastened  to  the  spot, 
but  too  late.  They  carried  the  bleeding  body  of  the  inquisitor  to 
his  apartment,  but  he  survived  only  two  days,  and  it  is  said  he 
blessed  the  Lord  that  he  had  been  permitted  to  seal  so  good  a  cause 
with  his  blood.  This  murder  was  soon  avenged,  and  the  blood- 
hounds of  the  tribunal  tracked  the  murderers,  after  hundreds  of 
victims  were  sacrificed,  cut  off  their  right  hands,  and  hanged  them  ; 
and  Arbues  was  even  honoured  as  a  martyr,  and  after  two  centuries 
was,  in  1664,  canonised  as  a  saint. 

CARDINAL   XIMENES   AND   QUEEN   ISABELLA  (a.D.  1495). 

Cardinal  Ximenes,  who  had  acquired  great  reputation  for  the 
austere  life  he  had  led,  was  appointed  confessor  to  Queen  Isabella 
in  1492,  and  in  1495  was  appointed  by  her  Archbishop  of  Toledo. 
He  maintained  all  his  austerities  in  the  new  situation.  Under 
his  robes  of  silk  or  fur  he  wore  the  coarse  frock  of  St.  Francis, 
which  he  used  to  mend  with  his  own  hands.  He  used  no  linen 
about  his  person  or  his  bed,  and  slept  on  a  miserable  pallet,  which 
was  concealed  under  a  luxurious  couch.  He  was  a  rigorous 
reformer  of  the  monkish  fraternities,  and  this  excited  violent 
complaints.  The  general  of  the  Franciscans,  fidl  of  rage,  demanded 
an  audience  of  the  Queen ;  and  when  challenged  by  her  for  his 
rudeness  and  for  forgetting  to  whom  he  was  speaking,  he  petulantly 
replied,  "  Yes ;  I  know  well  whom  I  am  speaking  to — the  Queen 
of  Castile,  a  mere  handful  of  dust,  like  myself  ! "  The  Queen  was 
not  moved  by  this  insolence,  but  supported  Ximenes  in  his  trenchant 
reforms.  Ximenes  vehemently  urged  the  King  and  Queen  in  1499 
to  extirpate  the  Mohammedan  religion,  and  he  did  not  scruple  to 
bribe  the  Moors  to  accept  baptism,  and  it  was  said  he  baptised 
three  thousand  in  one  day.  In  1502  he  procured  a  decree 
enforcing  baptism  or  exile  on  all  Moors  above  fourteen.  Ximenes 
founded  the  University  of  Alcala,  which  was  opened  in  1508.  He 
also  carried  out  a  scheme  for  publishing  a  Bible,  being  the  first 
successful  attempt  at  a  polyglot  version  of  the  Scriptures.  This 
took  fifteen  years   to   prepare,  and  it  was   completed  in    1517. 


382  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

Charles  V.  wrote  a  cold-blooded  letter,  dispensing  with  Ximenes's 
services,  and  it  so  excited  the  cardinal  that  he  was  seized  with 
fever  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one. 

SOME   SO-CALLED   IRREPRESSIBLE   HERETICS    (a.D.    1080). 

Among  all  the  sects  of  the  Middle  Ages,  by  far  the  most 
important  in  numbers  and  radical  antagonism  to  the  Church  were 
the  Cathari  or  the  Pure,  as  with  characteristic  sectarian  satis- 
faction they  styled  themselves.  Albigenses  they  were  called  in 
Languedoc,  Patarenes  in  North  Italy,  Good  Men  by  themselves. 
Stretching  through  Central  Europe  to  Thrace  and  Bulgaria,  they 
joined  hands  with  the  Paulicians  of  the  East,  and  shared  in  their 
views,  which  have  been  variously  represented,  and  were  somewhat 
mystical.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  the  mighty  attraction  which 
these  doctrines — partly  Gnostic,  partly  Manichean — exercised 
for  so  long  a  time  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  many.  Baxter's 
estimate  of  the  Albigenses  was — Manichees  with  some  better 
persons  mixed.  First  attracting  notice  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
eleventh  century,  the  Cathari  multiplied  with  extraordinary 
rapidity,  so  that  in  many  districts  tbey  were  during  the  next 
century  more  numerous  than  the  Catholics.  St.  Bernard,  who 
undertook  a  mission  among  them  in  1147,  describes  the  churches 
of  the  Catholics  as  without  people,  and  the  people  without  priests. 
The  Cathari  disappeared  at  the  close  of  the  thirteenth  century 
and  then  the  Beghards  and  Beguins  become  prominent,  wh' 
were  pietists  associated  for  works  of  Christian  beneficence.  Then 
some  extreme  Franciscans  were  mixed  up  with  them,  and  called 
themselves  Zealots,  or  Little  Brethren,  or  Spirituals.  These 
remonstrants  drifted  by  degrees  into  open  antagonists  of  the 
Church,  and  talked  of  the  Pope  as  the  mystical  antichrist. 
Other  less  commendable  mediaeval  sects  were  the  Brethren  and 
Sisters  of  the  Free  Spirit.  About  this  time  all  countries  were 
hotbeds  of  various  sects.  Pope  Innocent  III.  tried  to  let  loose 
a  crusading  army,  under  Simon  de  Montfort,  against  the  Cathari, 
and  great  brutalities  were  perpetrated,  and  at  length  the  still 
more  brutal  Inquisition  carried  on  the  purposeless  warfare. 

WALDENSES   SEEKING   THE   SCRIPTURES    (A.D.    1179). 

The  Waldenses  may  be  described  as  representing  the  general 
craving  of  the  better  class  of  Christians  of  their  time  for  a  fuller 
acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures.  Peter  Waldo,  a  rich  citizen 
of  Lyons,  obtained  from  two  friends  in  the  priesthood  a  copy  of 


Chap,  xi.]  THE   WALDENSES.  383 

the  Gospels  and  a  collection  of  the  sayings  of  the  Fathers.  He 
sold  all  his  goods  and  associated  himself  with  others  in  search  of 
a  higher  standard  of  living  than  was  then  met  with.  They  were 
called  the  Poor  Men  of  Lyons  on  one  side  of  the  Alps,  the  Poor 
Men  of  Lombardy  on  the  other  side.  They  began  on  the  stock  of 
their  acquired  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  to  preach  in  the  streets, 
thus  diffusing  this  precious  knowledge.  They  had  no  intention  of 
opposing  the  Church ;  but  the  bishops  of  the  day  foresaw  that 
dangerous  knowledge  was  likely  to  spread  and  cause  trouble.  In 
1178  the  Archbishop  of  Lyons  forbade  their  preaching.  They 
tried  to  get  the  Pope's  sanction  to  circulate  a  translation  of  the 
Scriptures.  The  Pope,  after  due  inquiry,  dismissed  the  deputation 
and  condemned  them  to  absolute  silence.  This  sentence  did  not 
convince.  There  were  German  and  Swiss  reformers  then  rising 
up,  seeking  similar  ends.  The  authorities,  however,  rather  hunted 
them,  sometimes  as  wild  beasts,  and  always  subjected  them  to 
persecution  and  outrage,  both  in  France  and  Savoy.  They  retired 
into  mountain  fastnesses  from  their  persecutors.  Milton's  sonnet 
well  immortalises  and  avenges  "  these  slaughtered  saints,  whose 
bones  lie  scattered  on  the.  Alpine  mountains  cold." 

A   LAWYER   FOR   A    POPE   (A.D.    1605). 

Pope  Paul  V.  was  elected  in  1605.  He  had  been  a  lawyer,  and 
excelled  in  that  profession,  and  then  rose  successively  through  all 
the  grades  of  ecclesiastical  dignity.  It  was  noticed  how  skilfully 
he  avoided  making  enemies,  and  this  characteristic  marked  him 
out  for  the  supreme  dignity.  He  was  chosen  Pope  unexpectedly, 
but  this  only  caused  him  to  attribute  his  good  fortune  to  a  direct 
interposition  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  became  at  once  exalted  in 
his  own  estimation  above  himself  and  all  his  contemporaries  as 
a  heaven-born  Vicar  of  Christ.  He  soon  resolved  to  introduce 
into  ecclesiastical  polity  the  rigour,  exactitude,  and  severity  of 
the  civil  code.  Other  Popes  signalised  their  elevation  by  some 
act  of  clemency  or  grace.  He  began  by  striking  terror  into  the 
bystanders  by  a  severe  sentence.  A  poor  author  had  written  a 
Life  of  a  prior  Pope,  and  compared  him  to  the  Emperor  Tiberius  ; 
but  the  work  was  unpublished,  and  lay  only  as  a  manuscript  in 
the  author's  desk.  The  matter  came  to  the  ears  of  this  Pope, 
who,  notwithstanding  the  intercession  of  ambassadors  and  princes, 
ordered  the  writer  to  be  beheaded  one  morning  on  the  bridge  of 
St.  Angelo,  the  crime  being  treated  as  treason.  The  same  Pope 
treated  as  a  mortal  sin  the  practice  of  non-residence  in  a  bishop. 
He   treated   decretals  as  laws   of  God,  and  all  who   disobeyed 


384  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

them  as  blasphemers.  Excommunication  was  freely  launched 
against  petty  misdemeanants.  He  claimed  rights  of  sovereignty 
over  Venice,  which  for  centuries  had  been  in  abeyance.  He 
asserted  indeed  a  universal  sovereignty,  and  treated  all  mankind 
as  sheep  who  had  no  business  to  criticise  or  question  their  shep- 
herd. It  has  been  said  his  overweening  arrogance  only  made  the 
Protestant  reaction,  then  beginning,  more  prompt  and  decisive. 


385 


CHAPTER   XII. 
SACRED   LEGENDS. 

LIVES    AND    LEGENDS    OF    SAINTS    AND    MARTYRS. 

In  the  ninth  century  the  monks  busied  themselves  with  collecting, 
compiling,  and  reviving  biographies  and  histories  of  saints  and 
martyrs.  Many  of  the  records  of  monasteries  had  been  pillaged 
and  destroyed  by  the  ravages  of  the  Northmen,  and  it  was  neces- 
sary and  expedient  to  keep  alive  the  memori  of  notable  saints. 
Some  prominent  monks  of  St.  Germains,  of  Pari  ,  of  Notker  and  St. 
Gall,  devoted  themselves  to  this  task,  and  many  narratives,  genea- 
logies, and  legends  were  rewritten,  embellished,  and  invented,  so  as 
to  add  to  the  glory  of  the  Church.  In  the  following  century,  at  a 
Roman  Council  in  993,  much  discussion  arose  as  to  the  holiness  of 
Ulric,  who  had  died  twenty  years  previously,  and  of  whom  many 
miracles  were  related,  and  it  was  agreed  that  such  as  he  deserved 
the  veneration  of  the  world,  and  were  true  mediators  between 
Christ  and  mankind.  This  was  said  to  be  the  first  instance  of 
canonisation,  a  mode  of  certifying  that  a  saint  was  to  be  held  in 
reverence  throughout  all  Christendom.  This  mode  of  canonising 
was  at  first  used  by  metropolitans,  but  in  1153  Pope  Alexander  III. 
declared  that  henceforth  the  Pope  alone  was  to  exercise  this  impe- 
rial power. 

THE    CHRISTIAN    LEGENDS. 

Milman  says  :  "  That  some  of  the  Christian  legends  were  delibe- 
rate forgeries  can  scarcely  be  questioned.  The  principle  of  pious 
fraud  appeared  to  justify  this  mode  of  working  on-  the  popular 
mind  ;  it  was  admitted  and  avowed.  To  deceive  into  Christianity 
was  so  valuable  a  service  as  to  hallow  deceit  itself.  But  the 
largest  portion  was  probably  the  natural  birth  of  that  imaginative 
excitement,  which  quickens  its  day-dreams  and  nightly  visions 
into  reality.     The  Christian  lived  in  a  supernatural  world :  the 

25 


386  CURIOSITIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

notion  of  the  Divine  power,  the  perpetual  interference  of  the 
deity,  the  agency  of  the  countless  invisible  beings  which  hovered 
over  mankind  was  so  strongly  impressed  upon  the  belief,  that 
every  extraordinary  and  almost  every  ordinary  incident  became 
a  miracle,  every  inward  emotion  a  suggestion  either  of  a  good  or 
an  evil  spirit.  A  mythic  period  was  thus  gradually  formed,  in 
which  reality  melted  into  fable  and  invention  unconsciously  tres- 
passed on  the  province  of  history.  This  invention  had  very  early 
let  itself  loose  in  the  spurious  gospels  or  accounts  of  the  lives  of 
the  Saviour  and  His  Apostles,  which  were  chiefly  composed  among 
or  rather  against  the  sects  which  were  less  scrupulous  in  their 
veneration  for  the  sacred  books.  The  Lives  of  St.  Antony  by 
Athanasius,  and  of  Hilarion  by  Jerome,  are  the  prototypes  of  the 
countless  biographies  of  saints,  and  with  a  strong  outline  of  truth 
became  impersonations  of  the  feeling,  the  opinions,  the  belief  of 
the  time." 


HOW  LEGENDS  AND  MIRACLES  GROW. 

Torquemada  relates  that  a  certain  woman  being  desirous  of 
rising  a  few  hours  before  dawn,  and  not  finding  any  fire  under 
the  ashes,  sent  her  servant  out  with  a  candle  to  get  a  light.  The 
servant  going  from  house  to  house,  nowhere  found  any  fire.  At 
length  she  perceived  a  lamp  burning  in  a  church.  She  called  to  the 
sacristan  who  was  sleeping  within,  and  he  awoke»and  lighted  her 
candle.  Meanwhile  the  mistress,  tired  of  waiting,  had  taken 
another  candle,  and  had  found  a  fire  in  a  neighbour's  house,  and 
came  out  with  her  light  just  as  the  servant  was  returning  with 
another,  and  both  were  in  white.  At  that  moment  a  neighbour, 
while  rising  and  looking  out  half  asleep,  seeing  the  two  figures, 
thought  they  were  phantoms.  And  next  there  went  a  rumour 
that  there  had  been  a  procession  of  spirits  that  night  round  the 
church.  On  another  occasion  a  solemn  burial  of  a  noble  knight 
in  a  certain  monastery  in  Spain  was  appointed  to  take  place  next 
day.  A  poor  female  idiot  had  strayed  into  the  church,  and 
remaining  after  the  doors  were  closed,  took  shelter  from  the  cold 
under  the  great  velvet  pall  which  covered  the  coffin.  The  monks 
coming  into'the  choir  to  sing  matins,  the  idiot  awoke  and  made  a 
noise  which  startled  the  religious  men,  who,  however,  continued  to 
sing  their  matins,  and  then  retired.  The  rumour  soon  ran  of 
what  had  been  heard  and  seen,  each  relater  adding  something,  till 
at  length  the  poor  idiot  grew  into  a  supernatural  being  sent  from 
the  skies  to  add  honour  td  the  noble  warrior. 


Chap,  xii.]  SACRED   LEGENDS.  387 


THE    THUNDERING    LEGION. 

When  the  Emperor  Marcus  Aurelius  Antoninus,  who  died  180, 
warred  against  the  Yandals,  Salinatians,  and  Germans,  his  army 
was  shut  up  in  hot  and  dry  places,  where  they  had  been  without 
water  for  five  days,  and  were  much  discouraged.  The  Emperor 
in  a  letter  which  he  wrote  said  he  had  975,000  men  leagued 
against  him,  and  he  prayed  to  his  national  deities,  but  got  no 
assistance.  He  had,  however,  some  Christians  in  his  army,  who 
fell  on  their  faces  and  prayed  to  a  God  unknown  to  him,  when 
suddenly  there  descended  from  the  sky  on  him  and  his  troops  a 
most  cool  and  refreshing  rain,  but  on  the  enemy  hail  mixed  with 
lightning,  insomuch  that  he  at  once  perceived  that  a  most  potent 
God  had  interposed  irresistibly  in  his  favour.  The  en^my  were 
put  to  flight.  Wherefore  he  granted  full  toleration  to  these 
people  called  Christians,  lest  peradventure  by  their  prayers  they 
should  procure  some  like  interposition  against  him.  And  it  was 
ordered  that  in  future  it  should  not  be  deemed  a  crime  to  be  a 
Christian. 

ST.    MAURICE    AND    THE    THEBAN    LEGION. 

In  the  time  of  Diocletian,  who  died  313,  part  of  the  Roman 
army  consisted  of  a  Theban  legion,  which  was  six  thousand  six 
hundred  and  sixty-six  men  strong,  all  Christians,  and  noted  for 
discipline  and  piety.  After  marching  towards  Gaul  on  service 
against  the  Christians,  they  encamped  on  the  Lake  of  Geneva ; 
and  when  ordered  to  join  in  the  sacrifices  to  the  gods,  the  whole 
legion,  with  then  commander  Maurice,  refused  to  obey  or  to  fight 
against  their  fellow-Christians.  The  Emperor,  being  enraged, 
ordered  them  to  be  decimated,  and  they  thought  this  the  highest 
honour,  and  vied  with  each  other  in  being  selected  as  the  first 
victims.  Still  refusing,  they  were  ordered  a  second  time  to  be 
decimated,  and  then  a  third  time,  with  like  residts.  Maurice  at 
the  third  decimation  spoke  thus:  "Noble  Caesar,  we  are  thy  soldiers, 
but  we  are  also  the  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ.  From  thee  we  receive 
our  pay ;  from  Him  we  receive  eternal  life.  To  thee  we  owe 
service,  to  Him  obedience.  We  are  ready  to  follow  thee  against 
the  barbarians,  but  we  are  also  ready  to  suffer  death  rather  than 
renounce  our  faith  or  fight  against  our  brethren." 

THE    DIVINING-ROD. 

There  was  long  current  a  tradition  that  as  Moses  and  Aaron 


388  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN  HISTORY. 

had  a  rod,  so  there  still  existed  persons  who  could  divine  the 
inscrutable  by  means  of  a  rod  of  a  particular  tree  and  shape, 
some  said  the  hazel.  It  was  efficacious  to  discover  hidden  trea- 
sures, veins  of  precious  metal,  springs  of  water,  thefts,  and 
murders.  In  the  fifteenth  century,  Basil  Valentine,  a  monk, 
described  the  general  use  of  the  divining-rod.  In  1659  a  Jesuit 
writer  said  that  this  rod  was  used  in  every  town  of  Germany  to 
discover  mines  and  springs.  In  1692  one  Jacques  Aylmar  asto- 
nished Europe  by  his  marvellous  discoveries  in  tracking  thieves 
and  murderers,  and  his  services  were  sought  by  corporations  and 
high  officers  of  state.  The  circumstances  were  related  by  three 
eye-witnesses  who  vouched  for  the  truth.  At  last  a  plot  was  laid 
for  Aylmar,  and  it  was  believed  he  was  proved  to  be  an  impostor. 
Some  individuals  have  professed  to  use  like  powers,  and  have 
made  singular  discoveries,  particularly  one  Parangue  at  Marseilles 
in  1760,  and  one  Jenny  Leslie,  a  Scotch  girl,  about  the  same  date. 

ST.    GEORGE   AND   THE    DRAGON. 

Saint  George  of  Cappadocia  was  an  early  Christian  of  high 
position.  In  the  reign  of  Diocletian,  when  the  edict  of  that 
Emperor  against  the  Christians  was  published,  stimulated  by  a 
Divine  zeal  he  tore  the  paper  to  pieces,  treating  it  as  infamous. 
For  this  act  he  was  put  to  a  death  of  horrible  torture  on  April 
23rd,  303.  There  is  much  mystery  about  the  identity  and  the 
mode  of  death  of  the  saint.  The  account  in  later  ages  which  was 
given  was,  that  he  was  first  thrust  with  spears,  but  that  they 
snapped  like  straw  when  they  touched  him.  He  was  next  bound 
to  a  wheel  set  with  knives  and  swords,  but  an  angel  kept  him 
harmless.  He  was  then  buried  hi  a  pit  of  quicklime,  but  that 
could  not  kill  him.  And  his  limbs  were  next  broken,  he  was 
made  to  run  in  red-hot  iron  shoes,  then  scourged  and  made  to 
drink  poison — all  of  which  cruelties  were  harmless  ;  and  at  the 
end  of  seven  days  he  restored  an  ox  to  life  in  testimony  of  his 
miraculous  help.  But  he  was  at  last  murdered.  His  story  was 
made  into  a  legend,  in  which  he  was  represented  as  slaying  a 
dragon  which  infested  a  lake  and  had  devoured  sheep  and 
alarmed  the  natives,  who  were  told  that  unless  the  king's  daughter 
was  thrown  to  the  beast  it  could  not  be  got  rid  of.  This  step 
was  about  to  be  taken  by  the  despairing  king,  when  George, 
passing  that  way,  heard  of  the  difficulty  and  offered  at  once  to 
save  the  young  princess  and  kill  the  monster,  which  he  did  by 
making  the  sign   of  the  cross   and  dexterously  vising  his  lance. 


Chap,  xii.j  .  SACRED   LEGENDS.  389 

Temples  and  churches  and  monasteries  were  dedicated  to  the 
victorious  knight  in  many  countries.  The  Crusaders,  including 
our  Richard  I.,  all  invoked  his  protection.  In  1348  Edward  III. 
founded  St.  George's  Chapel,  Windsor,  and  used  the  saint's  name 
when  besieging  Calais  and  routing  the  French.  The  effect  of 
St.  George's  name  was  so  marked  that  he  was  adopted  as  the 
patron  saint  of  England  in  lieu  of  Edward  the  Confessor.  In 
1349  the  Order  of  St.  George  was  instituted.  In  1545  the  saint's 
day  was  made  a  red-letter  day,  with  a  proper  collect,  epistle,  and 
gospel,  in  the  services  of  the  Church.  Many  of  the  great  painters 
have  shown  their  skill  in  representing  the  legend. 

ST.    CHRISTINA    AND    THE    MILLSTONE. 

St.  Christina,  who  died  295,  was  the  daughter  of  a  noble  who 
lived  near  Lake  Bolseno,  and  was  early  a  convert  to  the  Christian 
faith.  One  day,  looking  on  a  crowd  of  poor  people  whose  wants 
she  could  not  supply,  she  broke  her  father's  silver  and  gold  idols 
and  divided  them  among  the  beggars.  lie  was  enraged  and  beat 
her  and  threw  her  into  a  dungeon,  but  angels  came  and  healed  her 
wounds.  He  next  was  determined  to  drown  her,  and  fastened  her 
to  a  millstone  and  threw  both  into  the  lake  ;  but  angels  held  up  tho 
stone  and  clothed  her  with  white  garments  and  led  her  safely  to 
land.  He  then  thought  there  must  be  witchcraft,  and  threw  her 
into  a  fiery  furnace ;  but  she  remained  there  five  days  imharmed, 
singing  praises  to  God.  Her  head  was  then  shaved,  and  she  was 
dragged  to  do  obeisance  at  the  temple  of  Apollo ;  but  she  had  no 
sooner  looked  at  the  idol  than  it  fell  down  before  her.  At  seeing 
these  things  her  father  became  so  terrified  that  he  died.  Next 
the  governor  ordered  her  tongue  to  be  cut  out,  but  she  only  sang 
more  loudly  and  sweetly.  Serpents  and  reptiles  became  harmless 
as  doves  before  her ;  but  at  last  she  was  shot  dead  with  arrows, 
and  angels  waited  and  carried  her  pure  spirit  to  heaven.  This 
saint  with  the  millstone  is  often  painted  to  decorate  the  churches 
in  Italy. 

ST.    CHRISTOPHER    THE    MARTYR    SEEKING    A    KING    OF    KINGS. 

Christopher  the  martyr  was  a  gigantic  negro,  who  in  early 
life  had  a  fancy  that  he  would  never  be  happy  till  he  took  service 
under  the  most  powerful  prince  in  the  whole  world.  He  took 
means  first  to  seek  out  King  Maximus,  who,  on  seeing  the  stature 
and  strength  of  his  petitioner,  at  once  employed  him.  One  day 
the  King's  minstrel  recited  a  lay  in  which  the  devil  was  often 


390  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

mentioned,  and  each  time  the  King,  who  was  a  Christian,  made 

the  sign  of  the  cross  on  his  forehead.    This  astonished  Christopher, 

who  after  many  questions  elicited  the  reason,  which   was  this — 

that  it  was  done  for  fear  of  the  devil.     Christopher  from  this  at 

once  concluded  that  there  must  be  a  still  more  powerful  prince  than 

Maximus,  and  he  could  not  rest  till  he  sought  out  that  prince, 

the  devil.     He  passed  through  deserts  in  search ;  and  one  day 

seeing  a  great  crowd  of  warriors,  with  one  terribly  fierce  at  their 

head,  he  made  bold  to  say,  when  questioned  where  he  was  going, 

that  he  was  seeking  the  devil.     The  warrior  told  him  that  the 

devil  was  before  him ;  so  Christopher  at  once  was  engaged  to  serve 

him.     One  day  as  they  were  journeying  they  came  to  a  cross  at 

the  wayside,  and  the  devil  made  a  circuit  so  as  not  to  pass  the 

spot,  and  afterwards  rejoined  his  troop  farther  on.     This  made 

Christopher  ask  the  reason,  and  it  was  told  him  that  there  had 

been  a  man  named  Christ  hung  upon  that  cross  whom  the  devil 

feared  greatly.     Christopher  again  came  to  the  conclusion  that 

Christ  must  after  all  be  the  greatest  prince,  and  he  set  off  to  seek 

for  Christ.    He  met  a  hermit,  who  told  him  to  fast  and  pray  ;  but 

Christopher  said  that  these  things  did  not  suit  him,  and  he  wanted 

some  easier  service.     So  the  hermit  told  him  that  as  he  was  tall 

and  strong  he  should  dwell   near  a  great  river  not  far   off  and 

carry  over  the  passengers.     He  did  so ;  and  one  night  a  little  boy 

called  on  him  for  help,  and  Christopher  took  him  on  his  shoulders, 

when  the  river  was  in  flood,  but  the  child  proved  heavy  as  lead, 

and  on  reaching  the  shore  Christopher  said  he  felt  as  if  the  whole 

world  had  been  on  his  back — it  was  a  wonder  he  had  got  over 

safe.    The  boy  answered  that  Christopher  had  no  cause  to  marvel, 

for  he  had  just  been  carrying,  not  the  world,  but  Him  who  created 

the  world,  for  that  He  was  Christ  the  Lord.     In  token  of  this 

Christ  told  Christopher  to  plant  his  staff  in  the  earth,  and  it  would 

immediately  bud  and  bear  fruit ;  and  then  Christ  vanished.     The 

staff  was  planted,  and  in  the  morning  it  bore  dates  like  a  palm  tree  ; 

and  thus  Chiistopher  knew  it  was  Christ  whom  he  had  carried. 

After  these  things  Christopher  went  to  the  city  of  Ammon,  where 

he  saw  Christians  tortured,  and  he  sought  to  comfort  them,  saying 

he  would  avenge  their   injury   were   he  not  a  Christian.      His 

habit  of  praying  was  reported,  and  he  was  taken  before  King 

Dagnus,  who  on  seeing  such  a  giant  as  Christopher  fell  to  the 

ground  for  fear.     But  steps  were  taken  to  throw  Christopher  into 

prison,  and  the  officers  beat  and  scourged  him,  put  him  on  a  bed 

of  red-hot  iron,  burnt  pitch  under  him,  and  at  last  with  three 

hundred  archers  shot  him  to  death.     All  this  time  Christopher 


Chap,  xii.]  SACRED   LEGENDS.  391 

prayed,  and  a  light  .shone  from  his  countenance,  and  his  relics 
began  to  work  miracles. 

THE    HALLELUJAH   VICTORY    IX    WALES. 

In  430  St.  German  and  Lupus  were  in  Britain  preaching  to 
the  Britons,  and  the  Saxons  joined  the  Picts  in  attacking  the 
former  in  Flintshire  near  Mold.  A  deputation  went  from  the 
Britons  to  German  and  Lupus,  then  preaching,  to  ask  them  for 
help.  The  saints  complied,  and  were  made  generals  of  the  British 
forces.  Every  day  they  preached  to  the  soldiers,  and  on  Easter- 
day  many  were  in  course  of  being  baptised,  when  the  approach 
of  the  enemy  was  announced.  German  saw  that  the  enemy  would 
come  through  a  valley  surrounded  with  high  hills.  He  posted  his 
army  on  these  hills.  As  soon  as  the  enemy  entered  the  valley,  a 
loud  shoiit  of  Hallelujah  resounded  in  the  mountains,  and  passed 
from  hill  to  hill,  gathering  sound  as  it  re-echoed.  Consternation 
filled  the  enemy ;  and  as  if  the  rocks  were  ready  to  fall  and  crush 
them,  seized  with  a  general  panic,  they  took  to  flight,  leaving 
then  arms,  baggage,  and  even  clothes  behind  tin  111.  A  large 
number  perished  in  the  river  Alen.  The  Britons,  who  had 
remained  motionless,  now  came  forth  to  collect  the  spoils  of  a 
victory  which  all  acknowledged  to  be  the  gift  of  Heaven.  Thus 
did  Faith  obtain  a  triumph  without  slaughter  with  two  bishops 
as  leaders.  The  place  of  this  battle  is  known  to  this  day  as  the 
Field  of  German,  and  is  about  a  mile  from  Mold.  Gregory  the 
Great,  three  hundred  yeais  later,  referred  to  it  as  a  wonderful 
example  of  the  lust  of  war  being  tamed  by  the  simple  word  of 
God's  priests. 

THE    PROPHECIES    OF    MERLIN. 

Merlin  lived  about  447,  a  contemporary  of  St.  Germanus, 
Bishop  of  Auxerre.  He  crossed  over  to  England  twice,  and  fought 
against  the  Anglo-Saxons,  then  Pagans,  and  defeated  them  in  the 
Hallelujah  victory.  Merlin  showed  Vortigern,  King  of  Britain, 
in  mystic  language  the  future  history  of  his  country,  describing 
events  as  arising  out  of  a  contest  between  red  warms  and  white 
worms,  lions  and  dragons  fighting  against  each  other,  and  other 
allegories  no  longer  worth  repeating.  But  Orderic,  who  lived 
six  hundred  years  later,  narrates  that  Merlin's  prophecies  had 
come  true.  Indeed,  all  the  intervening  generations  for  some 
reason  or  other  devoutly  believed  that  Merlin  was  inspired,  and 
commentaries  were  written  expressly  to  demonstrate  the  truth 
revealed  by  that  prophet. 


392  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

THE    DEVIL    SHOWING    ST.    AUGUSTINE    A    BOOK. 

In  a  painting  at  the  back  of  the  stalls  of  Carlisle  Cathedral, 
which  was  the  only  cathedral  in  England,  the  episcopal  chapel 
of  which  belonged  to  Augustinians,  there  is  a  representation  of 
scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Augustine  of  Canterbury,  and  one  of 
the  devil  with  a  book.  The  legend  is,  that  the  devil  one  day 
appeared  to  St.  Augustine  carrying  a  book.  The  saint  asked 
what  the  book  contained,  and  was  answered,  "  The  sins  of  men." 
He  then  adjured  the  devil  to  show  him  any  passage  in  which  his 
own  sins  were  recorded,  and  found  that  the  only  entry  against 
him  was,  that  on  one  occasion  he  had  neglected  to  repeat  the 
office  of  complin.  Thereupon,  commanding  the  devil  to  await 
his  return,  Augustine  entered  a  neighbouring  church  and  repeated 
that  office.  The  entry  in  the  book  at  once  disappeared,  and  the 
devil  greeted  St.  Augustine  as  he  came  out  of  the  church  thus : 
"  You  have  shamefully  deceived  me.  I  regret  I  ever  showed  you 
my  book,  for  with  your  prayers  you  have  wiped  out  that  sin  of 
yours."     And  so  the  devil  disappeared  in  high  dudgeon. 

THE    WANDERING    JEW. 

The  legend  of  the  Wandering  Jew  is  said  to  be  based  on 
Matt.  xvi.  28  and  Mark  ix.  1.  The  earliest  account  seems  not 
older  than  Matthew  Paris,  in  1228,  who  says  it  was  related  to  the 
monks  at  St.  Albans  by  a  visitor.  It  was  this :  that  when  Jesus 
was  dragged  to  the  Crucifixion  and  reached  the  door  of  Cartaphilus, 
a  porter  in  Pilate's  service,  he  impiously  struck  Jesus,  telling 
Him  in  mockery  to  go  quicker,  whereon  Jesus  gravely  replied, 
"  I  am  going,  and  you  will  wait  till  I  return."  This  meant  that 
the  man  would  not  die  till  the  Second  Coming.  He  was  afterwards 
baptised  and  called  Joseph.  He  is  a  grave  and  circumspect  and 
taciturn  man,  who,  when  asked,  but  not  unless  asked,  will  give 
details  as  to  the  Crucifixion  not  found  in  the  Scriptures.  He 
never  smiles.  He  says  he  sinned  through  ignorance.  He  once 
assisted  a  weaver  in  Bohemia  to  find  some  hidden  treasure.  He 
has  been  met  with  in  all  countries.  He  eats  and  drinks  little. 
When  offered  money,  he  only  accepts  a  small  sum  of  fourpence. 
He  once  appeared  at  Stamford  in  1658;  his  coat  was  purple,  and 
buttoned  down  to  the  waist.  About  1700  an  impostor  attracted 
attention  in  England  as  being  the  Wandering  Jew.  Other  im- 
postors appeared  hi  England  in  1818,  1824,  and  1830.  Some  say 
the  Wild  Huntsman  of  the  Harz  Mountains  is  the  same  person, 
and  cursed  with  perpetual  life  and  with  the  desire  to  hunt  the 
red-deer  for  evermore. 


Chap,  xii  |  SACRED   LEGENDS.  393 

ST.    SABAS    AND   THE    LION. 

St.  Sabas,  a  renowned  patriarch  of  the  monks  of  Palestine, 
who  died  532,  when  a  child  went  into  a  monastery  and  showed  a 
genius  for  his  work.  One  day,  while  at  work  in  the  garden,  he 
saw  a  tree  loaded  with  fair  and  beautiful  apples,  and  gathered 
one  with  an  intention  to  eat  it.  But  reflecting  that  this  was  a 
temptation  of  the  devil,  he  threw  the  apple  on  the  ground  and 
trod  upon  it.  Moreover,  to  punish  himself  more  perfectly,  he 
made  a  vow  never  to  eat  any  apples  as  long  as  he  lived.  At 
eighteen  he  went  to  visit  the  holy  places  at  Jerusalem,  and  became 
member  of  a  monastery  about  twelve  miles  from  Jerusalem,  and 
as  a  luxury  often  asked  leave  to  go  and  remain  in  a  cave,  where 
he  prayed  and  lived  by  basket-making.  In  one  of  these  caves 
he  met  a  holy  hermit,  who  had  lived  thirty-eight  years  without 
seeing  any  one,  feeding  on  wild  herbs.  Once  Sabas  went  into  a 
great  cave  to  pray,  and  a  huge  lion  happened  to  make  it  his  den. 
At  midnight  the  beast  came  in,  and,  finding  the  guest,  dared  not 
to  touch  him,  but  gently  plucked  his  garments,  as  if  to  draw  hini 
out.  The  saint  was  not  terrified,  but  leisurely  went  on  to  read 
aloud  the  midnight  psalms.  The  lion  went  out ;  and  when  the 
holy  man  had  finished  matins,  came  in  again  and  pulled  his  clot  lies 
gently  as  before.  The  saint  spoke  to  the  beast  and  said  the  place 
was  big  enough  to  hold  them  both.  The  lion  at  those  words 
departed  and  returned  thither  no  more.  Certain  thieves  found 
Sabas  in  this  cave,  but  he  converted  them  to  a  penitential  life. 
Others  joined  him  and  turned  it  into  a  monastery ;  but  he  pre- 
ferred to  retire  elsewhere  and  enjoy  the  sweetness  of  perfect 
solitude.  lie  was  afterwards  sent  to  Constantinople  to  help  with 
his  advice  in  restoring  peace  to  the  Church.  He  died  at  ninety- 
one,  an  example  of  admirable  sanctity. 

THEOPHILUS    AND    HIS    COMPACT    WITH   THE    DEVIL. 

About  538  a  priest  named  Theophilus  lived  in  Cilicia,  and  on 
the  decease  of  the  bishop  he  was  chosen  by  acclamation  to  fill  the 
vacancy.  But  his  deep  humility  urged  him  to  refuse  the  office. 
Slanders  circulated  against  him,  and  the  bishop  investigated 
them,  found  him  guilty,  and  deprived  him.  Being  unable  to  clear 
his  reputation,  he  consulted  a  necromancer,  who  took  him  at  mid- 
night to  a  place  where  four  cross-roads  met,  and  conjured  up 
Satan,  who  promised  to  reinstate  Theophilus  and  clear  his  character. 
But  it  was  first  necessary  that  Theophilus  should  sign  away  his 
soul  with  a  pen  dipped  in  his  own  blood,  and  to  abjure  Christ  and 


394  CURIOSITIES   OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

the  Holy  Mother.  Next  day  the  bishop  sent  for  Theophilus  and 
admitted  the  sentence  was  wrong,  and  asked  pardon  for  being  so 
misled,  and  restored  Theophilus.  The  populace  also  welcomed  his 
return.  But  Theophilus  found  no  rest  for  his  conscience.  He 
prayed  long  and  often  without  a  ray  of  comfort.  At  last  he 
fasted  forty  days.  The  Virgin  at  the  end  of  that  time  appeared 
and  assured  him  of  forgiveness ;  and  one  morning,  on  awaking, 
he  found  the  accursed  deed  which  sold  his  soul  lying  on  his  breast. 
He  rose  and  went  to  church  full  of  joy  and  exultation,  made  a 
public  confession,  and  showed  to  the  people  the  compact  signed 
with  blood.  He  craved  absolution  from  the  bishop  and  had  the 
deed  burned.  He  then  took  the  Sacrament,  and  soon  after  died 
of  a  fever.     He  has  ever  since  been  treated  as  a  saint. 

THE    HOLY    GRAIL. 

The  story  of  the  Sangreal  was  one  of  the  traditions  of  King 
Arthur's  knights.  When  Christ  was  transfixed  with  the  spear 
and  the  blood  flowed  out,  Joseph  of  Arimatheea  collected  it  in  the 
vessel  from  which  the  Saviour  had  eaten  the  Last  Supper.  Joseph 
was  thrown  into  prison  and  left  to  die  of  hunger,  but  he  lived 
forty  years,  being  nourished  and  invigorated  by  the  sacred  vessel. 
Titus  released  Joseph,  who  started  with  the  vessel  for  Britain,  and 
before  his  death  he  confided  it  to  a  nephew.  Others  say  the  Grail 
was  preserved  in  heaven  till  a  race  of  heroes  grew  up  fit  to  protect 
it.  A  temple  was  founded  by  some  king  to  hold  the  Grail,  the 
model  being  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  the  vessel  gave  oracles, 
and  the  sight  of  it  inspired  perpetual  youth  and  made  its  guar- 
dians incapable  of  wounds  or  hurt.  The  knights  who  watched 
the  Grail  were  pure,  and  whenever  a  bell  was  rung  one  was  bound 
to  go  forth  and  fight  for  the  right.  Endless  variations  of  the 
legend  appear  in  different  countries. 

THE    SEVEN    SLEEPERS    OF    EPHESUS. 

The  legend  of  the  seven  sleepers  was  told  in  the  fifth  and  sixth 
centuries.  The  Emperor  Decius,  having  gone  to  Ephesus,  com- 
manded all  the  Christians  to  worship  idols  or  die.  Seven  young 
men  refused,  and  being  accused  and  reprieved,  they  sold  all  their 
goods  and  determined  to  conceal  themselves  in  a  cave,  and  fell 
asleep.  Lest  they  should  be  hiding  in  the  cave,  the  mouth  of 
it  was  blocked  up  with  stones.  After  the  lapse  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  years,  these  stones  being  removed  for  a  new  building, 
the  sleepers  awoke ;  but  on  returning  to  Ephesus  and  searching 


Chap,  xii.]  SACRED   LEGENDS.  395 

for  their  parents,  and  finding  no  trace  of  them,  and  yet  seeing 
crosses  erected  everywhere,  they  were  confounded.  One  of  them 
having  offered  a  coin  for  bread,  was  taken  up  as  a  sorcerer  who 
had  discovered  hidden  treasure  and  concealed  it.  But  when  the 
governor  and  the  bishop  examined  into  the  story,  the  bishop 
turned  to  the  governor  and  said,  "  The  hand  of  God  is  here." 
They  visited  the  cave,  and  saw  the  other  six  sleepers,  all  fresh  and 
radiant.  They  said  they  were  kept  alive  to  prove  the  truth  of 
the  Resurrection,  and  then  died.  William  of  Malmesbury  says 
these  sleepers  had  lain  all  the  time  on  their  right  side. 

LITTLE    BLIXD    HERVE,    THE    CHILD    MINSTREL. 

When  the  British  emigrants  in  the  sixth  century  went  to  con- 
vert the  inhabitants  of  Armorica,  in  Brittany,  they  took  also  a 
bard  named  Hyvernion,  who  married  a  female  bard  ;  and  these  two 
had  a  little  blind  child  named  Herve,  who,  when  an  orphan  at 
the  age  of  seven,  went  about  the  country  singing  hymns  with  the 
voice  of  an  angel.  He  became  a  universal  favourite,  and  people 
wished  him  to  be  made  a  priest.  But  he  would  not  leave  a  little 
monastery  of  his  own  which  he  had  founded  in  a  forist.  and 
where  he  had  a  school  and  a  church  and  taught  children's  songs. 
This  church  was  managed  by  a  child  cousin  of  his  own.  a  little 
girl  named  Christina,  who  used  to  be  compared  to  a  little  white 
dove  among  the  crows.  Three  days  before  his  death  Herve  fell 
into  a  trance,  in  which  he  saw  visions  of  choirs  of  angels,  and  of 
his  father  and  mother  among  the  saints  of  heaven.  The  third 
day  of  his  illness  he  told  Christina  to  make  his  bed  with  a  stone 
for  a  pillow  and  ashes  for  a  couch,  as  he  was  anxious  that  the 
black  angel  should  find  him  in  that  state.  The  little  girl,  on  com- 
prehending that  his  end  was  near,  begged  him  to  ask  God  to  let 
her  accompany  him,  and  the  prayer  was  granted,  for  when  he  died 
she  threw  herself  at  his  feet  and  died  too  immediately.  Ever  since 
then  the  little  blind  monk  is  often  heard  singing  his  little  hymns, 
and  he  is  the  patron  of  all  the  mendicant  singers  of  Brittany. 
The  same  legend  says  that  his  mother  used  to  be  so  proud  of  her 
minstrel  hoy  as  to  think  that,  if  there  were  a  thousand  singing 
together,  she  could  still  distinguish  little  Herve's  voice  among 
them. 

THE    SUPPER    OF    ST.    GREGORY. 

St.  Gregory  was  in  his  early  days  a  monk  in  St.  Andrew's  at 
Rome,  though  afterwards  he  became  Pope  and  sent  St.  Augustine 


396  CURIOSITIES  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

to  preach  to  the  Saxons  at  Canterbury.  When  at  St.  Andrew's 
a  beggar  once  came  to  the  gate  and  was  relieved,  and  he  came 
again  and  again  till  all  the  monk's  means  were  exhausted.  At 
last  Gregory  ordered  the  silver  porringer  which  his  mother  Sylvia 
had  given  to  him  to  be  handed  to  the  mendicant.  When  Gregory 
became  Pope,  he  used  to  entertain  every  evening  to  supper  twelve 
poor  men,  and  one  night  he  was  surprised  to  notice  that  there 
were  thirteen  seated  at  the  table.  He  called  to  the  steward  and 
said  he  had  given  orders  that  there  should  be  twelve  only.  Tbe 
steward  looked  and  counted  them  over  and  said,  "  Holy  father, 
there  are  surely  twelve  only  !  "  Gregory  said  nothing  more,  but 
at  the  end  of  the  meal  he  called  to  the  thirteenth  and  unbidden 
guest,  "  Who  art  thou  ?"  The  answer  was,  "  I  am  the  poor  man 
whom  thou  didst  formerly  relieve,  and  my  name  is  the  Wonderful, 
and  through  me  thou  shalt  obtain  whatever  thou  shalt  ask  of 
God."  Then  Gregory  knew  that  he  had  entertained  an  angel,  or, 
as  some  say,  our  Lord  Himself.  This  legend  is  often  represented 
in  pictures,  Christ  sitting  as  a  pilgrim  with  the  other  guests. 
Another  legend  represents  St.  Gregory  officiating  at  the  Mass 
where  some  one  was  near  who  doubted  the  real  presence ;  and  the 
Saviour  in  person  descended  upon  the  altar  surrounded  by  the 
instruments  of  His  passion  in  answer  to  a  prayer  addressed  by 
the  saint. 

ST.  GREGORY  RELEASING  THE  SOUL  OF  TRAJAN. 

The  doctrine  of  purgatory  was  said  to  arise  from  the  feelings 
expressed  by  St.  Gregory  at  the  following  incident  in  the  life  of 
Trajan.  That  Emperor  was  once  hastening  at  the  head  of  his 
legions,  when  a  poor  widow  flung  herself  in  his  way,  crying  aloud 
for  justice  and  vengeance  over  the  innocent  blood  of  her  son,  killed 
by  the  son  of  the  Emperor.  Trajan  promised  to  do  her  justice 
when  he  returned  from  his  expedition.  The  widow  then  exclaimed, 
"  But,  sire,  if  you  are  killed  in  battle,  who  then  is  to  do  me 
justice?  "  Trajan  answered,  "  My  successor."  She  then  retorted, 
"  But  what  will  it  signify  to  you,  Emperor,  if  it  is  left  to  some  other 
person  to  do  me  justice  ?  Is  it  not  better  that  you  should  do  this 
honourable  action  and  receive  the  reward  yourself  ? "  Trajan, 
moved  by"  her  piety  and  her  reasoning,  then  alighted,  and  having 
examined  into  the  matter,  he  gave  up  to  her  his  own  son  in  place 
of  her  son,  and  also  bestowed  on  her  likewise  a  liberal  pension. 
Now  it  came  to  pass  that  one  day,  as  Gregory  was  meditating  in 
his  daily  walk,  this  action  of  the  Emperor  Trajan  came  into  his 
recollection,  and  he  wept  bitterly  to  think  that  a  man  so  just 


Chap,  xii.]  SACRED   LEGENDS.  397 

should  be  condemned  as  a  heathen  to  eternal  punishment.  And 
entering  a  church,  he  prayed  most  fervently  that  the  soul  of  the 
good  Emperor  might  be  released  from  torment.  And  a  voice  said 
to  him  :  "  I  have  granted  thy  prayer,  and  I  have  spared  the  soul 
of  Trajan  for  thy  sake ;  but  because  thou  hast  supplicated  for  one 
whom  the  justice  of  God  had  already  condemned  thou  shalt  choose 
one  of  two  things  :  either  thou  shalt  endure  for  two  days  the  fires 
of  purgatory,  or  thou  shalt  be  sick  and  infirm  for  the  remainder  of 
thy  life."  Gregory  chose  the  latter,  and  this  accounted  for  the 
many  bodily  infirmities  of  the  saint  during  the  rest  of  his  life. 

LEGEND    OF    ST.    BEGA. 

In  Cumberland,  on  a  promontory  of  the  Irish  Sea,  stood  the 
monastery  of  St.  Bees,  named  after  St.  Bega,  who  was  one  of  the 
nuns  under  the  great  abbess  St.  Hilda  of  Whitby.  St.  Bega  was 
the  daughter  of  an  Irish  king,  the  most  beautiful  woman  of  her 
time,  and  was  sought  in  marriage  by  a  prince  of  Norway.  But 
she  had  vowed  to  live  a  nun,  and  had  received  from  an  angel  a 
bracelet  marked  with  the  sign  of  the  cross,  as  the  seal  of  her  high 
calling.  On  the  night  before  her  wedding  day,  while  her  father's 
retainers  were  carousing,  she  escaped  alone  with  nothing  but  the 
bracelet,  and  in  a  skiff  landed  on  the  western  shore  of  Northumbria, 
and  took  refuge  in  a  cell  in  a  wood,  and  then  joined  St.  Hilda  till 
she  could  build  a  monastery  of  her  own.  During  the  building 
she  prepared  with  her  own  hands  the  food  of  the  masons  and  waited 
on  them.  Her  bracelet  was  long  preserved  as  a  relic.  She  was 
celebrated  for  her  austerity,  her  fervour,  and  her  kindness  to  the 
poor,  and  remained  the  patron  saint  for  six  hundred  years  after 
her  death  of  the  north-west  coast  of  England. 

ST.    FRUCTUOSUS    AND    THE    DOE. 

Fructuosus,  who  died  about  665,  displayed  when  a  mere  child  a 
genius  for  monkery.  When  a  boy  he  had  already  fixed  on  a  site 
for  a  monastery ;  and  when  he  had  carried  out  his  enterprise  and 
gathered  a  large  body  of  followers,  and  was  praying  in  a  secluded 
spot  in  a  forest,  a  labourer  took  him  for  a  fugitive  slave,  and  put 
a  rope  round  his  neck  and  brought  him  to  a  place  where  he  was 
recognised.  Another  time  he  was  wandering  covered  with  a  goat 
skin,  and  a  huntsman  thinking  him  a  wild  beast  shot  an  arrow 
at  him,  and  only  then  discovered  that  it  was  a  man  perched  on  the 
top  of  a  rock  with  his  hands  extended  in  prayer.  On  another 
day  a  hind  pursued  by  the  huntex-s  threw  itself  into  the  folds  of 


398  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  monk's  tunic,  and  he  was  so  pleased  at  this  mark  of  confidence 
that  he  took  the  wild  creature  home  and  treated  it  kindly.  They 
soon '  became  mutually  attached.  The  simple  doe  followed  him 
everywhere,  slept  at  the  foot  of  his  bed  and  bleated  incessantly  if 
he  was  out  of  her  sight.  He  tried  to  send  her  back  to  the  woods, 
but  she  soon  returned  to  his  cell  and  haunted  it  as  before.  At 
last  a  brutal  fellow,  who  was  supposed  to  have  no  goodwill  to  the 
monks,  one  day  killed  her  while  Fructuosus  was  on  a  journey. 
On  his  return  his  eyes  searched  in  vain  for  a  welcome  from  his 
faithful  friend,  and  when  informed  of  her  death  he  fell  prostrate 
on  the  floor  of  the  church,  quivering  with  agony.  The  bystanders 
thought  he  was  asking  of  God  some  punishment  for  this  brutality. 
Soon  after  the  murderer  fell  sick,  and  begged  urgently  this  monk 
to  go  to  his  aid.  The  monk  avenged  himself  nobly ;  he  went  and 
healed  his  greatest  enemy,  and  at  the  same  time  made  him  repent 
of  his  sins. 

POPE  joan  (a.d.  854). 

The  story  that  there  was  once  a  female  Pope,  who  succeeded 
Leo  in  854,  and  reigned  two  years  and  five  months,  was  first  told 
three  hundred  years  later  by  a  chronicler  named  Stephen,  a 
French  Dominican,  who  died  in  1261.  She  concealed  her  sex, 
but  on  her  way  to  the  Lateran  she  was  delivered  of  a  child  in  the 
street,  and  died  shortly  afterwards.  Others  say  the  child  was 
born  as  she  was  celebrating  High  Mass.  The  story  was  embel- 
lished as  time  advanced.  But  it  has  been  in  modern  times  treated 
as  a  fable  devised  and  kept  up  by  the  Protestant  reformers  in 
order  to  discredit  the  Papacy.  Some  added  that  Joan  was  the 
daughter  of  an  English  missionary,  and  fell  in  love  with  a  monk ; 
that  she  dressed  herself  in  male  attire  in  order  to  pursue  her 
studies,  became  celebrated  for  her  learning,  and  at  last  arrived  at 
the  high  dignity  of  Pope.  Others  say  she  was  an  Athenian  woman 
celebrated  for  her  learning,  who  had  come  to  Rome  as  an  adven- 
turess. Others  say  she  was  a  native  of  Mayence,  who  fell  in  love 
and  went  in  man's  attire  to  Rome,  and  after  many  adventures 
succeeded  to  the  highest  dignity. 

BISHOP   HATTO   DEVOURED   BY   RATS. 

Bishop  Hatto  had  a  castle  on  a  little  rock  in  the  Rhine.  In 
970  a  famine  existed  in  Germany,  and  the  famishing  people  asked 
the  bishop  for  help,  and  he  invited  them  to  go  into  a  large 
barn.      He  set  fire  to  the  barn,  and  they  were  all  consumed. 


Chap,  xii.]  SACRED   LEGENDS.  399 

Soon  afterwards  an  army  of  rats  collected  and  moved  towards 
the  palace,  and  on  seeing  them  the  bishop  fled  to  his  tower  in  the 
Rhine,  thinking  they  could  not  follow  him.  But  they  swarmed 
through  the  river  and  climbed  up  into  the  holes  and  windows  and 
ate  up  the  bishop.  This  story  was  told  for  the  first  time  at  the 
beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century,  and  a  similar  legend  is  found 
in  the  records  of  Poland  and  Bavaria. 

ST.    CONRAD    SWALLOWING    A    SPIDER. 

It  is  related  of  St.  Conrad,  a  devout  bishop  who  died  in  976, 
that  he  was  celebrating  the  Mass  on  Easter  Day,  when  a  great 
spider  dropped  into  the  chalice.  The  inject  might  have  been 
taken  out  and  then  decently  burnt,  but  out  of  devotion  and 
respect  for  the  holy  mysteries  the  bishop  swallowed  the  spider, 
which  he  vomited  up  some  hours  after  without  receiving  any 
harm. 

THE  PIPER  OF  HAMELN  AND  THE  RATS. 

The  town  of  Hameln  was  infested  with  rats,  which  swarmed 
everywhere  and  drove  the  people  mad.  One  day  a  stranger  came 
saying  he  was  a  ratcatcher,  and  offered  to  rid  the  place  of  the 
vermin  for  a  sum  of  money.  This  was  agreed  to,  and  the  piper 
began  to  pipe,  and  the  rats  with  a  mighty  rumbling  noise  came 
out  of  their  holes  and  followed  him.  The  townspeople,  on  seeing 
the  rats  leaving  them,  repented  of  the  bargain,  and  refused  to 
pay  the  money,  on  the  ground  of  the  piper  being  a  sorcerer.  The 
piper  then  waxed  wroth  and  threatened  revenge,  and  soon  after 
he  came  again  into  the  town  and  blew  his  pipe,  whereon  all 
the  children  rushed  out  and  followed  him  towards  a  side  of  the 
mountain,  when  they  all  vanished  through  an  opening,  and  none 
of  them  were  ever  seen  again.  There  were  one  hundred  and 
thirty  children.  The  street  through  which  the  poor  children 
were  decoyed  is  called  the  Bungen  Strasse,  and  to  this  day  no 
music  is  ever  tolerated  in  it. 

LADY    GODIVA    RELIEVING    COVENTRY. 

It  is  related  by  Matthew  of  Westminster  that  Count  Leofric, 
who  died  in  1057,  and  his  noble  and  pious  wife  Godiva,  had  founded 
a  monastery  in  Coventry,  had  established  monks  in  it,  and  endowed 
it  so  abundantly  with  estates  and  treasures  of  various  kinds  that 
there  was  not  found  such  a  quantity  of  gold,  silver,  and  precious 
stones  in  any  monastery  in  all  England  as  there  was  at  that 
time   in   that    monastery.       The   countess   had   on    an   occasion 


400  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

•wished  in  a  most  pious  spirit  to  deliver  the  city  of  Coventry  from 
a  burdensome  and  shameful  slavery,  and  often  entreated  the 
count  her  husband  with  earnest  prayers  to  deliver  the  town  from 
that  slavery.  And  when  the  count  reproached  her  for  persevering 
in  asking  to  no  purpose  for  a  thing  which  he  disliked,  he  at  last 
charged  her  never  for  the  future  to  mention  this  subject  to  him. 
She,  however,  prompted  by  female  persistence,  continued  her 
entreaties,  till  her  husband  was  provoked,  and  then  taunted  her 
thus  :  "  Mount  then  your  horse  naked  and  ride  through  the  market 
of  the  town  from  end  to  end,  and  when  you  return  you  shall 
succeed  in  your  request."  The  countess  replied,  "  I  am  willing 
even  to  do  that  if  you  will  give  me  your  permission."  And  he  gave 
it.  Then  the  countess,  beloved  of  God,  on  a  set  day  mounted 
her  horse  naked,  letting  her  tresses  of  hah*  fall,  which  covered 
her  whole  body  except  her  beautiful  legs;  and  when  she  had 
finished  her  journey  without  being  seen  by  any  one,  she  returned 
to  her  husband  with  joy.  He  looked  on  this  as  a  miracle,  released 
the  city  from  slavery,  and  confirmed  the  charter  with  his  own 
seal. 

THE    SACRED    FIEE    IN    THE    GREEK    CHURCH. 

