,illustration3 title page               
,,virgin ,,saints                       
,,and ,,martyrs                         
,by ,s4 ,,baring-,,gould                
,author of 8,the ,lives of the ,saints0 
,,with ,,sixteen ,,full-,,page          
,,illustrations ,,by ,f4 ,,anger        
,new ,york      ,,thomas ,y4 ,,crowell  
,co4                    ,publishers     
#aija                                   
,,contents                              
,,page                        ,i4       
,,blandina ,,the ,,slave             #a 
,,ii4 ,s4 ,c,,cilia                     
#ai                    ,,iii4 ,s4       
,,agnes                      #ci        
,,iv4 ,,febronia ,,of ,,sibapte         
#ec                      ,v4 ,,the      
,,daughter ,,of ,,constantine   #ge     
,,vi4 ,,the ,,sister ,,of ,s4 ,,basil   
#ic                    ,,vii4           
,,genevi,,ve ,,of ,,paris           #aaa
                   ,,viii4 ,,the        
,,sister ,,of ,s4 ,,benedict    #abi    
,,ix4 ,s4 ,,bridget                     

#adi                      ,x4 ,,the     
,,daughters ,,of ,,bridget     #agi     
,,xi4 ,s4 ,,itha                        
#aig                    ,,xii4 ,s4      
,,hilda                     #bag        
,,xiii4 ,s4 ,,elfleda                   
#bca                    ,,xiv4 ,s4      
,,werburga                  #bec        
,,xv4 ,a ,,prophetess                   
#bge                    ,,xvi4 ,s4      
,,clara                     #bie        
,,xvii4 ,s4 ,,theresa                   
#cae                  ,,xviii4 ,,sister 
,,dora                  #cdi            
,illustration3 ,,blandina ,,the ,,slave4
                                        
,i                                      
,,blandina ,,the ,,slave      ,in the   
second century ,lyons was the ,rome of  
,gaul as it is now the second  ,paris of
 ,france4 ,it was crowded with temples  
and public monuments4 ,it  was moreover 
the ,athens of the ,west1 a resort of   
scholars4 ,seated at the  confluence of 
two great rivers1 the ,rhne and the     

,sone1 it was a centre  of trade4 ,it is
 a stately city now4 ,it was more so in 
the second century  when it did not     
bristle with the chimneys of factories  
pouring forth  their volumes of black   
smoke1 which the atmosphere1 moist from 
the  mountains1 carries down so as to   
envelop everything in soot4    ,in the  
great palace1 now represented by the    
hospital1 the imbecile  ,claudius and   
the madman ,caligula were born4 ,to the 
east and south far  away stand ,mont    
,blanc and the snowy range on the       
,dauphin ,alps4    ,lyons is a city that
 has at all times summed in it the      
finest as well as  the worst            
characteristic of the ,gallic people4   
,the rabble of ,lyons were  ferocious in
 #agg1 and ferocious again in #agic2 but
 at each epoch1 during  the ,pagan      
terror and the ,democratic terror1 it   
produced heroes of faith  and endurance4
    ,the ,emperor ,marcus ,aurelius was 
a philosopher full of good intentions1  
and a sentimental lover of virtue4 ,but 

he fondly conceived that virtue  could  
only be found in philosophy1 and that   
,christianity1 which was a  doctrine and
 not a speculation1 must be wrong2 and  
as its chief  adherents belonged to the 
slave and needy classes1 that therefore 
it was  beneath his dignity to inquire  
into it4 ,he was a stickler for the     
keeping up of old ,roman institutions1  
and the maintenance of such rites  as   
were sanctioned by antiquity2 and       
because the ,christians refused to  give
 homage to the gods and to swear by the 
genius of the emperor1 he  ordered that 
they should be persecuted to the death4 
,he had been a pretty1 curly-haired boy1
 and a good-looking young man4 ,he  had 
kept himself respectable1 and looked on 
himself with smug  self-satisfaction    
accordingly4 ,had he stooped to inquire 
what were the  tenets1 and what the     
lives1 of those whom he condemned to    
death1 he  would have shrunk with horror
 from the guilt of proclaiming a general
  persecution4    ,in ,lyons1 as        

elsewhere1 when his edict arrived the   
magistrates were  bound to seek out and 
sentence such as believed in ,christ4   
,a touching letter exists1 addressed by 
the ,church of ,lyons to those of  ,asia
 and ,phrygia giving an account of what 
it suffered2 and as the  historian      
,eusebius embodied it in his history1 it
 happily has been  preserved from the   
fingering1 and rewriting1 and           
heightening with  impossible marvels    
which fell to the lot of so many of the 
,acts of the  ,martyrs1 when the public 
taste no longer relished the simple food
 of the  unadorned narratives that were 
extant4    8,the grace of ,god10 said   
the writers1 8contended for us1 rescuing
 the  weak1 and strengthening the       
strong4 ,these latter endured every     
species  of reproach and torture4 ,first
 they sustained bravely all the insults 
heaped on them by the rabble--blows and 
abuse1 plundering of their goods1       
stoning and imprisonment4 ,afterwards   
they were led into the forum and  were  

questioned by the tribune and by the    
town authorities before all  the people1
 and then sent to prison to await the   
coming of the governor4  ,vetius        
,epagathus1 one of the brethren1        
abounding in love to ,god and man1      
offered to speak in their defence2      
whereupon those round the tribunal      
shouted out at him1 as he was a man of  
good position4 ,the governor did  not   
pay attention to his request1 but merely
 asked whether he1 too1 were  a         
,christian4 ,when he confessed that he  
was1 he also was transferred to  the    
number of the martyrs40    ,what the    
numbers were we are not told4 ,the most 
prominent among them  were ,pothinus1   
the bishop1 a man in his ninetieth year1
 ,sanctus1 the  deacon of the ,church of
 ,vienne1 ,maturus1 a recent convert1   
,attalus1 a  native of ,pergamus1       
,blandina1 a slave girl1 and her        
mistress1 another  woman named ,biblis1 
and ,vetius1 above referred to4         
,among those arrested were ten who when 

tortured gave way3 one of these  was    
,biblis2 but1 although they yielded1 yet
 they would not leave the  place of     
trial1 and remained to witness the      
sufferings of such as stood  firm2 and  
some--among these was ,biblis--plucking 
up courage1 presented  themselves before
 the judge and made amends for their    
apostasy by  shedding their blood for   
,christ4    ,the slaves belonging to the
 ,christians of rank had been seized and
 were  interrogated2 and they1 in their 
terror lest they should be put to       
torture1 confessed anything the governor
 desired--that the ,christians ate      
little children and 8committed such     
crimes as are neither lawful for us  to 
speak of nor think about2 and which we  
really believe no men ever did  commit40
    ,the defection of the ten caused    
dismay among the faithful1 for they     
feared lest it should be the prelude to 
the surrender of others4    ,the        
governor1 the proconsul1 arrived at the 
time of the annual fair1  when ,lyons   

was crowded2 and he deemed this a good  
opportunity for  striking terror into   
the hearts of the ,christians4    ,those
 who stood firm were brought out of     
prison1 and1 as they would not  do      
sacrifice to the gods1 were subjected to
 torture4    ,blandina was a peculiarly 
delicately framed young woman1 and not  
strong4  ,her mistress1 who was one of  
the martyrs1 was apprehensive for her2  
but  ,blandina in the end witnessed the 
most splendid confession of all4 ,she   
was frightfully tortured with iron hooks
 and hot plates applied to her  flesh   
from morning till night1 till the       
executioners hardly knew what  more to  
do2 8her entire body being torn and     
pierced40    ,brass plates1 red hot1    
were also applied to the most tender    
parts of the  body of the deacon1       
,sanctus1 but he continued unsubdued1   
firm in his  confession4 ,at last he was
 thrown down on the sand1 a mass of     
wounds1 so  mangled and burnt that he   
seemed hardly to retain the human shape4

 ,he  and ,blandina were conveyed back  
to prison4    ,next day 8the tormentors 
tortured ,sanctus again1 supposing that 
whilst  his wounds were swollen and     
inflamed1 if they continued to rend them
  when so sensitive as not to bear the  
touch of the hand1 they must break  his 
spirit0--but it was again in vain4      
,then it was that ,biblis1 the woman who
 had done sacrifice1 came forward  8like
 one waking out of a deep sleep10 and   
upbraided the torturers2  whereupon she 
was dragged before the chief magistrate1
 confessed ,christ1  and was numbered   
among the martyrs4    ,the proconsul    
ordered all to be taken back to prison1 
and they were  thrust into a black and  
noisome hole1 and fastened in the       
stocks1 their  feet distended to the    
fifth hole--that is to say1 stretched   
apart as far  as was possible without   
dislocation--and so1 covered with sores1
 wounds  and blisters1 unable to sleep  
in this attitude1 they were left for the
  night4 ,the suffocation of the crowded

 den was too much for some1 and in  the 
morning certain of those who had been   
crowded into it were drawn  forth dead4 
,next day the aged bishop ,pothinus was 
led before the magistrate4 ,he was      
questioned1 and asked who was the ,god  
of the ,christians4    8,if thou art    
worthy10 answered he1 8thou shalt know40
    ,he was then stripped and scourged1 
and beaten about the head4 ,the crowd   
outside the barriers now took up        
whatever was at hand1 stones1           
brickbats1 dirt1 and flung them at him1 
howling curses and blasphemies4  ,the   
old man fell gasping1 and in a state    
hardly conscious was dragged to  the    
prison4    ,and now1 on the great day of
 the fair1 when the shows were to be    
given  to the people1 the proconsul for 
their delectation threw open the        
amphitheatre4 ,this was a vast oval1    
capable of holding forty thousand       
spectators4 ,it was packed4 ,on one     
side1 above the arena1 was the seat of  
the chief magistrate1 and near him those

 reserved for the city magnates4  ,at   
the one end1 a series of arches1 now    
closed with gates of stout bars  and    
cross-bars1 hinged above and raised on  
these hinges by a chain1  opened from   
the dens in which the wild beasts were  
kept4 ,the beasts had  not been fed for 
three days1 that they might be ravenous4
    ,it was the beginning of            
,june--doubtless a bright summer day1   
and an  awning kept off the sun from the
 proconsul4 ,those on one side of the   
amphitheatre1 the slaves on the highest 
row1 could see1 vaporous and  blue on   
the horizon1 above the crowded tiers    
opposite1 the chain of the  ,alps1 their
 crests white with eternal snows4       
8,no sooner was the chief magistrate    
seated1 to the blare of trumpets1  than 
the martyrs were introduced4 ,sanctus   
had to be supported2 he could  hardly   
walk1 he was such a mass of wounds4 ,all
 were now stripped of  their garments   
and were scourged4 ,blandina was        
attached to a post in the  centre of the

 arena4 ,she had been forced every day  
to attend and witness  the sufferings of
 the rest40    ,but even now they were  
not to be despatched at once4 ,maturus  
and ,sanctus  were placed on iron       
chairs1 and fires were lighted under    
them so that  the fumes of their roasted
 flesh rose up and were dissipated by   
the  light summer air over the arena1   
and the sickening savour was inhaled by 
the thousands of cruel and savage       
spectators4    ,then they were cast off 
to be despatched with the sword4    ,the
 dens were opened4 ,lions1 tigers1      
leopards bounded forth on the sand      
roaring4 ,by a strange accident         
,blandina escaped4 ,the hungry beasts   
paced  round the arena1 but would not   
touch her4    ,then a ,greek physician1 
called ,alexander1 who was looking on1  
unable to  restrain his enthusiasm1 by  
signs gave encouragement to the martyrs4
 ,so  at least it would seem1 for all at
 once we learn that the mob roared for  
,alexander1 as one who urged on the     

,christians to obstinacy4 ,the governor 
sent for him1 asked who he was1 and when
 he confessed that he was a  ,christian1
 sent him to prison4    ,attalus was now
 led forth1 with a tablet on his breast 
on which was  written in ,latin1 8,this 
is ,attalus1 the ,christian40    ,as he 
was about to be delivered to the        
tormentors1 some one whispered to  the  
proconsul that the man was a ,roman4 ,he
 hesitated1 and sent him back  to       
prison4    ,then a number of other      
,christians who had ,roman citizenship  
were  produced1 and had their heads     
struck off4 ,others who had not this    
privilege were delivered over to the    
beasts4 ,and now some of those who  had 
recanted came forward and offered       
themselves to death4    ,next day the   
proconsul was again in his place in the 
amphitheatre4 ,he  had satisfied himself
 that ,attalus could not substantiate   
his claim to  citizenship1 so he ordered
 him to torture and death4 ,he also was 
placed  in the iron chair2 after which  

he and ,alexander were given up to be   
devoured by the beasts4    ,this was the
 last day of the shows1 and to crown    
all1 ,blandina was now  produced1       
together with a boy of fifteen1 called  
,ponticus4 ,he1 like  ,blandina1 had    
been compelled daily to witness the     
torments to which the  rest had been    
subjected4    ,and now the same hideous 
round of tortures began1 and ,blandina  
in the  midst of her agony continued to 
encourage the brave boy till he died4   
,blandina had been roasted in the iron  
chair and scourged4    ,as a variety she
 was placed in a net4 ,then the gate of 
one of the larger  dens was raised1 and 
forth rushed a bull1 pawed the sand1    
tossed his  head1 looked round1 and     
seeing the net1 plunged forward with    
bowed head4  ,next moment ,blandina was 
thrown into the air1 fell1 was thrown   
again1  then gored--but was happily now 
unconscious4 ,thus she died1 and 8even  
the  ,gentiles confessed that no woman  
among them had ever endured sufferings  

as many and great40 ,but not even then  
was their madness and cruelty to  the   
saints satisfied1 for 8444 those who    
were suffocating in prison were  drawn  
forth and cast to the dogs2 and they    
watched night and day over  the remains 
left by beasts and fire1 however mangled
 they might be1 to  prevent us from     
burying them4 ,the bodies1 after        
exposure and abuse in  every possible   
way during six days1 were finally cast  
into the ,rhne4  ,these things they did 
as if they were able to resist ,god and 
prevent  their resurrection40    ,the   
dungeons in which ,s4 ,pothinus1 ,s4    
,blandina1 and the rest of the  martyrs 
were kept through so many days1 are     
shown beneath the abbey  church of      
,ainay at ,lyons4 ,it is possible enough
 that ,christian tradition  may have    
preserved the remembrance of the site4  
,they are gloomy cells1  without light  
or air1 below the level of the river4   
,the apertures by  which they are       
entered are so low that the visitor is  

obliged to creep  into them on his hands
 and knees4 ,traces of ,roman work      
remain4 ,adjoining  is a crypt that was 
used as a chapel till the ,revolution1  
when it was  desecrated4 ,it is1        
however1 again restored1 the floor has  
been inlaid  with mosaics1 and the walls
 are covered with modern frescoes1      
representing the passion of the martyrs4
    ,what makes it difficult to believe 
that these are the dungeons is that  the
 abbey above them is constructed on the 
site of the ,athenum founded  by        
,caligula1 a great school of debate and 
composition1 and it is most  improbable 
that the town prisons should have been  
under the university  buildings4 ,in all
 likelihood in the early ,middle ,ages  
these vaults were  found and supposed to
 have been the prisons of the martyrs1  
and  supposition very rapidly became    
assurance that they were so4 ,the prison
  in which the martyrs were enclosed was
 the lignum or robur1 which  was        
certainly not below the level of the    

river4    ,the question arises1 when one
 reads stories of such inhuman cruelties
  done1 did the victims suffer as       
acutely as we suppose8 ,i venture to    
think not at the time4 ,there can be no 
question1 as it is a thing  repeatedly  
attested1 that in a moment of great     
excitement the nerves are  not very     
sensitive4 ,the pain of wounds received 
in battle is not felt  till after the   
battle is over4 ,moreover1 it may be    
questioned whether  the human system can
 endure pain above a certain            
grade--whether1 in fact1  beyond a      
limit1 insensibility does not set in4   
,i attended once a poor lady who was    
frightfully burnt4 ,a paraffin lamp  set
 fire to a gauze or lace wrap she had   
about her neck4 ,all her throat  and the
 lower portion of her face were         
frightfully burnt4 ,i was  repeatedly   
with her1 but she was unconscious or as 
in a sleep2 there was  no expression of 
anguish in her face4 ,she quietly sank  
through  exhaustion4 ,i have questioned 

those who have met with shocking        
accidents1 and have always been assured 
that the pain began when nature         
commenced its labour of repair4 ,pain1  
excruciating pain1 can be endured1  and 
for a long period2 but ,i think that    
when carried beyond a fixed  limit it   
ceases to be appreciable1 as            
insensibility sets in4    ,this is a    
matter for investigation1 and it were   
well if those who read  these lines were
 to endeavour to collect evidence to    
substantiate or  overthrow what is1 with
 me1 only an opinion4                   
,illustration3 ,s4 ,c,,cilia4           
,,ii                                    
,s4 ,c,,cilia      ,in #ahgf1 when ,i   
was writing the ,november volume of my  
8,lives of the  ,saints10 and had to    
deal with the ,acts of ,s4 ,ccilia1 ,i  
saw at once that  they were eminently   
untrustworthy--they were1 in fact1 a    
religious  romance1 very similar to     
others of the like nature2 and my       
mistrust was  deepened when ,i found    

that the name of ,ccilia did not appear 
in either  the ,roman ,kalendar of the  
fourth century1 nor in the ,carthagenian
 of the  fifth4    ,the ,acts were in   
,greek1 and it was not till the time of 
,pope ,gelasius  7#dif7 that her name   
appeared at all prominently2 then he    
introduced it  into his ,sacramentary4  
,the ,acts as we have them cannot be    
older than the fifth century1 and       
contain gross anachronisms4 ,they make  
her suffer when ,urban was ,pope1  under
 an apocryphal prefect1 ,turcius        
,almachius2 but the date of ,pope       
,urban was in the reign of ,alexander   
,severus1 who did not persecute the     
,church at all--who1 in fact1 favoured  
the ,christians4    ,but although there 
is so much to make one suspicious as to 
the very  existence of ,s4 ,ccilia1 a   
good many facts have been brought to    
light  which are sufficient to show that
 it was the stupidity of the composer   
of the apocryphal ,acts which has thrown
 such doubt over the ,virgin  ,martyr4  

,if we eliminate what is obviously due  
to the romantic imagination of the      
author of the ,acts in the fifth        
century1 the story reduces itself to    
this4    ,ccilia was a maiden of noble  
family1 and her parents were of         
senatorial  rank4 ,from her earliest    
youth she was brought up as a           
,christian1 but  that her father was one
 is doubtful1 as he destined his        
daughter to  become the wife of an      
honourable young patrician named        
,valerian1 who  was1 however1 a pagan4  
,ccilia would not hear of the marriage  
on this account2 and ,valerian1  who    
loved her dearly1 by her advice went to 
,urban the ,pope1 who was  living in    
concealment in the ,catacomb in the     
,appian ,way1 to learn  something about 
the ,faith4 ,valerian took with him his 
brother1  ,tiburtius2 they were both    
convinced1 were baptised1 and1 as they  
confessed ,christ1 suffered martyrdom2  
and the officer who arrested them1      
named ,maximus1 also believed and       

underwent the same fate4 ,all three were
  laid in the ,catacomb of ,prtextatus4 
,ccilia1 in the meantime1 had remained  
unmolested in her father's house  in    
,rome4    ,the ,prefect resolved to have
 her put to death privately1 as she     
belonged  to an illustrious family1     
perhaps also in consideration for her   
father1  still a heathen4    ,he gave   
orders that the underground passages for
 heating the winter  apartments should  
be piled with wood1 and an intense fire 
made1 and that  the room in which       
,ccilia was should be closed1 so that   
she should die  of suffocation4 ,this   
was done1 but she survived the attempt4 
,this is by  no means unlikely4 ,the    
walls were heated by pipes through which
 the hot  air passed1 and there was a   
thick pavement of concrete and mosaic   
between the fires and the room4         
,everything depended on the chamber     
being  shut up1 and there being no air  
admitted2 but it is precisely this      
latter requisite that could not be      

assured4 ,in her own house1 where the   
slaves were warmly attached to her1     
nothing would be easier than to         
withdraw the cover of the opening in the
 ceiling1 by means of which  ventilation
 was secured4 ,by some means or other   
air was admitted1 and  although1        
doubtless1 ,ccilia suffered discomfort  
from the great heat1  yet she was not   
suffocated4    ,the chamber was the     
,calidarium1 or hot-air bath attached to
 the  palace1 and in the church of ,s4  
,ccilia in ,trastevere a portion of this
  is still visible4    ,as the attempt  
had failed1 the ,prefect sent an        
executioner to kill her  with the sword4
    ,her beauty1 youth1 and grace1 so   
affected the man that1 although he      
smote thrice at her throat1 he did not  
kill her4 ,it was against the law  to   
strike more than thrice1 so he left her 
prostrate on the mosaic floor  bathed in
 her blood4    ,no sooner was the       
executioner gone than from all sides    
poured in her  relatives1 the slaves1   

and the faithful to see her1 and to     
receive the  last sigh of the ,martyr4  
,they found her lying on the marble     
pavement1  half conscious only1 and they
 dipped their kerchiefs in her blood1   
and  endeavoured to staunch the wounds  
in her throat4    ,she lingered two days
 and nights in the same condition1 and  
without  moving1 hanging between life   
and death2 and then--so say the         
,acts--,pope  ,urban arrived1 braving   
the risk1 from his hiding-place1 to say 
farewell  to his dear daughter in the   
,faith4 ,thereupon she turned to him1   
commended to him the care of the poor1  
entreated her father to surrender  his  
house to the ,church1 and expired4 ,in  
the ,acts she addresses the ,pope  as   
8,your ,beatitude10 an expression used  
in the fifth century1 and  certainly not
 in the third4    ,she died1 as she had 
lain1 her face to the ground1 her hands 
and arms  declining on the right1 as she
 rested on that side4    ,the same night
 her body was enclosed in a cypress     

chest1 and was  conveyed to the cemetery
 of ,s4 ,callixtus1 where ,urban laid it
 in a  chamber 8near that in which      
reposed his brother prelates and        
martyrs40    ,so far the legend4 ,now   
let us see whether it is possible to    
reconcile it  with history4    ,in the  
first place1 it is to be observed that  
the whole of the  difficulty lies with  
,urban being ,pope4 ,if we suppose that 
in the  original ,acts the name was     
simply 8,urban the ,bishop10 and that   
the  remodeller of the ,acts took the   
liberty of transforming him into ,pope  
,urban1 the difficulty vanishes at once4
 ,he may have been some regionary       
bishop in hiding4 ,he may not have been 
a bishop at all1 but a priest2  and the 
writer1 ignorant of history1 and knowing
 only of the ,urbans as  ,popes1 may    
have given rise to all this difficulty  
by transforming him  into a ,pope4      
,now1 in the ,acts1 the ,prefect does   
not speak of the ,emperor1 but of       
8,domini nostri invictissimi principes0 

