,illustration3 7front cover7 ,illustration3 ,,she ,,slept ,,calmly ,,and ,,peacefully ,,until ,,she ,,dreamed ,a ,,dream4 ,,in ,,god',s ,,garden ,,stories ,,of ,,the ,,saints ,,for ,,little ,,children ,,by ,,amy ,,steedman ,,with ,,sixteen ,,reproductions ,,from ,,italian ,,masterpieces ,illustration ,,london3 ,t4 ,c4 ,e4 ,c4 ,,jack1 ,ltd4 #ce ,,paternoster ,,row1 ,e4,c41 ,,edinburgh ,,to ,,my ,,mother ,,about ,,this ,,book ,there is a garden which ,god has planted for ,himself1 more beautiful than any earthly garden4 ,the flowers that bloom there are the white souls of ,his saints1 who have kept themselves pure and unspotted from the world4 ,in ,god's garden there is every kind of flower1 each differing from the other in beauty4 ,some are tall and stately like the lilies1 growing where all may see them in their dress of white and gold2 some are half concealed like the violets1 and known only by the fragrance of kind deeds and gentle words which have helped to sweeten the lives of others2 while some1 again1 are hidden from all earthly eyes1 and only ,god knows their loveliness and beholds the secret places where they grow4 ,but known or unknown1 all have risen above the dark earth1 looking ever upward2 and1 although often bent and beaten down by many a cruel storm of temptation and sin1 they have ever raised their heads again1 turning their faces towards ,god2 until at last they have been crowned with the perfect flower of holiness1 and now blossom for ever in the ,heavenly ,garden4 ,in this book you will not find the stories of all ,god's saints4 ,i have gathered a few together1 just as one gathers a little posy from a garden full of roses4 ,but the stories ,i have chosen to tell are those that ,i hope children will love best to hear4 ,let us remember that ,god has given to all of us1 little children as well as grown-up people1 a place in ,his garden here on earth1 and ,he would have us take these white flowers1 the lives of ,his saints1 as a pattern for our own4 ,we may not be set where all can see us2 our place in ,god's garden may be a very humble and sheltered spot2 but1 like the saints1 we may keep our faces ever turned upward1 and learn to grow1 as they grew1 like their ,master1 pure and straight and strong--fit flowers to blossom in the ,garden of ,god4 ',saints are like roses when they flush rarest1 ,saints are like lilies when they bloom fairest1 ,saints are like violets1 sweetest of their kind4' ,,list ,,of ,,stories ,,page ,,saint ,,ursula1 #a ,,saint ,,benedict1 #af ,,saint ,,christopher1 #bi ,,saint ,,catherine ,,of ,,siena1 #da ,,saint ,,augustine ,,of ,,hippo1 #ed ,,saint ,,augustine ,,of ,,canterbury1 #fb ,,saint ,,cecilia1 #ga ,,saint ,,giles1 #gi ,,saint ,,nicholas1 #hd ,,saint ,,faith1 #ig ,,saint ,,cosmo ,,and ,,saint ,,damian1 #ajb ,,saint ,,martin1 #aaj ,,saint ,,george1 #aai ,,saint ,,francis ,,of ,,assisi1 #abh ,,list ,,of ,,pictures ,,at ,,page ,,saint ,,ursula1 ,she slept calmly and peacefully until she dreamed a dream1 ,frontispiece ,ursula stood on the landing-place1 the first to greet the ,prince1 #h ,by ,vittore ,carpaccio at the ,accademia1 ,venice4 ,,saint ,,benedict1 ,a little demon seized the robe of the young monk1 #bb ,a terrible storm began to rage1 #bh ,by ,lorenzo ,monaco1 ,uffizi1 ,florence4 ,,saint ,,christopher1 ,the child upon his shoulder seemed to grow heavier1 #ch ,by ,titian1 ,doge's ,palace1 ,venice4 ,,saint ,,catherine ,,of ,,siena1 ,the ,holy ,child placed a ring upon her finger1 #df ,by ,benozzo ,gozzali1 ,uffizi1 ,florence4 ,,saint ,,augustine ,,of ,,hippo1 ,the child had digged a hole in the sand1 #fj ,by ,sandro ,botticelli1 ,accademia1 ,florence4 ,,saint ,,cecilia1 ,a crown of lilies and roses in each hand1 #gd ,she taught them about the ,lord of ,heaven1 #gh ,by ,spinello ,aretino1 ,s4 ,maria del ,carmine1 ,florence4 ,,saint ,,nicholas1 ,he showed his daughter the gold1 #hf ,he went to the harbour where two ships lay1 #ij ,by ,ambrogio ,lorenzetti1 ,accademia1 ,florence4 ,,saint ,,cosmo ,,and ,,saint ,,damian1 ,but ,cosmo turned and walked away1 #ajd ,an angel guided them with loving care1 #ajh ,by ,fra ,angelico1 ,accademia1 ,florence4 ,,saint ,,george1 ,saint ,george rode straight at the monster1 #abd ,by ,vittore ,carpaccio1 ,s4 ,georgio ,maggiore1 ,venice4 ,,saint ,,francis ,,of ,,assisi1 ,then the ,pope took the little poor brothers under his protection1 #acf ,he chanted the ,gospel at the first ,christmas mass1 #adj ,by ,giotto1 ,accademia1 ,florence4 ,,saint ,,ursula ,once upon a time in the land of ,brittany there lived a good king1 whose name was ,theonotus4 ,he had married a princess who was as good as she was beautiful1 and they had one little daughter1 whom they called ,ursula4 ,it was a very happy and prosperous country over which ,theonotus ruled1 for he was a ,christian1 and governed both wisely and well1 and nowhere was happiness more certain to be found than in the royal palace where the king and queen and little ,princess ,ursula lived4 ,all went merrily until ,ursula was fifteen years old1 and then a great trouble came1 for the queen1 her mother1 died4 ,the poor king was heart-broken1 and for a long time even ,ursula could not comfort him4 ,but with patient tenderness she tried to do for him all that her mother had done1 and gradually he began to feel that he still had something to live for4 ,her mother had taught ,ursula with great care1 and the little maid had loved her lessons1 and so it came to pass that there was now no princess in all the world so learned as the ,princess ,ursula4 ,it is said that she knew all that had happened since the beginning of the world1 all about the stars and the winds1 all the poetry that had ever been written1 and every science that learned men had ever known4 ,but what was far better than all this learning was that the princess was humble and good4 ,she never thought herself wiser than other people1 and her chief pleasure was in doing kind things and helping others4 ,her father called her the light of his eyes1 and his one fear was that she would some day marry and leave him alone4 ,and true it was that many princes wished to marry ,ursula1 for the fame of her beauty and of her learning had spread to far distant lands4 ,now on the other side of the sea1 not very far from ,brittany1 there was a great country called ,england4 ,the people there were strong and powerful1 but they had not yet learned to be ,christians4 ,the king of that land had an only son called ,conon1 who was as handsome as he was brave4 ,and when his father heard of the fame of the ,princess ,ursula he made up his mind that she should be his son's wife4 ,so he sent a great company of nobles and ambassadors to the court of ,brittany to ask ,king ,theonotus for the hand of the ,princess ,ursula4 ,that king received the messengers most courteously1 but he was very much troubled and perplexed at the request4 ,he did not want to part with ,ursula1 and he knew she did not wish to marry and leave him4 ,and yet he scarcely dared offend the powerful ,king of ,england1 who might be such a dangerous enemy4 ,so to gain time he told the messengers he would give them their answer next day1 and then he shut himself up in his room and sorrowfully leaned his head upon his hand as he tried to think what was best to be done4 ,but as he sat there thinking the do or opened and ,ursula came in4 ',why art thou so sad1 my father8' she asked1 'and what is it that troubleth thee so greatly8' ',i have this day received an offer for thy hand1' answered her father sadly1 'and the messengers are even now here1 and because they come from the ,king of ,england ,i dare not refuse their request1 and yet ,i know not what answer to give them when they return in the morning4' ',if that is all1 do not trouble thyself1 dear father1' answered ,ursula2 ',i myself will answer the messengers and all will be well4' ,then the princess left her father and went to her own room that she might consider what answer might be wisest to send4 ,but the more she thought the more troubled she became1 until at last she grew so weary that she took off her crown and placed it as usual at the foot of her bed and prepared to go to rest4 ,her little dog lay guarding her1 and she slept calmly and peacefully until she dreamed a dream which seemed almost like a vision4 ,for she thought she saw a bright light shining through the door and through the light an angel coming towards her1 who spoke to her and said3-- ',trouble not thyself1 ,ursula1 for to-morrow thou shalt know what answer thou shalt give4 ,god has need of thee to save many souls1 and though this prince doth offer thee an earthly crown1 ,god has an unfading crown of heavenly beauty laid up for thee1 which thou shalt win through much suffering4' ,so next morning when the messengers came into the great hall to receive their answer1 they saw the ,princess ,ursula herself sitting on the throne next to her father4 ,she was so beautiful1 and greeted them so graciously that they longed more than ever that their prince might win her for his bride4 ,and as they listened for the king to speak1 it was ,ursula's voice that fell on their ears4 ,she began by sending her greeting to the ,king of ,england and to ,prince ,conon1 his son1 and bade the messengers say that the honour offered her was more than she deserved1 but since their choice had fallen upon her1 she on her side was ready to accept the prince as her promised husband1 if he would agree to three conditions4 ',and first1' went on ,ursula1 leaning forward and speaking very clearly and slowly1 so that the foreign ambassadors might understand every word1 ',i would have the prince1 your master1 send to me ten of the noblest ladies of your land to be my companions and friends1 and for each of these ladies and for myself a thousand maidens to wait upon us4 ,secondly1 he must give me three years before the date of my marriage so that ,i and these noble ladies may have time to serve ,god by visiting the shrines of the saints in distant lands4 ,and thirdly1 ,i ask that the prince and all his court shall accept the true faith and be baptized ,christians4 ,for ,i cannot wed even so great and perfect a prince1 if he be not as perfect a ,christian4' ,then ,ursula stopped speaking1 and the ambassadors bowed low before her beauty and wisdom and went to take her answer to their king4 ,now ,ursula did not make these conditions without a purpose1 for in her heart she thought that surely the prince would not agree to such demands1 and she would still be free4 ,but even if he did all that she had asked1 it would surely fulfil the purpose of her dream1 and she would save these eleven thousand maidens and teach them to serve and honour ,god4 ,ere long the ambassadors arrived safely in ,england1 and went to report their mission to the king4 ,they could not say enough about the perfections of this wonderful princess of ,brittany4 ,she was as fair and straight as a lily1 her rippling hair was golden as the sunshine1 and her eyes like shining stars4 ,the pearls that decked her bodice were not as fair as the whiteness of her throat1 and her walk and every gesture was so full of grace that it clearly showed she was born to be a queen4 ,and if the outside was so fair1 words failed them when they would describe her wisdom and learning1 her good deeds and kind actions4 ,the king1 as he listened to his nobles1 felt that no conditions could be too hard that would secure such a princess for his son1 and as for the prince himself his only desire was to have her wishes fulfilled as quickly as possible1 so that he might set sail for ,brittany and see with his own eyes this beautiful princess who had promised to be his bride4 ,so letters were sent north1 south1 east1 and west1 to ,france and ,scotland and ,cornwall1 wherever there were vassals of ,england to be found1 bidding all knights and nobles to send their daughters to court with their attendant maidens1 the fairest and noblest of the land4 ,all were to be arrayed in the finest and costliest raiment and most precious jewels1 so that they might be deemed fit companions for the ,princess ,ursula1 who was to wed ,prince ,conon1 their liege lord4 ,then the knights and nobles sent all their fairest maidens1 and so eager were they to do as the king desired1 that very soon ten of the noblest maidens1 each with a thousand attendants1 and another thousand for the ,princess ,ursula1 were ready to start for the court of ,brittany4 ,never before was seen such a fair sight as when all these maidens went out to meet the ,princess ,ursula4 ,but fairest of all was the princess herself as she stood to receive her guests4 ,for the light of love shone in her eyes1 and to each she gave a welcome as tender as if they had all been her own sisters4 ,it seemed a glorious thing to think they were all to serve ,god together1 and no longer to live the life of mere pleasure and vanity4 ,as may well be believed the fame of these fair maidens spread far and near1 and all the nobles and barons crowded to the court to see the sight that all the world talked about4 ,but ,ursula and her maidens paid no heed to the gay courtiers1 having other matters to think upon4 ,for when the soft spring weather was come1 ,ursula gathered all her companions together and led them to a green meadow outside the city1 through which a clear stream flowed4 ,the grass was starred with daisies and buttercups1 and the sweet scent of the lime blossoms hung in the air1 a fitting bower for those living flowers that gathered there that day4 ,in the midst of the meadow there was a throne1 and there the princess sat1 and with words of wonderful power she told her companions the story of ,god's love and of the coming of our ,blessed ,lord1 and showed them what the beauty of a life lived for ,him might be4 ,and the faces of the listening maidens shone with a glory that was more than earthly1 as they with one accord promised to follow the ,princess ,ursula wherever she might lead1 if only she would help them to live the blessed life so that they too might win the heavenly crown4 ,then ,ursula descended from her throne and talked with each of the maidens1 and those who had not yet been baptized she led through the flowery meadow to the banks of the stream1 and there a priest baptized them while the birds joined in the hymn of praise sung by the whole company4 ,but all this while the ,prince ,conon waited with no little impatience for news of ,ursula4 ,he had been baptized and joined the ,christian faith1 he had sent the companions she desired1 and now he waited for her to fulfil her promise4 ,and ere long a letter reached him1 written round and fair in the princess's own handwriting1 telling him that as he had so well fulfilled her conditions1 and was now her own true knight1 she gave him permission to come to her father's court1 that they might meet and learn to know each other4 ,it was but little time that ,prince ,conon lost before he set sail for ,brittany4 ,the great warships made a prosperous voyage over the sea that parted the two countries1 and came sailing majestically into the harbour of ,brittany1 where the people had gathered in crowds to see the young prince who had come to woo their fair princess4 ,from every window gay carpets were hung1 and the town was all in holiday1 as ,ursula stood on the landing-place1 the first to greet the prince as he stepped ashore1 and all that ,conon had heard of her seemed as nothing compared to the reality1 as she stood before him in her great beauty and welcomed him with gentle courtesy4 ,and he grew to love her so truly that he was willing to do in all things as she wished1 though he longed for the three years to be over that he might carry her off to ,england and make her his queen4 ,but ,ursula told the prince of the vision that had come to her in her dream1 when the angel had said she must first go through much suffering1 and visit the shrines of saints in distant lands4 ,and she told him she could not be happy unless he granted her these three years in which to serve ,god1 and begged him meanwhile to stay with her father and comfort him while she was gone4 ,illustration3 ,,ursula ,,stood ,,on ,,the ,,landing ,,place1 ,,the ,,first ,,to ,,greet ,,the ,,prince4 ,so ,ursula set out with her eleven thousand maidens1 and the city was left very desolate and forlorn4 ,but the pilgrims were happy as they sailed away over the sea1 for they were doing the angel's bidding1 and they feared nothing1 for they trusted that ,god would protect and help them4 ,at first the winds were contrary and they were driven far out of their course1 so that instead of arriving at ,rome1 which was the place they had meant to go to1 they were obliged to land at a city called ,cologne1 where the barbarous ,germans lived4 ,here1 while they were resting for a little1 another dream was sent to ,ursula1 and the angel told her that in this very place1 on their return1 she and all her maidens would suffer death and win their heavenly crowns4 ,this did not affright the princess and her companions1 but rather made them rejoice that they should be found worthy to die for their faith4 ,so they sailed on up the ,river ,rhine till they could go no further1 and they landed at the town of ,basle1 determined to do the rest of their pilgrimage on foot4 ,it was a long and tedious journey over the mountains to ,italy1 and the tender feet of these pilgrims might have found it impossible to climb the rough road had not ,god sent six angels to help them on their way1 to smooth over the rough places1 and to help them in all dangers so that no harm could befall them4 ,first they journeyed past the great lakes where the snow-capped mountains towered in their white glory1 then up the mountain-road1 ever higher and higher1 where the glaciers threatened to sweep down upon them1 and the path was crossed by fierce mountain-torrents4 ,but before long they began to descend the further side2 and the snow melted in patches and the green grass appeared4 ,then followed stretches of flowery meadow-land1 where the soft southern air whispered to them of the land of sunshine1 fruit1 and flowers4 ,lower down came the little sun-baked ,italian villages1 and the simple1 kindly people who were eager to help the company of maidens in every way1 and gazed upon them with reverence when they knew they were on a pilgrimage to ,rome4 ,thus the pilgrims went onward until at length they came to the ,river ,tiber and entered the city of ,rome1 where were the shrines of ,saint ,peter and ,saint ,paul4 ,now the ,bishop of ,rome1 whom men call the ,pope1 was much troubled when it was told him that a company of eleven thousand fair women had entered his city4 ,he could not understand what it might mean1 and was inclined to fear it might be a temptation of the evil one4 ,so he went out to meet them1 taking with him all his clergy in a great procession1 chanting their hymns as they went4 ,and soon the two processions met1 and what was the amazement and joy of the ,pope when a beautiful maiden came and knelt before him and asked for his blessing1 telling him why she and her companions had come to ,rome4 ',most willingly do ,i give thee my blessing1' answered the old man1 'and bid thee and thy companions welcome to my city4 ,my servants shall put up tents for you all in some quiet spot1 and ye shall have the best that ,rome can afford4' ,so the maidens rested there in quiet happiness1 thankful to have come to the end of their pilgrimage and to have reached the shrines of ,god's great saints4 ,but to ,ursula an added joy was sent which made her happiness complete4 ,for the prince1 whom she had left behind1 grew impatient of her long absence1 and the longing for his princess grew so strong he felt that he could not stay quietly at home not knowing where she was nor what had befallen her4 ,so he had set out1 and1 journeying by a different route1 had arrived in ,rome the same day as ,ursula and her maidens were received by the good bishop4 ,it is easy to picture the delight of ,conon and ,ursula when they met together again1 and knelt land in hand to receive the ,pope's blessing4 ,and when ,ursula told him all that had happened and of the angels whom ,god had sent to guide and protect them1 the only desire the prince had was to share her pilgrimage and be near her when danger threatened4 ,and his purpose only became stronger when she told him of the vision she had had in the city of ,cologne4 ',how can ,i leave thee1 my princess1' he asked1 'when ,i have but now found thee8 ,life holds no pleasure when thou art absent4 ,the days are grey and sunless without the sunshine of thy presence4 ,bid me come with thee and share thy dangers1 and if it be1 as thou sayest1 that it is ,god's will that thou and all these maidens shall pass through suffering and death for ,his sake1 then let me too win the heavenly crown that we may praise ,god together in that country where sorrow and separation can touch us no more4' ,and ,ursula was glad to think that1 through love of her1 the prince should be led to love ,god1 and so granted his request and bade her companions prepare to set out once more4 ,the ,pope would fain have persuaded them to stop longer in ,rome1 but ,ursula told him of her vision1 and how it was time to return as the dream had warned her4 ,then the ,pope and his clergy made up their minds to join the pilgrimage also1 that they too might honour ,god by a martyr's death4 ,now there were in ,rome at that time two great ,roman captains who were cruel heathens1 and who looked upon this pilgrimage with alarm and anger4 ,they commanded all the imperial troops in the northern country of ,germany2 and when they heard that ,ursula and her maidens were bound for ,cologne they were filled with dismay and wrath4 ,for they said to each other3 ',if so many good and beautiful women should reach that heathen land the men there will be captivated by their beauty and wish to marry them4 ,then1 of course1 they will all become ,christians1 and the whole nation will be won over to this new religion4' ',we cannot suffer this1' was the answer4 ',come1 let us think of some way to prevent so great a misfortune that would destroy all our power in ,germany4' ,so these two wicked heathen captains agreed to send a letter to the king of the ,huns1 a fierce savage1 who was just then besieging ,cologne4 ,in it they told him that thousands of fair women in a great company were on their way to help the city1 and if they were allowed to enter all chances of victory for his army would vanish4 ,there was but one thing to be done and that was to kill the entire band of maidens the moment they arrived4 ,meanwhile ,ursula and her companions had set sail for ,cologne1 and with them were now ,prince ,conon and his knights and the ,pope with many bishops and cardinals4 ,and after many days of danger and adventure the pilgrims arrived at the city of ,cologne4 ,the army of barbarians who were encamped before the city was amazed to see such a strange company landing from the ships4 ,for first there came the eleven thousand maidens1 then a company of young unarmed knights1 then a procession of old men richly robed and bearing no weapons of any kind4 ,for a moment the savage soldiers stood still in amazement1 but then1 remembering the orders they had received in the letter from the ,roman captains1 they rushed upon the defenceless strangers and began to slay them without mercy4 ,prince ,conon was the first to fall1 pierced by an arrow1 at the feet of his princess4 ,then the knights were slain and the ,pope with all his clergy4 ,again the savage soldiers paused1 and then like a pack of wolves they fell upon the gentle maidens1 and these spotless white lambs were slain by thousands4 ,and in their midst1 brave and fearless1 was the ,princess ,ursula1 speaking cheerful words of comfort to the dying and bidding one and all rejoice and look forward to the happy meeting in the heavenly country4 ,so great was her beauty and courage that even those wicked soldiers dared not touch her1 and at last1 when their savage work was done1 they took her before their prince that he might decide her fate4 ,never before had ,ursula's beauty shone forth more wonderfully than it did that day when she stood among these savage men and gazed with steadfast eyes upon the prince1 as one might look upon a wild beast4 ,the prince was amazed and enchanted1 for he had never seen so lovely a maid in his life before1 and he motioned to the soldiers to bring ,ursula nearer to him4 ',do not weep1 fair maiden1' he said1 trying to speak in his gentlest voice1 'for though you have lost all your companions you will not be alone4 ,i will be your husband1 and you shall be the greatest queen in ,germany4' ,then most proudly did ,ursula draw herself up1 and her clear eyes shone with scorn as she answered3 ',does it indeed seem to thee as though ,i wept8 ,and canst thou believe that ,i would live when all my dear ones have been slain by thee1 thou cruel coward1 slayer of defenceless women and unarmed men8' ,and when the proud prince heard these scornful words he fell into a furious rage1 and1 bending the bow that was in his hand1 he shot three arrows through the heart of ,princess ,ursula and killed her instantly4 ,so the pure soul went to join the companions of her pilgrimage and to receive the crown of life which the angel of her dream had promised her1 and for which she had laid down her earthly crown as gladly as when in her peaceful home she laid it aside before she went to rest4 ,,saint ,,benedict ,it was in