A  ceremony  was  long  prevalent  among  the  Greek  Christians  at 
Jerusalem  which  resembled  the  carnival  in  Rome.  On  Easter  Eve 
it  was  pretended  that  fire  descended  from,  heaven  into  the  sacred 
sepulchre.  In  order  to  keep  up  this  illusion,  all  the  lamps  were 
extinguished.  The  crowd  then  collected  round  the  sepulchre, 
some  crying  "  Eleison "  and  jumping  on  each  other's  backs,  and 
throwing  dirt  about  like  people  at  a  fair.  Some  held  up  their 
wax  tapers,  as  if  imploring  the  Almighty  to  send  the  fire.  Then 
people  marched  round  the  sepulchre,  some  personating  the  arch- 
bishops and  bishops.  At  last  one  entered  the  sepulchre  and 
pretended  his  taper  had  caught  fire.  The  crowd  then  pressed 
round  to  light  their  tapers  at  that  wdiich  first  took  fire.  Great 
rioting  and  tomfoolery  then  succeeded.  Some  ascribe  the  origin 
of  this  superstition  to  a  real  miracle  of  the  same  kind  which  once 
happened,  and  it  is  added  that  God  Almighty  being  provoked  at 
the  irregularities  of  the  Christian  Crusaders  refused  to  work  the 
miracle,  but  at  last  vouchsafed  to  do  so  after  fervent  supplications. 
It  was  said  the  fire  had  never  descended  since  the  beginning  of 
the  twelfth  century.  Part  of  the  above  ceremony  consisted  in 
the  crowd  bringing  pieces  of  linen  cloth,  said  to  be  marked  with 
a  cross  by  the  tapers  kindled  at  the  sacred  fire  ;  and  these  cloths 
were  preserved  as  winding-sheets  and  sacred  relics. 


Chap,  xii.]  SACRED    LEGENDS.  401 

SOME   SUPERSTITIONS   OF   THE   GREEK   CHURCH. 

The  Greeks  of  the  Holy  Land  all  believed  as  an  unquestionable 
fact  that  the  birds  which  fly  about  Jerusalem  never  sing  during 
Passion  Week,  but  stand  motionless  and  confounded,  as  if  in 
sorrow.  Pilgrims  to  Jerusalem  got  certain  marks  imprinted  on 
their  arms  with  indelible  characters,  and  which  they  afterwards 
produced  as  certificates  of  their  pilgrimage.  The  Grecian  populace 
ascribed  to  the  waters  of  the  Jordan  the  supernatural  virtue  of 
healing  several  distempers.  The  plant  known  as  the  rose  of 
Jericho  was  in  their  opinion  a  sure  defence  against  thunder  and 
lightning.  They  also  believed  that  on  Easter  Day  the  lands  all 
round  Cairo  and  the  Nile  throw  up  their  dead  and  continue  to 
do  so  till  Ascension  Day. 

PRESTER   JOHN. 

The  belief  that  a  great  Christian  Emperor  reigned  in  Asia 
arose  in  the  twelfth  century.  He  was  called  Presbyter  Johannes, 
and  had  defeated  the  Mussulmans  and  was  ready  to  assist  the 
Crusaders.  Pope  Alexander  III.  once  sent  a  physician  with  a 
letter  to  this  Emperor,  but  the  messenger  was  never  again  heard 
of.  The  first  chronicler  who  mentioned  the  existence  of  this 
doubtful  sovereign  was  Otto,  who  wrote  at  the  date  115G,  and 
stated  that  the  Priest  John's  kingdom  was  on  the  farther  side  of 
Persia  and  Armenia,  and  that  he  had  routed  the  Persians  alter 
a  bloody  battle.  He  was  supposed  to  belong  to  the  family  of  the 
Magi  who  visited  Christ  in  His  cradle.  He  wrote  a  letter  in  11C5 
to  various  Christian  princes,  giving  details  of  the  splendour  of 
his  country  and  his  possessions.  He  said  seventy-two  kings  paid 
him  tribute,  and  the  body  of  the  holy  Apostle  Thomas  was  buried 
in  his  country  beyond  India.  His  country  was  the  home  of  the 
elephant,  the  griffin,  the  centaur,  the  phoenix,  giants,  pigmies,  and 
nearly  all  living  animals. 

LORETTO  AND  THE  HOLY  COTTAGE  OF  THE  MADONNA. 

The  small  city  of  Loretto,  about  twenty  miles  from  Ancona, 
has  been  for  five  centuries  a  popular  place  of  pilgrimage,  so  called 
from  a  grove  of  laurels  in  which  the  Santa  Casa  is  said  to  have 
rested.  This  is  the  holy  cottage  which,  according  to  the  tradition, 
was  the  birthplace  of  the  Virgin,  as  well  as  the  dwelling  of  the 
Holy  Family  after  the  flight  out  of  Egypt.  The  house  was 
held  in  extraordinary  veneration  throughout  Palestine  after  the 
Empress  Heleua  discovered  the  true  cross,  and  it  was  conveyed 

26 


402  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

by  angels  from  Nazareth  in  1291  to  the  coast  of  Dalmatia,  and 
in  1294  it  was  suddenly  again  transported  to  a  grove  near  Loretto, 
and  the  Virgin  appeared  in  a  vision  to  St.  Nicholas  of  Tolentino 
to  announce  its  arrival  to  the  faithful.  It  three  times  changed 
its  position  before  settling  down,  and  pilgrims  soon  flocked  to  visit 
it.  The  city  is  very  small,  and  stands  on  a  hill  three  miles  from 
the  sea,  and  it  consists  chiefly  of  shops  which  carry  on  a  great 
trade  in  crowns,  medals,  and  pictures  of  the  Madonna  di  Loretto. 
The  place  now  swarms  with  beggars  who  appeal  for  charity,  while 
the  shrine  glistens  with  gold  and  diamonds.  The  church  contains 
the  Santa  Casa,  which  is  a  small  brick  house  twenty-nine  feet 
long,  thirteen  feet  high,  and  twelve  feet  broad,  and  a  humble 
dwelling  of  rude  workmanship  is  enclosed  in  a  marble  casing 
adorned  with  beautiful  sculptures.  In  a  niche  above  the  fireplace 
is  the  celebrated  statue  of  the  Virgin  said  to  have  been  sculp- 
tured by  St.  Luke.  The  height  of  this  statue  is  thirty-three 
inches,  arid  the  child  fourteen  inches.  The  figures  are  rude,  but 
are  hung  with  glistening  jewels ;  and  silver  lamps  are  constantly 
burning  before  the  shrine.  There  are  also  three  earthen  pots  here 
which  are  said  to  have  belonged  to  the  Holy  Family. 

KING    RICHARD    I.'g    STORY    OF    AN    INGRATE. 

About  1196  Matthew  Paris  says  that  Vitalis,  a  Venetian 
noble,  who  was  rich  and  miserly,  went  into  a  forest  to  hunt  for 
venison  for  his  daughter's  marriage  feast,  and  fell  into  a  large 
pit  cunningly  set  for  lions,  bears,  and  wolves,  out  of  which  escape 
was  impossible.  Here  he  found  a  lion  and  serpent ;  but  as  he 
signed  with  the  cross,  neither  animal,  though  fierce  and  hungry, 
ventured  to  attack  him.  All  night  he  called  aloud  with  lamenta- 
tions for  help,  and  a  poor  woodcutter  being  attracted,  went  to  the 
pit's  mouth  and  heard  the  story.  Vitalis  offered  him  half  of  all 
his  property — namely,  five  hundred  talents — if  he  would  rescue 
him  ;  and  the  woodcutter  said  he  would  do  so  if  Vitalis  would  be 
as  good  as  his  word.  A  ladder  and  ropes  were  brought  and  let 
down  by  the  poor  peasant,  but  the  lion  and  serpent  eagerly  strove 
to  be  the  first  to  rush  out,  and  then  came  Vitalis,  who  was  con- 
ducted to  a  place  of  safety,  and  being  asked  where  and  when  the 
promise  would  be  discharged,  told  his  deliverer  to  call  in  four  days 
at  his  palace  in  Venice  for  the  money.  The  peasant  went  home 
to  dinner,  and  while  sitting  at  table  was  surprised  to  see  the  lion 
enter  and  lay  down  a  dead  goat,  and  then  lick  his  feet.  Then 
came  the  serpent,  and  brought  a  jewel  as  a  present.  When  the 
peasant  went  to  claim  his  money,  Vitalis  pretended  he  had  never 


Chap,  xii.]  SACKED    LEGENDS.  403 

seen  or  heard  of  the  poor  man,  and  ordered  the  latter  to  be  pnt 
out  by  his  servants  and  cast  into  prison.  But  by  a  sudden  spring 
the  peasant  managed  to  escape,  and  then  applied  to  the  judges  of 
the  city.  The  judges  at  first  hesitated  ;  but  when  the  peasant 
took  witnesses,  and  visited  the  lion  and  serpent,  both  of  which 
fawned  on  him,  the  justices  were  satisfied,  and  conrpelled  Vita  lis 
to  fulfil  his  promise  and  pay  compensation.  This  story  used  to  be 
told  by  King  Richard  I.  to  expose  the  conduct  of  ungrateful  men. 

ST.    FRANCIS    AND    HIS   LOVE   OF    BIRDS. 

One  day  St.  Francis  met  in  his  road  a  young  man  on  his  way 
to  Siena  to  sell  some  doves  which  he  had  caught  in  a  snare.  And 
Francis  said  to  him,  "My  good  young  man  !  these  are  the  birds 
to  whom  the  Scripture  compares  those  who  are  pure  ami  faithful 
before  God  ;  do  not  kill  them,  I  beseech  thee,  but  give  them 
rather  to  me."  And  when  they  were  given  to  him.  he  put  them 
in  his  bosom  and  carried  them  to  his  convent  at  Ruvaeciano, 
where  he  made  for  them  nests,  and  fed  them  every  day,  until  they 
became  so  tame  as  to  eat  from  his  hand.  And  the  young  man 
had  also  his  recompense;  for  he  became  a  friar  and  lived  a  holy 
life  from  that  day  forth.  St.  Francis  also  loved  the  larks,  and 
pointed  them  out  to  his  disciples  as  always  singing  praises  to  the 
Creator.  A  lark  once  brought  her  brood  of  nestlings  to  his  cell 
to  be  fed  from  his  hand.  He  saw  that  the  strongest  of  these 
nestlings  tyrannised  over  the  others,  pecking  at  them,  and  taking 
more  than  his  due  share  of  the  food.  Whereupon  the  good  saint 
rebuked  the  creature,  saying,  "  Thou  unjust  and  insatiable  !  thou 
shalt  die  miserably,  and  the  greediest  animals  shall  refuse  to  eat 
thy  flesh."  And  so  it  happened,  for  the  creature  drowned  itself 
through  its  impetuosity  in  drinking  ;  and  when  it  was  thrown  to 
the  cats  they  would  not  touch  it.  On  St.  Francis  returning  froin 
Syria,  in  passing  through  the  Venetian  Lagune,  vast  numbers  of 
birds  were  singing,  and  he  said  to  his  companion,  "  Our  sisters 
the  birds  are  praising  their  Creator ;  let  us  sing  with  them." 
And  he  began  the  sacred  service.  But  the  warbling  of  the  birds 
interrupted  them  ;  therefore  St.  Francis  said  to  them,  "  Be  silent 
until  we  have  also  praised  God,"  and  they  ceased  their  song  and 
did  not  resume  it  till  he  had  given  them  permission.  On  another 
occasion,  preaching  at  Alviano,  St.  Francis  could  not  make  him>elf 
heard  for  the  chirping  of  the  swallows,  which  were  at  that  time 
building  their  nests.  Pausing,  therefore,  in  his  sermon,  he  said, 
"  My  sisters,  you  have  talked  enough  ;  it  is  time  that  I  should 
have  my  turn.     Be  silent  and  listen  to  the  Word  of  God."     And 


404  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

they  were  silent  immediately.  On  another  occasion,  as  St. 
Francis  was  sitting  with  his  disciple  Leo,  he  felt  himself  pene- 
trated with  joy  and  consolation  by  the  song  of  the  nightingale, 
and  he  desired  his  friend  Leo  to  raise  his  voice  and  sing  the 
praises  of  God  in  company  with  the  bird.  But  Leo  excused  him- 
self by  reason  of  his  bad  voice  ;  upon  which  Francis  himself  began 
to  sing,  and  when  he  stopped  the  nightingale  took  up  the  strain  ; 
and  thus  they  sang  alternately  until  the  night  was  far  advanced 
and  Francis  was  obliged  to  stop,  for  his  voice  failed.  Then  he  con- 
fessed that  the  little  bird  had  vanquished  him  ;  he  called  it  to  him, 
thanked  it  for  its  song,  and  gave  it  the  remainder  of  his  bread ; 
and  having  bestowed  his  blessing  upon  it,  the  creature  flew  away. 
A  grasshopper  was  wont  to  sit  and  sing  on  a  fig  tree  near  the  cell 
of  the  man  of  God,  and  oftentimes  by  her  singing  she  excited  him 
also  to  sing  the  praises  of  the  Creator.  And  one  day  he  called 
her  to  him,  and  she  flew  upon  his  hand ;  and  Francis  said  to  her, 
"  Sing,  my  sister,  and  praise  the  Lord  thy  Creator."  So  she 
began  her  song  immediately,  nor  ceased  till  at  her  father's  com- 
mand she  flew  back  to  her  own  place  ;  and  she  remained  eight  days 
there,  coming  and  singing  at  his  behest.  At  length  the  man  of 
God  said  to  his  disciples,  "  Let  us  dismiss  our  sister ;  enough  that 
she  has  cheered  us  with  her  song  and  excited  us  to  the  praise  of 
God  these  eight  days."  So  being  permitted,  she  immediately  flew 
away,  and  was  seen  no  more.  When  Francis  found  worms  or 
insects  in  his  road,  he  was  careful  not  to  tread  on  them.  He 
would  even  remove  them  from  the  path,  lest  they  should  be 
crushed  by  others.  One  day,  in  passing  through  a  meadow,  he 
perceived  a  little  lamb  feeding  all  alone  in  the  midst  of  a  flock  of 
goats.  He  was  moved  with  pity,  and  said,  "Thus  did  our  mild 
Saviour  stand  alone  in  the  midst  of  the  Jews  and  the  Pharisees." 
He  would  have  bought  the  lamb,  but  had  nothing  in  the  world 
but  his  tunic.  A  charitable  man,  however,  passing  by  and  seeing 
his  grief,  bought  the  lamb  and  gave  it  to  him.  When  he  was  at 
Rome  in  1222,  he  had  with  him  a  pet  lamb  which  accompanied 
him  everywhere ;  and  in  pictures  of  St.  Francis  a  lamb  is  fre- 
quently introduced. 

ST.    FRANCIS   AND   THE   WOLF. 

Another  story  of  St.  Francis  is,  that  finding  the  neighbourhood 
of  Gubbio  was  held  in  terror  by  the  ravages  of  a  wolf,  he  went 
out  fearlessly  to  meet  the  beast,  and  when  found  he  addressed 
the  latter  as  "  Brother  Wolf,"  and  brought  him  to  a  sense  of  his 
wickedness  in  slaying  not  only  brute  animals  but  human  creatures. 


Chap,  xii.]  SACRED   LEGENDS.  405 

And  Francis  promised  that  if  his  friend  Wolf  woidd  desist  from 
such  practices  the  citizens  of  Gubbio  would  maintain  him.  Brother 
Wolf,  as  a  tok^n  of  this  sensible  overture,  put  his  paw  into  the 
saint's  right  hand  and  accompanied  him  to  the  town,  where  the 
people  gladly  ratified  the  preliminaries  of  the  treaty.  The  wolf 
spent  the  rest  of  his  days  in  innocence  and  competence,  and  when 
he  died  in  his  old  age  he  was  lamented  by  all  Gubbio. 

"  ST.  FRANCIS  AND  THE  BIRDS,"  BY  A  CONTEMPORARY. 

Roger  of  Wendover,  a  contemporary  of  St.  Francis,  in  noticing 
his  death  in  1227,  thus  describes  him  :  "  This  servant  of  God, 
Francis,  built  an  oratory  in  Rome,  and,  like  a  noble  warrior, 
engaged  in  battle  against  evil  spirits  and  carnal  vices.  When  the 
Roman  people  despised  him,  he  said,  '  I  have  preached  the  Gospel 
of  the  Redeemer  to  you.  I  therefore  call  on  Him  to  bear  witness 
to  your  desolation,  and  go  forth  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ  to 
the  brute  beasts,  and  to  the  birds  of  the  air,  that  they  may  hear 
the  life-giving  words  of  God  and  be  obedient  to  them.'  He  then 
went  out  of  the  city,  and  in  the  suburbs  found  crows  sitting 
among  the  dead  bodies/  kites,  magpies,  and  other  lards  flying 
about  in  the  air,  and  said  to  them,  '  I  command  you  in  the  Dame 
of  Jesus  Christ,  whom  the  Jews  crucified,  and  whose  preaching 
the  wretched  Romans  have  despised,  to  come  to  me  and  hear  the 
Word  of  God  in  the  name  of  Him  who  created  you  and  preserved 
Noah  in  the  ark  from  the  waters  of  the  deluge.'  All  that  flock 
of  birds  then  drew  near  and  surrounded  him  ;  and  having  ordered 
silence,  all  kinds  of  chirping  were  hushed,  and  those  birds  listened 
to  the  words  of  the  man  of  God  for  the  space  of  half  a  day 
without  moving  from  the  spot,  and  the  whole  time  looked  in  the 
face  of  the  preacher.  This  wonderful  circumstance  was  dis- 
covered by  the  Romans  passing  and  repassing  to  and  from  the 
city ;  and  when  the  same  had  been  repeated  by  the  man  of  God 
to  the  assembled  birds,  the  clergy  and  crowds  of  people  went  out 
and  brought  back  the  man  of  God  with  great  reverence.  And 
he  then  softened  their  obdurate  hearts.  His  fame  spread  abroad, 
and  many  of  noble  birth,  following  his  example,  left  the  world 
and  its  vices.  The  order  of  the  brethren  soon  increased  and 
scattered  the  seed  of  the  Word  of  God  and  the  dew  of  the  heavenly 
doctrine." 

BONA  VENTURA  ON  "  ST.  FRANCIS  AND  THE  BIRDS." 

Bonaventura,  in  his  Life  of  St.  Francis,  thus  explains  the 
circumstance  which  Giotto   the  painter    made  the  basis  of   his 


406  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

painting  :  "  Drawing  nigh  to  Bevagno",  Francis  came  to  a  certain 
place  where  a  vast  multitude  of  birds  of  cliff erent  kinds  were 
gathered  together,  whom  seeing,  the  man  of  God  ran  hastily  to 
the  spot,  and  saluting  them,  as  if  they  had  been  his  fellows  in 
reason  (while  they  all  turned  round  and  bent  their  heads  in 
attentive  expectation),  he  admonished  them,  saying,  '  Brother 
birds,  greatly  are  ye  bound  to  praise  your  Creator  who  clotheth 
you  with  feathers,  and  giveth  you  wings  to  fly  with  and  a  pure 
air  to  breathe  in,  and  who  careth  for  you  who  have  so  little  care 
for  yourselves.'  While  he  thus  spake  the  little  birds,  marvellously 
commoved,  began  to  spread  then-  wings,  stretch  forth  their  necks, 
and  open  their  beaks,  attentively  gazing  upon  him.  And  he, 
glowing  in  the  spirit,  passed  through  the  midst  of  them,  and  even 
touched  them  with  his  robe,  yet  not  one  stirred  from  his  place 
until  the  man  of  God  gave  them  leave,  when  with  his  blessing 
and  at  the  sign  of  the  cross  they  all  flew  away.  These  things 
saw  his  companions  who  waited  for  him  on  the  road ;  to  whom 
returning,  the  simple  and  pure-minded  man  began  greatly  to 
blame  himself  for  having  never  hitherto  preached  to  the  birds." 
One  of  the  pictures  by  Giotto  in  the  church  of  Assisium  represents 
this  legend,  also  a  small  picture  in  the  Louvre  at  Paris. 

ST.    ANTONY    PREACHING    TO   THE    FISHES    (A.D.    1231). 

St.  Antony  of  Padua  being  come  to  the  city  of  Bimini,  where 
were  many  heretics  and  unbelievers,  he  was  heard  to  say,  that  he 
might  as  well  preach  to  the  fishes,  for  they  would  more  readily 
listen  to  him.  The  heretics  stopped  their  ears  and  refused  to  listen 
to  him ;  whereupon  he  repaired  to  the  seashore,  and  stretching 
forth  his  hand,  he  said,  "  Hear  me,  ye  fishes,  for  these  unbelievers 
refuse  to  listen."  And  truly  it  was  a  marvellous  thing  to  see  how 
an  infinite  number  of  fishes,  great  and  little,  lifted  their  heads 
above  water  and  listened  attentively  to  the  sermon  of  the  saint. 
The  saint  addressed  them,  and  part  of  Ins  sermon  was  as  follows  : 
"  It  is  God  that  has  furnished  for  you  the  world  of  waters  with 
lodgings,  chambers,  caverns,  grottoes,  and  such  magnificent  retire- 
ments as  are  not  to  be  met  with  in  the  seats  of  kings  or  in  the 
palaces  of  princes.  You  have  the  water  for  your  dwelling,  a 
clear,  transparent  element,  brighter  than  crystal.  You  can  see 
from  its  deepest  bottom  everything  that  passes  on  its  surface. 
You  have  the  eyes  of  a  lynx  or  of  an  argus.  The  colds  of  winter 
and  the  heats  of  slimmer  are  equally  incapable  of  molesting  you. 
A  serene  or  a  clouded  sky  is  indifferent  to  you.  Let  the  earth 
abound  in  fruits,  or  be  cursed  with  scarcity,  it  has  no  influence 


Chap,  xii.]  SACKED   LEGENDS.  407 

on  your  welfare.  You  live  secure  in  i-ains  and  thunders,  light- 
nings and  earthquakes.  You  have  no  concern  in  the  blossoms 
of  spring  or  in  the  glowings  of  summer,  in  the  fruits  of  autumn 
or  in  the  frosts  of  winter.  You  are  not  solicitous  about  hours  or 
days  or  months  or  years,  the  variableness  of  the  weather  or  the 
change  of  seasons.  You  alone  were  preserved  among  all  the 
species  of  creatures  that  perished  in  the  universal  deluge.  For 
these  things  you  ought  to  be  grateful ;  and  since  you  cannot  employ 
your  tongues  in  the  praises  of  your  Benefactor,  make  at  least 
some  reverence — bow  yourselves  at  His  name."  He  had  no  sooner 
done  speaking  than  the  fish  bowed  their  heads  and  moved  their 
bodies,  as  if  approving  what  had  been  spoken  by  St.  Antony. 
Heretics  who  had  listened  were  converted,  and  the  saint  gave 
his  benediction  to  the  fishes  and  dismissed  them. 

ST.  ROCH  AND  THE  SUFFERERS  FROM  PLAGUE. 

St.  Roch  was  born  of  noble  and  wealthy  parents  at  Montpellier 
in  1280.  He  was  seized  early  with  a  consuming  passion  to  render 
help  to  the  sick  and  the  poor,  and  abandoned  all  his  wealth  to 
become  a  pilgrim.  He  was  eager  to  minister  to  the  most  helpless 
and  to  the  plague-stricken.  He  was  attacked  during  this  mission 
with  fever  and  ulcers,  and  crawled  into  the  street;  but  being 
driven  away  for  fear  of  contagion,  he  retired  to  the  woods  to  die. 
There  help  came  to  him.  He  had  a  faithful  little  dog,  and  it 
went  every  day  to  the  city  and  brought  back  to  him  a  loaf  of 
bread.  An  angel  also  came  and  dressed  his  wounds.  He  gloried 
in  his  sufferings ;  and  at  last,  haggard  and  wasted,  he  returned 
to  his  own  country  and  estate  ;  but  his  relatives  did  not  know 
him,  and  he  was  cast  into  prison  and  died.  A  bright  supernatural 
light  glowed  around  his  dead  body,  and  then  it  was  discovered 
who  he  was.  He  died  aged  thirty-three.  A  hundred  years  later 
his  great  deeds  were  remembered,  and  his  effigy  was  used  to  save 
Constance  from  the  plague.  The  Venetians,  when  plague-stricken 
hi  1485,  also  coveted  his  relics,  and  a  plot  to  steal  them  was 
contrived.  One  night  a  conspirator  carried  off  the  saint's  body 
from  Montpellier ;  and  the  doge,  senate,  and  clergy  of  Venice, 
with  inexpressible  joy,  went  forth  to  meet  the  pious  thief,  and 
they  built  a  magnificent  church  of  St.  Roch  to  contain  the 
priceless  relics.  He  and  his  dog  were  often  painted  by  the  great 
painters,  and  Rubens  got  a  large  sum  for  one  of  his  great  pictures 
on  that  subject  for  the  confraternity  of  St.  Roch  at  Venice. 
He  is  the  patron  saint  of  hospitals. 


408 


CHAPTER   XIII. 
THE  CRUSADERS  AND  PILGRIMS. 

A    MONK    HISTORIAN    ON    THE    CRUSADES. 

The  old  chroniclers  are  elated  with  a  fine  enthusiasm  when 
narrating  the  exploits  of  the  first  Crusaders.  Orderic  the  monk, 
who  died  about  1141,  thus  describes  the  situation:  "  Lo,  the 
crusade  to  Jerusalem  is  entered  on  by  the  inspiration  of  God ; 
the  people  of  the  West  miraculously  flock  together  from  many 
nations,  and  are  led  in  one  united  army  to  fight  against  the 
execrable  Saracens,  who  so  long  had  defiled  with  their  abomina- 
tions all  that  is  sacred.  Never,  I  think,  was  a  more  glorious 
subject  presented  to  those  who  are  well  informed  in  military 
affairs  than  that  which  is  divinely  offered  to  the  poets  and 
writers  of  our  age  in  the  triumph  of  a  handful  of  Christians, 
drawn  from  their  homes  by  the  love  of  enterprise,  over  the  Pagans 
in  the  East.  The  God  of  Abraham  renewed  His  ancient  miracles 
when,  actuated  only,  by  their  zeal  to  visit  the  Messiah's  tomb,  and 
without  the  exercise  of  the  authority  of  kings  or  any  worldly 
excitement,  but  by  the  simple  admonition  of  Pope  Urban,  He 
assembled  the  Christians  of  the  West  from  the  ends  of  the  earth 
and  the  isles  of  the  sea,  as  He  brought  the  Hebrews  out  of 
Egypt  by  the  hand  of  Moses,  and  led  them  through  strange 
nations  until  He  conducted  them  to  Palestine,  gave  them  victory 
over  kings  and  princes  and  the  assembled  forces  of  many  nations, 
and  enabled  them  gloriously  to  conquer  strongly  fortified  cities 
and  to  reduce  towns  under  subjection  to  their  arms.  I,  too, 
though  the  least  of  all  the  followers  of  the  Lord  in  a  religious 
rule  of  life,  for  the  love  I  bear  to  the  brave  champions  of  Cln-ist, 
am  ambitious  to  celebrate  their  valiant  achievements." 

CRUSADES    BENEFICIAL    TO    THE    CHURCH. 

The  crusades  brought  the  civilisation  of  the  West  in  contact 
with  that  of  the  Arabs,  who  were  more  advanced  in  some  respects. 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS   AND   PILGRIMS.  409 

Literature,  science,  navigation,  and  trade  benefited.  Large  feudal 
estates  were  sold,  and  citizens  of  towns  were  enriched  and  set  up 
by  kings  as  a  counterpoise  to  overpowerful  vassals.  The  sees  and 
monasteries  became  purchasers  of  large  estates  oil  easy  terms.  But 
the  Popes  were  the  chief  gainers  by  the  crusades.  They  acquired 
control  over  Western  Christendom,  and  over  the  emperors,  kings, 
and  princes  who  engaged  in  this  service,  and  plighted  their  faith 
to  carry  through  great  enterprises.  The  Popes  claimed  sovereignty 
over  lands  wrested  from  the  infidels.  But,  above  all,  it  gave  the 
Popes  a  continual  pretext  for  sending  legates  to  interfere  in  every 
country  and  levy  contributions,  which,  at  first  voluntary,  soon 
took  the  form  of  rights  to  perpetual  tribute. 

THE    PRACTICE    OF    PILGRIMAGES    TO    PALESTINE. 

The  desire  of  Christians  to  visit  the  tombs  of  martyrs  and 
famous  saints  may  be  considered  almost  natural,  but  it  received 
great  encouragement  from  the  Empress  Helena's  discovery  of  the 
cross.  The  early  Fathers  were  not  emphatic  in  favour  of  the 
practice,  for  Jerome  declared  that  heaven  was  as  accessible  from 
Britain  as  from  Palestine.  But  in  the  sixth  century  the  passion 
grew.  Pilgrimages  were  projected  and  accomplished  on  a  great 
scale.  Hospitals  were  endowed  for  entertaining  the  pilgrims 
along  the  great  highway.  Pilgrims  were  exempted  from  toll. 
Charlemagne  ordered  that  lodging,  fire,  and  water  be  always 
supplied  to  them.  In  Jerusalem  there  were  caravansaries  tor 
their  reception.  The  pilgrim  set  forth  amid  the  blessings  and 
prayers  of  his  kindred  or  community  with  his  simple  out  lit — the 
staff,  the  wallet,  and  the  scallop-shell ;  he  returned  a  privileged, 
in  some  sense  a  sanctified,  being.  Pilgrimage  expiated  all  sin. 
The  bathing  in  the  Jordan  was,  as  it  were,  a  second  baptism,  and 
washed  away  all  the  evil  of  the  former  life.  The  shirt  which  he 
had  worn  when  he  entered  the  holy  city  was  carefully  laid  by 
as  a  winding-sheet,  ami  possessed,  it  was  supposed,  the  power  of 
transporting  him  to  heaven.  The  stable  of  Bethlehem,  the  garden 
of  Gethsemane,  the  height  where  the  Ascension  took  place,  had  a 
fascination  for  every  eye.  To  gratify  the  pilgrims,  the  descent  of 
fire  from  heaven  to  kindle  the  lights  round  the  holy  sepulchre 
had  been  played  off*  from  an  early  period  before  the  wondering 
worshippers.  Jerxrsalern  also  became  the  emporium  of  relies. 
Each  pilgrim  would  bring  back  a  splinter  of  the  true  cross  or  some 
special  memorial  of  the  Virgin  or  a  famous  saint.  The  demand 
for  these  was  great,  and  the  supply  was  inexhaustible.  At  a  later 
period  the  silks,  jewels,  and  spices  of  the  East  mingled  in  the 


410  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

mart  of  holy  things.  Down  to  the  conquest  of  Jerusalem  by 
Chosroes  the  Persian,  in  614,  the  tide  of  pilgrimage  flowed  unin- 
terruptedly to  the  Holy  Laud ;  and  even  the  Saracens  in  637, 
when  the  conquerors,  did  not  prohibit  them,  though  the  dangers 
increased. 

EARLY  TRAVELS  IN  PALESTINE. 

The  earliest  traveller  from  Western  Europe  to  the  Holy  Land 
who  has  left  an  account  was  Pierre  Pithou  from  Bordeaux  in 
333.  But  pilgrims  were  often  going  on  the  same  journey.  In 
385  St.  Eusebius  of  Cremona,  and  his  friend  St.  Jerome,  and  a 
large  company  also  visited  the  chief  places.  Soon  after  St.  Paula 
and  her  daughter  went  the  round,  and  on  Mount  Zion  they  were 
shown  the  column  to  which  Christ  was  bound  when  scourged.  In 
the  seventh  century  St.  Antoninus  went  there  also.  When  the 
Saracens  obtained  possession  of  Jerusalem  in  637,  they  soon  saw 
that  it  would  be  to  their  advantage  to  preserve  the  holy  places 
and  profit  by  the  charges  so  many  strangers  were  willing  to  pay. 
The  French  bishop,  Arculf,  visited  Palestine  about  690,  and 
afterwards  visited  Northumberland  and  Iona.  Pilgrims  there- 
after up  to  980  brought  worse  and  worse  accounts  of  their  treat- 
ment and  the  profanations  of  the  holy  places.  The  celebrated 
Gei'bert,  afterwards  Pope,  returned  from  a  visit  in  986,  and 
suggested  that  the  Christian  world  ought  in  some  way  to  interfere. 
Soon  after  pilgrims  went  in  armed  bodies,  and  serious  quarrels 
occurred.  The  news  that  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  had 
been  thrown  down  excited  great  consternation  in  Europe  about 
1048.  Changes  in  the  rulers  occurred  at  that  time.  At  last 
Peter  the  Hermit,  in  1095,  raised  to  a  frenzy  all  the  adventurous 
enthusiasts  till  they  arranged  the  First  Crusade. 

THE    WAYS    OF    PILGRIMS. 

The  fashion  of  going  on  pilgrimage  became  noticeable  in 
the  fourth  century,  the  Holy  Land  being  the  chief  attraction. 
Hospitals  were  founded  at  convenient  places  to  accommodate 
pilgrims.  The  order  of  Knights  Templars  was  founded  to  escort 
the  caravans  and  protect  them  in  wild  and  dangerous  places. 
Pome  and  the  shrine  of  St.  James  at  Compostella  or  Santiago 
were  added  in  the  Middle  Ages  as  centres.  Rich  and  poor  joined 
in  this  desire  of  travel.  The  pilgrims  repaid  their  entertainers 
with  the  news  they  carried  from  distant  countries.  Before  a 
man  went  on  pilgrimage  he  first  went  to  his  church  and  received 
the  Church's  blessing  and  prayers.     He  lay  prostrate  at  the  altar 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS  AND   PILGRIMS.  411 

while  the  priest  and  choir  sang  over  him  appropriate  psalms,  such 
as  the  twenty-fourth,  fiftieth,  and  ninetieth.  Then  his  scrip  and 
palmer-staff  were  blessed  and  sprinkled  with  holy  water,  and 
the  Mass  was  celebrated.  The  proper  costume  or  pilgrim's 
weeds  were  a  grey  woollen  robe  and  felt  hat,  staff,  scrip,  and 
water-bottle.  Some  went  barefoot  as  a  penance,  or  made  a  vow 
not  to  cut  hair  or  beard  till  the  pilgrimage  was  accomplished. 
If  the  Holy  Land  was  the  destination,  the  robe  was  signed  with 
the  cross,  as  a  special  sign  and  token,  and  each,  after  accomplishing 
his  round  of  holy  places,  was  entitled  to  wear  the  palm,  and 
hence  was  called  palmer.  The  sign  of  the  C'ompostella  pilgrimage 
was  the  scallop-shell.  The  sign  of  the  Canterbury  pilgrims  was 
an  ampullar  flask,  so-called  from  the  vessel  in  which  the  blood  of 
the  martyr  Thomas  a  Becket  had  been  collected.  These  flasks 
were  at  first  of  wood,  but  latterly  of  lead  and  pewter.  A  bell 
was  often  added  to  the  ampulla.  Besides  the  badge,  these  pilgrims 
had  their  gathering-cry,  and  the  Canterbury  pilgrims  lightened 
their  journey  with  song  and  music  and  sometimes  the  bagpipe. 
When  the  pilgrim  returned  home,  he  presented  himself  at  church 
to  give  thanks.  Often  a  procession  would  go  to  meet  the  return- 
ing pilgrim,  especially  as  he  usually  brought  presents  of  silk  cloths 
to  the  churches  for  copes  or  coverings  of  the  altars.  The  emblems 
of  these  pilgrimages  were  often  depicted  on  the  pilgrim's  tomb. 

PETER   THE    HERMIT    (A.D.    1095). 

When  the  Turks  supplanted  the  Mohammedans  as  masters 
of  Jerusalem,  being  a  more  fanatical  and  barbarous  race  they 
treated  the  Christians  of  Palestine  as  slaves,  and  pilgrims  found 
it  more  and  more  dangerous  to  gratify  their  lifelong  passion  to 
visit  that  country.  The  growing  indignation  at  this  treatun  nt 
found  a  noble  champion  in  Peter  the  Hermit,  who  died  1115. 
He  went  the  round  of  Christendom,  and  found  all  ready  to  enter 
into  some  great  confederation,  if  they  only  knew  how,  to  rescue 
the  holy  places  from  these  accursed  infidels.  Peter  was  a  Frank 
from  Picardy,  of  ignoble  stature,  but  with  a  quick  and  flashing 
eye ;  his  spare,  sharp  person  was  full  of  fire  from  the  restless  soul 
within.  He  had  himself  visited  the  Holy  Land,  and  his  heart 
burned  within  him  at  the  sight  of  the  oppressions  of  Christian 
men.  He  told  everybody  he  had  had  a  vision  when  he  was  in 
the  Temple  ;  and  the  voice  of  the  Lord  Himself  was  heard  in  these 
very  words  :  "  Rise,  Peter;  go  forth  to  make  known  the  tribula- 
tions of  My  people ;  the  hour  is  come  for  the  delivery  of  My 
servants,  for  the  recovery  of  the  holy  places  !  "     Peter  at  once 


412  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

went  forth,  and  had  interviews  with  the  Pope  and  with  princes 
and  great  men,  and  all  saw  and  confessed  he  was  a  true  prophet. 
He  rode  round  Europe  on  a  mule  with  a  crucifix  in  his  hand, 
his  head  and  feet  bare ;  his  dress  was  a  long  robe  girt  with  a 
cord,  and  a  hermit's  cloak  of  the  coarsest  stuff.  His  eloquence 
was  heart-stirring,  mingled  here  and  there  with  tears  and  groans  ; 
he  preached  in  pulpits,  in  highways  and  market-places.  He  beat 
his  breast.  He  appealed  to  every  passion — to  valour  and  shame, 
to  indignation  and  pity,  to  the  pride  of  the  warrior,  the  com- 
passion of  the  man,  to  the  religion  of  the  Christian,  to  the  hatred 
of  the  unbeliever,  to  reverence  for  the  Redeemer,  to  the  aveng- 
ing of  the  saints,  to  the  hopes  of  eternal  life.  He  invoked  the 
holy  angels,  the  saints  in  heaven,  the  Mother  of  God,  the  Lord 
Himself.  He  called  on  the  holy  places,  on  Zion,  on  Calvary, 
on  the  holy  sepulchre,  to  give  forth  their  voices  against  these 
infidels.  He  held  up  the  crucifix,  as  if  Christ  Himself  was 
imploring  them  to  be  ready  and  act  at  once.  Peter's  eloquence 
struck  the  true  chord  of  sympathy,  and  electrified  the  crowds 
who  listened  and  echoed  his  enthusiasm.  Gifts  showered  upon 
him.  All  ages  and  both  sexes  crowded  to  touch  even  his  garment. 
The  very  hairs  that  dropped  from  his  mule  were  caught  and 
treasured  as  relics.  All  Western  Christendom  gradually  rose 
as  one  man  in  obedience  to  the  spell.  The  Pope,  Urban  II., 
caught  the  contagion,  and  summoned  and  harangued  the  Council 
of  Clermont  in  the  same  style.  He  called  on  all  men  through 
their  bishops  to  rise  and  deliver  these  holy  places,  which  were 
made  dens  of  thieves  and  stalls  for  cattle,  and  were  polluted 
and  defiled  by  atrocities  not  to  be  named.  While  Christian  blood 
was  shed,  it  was  time  for  them  to  gird  on  their  swords.  He 
assured  them  the  Saviour  Himself,  the  God  of  armies,  would  be 
their  guide  in  battle.  The  wealth  of  their  enemies  would  of 
course  be  theirs.  He  offered  absolution  for  all  sins  ;  there  was 
no  crime  which  might  not  be  redeemed  by  this  act  of  obedience : 
absolution  without  penance  would  be  granted  to  all  who  took 
arms  in  the  sacred  cause.  Eternal  life  would  be  the  portion  of 
all  who  fell  in  battle  or  in  the  march  to  the  Holy  Land.  For 
himself  he  must  remain  aloof  ;  but  while  they  were  slaughtering 
the  enemy,  he  would  be  perpetually  engaged  in  fervent  and  pre- 
vailing prayer  for  their  success.  At  the  close  of  this  harangue 
all  admitted  and  felt  the  force  of  the  enthusiasm,  and  exclaimed, 
"  It  is  the  will  of  God  !  it  is  the  will  of  God  ! "  The  contagion 
spread.  France,  Germany,  Italy,  England,  furnished  wild  multi- 
tudes, eager  and  ready  to  enlist  in  this  glorious  warfare.     All 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS  AND   PILGRIMS.  413 

began  to  sharpen  their  spears  and  collect  their  outfit  for  a  grand 
enterprise,  certain  to  be  a  success. 


POPE  URBAN  PREACHING  FOR  A  CRUSADE  (A.D.  1095). 

When  Pope  Urban  in  1095  preached  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
Council  of  Clermont,  he  thus  urged  on  the  faithful  to  join  the 
crusade  :  "  We  see  that  the  breadth  of  the  whole  world  is  now 
full  of  faithless  and  blaspheming  Pagans,  who  worship  stocks  and 
stones.  They  have  occupied  as  a  perpetual  possession  the  third 
part  of  the  world,  and  that  part  wherein  all  the  Apostles,  except 
two  suffered  martyrdom  for  the  Lord.  They  have  also,  with 
shame  be  it  said,  possession  of  Africa,  that  land  which  gave 
to  mankind  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  extinguished  the  errors  of 
infidelity.  They  claim  possession  of  our  Lord's  tomb,  and  sell 
to  our  pilgrims  for  money  admission  to  the  holy  city.  Gird  your- 
selves then  for  the  battle,  my  brave  warriors,  for  a  memorable 
expedition  against  the  enemies  of  the  cross.  Let  the  sign  of  the 
cross  decorate  your  shoulders ;  let  your  outward  ardour  declare 
your  inward  faith.  Turn  against  the  enemies  of  Christ  those 
weapons  which  you  have  hitherto  stained  with  blood  in  battles 
and  tournaments  among  yourselves.  Let  your  zeal  in  this  expedi- 
tion atone  for  the  rapine,  theft,  homicide,  fornication,  and  deeds 
of  incendiarism  by  which  you  have  provoked  the  Lord  to  anger. 
In  virtue  of  the  power  which  God  has  given  us,  however  unworthy 
of  it,  to  bind  and  to  loose,  all  who  engage  in  this  expedition  in 
their  own  persons  and  at  their  own  expense  shall  receive  a  full 
pardon  for  all  the  offences  which  they  shall  repent  of  in  their 
hearts  and  with  their  lips  confess,  and  we  promise  to  the  same 
and  to  all  who  contribute  their  substance  an  increased  portion  of 
eternal  salvation.  Go  then,  brave  soldiers,  secure  to  yourselves 
fame  throughout  the  world ;  disown  all  fear  of  death.  Those  who 
die  will  sit  down  in  the  heavenly  guest  chamber,  and  those  who 
survive  will  set  their  eyes  on  our  Lord's  sepulchre." 

THE    CRUSADERS'    HUNGER    FOR    EARTH    OF    PALESTINE. 

At  the  time  when  the  First  Crusade  was  organised,  Pope  Urban 
harangued  a  vast  crowd  of  the  clergy  and  laity,  urging  them  to  join 
it,  and  adding :  "  What  can  be  greater  happiness  than  for  any 
one  in  his  lifetime  to  see  those  places  where  the  Lord  of  heaven 
went  about  as  a  man  1 "  All  then  believed  the  soil  of  Palestine  to 
be  sacred.     Even  its  dust  was  adored.     It  was  carefully  conveyed 


414  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

to  Europe  in  bagfuls  and  pocketfuls,  and  the  fortunate  posse&sor, 
whether  by  original  acquisition  or  by  purchase,  was  considered  to 
be  secured  against  the  malevolence  of  demons.  St.  Augustine 
relates  a  story  of  the  cure  of  a  young  man  who  had  some  of  the 
dust  of  the  holy  city  suspended  in  a  bag  over  his  bed.  It  became 
a  fashion  for  each  of  the  pilgrims  to  bring  some  home  in  his  bag. 
At  Pisa  the  cemetery  of  the  Campo  Santo  was  said  to  contain  five 
fathoms  of  holy  earth  brought  in  1218  from  Palestine  by  the 
Pisans.  Friends  and  neighbours  walked  with  an  intending 
pilgrim  to  the  next  town,  and  loaded  him  with  their  benedictions, 
and  turned  back  with  many  tears.  The  village  pastor  delivered 
a  staff  to  the  pilgrim,  and  put  round  him  a  scarf  or  girdle,  with 
a  leathern  scrip  or  wallet  attached.  They  all  believed  that  a 
prayer  in  Jerusalem  was  worth  ten  thousand  common  prayers  in 
other  places.  There  were  hospitals  and  houses  of  rest  provided 
for  weary  pilgrims  on  the  road.  In  their  first  battles,  they 
fancied  they  saw  figures  riding  on  white  horses,  and  in  white 
armour  and  cloth  of  gold,  all  in  the  air,  helping  them  with  celestial 
weapons.  When  they  first  caught  sight  of  Jerusalem,  all  eyes 
were  transfixed  and  bathed  with  tears  and  shining  with  rapture  as 
they  gazed  on  that  hallowed  spot. 

HOW    A    PENITENTIAL    CRUSADER   WENT   ALONG. 

William,  Count  of  Poitiers,  before  setting  out  on  his  crusade 
to  the  Holy  Land,  took  his  leave  thus :  "I  wish  to  compose  a 
chant,  and  the  subject  shall  be  that  'which  causes  my  sorrow. 
I  go  into  exile  beyond  sea,  and  leave  my  beloved  Poitiers  and 
Limousin.  I  go  beyond  sea  to  the  place  where  pilgrims  im- 
plore their  pardon.  Adieu,  brilliant  tournaments  !  adieu,  grandeur 
and  magnificence,  and  all  that  is  dear  to  my  heart !  Nothing 
can  stop  me.  1  go  to  the  plains  where  God  promised  remission 
of  sins.  Pardon  me,  all  you  my  companions,  if  I  have  ever 
offended  you.  I  implore  your  pardon.  I  offer  my  repentance 
to  Jesus  the  Master  of  heaven;  to  Him  I  address  my  prayer. 
Too  long  have  I  been  abandoned  to  worldly  distractions ;  but  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  has  been  heard.  We  must  appear  before  His 
tribunal.     I  sink  under  the  weight  of  my  iniquities." 

HOW    THE    CRUSADERS    GOT    RID    OF    SPIES    (A.D.  1097). 

In  1097,  while  the  Crusaders  were  besieging  Antioch,  they  were 
alarmed  by  the  knowledge  that  there  were  spies  in  the  camp  out 
of  every  unbelieving  nation  in  the  East,  who  found  it  easy  to 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS   AND   PILGRIMS.  415 

remain  undiscovered  by  calling  themselves  merchants  from  Greece, 
Syria,  or  Armenia,  who  brought  provisions  for  sale  to  the  army. 
These  spies  witnessed  the  famine  and  pestilence  which  prevailed 
in  the  camp,  and  the  pilgrims  justly  feared  that  this  intelligence 
would  spread  to  their  destruction.  The  princes  were  at  a  loss 
what  to  do ;  but  Beaumont,  who  was  a  shrewd  man,  about 
twilight,  when  his  comrades  were  all  engaged  throughout  the 
camp  in  preparing  their  supper,  commanded  several  Turkish 
prisoners  to  be  put  to  death  and  their  flesh  to  be  roasted  over 
a  large  fire  to  be  prepared  for  table.  He  further  instructed  the 
servants,  if  asked  what  they  were  about,  to  reply  that  general 
orders  had  been  given  that  in  future  all  Turks  who  should  be 
brought  in  prisoners  by  the  scouts  should  be  served  up  for  food 
both  to  the  princes  and  the  people.  All  the  army  soon  heard  of 
this  remarkable  news,  and  the  Turkish  spies  in  the  camp  believed 
that  it  was  done  in  earnest.  Fearing,  therefore,  lest  the  same 
thing  should  happen  to  themselves,  they  left  the  camp  and 
returned  to  their  own  country,  where  they  told  their  employers 
that  the  men  in  the  Crusaders'  army  exceeded  the  ferocity  of 
beasts;  and  not  content  with  plundering  castles  and  cities,  they 
must  needs  fill  their  bellies  with  the  flesh  and  blood  of  their 
victims.  Tins  report  spread  throughout  the  most  distant  countries, 
and  by  this  means  the  grievance  of  spies  was  put  a  stop  to. 

CRUSADERS   DISCOVERING   THE   HOLY    LANCE   (A.D.    1098). 

When  the  Crusaders  were  besieged  by  the  Turks  in  Antioch  in 
1098,  and  suffering  from  famine  and  despair,  and  many  men 
failing  in  corn-age  and  escaping  by  night  from  the  walls,  thence 
called  rope-dancers,  a  sudden  gleam  of  confidence  came  to  their 
relief.  A  priest  of  Marseilles,  named  Peter  Bartholomey,  though 
known  to  be  of  cunning  and  loose  manners,  suddenly  knocked  at 
the  door  of  the  council  chamber  to  disclose  an  apparition  of  St. 
Andrew,  who  thrice  appeared  to  him  in  his  sleep,  and  called  on  him 
under  heavy  threats  to  reveal  the  commands  of  Heaven.  The 
saint  had  thus  addressed  Peter  :  "At  Antioch,  in  the  church  of  mv 
brother  St.  Peter  near  the  high  altar,  is  concealed  the  steel  head 
of  the  lance  that  pierced  the  side  of  our  Redeemer.  In  three 
days  that  instrument  of  eternal  and  now  of  temporal  salvation 
will  be  manifested  to  His  disciples.  Search  and  ye  shall  find  ; 
bear  it  aloft  in  battle,  and  that  mystic  weapon  shall  penetrate 
the  souls  of  the  miscreants."  The  Pope's  legate,  the  Bishop  of 
Puy,  listened  with  coldness,  but  Count  Raymond  eagerly  welcomed 
this  revelation.     The  attempt  was  made,  and  after  prayer  and 


416  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

fasting  the  priest  of  Marseilles  introduced  twelve  trusty  spectators, 
and  barred  the  doors  to  keep  out  the  excited  multitude.  The 
ground  was  broken  and  dug  to  a  depth  of  twelve  feet  and  nothing 
found ;  but  in  the  evening,  when  the  guards  were  drowsy,  Peter, 
in  his  shirt  and  without  shoes,  boldly  descended  into  the  pit  in  the 
dark  with  the  head  of  a  Saracen  lance,  and  this  he  pretended 
with  devout  rapture  to  discover  by  its  gleam  as  the  genuine  relic. 
The  chiefs  affected  to  recognise  the  discovery  and  to  inspire 
enthusiasm.  The  gates  were  thrown  open,  while  a  procession  of 
monks  and  priests  chanted  the  psalm  "  Let  God  arise  and  let 
His  enemies  be  scattered."  The  holy  lance  was  entrusted  to  a 
faithful  leader ;  three  knights  in  white  garments  also  suddenly 
appeared  to  help  the  Crusaders,  whose  spirits  were  roused  to  the 
highest  pitch. 


THE  HOLY  LANCE  PUTS  THE  INFIDELS  TO  ROUT  (A.D.  1098). 

When  the  holy  lance  was  discovered  and  the  Crusaders  were  in 
the  highest  enthusiasm  and  marched  out  of  Antioch,  the  Sultan 
Corbogha  was  so  struck  by  their  impassioned,  stern,  and  indo- 
mitable aspect,  that  he  had  misgivings,  and  even  made  proposals 
which  were  haughtily  rejected.  The  battle  was  long,  stubborn, 
and  at  points  indecisive,  but  at  last  the  pious  and  warlike  enthu- 
siasm of  the  Crusaders  prevailed  over  the  savage  bravery  of  the 
Turks.  The  Sultan  soon  fled  away  towards  the  Euphrates  with 
a  weak  escort.  Tancrecl  pursued  till  nightfall  the  retiring  hosts. 
The  Christian  chroniclers  say  that  100,000  infidels  were  slain, 
while  only  4,000  Crusaders  were  left  on  the  field  of  battle.  The 
camp  of  the  Turks  was  given  over  to  pillage,  and  15,000  camels 
and  many  horses  were  secured.  The  camp  of  the  Sultan  Corbogha 
was  a  rich  prize  and  an  object  of  admiration.  It  was  laid  out  in 
streets,  flanked  by  towers,  as  if  it  were  a  fortified  town  ;  gold  and 
precious  stones  glittered  in  every  part  of  it.  It  was  capable  of 
accommodating  2,000  persons.  Beaumont  sent  it  to  Italy,  where 
it  was  long  preserved.  After  that  battle,  says  Albert  of  Aix, 
every  Crusader  found  himself  richer  than  he  had  been  when  start- 
ing from  Europe.  Nevertheless  the  effect  on  the  Crusaders  was 
disastrous.  Some  abandoned  themselves  to  the  licence  of  victory, 
others  to  the  sweets  of  repose.  Some  longed  to  go  home  ;  others 
to  push  for  further  conquests.  After  long  debates  and  rivalries 
the  majority  decided  to  wait  till  the  heat  of  summer  was  over 
before  attempting  to  capture  Jerusalem.  It  was  eight  months 
before  the  bulk  of  the  Crusaders  began  to  move  on. 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS   AND   PILGRIMS.  417 


THE    CRUSADERS    TESTING    A    DOUBTFUL    POINT. 

In  1099  the  Crusaders  were  at  Marra,  when  a  dissension  existed 
between  Beaumont  and  the  Count  of  Toulouse,  and  murmurs 
arose  among  the  armies  as  to  the  delays  thereby  caused.  The 
Count,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  people,  passed  on  to  a  city  called 
Archis,  and  pitched  their  camp  near  the  sea  coast.  The  Christians 
besieged  the  city  a  long  time,  but  without  success.  Here  the 
question  was  again  mooted  concerning  the  lance  with  which  our 
Lord's  side  had  been  pierced.  Some  said  that  it  had  really  been 
appointed  by  Divine  inspiration  for  the  consolation  of  the  army ; 
whilst  others  maliciously  contended  that  it  was  a  stratagem  of 
the  Count  of  Toulouse,  and  was  no  discovery  at  all,  but  invented 
solely  for  gam.  A  large  fire  was  therefore  kindled  of  a  size 
sufficient  to  terrify  the  bystanders ;  and  when  all  the  people  were 
assembled  together  one  day,  the  priest  Peter,  to  whom  the  dis- 
covery of  the  lance  had  been  made,  underwent  a  perilous  ordeal, 
for  when  he  had  offered  up  a  prayer  he  took  the  lance  with  him 
and  passed  unhurt  through  the  midst  of  the  fire.  But  as  he  died 
a  few  days  afterwards,  the  ordeal  did  not  give  entire  satisfaction 
to  the  opposite  party. 

THE    CRUSADERS'    FIRST    SIGHT    OF    JERUSALEM    (A.D.   1099). 

When  the  Crusaders,  in  the  spring  of  1099,  marched  from 
Antioch  towards  Jerusalem,  and  reached  some  spot  sacred  to 
history,  the  natural  greed  and  jealousy  among  the  chiefs  were 
too  apparent.  A  warrior-chief  would  rush  to  plant  his  flag  first 
on  a  town  or  house  and  claim  to  be  its  passessor.  Others,  more 
earnest,  maix-hed  barefooted  beneath  the  banner  of  the  cross,  and 
deplored  among  themselves  the  covetous  and  quarrelsome  temper 
of  then-  leaders.  On  reaching  Emmaus,  a  deputation  of  Christians 
came  from  Bethlehem  to  bespeak  help,  and  Tancred,  in  the  middle 
of  the  night,  with  a  small  band  of  a  hundred  horsemen,  went  and 
planted  his  own  flag  on  the  top  of  the  church  at  Bethlehem,  at 
the  very  hour  at  which  the  birth  of  Christ  had  been  announced 
to  the  shepherds  of  Judaea.  Next  day,  on  June  10th,  1099,  at 
dawn,  the  army  of  Crusaders  from  the  heights  of  Emmaus  had 
their  first  gaze  at  the  Holy  City.  Tasso,  in  "  Jerusalem  Delivered," 
thus  gives  voice  to  the  scene  :  "  Lo  !  Jerusalem  appears  in  sight  ! 
Lo  !  every  hand  points  to  Jerusalem.  A  thousand  voices  are 
heard  as  one  in  salutation  of  Jerusalem.  After  the  great  sweet 
joy  which  filled  all  hearts  at  this  first  glimpse  came  a  deep 
feeling  of  contrition,  mingled  with  awful  and  reverential  affection 

27 


418  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

Each  scarcely  dared  to  raise  the  eye  towards  the  city  which  had 
been  the  chosen  abode  of  Christ,  where  He  died,  was  buried,  and 
rose  again.  In  accents  of  humility,  with  low-spoken  words,  with 
stifled  sobs,  with  sighs  and  tears,  the  pent-up  yearnings  of  a 
people  in  joy,  and  yet  in  sorrow,  sent  shivering  through  the  air 
a  murmur  like  that  which  is  heard  in  leafy  forests  what  time  the 
wind  blows  through  the  leaves,  or  like  the  dull  sound  made  by 
the  sea  which  breaks  upon  the  rocks,  or  hisses  as  it  foams  over 
the  beach."  It  was  thought  at  the  time  there  were  20,000  armed 
inhabitants  and  40,000  men  in  garrison  of  fanatical  Mussulmans. 
About  40,000  Crusaders  were  outside  of  both  sexes,  of  whom 
12,000  were  foot  soldiers  and  1,200  knights. 