7our ,lords the unconquered  ,princes74 
,the ,emperor1 therefore1 cannot have   
been ,alexander4 ,now1 ,ado  the        
martyrologist1 in or about #hej1 must   
have referred to other ,acts  than those
 we possess1 for he enters ,s4 ,ccilia  
as having suffered under  ,marcus       
,aurelius and ,commodus--that is to say1
 in #agg4 ,this explains the  ,prefect  
referring to the orders of the ,princes4
    ,if we take this as the date1 and   
,urban as being a priest or bishop of   
the time1 the anachronisms are at an    
end4    ,that the ,acts should have been
 in ,greek is no proof that they were   
not  drawn up in ,rome1 for ,greek was  
the language of the ,church there1 and  
indeed the majority of the most ancient 
inscriptions in the ,catacombs  are in  
that language4    ,so much for the main 
difficulties4 ,now let us see what      
positive  evidences we have to          
substantiate the story4    ,the         
excavation of the ,cemetery of ,s4      
,callixtus1 which was begun in #ahed1   

and was carried on with great care by   
,de ,rossi1 led to the clearing out  of 
a crypt in which the early ,bishops of  
,rome had been laid4 ,the bodies  had   
been removed when ,paschal ,i4 conveyed 
so many of those of the saints  and     
martyrs into ,rome1 on account of the   
ruin into which the ,catacombs  had     
fallen1 but their epitaphs remained1 all
 of the third century1 and  in ,greek2  
among these1 that of ,urbanus1 #bcj2 and
 it was perhaps  precisely this fact    
which led the recomposer of the ,acts to
 confound the  ,urban of ,s4 ,ccilia's  
time with the ,pope4 ,the first ,pope   
known to have  been laid there was      
,zephyrinus1 in #bah4 ,here also was    
found an  inscription set up by ,damasus
 ,i41 recording how that the bodies of  
bishops and priests1 virgins and        
confessors lay in that place4    ,now by
 a narrow1 irregular opening in the     
rock1 entrance is obtained to  a further
 chamber1 about twenty feet square1     
lighted by a luminare in  the top1 or an

 opening to the upper air cut in the    
tufa4 ,this1 there can  be no manner of 
doubt1 is the crypt in which reposed the
 body of ,s4  ,ccilia4    ,in the ,acts 
it was said to adjoin that in which were
 laid the ,bishops of  ,rome2 though1 as
 these bishops were of later date than  
,ccilia1 if we  take her death to have  
been in #agg1 their crypt must have been
 dug out  or employed for the purpose of
 receiving their bodies at a later      
period4    ,again1 it is an interesting 
fact1 that here a number of the         
tombstones  that have been discovered   
bear the ,ccilian name1 showing that    
this  cemetery must have belonged to    
that gens or clan4 ,not only so1 but one
  is inscribed with that of ,septimus   
,prtextatus ,ccilianus1 a servant of    
,god during thirty years4 ,it will be   
remembered that ,prtextatus was the     
name of the brother of ,valerian1 who   
was betrothed to ,ccilia1 and it  leads 
one to suspect that the families of     
,valerian and of ,ccilia were  akin4    

,the chapel or crypt contains frescoes4 
,in the luminare is painted a  female   
figure with the hands raised in prayer4 
,beneath this a cross with  a lamb on   
each side4 ,below are three male figures
 with the names  ,sebastianus1 ,curinus 
7,quirinus71 and ,polycamus4 ,sebastian 
is doubtless  the martyr of that name   
whose basilica is not far off4          
,quirinus1 who has  the corona of a     
priest1 is the bishop and martyr of     
,siscia1 whose body  was brought in #dbj
 to ,rome4 ,of ,polycamus nothing is    
known1 save that his  relics were       
translated in the ninth century to ,s4  
,prassede4    ,against the wall lower   
down is a seventh-century representation
 of ,s4  ,ccilia1 richly clothed with   
necklace and bracelets2 below a head of 
,christ of ,byzantine type1 and a       
representation of ,s4 ,urban4 ,but these
  paintings1 which are late1 have been  
applied over earlier decoration2  behind
 the figure of ,s4 ,ccilia is mosaic1   
and that of ,christ is painted  on the  

old porphyry panelling4 ,there are in   
this crypt recesses for the  reception  
of bodies1 and near the entrance an     
arched place low enough to  receive a   
sarcophagus2 and there are traces as    
though the face had at  one time been   
walled up4    ,the walls are covered    
with graffiti1 or scribbles made by     
pilgrims4 ,an  inscription also remains1
 to state that this was the sepulchre of
 ,s4  ,ccilia the ,martyr1 but this     
inscription is not earlier than the     
ninth  or tenth century4    ,in #hag    
,paschal ,i4 was ,pope1 and in the      
following year he removed  enormous     
numbers of the remains of martyrs from  
the ,catacombs into the  churches of    
,rome1 because the condition into which 
these subterranean  cemeteries were     
falling was one of ruin4 ,they had been 
exposed to the  depredations of the     
,lombards1 and then to decay4 ,some had 
fallen in1 and  were choked4            
,precisely this ,catacomb had been      
plundered by the ,lombard king1 ,astulf1

  and it was not known whether he had   
carried off the body of ,s4 ,ccilia  or 
not4 ,all those of the former popes     
,paschal removed4    ,in #hdd1 however1 
,paschal pretended that he had seen ,s4 
,ccilia in a  dream1 who had informed   
him that she still lay in her crypt in  
the  ,catacomb of ,s4 ,callixtus4 ,no   
reliance can be placed on the word of a 
man  so unprincipled as ,paschal4 ,at   
this very time two men of the highest   
rank1 who were supporters of ,louis the 
,pious1 the ,emperor1 had been  seized1 
dragged to the ,lateran ,palace1 their  
eyes plucked out1 and then  beheaded4   
,the ,pope was openly accused of this   
barbarous act4 ,the ,emperor  sent      
envoys to examine into it1 but ,paschal 
threw all sorts of  difficulties in     
their way4 ,he refused to produce the   
murderers2 he  asserted that they were  
guilty of no crime in killing these     
unfortunate  men1 and he secured the    
assassins by investing them with a      
half-sacred  character as servants of   

the ,church of ,s4 ,peter4 ,himself he  
exculpated  from all participation in   
the deed by a solemn1 expurgatorial     
oath4 ,such  was the man who pretended  
to visions of the saints4 ,his dream was
 an  afterthought4 ,in the clearing out 
of the crypt of ,s4 ,ccilia1 the wall   
that had closed the grave was broken    
through1 and the cypress chest was      
disclosed4 ,whereupon ,paschal promptly 
declared he had dreamt that so it  would
 be found4 ,the body was found in the   
coffin1 incorrupt1 and at its  feet were
 napkins rolled together and stained    
with blood4    ,this discovery1 which   
seems wholly improbable1 is yet not     
impossible4 ,if  the arcosolium had been
 hermetically sealed up1 the body need  
not have  fallen to dust2 and1 as a     
fact1 ,de ,rossi did discover1 along    
with  ,marchi1 in #ahec1 a body in the  
,via ,appia1 without the smallest trace 
of  alteration and decay in the bones4#a
    ,paschal himself relates that he    
lined the chest with fringed silk1 and  

covered the body with a silk veil4 ,it  
was then enclosed in a sarcophagus  of  
white marble1 and laid under the high   
altar of the ,church of ,s4  ,ccilia in 
,trastevere4    ,this church has been   
made out of the old house of ,s4        
,ccilia1 and to  this day1              
notwithstanding rebuildings1 it bears   
traces of its origin4    ,nearly eight  
hundred years after this translation1   
,sfondrati1 cardinal  of ,s4 ,ccilia1   
being about to carry on material        
alterations in the  basilica1 came on   
the sarcophagus lying in a vault under  
the altar4 ,it  was not alone--another  
was with it4    ,in the presence of     
witnesses one of these was opened4 ,it  
contained a  coffin or chest of cypress 
wood4 ,the ,cardinal himself removed the
 cover4  ,first was seen the costly     
lining and the silken veil1 with which  
nearly  eight centuries before ,paschal 
had covered the body4 ,it was faded1 but
  not decayed1 and through the almost   
transparent texture could be seen  the  

glimmer of the gold of the garments in  
which the martyr was clad4  ,after a    
pause of a few minutes1 the ,cardinal   
lifted the veil1 and  revealed the form 
of the maiden martyr lying in the same  
position in  which she had died on the  
floor of her father's hall4 ,neither    
,urban nor  ,paschal had ventured to    
alter that4 ,she lay there1 clothed in a
 garment  woven with gold thread1 on    
which were the stains of blood2 and at  
her  feet were the rolls of linen       
mentioned by ,paschal1 as found with the
  body4 ,she was lying on her right     
side1 the arms sunk from the body1 her  
face turned to the ground2 the knees    
slightly bent and drawn together4  ,the 
attitude was that of one in a deep      
sleep4 ,on the throat were the  marks of
 the wounds dealt by the clumsy         
executioner4    ,thus she had lain1     
preserved from decay through thirteen   
centuries4    ,when this discovery was  
made1 ,pope ,clement ,,viii4 was lying  
ill at  ,frascati1 but he empowered     

,cardinal ,baronius and ,bosio1 the     
explorer of  the ,catacombs1 to examine 
into the matter2 and both of these have 
left  an account of the condition in    
which the body was found4 ,for five     
weeks  all ,rome streamed to the church 
to see the body2 and it was not until   
,s4  ,ccilia's ,day that it was again   
sealed up in its coffin and marble      
sarcophagus4    ,cardinal ,sfondrati    
gave a commission to the sculptor       
,maderna to  reproduce the figure of the
 ,virgin ,martyr in marble in the       
attitude in  which found1 and beneath   
this is the inscription3--8,so ,i show  
to you in  marble the representation of 
the most holy ,virgin ,ccilia1 in the   
same  position in which ,i myself saw   
her incorrupt lying in her sepulchre40  
,a woodcut was published at the time of 
the discovery figuring it1 but  this is 
now extremely scarce4    ,in the second 
sarcophagus were found the bones of     
three men2 two1 of the  same age and    
size1 had evidently died by             

decapitation4 ,the third had its  skull 
broken1 and the abundant hair was       
clotted with blood1 as though  the      
martyr had been beaten to death and his 
skull fractured with the  plumbat or    
leaded scourges4    ,the ,acts of ,s4   
,ccilia expressly say that this was the 
manner of death  of ,maximus4 ,the other
 two bodies were doubtless those of     
,valerian and  ,tiburtius4    ,of the   
statue by ,maderna1 ,sir ,charles ,bell 
says3 8,the body lies on its  side1 the 
limbs a little drawn up2 the hands are  
delicate and fine--they  are not locked1
 but crossed at the wrists2 the arms are
 stretched out4  ,the drapery is        
beautifully modelled1 and modestly      
covers the limbs4444  ,it is the statue 
of a lady1 perfect in form1 and         
affecting from the  resemblance to      
reality in the drapery of the white     
marble1 and the  unspotted appearance of
 the statue altogether4 ,it lies as no  
living body  could lie1 and yet         
correctly1 as the dead when left to     

expire--,i mean in  the gravitation of  
the limbs40    ,s4 ,ccilia is associated
 with music3 she is regarded as the     
patroness of  the organ4 ,this is       
entirely due to the highly imaginative  
,acts of the  ,fifth and ,sixth         
,century4                 8,orpheus     
could lead the savage race2             
,and trees uprooted left their place1   
,sequacious of the lyre3                
,but bright ,ccilia rais'd the wonder   
higher3                ,when to her     
organ vocal breath was given1           
,an angel heard1 and straight appear'd1 
,mistaking earth for heaven40    ,so    
sang ,dryden4 ,chaucer has given the    
,legend of ,s4 ,ccilia as the ,second   
,nun's ,tale in the ,canterbury         
,pilgrimage4    ,there is a marvellous  
collection of ancient statues in ,rome1 
in the  ,torlonia ,gallery4 ,it was made
 by the late ,prince ,torlonia4         
,unhappily1 he  kept three sculptors in 
constant employ over these ancient      
statues1  touching them up1 adding1     

mending1 altering4 ,it is a vast        
collection1  and now the ,torlonia      
family desire to sell it2 but no one    
will buy1 for  no one can trust any     
single statue therein2 no one knows what
 is ancient  and what is new4 ,the      
finest old works are of no value1       
because of the  patching and correcting 
to which they have been subjected4      
,it is the same with the ,acts of the   
,martyrs3 they have been tinkered at    
and 8improved0 in the fifth and sixth   
centuries1 and even later1 no  doubt    
with the best intention1 but with the   
result that they have--or  many of them 
have--lost credit altogether4    ,what a
 buyer of statuary from the ,torlonia   
,gallery would insist on  doing1 would  
be to drag the statues out into the     
sunshine and go over  them with a       
microscope and see where a piece of     
marble had been added1  or where a new  
face had been put on old work4 ,then he 
would be able to  form a judgment as to 
the value of the statue or bust4 ,and   

this is  precisely the treatment to     
which the legends of the martyrs have to
 be  subjected4 ,but this treatment     
tells sometimes in their favour4        
,narratives that at first sight seem    
conspicuously false or manufactured1    
will under the critical microscope      
reveal the sutures1 and show what is    
old and genuine1 and what is            
adventitious and worthless4             
,illustration3 ,s4 ,,agnes4             
,,iii                                   
,s4 ,,agnes      ,about a mile from the 
,porta ,pia1 beside the ,nomentine road 
that leads  from ,rome to the bridge    
over the ,arno and to ,montana1 are the 
basilica  and catacomb of ,s4 ,agnese4  
,we are there on high ground1 and here  
the  parents of the saint had a villa   
and vineyard4    ,they were ,christians1
 and their garden had an entrance to a  
catacomb in  which the faithful were    
interred4 ,we know this1 because some of
 the  burials in the passages           
underground are of more ancient date    

than the  martyrdom of ,s4 ,agnes1 which
 took place in #cjd4    ,a little lane1 
very dirty1 leads down hence into the   
,salarian road1 and  there is a mean    
dribble of a stream in a hollow below4  
,the rock is all of the volcanic tufa   
that is so easily cut1 but which in  the
 roads resolves itself into mud of the  
dirtiest and most consistent            
description4    ,new ,rome is creeping  
along the road1 its gaunt and eminently 
vulgar  houses are destroying the beauty
 of this road1 which commanded exquisite
  views of the ,sabine and ,alban       
mountains1 and the lovely ,torlonia     
gardens  have already been destroyed4   
,nor is this all1 for the foundations of
  these useless and hideous buildings   
are being driven down into more than    
one old catacomb1 which as soon as      
revealed is destroyed4    ,where now    
stands the basilica of ,s4 ,agnese was  
the catacomb in which her  body was     
laid4 ,the church is peculiar1 in that  
it is half underground4  ,one has to    

descend into it by a staircase of       
forty-five ancient marble  steps1 lined 
with inscriptions taken from the        
catacomb4 ,the cause for  this          
peculiarity is not that the soil has    
risen about the basilica1 but  that when
 it was proposed to build the church    
over the tomb of the saint  who was     
below in the catacomb1 the whole of the 
crust of rock and earth  above was      
removed1 so that the subterranean       
passages were exposed to  light2 and    
then the foundations of the sacred      
edifice were laid on this  level1 and   
were carried up above the surface of the
 ground4    ,but this is not the only   
church that bears the name of ,s4       
,agnes3 there  is another in ,rome      
itself1 opposite the ,torre ,mellina1 on
 the site of  her martyrdom1 in the     
,piazza ,navona1 which occupies the     
place of the old  circus of ,domitian4  
,it is a very ugly building of #afdb1   
but contains a  tolerable               
representation1 in relief1 of the       

martyrdom of the saint4                 
,unfortunately we have not got the ,acts
 of the martyrdom of ,s4 ,agnes in      
their original form4 ,it was the custom 
of the ,church to have scribes  present 
at the interrogation and death of a     
martyr1 who took down in  shorthand the 
questions put and the answers made1 and 
the sentence of  the judge4 ,these      
records1 which were of the highest      
value1 were  preserved in the archives  
of the ,roman ,church4 ,unhappily1 at a 
later  age1 such very simple accounts1  
somewhat crude maybe in style1 and      
entirely deficient in the miraculous1   
did not suit the popular taste4         
,meanwhile the stories of the martyrs   
had been passed from mouth to  mouth1   
and various additions had been made to  
give them a smack of  romance2 the      
account of the deaths was embellished   
with marvels1 and  made excruciating by 
the piling up of tortures2 and then the 
popular  voice declared that the        
persecutors must have been punished at  

once2 so  it was fabled that lightning  
fell and consumed them1 or that the     
earth  opened and swallowed them4       
,now1 when the ,acts of ,martyrs were   
found to contain nothing of all this1   
then writers set to work--not with the  
intention of deceiving1 but with  the   
idea that the genuine ,acts were        
defective--to recompose the stories1  by
 grafting into the original narrative   
all the rubbish that had passed  current
 in popular legend4 ,thus it has come to
 pass that so few of the  ,acts of the  
,martyrs1 as we have them1 are in their 
primitive form4 ,they  have been more or
 less stuffed out with fabulous matter4 
,the ,acts of ,s4 ,agnes are in this    
condition1 although not so grossly      
meddled with as some others have been4  
,that she was a real martyr1 and  that  
the broad outlines of her story are     
true1 there can be no doubt4    ,the    
martyrdom took place during the reign of
 ,diocletian4    ,in #cjd he was in     
,italy4 ,he had come to ,rome the       

preceding year to  celebrate the        
twentieth year of the reign of his      
colleague1 ,maximian1  and at the same  
time the triumph over the ,persians4 ,he
 left ,rome in ill  humour at the       
independence of the citizens1 after     
having been accustomed  to the servility
 of the ,easterns2 the day was ,december
 #bjth1 and he went  to ,ravenna4 ,the  
weather was cold and wet1 and he was    
chilled1 so that he  suffered all the   
rest of the winter1 and became irritable
 as his health  failed4 ,however1 he    
went back to ,rome2 and at this time    
several  martyrdoms ensued1 as that of  
,s4 ,soteris1 a virgin of the noble     
family  from which sprang ,s4 ,ambrose1 
also the boy ,pancras1 and ,s4          
,sebastian4  ,but the most notable was  
,agnes4    ,she was aged only thirteen1 
and was the daughter of noble and       
wealthy  parents1 who were1 as already  
said1 ,christians4    ,her riches and   
beauty induced the son of a former      
prefect to seek her  hand in marriage4  

,agnes1 however1 refused4 ,she had no   
desire to become a  wife2 at all events1
 at so early an age2 and1 moreover1 she 
would on no  account be united to a     
pagan4 8,i am already engaged to ,one10 
she said3  8to ,him ,i shall ever keep  
my troth40    ,not understanding what   
she meant1 he inquired further2 and she 
is  reported to have replied in an      
allegorical strain3 8,he has already    
bound  me to ,him by ,his betrothal     
ring1 and has adorned me with precious  
jewels4 ,he has placed a sign upon my   
brow that ,i should love none as ,i     
love ,him4 ,he has revealed unto me     
treasures incomparable1 which ,he has   
promised to give me if ,i persevere4    
,honey and milk has ,he bestowed on me  
by ,his words4 ,i have partaken of ,his 
body1 and with ,his blood has ,he       
adorned my cheeks40    ,it must not1    
however1 be supposed that this was      
actually what she said4  ,there was then
 no scribe present to take the sentences
 down2 they are  words put into her     

mouth at a later period by a romance    
writer4    ,the young man was incensed1 
and complained to her father1 who would 
in  no way force his daughter's         
inclinations4 ,the youth1               
unquestionably1 did  not understand her1
 and supposed that she had already given
 her heart to  some earthly lover4      
,presently it all came out4 ,agnes was a
 ,christian1 and1 as a ,christian1      
would not listen to his suit4    ,then1 
in a rage1 the young man rushed off and 
denounced her to the  prefect1 who sent 
immediately for her parents1 and        
threatened them4 ,they  were weak in the
 faith2 and1 returning home trembling1  
urged their  daughter to accept the     
youth4 ,she1 however1 steadfastly       
refused4    ,there was now nothing for  
it but for her to appear before the     
,prefect of  ,rome4 ,she stood before   
his tribunal with calmness and          
confidence4    8,come10 said he1 8be not
 headstrong3 you are only a child1      
remember1  though forward for your age40