the year of our ,lord #edj that ,saint ,benedict was born at ,spoleto in ,italy1 and he was only a boy of sixteen on the night when our story begins4 ,such a cold night it was4 ,piercing wind swept over the mountains1 whistling through the pine-trees and hurrying on to the great city of ,rome that lay in the plains below4 ,it was cold enough in the city where the people could take shelter in their house and sit warming their hands over their little pots of fire1 but out on the bare hillside it was even worse4 ,for the icy breath of the winter wind1 which had come far over the snow1 swept into every nook and corner as if determined to search out any summer warmth that might be lingering in a sheltered corner4 ,and there in a cave high up among the rocks1 a boy sat listening to the wind1 and thinking of many things1 as he tried to wrap his worn old cloak closer round him4 ,he was a tall thin lad1 with sad dreaming eyes and a face already sharpened by want and suffering4 ,the cave in which he sat had little in it1 except a heap of dried leaves which served him for a bed1 and it was difficult to imagine how any one could live in so dreary and comfortless a place1 so far from any other human being4 ,but he was thinking of a very different home1 as he sat shivering in the cold that night4 ,only a year ago he had lived in a beautiful palace1 where everything was pleasant and warm and bright4 ,his father was the lord of the country around1 and he1 the only son of the house1 had everything that he could want4 ,they were all proud of him1 he was so clever and brilliant1 and as soon as he was old enough he was sent to study in ,rome1 that he might become a great lawyer4 ,there the boy's eyes saw a different scene--the great city of ,rome1 where all was gaiety and pleasure1 where all pleased the eye1 the ear1 and the taste1 but where1 alas1 so much wickedness dwelt as well4 ,he had tried to shut his eyes to things he did not wish to see1 but day by day the sights and sounds around him1 the talk of his companions1 and the things they thought so pleasant had become hateful to him4 ,and one day he had stolen secretly away from ,rome1 leaving everything behind1 determined to go away into a desert place and live alone4 ,this it seemed to him was the only way of truly serving ,god1 to learn to deny himself in everything and to keep himself unspotted from the world4 ,a tender smile came over the boy's face as the next picture rose before his eyes4 ,true he had left all and gone into the wilderness1 but love could not so easily be left behind1 and his old nurse had found out a way of following him1 and would not be denied the pleasure of serving him and caring for his wants2 even begging food1 from door to door1 that she might prepare a dainty meal for him4 ,it had been very pleasant1 but its very pleasantness had warned him that he must deny himself still further4 ,so he had once more stolen away1 when his old nurse was asleep and had hidden himself in the cave among the rocks of ,subiaco4 ,here he was indeed alone1 and the only food he had was a little bread which a kind old hermit gave him daily1 and his only drink the clear water of the mountain streams4 ,and here he seemed to live with ,god alone1 seeing no one but the kind old hermit who brought him his daily bread4 ,he was happy and peaceful1 never ceasing to pray for those who in the busy world might forget to pray for themselves4 ,but this night the thoughts of past days were troubling him4 ,and as he sat there listening to the wind he began to long for the things he had left behind4 ,one beautiful face especially grew clearer than the rest1 and smiling upon him beckoned him back to the pleasures and comforts and earthly joys he had put away from him4 ,with a cry he sprang to his feet and rushed out of the cave4 ,for a moment he felt as if his feet must carry him down the steep mountain-side1 over the plain and back to the beautiful city2 and then he stood still1 and with a prayer for help to overcome this temptation of the ,evil ,one1 he threw himself into a thicket of thorny briars that grew by the side of the cave4 ,there he rolled over and over until he was torn and bleeding2 then slowly returning to the cave he lay down upon his bed of leaves1 peaceful and contented4 ,the evil thoughts had fled1 the face that tempted him had vanished1 and ,satan was conquered4 ,so ,benedict began his life of self-denial and solitary prayer4 ,years passed by and in spite of the loneliness of the place and the few people who ever passed by that way1 it began to be known that one of ,god's saints lived in the mountain cave4 ,the shepherds who fed their flocks on the lower hills would bring him little offerings of milk or cheese and ask his blessing1 or perhaps a prayer for one who was sick4 ,and gradually people began to call him their saint of the mountain1 and to come to him for help in all their troubles4 ,thus the fame of his goodness spread wider and wider1 until a company of monks who lived some way off sent and besought him to come and live with them and be their head4 ,benedict was grieved to think of leaving his little cell which he had grown to love1 and the simple mountain people1 who so often came to him in their need4 ,but he thought this was a call he ought to obey1 so he sorrowfully set out and journeyed many miles till he came to the convent of the brothers4 ,it was all very strange to him after the stillness of his mountain cell1 and he could not accustom himself to hearing voices all day long and to seeing so many faces4 ,still he strove to do his duty and soon made many changes in the convent life4 ,he told the brothers plainly that there were many comforts they must put away1 and above all that they must eat less and work more4 ,now the brothers did not like this at all1 and they began to repent that they had asked so great a saint to come and rule over them1 for he made their rule so hard and strict1 that few of them cared to keep it4 ,then one day a strange thing happened4 ,the brothers were all dining together1 and ,benedict was silently eating his portion1 his thoughts far away in the little mountain cell at ,subiaco1 when some one touched his arm and offered him a cup of wine4 ,benedict turned and looked searchingly into the brother's face1 and then with upraised hand made the sign of the cross over the cup4 ,instantly it fell broken to the ground1 and the wine was spilt upon the floor1 for there had been poison in the cup1 which the holy sign had destroyed4 ,then ,benedict looked round at the company of brothers1 who sat with downcast eyes1 ashamed and silent1 and1 without a word1 he rose and left them4 ,he returned1 alone as he had come1 back to his mountain home1 where instead of human voices there was the song of the birds1 where the wild flowers looked at him with pure1 friendly faces1 and even the wild animals did not count him their enemy and would do him no harm4 ,here he hoped once more to live quite alone1 but one by one men came and built huts close to his cave1 that they might be near so great a saint1 and before long there was a great company living around him4 ,benedict's fame had spread even to ,rome1 and two of the ,roman nobles sent their sons to be taught by him4 ,one was only five years old and the other twelve1 and it seemed a hard life for such children4 ,but ,benedict cared for them and watched over them1 and they loved him as if he had been their own father4 ,and after all life was very pleasant on the mountain-side1 when the sun shone and lessons and prayers were over4 ,they could play among the pine-trees and chase the goats over the rocks1 and when the sun grew too hot creep back into the cave to rest4 ,in spring there were the first flowers to hunt for1 and they would come back with eager hands filled with violets and mountain anemones4 ,and in autumn there were nuts and berries to be gathered1 which they laid up like young squirrels for their winter store4 ,and among the daily duties there was nothing they liked so well as to go down to the lake to fetch water1 when the mountain springs had run dry4 ,one day it was the little one's turn to do this1 and as he was leaning over1 his foot slipped1 and he fell into the lake1 and before he could utter a cry the water closed over his head4 ,at that very moment ,benedict1 who was kneeling in prayer on the hill above1 saw a vision of the boy's danger1 and hastily sent the elder lad down to the lake to help the child4 ,he never stayed to question why he was sent1 but sped down the mountain-side1 and without a moment's delay threw himself into the lake1 hoping to be able to reach the little dark head that had risen above the water for the last time4 ,and lo6 he found that the water grew firm beneath his feet1 and he walked as if he was on dry land1 and lifting the child1 carried him safely ashore4 ,when ,benedict saw that so many other hermits had taken up their abode on the mountain1 he determined to form them into a company of brothers1 and give them a rule to live by1 and by and by they built a little chapel where they could meet for daily service4 ,now1 strangely enough1 every evening at the hour of prayer1 one young monk became restless and uneasy1 and would steal silently out of the chapel and disappear down the hillside4 ,none of the brothers could think what made him do this2 but night after night the same thing happened just when prayers were about to begin4 ,all were troubled and disturbed1 till at last they went to ,benedict1 and asked him what it could mean4 ,then the saint promised to watch1 and that very evening he saw what no other eyes had seen4 ,into the chapel came a little demon black as coal1 and he seized the robe of the poor young monk1 and dragged him out of the door4 ,and though the demon was so tiny he was stronger than the monk1 and easily led him swiftly away out of sound of the chapel bell4 ,then ,benedict followed1 and touching the monk with his rod1 bade the demon begone and trouble him no longer4 ,and after that the young monk stayed in the chapel with the rest1 and the demon was seen no more4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,little ,,demon ,,seized ,,the ,,robe ,,of ,,the ,,young ,,monk4 ,it seemed as if ,benedict must always suffer from the malice of evil brothers1 who disliked his strict rule2 and even in his own mountain home the danger followed him4 ,this time the poison was put into a loaf of bread2 but ,benedict knew that it was there1 and while the wicked monk who offered it to him watched with evil eye1 hoping to see him eat it1 he turned to a wood near by1 where a young raven sat4 ',come hither1' said ,benedict1 holding out the loaf towards the raven1 'come hither1 and take this bread and carry it where the poison that is hidden within can do no harm4' ,and the story tells us that the raven instantly obeyed1 and carried off the loaf4 ,and ere long ,death1 more powerful than the raven1 carried off that wicked monk1 so that the poison which lurked in his evil heart could no longer do harm to any one4 ,it troubled ,benedict greatly about this time to hear that not very far off on ,monte ,cassino there was a heathen temple where the people worshipped false gods1 and were living in darkness and sin4 ,it seemed terrible that such a thing should be suffered in a ,christian land1 so ,benedict made up his mind to go himself and force the people to listen to him4 ,it was a strange contrast to see him in his coarse1 poor robe and thin wan face standing preaching among the crowd of gay pleasure-seekers1 who cared for nothing but eating and drinking and making merry4 ,they could not understand why any one should choose to be poor1 and suffer pain and hunger for the sake of any god4 ,but as ,benedict taught them day by day1 the majesty of his face and the solemn notes in his voice forced them to listen half unwillingly4 ,then1 as they began to learn about the true ,god1 they saw that the gods they had worshipped were false1 and they pulled down their temple1 and built two chapels on the place where it had stood4 ,here1 too1 ,benedict built the first great monastery which was called after him2 and after this the brothers began to be known by his name1 and were called ,benedictines4 ,but the ,evil ,one saw with great rage that ,benedict was taking away his servants1 and destroying his temples1 and he tried in every way to hinder the work4 ,once when the workmen were trying to raise a stone they found it impossible to move it1 though they worked hard all day4 ,at last1 in despair1 they besought ,benedict to come to help them4 ,as soon as he came he saw at once what was the matter1 for on the stone sat a little black demon laughing at the efforts of the workmen2 knowing they could never move the stone while he chose to sit there4 ',get you gone1 messenger of ,satan1' cried ,benedict4 ,and with a howl of rage the imp fled1 and the stone was lifted easily into its place4 ,upon a certain day1 not long after the monastery was built1 as ,benedict was praying in the chapel of the convent1 one of the brothers came to tell him that a great company of soldiers were coming up the hill1 and at their head was ,totila1 king of the ,goths1 who had sent a messenger to ask the saint to receive him4 ,benedict1 who cared little for earthly kings1 was yet too courteous to refuse any such request1 so he went out to where the company was gathered on the mountain-side4 ,the rough soldiers stood with heads uncovered1 and from their midst came one who wore a crown and sandals of gold and a kingly robe4 ,he knelt before the saint1 and said in a loud1 clear voice3 ',i1 ,totila1 king of the ,goths1 have come to crave thy blessing1 father1 for thy fame hath spread even to the wild north country where ,i reign4' ,the brothers1 crowding behind ,benedict1 eager to see these curious strangers1 were surprised to hear no answering words of welcome fall from the lips of the saint4 ,and still more surprised were they when ,benedict pointed an accusing finger at the glittering crown that shone on the king's head1 and said3 ',why dost thou bear upon thy head the sign of royalty which belongs not to thy station8 ,and why have thy lips framed this deceit8 ,go to thy master1 and bid him come to me in truth1 and think not that ,i could mistake a servant for a king4' ,and to the amazement of all1 the real king1 who had disguised his armour-bearer to test the power of the saint1 came quickly forward1 and with no royal robe or golden crown1 knelt low before the saint1 confessing all1 and praying to be forgiven4 ,he was sure now that this was indeed a servant of ,god1 and he listened humbly while ,benedict reproved him for his many sins1 and warned him of the fate that awaited him4 ,and so the years passed on1 bringing much honour and earthly renown to him who had once lived a lonely boy upon the wild mountain-side4 ,things had changed since those early days4 ,he could no longer live quite alone as he had once loved to do1 for the world had followed him even into the wilderness4 ,but his heart was as pure and his purpose as strong as when he was a lonely boy seeking only to serve ,god4 ,perhaps the one great pleasure of his earthly life was the yearly visit he paid to his sister ,scholastica1 who had for many years come to live near him4 ,she had formed a little company of nuns1 who strove to live as the brothers were living1 working and praying and denying themselves all earthly pleasures4 ,and as it was a great delight to ,benedict to visit his sister1 so to ,scholastica the day of his coming was the happiest day of all the year4 ,the only thing that grieved her was that the golden hours of that bright day seemed to fly faster than any other1 while she listened to his words of counsel and advice1 and told him all her troubles4 ,as it drew near the time for one of these yearly visits1 ,scholastica began to long for her brother as she had never longed before4 ,something told her that these bright summer days were to be the last she should spend on earth2 and the longing to see and talk to her brother grew almost more than she could bear4 ,and when he came the hours slipped past even faster than was their wont1 and before she could realise it the time had come for him to go4 ,there was so much still to say1 and she needed his help so sorely1 that she prayed him to wait a few hours longer4 ,but ,benedict was persuaded that it was his duty to set off1 and duty to him ever came before all else4 ,he gently told her it could not be2 that he must return to the brothers that night4 ,but while he spoke1 ,scholastica was not listening to his words1 nor heeding what he said4 ,with her whole heart she was praying ,god that ,he would grant her this one request1 and prevent her brother from leaving her so soon4 ,and as she prayed the light suddenly died out of the sky1 great clouds arose and1 before ,benedict could set out1 a terrible storm began to rage4 ,the thunder pealed overhead1 the hail came down in a blinding shower1 and it was impossible for any one to leave the shelter of the house4 ,thus ,god answered the prayer of ,scholastica1 filling her heart with thankfulness4 ,and afterwards the heart of ,benedict was also filled with gratitude1 for not many days later he saw in a vision the soul of his sister flying like a white dove up to heaven's gate1 and he knew he should see her on earth no more4 ,benedict had lived a long1 hard life1 eating but little1 suffering cold1 and denying himself in all things4 ,but though his spirit only grew stronger and brighter as time went on1 his body was worn out1 and at last he prepared to lay it aside1 as men lay aside the worn-out robe which has grown thread-bare4 ,and as he had longed to live alone1 so1 when death came1 he prayed to be carried to the little chapel1 and there to be left before the altar alone with ,god4 ,thus ,benedict the ,blessed went home at last1 leaving his tired body in ,god's house1 while his spirit returned to ,god who gave it4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,terrible ,,storm ,,began ,,to ,,rage4 ,,saint ,,christopher ,long ago in a far distant land there lived a boy called ,offero4 ,he was taller and stronger and braver than any of his companions1 and he was called ,offero1 which means bearer1 because he could carry the heaviest burdens on his broad shoulders1 without stooping under their weight4 ,his was the grandest kind of strength too1 for it was not only strength of body1 but strength of heart and soul besides4 ,as ,offero grew into manhood he began to tire of being first only in games and play1 and he longed to use his strength for some real end1 feeling sure there was work in the world waiting for his hand4 ,sometimes as he strode across the olive-clad hills1 and felt the wind in his hair1 and drew in great breaths of life and strength1 he would see before him a dim vision of some great purpose1 ever beckoning him on1 and in his ear a voice would sound1 that bade him use his strength only for the highest4 ,night and day ,offero thought upon the vision1 and it seemed to him that its meaning was that he should go out into the world and do a man's work4 ,and1 since for him the highest meant strength and fearlessness1 he vowed that he would search until he found the bravest and strongest king and would take service only with him4 ,so ,offero set out and1 after many weary wanderings1 he came to the gates of a great city4 ,here1 in a palace built of alabaster1 lived one whom the people called the greatest king on earth4 ,he had more soldiers and horsemen and chariots than any other monarch1 and the banner of crimson and gold that floated over the palace roof1 had never been lowered in the face of any foe4 ,but ,offero scarcely noticed all the glitter and splendour of the palace1 or the crowd of waiting men4 ,he was only eager to see the king1 whom every one said was as brave and strong as a lion4 ,no one stopped him as he strode on4 ,even the royal guards at the palace door stood back to let him pass4 ,he was dusty and travel-stained1 and his armour was dull and dinted by many a hard blow1 but there was that in his walk and in his eyes1 and the grasp of his great hand upon his sword1 that made every one fall back to let him pass4 ,the king was seated upon his throne making wise laws for his people1 when ,offero entered the audience hall4 ,straight to the steps of the throne he went1 and kneeling there placed his sword at the king's feet and offered to be his true servant4 ,for a moment the king looked in wonder and astonishment at this giant1 and the great sword that stretched along the widest step of his ivory throne4 ,then with a look of pride at the strength of the man kneeling at his feet1 he bade ,offero rise and use his sword henceforth only in the king's service4 ,so ,offero became the king's servant1 and not one of the king's enemies could stand against him4 ,wherever there was danger to be met or fighting to be done1 there he was ever to be found1 and he made his master's name more feared and honoured than that of any other monarch in the world4 ,his work filled all his time and thoughts1 and the vision he had seen grew so dim that it had nearly faded from his memory1 when one night a minstrel came to the court4 ,this minstrel had a harp of gold and his fingers woke the sweetest music from the golden strings1 but sweeter than all was his voice as he sang of brave deeds and mighty battles1 the wisdom of the wise and the courage of the strong4 ,the heart of ,offero was charmed by the music as he sat idly among the rest of the courtiers1 listening in the great audience chamber4 ,but as the minstrel sang1 ,offero noticed that the king looked disturbed and once or twice made a strange sign with his hand when a certain evil name was repeated in the song4 ,it almost seemed to ,offero as if at such times a look of fear came into his eyes4 ,waiting behind the rest when the minstrel was gone1 ,offero looked gravely into the king's eyes and said3 ',my liege1 wilt thou tell thy servant1 why thou didst make that sign upon thy forehead and what the look that came into thine eyes may mean--thou who fearest no man8' ,then the king answered ,offero saying3 ',that sign is the sign of the cross1 and ,i make it upon my brow whenever ,i hear the name of ,satan1 the ,evil ,spirit1 because ,i fear him1 and because that sign alone can protect me from him4' ,and ,offero bowed his head1 and standing there before the king he answered sadly3 ',fare thee well1 ,o my king1 for ,i may not serve thee longer4 ,i have promised only to serve the greatest and one who feared nothing1 so ,i must e'en seek this ,evil ,spirit4 ,if thou fearest him1 must he not be more powerful than thou8' ,so ,offero went sorrowfully out of the king's presence1 and away from the splendid court and the fair city4 ,and as he went the vision which of late had faded from him grew clearer1 and seemed to beckon him on and on4 ,and the voice that of old sounded in his ears spoke to him once more1 so that his heart became light and his purpose grew strong4 ,now after many days of toilsome wanderings1 ,offero came at last to the skirt of a great dark wood4 ,the pines were so thick that never a sunbeam could pierce through their tops1 and the trunks of the trees could only just be seen ghostly grey in the everlasting twilight that reigned there4 ,deeper and darker grew the wood as ,offero went on1 until he came to the darkest part of all1 and there he found the ,evil ,spirit and his court4 ,offero could see nothing clearly in the gloom1 but one great shadow stood out1 bigger and stronger than any of the other shadows that flitted about1 and on its brow was the outline of a kingly crown4 ',what seekest thou here8' asked the ,evil ,one1 in a deep strong voice1 like the roar of distant thunder4 ',i seek to serve the greatest and strongest king on earth1 and one who knows no fear1' answered ,offero4 ',then is thy quest ended1' said the shadowy king1 with uplifted head and proud gesture1 'for ,i indeed am the greatest king of all1 and ,i know not what that word fear meaneth4' ,so ,offero became one of the servants of the ,king of ,evil1 and his work was heavy and his wages light4 ,but that seemed but a small matter to him1 if only he had indeed found the highest4 ,time passed on until there came a day when the ,evil ,one rode out with all his servants and ,offero at their head4 ,and as they passed out of the wood they came to a cross set up by the wayside4 ,it was only a rough cross of wood1 standing out clear against the sky1 the grass beneath worn by those who had knelt before it1 and a bunch of wild flowers laid at its foot by some grateful hand4 ,but when the eye of the ,evil ,one fell upon it1 he shuddered and1 turning quickly round1 plunged back into the wood1 followed by all his servants4 ,and ,offero saw he was trembling from head to foot4 ',stop1' cried ,offero1 barring his way1 for he was not afraid even of the great ,shadow upon the fierce black horse4 ',i would fain know what this meaneth1 ere we go further4 ,didst thou not say thou wert stronger than all and feared nothing8 and lo6 thou tremblest like a child before a piece of crossed wood4' ',it is not the cross ,i fear1' answered the ,evil ,one1 'but ,him who once hung upon it4' ',and who is ,he that you should tremble at the very thought of ,him8' asked ,offero4 ',is ,he a greater and stronger king than thou8' ',he is greater1 and ,he is stronger1' answered ,satan1 'and ,he is the only one ,i fear4' ,then ,offero rode away from the dark wood and the evil