CRUSADERS    PREPARING    TO    ASSAULT   JERUSALEM    (a.D.   1099). 

While  the  crusading  army  were  preparing  them  scaling  towers 
and  engines  for  hurling  stones,  one  day  Tancred  had  gone  alone 
to  pray  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  and  to  gaze  upon  the  Holy  City, 
when  five  Mussulmans  sallied  forth  to  attack  him.  He  killed 
three  and  the  other  two  took  to  flight.  There  was  at  one  point 
of  the  city  ramparts  a  ravine,  which  had  to  be  filled  up  to  make 
an  approach,  and  the  Count  of  Toulouse  issued  a  proclamation 
that  he  would  give  a  denier  to  every  one  who  would  go  and  throw 
three  stones  into  it.  In  three  days  the  ravine  was  filled  up. 
After  four  weeks'  labour  a  day  was  fixed  for  delivering  the  assault ; 
but  as  several  of  the  chiefs  had  serious  quarrels,  it  was  resolved 
that  before  the  grand  attack  they  should  all  be  reconciled  at  a 
general  supplication  with  solemn  ceremonies  for  Divine  aid.  After 
a  strict  fast,  all  the  Crusaders  went  forth  armed  from  their 
quarters,  and,  preceded  by  their  priests  barefooted  and  chanting 
psalms,  they  moved  in  slow  procession  round  Jerusalem,  halting 
at  all  places  hallowed  by  some  fact  in  sacred  history,  listening  to 
the  discourses  of  then  priests,  and  raising  eyes  full  of  wrath  at 
hearing  the  scofis  addressed  to  them  by  the  Saracens,  and  at  seeing 
the  insults  heaped  upon  certain  crosses  they  had  set  up,  and  upon 
all  the  symbols  of  the  Christian  faith.  "  Ye  see,"  cried  Peter  the 
Hermit,  "ye  hear  the  threats  and  blasphemies  of  these  enemies 
of  God.  Now  this  I  swear  to  you  by  your  faith,  by  the  arms  ye 
carry,  to-day  these  infidels  are  full  of  pride  and  insolence,  but  to- 
morrow they  shall  be  frozen  with  fear.  Those  mosques  which  tower 
over  Christian  ruins  shall  serve  for  temples  to  the  true  God,  and 
Jerusalem  shall  hear  no  longer  aught  but  the  praises  of  God." 
The  Christians  raised  a  great  shout  in  answer  to  their  apostle,  and 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS   AND   PILGRIMS.  419 

repeated  the  words  of  Isaiah  :  "They  shall  fear  the  name  of  the 
Lord  from  the  west,  and  His  glory  from  the  rising  of  the  sun." 

THE    CRUSADERS    CAPTURING    JERUSALEM    (A.D.    1099). 

On  July  14th,  1099,  a  third  assault  had  been  made  against  the 
city  of  Jerusalem  ;  the  machines  of  the  Crusaders  threw  millstones 
against  the  walls,  while  the  citizens  threw  pots  of  lighted  tow, 
which  would  easily  break,  so  as  to  destroy  the  machines.  The 
enemy  during  the  assault  brought  up  two  witches  to  enchant  the 
machines  and  render  them  useless,  but  while  they  were  enchanting 
a  large  stone  struck  both  of  them  dead,  and  then  a  great  shout 
arose  among  the  besiegers.  Duke  Godfrey's  men  threw  fire  on 
the  bags  of  s^aw  and  cushions  of  the  wall,  then  threw  a  bridge 
to  one  end  of  the  tower,  by  which  he  and  his  men  entered,  and 
then  opened  the  gate  of  St.  Paul,  at  three  o'clock  on  Friday,  the 
hour  when  Christ  had  yielded  up  the  ghost.  The  Turks  were 
then  put  to  death  in  such  numbers  that  no  one  could  walk  the 
streets  without  treading  on  dead  bodies.  When  Tancred  learned 
that  many  Turks  had  fled  for  refuge  within  the  courts  of  the 
Temple,  his  men  rushed  inside  and  slew  great  numbers,  and  it 
was  said  carried  off  much  gold  and  silver.  Meanwhile,  horse 
and  foot  were  pouring  into  the  city,  and  every  inhabitant  met 
with  was  slain,  so  that  the  streets  flowed  with  blood.  Ten 
thousand  Turks  were  said  to  have  been  slain  within  the  precincts 
of  the  Temple  alone.  The  Crusaders,  dispersing  through  the 
streets,  and  searching  every  secret  place  they  could  find,  drew  out 
master  and  mistress  with  their  children  and  all  their  family  from 
the  secret  chambers,  and  either  put  them  to  the  sword  or  threw 
them  headlong  and  broke  their  necks.  He  who  first  got  possession 
of  a  house  or  palace  claimed  it  as  his  own  permanent  property ; 
for  it  had  been  agreed  amongst  the  princes  that,  when  the  city 
was  taken,  each  should  keep  what  he  could  get.  And  thus, 
whoever  first  took  possession  of  a  house  fixed  a  banner,  shield, 
or  some  kind  of  weapon  at  the  door  as  a  sign  to  others  that  the 
house  was  already  occupied. 

THE   CRUSADERS*    FIRST   VISIT   TO   THE   HOLY   PLACES    (A.D.    1099). 

When  Jerusalem  was  captured  in  1099,  and  the  spoils  had 
been  collected  by  the  pilgrims,  they  began,  with  sighs  and  tears, 
with  naked  feet,  and  with  every  sign  of  humility  and  devotion, 
to  visit  each  of  the  holy  places  which  the  Lord  had  hallowed  by 
His  presence,  and  in  particular  the  Church  of  the  Resurrection 


420  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

and  of  our  Lord's  Passion.  It  was  most  pleasant  to  behold  with 
what  devotion  the  faithful  of  both  sexes,  whilst  their  minds  were 
exhilai^ated  with  spiritual  enjoyment,  approached,  shedding  tears, 
to  the  holy  places,  and  gave  thanks  to  God  for  having  brought 
then*  pious  labours  and  long  service  to  the  desired  consummation. 
All  thence  derived  hopes  that  it  would  be  the  earnest  of  a  future 
resurrection,  and  these  present  benefits  gave  them  a  firm  expecta- 
tion of  those  which  were  to  come,  that  the  earthly  Jerusalem 
which  they  now  trod  would  be  to  them  the  way  to  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem.  The  bishops  too  and  priests,  having  purified  the 
churches  of  the  city,  and  especially  the  precincts  of  the  Temple, 
consecrated  to  God  the  holy  places,  and  celebrating  Mass  before 
the  people,  gave  thanks  for  the  blessings  which  they  had  received. 
Many  men  of  the  greatest  credit  affirmed  that  they  saw  their 
dead  companions  going  round  with  the  princes  to  visit  the  holy 
places.  The  venerable  Peter  the  Hermit,  by  whose  zeal  the 
undertaking  was  commenced,  was  now  recognised  and  affection- 
ately saluted  by  all.  When  all  the  places  had  been  visited,  the 
princes  returned  to  their  houses  and  hostels,  to  enjoy  the  gold, 
silver,  jewels,  costly  garments,  corn,  wine,  and  oil,  besides  plenty 
of  water,  from  the  want  of  which  they  had  suffered  so  much 
during  the  siege.  There  was  an  abundance  of  everything  that 
could  be  desired,  and  the  market  was  maintained  at  low  prices. 

ST.    BERNARD    ROUSING   A    SECOND    CRUSADE    (A.D.    1174). 

As  Louis  VII.,  in  his  quarrel  with  the  Pope,  had  once  invaded 
Count  Theobald's  dominions,  and  burnt  alive  thirteen  hundred 
Christians,  his  conscience  led  him  to  restore  the  balance  by 
slaughtering  as  many  infidels,  and  hence  he  pressed  the  Pope  to 
direct  a  second  crusade.  The  Pope  took  the  matter  up,  but  was 
glad  to  devolve  the  burden  of  agitating  among  the  nations  on 
Bernard.  This  pleased  Louis  equally  well,  and  at  their  joint 
solicitation  meetings  were  arranged  to  be  harangued  by  the 
inspired  monk  of  Clairvaux.  Pale  and  attenuated  to  a  degree 
almost  supernatural,  even  the  glance  of  Bernard's  eyes  filled  his 
contemporaries  with  wonder  and  awe.  That  he  was  kept  alive 
at  all  appeared  to  them  to  be  a  standing  miracle.  But  when  the 
light  from  that  thin  calm  face  fell  upon  them,  when  those  firm 
lips  gave  out  words  of  love,  devotion,  and  self-sacrifice,  they  were 
carried  away  with  their  feelings.  A  stage  had  been  erected  on 
the  top  of  a  hill,  where  a  vast  crowd,  headed  by  the  King  and  his 
Knights,  was  collected.  The  mere  sight  and  sound  of  Bernard's 
voice  stirred  up  a  sea  of  faces,  and  brought  out  a  unanimoiis 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS  AND   PILGRIMS.  421 

shout  demanding  "  Crosses  !  crosses  !  "  Bernard  began  to  scatter 
broadcast  among  the  people  a  supply  of  crosses,  as  the  pledge  of 
their  wild  enthusiasm.  He  also  kept  up  the  enthusiasm  by 
visiting  the  towns  of  North-western  Germany,  and  he  enrolled 
his  thousands  of  enthusiasts.  He  said  at  last  he  had  scarcely 
left  one  man  to  seven  women.  All  the  chroniclers  of  the  day 
describe  a  succession  of  miracles  as  attending  Bernard  wherever 
he  went.  Soon  all  the  chivalry  of  Europe  were  ready  to  advance 
to  the  Holy  Land,  conquering  and  to  conquer. 

A  FRENCH  QUEEN  AS  A  CRUSADER  (A.D.  1147). 

When  Eleanor  of  Aquitaine  was  Queen  of  Louis  VII.  of  France, 
being  beautiful,  a  fine  musician  and  songstress,  and  expert  in  the 
songs  and  recitations  of  the  troubadours,  she  was  so  carried  away 
by  the  eloquence  of  the  monk  Bernard  when  preaching  for 
the  crusade  that  she  vowed  to  join  her  husband  and  go  to  the 
Holy  Land.  Her  youth,  beauty,  and  gaiety  made  the  Bang  do 
anything.  She  made  her  court  ladies  array  themselves  like 
Amazons,  and  act  as  her  bodyguard.  They  joined  in  the  exercises 
eagerly  as  in  any  frolic,  and  sent  their  distaffs  as  presents  to  the 
knights  and  nobles  who  had  not  courage  to  go  from  home.  The 
freaks  of  these  ladies  led  to  many  mishaps  and  disasters  in  the 
field ;  and  instead  of  obeying  orders,  the  Queen  and  her  Amazons 
insisted  on  encamping  in  a  lovely,  romantic  valley,  which  deranged 
all  the  wisest  plans,  and  hd  to  the  loss  of  seven  thousand  of  the 
flower  of  French  chivalry.  She  then  began  to  flirt  with  her 
uncle,  a  handsome  old  beau,  whom  she  met  for  the  first  time  at 
Antioch,  and  her  vagaries  caused  disgust  to  Louis,  who  left  her 
in  a  huff.  When  she  entered  Jerusalem,  the  burning  object  of 
every  Crusader's  dreams,  she  was  in  such  a  fit  of  temper  that  she 
saw  nothing  interesting,  and  then  began  a  lasting  quarrel  between 
her  and  the  King.  While  Louis  was  besieging  Damascus  she 
had  to  be  kept  in  personal  restraint  at  Jerusalem,  and  even 
started  another  flirtation  with  a  handsome  young  Saracen. 
After  great  disasters  and  vexations,  the  King  and  Queen  left 
Constantinople,  and  reached  France  in  1148.  She  never  ceased 
to  mock  the  King  for  his  dowdy  habits  during  the  next  four 
years  while  they  lived  together.  In  1150  the  young  Prince 
Htnry  of  England,  aged  seventeen,  first  saw  the  Queen,  and  she 
was  fascinated  by  him,  and  took  measures  to  marry  him  after 
securing  a  divorce  from  Louis.  The  celerity  of  her  marriage  to 
Henry  in  1152,  after  obtaining  her  divorce,  astonished  all  Europe, 
she  being  thirty -two  and  Henry  twenty. 


422  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HTSTORY. 


ST.    BERNARD    AFTER   THE    EVENT    OF    HIS    CRUSADE. 

The  influence  of  St.  Bernard  in  rousing  the  Second  Crusade  was 
due  to  the  reputation  he  had  acquired  above  all  his  rivals  and 
contemporaries,  who  knew  that  he  had  refused  all  ecclesiastical 
dignities,  and  yet  was  the  oracle  of  Europe,  and  the  founder  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  convents.  He  was  warned,  however,  by  the 
example  of  Peter  the  Hermit,  and  declined  any  military  command. 
After  the  calamitous  event  of  his  great  undertaking,  the  Abbot  of 
Clairvaux  was  loudly  accused  as  a  false  prophet,  the  author  of 
the  public  and  private  mourning ;  his  enemies  exulted,  his  friends 
blushed,  and  his  apology  was  slow  and  unsatisfactory.  He  justified 
his  obedience  to  the  Pope,  expatiated  on  the  mysterious  ways  of 
Providence,  imputed  the  misfortunes  of  the  pilgrims  to  their  own 
sins,  and  modestly  insinuated  that  his  own  part  of  the  mission 
had  been  approved  by  signs  and  wonders. 

A   PILGRIM    PRINCE   BRINGING    RELICS    FROM   THE    HOLY   LAND 
(A.D.   1172). 

Henry,  Duke  of  Saxony,  married  Matilda,  then  a  girl  of  twelve, 
eldest  daughter  of  Henry  II.  of  England,  in  1168,  and  four 
years  after  the  Duke  resolved  to  visit  the  Holy  Land,  not  as  a 
fighting  Crusader,  but  only  as  a  pilgrim,  so  that  his  feet  might 
stand  and  his  knees  bend  where  once  the  feet  of  the  Saviour  had 
stood.  He  took  costly  presents,  and  while  approaching  Jerusalem 
the  clergy  came  forth  to  welcome  him,  chanting  hymns  and  songs 
of  joy.  He  made  magnificent  offerings  at  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
and  left  money  to  keep  three  lamps  perpetually  burning  before 
the  holy  shrine.  Henry  visited  all  the  sacred  places,  was  feted 
by  King  Baldwin,  and  then  by  the  Turkish  Sultan.  The  Sultan, 
after  presenting  Heniy  with  a  gorgeous  cloak,  ordered  eighteen 
hundred  war-steeds  to  be  brought  out  that  the  guest  might 
choose  the  best,  and  it  was  then  decorated  with  silver  bits  and 
jewelled  saddles.  He  was  also  offered  a  lion  and  two  leopards, 
as  well  as  six  camels  loaded  with  gifts.  The  Eruperor  at  Constan- 
tinople was  equally  liberal,  and  gave  manuscripts  of  the  Holy 
Gospels  and  many  relics  of  saints  and  martyrs.  When  Henry 
reached  his  home  in  Brunswick  and  displayed  his  treasures  before 
his  duchess  and  their  subjects,  he  found  in  his  collection  the  follow- 
ing gems :  a  tooth  of  St.  John  the  Baptist ;  a  great  toe  of 
St.  Mark ;  the  arms  of  St.  Innocent  and  St.  Theodore ;  a  scrap 
of  the  dresses  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  of  St.  Stephen  the  proto- 
martyr,  St.  Laurence,  and  Mary  Magdalene  ;  some  of  the  wood 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS   AND   PILGRIMS.  423 

of  the  cross  ;  a  few  splinters  from  the  crown  of  thorns  ;  a  piece  of 
the  column  to  which  our  Lord  was  bound  when  scourged ;  a  part 
of  the  table  used  at  the  Last  Supper ;  and  many  other  rarities. 
The  wood  of  the  cross  was  enshrined  in  a  large  silver  crucifix 
decorated  with  fifty-one  pearls,  thirty-nine  corals,  and  ninety- 
six  other  jewels.  These  spoils  were  distributed  among  the  dif- 
ferent churches  in  Brunswick  and  the  monastery  of  Hildesheim, 
and  received  with  immense  satisfaction  and  pride. 

THE    POPE   WRITING    UP    ANOTHER   CRUSADE    (A.D.    1187). 

In  1187  Pope  Gregory  VIII.  sent  a  letter  to  the  faithful, 
reciting  that  "  whereas  we  doubt  not  that  the  disasters  of  the 
land  of  Jerusalem  which  have  lately  happened  through  the 
irruption  of  the  Saracens  have  been  caused  by  the  sins  of  the 
whole  people  of  Christendom,  therefore  we  have  enacted  that 
all  persons  shall  for  the  next  five  years  on  every  sixth  day  of  the 
week  fast  on  Lenten  fare,  and  wherever  Mass  is  performed  it 
shall  be  chanted  at  the  ninth  hour,  also  on  the  fourth  clay  of  the 
week ;  and  on  Saturday  all  persons  without  distinction  who  are 
in  good  health  shall  abstain  from  eating  flesh.  We  and  our 
brethren  do  also  forbid  to  ourselves  and  to  our  households  the  use 
of  flesh  on  the  second  day  of  the  week  as  well,  unless  it  shall  so 
happen  that  illness,  or  some  great  calamity,  or  other  evident 
cause  shall  seem  to  prevent  the  same,  trusting  that  by  so  doing 
God  will  pardon  us  and  leave  His  blessing  behind  Him."  The 
princes  of  the  earth,  on  receiving  these  mandates  and  exhortations 
of  the  Supreme  Pontiff,  exerted  themselves  with  all  their  might 
for  the  liberation  of  the  land  of  Jerusalem,  and  accordingly  the 
Emperor,  the  archbishops,  bishops,  dukes,  earls,  and  barons  of 
the  empire  assumed  the  sign  of  the  cross. 

THE    EMPEROR'S    HYPOCRITICAL    CRUSADERSHIP    (A.D.   1189). 

Frederick  I.  (Barbarossa),  Emperor  of  Germany,  was  said  to 
have  joined  Henry  II.  of  England  and  Philip  of  France  in  a 
crusade  from  mere  worldly  ambition  rather  than  any  sincere 
devotion.  An  Arabian  chronicler,  Ibn  Gouzi,  thus  describes  his 
visit  to  Jerusalem  before  leaving  the  East :  "  The  Emperor  was 
ruddy  and  bald.  His  sight  was  weak.  If  he  had  been  a  slave, 
he  would  not  have  been  worth  two  hundred  drachmas.  His 
discourse  showed  that  he  did  not  believe  his  Christian  religion. 
When  he  spoke  of  it,  it  was  to  sneer  at  it.  Having  cast  his  eyes 
on  the  inscription  in  letters  of  gold  which   Saladin  has  placed 


424  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

above  the  venerated  chapel,  which  said,  '  Saladin  purged  the  Holy 
City  froni  those  who  worshipped  many  gods,'  he  had  it  explained 
to  him  ;  and  then  asking  why  the  windows  had  gratings,  he  was 
told  it  was  to  keep  out  the  birds.  He  answered,  '  Yes,  you  have 
driven  away  the  sparrows,  but  instead  of  them  you  have  let  in 
hogs,'  meaning  the  Christians.  When  the  Emir,  enforcing  the 
Sultan's  order  to  avoid  what  might  displease  Frederick,  rebuked 
the  Mussulmans  for  uttering  on  the  minarets  the  passages  in  the 
Koran  against  the  Christians,  Frederick,  hearing  of  it,  told  him, 
'  You  have  done  wrong.  Why  for  my  sake  omit  your  duty,  your 
law,  or  your  religion  1     By  heaven,  if  you  come  with  me  to  my 

states '  "     At  this  point  the  chronicler's  account  was  mutilated, 

and  the  rest  is  unknown. 

FULK  OF  NEUILLY,  THE  PREACHER  OF  THE  THIRD  CRUSADE 
(A.D.  1195). 

As  Peter  the  Hermit  was  the  soul  of  the  First  Crusade  and  St. 
Bernard  of  the  Second,  so  Fulk  of  Neuilly,  who  died  1202,  was  the 
missionary  of  the  Third  Crusade  in  1195.  He  had  been  wild  in 
youth,  but  settled  down  and  attended  the  lectures  of  Peter  the 
Chaunter  in  Paris,  and  took  copious  notes  of  the  brilliant  passages. 
He  then  poured  forth  Peter's  eloquence  in  his  own  next  Sunday's 
sermon,  and  began  to  be  considered  eloquent  and  stirring.  One 
day  his  hearers  were  so  overwhelmed  with  enthusiasm  that  they 
tore  their  clothes,  threw  away  their  shoes,  and  cast  themselves  at 
his  feet,  demanding  rods  and  scourges  to  inflict  instant  penance  on 
themselves.  Usurers  came  and  threw  their  gains  at  his  feet.  The 
Pope,  Innocent  III.,  heard  of  Fulk's  enthusiasm  and  highly  approved 
it,  and  suggested  to  him  a  mission  to  stir  up  the  people.  He  did 
so,  and  went  the  round  of  France,  distributing  crosses,  blessing 
wells,  and  working  miracles.  He  shaved  and  wore  a  sackcloth 
shirt  and  rode  on  a  palfrey.  He  received  vast  subsidies.  But 
notwithstanding  his  zeal  and  success,  a  profound  mistrust  settled 
on  mankind  that  these  holy  alms  were  devoted  by  the  Pope  and 
him  to  other  uses.  He  died  of  fever  in  1202,  supposed  to  have 
been  bz-ought  on  by  grief  at  these  malappropriations.  Other 
preachers,  especially  the  Abbot  Martin,  had  also  kept  up  the 
missionary  enthusiasm,  and  at  last  a  crusade  of  Cery  began  in  1200, 
the  fruit  of  this  stirring  of  the  people. 

DBATH    OF    RICHARD    I.,    A    CRUSADER  (A.D.   1199). 

While  Richard  I.,  who  had  returned  from  Palestine  in  1 194,  was 
in  1199  besieging  the  castle  of  Chains  in  Limousin  and  was  recon- 


Chap.  xiii.J  THE   CRUSADERS   AND   PILGRIMS.  425 

noitring  it  on  all  sides,  one  Bertram  de  Gurdun  aimed  an  arrow 
from  the  castle,  striking  the  King  in  the  arm  and  inflicting  an 
incurable  wound.  A  physician  attempted  to  extract  the  iron  head 
from  the  wound,  but  took  out  only  the  wood  at  first,  and  in 
butcher  fashion  had  to  probe  again  for  the  rest.  The  King, 
feeling  that  he  could  not  survive,  disposed  of  his  wealth,  and  then 
ordered  the  arbalister  to  be  called  to  his  presence.  The  King 
asked  what  harm  he  had  done  that  the  bowman  should  kill  him. 
The  latter  at  once  made  answer  that  the  King  had  slain  his  father 
and  two  brothers  with  his  own  hand,  and  also  had  intended  to  kill 
the  speaker,  but  that  he,  the  latter,  was  quite  ready  and  willing 
to  endure  the  greatest  torments,  being  well  content  that  one  who 
had  inflicted  so  many  evils  on  the  world  should  do  so  no  more. 
The  King  pardoned  the  soldier  and  ordered  him  to  be  discharged ; 
but  the  King's  servants,  notwithstanding,  privily  flayed  him  alive 
and  then  hanged  him. 

FRENCH    AND   VENETIANS    PILLAGING    CONSTANTINOPLE. 

When  the  French  and  Venetians  in  1204  besieged  and  pillaged 
Constantinople,  the  Emperor's  wife  and  child  had  to  take  refuge 
in  the  house  of  a  merchant.  The  patriarch  escaped,  riding  on 
an  ass  without  attendants.  The  conquerors  entered  the  Cathedral 
of  St.  Sophia,  tore  down  the  veil,  the  altar,  and  all  its  ornaments. 
They  made  a  prostitute  mount  on  the  patriarch's  throne  and  sing 
and  dance  in  the  holy  place,  to  ridicule  the  hymns  and  processions 
of  the  worshippers.  The  tombs  were  stripped  of  everything 
saleable.  There  were  many  Pagan  statues  which  peculiarly  pro- 
voked the  contempt  and  zeal  of  the  invaders.  The  statues  of 
the  victorious  charioteers,  the  sphinx,  river-horse,  and  crocodile, 
of  the  she-wolf  suckling  Romulus  and  Remus,  of  the  eagle  and 
serpent,  and  other  designs  of  Pagan  heroes  and  goddesses,  were 
cast  down  and  disfigured  and  then  burnt.  The  most  enlightened 
of  the  invaders  searched  for  and  seized  the  relics  of  the  saints  ; 
and  it  is  said  that  the  Abbot  Martin  transferred  a  rich  cargo  to 
his  monastery  of  Paris.  The  supply  of  heads  and  bones,  crosses 
and  images,  served  the  wants  of  the  churches  of  Europe,  and 
proved  most  lucrative  plunder.  The  libraries  also  shared  the 
general  fate. 

THE  POPE   TURNS  ON  CRUSADERS  AGAINST   THE  HERETICS    (a.D.   1208). 

The  southern  part  of  France  had  long  been  noted  for  the 
variety  of  heresies  caused  amongst  its  mixed  population.     In  1145 


426  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

St.  Bernard  went  forth  to  preach  against  the  heretics  of  Toulouse, 
where  there  were  churches  without  flocks,  flocks  without  priests, 
and  Christians  without  Christ,  where  men  were  dying  in  their 
sins  without  being  reconciled  by  penance  or  admitted  to  the 
Holy  Communion,  and  their  souls  sent  pell-mell  before  the  awful 
tribunal  of  God.  But  even  St.  Bernard  could  make  little  im- 
pression on  the  ungodly  population,  who  drowned  his  voice  and 
caused  him  to  shake  the  dust  from  his  feet  and  to  curse  the  town 
of  Vertfeuil.  He  died  in  1153,  and  for  fifty  years  later  the 
heretics  of  Southern  France,  generally  called  the  Albigenses, 
vexed  the  orthodox  souls  of  Popes  and  Church  Councils.  At  last, 
about  1208,  a  fiery  and  zealous  Crusader,  on  returning  from 
Palestine,  was  enlisted  by  Pope  Innocent  III.,  and  aided  by  two 
Spanish  monks  to  extirpate,  since  they  could  not  hope  to  convert, 
these  troublesome  heretics  whom  the  Pope  described  as  worse 
than  the  Saracens.  A  rally  was  made  of  all  the  fanatical 
offscourings  in  the  world  to  help  in  this  heretic  hunt,  and  for 
fifteen  years  all  the  towns  and  strong  castles  of  the  South  were 
taken,  lost,  pillaged,  sacked,  and  massacred  with  unbridled  f  erocity. 
The  brutal  Simon  de  Montfort,  after  the  massacre  of  chiefs,  con- 
fiscated the  lands  and  appropriated  these  to  himself.  It  was  a 
relief  to  Christians  when  that  unscrupulous  bandit,  after  besieging 
Toulouse  for  nine  months,  was  killed  by  a  shower  of  stones  dis- 
charged from  the  walls  in  1218. 

CRUSADERS    FEROCIOUS    AGAINST    HERETICS    (A.D.    1209). 

The  Crusaders,  in  1209,  though  zealous  for  their  religion,  scarcely 
showed  a  glimmering  of  its  influence  in  the  conduct  of  their 
warlike  operations  against  the  Albigenses.  They  spread  desola- 
tion wherever  they  went,  destroying  vineyards  and  crops,  burning 
villages  and  farmhouses,  slaughtering  unarmed  peasants,  women, 
and  children.  When  La  Minerve,  near  Nar bonne,  after  an 
obstinate  defence,  yielded  and  the  besieged  were  offered  their 
freedom  if  they  recanted  their  heresy,  one  of  the  Crusaders 
shouted  out,  "  We  came  to  extirpate  heretics,  not  to  show  them 
favour."  This  voice  from  the  crowd  sharpened  their  fury,  and  one 
hundred  and  forty  of  both  sexes  were  burnt  to  death.  At  a  castle 
called  Bran,  De  Montfort  cutoff  the  noses  and  tore  out  the  eyes  of 
one  hundred  of  the  defenders,  leaving  to  one  of  them  one  eye  only, 
that  he  might  lead  out  the  rest.  At  Lavaur,  Almeric  and  eighty 
nobles  were  ordered  to  be  hanged ;  but  because  one  of  the  gibbets 
fell  down  in  using  it,  they  were  all  butchered  with  the  sword.  The 
sister  of  Almeric,  being  deemed  an  obstinate  heretic,  was  thrown 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS   AND   PILGRIMS.  427 

into  a  well  and  a  pile  of  stones  upon  her.  A  chaplain  of  the 
Crusaders  at  one  place  reported  that  four  hundred  captives  were 
burned  withimmense  joy.  One  lady  at  Toulouse,  lying  on  her  death- 
bed, being  charged  as  a  heretic,  was  carried  out  in  her  bed  and  burnt 
amid  the  merriment  of  the  orthodox.  Yet  Simon  de  Montfort, 
who  had  been  chosen  general  of  these  brutal  legions,  after  de- 
spatching so  many  dissenters  of  the  period,  on  returning  to 
Northern  France  was  hailed  as  champion  of  the  faith,  and  the 
clergy  and  people  met  him  in  procession,  shouting,  "  Blessed  is  he 
that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."  At  the  siege  of  Beziers, 
it  is  mentioned,  where  Catholics  and  heretics  both  joined  in 
defending  their  town,  Arnold  of  Citeaux  incited  the  Crusaders 
to  slaughter  not  only  men  but  women  and  children  indis- 
criminately, brutally  adding,  "  Kill  them  all  ;  the  Lord  knowetb 
them  that  are  His."  The  series  of  campaigns  against  the  All  licenses 
was  said  to  give  the  Pope  the  idea  of  establishing  the  Inquisition 
as  a  more  effectual  way  of  putting  down  all  heretics. 

HOW    THE    ORTHODOX    VIEWED   THE    ALBIGENSES    (A.D.   1214). 

In  1214  the  depravity  of  the  heretics  called  Albigenses,  who 
dwelt  in  Gascony,  Arumnia,  and  Alby,  gained  such  power  in  the 
parts  about  Toulouse  and  in  Aragon  that  they  not  only  practised 
their  impieties  in  secret,  but  preached  their  erroneous  doctrine 
openly.  The  Albigenses  were  so  called,  says  Roger  of  Wendover, 
from  the  city  of  Alba,  where  that  doctrine  was  said  to  have  taken 
its  rise.  At  length  their  perversity  set  the  anger  of  God  so 
completely  at  defiance  that  they  published  the  books  of  their 
doctrines  amongst  the  lower  order  before  the  very  eyes  of  the 
bishops  and  priests,  and  disgraced  the  chalices  and  sacred  vessels 
in  disrespect  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ.  Pope  Innocent 
was  greatly  grieved,  and  enjoined  the  chiefs  and  other  Christian 
people  that  whoever  undertook  the  business  of  overthrowing  the 
heretics  should,  like  those  who  visited  the  Lord's  sepulchre,  be 
protected  from  all  hostile  attacks  both  in  property  and  person. 
The  Crusaders  met  in  large  assembly,  and  then  matched  to  lay 
siege  to  the  city  of  Beziers.  The  heretics  there,  on  seeing  their 
assailants,  scornfully  threw  out  the  book  of  the  Gospel,  blas- 
pheming the  name  of  the  Lord.  The  soldiers  of  the  faith, 
incensed  by  such  blasphemy,  in  less  than  three  hours'  time  scaled 
the  walls,  and  sacked  and  burnt  the  city,  and  a  great  slaughter 
of  the  infidels  took  place  as  the  punishment  of  God,  but  very  few 
of  the  Catholics  were  slam.  After  a  few  days,  when  the  report 
of  this  miracle  was  spread  abroad,  the  followers  of  this  heretical 


428  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

depravity  fled  to  the   mountains,   and  abandoned  their   castles, 
which  were  stocked  with  all  kinds  of  food  and  stores. 

THE   CHILDREN'S   CRUSADE    (A.D.   1212). 

While  the  fever  for  crusading  against  heretics  was  kept  alive 
in  1212,  a  singular  development  occurred  among  the  little  children, 
who  copied  what  they  saw.  A  shepherd  boy  named  Stephen, 
at  the  village  of  Cloies,  near  Vendome,  arose,  who  professed 
to  have  been  commanded  by  the  Saviour  in  a  vision  to  go  and 
preach  the  cross.  This  tale  at  once  was  accepted,  and  he  gathered 
children  about  him,  who  went  through  the  towns  and  villages 
chanting,  "  0  Lord,  help  us  to  recover  Thy  true  and  holy  cross." 
The  numbers  increased  as  they  went  along,  so  that  when  they 
reached  Paris  they  were  computed  at  fifteen  hundred,  and  at 
Marseilles  at  thirty  thousand,  marching  under  banners,  crosses, 
and  censers.  Parents  in  vain  tried  to  keep  their  children  from 
joining  in  the  enthusiasm,  and  it  is  related  that  those  who 
resorted  to  locks  and  bars  were  confounded  on  seeing  these  give 
way  and  allow  the  little  captives  to  go  free.  Stephen,  like  his 
betters,  was  credited  with  miraculous  power,  and  the  threads  of 
his  dress  were  treasured  as  precious  relics.  He  was  carried  along 
on  a  triumphal  car,  and  had  a  miniature  bodyguard.  At  last 
some  buccaneering  shippers,  on  pretence  of  giving  them  a  free 
passage  to  Egypt  and  Africa,  kidnapped  and  sold  them  as  slaves. 
While  this  juvenile  army  was  parading  through  France,  a  like 
movement  was  set  on  foot  by  a  boy,  Nicolas,  in  Germany,  but 
his  following  was  less  successful,  and  soon  became  scattered.  The 
sagacious  Pope  Innocent,  in  alluding  to  these  childish  outbreaks, 
was  pleased  to  observe  that  the  children  put  to  shame  the  apathy 
of  their  elders. 

MORE  PREACHING  OF  THE  CRUSADE  (A.D.  1236). 

In  1236,  says  Matthew  Paris,  on  a  warrant  from  the  Pope, 
a  solemn  preaching  was  made  both  in  England  and  France  by 
the  brethren  of  the  orders  of  Preachers  and  Minorites  and  other 
famous  clerks,  theologians,  and  religious  men,  granting  to  those 
who  would  assume  the  cross  a  full  remission  of  the  sins  of  which 
they  truly  repented  and  made  confession.  These  preachers 
wandered  about  amongst  cities,  castles,  and  villages,  promising 
to  those  who  assumed  the  cross  much  relief  in  temporal  matters 
— namely,  that  interest  on  debts  should  not  accumulate  against 
them  with  the  Jews,  and  the  protection  of  his  Holiness  the  Pope 
should  be  granted  for  all   their  incomes  and  property  given  in 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS   AND   PILGRIMS.  429 

pledge  to  procure  necessaries  for  their  journey ;  and  thus  they 
incited  an  immense  number  of  people  to  make  a  vow  of  pilgrimage. 
The  Pope  afterwards  sent  also  Master  Thomas,  a  Templar,  his 
familiar,  into  England  with  his  warrant  to  absolve  those  Crusa- 
ders whom  he  chose  and  thought  expedient  from  their  vow  of 
pilgrimage,  on  receiving  money  from  them  which  he  considered 
that  he  could  expend  advantageously  for  the  interests  of  the 
Holy  Land.  When  the  Crusaders  saw  this,  they  wondered  at 
the  insatiable  greediness  of  the  Roman  Court,  and  conceived  great 
indignation  in  their  minds,  because  the  Romans  endeavoured 
thus  impudently  to  drain  their  purses  by  so  many  devices.  For 
the  preachers  also  promised  the  same  indulgence  to  all,  whether 
they  assumed  the  cross  or  not,  if  they  contributed  their  property 
and  means  for  the  assistance  of  the  Holy  Land.  The  Pope  thus 
accumulated  an  endless  sum  of  money  to  defend  the  Church. 
But  peace  was  soon  after  made  and  the  project  abandoned  ;  never- 
theless, the  money  was  never  restored,  and  thus  the  devotion  of 
many  became  daily  weakened. 

ESCAPING    THE    CRUSADE    BY    PAYING    MONEY    (a.D.   1241). 

Matthew  Paris  says:  "In  1241,  in  order  that  the  wretched 
country  of  England  might  be  robbed  and  despoiled  of  its  wealth 
by  a  thousand  devices,  the  Preacher  and  Minorite  brethren,  sup- 
ported by  a  warrant  from  the  Pope  in  their  preaching,  granted 
full  remission  of  sins  to  all  who  should  assume  the  cross  for  the 
liberation  of  the  Holy  Land.  And  immediately,  or  at  least  two 
or  three  days  after  they  had  prevailed  on  many  to  assume  the 
cross,  they  absolved  them  from  their  vow,  on  condition  that  they 
would  contribute  a  large  amount  of  money  for  the  assistance  of 
the  Holy  Land,  each  as  far  as  his  means  would  permit.  And  in 
order  to  render  the  English  more  ready  and  willing  to  accede  to 
their  demands,  they  declared  that  the  money  was  to  be  sent  to 
Earl  Richard  ;  and,  moreover,  they  showed  a  letter  of  his  for  better 
security.  They  also  granted  the  same  indulgence  to  old  men  and 
invalids,  women,  imbeciles,  and  children  who  took  the  cross  or 
purposed  taking  it,  receiving  money,  however,  from  them  before- 
hand for  this  indulgence,  and  showed  letters  testimonial  from 
Earl  Richard  concerning  this  matter  which  had  been  obtained 
from  the  Roman  Court.  By  this  method  of  draining  the  purses 
of  the  English  an  immense  sum  of  money  was  obtained,  owing 
to  the  favour  in  which  Earl  Richard  was  held ;  but  we  would 
here  ask  who  was  to  be  a  faithful  guardian  and  dispenser  of  this 
money ;  for  we  do  not  know." 


430  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 


ELOQUENT    ENTHUSIASM     OP    THE    MASTER    OF    HUNGARY    (A.D.   1251). 

In  1251  a  religious  frenzy  arose  in  Flanders  and  France  under 
the  name  of  the  Pastoureux  or  Shepherds.  It  began  among  the 
lowest  classes,  who  attributed  the  imprisonment  of  their  king,  St. 
Louis,  by  the  Mussulmans  to  the  neglect  and  avarice  of  the  clergy. 
A  champion  arose,  called  the  Master  of  Hungary,  an  aged  man 
with  a  long  beard  and  a  pale  emaciated  face,  who  spoke  three  or 
four  languages,  boasted  that  he  had  no  authority  f rom  the  Pope,  but 
he  clasped  in  his  hand  a  roll  which  he  said  contained  instructions 
from  the  Blessed  Virgin  herself.  He  said  she  had  appeared  to 
him  encircled  by  hosts  of  angels,  and  had  given  him  this  com- 
mission to  summon  the  poor  shepherds  to  the  deliverance  of  their 
godly  King.  This  awful  personage  excited  the  most  intense 
interest.  He  was  an  apostate  monk,  who  in  his  youth  had  imbibed 
atheism  and  magic  from  unholy  sources.  He  it  was  who  in  his 
youth  led  a  crusade  of  children  who  had  plunged,  following  his 
steps,  by  thousands  into  the  sea.  His  eloquence  and  mystic  look 
attracted  wondering  crowds.  The  shepherds  and  peasants  left 
their  flocks,  their  ploughs,  and  their  fields,  and,  regardless  of 
hunger  and  want,  roamed  after  their  leader,  till  they  swelled  to 
thirty  thousand,  and  then  to  one  hundred  thousand  men.  They 
moved  in  battle-array,  brandishing  clubs,  pikes,  axes,  and  weapons 
picked  up  at  random.  Provosts  and  mayors  were  panic-stricken 
at  the  swarm  of  banners  of  the  cross  and  standards  of  the  Virgin 
and  angels.  The  Master  scornfully  spoke  of  the  clergy  and 
usurped  the  offices  of  the  Church,  distributing  crosses  and  dis- 
pensing absolution.  He  taunted  the  monks  and  friars  with 
hypocrisy,  gluttony,  and  pride.  It  was  rumoured  that  the  mob 
was  miraculously  fed.  He  entered  a  church  and  declaimed 
eloquently  on  the  vices  of  the  enemy.  At  last  riots  arose,  and  his 
head  was  cloven  by  a  battle-axe,  and  the  leaders  were  killed  like 
mad  dogs  till  the  multitude  disappeared. 

DEATHBED  OF  ST.  LOUIS  OF  FRANCE,  CRUSADER  (A.D.  1270). 

For  seven  years  after  his  return  from  the  East  in  1254,  St. 
Louis,  King  of  France,  could  not  rest  in  his  mind  till  he  had  again 
entered  on  a  new  crusade  to  reconquer  Jerusalem  and  deliver  the 
Holy  Sepulchre.  But  he  kept  his  own  counsel  and  awaited  the 
progress  of  events.  In  1261  he  told  his  parliament  that  there 
should  be  fasts  and  prayers  for  the  Christians  of  the  East.  In 
1267,  on  convoking  his  parliament  in  Paris,  having  first  had  the 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS   AND   PILGRIMS.  431 

precious  relics  deposited  in  the  Holy  Chapel  set  before  the  eyes  of 
the  assembly,  he  opened  the  session  by  ardently  exhorting  those 
present  to  avenge  the  insult  which  had  so  long  been  offered  to  the 
Saviour  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  to  recover  the  Christian  heritage 
possessed  for  our  sins  by  the  infidels.  And  next  year,  in  1268, 
he  took  an  oath  to  start  in  May  1270,  and  to  take  his  three  sons, 
aged  twenty-two,  eighteen,  and  seventeen.  He  urged  Joinville, 
his  biographer,  to  take  the  cross  and  join  him  ;  but  Joinville  flatly 
refused,  thinking  the  King  would  do  far  more  good  by  remaining 
at  home.  The  King  was  in  weak  health,  and  the  plan  of  the 
expedition  was  long  unsettled,  and  at  the  last  moment  he  decided 
first  to  go  to  Tunis,  as  he  had  a  notion  that  he  might  convert 
the  King,  Mohammed  Mostanser,  who  had  long  been  talking  of 
becoming  a  Christian.  But  on  reaching  Tunis  on  July  17th,  1270, 
it  was  found  that  the  French  must  first  fight  the  Mussulman 
prince,  and  the  army  was  ill  provisioned  and  unready.  On  August 
3rd  the  King  was  attacked  with  epidemic  fever  and  kept  his  bed 
in  tent.  He  called  his  son  and  daughter  and  gave  them  the  best 
advice ;  and  after  giving  an  interview  to  a  messenger  from  the 
Emperor  sent  to  bespeak  his  good  offices,  the  saintly  King  ceasi  d 
to  think  of  the  affairs  of  this  world.  He  kept  repeating  prayers 
for  mercy  on  his  own  people,  and  that  they  might  return  safely 
to  their  own  land.  He  now  and  then  raised  himself  on  his  bed, 
muttering  the  words,  "Jerusalem,  Jerusalem.  We  will  go  up  to 
Jerusalem."  He  retained  possession  of  his  faculties  to  the  last, 
insisted  on  receiving  out  of  bed  extreme  unction,  and  on  lying  down 
upon  a  coarse  sackcloth  covered  with  cinders  with  the  cross  before 
him.  On  Monday,  August  25th,  1270,  at  3  p.m.,  he  died,  uttering 
these  last  words  :  "  Father,  after  the  example  of  the  Divine  Master, 
into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 

CRUSADERS    ENTERTAINED    ON    THEIR    WAY    HOME. 

When  Earl  Richard,  brother  of  King  Henry  III.,  returned  in 
1241  from  the  Holy  Land  on  his  way  to  visit  the  Emperor, 
Frederick  II.,  and  the  Empress,  the  sister  of  Richard,  he  was 
received  with  the  grentest  joy  and  honour  in  the  various  cities, 
the  citizens  and  their  ladies  coming  to  meet  him  with  music  and 
singing,  bearing  branches  of  trees  and  flowers,  dressed  in  holiday 
garments  and  ornaments.  On  reaching  the  Emperor,  Richard  was 
treated  with  blood-letting,  baths,  and  divers  medicinal  fomenta- 
tions to  restore  his  strength  after  the  dangers  of  the  sea.  At  the 
end  of  some  days,  by;the  Emperor's  orders,  various  kinds  of  games 
and  musical  instruments,  which  were  procured  for  the  Empress's 


432  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

amusement,  were  exhibited  before  him,  and  afforded  great  pleasure. 
Amongst  other  astonishing  novelties  there  was  one  which  particu- 
larly excited  his  admiration  and  praise.  Two  Saracen  girls  of 
handsome  form  mounted  upon  four  round  balls  placed  on  the 
floor — namely,  one  of  the  two  on  two  balls,  and  the  other  on  the 
other  two.  They  walked  backwards  and  forwards,  clapping  their 
hands,  moving  at  pleasure  on  these  revolving  globes,  gesticulating 
with  their  arms,  singing  various  tunes  and  twisting  their  bodies 
according  to  the  tune,  beating  cymbals  or  castanets  together  with 
their  hands,  and  putting  themselves  into  various  amusing  postures, 
affording,  with  the  other  jugglers,  an  admirable  spectacle  to  the 
lookers-on.  After  staying  with  the  Emperor  about  two  months, 
Earl  Richard  took  his  departure,  loaded  with  costly  presents. 

A  DYING  KING  BEQUEATHS  HIS  HEART  AS  A  CRUSADER. 

When  Robert  Bruce,  King  of  Scotland,  was  on  his  deathbed 
in  1329,  Froissart  tells  how  he  made  this  dying  request  to  his 
friend  Sir  James  Douglas :  " '  Sir  James,  my  dear  friend,  none 
knows  better  than  you  how  great  labour  and  suffering  I  have 
undergone  in  my  day  for  the  maintenance  of  the  rights  of  my 
kingdom,- and  when  I  was  hardest  beset  made  a  vow  which  it 
now  grieves  me  deeply  that  I  have  not  accomplished.  I  vowed 
to  God,  that,  if  I  should  live  to  see  an  end  of  my  wars,  and  be 
enabled  to  govern  this  realm  in  peace,  I  would  carry  on  war 
against  the  enemies  of  my  Lord  and  Saviour  to  the  best  of  my 
power.  Never  has  my  heart  ceased  to  bend  to  that  point ;  but 
our  Lord  has  not  consented  thereto,  for  I  have  had  my  hands  full 
in  my  days,  and  now  at  the  last  I  am  seized  with  this  grievous 
sickness,  so  that,  as  you  all  see,  I  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  die. 
And  since  my  body  cannot  go  thither  and  accomplish  that  which 
I  have  so  much  at  heart,  I  have  resolved  to  send  my  heart  there 
in  place  of  my  body,  to  fulfil  my  vow.  I  entreat  thee,  therefore, 
my  dear  and  tried  friend,  that  for  the  love  you  bear  to  me  you 
will  undertake  this  voyage  and  acquit  my  soul  of  its  debt  to  my 
Saviour.'  On  the  knight  promising  faithfully  to  obey  his  command, 
1  Praise  be  to  God,'  said  the  King.  '  I  shall  die  in  peace,  since  I 
am  assured  that  the  best  and  most  valiant  knight  of  my  kingdom 
has  promised  to  achieve  for  me  that  which  I  myself  could  never 
accomplish.' "  When  King  Robert  Bruce  died,  his  heart  was 
taken  out  from  his  body  and  embalmed,  and  the  Douglas  caused 
a  case  of  silver  to  be  made,  into  which  he  put  the  heart  and  wore 
it  round  his  neck  by  a  string  of  silk  and  gold.  He  set  out  to  the 
Holy  Land,  attended  by  a  gallant  train  of  Scottish  chiefs;  but 


Chap.  xiiL]  THE   CRUSADERS   AND   PDLGRIMS.  433 

on  touching  at  Spain  he  found  the  Saracen  King  or  Sultan  of 
Grenada,  called  Osmyn,  then  invading  the  realms  of  Alphonso, 
the  orthodox  Spanish  King  of  Castile.  The  latter  King  received 
the  Douglas  with  great  honour,  and  persuaded  him  to  assist  hi 
driving  back  these  Saracens.  Douglas  consented ;  and  during  a 
battle,  seeing  a  comrade  surrounded  by  the  Moors,  he  took  from 
his  neck  tbe  heart,  flung  it  into  the  thick  of  the  enemy,  and 
rushing  to  the  spot  where  it  fell,  was  himself  slain.  The  body  of 
the  good  Lord  James  was  found  lying  above  the  silver  case,  as 
if  to  defend  it  had  been  his  last  effort.  His  companions  then 
resolved  not  to  proceed  to  the  Holy  Land,  but  to  return  with 
the  sacred  heart  to  Scotland,  and  it  was  buried  below  the  high 
altar  in  Melrose  Abbey. 

THE   HOSPITALLERS   AND   KNIGHTS   TEMPLARS    (A.D.    1118 — 1313). 

A  monastery  for  the  benefit  of  Latin  pilgrims  had  been  founded 
at  Jerusalem  about  1050  by  some  wealthy  merchants,  and  a 
hospital  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  was  attached  to  help  sick  pilgrims 
and  protect  them  against  robbers.  The  Hospitallers  soon  separated 
from  the  monastery  when  the  Crusaders  arrived,  and  their  dress 
was  fixed  as  black  with  a  white  cross.  Kings  and  nobles  came 
to  the  assistance  of  this  charity  with  gifts  and  endowments,  and 
Raymond  du  Pay,  on  becoming  master  of  the  hospital  in  1118, 
drew  up  rules  which  enjoined  a  regular  system  of  begging  alms 
for  the  poor,  and  each  member  when  travelling  was  to  carry  a 
light  with  him,  which  was  to  be  kept  burning  all  night.  The 
order  of  Knights  Templars  began  about  1118  from  similar 
motives,  the  object  being  to  protect  against  the  robbers  the  high- 
ways used  by  pilgrims.  At  first  the  Knights  Templars  were  very 
poor,  and  the  seal  of  their  order  showed  two  knights  riding  on 
one  horse,  a  symbol  which  some  explain  as  indicating  poverty, 
and  others  as  hi  cheating  brotherly  kindness.  Hugh  de  Pa yens 
and  other  French  knights  were  the  first  members,  and  soon 
attracted  attention,  especially  as  St.  Bernard,  a  nephew  of  one 
of  the  knights,  warmly  commended  the  institution  and  drew  up 
rules  for  them.  Each  knight  was  restricted  to  keep  three  horses 
only,  not  to  hawk  nor  hunt,  not  to  receive  presents  nor  use 
gaudy  trappings  in  then-  equipments.  They  were  charged  always 
"  to  strike  the  lion,"  which  was  understood  to  mean  the  infidels. 
They  were  forbidden  to  lock  their  trunks,  to  walk  alone,  or  to 
kiss  their  mothers  or  sisters.  Their  habit  was  said  to  be  white 
with  a  red  cross  on  the  breast.  The  order  began  modestly,  but 
soon  included   three  hunched  knights  of  noble  families,  and  these 

28 


434  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

attracted  wealth,  and  this  in  time  gave  occasion  for  pride,  in- 
solence, and   defiance   of  ecclesiastical  discipline.     The   Knights 
Templars  by  degrees  became  a  half-monastic  and  half-military 
order,  attracting  all  the  spirited  youths  of  Europe.     St.  Bernard 
called  them    a   perpetual  sacred  militia,   the   bodyguard   of  the 
Kings  of  Jerusalem,  and  a  standing  army  on  the  outposts  of 
civilisation.     Lands,   castles,   riches,   were  given  to   them.     The 
Popes  patronised  them.     For  two  hundred  years  they  kept  up 
their   credit,    and   fought   with   consummate    valour,    discipline, 
activity,    and   zeal   for    the   cause   of    Christianity.     They    then 
excited  the  enmity  of  Philip  the  Fair,  who  coveted  their  wealth, 
and  as  an  excuse  for  attacking  them  said  he  had  heard  of  the 
secret  vices  and  depravity  of  the  order,  and  accused  and  arrested 
all  that  were  in  France  in  1307.     They  were  subjected  by  him 
to  fearful   torture  to   make  them   confess,   and   many  confessed 
anything  and  everything,  being  thereby  able  to  escape  further 
tortures.     De  Molay,  the  Grand  Master,  confessed,  retracted,  then 
confessed,  and  again  retracted.     Edward  II.  caused  those  Templars 
settled  in  England  to  be  arrested  also.     In  1310  fifty-four  of  the 
French  Templars  who  denied  the  charges  were  burnt  in   Paris. 
De  Molay,  after  being  six  years  in  prison,  was  burnt  in  1313, 
protesting  his  innocence  and  that  of  the  order.     Philip  the  Fail' 
was  present  part  of  the  time.     Philip's  avarice  and  desire  to  con- 
fiscate their  property  were  thought  to  be  the  moving  cause  of  this 
atrocious  tyranny,  as  he  had  borrowed  money  from  them  to  pay 
the  dowry  of  his  sister,  the  Queen  of  England.     The  ashes  of  the 
victims  were  carefully  collected  and  treasured  as  relics.     It  was 
afterwards  currently  believed  that  Molay  at  the  stake  summoned 
the  Pope  and  the  King  (Philip),  as  the  authors  of  his  death,  to 
appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ  within  forty  days  and 
a  year  respectively,  and  that  each  of  them  died  within  the  time 
assigned.     Philip,  at  the  age  of  forty-six  in  1314,  met  with  an 
accident  while  hunting  in  the  forest  of  Fontahiebleau,  from  which 
he  never  recovered,  leaving  a  name  detested  for  every  kind  of 
despotism  and  oppression ;  and  his  chief  minister,  Marigny,  was 
hanged  soon  after.     Pope  Clement  V.   had  acted  with  a  mean 
and  cowardly  acquiescence  in  the  King's  acts,  and  died  in  the 
same  year. 

crusaders'  faith  in  providence. 

De  Joinville,  in  his  Memoir  of  St.  Louis  IX.  of  France,  says 
that  when  they  were  returning  in  1254  from  the  Sixth  Crusade, 
this  accident  happened  on  board  the  ship  of  the  Lord  d'Argonnes, 


Chap,  xiii.]  THE   CRUSADERS  AND   PILGRIMS.  435 

one  of  the  most  powerful  lords  of  Provence  :  "  Lord  d'Argonnes 
was  annoyed  one  morning  in  bed  by  the  rays  of  the  sun  darting 
on  his  eyes  through  a  hole  in  the  vessel,  and  calling  one  of  his 
esquires,  ordered  him  to  stop  the  hole.  The  esquire,  finding  he 
could  not  stop  it  inside,  attempted  to  do  it  on  the  outside,  but  his 
foot  slipping  he  fell  into  the  sea.  The  ship  kept  on  her  way,  and 
there  was  not  the  smallest  boat  alongside  to  succour  him.  We 
who  were  in  the  King's  ship  saw  him ;  but  as  we  were  half  a 
league  off,  we  thought  it  was  some  piece  of  furniture  that  had 
fallen  into  the  sea,  for  the  esquire  did  not  attempt  to  save  himself 
nor  to  move.  When  we  came  nearer,  one  of  the  King's  boats 
took  him  up  and  brought  him  on  board  our  vessel,  when  he 
related  his  accident.  We  asked  him  why  he  did  not  attempt  to 
save  himself  by  swimming,  nor  call  out  to  the  other  ships  for 
help.  He  said  he  had  no  occasion  to  do  so,  for  as  he  fell  into  the 
sea  he  exclaimed,  '  Our  Lady  of  Valbert  ! '  and  that  she  sup- 
ported him  by  his  shoulders  until  the  King's  galley  came  to  him. 
In  honour  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and  to  perpetuate  this 
miracle,  I  had  it  painted  in  my  chapel  of  Joinville,  and  also  in 
the  windows  of  the  church  of  Blecourt." 

COLUMBUS  VOWING  ANOTHER  CRUSADE  (A.D.  1493). 