    8,i may be a child10 replied ,agnes2
 8but faith does not depend on years1   
but on the heart40    ,the prefect      
presently lost his temper1 and declared 
roundly3 8,i will  tell you what shall  
be done with you2 you shall be stripped 
and driven  naked forth to the jeers and
 insults of the rabble40    ,then the   
clothes were taken off the slender body 
of the girl4 ,thereupon  she loosened   
the band that confined her abundant     
golden hair1 and it  fell in waves over 
her body and covered her to the knees4  
8,you may expose me to insult10 said    
she2 8but ,i have the angel of ,god as  
my defence4 ,for the only-begotten ,son 
of ,god1 whom you know not1 will be  to 
me an impenetrable wall and a guardian2 
never sleeping1 and an  unflagging      
protector40    8,let her be bound10     
ordered the judge1 sullenly4    ,then   
the executioner turned over a quantity  
of manacles1 and selected  the smallest 
pair he could find1 and placed them     
round her wrists4    ,agnes1 with a     

smile1 shook her hands1 and they fell   
clanking at her  feet4    ,the prefect  
then ordered her to death by the sword4 
,the ,roman tradition is that she       
suffered where is now her church1 by the
  ,piazza ,navona2 but executions were  
never carried out within the walls of   
,rome4 ,she was taken to the place where
 she was to die4 ,here she knelt1  and  
with her own hands drew forward her     
hair1 so as to expose her neck  to the  
blow4 ,a pause ensued2 the executioner  
was trembling with emotion1  and could  
not brandish his sword4    ,the         
interpolated ,acts say that before this 
an angel had brought her a  white robe1 
which she put over her4 ,what is        
probable is that the  magistrate1       
ashamed of what he had done1 suffered   
one of those angels of  mercy1 the      
deaconesses1 to reclothe the girl4      
,as the child knelt in her white robe1  
with her head inclined1 her arms        
crossed on her breast1 and her golden   
hair hanging to the ground1 she  must   

have looked like a beautiful lily1      
stooping under its weight of  blossom4  
8,and thus1 bathed in her rosy blood10  
says the author of the ,acts1  8,christ 
took to ,himself ,his bride and martyr40
    ,her parents received the body1 and 
carried it to the cemetery they had  in 
their vineyard on the ,nomentian ,way1  
and there laid it in a  loculus1 a      
recess cut in the side of one of the    
passages underground4  ,it was probably 
just under one of the luminaria1 or     
openings to the  upper air1 which       
allowed light to enter the ,catacombs2  
for here1 two  days later1 ,emerentiana1
 a catechumen1 the foster-sister of     
,agnes1 was  found kneeling by her      
grave2 and the pagan rabble1 peering in 
and seeing  her1 pelted her with stones1
 stunned1 and then buried her under the 
earth and sand they threw in4           
,constantine the ,great built the church
 over the tomb1 removing the upper      
crust2 but it was rebuilt by ,honorius  
,i41 between #fbe and #fch4 ,it was     

altered in #adij by ,innocent ,,viii42  
but retains more of the ancient         
character than most of the ,roman       
churches4    ,the day on which ,agnes   
suffered was ,january #bast4 ,the memory
 of her has  never faded from the       
,church4 ,it is said that her parents   
dreamed1 seven  days after her death1   
that they saw her in light1 surrounded  
by a ,virgin  band1 and with a white    
lamb at her side4 ,in commemoration of  
this  dream--which not improbably did   
take place--the ,roman ,church observes 
in  her honour the #bhth of ,january as 
well as the actual day of her death4    
,so ancient is the cult of ,s4 ,agnes1  
that1 next to the ,evangelists and      
,apostles1 no saint's effigy is older4  
,it appears on the ancient glass        
vessels used by the ,christians in the  
early part of the century in which  she 
died1 with her name inscribed1 which    
leaves no doubt as to her  identity4    
,mrs4 ,jameson says of the ,church of   
,s4 ,agnese1 in ,rome3 8,often have ,i  

seen the steps of this church1 and the  
church itself1 so crowded with  kneeling
 worshippers at ,matins and ,vespers1   
that ,i could not make my way  among    
them2 principally the women of the lower
 orders1 with their  distaffs and market
 baskets1 who had come thither to pray1 
through the  intercession of the patron 
saint1 for the gifts of meekness and    
chastity40    ,in the corrupted ,acts1  
it is told that ,agnes was set on a pyre
 to be  burned to death1 but that the   
fire was miraculously extinguished4     
,this  is purely apocryphal4 ,it        
originates in a passage by ,s4 ,ambrose1
 in which  he speaks of her hands having
 been stretched over the fire on a pagan
  altar1 to force her to do sacrifice4  
,this has been magnified into an        
immense pyre4    8,at this age10 said   
he1 8a young girl trembles at an angry  
look from her  mother2 the prick of a   
needle draws tears4 ,yet1 fearless under
 the  bloody hands of her executioners1 
,agnes is immovable under the heavy     

chains which weigh her down2 ignorant of
 death1 but ready to die1 she  presents 
her body to the edge of the sword4      
,dragged against her will to  the altar1
 she holds forth her arms to ,christ    
through the fires of the  sacrifice2 and
 her hand forms1 even in those flames1  
the sign which is  the trophy of a      
victorious ,saviour4 ,she presents her  
neck and her two  hands to the fetters  
which they produce for her2 but it is   
impossible to  find any small enough to 
encircle her delicate limbs40           
,illustration3 ,,febronia ,,of          
,,sibapte4                              
,,iv                                    
,,febronia ,,of ,,sibapte      ,the     
,church had endured a long period of    
peace after the persecution of  ,decius1
 in #bej2 and in the half-century that  
had followed1 although  there had been  
recrudescences of persecution1 it had   
been spasmodic and  local4    ,during   
those fifty years the ,church had made  
great way4 ,conversions had  been       

numerous1 persons in high station       
suffered not only their slaves1  but    
their wives and children1 to profess    
themselves ,christians4 ,places  about  
the court1 even in the imperial         
household1 were filled with             
,christians2 and even some were         
appointed to be governors of provinces1 
with exemption from being obliged to    
assist at the usual sacrifices4 ,the    
,christians built churches of their own1
 and these not by any means small  and  
such as might escape observation4       
,but1 internally1 there had been a great
 development of her own powers in  the  
,church1 such as had not been possible  
when she was proscribed1 and  could only
 exercise her vital functions in secret4
    ,and among one of the most          
remarkable and significant phenomena of 
this  vigorous expansion of life was the
 initiation of monastic life4 ,in ,syria
  and in ,egypt there had for long been 
something of the kind1 but not          
connected with ,christianity4    ,in    

,palestine were the ,essenes4 ,they     
numbered about four thousand2 they      
lived in convents1 and led a strange    
life4 ,five writers of antiquity  speak 
of them--,josephus1 ,philo1 ,pliny the  
,elder1 ,epiphanius and  ,hippolytus4   
,they were a ,jewish sect1 a revolt     
against ,pharisaism1 and a  survival of 
the schools of the prophets4    ,of     
fervent and exalted piety1 of ardent    
conviction impatient of the  puerilities
 and the bondage of ,rabbinism1 they    
sought to live to ,god in  meditation   
and prayer and study4    ,they built for
 themselves great houses on the eastern 
shore of the ,dead  ,sea1 which they    
occupied4 ,they observed the law of     
,moses with great  literalness2 they had
 all things in common2 they fasted1     
prayed1 and saw  visions4 ,they did not 
marry1 they abstained from wine1 they   
tilled the  soil when not engaged in    
prayer4 ,they were1 in a word1 monks1   
but ,jewish  monks4    ,when            
,christianity spread1 it entered into   

and gave a new spirit to these          
communities without their changing form4
    ,in ,egypt1 in like manner were the 
,theraput1 not ,jews1 nor confined to   
,egypt1 but most numerous there4 ,they  
were conspicuous for their habits  of   
great austerity and self-mortification4 
,they left their homes1 gave  up their  
substance1 fled towns and lived in      
solitary places1 in little  habitations 
or cells apart yet not distant from one 
another4 ,each had  his little oratory  
for prayer and praise4 ,they neither ate
 nor drank  till the sun set4 ,some ate 
only once in three days1 and then only  
bread1  flavoured with salt and hyssop4 
,they prayed twice a day1 and between   
the  times of prayer read1 meditated or 
worked4 ,men and women belonged to the  
order1 but lived separately though      
sometimes praying in common4    ,here   
again we see the shell into which the   
new life entered1 without  really       
changing or greatly modifying the       
external character4    ,doubtless the   

teaching of the ,gospel reached these   
societies1 was  accepted1 and gradually 
gave to them a ,christian               
complexion--that was  all4    ,whether  
this sort of life was in accordance with
 the ,gospel1 was not  doubted by them1 
having before them the example of       
,christ who retreated  into the         
wilderness for forty days1 and ,his     
words exhorting to the  renunciation of 
everything that men hold dear1 and the  
recommendation to  sell everything1 give
 to the poor1 and follow in ,his        
footsteps4    ,it is significant that it
 was precisely in ,palestine where the  
,essenes  had flourished1 and in ,egypt 
that the ,therapeut had maintained such 
numerous colonies that we find the most 
vigorous development of  monachism4 ,it 
is not possible to doubt that the one   
slid into the other  imperceptibly4     
,the persecution of ,diocletian broke   
out in #cjd4 ,at that time there was  at
 ,sibapte1 in ,syria1 a convent of fifty
 virgins4    ,one of these1 named       

,febronia1 aged eighteen1 was the niece 
of the  abbess1 ,bryene4 ,she was       
wondrously fair of face and graceful of 
form1  and the old sisters seem to have 
regarded her with reverence as well as  
love1 because of her marvellous         
loveliness of body as well as innocence 
of soul4 ,apparently when quite young   
she had lost her parents1 and had  been 
taken by her aunt into the convent in   
earliest infancy1 so that she  had grown
 up among the sisters1 as a sweet       
flower1 utterly ignorant of  the world4 
,she had studied ,scripture so deeply1  
and was so spiritual in mind1 that  many
 ladies living in the cities of ,syria  
came to visit and consult her4  ,bryene 
drew a curtain between her niece and    
those who visited her1 so as  not to    
distract her thoughts1 as also not to   
expose her to the gaze of  vulgar       
curiosity4    ,one day a young heathen  
woman came to the monastery in the first
 grief  at the loss of her husband1 to  
whom she had been married but seven     

months4 ,she had found no comfort in the
 religion of her parents1 who  could not
 assure her that the soul had any life  
after death2 it was no  true consolation
 to her to set up a monument in honour  
of the deceased1  and so1 hearing of    
,febronia1 she came to ,bryene1 and     
falling at her  feet1 entreated to be   
allowed to tell her trouble to the girl 
,febronia4    ,the abbess hesitated1 as 
the woman was a pagan2 but at length1   
moved by  her tears and persistency1    
gave consent1 admitted her into the cell
 of  the nun1 and allowed her to tarry  
with her as long as she pleased4        
,they passed the night together4        
,febronia opened the ,gospel and read to
  the broken-hearted woman the words of 
life4 ,they fell on good ground4  ,the  
widow wept and listened1 and wept again1
 and as the sun rose on  them1 she      
begged to be properly instructed1 so as 
to receive baptism4    ,when she was    
gone1 8,who10 asked ,febronia1 8was that
 strange woman who  came to me1 and who 

cried as though her heart would break   
when ,i read  the ,scriptures to her80  
8,it was ,hiera10 answered the nun      
,thomais1 who afterwards committed the  
whole narrative to writing4 8,hiera is  
the widow of a senator40    8,oh10 said 
,febronia1 8why did you not inform me of
 her rank8 ,i have been  talking to her 
just as if she had been my sister40     
,the noble widow did become the sister  
of the nun in the faith1 and in  the    
family of ,christ2 and when1 some time  
after1 ,febronia fell very ill1  ,hiera 
insisted on being allowed to be with her
 and nurse her with her  own hands4     
,febronia was but convalescent1 and     
looking white as a lily1 when  ,selenus1
 charged with the execution of the      
imperial decree against  ,christians1   
arrived at ,sibapte4 ,he was accompanied
 by his nephews  ,lysimachus and        
,primus1 the former of whom was         
suspected by ,diocletian of  having a   
leaning towards ,christianity1 as his   
mother had been of the  household of    

faith1 and he was a youth of a          
singularly meditative and  temperate    
life4    ,selenus accordingly brought   
his nephews with him1 to associate them 
with  himself in the deeds of cruelty   
that were meditated1 and to awe them    
into dread of transgressing the will and
 command of the emperor4    ,primus was 
a cousin on his mother's side to        
,lysimachus1 and he shared  with him    
disgust at the cruelty of their uncle1  
and they did what was in  their         
power--they sent timely warning to the  
,christians to escape from a  city that 
was about to be visited4    ,as soon as 
the bishop and clergy of ,sibapte heard 
that the governor  purposed coming to   
the place1 they dispersed and secreted  
themselves4  ,the sisters of the convent
 in great agitation waited on the       
abbess1 and  entreated her to allow them
 to escape for their lives4    ,bryene  
bade them entertain no alarm1 as the    
danger only threatened1 and  was not at 
their doors3 such humble1 insignificant 

folk as they might  expect to be        
overlooked4 ,at the same time she was   
really distracted with  anxiety1 as     
,febronia was not strong enough to be   
removed1 and she could  not leave her4  
,the sisters took counsel together1 and 
electing one named ,aetheria as  their  
spokeswoman1 made a second remonstrance1
 and complained1 8,we know  what is your
 real reason for retaining us3 it is    
that you are solicitous  about          
,febronia2 but the bishop and clergy are
 in hiding4 ,do try to carry  ,febronia 
away1 and suffer us to leave40          
,febronia1 however1 could not be moved1 
so ,bryene dismissed the nuns1 and  they
 decamped forthwith2 two alone          
remained--,thomais1 the writer of the   
history1 and ,procla1 who acted as nurse
 to the sick girl1 and who could  not   
find the heart to tear herself away4    
,almost immediately after the sisters   
had fled1 news reached those who        
remained that the governor had arrived4 
,febronia heard her aunt sobbing4  ,she 

looked at ,thomais1 and asked1 8,i pray 
you1 dear mother1 what is the  great    
mistress0 7for this was the title of the
 abbess7 8crying so  bitterly about80   
8,my child10 answered the old nun1 8she 
is sore at heart about you4 ,we  are old
 and ugly1 and all that can chance to us
 is death2 but you are  young and fair1 
and there are things we fear for you of 
which you know  nothing4 ,we need not   
say more to you1 dearest child1 than bid
 you be  very cautious how you accept   
any offers made to you by the governor1 
however innocent they may appear4 ,a    
danger lurks behind them of which  you  
have no conception40    ,the night      
passed in anxious conversation and in   
mutual encouragement4  ,next morning    
,selenus sent soldiers to the convent1  
who broke open the  door1 and would have
 cut down ,bryene1 had not ,febronia    
started from her  pallet1 and casting   
herself at their feet1 implored them to 
kill her  rather than her old aunt4     
,primus arrived at this juncture1       

rebuked the soldiers for their          
violence1 and bade them go outside the  
house4 ,then1 turning to ,bryene1  he   
asked somewhat impatiently why she had  
not taken advantage of the  warning that
 had been sent1 and escaped4    8,even  
now10 said he1 8,i will make shift to   
help you4 ,i will withdraw the          
soldiers1 and do you escape by the back 
of the house40    ,primus then withdrew1
 and it is possible that the three nuns 
and  ,febronia might have escaped1 but  
that ,selenus1 suspicious of his nephew1
  sent back the soldiers with peremptory
 orders to secure ,febronia and  bring  
her before him4 ,this was done1 and she 
and the rest were thrown  for the night 
into the common prison4    ,next day    
,selenus ascended the tribunal1 and was 
accompanied by his  nephews ,primus and 
,lysimachus1 whom he forced to attend4  
,bryene and ,thomais appeared1 each     
holding a hand of the sick girl and     
sustaining her4 ,they begged to be tried
 and condemned with her4    8,they are a

 pair of old hags10 said ,selenus4      
8,dismiss them40    ,then they were     
separated from their charge4            
8,mother10 said ,febronia1 clinging to  
and kissing ,bryene1 8,i trust in ,god  
that1 as ,i have been ever obedient to  
thee in the monastery1 so ,i may be     
faithful to what thou hast exhorted me  
to do1 faithful here openly  before all 
the people4 ,go then--do not stay here1 
but pray for me1 but  before leaving    
give me thy benediction40    ,then she  
slid to her knees1 and ,bryene1         
stretching her hands to heaven1  cried3 
8,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who didst appear 
to ,thy handmaid ,thecla1 in  her agony1
 to comfort her1 stand by ,thy lowly one
 in her great contest40    ,so saying1  
she fell on the neck of ,febronia1 and  
they kissed and wept  and clung to each 
other till parted by the soldiers4      
,then1 unable to bear the sight of what 
she knew must follow1 ,bryene  retired  
to the deserted convent1 and begged that
 word might be sent her  as to how all  

ended4    ,in the meantime1 ,hiera had  
heard of the arrest of ,febronia1 and   
wild  with grief she rushed to the place
 of judgment4 ,she found the court      
crammed with people1 mostly women1      
agitated1 indignant1 and murmuring4     
,there was a space clear before the     
tribunal1 where stood the accused1  and 
at one side were various instruments of 
torture1 and a stake driven  into the   
ground furnished with rings and ropes4  
,on the judgment seat  were ,selenus1   
with his nephews by him4    ,selenus    
turned to ,lysimachus1 and said1 8,do   
you open the examination40    ,the young
 man1 struggling with his emotion1      
began--8,tell me1 young  maiden1 what is
 thy condition80    8,i am a servant10  
answered ,febronia4    8,whose servant80
 asked ,lysimachus4    8,i am the       
servant of ,christ40    8,and tell me   
thy name1 ,i pray thee40    8,i am a    
humble ,christian10 answered ,febronia4 
8,may ,i ask thy name1 maiden80    8,the
 good mother always calls me ,febronia40

    ,then ,selenus broke in3 8,we shall 
never have done if you push along in    
this fashion4 ,to the point at once4    
,febronia1 ,i vow by the gods that ,i   
have no desire to hurt thee4 ,here is a 
gallant young gentleman1 my  nephew2    
take him as thy husband1 and forget the 
silly stuff1 thy  religion4 ,i had other
 views for the boy1 but that matters    
not2 never  have ,i seen a sweeter face 
than thine1 and ,i am content to accept 
thee  as my niece4 ,i am a man of few   
words3 accept my offer1 and all is well2
  or by the living gods ,i will make    
thee rue the refusal40    ,febronia     
replied calmly1 8,i have a heavenly     
,bridegroom1 eternal2 with  celestial   
glory as ,his dower40    ,selenus burst 
forth with1 8,soldiers1 strip the       
wench40 ,he was obeyed2  they allowed   
her to wear only a tattered cloak over  
her shoulders4    ,calm1 without a sign 
of being discomposed1 ,febronia bore the
 outrage4    8,how now1 you impudent    
hussy80 scoffed ,selenus2 8where is your

 maiden  modesty8 ,i saw no struggles1  
no blushes40    8,god ,almighty knows1  
judge1 that till this day ,i have never 
seen the  face of man1 for ,i was only  
two years old when ,i was taken as a    
little  baby to my aunt1 and the rest of
 my life ,i have spent there among the  
good sisters4 ,do ,i seem lost to shame8
 ,nay1 ,i have been assured that        
wrestlers strip in the games when they  
strive for victory4 ,i fear thee  not40 
8,stretch her1 face downwards1 over a   
slow fire4 ,bind her hands and feet  to 
four stakes1 and so--scourge her40      
,he was obeyed1 and the crimson blood   
trickled over her white skin at  every  
stroke of the lash1 and hissed in the   
glowing charcoal4    ,the multitude1    
looking on1 could not bear the sight1   
and with one voice  entreated that she  
might be removed and dismissed4    ,but 
the shouts only made ,selenus more      
angry1 and he ordered the  executioners 
to redouble the blows4 ,thomais1 unable 
to endure the sight1  fainted at the    

feet of ,hiera1 who uttered a cry of    
8,oh1 ,febronia1 my  sister6 ,thomais is
 dying40    ,the poor sufferer turned   
her head1 and asked the executioner to  
throw  water over the face of the       
fainting woman1 and begged to be allowed
 to  say a word to ,hiera4    ,but the  
judge interposed to forbid this         
indulgence1 and ordered ,febronia  to be
 untied and placed on the rack4    ,this
 was sometimes called 8the little       
horse40 ,it had four legs united by     
planks4 ,at each end was a crank4 ,the  
sufferer was attached by the feet  and  
hands at ankles and wrists to cords that
 passed over rollers between  the       
planks4 ,she thus hung below and between
 the two pieces of wood4 ,at a  signal  
from the magistrate1 the executioners   
turned the cranks1 and  these drew the  
feet and hands tighter towards the      
rollers1 and strained  them1 so that if 
this were persisted in1 the limbs were  
pulled out of  joint4    8,well1 girl10 
asked ,selenus1 8how do you like your   

first taste of  torture80    8,learn    
from the manner in which ,i have borne  
it1 that my resolution is  unalterable10
 answered ,febronia4    ,on the rack her
 sides were torn with iron combs4 ,she  
prayed incessantly3  8,o ,lord1 make    
haste to help me4 ,leave me not1 neither
 forsake me in my  hour of pain60       
8,cut out her tongue10 ordered the      
judge4    ,febronia was detached from   
the rack and tied to the post in the    
centre  of the place4 ,but when the     
multitude saw what the executioner was  
about  to do1 the excitement and        
indignation became so menacing1 that the
 judge  thought it prudent to           
countermand the order4 ,instead of      
which1 however1  he bade the surgeon in 
attendance extract her teeth4 ,when he  
had drawn  seventeen1 ,selenus bade him 
desist4    8,cut off her breasts40      
,this atrocious order caused a renewed  
uproar4 ,the physician hesitated4  ,but 
,selenus was fairly roused4 8,coward1 go
 on6 ,cut60 he shouted1 and the         

surgeon1 with a sweep of the razor1     
sliced off her right breast4            
,febronia uttered a cry as she felt the 
steel gash her3 8,my ,lord6 my ,god6    
see what ,i suffer1 and receive my soul 
into ,thy hands40    ,these were the    
last words she spoke4    8,cut off the  
other breast1 and put fire to the       
wound10 said ,selenus4    ,he was       
obeyed4 ,the mob swayed and quivered    
with indignation2 women wept  and       
fainted4 ,then with a roar broke forth  
the execration1 8,cursed be  ,diocletian
 and all his gods60    ,thereupon ,hiera
 sent a girl running to the convent to  
,bryene to tell her  all4 ,and the old  
abbess flung herself on the ground      
sobbing1 8,bra1 bra1  bra6 ,febronia1 my
 child60 ,then raising her arms and     
straining her eyes  to heaven1 she      
cried1 8,lord1 regard ,thy humble       
handmaiden1 ,febronia1 and  may my aged 
eyes see the battle fought out1 and my  
dear child numbered  with the martyrs40 
,in the meantime ,selenus had ordered   

the cords to be removed which bound     
,febronia to the stake4 ,then she       
dropped in a heap on the sand1 her long 
hair flowing over and clothing her      
mangled body4    ,primus said under his 
breath to his cousin1 8,the poor girl is
 dead40    8,she died to bring light and
 conviction to many hearts--perhaps to  
mine10  answered ,lysimachus aloud1 that
 his uncle might hear4 8,would that it  
had  been in my power to have saved her6
 ,now let her finish her conflict and   
enter into her rest40    ,then ,hiera1  
bursting into the arena1 stood wild with
 indignation and  anguish before the    
judge1 and shrieked1 as she shook her   
hands at  him1--8,o monster of cruelty6 
shame on thee1 shame6 ,thou1 born of a  
woman1  hast forgotten the obligation to
 honour womanhood1 and hast insulted and
  outraged thy mother in the person of  
this poor girl4 ,god1 the ,judge  above 
judges1 will make a swift work with     
thee1 and cut it short1 and  root thee  
out of the land of the living40         

,selenus1 stung with these words1       
exasperated at the resentment of the    
mob1 and finding that he had fairly     
roused his nephews into defiance of  his
 authority1 shouted his orders to have  
the widow put on the rack4    ,but at   
this point some of the town authorities 
interfered1 and warned  the judge that  
he was proceeding to dangerous lengths4 
,hiera was well  connected1 popular2 and
 if she were tortured1 a riot was       
certain to  ensue4 8,half the town will 
rush here and insist on being tried and 
tortured4 ,they will all confess        
,christ40    ,selenus reluctantly gave  
orders for the release of ,hiera1 and   
directed  the current of his rage on    
,febronia1 now unconscious4 ,he ordered 
first  her hands1 then her feet1 and    
finally her head to be struck off2 and  
when all was finished1 rose from his    
seat1 turned to ,lysimachus1 and saw    
that his face was bathed in tears4 ,he  
hastily withdrew to supper1 angry  with 
himself1 his nephews1 and the mob4      