company1 out into the sunshine and light4 ,and as he looked at the blue sky1 and felt the warmth of the blessed sunshine once more1 the vision seemed to rise again before his eyes1 ever beckoning him onward1 and in his ear the same voice sounded1 bidding him seek on1 until he should indeed find the highest4 ,far and near did ,offero wander1 asking all he met if they could tell him where he might find the ,christ--this man who once hung upon a cross and who was greater and more powerful even than ,satan1 the ,king of ,evil4 ,and some said one thing and some another1 but no one could aid him in his quest1 until at last in his wanderings he came to a little hut in the midst of a desert4 ,here a holy man dwelt1 with no living soul near him1 serving ,god day and night4 ,most gladly did he welcome ,offero1 but gladder still was he when ,offero eagerly asked him the question that had been upon his lips so long3 ',good hermit1 canst thou tell me where ,i may find the ,king called ,christ1 ,he who once hung upon a cross1 and who is stronger even than the ,king of ,evil8' ',that can ,i1' answered the hermit1 'for ,he is the ,master whom ,i serve1 and in ,his name thou art welcome indeed4' ,and taking ,offero into his hut1 the hermit gave him food and made him rest4 ,then in the cool of the evening1 when the red sun was sinking behind the belt of distant palm-trees1 and a mellow glow turned the sands of the desert into grains of gold1 the hermit sat without the hut and told the wonderful ,christ story to the listening ears of the giant who lay upon the ground at his feet4 ,never had ,offero heard words like these before4 ,even the vision had not prepared him for this4 ,with all his soul in his eyes he listened4 ,filled with wonder was he at the thought that the ,king of all heaven should have deigned to come to earth in the form of a little helpless child4 ,but as the hermit went on and told of ,his power and majesty1 ,his infinite compassion for the weak and helpless1 ,his courage and fearlessness in the face of ,his foes1 ending with the great sacrifice of the cross1 ,offero sprang to his feet1 and grasping his sword in his hand1 he raised it to heaven and vowed he would be ,christ's faithful soldier and servant unto his life's end1 and would fight under no other banner but ,his1 the ,king of ,heaven and ,earth4 ,the hermit was startled as he looked at the gleaming sword1 upheld by that strong arm1 and in his calm1 kind voice1 he said3 ',my son1 the ,lord ,christ seeketh not to be served as an earthly king4 ,his soldiers fight not with earthly swords1 but with the weapons of prayer and fasting4' ',but1 father1' said ,offero1 'how can ,i fight with weapons ,i know nothing of8 ,if ,he has given me this great strength1 surely there must be a way that ,he would have me use it in ,his service4' ,then the hermit was troubled1 for he saw that ,offero must needs serve ,christ in some other way4 ,all night he pondered1 and in the morning he bade ,offero come with him1 and together they journeyed forth for many days until they came to the banks of a river4 ,there the hermit stayed his steps4 ,it was a very deep and dangerous river and1 because there was no bridge across it and the current was strong1 many travellers lost their lives in trying to ford it4 ,this the hermit told ,offero1 and bade him stay and watch there1 so that he might help those who wished to cross1 and save the lives of those who might otherwise perish without his aid4 ',and in helping others1' said the hermit1 'thou wilt be helping ,christ1 and it may be ,he will accept thy service1 and will one day come unto thee and take thee for ,his servant4' ,so ,offero built a hut on the river bank1 and pulling up a palm-tree that was growing there1 he used it as a staff to lean upon when he waded through the deep water4 ,he was so tall and strong that no matter how high the river rose he could always wade across it4 ,he was ever ready to help the weary footsore travellers1 and often when they were too weak to stand against the current1 even with the support of his strong arm1 he would take them up upon his broad shoulders and carry them safely across4 ,for a long time did ,offero live in his little hut on the river-bank1 doing his work well1 in the hope that his ,master might come to him as the hermit had promised4 ,but weeks and months went by1 and still the ,king did not come1 and ,offero began to fear that ,he never would pass that way4 ,then one night a terrible storm began to rage4 ,the wind howled round the lonely little hut1 and the waters roared as they rushed past in the darkness4 ',i need not watch to-night1' thought ,offero1 'for no one will seek to cross the river in such a storm as this4' ,but as he sat listening to the roll of the thunder and the clashing of the hail on the roof1 he fancied he heard1 above the noise of the storm1 a little voice crying outside and a faint knocking at the door4 ,it sounded like the cry of a child1 and ,offero hastily rose up and1 unbarring the door1 looked out4 ,for a moment he could see nothing in the thick darkness and blinding rain1 but presently he heard the cry again1 sounding quite close to where he stood1 and looking down he saw something small and white1 and heard the little voice sounding clear above the storm3 ',kind ,offero1 wilt thou carry me across the river to-night8' ,then ,offero saw it was a little child who was standing out there upon the threshold--a child who looked up at him with pleading eyes1 his golden curls lying wet against his cheek1 and his little white robe drenched with the driving rain4 ,very tenderly ,offero stooped down and lifted the little one in his kind1 strong arms1 and asked him how it came that he was out alone on such a stormy night4 ',i must cross the river to-night1' said the child in his soft1 clear voice1 'and the water is deep and ,i am afraid4 ,i saw thy hut and thought perchance one might dwell here who would help me4' ',that will ,i gladly do1' said ,offero1 as he felt the little arms clinging round his neck4 ',the night is dark1 and the river runs high indeed1 but thou art such a tiny child1 ,i shall scarcely feel thy weight4 ,i will place thee high upon my shoulder1 so that the water may not reach even thy feet4' ,so ,offero took his great staff in his hand1 and placed the child upon his shoulder and stepped down into the roaring flood4 ,higher and higher rose the water1 stronger and stronger grew the current1 as ,offero waded on4 ,never before had his strength been put to such a test4 ,and not only did the torrent threaten to sweep him off his feet1 but the child upon his shoulder seemed to grow heavier and heavier with every step1 until he could scarcely stagger on under the tremendous weight4 ,but on he went1 fighting for each step4 ,and now he was past the worst and into the shallower water beyond4 ,putting forth all his remaining strength1 with one last great effort he struggled up the farther side and with a sigh of relief he climbed upon the bank1 and gently set the little child upon the grass4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,child ,,upon ,,his ,,shoulder ,,seemed ,,to ,,grow ,,heavier4 ,then ,offero stood looking at him in great wonder and astonishment and said3 ',how is it that thou1 who seemest but a feather-weight1 hast yet become heavier than any burden ,i ever bore in all my life before8' ,and as ,offero spoke1 the child looked up into his face1 and lo6 a strange light seemed to shine round the golden head1 and his white robe became bright and glistening as the light4 ,and the wonderful look of majesty in those eyes drew ,offero down to his knees4 ,and as he knelt there1 scarce daring to lift his eyes before that wonderful gaze1 he heard the sweet1 clear voice of the little child again1 and knew it for the same that had guided him since the vision of his boyhood4 ',no wonder that ,i seemed to thee a heavy burden1 for ,i bear upon my shoulders the sins and sorrows of the whole world4 ,i am ,christ1 whom thou hast sought to serve4 ,i came to thee in the form of a little helpless child1 that ,i might prove thee1 if thou wert indeed my faithful servant4 ,and because thou hast been faithful in helping others1 thou shalt be counted worthy to enter my service1 and ,i will give thee the new name of ,christopher1 because thou hast borne ,christ upon thy shoulders4 ,take now thy staff and strike it into the earth1 and thou shalt know by a sign that ,i am indeed thy ,king4' ,then the light faded away1 and the child was gone4 ,but where ,christopher struck his staff1 behold1 it took root and budded out into leaves of tender green4 ,and ,christopher knelt on there in the darkness with a great joy in his heart1 for he had seen the face of his ,king1 and had found his ,master at last4 ,he knew that his search was ended1 and that henceforth he would serve only the highest4 ,and all the trouble and perplexity had vanished away1 for he understood now that in ministering to others he would always be serving his ,king1 even if the work seemed but small and mean4 ,so ,christopher learned to be ,christ's true soldier and servant even unto death1 and because he fought manfully under ,his banner unto his life's end1 he is called a saint4 ,his old name of ,offero has been long forgotten1 and we know him only by that new name which the ,christ-child gave him that stormy night1 and call him ,saint ,christopher4 ,,saint ,,catherine ,,of ,,siena ,as the years pass by ,father ,time makes many changes in the busy town and quiet country1 but there are some places he seems to have forgotten or passed over so lightly that they look very much the same to-day as they did hundreds of years ago4 ,one of these places1 which ,time has dealt so gently with1 is in the heart of ,italy1 built high upon a hill4 ,it is a town whose towers and palaces and steep1 narrow streets are little changed from what they were five hundred and more years ago1 when ,catherine1 the saint of ,siena1 was born there4 ,to-day if you climb the steep winding road that leads up to the city1 and make your way through the gates and along the steepest of the narrow streets1 you will come to a house with a motto written over the door in golden letters--',sposae ,christi ,katharinae domus1' which means ',the house of ,katherine1 the bride of ,christ4' ,and if you go in you will see the very room where ,saint ,catherine used to live1 the bed of planks on which she slept1 her little chapel1 and the rooms which her brothers and sisters used4 ,it all looks just as it did when ,benincasa1 the dyer of ,siena1 lived there with his wife ,lapa4 ,they had more than twenty children1 but each one was welcome1 and when at last ,catherine and a twin sister were born1 there still did not seem one too many4 ,the little sister lived only a few days1 and perhaps that made the parents love ,catherine all the more1 and it was not only her own family who loved her4 ,she was the favourite of all the neighbours1 and however busy they were they would always find time to stop and talk to her as they passed4 ,it was not that she was very beautiful1 or even very clever1 but she had a way of making every one feel happy when she was near them1 and she had the sunniest smile that ever dimpled a baby's face4 ,it was like a sunbeam1 lighting up everything near it1 and it shone in her eyes as well1 so that ere long the people found a new name for her1 and called her ',joy' instead of ,catherine4 ,as soon as she could walk alone1 ,catherine would wander away1 sure of a welcome at every house1 and though at first when the other children cried1 ',the baby is lost again6' the mother would be anxious1 she soon ceased to mind1 and only said1 ',she is sure to be safe somewhere4' ,and safe she always was1 for every one would stop work to look after her as she toddled along1 and wherever she went ,joy carried the sunshine with her4 ,it happened that one afternoon when ,catherine was about six years old1 her mother sent her and an elder brother1 ,stephen1 to carry a message to a house some way off4 ,it was a beautiful evening1 and as the children went hand in hand down the steep street and up the hill towards the great church of ,saint ,dominic1 ,catherine stopped a moment to look at the sunset4 ,she always loved beautiful colours1 and to-night the little fleecy clouds were all touched with crimson and gold1 like fairy islands in a pale green sea1 more beautiful than anything she had ever seen4 ,stephen did not care for sunsets4 ,he was much more anxious to be home in time for supper1 so he ran on alone1 calling to ,catherine to follow quickly4 ,catherine did not seem to hear his voice or to notice that he was gone1 but stood there with eyes fixed on the sunset1 her face shining1 and her hair like a halo of gold round her head4 ,it was not the evening sky she was looking at1 but a vision of heavenly beauty4 ,for there among the rose-pink clouds she saw the ,madonna seated upon a throne and holding in her arms the infant ,christ4 ,it was no longer the poor ,madonna of the stable1 but the ,queen of ,heaven1 her dazzling robe blue as the summer sky1 and a jewelled crown upon her head4 ,only the same sweet mother-look was there as when she bent over the manger-bed4 ,there are no words to tell of the beauty of the ,christ-child's face4 ,catherine only knew that as ,he looked at her ,he smiled and held up ,his little hand as if in blessing1 and that smile drew her heart to ,his feet4 ,then suddenly ,catherine's arm was roughly shaken and her brother asked her impatiently at what she was gazing4 ',o ,stephen1' she cried1 'did you not see it too8 ,look6' ,but the vision had faded1 and the grey twilight closed in upon the two little figures as they went slowly home1 the boy vexed with his loitering sister1 and she sobbing with disappointment to think that the window in heaven was shut1 and that she might never again look within4 ,as ,catherine grew older1 she never forgot the vision she had seen1 or how the hand of the ,christ-child had been stretched out to bless her4 ,and it made her think often how she could best please ,him1 so that some day ,he might smile on her again4 ,catherine had heard a great deal about the good men who went to live in deserts to be alone with ,god1--how they lived in caves and had scarcely anything to eat1 and how ,god would sometimes send the ravens to bring them food4 ,now she was always fond of wandering1 and the idea of living in a desert seemed a beautiful way of serving ,christ4 ,she had never gone beyond the walls of the town1 and all outside was a new world to her2 so she was sure if only she could pass through the city gates1 she would soon find her way to the desert1 where there would certainly be a cave ready for her to live in4 ,so one day ,catherine set out very early in the morning1 carrying in her pocket a small loaf of bread1 just in case the ravens should forget to come to a little girl-hermit4 ,in those days it was not safe to live outside the city walls1 and there were no farms nor houses to be seen as ,catherine slipped through the gates and began to find her way down the hillside1 among tangled briars and over rough stones4 ,soon her feet grew very tired1 and everything looked so forlorn and wild that she was sure this must be the desert at last1 and there1 too1 was a little cave in the rocks waiting all ready for her4 ,it was very nice to creep in and out of the hot sunshine into the cool shade1 and to rest until the sun went down4 ,but as night came on and she knelt to say her evening prayer1 she began to think of home1 and the kind mother waiting there1 and she knew she had done wrong to come away1 even though she had meant to serve ,god4 ,very quickly she left her cave1 and as she ran home her feet seemed to fly over the ground4 ,the desert had not been so very far away after all1 and she reached the house before her mother had begun to grow anxious1 but she never again wandered away to live a hermit's life4 ,as ,catherine grew older she loved to listen to the stories of the saints1 and there was one she was never tired of hearing4 ,it was the life of ,saint ,catherine of ,alexandria1 the saint whose name she bore4 ,this young queen was said to be the wisest and noblest of all the saints1 and when her courtiers wished her to marry1 she said she would only marry a prince who was perfect in every way4 ,such a prince was of course impossible to find1 but one night a poor old hermit had a vision in which the ,madonna came to him and told him that our ,blessed ,lord1 the only perfect ,man1 would accept the love of the young queen's heart and the service of her hands4 ,and when the queen knew this her joy was great1 and that very night the ,virgin mother came to her in a cloud of glory surrounded by angels bearing crowns of lilies1 and in her arms was the ,holy ,child1 who smiled on the queen and placed a ring upon her finger1 as a sign that she belonged to ,him4 ,the more ,catherine thought about this story the more she longed that ,christ would accept her heart and service too4 ,and one night in a dream ,he seemed to come to her1 just as ,he had come to the other ,catherine1 placing a ring upon her finger and bidding her remember that now she had given her heart to ,him4 ,thus it was a great trouble to ,catherine when she was told by her parents soon after this that she was old enough to begin to think of marriage4 ,she said she did not wish to marry at all4 ,but this only made her parents angry with her1 especially when one day they found she had cut off all her beautiful golden hair1 thinking to make herself so ugly that no one would want her for his wife4 ',very well1' said her father1 'if thou wilt not marry as ,i bid thee1 then shalt thou do the house-work and be our servant4' ,he expected this would be a great punishment1 but ,catherine was glad to have hard work to do1 and did it so well and cheerfully that her father began to feel his anger melt away4 ,then it happened one day that in passing her room he looked in1 and there he saw her kneeling with clasped hands and upturned face1 and eyes in which the peace of heaven shone1 while around her head was a bright light that took the form of a snow-white dove resting there4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,holy ,,child ,,placed ,a ,,ring ,,upon ,,her ,,finger4 ,from that moment he ceased to be angry with ,catherine1 and said all should be as she wished1 for surely the dove was a sign that ,god accepted her prayers and approved of what she did4 ,so she was allowed to have a little room which ,she made into a chapel where she could be alone to think and to pray4 ,she wanted to learn to conquer herself before she could serve ,christ in the world1 and for three years she lived almost entirely alone1 praying in the little chapel1 struggling to overcome her faults and to grow strong to resist temptation4 ,but in spite of all her struggles evil thoughts would come into her heart1 and it seemed impossible to keep them out4 ,it was easy to do right things1 but so terribly difficult to think only pure and good thoughts4 ,she knew that ,satan sent the wicked thoughts into her heart1 but the hardest trial of all was that ,christ seemed to have left her to fight alone--,he seemed so very far away4 ,at last one night1 as she lay sobbing in despair1 suddenly the evil thoughts left her1 and instead she felt that ,christ was near and that ,he bent tenderly over her4 ',why1 oh why didst ,thou leave me so long1 dear ,lord8' she cried4 ',i never left thee1' ,his voice said quietly4 ',but where wert ,thou1 ,lord1 when all was so dark and evil8' she humbly asked4 ',i was in thy heart1' replied the voice2 'didst thou not hate the evil thoughts8 ,if ,i had not been there thou wouldst not have felt how black they were1 but because ,i was in the midst they seemed to thee most evil1 and thus ,i gave thee strength to cast them out4' ,so ,catherine's heart was filled with peace1 and she learned to love ,christ more and more1 and to deny herself in every way1 sleeping on bare planks with a log for her pillow1 and eating the things she cared for least4 ,it was not that she thought these things good in themselves1 but she felt she must use every means to make her heart pure and fit to serve her ,master4 ,and before very long ,christ spoke to her again in the stillness of the night1 and told her she had lived long enough alone1 that it was time now to go out into the world and help other people to grow good too4 ,when ,catherine thought of the busy1 noisy life which other people led1 compared to the quiet peacefulness of her little cell and chapel1 she was very sad1 and thought she had offended ,god that ,he was sending her away from ,him to mix with the world again4 ,but ,his voice sounded in her ears once more1 and told her it was not to separate her from ,himself that ,he sent her out1 but that she should learn to help others4 ',thou knowest that love giveth two commandments--to love ,me1 and to love thy neighbour4 ,i desire that thou shouldst walk not on one but two feet1 and fly to heaven on two wings4' ,so ,christ spoke to her1 and ,catherine with fearful heart prepared to obey1 only praying that ,he would give her strength to do ,his will4 ,and after that her life was spent in doing good to others4 ,the smile that used to lighten her face when she was a little child had still the power of bringing peace and gladness to all1 as she went amongst the poor1 nursing the sick1 helping every one in trouble1 and teaching people more by her life than her words to love ,god4 ,and as1 when she was a baby1 they called her ,joy1 so now again they found a new name for her1 and she was known as 'the child of the people4' ,in every kind of trouble they came to her1 even asking her to settle their quarrels1 so that she was the peacemaker as well as the helper of the whole town4 ,there was one special reason why people loved ,catherine1 and that was because she always saw the best that was in them4 ,she knew there was good in every one1 no matter how it was dimmed or hidden by the evil that wrapped it round4 ,where other eyes saw only evil temper or wicked spite1 she looked beyond until she found some good that she could love4 ,every day she prayed to ,god that ,he would help her to see the beauty in each soul1 so that she might help it to get rid of the sin that dimmed its beauty4 ,and so1 because she looked for good in every one1 all showed her what was best in themselves1 and for very shame would strive to be all that she thought them4 ,catherine had joined the ,dominican sisterhood and wore the white robe and black veil1 but she did not live in a convent as other sisters did4 ,every morning when the sun began to gild the towers and roofs of the city1 passers-by would see her leave her home and walk up the steep street towards the church of ,saint ,dominic where she always went to early mass4 ,strangers must have wondered when they saw the men uncover their heads as she passed1 as if she had been a queen instead of a poor sister clad in a coarse white robe and black veil4 ,but if they had caught sight of her face perhaps they would have understood1 for her eyes seemed as if they were looking into heaven1 and the holy peace that shone in her smile made men feel that she lived in the very presence of ,god4 ,one morning as she was going to church as usual in the first light of dawn1 her thoughts far away and her lips moving in prayer1 she was startled by the touch of a hand upon her robe and the sound of a voice asking for help4 ,she turned to look and saw a poor man leaning against the wall1 haggard and pale1 and so weak that he could scarcely stand4 ',what dost thou want of me8' asked ,catherine pitifully4 ',i only ask a little help for my journey1' the poor man said2 'my home is far from here1 and the fever laid its hand upon me as ,i worked to provide bread for those ,i love4 ,so ,i pray thee1 lady1 give me a little money that ,i may buy food to strengthen me before ,i start4' ',i would gladly help thee1' answered ,catherine most sorrowfully1 'but ,i am not a lady1 only a poor sister1 and ,i have no money of my own to give4' ,she turned as if to go on1 but the eager hand still held her cloak and the man begged once more4 ',for ,christ's sake help me1 for indeed ,i need thy help most sorely4' ,then ,catherine stood still4 ,she felt she could not leave him so4 ,there was nothing at home she could part with1 for that very morning she had given away all the food that was in the house4 ,her father and mother were good and kind1 but she must not give away the things they needed4 ,sorrowful and perplexed1 her hand felt for the rosary which hung at her side1 for in every trouble she ever turned in prayer to her dear ,lord4 ,then as her fingers touched the beads1 she suddenly remembered that here was at least one thing which was her very own--a small silver crucifix which she had had since she was a child1 and which she had touched so often as she prayed that it was worn smooth and thin4 ,still it was silver and would buy the sick man a meal1 and she quickly unfastened it from the rosary and put it into his hand4 ,the man's blessings followed her as she went1 and though she had parted with the thing she loved best1 she counted the blessings more precious than the gift4 ,and as she knelt in the dim church1 after the mass was over1 ,god sent a heavenly vision to reward ,his servant4 ,catherine thought she stood in a great hall filled with things more beautiful than words can tell1 and in the midst stood our ,blessed ,lord1 holding in ,his hand the most beautiful thing of all--a cross of beaten gold1 set with jewels of every hue sparkling so brightly that it almost dazzled ,catherine's eyes as she looked4 ',dost thou see these shining gifts1' ,he asked1 'and wouldst thou know whence they came8 ,they are the noble deeds which men have done for ,my sake4' ,and ,catherine kneeling there with her empty hands could only bow her head and say3 ',lord1 ,i am only a poor sister1 as ,thou knowest1 and have nought to give ,thee4 ,the service ,i can offer could not find a place among these glorious gifts4' ,then it seemed as if ,christ smiled upon her1 and holding out the golden cross ,he asked3 ',hast thou not seen this cross before1 ,catherine8' ',no1 ,lord1' she answered1 wondering1 'never before have mine eyes beheld anything so lovely4' ,but as she gazed upon it1 her heart was filled with a sudden gladness1 for in the midst of the gold and jewels1 in the heart of the glorious light1 she saw the little worn silver crucifix which she had given to the poor man that morning for the love of ,christ4 ,and as the vision faded there rang in her ears the words she knew so well3 ',inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these ,my brethren1 ye did it unto ,me4' ,as time went on the fame of ,catherine spread to other towns1 outside ,siena1 and when there were disputes between the great cities of ,italy they would send for ,catherine1 and beg her to act as peacemaker1 and she helped them all just as she did her own poor people of ,siena4 ,even the ,pope came to her for advice4 ,in the midst of all this busy life ,catherine fell ill4 ,her love for ,christ was so real1 and her sorrow for ,his sufferings so great1 that she prayed that she might bear the pain that ,he had borne4 ,we do not know how our ,lord granted her request1 but in her hands and feet and side appeared the marks of nails and spear4 ,all her sufferings she bore most patiently1 but her heart was glad when the end came4 ,the same vision that had smiled on her that summer evening when she was a child1 appeared in the sunset sky again1 this time never to fade away1 as ,catherine1 the bride of ,christ1 was led by the white-robed angels up to the throne of our ,lord4 ,,saint ,,augustine ,,of ,,hippo ,the story of the life of ,saint ,augustine is different from almost every other saint story1 because it is taken from his own words and not from what has been said about him4 ,he wrote a wonderful book called ,the ,confessions of ,saint ,augustine1 and in it we find all that he thought and did from the time he was a little child4 ,augustine was born in #ced in the northern part of ,africa1 which then belonged to ,rome1 and was one of the richest countries in the world4 ,his mother1 ,monica1 was a ,christian1 but all her prayers and loving care could not keep her son from evil ways4 ,he is often called the prodigal saint1 because he wandered very far astray for many years into that far country of the youngest son in the parable2 living in the midst of the sins and evil pleasures of the world1 until he learned to say1 ',i will arise and go to my father4' ,and so ,augustine's story comforts and helps us when we feel how easy it is to do wrong1 and how we fail every day to do the good things we meant to do4 ,there are so few days we can mark with a white stone because we have really tried to be good1 and so many days we are glad to forget because of the black cross that stands against them4 ,and yet1 who knows but1 if we fight on to the end1 we too may be saints as ,augustine was1 for he won his crown through many failures4 ,the story1 in ,augustine's own words1 begins from the time when he was a very little baby1 not from what he remembers1 but from what he had learned as he watched other babies in whom he saw a picture of himself4 ,first of all ,augustine tells of the tiny baby1 who does nothing but sleep and eat and cry4 ,then the baby begins to laugh a little when he is awake1 and very soon shows clearly his likes and dislikes1 and kicks and beats with his little hands when he does not get exactly what he wants4 ,then comes the time of learning to speak and walk4 ,after that ,augustine begins really to remember things about himself4 ,for who could ever forget the trial of first going to school8 ,oh1 how ,augustine hated it1 and how hard it seemed to him6 ,the lessons were so difficult and the masters were so strict1 and he loved play so much better than work1 and when he went back to school with lessons unlearned and work undone1 the result was of course that he was whipped4 ,it did seem so unjust to him1 for he could not see the use of lessons1 and the whippings were so sore4 ,and in his book he tells us how it made him say his first prayer to ,god--',i used to ask ,thee1 though a very little boy1 yet with no little earnestness1 that ,i might not be whipped at school4' ,augustine could not see the reason why he should be forced to stay indoors and learn dull1 wearisome lessons1 when he might be playing in the sunshine and learning new games1 which seemed so much more worth knowing4 ,how those games delighted him6 ,he was always eager to be first1 to win the victory and to be ahead of every one else4 ,but then followed the whipping at school1 and the little sore body crept away and sobbed out the prayer from his little sore soul4 ,he did not understand how it could all be meant for his good4 ,we never quite understand that till we have left school far behind4 ,i wonder if we all wrote down just exactly what we felt and did when we were little children1 whether we would have as many things to confess as ,augustine had8 ,there are some faults which no one is very much ashamed to own because they don't seem small and mean and pitiful4 ,but who would like to confess to being greedy and stealing sweet things from the table when no one was looking8 ,who would care to own that he cheated at games1 caring only to come out first whether he had played fairly or not8 ,yet this great saint tells us he remembers doing all these mean things and looks back upon them with great sorrow4 ,he warns other little children to kill these faults at the very beginning1 for he knows how strong they grow and how difficult to conquer1 when the mean child grows into a man whom no one can trust4 ,as time went on and he grew to be a big boy he went further and further astray4 ,when he was little he stole things to eat because he was greedy or because he wanted to bribe other little boys to sell him their toys1 but now that he was older it was out of mere pride and boastfulness that he took what did not belong to him4 ,he thought it grand and manly to show off to other boys how little he cared about doing wrong4 ,augustine tells us that in a garden near his house there was a pear-tree covered with pears neither sweet nor large4 ,but just because it belonged to some one else1 and he thought it fun to steal1 he and his companions went out one dark night and robbed the tree of all its fruit4 ,they did not care to eat the pears1 and after tasting one or two threw all the rest to the pigs4 ,there was no particular pleasure in this he allows1 and he would never have done it alone1 but he wanted the other boys to admire him and to think he was afraid of nothing4 ,and so years went on and ,augustine grew up into manhood1 and it seemed as if his evil ways would break his mother's heart4 ,through all his sin and foolishness she loved him and prayed for him but he paid no heed to her1 and wandered further away into that far country1 wasting all he had in living wildly and forgetting the ,god he had prayed to when a child4 ,one day when ,monica was weeping over this wandering son of hers and praying for him with all her heart1 ,god sent a comforting dream to her which she never forgot4 ,she thought she saw herself standing on a narrow wooden plank1 and towards her there came a shining angel who smiled upon her as she stood there worn out with sorrow and weeping4 ',why art thou so sad1 and wherefore dost thou weep these daily tears8' asked the angel4 ',i weep over the ruin of my son1' answered the poor mother4 ,then the angel bade her cease from grieving and be at rest1 and told her to look and see that on the same narrow plank of salvation where she was standing ,augustine stood beside her4 ,his mother told ,augustine of this dream1 and though he only laughed at it1 it seemed to sink into his heart and he remembered it many years after4 ,and to ,monica it came as a breath of hope1 and comforted her through many dark days4 ,for she was sure that ,god had sent this dream to tell her that in the end she and her son would stand together in ,his presence4 ,but though ,monica believed this she never ceased to do all that was in her power to help ,augustine4 ,and once she went to a learned bishop and begged him to talk to ,augustine and try what he could do4 ,but the bishop was a wise man and knew that by speaking he would do more harm than good1 for ,augustine was proud of his unbelief and had no longing in himself for better things4 ,but ,monica did not see this and could only implore the bishop to try1 until the good man grew vexed with her and said at last1 ',i cannot help thee in this matter1 but go thy way in peace4 ,it cannot be that a son of such tears should perish4' ,and these words comforted ,monica1 as the dream had done1 and made her sure that in the end all would be right4 ,the good bishop spoke truly1 for after many years had passed ,augustine began to be weary of his own way and to look for a higher1 better life4 ,he longed to turn his face homeward1 but now he had lost the way1 and for long he sought it with bitter tears4 ,at last1 one day1 he felt he could bear the burden of his evil life no longer4 ,his sins felt like a heavy chain dragging him down in the darkness1 and there was no light to show him which way to turn4 ,taking a roll of the scriptures he wandered out into the garden and there1 as he wept1 he heard a voice close by chanting over and over again ',take1 read4' ,he thought it must be some game that children were playing1 but he could remember none that had those words in it4 ,and then he thought perhaps this was a voice from heaven in answer to his prayer1 telling him what to do4 ,eagerly he took the holy writings in his hand and opened them to read1 and there he found words telling him what sort of life he should lead4 ,in a moment it all seemed clear to him4 ,his ,father was waiting to receive and pardon him2 so he arose and left the far country and all his evil habits and turned his face to ,god4 ,and then he tells how he went straight to his mother--the mother who had loved and believed in him through all those evil days1 and he told her like a little child how sorry he was at last4 ,then1 indeed1 was ,monica's mourning turned into joy1 and so at her life's end she and her son sat hand in hand1 both looking up towards the dawning heaven2 he with eyes ashamed but full of hope1 and she with tears all washed away1 and eyes that shone with more than earthly joy4 ,when his mother at last died and left him alone1 ,augustine did not grieve1 for he knew the parting was not for long4 ,all that was left for him to do now was to strive to make good those years he had wasted1 and be more fit to meet her when ,god should call him home4 ,and so it came to pass that this great sinner became one of ,god's saints and did a wonderful work for ,him in the world4 ,he was made ,bishop of ,hippo1 and was one of the most famous bishops the world has ever known4 ,there is one legend told of ,augustine which has comforted many hearts when puzzling questions have arisen and it has seemed so difficult to understand all the ,bible teaches us about our ,father in heaven4 ,they say that once when this great father of the ,church was walking along by the seashore1 troubled and perplexed because he could not understand many things about ,god1 he came upon a little child playing there alone4 ,the child had digged a hole in the sand and was carefully filling it with water which he brought from the sea in a spoon4 ,the bishop stopped and watched him for a while and then he asked3 ',what art thou doing1 my child8' ',i mean to empty the sea into my hole1' answered the child1 busily going backwards and forwards with his spoon4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,child ,,had ,,digged ,a ,,hole ,,in ,,the ,,sand4 ',but that is impossible1' said the bishop4 ',not more impossible than that thy human mind should understand the mind of ,god1' said the child1 gazing upwards at him with grave1 sweet eyes4 ,and before the bishop could answer the child had vanished1 and the saint knew that ,god had sent him as an answer to his troubled thoughts1 and as a rebuke for his trying to understand the things that only ,god could know4 ,,saint ,,augustine ,,of ,,canterbury ,it was market-day in the great city of ,rome1 and the people were busy buying and selling and shouting1 just as they do to-day with us1 when market-day comes round4 ,but there was a great difference between this ,roman market and ours1 a difference which would have seemed to us strange and cruel4 ,for instead of sheep and oxen1 or green vegetables from the country1 they were selling men and boys1 and even little maidens4 ,there in the great market-place1 with the sun beating down on their bare heads1 they stood1 looking with dull1 despairing eyes1 or with frightened glances at the crowds of buyers and sellers who were bargaining around4 ,suddenly a hush fell on the crowd1 and a stately figure was seen crossing the square4 ,people stood aside and bent their heads in reverence as ,gregory passed by1 for he was ,abbot of a great monastery in ,rome1 and was much beloved even by the rough ,roman soldiers4 ,he walked swiftly as if he did not care to linger in the market-place1 for it grieved his gentle heart to see the suffering of the slaves when he could do nothing to help them4 ,but suddenly the crowd seemed to divide in front of him1 and he stopped in wonder at the sight which met his eyes4 ,it was only a group of little fair-haired ,english boys who had been captured in the wars1 and carried off to be sold as slaves in the ,roman market4 ,but ,gregory had never seen anything like them before4 ,all around were dark-eyed1 swarthy-faced ,italians1 or darker-skinned slaves from ,africa1 and these boys with their sunny1 golden hair1 fair faces1 and eyes blue as the sky overhead1 seemed to him creatures from a different world4 ',whence come these children1 and what name do they bear8' asked the bishop of a man who stood beside him4 ',from a savage island far over the sea1' he answered1 'and men call them ,angles4' ,then the kind bishop looked with pitying eyes upon the beautiful children1 and said to himself1 as he turned to go3 ',they should be called not ,angles1 but angels4' ,the sight of those boys1 so strong and fearless and beautiful1 made ,gregory think a great deal about the little island of ,britain1 far away across the sea1 from whence they had come4 ,he knew the people who lived there were a fierce1 warlike race1 having a strange religion of their own1 and that very few of them were ,christians4 ,but he knew1 too1 that though they were hard to conquer1 and difficult to teach1 still they were a people worth teaching1 and he longed to win them to the side of ,christ and to show them how to serve the true ,god4 ,in those days people in ,italy knew very little about that far-away island1 and it seemed to them as difficult and dangerous to go to ,england as it would seem to us if we were asked to go to the wildest part of ,africa4 ,true there were no lions nor tigers in ,england1 but the tall1 fair-haired giants who lived there were as savage as they were brave1 and might be even worse to deal with than the wild beasts of other lands4 ,so it may well be believed that when ,saint ,gregory1 who was now ,pope of ,rome1 chose forty monks and sent them on a mission to this distant island1 they were not very anxious to go1 and set out in fear and trembling4 ,but at their head was one who knew no fear and who was willing to face any dangers in the service of his ,master4 ,this man was ,augustine1 a monk of ,rome1 whom ,gregory had chosen to lead the mission1 knowing that his courage would strengthen the others1 and his wisdom would guide them aright4 ,it took many long days and nights of travel to reach the coast where they were to find a ship to carry them across to ,britain1 and before they had gone very far1 the forty monks were inclined to turn back in despair4 ,from every side they heard such terrible tales of the savage islanders they were going to meet1 that their hearts1 never very courageous1 were filled with terror1 and they refused to go further4 ,nothing that ,augustine could say would persuade them to go on1 and they would only agree that he should go back to ,rome and bear their prayers to ,saint ,gregory1 imploring him not to force them to face such horrible danger4 ,if ,augustine would do this they promised to wait his return and to do then whatever the ,pope ordered4 ,they had not to wait many days1 for ,augustine speedily brought back the ,pope's answer to their request4 ,his dark face glowed and his eyes shone with the light of victory1 as he read to them the letter which ,saint ,gregory had sent4 ,there was to be no thought of going back4 ,saint ,gregory's words were few1 but decisive4 ',it is better not to begin a work than to turn back as soon as danger threatens2 therefore1 my beloved sons1 go forward by the help of our ,lord4' ,so they obeyed1 and with ,augustine at their head once more set out1 hardly hoping to escape the perils of the journey1 and expecting1 if they did arrive1 to be speedily put to death by the savage islanders4 ,perhaps the worst trial of all was when they set sail from ,france and saw the land fading away in the distance4 ,in front there was nothing to be seen but angry waves and a cold1 grey sky1 and they seemed to be drifting away from the country of sunshine and safety into the dark region of uncertainty and danger4 ,nay1 the island1 whose very name was terrible to them1 was nowhere to be seen1 and seemed all the more horrible because it was wrapped in that mysterious grey mist4 ,but though they did not know it1 they had really nothing to fear from the island people1 for the queen of that part of ,england where they landed was a ,christian1 and had taught the ,king ,ethelbert to show mercy and kindness4 ,so when the company of cold1 shivering monks came ashore they were met with a kind and courteous welcome1 and instead of enemies they found friends4 ,the king himself came to meet them1 and he ordered the little band of foreigners to be brought before him1 that he might learn their errand4 ,he did not receive them in any hall or palace1 but out in the open air1 for it seemed safer there1 in case these strangers should be workers of magic or witchcraft4 ,it must have been a strange scene when the forty monks1 with ,augustine at their head1 walked in procession up from the beach to the broad green meadow where the king and his soldiers waited for them4 ,the tall1 fair-haired warriors who stood around1 sword in hand1 ready to defend their king1 must have looked with surprise at these black-robed men with shaven heads and empty hands4 ,they carried no weapons of any sort1 and they seemed to bear no banner to tell men whence they came4 ,only the foremost monks carried on high a silver cross and the picture of a crucified ,man1 and instead of shouts and war-cries there was the sound of a melodious chant sung by many voices1 yet seeming as if sung by one4 ,then ,augustine stood out from among the company of monks and waited for the king to speak4 ',who art thou1 and from whence have come these men who are with thee8' asked the king4 ,methinks thou comest in peace1 else wouldst thou have carried more deadly weapons than a silver charm and a painted sign4 ,i fain would know the reason of thy visit to this our island4' ,slowly ,augustine began to tell the story of their pilgrimage and the message they had brought4 ,so long he spoke that the sun began to sink and the twilight fell over the silent sea that lay stretched out beyond the meadow where they sat before his story was done4 ,the king bent forward1 thoughtfully weighing the words he had heard1 and looking into the faces of these strange messengers of peace4 ,at length he spoke1 and the weary monks and stalwart warriors listened eagerly to his words4 ',thou hast spoken well1' he said to ,augustine1 'and it may be there is truth in what thou sayest4 ,but a man does not change his religion in an hour4 ,i will hear more of this4 ,but meanwhile ye shall be well cared for1 and all who choose may listen to your message4' ,those were indeed welcome words to the company of poor tired monks1 and when the kindly islanders1 following their king's example1 made them welcome and gave them food and shelter1 they could well echo the words of ,saint ,gregory in the ,roman market3 ',these are not ,angles but angels4' ,and soon ,king ,ethelbert gave the little company a house of their own1 and allowed them to build up the ancient church at ,canterbury1 which had fallen into ruins4 ,there they lived as simply and quietly as they had done in their convent in ,italy1 praying day and night for the souls of these heathen people1 and teaching them1 as much by their lives as their words1 that it was good to serve the ,lord ,christ4 ,and before very long the people began to listen eagerly to their teaching1 and the king himself was baptized with many others4 ,the chant which the monks had sung that first day of their landing no longer sounded strange and mysterious in the ears of the islanders1 for they too learnt to sing the ',alleluia' and to praise ,god beneath the sign of the silver cross4 ,now ,augustine was very anxious that the ,ancient ,british ,church should join his party and that they should work together under the direction of ,pope ,gregory4 ,but the ,british ,christians were not sure if they might trust these strangers1 and it was arranged that they should meet first1 before making any plans4 ,the ,ancient ,british ,church had almost been driven out of the land1 and there were but few of her priests left4 ,they did not know whether they ought to join ,augustine and his foreign monks1 or strive to work on alone4 ,in their perplexity they went to a holy hermit1 and asked him what they should do4 ',if this man comes from ,god1 then follow him1' said the hermit4 ',but how can we know if he is of ,god8' asked the people4 ,the hermit thought a while and then said3 ',the true servant of ,god is ever humble and lowly of heart4 ,go to meet this man4 ,if he rises and bids you welcome1 then will you know that he bears ,christ's yoke1 and will lead you aright4 ,but if he be proud and haughty1 and treat you with scorn1 never rising to welcome you1 then see to it that ye have nought to do with him4' ,so the priests and bishops of the ,british ,church arranged to meet ,augustine under a great oak-tree1 which was called ever afterwards ',augustine's oak4' ,they carefully planned that the foreign monks should arrive there first1 in time to be seated1 so that the hermit's test might be tried when they themselves should arrive4 ,unhappily1 ,augustine did not think of rising to greet the ,british bishops1 and they were very angry and would agree to nothing that he proposed1 though he warned them solemnly that if they would not join their forces with his1 they would sooner or later fall by the hand of their enemies4 ,greatly disappointed ,augustine returned to ,canterbury and worked there for many years without help1 until all who lived in that part of ,england learned to be ,christians4 ,and ,pope ,gregory hearing of his labours was pleased with the work his missionary had done1 and thought it fit that the humble monk should be rewarded with a post of honour4 ,so he made ,augustine ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 the first archbishop that ,england had known4 ,it was a simple ceremony then1 with only the few faithful monks kneeling around the chair on which the archbishop was enthroned1 but ,augustine's keen1 dark face shone with the light of victory and humble thankfulness1 for it seemed a seal upon his work1 a pledge that the island should never again turn back from the faith of ,christ4 ,and could those dark eyes have looked forward and pierced the screen of many years1 ,augustine would have seen a goodly succession of archbishops following in his footsteps1 each in his turn sitting in that same simple old chair1 placed now in ,westminster ,abbey and guarded as one of ,england's treasures4 ,and he would have seen1 too1 what would have cheered his heart more than all--a ,christian ,england venerating the spot where his monastery once stood1 and building upon it a college to his memory4 ,and there he would have seen ,england's sons trained to become missionaries and to go out into all the world to preach the gospel1 just as that little band of monks1 with ,augustine at their head1 came to our island in those dark1 far-off days4 ,but though ,augustine could not know all this1 his heart was filled with a great hope and a great love for the islanders who now seemed like his own children1 and he was more than content to spend his life amongst them4 ,and when his work was ended1 and the faithful soul gave up his charge1 they buried him in the island which had once seemed to him a land of exile1 but which at last had come to mean even more to