Columbus  was  in  spirit  a  crusader  rather  than  a  maritime 
discoverer.  The  moment  that  the  terms  were  fairly  settled,  he 
opened  his  project  to  Queen  Isabella  (herself  a  proselytising 
Catholic),  and  suggested  that  the  vast  wealth  of  Kubla  Khan 
which  he  expected  would  accrue  from  his  discovery  should  be 
devoted  to  the  pious  purpose  '  of  rescuing  the  Holy  Sepulchre  of 
Jerusalem  from  the  power  of  the  infidels.'  When  he  came  home 
in  triumph,  he  made  a  vow  to  furnish  within  seven  years  an  army, 
consisting  of  five  thousand  horse  and  fifty  thousand  foot,  for  the 
rescue  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  and  a  similar  force  within  the  five 
following  years.  How  tenaciously  he  held  to  his  purpose  we  may 
gather  from  the  fact  that,  when  he  was  brought  home  in  chains 
to  Spain  and  was  in  the  deepest  sorrow  and  distress,  he  prepared 
an  elaborate  appeal  to  the  sovereigns  to  undertake  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  vow  which  his  poverty  and  weakness  forbade  him  to 
redeem  ;  he  wrote  at  the  same  time  to  the  Pope,  affirming  that 
his  enterprise  had  been  undertaken  with  the  intent  of  dedicating 
the  gains  to  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre ;  and  that  the 
evidence  might  be  complete,  he  reaffirmed  it  solemnly  in  death  by 
his  last  testament,  and  committed  it  as  the  dearest  object  of  his 
heart,  the  most  sacred  purpose  of  his  life,  for  fulfilment  to  his 


436  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

heirs.  When  Columbus  after  his  first  voyage  told  his  story  to 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  they  fell  on  their  knees,  giving  thanks 
to  God  with  many  tears,  and  then  the  choristers  of  the  Royal 
Chapel  closed  the  grand  ceremonial  by  singing  the  Te  Deum.  He 
was  created  a  Don,  with  reversion  to  his  sons  and  brothers,  rode 
by  the  King's  side,  and  "All  bail  !"  was  said  to  him  on  State 
occasions.  He  brought  with  him  nine  Indians,  as  specimens  of 
the  wide  field  for  future  proselytes,  and  these  natives  were  bap- 
tised. One  of  them,  after  being  baptised,  died,  and  the  authori- 
ties of  the  time,  as  Herrera  relates,  were  pleased  then  to  declare 
that  he  was  the  first  coloured  person  to  enter  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  Twelve  missionaries,  under  charge  of  a  Benedictine 
monk,  were  sent  out  to  take  charge  of  the  souls  of  the  other 
Indians,  and  bring  them  to  a  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Catholic 
faith.  And  Admiral  Columbus  was  specially  charged  besides  to 
make  them  presents,  and  to  deal  lovingly  with  them.  Columbus 
was  all  his  life  aware  of  some  prophecy  that  Jerusalem  was  to 
be  rebuilt  by  the  hand  of  a  Christian,  and  he  looked  forward 
to  be  that  Christian  ;  and  he  used  to  say  that  he  would  try  and 
discover  the  exact  kingdom  of  Prester  John,  who  was  known  to 
be  in  want  of  missionaries  to  help  him. 

NUMBERS   OP   CRUSADERS. 

The  First  Crusade,  which  was  led  by  Peter  the  Hermit,  by 
Walter  the  Penniless,  by  a  German  priest,  and  by  some  non- 
descript leaders,  consisted  of  a  mob  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  of 
people,  and  other  contingents  swelled  the  number  to  880,000. 
When  they  succeeded  in  capturing  Jerusalem,  they  massacred 
ten  thousand  inhabitants,  including  women  and  children.  Then 
Godfrey,  throwing  aside  his  armour,  clothed  with  a  linen  mantle, 
and  with  bare  head  and  naked  feet,  went  to  the  Church  of  the 
Sepulchre.  The  First  Crusade  captured  Nice,  then  Antioch  after 
a  severe  siege,  and  then  Jerusalem  ;  and  then  a  king  was  elected 
and  remained.  The  Second  Crusade,  stirred  up  by  St.  Bernard 
in  1144,  consisted  of  some  1,200,000  men,  including  Louis  VII.  of 
France,  and  was  a  total  failure.  The  Third  Crusade,  in  1189,  in- 
cluding Richard  I.  of  England,  was  also  numerous,  and  consumed 
twenty-three  months  in  besieging  Acre,  but  it  ended  in  small 
progress.  The  Fourth  Crusade,  in  1203,  stopped  short  at  and 
attacked  Constantinople.  The  Fifth  Crusade,  in  1228,  residted 
in  a  treaty  by  which  Palestine  was  left  to  the  Crusaders.  The 
Sixth  Crusade,  in  1244,  including  Louis  IX.  of  France  (St.  Louis), 
was  utterly  defeated,  and  Jerusalem  pillaged  by  the  Turks.     The 


Chap.  xiii.J  THE   CRUSADERS   A^D   PILGRIMS.  437 

Seventh  Crusade,  again  including  St.  Louis  and  Edward  (after- 
wards Edward  I.  of  England),  in  1270,  ended  in  abortive  efforts 
to  keep  possos-ion  of  the  Holy  Land,  which  was  at  last  abandoned 
to  the  Saracens. 

THE    MODERN    GREEK    CHURCH    AND    ITS    PILGRIMAGES. 

Bicaut,  in  his  account  of  the  modern  Greek  Church  two 
centuries  ago,  says  :  "  The  Greeks  were  extremely  fond  of  visiting 
their  churches  and  chapels,  especially  such  as  were  on  precipices 
and  places  very  difficult  of  access ;  and  indeed  the  greatest  part 
of  their  devotion  consisted  in  such  voluntary  fatigues.  On  their 
first  arrival  at  the  church  or  chapel,  they  crossed  themselves 
over  and  over,  and  made  a  thousand  genuflexions  and  profound 
bows.  They  kissed  the  image  which  was  erected  there,  and 
treated  it  with  three  or  four  grains  of  the  choicest  frankincense, 
and  recommended  themselves  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  or  the  saint 
whom  the  image  represented.  But  in  case  the  saint  did  not 
incline  his  ear  and  hearken  to  their  vows,  they  soon  made  him 
sensible  of  their  resentment.  Here,  as  in  other  places,  these 
pilgrimages  and  peculiar  foundations  of  chapels  were  looked  upon 
as  meritorious,  and  became  the  effects  of  mere  superstition." 


438 


CHAPTER   XIV. 
SOME  GREAT  CHURCHES  AND   CATHEDRALS. 

EARLY    BASILICA    CHURCH    ARCHITECTURE. 

The  basilicas  of  Pagan  Pome  were  long  rectangular  buildings, 
divided  along  their  whole  length  sometimes  by  two,  not  seldom  by 
four,  lines  of  columns,  and  serving  as  halls  or  courts  of  justice. 
The  Christians  of  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries  often  obtained 
from  favouring  emperors  leave  to  turn  these  basilicas  into 
churches.  It  was  thought  that  this  gave  a  pattern  to  early 
churches.  The  roof  was  gradually  raised  proportionately  and 
the  arms  thrown  out  wider  to  accommodate  an  increased  con- 
gregation, thereby  assuming  a  cruciform  outline.  St.  Peter's 
at  Rome,  before  Michael  Angelo's  design,  was  a  basilica,  also 
St.  Paul's  without  the  walls,  and  the  church  of  Maria  Maggiore : 
these  and  the  church  of  St.  Apollinaris  at  Ravenna  were  the 
grandest  of  this  class  of  churches.  Justinian,  the  Emperor, 
reared  many  basilicas,  and  his  masterpiece  was  St.  Sophia's 
church  at  Constantinople,  which  was  imitated  in  the  church  of 
St.  Vitalis  at  Ravenna.  The  period  is  uncertain  when  the 
central  dome  or  cupola  came  to  be  added.  In  the  eleventh 
century  a  new  era  of  church-building  began,  called  the  Roman- 
esque, and  lasted  about  two  centuries  in  Italy  and  Norman 
England.  Then  came  the  Gothic,  though  the  Goths  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  invention  :  the  pointed  arch  is  the  characteristic, 
and  it  was  first  noticed  in  Sicily,  and  then  spread  rapidly  in 
Germany,  Northern  France,  and  England.  In  Italy  the  Renais- 
sance was  equally  making  its  way,  with  its  rich  marbles,  mosaics, 
and  gold  and  silver  decorations. 

EARLY   CHRISTIAN   ARCHITECTURE. 

Lord  Lindsay,  in  his  "  Christian  Art,"  says  that  the  buildings 
required  for  the  religious  ceremonies  of  the  Church  in  the  fourth 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  439 

century  were  of  three  descriptions  :  (1)  baptisteries  for  the  per- 
formance of  the  initiatory  rite  of  Christianity ;  (2)  churches 
for  the  united  worship  of  the  initiated  and  the  celebration  of 
the  mystery  of  the  Lord's  Supper ;  (3)  sepulchral  chapels  for 
the  commemorative  prayers  offered  up  for  the  welfare  of  the 
departed  who  sleep  in  Christ.  For  the  first  of  these,  the  public 
baths ;  for  the  second,  the  basilicas  or  courts  of  justice  ;  for  the 
third,  the  subterranean  cells  of  the  Catacombs,  presented  ready 
models.  The  basilicas  were  models  of  everything  that  could  be 
desired.  Their  plan  was  an  oblong  area,  divided  by  pillars  into 
a  nave  and  two  aisles,  the  nave  being  sometimes  open  to  the  sky, 
sometimes  roofed  in,  the  aisles  always  so  protected,  the  whole 
bounded  by  a  transverse  aisle  or  transept,  raised  by  several  steps 
and  terminating  at  the  extremity  opposite  the  door  of  the  build- 
ing in  a  semicircular  niche  or  tribune  where  the  judge  sat. 
Nothing  could  be  easier  than  to  accommodate  an  edifice  like  this 
to  the  demands  of  Christian  worship.  Two  basilicas,  the  Laterana 
and  Vaticana  at  Rome,  were  actually  converted  by  Constantine 
into  churches.    The  basilica  retained  its  form  unchanged  for  ages. 

THE    COPTIC    CHURCH. 

The  name  of  Coptic  Church  is  given  to  the  Church  among  the 
descendants  of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  so  called  from  Coptos,  a 
city  in  Upper  Egypt.  This  Church  traces  its  origin  to  St.  Mark, 
and  had  Origen,  St.  Antony,  St.  Athanasius,  St.  Cyril,  and 
others  as  its  early  champions.  The  Coptic  Church  was  almost 
identified  with  other  Churches  up  to  the  council  of  Chalcedon  in 
451,  from  which  date  it  was  viewed  as  an  unorthodox  Church. 
One  Timothy  the  Cat  was  the  leader  of  the  heretics,  and  he  got 
this  name  from  visiting  the  cells  of  the  monks  by  night,  and 
proclaiming  himself  an  angel  from  heaven,  and  charging  them 
to  forsake  the  people  whom  he  viewed  as  heretics,  but  whom  we 
would  call  orthodox.  The  Timotheans  murdered  the  arch -priest 
of  the  opposite  party.  Two  rival  sets  of  patriarchs  headed  these 
factions.  The  Copt  who  enters  his  church  takes  off  his  shoes,  walks 
up  to  the  curtain,  kisses  the  hem,  and  prostrates  himself  before  the 
sanctuary.  Standing  during  the  service  is  usual ;  hence  all  are 
supplied  with  crutches  of  a  height  to  enable  the  worshippers  to 
lean  upon  them.  There  are  no  organs,  but  musical  accompani- 
ments are  made  by  cymbals,  triangles,  and  small  brass  bells 
struck  with  a  little  rod.  There  are  no  images  permitted,  but 
paintings  adorn  the  walls  on  every  side,  the  principal  of  which 
is  one  of  Christ  blessing  His  Church. 


440  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN  HISTORY. 


SPIRES   AND   TOWERS    OF   CATHEDRALS   AND   CHURCHES. 

The  spire  has  for  centuries  been  a  frequent  ornament  of 
churches  in  all  countries,  though  in  England  there  were  feAV 
spires  in  the  earliest  churches.  The  highest  spires  have  been  as 
follows:  Old  St.  Paul's,  527  feet;  Cologne,  510  feet;  Strasburg, 
500  feet ;  Vienna,  441  feet ;  St.  Peter's  dome,  434  feet ;  Amiens, 
422  feet ;  Antwerp,  406  feet ;  Salisbury,  404  feet ;  Florence,  387 
feet ;  Freiburg,  385  feet ;  Milan,  355  feet ;  Chartres,  353  feet ; 
Segovia,  330  feet ;  St.  Michael's,  Coventry,  320  feet ;  Norwich. 
309  feet;  Louth,  294  feet;  Chichester,  271  feet;  Glasgow,  225 
feet ;  St.  Patrick's,  Dublin,  223  feet.  The  towers  of  churches 
were  also  rare  until  the  eleventh  century.  Owing  to  a  faulty 
foundation  or  subsidence,  some  towers  lean  considerably  out  of 
the  perpendicular,  as  St.  Marian  at  Este,  Pisa,  and  Bologna, 
Vienna,  Delft,  Saragossa,  Weston  (Lincolnshire),  The  Temple 
(Bristol),  Wynunbury  (Cheshire),  and  Surfleet.  Galileo  took 
advantage  of  the  leaning  tower  at  Pisa  to  make  experiments 
on  falling  bodies.  The  following  is  the  height  of  the  highest 
towers:  Bruges,  442  feet;  Mechlin,  348  feet;  Utrecht,  321  feet; 
Tournay,  320  feet ;  Ludlow,  294  feet ;  Grantham,  274  feet ;  Bos- 
ton, 268  feet ;  Lincoln,  262  feet ;  Canterbury,  229  feet ;  Gloucester 
and  Westminster,  225  feet;  Durham,  216  feet;  York,  198  feet. 

INTERNAL    DIMENSIONS    OF    CATHEDRALS. 

The  length,  width  at  transept,  and  height  in  feet  of  the  largest 
cathedrals  are  said  to  be:  St.  Peter's,  Rome,  613,  450,  152;  Old 
St.  Paul's,  590,  300,  102;  Modern  St.  Paul's,  460,  240,  88; 
Canterbury,  514,  130,  80;  Winchester,  545,  209,  78;  St. 
Albans,  543,  175,  66;  Westminster,  505,  190,  103;  Ely,  517, 
185,  72;  York,  486,  222,  101;  Durham,  473,  170,  70;  Lincoln, 
468,  220,  82;  Salisbury,  450,  206,  84;  Florence,  458,  334, 
153 ;  Saltzburg,  466 ;  Cologne,  445,  250,  161  ;  Milan,  443, 
287,  153;  Granada,  425.  249;  Amiens,  442,  194,  140;  Paris, 
432,  186;  Chartres,  418,  200,  114;  Rouen,  415,  176,  89; 
Valladolid,  414,  204;  Seville,  398,  291,  132  ;  Ratisbon,  384,  128, 
118;  Constantinople,  360;  Palermo,  346,  138,  74;  Drontheim, 
334,  166;  Upsala,  330,  140,  105;  Vienna,  337,  115,  92;  St. 
Patrick's,  Dublin,  300,  157,  58  ;  Glasgow,  282  ;  Venice,  205,  164. 

THE    GOTHIC    CATHEDRALS. 

The  birthplace  of  true  Gothic  architecture  was  north  of  the 
Alps — it  would  seem  on  the  Rhine.     The  northern  climate  may 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  441 

have  had  something  to  do  with  its  rise  and  development.  Its 
high  roof  would  cast  off  more  easily  the  heavy  snows ;  the 
numerous  windows  would  welcome  the  flooding  light ;  and  to 
restore  the  solemnity  and  subdue  the  glare  painted  glass  was 
resorted  to.  The  Gothic  cathedral,  says  Milman,  was  the  con- 
summation, the  completion,  of  mediaeval,  of  hierarchical,  Chris- 
tianity. The  church  might  seem  to  expand  and  lay  itself  out  in 
long  and  narrow  avenues  with  the  most  gracefully  converging 
perspective,  in  order  that  the  worshipper  might  contemplate  with 
deeper  awe  the  more  remote  central  ceremonial.  The  enormous 
height  more  than  compensated  for  the  contracted  breadth. 
Nothing  could  be  more  finely  arranged  for  the  impressive 
services  ;  and  the  processional  services  became  more  frequent, 
more  imposing.  The  music,  instead  of  being  beaten  down  by  low, 
broad  arches,  or  lost  within  the  heavier  aisles,  soared  freely  to  the 
lofty  roof,  pervaded  the  whole  building,  was  infinitely  multiplied 
as  it  died  and  rose  again  to  the  fretted  roof.  Even  the  incense, 
curling  more  freely  up  to  the  immeasurable  height,  might  give 
the  notion  of  clouds  of  adoration  finding  their  way  to  heaven. 
The  Gothic  cathedral  remains  an  imperishable  monument  of 
hierarchical  wealth,  power,  devotion.  It  has  been  described  as 
a  vast  book  in  stone — a  book  which  taught  by  symbolic  language, 
partly  plain  and  obvious  to  the  simplest  man,  partly  shrouded 
in  not  less  attractive  mystery.  Even  its  height,  its  vastness, 
might  appear  to  suggest  the  inconceivable,  the  incomprehensible, 
the  infinite,  the  incalculable  grandeur  and  majesty  of  the  Divine 
works.  The  mind  felt  humble  under  its  shadow,  as  before  an 
awful  presence. 

THE   ALTAR   IN   CHURCHES. 

Christian  churches  had  an  altar,  which,  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  old  altars  of  the  Jewish  and  Pagan  temples,  on  which  sacrifices 
of  blood  were  offered,  was  only  a  table,  shaped  in  memory  of  the 
Last  Supper.  Altars  of  stone  began  to  be  used  in  the  fourth 
century,  and  were  directed  by  several  councils  to  be  used,  as  these 
were  symbolical  of  Christ,  the  Rock.  About  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, the  altar  began  to  be  shaped  like  a  tomb.  At  first  there 
was  only  one  altar  allowed  in  one  church,  to  signify  the  unity  of 
the  Church  ;  but  at  later  dates  more  than  one  were  introduced 
for  convenience.  The  altar  at  first  stood  in  the  centre  of  the 
church,  but  in  later  times  stood  at  the  east  end  of  the  building. 
In  the  tenth  century  the  cross  began  to  be  put  on  the  altar,  but 
neither  cross  nor  candles  were  put  permanently  there  till   the 


442  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

fourteenth  century.  The  great  distinction  in  England  after  the 
Reformation  was  the  substitution  of  a  plain  movable  wooden 
table  for  the  celebration  of  the  Communion  instead  of  the  fixed 
altar. 

INCENSE   AND   HOLY   WATER   IN   CHURCHES. 

Incense  was  a  mode  of  symbolising  the  prayers  offered  to  God. 
Some  trace  its  origin  to  the  fifth,  and  others  no  higher  than  the 
eighth  or  ninth,  century.  In  the  Catacombs  it  may  have  been 
useful  to  dispel  damp  and  noisome  smells.  It  was  a  very  frequent 
accompaniment  of  Divine  service  in  all  Christian  churches  before 
the  Reformation.  Holy  water  was  suggested  as  a  mode  of  exor- 
cising devils,  and  Pope  Alexander  I.  directed  it  to  be  used  in 
churches,  and  it  was  mixed  with  salt.  A  stone  basin,  called  a 
holy- water  stock,  was  kept  at  the  entrance  of  churches,  with  a 
brush  for  scattering  it. 

ST.    PETER'S    AT    ROME. 

The  great  attraction  of  Christendom  for  centuries  was  the 
church  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome,  built  on  the  site  of  the  original 
church  in  which  it  was  said  the  Apostle  Peter  officiated.  In  306 
Constantine  founded  a  basilica  on  the  same  spot.  In  1450,  the 
structure  being  ruinous,  Pope  Nicholas  V.  commenced  the  pre- 
sent extensive  building,  but  it  was  long  before  it  advanced. 
When  Michael  Angelo  completed  the  design  for  a  Papal  tomb, 
it  gave  a  stimulus  to  this  undertaking,  and  Julius  II.  engaged 
Bramante  to  complete  a  design,  and  that  was  proceeded  with. 
After  two  or  three  successors  had  been  engaged,  one  of  them 
being  Raphael,  Michael  Angelo  was  appointed  to  complete  the 
works,  and  he  acted  as  chief  designer  till  15G3,  when  he  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-nine.  The  main  design  was  not  completed  till 
1590.  The  number  of  architects  has  thus  marred  the  unity  of 
the  building,  and  each  having  added  or  altered  something,  altera- 
tions still  went  on  till  1780,  so  that  nearly  three  and  a  half  cen- 
turies passed  in  maturing  it.  It  covers  about  six  acres,  and  is 
about  100  feet  longer  than  St.  Paul's,  London.  The  interior  is 
of  magnificent  and  harmonious  proportions.  The  height  of  the 
nave  is  152  feet,  and  88  feet  wide;  the  side  aisles  are  34  feet 
wide.  The  diameter  of  the  interior  of  the  cupola  is  139  feet. 
The  exterior  height  to  the  top  of  the  cross  is  448  feet.  The 
nave  is  richly  decorated  with  gilding  and  stucco  ornaments,  and 
colossal  statues  fill  the  lower  niches.  The  dome  is  supported 
by  four  massive  piers,  each  with  two  recesses.     Above  the  lower 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  443 

recesses  are  four  balconies,  in  which  are  preserved  the  relics 
of  saints.  One  is  the  sudarium  or  handkerchief  of  Veronica, 
containing  a  likeness  of  the  Saviour.  There  is  also  a  portion 
of  the  true  cross  discovered  by  St.  Helena.  The  head  of  St. 
Andrew  is  also  here.  The  cupola  above  the  dome  is  divided 
into  sixteen  compartments,  ornamented  with  gilded  stuccoes  and 
mosaics.  The  design,  altitude,  and  decorations  of  the  cupola 
are  described  as  glorious,  and  the  mind  dilates  with  wonder  and 
rapture  as  the  details  are  examined.  The  Baldacchino  or  grand 
canopy  over  the  high  altar  is  under  the  centre  of  the  dome,  and 
is  95  feet  high,  supported  by  four  spiral  columns.  The  high 
altar  is  immediately  over  the  relics  of  St.  Peter.  This  altar 
is  only  used  on  grand  occasions,  and  the  Pope  alone  can  cele- 
brate Mass  there,  or  a  cardinal  specially  authorised  by  a  Papal 
brief.  On  the  right  side  of  the  nave  is  a  bronze  statue  of  St. 
Peter  on  a  marble  chair,  and  with  the  foot  extended.  On  enter- 
ing the  basilica  devotees  kiss  the  toe  of  this  foot,  and  press 
their  foreheads  against  it.  The  figure  is  rude  and  of  uncer- 
tain origin.  The  tribune,  which  is  behind  and  east  of  the  high 
altar,  is  decorated  with  the  designs  of  Michael  Angelo,  and  con- 
tains the  chair  of  St.  Peter,  in  which  he  is  said  to  have  once 
officiated,  and  which  is  kept  in  a  closet  high  in  the  wall  safely 
locked  with  three  keys,  and  exhibited  only  on  rare  occasions.  In 
one  chapel  the  Pieta  of  Michael  Angelo,  a  marble  group,  and  a 
masterpiece  of  his,  is  placed.  In  another  chapel  there  is  a  column 
in  white  marble,  said  to  have  been  brought  from  the  Temple  at 
Jerusalem,  and  the  one  against  which  the  Saviour  leaned  when 
He  disputed  with  the  doctors.  The  illumination  of  St.  Peter's  on 
Easter  Sunday,  when  all  the  details  are  lit  up  with  lamps,  is  like  a 
blaze  of  fireworks.     When  lit  up,  there  are  6,800  lamps  burning. 

THE    SIXTINE    CHAPEL    AT    ROME. 

The  Sixtine  Chapel  at  Rome  was  built  in  1473,  under  Pope 
Sixtus  IV.  The  upper  walls  and  roof  are  adorned  with  frescoes 
illustrating  scenes  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  The  architec- 
tural and  pictured  details  are  all  in  unison.  Michael  Angelo 's 
genius  is  here  transcendent.  And  Raphael  was  an  admirer  of 
the  designs.  The  grand  fresco  of  the  Last  Judgment  by  Michael 
Angelo  is  at  one  end  of  the  building.  To  encourage  the  artist  in 
this  great  work,  the  Pope,  attended  by  ten  cardinals,  often  went 
to  visit  him,  and  this  was  deemed  at  the  time  an  unparalleled 
honour  to  Art.  The  Pope,  it  is  said,  was  anxious  to  have  this 
fresco  painted  in  oils,  but  the  artist  declined  peremptorily,  saying 


444  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

that  oil-painting  was  fit  only  for  women  and  idlers  who  had 
plenty  of  time  to  throw  away.  The  nudity  of  the  figures  in  this 
work  was  much  discussed  at  the  time,  and  the  Pope  at  last 
employed  one  Daniele  da  Volterra  to  cover  some  of  them  with 
drapery,  and  he  was  nicknamed  the  "  Breeches-maker " ;  at 
a  later  date  further  draperies  were  added,  which  spoiled  the 
picture  considerably.  The  colours  are  now  dim  with  age  and 
the  smoke  of  candles  and  incense. 

THE    CATHEDRAL    OP    GENOA. 

About  1310  the  cathedral  of  San  Lorenzo  was  erected  at 
Genoa,  and  the  bas-relief  over  the  principal  entrance  and  a  large 
fresco  on  the  ceiling  represent  St.  Laurence's  martyrdom.  The 
roof  and  pillars  are  of  alternate  white  and  black  marble.  The 
richest  portion  of  the  church  is  the  chapel  of  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
which  no  female  is  permitted  to  enter,  except  on  one  day  of 
the  year — an  exclusion  imposed  by  Pope  Innocent  VIII.,  in 
recollection  of  the  daughter  of  Herodias.  The  relics  of  the  saint 
are  said  to  be  contained  in  an  iron-bound  chest  which  is  seen 
through  the  apertures  of  the  marble  covering.  On  the  day  of  his 
nativity  they  are  carried  in  procession.  In  the  treasury  of  the 
cathedral  is  preserved  the  sacro  catino,  long  supposed  to  be  com- 
posed of  a  single  piece  of  emerald,  and  also  variously  asserted  by 
some  to  be  a  gift  from  the  Queen  of  Sheba  to  Solomon ;  by  others 
to  be  the  dish  which  held  the  paschal  lamb  at  the  Last  Supper ; 
by  others  the  vessel  in  which  Joseph  of  Arimathaea  received  the 
blood  flowing  from  the  side  of  the  Saviour.  It  was  part  of  the 
spoils  taken  at  Cassarea  in  1101.  The  Crusaders  and  their  allies 
divided  the  booty,  and  the  Genoese  selected  this  precious  vessel 
as  their  portion.  It  is  exposed  to  the  veneration  of  the  faithful 
three  times  a  year.  No  stranger  is  allowed  to  touch  it  under  a 
heavy  penalty.  Yet  some  daringly  curious  have  attempted  to 
discover  the  metal  or  mineral.  Some  travellers  affect  to  have 
discovered  that  it  is  glass,  and  this  is  the  latest  belief.  The 
dish  is  hexagonal,  the  colour  is  beautiful,  and  the  transparency 
perfect. 

THE    CATHEDRAL    OF   TURIN. 

A  church  at  Turin  dedicated  to  St.  John  the  Baptist  was  first 
erected  in  602,  but  the  present  cathedral  was  begun  in  1498, 
and  the  decorations  are  comparatively  modern.  The  sacristy 
contains  magnificent  crosses,  vases,  and  reliquaries,  the  chief 
object,  however,  being  a  large  statue  of  the  Virgin,  crowned  and 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  445 

standing  under  a  silver-gilt  canopy.  Behind  the  cathedral  is  the 
Chapel  del  Sudario,  which  contains  many  unique  architectural 
effects ;  the  centre  of  a  star -decorated  pavement  is  the  altar,  on 
which  is  placed  the  shrine,  brilliant  with  gold,  silver,  and  precious 
stones.  The  santo  sudario,  according  to  the  legend,  is  one  of  the 
folds  of  the  shroud  in  which  our  Lord  was  wrapped  by  Joseph  of 
Arimathfea,  and  on  which  an  impression  was  left  of  His  body, 
other  folds  being  preserved  at  Rome,  Besangon,  and  Cadouin. 
The  one  at  Turin  was  brought  from  Cyprus  in  1452  by  a 
descendant  of  a  Crusader.  This  shrine  has  been  invoked  by 
kings,  and  is  worshipped  with  great  reverence.  In  another 
church  at  Turin,  called  Corpus  Domini,  which  is  highly  decorated, 
there  is  an  inscription  to  commemorate  the  miraculous  recovery 
of  a  piece  of  sacramental  plate,  containing  the  consecrated  wafer. 
During  a  pillage  a  soldier  stole  it,  and  hid  it  in  one  of  the 
panniers  which  an  ass  was  carrying,  but  the  ass  refused  to  pass 
the  church  door.  The  sacred  pyx  fell  to  the  ground,  and  the 
wafer,  rising  into  the  air,  remained  suspended  there,  encircled  with 
rays  of  light,  until  the  bishop  and  his  clergy  came  out  to  receive 
it.  This  miracle  happened  in  1453,  and  three  paintings  on  the 
vault  of  the  nave  represent  it. 

THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   MILAN. 

At  Milan  the  cathedral  has  been  rebuilt  thrice,  the  present 
being  begun  in  1387.  The  central  tower  and  spire  are  of  great 
beauty.  A  statue  of  the  Madonna  crowns  the  spire,  and  it  is 
355  feet  high.  The  interior  is  magnificent,  and  said  to  be  the 
grandest  in  the  world,  and  bears  a  long  examination.  The  height 
of  the  pillars  of  the  nave  is  80  feet.  The  roof  is  painted  to 
represent  an  elaborate  fretwork.  The  painted  glass  is  abundant 
and  of  extraordinary  brilliancy.  Suspended  from  the  vaulting 
of  the  octagon  over  the  altar  is  a  reliquary,  said  to  contain  one 
of  the  nails  of  the  cross,  which  once  a  year  is  exhibited  on  the 
altar.  The  circuit  wall  of  the  choir  towards  the  aisles  is  covered 
with  bas-reliefs  representing  the  history  of  the  Virgin.  There 
is  an  altar  with  the  celebrated  crucifix  which  was  carried  about 
the  city  before  St.  Carlo  during  the  plague  at  Milan.  On  the 
high  altar  is  a  magnificent  tabernacle  of  gilt  bronze  with  figures 
of  the  Saviour  and  the  Twelve  Apostles.  The  subterranean 
chapel  of  San  Carlo  is  dedicated  to  that  saint,  who  was  a  great 
sanitary  reformer  and  excited  the  enmity  of  the  monks,  one  of 
whom  fired  at  him  as  he  was  kneeling  at  the  altar  during  the 
anthem.     The  bullet  struck  him  on  the  back,  but  fell  harmless  to 


446  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  ground,  and  tins  was  deemed  an  interposition  of  Providence. 
The  saint  continued  in  prayer  undisturbed.  He  died  in  1584, 
and  his  body  is  deposited  in  a  gorgeous  shrine  of  silver,  and  is 
seen  through  panes  of  rock  crystal  arrayed  in  full  pontificals. 
The  flesh  has  crumbled  away,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  the 
embalmers.  St.  Ambrose,  who  was  born  in  340,  was  chosen 
archbishop  of  Milan  in  375. 

THE  CATHEDRAL  OF  FLORENCE. 

The  Florentines,  in  1294,  were  determined  to  surpass  their 
contemporaries  in  the  grandeur  of  their  cathedral,  which  is  said 
to  have  given  the  idea  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  The  cupola  is  the 
largest  dome  in  the  world,  though  the  summit  of  St.  Peter's  is 
higher.  The  interior  is  rather  dark,  owing  to  the  smallness  of 
the  windows  and  the  richness  of  the  stained  glass.  The  whole 
design  is  characterised  by  grandeur  and  simplicity,  and  the  pave- 
ment in  variegated  marbles  enhances  the  general  effect.  The  choir 
and  the  high  altar  are  placed  beneath  the  dome.  Behind  the  altar 
is  a  Pieta  or  group  of  the  Virgin  at  the  entombment,  designed  by 
Michael  Angelo.  The  campanile  or  bell-tower  is  275  feet  high, 
and  decorated  with  rich  tablets  from  the  designs  of  Giotto.  The 
cost  of  the  tower  was  said  to  be  enormous.  Six  fine  bells  are 
hung  at  the  toj).  The  baptistery  has  as  its  chief  glory  the  bronze 
doors  executed  by  Ghiberti  and  Andrea  Pisano,  and  which  Michael 
Angelo  said  were  worthy  to  be  the  gates  of  Paradise.  They  illus- 
trate the  chief  events  in  the  life  of  our  Lord,  as  well  as  scenes  in 
the  Old  Testament  history.  The  perspective  of  these  sculptures  is 
in  modern  times  viewed  as  defective,  and  too  much  detail  is  intro- 
duced ;  but  the  borderings  are  excpiisite.  The  cupola  is  covered 
with  mosaics,  and  the  floor  is  a  mosaic  of  black  and  white  marble. 
In  Florence  there  is  also  a  chapel  of  the  Annunziata,  with  altar 
and  silver-work  decorations  and  frescoes.  The  miraculous  fresco 
of  the  Annunciation  is  believed  to  have  been  painted  by  angels, 
and  is  exhibited  only  on  great  occasions.  A  celebrated  Madonna 
was  here  painted  by  Andrea  del  Sarto,  which  he  gave  for  a  sack 
of  wheat,  and  hence  called  "  Madonna  del  Sacco." 

THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   PISA. 

The  first  period  of  Christian  architecture  was  the  Roman 
basilica,  the  second  the  Byzantine,  and  the  third  the  Lombard 
and  Norman  style,  which  was  followed  by  the  Gothic.  The  most 
splendid  specimen  of  the  Lombard  style  is  the  cathedral  of  Pisa. 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  447 

It  was  the  oblation  of  the  richest  and  most  powerful  city  in  Italy 
at  the  height  of  her  prosperity,  her  industry,  her  commerce,  her 
fame ;  it  was  made  in  the  pride  of  her  wealth,'  in  a  passion  of 
gratitude  for  a  victory,  and  for  rich  plunder  taken  from  the 
Mohammedans  in  the  harbour  of  Palermo.  The  cathedral  makes 
one  of  the  four  buildings — the  dome,  the  baptistery,  the  leaning 
tower,  the  Campo  Santo — which  in  their  sad  grandeur  in  the 
deserted  city  surpass  all  other  groups  of  buildings  in  Europe.  The 
cathedral,  standing  alone,  would  command  the  highest  admiration. 
The  west  front  displays  a  profusion  of  tiers  of  arches  above  arches, 
arranged  with  finer  proportion,  richness,  and  upward  decreasing 
order  than  elsewhere.  But  its  sublimity  is  within.  Its  plan,  the 
Latin  cross,  hi  the  most  perfect  proportion,  gives  an  impressive 
unity  to  its  central  nave,  with  its  double  aisles,  its  aisled  transepts, 
and  its  receding  apse.  Its  loftiness  is  more  commanding  than 
any  building  of  its  class  in  Italy.  The  Corinthian  pillars  along 
the  nave  are  of  admirable  height  and  proportion.  The  first  stone 
of  the  cathedral  was  laid  in  1067,  and  the  whole  was  completed 
in  1118.  The  extraordinary  campanile  or  bell-tower,  now  called 
the  leaning  tower,  was  begun  in  1174,  and  the  foundation  giving 
way  accounts  for  its  falling  froru  the  perpendicular.  The  tower 
is  cylindrical,  is  53  feet  in  diameter,  and  is  179  feet  high.  On  the 
summit  of  the  tower  are  seven  bells,  which  are  sonorous  and 
harmonious.  The  baptistery  adjoining  has  a  dome  99  feet  in 
diameter.  On  the  exterior  of  the  eastern  doorway  are  sculptures 
representing  the  martyrdom  of  John  the  Baptist.  In  the  centre 
of  the  building  is  the  font,  about  14  feet  in  diameter.  The  great 
ornament  of  this  building  is  the  pergcmto  or  pulpit,  by  Nicolo 
Pisano,  of  hexagonal  form,  with  bas-reliefs  of  the  events  in  Christ's 
life.  The  Campo  Santo  is  a  cemetery  containing  a  great  collec- 
tion of  sepulchral  monuments  and  a  museum  of  the  dead.  Upwards 
of  three  hundred  statues  and  sculptures  are  here,  and  six  hundred 
tombs  of  families.  The  frescoes  on  the  walls  include  pictures  of 
a  great  variety  of  sacred  subjects  from  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments, and  some  of  these  are  by  superior  artists. 

CHAPEL  OF  SAN  GENNARO  AT  NAPLES. 

Near  the  basilica  of  Santa  Restituta,  which  is  the  cathedral 
at  Naples,  is  a  chapel  of  San  Gennaro,  richly  decorated.  It  is 
chiefly  remarkable  for  the  blood  of  St.  Januarius,  which  is 
exhibited  in  two  phials  resting  in  a  tabernacle  behind  the  high 
altar.  The  blood  of  the  saint  liquefies  three  times  a  yea)'. 
The  saint  was  exposed  to  lions  in  the  amphitheatre  about  305, 


448  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

when  the  beasts  prostrated  themselves  before  him  and  grew  tame. 
He  was  afterwards  decapitated  and  his  body  deposited  at  Pozzuoli, 
and  then  removed  to  this  church.  The  blood  was  said  to  have 
been  first  collected  by  a  woman  present  at  the  martyrdom.  In 
1696  Lord  Perth,  the  chancellor  of  Scotland,  being  on  his  travels, 
described  the  whole  exhibition  of  the  relics  in  his  time.  He  said 
the  blood  looked  like  a  piece  of  pitch  clotted  and  hard  in  the  glass, 
and  when  brought  near  to  the  head  it  liquefied  ;  and  "  it  was  an 
admirable  thing  to  see  blood  shed  upwards  of  thirteen  hundred  years 
ago  liquefy  at  this  approach  to  the  head.  The  Roman  lady  who 
had  gathered  it  from  off  the  ground  with  a  sponge  had,  in  squeezing 
of  it  into  the  glass,  let  a  bit  of  straw  fall  in  too,  which  one  sees  in 
the  blood  to  this  very  day." 

THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   SANTIAGO   COMPOSTELLA. 

The  cathedral  of  Santiago  (which  is  the  Spanish  name  for 
St.  James  the  Elder)  is  also  called  Compostella,  because  a  star  is 
said  to  have  pointed  out  where  that  saint's  body  was  concealed, 
being  in  a  wood  near  the  present  city.  This  shrine  has  been  the 
favourite  resort  of  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  Spain,  France,  and 
England.  The  cathedral  was  founded  in  1078,  and  is  on  the 
same  plan  and  design  as  that  of  Toulouse.  The  statue  of  St. 
James  has  figures  of  kings  kneeling  before  it.  Here  there  is  a 
hospital  for  pilgrims  built  in  four  quadrangles,  and  so  contrived 
that  the  patients  can  all  see  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  The 
interior  of  the  cathedral  is  purposely  kept  somewhat  dark  to 
increase  the  effect  of  the  illuminations  of  the  high  altar,  thus 
rendering  the  image  of  the  apostle  the  one  prominent  feature. 
The  dark  side  aisles,  which  look  almost  like  corridors,  are  filled 
with  confessional  boxes  dedicated  to  different  saints,  while  on 
those  destined  for  foreign  pilgrims  are  inscribed  the  languages 
which  the  priest  understands.  The  image  of  St.  James  in  the 
Capilla  Mayor,  is  Gothic,  of  stone  painted  and  gilt,  and  so 
covered  with  ornamentation  that  the  head  alone  is  visible.  The 
image  is  seated,  holding  a  book  in  the  left  hand  and  blessing  with 
the  right.  It  is  placed  in  a  fine  silver  shrine.  Mass  can  only  be 
said  before  this  image  by  bishops  or  canons  of  a  certain  dignity, 
of  whom  seven  attend  on  grand  occasions.  The  aureola  of  the 
saint's  head  is  composed  of  rubies  and  emeralds.  The  western 
portico  of  this  church  is  considered  the  most  glorious  achievement 
of  Christian  art,  and  the  Last  Judgment  is  represented  with  the 
Saviour  as  the  chief  figure,  being  twice  the  size  of  life.  The 
figux'es  and  architecture  are  alike  exquisite.     The  ceremonial  by 


Chap,  adv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  449 

pilgrims  to  this  shrine  begins  with  the  ascent  of  some  steps 
behind  the  image,  and  then  the  stranger  places  his  hands  on  the 
shoulders  and  kisses  the  hood.  This  kiss  is  the  chief  object  and 
end  of  the  pilgrimage,  without  which  all  is  ineffectual.  He  next 
proceeds  to  one  of  the  confessors,  by  whom  he  is  absolved.  He 
then  communicates  and  receives  his  certificate  or  compostella. 
This  last  is  a  printed  document  signed  by  the  canon,  and  certifies 
that  he  has  complied  with  all  the  devotional  ceremonies  necessary 
to  constitute  a  real  pilgrim.  This  compostella  is  kept  along  with 
the  family  title  deeds  as  a  voucher  of  the  journey,  and  it  is  often 
made  the  condition  of  succession  to  landed  estates.  The  cere- 
monies of  the  offertory  on  the  great  festival  day,  July  25th,  are 
various  and  full  of  interest. 

THE    SPANISH    CATHEDRAL    OF    LEON. 

The  cathedral  of  Santa  Maria  at  Leon  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
Spam,  the  present  one  being  built  about  1073.  Its  lightness 
of  construction  is  proverbial.  The  grand  western  entrance  is 
said  to  be  the  best  of  its  kind  in  Spain.  There  are  about  fifty 
large  statues  and  many  small  sculptures  of  admirable  finish. 
On  each  side  of  the  altar  are  buried  two  saints,  Froylar  and 
Alvito.  The  lofty  windows  are  painted  with  apostles,  saints, 
virgins,  kings,  and  bishops;  the  reds  and  greens  are  among  the 
finest  specimens  of  the  art,  being  executed  by  Flemish  artists.  In 
one  of  the  chapels,  called  the  Chapel  of  the  Dice,  is  the  miraculous 
image  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  the  chapel  being  so  called  because 
a  gambler  once,  after  being  unlucky,  threw  his  dice  at  it,  and  hit 
the  infant's  nose,  which  immediately  bled.  The  chapel  of  St. 
Andrew,  in  the  same  cathedral,  has  doorways  and  doors  richly 
and  delicately  carved  in  the  finest  style.  The  frescoes  illus- 
trate scenes  in  the  life  of  the  Saviour,  and  the  drawing  and 
colouring  are  the  best  specimens  of  early  Spanish  painting.  In 
Leon  there  is  also  a  church  of  St.  Isidore,  which  contains  the 
body  of  that  saint,  who  worked  miracles  after  his  death.  Though 
he  was  known  only  as  a  learned  man  in  his  lifetime,  he  is  said 
to  have  become  the  tutelar  saint  of  Leon  after  his  death,  and  in 
this  capacity  to  have  fought  at  the  battle  of  Baeza  armed  with 
a  sword  and  cross.  He  was  on  that  occasion  mounted  on  horse- 
back and  arrayed  in  his  pontificals.  The  high  altar  shares  with 
Lugo  the  rare  privilege  of  having  the  Host,  the  incarnate  Deity, 
always  visible ;  and  the  effect  at  night,  when  all  is  lighted  up,  with 
figures  of  angels  kneeling  at  the  side,  is  described  as  striking. 

29 


450  CURIOSITIES  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 


THE    CATHEDRAL    OF    SEVILLE. 

The  cathedral  of  Seville  is  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  in 
Spain ;  its  characteristic  is  solemnity,  as  elegance  is  the  feature  of 
Leon,  strength  of  Santiago,  and  wealth  of  Toledo.  The  cathedral 
of  Seville  was  begun  in  1401,  and  its  ample  revenues  and  grand 
decorations  long  fostered  and  employed  the  artistic  genius  of 
Andalusia,  and  the  interior,  with  its  five  mighty  aisles  and  ample 
choir,  remain  still  unrivalled.  The  see  being  vacant  in  1401,  the 
chapter  determined  to  rebuild  the  fabric.  "  Let  us  build,"  said 
these  magnificent  ecclesiastics,  "  a  church  that  shall  cause  us  to 
be  taken  for  madmen  by  them  who  shall  come  after  us,  so  that 
at  all  events  it  shall  have  no  equal."  The  name  of  the  architect, 
though  leaving  his  mark  in  this  impressive  way,  perished  with  his 
original  plans  in  a  fire  in  1734.  The  work  went  on  for  more  than 
a  century  and  a  half,  displaying  in  its  many  incongruous  parts 
the  successive  changes  of  architectural  style.  To  provide  funds 
for  so  vast  an  undertaking,  the  prebendaries  and  canons  gave  up 
the  greater  part  of  their  incomes — an  instance  of  devotion  not 
uncommon  in  those  earnest  times.  The  edifice  inside  and  outside 
is  a  museum  of  fine  arts.  There  are  ninety-three  windows,  and 
the  painted  ones  are  among  the  finest  in  Spain.  During  Easter 
week  the  exquisite  bronze  candlestick,  twenty-five  feet  high,  when 
the  Miserere  is  sung,  is  lighted  with  thirteen  candles  :  twelve  are 
put  out  one  after  another,  indicating  that  the  Apostles  deserted 
Christ ;  one  alone  of  white  wax  remains  burning,  being  a  symbol 
of  the  Virgin  true  to  the  last.  A  great  picture  of  the  descent 
from  the  cross  in  the  principal  vestry  was  considered,  before  the 
colours  somewhat  faded,  so  lifelike,  that  Pacheco  was  afraid  to 
remain  after  dusk  alone,  and  here  Murillo  used  to  stand  watching, 
as  he  said,  till  those  holy  men  should  have  finished  taking  down 
the  Saviour,  and  before  this  picture  he  desired  to  be  buried. 
Underneath  this  picture  the  l^elics  of  the  church  are  kept.  In 
the  Capilla  Real,  over  the  high  altar,  is  an  image  of  the  Virgin 
of  life  size,  like  a  movable  lay  figure,  having  hair  of  spun  gold 
and  shoes  ornamented  with  the  lilies  of  France,  and  seated  on  a 
silver  throne.  The  cathedral  is  always  thronged,  not  only  by  the 
devout,  but  by  idlers  and  beggars. 

THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   TOLEDO. 

The  cathedral  of  Toledo  is  said  to  have  been  erected  by  the 
Virgin  herself  while  she  was  alive,  and  she  is  said  to  have  often 
come  down  from  heaven  to  it,  accompanied  by  St.  Peter,  St.  Paul, 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  451 

and  St.  James.  The  present  cathedral  was  built  in  1226.  It 
excels  in  fine,  rich  furniture,  picturesque  effect,  and  artistic  objects 
of  every  kind.  The  one  tower  which  is  finished  is  325  feet  high. 
The  painted  windows  are  superb,  and  at  dusk  light  up  and  shine 
like  rubies  and  emeralds.  The  choir  is  a  museum  of  sculpture. 
The  116  reliquaries  are  of  gold,  silver,  ivory,  and  rock  crystal.  The 
church  plate  rivals  that  of  Loretto  in  quantity.  The  Queen  of  the 
Cathedral  is  the  image  of  the  Virgin  carved  of  black  wood.  It  was 
saved  in  711  from  the  infidels  by  an  Englishman,  who  hid  it  in  a 
vault.  It  is  seated  on  a  silver  throne  under  a  silver-gilt  canopy, 
supported  by  pillars.  The  superb  crown  and  bracelets  of  precious 
stones,  made  in  the  sixteenth  century,  were  stolen  in  1865.  In 
a  wardrobe  near  the  Custodia,  the  famous  manto  of  the  Virgin 
is  kept,  which  was  embroidered  with  pearls  in  1615.  There  are 
257  pearls  used,  300  ozs.  of  gold  thread,  160  ozs.  of  small  pieces 
of  enamelled  gold,  and  8  ozs.  of  emeralds  and  precious  stones. 
Her  rings,  necklaces,  and  trinkets  are  countless. 

THE  CA1HEDRAL  OF  CORDOVA. 

The  cathedral  of  Cordova  occupies  the  site  of  a  basilica  which 
had  been  erected  on  a  Roman  temple.  About  780  Abderrah- 
man  I.  determined  to  build  a  temple  which  would  compete  with 
the  finest  in  the  East,  and  in  786  the  building  was  begun.  At 
first  there  were  eleven  naves,  and  eight  more  were  added  about 
988,  so  that  there  are  no  less  than  nineteen  in  all.  This  struc- 
ture is  the  finest  type  in  Europe  of  a  true  temple  of  Islam.  The 
forest  of  columns  supporting  the  low  roof  are  not  uniform,  nor 
are  they  of  the  same  diameter.  Some  are  of  jasper,  porphyry, 
verde-antique,  and  other  choice  marbles.  In  sanctity  this  ranked 
as  the  third  of  mosques,  second  only  to  Mecca  and  equal  to  Al 
Aska  of  Jerusalem.  Some  of  the  upper  arches  of  the  pillars  are 
beautifully  interlaced  like  ribands.  Some  of  the  decorations  were 
introduced  after  it  had  been  converted  into  a  Christian  temple  in 
1238.  The  choir  was  added  in  1523.  The  cinquecento  orna- 
ments and  roof  are  picked  out  in  white  and  gold.  The  pulpits  are 
splendid,  and  the  fine,  brass  balustrades  very  effective. 

THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   AMALFI. 

The  cathedral  of  Amalfi  is  dedicated  to  St.  Andrew.  The 
bronze  doors  were  made  about  1000,  and  the  nave  has  its  roof 
richly  carved  and  gilded.  Below  is  the  crypt,  containing  the 
body  of  St.  Andrew,  which  was  brought  from  Constantinople  with 


452  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

other  relics  about  1200.  This  circumstance  has  made  Amain  a 
place  of  pilgrimage.  The  head  of  the  apostle  was  enclosed  in 
a  silver  bust  and  removed  to  Rome,  where  it  is  still  preserved 
among  the  relics  in  St.  Peter's.  There  is  a  handsome  bell-tower 
of  four  storeys  at  this  cathedral. 

THE    MISERERE    AT   VALENCIA. 

In  the  chapel  of  the  Colegia  de  Corpus,  which  is  a  museum  of 
Ribaltas,  a  religious  service  of  great  interest  is  made  one  of  the 
wonders.  The  chapel  is  purposely  kept  dark  by  the  small 
windows,  which  allow  only  a  dim,  religious  light.  On  a  Friday 
morning  the  Miserere  is  a  service  which  interests  every  stranger. 
Ladies  must  go  in  black,  with  a  manto  or  some  thick  mantilla. 
At  ten  a.m.  the  blinds  of  all  the  windows  are  drawn  and  the 
doors  shut,  and  a  gloom  is  thrown  over  the  building,  the  whole 
space  above  the  high  altar  being  covered  with  a  purple  pall,  as 
if  in  mourning.  The  silent  choristers  alone  stand  near  it.  A 
priest  is  seen  to  approach  and  prostrate  himself ;  then  all  kneel, 
and  the  solemn  chant  begins.  At  the  first  verse  the  picture 
above  the  altar  descends  noiselessly  and  almost  imperceptibly, 
and  the  vacancy  is  filled  with  a  lilac  veil  with  )rellow  stripes. 
As  the  chant  proceeds  this  is  withdrawn,  and  discloses  one  of 
a  faint  grey,  which  is  next  removed,  then  another  of  deep  black, 
and  then  after  a  pause  another  veil.  The  imagination  of  the 
audience  is  worked  upon,  and  all  are  hushed  with  breathless 
curiosity  while  the  penitential  psalm  is  sung.  At  last  the  veil 
of  the  Temple  appears  to  be  rent  asunder,  and  the  Saviour  on  the 
cross  appears  resplendent,  while  silvery  voices  are  heard  in  the 
distance,  and  the  pall  again  closes  over  this  great  central  figure. 
After  the  service  and  later  in  the  day  the  public  are  allowed  for 
a  small  fee  to  ascend  a  ladder  and  see  behind  the  machinery 
of  ropes  and  contrivances  for  moving  the  various  scenes  which 
make  up  the  impressive  representation. 

THE    CATHEDRAL    OF    OVIEDO. 

The  cathedral  of  Oviedo  was  built  on  the  ruins  of  a  previous 
church  in  1388.  The  western  facade  has  a  noble  balustraded 
portico,  rich  in  ornamentation.  The  most  interesting  piece  of 
antiquity  here  is  the  Camera  Santa  or  chapel  of  San  Miguel,  the 
second  oldest  Christian  building  after  the  Moorish  invasion,  being 
built  iu  802,  as  a  receptacle  for  sacred  relics.  This  holy  of 
holies  is  lit  by  magnificent  silver  lamps,  and  the  devout  kneel 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  453 

before  a  railing  while  the  relics  are  exhibited  every  morning. 
These  relics  are  enclosed  in  superb  silver  workmanship  of  various 
designs.  In  a  small  case  is  kept  the  santo  sudario  or  shroud  of 
our  Saviour,  which  thrice  a  year  and  each  Good  Friday,  if  a 
bishop  preaches,  is  displayed  from  a  balcony.  There  is  also  a 
venerable  cross,  a  thousand  years  old,  inclosed  in  magnificent  fili- 
gree work.  At  Oviedo  there  is  an  ancient  church  of  San  Miguel. 
On  July  25th  each  year  a  great  procession  is  seen  of  the  peasants 
with  their  offerings  of  cows  and  heifers  going  to  this  church,  the 
horns  being  gaily  decorated  with  ribbons.  They  go  to  Mass  on 
that  day,  and  it  is  looked  forward  to  as  their  chief  religious  event. 

NOTRE    DAME    AND    LA    SAINTE    CHAPELLE,    PARIS. 

The  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame,  begun  in  528,  to  commemorate 
the  gratitude  of  Ghildebert  on  his  recovery  from  sickness,  replaced 
another  at  its  side,  and  was  in  turn  replaced  in  1163  by  the 
present  structure.  It  is  remarkable  for  now  containing  the 
crown  of  thorns  given  by  St.  Louis  and  the  nail  of  the  true 
cross.  The  crown  of  thorns  was  brought  there  from  La  Sainte 
Chapelle,  which  was  built  by  St.  Louis  as  a  shrine  worthy  to 
contain  it.  This  exquisite  chapel,  without  visible  aisles  or  tran- 
sept, was  begun  in  1242  and  finished  in  1247.  One  of  the  little 
tourelles  at  the  side  of  the  shrine  still  contains  the  actual  wooden 
stair  which  was  ascended  by  St.  Louis  when  he  went  to  take 
from  its  tabernacle  the  crown  of  thorns,  which  he  and  he  alone 
was  permitted  to  exhibit  to  the  people  below  through  a  large 
pane  of  glass  purposely  inserted  and  always  movable  in  the  end 
window  of  the  apse.  It  is  recorded  that  when  St.  Louis  was  in 
Paris  he  would  rise  to  pray  three  times  in  the  night,  always 
approaching  the  altar  on  his  knees.  This  chapel  was  called  by 
the  old  chronicler  St.  Louis's  arsenal  and  tower  of  defence  against 
all  the  ills  of  life.  The  head  of  the  saintly  King  was  afterwards 
brought  hither  from  St.  Denis  at  the  instance  of  Philip  the  Fair. 

CHURCHES    AT    MARSEILLES    AND   STRASBURG. 

On  the  rocky  hill  of  Notre  Dame  de  la  Garde,  above  the 
harbour  of  Marseilles,  is  a  Romanesque  church,  in  which  is  a 
shrine  with  a  famous  image  of  the  Virgin,  carved  in  olive  wood, 
and  of  great  antiquity.  All  the  sailors  and  fishermen  in  the 
Mediterranean  venerate  this  object,  and  hang  their  offerings  on 
the  walls  and  roof.  All  kinds  of  objects  connected  with  ship- 
wrecks,  plagues,   storms,   cholera,  panics,  are   here  represented. 


454  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

At  Strasburg  the  cathedral,  begun  in  1015,  is  a  noble  Gothic 
edifice,  the  tower  of  which  is  468  feet  above  the  pavement.  There 
is  a  circular  window  48  feet  in  diameter,  and  rising  to  the  height 
of  230  feet.  The  interior  has  much  richly  painted  glass.  There 
is  also  a  famous  clock  in  the  south  transept,  dating  from.  1354, 
which  shows  the  hour,  day  of  the  week,  month,  and  year,  and 
many  other  epochs,  besides  clockwork  figures,  with  mechanism  for 
moving  puppets  and  images. 

CHARTRES    CATHEDRAL. 

The  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  at  Chartres,  magnificent  and 
strongly  built,  attracts  the  visitor  by  its  two  tall  but  unequal 
bell-towers  and  spires.  It  is  vast  and  elegant,  and  excels  in 
painted  glass  and  its  three  rose  windows.  The  tower  and  spire 
are  the  finest  of  their  period  in  France,  the  steeple  being  339| 
feet  high  without  the  cross.  Above  the  Porte  Royale  or  central 
door  is  the  image  of  Christ  in  an  oval,  with  the  symbols  of  the 
four  evangelists,  and  below  these  are  the  fourteen  prophets,  and 
in  the  arches  above  are  the  twenty-four  elders  playing  on  musical 
instruments.  The  church  is  a  storehouse  of  painted  glass,  above 
one  hundred  and  thirty  windows  being  rich  with  splendid  orna- 
mentation, the  rose  windows  being  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  diameter. 
The  choir  has  double  aisles  and  many  bas-reliefs  of  Scriptural 
subjects.  Outside  of  the  screen  which  separates  the  choir  from 
the  aisles  is  a  series  of  Gothic  sculptures  of  events  in  the  life  of 
Christ  and  the  Virgin  in  forty-five  compartments,  surrounded 
with  elaborate  tracery  and  tabernacle  work  begun  about  1514. 
The  execution  has  been  compared  to  point  lace  in  stone,  some  of 
the  sculptured  threads  being  not  thicker  than  the  blade  of  a 
penknife.  This  was  the  earliest  and  chief  church  in  France 
dedicated  to  the  Virgin,  and  was  resorted  to  by  countless  pilgrims. 
The  sacred  image  dating  from  the  time  of  the  Druids  stood  in 
the  crypt.  The  famous  relic  of  the  Sancta  Camisia  given  by 
Charles  le  Chauve  is  here.  And  the  celebrated  black  image  of 
the  twelfth  century,  after  having  been  crowned  with  a  bonnet 
rouge  during  the  Revolution,  is  still  a  subject  of  adoration. 