,lysimachus and ,primus descended to the
 arena1 and standing by the  mutilated  
body1 vowed to renounce the gods of     
,diocletian and to worship  the ,god of 
,febronia4 ,then the young men gave     
orders for the removal of  the mangled  
remains to the house of ,bryene4        
,almost the whole city crowded to see   
the body of the young girl who had      
suffered so heroically4    ,that night  
,lysimachus could not eat or speak at   
supper1 and ,selenus  forced himself to 
riotous mirth and drunk hard4    ,we    
cannot quite trust what follows4 ,it was
 too tempting to a copyist to  allow the
 governor to go away unchastised4       
,perhaps it is true that in a  drunken  
and angry fit ,selenus1 pacing the room 
storming1 slipped on the  polished      
pavement1 and in falling hit his head   
against a pillar--with the  result that 
he never spoke again1 having congestion 
of the brain1 and  died next day4 ,it is
 quite possible that this may be true4  
,if it were an  interpolation by a      

copyist1 he would have killed him by    
fire falling  from heaven and consuming 
him--that was the approved way with the 
re-writers of the ,acts of ,martyrs4    
,when ,constantine became ,emperor both 
the young men were baptised1  retired   
into solitude and embraced the monastic 
life4    ,the name of ,febronia is in   
the ,greek1 ,coptic and ,abyssinian     
,kalendars4  ,the simple and apparently 
quite trustworthy account of her death  
was by  ,thomais1 the nun who saw her   
die1 and had known her all her short    
life4          ,illustration3 ,,the     
,,daughter ,,of ,,constantine4          
,v                         ,,the        
,,daughter ,,of ,,constantine           
,constantia1 whose name does not appear 
in the ,roman ,kalendar1 but which  has 
found its way into several unauthorised 
lists of the ,saints1 is  chiefly known 
through the ,acts of ,s4 ,agnes4 ,little
 or nothing reliable  is recorded       
concerning her1 and her story would not 
have been included  in this collection1 

were it not for two circumstances--one1 
that two of  the most interesting       
monuments of ,old ,rome are associated  
with her name1  one directly1 the other 
indirectly2 and next1 that a caution1   
very  desirable of being exercised1 may 
be learned from a consideration of her  
story--not to cast over as utterly      
fabulous and worthless the legends  that
 come down to us of the ,saints of early
 times1 because they are  stuffed with  
unhistorical and ridiculous incidents   
and marvels4 ,let us  now see very      
briefly what the legend is concerning   
,constantia4    ,she was the daughter of
 ,constantine the ,great1 and was       
afflicted with a  distressing disease1  
supposed at the time to be leprosy1 but 
which was  in all probability scrofula4 
,the ,roman general1 ,gallicanus1 having
 been in favour with the ,emperor1  and 
having lost his wife1 was offered       
,constantia in marriage by his          
master--not a particularly inviting     
proposal1 and ,gallicanus did not1      

possibly1 regret that he was called away
 by an inroad of the barbarians  into   
,thrace1 to defend the ,roman frontiers 
against them4 ,before engaging  in      
battle he made a vow1 in the event of   
success1 that he would believe  in      
,christ and be baptised4 ,he succeeded  
in repulsing the enemy1 and  returned to
 ,rome to find that ,constantia had been
 healed of her disorder  at the tomb of 
,s4 ,agnes1 and that she had persuaded  
his three daughters1  ,augusta1 ,attica1
 and ,artemia1 to live with her1 as     
consecrated virgins1  near the shrine of
 the ,virgin ,martyr1 to whose          
intercession she  attributed her cure4  
,constantia had two chamberlains1 ,john 
and ,paul1 to whom1 at her death1  she  
bequeathed much of her possessions4     
,when ,julian the ,apostate assumed the 
purple1 in #cfa1 he did not openly      
persecute the ,church1 but he turned out
 of their situations such  officers of  
the court and army as refused to        
renounce ,christ4 ,john and  ,paul he   

particularly disliked1 partly because   
they were zealous  ,christians1 and had 
had much to do with the conversion of   
,gallicanus1  but also because they had 
obtained by bequest so much of          
,constantia's  estate1 which he desired 
to draw into the imperial treasury4 ,he 
sent  word that they were to be deprived
 of their offices1 and were to be       
privately put to death in their own     
house4    ,accordingly1 when they had   
retired to their residence on the ,clian
  ,hill1 the ministers of ,julian       
pursued them1 dismissed the servants1   
and  secretly conveyed them down into   
the cellar of their palace1 and there   
killed and buried them4    ,three       
persons1 however1 knew of what was going
 on--,crispinus1  ,crispinianus1 and    
,benedicta--and1 to prevent the matter  
getting bruited  about1 these the       
soldiers also put to death4             
,gallicanus was living at ,ostia1 and he
 was ordered into exile4 ,he  withdrew  
to ,alexandria1 where the chief         

magistrate1 ,baucianus1 summoned  him   
before his tribunal1 required him to do 
sacrifice to idols1 and1  because he    
refused1 had him decapitated4 ,he has   
found a place in the  ,roman            
,martyrology on ,june #beth4    ,now the
 whole series of incidents is full of   
difficulties4 ,the name of  ,gallicanus 
was not uncommon4 ,vulcatius ,gallicanus
 was prefect of ,rome in  #cag1 and     
,ovius ,gallicanus was ,consul in #ccj1 
but of either of them being  engaged    
against the barbarians in ,thrace there 
is no historical  evidence4    ,it is   
also incredible that the ,gallicanus of 
the legend should have been  publicly   
tried as a ,christian and condemned as  
such under ,julian4    ,the ,emperor    
,constantine had a daughter1            
,constantia1 we know from profane       
history1 who was married to             
,hannibalianus--a thoroughly            
unprincipled  woman1 in fact1 if we may 
trust the highly coloured picture drawn 
of her  by ,ammianus ,marcellinus4 ,she 

was a demon in human form1 a female fury
  ever thirsting for blood4 ,but though 
generally called ,constantia1 her       
correct name was ,flavia ,julia         
,constantina4    ,of the ,constantia of 
the legend there is no mention by the   
historical  writers of the time2 but    
this is not remarkable if she were1 as  
is  represented in the story1 a woman   
who took no part in public life1 but    
lived in retirement1 partly because of  
her disorder1 and then because  she had 
embraced the religious life4    ,a      
further difficulty arises in the account
 of the martyrdom of ,,ss4 ,john  and   
,paul1 her chamberlains4 ,the ,acts     
represent them as subjected to          
interrogation by ,julian himself in     
,rome1 whereas it is quite certain  that
 after he became ,emperor he did not set
 foot in ,italy4    ,it will be seen1   
therefore1 that there is here every     
reason for  repudiating the whole story 
as fabulous1 and some would go so far as
 to  say that ,constantia1 the virgin   

daughter of ,constantine1 ,gallicanus1  
,john and ,paul were all of them        
mythical characters1 creatures of the   
imagination4 ,but there are certain very
 good and weighty reasons on the  other 
side for inducing an arrest of judgment4
    ,in the first place1 close to the   
basilica and catacomb of ,s4 ,agnese is 
a  very interesting and precious        
circular church1 erected by ,constantine
  the ,great1 at the request of his     
daughter ,constantia1 as a thankoffering
  for her recovery from the distressing 
disease which had disfigured her  and   
made life a burden to her4 ,this church 
is1 perhaps1 the most  remarkable       
specimen we have existing of            
ecclesiastical architecture of  the age 
of ,constantine4 ,it is quite untouched1
 and is rich with frescoes  of the      
period4    ,but a still more remarkable 
monument is one quite recently          
disinterred4  ,it is the house of the   
martyrs ,john and ,paul1 which has      
existed for  centuries buried under the 

foundations of the great church that    
bears  their names on the ,clian ,hill1 
a church erected by the one ,english    
,pope1 ,nicolas ,breakespeare1 in #aaeh4
 ,the discovery of the house is  itself 
a romance4 ,what is known of its early  
history is this3 ,julian the  ,apostate 
died in #cfc4 ,the death of ,john and   
,paul had taken place in #cfb4  ,julian 
was followed by ,jovian1 who died in    
#cfd1 and was succeeded by              
,valentinian4    ,now1 directly ,julian 
was no more1 ,byzantius1 a senator and a
 ,christian1  interested himself in the 
matter4 ,the recent martyrdom was in all
  mouths1 and it was known that the     
bodies lay in the cellar of the house4  
,byzantius had the bodies lifted and    
placed in a white alabaster or  marble  
box1 and converted the upper storey of  
the house into an oratory4    ,the son  
of ,byzantius was ,pammachius1 the      
friend and correspondent of ,s4         
,jerome4 ,he did something also4 ,he    
erected a handsome church over the  tomb

 of the saints1 and this was completed  
in #daj1 forty-eight years  after their 
martyrdom4    ,there had1 however1 been 
no break in the tradition1 for          
,byzantius had  made his oratory only   
two or three years later than their     
martyrdom4    ,the basilica erected by  
,pammachius consisted of an oblong nave1
 with  side aisles and an apse to the   
west4 ,to the east end was a quadrangle1
  surrounded by a cloister1 and with a  
water-tank in the middle4 ,by means  of 
a flight of steps visitors were enabled 
to descend to the  8,confession10 or    
place whence they could look down on the
 alabaster box  containing the relics of
 the martyrs in the cellar2 and in the  
angles of  the wall below1 a triangular 
white marble table was placed1 hollowed 
out  in the middle for oil1 in which a  
wick burned to throw light on the  tomb4
    ,hard by1 in later years1 was the   
family mansion of ,s4 ,gregory the      
,great1  who sent ,augustine and his    
little band1 in #eig1 to convert the    

,anglo-,saxons of ,kent4 ,now1 ,gregory 
knew well this church of ,,ss4 ,john and
  ,paul1 and often prayed there4        
,somewhere about #fjc he sent a present 
to  ,queen ,theodelinda1 the ,bavarian  
,princess1 who had married ,agilulph1   
the  ,lombard1 and among other things   
some of the oil from this very lamp4    
,this identical vial of oil is preserved
 among the treasures of ,monza1  along  
with some little gold hens and chickens 
presented by ,theodelinda4    ,now1 a   
few years ago1 ,padre ,germano1 a       
,passionist father of the  monastery    
attached to the church1 in studying the 
blank south wall of  the church that    
rises out of the little lane1 the       
,clivus ,scauri1 by  which one mounts to
 reach the entrance of the church1      
observed that it  consisted of a whole  
series of blocked-up arches and windows 
above them4  ,in a word1 it looked like 
a three-storey shop-front1 or factory of
  brick1 with the openings filled in4   
,what could be the meaning of this8     

,such an arrangement was not suitable to
 the basilica of ,pammachius1 and  had  
certainly no significance for the       
,church of ,adrian ,i4    ,then1 all at 
once1 it flashed on him what it really  
was3 it was nothing  more nor less than 
the street-front of the palace of ,john 
and ,paul1  which had been solidly      
built1 and consequently had been        
utilised first  by ,pammachius and then 
by ,adrian ,i4 ,now the church is built 
at the top  of a steep slope1 and the   
level of the floor of the church is far 
above  the arches4 ,it next occurred to 
the ,padre3 ,is it not possible that the
  old house of the martyrs may be       
beneath the floor of this church8    ,he
 obtained leave to search4 ,he went     
round to persons interested in          
,christian antiquities1 and begged a    
little money1 and so was enabled to     
begin his excavations2 and1 lo6 he      
discovered that when in #daj            
,pammachius had built his basilica he   
had filled in the lower portion of  the 

house1 all the most important rooms and 
the cellars1 with earth and  rubbish1   
and had raised his church above it all1 
knocking away the  floors of the upper  
storeys and blocking up what had been   
the bedroom  windows4 ,the writer of    
this account was in ,rome during two    
winters when  the ,padre was engaged on 
the excavations1 and was frequently     
there1 and  saw the results as they were
 reached4 ,and these results were3      
first1  that a ,christian mansion of the
 fourth century was disinterred1 the    
only  one of the kind known to exist2   
and more1 the tomb of the saints into   
which ,byzantius had put the bodies was 
found2 also the very lamp-table  from   
which ,s4 ,gregory took the oil for     
sending to ,theodelinda1 and the  early 
altar set up by ,byzantius in one of the
 halls of the house which  he had       
converted into an oratory4 ,nay1        
more1--paintings were found1  whether of
 the date of ,byzantius or of his son   
,pammachius is  uncertain--one          

representing the soldiers killing       
,crispinus1 ,crispinianus1  and         
,benedicta1 and another showing         
,constantia1 with her two chamberlains  
and other attendants4 ,there were also  
figures which may be ,byzantius and  his
 wife1 or ,pammachius and his1 bringing 
gifts to the tomb of the  martyrs4 ,the 
cellar was discovered with the old      
wine-bottles1 some  marked with the     
sacred sign2 and the frescoes in the    
reception-room were  ,christian3 a woman
 lifting up holy hands in prayer2       
,moses1 with the roll  of the ,law2 the 
good sheep and the bad one1 with the    
,milk of the ,word1  and so on4    ,now1
 all this shows conclusively that there 
really were such martyrs as  ,john and  
,paul1 and that although their story has
 been embroidered1 there  is a          
substratum of truth in it4    ,what is  
probably the basis of the whole story is
 this3 that ,constantia1  an infirm1    
scrofulous daughter of ,constantine1    
residing in ,rome1  believing herself to

 have received some alleviation in her  
condition by  praying at the tomb of ,s4
 ,agnes1 not only induced her father to 
build a  basilica above that tomb1 but  
also the remarkable ,church of ,st4     
,constanza1 which is hard by4 ,that she 
had chamberlains named ,john and  ,paul1
 devout ,christians1 is also more than  
probable1 as also that she  bequeathed  
to them a large portion of her fortune4 
,the fact of their  being zealous       
,christians1 and exerting themselves    
vigorously to advance  the ,faith1 that 
among other converts they made was      
,ovius ,gallicanus1 who  had been       
,consul in #ccj1 is also probable4 ,that
 they were secretly put to  death in    
their own mansion on the ,clian ,hill1  
by the orders of ,julian1  and buried in
 their cellar1 is quite certain4 ,the   
chain of evidence is  unbroken4    ,that
 ,constantia had as her friends and     
fellows in her retired devout  life     
three of the daughters of the           
ex-,consul1 is not at all unlikely4     

,that he was banished to ,alexandria by 
,julian may be admitted4 ,but this  is  
the utmost4 ,the recomposer of the ,acts
 tried to spice the story to  suit the  
taste of his times1 and in doing so fell
 into extravagances1  anachronisms1 and 
absurdities4    ,constantia may have    
felt grateful for the disorder that kept
 her out of  the current of public life1
 and from the intrigues of the palace4  
,her father1 with all his good          
qualities1 was a violent man2 and his   
adoption of ,christianity was due to    
political shrewdness rather than to     
conviction4    ,in #cbd ,crispus1 her   
accomplished brother1 whose virtues and 
glory had  made him a favourite with the
 people1 was accused of conspiring      
against  his father by his stepmother   
,fausta1 who desired to clear him out of
 the  way to make room for her own son  
,constantius4 ,another involved in the  
same charge was ,licinius1 a son of the 
sister of ,constantine1 and who  was    
also a young man of good qualities4     

,constantine was at ,rome at the time4  
,he went into a fit of blind fury1  and 
had his son put to death1 and ordered   
the execution of ,licinius4  ,then1     
coming to his senses1 and finding that  
he had acted without having  any        
evidence of the truth of the charges1 he
 turned round on his wife  ,fausta1 and 
ordered her to be suffocated in a vapour
 bath4    ,constantine died in #ccg4    
8,one dark shadow from the great tragedy
 of his life reached to his last  end1  
and beyond it10 says ,dean ,stanley4    
8,it is said that the ,bishop of        
,nicomedia1 to whom the ,emperor's will 
had been confided1 alarmed at its       
contents1 immediately placed it for     
security in the dead man's hand1        
wrapped in the vestments of death4      
,there it lay till ,constantius         
arrived1 and read his father's dying    
bequest4 ,it was believed to express    
the ,emperor's conviction that he had   
been poisoned by his brothers and  their
 children1 and to call on ,constantius  

to avenge his death4 ,that  bequest was 
obeyed by the massacre of six out of the
 surviving princes  of the imperial     
family4 ,two alone escaped4 ,with such a
 mingling of light  and darkness did    
,constantine close his career40#b       
,one of ,constantia's sisters1          
,constantina1 has been already          
mentioned4  ,her second husband was     
,gallus4 8,she was an incarnate fury10  
says  ,ammianus ,marcellinus2 8never    
weary of inflaming the savage temper of 
her  husband4 ,the pair1 in process of  
time1 becoming skilful in inflicting    
suffering1 hired a gang of crafty       
talebearers1 who loaded the innocent    
with false charges1 accusing them of    
aiming at the royal power or of         
practising magic40 ,those accused were  
all put to death and their goods        
confiscated4 ,she died of fever in #cec4
    ,another sister1 ,helena1 was       
married to the ,apostate ,julian4 ,her  
brother1  ,constantius1 although a      
,christian1 was as ensanguined with     

murders as  one of the old ,csars4 ,her 
brothers ,constans and ,constantine     
,,ii4 fought  each other1 and           
,constantine was slain4 ,violence1      
bloodshed1 stained the  whole family1   
except perhaps ,helena and certainly the
 blameless  ,constantia4 ,in the midst  
of such violence and crime1 it was      
indeed  something to disappear from the 
pages of the profane historian and to be
  remembered only as a builder of       
churches4    ,the rotunda near ,s4      
,agnese1 that bears ,constantia's name1 
was erected  during her life1 to serve  
as her mausoleum1 and in it she and her 
sister  ,helena were laid4 ,she was laid
 in the beautiful sarcophagus of red    
porphyry that was in the church4 ,this  
was carried off by ,pope ,paul ,,ii41   
who intended to convert it to his own   
use1 and it is now preserved in  the    
,vatican4    ,the vaulting of the church
 is covered with mosaic arabesques of   
flowers  and birds referring to a       
vintage4          ,illustration3 ,,the  

,,sister ,,of ,s4 ,,basil4              
,,vi4                            ,,the  
,,sister ,,of ,s4 ,,basil      ,it is   
most rare to be able to obtain a glimpse
 into the home-life of the  ancients4   
,in the first centuries of our era1 in  
the ,greek and ,roman  world1 life was  
so much in public1 that there was hardly
 any domestic  life at all2 and it was  
only with ,christianity that the quiet1 
retired  and sweet home society         
constituted itself4    ,in the midst of 
flaunting paganism1 the first believers 
were driven  indoors1 so to speak2 they 
were precluded from much of the         
amusement  that went to fill up the time
 of the heathen4 ,they could not sit on 
the  benches of the amphitheatre1 nor   
attend at the representations of the    
theatre4 ,they were largely prevented   
from being present at banquets  given by
 friends1 as these began and ended with 
libations to the gods1  and the         
benediction of the deities called down  
on the meats4 ,they were  precluded from

 taking part in civil life1 by the oaths
 and sacrifices  associated with every  
official act4    ,thinking1 feeling1    
believing differently from their        
fellow-citizens1  they could not        
associate with them easily abroad1 and  
were consequently  driven to find their 
society in their own homes4    ,perhaps 
it is only in the writings of ,s4 ,basil
 and his brother ,s4  ,gregory of ,nyssa
 that we get anything like a look into  
the interior of a  ,christian household 
in the fourth century4 ,it is therefore1
 although a  quiet picture of an        
uneventful and unexciting existence1    
full of  interest and charm4 ,s4 ,basil 
belonged to a family both noble and     
wealthy1 in ,cappadocia1 in ,asia       
,minor4 ,his ancestors had occupied     
public  positions either as magistrates 
or at the imperial court4    ,his       
grandmother1 ,macrina1 a native of      
,neocsarea1 in ,pontus1 had been        
brought up by ,s4 ,gregory the          
wonder-worker2 and she and her husband1 

whose name is not recorded1 were        
confessors in the persecution of        
,diocletian4 ,they fled to the wooded   
mountain sides1 leaving their houses    
and possessions2 and in their places of 
retreat subsisted mainly on the  wild   
deer1 that were so tame that they       
allowed themselves to be easily  snared4
 ,they remained in concealment for seven
 years1 and it was not  till an edict in
 favour of the ,christians was          
promulgated1 on ,april  #cjth1 #caa1    
that they ventured to return to         
,neocsarea4    ,macrina died in ,pontus 
about #cdj4 ,her son ,basil inherited   
the piety of  his parents1 and he took  
to wife milia1 a woman of great virtue1 
the  daughter of a man who had been put 
to death after having been deprived  of 
his goods by the ,emperor ,licinius4    
,she had lost her mother in early       
youth4    ,basil and milia were very    
wealthy4 ,they owned extensive estates  
in  ,pontus1 ,cappadocia and ,lesser    
,armenia2 they had a large family1 ten  

children1 of whom the eldest was        
,macrina1 named after her grandmother2  
,s4 ,basil was the eldest son1 then came
 ,naucratius1 ,gregory1 afterwards  of  
,nyssa1 and ,peter1 the youngest1       
afterwards of ,sebaste4 ,we know no     
more of the four younger girls than that
 they were well provided for in         
marriage1 and one of them had daughters 
who became superiors of a  monastery in 
,csarea under the direction of their    
uncle1 ,s4 ,basil4    ,basil the elder1 
the father1 died about #cdi1 shortly    
after the birth of  ,peter4 milia was   
now left a widow with a large family to 
look after1  but she was assisted in    
everything by her eldest daughter1      
,macrina1 who  was her inseparable      
companion4    ,when ,macrina had been   
born she had been confided to a nurse1  
but it was  remarked that she was almost
 always in her mother's arms4 milia took
  pains to form the mind of the little  
girl1 and give it a religious           
direction4 ,she taught her first of all 

sentences from the ,book of  ,wisdom1   
then made her commit sundry psalms to   
memory2 so that1 as her  brother        
,gregory wrote1 the ,psalter became to  
her a companion day and  night1 and she 
was for ever singing psalms or reciting 
them in her  heart4    ,macrina was a   
good and patient needlewoman4 ,not only 
was the house  large1 but the brothers  
and sisters needed attention1 and their 
clothes  keeping in order1 and milia and
 her eldest daughter were constantly    
engaged at their needles1 to keep pace  
with the demands of the family2  and as 
they were always together1 one mind was 
but the reflexion of the  other4        
,what tended to make ,macrina a still1  
stay-at-home girl1 was an early  love   
affair4 ,she had been engaged by her    
father's consent to a  high-principled1 
well-born young man1 and the marriage   
was only deferred  because of ,macrina's
 youth4 ,but before this took place he  
fell ill of  fever and was carried off  
rapidly4 ,after this ,basil thought of  

uniting  his daughter to some other     
suitable person1 but ,macrina urgently  
entreated to be allowed to remain with  
her mother4 8,my dear husband10  she    
said1 8is not dead1--he lives with ,god4
 ,he has gone on a far  journey--that is
 all1 and ,i shall remain faithful to   
him whilst he is  away40    ,her father 
did not press her--indeed1 the devotion 
of ,macrina to her  mother was so tender
 and so close that he thought neither   
could bear to  be parted4 ,when he also 
died1 then the union of hearts and      
interests  became closer4    ,as the    
children grew up they dispersed1 and    
received their several  inheritances2   
but they all carried away with them     
indelibly the stamp  impressed on their 
hearts by their mother and eldest       
sister2 and in the  end three of them   
became bishops and saints4 ,peter1 the  
youngest1 had  been most in their hands1
 but the favourite brother was          
,naucratius4    ,as soon as all the     
birds were out of the nest1 then milia  

felt that  there was nothing to retain  
her in the city1 and she pined to be    
away  from its dusty streets and noisy  
market in the green1 sweet country1 and 
in quiet with ,god4    ,accordingly she 
and ,macrina retired to a villa they    
possessed on the  banks of the river    
,iris1 at some little distance from the 
town of ,ibora4  ,this they converted   
into a sort of monastery4 ,the slaves   
and other  servants1 if they chose to   
unite in the same life1 were given      
freedom  and accepted on the footing of 
sisters1 no distinction being made      
between the members of the little       
community4    ,s4 ,gregory of ,nyssa    
says of this society3 8,they were all as
 one in what  they ate and drank1 as to 
their furniture and cells1 and there was
 no  token that they belonged originally
 to different ranks in the world4       
,there was no ruffle of temper among    
them1 no petty jealousies1 no           
suspicions1 no spite 4444 all their     
occupation was in prayer and the        

singing of psalms1 which went on night  
and day40    ,peter1 the youngest1 who  
had been ordained1 lived near at hand1  
and for  the care he had received as a  
child returned his ministerial offices4 
,s4  ,basil also for awhile lived in    
retirement not far off1 and was a help  
and comfort to them4    ,macrina        
suffered about this time from a painful 
abscess in her breast1  and milia       
constantly urged her to let a doctor    
examine and lance it4  ,she was afraid  
lest1 should it not be opened1 it might 
break internally4  ,but ,macrina was so 
modest and sensitive--perhaps absurdly  
so--that she  shrank from the ordeal of 
letting a man treat the place4 ,at last 
the old  lady insisted2 the abscess had 
become so hot and swollen that she was  
alarmed4    ,macrina1 struggling against
 shame1 went into the little oratory1   
and  remained weeping and praying there 
all night1 sometimes with her face      
against the ground and her tears running
 over the dust4 ,the heat and  pain in  

her breast and the tension were so      
insupportable1 that she  gathered up    
some of the cool earth and pressed it to
 the swelling1 when  it burst1 and she  
was relieved2 and so the need for       
calling in a surgeon  was overpassed4   
,at length milia died1 at an advanced   
age4 ,none of her children were  with   
her at the time except ,macrina and     
,peter2 however1 as she was  dying1 the 
old and saintly woman murmured blessings
 on the absent  darlings1 and taking    
,peter by one hand and ,macrina by the  
other1 said1  8,lord1 ,i offer to ,thee 
my firstfruits and my tithe4 ,accept    
them1 ,o ,lord1  and pour the floods of 
,thy grace into both their hearts40     
,they were her  last words4 ,she died in
 #cgc1 and was laid beside her husband  
whom she  had loved so well4 ,the grief 
of ,macrina was not to be expressed4    
,she had  been the inseparable companion
 of her mother since her earliest       
infancy1  and they had not had a thought
 or wish but what was in common4        