him than his own sunny land of ,italy4 ,,saint ,,cecilia ,it was in the days when cruel men killed and tortured those who loved our ,blessed ,lord that1 in the city of ,rome1 a little maid was born4 ,her father and mother were amongst the richest and noblest of the ,roman people1 and their little daughter1 whom they called ,cecilia1 had everything she could possibly want4 ,she lived in a splendid palace1 with everything most beautiful around her1 and she had a garden to play in1 where the loveliest flowers grew4 ,her little white dress was embroidered with the finest gold1 and her face was as fair as the flowers she loved4 ,but it was not only the outside that was beautiful1 for the little maiden's heart was fairer than the fairest flowers1 and whiter than her spotless robe4 ,there were not many people who loved our ,lord in those dark days4 ,any one who was known to be a ,christian was made to suffer terrible tortures1 and was even put to death4 ,but though ,cecilia's father and mother knew this they still taught their little daughter to be a servant of ,christ and to love ,him above all things4 ,for they knew that the love of ,christ was better than life1 and worth all the suffering that might come4 ,and as ,cecilia grew into a stately maiden every one wondered at the grace and beauty that shone out of her face4 ,and every one loved her because she loved every one4 ,she was always ready and willing to help others1 and she specially cared to be kind to the poor4 ,in the folds of her gold embroidered dress she always carried a little book which she loved to read4 ,it was the book of the ,gospels1 and the more she read and heard of ,christ1 the more she longed to grow like ,him4 ,she could not bear to think that she wore fine dresses1 while ,he had been so poor and suffered so much4 ,and so1 underneath her soft1 white robe she wore a harsh1 coarse garment made of hair4 ,and when it hurt and rubbed her sorely1 the pain only made her glad1 because she wore it for ,christ's sake4 ,some say the meaning of her name ,cecilia is ',heaven's ,lily4' ,and that name certainly suited this little ,roman maiden4 ,for as ,god plants the lilies in the dark earth1 and presently they grow up and lift their pure white cups to heaven1 so ,cecilia seemed to lift her heart above the sins and sorrows of the world1 where ,god had planted her1 and to turn her face ever heavenwards4 ,and the poor people whom she helped and cheered with her kind sympathy loved to look at her1 for the peace of paradise shone in her eyes1 and it seemed to bring heaven nearer to the poor souls4 ,as soon as ,cecilia was old enough1 it was arranged that she should marry a young ,roman noble called ,valerian1 and this made her very unhappy4 ,she had so hoped to belong only to ,christ1 and this ,valerian was a pagan who knew nothing of the ,lord whom she served4 ,but she knew that her guardian angel would watch over her and keep her from all harm1 and so she obeyed her father's and mother's wishes1 and was married to the young ,roman noble4 ,when ,valerian had taken ,cecilia home and all the guests had gone1 and they were left alone together1 she told him that1 though she was married1 she belonged first of all to ,christ1 and that her guardian angel1 who never left her1 would guard and protect her from all danger4 ',wilt thou not show me this angel1 so that ,i may know that what thou sayest is true8' asked ,valerian4 ',thou canst not see the heavenly messenger until thou hast learnt to know my ,lord1' answered ,cecilia4 ,and as ,valerian eagerly asked how he should learn to know this ,christ1 ,cecilia told him to go along the great ,appian ,way1 outside the walls of ,rome1 until he should meet some poor people who lived in the ,campagna4 ,and to them he should say3 ',cecilia bids you show me the way that ,i may find the old man1 ,urban the ,good4' ,so ,valerian started off and went the way ,cecilia directed4 ,and the people guided him as she had promised1 until they came to a curious opening in the ground1 down which they told him he must go if he wished to find ,pope ,urban4 ,this opening was the entrance to a strange under-ground place called the ,catacombs4 ,there were miles and miles of dark passages cut out of the rock1 with here and there a little dark room1 and curious shelves hollowed out of the walls4 ,it was here that many poor ,christians lived1 hiding themselves from those who would have put them to death4 ,and the little shelves were where they buried the bodies of poor ,christians who had died for ,christ4 ,it was here that the old ,pope1 ,urban the ,good1 lived1 and he welcomed ,valerian most gladly1 knowing why he had come4 ,he began at once to teach him all that he should know--how ,god was our ,father1 and ,jesus ,christ ,his ,son1 our ,saviour4 ,and as ,valerian listened to the strange1 wonderful words1 the love of ,god shone into his heart1 so that when the old man asked3 ',believest thou this8' ,he answered with all his heart3 ',all this ,i steadfastly believe4' ,then ,urban baptized ,valerian1 and by that sign the young ,roman knew that he was indeed a ,christian1 a servant of ,christ4 ,all the world looked different to ,valerian as he walked back along the ,appian ,way to ,rome4 ,the flat1 low fields of the ,campagna1 fading away into the ridges of the purple ,apennines1 seemed almost like the fields of paradise1 and the song of the birds was like the voice of angels4 ,he scarcely thought of the dangers and difficulties that were before him1 or if he did it was only to feel glad that he might have anything to bear for his new ,master4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,crown ,,of ,,lilies ,,and ,,roses ,,in ,,each ,,hand4 ,and when he reached home1 and went back to the room where he had left ,cecilia1 he found her there waiting for him1 with a glad welcome in her eyes4 ,and as they knelt together they heard a rustle of wings1 and looking up they saw an angel bending over them1 with a crown of lilies and roses in each hand4 ,these he placed upon their heads1 and to ,valerian he said3 ',thou hast done well in allowing ,cecilia to serve her ,master1 therefore ask what thou wilt and thy request shall be granted4' ,then ,valerian asked that his brother1 whom he dearly loved1 might also learn to know ,christ4 ,and just then the door opened1 and the brother whom ,valerian loved so much came in4 ,he1 of course1 only saw ,valerian and ,cecilia1 and could not see the angel1 or even the wreaths of heavenly roses4 ,but he looked round in astonishment and said3 ',i see no flowers here1 and yet the fragrance of roses and lilies is so sweet and strange1 that it makes my very heart glad4' ,then ,valerian answered3 ',we have two crowns here1 which thou canst not see1 because thou knowest not the ,lord who sent them to us4 ,but if thou wilt listen1 and learn to know ,him1 then shalt thou see the heavenly flowers1 whose fragrance has filled thy heart4' ,so ,valerian and ,cecilia told their brother what it meant to be a ,christian4 ,and after the good ,urban had taught him also1 he was baptized and became ,god's knight4 ,then he1 too1 saw the heavenly crowns and the face of the angel who guarded ,heaven's ,lily4 ,for a while the home of ,valerian and ,cecilia was like a paradise on earth4 ,there was nothing but happiness there4 ,cecilia loved music above everything4 ,her voice was like a bird's1 and she sang her hymns of praise and played so exquisitely1 that it is said that even the angels came down to listen4 ,but before long it began to be known that ,valerian and his brother helped the poor ,christians1 and the wicked governor of the city ordered them both to be seized and brought before him4 ,he told them that there were but two ways before them3 either they must deny that they were ,christians1 or they must be put to death4 ,but ,god's knights did not fear death1 and they went out to meet it as if they were on their way to a great victory4 ,and when the soldiers wondered1 and asked them if it was not sad that they should lose their lives while they were still so young1 they answered that what looked like loss on earth was gain in heaven--that they were but laying down their bodies as one puts off one's clothes to sleep at night4 ,for the immortal soul could never die1 but would live for ever4 ,so they knelt down1 and the cruel blows were struck4 ,but1 looking up1 the soldiers saw a great pathway of light shining down from heaven4 ,and the souls of ,valerian and his brother were led up by angel hands to the throne of ,god1 there to receive the crowns of everlasting glory which they had won on earth4 ,and so ,cecilia was left alone4 ,but she did not spend her time grieving4 ,gathering the people and soldiers around her1 she taught them about the ,lord of ,heaven1 for whose sake ,valerian and his brother had so gladly suffered death4 ,and it was not long before she also trod the shining pathway up to heaven and met the ones she loved4 ,for the governor was not satisfied with the death of ,valerian and his brother1 but ordered ,cecilia to be brought before him4 ',what sort of a woman art thou1 and what is thy name8' he asked4 ',i am a ,roman lady1' she answered with grave dignity1' and among men ,i am known by the name of ,cecilia4 ,but'--and her voice rang out proudly as she looked fearlessly into those angry eyes--'my noblest name is ,christian4' ,then the enraged governor ordered that she should be taken to her house1 and put to death in her bath4 ,but the boiling water could not hurt her1 and she was as cool as if she had bathed in a fresh spring4 ,this made the governor more furious than ever1 and he ordered that her head should be cut off4 ,but even after she had received three strokes from the sword she did not die1 but lived for three days4 ,and these days she spent in quietly putting her house in order and dividing her money among the poor1 ever singing in her sweet voice the praises of ,god4 ,and so at the end of three days ,god's angel came and led ,cecilia home1 and all that was left of her on earth was her fair body1 lying like a tired child asleep1 with hands clasped1 gently resting now that her work on earth was done4 ,and in ,rome to-day there is a splendid church built over the place where ,cecilia's house stood4 ,some day if you go there1 you will see her little room and the bath in which the boiling water could not hurt her4 ,you will see too1 a beautiful marble figure lying under the altar1 and you will know exactly how ,cecilia looked when she left her tired body lying there1 and went up the shining path to ,god4 ,illustration3 ,,she ,,taught ,,them ,,about ,,the ,,lord ,,of ,,heaven4 ,,saint ,,giles ,it was in the beautiful land of ,greece that ,saint ,giles was born1 very far away from the grey northern city1 whose cathedral bears his name4 ,his parents were of royal blood1 and were1 moreover1 ,christians2 so the boy was brought up most carefully1 and taught all that a prince should know4 ,he was a dreamy1 quiet boy1 and what he loved best was to wander out in the green woods by himself1 with no companions but the animals and birds and flowers4 ,he would lie for hours watching the birds busily build their nests1 or the rabbits as they timidly peeped at him out of their holes4 ,and soon all the woodland creatures began to look upon him as their friend1 and even the wildest would come gradually nearer and nearer1 almost within reach of his hand2 and they seemed to listen when he talked to them1 as if they could understand what he said4 ,one thing they certainly did understand1 and that was that he loved them and would do them no harm4 ,saint ,giles could not bear to see anything suffer1 and his pity was great for all those in pain2 and often he would mend a bird's broken wing1 or bind up a little furry foot that had been torn in a trap2 and the birds and beasts always lay quiet under his hand1 and seemed to know that he would cure them1 even though the touch might hurt4 ,it happened that one day1 when ,saint ,giles was kneeling in church1 he saw a poor beggar lying there on the cold1 stone floor4 ,he had scarcely any clothes to keep him warm1 and his face had a hungry1 suffering look1 which filled the heart of the saint with pity4 ,he saw that the poor man was ill and trembling with cold1 so without a moment's thought1 he took off his own warm cloak and tenderly wrapped it round the beggar4 ,the warmth of the cloak seemed to bring life back to the poor chilled body1 and when ,saint ,giles had given him food and wine1 he was able to lift himself up1 and to bless the kind youth who had helped him4 ,and when the people saw what had happened they thought ,saint ,giles had worked a miracle1 and cured the man by his wonderful touch2 for they did not realise that all kind deeds work miracles every day4 ,it did not please ,saint ,giles that people should think he possessed this miraculous gift of healing1 and he had no wish to be called a saint4 ,he only longed to lead his own quiet life and to help all ,god's creatures who needed his care4 ,but the people would not leave him alone1 and they brought to him those who were sick and lame and blind1 and expected that he would heal them4 ,it is true that many needed only a little human aid1 and the food and help which ,saint ,giles gave them would soon make them well again2 but there were some he could not help1 and it wrung his heart to see their pleading eyes1 and to watch them bring out their little store of hard-earned money1 eager to buy the aid which he so willingly would have given had he been able4 ,so at last ,saint ,giles determined to leave his native city1 for he had been all alone since his father and mother had died4 ,he wished to escape from the anxious crowds that refused to leave him in peace2 but first he sold all that he had and gave it to the poor of the city1 an act which made them surer than ever that he was one of ,god's saints4 ,then he sailed away across the sea to a far-off country4 ,there ,saint ,giles found a lonely cave in which an old hermit lived4 ',here at last ,i shall find peace and quietness1' said he to himself1 'and men will soon forget me4' ,but even here ere long his friends found him1 for his fame had spread across the seas4 ,so once more he set out and went further and further away1 by paths that few had ever trod before1 until in the depths of a green forest he found another shelter1 a cave among grey rocks overgrown with lichens1 and hidden by the sheltering boughs of the surrounding trees4 ,saint ,giles had always loved the woods and this was just the home he had longed for4 ,a clear stream flowed not far off1 and his only companions would be the birds and beasts and flowers4 ,early in the morning the birds would wake him with their song1 and the wild creatures would come stealing out of the wood to share his meal4 ,and his silent friends1 the flowers1 would cheer and help him by their beauty1 and remind him of ,god's garden whose gate would one day open for him1 where he would wander in the green pastures beside the still waters of ,life for evermore4 ,but of all his companions the one ,saint ,giles loved best was a gentle white doe1 who came to him as soon as he settled in the cave4 ,she seemed to have no fear of him from the first1 and stayed with him longer and longer each time1 until at last she took up her abode with him1 and would never leave him1 lying close to him when he slept1 and walking by his side wherever he went4 ,this peaceful life went on for a long time and it seemed as if nothing could disturb its quiet happiness4 ,but it happened that one day as ,saint ,giles was praying in the cave1 and his companion1 the white doe1 was nibbling her morning meal of fresh grass by the banks of the stream1 a curious noise was heard afar off4 ,it came nearer and nearer1 and then shouts of men's voices could be heard1 the sound of horses galloping and the note of the hunter's horn4 ,then came the deep baying of dogs1 and before the startled doe could hide1 the whole hunt was upon her4 ,with a wild halloo they chased her across the greensward and through the trees1 and just as she disappeared into the cave1 one of the huntsmen drew his bow and sent an arrow flying after her4 ,then they all dismounted and went to see what had become of the hunted doe1 and soon found the opening into the cave4 ,but what was their surprise1 when they burst in1 to find an old man kneeling there4 ,he was sheltering the terrified doe who had fled to him for refuge1 and an arrow had pierced the kind hand that had been raised to shield her4 ,the huntsmen were ashamed of their cruel sport when they saw the wounded hand of the old man and the trembling form of the white doe as it crouched behind him1 and they listened with reverence to the hermit's words as he spoke to them of man's duty towards ,god's dumb creatures4 ,the ,king of ,france1 who was one of the hunting party1 came often after this to see ,saint ,giles1 and at last offered to build him a monastery and give him all that he could want2 but the old man begged to be left alone in his woodland cave1 to serve ,god in peace and quietness4 ,so there he lived quietly and happily for many years1 until ,god took him1 and he left his cave for the fairer fields of paradise4 ,people loved the thought of this peaceful old saint who dwelt in the woods and was the protector of all sorrowful and suffering creatures1 and so they often called their churches after ,saint ,giles1 especially those churches which were built in the fields or near green woods4 ,the surroundings of many of these churches are to-day changed4 ,there are no fields now round his great cathedral church in the old town of ,edinburgh2 but the poor and sick and sorrowful crowd very near to its shelter1 and the memory of the pitiful heart of the gentle old saint still hovers like a blessing round the grey old walls4 ,,saint ,,nicholas ,of all the saints that little children love is there any to compare with ,santa ,claus8 ,the very sound of his name has magic in it1 and calls up visions of well-filled stockings1 with the presents we particularly want peeping over the top1 or hanging out at the side1 too big to go into the largest sock4 ,besides1 there is something so mysterious and exciting about ,santa ,claus1 for no one seems to have ever seen him4 ,but we picture him to ourselves as an old man with a white beard1 whose favourite way of coming into our rooms is down the chimney1 bringing gifts for the good children and punishments for the bad4 ,yet this ,santa ,claus1 in whose name the presents come to us at ,christmas time1 is a very real saint1 and we can learn a great deal about him1 only we must remember that his true name is ,saint ,nicholas4 ,perhaps the little children1 who used to talk of him long ago1 found ,saint ,nicholas too difficult to say1 and so called him their dear ,santa ,claus4 ,but we learn1 as we grow older1 that ,nicholas is his true name1 and that he is a real person who lived long years ago1 far away in the ,east4 ,the father and mother of ,nicholas were noble and very rich1 but what they wanted most of all was to have a son4 ,they were ,christians1 so they prayed to ,god for many years that he would give them their heart's desire2 and when at last ,nicholas was born1 they were the happiest people in the world4 ,they thought there was no one like their boy2 and indeed he was wiser and better than most children1 and never gave them a moment's trouble4 ,but alas1 while he was still a child1 a terrible plague swept over the country1 and his father and mother died1 leaving him quite alone4 ,all the great riches which his father had possessed were left to ,nicholas1 and among other things he inherited three bars of gold4 ,these golden bars were his greatest treasure1 and he thought more of them than all the other riches he possessed4 ,now in the town where ,nicholas lived there dwelt a nobleman with three daughters4 ,they had once been very rich1 but great misfortunes had overtaken the father1 and now they were all so poor they had scarcely enough to live upon4 ,at last a day came when there was not even bread enough to eat1 and the daughters said to their father3 ',let us go out into the streets and beg1 or do anything to get a little money1 that we may not starve4' ,but the father answered3 ',not to-night4 ,i cannot bear to think of it4 ,wait at least until to-morrow4 ,something may happen to save my daughters from such disgrace4' ,now1 just as they were talking together1 ,nicholas happened to be passing1 and as the window was open he heard all that the poor father said4 ,it seemed terrible to think that a noble family should be so poor and actually in want of bread1 and ,nicholas tried to plan how it would be possible to help them4 ,he knew they would be much too proud to take money from him1 so he had to think of some other way4 ,then he remembered his golden bars1 and that very night he took one of them and went secretly to the nobleman's house1 hoping to give the treasure without letting the father or daughters know who brought it4 ,to his joy ,nicholas discovered that a little window had been left open1 and by standing on tiptoe he could just reach it4 ,so he lifted the golden bar and slipped it through the window1 never waiting to hear what became of it1 in case any one should see him4 7,and now do you see the reason why the visits of ,santa ,claus are so mysterious87 ,inside the house the poor father sat sorrowfully watching1 while his children slept4 ,he wondered if there was any hope for them anywhere1 and he prayed earnestly that heaven would send help4 ,suddenly something fell at his feet1 and to his amazement and joy1 he found it was a bar of pure gold4 ',my child1' he cried1 as he showed his eldest daughter the shining gold1 ',god has heard my prayer and has sent this from heaven4 ,now we shall have enough and to spare4 ,call your sisters that we may rejoice together1 and ,i will go instantly and change this treasure4' ,illustration3 ,,he ,,showed ,,his ,,daughter ,,the ,,gold4 ,the precious golden bar was soon sold to a money-changer1 who gave so much for it that the family were able to live in comfort and have all that they needed4 ,and not only was there enough to live upon1 but so much was over that the father gave his eldest daughter a large dowry1 and very soon she was happily married4 ,when ,nicholas saw how much happiness his golden bar had brought to the poor nobleman1 he determined that the second daughter should have a dowry too4 ,so he went as before and found the little window again open1 and was able to throw in the second golden bar as he had done the first4 ,this time the father was dreaming happily1 and did not find the treasure until he awoke in the morning4 ,soon afterwards the second daughter had her dowry and was married too4 ,the father now began to think that1 after all1 it was not usual for golden bars to fall from heaven1 and he wondered if by any chance human hands had placed them in his room4 ,the more he thought of it the stranger it seemed1 and he made up his mind to keep watch every night1 in case another golden bar should be sent as a portion for his youngest daughter4 ,and so when ,nicholas went the third time and dropped the last bar through the little window1 the father came quickly out1 and before ,nicholas had time to hide1 caught him by his cloak4 ',o ,nicholas1' he cried1 'is it thou who hast helped us in our need8 ,why didst thou hide thyself8' ,and then he fell on his knees and began to kiss the hands that had helped him so graciously4 ,but ,nicholas bade him stand up and give thanks to ,god instead2 warning him to tell no one the story of the golden bars4 ,this was only one of the many kind acts ,nicholas loved to do1 and it was no wonder that he was beloved by all who knew him4 ,soon afterwards ,nicholas made up his mind to enter ,god's service as a priest4 ,he longed above all things to leave the world and live as a hermit in the desert1 but ,god came to him in a vision and told him he must stay in the crowded cities and do his work among the people4 ,still his desire to see the deserts and the hermits who lived there was so great that he went off on a journey to ,egypt and the ,holy ,land4 ,but remembering1 what ,god had bade him do1 he did not stay there1 but returned to his own country4 ,on the way home a terrific storm arose1 and it seemed as if the ship he was in must be lost4 ,the sailors could do nothing1 and great waves dashed over the deck1 filling the ship with water4 ,but just as all had given up hope1 ,nicholas knelt and prayed to ,god to save them1 and immediately a calm fell upon the angry sea4 ,the winds sank to rest and the waves ceased to lash the sides of the ship so that they sailed smoothly on1 and all danger was past4 ,thus ,nicholas returned home in safety1 and went to live in the city of ,myra4 ,his ways were so quiet and humble that no one knew much about him1 until it came to pass one day that the ,archbishop of ,myra died4 ,then all the priests met to choose another archbishop1 and it was made known to them by a sign from heaven that the first man who should enter the church next morning should be the bishop whom ,god had chosen4 ,now ,nicholas used to spend most of his nights in prayer and always went very early to church1 so next morning just as the sun was rising and the bells began to ring for the early mass1 he was seen coming up to the church door and was the first to enter4 ,as he knelt down quietly to say his prayers as usual1 what was his surprise to meet a company of priests who