THE    CATHEDRAL    OF    AMIENS. 

The  cathedral  of  Amiens,  one  of  the  noblest  Gothic  edifices  in 
Europe,  was  begun  in  1220,  about  the  same  time  as  Salisbury, 
but  the  spire  is  422  feet,  being  20  feet  higher  than  Salisbury. 
Yet  owing  to  the  loftiness  of  the  roof  of  the  nave,  this  great 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  455 

height  does  not  strike  the  beholder.  The  interior  is  one  of  the 
most  magnificent  of  spectacles,  owing  to  this  great  height  of  the 
roof,  which  is  about  double  the  usual  height  of  English  cathedrals. 
The  area  of  the  cathedral  is  also  larger  than  that  of  any  other 
cathedral  in  France,  and  is  only  surpassed  by  that  of  St.  Peter's 
at  Rome,  and  by  Cologne.  At  the  crossing  of  the  transept,  three 
magnificent  rose  windows  of  elaborate  tracery  and  rich  stained 
glass,  and  about  100  feet  in  circumference,  make  this  cathedral 
unique.  The  head  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  brought  from  Con- 
stantinople at  the  time  of  the  Crusades,  has  always  been  prized 
as  an  invaluable  relic,  and  is  deposited  in  the  .side  chapel  dedi- 
cated to  St.  John.  Several  other  heads  of  St.  John  existed  before 
the  Revolution  in  other  churches  of  France,  but  this  was  deemed 
the  genuine  one.  Since  the  Revolution,  however,  the  skull  has 
been  reduced  to  the  frontal  bone  and  upper  jaw.  The  choir  and 
its  elegantly  groined  roof,  resting  on  compressed  lancet-pointed 
arches,  are  of  great  beauty,  and  there  are  one  hundred  and  ten 
stalls  of  elaborately  carved  woodwork,  showing  the  finest  inven- 
tion and  execution.  This  carved  work  was  done  or  finished  in 
1528. 

THE   CATHEDRAL    OF    RHEIMS. 

The  cathedral  of  Rheims  is  a  Gothic  edifice  of  great  power  and 
grace,  commenced  in  1212.  The  western  front  is  thought  to  be 
unrivalled  for  the  multiplicity  of  detail  in  sculpture  and  tracery. 
The  interior  is  perfect  in  design,  and  the  gorgeous  stained  glass 
in  the  rose  windows,  the  largest  being  forty  feet  in  diameter, 
adds  to  the  grandeur  of  the  general  effect.  The  choir  was  conse- 
crated in  1241.  The  clock  over  the  sacristy,  one  of  the  oldest 
clocks  known,  strikes  the  hour,  when  a  door  opens  and  the  effigy 
of  a  man  looks  out,  while  other  figures  sally  forth  and  make  the 
round.  Here  the  coronation  of  the  French  kings  took  place. 
The  holy  oil,  according  to  the  legend,  was  at  first  brought  by  a 
dove  from  heaven. 

THE    CATHEDRAL    OF    AIX-LA-CHAPELLE    AND    RELICS. 

The  cathedral  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  is  the  most  ancient  poly- 
gonal church  north  of  the  Alps,  the  nave  of  which  being  octagonal, 
was  erected  by  Charlemagne  about  796,  partly  as  a  tomb  for 
himself,  in  imitation  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  at  Jerusalem.  The 
Emperor's  tomb  was  opened  by  Otho  III.,  and  Charlemagne  was 
found,  not  lying,  but  sitting  on  a  throne  as  one  alive,  bearing 
a  sceptre  in  his  hand,  and  having  a  copy  of  the  Gospels  on  his 


456  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

knees.  These  relics  were  removed  to  Vienna.  The  choir  was 
rebuilt  in  1413.  It  is  120  feet  long,  and  114  feet  high,  having  the 
appearance  of  a  gigantic  lantern.  The  treasury  of  the  cathedral 
has  a  rich  collection  of  relics  in  shrines  of  great  beauty.  There 
is  a  locket  of  the  Virgin's  hair ;  a  piece  of  the  true  cross  ;  the 
leathern  girdle  of  Christ  (bearing  Constantine's  seal)  ;  a  nail 
of  the  cross ;  the  cord  which  bound  the  rod  that  smote  Him ;  the 
sponge  which  was  filled  with  vinegar ;  that  arm  of  Simeon  on 
which  he  bore  the  infant  Jesus ;  some  blood  and  bones  of 
St.  Stephen ;  some  manna  from  the  wilderness ;  and  some  bits 
of  Aaron's  rod.  These  relics  were  presented  to  Charlemagne  by 
the  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Caliph  Haroun  Al  Raschid. 
Another  silver-gilt  shrine  contains  the  great  relics  which  are 
shown  only  once  in  seven  years.  These  are  the  cotton  robe 
worn  by  the  Virgin  at  the  Nativity  ;  the  swaddling  clothes  of 
Jesus ;  the  cloth  on  which  John  the  Baptist's  head  was  laid ;  the 
scarf  worn  by  the  Saviour  at  the  Crucifixion,  having  stains  of  His 
blood. 

TIIE    CATHEDRAL    OF    TREVES. 

The  cathedral  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Helen  at  Treves  has  five 
stately  towers,  and  was  completed  in  the  twelfth  century,  being 
supposed  to  be  begun  about  550.  The  vast  size  of  the  building 
is  imposing.  One  of  the  remarkable  relics  here  preserved  is  the 
holy  coat,  without  seam,  and  said  to  be  made  of  camels'  hair,  five 
feet  long.  When  not  exhibited,  it  is  carefully  walled  up  inside 
the  high  altar.  In  1844,  when  it  was  exhibited,  about  a  million 
of  pilgrims  went  to  view  it. 

THE    CATHEDRAL    AND    CHURCHES    OF    ANTWERP. 

The  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  at  Antwerp  is  one  of  the  largest 
of  the  Gothic  cathedrals.  The  great  attractions  in  the  interior 
are  the  masterpieces  of  Pubens.  The  steeple  is  one  of  the 
loftiest  in  the  world,  being  403  feet  high,  and  of  such  delicate 
workmanship  that  Charles  V.  said  it  deserved  to  be  kept  in 
a  case.  Napoleon  said  it  was  as  minute  and  elaborate  as  a 
piece  of  Mechlin  lace.  It  was  begun  in  1422  and  completed  in 
1518.  The  framework  is  chiefly  of  iron,  with  stones  interlaced 
and  bolted  together  with  copper.  In  the  tower  there  are  sixty 
bells,  which  are  made  to  chime  in  perfection.  Another  church  o 
Antwerp,  more  highly  decorated  even  than  the  cathedral,  is  that 
of  St.  Jacques,  where  marbles,  glass,  carved  wood,  and  monu- 
ments give  a  rich  appearance  to  the  interior.     The  Holy  Family, 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  457 

by  Rubens,  adorns  the  altarpiece,  which  for  colour  stands  as  high 
as  any  of  Rubens'  works.  In  another  church  in  Antwerp, 
that  of  the  Augustines,  there  is  also  an  altarpiece  by  Rubens — 
the  marriage  of  St.  Catherine — where  there  are  about  twenty 
figures  of  saints,  all  of  which  are  rendered  with  great  skill,  and 
the  brilliancy  of  colour  is  impressive  and  fascinating.  In  the 
nave  of  the  same  church  a  picture  by  Vandyke,  the  Ecstasy  of 
St.  Augustine,  is  also  famous. 

THE  CATHEDRAL  OF  COLOGNE. 

The  cathedral  (Lurch  of  St.  Peter  at  Cologne  was  commenced 
in  1248,  to  replace  an  earlier  one  which  had  be^ii  destroyed  by 
fire.  The  work  proceeded  very  slowly,  came  to  a  stop  in  1509, 
and  stopped  for  three  hundred  years.  In  1830  the  original  plan 
was  resumed.  The  two  principal  towers  were  to  be  raised  to 
the  height  of  500  feet.  A  handsome  terrace  has  been  raised 
round  the  church.  The  entire  length  of  the  body  of  the 
church  is  511  feet,  equal  to  the  height  of  the  towers.  It  had 
always  been  intended  to  be  the  most  regular  and  most  stupen- 
dous Gothic  monument  existing.  The  choir  consists  of  five 
aisles,  and  from  the  great  height  and  arrangement  of  the  pillars 
and  stained  windows  the  interior  has  a  glorious  effect.  The 
exterior  also  is  striking  from  its  double  range  of  vast  flying 
buttresses  and  intervening  piers  bristling  with  a  forest  of  purfled 
pinnacles.  Round  the  choir  stand  fourteen  colossal  statues  of  the 
twelve  Apostles,  the  Virgin,  and  the  Saviour,  coloured  and  gilt. 
The  chapel  immediately  behind  the  high  altar  is  that  of  the  three 
kings  of  Cologne,  or  the  Magi,  who  came  from  the  East  with  gifts 
to  the  Infant  at  Bethlehem.  The  bones  of  these  kings  had  been 
carried  off  from  Milan  by  the  Emperor  Frederick  Barbarossa  in 
1162.  The  shrine  containing  the  bones  is  of  silver  gilt,  and 
curiously  wrought.  Even  the  skulls  of  the  kings  are  exhibited 
crowned  with  diadems. 

st.  Isaac's  cathedral,  st.  Petersburg. 

The  cathedral  of  S:.  Isaac's  at  St.  Petersburg  is  of  compara- 
tively modern  origin,  being  completed  in  1801,  the  former  one 
built  in  1710  being  destroyed  by  fire.  The  proportions  are  grand 
and  the  porticoes  noble.  The  cupola,  which  is  296  feet  high,  sup- 
ported by  thirty  polished  granite  pillars,  is  covered  with  copper 
overlaid  with  gold,  and  glitters  brightly.  The  screen  is  supported 
by  malachite  columns  30  feet  high,  and  on  either  side  of  the  door 


458  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

of  the  screen  there  are  pillars  of  lapis-lazuli.  Into  the  inmost 
shrine  or  sanctuary  women  are  not  admitted.  The  most  effective 
portion  of  the  service  in  the  Greek  Church  is  the  singing,  boys 
always  taking  the  soprano  parts.  Certain  half -recitative  solos 
are  delivered  by  deacons  with  very  strong  and  deep  bass  voices. 
One  of  the  most  impressive  parts  of  the  service  occurs  when  the 
doors  of  the  ikonostas  or  screen  are  shut;  the  chanting  then 
ceases,  the  incense-bearers  withdraw,  and  every  one  seems  breath- 
less with  attention.  The  royal  doors  are  then  opened  in  the 
centre,  and  the  chief  officiating  priest,  attended  by  deacons,  comes 
forward,  carrying  the  Holy  Eucharist,  and  commences  a  long 
recitative,  which  is  a  prayer  for  the  Emperor  and  Imperial 
Family.  While  this  prayer  is  intoned  the  audience  bend  low  in 
attitudes  of  adoration.  The  outward  forms  of  the  service  are 
joined  in  by  the  men  as  well  as  the  women  with  great  fervour. 
The  first  proceeding  on  entering  a  Russian  church  is  to  purchase 
a  wax  candle.  With  this  the  worshipper  slowly  approaches  one 
of  the  shrines.  He  sinks  on  one  knee,  bowing  his  head  to  the 
pavement,  and  crossing  his  breast  repeatedly  with  the  thumb  and 
two  forefingers  of  his  right  hand.  Having  reached  the  shrine, 
he  then  lights  his  votive  candle  at  the  holy  lamp,  and  sets  it  up 
in  one  of  the  various  holes  in  a  large  silver  stand  provided  for 
the  purpose,  falling  at  the  same  time  on  his  bended  knees  on  the 
pavement  before  the  altar.  He  then  says  his  prayers  and  retires 
slowly  with  his  face  to  the  altar,  kneeling  and  crossing  himself  at 
intervals.  The  kindling  of  lamps  and  tapers  is  a  custom  in  all 
Russian  churches. 

THE    CATHEDRAL    OF    ST.    STEPHEN'S    OF    VIENNA. 

The  cathedral  at  Vienna  was  begun  in  1359,  and  has  much  lich 
tracery  and  curious  carvings.  The  giant  portal  is  a  triumph  of 
Gothic  ornament.  The  lofty  nave  has  rich  sculpture  and  rich 
tinted  glass,  two  of  the  windows  being  rose.  The  tower  is  a 
masterpiece,  and  is  444  feet  high,  and  it  is  now  made  useful  by 
the  fire  brigade  as  a  watch-tower,  there  being  a  station  half-way 
up,  and  watchmen  posted  there  night  and  day. 

THE  MOSQUE  OF  ST.  SOPHIA,  CONSTANTINOPLE. 

The  cathedral  of  old  Constantinople,  dedicated  by  Constantine 
to  the  Eternal  Wisdom,  now  turned  into  a  mosque,  was  first 
built  in  325.  It  was  burnt  down  and  rebuilt  in  415,  and  again 
in  532  and  548.     Justinian  at  the  last  date  restored  it  and  placed 


Chap.  xiv.J     SOME   GKEAT   CHURCHES   AND  CATHEDRALS.  459 

it  on  a  magnificent  footing.  He  was  proud  of  the  structure, 
and  boasted  that  he  had  vanquished  Solomon.  The  marble 
columns  were  the  admiration  of  the  world,  every  variety  of 
marble,  granite,  and  porphyry  being  used :  white  marble  Math 
rose-coloured  stripes,  green  and  blue,  and  white  marble  with 
black  veins.  There  were  eight  porphyry  columns  used  which 
Aurelius  had  taken  away  from  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  at  Baalbec. 
This  church,  when  restored  by  Justinian,  was  the  theatre  of  great 
and  solemn  State  affairs.  It  was  said  to  have  had  a  hundred 
architects,  and  the  plan  had  been  laid  down  by  an  angel  who 
appeared  to  the  Emperor  in  a  dream.  A  second  angel  appeared 
to  a  boy  when  guarding  the  workmen's  tools,  and  insisted  on  the 
works  being  rapidly  completed.  The  building  was  afterwards 
completed,  except  as  to  the  cupola,  and  an  angel  for  the  third 
time  appeared,  and  as  the  works  were  stopped  for  want  cf  money, 
led  the  mules  of  the  Treasury  to  a  subterranean  vault,  where 
80  cwt.  of  gold  was  concealed,  whereupon  the  building  advanced 
with  great  speed.  The  Emperor  and  the  architect  having  differed 
as  to  the  position  of  certain  windows  admitting  light,  the  angel 
again  appeared  and  instructed  the  Emperor  that  the  light  should 
fall  upon  the  altar  through  three  windows,  in  honour  of  the 
Trinity.  The  altar  was  to  be  more  costly  than  gold,  and  was 
one  mass  of  precious  stones.  Above  the  altar  rose  a  tabernacle 
crowned  with  a  golden  cross  weighing  75  lbs.,  and  adorned  with 
precious  stones.  The  doors  were  of  ivory,  amber,  and  cedar. 
The  church  was  opened  in  548.  The  building  is  nearly  a  square. 
Fergusson  (on  Architecture)  doubts  whether  any  Christian  church 
of  any  age  exists  whose  interior  is  so  exquisitely  beautiful.  It 
contains  among  the  relics  the  cradle  of  the  Saviour  and  a  basin 
in  which  the  Infant  was  washed  by  Mary. 

THE   MOSQUE   OF   OMAR. 

The  Saracenic  cupola  of  the  Mosque  of  Omar  may  be  said 
to  defy  comparison  even  with  the  proud  domes  of  St.  Sophia, 
St.  Peter,  and  St.  Paul.  The  marble  octagon  from  which  that 
cupola  springs  into  the  air  with  the  Arabesque  frieze  and  circle 
of  pointed  windows  has  nothing  in  Europe  excelling  it  in  either 
grace  or  strength. 

THE   CHURCHES    OF   JERUSALEM. 

Though  the  site  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  has  not  been  clearly 
established,  there  was  a  church  erected  over  the  supposed  spot 


460  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

by  Constantine  in  326,  and  rebuilt  in  614,  and  again  in  1048. 
The  church  remained  in  the  same  state  as  the  Crusaders  left  it  till 
1808,  when  it  was  partly  destroyed  by  fire  and  rebuilt.  The 
church  is  nearly  of  an  oval  shape.  In  the  centre  of  the  rotunda 
is  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  covered  by  a  building  26  feet  long  by 
18  feet  wide,  cased  in  white  stone,  with  semicolumns  and  pilasters. 
The  sepulchre  proper  is  a  vault  6  feet  by  7  feet.  Over  it  lamps 
of  gold  and  silver  burn  with  a  brilliant  light.  The  vault  was 
said  to  be  hewn  out  of  the  rock,  but  no  rock  is  seen,  all  being 
marble.  A  round  marble  stone  let  into  the  pavement  marks  the 
spot  where  Christ  appeared  to  Mary  Magdalene,  and  even  the 
exact  spot  is  shown  where  Mary  stood.  The  Chapel  of  the 
Apparition  marks  the  spot  where  Christ  appeared  to  His  mother 
after  the  Resurrection.  Near  that  spot  St.  Helena  laid  the 
crosses  after  she  had  discovered  them.  The  column  of  flagella- 
tion is  represented  by  a  fragment  of  porphyry  covered  over,  and 
the  pilgrim  can  insert  his  staff  in  a  hole  and  touch  it,  which  he 
usually  does,  and  then  kisses  the  staff.  Adjoining  are  various 
chapels  :  the  Chapel  of  St.  Helena,  the  Chapel  of  the  Invention 
of  the  Cross  and  of  the  Elevation  of  the  Cross,  and  the  Chapel  of 
the  Crucifixion.  The  latter  stands  on  the  spot  where  Christ  was 
nailed  to  the  cross.  In  the  south  wall  is  a  barred  window,  mark 
ing  the  place  where  the  Virgin  Maiy  stood  during  the  Crucifixion. 

THE    CHURCH    OF    THE    NATIVITY    OF    BETHLEHEM. 

The  extraordinary  interest  attached  by  all  Christians  to  the 
little  village  of  Bethlehem  led  to  early  pilgrimages.  St.  Helena, 
the  mother  of  Constantine,  went  to  the  spot  and  built  what  was 
then  considered  a  splendid  church  or  basilica  in  327,  and  which 
is  the  oldest  existing  monument  of  Christian  architecture  in  the 
world.  St.  Jerome  afterwards  took  up  his  abode  there  in  a  cell. 
The  Crusaders  also  took  especial  interest,  and  at  the  request  of 
the  inhabitants  assumed  possession.  In  1110  Baldwin  I.  made  an 
episcopal  see  of  this  place,  though  it  had  an  ephemeral  existence. 
The  Church  of  the  Nativity,  built  partly  into  the  cave  or  stable 
of  Bethlehem,  is  120  feet  long  by  110  feet  wide,  and  has  four 
aisles  with  marble  columns.  The  Chapel  of  the  Nativity  is  a 
vault  hewn  out  of  the  rock,  38  feet  long  by  11  feet  wide.  On 
a  marble  slab  in  the  pavement  a  silver  star  marks  the  supposed 
site  of  the  birth  of  Christ.  The  site  of  the  manger  is  also  pointed 
out,  for  the  real  manger  was  carried  to  Borne  and  is  deposited  in 
Santa  Maria  Maggiore.  The  various  grottoes  here  are  possessed 
by  rival  sects,  which  keep  up  constant  warfare  about  their  rights. 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  461 

The  convents,  together  with  the  church,  make  up  a  large  pile  of 
buildings.  There  are  about  three  thousand  inhabitants  in  Beth- 
lehem, nearly  all  Christians,  who  are  peasants,  and  some  of  them 
make  a  livelihood  by  carving  heads  and  crosses  for  pilgrims. 

ANCIENT    BRITISH    CHURCHES    AND    THEIR    CHIEF    FEATURES. 

The  old  British  churches  in  the  time  of  Edward  I.  had  some 
features  which  are  now  unknown.  Under  every  altar  there  was 
a  small  stone,  which  closed  up  the  aperture  in  which  relics  were 
kept,  it  being  a  maxim  that  no  altar  could  be  consecrated  without 
relics.  There  was  a  canopy  over  the  altar  with  curtains,  and  here 
was  hung  the  pyx  or  box  containing  the  Hast,  or  consecrated  bread. 
This  was  considered  so  sacred  a  thing,  that  once,  when  it  was 
stolen,  Henry  V.  delayed  his  whole  army  for  a  da}-  in  order  to 
discover  the  thief.  There  was  a  confessional  with  oblong  holes 
in  the  wall,  or  there  was  a  crypt  for  the  like  purpose.  The 
Galilee  was  the  place  marked  by  circular  stones,  to  show  where 
the  processions  ended.  There  were  holy -water  stones  tilled  with 
fresh  water  every  morning.  The  old  fonts  were  baths,  and  in 
progress  of  time  they  grew  less  and  less,  and  at  last  a  basin 
of  water  only  was  used.  In  baptising  children,  not  only  water 
was  used,  but  oil,  or  chrism,  especially  to  make  the  sign  of  the 
cross  on  the  child's  breast  and  between  the  shoulders.  The  oil 
was  omitted  after  the  Reformation.  The  churches  were  often 
mere  lounging-places,  and  the  porch  was  the  place  for  people 
meeting  and  settling  their  disputes.  This  state  of  things  con- 
tinued slightly  changed  for  some  time  even  after  the  Reformation. 

st.  Paul's  cathedral,  london. 
The  site  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  in  London  is  traced  to  the  time 
of  Nero  ;  by  others  it  is  alleged  that  a  temple  of  Diana  had  stood 
there,  while  another  temple  to  Apollo  stood  on  the  site  of  West- 
minster Abbey.  Ethelbert,  King  of  Kent,  was  said  to  have 
dedicated  a  magnificent  cathedral  there,  which  was  enlarged  and 
adorned  for  centuries,  till  it  was  consumed  by  fire  in  1087. 
Another  fire  in  1135  consumed  the  next  building.  It  was  again 
rebuilt.  In  1315  the  structure  had  a  tower  steeple  285  feet  high, 
and  a  spire  and  then  a  cross  at  the  summit.  The  total  height 
was  527  feet.  And  this  spire  hi  1341  and  1444  was  struck  by 
lightning.  Again  in  1561  the  lightning  caught  and  destroyed  it 
and  the  building  also.  This  was  thought  a  national  calamity, 
and  the  Crown,  the  nobles,  and  the  Church  recognised  the  duty 
to  rebuild  it;    subscriptions  poured  in,  in   1566    it   was  nearly 


462  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

restored  except  the  steeple,   and  Queen  Elizabeth    was   greatly 
displeased  that  the  city  authorities  had  not  exerted  themselves 
to  complete  this  part  also.     James  I.,  admitting  the  poverty  of 
the  Crown,   stirred  the   bishop  and  appointed  a   commission  to 
repair  the  fabric.     In  1620  the  King  on  horseback  visited  the 
city  to  attend  a  service  there  and  keep  up  the  public  interest. 
He  entered  the  church  at  the  west  door,  and  knelt  and  prayed 
near  the  brazen  pillar ;  the  choir  chanted  an  anthem,  and   the 
bishop  preached  from  the  text :  "  Thy  servants  think  upon  her 
stones,  and  it  pitieth  them  to  see  her  in  the  dust "  (Psalm  cii.  14). 
Another  royal  commission  was  issued,  and  Inigo  Jones,  the  King's 
surveyor,  was  one  of  that  body;   but  little   was  done.     Under 
Charles  I.,  Laud,  Bishop  of  London,  laboured  to  collect  funds,  and 
the  High  Commission  Court,  which  fined  people  for  all  sorts  of 
delinquencies,  gave  the  proceeds  to  that  work,  so  that  it  was  made 
a  common  jest  that  St.  Paul's  was  restored  out  of  the  sins  of  the 
people.     Inigo  Jones,  who  was  an  Italian  by  birth,  designed  a 
portico  at  the  west  front ;  and  a  Turkey  merchant,  named  Sir 
Paul  Pindar,  gave  £100,000  to  restore  the  interior  and  decorate 
it.     The  steeple  still  remained  unfinished.     During  the  Rebellion 
the  cathedral  suffered,  and  at  the  Restoration    the  authorities 
consulted  Sir  Christopher  Wren,  the  great  architect,  as  to  the 
best  mode  of  repair,  and  great  changes  were  contemplated.     Just 
at  that  time  the  Great  Fire  of  London,  in  1666,  destroyed  it.     The 
rebuilding  of  St.  Paul's  then  again  became  a  great  national  work, 
and  commissioners  were  appointed  to  erect  a  new  church.     All 
sources  were  examined  for  contributions,  and  the  coal  duty  granted 
by  Parliament  supplied  a  chief  part.     Sir  C.  Wren  was  designated 
the  architect,  and  he  planned  the  present  cathedral,  slightly  vary- 
ing the  site.     St.  Peter's  at  Rome  had  been  the  work  of  twenty 
Popes,  but  St.  Paul's  had  the  advantage  of  having  one  architect 
and  a  more  harmonious  design.     It  has  ever  been  considered  the 
grandest  and  most  beautiful  church  in  Europe.     The  first  stone 
was  laid  in  1675  by  Sir  C.  Wren,  without  any  parade  or. cere- 
monial.    The  foundations  gave  great  trouble.     At  the  east  end 
he  had  to  bore  down  forty  feet  and  build  a  solid  pier  of  masonry 
ten  feet  square.     In  1697  the  cathedral  was  first  opened  with 
great  pomp  on  a  thanksgiving  day  for  the  Peace  of  Ryswick.     In 
1715  Sir  C.  Wren  saw  his  son  lay  the  highest  stone  of  the  lantern 
of  the  cupola.     All  London  poured  forth  to  watch  this  spectacle. 
Yet  Wren  had  been  worried  for   years,    and   thwarted   in   his 
matchless   plans   by   the    little   busybodies   and   bishops   of    the 
time.     The  height  on   the  south  side  is  365  feet.     Wren   had 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  463 

plans  for  the  painting  of  the  cupola,  but,  against  his  wishes,  that 
work  was  given  to  Sir  James  Thornhill,  then  a  high  authority, 
but  whose  ponderous  figures  and  groups  were  wholly  unsuited  to 
the  building,  which  ought  to  have  been  decorated  by  the  free, 
delicate,  and  brilliant  colouring  of  a  Correggio.  The  total  sum 
expended  on  the  cathedral  was  said  to  be  ,£736,752. 

CANTERBURY    CATHEDRAL. 

The  site  of  Canterbury  Cathedral  is  said  to  be  the  same  as  the 
primitive  Roman  or  British  church  attributed  to  King  Lucius, 
and  is  the  earliest  monument  of  the  English  union  of  Ohurch  and 
State.  Canterbury  was  the  first  English  Christian  city.  It 
differs  from  all  other  cathedrals,  English  and  foreign,  in  the 
great  height  of  the  choir  above  the  crypt  below,  and  the  numerous 
steps  which  are  consequently  necessary  in  order  to  reach  it  from 
the  nave.  Part  of  the  skull  of  St.  Dunstan  is  among  the  relics 
enclosed  in  a  silver  reliquary.  There  are  also  pieces  of  Aaron's 
rod,  some  of  the  clay  from  which  Adam  was  made,  and  the  right 
arm  of  "  our  dear  lord  the  knight  St.  George."  The  screen  is 
the  work  of  Prior  Henry  de  Estria,  in  1304,  being  14  feet  high, 
and  of  great  beauty.  The  choir  is  the  longest  in  England,  being 
180  feet.  When  Becket  was  murdered  in  1170,  he  was  dragged 
from  his  chamber  along  the  cloister  by  the  monks,  and  he  was 
entering  the  choir  by  a  door  now  called  the  martyr's  transept 
when  he  was  stopped  by  the  knights  and  fought  and  fell.  The 
great  window  of  the  north  transept,  the  gift  of  Edward  IV.,  had 
originally  seven  glorious  appearances  of  the  Virgin  with  Becket 
in  the  centre;  but  in  1642  it  was  demolished  by  Richard  Culmer, 
an  iconoclast.  When  the  pilgrims  used  to  flock  to  Becket's 
shrine,  they  knelt  in  the  sacristy,  wdiere  Becket's  staff  and  his 
bloody  handkerchief  were  shown.  The  tomb  of  Edward  the 
Black  Prince  and  his  coat  of  mail  were  always  shown  here. 
Cromwell  was  said  to  have  carried  off  the  sword.  The  arch- 
bishop's palace,  close  to  the  precincts,  has  left  no  trace  except 
an  old  arched  doorway.  Yet  in  that  palace  Henry  VIII.  and 
Queen  Catherine  and  Charles  V.  were  entertained,  and  had  a 
solemn  dancing  party.  Queen  Elizabeth  was  also  feasted  there. 
The  Puritans  pillaged  and  ruined  the  building,  which  was  never 
afterwards  restored. 

YORK    MINSTER. 

York  Minster  (monasterium)  was  rebuilt  soon  after  1352,  and 
has  perhaps  the  greatest  reputation  of  all  the  English  cathedrals, 


464  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN  HTSTORY. 

replacing  the  more  ancient  Eboracum,  a  Roman  city.  Dignity 
and  massive  splendour  distinguish  the  exterior.  It  exceeds  the 
other  English  cathedrals  in  the  height  of  its  roof,  being  102 
feet  high  in  the  choir.  Its  western  front  is  architecturally 
magnificent.  The  large  west  window  is  nearly  the  same  size 
as  that  of  Carlisle,  which  last  is  considered  by  Mr.  Fergusson 
"  without  a  single  exception  the  most  beautiful  design  for  window 
tracery  in  the  world."  The  great  eastern  window,  the  chief 
glory,  is  a  grtat  wall  of  glass  78  feet  high,  and  the  largest  in 
England  that  retains  its  original  glazing.  The  exquisite  and 
unique  effect  of  the  tall  windows,  rising  from  the  floor  to  the 
roof,  and  occupying  the  whole  width  of  the  transept,  is  a  most 
felicitous  effort  of  architectural  skill.  The  stained  glass  in  the 
nave  is  the  most  extensive  collection  in  the  kingdom  of  the  art 
of  the  fourteenth  century ;  and  it  was  little  injured  at  the  Re- 
formation. The  relics  of  Archbishop  William  of  York,  who  had 
been  interred  in  1154,  were  removed  in  presence  of  Edward  I. 
to  another  part  of  the  building.  His  head  was  kept  by  itself 
in  a  reliquary  of  silver  gilt  and  covered  with  jewels.  The  vestry 
contains  the  horn  of  Ulphus,  made  of  an  elephant's  tusk,  the  work 
of  the  eleventh  century,  and  presented  on  the  altar  by  a  great 
lord  of  Yorkshire,  in  token  of  his  bestowing  certain  lands  on  the 
church  of  St.  Peter.  The  minster  bell  in  the  north-west  tower 
is  the  largest  in  England,  weighing  10  tons  15  cwt.  Between 
Canterbury  and  York  there  had  been  incessant  disputes  for  pre- 
cedence;  but  a  great  synod  held  in  1072  made  the  northern 
province  of  England  formally  inferior  to  the  southern.  This 
decision  was  reversed  by  the  Pope  in  1125.  The  contest  continu- 
ing, the  Pope  in  1354  settled  it  by  treating  the  two  provinces  as 
independent  of  each  other,  but  that  the  title  of  York  should  be 
Primate  of  England,  while  Canterbury  was  to  be  Primate  of  all 
England.  One  of  the  archbishops,  St.  John  of  Beverley,  in  705, 
was  the  most  famous  of  the  northern  saints  next  to  St.  Cuthbert. 
Henry  IV.  and  his  Queen  visited  the  shrine  of  this  St.  John  after 
the  victory  of  Agincourt,  and  attributed  that  victory  greatly  to 
the  intercession  of  the  saint.  Another  of  the  archbishops  was 
St.  William,  who  was  first  elected  in  1143,  deposed  by  the  Pope 
in  1147,  but  re-elected  in  1154,  at  which  date  he  had  become 
very  popular,  being  welcomed  by  a  vast  crowd,  some  of  whom 
fell  through  the  wooden  bridge  into  the  Ouse,  but  were  saved  by 
a  miracle  performed  by  the  saint. 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  465 


DURHAM   CATHEDRAL. 

A  cathedral  was  built  in  875  at  Chester-le-Street,  but  this  see 
was  transferred  in  995  to  Durham,  which  was  then  a  thick  wood, 
one  object  being  to  find  a  safe  deposit  for  the  body  of  St.  Cuthbert. 
Durham  alone  among  English  cities  has  its  highest  point  crowned 
with  the  minster  and  the  vast  castle  of    its  prince  bishop,  the 
building  being  erected  about  1090.     Like  Lausanne  or  Chur  or 
Sitten,  the   bishop  was  also  a  powerful  chief.      Its  situation  is 
most  picturesque,  and  in  that  respect  resembles  Lincoln  and  Ely 
cathedrals.     Dr.   Johnson  said  this  building  gave  the  impression 
of  "  rocky  solidity  and  indeterminate  duration."     On  the  north 
door  is  a  grotesque  knocker  with  a  ring,  which  is  a  relic  of  the 
ancient  practice  of  criminals  flying  for  sanctuary  to  a   church. 
When  the  murderer  reached  this  knocker  and  seized  the  ring, 
two  monks  who  sat  constantly  on  the  watch  within  opened  the 
door,  and  then  rang  a  bell  in  the  Galilee  tower  to  announce  that 
an  arrival  had  taken  place.     The  criminal  then  put  on  a  black 
gown,   and  was  maintained   safe  from  pursuit  for  thirty-seven 
days,  after  which  he  was  bound  to  banish  himself  by  setting  off 
to  the  nearest  vessel   bound  seaward ;  and  he  went   off  with  a 
white  cross  in  his  hand.     The  altar  of  the  Venerable  Bede,  one  of 
our  great  early  historians,  who  died  in  735,  is  a  feature  of  this 
cathedral  and  the  work  of  the  twelfth  century.     At  that  time 
it  was  deemed  the  highest  virtue  to  steal  relics,  and  Elfrid  the 
priest  in  1022  was  warned  in  a  vision  to  seek  the  relics  of  various 
holy  persons  buried  in  different  parts  of  Northumbria,  and  display 
them  to  the  veneration  of  the  faithful.     So  he  went  and  brought 
the  remains  of  Boisel,   the  prior  of    Melrose,   who  had  received 
St.  Cuthbert  when  a  youth.     Elfrid  also  stole  the  relics  of  the 
Venerable  Bede  from  the  monks  of  Jarrow,  and  placed  them  in  the 
shrine  of  St.  Cuthbert  in  Durham  Cathedral.     The  nine  altars 
dedicated   to   the  Archangel  Michael,  St.   Peter,   St.    Paul,    St. 
Cuthbert,  and  other  saints  stand  against  the  eastern  wall,  and 
the  architecture  is  greatly  admired.     Here  also  is  the  shrine  of 
St.   Cuthbert,   a    treasure    more   precious   than   gold    or    topaz. 
Pilgiims  innumerable  have  here  worn   holes  in  the   pavement. 
The  shrine  is  a  superb  work  of  gold  and  enamel,  hung  round  with 
jewels  and  ornaments  offered  by  great  lords  and  princes.      So 
precious  was  this  spot  that  some  monk  sat  night  and  day  in  a 
watching  chamber.     The  body  of  Cuthbert  had  at  first  been  buried 
in  Lindisfarne  Church,  and  when  his  coffin  was  opened  eleven 
years  after,  he  was  found  to  be  uncorrupt  and  perfect,  moi-e  like  a 

30 


466  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

sleeping  than  a  dead  man.  And  even  so  late  as  1540,  when 
another  view  was  taken,  the  body  was  still  found  quite  whole  and 
uncorrupt,  the  face  bare  and  the  beard  as  of  a  fortnight's  growth, 
all  the  vestments  as  visual,  and  crosier  of  gold  lying  beside 
him.  In  1827  the  tomb  was  again  opened,  and  a  skeleton  found 
with  some  vestments  once  rich,  a  girdle,  two  bracelets,  and  a 
golden  cross  set  with  garnets ;  these  are  now  preserved  in  the 
library.  The  piers  of  this  cathedral  have  the  peculiarity  of  having 
ornamentations  of  zigzags  and  lattice-work  very  prominent.  This 
is  thought  to  be  striking  and  powerful,  and  admirably  in  keep- 
ing with  the  massive  grandeur  of  the  architecture.  St.  Outhbert 
was  said  to  have  great  suspicion  and  dislike  to  women,  the  origin 
of  which  is  variously  accounted  for,  and  the  cross  of  blue  stones 
in  the  pavement  which  extends  across  the  bay  immediately  below 
the  great  north  door  is  said  to  have  been  the  ancient  limit 
beyond  which  women  were  not  allowed  to  advance  into  the  church 
of  this  austere  saint.  It  is  related  that  in  1153  one  Helisend,  a 
damsel  in  attendance  on  the  Queen  of  David  of  Scotland,  entered 
the  church  in  the  disguise  of  a  monk,  but  was  detected  by  St. 
Cuthbert  and  ignominiously  expelled.  And  in  1333,  when  Queen 
Philippa,  who  had  accompanied  Edward  III.  to  Durham,  had  been 
received  at  the  prior's  house,  and  this  came  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  community,  they  were  so  enraged  that  in  the  middle  of  the 
night  she  had  to  rise  and  go  half  dressed  into  the  castle. 

WINCHESTER    CATHEDRAL. 

The  Winchester  cathedral  was  begun  in  1079,  to  supersede 
other  less  convenient  sites.  The  length  is  520  feet,  exceeding 
that  of  any  other  cathedral  on  this  side  of  the  Alps  with  the 
exception  of  Ely,  which  is  560  feet,  and  of  Canterbury,  about  570 
feet.  These  three  and  St.  Peter's  at  Rome,  which  is  607  feet  long, 
are  said  to  be  the  longest  in  existence.  The  forest  of  piers 
in  the  interior  of  Winchester  soon  rivets  the  eye.  William  of 
Wykeham,  one  of  the  bishops,  in  1367,  and  soon  after  Lord 
Chancellor,  was  a  great  architect  and  engineer,  and  he  superin- 
tended for  seven  years  the  great  works  of  Edward  III.  at  Windsor. 
He  was  an  opponent  of  John  of  Gaunt,  the  patron  of  Wicliff. 
William  founded  Winchester  College,  and  was  a  munificent  patron 
of  learning  in  his  day. 

OXFORD    CATHEDRAL. 

The  origin  of  the  cathedral  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  is  identi- 
fied with  the  legend  of  St.  Frideswide,  a  Saxon  lady,  who  was 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  467 

brought  up  to  venerate  the  Church,  and  in  order  to  escape  her 
suitor,  the  son  of  a  king,  fled  with  twelve  companions,  reached 
a  nunnery  at  Oxford,  and  died  there  after  several  vicissitudes  in 
740.  She  worked  many  miracles.  The  church  of  her  convent 
was  rebuilt  in  1111,  and  it  continued  to  flourish  till  1523, 
when  Wolsey  suppressed  it.  The  college  of  Christ  Church  was 
soon  afterwards  commenced,  and  the  present  see  of  Oxford  was 
founded  in  1542  out  of  the  ancient  diocese  of  Lincoln.  Roger  of 
Wendover  says  that  St.  Frideswide's  suitor,  when  entering  Oxford 
with  his  followers  to  take  her  by  force,  was  suddenly  blinded  by  a 
heavenly  stroke.  Perceiving  that  he  was  punished  for  his  perti- 
nacity, he  sent  to  Frideswide  and  entreated  her  intercession  with 
the  Lord.  The  virgin  prayed  to  God,  and  at  her  prayer  the 
young  man  recovered  his  sight  as  quickly  as  he  had  before  been 
struck  with  blindness.  From  this  cause  the  kings  of  England 
have  always  been  afraid  to  enter  that  city,  for  it  is  said  to  be 
fatal  to  them,  and  they  are  unwilling  to  test  the  truth  of  it 
at  their  own  peril.  The  virgin  constructed  a  monastery  there, 
and  herself  presided  over  the  company  of  pious  virgins  there 
assembled. 

PETERBOROUGH    CATHEDRAL. 

This  cathedral  arose  out  of  the  ruins  of  an  abbey  founded  in  the 
seventh  century  by  Penda,  the  first  Christian  king  of  Mercia.  The 
abbey  was  of  great  distinction,  and  took  up  high  ground,  and  it 
was  a  rule  that  all  visitors  of  whatever  rank  should  put  off  their 
shoes  before  entering  the  precincts  of  Peterborough  the  proud. 
A  visit  to  it  was  deemed  almost  as  great  an  event  as  a  visit  to 
Rome.  The  cathedral  was  begun  about  1118.  The  west  front,  as 
a  portico,  is  claimed  to  be  the  grandest  in  Europe,  though  wanting 
in  the  accompaniments  which  would  enable  it  to  rival  some  of 
the  great  facades  of  Continental  cathedrals.  It  consists  of  three 
enormous  arches  of  great  height,  the  central  one  being  rather 
narrower  than  the  other  two.  The  lofty  flat  roof,  81  feet  high, 
is  painted  in  lozenges,  with  a  figure  of  some  saint  in  each  centre, 
the  only  other  flat  painted  roof  being  that  of  the  cathedral  of 
St.  Albans.  The  retro-choir,  built  in  1438,  is  admired  for  the 
beautiful  fan  tracery  of  the  roof.  This  cathedral  is  very  deficient 
in  stained  glass.  It  was  well  furnished  in  this  respect  till  Crom- 
well's troops  broke  open  the  doors,  shattered  the  windows,  destroyed 
the  organ,  and  broke  in  pieces  the  superb  reredos  of  carved  stone, 
painted  gilt,  and  inlaid  with  plates  of  silver.  The  soldiers  fired 
at  the  evangelists  in  the  roof,  rioted  in  wanton  spoil,  and  they 


468  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

performed  their  military  exercises  daily  in  the  nave  of  the 
cathedral.  The  body  of  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  six  months  after 
her  execution,  was  buried  in  this  cathedral,  and  there  remained 
for  twenty-five  years,  when  her  son  James  I.  removed  it  to 
Westminster  Abbey. 

SALISBURY    CATHEDRAL. 

The  cathedral  of  Salisbury  was  begun  in  1220,  the  former  one 
having  been  built  by  St.  Oswald  in  the  fortified  town  or  castle  of 
Old  Sarum,  on  a  higher  ground  near  the  present  place.  The  present 
site  was  said  to  be  chosen  by  an  arrow  shot  from  the  ramparts 
of  Old  Sarum,  or,  as  some  prefer  it,  by  a  vision  of  the  Virgin 
who  appeared  to  Bishop  Poore.  One  of  the  bishops  was  William 
Ayscough,  the  most  learned  man  of  his  day,  who  in  Jack  Cade's 
insurrection  in  1450  was  seized  while  celebrating  Mass  and 
brutally  murdered  by  the  mob,  and  his  vestments  divided  by  lot 
as  memorials.  This  cathedral,  built  about  1225,  while  Westmin- 
ster Abbey  was  begun  in  1245,  ranks  next  to  the  latter  as  the 
choicest  great  building  in  England.  On  the  Continent  the  great 
rival  of  Salisbury  is  Amiens  Cathedral ;  but  though  it  covers 
nearly  twice  as  much  ground  as  Salisbury,  its  high  roof  dwarfs 
the  steeple.  Much  of  the  painted  glass  here  was  removed  during 
the  Reformation  times,  but  the  cathedral  was  not  much  injured 
during  the  Civil  War.  In  1782  an  ignorant  architect  was 
said  to  have  done  much  mischief  by  so-called  improvements. 
The  central  spire  of  Salisbury,  the  loftiest  in  England,  is  said 
to  be  about  400  feet  high  ;  but  Amiens  is  20  feet  higher  than 
Salisbury,  the  highest  in  the  world  being  Cologne  and  Strasburg, 
which  last  is  468  feet. 

WELLS    CATHEDRAL. 

Wells  Cathedral  is  earlier  than  any  other  in  Great  Britain,  for 
a  legend  ascribes  its  origin  to  Joseph  of  Arimathaaa,  who,  with 
eleven  companions,  arrived  soon  after  the  Crucifixion  and  built 
a  chapel  at  Glastonbury,  and  this  was  even  said  to  be  the  first 
church  erected  in  all  Christendom.  A  bishopric  was  said  to  be 
founded  at  Wells  about  904,  an  abbot  of  Glastonbury  being  the 
first  bishop.  The  cathedral,  though  one  of  the  smallest,  is  the 
most  beautiful  in  England,  its  group  of  well-proportioned  towers 
and  pinnacles  having  an  enhanced  beauty  from  the  picturesqueness 
of  the  situation.  It  suffered  considerably  in  the  troublous  times 
of  Monmouth's  rebellion,  when  the  rebels  tore  the  lead  off  the  roof 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  469 

to  make  bullets,  and  wantonly  defaced  many  ornaments.  The 
great  west  front  contains  some  choice  sculptures,  such  as  can 
only  be  equaT  d  by  Rheims  and  Chartres.  The  breadth  of  the 
front  is  greater  than  that  of  Notre  Dame  or  of  Amiens,  being 
147  feet,  and  thus  gives  great  scope  for  the  variety  of  the  sculp- 
ture. There  are  in  the  whole  of  the  west  front  about  three 
hundred  figures,  half  of  which  ai'e  life-size,  being  those  of  kings, 
queens,  princes,  knights,  and  mitred  ecclesiastics,  saints,  martyrs, 
and  angels,  the  whole  being  a  glorious  company  and  goodly  fellow- 
ship of  prophets  and  worthies.  Altogether  this  is  one  of  the  most 
impressive  church  fronts  either  in  England  or  on  the  Continent. 

SOME  OTHER  ENGLISH  CATHEDRALS. 

The  cathedral  of  Nomrich  arose  out  of  a  more  ancient  cathedral 
built  at  Dummoc,  now  Dunwich,  on  the  coast  of  Suffyk,  in  630 ; 
afterwards  another  was  substituted  at  Elmham  in  Norfolk,  and 
in  1075  again  transferred  to  Thetford,  and  in  1091  the  place  was 
finally  fixed  at  Norwich.  In  1094  the  cathedral  of  Norwich  was 
commenced.  The  nave  is  the  longest  in  England  except  St.  Albans, 
which  is  300  feet  long,  while  Norwich  is  only  250  feet. 

The  cathedral  of  Carlisle  was  begun  in  1121,  though  it  was  soon 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  was  rebuilt  in  1353.  The  famous  window 
at  the  east  end  has  in  its  lower  part  more  lights  or  divisions  (being 
nine)  than  any  other  decorated  window  in  existence.  Its  upper 
portion  exhibits  the  most  beautiful  design  for  window  tracery 
in  the  world,  all  its  parts  being  in  exquisite  harmony. 

The  Exeter  cathedral  was  begun  in  1107,  as  an  example  of  the 
marvellous  and  sumptuous  architecture  of  the  Normans,  and  was 
considered  as  a  powerful  contrast  to  the  simple  Saxon  building 
it  displaced.  The  west  front  has  in  its  lower  part  three  rows 
of  figures  of  apostles,  saints,  kings,  and  a  few  Old  Testament 
characters ;  and  the  whole  is  architecturally  of  great  beauty. 
The  roof  of  the  nave,  with  its  slender  vaulting  shafts  and  delicate 
carving,  is  graceful  and  light,  and  the  clustered  pillars  of  Purbeck 
marble  contrast  well  with  the  lighter  stone  of  the  walls  and  roof. 
The  minstrels'  gallery  is  unique,  with  its  row  of  winged  angels  in 
front,  each  playing  on  a  musical  instrument,  one  of  these  instru- 
ments being  a  bagpipe.  The  organ,  built  in  1665,  is  said  to  be 
the  most  ancient  in  actual  use. 

A  monastery  for  both  men  and  women  had  been  founded  at 
Ely  in  673  by  St.  Etheldreda,  which  the  Danes  destroyed.  It 
was  rebuilt  afterwards,  and  in  1109  this  monastery  was  made  the 
seat  of  a  new  bishopric  taken  out  of  the  great  diocese  of  Lincoln, 


470  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

and  the  cathedral  built  to  the  north  of  the  old  monastery.  This 
church,  which  is  565  feet  long,  is  often  said  to  be  the  longest 
Gothic  chinch  in  Europe,  although  others,  like  the  cathedral 
of  Milan,  cover  more  ground.  The  roof  of  the  nave  is  decorated 
with  painted  figures,  and  so  is  the  vaulted  roof  of  the  octagon. 

The  diocese  of  Lincoln  was  once  the  greatest  in  England,  till 
it  was  subdivided  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  About  1072  the 
present  cathedral  was  begun,  being  a  substitute  for  three  older 
sites  of  smaller  sees.  It  was  destroyed  by  an  earthquake,  and 
rebuilt  by  St.  Hugh  of  Lincoln,  then  bishop.  In  grandeur  of 
situation  this  cathedral  has  no  equal  in  England.  The  stone  of 
which  it  is  built  becomes  black,  but  is  very  durable,  and  retains  its 
sharpness  of  outlines.  In  the  great  central  tower  is  the  bell 
called  Great  Tom  of  Lincoln,  founded  in  1610,  the  third  in  size, 
being  exceeded  by  Oxford  and  Exeter. 

An  old  nunnery  was  founded  at  Gloucester  in  681,  and  this  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  Benedictine  monks,  who  in  1088  began 
to  build  a  new  church.  A  fire  having  destroyed  it  twice,  the 
cathedral  was  begun  about  1239.  The  great  central  tower  is 
only  ten  feet  lower  than  that  of  Canterbury,  built  about  the  same 
time.  The  monks  themselves  were  said  to  have  laboured  at  the 
roof  of  it.  The  great  east  window  is  the  largest  in  England,  and 
owing  to  an  ingenious  construction  is  wider  than  the  side  walls 
which  contain  it ;  it  is  also  filled  with  the  finest  stained  glass  of 
the  period  in  this  country.  At  the  back  of  this  window  is  a 
passage,  75  feet  long,  which  is  called  the  Whispering  Gallery, 
owing  to  the  great  facility  with  which  the  slightest  sound  or 
movement  at  one  end  can  be  heard  at  the  other  end. 

Like  Salisbury,  the  Chichester  cathedral  has  a  spire,  which  is  271 
feet  high  ;  and  being  in  that  respect  130  feet  lower  than  the  former, 
it  is  a  saying  in  the  locality  that  the  master  mason  built  Salisbury 
spire  and  his  man  Chichester  spire.  The  spire  has  an  ingenious 
plan  inside  the  top,  devised  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren,  for  keeping  it 
from  being  blown  down  and  counteracting  the  force  of  the  wind. 
The  spire  is  exactly  central.  On  entering  the  nave  the  eye  is  at 
once  caught  by  the  five  aisles,  a  peculiarity  which  distinguishes  this 
cathedral  and  that  of  Manchester  from  all  the  others,  and  grand 
effects  of  light  and  shade  are  produced  by  those  five  aisles. 
Chichester  Cathedral  was  first  completed  in  1108.  One  of  its 
bishops  was  Reginald  Pecock,  who  flourished  in  1450,  and  was 
considered  a  great  champion  of  the  clergy  against  the  rising 
Lollards,  whom  he  sneered  at  as  "  The  Bible-men." 

A  church  of  an  Augustinian  monastery  was  adopted  as  the 


Chap,  xiv.]     SOME   GREAT   CHURCHES   AND   CATHEDRALS.  471 

cathedral  of  Bristol  when  the  latter  see  was  created  in  1542. 
It  is  a  cathedral  without  a  nave,  the  latter  portion  having  once 
existed ;  hut  being  removed  for  a  purpose,  it  was  never  restored. 
The  east  window,  filling  the  whole  of  the  end  above  the  reredos,  is 
of  singular  beauty  in  tracery  and  design. 

The  see  of  Hereford  existed  before  the  arrival  of  St.  Augustine, 
and  the  cathedral  was  rebuilt  in  1012  from  the  foundations.  St. 
Thomas  Cantilupe  was  one  of  the  bishops,  and  his  rehcs  were 
brought  from  Italy,  where  he  died  in  1282  on  his  way  to  Rome, 
and  wrought  many  miracles  long  afterwards.  He  was  canonised 
in  1320.  In  the  library  are  many  ancient  volumes,  all  chained 
in  the  manner  not  uncommon  hi  the  first  century  after  printing 
was  discovered. 

The  church  of  the  monastery  of  St.  Mary  was  adopted  for  the 
see  of  Worcester  about  680.  St.  Dunstan  was  a  bishop  from 
957  to  961.  A  new  minster  was  then  built  by  Oswald;  but  being 
too  small,  a  larger  building  was  begun  by  Wulfstan  about  1084. 
The  great  Norman  tower  fell  in  1175,  which  was  said  to  be  a 
common  incident  in  that  style  of  building.  The  present  tower  was 
built  in  1374. 

The  cathedral  of  Lichfield  was  supposed  to  be  built  about  1154. 
Its  west  front  is  scarcely  exceeded  by  any  other  cathedral  in  grace 
of  outline  and  in  the  harmony  of  its  general  design.  The  nave  is 
also  admirable  for  beauty  and  gracefulness. 

SOME    WELSH    CATHEDRALS. 

The  see  of  Llandaff  was  founded  in  the  sixth  century,  and  the 
cathedral  was  begun  in  1120  to  replace  a  small  church  on  the 
same  site.  But  the  building  became  wholly  dilapidated,  and  was 
only  restored  in  very  modern  times.  Yet  it  is  said  this  is  the 
most  ancient  of  all  the  sees  in  C4reat  Britain. 

St.  Asaph  was  a  see  founded  in  the  sixth  century,  like  the  other 
Welsh  sees.  The  cathedral  is  small  and  plain,  but  stands  in  a 
picturesque  situation,  and  was  in  recent  times  restored. 

Bangor  see  is  of  equal  antiquity  with  the  others,  and  the 
cathedral,  which  io  small  and  plain,  has  also  been  restored. 

The  see  of  St.  David's  was  supposed  to  be  founded  in  the  sixth 
century,  and  St.  David,  a  Welsh  saint,  removed  it  from  Caerleon 
in  Monmouthshire,  which  was  too  near  the  heathen  English  and 
in  too  populous  a  district.  St.  David  went  to  Jerusalem,  and  was 
consecrated  by  the  patriarch.  He  was  a  great  worker  of  miracles 
in  his  time,  according  to  the  popular  legends. 


472 


CHAPTER   XV. 
THE  SACRED  PAINTERS  AND   COMPOSERS. 

IMAGES   AND   PICTURES   IN   CHURCHES. 

The  Romish  Church  has  from  the  beginning  looked  favourably 
on  the  practice  of  adorning  churches  with  images  and  pictures  of 
sacred  persons.  At  Nola,  in  460,  the  cathedral  of  St.  Felix  had 
wall  paintings  of  stories  taken  from  the  Old  Testament.  In  752 
a  council  of  the  Church  required  images  to  be  erected  in  churches, 
and  worship  of  these  was  inculcated  as  a  remembrance  of  the 
holy  lives  and  conversation  of  the  dead.  The  Iconoclast  move- 
ment (see  ante,  p.  129)  shook  faith  in  the  practice  for  about  a 
century ;  but  the  Council  of  Niesea,  in  787,  closed  the  controversy 
by  approving  the  practice,  and  the  opposition  died  out  in  842. 
There  seems  no  limit  to  the  number  or  subjects  of  the  wall 
paintings,  and  the  Popes  greatly  encouraged  them.  In  England 
at  the  Reformation  images  were  directed  to  be  taken  down  and 
destroyed.  ■  Very  few  wall  paintings  are  found  in  any  English 
churches,  and  they  are  of  small  value  or  importance. 

THE    RUNAGATE    MONK    PAINTERS. 