,before ,macrina had recovered from this
 blow she was called on to endure       
another4 ,her favourite brother1        
,naucratius1 was found dead in the field
  along with his servant ,chrysapius1   
without it being known what had  caused 
their death4    ,six years later she was
 called to mourn the loss of her eldest 
brother1  ,s4 ,basil4 ,it was she who1  
with his friend ,gregory ,nazianzen1 had
 been  the means of turning his heart   
entirely to ,god4 ,as a young man he had
  been disposed to push his way as a    
statesman4 ,in #cee ,basil had been at  
school with ,julian1 afterwards         
,emperor1 and an apostate from the      
faith1  and with ,gregory1 who was the  
son of the ,bishop of ,nazianzus4 ,basil
 had  not formed a high opinion of the  
former1 but with ,gregory 8it was one   
soul in two bodies40 ,on returning to   
,csarea after his father's death1       
,basil turned towards a life in the     
world1 and a prospect of advancement  in
 official life opened to him4 ,it was   

then that ,macrina had exerted all  her 
influence over him1 and gave him that   
final direction which made of  him so   
glorious a saint and teacher of the     
,church4    ,and now ,macrina had lost  
him4    ,in the month of ,september or  
,october in the year following the death
 of  ,s4 ,basil1 ,gregory--now ,bishop  
of ,nyssa--was present at the ,council  
held at  ,antioch1 and on leaving it he 
resolved on paying a visit to ,macrina4 
,he  had not seen her since the death of
 their brother ,basil1 and he wished  to
 talk with her about him4 ,the journey  
was long1 and the snows were  already   
powdering the lower ranges of the lofty 
mountains he had to  pass4    ,on the   
night previous to his arrival on the    
banks of the ,iris1 after a  tedious and
 long day's travel1 he had a dream4 ,it 
seemed to him that he  held relics in   
his hands that emitted a blaze of white 
light4    ,when he awoke he wondered    
what this dream could signify1 for he   
was not  above the superstition of his  

age which attributed importance to      
dreams2  but as he neared the monastery 
he met a servant who told him that      
,macrina was dangerously ill1 and       
,gregory at once concluded that his     
dream was a portent of her approaching  
dissolution4    ,sick at heart1 he      
pressed forward1 and arrived at the     
villa4 ,those  within came forth to     
welcome him1 except the sisters1 who    
remained in  the church1 sorrowful at   
the prospect of losing their best       
friend1 yet  glad that she should see   
her brother before her death4           
,gregory at once entered the church and 
prayed1 and gave his episcopal          
benediction to all4 ,then he asked to be
 conducted to ,macrina4    ,we have an  
account of the last scene from his own  
pen1 and this shall be  given with only 
a little condensation4    8,a woman who 
was there opened the door to me1 and led
 me within4 ,i found  my sister lying on
 the ground1 on a plank covered with    
sackcloth 7the  ,cilician material made 

of goat's hair1 much in use for         
blankets7 and  with a pillow of the same
 supporting her head4 ,she was very ill1
 but  when she saw me1 unable on account
 of her great weakness to rise and  meet
 me1 she lifted herself on one elbow1   
placing the other hand on the  ground   
for her support4 ,i ran to her1 and     
insisted on laying her down  again as   
she had been4 ,then she lifted her hands
 to ,heaven and said1 #8,i  thank ,thee1
 ,o ,lord my ,god1 in that ,thou hast   
fulfilled the desire of my  heart4'     
8,she did her utmost to conceal from us 
what a difficulty she found in          
breathing1 so as not to increase our    
distress2 and her face was bright  and  
smiling1 and she spoke of such matters  
as she thought pleasing to  us4 ,but    
when we came to mention ,basil1 then my 
face expressed the grief  ,i was in at  
his loss4 ,but she1 on the contrary1    
spoke of the matter with  serenity of   
soul and elevation of mind1 so that ,i  
felt myself as though  carried up above 

all worldly considerations into heavenly
 regions with  her4    8,presently she  
said1 #8,brother1 you have had a tedious
 journey1 and must  be very tired3 ,i   
pray you take a little rest4' ,and      
although it was a  delight to me to     
listen to her1 yet ,i obeyed2 and ,i    
went forth into the  garden1 where was a
 pleasant shady walk4 ,however1 ,i was  
in such trouble  of mind that ,i could  
admire nothing1 and ,i could think only 
of what must  shortly happen4    8,i    
suppose she must have divined my        
thoughts1 for she sent word to me  not  
to fret1 as she hoped speedily to be    
better2 but she really meant  that she  
would escape from her present pains1 and
 be with ,god1 for whom  her soul ever  
thirsted4 ,i got up when ,i heard this1 
and went to see her  again4 ,then1 when 
we were together1 she began to talk     
about old times1  since our childhood1  
and all as calmly and consequently as   
though she  were reading out of a book4 
,she talked of the mercies shown by ,god

 to  our father1 mother1 and all the    
family4    8,i wanted to tell her about 
my troubles when the ,emperor ,valens   
banished  me for the ,faith1 and of     
other troubles in which ,i had been     
involved2  but she cut me short with    
#8,never lose sight of the obligations  
you owe  to ,god4 ,think chiefly of the 
advantages you have received from ,him4'
    8,as she was speaking we heard the  
song of the virgins calling to  vespers1
 and my sister bade me go to the church4
 ,thus passed the night1  and when day  
dawned ,i could see clearly by her      
condition that it would  be her last1   
for the fever had exhausted her last    
powers4    8,my soul was agitated by    
double feelings3 one was grief1 for     
nature  would make me feel1 and ,i knew 
that the words ,i heard were the last   
that  would be uttered by one very dear 
to me2 the other was admiration at the  
calm and trust with which she awaited   
death4    8,the sun was nigh setting    
without her having lost the force of her

 mind4  ,then she ceased to speak to us1
 but folded her hands and fixed her eyes
  on her heavenly ,bridegroom4 ,her     
little bed was turned with the feet to  
the east1 and she spoke to ,him in a low
 voice1 which we could hardly  hear4 ,we
 did1 however1 collect some of her      
words3 #8,o ,lord1 ,thou  deliverest us 
from the fear of death2 ,thou makest the
 close of life the  commencement of a   
new and truer life4 ,thou sufferest us  
to sleep awhile1  and then wilt call us 
with the trumpet at the end of time4 ,to
 the earth  ,thou entrustest the dust of
 which ,thy hands have fashioned us1 to 
reclaim it and clothe it with           
immortality and glory4 ,lord1 ,thou who 
on  the ,cross didst pardon the         
malefactor1 remember me in ,thy         
kingdom4'    8,then ,macrina made the   
sign of the cross on her eyes1 her      
mouth1 and her  heart2 and1 the strength
 of the fever having parched her tongue1
 we  could no longer follow her1 but saw
 that her lips continued to move4 ,she  

closed her eyes2 but when a lamp was    
brought into the room she opened  them1 
and made a sign that she desired to     
recite vespers4 ,but her tongue  failed 
her1 only her spirit was active1 and her
 lips and hands moved as  before1 and we
 understood when she had finished1 by   
her again signing  herself4    8,finally
 she drew a long1 deep sigh1 and passed 
away in prayer4 ,seeing  what had taken 
place1 and remembering a wish she had   
expressed to me1 in  our last           
conversation1 that ,i should render her 
the last offices1 ,i put  out my shaking
 hand to her face to close the eyes and 
mouth4 ,but ,i did  this only to fulfil 
my promise1 for really there was no     
need1 as eyes  and mouth were closed1 so
 that she appeared rather to be sleeping
 than  dead4 ,her hands lay on her      
breast1 and her body rested modestly1 as
 that  of a virgin40    ,when ,macrina  
was being prepared for burial1 there was
 no other raiment  of hers found save   
her veil1 her mantle1 habit1 and a pair 

of worn-out  shoes4 ,then ,gregory gave 
one of his own tunics for clothing his  
sister's  body1 and over her was cast   
her mother's black cloak2 8and10 says   
,gregory1 8the blackness of this cloak  
made her face seem so much the  whiter1 
as though it shone with light40    ,as  
she was being clothed1 a widow1 who     
loved her and attended to these  last   
offices1 untied a slender string that   
was round her neck1 and  released a     
little cross and an iron ring4    8,keep
 the cross10 said ,gregory to the widow1
 8as a remembrance of her2  and ,i shall
 ever preserve the ring40    ,who can   
tell8 ,perhaps that poor little iron    
ring was the reminiscence of  her       
engagement to the young man to whom she 
had long ago been betrothed1  and to    
whom she had remained ever faithful4    
,illustration3 ,s4 ,,genevi,,ve4        
,,vii                                   
,,genevi,,ve ,,of ,,paris      ,s4      
,genevive was born and lived in a time  
of frightful disaster1  unparalleled in 

the history of ,europe4 ,from the       
commencement of the  fifth century a    
veritable deluge of diverse nations1    
driven on one by  another1 inundated the
 crumbling empire1 and gave the signal  
for its  complete ruin4    ,the ,franks1
 under the long-haired ,clodion1        
traversing the forest of the  ,ardennes1
 and rolling to the banks of the ,somme1
 had seized on ,amiens1  ,cambrai1      
,tournai1 after having burnt ,trves1 and
 sacked ,cologne4 ,the  citizens1 of    
,trves1 which had been the residence of 
emperors since  ,maximian1 had been     
slaughtered in the circus to which they 
had fled4 ,the  amphitheatre1 which     
under ,constantine has streamed with the
 blood of the  ,barbarians1 was now     
heaped with the bodies of ,romans4      
,cologne had been  revelling in drunken 
orgy1 when a slave ran to announce that 
the ,franks  were on the walls4 ,the    
citizens had not the manhood to rise    
from table  so as to die standing4      
,their blood mingled with the wine of   

their  overturned cups4 ,god chastised  
,roman vices with disgrace as with iron4
  ,in this fifth century three societies
 stood face to face--the ,old ,roman    
polity1 the ,barbarian1 and the ,church4
 ,rome went to pieces under the  blows  
of the ,barbarians1 but the ,barbarian  
in turn was subjugated by               
,christianity4    ,s4 ,genevive was born
 at ,nanterre1 about seven miles from   
,paris1 in #dbb  or #dbc4 ,the old name 
of the place1 ,nemetdoor1 is purely     
,celtic1 as is  her name1 which is the  
same as ,gwenever or ,gwenhwyvar in     
,welsh4 ,her  father was named ,severus1
 and her mother ,gerontia1 the female   
form of  ,geraint4 ,there can be no     
doubt whatever that she was of ,gallic  
origin1  but ,latinised1 and a          
,christian4    ,one word1 before        
proceeding1 about the authority for her 
life4 ,this is a  biography1 written    
eighteen years after her death1 by the  
priest ,genes1  her spiritual director4 
,he learned from the saint the general  

outline of  the incidents in her        
childhood1 and these he dressed up in   
what he  believed to be literary style4 
,late in the ,middle ,ages it was said  
that ,s4 ,genevive had kept sheep for   
her father1 and she is now generally    
represented as a shepherdess2 but  there
 is no early authority for this1        
although the fact is very  probable4 ,in
 the year #dbi ,s4 ,germain1 ,bishop of 
,auxerre1 and ,s4 ,lupus1  ,bishop of   
,troyes1 at the entreaty of the ,british
 ,church1 commissioned  for the work by 
a ,council of ,gallican bishops1 left   
their dioceses to  visit our island1    
there to withstand the ,pelagian heresy1
 which was  making way4    ,s4 ,germain 
was well qualified to go to ,britain1 as
 he was of ,celtic  origin1 and his     
sister was the wife of ,aldor1 brother  
of ,constantine ,i41  ,king of ,devon   
and ,cornwall4    ,on his way to the    
coast he passed through ,nanterre4 ,the 
people1 hearing  of his approach1 lined 
the road1 and with them were the        

children in  goodly numbers4    ,as     
,germain and ,lupus advanced1 the eye of
 the former rested on a fair  little    
girl of seven1 whose devout look1 and   
sweet1 innocent face1  arrested him4 ,he
 stood still1 and called her to him1    
then stooped and  kissed her on the     
brow1 and asked her name4 ,he was told  
that she was  called ,genevive4 ,the    
pleased parents now stepped up1 and the 
venerable  bishop asked1 8,is this your 
child80    ,they answered in the        
affirmative4    8,then10 said ,germain1 
8happy are ye in having a child so      
blessed4 ,she  will be great before     
,god2 and1 moved by her example1 many   
will decline  from evil and incline to  
that which is good1 and will obtain     
remission  of their sins1 and the reward
 of life from ,christ40 ,and then1 after
 a  pause1 he said to the young girl1   
8,my daughter1 ,genevive40 ,she         
answered1 8,thy little maiden listens40 
,then he said1 8,do not fear to tell me 
whether it be not your desire to  devote

 yourself body and soul to ,christ40    
,she answered1 8,blessed be thou1       
father1 for thou hast spoken my desire4 
,i pray ,god earnestly that ,he will    
grant it me40    8,have confidence1 my  
daughter10 said ,germain2 8be of good   
courage1 and  what you believe in your  
heart and confess with your lips1 that  
take  care to perform4 ,god will add to 
your comeliness both virtue and         
strength40    ,then they went into the  
church and sang nones and vespers1 and  
throughout the office ,bishop ,germain  
rested his right hand on the fair       
little head of the child4    ,that      
evening1 after supper had been eaten and
 they had sung a hymn1  ,germain bade   
,severus retire with his daughter1 but  
bring her to him  again early next      
morning4 ,so when day broke1 ,severus   
returned with the  child1 and the old   
bishop smiled1 and said1 8,welcome1     
little daughter  ,genevive4 ,do you     
recollect what was said yesterday80     
,she answered1 8,my father1 ,i remember 

what ,i promised1 and with ,god's  help 
what ,i promised that ,i will perform40 
,then ,s4 ,germain picked up a brass    
coin from the ground1 which had the     
sign of the cross on it1 and which he   
had noticed lying there whilst he  was  
speaking2 and he gave it to her1 saying1
 8,bore a hole in this1 and  wear it    
round thy neck in remembrance of me1 and
 let no other ornament1  or gold or     
silver or pearls1 adorn thy neck and thy
 fingers40 ,then he  bade her farewell1 
commending her to the care of her       
father1 and pursued  his journey4       
,now1 we may ask1 ,how much of this is  
true8 ,almost everything4 ,genevive  was
 certain never to forget how the old    
bishop had stopped her1 when a  little  
mite of seven1 how he had asked her     
name1 had made her promise to  love and 
fear ,god2 how in church his hand had   
rested all through the  service on her  
head1 and how he had given her the coin 
to wear4 ,but as  to the prophecy       
relative to her future1 and to his      

exacting of her a  promise to be a nun1 
all that may be the make-up of ,genes1  
writing after  she had been a blessing  
to the people of ,paris1 and had        
embraced the  monastic life4    ,at the 
age of fifteen she and two other girls  
somewhat older than  herself presented  
themselves before the bishop to be      
veiled as dedicated  virgins4 ,it was   
remarked that1 although ,genevive was   
the youngest1 yet  the bishop           
consecrated her first4    ,after their  
dedication they returned to their homes2
 for1 at that time1  it was not a matter
 of course that consecrated virgins     
should live in  community4    ,about    
this time her mother suffered from      
inflamed eyes1 and for  twenty-one      
months1 or nearly two years1 could not  
see to do her  household work4          
,accordingly1 ,genevive was of immense  
assistance to her4  ,she was wont       
repeatedly to bathe her mother's eyes   
with water from the  well1 and this in  
time reduced the inflammation1 so that  

eventually  ,gerontia recovered her     
sight4    ,at last ,genevive lost both  
her parents1 and now1 having no home    
duties  to restrain her1 she went to    
,paris into a religious community4      
,in #ddg ,s4 ,germain again visited     
,britain about the same trouble which   
had  occasioned his first journey2 and  
when1 on his way1 he came to ,paris1 he 
inquired for the little girl whom he had
 blessed at ,nanterre eighteen  years   
before4    ,genes tells us that some    
spiteful people sought to disparage her2
 but  ,germain would not hearken to     
them1 and sent for and communed with    
her4    ,what caused them to make light 
of her was probably this4 ,she had      
adopted  a life of great asceticism1    
eating nothing but barley bread and     
beans1  and that only twice in the week2
 and remaining within her cell1         
conversing with none from ,epiphany till
 ,easter4    ,there were a number of    
people in ,paris who did not like these 
extravagances2 and it was these1 in all 

probability1 who spoke against  her to  
,s4 ,germain4 ,but1 as we shall see     
presently1 by this means she did        
acquire an enormous power over the      
people of ,paris1 which she used for    
good4    ,s4 ,germain had probably but  
just returned from ,britain before a new
 and  terrible scourge broke upon ,gaul4
    ,in #dea1 the ,huns1 headed by their
 king1 ,attila1 burst in4 ,in two       
columns  this vast horde had ascended   
the ,danube4 ,one of these drew several 
,german peoples along with it1 eager for
 plunder1 whilst the other fell  on and 
crushed the isolated ,roman stations4   
,this agglomeration of  invaders met at 
the sources of the ,danube1 crossed the 
,rhine at ,basle1  where the proximity  
to the ,black ,forest favoured the      
construction of  rafts for passing over4
    ,the ,franks1 who occupied the right
 bank of the ,rhine1 extended their     
hands to the ,huns4 ,the ,burgundians1  
however1 offered a vain resistance1  and
 were cut to pieces4 ,the ,huns1        

entering ,gaul1 completed the           
destruction of what had been left       
standing by ,vandals1 ,suevi1 and       
,alans4  ,attila1 following the ,rhine  
as he had the ,danube1 devastated       
,alsace4  ,strasburg1 ,spires1 ,worms1  
ruined by preceding invasions1 had not  
risen  from the dust4 ,mayence was      
sacked1 ,toul sank in flames1 ,metz had 
its  walls and towers overthrown after a
 few months' resistance4 ,the savage    
conquerors massacred all1 even to the   
children at the breast4 ,they fired  the
 town1 and long after its site could    
only be recognised by the ,chapel  of   
,s4 ,stephen1 which had escaped the     
conflagration4    ,several cities opened
 their gates to ,attila3 they hoped to  
find safety  in submission2 they did but
 expedite their destruction4 ,despair   
gave  courage to others1 but no heroism 
availed against these devouring  hordes4
 ,rheims and ,arras were delivered over 
to the sack4 ,the host broke  up into   
fractions1 which ravaged the country1   

carrying everywhere fire  and sword4    
,attila advanced to the ,loire4    ,then
 it was that a panic fell on the        
inhabitants of ,paris4 ,in madness of   
fear1 they prepared to desert it3 the   
rich in their chariots and  waggons1 the
 poor on foot4    ,it was now that ,s4  
,genevive stood forward and rebuked     
their cowardice4  ,whither could they   
fly8 ,the enemy penetrated everywhere4  
,the ,hun gained  audacity by the       
universal panic4 ,better man their      
walls1 brace their  hearts1 and resist  
heroically4    ,the ,parisian mob1      
headlong and cruel1 as such a mob has   
ever been1  howled at her1 and prepared 
to pelt her with stones and cast her    
into  the ,seine1 when1 opportunely1    
appeared the ,archdeacon of ,auxerre1   
sent  expressly to ,genevive from the   
bishop1 just returned from ,britain1 and
  now dying1 bearing ,blessed ,bread to 
her1 that he had sent in token of       
affectionate communion4 ,this loaf1 the 
eulogia1 was that from which  the bread 

for the ,communion had been taken1 and  
which remained over4 ,it  had been      
blessed1 but not consecrated2 and it was
 sent by bishops to  those whom they    
held in esteem4    ,such a token of     
regard paid to ,genevive by one so      
highly esteemed awed  the rabble1 and   
they swung from one temper to another4  
,they were now  amenable to her advice4 
,they closed the gates1 accumulated the 
munitions  of war1 and made preparations
 to stand a siege2 but ,attila did not  
approach4 ,he foresaw that it would take
 him too long to reduce so strong  a    
place4 ,on the #adth of ,june1 #dea1 the
 ,huns encountered their first  repulse4
 ,they were driven from the siege of    
,orleans4 ,on the field of              
,chlons-sur-,marne1 the memorable battle
 was fought between ,aetius1 the  ,roman
 general1 and ,attila4 8,it was a       
battle10 says the historian  ,jornandes1
 8which for atrocity1 multitude1 horror1
 and stubbornness has  not had its      
like40 ,the field was heaped with the   