hailed him as their new archbishop1 chosen by ,god to be their leader and guide4 ,so ,nicholas was made ,archbishop of ,myra to the joy of all in the city who knew and loved him4 ,not long after this there was great trouble in the town of ,myra1 for the harvests of that country had failed and a terrible famine swept over the land4 ,nicholas1 as a good bishop should1 felt the suffering of his people as if it were his own1 and did all he could to help them4 ,he knew that they must have corn or they would die1 so he went to the harbour where two ships lay filled with grain1 and asked the captains if they would sell him their cargo4 ,they told the bishop they would willingly do so1 but it was already sold to merchants of another country and they dared not sell it over again4 ',take no thought of that1' said ,nicholas1 'only sell me some of thy corn for my starving people1 and ,i promise thee that there shall be nought wanting when thou shalt arrive at thy journey's end4' ,the captains believed in the bishop's promise and gave him as much corn as he asked4 ,and behold6 when they came to deliver their cargo to the owners1 there was not a bag lacking4 ,it is said1 too1 that at the time of this famine there was a cruel innkeeper in ,myra who was wicked enough to catch little children and pickle them in a great tub1 pretending they were pork4 ,it happened one day as ,nicholas was passing the inn-door that he heard the voices of children crying for help4 ,he went in very quickly and made his way to the cellar whence the cries had come4 ,there he found the poor children1 and not only rescued those who were alive1 but by his prayers he brought to life those who had already been killed and cast into the tub4 ,another time there were two men in ,myra who had been unjustly condemned to death1 and it was told the bishop how greatly they stood in need of his help4 ,no one ever appealed to ,nicholas in vain1 and he went off at once to the place of execution4 ,the executioner was just about to raise his sword1 when ,nicholas seized his arm and wrenched the sword away4 ,then he set the poor prisoners free and told the judge that1 if he dared to deal so unjustly again1 the wrath of heaven and of the ,bishop of ,myra would descend upon him4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,went ,,to ,,the ,,harbour ,,where ,,two ,,ships ,,lay4 ,there are many other stories told about the good bishop4 ,like his ,master1 he ever went about doing good2 and when he died1 there were a great many legends told about him1 for the people loved to believe that their bishop still cared for them and would come to their aid4 ,we do not know if all these legends are true1 but they show how much ,saint ,nicholas was loved and honoured even after his death1 and how every one believed in his power to help them4 ,here is one of the stories which all children who love ,saint ,nicholas will like to hear4 ,there was once a nobleman who had no children and who longed for a son above everything else in the world4 ,night and day he prayed to ,saint ,nicholas that he would grant him his request1 and at last a son was born4 ,he was a beautiful child1 and the father was so delighted and so grateful to the saint who had listened to his prayers that1 every year on the child's birthday1 he made a great feast in honour of ,saint ,nicholas and a grand service was held in the church4 ,now the ,evil ,one grew very angry each year when this happened1 for it made many people go to church and honour the good saint1 neither of which things pleased the ,evil ,one at all4 ,so each year he tried to think of some plan that would put an end to these rejoicings1 and he decided at last that if only he could do some evil to the child1 the parents would blame ,saint ,nicholas and all would be well4 ,it happened just then to be the boy's sixth birthday1 and a greater feast than ever was being held4 ,it was late in the afternoon1 and the gardener and porter and all the servants were away keeping holiday too4 ,so no one noticed a curious-looking pilgrim who came and sat close to the great iron gates which led into the courtyard4 ,he had on the ordinary robe of a poor pilgrim1 but the hood was drawn so far over his face that nothing but a dark shadow could be seen inside4 ,and indeed that was as well1 for this pilgrim was a demon in disguise1 and his wicked1 black face would have frightened any one who saw it4 ,he could not enter the courtyard for the great gates were always kept locked1 and1 as you know1 the porter was away that day1 feasting with all the other servants4 ,but1 before very long1 the little boy grew weary of his birthday feast1 and having had all he wanted1 he begged to be allowed to go to play in the garden4 ,his parents knew that the gardener always looked after him there1 so they told him he might go4 ,they forgot that the gardener was not there just then4 ,the child played happily alone for some time and then wandered into the courtyard1 and looking out of the gate saw a poor pilgrim resting there4 ',what are you doing here8' asked the child1 'and why do you sit so still8' ',i am a poor pilgrim1' answered the demon1 trying to make his harsh voice sound as gentle as possible1 'and ,i have come all the way from ,rome4 ,i am resting here because ,i am so weary and footsore and have had nothing to eat all day4' ',i will let you in1 and take you to my father1' said the child2 'this is my birthday1 and no one must go hungry to-day4' ,but the demon pretended he was too weak to walk1 and begged the boy to bring some food out to him4 ,then the child ran back to the banquet hall in a great hurry and said to his father3 ',o father1 there is a poor pilgrim from ,rome sitting outside our gate1 and he is so hungry1 may ,i take him some of my birthday feast8' ,the father was very pleased to think that his little son should care for the poor and wish to be kind1 so he willingly gave his permission and told one of the servants to give the child all that he wanted4 ,then as the demon sat eating the good things1 he began to question the boy and tried to find out all that he could about him4 ',do you often play in the garden8' he asked4 ',oh yes1' said the child1 ',i play there whenever ,i may1 for in the midst of the lawn there is a beautiful fountain1 and the gardener makes me boats to sail on the water4' ',will he make you one to-day8' asked the demon quickly4 ',he is not here to-day1' answered the child1 'for this is a holiday for every one and ,i am quite alone4' ,then the demon rose to his feet slowly and said he felt so much better after the good food1 that he thought he could walk a little1 and would like very much to come in and see the beautiful garden and the fountain he had heard about4 ,so the child climbed up and with great difficulty drew back the bolts4 ,the great gates swung open and the demon walked in4 ,as they went along together towards the fountain1 the child held out his little hand to lead the pilgrim1 but even the demon shrunk from touching anything so pure and innocent1 and folded his arms under his robe1 so that the child could only hold by a fold of his cloak4 ',what strange kind of feet you have1' said the child as they walked along2 'they look as if they belonged to an animal4' ',yes1 they are curious1' said the demon1 'but it is just the way they are made4' ,then the child began to notice the demon's hands1 which were even more curious than his feet1 and just like the paws of a bear4 ,but he was too courteous to say anything about them1 when he had already mentioned the feet4 ,just then they came to the fountain1 and with a sudden movement the demon threw back his hood and showed his dreadful face4 ,and before the child could scream he was seized by those hairy hands and thrown into the water4 ,but just at that moment the gardener was returning to his work and saw from a distance what had happened4 ,he ran as fast as he could1 but he only got to the fountain in time to see the demon vanish1 while the child's body was floating on the water4 ,very quickly he drew him out1 and carried him1 all dripping wet1 up to the castle1 where they tried to bring him back to life4 ,but alas6 it all seemed of no use1 he neither moved nor breathed2 and the day that had begun with such rejoicing1 ended in the bitterest woe4 ,the poor parents were heart-broken1 but they did not quite lose hope and prayed earnestly to ,saint ,nicholas who had given them the child1 that he would restore their boy to them again4 ,as they prayed by the side of the little bed where the body of the child lay1 they thought something moved1 and to their joy and surprise the boy opened his eyes and sat up1 and in a short time was as well as ever4 ,they asked him eagerly what had happened1 and he told them all about the pilgrim with the queer feet and hands1 who had gone with him to the fountain and had then thrown back his hood and shown his terrible face4 ,after that he could remember nothing until he found himself in a beautiful garden1 where the loveliest flowers grew4 ,there were lilies like white stars1 and roses far more beautiful than any he had ever seen in his own garden1 and the leaves of the trees shone like silver and gold4 ,it was all so beautiful that for a while he forgot about his home1 and when he did remember and tried to find his way back1 he grew bewildered and did not know in what direction to turn4 ,as he was looking about1 an old man came down the garden path and smiled so kindly upon him that he trusted him at once4 ,this old man was dressed in the robes of a bishop1 and had a long white beard and the sweetest old face the child had ever seen4 ',art thou searching for the way home8' the old man asked4 ',dost thou wish to leave this beautiful garden and go back to thy father and mother8' ',i want to go home1' said the child1 with a sob in his voice1 'but ,i cannot find the way1 and ,i am1 oh1 so tired of searching for it6' ,then the old man stooped down and lifted him in his arms1 and the child laid his head on the old man's shoulder1 and1 weary with his wandering1 fell fast asleep and remembered nothing more till he woke up in his own little bed4 ,then the parents knew that ,saint ,nicholas had heard their prayers and had gone to fetch the child from the ,heavenly ,garden and brought him back to them4 ,so they were more grateful to the good saint than ever1 and they loved and honoured him even more than they had done before2 which was all the reward the demon got for his wicked doings4 ,that is one of the many stories told after the death of ,saint ,nicholas1 and it ever helped and comforted his people to think that1 though they could no longer see him1 he would love and protect them still4 ,young maidens in need of help remembered the story of the golden bars and felt sure the good saint would not let them want4 ,sailors tossing on the stormy waves thought of that storm which had sunk to rest at the prayer of ,saint ,nicholas4 ,poor prisoners with no one to take their part were comforted by the thought of those other prisoners whom he had saved4 ,and little children perhaps have remembered him most of all1 for when the happy ,christmas time draws near1 who is so much in their thoughts as ,saint ,nicholas1 or ,santa ,claus1 as they call him8 ,perhaps they are a little inclined to think of him as some good magician who comes to fill their stockings with gifts1 but they should never forget that he was the kind bishop who1 in olden days1 loved to make the little ones happy4 ,there are some who think that even now he watches over and protects little children1 and for that reason he is called their patron saint4 ,,saint ,,faith ,among the many martyrs who long ago gave up their lives1 rather than deny their ,master1 we love to remember one little maid--a child-martyr and saint4 ,we do not know a great deal about her1 for she lived so very long ago1 but what we know makes us love and honour her1 and speak her name with reverence4 ,faith was the name of this little maiden1 and her home was in ,france1 in the pleasant country of ,aquitaine4 ,her parents were rich and noble1 and she was brought up carefully1 and taught to be courteous and gentle to every one4 ,but she did not need much teaching1 for her nature was sweet and pure1 and her face was fair1 with the beauty that shines from within4 ,the town in which little ,faith lived was called ,agen1 and lay at the foot of a high rugged hill1 which seemed to keep guard over it4 ,it was a quiet little place1 and most of the people who dwelt there were ,christians1 living happily together with the good bishop at their head4 ,but one day a heavy cloud of dust was seen rolling along the highroad that led over the mountains to the city gates4 ,and messengers came running breathlessly into the town1 warning the people that a great company of soldiers was marching towards them4 ,it was thought they had come from ,spain1 and the news spread like wildfire through the town that ,dacian1 the cruellest governor of all that country1 was riding at their head4 ,in fear and trembling the people waited4 ,they stood in little knots1 talking under their breath of all the evil this man had done2 or shutting themselves into their houses1 they scarcely dared to look out at the windows4 ,and soon the great company came sweeping in1 swords clattering and armour glittering in the sunshine1 rough soldiers laughing carelessly as they rode past the frightened faces4 ,and at their head a cruel1 evil-looking man who glared from side to side1 as if he were a wild beast seeking his prey4 ,doubtless it pleased him to see how every one trembled before him1 and he smiled scornfully to think how easy a task it would be to teach these ,christians to deny their ,god and drag their faith in the dust4 ,and soon the reason of his coming was known to all1 for he ordered it to be proclaimed in the market-place1 that every ,christian who refused to sacrifice to the heathen gods should be tortured and put to death4 ,and to make his meaning quite plain1 the soldiers spread out all the terrible instruments of torture1 so that men might know exactly what lay before them if they refused to deny ,christ4 ,but in the night the terrified ,christians stole silently out of the town1 and climbing the high hill that overlooked the city1 they hid themselves in the great caves among the rocks4 ,scarcely any one was left behind3 even the good bishop was afraid to stay and face the danger1 and it seemed as if ,christ would have no one to fight on ,his side against the evil company4 ,but when morning came1 and the furious ,dacian discovered that every one had fled1 he sent his soldiers to search and bring any who might remain hidden in the city1 that he might wreak his vengeance on them4 ,and among the few that were left they brought to him the little maid ,faith4 ,she was only a little child1 but she did not know what fear meant4 ',you cannot hurt me1' she said1 looking at the cruel1 angry faces around her1 'because ,i am not yours1 but ,god's4' ,and then she signed herself with the sign of the cross1 and with bent head prayed3 ',lord ,jesus1 teach my lips to answer their questions aright1 so that ,i may do ,thee no dishonour4' ,then ,dacian looked in anger at the child standing there with clasped hands and steadfast eyes1 and asked her roughly3 ',what is thy name8' ',my name is ,faith1' the little maid replied with gentle courtesy4 ',and what ,god dost thou serve8' asked the cruel governor4 ',i am a ,christian1 and ,i serve the ,lord ,christ1' replied the child4 ',deny ,him1 and sacrifice to our gods1' thundered the governor1 'else shalt thou endure every kind of torture1 until there is no life left in thy young body4' ,but ,faith stood with head erect and hands clasped tight together4 ,not even the ugly instruments of torture could frighten her4 ',i serve the ,lord ,christ1' she said1 'and you cannot hurt me1 because ,i am ,his4' ,such a little maid she was1 standing there among those rough1 cruel men1 offering her life gladly for the faith of her ,master4 ,such a few years she had spent in this bright world1 and so many stretched in front1 holding pleasures and promises in store4 ,and now she must give up all1 must put aside the little white robe and golden sandals1 and take instead the robe of suffering1 and go barefoot to meet the pain and torture that awaited her4 ,and though they scourged her1 and made her suffer many cruel torments1 they could not bend her will1 nor break her faith4 ,indeed it seemed as if she did not feel the pain and anguish4 ,and ,god stooped down1 and gathered the little faithful soul into ,his bosom4 ,and when the people looked1 the child was dead4 ,but in the cave among the mountains that very day the bishop sat1 sad and troubled4 ,he was gazing away across the plain to where the town lay half hidden in the mist1 thinking of those faithful few who had chosen to stay behind4 ,and suddenly the mist broke in front1 and a vision stood out clear before him4 ,he saw the child ,faith being scourged and tortured2 he saw the flames leaping around her1 and then1 as he looked again1 lo6 her head was encircled with a golden crown set with precious stones1 each jewel sparkling with light4 ,and from heaven a white dove came gently flying down1 and rested on the child's head1 while from its wings a soft dew fell that quenched the flames4 ,and as the vision faded1 the bishop bowed his head in his hands and wept4 ,the thought of what this child had dared to endure for her ,master1 while he had shrunk from suffering aught for ,his sake1 filled his heart with shame4 ,he could not stay there in safety while any of his people might suffer as she had done4 ,so that night he returned to the city to help and comfort the few remaining ,christians4 ,before long he too was called upon to suffer death for his ,lord1 and many others gave themselves up1 led by the example of little ,faith4 ,some say that even the rough soldiers were touched by the child's death1 and many became ,christians4 ,they began to think that such a religion was worth living for1 if it could teach even a child to die so bravely4 ,and so1 though she lived such a short time on earth1 she did a very wonderful work for ,god1 and we call her now ,saint ,faith1 thinking often of her as we read these words3 ',a little child shall lead them4' ,,saint ,,cosmo ,,and ,,saint ,,damian ,it is difficult sometimes to learn a great deal about the saints who lived a very long time ago4 ,so few people knew how to read or write in those old days1 and the only way they had of remembering and handing on what was interesting was to tell it to their children2 then these little ones1 when they were grown up1 would repeat it again to other little children1 and so the stories were not forgotten4 ,but sometimes one thing would be left out and sometimes another1 or different people would add wonderful stories of their own1 which would become part of the true story4 ,and so1 when at last these histories come to us1 we find we have lost a great deal1 and perhaps not gained very much4 ,the two saints1 to whose story we are going to listen to-day1 are of this long-ago time1 and the history of their lives has almost faded from men's memories4 ,but whoever happens to go to ,florence1 that city of flowers1 where the old ,medici family has left its mark on every corner1 will see the portraits of our two saints wherever they go4 ,for the old painters loved to tell the saint-stories in their own beautiful way1 and to-day the little dark-eyed ,italian children can read them without books1 for they are told more plainly and far more beautifully than in any written story4 ,cosmo and ,damian were brothers1 and were born in ,arabia three hundred years after ,christ4 ,when they were quite little boys their father died1 and they were left alone with their mother4 ,she was a ,christian1 and taught her boys1 as soon as they were old enough to understand1 that though they had no earthly father1 ,god was their ,father in heaven4 ,she told them that the great ,king of ,heaven and ,earth called them ,his children1 and he who could do a mean or cruel act1 or stain his honour by an untruthful word1 was not worthy to be called a ,king's son4 ,and because they were noble she taught them that they must do noble deeds1 bravely defend and protect the weak1 and help those who could not help themselves4 ,so the boys grew up straight and strong in mind and body4 ,their bitterest punishment was to feel that they had done anything unworthy of their ,king1 and although they often made mistakes and did wrong thoughtlessly1 they never went far astray since ,god's honour was their own4 ,their mother was rich1 for their father had had great possessions1 but there were so many poor and suffering people around their home that it was almost impossible to help them all4 ,so the boys learned early to deny themselves in many ways1 and often gave up their own dinner to the starving poor4 ,in that land there was a great deal of sickness and suffering1 and this was a great trouble to ,cosmo and ,damian4 ,they could not bear to see people in pain1 and be unable to help them4 ,they often thought about this1 and at last determined to learn all about medicine1 and become doctors1 so that they might at least soften suffering when they could not cure it4 ,after years of patient study they learned to be very clever doctors1 and their kind hearts and gentle hands soothed and comforted those who were in pain1 even when skill could do nothing for them4 ,they visited rich and poor alike1 and would take no money for their services1 for they said it was payment enough to know they had been able to make the worlds suffering a little less4 ,and it was not only people they cared for1 but ,god's dumb creatures too4 ,if any animal was in pain1 they would treat it as gently and carefully as if it had been a human being4 ,indeed1 they were perhaps even more pitiful towards animals1 for they said3 ',people who can speak and complain of their ills are greatly to be pitied1 but these dumb creatures1 made by our ,king1 can only suffer in silence1 and surely their suffering will be required at our hands4' ,it ever seemed strange to these great men that boys who would scorn to ill-treat a younger child1 or take mean advantage of a weak one1 would still think nothing of staining their honour by ill-treating an animal1 infinitely weaker and smaller1 and less able to protect itself4 ,it was one of the few things that raised the wrath of these gentle doctor saints4 ,illustration3 ,,but ,,cosmo ,,turned ,,and ,,walked ,,away4 ,now it happened that a poor woman who had been ill for many years heard of the fame of the two young doctors1 and sent to implore them to come to help her4 ,she believed that though her illness seemed incurable these good men might heal her4 ,cosmo and ,damian were touched by her faith1 and they went at once1 and did for her all that their skill could devise1 and1 moreover1 prayed that ,god would bless their efforts4 ,to the wonder of all1 the woman began to grow better1 and very soon was completely cured4 ,in her great gratitude she offered all that she had in payment to the two doctors1 but they told her that they could take nothing4 ,then she humbly offered them a little bag in which were three eggs1 praying them not to go away from her quite empty-handed4 ,but ,cosmo turned and walked away and would not so much as even look at what she offered1 for it was a very strict rule with the brothers that they should accept no payment or reward of any kind4 ,then the woman caught at a fold of ,damian's cloak as he also turned to go and begged him1 for the love of ,christ1 to take her little gift4 ,when ,damian heard the name of his ,master1 he paused1 and then took the present and courteously thanked the poor woman4 ,but when ,cosmo saw what ,damian had done he was very wrathful1 and that night he refused to sleep with him1 and said that henceforth they would be no longer brothers4 ,but in the stillness of the night ,god came to ,cosmo and said3 ',my son1 wherefore art thou so wrathful with thy brother8' ',because he hath taken reward for our services1' said ,cosmo1 'and ,thou knowest1 ,lord1 that we receive no payment but from ,thee4' ',but was it not in ,my name that he took the offering8' asked the voice4 ',because that poor woman gave it for love of ,me1 thy brother did well to accept it4' ,then ,cosmo awoke in great joy and hurried to the bedside of his brother1 and there begged his forgiveness for having misjudged him so sorely4 ,and so they were happy together once more1 and ate the eggs right merrily4 ,in those days there were many pilgrims passing through ,arabia1 and because the journey was hard and most of them were poor1 they often fell ill and came under the care of ,cosmo and ,damian4 ,one night a poor man was brought in1 fainting and fever-stricken4 ,he lay on the bed with his thin1 grey face pinched and worn with suffering1 and the kind doctors feared that he would die4 ,all night they sat by his bedside doing everything that their skill could plan to ease his pain1 and they only smiled when the poor man said in his faint1 low voice3 ',why do you take all this trouble for a poor pilgrim1 who has nothing wherewith to repay you8' ',we would not take thy payment if thou hadst all the riches in the world1' answered the doctors1 'for we receive payment only from our ,king4' ,then when the first pale light of dawn began to steal through the little window1 and the doctors anxiously watched the still form lying there1 they started