"  I  learned,"  says  Hugo  of  St.  Victor,  "  from  a  certain  prudent 
and  religious  man  that  there  are  some  kinds  of  people  who  can 
scarcely  ever  be  retained  with  order  in  the  religious  life.  These 
are  painters,  physicians,  and  buffoons,  who  are  accustomed  to 
travel  in  different  countries.  Men  of  this  description  can  hardly 
ever  be  stable.  The  art  of  painting  is  very  delightful ;  for  when 
a  painter  has  painted  a  church,  a  chapter-room,  a  refectory,  or 
any  cabinets,  if  leave  be  granted  to  him,  on  being  invited  he  goes 
soon  to  another  monastery  for  the  sake  of  painting.  He  paints 
the  works  of  Christ  upon  a  wall,  but  it  never  occurs  to  him  to 
imitate  the  works  in  his  own  life  and  manners.  So  with  the 
medical  art ;  it  needs  an  abundance  of  aromatic  plants  and 
medicines.     When  any  one  near  the  church  falls  sick,  he  is  asked 


Chap,  xv.]        THE   SACRED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  473 

to  go  to  see  the  patient,  and  the  abbot  can  hardly  refuse  permis- 
sion. Then  he  is  always  making  experiments  on  things  uncertain 
and  making  fallacious  statements.  Whereas  a  true  monk  should 
never  speak  out  on  anything.  So  it  is  with  buffoons  and  jesters, 
who  are  always  bent  on  rambling.  The  Fathers  of  the  Council  hi 
the  eighth  century  well  decreed  that  monasteries  should  be  the 
habitations  of  men  labouring  to  serve  God  in  silence  and  peace, 
and  not  mere  receptacles  of  arts  which  minister  to  pleasure — not 
places  for  poets,  minstrels,  and  musicians,  but  for  men  praying, 
reading,  and  praising  God." 

THE    PICTURES    IN    MONASTERIES. 

The  monasteries  were  the  nurseries  of  the  arts  of  painting, 
sculpture,  and  music.  Many  of  them  contained  exquisite  frescoes 
of  sacred  subjects.  Ghiberti,  the  most  ancient  historian  of  art  in 
Italy,  spoke  with  enthusiasm  of  a  great  composition  with  which 
Ambrose  de  Lorenzo  had  covered  the  walls  of  a  cloister,  in  which 
he  represented  the  life  of  a  Christian  missionary.  First  a  young 
man  taking  the  habit  of  a  monk ;  then  entreating  to  be  sent  to 
convert  the  Saracens ;  then  the  departure  and  arrival  before  the 
Sultan,  who  orders  him  to  be  scourged  ;  then  condemning  him  to 
die ;  the  decapitation ;  then  a  horrible  tempest,  during  which  vast 
trees  are  torn  \ip  by  the  roots  and  the  people  fly  in  terror.  In 
the  refectory  of  the  convent  of  San  Salvi,  near  Florence,  Andrea 
del  Sarto  painted  four  figures  of  saints  and  the  Last  Supper ;  and 
during  the  siege  in  1529,  when  the  Florentines  were  compelled 
to  demolish  all  buildings  and  reached  this  great  fresco,  they 
were  struck  dumb  and  motionless  with  admiration.  One  holy 
brother,  lately  in  the  Escurial  monastery,  guiding  from  cell  to  cell 
and  room  to  room  a  British  painter  (Wilkie),  pointed  out  that 
glorious  work  of  Titian  the  Lord's  Last  Supper,  beautiful  as 
when  it  first  graced  the  refectory.  As  both  stood  with  eyes 
transfixed  at  that  masterpiece,  the  holy  father  said  to  the 
stranger :  "  Here  daily  do  we  sit,  thanks  given  to  God  for  daily 
bread  ;  and  here  pondering  the  mischiefs  of  these  restless  times, 
and  thinking  of  my  brethren  dead  and  gone,  I  not  seldom  gaze 
upon  this  solemn  company  unmoved  by  shock  of  circumstance  or 
lapse  of  years,  until  I  cannot  but  believe  that  they,  these  pictures, 
are  in  truth  the  substance  and  we  the  shadows." 

THE    SACRO   MONTE    DE    VARALLO. 

On  the  road  from  Anna  to  Varallo,  in  North  Italy,  the  Sacro 
Monte,  an  eminence  of  great  beauty,  is  seen  and  is  resorted  to  by 


474  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

pilgrims  from  all  quarters.  At  the  foot  is  the  church  of  St.  Francis, 
where  the  wall  dividing  the  nave  from  the  choir  is  painted  in 
fresco  in  nineteen  compartments,  representing  the  chief  events  in 
the  life  of  the  Saviour.  The  hill  of  the  Sacro  Monte  is  covered 
with  a  series  of  fifty  chapels  or  oratories,  containing  groups  of 
figures  of  characters  executed  in  terra-cotta,  painted  and  clothed. 
They  are  grouped  so  as  to  represent  passages  in  Christ's  history. 
The  structures  are  never  entered,  being  merely  frames  or  cases 
to  contain  the  respective  subjects,  which  are  viewed  from  two  or 
three  peepholes  in  front.  Some  of  the  figures  are  very  indifferent 
works  of  art ;  others  are  of  great  merit.  The  oratories  are  richly 
decorated  with  facades,  porticoes,  and  domes,  and  the  figures  are 
the  size  of  life.  The  walls  are  all  painted,  and  painters,  sculptors, 
and  architects  have  vied  in  producing  their  highest  arts  of 
embellishment.  Much  effect  is  produced  by  the  situation  of  some 
of  the  groups.  The  access  to  the  place  where  Christ  is  laid  in 
the  sepulchre  is  by  a  vault  where  little  light  is  admitted ;  and  as 
it  is  difficult  on  entering  from  the  open  day  to  distinguish  art  first 
any  object,  the  result  is  very  impressive.  Many  of  the  figures 
are  clothed  in  real  drapery,  and  some  have  real  hair.  The 
executioners  conducting  the  Saviour  to  Calvary  are  made  as 
hideous  and  repulsive  as  possible,  and  are  represented  with 
goitres  appended  to  their  throats.  This  Sacro  Monte  originated 
in  the  piety  of  the  blessed  St.  Bernardino  Caimo,  or  Coloto,  a 
Milanese  noble. 

MIRACULOUS    IMAGES    IN    SPAIN. 

In  Spain  all  classes  were  devout  believers  in  miraculous  images 
and  effigies  of  all  kinds.  Holy  kerchiefs  were  preserved  at 
Alicante,  stamped  with  the  Saviour's  face ;  and  winding-sheets 
revealing  the  same  print  were  adored  at  Oviedo.  In  his  "  History 
of  Painting  "  Palomino  relates  how  a  Christian  and  Jew  labouring 
in  a  vineyard  disputed  about  the  Messiah,  until  the  Jew,  losing 
patience,  exclaimed  he  would  believe  in  Christ  if  He  would  emerge 
from  that  vine  stock,  and  which  thereupon  forthwith  became  a 
crucifix.  He  also  tells  how  at  Valencia,  on  the  death  of  a  devout 
lady,  the  wax  dropping  from  a  taper  that  burned  before  her 
coffin  shaped  itself  into  a  crucifix,  and  was  treasured  as  a  relic. 
Once  an  artist  was  employed  by  St.  Theresa  to  paint  our  Lord  at 
the  column  as  she  had  beheld  Him  in  a  vision ;  and  after  failing  to 
express  the  lady  abbess's  ideas,  he  at  last  found  his  unsatisf actory 
picture  had  been  finished  to  perfection  by  an  angel  artist.  And 
at  a  later  time,  when  this  same  picture  was  restored,  the  nuns 


Chap,  xv.]        THE   SACRED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  475 

were  told  by  the  two  artists  employed  that  they  saw  the  very 
finger  of  the  angel  as  it  traced  the  outlines.  And  when  a  pilgrim 
was  engaged  at  Calatayud  to  paint  St.  Ignatius  Loyola,  he  did  it 
so  well  that  he  was  supposed  to  be  an  angel  in  disguise.  And  by 
the  same  Divine  influences  the  portrait  of  St.  Jerome  and  the  lion 
was  found  traced  in  the  mottlings  of  a  jasper. 

cimabue's  picture  of  the  madonna  (1302). 

Cimabue,  an  Italian  painter,  who  died  in  1302,  painted  for  a 
church  in  Florence  a  picture  of  the  Madonna,  which  excited  great 
enthusiasm  in  the  public.  Charles  of  Anjou,  King  of  Naples, 
passing  through  Florence  while  the  artist  was  at  work,  was  taken 
to  see  it  at  the  artist's  studio  in  a  garden.  It  had  been  till  then 
only  known  to  confidants  ;  but  when  the  ruruour  spread,  all  Florence 
crowded  to  have  a  glimpse.  Nothing  before  that  period  had  been 
seen  in  Tuscany  like  this  picture.  When  finished,  it  was  carried 
in  solemn  procession  to  the  church,  followed  by  the  whole  popula- 
tion, and  with  such  triumph  and  rejoicing  that  the  quarter  where 
the  painter  lived  took  its  name  from  this  event.  The  figure  of 
the  Virgin,  as  now  judged  by  critics,  is  neither  beautiful  nor 
graceful,  but  there  is  a  dignity  and  a  majesty  in  her  mien  and 
an  expression  of  inward  ponderings  and  sad  anticipations  rising 
from  her  heart  to  her  eyes  which  rivet  the  memory.  The  Child, 
too,  blessing  with  His  right  hand  is  full  of  deity  ;  and  the  attendant 
angels,  though  like  each  other  as  twins,  have  much  grace  and 
sweetness.  The  picture  still  hangs  hi  the  church  of  the  Dominicans 
in  Santa  Maria  Novella.  Cimabue  was  one  of  those  conscientious 
painters  who,  on  noticing  the  least  blemish  in  his  work,  would 
destroy  it  without  compunction,  however  much  trouble  it  had 
caused  him. 

THE    BISHOP'S    APE   TAKES   TO    PAINTING    (1302). 

In  1302  Buonamico  Buffalmacco,  the  painter,  was  passing 
through  Arezzo,  when  Bishop  Guido,  hearing  of  his  being  a 
cheerful  companion  as  well  as  great  artist,  requested  him  to  stay 
with  him  and  paint  the  chapel  where  the  baptistery  now  is,  the 
subject  being  "  the  Crucifixion."  The  painter  set  to  work  and 
completed  a  large  part  of  it.  It  happened  that  the  bishop  had 
a  large  ape  of  extraordinary  cunning  and  full  of  mischief,  and 
which  sometimes  stood  on  the  scaffold  watching  the  work  with 
great  interast,  particularly  the  mode  of  mixing  the  colours  and 
pouring  out  from  the  various  flasks,  and  beating  up  the  eggs. 


476  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

One  Sunday  morning  the  ape  contrived,  in  the  absence  of  the 
painter,  to  get  on  the  scaffold  and  see  if  he  could  not  do  that 
work  too.  It  then  fell  upon  the  brushes  and  pots  and  pencils  ; 
and  having  mimicked  the  artist's  ways,  poured  all  the  colours  into 
one  basin,  and  with  a  large  brush  proceeded  shortly  to  cover  the 
whole  canvas  with  artistic  flourishes.  On  Monday  morning  the 
artist,  on  returning,  was  horrified  at  the  result,  and  at  once 
attributed  it  to  some  envious  person,  whom  he  named  to  the 
bishop  as  the  suspected  culprit.  The  bishop  was  greatly  annoyed, 
but,  nevertheless,  prevailed  on  the  artist  to  return  to  his  work, 
and  he  said  he  would  provide  six  soldiers  with  drawn  swords  to 
remain  concealed  and  on  the  watch,  to  cut  down  the  intruder 
without  mercy,  in  case  a  repetition  of  the  nefarious  deed  should 
occur.  The  figures  were  again  painted  by  the  artist,  and  after 
several  days  the  soldiers  took  the  alarm  on  hearing  some  strange 
sound  of  stealthy  steps  and  movements,  and  then  a  figure  clamber- 
ing up  to  the  scaffold  and  seizing  the  brushes.  They  noticed  soon 
that  this  figure,  after  mixing  the  colours,  painted  with  unseemly 
haste  all  the  fine  heads  of  saints  which  had  been  so  carefully 
elaborated  by  the  artist.  They  then  summoned  the  artist  him- 
self to  witness  it,  whereupon  they  all  were  unable  to  contain 
themselves  for  laughter  at  the  grotesque  handiwork  of  the 
amateur  ape,  which  was  the  real  culprit.  The  artist  betook  him- 
self at  once  to  the  bishop,  and  said,  "  My  lord,  you  desire  to  have 
your  chapel  painted  in  one  fashion,  but  your  ape  chooses  to  have 
it  done  in  another,  fashion."  Then  he  told  the  story  of  what  he 
had  seen,  and  added  :  "  There's  no  need  for  your  lordship  to  send 
to  foreign  parts  for  a  painter  since  you  have  a  master  of  colour 
already  in  your  house.  Perhaps  he  did  not  at  first  fully  under- 
stand how  to  mix  the  colours,  but  he  is  now  evidently  well 
acquainted  with  the  whole  secret,  and  can  proceed  without  further 
help.  I  am  no  longer  required  here  since  we  have  discovered  his 
talents,  and  I  will  ask  no  other  reward  for  my  labours  except 
permission  to  return  home."  The  bishop  made  suitable  apologies 
and  begged  the  artist  once  more  to  resume  his  work,  and  he 
would  for  its  crimes  shut  up  the  ape  in  a  strong  wooden  cage,  and 
have  it  fastened  on  the  scaffold,  where  it  might  spend  its  jealousy 
and  rage  in  witnessing  without  having  the  power  of  further 
marring  the  work.  The  artist  afterwards  went  to  Pisa  and 
covered  the  roofs  and  walls  of  the  abbey  of  St.  Paul  with  pictures 
from  Old  Testament  subjects,  which  greatly  pleased  the  people 
frequenting  that  place.  And  many  other  admirable  sacred  works 
were  finished  in  Florence  and  other  places  by  the  same  pencil. 


Chap,  xv.]        THE   SACRED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  477 

THE    PAINTER'S    CRITICS    AND    BAD    DEBTS   (1342). 

The  same  Buffalmacco  was  engaged  by  the  town  of  Perugia  to 
paint  their  patron  .saint  Herculanus  for  their  market-place,  and 
the  price  was  agreed  on.  The  painter  erected  scaffolds  and  also 
enclosed  himself  with  boards,  so  as  to  keep  the  people  from  over- 
looking him  in  his  labours.  After  ten  days  had  passed,  the  people 
passing  used  to  stop  and  wonder  how  long  he  was  going  to  take 
to  finish  his  picture,  as  they  seemed  to  think  such  work  could  be 
turned  out  by  the  yard  from  a  mould,  so  that  the  artist  became 
worried  and  pestered  with  their  importunities.  The  people  became 
day  by  day  more  impatient,  until  the  artist  determined  he  would 
serve  them  out.  So  after  some  days'  preparation  he  admitted  them 
to  look  at  the  work  when  near  its  completion,  and  they  were 
greatly  pleased,  and  all  they  next  wanted  was  that  he  would 
remove  the  scaffolding  entirely.  He  said  this  could  not  be  done 
for  two  days  longer,  as  he  wished  to  retouch  part  of  the  picture 
when  thoroughly  dried.  This  was  allowed.  The  artist  had  ori- 
ginally intended  the  saint's  head  to  have  a  great  diadem  in 
relievo  of  richly  gilt  plaster,  as  was  then  the  custom.  He  now, 
remounting  his  scaffold,  substituted  for  the  original  another  coronet 
or  garland  surrounded  with  gudgeons.  Next  morning  he  went 
off  to  Florence,  and  when  the  people  had  to  take  down  the  scaffold 
and  saw  the  affront  put  on  them,  they  proposed  to  send  horsemen 
in  pursuit ;  but  in  the  end  they  had  to  get  another  artist  to  set 
the  diadem  right  and  erase  the  silly  gudgeons.  The  same  artist 
was  employed  to  paint  a  fresco  for  a  country  church  at  Calcindia, 
a  picture  of  the  Virgin  holding  the  Infant  Christ  in  her  arms. 
He  found  the  employer  dilatory  in  payment,  so  he  went  and 
changed  the  Infant  Christ  into  a  bear,  using  water-colours  only. 
The  employer  thereupon  was  in  despair,  and  implored  him  to 
restore  the  Holy  Child,  and  if  so  he  would  pay  at  once  all  demands. 
The  money  being  forthcoming,  the  painter  with  a  wet  sponge 
easily  removed  the  bear  and  restored  the  work. 

THE   NUNS   CRITICISING   THEIR   ARTIST'S   WORKS    (1342). 

The  same  great  Florentine  painter,  Buffalmacco,  about  1340 
was  employed  by  the  nuns  of  Faenza  to  paint  a  sacred  his- 
torical picture  for  them,  and  they  were  greatly  pleased  with 
every  part  of  the  details,  except  only  that  they  thought  the  faces 
rather  too  pale  and  wan.  Buonaniico,  hearing  this,  and  knowing 
that  the  abbess  had  the  very  best  Vernaccia  wine  that  could  be 
found  in  Florence,  and  which  was  indeed  reserved  by  them  for 


478  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

the  use  of  the  Mass,  declared  to  the  nuns  that  this  defect  could 
be  remedied  only  byjtnixing  the  colours  with  good  Vernaccia,  and 
that  when  the  cheeks  were  touched  with  colours  thus  tempered, 
they  would  become  rosy  and  lifelike  enough.  The  good  sisters, 
who  believed  all  he  said,  on  healing  of  this  kept  him  amply  sup- 
plied with  the  very  best  Yernaccia  during  all  the  time  that  his 
labours  lasted,  and  while  cheerfully  swallowing  this  nectar  he 
found  on  his  palette  colour  enough  to  give  as  much  rosiness  as 
the  ladies  desired.  It  was  related,  however,  that  the  painter  was 
once  surprised  by  the  nuns  while  drinking  the  wine ;  but  when 
he  heard  one  of  them  saying  to  another,  "  See  now,  he  is  drinking 
it  himself,"  he  instantly  took  care  adroitly  to  throw  part  of  the 
contents  out  of  his  mouth  on  the  picture,  whereby  the  nuns  were 
fully  assured  as  to  their  mistake. 

BROTHER    ARTISTS    RIVALLING    EACH    OTHER    (1400). 

Filippo  Brunelleschi  and  Donato  were  both  sculptors  at  Florence 
about  the  year  1400.  Donato  had  completed  a  crucifix  for  the 
church  of  Santa  Croce  in  Florence,  to  be  placed  beneath  the 
picture  of  Taddeo  Gaddi,  which  represented  the  girl  restored  to 
life  by  St.  Francis.  Filippo,  on  being  shown  the  crucifix,  and 
being  asked  by  his  friend  what  he  thought  of  it,  replied  that 
Donato  had  placed  a  clown  on  the  cross,  and  not  a  Christ,  whose 
form  was  of  perfect  beauty.  Donato  testily  replied,  "  Take  wood 
then  and  make  one  yourself."  Filippo,  who  did  not  allow  himself 
to  be  irritated,  felt  that  there  was  some  truth  in  the  retort,  and 
resolved  to  set  about  the  making  of  a  crucifix  himself,  such  as  he 
thought  ought  to  have  been  produced.  He  did  this  secretly,  and 
it  was  (as  may  now  be  seen  in  the  chapel  of  Count  Bardi)  an 
admirable  work.  Some  time  afterwards  Donato  was  engaged  to 
come  and  dine  with  him,  and  they  had  bought  a  lot  of  eggs  and 
delicacies,  which  Donato  was  carrying  homeward  in  an  apron, 
when  he  was  told  to  go  forward  to  the  house  with  these,  and  his 
friend  would  follow.  On  entering,  Donato's  eye  caught  sight  of 
Filippo's  crucifix,  of  which  he  had  never  heard  anything,  and  was 
so  amazed  and  ravished  with  it  that  all  the  eggs  and  dainties  fell 
at  once  to  the  ground,  as  his  eyes  became  riveted  on  beauties 
such  as  he  himself  could  never  attain  to  in  the  disposition  of  the 
legs,  body,  and  arms.  He  at  once  confessed  it  was  a  miracle  of 
art.  And  the  two  rivals  were  good  friends  for  ever  after.  Filippo 
was  also  a  skilful  and  ingenious  architect  and  engineer,  and  was 
recommended  to  the  Pope  by  Cosmo  de  Medici  as  a  man  of  such 
immense  capacity  that  he  would  have  confidence  enough  to  turn 


Chap,  xv.]        THE  SACRED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  479 

the  world  back  on  its  axis,  a  compliment  which  made  the  Pope 
stare  at  Filippo,  who  was  small  and  insignificant  in  appearance. 
Count  Sforza  said  that  if  every  state  had  a  man  like  Filippo,  they 
might  all  live  in  peace  without  the  use  of  arms. 

A    PAINTER    AFFRONTING    A    FALLEN    ANGEL    (1408). 

The  painter  Spinello  Aretino  was  in  1408  engaged  by  the 
monks  of  St.  Agnolo,  in  Arezzo,  to  paint  the  wall  of  their 
church  near  the  high  altar,  and  the  subject  was  to  be  the  "  Fall 
of  the  Angels."  In  the  air  appeared  St.  Michael  in  combat  with 
the  old  serpent  of  seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  while  beneath  and 
in  the  centre  of  the  picture  was  Lucifer,  already  changed  into 
a  most  hideous  and  devilish  form.  So  anxious  was  the  artist  to 
make  Lucifer  frightful  and  horrible,  that  one  night  in  his  sleep 
Lucifer  appeared  to  him  and  demanded  to  know  where  the  painter 
had  ever  seen  him  look  so  ugly  as  that,  and  why  he  permitted 
his  pencil  to  put  so  mortifying  an  affront  as  this  upon  him.  The 
artist  awoke  in  such  extremity  of  horror  that  he  was  unable  to 
speak,  and  he  shook  and  trembled  so  violently  that  his  wife 
thought  he  was  dying.  The  shock  proved  to  be  so  great  that  he 
never  recovered  the  effects  of  it,  remaining  in  a  most  desponding 
mood,  and  he  gradually  sank  till  he  died  in  a  very  short  time 
thereafter.  It  is  also  related  of  Lodovico  Caracci,  that  when  he 
had  taken  down  the  scaffold  on  which  he  had  painted  the  arch 
above  the  altar  of  Bologna  Cathedral,  he  noticed  the  foot  of  an 
angel  bending  before  the  Virgin  crooked.  He  wanted  to  set  up 
the  scaffold  again,  and  died  of  grief  at  this  mischance. 

ANGELICO'S    DEVOTION   TO   SACRED   ART   (1455). 

Fra  Giovanni  Angelico  da  Fiesole,  usually  called  Angelico, 
who  died  in  1455,  was  both  a  painter  and  a  devoted  Churchman. 
Though  born  to  plenty,  and  having  a  strong  turn  for  art,  he 
entered  the  order  of  preaching  friars  at  the  age  of  twenty,  and 
began  painting  the  Virgin  and  Christ  and  saints.  Cosmo  de 
Medici  saw  his  merits,  and  engaged  him  to  paint  the  Crucifixion 
for  the  church  of  San  Marco  at  Florence,  and  he  filled  the  lower 
ground  with  all  the  saints  who  were  founders  of  religious  bodies. 
Vasari  said  his  picture  of  Gabriel  making  the  Annunciation  to 
the  Virgin  was  considered  so  beautiful  that  the  spectator  could 
scarcely  believe  it  to  be  the  work  of  man,  but  that  it  must  have 
been  executed  in  Paradise.  But  his  masterpiece  was  thought  to 
be  the  coronation  of  the  Virgin,  surrounded  by  angels,  saints,  and 


480  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

holy  personages.  Vasari  said  the  heads  and  figures  were  so 
varied  in  expression  and  attitude  that  people  had  infinite  plea- 
sure in  looking  on  them,  and  all  admitted  that  even  the  saints 
themselves  in  heaven  could  not  look  otherwise  than  in  this 
picture,  and  that  no  other  than  the  angels  themselves  could  pro- 
duce such  figures  of  elevated  beauty,  dignity,  and  devotion.  The 
Pope  invited  him  to  execute  various  works  at  Rome,  and  was  so 
charmed  with  the  simplicit}^  and  modesty  of  the  artist  that  he 
offered  him  a  high  appointment  in  the  Church,  as  he  was  a  friar 
and  qualified  ;  but  the  artist  declined  it  and  recommended  a  poor 
friend,  to  whom  this  office  was  kindly  given.  Angelico,  in  the 
estimation  of  his  contemporaries,  lived  a  life  of  pure  holiness.  Re 
laboured  continually  at  his  paintings,  but  would  do  nothing  that 
was  not  connected  with  things  holy.  He  despised  riches  and  had 
no  anger  in  his  composition.  He  used  to  say  that  the  only  true 
riches  was  contentment  with  little.  He  said  he  sought  no  dignity, 
and  all  he  cared  for  was  to  escape  hell  and  draw  near  to  Paradise. 
He  said  that  he  who  practised  the  art  of  painting  should  live 
without  cares  or  anxious  thoughts,  and  he  who  would  do  the  work 
of  Christ  should  perpetually  remain  with  Christ.  His  pictures 
of  saints  excelled  those  of  all  other  artists.  He  said  he  never 
took  up  his  pencil  without  first  offering  a  prayer.  He  never 
painted  a  crucifix  without  tears  streaming  from  his  eyes.  Some 
friendly  hand  painted  his  own  portrait  on  the  outside  of  his  tomb 
in  the  church  of  the  Minerva  at  Rome. 

BRONZES    FOR    THE    GATES    OF    PARADISE    (GHIBERTI,    1455). 

Lorenzo  Ghibcrti,  a  famous  Florentine  sculptor,  who  excelled 
in  casting  his  sculpture  in  metals,  had  acquired  so  great  a  reputa- 
tion that  the  city  authorities  gave  him  a  commission  about  1439 
to  decorate  the  chief  door  of  San  Giovanni  with  bronzes  repre- 
senting scenes  or  histories  from  the  Old  Testament.  The  door 
when  finished  met  with  unbounded  praise  from  all  quarters. 
When  Michael  Angelo  was  asked  what  he  thought  of  it  he  said, 
"  They  are  so  beautiful  that  they  might  fittingly  stand  at  the 
gates  of  Paradise !  "  This  artist  put  his  own  portrait  as  well  as 
that  of  his  father  on  one  part  of  the  decorations  of  the  border  of 
the  door.  Lorenzo  had  shown  his  genius  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
when  he  won  the  prize  for  which  the  first  artists  competed — 
namely,  a  bronze  representing  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac  by  his  father 
Abraham.  Other  bronzes  representing  separate  subjects  followed. 
For  this  great  work  he  was  liberally  paid,  and  its  admirable 
execution  ltd  to  many  lucrative  commissions  of  a  like  kind. 


Chap,  xv.]         THE    SACRED    PAINTERS   AND    COMPOSERS.  481 

THE    OLDEST    PAINTERS    AND   THEIR    PERSPECTIVE    (uCCELLO,    1472). 

The  older  class  of  mediaeval  painters  of  sacred  subjects  often 
showed  great  ignorance  of  perspective.  One  memorable  instance 
was  that  of  Paolo  Uccello,  who  died  in  1472,  and  who  had  acquired 
great  reputation  for  his  pictures.  Hi>  last  great  commission  was 
one  to  paint  St.  Thomas  searching  for  the  wound  in  the  side  of 
Christ ;  and  the  painting  was  to  be  above  the  door  of  the  church 
in  the  Mercato  Veichio  in  Florence,  dedicated  to  that  saint. 
Paolo  was  proud  of  this  commission,  and  told  his  friends  that  he 
would  lay  out  all  his  strength  on  this  picture,  and  display  the 
fruit  of  his  experience  and  insight  in  its  design.  His  first  step 
was  to  erect  a  close  inclosure  of  planks  all  round  the  wall,  so  as 
to  keep  off  the  prying  and  curious.  He  had  been  working  some 
time  in  secret  when  another  artist,  Dona  to,  met  him  in  the  street 
and  asked  what  sort  of  work  this  was  that  he  was  so  closely 
engaged  upon.  Paolo  said,  with  some  sell-satisfaction,  that 
Donato  would  see  it  in  due  time.  Some  time  later  the  same 
Donato  accidentally  passed  and  saw  Paolo  Uccello  uncovering  this 
masterpiece,  and  after  a  courteous  salutation  Paolo  was  eager  to 
know  what  his  brother  artist  would  say  to  it.  Donato  looked 
very  minutely  at  it,  and  then  said.  "  Why,  Paolo,  you  are  tin- 
covering  your  picture  just  at  the  time  you  should  be  shutting  it 
up  from  the  public  view."  These  words  -tabbed  the  painter  to 
the  heart ;  for  on  certain  things  being  pointed  out  by  the  critic, 
he  saw  he  had  made  a  grievous  mistake,  and  that  the  public 
would  cover  him  with  derision  instead  of  applause.  This  fate  he 
could  not  face,  and  from  that  time  he  shut  himself  up  in  his 
house  so  as  to  study  once  more  the  laws  of  perspective.  And 
Vasari  says  this  picture  killed  him,  for  the  faults  in  it  weighed 
on  his  spirits,  which  he  never  recovered.  The  painting  has  dis- 
appeared in  modern  times. 

THE    MONKS    OVER-FEEDING    THEIR    ARTIST    WITH    CHEESE 
( UCCELLO,    1472). 

The  painter  Paolo  Uccello  was  engaged  by  the  monks  of  San 
Miniato,  near  Florence,  to  paint  the  lives  of  the  Holy  Fathers  in 
one  of  their  cloisters.  The  work  was  to  be  partly  coloured  and 
principally  in  terra  verde,  and  it  is  said  he  rather  misplaced 
his  colours,  making  his  fields  blue,  his  cities  red,  and  the  buildings 
all  colours.  While  he  was  engaged  in  this  work  the  abbot  gave 
him  scarcely  anything  to  eat  but  cheese,  of  which  the  painter 
grew  so  speedily  sick.  that,  being  of  a  timid  nature,  he  went  off 

01 


482  CURIOSITIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

clandestinely  and  did  not  return,  and  he  gave  no  explanation. 
The  abbot  and  the  monks  sent  to  him,  to  ask  why  he  did  not 
return ;  but  he  gave  no  answer,  and  if  he  met  them  in  the  street 
he  made  off  as  fast  as  he  could  in  another  direction.  At  last  one 
of  the  monks  determined  to  solve  the  mystery,  waylaid  him,  got 
speech  of  him,  and  put  the  same  unanswered  question.  Paolo 
replied,  "  You  have  so  murdered  me,  that  I  not  only  run  away 
from  you,  but  dare  not  stop  near  the  shop  of  a  carpenter  or  even 
pass  by  one.  And  all  this  comes  of  your  abbot's  mismanagement ; 
for,  what  with  his  cheese  pies  and  his  cheese  soup,  he  has  made 
me  swallow  such  a  mountain  of  cheese  that  I  am  all  turned  into 
cheese  myself,  and  I  tremble  lest  the  carpenters  rush  out,  seize, 
and  put  me  into  their  glue-pot.  I  am  quite  sure  that  if  I  had 
stayed  with  you  longer  I  should  have  been  no  more  Paolo,  but 
mere  cheese."  When  the  monk  told  the  other  monks  this  story, 
they  roared  with  laughter  and  begged  their  abbot  to  persuade  the 
painter  to  return,  and  then  to  feed  him  well  on  other  delicacies. 

A    CLUMSY    CRUCIFIX    BEFORE    THE    DYING    ARTIST    (GROSSO,    1488). 

Nanni  Grosso  was  a  sculptor  at  Florence  about  1488.  One  of 
his  invariable  rules  was,  that  he  would  never  execute  any  work 
in  a  convent  unless  the  monks  left  the  door  of  the  wine  cellar 
open,  so  that  he  coidd  go  in  and  take  a  drink  when  he  pleased 
without  asking  their  leave.  When  Nanni  was  on  his  deathbed 
in  the  hospital  of  Santa  Marina  Nuova,  the  nurses  placed  a 
wooden  crucifix  before  him  which  was  clumsy  and  ill  executed. 
He  implored  them  to  take  it  out  of  his  sight  and  bring  him  one 
by  Donato,  declaring  that  if  they  did  not  take  that  one  from 
before  him  he  should  die  in  despair,  so  greatly  did  the  sight  of 
ill-executed  works  of  art  excite  him. 

A    POOR    ARTIST    KILLED    BY    A    SIGHT    OF    GOLD    (1513). 

Pinturicchio,  a  painter  of  Perugia,  who  had  painted  and 
decorated  many  churches,  but  without  ever  securing  great  profit 
to  himself,  was  in  his  old  days  engaged  to  paint  a  picture  of  the 
Virgin  at  the  convent  of  San  Francesco,  in  Siena,  and  a  room 
was  appropriated  to  his  use  by  the  monks  and  given  up  to  him 
entirely.  They  took  away  all  the  furniture  so  as  to  give  him 
space,  leaving  nothing  but  a  very  massive  old  chest  which  was 
too  heavy  to  be  removed.  The  painter  being  arbitrary  and 
domineering,  soon  made  such  a  clamour  about  this  chest  being  in 
his  way,  and  he  so  worried  the  poor  monks,  that  in  their  despera- 


Chap,  xv.]         THE   SACRED    PAINTERS    AND    COMPOSERS.  483 

tion  they  resolved  to  remove  it  rather  than  be  any  longer  abused. 
So  they  dragged  it  out  a  little  with  immense  difficulty,  but  in 
straining  it  one  of  its  sides  gave  way  and  a  sum  of  five  hundred 
golden  ducats  tumbled  out,  which  seemed  so  vast  a  collection  of 
valuable  material  to  our  artist,  and  he  was  so  transfixed  with 
horror  and  remorse  as  he  thought  of  his  inconceivable  folly  in 
having  thrown  all  this  fortune,  as  it  were,  away,  that  he  took  to 
his  bed  and  never  rallied,  dying  shortly  afterwards  of  a  broken 
heart. 

AN    ARTIST   DECEIVING    THE    BIRDS    AM)    BEASTS  (mONSIGNOBI,  1519). 

Francesco  Monsignori  of  Verona  had  attained  the  highest  repu- 
tation as  a  painter.  In  one  picture  he  had  to  paint  a  beautiful 
dog  as  part  of  a  group  ;  and  one  day  a  friend  calling  with  a  living 
dog,  the  latter  rushed  furiously  to  the  painting  to  attack  the 
painted  dog.  In  another  work  of  the  same  artist,  a  picture  of 
the  Virgin  and  the  Infant  Christ,  the  Divine  Child  was  repre- 
sented as  visible  from  the  shoulder  upwards  only,  and  having 
one  arm  extended  in  the  act  of  caressing  the  Virgin  mother. 
One  day  Count  Ludovico,  having  heard  of  this  painting  and  being 
anxious  to  see  it,  brought  his  wife  and  son  with  him,  and  the  boy 
had  a  green  bird,  called  in  Verona  a  terrazzani,  perched  on  his 
wrist  like  a  falcon.  The  moment  they  entered  the  room  the 
bird,  seeing  the  extended  arm  of  the  Infant  Christ  in  the  picture, 
dew  towards  it,  intending  to  perch  upon  it.  The  bird  fell  to 
the  ground,  but  immediately  rose  again,  and  tried  to  perch  exactly 
as  if  it  were  a  child  on  whose  wrist  such  a  bird  is  accustomed 
thus  to  sit.  The  nobles,  amazed  at  this,  were  inclined  to  offer 
any  price  for  such  a  picture,  but  the  artist  could  not  be  prevailed 
upon  to  part  with  it.  A  pupil  of  the  same  painter,  named 
C4irolamo,  painted  a  Madonna  sitting  underneath  a  tree,  which 
was  put  in  a  church  near  Verona,  and  the  wild  birds  that  some- 
times found  their  way  inside  us,  d  often  to  fly  against  the  picture, 
intending  to  alight  on  the  branches  of  this  tree.  And  this 
circumstance  made  the  picture  famous  to  all  the  neighbourhood. 

FINDING    A    MODEL    FOR    A    MARTYRED    SAINT    (MONSIGNORI,    1519). 

Francesco  Monsignori  of  Verona  had  painted  many  sacred 
subjects  with  the  highest  success  lief  ore  he  was  engaged  to  paint 
St.  Sebastian  for  the  Church  of  the  Madonna,  outside  Mantua. 
The  saint  was  shot  to  death  with  arrows.  While  the  painter  was 
at  work  on  the  picture  the  Marquis  of  Mantua  called  and  asked 
him  whether  he  had  got  a  good  model  for  this  difficult  picture     The 


484  CURIOSITIES    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

painter  said  he  had  selected  a  very  beautiful  person  who  was  a 
porter,  and  who  would  no  doubt  allow  himself  to  be  tied  to  the 
stake  and  assume  the  proper  attitudes.  "  That  won't  do,"  said 
the  Marquis ;  "  you  will  not  be  able  to  represent  the  proper  fear 
and  horror  and  resistance  of  the  person  who  is  to  be  murdered., 
Just  inform  me  when  your  model  is  to  sit  again,  and  I  will  show 
you  the  right  thing  to  do."  The  following  day,  when  the  painter 
had  fastened  the  porter  to  the  stake,  and  had  given  secret  notice 
of  it  to  the  Marquis,  the  latter  suddenly  burst  into  the  room  with 
a  cross-bow  and  arrows  in  a  state  of  great  excitement,  and  with 
a  loud  voice  he  rushed  to  the  porter,  exclaiming,  "Traitor  !  you 
are  a  dead  man  !  I  have  caught  you  at  last,  and  I  will  make  an 
end  of  you,"  with  other  horrible  exclamations  of  rage  and  revenge. 
The  poor  unlucky  porter,  believing  that  his  doom  was  near,  made 
the  most  desperate  efforts  to  release  himself,  and  the  excitement 
and  agitation  of  his  countenance  and  limbs,  as  he  was  struggling 
against  his  fate,  supplied  the  painter  with  the  very  attitudes  and 
expression  he  most  desired.  "Now,"  said  the  Marquis,  "he  is 
just  in  the  right  position,  I  will  leave  you  to  do  the  rest."  This 
timely  assistance  enabled  the  painter  to  make  an  admirable 
picture  of  the  martyrdom  of  the  saint. 

a  divine  artist  discovering  one  still  .more  divine 
(francia,  1520). 
Francesco  Francia,  born  in  1450,  began  as  a  goldsmith  and 
designer  at  Bologna,  but  felt  he  could  be  a  painter,  and  his  pictures 
when  he  attempted  them  soon  brought  him  wealth  and  fame,  for 
his  Madonnas  and  Christs  and  angels  and  saints  were  exquisite. 
When  he  was  at  the  height  of  fame,  he  had  been  constantly  told 
of  the  glories  of  Raphael,  who  was  then  working  at  Rome,  so  that 
he  longed  to  see  some  of  these  much -applauded  masterpieces.  It 
happened  that  Raphael  had  been  commissioned  to  execute  a 
picture  of  St.  Cecilia,  which  was  to  be  forwarded  to  Bologna  on 
its  way  to  the  chapel  of  San  Giovanni  in  Monte.  Raphael,  on 
forwarding  it,  sent  a  polite  and  friendly  letter,  asking  Francia  to 
look  after  it,  and  remove  any  scratches  it  might  have  received, 
and  make  any  alterations  which  his  skill  might  suggest.  This 
pleased  Francia,  who  had  the  picture  at  once  taken  out  of  its 
case  and  put  in  a  clear  light,  that  he  might  critically  examine  it. 
He  was  instantaneously  confounded  and  overwhelmed  with  the 
beauty  and  masterly  execution  of  the  work.  He  at  once  felt 
conscious  of  his  own  foolish  presumption  in  thinking  he  could 
improve  it.     He  was  struck  dumb  with  terror,  and  went  about 


Chap,  xv.]        THE   SACRED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  485 

distracted  and  overweighted  with  grief  at  his  own  shortcomings. 
He  sent  the  picture  on  to  its  destination,  but  its  extreme  and 
unparalleled  beauty  smote  him  to  the  heart.  He  took  to  his 
bed,  never  recovered  his  former  spirits,  and  soon  died  of  grief  and 
vexation  to  think  how  far  short  he  had  been  of  such  excellence. 
Such  is  the  account  given  by  Vasari,  but  it  is  thought  by  some 
authorities  to  have  been  exaggerated. 

LEONARDO    DA    VIXCl's    PICTURE    OF    THE    LAST    SUPPER    (1520). 

When  Leonardo  da  Vinci  painted  the  Last  Supper  about  1497, 
one  of  the  greatest  pictures  of  the  world,  the  subject  had  been 
little  attempted  before,  and  he  gave  the  greatest  care  to  the 
details.  He  used  to  remain  at  his  easel  on  the  scaffold  absorbed 
in  thought  for  whole  days,  often  forgetful  of  bis  meals.  One 
great  difficulty  was  to  satisfy  himself  about  the  proper  head  for 
his  Christ.  He  used  to  say  that,  when  he  attempted  it,  his  hand 
trembled  under  the  excitement  of  discovering  the  most  appropriate 
face  and  expression.  A  friend,  whom  he  consulted  about  the 
difficulty,  comforted  him  by  saying  that,  after  his  heads  of  James 
the  Great  and  James  the  Less,  it  was  beyond  the  power  of  man 
to  give  greater  divinity  and  beauty  to  any  human  figures,  and 
therefore  he  should  leave  the  head  of  Christ  imperfect.  He 
never  could  satisfy  himself  about  leaving  out  or  finishing  this 
cardinal  point.  At  last  he  accepted  a  good  deal  of  the  form 
which  the  Byzantine  painters  had  previously  adopted,  though  he 
also  improved  upon  it.  Leonardo  is  said  to  have  spent  an  inordi- 
nate time  over  this  picture,  and  the  prior  of  the  monastery  at 
Florence  for  whom  it  was  painted  in  fresco  could  never  understand 
why  the  painter  seemed  for  so  many  days  and  weeks  to  be  brooding 
and  contemplating,  and  criticising,  undoing,  and  altering,  without 
finishing  his  work.  The  prior  thought  that,  like  the  day-labourers, 
the  great  painter  ought  to  have  the  brush  constantly  in  his  hand, 
spreading  his  colours  and  making  visible  progress  in  covering  the 
wall.  And  he  grievously  complained  again  and  again,  not  only 
to  the  painter  himself,  but  to  the  duke,  of  all  this  delay;  and  the 
worry  and  importunity  of  this  prior  vexed  and  annoyed  the 
painter,  who,  when  alluding  to  it,  explained  to  the  duke  how 
artists  are  sometimes  producing  most  when  they  seem  to  be 
labouring  least,  their  minds  being  elaborating  the  conceptions 
which  it  Is  so  difficult  to  realise.  He  also  informed  the  duke  that 
there  were  still  wanting  to  him  two  heads,  one  of  which,  that  of 
the  Saviour,  he  could  not  hope  to  find  on  earth,  and  had  not  yet 
attained  the  power  of  presenting  to  himself  even  in  imagination, 


486  CURIOSITIES    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

with  all  that  perfection  of  beauty  and  celestial  grace  which 
appeared  to  him  to  be  demanded.  The  second  head  still  wanting 
was  that  of  Judas  Iscariot,  which  also  caused  him  some  anxiety, 
since  he  did  not  think  it  possible  to  imagine  fitting  features  for 
a  man  who,  after  so  many  benefits  received  from  his  Master,  had 
possessed  a  heart  so  depraved  as  to  be  capable  of  betraying  that 
Master,  the  Lord  and  Creator  of  the  world.  With  regard  to  the 
second,  however,  he  said  he  would  still  pursue  his  search,  and 
after  all,  if  the  worst  came  to  the  worst,  and  if  he  could  find  no 
better,  then  he  would  never  be  at  any  great  loss  so  long  as  he 
had  that  troublesome  and  impertinent  prior's  face  before  him. 
The  duke  laughed  heartily,  and  the  poor  prior  when  informed 
was  so  utterly  confounded  at  the  appalling  destiny  awaiting  him 
that  he  kept  his  peace  for  ever  after.  This  magnificent  master- 
piece of  the  Last  Supper  unfortunately  rapidly  deteriorated  hi 
its  colouring,  owing  to  its  being  painted  in  oils  instead  of  fresco ; 
and  it  has  often  since  been  retouched  and  repaired,  till  it  is  doubtful 
how  much  of  the  original  now  remains,  except  the  composition, 
design,  and  grouping,  which  make  the  picture  imperishable.  The 
refectory  of  the  convent  in  which  the  picture  was  painted  in 
fresco  was  more  than  once  inundated  with  water,  and  ill  usage 
did  the  rest.  In  1796,  when  Napoleon's  troops  entered  Italy, 
they  turned  the  refectory  into  a  stable,  and  the  men  even 
amused  themselves  with  throwing  bricks  at  the  painted  heads 
of  the  Apostles.  Fortunately  the  original  work  in  its  beauty  was 
well  copied  in  1510,  and  this  copy,  after  changing  hands,  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  Tloyal  Academy  in  London,  who  now  posses- 
it.  Other  copies  were  painted  by  the  same  artist  about  the  same 
time.  This  picture  is  the  best  known  and  most  famous  in 
Christian  ai't.  We  find  it  alike  in  rich  men's  palaces  and  poor 
men's  cottages,  in  splendid  mosaic  and  in  coarse  woodcut,  on 
altarpieces  and  in  all  kinds  of  collections.  On  Christ's  right 
hand  are  in  then-  order  John,  Judas,  Peter,  Andrew,  James  the 
Less,  and  Bartholomew.  On  Christ's  left  hand  in  their  order 
are  James  the  Great  (who  sits  next  to  Christ),  Thomas,  Philip, 
Matthew,  Thaddeus,  and  Simon.  Leonardo's  other  sacred  pieces, 
his  Virgins  and  Holy  Families,  are  all  of  exquisite  beauty.  A 
noble  statue  was  erected  to  the  memory  of  this  great  painter  at 
Milan  in  1872.  The  painter  had  a  peculiarity  of  writing  his  chief 
documents  backwards  from  right  to  left,  so  that  they  required 
to  be  read  by  the  aid  of  a  looking-glass.  He  is  supposed  to  have 
done  this  to  prevent  the  curious  too  easily  acquiring  knowledge 
of  his  studies  for  pictures. 


Chap,  xv.]        THE    SACRED    PAINTERS    AND   COMPOSERS.  487 

Raphael's  picture  of  the  procession  to  calvary  (1520). 

Raphael  painted  his  famous  picture  of  the  Procession  to  Calvary. 
called  "L<>  Spasimo  di  Sicilia,"  for  a  Sicilian  church  at  Palermo. 
In  1217,  on  its  being  finished,  it  was  packed  and  taken  on  board 
a  ship  at  Ostia  hound  for  Palermo.  A  storm  arose,  the  vessel 
foundered  at  sea,  and  all  was  lost  except  the  package  containing 
this  picture,  which  was  floated  by  the  currents  into  the  Bay  of 
Genoa,  and  on  being  landed  the  wondrous  masterpiece  of  art  was 
taken  out  unhurt.  The  Genoese  at  first  refused  to  give  it  up. 
insisting  that  it  bad  been  preserved  and  floated  to  their  shores  by 
the  miraculous  interposition  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  herself,  and  it 
required  a  positive  mandate  from  the  Pope  to  represent  it  as  a 
work  done  by  contract. 

the  divine  Raphael's  madonna  di  san  sisto. 
The  Benedictines  of  St.  Sixtus  at  Placentia  asked  Raphael  to 
paint  the  Madonna  with  the  Child,  St.  Sixtus  and  St.  Barbara. 
It  was  the  last  Madonna  he  painted;  and,  as  if  he  had  foreseen 
his  approaching  end,  he  made  the  picture  one  of  surpassing 
beauty.  In  the  midst  of  an  immense  and  profound  glory  filled 
with  cherubim  heads,  says  Passavant.  the  Virgin  is  standing 
holding  in  her  arms  the  Infant  Jesus.  Her  feet  scarcely  touch 
the  cloud  which  bears  her;  she  stands  out  from  the  mystery).' 
the  heavens,  and  appears  in  her  sweet  and  majestic  grandeur. 
Beneath  her  St.  Sixtus  on  the  left  and  St.  Barbara  on  the  right 
are  kneeling  in  adoration.  Two  little  angels  of  celestial  beauty 
lean  on  a  cornice  at  the  bottom,  with  a  charming  look  of  intelli- 
gence. The  features  of  the  Virgin,  whose  triumphant  majesty 
is  unequalled,  wear  an  expression  of  nobleness,  innocence,  sweet- 
ness, and  modesty;  her  Son,  whose  attitude  is  simple  and  child- 
like, bears  in  His  whole  countenance  a  Divine  character,  and  His 
penetrating  glance  goes  straight  to  the  heart.  It  is  no  longer 
the  graceful,  smiling  Child  of  the  other  Madonnas,  but  the  Son  of 
God,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  who  at  the  last  day  will  become 
the  Sovereign  Judge.  Wonderful  power  of  art !  In  that  little 
head,  so  calm,  so  sweet,  and  yet  so  severe,  reside  both  the  flame 
of  the  purest  poetry  and  all  the  depth  of  Christian  faith.  The 
Madonna  di  San  Sisto  is  indeed  rendered  Divine  by  the  genius  of 
the  most  ideal  artist  that  God  has  ever  created;  and  it  is  the 
work  that  contribxxted  most  to  procure  Raphael  the  surname  of 
"  the  Divine."     Even  in  its  technical  part  it  does  not  resemble 


488  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

any  of  the  other  works  of  Raphael ;  although  its  execution  is  of 
extreme  simplicity,  it  has  none  of  that  art  which  is  only  formed 
for  delighting  the  eye.  All  in  it  is  seen  by  the  light  of  enthu- 
siasm, and  but  for  the  little  angels  at  the  bottom  painted  as 
an  after-thought  on  the  clouds,  we  should  scarcely  see  a  trace  of 
human  hands  in  the  picture.  The  picture  is  now  in  Dresden, 
and  has  excited  admiration  and  the  greatest  veneration  for  three 
centuries. 

Raphael's  cartoons. 

Raphael  was  commissioned  by  the  Pope  to  paint  cartoons  for 
certain  pieces  of  tapestry  to  be  made  in  Flanders.  The  artist 
was  fired  with  a  desire  to  rival  Michael  Angelo's,  and  he  looked 
forward  to  these  compositions  being  copied  in  fabrics  of  wool  or 
silk  and  gold,  which  might  be  hung  up  before  the  wainscoting  on 
high  festivals,  according  to  the  customs  of  the  Byzantines  and 
Romans.  The  ten  pieces  of  tapestry  were  afterwards  made  with 
great  magnificence  and  perfection,  and  arrived  from  Flanders  at 
Rome  in  1519,  only  a  few  months  before  Raphael's  death,  and 
hung  up  in  St.  Peter's.  He  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  this 
work  crowned  with  complete  success.  Vasari  says  that  these 
tapestries  seem  rather  to  have  been  performed  by  miracle  than 
by  the  aid  of  man.  The  choice  of  subjects  was  prescribed  to 
Raphael.  The  cartoons  were  sent  to  Arras  and  copied  in 
tapestry.  After  being  hung  up  in  the  Sistine  chapel,  the 
tapestries  were  pillaged  by  the  troops  of  Charles  V.  in  1527,  and 
carried  off  as  spoils  of  war,  and  were  sold  at  Lyons.  In  1555 
they  were  restored  to  the  Pope.  They  were  again  stolen  in  the 
Revolution  of  1789,  and  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Jews,  who 
at  one  time  thought  of  burning  them  for  the  sake  of  the  gold 
worked  up  in  the  fabric.  In  1808,  however,  the  Pope  again 
possessed  them,  and  they  are  now  in  the  Vatican.  As  to  the 
cartoons  from  which  the  tapestries  were  copied,  these  lay  neg- 
lected in  the  manufactory  at  Arras  till  1630.  Rubens,  having 
seen  them  there,  described  them  to  Charles  I.,  who  bought  them 
for  Whitehall  Palace.  At  his  death  they  were  sold  by  auction, 
and  Cromwell  bought  them  for  =£300  for  the  nation.  Charles  II. 
was  once  on  the  point  of  selling  them,  but  was  persuaded  not  to 
do  so.  The  cartoons  were  all  riddled  with  needle  prickings,  and 
intersected  by  narrow  bands,  but  William  III.  had  them  cleaned 
and  put  up  at  Hampton  Court  Palace.  They  are  now  kept  at 
South  Kensington  Museum.  They  are  drawn  with  chalk  and 
coloured  in  distemper. 


•Chap,  xv.]         THE    SACRED   PAINTERS    AND   COMPOSERS.  489 


A    DIVIXE    MASTERS    LAST   MASTERPIECE. 

Vasari,  a  contemporary  and  biographer  of  Raphael,  says  that 
the  painter  worked  indefatigably  at  his  picture  of  the  Trans- 
figuration of  the  Saviour  which  was  destined  for  France.  The 
Saviour  is  depicted  on  Mount  Tabor,  with  eleven  disciples  await- 
ing Him  at  the  foot.  Meanwhile,  a  youth  possessed  of  a  spirit  is 
brought  to  be  healed,  and  he  is  shown  writhing  with  contortions 
caused  by  the  malignant  spirit.  An  old  man,  with  a  face  of 
apprehension  and  open  eyes,  watches  the  Apostles,  as  if  anxious 
to  know  if  there  was  hope.  One  woman,  a  principal  figure, 
kneeling  and  pointing  to  these  two,  shows  their  misery.  The 
Apostles  look  on  full  of  compassion.  In  this  work  the  master 
has  produced  figures  and  heads  of  unrivalled  beauty,  which  has 
stamped  him  as  the  most  excellent  and  Divine  of  all  artists. 
Whoever  shall  desire  to  see  in  what  manner  Christ,  transformed 
into  the  Godhead,  should  be  represented,  let  him  go  and  behold 
it  in  this  picture.  The  Saviour  is  shown  floating  over  the  mount 
in  clear  air ;  the  figure,  foreshortened,  is  between  those  of  Moses 
and  Elias,  who,  illumined  by  His  radiance,  awaken  into  life 
beneath  the  splendour  of  the  light.  Prostrate  on  the  earth  are 
Peter,  James,  and  John,  in  attitudes  of  great  and  varied  beauty : 
one  has  his  head  bent  entirely  to  the  ground ;  another  defends 
himself  with  his  hands  froni  the  brightness  of  that  immense  light 
which  proceeds  from  the  splendour  of  Christ,  who  is  clothed  in 
vestments  of  snowy  whiteness,  His  arms  thrown  open  and  the 
head  raised  towards  heaven,  while  the  essence  and  Godhead  of 
all  the  three  persons  united  in  Himself  are  made  apparent  in 
their  utmost  perfection  by  the  Divine  art  of  Raphael.  But  as  if 
that  sublime  genius  had  gathered  all  the  force  of  his  powers  into 
•one  effort,  whereby  the  glory  and  the  majesty  of  art  should  be 
made  manifest  in  the  countenance  of  Christ,  having  completed 
that  as  one  who  had  finished  the  great  work  which  he  had  to 
accomplish,  he  touched  the  pencils  no  more,  being  shortly  after- 
wards overtaken  with  death  from  a  fever  in  1520,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-seven. 

Raphael's  picture  of  st.  cecilia. 

A  noble  lady  in  1513  built  a  chapel  near  Bologna  to  St.  Cecilia, 
and  Raphael  was  asked  to  paint  an  altarpiece.  Passavant  thus 
describes  the  work  :  "  It  was  in  one  of  his  inspired  moments  that 
the  master  composed  this  exquisite  painting.  Everything  in  it 
speaks  of  faith  and   zeal.     All  the  noble  countenances  bear  the 


490  CURIOSITIES    OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

Divine  stamp,  and  yet  whatever  may  be  the  exultation  of  their 
souls,  their  attitudes  are  full  of  the  calmest  majesty.  St.  Paul 
leaning  on  a  naked  sword  represents  knowledge  and  wisdom, 
whilst  on  the  other  side  St.  John  shows  the  full  blessing  of  Divine 
love.  Mary  Magdalene,  holding  a  vase  of  perfumes,  is  opposite  to 
St.  Paul,  as  if  to  indicate  that,  if  the  repentance  of  the  apostle 
and  his  unwearied  activity  in  the  Church  obtained  forgiveness  for 
him  for  his  former  sins,  she  also  had  been  forgiven  much  because 
she  had  loved  much.  And  as  St.  Paul,  converted  through  a  vision, 
is  by  the  side  of  the  living  St.  John,  so  St.  Augustine,  also  converted 
to  the  faith  of  Christ,  is  by  the  side  of  the  Magdalene.  Sur- 
rounded by  these  great  and  touching  figures  St.  Cecilia  is  standing, 
radiant  with  ecstasy,  listening  to  the  Divine  harmonies  sung  by 
the  angels  in  heaven.  The  earthly  organ  falls  from  her  hands, 
she  trembles  with  holy  enthusiasm,  and  her  soul  seems  longing 
to  fly  away  to  the  heavenly  country.  The  beauty  of  the  style 
and  the  depth  of  expression  are  not  the  only  things  that  render 
this  a  masterpiece,  but  the  combination  of  these  with  harmony, 
richness,  and  powerful  colouring.  The  colouring  responds  to  the 
poetry  of  the  subject ;  it  carries  us  into  an  ethereal  and  mysterious 
atmosphere.  No  colourist  has  ever  equalled  this  splendour,  which 
we  call  almost  Divine.  Titian's  '  Assumption  '  excites  feelings 
of  joy  fulness,  Correggio's  '  St.  Jerome '  a  gentle  emotion,,  but 
Raphael's  '  St.  Cecilia '  brings  us  nearer  to  heaven."  It  was  this 
picture  that  killed  Francia  with  mortification  and  self-humilia- 
tion. All  Bologna  was  enthusiastic  at  the  sight  of  so  Divine  a 
work.     The  picture  still  remains  at  Bologna. 