dead1 but it resulted  in the expulsion 
of the ,huns from ,gaul4    ,feeling a  
great reverence for ,s4 ,denis1         
,genevive desired greatly to  build a   
church on the scene of his martyrdom2   
and she urged some priests  to undertake
 the work4 ,but they hesitated1 saying  
that they had no means  of burning      
lime--it was a lost art4 ,then1 so runs 
the tale1 one of them  suddenly         
recollected having heard two swineherds 
in conversation on the  bridge over the 
,seine4 ,one had said to the other3     
8,whilst ,i was  following one of my    
pigs the other day1 ,i lit in the forest
 on an  ancient abandoned lime-kiln40   
8,that is no marvel10 answered the      
other1 8for ,i found a sapling in the   
forest uprooted by the wind1 and under  
its roots was an old kiln40    ,the     
priests inquired where these kilns were 
and used them1 and ,genevive  set the   
priest ,genes1 who was afterwards her   
biographer1 to superintend  the work of 
building the church4    ,it shows to    

what a condition of degradation the art 
of building had  fallen1 when the       
,parisians were unable to burn lime     
without old ,roman  kilns for the       
purpose4    ,a little incident1 very    
simple and natural1 was afterwards      
worked up  into a marvel4 ,she was going
 one night from her lodging to the      
church  for prayers1 carrying a lantern1
 when the wind1 which was violent1      
extinguished it4 ,she opened the        
lantern1 when a puff of wind on the     
thick red glowing wick rekindled the    
flame4 ,this was thought quite          
miraculous4 ,it is a thing that has     
happened over and over again with       
tallow candles when the snuff is long4  
,in the year #dhf1 ,childeric1 ,king of 
the ,franks1 laid siege to ,paris1      
which had remained under ,roman         
governors4 ,the siege lasted ten years1 
to  #dif4 ,it cannot have been          
prosecuted with much persistence4       
,the ,frank army reduced the city to    
great straits1 and famine set in4 ,the  

poor suffered the extremity of want1 and
 were dying like flies4 ,no one  seemed 
to know what to do4 ,all energy and     
resourcefulness had deserted  those in  
authority4 ,genevive alone showed what  
steps should be taken3  she got into a  
ship1 and was rowed up the ,seine1 and  
then up the ,aube to  ,aris1 where she  
knew that she could obtain corn4 ,in the
 ,seine was a  fallen tree with a snag  
that had been the cause of the loss of  
several  vessels1 but no one had thought
 of removing the obstruction4 ,genevive 
made her boatmen saw up the tree and    
break it1 so that it floated down       
stream and could effect no further      
mischief4 ,another instance of the      
condition of helplessness into which the
 debased provincials of ,gaul had       
fallen3 they neither could build        
lime-kilns nor keep their rivers open   
for traffic4 ,she got together what     
provisions she could at ,aris1 then     
went on upon the same quest to ,troyes1 
and finally laded eleven barges  with   

corn1 and returned with them to the     
famished city4 ,as they neared  ,paris a
 strong gale was blowing1 and the barges
 being laden very heavily  ran some     
risk1 especially as here also there were
 snags in the water4  ,but with patience
 and trouble they were manuvred through 
these  impediments1 and the convoy      
arrived in ,paris1 with the priests     
singing1  and all who were in the boats 
joining1 8,the ,lord is our help and our
  salvation4 ,the ,lord hath delivered  
us in the time of trouble40    ,the joy 
and gratitude of the ,parisians knew no 
bounds4 ,afterwards1 when  the city did 
fall1 ,childeric resolved on executing a
 great host of  captives2 but ,genevive1
 in a paroxysm of compassion1 rushed to 
him1  fell on her knees1 and would not  
desist from intercession on their       
behalf till he had consented to spare   
them4    ,at length1 worn out by age1   
she died in #eab1 and was buried in     
,paris1  where now stands the ,panthon4 
,the church was desecrated at the       

,revolution1 and turned into a          
burial-place for ,mirabeau1 the regicide
  ,lepelletier de ,saint-,fargeau1 the  
brutal ,marat1 ,dampierre1 ,fabre1      
,bayle1  and other revolutionaries4 ,the
 bodies of ,voltaire and ,rousseau were 
also  transferred to it4    ,in #ahjf it
 was again restored as a church1 but was
 once more turned into  a temple after  
the ,july revolution of #ahcj4 ,once    
again consecrated in  #ahea1 it was     
finally secularised in #ahhe for the    
obsequies of ,victor  ,hugo4            
,illustration3 ,,the ,,sister ,,of ,s4  
,,benedict4                             
,,viii                          ,,the   
,,sister ,,of ,s4 ,,benedict      ,it   
looked to the eyes of ,christians of the
 ,roman ,empire crumbling to  pieces as 
though the end of all things were at    
hand4 ,from every quarter  barbarism was
 extending over the confines of the     
,empire and was breaking  them down4    
,the civilisation which had been built  
up through centuries1  the organism of  

political unity1 the literature and     
learning of two  great and gifted races1
 the ,greek and the ,latin1 achievements
 of art  never to be surpassed1 and     
,christianity1 all seemed destined to go
 down  and be trodden under foot never  
to reappear4    ,throughout the ,church 
there rose the wail to ,god--8,thine    
adversaries roar  in the midst of ,thy  
congregations3 and set up their banners 
for tokens4  ,he that hewed timber afore
 out of the thick trees was known to    
bring it  to an excellent work4 ,but now
 they break down all the carved work    
thereof with axes and hammers4 ,they    
have set fire upon ,thy holy places3    
and have defiled the dwelling-place of  
,thy ,name1 even unto the ground4  ,yea1
 they said in their hearts1 ,let us make
 havock of them altogether3  thus have  
they burnt up all the houses of ,god in 
the land4 ,we see not  our tokens1 there
 is not one prophet more3 no1 not one is
 there among  us1 that understandeth any
 more4 ,o ,god1 how long shall the      

adversary do  this dishonour3 how long  
shall the enemy blaspheme ,thy ,name1   
for ever80    ,confusion1 corruption1   
despair and death1 were everywhere2     
social  dismemberment was complete4 ,the
 empire that had embraced the known     
world  was crumbling to dust under the  
blows of the mysterious multitudes      
passing out of the darkness beyond the  
pale4 ,odoacer1 the chief of the        
,heruli1 had snatched the purple of the 
,csars from the shoulders of  their last
 representative in #dgf1 but himself    
disdained to wear a mantle  that was    
stained with cowardice and dishonour4   
,authority1 morals1 laws1  science1 the 
arts1 religion itself1 all seemed to be 
sinking into the  vortex of death4      
,germany was wholly pagan1 a            
breeding-place of hordes that burst     
forth  periodically to devastate the    
land that had been cultivated1 and to   
extinguish the light wherever it burned4
 ,gaul had been overwhelmed by          
successive waves of barbarism4 ,spain   

was ravaged by ,visigoths1 ,suevi1      
,alani1 and ,vandals4 ,these latter had 
swept over ,northern ,africa1 and had   
given it up to unpitying persecution4   
,britain had been invaded by the        
,anglo-,saxons1 who had driven the      
,britons and their ,christianity to the 
mountains of ,strathclyde1 ,wales1 and  
to the peninsula of ,cornwall4 ,over    
the frozen ,danube1 the ,goths had      
passed on their cumbrous waggons1 and   
had spread from the woody shores of     
,dalmatia to the walls of               
,constantinople4    ,the condition of   
,italy1 the heart and soul of the       
,empire that had been  dissolved1 was   
deplorable to the last degree4 ,for     
centuries agriculture  had decayed in   
it1 as the farms were absorbed by the   
great senatorial  families and worked by
 their slaves4 ,the people had come to  
expect their  grain from ,egypt and     
,africa1 and now these tributary        
harvests were  withdrawn4 ,war1 famine1 
pestilence stalked over its fair plains1

 and  mowed down such as remained of the
 population4 ,pope ,gelasius affirmed1  
with some exaggeration1 that in milia1  
,tuscany and the adjacent  provinces1   
the human species was almost extirpated4
 8,the plebeians of  ,rome10 says       
,gibbon1 8who were fed by the hand of   
their master1 perished  or disappeared1 
as soon as his liberality was           
suppressed2 the decline of  the arts    
reduced the industrious mechanic to     
idleness and want2 and the  senators1   
who might support with patience the ruin
 of their country1  bewailed their      
private loss of wealth and luxury4      
,one-third of those  ample estates1 to  
which the ruin of ,italy is originally  
imputed1 was  extorted for the use of   
the conquerors4 ,injuries were          
aggravated by  insults2 the sense of    
actual sufferings was embittered by the 
fear of  more dreadful evils2 and as new
 lands were allotted to new swarms of   
barbarians1 each senator was            
apprehensive lest the arbitrary         

surveyors  should approach his favourite
 villa1 or his most profitable farm4    
,the  least unfortunate were those who  
submitted without a murmur to the power 
which it was impossible to resist40     
,the general despair produced in        
religious minds the conviction that the 
fashion of the world was passing away1  
there was nothing further to be  hoped  
for in it1 and that the only direction  
in which the eternal spring  of hope    
could flow was in the channels of       
religion that led to heaven4    ,this   
was the condition of affairs in ,italy1 
and this explains the origin  and the   
enormous expansion of the ,benedictine  
,order4    ,s4 ,benedict was born along 
with his sister ,scholastica in the year
 #dhj4  ,they were twins1 and loved each
 other with that tenderness which so    
generally exists between twins2 they    
were of one heart and one soul4    ,they
 belonged to the noble ,anician family1 
whose history is traceable to  the      
second century before ,christ4          

,benedict and his twin sister were born 
at ,nursia1 a ,sabine town1  situated   
high up in the mountains near the source
 of the ,nar4 ,it was  here that        
,vespasia ,polla1 mother of the ,emperor
 ,vespasian1 was also  born4 ,virgil    
speaks of the coldness of its climate1  
as the chilly cradle  of the waters of  
,tiber and ,febaris4 ,to the east tower 
up the ,apennines  to the peak of the   
,monte della ,sibilla4 ,two centuries   
after the death of  ,benedict1 the vast 
ruins of his ancestral palace were still
 to be seen  outside the town gates4    
,doubtless it was to this ,alpine       
retreat that the family had fled to hide
  themselves from the ,gothic invaders  
who were devouring the land4  ,benedict 
and his twin sister1 as their minds     
opened1 became aware of the  universal  
hopelessness that possessed men's minds4
 ,the doom of the great  nobles was as  
certainly sealed as at the ,french      
,revolution4 ,no prospect  was open to  
them of any work1 any career in         

political life4 ,they could  not fly the
 fatherland to the colonies1 for the    
colonies were in the  throes as well4   
,these little children1 wandering hand  
in hand through the empty halls of  the 
palace1 became prematurely grave1 and at
 an early age were convinced  that the  
only life open to them was that of      
religion4    ,scholastica was the first 
to speak out what she felt1 and to      
resolve to  devote herself wholly to    
,god4 ,who could think of marriage then1
 when  there was no prospect of being   
able to rear a family in sufficiency and
  to any career8 ,benedict followed4    
,leaving his old nurse1 to whom the     
charge of the children had been         
committed1 and who loved them as her own
  soul1 he plunged into the gorges of   
the mountains to seek for a retreat     
where he might discipline his body and  
soul4 ,the place he found was  ,subiaco1
 twenty-six miles from ,tivoli1 up the  
valley of the ,anio4 ,why he  chose this
 spot we do not know4 ,he can hardly    

have stumbled on it in his  wanderings  
about ,nursia1 and it is probable that  
he went thence from  some other villa   
and estate of his parents4    ,the first
 place where he lodged was ,mentorella1 
and there his nurse1  ,cyrilla1 came up 
with him1 and insisted on furnishing him
 with supplies  of food4 ,but thence he 
soon went on to ,subiaco1 where he found
 a cave in  the face of the rocks above 
the falls of the ,anio1 and there he    
spent  three years4 ,every day1         
,romanus1 a monk who dwelt amid a colony
 of  anchorites among the ruins of      
,nero's palace1 near at hand1 let down  
to  him half a loaf from the top of the 
rock above1 giving him notice of its    
approach by the ringing of a bell       
suspended to the same rope with the     
food4    ,it was an astounding mode of  
life for a boy growing into manhood1 and
 we  should now consider it a most      
unprofitable one4 ,but it was not       
destined  to be unprofitable--very much 
the contrary2 and we must remember that 

there was absolutely no other field for 
the activities of a young noble  open   
before him4    8,how perfectly10 says   
,dean ,milman1 8the whole atmosphere was
 then  impregnated with an inexhaustible
 yearning for the supernatural1 appears 
from the ardour with which the monastic 
passions were indulged at the  earliest 
age4 ,children were nursed and trained  
to expect at every  instant more than   
human interferences2 their young        
energies had ever  before them examples 
of asceticism1 to which it was the      
glory1 the true  felicity of life1 to   
aspire4 ,the thoughtful child had all   
his mind thus  preoccupied4 ,he was     
early1 it might almost seem intuitively1
 trained to  this course of life2       
wherever there was gentleness1 modesty1 
the  timidity of young passion1         
repugnance to vice1 an imaginative      
temperament1 a consciousness of         
unfitness to wrestle with the rough     
realities of life1 the way lay          
invitingly open--the difficult1 it is   

true1 and painful1 but direct and       
unerring way to heaven40    ,such a life
 is not needed now-a-days4 ,what is now 
required is one like  that of ,angela1  
in ,sir ,walter ,besant's 8,all ,sorts  
and ,conditions of  ,men10 who will     
plunge into the sordid wretchedness of  
the slums of our  great cities1 and     
labour there to bring happiness to the  
dull lives of  the toilers--who will    
labour to ameliorate the condition of   
those that  are the slaves of our       
nineteenth-century civilisation4 ,what  
we  require--what ,god requires--are    
social reformers1 men and women1 who in 
place of living selfish lives of        
amusement and luxury1 will devote       
themselves to helping to raise those who
 are down1 who will seek  happiness1 not
 in pampering self1 but in making others
 happy4    ,after a while crowds of     
disciples flocked to ,benedict1 and then
 he left  ,subiaco for ,monte ,cassino1 
which was thenceforth to be the capital 
of  monastic life4    ,strange it may   

appear1 but it was true1 that ,benedict 
found the people  round ,cassino still  
pagans1 offering sacrifices in a temple 
to ,apollo on  the height where he chose
 to plant his settlement4               
8,in old days1               ,that      
mountain1 at whose side ,cassino rests1 
,was1 on its height1 frequented by a    
race               ,deceived and        
ill-disposed2 and ,i it was1            
,who thither carried first the name of  
,him1               ,who brought the    
soul-subliming truth to man1            
,and such a speeding grace shone over   
me1               ,that from their      
impious worship ,i reclaim'd            
,the dwellers round about40--,dante1    
,par4 xxii4    ,the visitor to ,monte   
,cassino now leaves the station at ,san 
,germano1 and  hires donkeys for the    
ascent4 ,the steep and stony path winds 
above the  roofs of the houses of the   
town1 and at every path opens fresh     
views of  entrancing beauty4 ,the silver
 thread of the ,garigliano lies below1  

with  towns studded on its banks2 long  
ranges of mountains of the most         
beautiful outline break the horizon1    
billow after billow of intensest  blue1 
crested as with a foam of snow4 ,little 
oratories by the wayside  commemorate   
incidents in the life of ,s4 ,benedict4 
,first comes that of ,s4  ,placidus1 the
 favourite disciple of the patriarch2   
then that of  ,scholastica his sister2  
then one where he is supposed to have   
wrought a  miracle2 next a cross on a   
platform that indicates the place where 
brother and sister met for the last     
time--of which more anon4 ,then a       
grating and a cross where ,s4 ,benedict 
knelt to ask ,god's blessing before  he 
laid the foundation stone of his        
monastery4 ,benedict had been           
thirty-six years a monk before he came  
to ,monte ,cassino1 and we know  nothing
 of his sister's life through all these 
years1 save that she had  maintained a  
still and holy converse with ,god4 ,it  
is most probable that  she had never    

tarried very far from her brother4 ,now 
that he settled at  ,monte ,cassino1 she
 came and planted herself with a little 
community of  pious women at the foot of
 the mountain4 ,scholastica was as white
 in  soul1 as earnest1 as devout as was 
,benedict4 ,they were alike in          
everything save in sex2 and she became1 
as unawares as himself1 a mighty        
foundress--for if from him houses for   
men multiplied throughout the  ,western 
world1 so was she the mother spiritual  
of innumerable similar  refuges for holy
 women4    ,at ,monte ,cassino1         
according to the expression of ,pope    
,urban ,,ii41 8the  monastic life flowed
 from the heart of ,benedict as from the
 fountain of  ,paradise10 and here it   
was that he composed his famous rule1   
that  commenced with the words1         
8,hearken1 ,o my sons0 7,ausculta o     
fili74    ,when he drew it up1 not a    
notion came into his head that he was   
doing a  work that would last1 a work   
that was absolutely needed for the      

times1  and without which the barbarians
 would never have been tamed and        
regenerated1 and a new civilisation     
superior to the old rise out of the     
ashes of that which expired4    ,it is  
quite true that there were plenty of    
monks and nuns already  scattered about2
 but they were under no definite rule1  
under no strict  obedience4 ,we see     
exactly how it was among the ,celtic    
societies4 ,an  abbot or abbess rambled 
over the ,west1 now in ,ireland1 then in
 ,scotland1  in ,britain1 in ,armorica1 
dived into the ,swiss gorges1 strayed   
about in  the woods of ,germany1        
founding houses and churches1 then going
 farther4  ,and just as the abbots were 
ever on the move1 so was it with those  
who  placed themselves under their      
teaching4 ,no sooner did they think they
  knew enough1 or no sooner did the itch
 of change affect them1 than away  they 
went1 now to pay a brief visit to some  
other great master1 then to  be off     
again and found monasteries of their    

own4 ,there was no stability  about     
them1 and above all no organisation4    
,the idea of obedience never  seems to  
have entered their heads1 and1 as a     
matter of course1 a great  number of    
vagabonds too idle to work1 and loving  
change1 assumed the  tonsure and habit1 
and roved over the country leading      
scandalous lives2  in fact1 the         
,hooligans of the day postured as       
saints4 ,monachism1 which  should have  
served a high missionary purpose1 for   
lack of organisation  was becoming a    
discredit to ,christianity4    ,there is
 a striking ,french tale1 8,mon oncle   
,celestin10 by ,ferdinand  ,faber1 in   
which he describes the 8ermites0 of the 
,cevennes and the south  of ,france1 a  
set of men who pretend to lead exalted  
lives1 wear a  religious habit1 are     
under no ecclesiastical discipline1 and 
who--with  some notable exceptions--are 
a scandal and source of demoralisation4 
,now  the monks and ascetics before ,s4 
,benedict were very much like these     

modern 8ermites0 of the ,cevennes4      
,the great work of ,s4 ,benedict was to 
coordinate all these ardent men in  one 
body1 to subject them to discipline1 to 
insist on obedience1 and  then to employ
 their powers for the good of the       
,church and of humanity  in general4    
,at that period1 when nations had to be 
conquered1 and those nations  barbarian1
 the ordinary methods of propagating the
 faith did not  suffice4 ,single priests
 were pretty sure to be butchered1 or if
 not1  alone they could effect very     
little4 ,besides1 the barbarians had to 
be  taught something more than          
,christianity2 they had to be instructed
 in  the industrial arts and in         
agriculture4    ,now1 the ,benedictine  
monastery was not only a missionary     
establishment  containing a great many  
men1 but it was a school1 a hospital1 a 
poorhouse1 a great workshop1 and an     
agricultural institution4    ,but we    
must leave this interesting topic to    
speak of ,s4 ,scholastica4    ,as       

already said1 she had established       
herself at the foot of the mountain     
with a community of like-minded women   
who were under the direction of  her    
brother4 ,they met only once a year2 and
 then it was that ,scholastica  left her
 cloister to seek ,benedict4 ,he1 on his
 side1 descended part way  to meet her2 
and the place where they clasped hands  
and looked into each  other's eyes was  
on the mountain side1 not very far from 
the gate of the  monastery4    8,there1 
at their last meeting1 occurred that    
struggle of fraternal love  with the    
austerity of the rule1 which is the only
 episode in the life of  ,scholastica1  
and which has insured an imperishable   
remembrance to her  name4 ,they had     
passed the entire day in pious          
conversation1 mingled with  the praises 
of ,god4 ,towards evening they ate      
together4    8,while they were still at 
table1 and the night approached1        
,scholastica  said to her brother1 #8,i 
pray thee do not leave me to-night1 but 

let us  speak of the joys of heaven till
 the morning4' #8,what sayest thou1 my  
sister6' answered ,benedict2 #8on no    
account can ,i remain out of the        
monastery4'    8,upon the refusal of her
 brother1 ,scholastica bent her head    
between her  clasped hands on the table1
 and prayed to ,god1 shedding tears to  
such an  extent that they ran over the  
table4 ,the weather was at the time     
serene3  there was not a cloud in the   
sky4 ,but scarcely had she raised her   
head1  when thunder was heard muttering1
 and a storm began4 ,the rain1          
lightning1 and thunder were such1 that  
neither ,benedict nor any of the        
brethren who accompanied him could take 
a step beyond the roof that  sheltered  
them4    8,then he said to ,scholastica1
 #8,may ,god pardon thee1 my sister1 but
 what  hast thou done8' #8,ah yes6' she 
answered him1 #8,i prayed thee1 and thou
  wouldst not listen to me2 then ,i     
prayed ,god1 and ,he heard me4 ,go now1 
if  thou canst1 and send me away1 to    

return to my convent4'    8,he resigned 
himself1 against his will1 to remain1   
and they passed the  rest of the night  
in spiritual conversation4 ,s4 ,gregory1
 who has  preserved this tale to us1    
adds that it is not to be wondered at   
,god  granting the desire of the sister 
rather than that of the brother1        
because of the two it was the sister who
 loved most1 and that those who  love   
most have the greatest power with ,god4 
8,in the morning they parted1 to see    
each other no more in this life4  ,three
 days after1 ,benedict1 being at the    
window of his cell1 had a  vision1 in   
which he saw his sister entering heaven 
under the form of a  dove4 ,overpowered 
with joy1 his gratitude burst forth in  
songs and hymns  to the glory of ,god4  
,he immediately sent for the body of the
 saint1  which was brought to ,monte    
,cassino1 and placed in the sepulchre he
 had  already prepared for himself1 that
 death might not separate those whose   
souls had always been united to ,god4   