with surprise4 ,for the face seemed to change in an instant1 and instead of the bed of suffering they saw a cloud of glory2 out of the midst of which ,christ's face1 infinitely tender1 looked upon them2 and ,his hands touched their heads in blessing as ,he said3 ',all the riches of the world are indeed mine though ,i seemed but a poor pilgrim4 ,i was sick and ye visited me1 and surely shall ye receive payment from your ,king4' ,then ,cosmo and ,damian knelt in worship and thanked their ,lord that they had been counted worthy to minister to ,his need4 ,but soon the fame of ,cosmo and ,damian began to be spread abroad1 and the wicked ,proconsul of ,arabia heard about their good deeds4 ,as soon as he knew they were ,christians1 and helped the poor and suffering1 he was filled with rage1 and sent and ordered that the two brothers should be cast alive into the sea4 ,immediately ,cosmo and ,damian were seized and led up to the steep cliffs1 and the guards bound them hand and foot4 ,not a complaint escaped their lips1 not a sign of fear1 as the soldiers raised them on high and flung them over into the cruel sea1 far below4 ,but as the crowd above watched to see them sink1 a great fear and amazement seized the soldiers1 for from the calm blue sea they beheld the brothers rise slowly and walk towards the shore1 led by an angel who guided them with loving care until they were safe on land4 ,in a greater rage than ever1 the ,proconsul ordered that a great fire should be made and that the brothers should be cast into the midst of it and burnt to death4 ,but though the fire roared and blazed before ,cosmo and ,damian were cast in2 as soon as it touched them it died down and nothing could make it burn again4 ,it seemed as if ,god's good gifts refused to injure ,his servants4 ,after that they were bound to two crosses and the soldiers were ordered to stone them4 ,but the stones did no harm to those two patient figures1 but instead fell backwards and injured the men who threw them4 ,then every one cried out that they were enchanters1 and it was ordered that to make sure of their death they should be beheaded4 ,so the work of the two saint doctors was finished on earth1 but for many years afterwards those who were ill would pray to these saints for their protection4 ,there is a legend which tells how a poor man in ,rome had a leg which the doctors feared would cause his death4 ,so he prayed to ,saint ,cosmo and ,saint ,damian and asked them to help him in his need4 ,and that night when he was asleep1 he saw the doctor saints standing at his bedside in their red robes and caps trimmed with fur4 ,one held a knife and the other a pot of ointment4 ',what shall we do to replace this leg when we have cut it off8' asked ,saint ,cosmo4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,angel ,,guided ,,them ,,with ,,loving ,,care4 ',a black man has just died and been buried near here1' answered ,saint ,damian4 ',he no longer needs his legs1 so let us take one of them and put it on instead4' ,so they cut off the bad leg and fetched the leg of the black man1 and with the ointment joined it on to the living man4 ,and when he awoke he believed he must have dreamt about the visit of the saints1 but when he looked at his leg1 behold6 it was black and perfectly sound and well4 ,then they sent and searched for the black body1 and on it they found a white leg4 ,so the man knew that the doctor saints had heard his prayers1 and had come to cure him4 ,that is one of the wonderful stories which have grown up round the names of ,saint ,cosmo and ,saint ,damian4 ,while we cannot tell if these things really happened1 this we do surely know to be true1 that these two brothers1 who lived in an age when men were cruel and selfish1 spent their whole lives in trying to help those who suffered pain1 and then went bravely to death in the service of their ,king4 ,and though we know but little about them1 they have left us an example of patient kindliness and helpfulness2 and they teach us that as servants of their ,king we also are bound in honour to protect the weak and help those who suffer1 whether they are people like ourselves or ,god's dumb creatures4 ,,saint ,,martin ,it was a cold winter's day in the city of ,amiens1 and the wind swept along the great ,roman road outside the city gates with such an icy blast that the few people who were out of doors wrapped themselves closer in their cloaks1 and longed for their sheltering homes and warm firesides4 ,but there was one poor old man who had no cloak to wrap around him1 and no fireside of which to dream4 ,he shivered as the searching wind came sweeping past him1 and his half-blind eyes looked eagerly up and down the road to see if any one was coming who might help him in his need4 ,one by one the people hurried past and paid no heed to the beggar's outstretched hand4 ,it was much too cold to stop or to think of giving help1 and not even a beggar could expect it on such a day as this4 ,so they left the poor old man hungry and cold and homeless4 ,then a young soldier came riding past1 but the beggar scarcely thought of asking alms of him1 for the ,roman soldiers were not the kind of men to trouble themselves about the poor and suffering4 ,the old man closed his eyes1 weary and hopeless1 for it seemed as if there was none to help nor pity him4 ,then in a moment he felt a warm cloak thrown around his shoulders1 and in his ears sounded a kind voice which bade him wrap it close around him to keep out the cold4 ,half bewildered the beggar looked up1 and saw the young soldier bending over him4 ,he had dismounted from his horse and held a sword in his hand1 with which he had just cut his own cloak in half1 that he might share it with the shivering old man4 ,the passers-by laughed and hurried on1 but the soldier did not care if they mocked him1 for he was quite happy to think he had helped one who needed help so sorely4 ,the name of this young soldier was ,martin1 and he served in the ,roman army with his father1 who was a famous general4 ,most of ,martin's fellow-soldiers were pagans1 but he was a ,christian1 and served the emperor well1 because he served ,christ first4 ,the very night after ,martin had divided his cloak with the beggar he had a dream1 in which he saw his ,master1 ,christ1 among the holy angels1 wearing the half cloak which ,martin had given away that afternoon4 ,and as he looked1 he heard ,christ's voice speaking to the angels1 and saying3 ',know ye who hath clothed ,me with this cloak8 ,my servant ,martin1 who is yet unbaptized1 hath done this4' ,then ,martin awoke1 and he did not rest until ,christ's seal of baptism was set upon his brow1 and he felt that he had enlisted truly in ,god's service4 ,now ,martin knew that to be ,god's servant meant doing everything day by day as well as it could be done1 and serving his earthly master as faithfully and diligently as he tried to serve his heavenly commander4 ,so it came to pass that for all the fourteen years he served in the emperor's army1 he was known as the best and bravest soldier1 and one who had never failed to do his duty4 ,but as he began to grow old1 he longed to serve ,god in other ways1 and so he went to the emperor and asked for permission to leave the army4 ,there was war going on just then1 for ,rome was ever fighting with the barbarians who came up against her1 and the emperor was very angry when he heard ,martin's request4 ',you seek to leave the army because you fear to fight1' he said scornfully to ,martin1 who stood silently before him4 ',a ,roman soldier should scorn to be a coward4' ',i am no coward1' answered ,martin and he met with unflinching look the angry gaze of the emperor4 ',place me alone in the front of the battle1 with no weapon but the cross alone1 and ,i shall not fear to meet the enemy single-handed and unarmed4' ',well said1' answered the emperor quickly2 'we will take thee at thy word4 ,to-morrow thou shalt stand defenceless before the enemy1 and so shall we judge of thy boasted courage4' ,then the emperor ordered his guards to watch ,martin that night lest he should try to escape before the trial could be made4 ,but ,martin had no thought of escape1 and was ready and eager to do as he had said4 ,meanwhile1 however1 the enemy began to fear that they had no chance against the ,roman army2 and very early in the morning1 they sent messengers to ask for peace1 offering to give themselves up to the mercy of the emperor4 ,so ,martin was set at liberty1 and no one doubted his courage and faithfulness2 since they believed that his faith in ,god had brought peace1 and given them the victory over their enemies4 ,soon after this ,martin was allowed to leave the army1 and he journeyed from place to place telling those who had never heard it before the good news of ,jesus ,christ4 ,in those days it was dangerous to go among the mountains unarmed1 for robbers and brigands made their home there1 and would swoop down on unsuspecting travellers and rob or murder them4 ,but ,martin took no companions with him1 and with no weapon but the cross1 he climbed the mountain roads defenceless and alone4 ,one day1 as he journeyed1 a company of brigands appeared suddenly1 as if they had started out of the rocks4 ,they seized him roughly1 and one of them aimed a blow at his head with an axe4 ,but before the blow could fall1 another robber turned the axe aside and claimed ,martin as his prisoner4 ,then they tied his hands behind him and bound him fast1 while they made up their minds which would be the best way to kill him4 ,but ,martin sat calm and untroubled1 and seemed to have no fear of these terrible men4 ',what is thy name1 and who art thou8' asked the brigand who had claimed ,martin as his prisoner4 ',i am a ,christian1' answered ,martin simply4 ',and art thou not afraid of the tortures which await thee1 that thou dost seem so calm and fearless8' asked the robber1 wondering at the peaceful look upon the prisoner's face4 ',i fear nothing that thou canst do to me1' answered ,martin1 'for ,i am a servant of the great ,king1 and ,he will defend ,his own4 ,but ,i do indeed grieve for thee1 because thou livest by robbery and violence1 and art therefore unworthy of the mercy of my ,lord4' ,the astonished robber asked him what he meant1 and who this great ,king was whom he served2 so ,martin told him the whole story of ,god's love1 and of the coming of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,no words so wonderful had ever been spoken to this brigand before1 and as he listened he believed that what ,martin said was true4 ,the first thing he did was to cut the rope which bound his prisoner's hands and to set him free2 and after that he led him in safety through the mountain passes1 until he reached a road that led to the plains below4 ,here they parted1 and the brigand knelt and asked ,martin to pray for him that he might lead a new life4 ,so there was one less robber on that lonely road1 and one more ,christian fighting the battles of the ,lord4 ,although ,martin loved to dwell in lonely places1 he was always ready to go where he was most needed1 and so a great part of his life was spent in busy towns4 ,when he was made ,bishop of ,tours and could no longer live in the solitude he loved1 still he strove to be the best bishop it was possible to become1 just as when he was a soldier he tried to be as good a soldier as he knew how to be4 ,now ,martin was growing an old man1 yet he was very little changed since that long ago day when he divided his cloak with the poor beggar outside the gates of ,amiens4 ,it is said that one day when he was serving at the altar1 in all his beautiful bishop's robes1 he saw a ragged beggar standing near shivering with cold4 ,at first he bade his deacon give him clothing1 but the deacon was too slow to please the kind heart of the bishop1 and so he went himself and took off his gold-embroidered vestment and put it tenderly round the shoulders of the beggar4 ,then as the service went on1 and the bishop held up the holy chalice1 the kneeling crowd saw with wonder that angels were hovering round and were hanging chains of gold upon the upraised arms to cover them1 because the robe ,martin had given to the beggar had left them bare4 ,now the ,evil ,one looked with great mistrust and disfavour upon ,martin1 for the good bishop won more souls by his love and gentleness than the ,evil ,one cared to lose4 ,all the preaching and sternness of other good men were not half so dangerous to the plans of the ,evil ,one as the pity and kindness of ,martin4 ,so one day the ,evil ,one met ,martin and began to mock at him4 ',thy faith is beautiful indeed1' he said scornfully2 'but how long do thy sinners remain saints8 ,they have but to pretend a little sorrow for their sins1 and lo6 in thy eyes they are immediately saved4' ',oh1 poor1 miserable ,spirit that thou art6' answered ,martin4 ',dost thou not know that our ,saviour refuses none who turn to ,him8 ,even thou1 if thou wouldst but repent1 might find mercy with my ,lord4' ,the ,evil ,one did not stop to answer the bishop1 but disappeared with great swiftness4 ,later on he returned1 as we shall see4 ,the fame of ,martin's life spread far and near1 and the rich as well as the poor did him honour4 ,the emperor and empress invited him over and over again to come to their court1 but ,martin steadily refused1 for he loved best to work among the poor4 ,a time came1 however1 when he saw that he might do great good if he could persuade the emperor to cease from persecuting the ,christians2 and so at last he agreed to attend a banquet at the palace and to be the emperor's guest4 ,everything was as gorgeous and splendid as possible1 for the emperor wished to do honour to the bishop1 who was the one man who dared to speak truly to him and not to flatter him with mere words4 ,but ,martin scarcely seemed to notice all the grandeur and brilliance of the entertainment4 ,and when1 at the banquet1 the emperor took the wine-cup and passed it to his guest1 expecting him to bless it and respectfully hand it back1 ,martin turned quietly round instead1 and passed the jewelled cup to a poor priest who stood behind4 ,this he did to show the astonished emperor that in his eyes the poorest of ,god's servants was to be considered before the greatest ruler upon earth4 ,it was not long after this that the ,evil ,one again visited ,martin4 ,but this time he disguised himself that he might not be known4 ,it was evening and ,martin was praying in his cell1 when a bright light filled the place1 and in the midst of the light he saw a figure clad in royal robes and with a crown of gold and jewels upon his head4 ,his face was shining and beautiful1 so that no one could have guessed he was the ,evil ,one4 ,martin could only gaze upon him in dazzled silence1 for his shining beauty was beyond all words4 ,then the ,evil ,one spoke1 and the sound of his voice was like music4 ',martin1' he said1 'dost thou not see that ,i am ,christ8 ,i have come again upon earth1 and it is to thee that ,i have first showed myself4' ,but ,martin still gazed silently at him and answered nothing4 ',martin1' said the ,evil ,one again1 'why dost thou not believe8 ,canst thou not see that ,i am ,christ8' ,then ,martin answered slowly3 ',it seemeth strange to me that my ,lord should come in glittering clothing and a golden crown4 ,unless thou canst show the marks of the nails and spear1 ,i cannot believe that thou art ,he4' ,at these words1 with a horrible thunder-clap1 the ,evil ,one disappeared1 and ,martin saw him no more4 ,years passed1 and ,martin lived a long and useful life2 but he was growing weary now1 and when ,god's call came1 he gladly prepared to enter into his rest1 and to leave the world where he had laboured so long and faithfully4 ,the night that ,martin died he was seen in a vision by one of his friends who loved him more than all the rest4 ,the saint's robe was shining white and his eyes were like stars and1 as the friend knelt and worshipped1 he felt a soft touch upon his head and heard a voice that blessed him ere the vision faded4 ,and so ,martin finished his earthly work1 and went to hear from his ,master's lips the gracious words3 ',well done1 good and faithful servant4' ,,saint ,,george ,every nation has its own patron saint whom the people love to honour1 and who is looked upon not only as their protector in war and peace1 but as a model of all that is best and highest and most worthy to be copied in their own lives4 ,ever since the days of the ,crusades1 when our lion-hearted ,king ,richard went to fight the infidels in the ,holy ,land1 the special saint whom ,england has delighted to honour has been ,saint ,george4 ',for ,saint ,george and ,merrie ,england' rang out the old battle-cry2 and the greatest honour which our kings can bestow--the ,order of the ,garter--is really the ,order of ,saint ,george1 and bears upon it the picture of his great adventure4 ,and when you have heard the story of ,saint ,george you will not wonder that ,england took him for her special saint1 and as an example for all her sons to follow4 ,saint ,george was born far away in ,cappadocia1 in the year #cjc ,a4,d4 ,his father and mother were nobles of that country and were also ,christians1 although they lived under the rule of the heathen ,emperor ,diocletian4 ,saint ,george's father1 who was a soldier1 was often away in the service of the emperor4 ,so it was the mother who had most to do with the care and training of their only son4 ,it must have been1 then1 from her that the boy learned that gentle reverence towards all women1 which made him their protector and champion all his life4 ,when he was seventeen1 he too became a soldier like his father1 and the shining sword1 which he then buckled on1 was kept all his life as stainless as his honour4 ,he never drew it in a wrong cause1 but held it as a trust given to him to defend the right and protect the weak and helpless4 ,now in the same country there was a city called ,selem1 whose people had once been as happy and prosperous as any in the land1 but which was now the most miserable spot in all the world4 ,the city itself was beautiful with splendid palaces and gay gardens1 and the king who ruled there was wise and good4 ,but outside the city wall stretched a grey1 sullen-looking lake1 half marsh and half stagnant water1 and in this gloomy bog there lived a dreadful monster called a dragon4 ,no one knew exactly what he was like1 for those who were so unfortunate as to have been near enough to see him plainly had been killed by his fiery breath1 which came rolling out from his great yawning throat4 ,he did not seem to walk nor to fly1 although he had what looked like wings and huge flat feet1 but always moved along with a crawling motion most horribly swift4 ,nothing was safe from this terrible monster4 ,one by one the sheep and oxen belonging to the city were devoured by him1 and when the people had no more food to give him1 he crawled towards the city1 and his dreadful fiery breath warned them that he was coming closer and that they would soon be carried off1 one by one1 and devoured4 ,in their despair and terror1 the king and all the people agreed to cast lots each day2 and it was settled that the one on whom the lot fell should be put outside the gates to feed the monster1 so that the rest might live in safety4 ,this was done for many days1 and the grief and suffering in that city was terrible to behold4 ,but the darkest day of all was when the lot fell upon ,cleodolinda1 the king's only daughter4 ,she was very beautiful1 and the king loved her more than all else beside1 so in his anguish he called his people together1 and in a trembling voice1 his grey head bowed with grief1 he spoke to them3 ',she is my only child--,i cannot give her up4 ,take rather all my gold and jewels1 even the half of my kingdom2 only spare my daughter1 the one treasure of my heart4' ,but the people were very angry1 and would not listen to the king1 for they too had lost their children1 and it made them savage and cruel4 ',we will not spare the princess1' they growled in low threatening tones2 'we have given up our own children1 and why shouldst thou withhold thine8 ,didst thou not agree with us to cast the lots8 ,why shouldst thou make one law for us and another for thyself8' ,and they threatened to burn down the palace and kill both the king and ,cleodolinda if she was not given up to them at once4 ,then the king saw there was no hope of deliverance1 and he promised that in eight days the princess should be ready for the sacrifice4 ,those were eight sad days at the palace1 for all was dark and hopeless there1 and the only person who did not give way to despair was the ,princess ,cleodolinda herself4 ,she spent her time trying to comfort her father1 and told him she had no fear1 but rather that she was glad to think she was to die to save his people4 ,so the fatal day arrived when the monster was to be fed1 and the princess came out to meet the crowd stately and calm1 dressed in her royal robes as befitted a king's daughter4 ,and when she bade farewell to her father1 she went forth alone1 and the gates of the city were shut behind her4 ,now it happened that at the very time that ,cleodolinda went out to meet the dragon1 and just as she heard the city gates clang heavily behind her1 ,saint ,george came riding past on his way to join his soldiers4 ,his shining armour and great spear were the only bright things in that gloomy place2 but the princess did not see him1 for her eyes were blinded with tears1 and even when he galloped up close to her she did not hear him1 for the ground was soft and marshy1 and his horse's hoofs made scarcely a sound as he rode past4 ,slowly the princess walked along the desolate way towards the sullen grey lake1 where the monster was waiting for his meal4 ,the path was strewn with bones1 and no grass grew for miles around1 for the fiery blast of the dragon's breath withered everything it passed over4 ,cleodolinda never dreamed that help was near1 and started in amazement when she heard a kind voice speaking to her1 and looking up1 saw through her tears a young knight on horseback1 gazing at her with pitying eyes4 ,she thought that he had the handsomest1 kindest face she had ever seen1 and the gentlest and most courteous manner1 as he leaned towards her1 and asked her why she wept1 and wherefore she was wandering alone in this dismal place4 ,cleodolinda told him in a few words the whole sad story1 and pointed with trembling hand towards the distant marsh1 where already a dark form might be seen crawling slowly out of the grey water4 ',see1 there he comes6' she cried1 in sudden terror4 ',ride fast1 kind knight1 and escape while there is time1 for if the monster finds thee here1 he will kill thee4' ',and dost thou think ,i would ride off in safety1 and leave thee to perish8' asked ,saint ,george4 ',thou canst do nothing1' answered the princess1 wringing her hands2 'for nought can prevail against this terrible dragon4 ,thou wilt but perish needlessly in trying to save me1 so1 ,i pray thee1 fly while there is time4' ',god forbid that ,i should act in so cowardly a manner1' answered ,saint ,george4 ',i will fight this hideous creature1 and1 by ,god's help and the strength of my good sword1 ,i will conquer him and deliver thee4' ,and while he was still speaking1 the air was filled with a horrible choking smoke1 and the dragon came swiftly towards them1 half-crawling and half-flying1 his eyes gleaming1 and his mouth opened wide to devour them4 ,with a swift prayer for help1 ,saint ,george made the sign of the cross1 and grasping his great spear firmly1 spurred his horse and rode straight at the monster4 ,the combat was a long and terrible one1 and the princess1 as she watched from behind a sheltering tree1 trembled for the safety of the brave knight1 and gave up all for lost4 ,but at last ,saint ,george made a swift forward rush1 and drove his spear right down the great throat of the monster1 and out at the back of his head1 pinning him securely to the ground4 ,then he called to the princess to give him her girdle1 and this he tied to each end of the spear1 so that it seemed like a great bridle1 and with it ,cleodolinda led the vanquished dragon back towards the city4 ,inside the city gates all the people had been weeping and wailing over the fate of the princess1 which they feared might any day be their own1 and they dared not look out or open the gates until the monster had had time to carry off his victim4 ,so their terror and dismay was great indeed when the news spread like wildfire that some one had seen the great monster come crawling towards the town1 instead of returning to his home in the dismal swamp4 ,illustration3 ,s4 ,,george ,,rode ,,straight ,,at ,,the ,,monster4 ,they all crowded1 trembling with fear1 around the watch-tower upon the walls1 to see if the dragon was really on his way to attack the city2 and when they saw the great dark mass moving slowly towards them they thought that the end was come1 for they could not see ,saint ,george nor the princess1 and did not know that she was leading the dragon a vanquished prisoner4 ,so it was all in vain for a long time that ,saint ,george thundered at the city gates1 and demanded that they should be opened4 ,even when the people saw that the princess was safe and that a knight was with her1 while the monster lay quiet at their feet as if half-dead1 they still hesitated to open the gates1 so great was their terror and astonishment4 ,but when they were quite sure