THE    INQUISITION    ON    SACRED   ART    (1522). 

Iii  1522  Torrigiano,  a  Florentine  sculptor,  the  same  who,  when 
a  student  and  rival,  had  an  altercation  with  Michael  Angelo  and 
broke  his  nose,  received  an  order  from  a  Spanish  grandee,  the  Duke 
of  Arcos,  to  carve  a  Madonna  and  Child  of  the  natural  size,  for 
which  he  was  told  he  would  be  well  paid.  The  artist  thereupon  put 
forth  all  his  skill,  which  was  admitted  to  be  great,  and  completed  a 
matchless  sculpture,  which  the  purchaser  was  delighted  with,  and 
sent  two  servants  carrying  large  bags  of  money  wherewith  to  pay 
the  sculptor  and  fetch  away  the  gem.  The  latter,  well  pleased  at 
the  liberal  payment,  was  equally  delighted  in  turn  ;  but  on  opening 
the  bags,  to  his  intense  disgust  he  found  that  they  were  full  of 
copper  farthings,  which  amounted  only  to  a  beggarly  total  of 
thirty  ducats  (=£13).  Enraged  at  this  meanness,  he  snatched  a 
mallet,  and  regardless  of   the  sacred  character  of  the  image,  he 


Chap,  xv.]        THE    .SACKED    PAINTERS   AND    COMPOSERS.  491 

followed  to  the  spot  where  the  sculpture  stood,  and  with  one  blow- 
he  shivered  it  to  atoms,  and  then  told  the  lacqueys  to  take  back 
their  load  of  farthings  to  their  master.  This  sacrilegious  act  the 
enraged  grandee  represented  at  once  to  the  Holy"  Inquisition, 
before  which  tribunal  the  irascible  artist  was  cited  for  heresy. 
He  urged  that  he  was  entitled,  as  an  author,  to  do  what  he  liked 
with  his  own  creation.  But  not  so  thought  the  demon  judges, 
who  with  little  hesitation  decreed  death  with  torture.  The  culprit 
died  in  prison  before  the  day  of  sentence  arrived,  whether  from 
excitement  or  refusing  his  food  was  never  ascertained. 

PAINTING    THE    LUMINOUS    FACE    OF    CHRIST    (cORREOGIO,    1534). 

Vasari  says  that  there  was  in  his  time  (1540),  in  the  city  of 
Eeggio  (and  now  it  is  a  gem  in  the  gallery  at  Dresden),  a  picture 
by  Correggio  of  the  "  Birth  of  Christ.''  In  this  work  fche  light 
proceeding  from  the  presence  of  the  Divine  Child  throw.-  its 
splendour  on  the  shepherds,  and  around  all  the  figures  who  are 
contemplating  the  Infant.  Many  other  beautiful  effects  are  made 
manifest  by  the  artist  in  this  picture.  Among  others  is  one 
expressed  by  the  figure  of  a  woman,  who,  desiring  to  look  fixedly 
at  the  Saviour,  is  not  able  with  her  mortal  sight  to  endure  the 
glory  of  His  Divinity,  which  appears  to  cast  its  rays  full  on  the 
figure.  She  is  therefore  shading  her  eyes  with  her  hand.  All 
this  is  admirably  and  wonderfully  expressed.  Over  the  cabin 
where  the  Divine  Child  is  laid  there  hovers  a  choir  of  angels 
singing,  and  so  exquisitely  painted  that  they  seem  to  lane  come 
direct  from  heaven,  rather  than  from  the  hand  of  the  painter. 
In  the  same  city  (now  in  the  Palace  at  Madrid)  there  was  a 
small  picture,  also  by  Correggio,  not  more  than  a  foot  high,  and 
one  of  the  most  extraordinary  and  beautiful  of  all  his  works. 
The  figures  are  small,  the  subject  "  Christ  in  the  Garden,"  the 
time  night  ;  and  the  angel  appearing  to  the  Saviour  illumines  His 
person  with  the  splendour  of  his  coming,  an  effect  unapproachable 
for  beauty.  (Other  critics  say  the  disposition  of  the  light  in  this 
picture  is  poetical  and  Divine.)  On  a  plain  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  are  seen  the  three  apostles  lying  asleep.  The  shadow 
of  the  eminence  on  which  the  Saviour  is  in  prayer  falls  over  those 
figures,  imparting  to  them  a  degree  of  force  not  to  be  described 
in  words.  In  the  farther  distance  is  a  tract  of  country  over  which 
the  day  is  just  breaking,  and  from  one  side  approaches  Judas  with 
soldiers.  Vasari  says  that  for  beauty,  depth  of  thought,  and  exe- 
cution no  work  can  equal  this.  It  is  said  that  Correggio  gave 
this  gem  to  pay  an  apothecary's  bill  of  thirty  shillings  then  due. 


492  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

THE   MONKS   ASSISTING   ARTISTS   WITH   THEIR    PRAYERS    (1560). 

Queen  Isabella  of  the  Peace,  about  1560.  in  order  to  please  the 
Franciscans,  to  which  order  her  confessor  belonged,  ordered  a 
statue  of  the  Virgin  to  be  executed  for  a  gift  to  them,  and  the 
best  sculptor  in  Spain  was  to  receive  the  commission.  Becerra 
was  chosen ;  but  after  a  year's  work  the  Queen  was  not  pleased, 
and  the  image  was  rejected.  The  next  attempt  was  better,  and 
it  pleased  the  friars,  who  said  it  was  worthy  of  Michael  Angelo  ; 
but  the  Queen  again  rejected  it.  The  Franciscans  thereupon 
betook  themselves  to  redoubled  Masses  and  fasting,  and  the  poor 
artist  racked  his  memory  and  imagination  for  ideas  of  angelic 
grace  and  Divine  beauty.  Sitting  one  night  in  his  studio,  after 
much  anxious  thought,  he  fell  into  a  slumber,  and  was  aroused  by 
;an  unknown  voice  saying  to  him,  "  Awake  and  arise,  and  out  of 
that  log  of  wood  blazing  on  the  hearth  shape  the  thought  within 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  obtain  the  desired  image."  He  immediately 
arose,  plucked  the  log  from  the  lire  and  fell  to  work  upon  it,  and 
it  proved  to  be  an  excellent  piece  of  timber,  and  in  time  it  grew 
under  bis  hands  into  a  miracle  of  art,  and  became  the  portentous 
image  of  Our  Lady  of  Solitude,  which  is  to  this  day  had  in  rever- 
ence, and  in  which  are  expressed  beauty,  grief,  love,  tenderness, 
•constancy,  and  resignation.  Tbe  Queen  at  last  acknowledged  the 
carving  was  to  her  mind.  The  Virgin  was  dressed  in  sable  garb 
and  placed  in  the  convent  of  the  Minim  Fathers  at  Madrid,  and 
became  renowned  for  her  miraculous  powers.  Another  artist, 
named  Joannes,  was  engaged  by  the  friars  to  paint  the  Virgin, 
and  his  first  sketches  were  unsuccessful ;  but  he  and  his  employers 
betook  themselves  to  religious  exercises,  and  many  holy  men  joined 
them  in  their  prayers,  Every  day  the  artist  confessed  and  com- 
municated before  commencing  his  labours.  At  last  his  piety  and 
perseverance  overcame  all  difficulties.  It  was  acknowledged  to  be 
of  great  excellence,  and  amongst  the  friars  it  was  soon  famous  for 
its  miraculous  powers. 

MICHAEL    ANGELO,    PAINTER    AND    SCULPTOR    (1564). 

Michael  Angelo,  who  was  equally  celebrated  as  a  painter  and 
sculptor  of  the  first  class,  as  well  as  architect,  was  born  in  1475. 
His  Madonnas  and  Holy  Families  and  Christs  are  all  admirable. 
In  1507  he  began  frescoes,  and  afterwards  paintings  for  the 
Sistine  Chapel  and  Pauline  Chapel  at  Rome.  In  1547  he  was 
appointed  architect  to  St.  Peter's  at  Rome,  and  at  his  death  in 
1564  was  succeeded   in  the  latter  office  by  Raphael.     Michael 


Chap,  xv.]        THE    SACRED    PAINTERS    AND    COMPOSERS.  493 

Angelo  was  a  man  of  spare  figure  and  extraordinary  activity. 
When  he  was  at  work  he  was  satisfied  with  a  scrap  of  bread  and 
a  drop  of  wine,  which  he  took  without  breaking  off  the  busfru  ss 
in  hand.  He  lived  in  this  frugal  way  up  to  the  time  when  he 
began  his  last  pictures  in  the  Sistine  Chapel  at  Rome.  He  was 
then  old,  and  allowed  himself  only  a  simple  meal  at  the  end  of 
the  day.  He  used  sometimes  to  remain  for  whole  months  absorbed 
in  meditation,  without  touching  a  brush  or  chisel ;  then,  when  he 
had  elaborated  his  composition,  he  set  to  work  as  if  inspired  bj 
a  fury.  Vasari  says  his  imagination  was  so  lofty  that  his  hand- 
could  not  express  his  sublime  thoughts.  Generally  he  used  to 
put  an  idea  hurriedly  on  paper,  then  take  up  each  detail,  and 
finish  it  as  he  proceeded.  He  would  sometimes  draw  the  same 
head  ten  or  twelve  times  over  before  he  was  satistied  with  it. 
He  took  very  little  sleep,  and  used  often  to  get  up  in  the  night  to 
work  out  a  suddi  o  fancy.  He  used  to  wear  a  sort  of  cardboard 
helmet,  which  he  contrived  so  as  to  hold  a  light,  and  thus  the 
part  on  which  he  worked  was  illumined  without  his  hands  being 
encumbered.  He  had  a  round  head,  high  temples,  a  broad,  square 
forehead,  with  seven  lines  straight  across  it.  and  a  nose  disfigured 
by  a  blow  from  the  fist  of  Torrigiano,  who.  being  jealous  of  him  as 
a  student,  picked  a  quarrel  with  him,  and  thereby  left  this  mark. 

THE    GREAT    SCULPTORS    MASTERPIECES    (MICHAEL    ANGELO,    1564). 

Vasari,  a  contemporary  of  Michael  Angelo.  says  of  his  Pieta. 
a  marble  figure  of  the  Virgin  (now  in  the  chapel  of  Santa  Maria 
della  Febbre  at  Rome),  that  no  sculptor,  however  distinguished  an 
artist,  could  add  a  single  grace  or  improve  it  by  whatever  pains 
he  might  take,  whether  in  elegance  and  delicacy,  or  force,  or 
careful  execution,  nor  could  any  surpass  the  art  which  the 
sculptor  has  here  exhibited.  In  like  manner  the  marble  figure  of 
his  dead  Christ  exhibits  the  very  perfection  of  faithful  execution 
in  every  muscle,  vein,  and  nerve.  There  was  besides  a  mo-- 
exquisite  expression  in  the  countenance,  and  the  limbs  and  veins- 
and  pulses  are  admirably  arranged.  The  love  and  care  which 
the  sculptor  had  given  to  this  group  were  such  that  he  there  left 
his  name — a  thing  he  never  did  again  for  any  work — on  the 
cincture  winch  girdles  the  robe  of  Our  Lady.  The  reason  of  this 
was,  that  one  clay  he  entered  the  chapel  and  heard  a  group  of 
strangers  praising  it  highly,  and  when  one  asked  the  other  who 
was  the  artist,  it  was  attributed  at  once  to  a  person  called  the 
Hunchback  of  Milan.  The  real  artist  remained  silent,  but  one 
night  soon  after  he  repaired  to  the  chapel  with  a  light  and  chisel. 


494  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

and  engraved  his  name  on  the  figure  of  the  Madonna,  whose 
■"beauty  and  goodness,  piety  and  grief,  dead  in  the  living  marble," 
are  so  well  spoken  of  by  the  poet.  This  work  brought  Michael 
Angelo  great  fame.  Certain  stupid  people  did  indeed  affirm  at 
the  time  that  he  has  made  Our  Lady  too  young,  but  that  is 
because  they  fail  to  perceive  the  fact  that  unspotted  maidens  long 
preserve  the  youthfulness  of  their  aspect,  while  persons  afflicted, 
as  Christ  was,  do  the  contrary.  The  youth  of  the  Madonna 
therefore  did  but  add  to  the  credit  of  the  master. 

SATISFYING  A  CRITIC  OF  THE  FAULTLESS  (MICHAEL  ANGELO,  1564). 
Vasari,  the  biographer  and  pupil,  says  that  when  Michael 
Angelo  had  set  up  his  colossal  marble  statue  of  David,  it  chanced 
that  Hoderini,  whom  it  greatly  pleased,  came  to  look  at  it  while 
the  artist  was  giving  a  few  last  touches,  and  told  him  that  he 
thought  the  nose  too  short.  Michael  Angelo  perceived  that  Soderini 
was  in  .such  a  position  beneath  the  figure  that  he  could  not  see 
it  conveniently,  yet  to  satisfy  him  he  mounted  the  scaffold  with 
his  chisel  and  a  little  powder  which  he  had  picked  up  from  the 
floor.  He  then  struck  the  nose  a  few  times  very  gently,  but 
without  altering  anything,  and  took  care  to  let  some  of  the  powder 
fall  down  at  the  same  time,  and  told  the  critic  to  look  at  it  now. 
"  I  like  it  better  now,"  replied  Soderini ;  "  you  have  given  it  life." 
The  sculptor  then  came  down,  not  without  compassion  for  that 
class  of  people  who  desire  to  appear  good  judges  of  what  they  do 
not  understand.  Vasari  says  he  may  truly  affirm  that  this  sur- 
passes all  others,  whether  ancient  or  modern,  Greek  or  Latin ; 
neither  the  Marforio  at  Rome,  the  Tiber  and  the  Nile  in  the 
Belvedere,  nor  the  giants  of  Monte  Cavallo  can  be  compared  to 
such  a  model  of  beauty  and  excellence.  The  outline  of  the  lower 
limbs  is  most  exquisite.  The  connection  of  each  limb  with  the 
body  is  faultless,  and  the  spirit  of  the  whole  form  is  divine. 
Never  since  has  there  been  produced  so  fine  an  attitude,  so  perfect 
a  grace,  such  beauty  of  head,  feet,  and  hands ;  every  part  is 
replete  with  excellence ;  nor  is  so  much  harmony  and  admirable 
art  to  be  found  in  any  other  work.  He  that  has  seen  this,  there- 
fore, need  not  care  to  see  any  production  else,  whether  of  that 
age  or  of  any  preceding  it. 

MICHAEL    ANGELO'S    LAST   JUDGMENT    (1564). 

Michael  Angelo  when  commissioned  by  the  Pope  to  finish  the 
paintings  of  the  Sistine  Chapel  executed  two  vast  frescoes  for  the 
<*iids  of  the  chapel,  one  on  "  The  Last  Judgment,"  and  the  other 


Chap,  xv.]        THE    SACKED    PAINTERS    AND    COMPOSERS.  490 

"The  Fall  of  the  Angels."  ''The  Last  Judgment"  was  begun 
in  1533,  but  was  not  finished  till  1541.  Though  containing  some 
groups  powerfully  painted,  there  were  many  adverse  critics  as  to 
the  general  style  and  some  of  the  details  of  this  performance. 
The  Pope's  master  of  the  ceremonies,  Biagio,  was  very  severe  in 
his  comments,  and  when  asked  by  the  Pope  what  he  thought  of 
this  painting,  the  former  replied  that  he  thought  it  was  a  shame- 
less exhibition  of  naked  figures,  more  fit  for  a  bathing-house  or  a 
beershop  than  a  church.  Michael  Angelo  heard  of  this  criticism, 
and  one  clay  when  alone  he  put  in  a  likeness  of  the  unfortunate 
master  of  ceremonies  among  the  damned  under  a  representation 
of  Minos.  The  resemblance  was  so  striking  that  all  Pome  went 
to  see  it.  Biagio  being  furious  went  and  complained  to  the  Pope, 
who  asked  where  Michael  Angelo  had  put  him  in  the  picture. 
"  In  hell,"  he  replied.  "  Alas  !  "  rejoined  Pope  Paul,  with  a  smile, 
"  if  he  had  only  put  you  in  purgatory,  I  could  have  got  you  out ; 
but  as  you  are  in  hell,  I  can  do  nothing  for  you.  My  power  does 
not  reach  so  far  as  that." 

vargas's  devotion  to  sacred  art  (15G8). 
Vargas  of  Seville  painted  for  the  cathedral  in  1555  a  picture 
of  the  Nativity,  which  still  forms  the  altarpiece  of  the  little  chapel 
dedicated  to  that  event.  The  Virgin  Mother  might  have  been 
sketched  by  the  pure  pencil  of  Raphael.  The  peasant  who  kneels 
at  her  feet  with  his  offering  of  a  basket  of  doves  is  a  study  from 
Nature,  painted  with  much  of  the  force  and  freedom  of  the  later 
masters  of  Seville ;  and  many  of  the  accessories,  such  as  the  head 
of  the  goat  dragged  in  by  the  shepherd  and  the  sheaf  of  corn 
and  pack-saddle,  are  finished  with  Flemish  accuracy.  He  also 
painted  "  Christ  going  to  Calvary,"  and  many  saints  and  martyrs 
and  female  heads  of  much  purity  and  grace.  Vargas  died  in 
1568,  having  been  distinguished  for  his  modesty,  kindness,  and 
devotion  to  religion.  After  his  death  there  were  found  in  his 
chamber  the  scourges  with  which  he  practised  self-flagellation, 
and  a  coffin  wherein  he  was  wont  to  lie  down  in  the  hours  of 
solitude  and  repose  and  consider  his  latter  end.  He  had  much 
wit  and  humour  ;  and  once,  when  asked  by  a  brother  painter  his 
opinion  of  a  very  badly  painted  Saviour  on  the  cross,  Vargas  said, 
"  Methinks  He  is  saying,  '  Forgive  them,  Lord,  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do.' " 

titian's  head  of  christ  (1576). 
Titian  painted  his  great  picture  of  "  The  Tribute  Money,"  now 


496  CURIOSITIES    OF    CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

in  the  Dresden  Gallery,  hi  answer  to  a  taunt  that  Venetian  art 
had  no  finish.  This  picture  has  commanded  the  admiration  of 
four  centuries  for  the  Godlike  beauty  and  calm  majesty  of  Christ's 
countenance.  His  lips  seem  to  be  parting  with  the  question, 
"  Whose  is  this  image  and  superscription  ?  "  while  the  fingers 
point  gracefully  to  the  coin  hi  the  rough  hand  of  his  cunning 
tempter,  whose  face  shows  the  low  self-satisfaction  with  which  he 
thinks  he  has  outwitted  the  Master.  Vasaii  says  this  head  of 
Christ  is  "stupendous  and  miraculous";  its  conscious  sublimity 
of  expressive  attitude  and  movement  are  well  set  off  by  the  sharp 
and  cunning  profile  of  the  rough  and  weather-beaten  questioner, 
who  is  so  keen  to  foil  a  higher  nature.  This  is  thought  to  be  the 
most  perfect  picture  from  the  hand  of  Titian.  He  painted  another 
great  picture  in  his  old  age  of  "  Christ  at  Emmaus,"  gorgeous  in. 
colour  and  masterly  in  its  attitudes  and  expression. 

titian's  painting  of  the  tribute  money  (1576). 
Scanelli  tells  the  condition  under  which  this  renowned  picture 
by  Titian  was  produced.  Titian  was  visited  on  a  certain  occasion 
by  a  company  of  German  travellers,  who  were  allowed  to  look  at 
the  pictures  in  his  studio.  On  being  asked  what  impression  these 
works  conveyed,  these  gentlemen  declared  that  they  knew  of  one 
master  only  who  was  capable  of  finishing  as  they  thought 
paintings  ought  to  be  finished,  and  that  was  Durer.  Their 
impression  was,  that  Venetian  compositions  invariably  fell  below 
the  promise  which  they  had  given  at  the  first.  To  these  observa- 
tions Titian  smilingly  replied  that,  if  he  had  thought  extreme 
finish  to  be  the  end  and  aim  of  art,  he  too  would  have  fallen  into 
the  excesses  of  Durer.  But  though  long  experience  had  taught 
him  to  prefer  a  broad  and  even  track  to  a  narrow  and  intricate 
path,  yet  he  would  still  take  occasion  to  show  that  the  subtlest 
detail  might  be  compassed  without  sacrifice  of  breadth,  and  so 
produced  the  Christ  of  the  tribute  money.  All  the  artists  of  his 
time  thought  this  the  most  perfect  work  of  Titian.  The  con- 
trast is  sublime  between  the  majestic  calm  and  elevation,  the 
Godlike  beauty,  of  Christ  and  the  low  cunning  and  crafty,  coarse 
air  of  the  Pharisee  who  questions  Him.  The  marble  smoothness 
and  fair  complexion  of  Christ's  skin  is  contrasted  with  the  rough, 
tanned,  and  weather-beaten  skin  of  the  other. 

a  diffident  artist  of  sacred  pictures  reassured  (adriano,  1630). 

At  Cordova,  in  Spain,  Adriano,  a  lay  brother  of  the  barefooted 

Carmelites,   and  who  died  in   1630,  excelled  in  sacred  art,  acd 


Chap,  xv.]        THE   SACRED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  497 

executed  a  great  picture  of  the  Crucifixion  in  which  the  Virgin 
and  Mary  Magdalene  were  leading  figures ;  and  this  work  is 
preserved  in  the  convent  there.  This  artist  was  so  diffident  of 
himself  that  he  used  to  deface  or  destroy  his  pictures  as  soon  as 
he  had  executed  them.  And  so  uniform  was  tins  practice  with 
liim  that  his  friends  took  occasion  to  intercede  with  him  for  the 
preservation  of  his  many  valuable  productions  in  the  name  of 
the  souls  in  purgatory,  knowing  his  attachment  to  the  holy 
offices  in  their  behalf.  By  this  mode  of  exorcism  the  destroying 
spirit,  which  his  self-dissatisfaction  and  fastidiousness  conjured 
up,  was  happily  kept  in  check ;  and  the  above  and  other  valuable 
pictures  were,  thanks  to  the  souls  in  purgatory,  saved  and  pre- 
served for  the  consolation  of  the  living. 

RUBENS's    GREAT    PICTURES    (1577-1G40). 

The  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  at  Antwerp  contains  the  master- 
piece of  Rubens,  "  The  Descent  from  the  Cross,"  hung  in  the  south 
transept.  The  picture  is  now  somewhat  misty  and  has  been 
retouched  in  some  places.  The  greatest  peculiarity  is  the  white 
sheet  on  which  the  body  of  Jesus  lies,  and  which  enhances  the 
colouring.  The  Christ  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  figures  ever 
invented,  and  the  hanging  of  the  head  is  exquisitely  rendered. 
Two  of  the  three  Marys  have  more  beauty  than  Rubens  usually 
gives  to  female  figures.  The  principal  light  comes  from  the 
white  sheet.  It  was  said  that  this  picture  was  given  in  exchange 
for  a  piece  of  ground  on  which  Rubens  built  his  house  ;  the 
original  agreement  was  for  one  picture  of  St.  Christopher,  but 
Rubens  gave  them  five,  including  that  subject.  Another  picture 
of  Rubens's  in  the  north  transept  is  "  The  Elevation  of  the  Cross," 
which  is  full  of  life  and  interesting  attitudes,  and  the  horses 
are  spirited.  A  third  picture  is  the  "  Assumption  of  the  Vir- 
gin," which  was  painted  in  sixteen  days.  A  fourth  picture  is 
the  "  Resmrection  of  the  Saviour,"  where  Christ  is  represented 
coming  out  of  the  tomb  in  great  splendour,  the  soldiers  terrified 
and  falling  over  each  other  in  their  confusion.  In  the  museum 
at  Antwerp  is  "The  Crucifixion  of  Christ  between  the  two  Thieves," 
by  Rubens,  where  the  figures  are  drawn  and  grouped  with  con- 
summate art.  The  Magdalene  is  a  leading  character,  and  the 
good  centurion  is  also  represented.  This  is  one  of  the  first 
pictures  of  the  world  for  composition,  colouring,  and  correctness 
of  drawing.  Other  sacred  pictures  of  Rubens  are  to  be  seen  in 
this  collection. 

32 


498  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 


THE    MONKS    GETTING    A    BARGAIN    OF    A    PICTURE    (TRISTAN,    1469). 

The  monks  of  La  Sislo,  near  Toledo  in  Spain,  were  anxious  to 
have  a  picture  of  the  Last  Supper  painted  for  their  refectory, 
like  that  painted  by  Titian  for  the  monastery  of  Lorenzo,  and 
applied  to  Dominico  to  execute  the  work.  Dominico,  on  the  ground 
of  indisposition,  declined  it,  but  recommended  his  pupil  Luis 
Tristan,  who  was  accepted.  The  picture  was  finished,  and  the 
monks  were  highly  pleased  with  it.  but  they  thought  the  artist's 
demand  of  two  hundred  ducats  (=£90)  exorbitant.  In  their  per- 
plexity they  referred  to  Dominico,  who,  though  ill  of  the  gout, 
drove  to  see  the  picture  and  assess  its  value.  He  looked  at  it, 
and  then,  turning  with  a  threatening  and  angry  countenance  to 
his  pupil,  told  him  he  had  utterly  disgraced  himself  and  his 
profession  by  asking  such  a  sum  as  two  hundred  ducats  for  such 
a  picture  as  that.  The  monks  were  delighted  and  triumphant  at 
this  deliverance.  Dominico,  still  looking  fiercely,  told  his  pupil 
at  once  to  roll  up  his  picture  and  take  it  away  to  Toledo,  for  he 
was  certain  to  get  five  hundred  ducats  for  it,  and  he  then  began 
to  state  reasons,  and  spoke  in  raptures  of  it  as  a  masterly  per- 
formance. At  this  turn  of  affairs  the  monks  looked  at  each 
other  with  astonishment  and  vexation  ;  and  after  a  slight  pause 
said,  that  upon  the  whole  they  thought  they  would  keep  to  their 
bargain,  and  they  then  and  there  found  the  money  and  paid  the 
sum  agreed.  Since  then  the  Fathers  had  good  reason  to  be  well 
pleased ;  for  all  the  critics  of  Europe,  on  seeing  it,  offered  them  far 
more  than  the  price  if  they  would  part  with  it.  Tristan  died  at 
Toledo  in  1469. 

velasquez's  "crucifixion"  (1660) 

In  1639  Velasquez  produced  one  of  hi-  noblest  pictures,  "The 
Crucifixion,"  painted  for  the  nunnery  of  San  Placido  at  Madrid. 
Unrelieved  by  the  usual  dim  landscape  or  lowering  clouds,  the 
cross  in  this  picture  has  no  footing  upon  earth,  but  is  placed  on 
a  plain,  dark  ground,  like  an  ivory  carving  on  a  velvet  pall. 
Never  was  that  great  agony  more  powerfully  depicted.  The 
head  of  our  Lord  droops  on  His  right  shoulder,  over  which  falls 
a  mass  of  dark  hair,  while  drops  of  blood  trickle  from  His  thorn- 
pierced  brows.  The  anatomy  of  the  body  and  limbs  is  executed 
with  as  much  precision  as  in  Cellini's  marble,  and  the  linen  cloth 
wrapped  about  the  body,  and  even  the  firwood  of  the  cross,  dis- 
play his  accurate  attention  to  details.     Our  Lord's  feet  are  beld 


Chap,  xv.]        THE   SACRED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  499 

each  by  a  separate  nail ;  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  are  the  usual 
skull  and  bones,  and  a  serpent  twines  itself  round  the  accursed 
tree.  The  sisterhood  of  San  Placido  placed  this  picture  in  their 
sacristy  in  a  badly  lighted  cell,  where  it  remained  until  the 
French  came  to  Madrid  and  sold  it  in  Paris,  whence  it  was 
redeemed  at  a  large  price,  and  presented  to  the  Royal  Gallery  of 
Spain. 

HOW    THE    MONKS    GOT    THEIR    FINE    PICTURES    (1671). 

At  the  beatification  of  St.  Benozzi  in  1671,  the  monks  of 
the  order  of  Servi  were  anxious  to  have  their  church  of  the 
Annunziata  at  Florence  suitably  decorated.  The  sacristan  of 
the  convent  wished  to  get  the  work  clone  well  and  cheaply, 
and  stimulated  the  vanity  of  rival  artists  by  representing  how 
their  works  would  have  the  advantage  of  being  exhibited  in  a 
church  where  such  numbers  of  the  devout  constantly  attended. 
He  would  not  hold  out  the  hope  of  large  pay,  but  he  promised 
abundance  of  prayers  ;  and,  above  all,  he  dwelt  on  the  favour 
which  their  pi  rformances  would  no  doubt  obtain  from  the  Blessed 
Virgin  herself,  to  whose  especial  honour  they  were  to  be  conse- 
crated. Andrea  del  Sarto  yielded  to  these  representations,  and 
put  forth  all  his  strength.  He  painted  on  one  side  of  the  cortile 
two  scenes  from  the  life  of  the  Madonna — "The  Birth  of  the 
Virgin  "  and  "  The  Adoration  of  the  Magi  "  ;  and  on  the  other  side 
scenes  from  the  life  of  San  Filippo  Benozzi.  Every  figure  in  those 
sublime  groups  is  now  familiar  to  the  lovers  of  art.  Other  master- 
pieces were  added  by  Andrea  to  that  glorious  church. 

THE    DIVINE    Ml'RILLO    (1682). 

Murillo,  the  Spanish  painter,  according  to  Sir  D.  Wilkie, 
adapted  the  higher  subjects  of  art  to  the  commonest  understand- 
ing, and  seems  of  all  the  painters  the  universal  favourite.  His 
paintings  of  "  St.  Elizabeth  "  and  "  The  Healing  of  the  Paralytic  " 
are  rich  in  colour  and  of  singular  beauty.  He  himself  thought 
"  The  Charity  of  St.  Thomas  "  was  his  best  picture.  His  picture  of 
"  The  Virgin  of  the  Napkin,"  though  executed  hastily,  as  a  present 
to  a  cook  who  begged  some  memorial  of  him,  shows  a  face  in 
which  thought  is  happily  blended  with  maidenly  innocence,  and 
the  Divine  Child,  with  His  deep,  earnest  eyes,  leans  forward  in  her 
arms,  struggling,  as  it  were,  almost  out  of  the  frame,  as  if  to 
welcome  the  saintly  carpenter  home  from  his  daily  toil.  The 
picture  is  executed  with  a  brilliancy  of  touch  never  excelled ;  it 


500  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

glows  with  a  golden  light,  as  if  the  sun  were  also  shining  on 
the  canvas.  Another  picture,  "The  Guardian  Angel,"  shows  the 
chief  figure  in  a  rich  yellow  robe  and  purple  mangle,  pointing  as 
he  goes  with  the  right  hand  to  heaven,  and  with  the  other  lead- 
ing a  lovely  child — the  emblem  of  the  soul  passing  through  the 
pilgrimage  of  this  world.  Never  was  an  allegory  more  sweetly 
told  than  in  this  picture,  which  is  painted  with  great  lightness  of 
touch,  and  the  transparent  texture  of  the  child's  garment  is 
finely  rendered.  In  his  pictures  of  the  Virgin  Murillo's  celestial 
attendants  are  among  the  loveliest  cherubs  that  ever  bloomed  on 
canvas.  Hovering  in  the  sunny  air,  reposing  on  clouds,  or  sport- 
ing amongst  their  silvery  folds,  these  ministering  shapes  give  life 
and  movement  to  the  picture,  and  relieve  the  Virgin's  statue-like 
repose.  Some  of  them  bear  the  large  white  lilies,  others  roses, 
sprays  of  olive  and  palm  boughs,  like  those  which  are  still 
annually  blessed  in  churches,  and  hung  as  charms  on  balconies 
and  portals.  As  a  painter  of  children  Murillo  has  caught  with 
matchless  insight  all  the  nameless  ways  and  graces  of  the  bright  - 
eyed  Andalusian  boys  and  girls  he  loved  to  depict. 

CANO'S   PICTURE   OF   THE   VIRGIN    (1690). 

The  most  beautiful  of  Cano's  pictures  is  that  of  "  Our  Lady  of 
Belem,"  or  Bethlehem,  painted  at  Malaga  for  the  cathedral  of 
Seville.  In  serene  celestial  beauty  this  Madonna  is  excelled  by 
no  image  of  the  Blessed  Mary  to  be  found  in  Spain.  Her  glorious 
countenance  lends  credit  to  the  legends  of  the  older  art,  and  is 
such  as  might  have  been  revealed  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  the 
saintly  Vargas  or  of  Joanes.  The  drapery  is  a  crimson  robe, 
with  a  dark  blue  mantle  drawn  over  the  head.  The  head  of  the 
Divine  Child  is  perhaps  not  childlike  ;  but  there  is  much  infantine 
simplicity  and  grace  in  the  attitude,  as  He  sits  with  His  tiny 
hand  resting  on  that  of  His  mother.  These  hands  are  as  usual 
admirably  painted ;  and  the  whole  picture  is  finished  with  ex- 
ceeding care,  as  if  the  painter  had  determined  to  crown  his  labours 
and  honour  Seville  with  a  masterpiece.  Cano  was  the  artist  who 
was  once  engaged  to  model  a  statue  of  St.  Antony  for  an 
accountant,  and  after  it  was  finished  and  the  price  spoken  of  was 
deemed  large,  the  accountant  asked  how  many  days'  labour  it 
had  cost.  The  answer  being  that  it  took  twenty-five  days,  the 
patron  at  once  rather  indignantly  observed,  that  at  the  rate 
charged  it  would  be  four  doubloons  a  day — a  most  extravagant 
sum.  To  this  Cano  rejoined,  "  Yes,  and  I  have  been  fifty  years 
learning  to  make  such  a  statue  as  that  in  twenty-five  days." 


Chap,  xv.]        THE   SACKED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  501 


A    PAINTER    INCAUTIOUSLY   WATCHING    EFFECTS    (1734). 

When  Sir  James  Thornhill  was  painting  the  cupola  of  St.  Paul's 
and  adorning  it,  as  he  supposed,  with  masterpieces  of  sacred  art, 
he  was,  like  all  great  painters,  absorbed  in  thought,  and  was 
frequently  changing  and  improving  his  details.  One  day,  when 
mounted  on  his  lofty  scaffold,  he  moved  backwards  step  by  step 
to  view  the  effect  of  some  of  his  touches,  and  had  reached  the 
very  edge  apparently  without  knowing  his  danger,  for  a  fall  there 
would  have  been  instant  destruction.  The  artist's  servant,  having 
observed  the  danger,  with  great  presence  of  mind  instantly  threw 
the  contents  of  a  pot  of  paint  over  his  master.  This  happy 
thought  had  the  effect  of  recalling  the  absent-minded  artist  to 
real  life,  for  he  immediately  rushed  forward  to  resent  the  out- 
rage. On  the  attendant's  object,  however,  being  explained,  hi- 
wrath  was  with  equal  suddenness  changed  into  lively  gratitude. 

ORIGIN   OF   CHURCH    BELLS. 

The  Romans  used  bells  in  their  baths.  The  Hebrew  high 
priests  also  wore  small  bells.  When  Porsena,  King  of  Etruria. 
was  buried,  and  a  magnificent  monument  with  pyramids  at  each 
end  was  erected,  small  bells  were  suspended  so  delicately  that  the 
least  breath  of  wind  would  sound  them.  Pope  Sabinianus,  about 
604,  in  imitation  of  the  bells  of  Porsena'-  tomb,  introduced  the 
same  in  the  charnel-houses,  for  the  sound  of  bells  was  then 
supposed  to  frighten  away  evil  spirits.  Hence  the  bells  came  to 
be  sounded  at  funerals,  and  passing  bells  have  since  been  common. 
The  goddess  of  Syria  was  anciently  worshipped  with  the  sound  of 
bells,  from  which  custom  it  is  supposed  the  Christian  Churches 
took  the  hint  of  hanging  them  in  their  steeples.  The  use  of  bells, 
however,  was  not  coeval  with  the  Church,  for  it  was  a  considerable 
time  before  the  Christians  dare  openly  avow  their  profession  or 
could  venture  on  the  publicity  of  such  a  mode  of  summoning 
their  worshippers.  Turkey  and  Greece  are  the  only  countries 
where  the  use  of  large  bells  has  almost  been  abolished.  Greece 
in  this  particular  has  degenerated,  and  Turkey  has  at  length 
opposed  their  reception.  The  Dutch  long  excelled  in  the  con- 
struction and  management  of  their  bells.  The  large  bells  of  the 
Netherlands  are  so  well  tuned  and  hung,  that  any  slow  melody 
may  be  performed  upon  them  with  the  greatest  facility  and  as 
perfectly  as  on  a  church  organ.  The  church  bells  were  formerly 
regularly  baptised,  anointed,  exorcised,  and  blessed  by  the  bishop. 


502  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

The  priest  sprinkled  the  bell  with  holy  water,  while  all  the  gossips 
laid  hold  of  the  rope,  bestowing  a  name  on  it. 

SANCTITY    OF    BELLS. 

In  Spain  all  the  church  bells  are  marked  with  a  crucifix ;  the 
devil,  it  is  believed,  cannot  come  within  hearing  of  the  consecrated 
peal.  On  the  hearing  of  the  Ave  Maria  bell,  the  Spaniards  who 
happen  to  be  in  the  theatre,  and  even  the  actors  on  the  stage,  fall 
down  on  their  knees,  and  then  rise  again  and  carry  on  their 
diversion  as  before.  A  French  gentleman  who  happened  to  be 
present  on  one  of  those  occasions  was  so  surprised  and  diverted 
that  he  somewhat  irreverently  called  out,  "  Encore  !  encore !  " 
The  religious  of  Rome  had  great  contests  about  ringing  the  Ave 
Maria  bell.  At  length  it  was  adjudged  that  "  they  who  were 
first  up  should  first  knoll." 

CHIMES    ON    CHURCH    BELLS. 

Chimes  or  carillons  were  invented  in  the  Low  Countries,  and 
were  brought  to  the  greatest  perfection  there.  They  are  of  two 
kinds :  one  is  attached  to  a  cylinder  like  the  back  of  an  organ, 
which  always  repeats  the  same  tunes,  and  is  moved  by  machinery ; 
the  other  is  of  a  superior  kind,  played  by  a  musician  with  a  set 
of  keys.  In  all  the  great  towns  there  are  amateurs  or  a  salaried 
professor,  usually  the  organist  of  a  church,  who  performs  with 
great  skill  upon  this  gigantic  instrument  placed  high  in  the 
church  steeple.  So  fond  are  the  Dutch  and  Belgians  of  this  kind 
of  music,  that  in  some  places  the  chimes  appear  scarcely  to  be  at 
rest  for  ten  minutes  either  by  day  or  night.  The  tunes  are  usually 
changed  once  a  year.  Chimes  were  in  existence  at  Bruges  in 
1300.  The  most  eminent  performer  was  Matthias  van  der  Gheyn, 
who  died  in  1785.  The  finest  chimes  are  at  Antwerp,  composed 
of  sixty-five  bells  ;  Mechlin,  forty-four  bells  ;  Bruges,  forty  bells  ; 
Tournay,  forty  bells ;  Ghent,  thirty-nine  bells;  Louvain,  forty  bells. 

THE    SWISS    HORNS    PRAISING    THE    LORD. 

It  was  a  custom  at  one  time  among  the  Swiss  shepherds  to 
watch  the  setting  sun.  When  he  had  already  left  the  valleys, 
and  was  visible  only  on  the  tops  of  the  snow-capped  mountains, 
the  inhabitants  of  the  cottages  which  were  in  the  most  elevated 
situations  would  seize  their  horns,  and,  turning  towards  their 
next  neighbours  beneath  them,  sing  out  through  the  instruments 
the  words,  "  Praise  the  Lord !  "      The  sounds  were  then  taken 


Chap,  xv.]        THE  SACRED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  503 

up  in  the  same  manner  by  those  to  whom  they  were  addressed, 
and  again  by  those  lower  down,  and  thus  were  repeated  from  Alp 
to  Alp.  And  the  name  of  the  Lord  was  re-echoed  and  proclaimed 
in  song,  till  the  music  reached  the  valleys  below.  A  deep  and 
solemn  silence  then  ensued,  until  the  last  trace  of  the  sun,  when 
the  herdsmen  on  the  mountain  tops  sang  out  "  Good-night,"  which 
was  repeated  and  re-echoed  as  the  other  words  had  been,  till  everjf 
one  retired  to  rest. 

EARLY    CHURCH    MUSIC. 

Over  and  above  the  preaching  of  sermons,  which  were  deemed 
an  important  part  of  the  public  Christian  service,  and  which 
shorthand  writers  employed  themselves  in  taking  down  for  circu- 
lation, there  was  much  care  given  to  sacred  music  and  singing 
of  hymns.  A  choir  was  often  formed.  The  Psalms,  as  well  as 
hymns  and  doxologies,  were  chanted.  Some  spiritual  songs  were 
composed  by  Ambrose  of  Milan  and  Hilary  of  Poitiers.  But 
there  were  always  objectors  to  anything  being  used  in  Church 
music  which  was  not  taken  from  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  In  the 
fourth  century  the  Egyptian  abbot  Pambo  inveighed  against 
the  introduction  of  heathen  melodies  as  too  apparent,  while  the 
abbot  Isidore  of  Pelusium  complained  of  a  style  of  singing  too 
theatrical,  especially  among  the  women.  Jerome,  in  his  com- 
ments on  St.  Paul's  Epistles,  said  that  Christians  should  not  be 
like  the  comedians,  who  smoothed  their  throats  with  sweet  drinks 
in  order  to  render  their  theatrical  melodies  more  impressive,  but 
that  it  was  the  heart  alone  which  could  properly  make  melody  to 
the  Lord. 

SINGING    IX    CHURCH. 

It  was  said  that  St.  Ambrose  introduced  the  method  of  alternate 
singing  in  churches.  The  whole  service  in  the  primitive  Church 
seems  to  have  been  of  a  very  irregular  kind  till  the  time  of  Pope 
Gregory  the  Great,  for  the  people  sang  each  as  his  inclination  led 
him,  with  hardly  any  other  restriction  than  that  what  they  sang 
should  be  to  the  praise  of  God.  Indeed,  some  special  offices,  such 
as  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the  Apostles'  Creed,  had  been  used  in 
the  Church  service  almost  from  the  first  establishment  of  Chris- 
tianity ;  but  these  were  too  few  to  prevent  the  introduction  of 
hymns  and  spiritual  songs.  The  evil  increased,  and  the  Emperor 
Theodosius  requested  the  then  Pope,  Damasus,  to  frame  such  a 
service  as  should  be  consistent  with  the  solemnity  and  decency  of 
Divine  worship.     The  Pope  readily  assented,  and  employed  for  this 


504  CURIOSITIES  OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

purpose  a  presbyter  named  Hieronymus,  a  man  of  learning,  gravity. 
and  discretion,  who  formed  a  new  ritual,  into  which  he  intro- 
duced the  Epistles,  Gospels,  and  the  Psalms,  with  the  Gloria  Patri 
and  Hallelujah.  And  these,  together  with  certain  hymns  which 
he  thought  proper  to  retain,  made  up  the  whole  of  the  service. 

ORIGIN   OP   SINGING    IN   CHURCH   SERVICES. 

The  first  change  in  the  manner  of  singing  was  the  substitution 
of  singers  (who  became  a  separate  order  in  the  Church)  for  the 
mingled  voices  of  all  ranks,  ages,  and  sexes,  which  was  compared 
by  Ambrose,  the  great  reformer  of  Church  music,  to  the  glad 
sound  of  many  waters.  The  antiphonal  singing,  in  which  the 
different  sides  of  the  choir  answered  to  each  other  in  responsive 
verses,  was  first  introduced  at  Antioch  by  Flavianus  Diodorus. 
Milman  observes  that  it  is  not  improbable  that  this  system  of 
alternate  chanting  may  have  prevailed  in  the  Temple  service  at 
Jerusalem.  The  antiphonal  chanting  was  introduced  into  the 
West  by  Ambrose ;  and  if  it  inspired  or  even  accompanied  the 
Te  Detim  usually  ascribed  to  that  prelate,  we  cannot  calculate  too 
highly  its  effect  on  the  Christian  mind.  So  beautiful  was  the 
music  in  the  Ambrosian  service  that  the  sensitive  conscience  of 
the  young  Augustine  took  alarm,  lest  when  he  wept  at  the  solemn 
music  he  should  be  yielding  to  the  luxury  of  sweet  sounds  rather 
than  imbibing  the  devotional  spirit  of  the  hymn.  Though  alive 
to  the  perilous  pleasure,  he  inclined  to  the  wisdom  of  awakening 
weaker  minds  to  piety  by  this  enchantment  of  their  hearing. 
The  Ambrosian  chant,  with  its  more  simple  and  masculine  tones, 
is  still  preserved  in  the  church  of  Milan ;  hi  the  rest  of  Italy  it 
was  superseded  by  the  richer  Roman  chant  which  was  introduced 
by  Gregory  the  Great.  The  cathedral  chanting  of  England  has 
almost  alone  preserved  the  ancient  antiphonal  system,  now  dis- 
carded by  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  for  its  greater  variety  of 
instruments. 

THE    ORGAN    IN    CHURCH    MUSIC. 

No  instrument,  as  an  accompaniment  to  human  voices  in  Church 
music,  has  been  discovered  equal  to  the  organ  for  the  power  and 
grandeur  of  its  effects ;  but  being  of  a  great  mechanical  complexity, 
it  has  taken  many  centuries  to  bring  it  to  perfection.  Rudiment- 
ary instruments  of  the  same  kind,  worked  by  wind  and  some  by 
water,  are  mentioned  by  the  ancients.  The  hydraulic  organ  was 
used  for  some  centuries  in  preference  to  the  pneumatic  organ, 


Chap,  xv.]       THE   SACRED    PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  505 

but  it  ceased  altogether  in  the  fourteenth  century.  It  is  not 
precisely  known  at  what  period  the  organ  was  first  used  for 
religious  purposes,  but  it  seems  to  have  been  in  common  use  in 
Spain  about  450.  Pope  Vitalianus.  in  666,  saw  its  advantages 
in  assisting  the  human  voice.  In  the  eighth  century  both,  the 
Anglo-Saxon  and  French  artists  began  to  exert  their  ingenuity  in 
improving  the  instrument.  Charlemagne  first  introduced  it  in 
Germany,  and  he  sent  one  as  a  present  to  the  Caliph.  In  the 
ninth  century  organs  came  into  general  use  in  England,  and 
St.  Deinstall  showed  his  ingenuity  in  improvements.  One  was 
made  in  951  for  Winchester  Cathedral.  A  monk  named  Theo- 
philus  in  the  eleventh  century  published  a  treatise  on  the  art 
of  making  the  organ.  Organs,  whether  hydraulic  or  pneumatic, 
were  nearly  the  only  instruments  used  in  churches  in  the  twelfth 
and  thirteenth  centuries,  all  others  being  rejected,  in  consequence 
of  abuse  and  their  theatrical  effect.  There  were  usually,  how- 
ever, opponents  and  defenders  of  the  extent  to  which  this  accom- 
paniment was  resorted  to.  Peter  the  "Venerable,  of  Cluny, 
defended  them.  St.  Augustine  had  lamented  the  blindness  of  the 
Manicheans  in  rejecting  sacred  music.  The  first  organ  which 
appeared  in  Europe  was  sent  as  a  prt  sent  by  Constantine  Copro- 
nymus  to  Pepin,  King  of  France,  in  757,  and  he  placed  it  in 
the  church  of  St.  Corneille  at  Compiegne.  The  secret  of  these 
steam  organs  is  now  entirely  lost.  The  first  organ  on  the  present 
principle  seen  in  the  West  was  that  which  Louis  Del  onnaire 
placed  in  the  church  of  Aix-la-Chapelle.  It  is  related  of  this 
organ  that  a  woman  expired  through  rapture  and  surprise  at  the 
sweetness  of  its  sound.  One  of  the  same  kind  was  mentioned  in 
the  annals  of  Fulda  in  828.  At  the  close  of  the  ninth  century 
many  skilful  organ-builders  were  drawn  to  Pome  by  Pope 
John  VIII.  In  the  tenth  century  an  organ  of  this  kind  was 
placed  in  Westminster  Abbey.  So  delicious  and  astonishing  was 
the  music  of  organs  and  fiutes  at  the  consecration  of  the  monastic 
church  of  Cava,  near  Salerno,  and  such  was  the  harmony  of  sound 
and  pleasant  odours,  that  the  Serene  Duke  Poger  and  all  the 
people  present  thought  themselves  on  the  very  borders  of  heaven. 
In  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries  it  was  the  custom  to 
place  the  organ  in  the  choir,  but  in  the  fifteenth  century  a 
custom  arose  to  remove  it  to  the  western  extremity  of  the 
nave.  It  was  thought  before  the  Council  of  Trent,  in  1545, 
that  the  Church  music  had  been  carried  to  an  excess,  and  the 
council   once  thought   of  prohibiting  all  music  except  the  Gre- 


506  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 


AUGUSTINE    CONVERTING    THE    BRITONS    WITH    MUSIC. 

When  Augustine  came  from  Italy  to  England,  about  the  year 
596,  for  the  purpose  of  converting  the  inhabitants  of  Britain  to 
Christianity,  he  and  his  accompanying  missionaries  adopted  in 
aid  of  their  devotions  a  musical  service.  For  some  time  the 
people  were  delighted  with  so  agreeable  a  novelty,  but  after  a 
while  it  gradually  ceased  to  please,  and  at  length  met  with  such 
violent  opposition  that  it  was  entirely  laid  aside.  During  the 
papacy  of  Vitaliamis,  in  657,  one  of  the  principal  vocalists  in 
Rome  was  sent  to  instruct  the  Britons  in  the  Italian  method  of 
chanting  and  singing,  and  the  cathedral  of  Canterbury  is  entitled 
to  the  honour  of  having  been  the  first  church  in  England  in  which 
a  regular  choral  service  was  performed. 

THE  EARLIEST    HYMNS    OF    THE    CHURCH. 

There  was  always  some  trace  of  hymns,  as  distinguished  from 
the  Psalms,  being  used  by  Christians.  There  is  some  dispute  as  to 
the  hymn  sung  by  our  Lord  and  His  Apostles  on  the  occasion  of 
the  Last  Supper.  Some  think  it  must  have  been  the  Hallel  or 
paschal  hymn,  consisting  of  Psalms  cxiii.-cxviii.,  which  was  chanted. 
In  the  gaol  at  Philippi  Paul  and  Silas  sang  their  hymns  so  loudly 
that  the  fellow-prisoners  heard  them.  The  Greeks  seem  to  have 
had  only  eight  tunes  of  Church  music,  and  the  Syrians  had  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five.  The  earliest  known  Christian  hymn 
is  given  by  Clemens  Alexandrinus,  the  historian.  The  learned 
have  disputed  whether  the  Christian  Greek  hymns  were  founded 
on  the  old  Pagan  hymns  used  in  the  heathen  worship.  Ambrose, 
about  360,  is  thought  to  have  been  the  first  to  introduce  hymns 
into  the  Latin  Church,  though  it  is  more  likely  that  he  merely 
gave  greater  impetus  to  the  use  of  these  in  the  Church  services. 

MONK    MUSICIANS    (a.D.    945). 

It  is  related  that  the  use  of  musical  notes  was  found  first  in 
the  abbey  of  Corby,  in  Saxony,  about  945.  Alfanus,  a  monk  of 
Mount  Cassino,  was  also  considered f eminent  hi  the  art.  In  the 
abbey  of  St.  Gall  three  great  musicians  were  found  at  the  same 
time.  One  of  them,  Tutilo,  seemed  to  excel  in  every  work  of  art. 
He  had  a  clear  voice,  was  an  admirable  painter,  an  architect  and 
a  preacher,  and  also  could  play  on  flutes  and  pipes,  and  taught 
the  children  of  the  nobles  how  to  play  on  the  flute.  He  was 
most  effective  in  the  choir,  and  expert  at  composing  verses  and 


Chap,  xv.]       THE  SACRED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  507 

melodies.  During  the  ninth  and  tenth  centuries,  the  monks  of 
St.  Gall  were  famed  for  their  musical  compositions.  Once  a 
composition  sung  by  a  monk  of  St.  Gall  on  Easter  Day  before 
King  Conrad  I.  was  rendered  with  such  power  that  all  the 
audience  were  roused  to  ecstasy.  The  King,  the  Queen,  and  the 
King's  sister  called  the  performer  before  them,  took  off  their 
rings,  and  put  them  on  his  fingers,  to  signify  their  intense  ad- 
miration. It  used  to  be  said  that  the  beginning  of  this  excellence 
at  St.  Gall  was  owing  to  a  Roman  musician  who  had  fallen  sick 
there  while  on  a  journey  to  Germany,  and  he  was  so  hospitably 
treated  that,  out  of  gratitude,  he  instructed  the  monks  in  his  art. 
The  St.  Gall  scores  were  copied  in  many  other  monasteries,  and 
musical  science  was  carried  to  a  high  pitch  of  excellence  by  the 
modern  composer  Zingarelli,  who  used  to  prepare  himself  for  his 
finest  work  by  reading  some  treatise  of  the  Fathers. 

NICHOLAS    PEREGRINUS,  WHO    SAXG  "LORD,    HAVE    PITY  "  (A.D.   1094). 

About  1094  Nicholas  became  famous  in  Apulia,  when  he 
was  eight  years  old  tending  his  mother's  sheep,  for  he  had  an 
irrepressible  tendency  to  sing  aloud  incessantly,  "  Kyrie  ele'ison  " 
("  Lord,  have  mercy  "),  and  he  never  left  off  this  all  his  life  long. 
His  mother  sent  him  to  a  monastery  to  have  him  imprisoned  and 
chastised  till  he  gave  up  singing  his  song.  But  he  took  his 
punishment  patiently,  and  went  on  singing  as  zealously  as  before. 
He  made  himself  a  hut,  living  by  himself,  but  praising  God  aloud 
continually.  He  went  to  Lepanto,  where  another  monk  joined 
him.  He  fasted  every  day  till  evening  ;  his  food  was  a  little 
bread  and  water,  and  yet  he  did  not  grow  lean.  He  wore  a  short 
vest,  his  head,  legs,  and  feet  being  naked.  He  carried  a  light 
wooden  cross,  a  scrip  ;it  his  side  to  receive  alms,  and  the  alms  he 
converted  into  fruit  to  distribute  among  the  boys  who  willingly 
joined  him  in  his  excursions  and  in  singing  his  favourite  hymn. 
His  oddities  provoked  some  contumely,  in  which  bishops  did  not 
scruple  to  join.  But  he  performed  various  miracle>  and  had  a 
large  following,  exhorting  the  people  to  repentance.  At  his 
death  great  multitudes  joined  in  his  funeral,  and  many  miracles 
were  said  to  be  wrought  at  his  tomb  in  the  cathedral. 

HERESY    PROPAGATED    BY    MUSIC    (a.D.   1150). 

Harmonius,  son  of  the  famous  heretic  Bardesanes,   a   Syrian 

who   lived   in  the  twelfth   century,    contributed  greatly  to   the 
propagation  of  heresy  by  the  fascinating  sweetness  of  the  melodies 


508  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

which  he  composed  and  applied  to  odes  and  canticles  written 
against  the  religion  of  Christ.  So  struck  was  St.  Ephraim  with 
their  mellifluousness,  and  so  persuaded  that  they  were  qualified 
by  their  beauty  to  recommend  and  spread  any  doctrine  in  support 
of  which  they  might  be  employed,  that  he  set  the  same  tunes  to 
different  words,  and  ordered  them  to  be  publicly  sung,  so  as  to 
bring  back  the  people  to  orthodoxy,  which  at  that  time  was 
identified  with  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity. 

THE    POPE    REFORMING    CHURCH    MUSIC    (A.D.   1545). 