8,the death of his sister was the signal
 of departure for himself4 ,he  survived
 her only forty days4 ,a violent fever  
having seized him1 he  caused himself to
 be carried into the chapel of ,s4 ,john
 the ,baptist4 ,he  had before ordered  
to be opened the tomb in which his      
sister slept4  ,there1 supported in the 
arms of his disciples1 he received the  
viaticum3  then1 placing himself at the 
side of the open grave1 at the foot of  
the  altar1 and with his arms extended  
towards heaven1 he died standing1       
murmuring a last prayer4    8,died      
standing6--such a victorious death      
became well the great soldier of        
,god40#c    ,he was buried beside his   
sister1 on the very spot where had stood
 the  altar of ,apollo which he had cast
 down4          ,illustration3 ,s4      
,,bridget ,,of ,,kildare4               
,,ix                                    
,s4 ,,bridget      ,one would have to   
look through many centuries1 and over a 
wide tract of  the earth's surface1 to  

find a woman who possessed in her own   
generation  so large an influence1 and  
who so deeply impressed her personality 
on  after generations1 as ,s4 ,bridget4 
,a woman she was1 with no advantages of 
birth2 but who by the mere force of     
character and her marvellous  holiness1 
became a predominating power in the     
,church of ,ireland after  the death of 
,s4 ,patrick4    ,it is said of the sick
 that the nurse is as important as the  
doctor2 and  in the spread of the       
,gospel and the establishment of the    
,church1 the  part of ,bridget was only 
second to that of the great ,apostle of 
,ireland4    ,the lives of ,s4 ,bridget 
that we possess are1 unhappily1 late1   
and  intermixed1 nay1 overloaded with   
fable2 the most grotesque and           
preposterous miracles are attributed to 
her4 ,nevertheless1 when sifted1  and   
the extravagances have been eliminated1 
sufficient of truth1 of real  history   
and biography remains behind for us to  
distinguish the main  outline of her    

story1 and to discern the real          
characteristics of the  ,saint4    ,it  
would seem to be a law of ,divine       
providence1 that at such periods of     
transformation as arise periodically1   
suitable persons should rise to         
prominence for giving direction to the  
disturbed minds of men in the  general  
dislocation of received ideas4    ,to   
understand the exact position of ,s4    
,bridget1 and the work she  wrought1 it 
is necessary for us to look at the      
condition of ,ireland  before it        
received the ,gospel4    ,the whole     
political organisation was tribal1 and  
not territorial4 ,the  chief of the clan
 was almost absolute1 and about him1 as 
a centre of  unity1 the tribesmen clung1
 as bees about their queen4    ,the     
chiefs had their ,druids or             
,medicine-men1 who blessed their        
undertakings and cursed their enemies1  
and the most unbounded confidence  was  
placed in the efficacy of these         
blessings or curses4 ,the ,druids were  

endowed with lands1 and probably in     
,ireland1 as in ,britain1 constituted   
sacred tribes within the tribal confines
 of the secular chiefs4    ,when ,s4    
,patrick arrived he at once strove to   
effect the conversion of  the chiefs1   
for without that his efforts with the   
bulk of the population  must fail1 and  
the conversion of a chief entailed as a 
consequence that  of his clan4 ,the     
,druids1 when discredited1 were disposed
 to accept  ,christianity2 where they   
were not1 the chiefs did not            
disestablish them1  but gave to ,s4     
,patrick and his followers fresh sites  
on which to  constitute their own       
ecclesiastical federations1 on precisely
 the same  system as that of the        
,druids4 ,s4 ,patrick throughout acted  
in the most  conciliatory spirit2 he    
overthrew nothing that was capable of   
being  adapted1 and his wise forbearance
 conciliated even those at first most   
opposed to him4    ,there can be little 
doubt that in ,ireland1 as in ,gaul1    

there had been  colleges of ,druidesses1
 as there had been of ,druids4 ,we do   
not know this  by the testimony of      
texts1 but it is more than probable4 ,in
 ,gaul these  women were prophetesses2  
they lived in solitary places1 often on 
islands4 ,the nine ,scen occupied an    
island in the ,seine4 ,the priestesses  
of the ,namnetes lived on another at the
 mouth of the ,loire1 in huts  about a  
temple4 ,once in the year they were     
bound1 between one night and  another1  
to destroy and replace the roof of their
 temple2 and woe to the  woman who      
dropped any of the sacred materials6    
,instantly she was set  upon by her     
sisters1 and torn limb from limb4       
,when ,s4 ,patrick and his missionaries 
entered on the prerogatives of the      
,druids1 there was occasion for         
,christian women to usurp the places1   
and  to some extent the functions1 of   
the ,druidesses4 ,and this is precisely 
the line adopted by ,s4 ,bridget4 ,the  
year of her birth was between #dea  and 

#deh1 and she was the daughter of a     
slave woman1 who had been sold to  a    
,druid4 ,her mother's name was          
,brotseach4 ,the father1 ,dubtach1 was a
  nominal ,christian1 but a thoroughly  
heartless and unprincipled man4    ,the 
,druid and his wife were kindly people1 
and provided a white cow with  red ears1
 on whose milk the little child was     
reared1 and they allowed  only one woman
 whom they could trust to milk the cow4 
,as she grew up1  ,bridget was set to   
keep sheep on the moors2 and there1 not 
only did she  tend them1 but she also   
tamed the wild birds that flew about    
her4 ,soon  the wild ducks and          
brent-geese allowed her to stroke them4 
,when she had  grown old enough to be   
useful1 she asked leave to go and see   
her father1  who lived in ,leinster1    
whereas her mother was a slave in       
,ulster4 ,the  ,druid at once gave her  
leave1 and she left4 ,her father was not
 cordial  in his reception of her1 and  
set her to keep swine1 and also at times

 to  manage the kitchen4 ,on one        
occasion1 when visited by an            
acquaintance1 he  bade her boil five    
pieces of bacon for the entertainment4  
,unfortunately  a hungry dog came in and
 carried off some of the bacon4 ,this   
threw  ,dubtach into a fury1 and he sent
 her back to her mother4    ,on her     
return1 ,bridget found ,brotseach very  
ill and unable to attend to  her work4  
,it was summer1 and she had been sent   
with the cattle to a  mountain pasture1 
such as in ,wales is called a hafod1    
whereas the  winter habitation is the   
hendr4 ,there were twelve cows to be    
milked1  and their butter to be made4   
,bridget undertook the supervision of   
the  dairy with energy1 and some verses 
have been preserved which it is said    
she sang as she churned3 8,oh1 my       
,prince1 who canst do all things1 and   
,god1 bless1 ,i pray ,thee1 my kitchen  
with ,thy right hand--my kitchen1 the   
kitchen blessed by the white ,god1      
blessed by the ,mighty ,king1 a kitchen 

stocked with butter4 ,son of ,mercy1 my 
,friend1 come and look upon my  kitchen1
 and give me abundance40    ,it was     
reported to the ,druid that ,bridget    
gave the buttermilk to the  poor1 and he
 and his wife started for the mountain  
dairy to see that she  was not wasting  
their substance2 but they found that the
 butter she had  made was so good and so
 plentiful that they were satisfied4    
,indeed1 the  kindly old man at once    
gave ,brotseach and ,bridget their      
liberty1 to go  where they would4 ,he   
and his wife had been won by their piety
 and  blameless life1 and gladly        
consented to be baptised4    ,bridget   
and her mother left with thanks and     
tears1 and went to ,leinster  to        
,dubtach1 who was well connected and    
rich1 but avaricious4 ,bridget          
particularly annoyed him by her         
readiness to give food to the poor4 ,to 
what extent she was justified in this   
may be questioned4 ,but it must be      
remembered that the period was one in   

which no provision whatever was  made   
for the poor1 who starved unless        
assisted2 and the girl's tender  heart  
could not endure to see their sufferings
 and not to relieve them4    ,at last   
,dubtach could stand it no longer1 and  
he took her in his chariot  to sell her 
into slavery1 to grind at the quern for 
,dunlaing1 son of the  ,king of         
,leinster4 ,on reaching the king's dun1 
or castle1 ,dubtach went  within and    
left ,bridget outside in the chariot4 ,a
 squalid leper came up1  begging4       
,bridget1 whether out of impulsive      
charity1 or more probably in  a fit of  
mischievous cunning1 knowing that her   
father was selling her  like a calf or a
 sheep1 gave to the leper the sword     
which ,dubtach had  left in the chariot4
 ,the poor man at once disappeared with 
the gift4  ,next moment the prince and  
her father issued from the dun2 the     
prince  desired to look at the girl     
before purchasing her4 ,instantly       
,dubtach  discovered that his sword was 

gone1 and he asked after it4 8,i have   
given  it away for your soul's good10   
said ,bridget1 with a twinkle in her    
eye4  8,on my word60 exclaimed the      
prince1 8,i cannot afford to buy such   
extravagant slaves as this40    ,dubtach
 drove home in a fury1 and he made his  
house so intolerable that  she resolved 
to embrace the monastic life4 ,she      
sought ,bishop ,maccaille1  taking seven
 companions with her1 all desiring to   
unite in the service  of ,god and in    
ministering to the sick and needy4      
,bishop ,maccaille placed white veils on
 their heads1 and blessed and           
consecrated them4 ,bridget was then aged
 eighteen4    ,each of the girls chose  
one of the ,beatitudes as her special   
virtue1  which before all others she    
would seek to attain2 and ,bridget      
selected  as hers 8,blessed are the     
merciful1 for they shall obtain mercy40 
,an odd story was told in later times   
concerning this consecration4 ,it  was  
said that ,maccaille opened his book in 

the wrong place1 and instead  of reading
 the office for the consecration of a   
virgin1 read over her  that for the     
ordination of a bishop4    ,this fable  
was invented for a purpose4 ,as we shall
 see presently1  ,bridget became head of
 an ecclesiastical tribe1 and had under 
her  jurisdiction a bishop who was      
amenable to her orders4 ,this was a     
condition of affairs not at all uncommon
 among the ,british1 ,irish1 and        
,scots1 but it was incomprehensible in  
medival times to those trained  under   
another system1 when bishops were       
sources of jurisdiction4 ,so this  story
 was made up to give some justification 
for the exercise1 by the  ,abbess       
,bridget1 of authority over a bishop and
 priests4    ,in the ,life of ,s4       
,bridget we are assured that when she   
was twelve years  old she met ,s4       
,patrick1 and that she wove the shroud  
in which he was  buried4 ,according to  
the ordinary computation1 ,s4 ,patrick  
came to  ,ireland in #dcb1 and died in  

#dfe2 but ,dr4 ,todd has shown good     
reason to  believe that this calculation
 rests on an error4 ,palladius1 whose   
name  was also ,patricius1 was sent to  
,ireland in #dcb by ,pope ,celestine2   
but he  failed in his mission1 abandoned
 ,ireland1 and died at ,fordun4 ,neither
 ,s4  ,patrick himself1 in his          
,confession1 nor the earliest notices of
 him1 say  a word of his having been    
sent by ,celestine1 and there is reason 
to  believe that he really came to      
,ireland in #dfj1 and died in #dic4 ,if 
this  be the case1 it is quite possible 
that there may be truth in the story  of
 the meeting of ,bridget and the great  
apostle1 and that it was his  influence 
which induced her to adopt the life she 
chose4 ,bridget was now  at the head of 
her little community of eight virgins1  
and they at once  devoted themselves to 
good works4    ,very soon great numbers 
of pious women came to her from every   
quarter1  entreating to be received into
 her community and placed under her     

direction4    ,we can see by the        
brutality of ,dubtach selling the mother
 of his child  to a heathen ,druid1     
though he himself professed to be a     
,christian1 and  later1 deliberately    
attempting to sell his daughter1 that   
women at that  time were treated as     
chattels1 and no respect was paid to    
them4 ,it was  largely due to ,bridget  
that an immense revulsion of feeling in 
this  particular took place4    ,she    
travelled over ,ireland1 and1 wherever  
she was able1 planted those  who placed 
themselves in her hands near their own  
relatives and in their  own country4    
,she entered into correspondence with   
the bishops4 ,she was  warmly seconded  
by ,erc of ,slane1 by ,mel of ,armagh1  
and ,ailbe of ,emly4    ,she managed to 
dot her settlements through a large     
portion of the  island1 and they became 
not only hospitals for the sick1 but    
nurseries  of learning1 for she made a  
point of having the young girls confided
 to  her for education taught their     

letters4    ,king ,conall visited her on
 his way to make a raid1 and to ask her 
benediction on his arms2 8for10 said he1
 8it is a mighty great pleasure  cutting
 the throats of our enemies40           
,bridget used all her endeavours to     
dissuade him from an unprovoked  attack 
against those who were at peace with    
him1 but she could induce  him to go    
home only on one condition--that she    
would promise him her aid  in all       
legitimate wars4    ,somewhat later he  
was engaged in a military expedition1   
and it had been  successful4    ,as he  
was returning1 very tired1 with his men1
 he reached a dun or  castle1 and       
resolved to rest there4 ,his men        
dissuaded him1 as the enemy  were in    
pursuit4 8,bah60 said ,conall1 8,bridget
 has promised to look after  me10 and he
 threw himself down to sleep4 ,a great  
fire was lighted1 and  his men ranged   
the heads of the slain they had brought 
with them round  the fire1 and they     
themselves sat up talking and singing4  

,meanwhile the  enemy came on1 but they 
sent a spy1 who crept unobserved up to  
the walls  and looked in4 ,when he saw  
the dead faces with the flicker of the  
red  fire on them1 and that ,conall's   
men were alert1 his heart failed him1   
and he went back and told his fellows   
that they must not risk a night  attack 
on the dun4    ,many touching stories   
are told of ,bridget's tenderness to the
 sick3 of a  poor consumptive boy whom  
she nursed2 of a man who carried his    
mother on  his back for many days1 that 
he might lay her before ,bridget in the 
hopes that she might be healed of the   
lung complaint that afflicted her4      
,one day--so says the legend--two lepers
 came to her1 and she bade the one  wash
 the other4 ,and he who was washed      
became whole4 ,then said she1 8,go  and 
wash thy brother40 8,not ,i1 forsooth60 
replied the man4 8,i1 a clean  man1 with
 sound skin1 shall ,i scrub that        
loathsome object80 8,then ,i will  do   
it10 said ,bridget2 and she took the    

poor leper and thoroughly  cleansed him4
    ,the truth of this story would seem 
to be that ,bridget bade a servant  wash
 the leper1 that he refused1 and she    
herself performed the office4    ,but   
she did more than attend to the sick4   
,she saved the lives of men  condemned  
to death4 ,on one occasion1 a cupbearer 
to the ,king of ,teffia  let fall a     
valuable goblet1 and it was dented4 ,the
 king1 in a rage1  ordered the man to   
execution1 though ,bishop ,mel          
interceded for him1 but  in vain2 then  
,bridget got the cup1 and1 as she had   
skilful smiths under  her1 had the dents
 removed1 so that it presented the same 
appearance as  before1 and the king was 
then reluctantly induced to pardon the  
man4    ,she was for a long time under  
the direction of ,erc of ,slane1 in     
,munster4  ,whilst there1 a certain     
anchorite1 who had made a vow never to  
look on  the face of a woman1 started   
with his disciples to go to one of the  
,western ,isles1 there to establish a   

community4 ,his way led near where      
,bridget was4 ,night fell1 and his      
disciples1 not relishing spending the   
hours of darkness on the open waste1 and
 supperless1 begged him to ask  ,bridget
 to give them food and lodging for the  
night4 ,the old man  absolutely refused4
 ,bridget heard of this1 and when the   
whole company  was asleep she and one or
 two of her maids went on tiptoe to them
 and  carried off all their bundles of  
goods and garments4 ,when the men woke  
next morning everything was gone4 ,here 
was a pretty kettle of fish6 ,most      
reluctantly the old anchorite was       
obliged to swallow his objections and   
go humbly to ,bridget and beg for the   
restitution of the packages4 8,very     
well10 said she1 8when ,i have fed and  
housed you for a couple of days1  you   
shall have them1--and do not hold up    
your nose and despise women any  more40 
,so she entertained the whole party1 and
 when they departed she  provided them  
with a couple of sumpter horses to carry

 their bundles for  them4 ,when the     
anchorite arrived at the island to which
 he had taken a  fancy1 to his dismay he
 found that a man lived on it with his  
wife and  sons and daughters1 and       
claimed it as his property1 and         
absolutely  refused to leave4 ,the      
anchorite was forced to send for        
,bridget to  arrange terms1 and she with
 difficulty bought off the proprietor4  
8,after  all10 said she1 8you can't do  
without the help of women--for all your 
foolish vow40    ,when with ,s4 ,erc1   
she must have been in that portion of   
,king's ,county  that then belonged to  
the kingdom of ,meath4 ,after that she  
removed to  ,waterford1 and remained for
 some time at ,kilbride1 near ,tramore4 
,she heard that the ,king of ,munster   
had a captive in chains very harshly    
treated4 ,she went to his castle to beg 
for the man's release1 but the  king was
 not at home4 ,however1 the             
foster-father and -mother1 and          
foster-brothers were there4 ,they could 

give her no assistance4 8,i will  await 
the king's return10 said ,bridget4 ,time
 began to pass heavily4 ,she  looked    
round1 and saw that harps hung in the   
hall4 8,come10 said she1  8let us have  
some music40 ,the foster-parents of the 
king expressed  themselves unwilling and
 incapable4 ,but ,bridget would take no 
excuse4  ,towards evening the king      
returned1 and as he neared his hall1    
heard the  twang of harps and voices    
singing and laughing4 ,he came in at the
 door1  and when he saw his             
foster-father with a cracked voice      
piping out an old  ballad he laughed    
till the tears ran down his cheeks4     
,every one was in  good humour1 and he  
could not refuse ,bridget her request4  
,bridget next moved into ,leinster1     
apparently to the district of ,kinsale4 
,she had not seen her father for some   
time1 so now she went to visit him4  ,he
 was not more amiable as he advanced in 
years4 ,with difficulty she  withdrew   
from him a servant maid1 whom he was    

thrashing unmercifully4  ,when she left1
 the maid said to her1 8,oh6 would to   
heaven you were  always here1 to save us
 from the master's violence60           
,she--who had been a slave-girl         
herself--was pitiful to these poor      
things4  ,some runaway slave-girls took 
refuge with her1 and she had hard work  
sometimes to reconcile their mistresses 
to leaving them under her  protection4  
,before she left her father1 the old    
fellow asked her to get the king to  let
 him keep as his own property a sword   
the prince had lent him4  ,bridget went 
to the castle4 ,no sooner had she       
arrived than one of the  king's men     
entreated her to take him into her      
tribe4 ,so she asked the  king to give  
her the man1 and give her father the    
sword4    8,you ask a great deal10 said 
he4 8,i must have something in return40 
8,shall ,i demand of ,god for you ,life 
,eternal1 and a continuation of  royalty
 in your house80    8,as to ,life       
,eternal10 said the king1 8,i know      

nothing about it2 and as to  royalty    
after ,i am dead1 the boys of my family 
must fight for their own  crowns4 ,give 
me victory over my enemies40    8,i will
 obtain that for you10 she said4 ,and on
 this being promised he  acceded to both
 her requests4    ,this is a very       
characteristic story of an ,irish saint4
 ,the kings and  princes firmly believed
 that the saints could give them a place
 in  heaven and victory over their foes1
 could continue their line in power1  or
 deprive their posterity of sovereign   
rights4    ,this king was ,illand1 son  
of ,dunlaing4 ,soon after this interview
 he went  into the plain of ,breagh1    
west of ,dublin1 where he fought the    
,ulster men  and defeated them4 ,after  
this he waged as many as thirty battles 
in  ,ireland1 and gained eight victories
 in ,britain4 ,he died in #ejf4 ,on his 
death the clan of ,niall1 taking        
courage1 gathered their forces to attack
  the men of ,leinster1 who actually dug
 up the body of the old king1 set  it in

 a chariot1 clothed in his regal        
garments1 and marched against the  men  
of the north1 headed by the corpse4     
,bridget now went into ,connaught1 and  
founded an establishment there4 ,it  was
 whilst there that an incident          
characteristic of the times occurred4   
,she had under her charge a poor        
decrepit woman who was failing rapidly4 
8,the old creature can't live10 said one
 of ,bridget's women4 8,let us  strip   
her at once4 ,it is bitter weather and  
frosty1 and it will be  awkward to get  
her garments off her back when she is   
stiff and stark40    8,on no account10  
said ,bridget4 ,and when the cripple    
died she with her  own hands divested   
the body of its clothing1 then laid the 
garments  outside the door in the frost1
 and washed them finally herself4       
,bridget and some of her spiritual      
daughters paid a visit to ,s4 ,ibar of  
,begery4 ,he served them at supper with 
bacon4 ,bridget saw two of the  girls   
sitting with their platters before them 

and their noses turned up2  they would  
not touch the food4 ,she was very angry1
 jumped up from her  seat1 caught them  
by the shoulders1 and turned them out of
 the hall1 and  bade them stand there1  
one on each side of the door1 till      
supper was  over4 ,she had run short of 
seed-corn1 and had gone to beg some of  
,ibar4  ,the season was probably ,lent1 
and the scruple of the girls was on that
  account4    ,when ,s4 ,bridget first  
saw the great plain of ,breagh stretched
 before  her1 it was in early summer1   
and it was as though snowed over with   
the  white clover1 and the air that     
breathed from it was sweet with scent   
and  musical with the hum of bees4 ,she 
stood still1 raised her hands in an     
ecstasy of delight1 and said3 8,oh6 if  
this plain were but mine1 ,i would  give
 it all to ,god60    8,good woman60 said
 ,s4 ,columba1 when he was told this of 
,bridget4 8,god  accepted the desire of 
her loving heart just as surely as if   
she really  had made to ,him the        

donation of all that land40    ,once a  
bishop and a party of clerks arrived1   
and began to inquire when  they were to 
have a meal and what they were to have  
to eat4    8,it is all very well for you
 to be so clamorous10 said ,bridget1    
8for you  are hungry4 ,but can you not  
understand that ,i and my spiritual     
daughters  are hungry also8 ,we have no 
religious teacher here1 and we long to  
hear  the ,word of ,god4 ,will you not  
give us who are hungry the nourishment  
of  souls before you call on us to      
satisfy your stomachs80    ,the bishop  
was ashamed1 and led the way to the     
church4    ,it happened that there was a
 couple who led a cat-and-dog life1 and 
at  last declared that they could not   
live together1 and that they would      
separate4 ,bridget went to them1 and by 
her charm of manner and earnest  words  
so won them over that thenceforth they  
came to love each other  devotedly4 ,so 
much so1 that one day when the husband  
left home to cross  an estuary1 without 

saying good-bye1 the wife ran after him 
into the  water1 and would have been    
drowned had he not returned to kiss her4
    ,there was a madman who wandered on 
the mountain--,slive ,forait4 ,bridget  
was crossing it1 and her companions were
 in deadly fear of encountering  the    
maniac4 8,i fear him not10 said she2 8,i
 will go and find him40    ,before long 
she encountered the poor wretch4 ,she   
said to him1 8,my  friend1 have you     
anything to say to me80    8,yes1 nun10 
answered he3 8,love the ,lord1 and all  
will love thee4  ,reverence the ,lord1  
and all will reverence thee4 ,i cannot  
avoid thee1 ,o  nun1 thou art so pitiful
 to all the miserable and poor40    ,the
 life she led with the sisters was full 
of simplicity4 ,she took her  turn to   
tend the sheep1 she helped to brew the  
,easter ale which she sent  about to the
 bishops as her offering4    ,the       
following is a funny story4    ,certain 
friends came to visit ,bridget1 and they
 left their house shut  without a       

caretaker in it4 ,when they were well   
away1 some robbers came1  broke open the
 byre and stole the oxen1 and drove them
 away to the  ,liffey4 ,they had to     
cross the river at a ford1 but the water
 was deep1  so the men stripped         
themselves1 and that their garments     
might be kept  dry1 attached them to the
 horns of the cattle4 ,but no sooner    
were the  oxen in the water than they   
refused to proceed1 and1 turning1       
galloped  home1 carrying away the       
clothing of the robbers on their heads4 
,having such large numbers of women     
under her direction1 ,bridget was       
obliged to draw up for them a set of    
rules4 ,an odd legend attaches to  the  
rules4 ,she sent1 so it was told1 seven 
men and a poor blind boy1 who  was in   
her service1 to ,rome to obtain a rule4 
,but as they were crossing  the ,english
 ,channel1 the anchor caught4 ,they drew
 lots who was to go  down and release   
the anchor4 ,the lot fell to the blind  
boy4 ,he  descended1 unhooked the       

anchor1 and it was hauled up1 but left  
him  behind4 ,the seven went on1 and    
returned at the end of the year1 and    
were  without any rule4 ,as they were   
crossing the ,channel1 again the anchor 
caught1 but it became disengaged1 and up
 with it came the boy1 and he  had a    
,rule of ,life with him1 acquired in the
 depths1 and this he took to  ,bridget1 
and it became her famous rule for all   
her communities4 ,perhaps  the story    
originated thus4 ,it was said that she  
had sent to ,rome for a  system of      
monastic discipline1 but as none came to
 her1 she fished up  one out of the     
depths of her own conscience and        
common-sense4    ,bridget certainly to  
the utmost strove to show forth the     
grace of ,mercy1  which she had elected 
as that for which she would specially   
strive1 when  she was veiled4 ,poor     
lepers were kept by her attached to her 
convent1  and fed and administered to by
 her4    ,one day a woman brought her a 
hamper of apples4 8,oh60 cried ,bridget1