that the dragon was bound and could do them no harm1 they threw open the gates1 and every one crowded to see the wonderful sight1 still half-doubting if it could be true1 and looking with fear upon the great beast which the princess led by her girdle fastened to the spear of ,saint ,george4 ,then the king came in haste from his palace to meet his daughter1 and never was a morning of sorrow turned into such a day of joy4 ,saint ,george and the ,princess ,cleodolinda led the dragon into the market-place1 followed by the wondering crowd2 and there ,saint ,george drew his sword and cut off the head of the hideous monster4 ,then were the people sure that they were indeed delivered from their great enemy for ever1 and they burst forth into wild rejoicings4 ,they would have given all they possessed to ,saint ,george in their joy and gratitude2 but he told them that the only reward he desired was that they should believe in the true ,god1 and be baptized ,christians4 ,it was not difficult to believe in the ,god who had helped ,saint ,george to do this great deed1 and very soon the king and the princess and all the people were baptized as ,saint ,george desired4 ,then the king presented the brave knight with great treasures of gold and jewels1 but all these ,saint ,george gave to the poor and went his way2 keeping nought for himself but his own good sword and spear1 ready to defend the right and protect the weak as he had served the princess in her need4 ,but when he returned to his own city he found that the emperor had written a proclamation against the ,christians1 and it was put up in all the market-places and upon the doors of the temples1 and all who were ,christians were hiding in terror1 and dared not show themselves openly4 ,then ,saint ,george was filled with righteous anger1 and tore down the proclamations in all the public places1 and trampled them under foot4 ,he was seized immediately by the guards and carried before the proconsul1 who ordered him to be tortured and then put to death4 ,but nothing could shake the courage of this brave knight1 and through all the tortures he bore himself as a gallant ,christian should1 and met his death with such bravery and calm joy that even his enemies were amazed at his courage4 ,and so through the many dark ages that followed1 when the weak were oppressed and women needed a knight's strong arm to protect them1 men remembered ,saint ,george1 and the very thought of him nerved their arms and made their courage firm4 ,and boys learned from him that it was a knightly thing to protect the weak1 and to guard all maidens from harm2 and that a pure heart1 a firm trust in good and true courage could meet and overcome any monster1 however terrible and strong4 ,and of all nations it befits us most that our men and boys should be brave and courteous2 for ,saint ,george is our own patron saint1 the model of all that an ,english knight should be4 ,,saint ,,francis ,,of ,,assisi ,in the sunny land of ,italy1 high upon hills covered with olive-trees1 nestles the little town of ,assisi4 ,such a strange little town it is1 with its tall city walls and great gateways1 its narrow1 steep streets1 and houses with wide1 overhanging eaves4 ,the road that leads up from the plain below is so steep1 as it winds upwards among the silver olive-trees1 that even the big white oxen find it a toil to drag the carts up to the city gates1 and the people think it quite a journey to go down to the level land below4 ,now1 it was in this same little hill-town1 many years ago1 that ,saint ,francis was born4 ,they did not know that he was going to be a great saint--this little1 dark-eyed ,italian baby1 who came to gladden his mother's heart one autumn day in the long ago year of #aahb1 when his father1 ,pietro ,bernardone1 was away in ,france4 ,he seemed just like any other baby1 and only his mother1 perhaps1 thought him the most wonderful baby that ever was born4 7,but mothers always think that1 even if their babies do not grow up to be real saints47 ,she called him ,giovanni at first1 but when his father came home he named the little son ,francesco1 which means 'the ,frenchman1' because he was so pleased with all the money he had made in ,france4 ,so the child from that day was always called ,francesco1 which is his real ,italian name1 although we in ,england call him ,francis4 ,soon he grew into a happy1 daring boy1 the leader in all the games and every kind of fun4 ,he was the pride of his father and mother1 and the favourite of the whole town2 for although he was never out of mischief1 he never did a cruel or unkind thing1 and was ever ready to give away all he had to those who needed help4 ,and when he grew older he was still the gayest of all the young men of ,assisi1 and wore the costliest and most beautiful clothes1 for his father had a great deal of money and grudged him nothing4 ,then came a sad day when ,francis fell sick1 and for a while they feared that he must die4 ,but1 although he grew slowly better1 he was never quite the same ,francis again4 ,he did not care about his gay companions1 or the old happy life4 ,there was real work to be done in the world1 he was sure4 ,perhaps some special work was waiting for his hand1 and with wistful eyes he was ever looking for a sign that would show him what that work was to be4 ,walking one day along the winding road1 dreaming dreams as he gazed far across the misty plains1 catching glimpses of far-away blue mountains through the silver screen of the olive-trees1 he was stopped by a poor old beggar1 who asked him for the love of ,god to help him4 ,francis started from his day-dreams1 and recognised the man as an old soldier who had fought for his country with courage and honour4 ,without stopping to think for a moment1 ,francis took off his gay cloak and tenderly wrapped it round the shoulders of the shivering old man4 ,he never thought that any reward would be given him for his kind action1 but that very night ,christ came to him in a glorious vision1 and1 leading him by the hand1 showed him a great palace full of shining weapons and flags of victory1 each one marked with the sign of the cross4 ,then1 as ,francis stood gazing at these wonderful things1 he heard the voice of ,christ telling him that these were the rewards laid up for those who should be ,christ's faithful soldiers1 fighting manfully under ,his banner4 ,with a great joy in his heart ,francis awoke1 and hurriedly left home to join the army1 thinking only of earthly service1 and longing to win the heavenly reward4 ,but in the quiet night he heard again the voice of ,christ telling him that the service he was seeking was not what ,christ required of his soldiers4 ,troubled and sad1 ,francis went back to ,assisi and1 when he was once more inside the city walls1 turned aside to pray in the little ruined church of ,saint ,damiano4 ,and as he prayed once more he heard the voice speaking to him1 and saying1 ',francis1 repair my church4' ,now1 ,francis thought this meant that he was to build up the ruined walls of the little church in which he prayed4 ,he did not understand that the command was that he should teach the people1 who make up ,christ's ,church on earth1 to be pure and good and strong4 ,francis was only too glad to find that here at last was some real work to be done1 and never stopping to think if he was doing right1 he went joyfully home and took some of the richest stuffs which his father had for sale4 ,these he carried off to the market1 and sold them for quite a large sum of money4 ,then1 returning to the little church1 he gave the money to the old priest1 telling him to rebuild the walls and to make the whole place beautiful4 ,but the priest refused to accept the money1 for he was afraid that ,francis had done wrong in taking the stuffs1 and that his father would be angry4 ,this was a great disappointment to ,francis1 and made him think that perhaps he had been too hasty4 ,he was afraid to go home and tell what he had done1 so he hid himself for some days4 ,but at last1 tired and hungry1 with his gay clothes stained with dust1 he slowly walked back to his father's house4 ,and very angry1 indeed1 was ,pietro ,bernardone when he found out what his son had done4 ,he did not mind giving ,francis money for fine clothes or pleasures of any kind1 and he had allowed him to be as extravagant as he liked4 ,but to want money to build up an old church1 or to spend in doing good1 that was not to be thought of for a moment4 ,out he came in a furious rage and drove ,francis indoors1 and there shut him up in a dark cellar1 bound hand and foot1 so that he could not escape4 ,but though his father was so angry1 his mother could not bear to see her son suffer1 whether he deserved it or not4 ,so she stole down when no one was there1 and1 unlocking the cellar door1 she spoke gently to poor ,francis1 and listened to all his story4 ,then she took off his chains and set him free1 telling him to go quickly before any one should see him4 ,francis had no place to shelter in but the little ruined church1 and no friend who would receive him but the poor old priest1 so back he went to ,saint ,damiano1 leaving parents and home and comforts behind him4 ,his father1 of course1 was terribly angry when he found that ,francis had escaped1 and he went at once to complain to the bishop1 and demand that ,francis should be punished and made to give back the money he had taken4 ,the bishop spoke kindly to ,francis1 who promised gladly to give back the money which had brought him so much trouble4 ,and there1 in the market-place1 with all the people looking on1 he took off his costly clothes1 now all stained and worn1 and standing pale and thin1 wearing only a hair shirt1 he gave clothes and money back to his angry father1 saying-- ',listen1 all of you4 ,until this time ,i have called ,pietro ,bernardone father1 but from this moment ,i will say no more my father ,pietro ,bernardone1 but only my ,father which art in ,heaven4' ,then the good bishop came quickly up and wrapped his mantle round the poor shivering lad1 and gave him his blessing1 bidding him henceforth be a true servant of ,god4 ,a poor labourer gave ,francis his rough brown tunic1 and the people were moved with pity and would have helped him1 for they thought he had been treated very harshly4 ,but ,francis wandered away alone into the world1 seeking to do all the things he had most disliked doing1 even at one time nursing the poor lepers1 and begging his bread from door to door4 ,soon1 however1 he made his way back to ,assisi1 and to the little ruined church2 and began building up the walls with his own hands1 carrying the stones on his shoulders1 happy and contented to be doing work for ,god4 ,and the more he thought of his past life and the wasteful splendour in which he had lived1 the more he came to see that to be poor for ,christ's sake was best of all4 ',if ,christ chose to become poor for our sakes1' thought he1 'surely it is but right that we should choose to become poor for ,his dear sake4' ,it seemed to ,francis that no one had really loved poverty since the days when our blessed ,lord had lived amongst the poor on earth4 ,and he began to think of poverty as a beautiful lady who had been despised and ill-treated all these long years1 with no one to take her part or see any charm in her fair face4 ,for himself he made up his mind to love her with all his heart1 to be as poor as his ,master had been1 and to possess nothing here on earth4 ,even his coarse brown habit had been given to him in charity1 and instead of a belt he tied round his waist a piece of rope which he found by the wayside4 ,he wore no shoes nor stockings1 but went barefoot1 and had no covering for his head4 ,and being so truly poor was the greatest joy to him4 ,he thought the ,lady ,poverty was a fairer bride than any on earth1 though her clothes were ragged and her pathway lined with thorns4 ,for along that thorny path she led him closer to his ,master1 and taught him to tread more nearly in ,his footsteps than most of ,his servants have ever trod4 ,one day when ,francis was reading the gospel1 ,christ's call seemed to sound in his ears just as it did to ,saint ,matthew of old4 ,he had often read the words before1 but that day they had a new message for him3 ',as ye go1 preach1 saying the ,kingdom of ,heaven is at hand4 ,provide neither gold1 nor silver1 nor brass in your purses1 neither two coats1 neither shoes nor yet staves4' ,then he knew that ,christ did not want him only to be good1 but to teach others how to be good1 and to look after ,christ's poor and sick1 always remaining poor and lowly himself4 ,and as soon as he heard the call he rose up1 left all1 and followed his ,master to his life's end4 ,very soon other men joined ,francis1 eager to serve ,christ as he did4 ,they all dressed just as ,francis dressed1 and became quite as poor as he was4 ,their home was in the plain below ,assisi1 by the little chapel of ,saint ,mary of the ,angels1 which had been given to the brothers4 ,but it was not often that they were there all together1 for ,francis sent them out to preach to all the world just as the gospel commanded4 ,in spite of their poverty the ',little ,poor ,brothers1' as they were called1 were a happy1 cheerful little company4 ,francis had just the same gay nature and ready smile as when he was a boy in ,assisi1 and though he might have to go long solitary journeys on foot1 sleeping in caves or in woods1 hungry and footsore1 he was never sad nor lonely4 ,he seemed to love everything that ,god had made1 and all the animals and birds were his special friends4 ,they were never frightened of him1 and when he walked in the woods the birds would come and perch on his shoulder and sing their good-morning to him4 ,and sometimes ,francis would stand still and let them all come round him1 and would preach a little sermon to them1 telling them how they ought to praise ,god for ,his goodness4 ',little sisters' he always called them1 and it is said they would listen quietly while he spoke1 and then when he gave them his blessing1 they would rise up to heaven singing their hymn of praise1 just as if they had really understood their little service4 ,once when ,francis and some of the brothers were returning home1 they heard a great number of birds singing among the bushes4 ,and when ,francis saw them he said to his companions-- ',our sisters1 the birds1 are praising their ,maker4 ,let us go into their midst and sing our service too4' ,the birds were not in the least disturbed1 but continued their chirping and twittering1 so that the brothers could not hear their own voices4 ,then ,francis turned to the birds and said-- ',little sisters1 cease your song until we have given ,god our praise4' ,and they at once were quiet1 and did not begin to sing again until the service was over4 ,and it was not only the birds that loved him1 but every kind of creature came to him for comfort and shelter4 ,now this is a story which was told about ,francis after he was dead1 when people tried to remember all the wonderful things that he had done1 and perhaps made them a little more wonderful1 out of love of ,saint ,francis4 ,once when the saint was living in the city of ,agolio a terribly fierce wolf began to prowl about the town4 ,he carried off everything eatable he could find1 and grew so bold that he even seized the children and made off to his mountain den with them4 ,the whole town was terrified1 and people scarcely dared go out of doors for fear of meeting the terrible wolf4 ,and though the men hunted him1 he always escaped and came prowling down at nightfall again4 ,when ,saint ,francis heard this he said-- ',i will go out and meet this wolf1 and ask him what he means4' ',he will kill you1' cried all the people1 and they tried to persuade him not to go4 ,but ,saint ,francis set out1 taking some of the brothers with him4 ,they went bravely along for a short way1 and then the brothers turned back afraid and ran home1 leaving ,saint ,francis alone4 ,and presently he heard a deep growling and the sound of a terrible rush1 and the great wolf1 with blazing eyes and open mouth1 came bounding towards him4 ,but as he came nearer ,saint ,francis went forward to meet him1 and making the sign of the cross1 he said3 ',come hither1 brother wolf4 ,i command thee in the name of ,christ that thou do no more harm to me nor to any one4' ,illustration3 ,,then ,,the ,,pope ,,took ,,the ,,little ,,poor ,,brothers ,,under ,,his ,,protection4 ,and then a wonderful thing happened2 for1 as soon as the wolf heard the saint's voice1 he stopped1 and then came gently forward1 and lay like a lamb at ,st4 ,francis's feet4 ,then ,saint ,francis talked quietly to him1 and told him he deserved to be punished for all the evil he had done1 but if he would promise to kill and plunder no more1 the people of ,agolio would promise on their side to give him food every day4 ,and the wolf rubbed his head against ,saint ,francis's habit and gently laid his paw in the saint's hand4 ,and always after that the good people of ,agolio used to put out food for the wolf1 and he grew so good and tame that he went quietly from door to door1 and never did harm to any one again4 ,whether all this really happened we do not know2 but one thing we are certain of1 and that is1 that ,francis loved all living creatures1 and they seemed to know it and to love him too4 ,it was not long before the little band of brothers grew into quite a large company1 and ,francis went to ,rome to ask the ,pope1 the head of the ,church1 to give them his blessing1 and his permission to live together under their rule of poverty4 ,all the world was astonished at this strange man1 in his coarse brown robe1 who preached to them that riches were not worth having1 and that the greatest happiness was to be good and pure4 ,at first the ,pope would have nothing to do with him4 ,but one night he had a dream1 and in his dream he saw a church leaning on one side1 and almost falling4 ,and the only thing that kept it from falling quite over was a poor man1 barefooted and dressed in a coarse brown robe1 who had his shoulder against it and was holding it up4 ,then the ,pope knew that ,god had sent the dream to him1 and that ,francis was going to be a great helper in the ,church4 ,so next day he called for ,francis and granted him all that he asked1 and took the ,little ,poor ,brothers under his protection4 ,soon the company grew larger and larger1 and ,francis sent them all over the country1 preaching and teaching men that they should deny themselves and love poverty rather than riches4 ,still they always kept the little home at ,saint ,mary of the ,angels1 and the brothers returned there after their preaching was ended4 ,the convent was built close to a wood1 and this wood was the place ,francis loved best4 ,for he could be quite alone there1 to pray and meditate1 with no one to disturb his thoughts4 ,and often1 when all the other brothers were asleep1 he would steal quietly out and kneel for hours under the silent trees1 alone with ,god4 ,now there was a little boy at the convent who loved ,francis very much1 and wanted to know all that he did1 that he might learn to grow like him4 ,especially he wondered why ,francis went alone into the dark wood1 but he was too sleepy to keep awake to see4 ,it was a very poor convent1 and all the brothers slept on mats on the floor1 for they had not separate cells4 ,at last one night the boy crept close to the side of ,francis1 and spread his mat quite close to his master's1 and in case he should not wake he tied his little cord to the cord which ,francis wore round his waist4 ,then he lay down happily and went to sleep4 ,by and by when every one was asleep1 ,francis got up as usual to pray4 ,but he noticed the cord and gently untied it1 so that the boy slept on undisturbed4 ,presently1 however1 the child awoke1 and finding his cord loose and his master gone1 he got up and followed him into the wood1 treading very softly with his bare feet that he might disturb nobody4 ,it was very dark1 and he had to feel his way among the trees2 but presently a bright light shone out1 and as he stole nearer he saw a wonderful sight4 ,his master was kneeling there1 and with him was the ,blessed ,virgin1 holding our dear ,lord in her arms1 and many saints were there as well4 ,and over all was a great cloud of the holy angels4 ,the vision and the glorious brightness almost blinded the child1 and he fell down as if he were dead4 ,now when ,francis was returning home he stumbled over the little body lying there1 and guessing what had happened he stooped down and tenderly lifted him up1 and carried him in his arms1 as the ,good ,shepherd carries ,his lambs4 ,then the child felt his master's arms round him1 and was comforted1 and told him of the vision and how it had frightened him4 ,in return ,francis bade him tell no one what he had seen as long as his master was alive4 ,so the old story tells us that the child grew up to be a good man and was one of the holiest of the ,little ,poor ,brothers1 because he always tried to grow like his master4 ,only after ,francis died did he tell the story of the glorious vision which he had seen that night in the dark wood1 at the time when no one knew what a great saint his master was4 ,as time went on1 ,francis grew anxious to do more than preach at home2 for ,christ's message to him had been ',go ye into all the world4' ,he had set out many times1 but always something had prevented him from getting far1 until at last he succeeded in reaching the land of the ,saracens where the ,crusaders were fighting4 ,his great hope was that he might see the ,sultan and teach him about ,christ1 so that all his people might become ,christians4 ,he had no fear at all1 and when every one warned him that he would certainly be put to death1 he said that would be a small matter if only he could teach the heathen about ,god4 ,but although the ,sultan received ,francis1 and listened to all he had to say1 he only shook his head and refused to believe without a sign4 ,then ,francis grew more and more eager to convince him1 and asked that a great fire should be made1 and that he and the heathen priests should pass through it1 saying that whoever came out unharmed should be held to be the servant of the true ,god4 ,but the heathen priests all refused to do this1 and so poor ,francis had to return home1 having1 he feared1 done no good1 but hoping the good might follow afterwards4 ,these weary journeys and all the toil and hardship of his daily life began to make ,francis weak and ill4 ,many things troubled him too2 for the brothers did not love poverty as he did1 and they began to make new rules and to forget what he had taught them4 ,but in the midst of all trouble1 he remained the same humble servant of ,christ1 always thinking of new ways to serve his ,master4 ,illustration3 ,,he ,,chanted ,,the ,,gospel ,,at ,,the ,,first ,,christmas ,,mass4 ,there was no time ,francis loved so much as ,christmas4 ,he loved to feel that all living things were happy on that day4 ,he used to say that he wished that all governors and lords of the town and country might be obliged to scatter corn over the roads and fields1 so that 'our sisters the larks1' and all the birds might feast as well4 ,and because the ox and the ass shared the stable with the ,holy ,child1 he thought they should be provided with more than ordinary food each ,christmas ,eve4 ,he wished every one to remember how poor and lowly our ,lord was on that night when ,he came as a little child2 and so on ,christmas ,eve he made a stable in the chapel1 and brought in an ox and an ass and a tiny crib and manger4 ,in the manger he placed the figure of a baby to represent the infant ,christ1 and there in the early hours of the ,christmas morning1 he chanted the gospel at the first ,christmas ,mass4 ,it was in the spring of the year that ,francis first went to the hermitage among the mountains1 which he loved better than any other place4 ,it was a small hut high among the ,apennines1 among crags and rocks far away from any other place4 ,here he could wander about the woods1 which were carpeted with spring flowers1 and hear his little sisters the birds singing all day long4 ,and here one day1 as he knelt thinking of all his dear ,lord had suffered1 a wonderful thing happened4 ,the thought of all that trouble and pain seemed more than he could bear1 and he prayed that he might be allowed to suffer as his ,master had done4 ,and as he prayed1 seeing only before him the crucified ,christ with nail-pierced hands and wounded side1 ,god sent the answer to his prayer1 and in his hands and feet deep marks appeared1 as though there had been nails driven through them1 and in his side a wound as if from the cruel thrust of a spear4 ,and so ,francis learned to suffer as his ,master had suffered1 and through all the pain he only gave ,god thanks that he had been thought worthy to bear the marks that ,jesus bore4 ,francis did not live very long after this for he grew weaker and weaker1 and they carried him back to the old house at ,saint ,mary of the ,angels4 ,there the ,little ,poor ,brothers gathered round him1 and he spoke his last words to them1 bidding them live always as he had taught them to live1 in poverty and lowliness4 ,and when evening came1 and the birds he loved so much were singing their vesper hymns1 his voice joined in their praise until his soul passed away to the ,lord whom he had tried to serve so humbly1 and in whose footsteps he had sought to place his own4