The  introduction  of  instrumental  music  into  the  Church  services 
once  greatly  perplexed  the  Pope  and  the  councils  of  the  clergy. 
Music  had  become  so  artificial  and  so  wasted  in  frivolous  and 
intricate  airs,  that  the  Council  of  Trent  expressed  its  protest 
against  using  such  profane  aids.  Pius  IV.  thereon  appointed  a 
commission  to  inquire  whether  music  should  be  tolerated  at  all 
in  churches.  Fortunately  at  that  time  a  great  composer  named 
Palestrina  appeared  at  Pome.  He  was  a  priest,  but  had  been 
expelled  from  the  Church  for  marrying,  and  he  still  clung  to  his 
favourite  art.  He  composed  sacred  airs  for  the  services  in  the 
Sistine  Chapel,  and  he  seemed  to  comprehend  with  an  original 
genius  the  kind  of  music  appropriate  to  the  Mass.  He  devoted 
his  whole  soul  to  this  work.  His  first  two  efforts  were  thought 
to  be  failures,  but  at  last  in  a  happy  moment  he  completed  a 
masterly  work  known  by  the  name  of  "  The  Mass  of  Pope 
Marcellus."  It  had-  passages  of  blended  grandeur  and  self -pros- 
tration, with  rich  and  varied  melodies  interspersed,  which  delighted 
the  Pope,  who  said  the  airs  were  such  as  the  Apostle  John  may 
have  heard  in  his  ecstatic  vision.  The  success  of  Palestrina  set 
at  rest  the  vexed  question  of  Church  music.  It  showed  that  music 
was  capable  of  being  made  to  subserve  and  enhance  the  most 
fervid  devotion  and  religious  enthusiasm.  The  soul  was  elevated 
by  the  exulting  bursts  of  jubilee  and  the  adoring  strains  of  lowly 
reverence.  The  art  then  came  to  be  firmly  wedded  to  the  service 
of  the  Church,  and  every  grade  of  elevated  feeling  found  its 
appropriate  expression,  and  piety  was  quickened  into  rapture  and 
a  diviner  ecstasy  by  the  masterpieces  of  a  succession  of  great 
composers. 

SINGING    OF   THE   MISERERE   IN   THE    POPE'S   CHAPEL. 

One  of  the  most  impressive  performances  of  sacred  music  is  the 
singing  of  the  Miserere  or  fifty-first  Psalm  in  the  Sistine  Chapel 


Chap,  xv.]       THE   SACRED   PAINTERS   AND   COMPOSERS.  509 

at  Rome,  and  the  musical  score  is  kept  secret  and  no  copy 
allowed  to  be  given  to  strangers  under  pain  of  excommunication. 
There  are  thirty-two  voices  employed  in  the  singing,  without  any 
organ  or  other  instrument  to  accompany  it.  The  performance 
was  supposed  to  be  at  its  greatest  height  of  excellence  about  1 780, 
before  the  growing  practice  of  opera  withdrew  the  choicest  voices 
from  the  service  of  the  Church.  This  celebrated  piece  is  sung 
twice  during  Passion  Week,  and  was  composed  about  1627.  When 
it  begins,  the  Pope  and  cardinals  prostrate  themselves  on  their 
knees.  The  grand  picture  by  Michael  Angelo  of  the  Last  Judg- 
ment which  is  over  the  altar  is  then  discovered  to  be  brilliantly 
illuminated  by  tapers.  These  are  gradually  extinguished  till  the 
pale  light  scarcely  reveals  the  forms  of  the  miserable  creatures 
as  they  listen  to  the  slow  and  dirgelike  wail  of  the  voices.  It 
sounds  as  if  the  sinner,  confounded  before  the  majesty  of  God 
and  prostrate  with  fear,  awaited  in  silence  some  awful  doom. 
The  sublimity  of  the  music  is  heightened  by  the  peculiar  manner 
of  repeating  the  same  melody  in  every  verse  of  the  psalm,  and  yet 
by  retarding  the  tune  and  swelling  or  diminishing  the  sound 
according  to  the  sense,  never  allowing  the  ear  to  feel  the  least 
tediousness.  The  music  score  is  said  to  be  no  correct  record  of 
the  peculiarity  of  the  melody,  and  the  mode  of  managing  the 
voices  is  said  to  be  a  secret  kept  by  the  chapel-master  alone,  who 
hands  down  the  tradition  to  his  successor.  It  is  performed  only 
in  the  Sistine  Chapel,  and  those  who  have  heard  it  never  forget 
the  grand  and  solemn  impression  it  produces. 

luther's  view  of  church  music. 

Luther,  who  was  an  excellent  musician,  received  into  his  church 
a  collection  of  anthems  and  hymns  which  so  pleased  him  that  he 
exultingly  exclaimed,  "  We  all  know  that  such  music  is  hateful 
and  unbearable  to  the  devil."  Dr.  Wetenhall  said  the  music  of 
his  church  was  such  that  no  devil  could  stand  against  it. 

ORIGINATOR   OF   ORATORIOS. 

What  is  called  the  cantata  spirituals  or  oratorio  is  generally 
believed  to  have  been  indebted  for  its  origin  to  San  Filippo  Neri, 
a  Florentine  priest,  who,  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
was  accustomed  after  the  sermons  to  assemble  such  of  his  congre- 
gation as  had  musical  voices  in  the  oratory  of  his  chapel  for  the 
purpose  of  singing  various  pieces  of  devotional  and  other  sacred 
music.     Regularly  composed  oratorios  were  not,  however,  in  use 


510  CURIOSITIES   OF  CHRISTIAN   HISTORY. 

till  nearly  a  century  afterwards.  These,  at  their  commencement,, 
consisted  of  a  mixture  of  dramatic  and  narrative  parts,  in  which 
neither  change  of  place  nor  unity  of  time  was  observed.  They 
consisted  of  monologues,  dialogues,  duets,  ti-ios,  and  recitatives  of 
four  voices.  The  subject  of  one  of  them  was  the  conversation 
of  Christ  with  the  Samaritan  woman  ;  of  another,  the  prodigal 
son  received  into  his  father's  house  ;  of  a  third,  Tobias  with  the 
angel,  his  father  and  wife ;  and  of  a  fourth,  the  angel  Gabriel 
with  the  Virgin  Mary. 

THE    HEAVEN-BORN    COMPOSER    OF    ANTHEMS. 

Purcell,  a  famous  English  composer  of  anthems,  was  a  born 
musician,  and  as  a  boy  produced  some  of  his  best.  At  eighteen 
he  was  appointed  organist  at  Westminster  Abbey,  in  1676.  He 
excelled  in  every  species  of  composition.  Nothing  can  transcend 
the  grand  effect  of  his  Te  Deum,  which  soars  to  the  highest 
elevation  of  holy  fervour.  He  died  prematurely  at  the  age  of 
thirty-seven  of  consumption.  On  a  tablet  fixed  to  a  pillar  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  where  he  is  buried,  the  following  inscription 
is  to  be  seen :  "  Here  lies  Henry  Purcell,  Esq.,  who  left  this  life, 
and  is  gone  to  that  blessed  place  where  only  his  harmony  can  be 
exceeded.  He  died  in  1695."  There  is  also  a  Latin  epitaph,  of 
which  four  lines  are  thus  translated : — 

"  Applaud  so  great  a  guest,  celestial  powers, 
"Who  now  resides  with  you,  but  once  was  ours. 
Not  dead,  he  lives  while  yonder  organ's  sound 
And  sacred  echoes  to  the  choir  rebound." 

Purcell's  Te  Deum  was  constantly  performed  at  the  annual 
festivals  of  the  sons  of  the  clergy,  till  Handel's  noble  production 
of  the  Te  Deum  was  produced  in  1743,  and  then  the  two  versions 
were  used  alternately.  Dryden,  not  less  than  Pope,  celebrates 
Purcell's  merit  thus  : — 

' '  Sometimes  a  hero  in  an  age  appears, 
But  scarce  a  Purcell  in  a  thousand  years." 

Again  he  said  : — 

"  The  heavenly  choir  who  heard  his  notes  from  high 
Let  down  the  scale  of  music  from  the  sky  : 
They  handed  him  along, 
And  all  the  way  he  taught,  and  all  the  way  they  sung." 

It  is  true  that,  after  Purcell,  Handel  soon  appeared  and  claimed 
even  superior  praise. 


Chap.  XV.]        THE    SACRED    PAINTERS    AND    COMPOSERS.  511 

FIRST    IMPRESSIONS    OF    HANDEL. 

When  Handel,  dissatisfied  with  the  reception  of  lus  oratorio  of 
the  Messiah  in  London,  went  to  Dublin  to  test  his  work  with  a 
more  impartial  audience,  he  procured  the  best  choristers  from 
St.  Patrick's  and  Christ's  cathedrals.  The  chief  singers  were 
Mrs.  Gibber  and  Mrs.  Avolio.  It  is  related  that  after  Mrs.  Cibber 
had  sung  "  He  was  despised  "  with  great  pathos,  a  clergyman  in 
one  of  the  boxes  was  so  excited  and  transported  that  he  called 
out  with  a  loud  voice  to  her,  "  Woman,  for  this  be  all  thy  sins 
forgiven."  It  was  also  a  remarkable  incident  that,  in  compli- 
ance with  a  request  that  the  ladies  who  honoured  the  perform- 
ance would  be  pleased  to  come  without  their  hoops,  they  actually 
made  the  great  self-sacrifice  requested,  and  left  their  hoops  behind, 
thereby  allowing  of  a  great  deal  of  additional  space  for  the  rest 
of  the  audience.  Such  music  had  never  before  been  heard  in 
England.  When  Handel's  oratorio  was  first  performed  in  Ireland, 
it  was  heard  with  admiration.  The  expressive  force  and  pathos 
of  the  recitatives  and  melodies,  and  the  superlative  grandeur  of 
the  choral  parts,  were  equally  appreciated,  and  the  whole  was 
hailed  as  a  wonderful  effort  of  the  ai-t  of  harmony.  Taught  by 
the  better  criticism  of  the  sister  kingdom,  England  at  his  return 
discovered  the  excellence  to  which  she  had  been  so  unaccountably 
deaf,  and  lavished  her  praises  on  what  she  had  before  dismissed 
with  disgrace  or  without  approbation.  In  1742  Handel  gave 
a  performance  of  the  Messiah  in  the  Foundling  Hospital  Chapel 
with  great  success,  and  the  proceeds  were  presented  by  him  to 
that  institution,  then  recently  established. 

FIRST    PERFORMANCE    OF    HANDEL'S    "  MESSIAH." 

It  is  related  by  Dr.  Beattie,  the  poet,  that  when  Handel's 
Messiah  was  first  performed  the  audience  were  greatly  struck 
and  affected  by  the  music.  But  when  the  chorus  reached  the 
part  beginning  "  For  the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth,"  the 
audience,  including  the  King  (George  II.),  were  so  transported  that 
they  all  instinctively  started  to  their  feet  and  remained  standing- 
till  the  conclusion  of  the  passage.  Hence  it  became  a  fashion  in 
England  for  the  audience  to  stand  during  that  part  of  that 
magnificent  hymn. 

HANDEL    COMMEMORATIONS    IN    WESTMINSTER   ABBEY. 

Except  the  dedication  of  the  Temple,  at  which,  according  to 
Josephus,  200,000  musicians  were  engaged,  the  commemoration 


512  CURIOSITIES   OF   CHRISTIAN    HISTORY. 

of  Handel  in  Westminster  Abbey  in  1784  was  considered  at  that 
time  the  greatest  performance  that  ever  was  heard.  The  band 
contained  482  instrumentalists.  The  vocal  performers  included 
22  cantos,  51  altos,  66  tenors,  69  basses.  The  receipts  for  the 
five  commemorations  amounted  to  £12,736.  At  this  per- 
formance on  so  unprecedented  a  scale,  the  audience  was  melted 
and  enraptured  by  the  exquisite  sweetness  of  the  solos,  the 
powerful  execution  of  the  choruses  affected  some  to  tears,  and 
many  fainted  with  the  excitement.  When  the  whole  chorus, 
from  each  side  of  the  stupendous  orchestra,  joined  in  by  all  the 
instruments,  burst  out  "  He  is  the  King  of  glory,"  the  effect  was 
^o  overpowering  that  the  performers  could  scarcely  proceed. 
Though  Pope  had  no  ear  for  music,  he  was  aware  of  the  triumphs 
of  his  contemporary,  the  great  composer,  and  in  "  The  Dunciad  " 
thus  describes  him  : — 

"  Strong  in  new  arms,  lo  !  giant  Handel  stands. 
Like  bold  Briareus,  with  a  hundred  hands  ; 
To  stir,  to  rouse,  to  shake  the  soul  he  comes, 
And  Jove's  own  thunders  follow  Mars's  drums." 


INDEX. 


Abbess  of  Aries,  deathbed.  221. 

Abbey,  officials  of.  218. 

Abbots,  power  over  monastery,  217  ; 

lecturing  his  monks,  223  ;   war  of 

two,  224  ;  harassed  with  care,  306. 
Abdication  of  Emperor,  330  ;  of  Pope, 

363  ;  of  Sultan,  372. 
Actor,  the  martyr,  148. 
Adriano,  painter,  496. 
Agbarus  writing  to  Christ.  12. 
Agnus  Dei,  75. 
Agobard  of  Lyons,  340. 
Aidan.  St..  of  Lindisfarne.  272  :  death 

of,  276. 
Aix-la-Chapelle  cathedral,  45"). 
Alarie  respects  churches,  112. 
Alban,    St..   martyr,    14!) :    cathedral, 

4<!7.  469. 
Albigenses,  426. 
Alfred,  King.  341,343. 
All  Saints"  Day,  80. 
Altar  in  churches,  441. 
Amain  cathedral,  451. 
Ambrose,  St.,   194 ;    asleep   at    Mass, 

195  ;  sayings  of,  196  ;  on  relics,  196. 
Amiens  cathedral,  454. 
Ammenrhau  plays,  82. 
Andrew.   St.,  28  ;   patron  saint.    29  ; 

head  of,  purchased  by  Pope,  191. 
Angel,  monk  wanting  to  be,  221. 
Angelico.  painter,  479. 
Anschar.  apostle  to  the  North,  249. 
Anselm.  Archbishop.  351. 
Antioch  church,  51. 
Antony,    St.,    temptations    of,    161  ; 
visits  Paul,  197. 


Antony  of  Padua,  257 :  psalm-book 
stolen,  308  ;  preaching  to  the  fishes, 
Jim;. 

Antwerp  cathedral,  456. 

Ape  of  bishop  painting.  475. 

Apocryphal  gospels,  '.».  20. 

Apostles,  deaths  and  marriages  of,  23. 

Apostolic  Church,  64. 

Aquinas,  Thomas,  137. 

Archbishop,  choosing,  335  :  John  the 

Almsgiver.   337  ;  the   ugliest,  345  ; 

Anselm,  351  ;  Turstin,  353. 
Architecture,  church,  438. 
Aretino,  painter,  479. 
Arsenius.  monk,  266. 
Ass,  feast  of  the,  SI. 
Athos,  Mount,  its  monasteries,  312. 
Attila,  impressed  by  the  Pope,  113. 
Augustine,    St.,   of  Hippo,   vision  of, 

2<  13  :     faith    in    dreams,    203  ;    on 

miracles,  207. 
Augustine  in  England,  245. 
Auricular  confession,  67. 
Auto-da-fe,  380. 
Avignon,  Popes  at,  366. 

Barbara,  martyr.  147. 
Barnabas,  St.,  27. 

Barnadatus,  an  austere  hermit,  168. 
Bartholomew,  St.,  25. 
Bartholomew  of  Faroe,  hermit,  175. 
Basle,  nuns  of,  233. 
Bee  monastery,  289. 
Becerra,  sculptor,  492. 
Becket,  St.  Thomas,  pilgrims  to,  191: 
murder  of,  355. 


J13 


33 


514 


INDEX. 


Bede,  Venerable,  on  Fame  hermits, 
173,  275  ;  deathbed,  278. 

Beea,  St.,  397. 

Beds  in  church,  76,  501. 

Benedict,  St.,  at  Monte  Cassino,  209, 
268  ;  death  of,  269. 

Benedict  of  Aniane,  212. 

Bernard,  St.,  monks  of,  285. 

Bernard,  St.,  begging  for  robber's 
life,  208  ;  against  Abelard,  295  ; 
sister  of,  299  ;  second  crusade,  420. 

Bethlehem  church,  460. 

Bible.  Septuagint,  21  ;  English,  22  ; 
telling  fortunes  by,  93,  248. 

Birds  and  St.  Francis.  402,  404  :  and 
St.  Guthlac,  170. 

1  >ishops.  early,  70  ;  first  degraded,  329 ; 
building  workhouse.  330  ;  seeking 
a  site,  331  ;  of  fifth  century,  332  ; 
putting  down  soothsayers,  333  ;  re- 
leasing prisoners,  334  ;  giving  a 
horse  to,  338  ;  of  Hexham,  339  ;  at 
head  of  troops,  343  ;  jokes  of,  346  ; 
pompous,  347  ;  at  early  Mass,  351  ; 
aerial  music  at  death  of,  362  ;  in- 
viting  old  master,  372 ;  ape  of, 
painter.  475. 

Black  death,  90,  124. 

Blandina,  martyr.  144. 

Bonaventura,  St.,  life  of  Christ,  7  ; 
honouring  the  rich,  228. 

Bonfires  of  gaudy  dresses,  262,  264. 

Boniface,  St.,  missionary,  116. 

Boy  bishop,  feast  of,  81. 

Bristol  cathedral,  471. 

Bronzes  for  gates  of  Paradise,  480. 

Bruce,  Bobert,  a  crusader,  432. 

Buffalmacco,  painter,  475,  477. 

Buffoons,  feast  of  the.  81. 

Burial  of  monks,  227. 

Bury  St.  Edmunds  monastery,  304, 
306,  307. 

Cjedmon,  monk  poet,  222. 

Cano,  painter,  500. 

Canterbury,  monks  of,  189  ;  pilgrims 

to,  192;*  cathedral,  463. 
Canute,  visiting  Borne,  346  ;  rebuking 

the  sea,  346, 
Capernaum,  54,  62. 
Cardinals,  origin  of,  328. 
Carileff,  St.,  the  hermit,  169. 
Carlisle  cathedral,  469. 


Carthusians,  296,  300. 
Cassino,  Monte,  monastery,  209. 
Cassiodorus,  his  library,  236. 
Cathedrals,    spires    and    dimensions, 

440  ;  Gothic,  441  ;  St.  Peter's,  442  ; 
Genoa,  444  ;  Turin,  444  ;  Milan, 
445  ;  Florence,  446  ;  Pisa,  446  ;  San 
Gennaro,  447  ;  Santiago,  448  ;  Leon, 
449  ;  Seville,  450  ;  Toledo,  450  ;  Cor- 
dova, 451  ;  Amalfi,  451  ;  Oviedo, 
452  ;  Paris,  Notre  Dame,  453  ;  Mar- 
seilles, 454  ;  Chartres,  454  ;  Amiens, 

454  :  Bheims,  455 ;  Aix-la-Chapelle, 

455  ;  Treves,  456  ;  Antwerp,  456 ; 
Cologne,  457  ;  St.  Petersburg.  457  ; 
Vienna,  458  ;  St.  Paul's,  461  ;  Canter- 
bury. 463  ;  York,  463  ;  Durham, 
465  ;  Winchester,  466  ;  Oxford,  466  ; 
Peterborough,  467  ;  Salisbury,  468  ; 
Wells,  468  ;  English  and  Welsh, 
469,  470. 

Catherine  of  Siena,  314. 

Cecilia,  St.,  martyr,  144. 

Chad,  St.,  275. 

Chanting  of  monks,  225  ;  of  Charles  V. 
as  monk,  322. 

Charlemagne,  doubts  as  to  monks,  214  ; 
leaving  his  court  to  be  monk,  215; 
monk  at  his  court,  215. 

Charles  V.,  Emperor,  as  monk,  318: 
his  dress,  319  ;  apartments,  319  ;  de- 
testation of  heretics,  320. 

Chartres  cathedral,  454. 

Cheese,  painter  fed  on,  461. 

Chichester  cathedral,  470. 

Children's  crusade,  428. 

Chimes  on  bells,  502. 

Christian,  name  of,  94  ;  viewed  by 
Pagans,  97  ;  oppose  wild  beasts,  97. 

Christmas  Day,  79. 

Christ  in  Egypt,  7  ;  as  a  boy,  9 ;  por- 
traits of,  11,  12  ;  false,  21  ;  sentence 
on,  44  ;  blood  of,  188  ;  painted  by 
Micael,  190. 

Christina  and  the  millstone,  389. 

Christopher,  St. ,  389. 

Chrysostom,  St.,  as  hermit,  150 ;  as 
preacher,  201  ;  on  monkery,  201  ; 
on  speaking  in  church,  201. 

Church,  building  age,  84  ;  spires  of, 
440 ;    dimensions,   440 ;    altars    in, 

441  ;  bells,  501  ;  chimes.  502  :  music, 
503. 


INDEX. 


515 


Lurch,    apostolic,     64  ;     early,    64 ; 

ancient  buildings,  72  ;  service,  75  : 

organs  and  bells,  76  ;  sexes  in,  77  ; 

praying  for  dead,  77  ;  festivals,  80. 
Cimabue,  painter,  475. 
Cinderella  of  the  convent,  230. 
Cistercians,  2!l7,  300. 
Clara,  St.,  and  the  Saracens,  310. 
Claudius  of  Turin,  133. 
Clergy,  dress,  69  :  foppish,  60  ;  unitv 

of,  326. 
Clovis,  conversion  of,  334. 
Cluny,  monks  of,  284. 
Coldingham,  nuns  of,  283. 
Cologne,  archbishop,   345  :  cathedral, 

457. 
Columba,  St.,  of  Iona,  269.  270. 
Columban,  monk,  210,  271. 
Columbus,  crusader,  435. 
Community  of  goods,  65. 
Compostella  and   St.   James,   35,  36, 

448. 
Conecte,  Thomas,  the  monk,  263. 
Conrad,  St.,  399. 
Constantine,   99;    standard  of    cross, 

100;  dream.  100;    preaching,   101; 

last  illness.  102. 
Constantinople,  French  pillaging,  425: 

cathedrals,  458. 
Constantius  testing  Christians,  98. 
Convent,  life  in  a,  217. 
Coptic  church,  439. 
Cordova  cathedral,  451. 
Correggio.  painter,  491. 
Cosmas,  the  monk  tutor,  131. 
Council,  of  Nice,  102  ;  owl  attending, 

370. 
Creeds,  monks  deciding  on,  234. 
Cross,  forms  of.  15;  discovery  of.  15  ; 

nails  of,  16  :  legend  of.  17 :  dividing: 

into  parts,  183. 
Crown  of  thorns  pawned.  19. 
Croyland,  St.  Guthlac   at.   169.  170  ; 

monks  of,  283  :  burning  of  abbey. 

283,  290  ;  Turketul  as  abbot,  286. 
Crucifix  during  plague,  190  :  clumsv. 

482. 
Crucifixion,  thieves  at,  16. 
Crusaders,  beginnings  of.  408  ;  Peter 

the  hermit  on.  411  ;  and  the  earth 

of  Palestine.  413  ;  how  they  treated 

spies,  414  ;  and  the  holy  lance,  415; 

testing  a  doubtful  point.  417 :  first 


sight  of  Jerusalem,  417  ;  capturing 
Jerusalem,  419  ;  first  visit  to  holy 
places,  419  ;  Bernard's  second  cru- 
sade, 420;  French  Queen  at.  421  ; 
bringing  home  relics,  422  ;  Fulk  of 
Xeuilly.  424  ;  death  of  Richard  I.. 
424  ;  pillaging  Constantinople,  425  : 
attacking  heretics,  425  ;  Albigenses. 
427  ;  children's,  428  ;  more  preach- 
ing for,"  428  ;  paying  money  for, 
429  ;  master  of  Hungary,  430 ;  death- 
bed of  Louis  of  France,  431  :  enter- 
tained, 431 ;  dying  king  as.  432 ; 
Knights  Templars,  433 ;  faith  in 
Providence,  434  ;  Columbus  as,  435  : 
numbers  of,  436  ;  Greek  Church  and 
pilgrims.  437. 

Customs,  early  church,  65. 

Cuthbert,  St.,  275,  278  ;  his  body 
carried.  277  ;  his  shrine  at  Durham. 
465. 

Cyprian,  St.,  and  Justina.martvrs.150. 

Cyril,  St.,  of  Alexandria,  204.  * 

Damascus  and  rivers,  54;  John  of. 
131,  132. 

Damiani.  Peter,  85. 

Dancing  mania.  91. 

Deaconess.  72. 

Dead,  prayers  for,  77. 

Dead  Sea,  measurements,  53. 

Deathbed  of  Constantine.  102 ;  of 
abbess,  221,  274  ;  of  monk,  227  ;  of 
Bede,  278  :  of  abbot.  302. 

Decretals,  false,  117. 

Derwentwater,  monk  at,  171. 

Devil  and  St.  Christopher,  391  ;  show- 
ing a  book.  392  ;  and  Theophilus. 
393. 

Didymus  and  Theodora,  martyrs,  149. 

Divine  right,  king  by.  352. 

Divining-rod,  3  s  7. 

Doctors'of  the  Middle  Ages,  302. 

Dominic,  St.,  86  ;  preaching,  253. 

Dominico.  painter.  49S. 

Donato,  sculptor,  478. 

Dorotheus.  architect  to  hermits,  166. 

Douglas,  the,  as  crusader.  432. 

Dream,  of  Constantine,  100  ;  St.  Augus- 
tine's faith  in.  203. 

Dress  of  clergy,  69,  92. 

Dunstan,  St.,  relics,  189  ;  as  monk,  285. 

Durham  cathedral,  465. 


516 


1XDKX. 


Easter  Day,  71). 

Edward  the  Confessor  and  St.  John,  33. 

Egypt,  Holy  Family  in,  5. 

Einsiedeln  monastery,  28 1 . 

Eleanor.  Queen,  as  crusader,  421. 

Eligius,  bishop,  339. 

Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  310. 

Ely  monkscapturingrelies,  182 ;  cathe- 
dral, 469. 

Emblems  of  Christians,  66. 

Emperor  as  monk,  320  ;  abdication  of, 
330  ;  excommunication  of,  359  ;  re- 
taliating on  Pope,  300  ;  as  crusader, 
423. 

Empire,  Koman,  140,  141. 

Empress  begging  for  relics,  185. 

England,  St.  Augustine  landing  in, 
245,  246. 

Ethelbert  receiving  St.  Augustine,  246. 

Ethelwald,  hermit  of  Fame,  172. 

Eton  montem,  82. 

Exeter  cathedral,  469. 

Extortioners  of  Pope,  361. 

Farne,  hermits  of,  172,  175  ;  Aidan 
at,  272;  Cuthbert  at,  275,  276. 

Fathers,  the,  194  ;  Origen,  194  ;  Am- 
brose, 195, 196  ;  Jerome,  197  ;  Chry- 
sostom,  200  ;  Augustine,  202  ;  Cyril, 
204  ;  notions  of,  205. 

Felicitas,  martyr,  144. 

Festivals  in  church,  80,  83. 

Fishes.  St.  Antony  preaching  to,  406. 

Flagellants,  91. 

Florence  cathedral,  44f>. 

Fly  killed  by  monk,  232. 

Foppish  clergy,  69  ;   Pope,  374. 

Fortunes,  telling  by  Bible,  93  ;  Eligius 
on,  248. 

Foundlings  in  Paris,  260. 

France  receiving  crown  of  thorns,  186. 

Francia,  painter,  484 

Francis,  St.,  of  Assisi,  254  ;  dexte- 
rity, 255  ;  stigmata,  255  ;  biographer 
of,  256  :  and  the  birds.  403  :  and  the 
wolf,  404. 

Friars  and  monks,  219  ;  the  order  of, 
230  ;  wearing  shoes,  257 ;  startling 
the  judges,  261  ;  burning  ornaments, 
262,  264. 

Frogs  rebuked  by  monk,  232. 

Fructuosus  and  the  doe.  397. 

Fulk  of  Neuilly,  252,  424. 


Fuller  on  relies.  183  : 
219. 


on  monks.  214, 


Galilee,  sea  of,  53,  54  ;  population. 

56. 
Gall,  St.,  monks  of,  274. 
Geismar,  oak  of,  1 1 6. 
Genes,  St..  martyr,  148. 
Genesius,  martyr,  148. 
Genevieve,  St.,  patron  saint,  179. 
Genoa  cathedral,  444. 
Gervasius,  relics  of,  196. 
Ghiberti,  sculptor,  480. 
Gibbon  on  monks,  207. 
Glasgow,  St.  Mungoat,  268. 
Glastonbury,  monks  of,  1S9  ;  chanting, 

225. 
Gloucester  cathedral,  470. 
Gnat  stinging  hermit,  165. 
Godiva,  lady,  399. 
Gold,  painter  at  sight  of.  482. 
Gothic  cathedrals,  440. 
Goths  sacking  Rome,  113. 
Greek  Church,  400,  4."»7. 
Greek  philosophers  driven  out,   115  ; 

Church  and  Latin,  119. 
Gregorian  chant,  dispute  about,  225. 
Gregory  the  G  reat  sendingmissionaries 

to  England,  246  ;  a  hard  case  put, 

336  ;     supper    of,     395  ;    releasing 

Trajan.  396. 
Gregory,  St.,  on  relics,  185. 
Gregory  VII.,  137. 
Grosso,  sculptor,  4K2. 
Guizot  on  power  of  Popes.  138. 
Guthlac,  St..  the  hermit,  169. 

Hallelujah  victory,  391. 

Hameln.  piper  of,  399. 

Handel,  511. 

Hatto,  Bishop,  and  the  rats,  398. 

Helo'ise,  nun,  294. 

Herbert,  St.,  monk  of  Derwentwater. 
171. 

Hereford  cathedral.  471. 

Heretic  refuted,  103  ;  Huss  as,  377  ; 
pleasure  of  burning,  378  ;  of  Mid- 
dle Ages,  382  ;  crusaders  against, 
425. 

Hermits,  outbreak  of  zeal,  160  ; 
Antony,  161 ;  visit  to  another,  162  ; 
bunch  of  grapes  to.  162  ;  courtesies 
of,  162  ;  trying  to  quarrel,  163  ;  poli- 


INDEX. 


517 


tical  economy  of,  1 «»:» ;  St.  Pambo, 
164  ;  olive  tree  of,  164  ;  stung  by 
gnat,  165  ;  Martin  of  Tours,  lfi.".': 
Dorotheus,  166  ;  St.  Pcemen,  lt>7  : 
St.  Moyses,  1G7  ;  Barnadatus,  168  ; 
St.  Carileff,  169;  Saxon  hermits, 
169;  St.  Guthlac,  170;  Simeon 
Stylites,  171:  St.  Herbert,  171; 
Ethchvald.  172  ;  Queen  consulting, 
171;  a  conscientious,  171:  St.  Bar- 
tholomew of  Fame.  17".;  French 
King  sending  for,  17(>  ;  consecration 
of,  177  ;  invited  by  the  Pope,  229  ; 
made  Pope,  S6S. 

Hermon,  Mount,  .".7. 

Herod  a  in!  Holy  Family,  5,  16. 

Henry  II.,  King,  at  Becket's  tomb, 
356. 

Herve.  little  blind,  395. 

Hilda.  St..  deathbed,  274. 

Hildebrand,  Pope,  137. 

Hillel,  relationship.  19. 

History,  church,  how  divided,  63. 

Holidays  in  I  Ihurch,  80. 

Holy  Family  in  Egypt,  •".  6. 

Holy  Grail,  394. 

Holy  water,  1 12, 

Host,  the,  75. 

Hu8s,  martyr,  152  :   on  Lndulgi 

371  ;  burnt  as  heretic.  !!77. 

Eymns,  church,  506. 

[OONOCIiASTO,  1.".'.  130,  136. 

Ignatius  Loyola.  259. 

Illuminating  by  monks,  241. 

[mage, demolishing,  112,  121;  worship. 
129,  136  :  converting,  134  :  in 
churches.  472. 

Incense  in  churches,  112. 

Indulgence-,  -ale  of,  371. 

Innocent-,  mas-acre  of,  4. 

Inquisition,  :>77  ;  assassination  of  in- 
quisitor, 380  :  auto-da-fe,  380. 

Interdict,  papal,  :>">ii. 

Irene.  Empress,  135. 

Isabella.  Queen,  381. 

Isidore  forging  decretals,  118. 

Jambs,  Lntercisus,  martyr,  161. 

James,  St.,  29,  34. 

Jerome,  St..  life  of  Paul.  197  ;  the  lion 

ami   ass,  198  ;    deathbed   of,    199  ; 

epistles  of,  199. 


Jerusalem,  sieges,  60;  situation,  6<>  : 
crusaders  at,  417  ;  churches  of.  459. 

Jews,  sacred  vessels,  114;  and  Chris- 
tians. 119,  L28 ;  incited  by  Julian, 
120  ;  golden  age  of,  121  ;  aud  Pope, 
122  ;  of  York,  122  :  crucifying  boy-. 
123,  125;  stealing  Host,  125 ;  ban- 
quets of,  12<*>  ;  in  Spain.  126;  phy- 
sician-. 127  :  conversion  of,  128  : 
tic-  wandering,  392. 
if  Arc,  153,  159. 

Joan.  Pope,  398. 

Joanna  made  a  nun,  308. 

Jocelyn  of  Edmondsbury,  304,  307. 

John,"  St..  3(».  :;:;. 

John  Baptist,  St.,  }.",. 

John,  King  of  England.  354 

John  of  Damascus,  131,  132 

John  of  Salisbury,  358. 

John  of  Peckham,  362, 

John  the  Almsgiver,  337. 

Johnson,  Dr..  on  monk-.  207. 

•Jordan,  measurements  of,  58,  "■» 
Juanes,  painter  of  Virgin,  :(. 

Jubilee  year.  87. 
Judas  Iscariot,  1 1. 
Julian  the  Apostate,  104. 
Justinian  and  Theodora,  1 15. 

Kr.Mri-,  Thomas  a.  315. 

King,  dying,  sends  for  hermit,  176. 

La  Trappc  monks,  312. 

Lance,  the  holy.  115. 

Lauder,  St.  Cuthbcrt.  275. 

Legate  of  Pope  visiting  monasterv, 
307. 

Legends,  sacred,  385  ;  Thundering 
Legion,  387  ;  Thcban  legion,  3s7 ; 
divining-rod,  387  ;  St.  George  and 
dragon," 388  ;  Christina,  389  ;  Chris- 
topher, 389  ;  Hallelujah  victory,  391; 
Merlin's  prophecies,  391 ;  devil  show- 
ing a  book.  392 ;  Wandering  Jew, 
392;  St.  Sabas.  393:  Theophilus's 
compact,  393 ;  Holy  Grail,  394 ;  Seven 
Sleepers,  394  ;  little  blind  Herve, 
395  ;  supper  of  St.  Gregory,  395  ; 
Gregory  releasing  Trajan,  396  ;  St. 
Bega,  397  ;  Fructuosiis,  397 ;  Pope 
Joan,  398  ;  Bishop  Hatto,  398  ;  St. 
Conrad.  399;  Piper  of  Hameln,  399  ; 
Lady  Godiva,  399  ;  sacred  fire,  400  ; 


518 


INDEX. 


Prester   John,   401  ;   Loretto.   401  ; 

St.  Francis  and  the  birds,  403  ;  St. 

Antony   and  the  fishes,    406  ;    St. 

Roch,  407. 
Legion,  Thundering,  387  ;  Theban,  387. 
Leo  the  Isaurian,  129. 
Leo  X.,  Pope,  375. 
Leon  cathedral,  449. 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  485. 
Lepers  tended  by  St.  Francis,  254. 
Lilies  of  the  field.  58. 
Lincoln  cathedral,  470. 
Lindisfarne,  saints  of,  272. 
Lion  and  St.  Jerome,  198;  and  Sara- 
cen king,  352  ;  and  St.  Sabas,  393. 
Liturgy,  ancient,  73,  74. 
Lives  of  the  saints,  237. 
Locusts  warded  off  by  monks,  244. 
Loretto  and  holy  cottage,  401. 
Louis,  St.,  of  France,  crown  of  thorns, 

186  ;  a  monk,  309  ;  deathbed  of.  430. 
Louis  VII.,  421. 
Luke,  St.,  25. 

Lull,  Raimund.  and  Saracens,  258. 
Luther  revisiting   old   convent,   236  : 

on  music,  509. 
Lyons,  martyrs  of,  144. 

Macarius,  hermit,  162,  165. 

Mahomet  and  Christianity,  115. 

Manuscripts  of  monks,  238  ;  of  nuns, 
240. 

Margaret  of  Scotland,  348. 

Mark,  St.,  24. 

Marseilles  church,  453. 

Martha,  St.,  48. 

Martin  of  Tours,  112,  164. 

Martyrs,  early,  142;  Valeria,  142; 
Thecla,  143  ;  Polycarp,  143  ;  Felici- 
tas,  144  ;  of  Lyons,  144  ;  Cecilia, 
145  ;  Ursula,  146  ;  Perpetua,  146  ; 
Barbara,  147 ;  Potamiana,  147 ; 
St.  Genes,  148 ;  Genesius,  149  ;  St. 
Alban,  149  ;  Didymus,  149  ;  Cyprian, 
150;  Chrysostom,  150;  James,  in- 
tercisus,  151  ;  Stephen,  151  ;  for 
images,  151,  177  ;  Huss,  152  ;  Joan 
of  Arc,  153. 

Mary  Magdalene,  47. 

Mary  (Virgin),  heathen  knowledge  of, 
1  ;  portraits,  3 ;  marriage,  3  ;  in 
Egypt,  4  ;  assumption,  7 ;  death,  7. 

Mass,  74. 


I   Master  of  Hungary,  430. 

i    Matilda  of  Flanders  consulting  hermit, 

174. 
;    Matthew,  St.,  24. 

Medard,  St.,  83. 

Meinrad,  monk,  281. 

Merlin's  prophecies,  391. 

Merom,  Waters  of,  55. 

Methodius  in  Moravia,  247. 

Micael  painting  a  crucifix,  190. 

Michael  Angelo,  494. 

Milan  cathedral,  445. 

Millennium  in  early  times,  64,  84. 

Miracles  of  St.  Bernard,  298. 

Miserere  at  Valencia,  452  ;  in  Sistine 
Chapel,  508. 

Missal  painting  of  monks,  241 . 

Missionary  of  fourth  century,  243 ; 
mediaeval,  261. 

Model  for  painter,  483. 

Moleme,  Robert  of,  226. 

Monastery,  life  in,  216,   218  ;  how  a 
site  acquired,  235  ;  scriptorium,  237 
of  Einsiedeln,  281;   Croyland,  283 
Cluny,  284  ;   of  St.  Bernard,  285 
fire  at  Croyland,  286,  290 ;  of  Bee, 
289  ;  St.  Evroult,  292  ;  of  Vallom- 
brosa,  293  ;  Carthusians,  296  ;   Cis- 
tercians, 297  ;   Edmundsbury,  304  ; 
rebuilding   altar,   305  ;    of    Mount 
Athos,   312;    Certosa,   313;    Yuste 
and  Charles  V.,  318  ;  pictures  in.  473. 

Monks,  Chrysostom  on,  201  ;  origin  of, 
206  ;  Gibbon  on,  207  ;  Dr.  Johnson 
on.  207  ;  motives  for  becoming,  208 ; 
weak  side  of,  208 ;  reformed  by 
St.  Benedict,  209  ;  Columban,  210  : 
settling  in  forest,  211  ;  denouncing 
king's  ferocity,  211  ;  making  them 
work,  212 ;  Benedict  of  Aniane,  212  ; 
monk  at  court  writing  home,  213  ; 
drinking  wine  in  England,  214 ; 
Charlemagne's  doubts  as  to,  214 ; 
Duke  William,  215  ;  going  to  live 
at  court,  215  ;  reasons  for  so  many, 
216  ;  life  of,  216  ;  routine  of  English, 
2i8  ;  officials  in  monastery,  218  ; 
and  friars,  219  ;  brawls  with  friars, 
220  ;  orders  of,  220  ;  wanting  to  be 
angels,  221  ;  abbess  of  Aries,  death- 
bed, 221  ;  Casdmon,  monk  poet,  223  ; 
sleeping  too  long,  223  ;  lecturing 
against  idleness,  223  ;   war  of  two 


INDEX. 


519 


abbots,  224 ;  chanting.  225  :  pil- 
laging, 225  ;  living  frugally,  226  ; 
burial  of,  227  ;  sick,  227  ;  honouring 
the  rich,  228  ;  good  lesions  of,  229  ; 
invited  by  Pope,  229  ;  at  Sempring- 
ham,  231  ;  compunctions  of,  232  ; 
killing  a  fly,  232 ;  stealing  food,  234  ; 
deciding  on  creeds,  234  ;  interceding 
for  prisoners,  235  ;  acquiring  a  site, 
235 ;  Luther  at  grave  of.  236  ;  and 
polite  letters,  236  ;  of  St.  Gall,  237  ; 
manuscripts  of,  23s  ;  missal  paint- 
ing, 239  ;  illuminating,  241  ;  prose- 
lytising, 243  ;  warding  off  locusts, 
I'll:  S.veiinus,  244;  Fulkof  Ncuilly, 
252;  Dominic,  253;  Francis,  254; 
Thomas  Conecte,  263  ;  Arsenius,  266; 
Ninian.  267  :  Mungo,  267  ;  Columba, 
269  ;  Columban,  271  ;  Aidan.  272  ; 
(had,  273;  Bcde,  275,  278;  Cuth- 
bert.  275;  Duke  William.  280; 
Meinrad,282  :  of  Croyland,283,  290  ; 
Dunstan.  285  ;  of  St.  Bernard,  2s;,  ; 
Turketul.  286  ;  Nilus,  287;  of  Bee, 
289:  Abclard,  295;  < 'luny,  295. 
300;  St.  Bernard,  297.  299:  Peter 
the  Venerable,  .".(in  :  Kdmundsbury, 
304,  307  :  stealing  a  psalm-book, 
308  ;  for  a  king.  309  :  the  starved. 

311  :  Athos,    312;    of   La   Trappe, 

312  :  Lucca,  314  :  Peter  of  Alcantara. 
316:  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  as, 
318  :  "ti  the  crusades,  408  :  painters. 
173  ;  feeding  the  painter.  481  ;  bar- 
gaining fur  picture-.  198  ;  musicians, 
506. 

Monsignori,  painter,  483. 
Moravia,  missionaries  in,  247. 
More,  Sir  T.,  on  relies,  1S3. 
Moyses,  St..  water-carrier  to  hermits. 

167. 
Mungo.  Scottish  saint,  267, 
Murillo,  painter,  499. 
Music  of    monks,  238,   241  ;    church. 

503. 

NAMES,  Christian,  66. 
Naples,  chapel  at,  447. 
Nazareth.  61. 
Neander  on  monks.  209. 
Neot,  the  Cornish  saint.  250. 
Nero's  persecution,  96. 
Nice,  council  of.  102. 


Nicholas  Peregrinus,  507. 

Nicholas  V..  Pope,  372. 

Nicolas,  monk,  starved.  311. 

Nicolas,  Pope,  lis. 

Nilus,  monk.  287,  289. 

Ninian.  Scottish  saint,  267. 

Norbert  on  clerical  vices.  252. 

Norwich  cathedral,  469. 

Notre  Dame,  Paris.  45:;. 

Nuns  ai  Sempringham.  231  ;  of  Basle, 
wars  of,  233  ;  embroidery  of.  240  ; 
converting  the  Iberians,  243 ;  .  if 
Coldingham.  283;  St.  Catherine  of 
Siena.  314:  marrying  a  king,  350; 
criticising  their  artist.  477. 

Olive  tree  of  hermit,  164. 

Olives,  .Mount  of,  60. 

Omar,  mosque  of.  459. 

Oratorios.  509. 

Organs  in  church,  76,  504. 

Origen,  one  of  the  Fathers,  194. 

Orleans,  siege,  and  Joan  of  Arc,  156. 

Otto.  Bishop  in  Pomerania.  251. 

Oviedo  cathedral,  452. 

Owl  at  church  council.  370. 

Oxfoid  cathedral.  466. 

Pagans,  difficulties  with,  96,  lis  : 
silenced.  103  :  temples  demolished. 
109. 

Painters,  sacred,  472  ;  Cimabue,  475  ; 
Buffalmacco,  475, 477  ;  Donato,  478; 
Aretino,  479;  Angelico,  479  ;  Ghi- 
berti,  480;  Uccello.  481;  (irosso, 
482  ;  Pintnricchio.  482  :  Monsignori, 
4 S3  :  Franeia,  484  ;  Leonardo  da 
Vinci,  185  ;  Raphael,  487 ;  Tor- 
rigiano,  490 ;  Correggio,  491  : 
Becerra,  492  ;  Michael  Angelo,  492  ; 
Vargas.  495  :  Titian,  495  ;  Adriano, 
496  :  Rubens,  497  :  Dominico,  49S  ; 
Velasquez,  498  :  Murillo,  499  ;  Cano, 
500;  Thornhill,  501. 

Palestine  explorations.  52  ;  climate. 
57;  fruits,  flowers,  birds,  58.  60; 
pilgrimages  to,  4<  19. 

Palm  tree  and  Holy  Family,  5. 

Pambo,  St.,  the  hermit,  164. 

Paradise,  sculptures  fit  for,  480. 

Paris,  patron  saint.  179:  cathedral, 
453. 


520 


INDEX. 


Passion  plays,  82. 

Pastoral  staff,  71. 

Patrick,  St..  sermon.  24  I. 

Patron  saints.  17!». 

Paul,  St.,  87,  40. 

Paul  Diaconns  writing  home,  213. 

Paul,  the  hermit,  1C>2 ;  life  by  St. 
Jerome.  197  :  visited  by  Antony, 
197,198. 

Penmanship  of  monks.  239. 

Perpetua.  martyr,  1 16. 

Perspective  of  old  painters.  181. 

Peter  of  Alcantara.  316. 

Peter,  St.,  37.  39. 

Peter  the  Hermit,  411. 

Peter  the  Venerable,  300. 

Peterborough  cathedral,  407. 

Petersburg  cathedral,  47)7. 

Pharisaism.  50. 

Philip.  St..  28. 

Philip  the  Fair  and  Pope.  364. 

Pilate,  Pontius.  45. 

Pilgrims  to  Compostella.  37>  ;  to  Wal- 
singham,  191  ;  in  Switzerland.  192  ; 
to  Canterbury,  192  :  to  Palestine, 
4:09  :  ways  of  pilgrims,  410  :  Peter 
the  Hermit,  411  :  Creek  Church, 
437. 

Pillar  monks.  171. 

Pinturicchio.  paint ei.  182, 

Pisa  cathedral.  446. 

Plague,  crucifix  during.  190. 

Plays,  miracle  and  passion,  82. 

Pliny  on  Christians,  97. 

Poemen,  the  hermit,  107. 

Polycarp,  martyr  143. 

Pope  defending  Pome.  117  :  and  Jews, 
122  :  ambitious,  137. 138  :  supremacy 
of,  326;  election  of.  328:  and  the 
pestilence,  33.")  ;  kissing  the  foot, 
340  ;  two  scapegrace,  344  ;  interdict 
of,  357  ;  candid  friend  of,  368  ; 
extortioners  of.  361  ;  hermit  made. 
363  :  Philip  the  Fair  and,  364  ; 
Boniface  VIII.,  365  ;  the  rival.  307, 
368  ;  deposed.  370  ;  a  fop,  374  ;  Leo 
X..  37")  ;  sixtus  V..  376  :  lawyer 
as.  383;  Joan,  398:  Urban  II. 'on 
Crusades,  413. 
Potamiana,  martyr,  147. 

Praising  day  and  night,  78. 

Preachers,  ancient.  68. 

Prester  John,  401. 


Prisoners  monk  interceding  for, 
235. 

Prodigies,  the  sages  on,  43. 
Psalm-book  stolen  by  monk,  308. 
Pureed,  510. 
Pyx,  the.  7."). 

QUEEN  visiting  hermit.  1  <".'.»,  174. 

Rain,  prayer  for,  89. 

Raphael,  painter,  is;. 

Haven  of  the  monks.  281. 

Ilelics,  reverence  for,  180;  secrecy  in 
removing,  181  ;  capturing,  181,  steal- 
ing, 182  ;  defending,  183  ;  forgery 
of,  183  ;  flattering  worshipper  of, 
184;  empress  begging  for,  185  ;  de- 
ciding on  genuine,  185  ;  crown  of 
thorns,  186;  received  in  France, 
187 ;  discovery  of  St.  Stephen's,  188  ; 
St.  Dimstan's.  189:  Hubs  on,  190; 
St.  Andrew's  head.  191  ;  St.  Gerva- 
sius.  196.     See  also  "  Cathedrals.'* 

Rheims  cathedral,  455. 

Richard  I.,  story  of  an  ingrate,  402  : 
death  of,  424. ' 

Rienzi,  tribune,  139 

Riots,  religious,  08. 

Ritualism,  rise  of,  71. 

Rob  Rov  on  the  Jordan,  55. 

Roch,  St.,  407. 

Roman  Empire,  last  hours,  140:  Holy 
Roman  Empire,  141. 

Rome  sacked  by  Goths,  112  ;  by  Huns, 
112  ;  by  Vandals.  114  ;  Lombards 
at,  117;  St.  Peter's.  442  ;  Sistine 
Chapel.  443. 

Rosary,  festival,  83. 

Rose,  festival  of,  83. 

Round  towers,  85. 

Rubens,  painter,  497. 

Russia,  conversion  of,  251. 

Sabas  and  the  lion.  393. 

Sacro  monte,  473. 

St.  Bernard,  Great,  pilgrims  at,  192. 

St.  Gall  monastery,  224,  237,  248. 

St.  Paul's  cathedral,  464. 

St.  Peter's,  Rome,  442. 

Saints,  miracles  of,  178  ;  patron,  179 ; 

lives  of,  237. 
Salisbury  cathedral,  468. 


INDEX. 


52 1 


Sampson  of  Edmundsbury,  303,  306, 

307. 
Sanhedrim,  !'.•. 
Santiago  cathedral,  35,  !  18. 
Saracens  converted  bj  Baimund  Lull, 

258;  a  king  of,  362. 
Sarto,  Andrea  del,  1 7.i,  199. 
Savonarola,  264. 

Schetzelo,  conscientious  hermit,  171. 
Schoolmen,  the,  302. 

Scotsman  travelling  to  Bo ,  303. 

Sempringham,  nuns  of,  231. 
Septnagint,  20. 
Serapis,  temple  of,  110. 

n,  Dumber,  87. 
Seville  cathedra  I,  1 50. 

-  of  friars,  2f  7, 
Sibyl  prophecy  <>!'  Christ,  I. 

■I.  St..  27. 
Simeon  Btylites,  171. 
Simeon's  gn  al  a 
Sin-eaters  at  funerals,  7-. 
Singing  in  church,  504. 
Sistine  chapel.  Rome,  I  18. 
Sixtus  v..  Pope,  376. 
Slavery  and  early  Christians,  95. 

pers,  the  Seven,  394. 
Soldier  piercing  <  Ibrist,  l  7. 
Spanish   Jews,   126;   image  worship, 

L36  :   inquisition,   379  :  auto-da-fe, 

380  :  miraculous  images,  174. 
Stations  of  cross,  18. 

ng  of  relic-.  1^2  ;  of  monk's  food, 

234. 
Stephen,  martyi  I  -.  151. 

Stephen,     St..    firs!    martyr,    relics, 

lss. 
Bl  i  asbnrg  cathedral,  154, 
Sultan  and  the  lion.  352, 
Sunday,  Palm,  80. 
Superstitions,     Bligius     denouncing, 

248. 
Sweating  sickness,  91. 

Swiss  horn1-,  "ML'. 
Swithin.  St..  341. 
Symmachus  defending  Pagans,  108. 

Telemachus  an<l  wild  beasts,  98. 
Templars,  Knight.  4  .">.'>. 
Temple.  Jews  rebuilding,  120. 
Theban  legion,  387 

a,  St.,  martyr.  14:>. 

dora,  empress,  135. 


Theodore's  image  of  I  brist,  1 1 1. 
dosius    and    the     Paa 

111. 

>gie;ii  disputes,  105. 
rheophuus  and  the  devil.  393, 
Theresa,  St.,  and  her  visions,  317. 
Thomas,  81  .  26. 

lhili.  painter,  501 , 
Thorns,  crown  of,  19,  186. 
Thundering  legion,  387. 
I 

Timothy,  St.,  27. 
Titian.  195. 
Titus,  St,  28. 
1  .  160. 

Torquemada  and  Jews,   L26 ;    as   in- 

« 1  ni  «-i  t .  .1-. 
Torrigiano,  Bculptor,  190. 
Trading,  monks  on,  22;». 
1  cathedral,  456. 

Trinitarian  controversy,  106  ;  sermon 

on,  108. 
Trisagion  riots, 

I'm t'  « ;<  nl .  86. 

Turin  cathedral,  1 1 1. 
Turketnl  at  Croyland, 
I         n,  archbishop,  363. 

UCCELLO,  painto  r,  181. 
Dgliesl  of  men  archbishop,  :!!"•. 

Ursula,  St..  martyr.  1  16. 


Vai.km  ia,  Miserere  at,  152. 
Valeria,  martyr.  1  12. 
Vandals  sacking  Borne,  114. 

as,  painter,  195. 
Velasquez,  painter,  198. 
Veronica,  St.,  48. 
Vienna  cathedral,  4~>8. 
Villain,  accounl  of  jubilee,  87. 
Vincent  de  Paul.  260. 
Virgin,   portraits  of,   3  :    worship     I 

:  holy  cottage.  401 
Viviers  d  236. 

WALDBN8ES,  382. 
Walsingham,  pilgrims  to,  191. 

Wells  cathedral,  468. 

Welsh  cathedrals.  471. 

Whitbv  abbey,  Caedmon  at,  222:  St. 

Hilda  at,  274. 


522 


INDEX. 


Wicliff,  the  reformer,  365. 

Wild-beast  shows,  97. 

William,  Duke,  becomes  monk,   215, 

280. 
William  the  Conqueror's  death.  348. 
Winchester  cathedral,  466. 
Worcester  cathedral,  471. 
Working  man,  r><>. 


Wulfstan  of  Worcester,  293. 

Ximenes,  cardinal,  381. 

York  Minster,  463. 

Yuste  monastery  and  Charles  V.,  3-18. 

Zacharias,  44. 


Printed  by  Hazell,  Watson,  &  Yiney,  Ld.,  London  and  Aylesbury. 


BY    THE    SAME    AUTHOR. 

CURIOSITIES  OF  LAW  AND  LAWYERS. 

New  Edition.       1891. 


SPECTATOR. —"Capable  of  affording-  no  small  amount  of  amusement.  Whether 
layman  or  lawyer,  he  is  sure  to  find  something  entertaining." 

ST.  JAMES'S  GAZETTE.— "No  similar  volume  contains,  to  our  knowledge,  an 
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a  search  through  whole  libraries  of  'Lives' .and  '  Memoirs.'" 

DAILY  CHRONICLE.— "  Mr.  James  has  extracted  a  perfect  storehouse  of  choice 
anecdotes  and  informative  extracts  from  legal  writers.  It  would  be  a  mistake  to 
suppose  that  his  book  is  limited  to  the  retailing  of  pleasant  stories.  It  may  also 
serve  as  a  handbook  upon  nice  points  of  law,  upon  public  rights,  upon  parliamentary 
and  even  ecclesiastical  history." 

DAILY     NEWS.— "The   work  is  so   crammed   with   anecdotes   which  are    easy 
reading,  that.it  is  sure  to  amuse  many  persons  who  are  not  in  the  learned  professions." 
DAILY  TELEGRAPH.— "There  is  a  great  mass  of  anecdotage  gathered  together 
in  this  book." 

GLOBE. — "Croake  James's  'Curiosities  of  Law  and  Lawyers'  is  a  perfect  mine 
of  anecdote  and  jest  about  the  members  of  the  legal  profession  and  cognate  matters, 
and  brought  home  to  us  in  entertaining  fashion." 

SATURDAY  REVIEW.— "That  entertaining  miscellany  of  anecdotes  by  Croake 
James." 

GRAPHIC— "No  one  who  looks  for  amusement  in  these  pages  will  be  disap- 
pointed." 

ILLUSTRATED  LONDON  NEWS.—"  Here  we  have  page  after  page  of  legal 
fireworks." 

PUMP  COURT.  — "  Brimful  of  interesting  matter.it  incidentally  furnishes  an  ex- 
cellent idea  of  the  times,  manners,  and  modes  of  thought  of  the  various  generations 
of  lawyers.     It  furnishes  in  a  pleasant  manner  abundant  food  for  thought." 

BOOKSELLER.— "Parsons  and  lawyers  enjoy  between  them  the  distinction 
of  supplying  the  world  with  the  largest  amount  of  good  stories,  whether  as  narratives 
or  subjects." 

LEEDS  MERCURY.—"  Mr.  James's  '  Curiosities  of  Law  and  Lawyers  '  is  a  book 
which  abounds  in  clever  and  caustic  sayings.  Certain  to  entertain  everybody  into 
whose  hands  it  falls." 

MANCHESTER  GUARDIAN.— "Good  light  reading  in  the  main,  and  a  few 
of  the  stories  extremely  funny." 

GLASGOW  HERALD.— "An  olla podrida  with  one  prevailing  flavour,  but  with 
innumerable  attractions.  A  pleasant  volume  for  an  odd  half-hour  for  anybody,  but 
specially  for  lawyers." 

SCOTSMAN.— "Some  of  the  stories  are  very  good,  and  all  of  them  eminently- 
readable.     The  volume  will  be  a  treasure  for  those  who  like  really  light  literature." 


SAMPSON    LOW,    MARSTON,    SEARLE,    &    RIVINGTOX,    Limited. 


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