  8how pleased my lepers will be with   
them60 ,the woman angrily said1 8,i     
brought the apples for you1 and not for 
a parcel of lepers40    ,on another     
occasion1 when ,bishop ,conlaeth came to
 vest for the  ,eucharist1 he found that
 his chasuble was gone4 ,in fact1       
,bridget had cut  it up and made of it a
 garment for a leper4 ,conlaeth was not 
overpleased4 8,i cannot celebrate       
without a proper vestment10 said he4    
8,wait a moment10 said ,bridget1 and ran
 away4 ,presently she returned with  one
 she had made and embroidered with her  
own hands1 and gave it to him  in place 
of that she had disposed of to the      
leper4    ,a poor fellow who had gone to
 prefer a petition to the ,king of      
,leinster1  saw a fox playing about in  
his cashel 7i4e4 castle74 ,not knowing  
that it was tame1 and a pet of the king1
 he killed it4 ,the king1 ,illand1  was 
furious1 threw the fellow into chains   
and vowed he would have him  put to     
death4 ,bridget heard of it1 and at once

 went to see him1 and took  with her a  
fox that had just been trapped4 ,she    
offered the fox to  ,illand1 on         
condition that he should let the man go4
 ,the king1 supposing  it was tame1     
consented4 ,no sooner was the fellow    
released than ,bridget  let go her fox1 
when away dashed ,reynard across the dun
 and over the  walls1 and was seen no   
more4 8,i have not got the best of this 
bargain10  said the king4    ,in or     
about the year #dhj she founded her     
mother house at ,kildare--8,the  ,cell  
of the ,oak40 ,she was granted land and 
a sanctuary1 with  jurisdiction over all
 who lived on her land4 ,thus she became
 a great  ecclesiastical chieftainess1  
ruling not over women only1 but over men
 as  well4 ,indeed1 it would seem that  
schools for youths were also under her4 
,to regulate sacred matters in her      
tribe1 she chose a bishop named         
,conlaeth1 who was a good smith in the  
precious metals1 and could  manufacture 
bells4    ,in the great house of        

,kildare little children were taken     
charge of1  either because orphans1 or  
because given to the sisters by their   
parents4 ,tighernach1 ,bishop of        
,clones1 was one of these4 ,as a babe1  
,bridget held him at the font1 and his  
infant years were under her care4  ,he  
ever remained deeply attached to her4   
,perhaps it may be taken as a  token of 
his affection that when he founded a    
church in ,cornwall1 a  chapel dedicated
 to his foster-mother should have been  
planted in  proximity4    ,one who      
deeply reverenced her was the famous ,s4
 ,brendan1 who sailed for  seven years  
on the ,atlantic in quest of the ,land  
of ,promise4 ,once he was  in           
conversation with her1 and he said to   
her1 8,tell me1 ,bridget1 about  your   
spiritual things4 ,for my part ,i may   
say that1 since ,i have learned  to love
 and fear ,god1 ,i have not stepped     
across nine furrows without my  mind    
turning to ,him40    ,bridget thought   
for a moment and said1 8,i do not think1

 ,brendan1 that my  mind has ever       
strayed from ,him40    ,as her age      
advanced1 her influence extended        
throughout ,ireland4 ,swarms  of her    
spiritual children must have crossed to 
,wales1 to ,devon and  ,cornwall1 to    
,brittany1 for we find in all these     
districts dedications to  her2 and these
 dedications signify churches placed    
under the rule of her  congregation4 ,it
 may indeed be said that it was she who 
initiated a  great upheaval of woman    
from being a mere slave to become a     
revered  member of the social body4     
,there was no woman in the ,british     
,church1 either in ,wales or ,alba1     
which  we now call ,scotland1 who       
occupied the same position4 ,in ,saxon  
,england  the only woman who at all     
approached her was ,s4 ,hilda1 and she  
was not1  like ,bridget1 an originator4 
,conlaeth1 ,bridget's bishop1 died in   
#eai4 ,she was sought1 consulted by     
princes and by prelates4 ,the sour      
,gildas1 author of the 8,history of the 

,britons10 if he did not pay her a      
visit1 sent her as token of his esteem  
the present of a small bell1 cast by    
himself4    ,nothing particular is      
recorded of her last illness4 ,she      
received the  ,communion from the hands 
of ,s4 ,nennid1 whom years before she   
had gently  reproved for his giddiness1 
and she died on ,february #ast1 #ebe4   
,according  to some accounts she was    
aged seventy1 according to others       
seventy-four4    ,there are two old     
,irish hymns in honour of her4 ,one     
begins3                                 
8,bridget1 ever good woman1             
,flame-golden1 sparkling40    ,this is  
variously attributed to ,s4 ,columba1   
,s4 ,ultan1 and ,s4 ,brendan4  ,the     
other hymn is by ,s4 ,broccan1 who died 
in #fej4    ,both may be found in the   
,irish 8,liber ,hymnorum10 recently     
issued by the  8,henry ,bradshaw        
,society40                              
,x                           ,,the      
,,daughters ,,of ,,bridget      ,the    

story of the introduction of            
,christianity into ,ireland is          
altogether  so interesting1 that it may 
be well to add something further to what
 has  already been told of ,s4 ,bridget1
 and to the story of ,s4 ,itha4 ,in the 
evangelisation of the ,emerald ,isle1   
woman had her place beside man1 and  ,s4
 ,bridget and ,s4 ,itha played their    
part as effectually as did ,s4  ,patrick
 and ,s4 ,benignus4    ,let us first see
 what the paganism of the ,irish        
consisted in1 and what  was their social
 condition before ,s4 ,patrick preached1
 so that we may be  able to realise to  
some degree what a revolution was       
effected by the  introduction of the    
,gospel4    ,the heathen ,irish         
certainly adored idols2 one of the      
principal of these  was ,cromm ,cruaich1
 which is said to have been the chief   
idol of ,ireland4  ,it is said to have  
been of gold1 and to have been          
surrounded by twelve  lesser idols of   
stone4 ,to this ,cromm ,cruaich the     

,irish were wont to  sacrifice their    
children4 ,there still exists an old    
poem that mentions  this3               
8,milk and corn                   ,they 
sought of him urgently1                 
,for a third of their offspring1        
,great was its horror and its wailing40 
,then there were the ,side worshipped4  
,we do not know what these were1  but it
 is thought that they were the spirits  
of ancestors4 ,the sun also  received   
adoration1 so did wells4 ,s4 ,patrick   
went to the well of ,slan1  and there he
 was told that the natives venerated it 
as a god2 it was the  ,king of ,waters1 
and they believed that an old dead faith
 or prophet  lay in it under a great    
stone that covered the well4 ,s4        
,patrick moved  the slab aside1 and so  
destroyed the sanctity of the well4     
,there can be no doubt that polygamy    
existed3 ,bridget's father had a wife   
in addition to ,brotseach1 her mother2  
and ,s4 ,patrick1 like ,s4 ,paul1 had   
to insist that those whom he consecrated

 as bishops should be husbands  of one  
wife4    ,women were in low repute2 they
 were required to go into battle and    
fight  along with the men1 and it was   
only on the urgency of ,adamnan in the  
synod of ,drumceatt1 in #egd1 that they 
were exempted4 ,a man could sell  his   
daughter--it was so with ,dubtach and   
,bridget4 ,in the life of ,s4  ,illtyt1 
a ,welsh ,knight1 it is told how one    
stormy morning1 when he  wanted to have 
his strayed horses collected1 he pushed 
his wife out of  her bed and sent her   
without any clothes on to drive the     
horses  together4 ,there is no doubt but
 the ,irish husbands were quite as      
brutal4    ,there is a very curious     
story in the life of ,s4 ,patrick4 ,he  
was desirous  of revisiting his old     
master ,miliuc with whom he had been a  
slave as a  lad1 and from whom he had   
run away4 ,his hope was to convert      
,miliuc1 and  to propitiate him with a  
double ransom4 ,but the old heathen1    
frightened  at his approach1 and        

unwilling to receive him and listen to  
his ,gospel1  burned himself alive in   
his house with all his substance4 ,this 
seems to  point to the ,indian ,dharna  
having been customary in ,ireland4      
,when ,s4 ,patrick converted the ,irish 
he dealt very gently with such of  their
 customs as were harmless4 ,the wells   
they so reverenced he  converted into   
baptisteries1 and the pillar-stones they
 venerated he  rendered less            
objectionable by cutting crosses on     
them4 ,the ,druids wore  white raiment1 
and had their heads tonsured2 he made   
his clergy adopt  both the white habit  
and the tonsure4    ,the oak was an     
object of reverence1 and ,s4 ,bridget   
set up her cell under  an ancient oak4  
,she did not cut it down1 and when      
people came on  pilgrimage to it1 taught
 them of ,christ1 from under its leafy  
boughs4    ,there was another relic of  
paganism that was not ruthlessly        
rejected4  ,the ancient ,irish venerated
 fire4 ,now1 in ,ireland1 where the     

atmosphere  is so charged with moisture1
 it is not easy to procure fire by      
rubbing  sticks together1 as it would be
 in ,italy or ,africa4 ,consequently it 
was  a matter of extreme importance that
 fires should not be allowed to be      
extinguished4 ,it was the custom among  
the early ,latins that there should  be 
in every village a circular hut in which
 the fire was kept ever  burning1 and   
the unmarried girls were expected and   
obliged to attend to  it2 and if by the 
fault of any it became extinguished1    
then her life was  forfeit4    ,as the  
,romans became more civilised1 the      
central hut was called the  ,temple of  
,vesta1 or ,hestia1--the ,hearth-fire2  
and a certain number of  virgins was    
chosen1 and invested with great         
privileges1 whose duty it  was never to 
allow it to die out4    ,now1 it was    
much the same in ,ireland1 and it was   
more important there to  keep fire      
always burning1 than it was in the drier
 air of ,italy4 ,s4  ,bridget undertook 

that she and her nuns should keep the   
sacred fire from  extinction1 and       
,kildare became the centre from which   
fire could always  be procured4 ,the    
fire was twice extinguished1 once by the
 ,normans and  again at the             
,reformation1 finally4    ,the monastery
 of ,kildare had a les about it--that is
 to say1 it was  enclosed within a bank 
and moat2 the buildings were1 however1  
of wood  and wattle4 ,this we know from 
a story in the ,life of ,s4 ,bridget4   
,when  she was about laying out her     
monastery1 a hundred horses arrived     
laden  with 8peeled rods10 for ,ailill1 
son of that very prince ,dunlaing who   
had  refused to buy her when he found   
she had given away her father's sword4  
,some of the girls ran to beg for the   
poles1 but were refused4 ,as1  however1 
some of the horses fell down under their
 burdens1 which were  excessive1 ,ailill
 gave way and supplied them with stakes 
and wattles4 ,he  very good-naturedly   
allowed his horses to bring to ,bridget 

as many more  as were required1 free of 
cost4 8,and10 says the writer1          
8therewith was  built ,s4 ,bridget's    
great house in ,kildare40    ,all the   
sisters wore white flannel habits1 and  
on their heads white  veils4 ,each had  
her own cell1 but all met for ,divine   
worship and for  meals4 ,during the     
latter1 ,bridget's bishop ,conlaeth read
 aloud to them4    ,bridget travelled   
about a great deal1 visiting her several
 communities1  in a car or chariot2 and 
her driver was at her desire ordained   
priest1  so that as she sat in her      
conveyance1 he could turn his head over 
his  shoulder and preach to her and the 
sisters with her4 ,one day ,bridget     
said3 8,this is inconvenient4 ,turn     
bodily about1 that we may hear you the  
better1 and as for the reins1 throw them
 down4 ,the horses will jog  along40    
,so he cast the reins over the front of 
the chariot1 and addressed his          
discourse to them with his back to the  
horses4 ,unhappily1 one of these  latter

 took advantage of the occasion1 and    
slipped its neck from the  yoke1 and ran
 free2 and so engrossed were ,bridget   
and her companion in  the sermon of the 
priestly coachman1 that they discovered 
nothing till  they were nearly upset4   
,on another occasion1 she and one of her
 nuns were being driven over a  common  
near the ,liffey1 when they came to a   
long hedge1 for a man had  enclosed a   
portion of the common4 ,but ,bridget's  
driver had no relish for  such          
encroachments1 and determined to assert 
his 8right of way10 so he  prepared to  
drive over the hedge4 ,bridget told him 
to go round1 but not  he--he would      
assert his right4 ,over went the chariot
 with such a bounce1  that away flew the
 coachman1 ,bridget1 and her nun1 like  
rockets2 and  when they picked          
themselves up were all badly bruised1   
and ,bridget's  head was cut open4 ,she 
had it bound up1 and continued her      
journey4 ,when  she got home she        
consulted her physician1 who with shrewd

 sense said1  8,leave it alone4 ,nature 
is your best doctor40    ,in the 8,book 
of ,leinster10 compiled in the twelfth  
century1 is a list of  saintly virgins  
who were trained under ,s4 ,bridget4 ,it
 is1 however1 by no  means complete4 ,a 
few words shall be devoted to some of   
them4 ,one1 very  young1 had been       
committed to ,bridget when quite a      
child4 ,her name was  ,darlugdach4 ,she 
slept with ,bridget1 her foster-mother4 
,now1 as she grew  to be a big girl1 she
 became restive1 and impatient of the   
restraints of  the convent life at      
,kildare1 and she had formed a plan with
 another to  run away4    ,the night on 
which she had resolved on leaving the   
monastery she was1 as  usual1 sleeping  
in the same bed with ,bridget2 and she  
laid herself in  her bosom1 her heart   
fluttering with excitement1 and with her
 mind at  conflict between love of her  
foster-mother and desire to be out and  
free  as a bird4    ,at last she rose1  
and in an agony of uncertainty cast     

herself on her  knees1 and besought ,god
 to strengthen her to remain where she  
knew she  would be safe4 ,then1 in the  
vehemence of her resolve1 she thrust her
  naked feet before the red coals that  
glowed on the hearth1 and held them     
there till she could bear it no longer1 
and limped back to bed1 and  nestled    
again into the bosom of the holy mother4
    ,when morning broke1 ,bridget rose1 
and looked at the scorched soles of     
,darlugdach1 and touching them said     
gently1 8,i was not asleep1 my darling  
child4 ,i was awake and aware of your   
struggle1 but ,i allowed you to  fight  
it out bravely by yourself4 ,now that   
you have conquered1 you need  not fear  
this temptation again40    ,darlugdach1 
when ,s4 ,bridget was dying1 clung to   
her1 in floods of tears1  and entreated 
her spiritual mother to allow her to die
 with her4 ,but ,s4  ,bridget promised  
that she should follow speedily--but not
 yet4 ,now1 on  the very anniversary of 
,s4 ,bridget's departure1 next year1    

,darlugdach  fell ill of a fever and    
died4    ,another of ,bridget's nuns was
 named ,dara1 who was blind--indeed1 had
 been  born without sight4    ,one      
evening ,bridget and ,dara sat together 
and talked all night of the  joys of    
,paradise4 ,and their hearts were so    
full that the hours of  darkness passed 
without their being aware how time sped2
 and lo6 above  the ,wicklow mountains  
rose the golden sun1 and in the glorious
 light the  sky flashed1 and the river  
glittered1 and all creation awoke4 ,then
  ,bridget sighed1 because she knew that
 ,dara's eyes were closed to all  this  
beauty4 ,so--the legend tells--she bowed
 her head in prayer2 and  presently ,god
 wrought a great miracle1 for the eyes  
of the blind woman  opened1 and she saw 
the golden ball in the east1 and the    
purple  mountains1 the trees1 and the   
flowers glittering in the morning dew4  
,she  cried out with delight4 ,now for  
the first time she--                    
8,saw a bush of flowering elder1        

,and dog-daisies in its shade1          
,tufted meadow-sweet entangled          
,in a blushing wild-rose braid4         
8,saw a distant sheet of water          
,flashing like a fallen sun2            
,saw the winking of the ripples         
,where the mountain torrents run4       
8,saw the peaceful arch of heaven1      
,with a cloudlet on the blue1           
,like a white bird winging homeward     
,with its feathers drenched in dew40    
,then ,dara tried to lift up her heart  
to ,god in thanksgiving2 but her        
attention was distracted1--now it was a 
bird1 then a flower1 then a  change in  
the light1--and she could not fix her   
mind on ,god4 ,then a  sadness came upon
 her1 and she cried--                   
8#8,o my ,saviour6'                     
,with a sudden grief oppressed1--       
#8,be ,thy will1 not mine1 accomplished2
                      ,give me what     
,thou deemest best4'                    
8,then once more the clouds descended1  
,and the eyes again waxed dark2         

,all the splendour of the sunlight      
,faded to a dying spark4                
8,but the closd heart expanded          
,like the flower that blooms at night   
,whilst1 as ,philomel1 the spirit       
,chanted to the waning light40          
,again1 another of ,bridget's nuns was  
,brunseach2 she1 however1 went1         
probably on ,bridget's death1 to a      
religious house that had been founded   
by ,s4 ,kieran of ,saighir1 over which  
he had set his mother1 ,liadhain4       
,she was young and beautiful1 and       
,dioma1 the chief of the country of the 
,hy ,fiachach1 came by violence and     
carried her off to his dun or  castle4  
,kieran was angry1 and at once seizing  
his staff1 went to the residence  of the
 prince1 and demanded that she should be
 surrendered to him4 ,the  chief shut   
his gates and refused to admit the      
saint4 ,kieran remained  outside1       
although it was winter1 and declared he 
would not return  without her4          
,during the night there was a heavy fall

 of snow1 but the saint would not       
leave4 ,then ,dioma1 taunting him1 said1
 8,come1 ,i will let her go on one      
condition1 that to-morrow ,i hear the   
stork1 and that he awake me from        
sleep40    ,and actually next morning   
there was a stork perched on the        
palisade of  the dun1 and was uttering  
its peculiar cries4 ,the tyrant arose in
  alarm1 threw himself before the saint1
 and dismissed the damsel4    ,however1 
he had quailed only for a while1 and    
presently renewed his  persecution4     
,brunseach1 according to the legend1    
died of fright1 but was  brought to life
 again by ,s4 ,kieran--that is to say1  
she fainted and was  revived4    ,the   
story is late1 and has become invested  
in fable2 but so much of it  is true1   
that ,brunseach was carried off by      
,dioma1 and that ,kieran  managed to get
 her restored4    ,it was perhaps       
through the annoyance caused by the     
prince that he  resolved to leave       
,ireland4 ,he settled in ,cornwall4 ,but

 he had taken with  him his old nurse   
and ,brunseach1 and he found for them   
suitable  habitations there4 ,kieran    
himself was there called ,piran1 and he 
founded  several churches4 ,that of his 
nurse in the ,cornish peninsula is      
,ladock1  and ,brunseach is known there 
as ,s4 ,buriana4    8,nothing has been  
recorded of her life and labours in     
,cornwall1 except  the general tradition
 that she spent her days in good works  
and great  sanctity2 but the place where
 she dwelt was regarded as holy ground  
for  centuries1 and can still be pointed
 out4 ,it lies about a mile south-east  
of the parish church which bears her    
name1 beside a rivulet on the farm  of  
,bosleven2 and the spot is called the   
,sentry1 or ,sanctuary4 ,the  crumbling 
ruins of an ancient structure still     
remain there1 and traces  of extensive  
foundations have been found adjoining   
them4 ,if not the  actual ruins1 they   
probably occupy the site of the oratory 
in which  ,athelstan1 after vanquishing 

the ,cornish king1 knelt at the shrine  
of  the saint1 and made his memorable   
vow that1 if ,god would crown his       
expedition to the ,scilly ,isles with   
success1 he would on his return  build  
and endow there a church and college in 
token of his gratitude1  and in memory  
of his victories4    8,it was on that   
wild headland1 about four miles from    
,land's ,end1 that ,s4  ,buriana took up
 her abode2 and a group of saints from  
,ireland1 who were  probably her friends
 and companions1 and who seem to have   
landed on our  shores at the same time1 
occupied contiguous parts of the same   
district4  ,there she watched and prayed
 with such devotion1 that the fame of   
her  goodness found its way back to her 
native land2 and thenceforth  ,brunseach
 the ,slender1 by which designation she 
had been known there1  was enrolled in  
the catalogue of the ,irish saints2 but 
her ,christian  zeal was spent in the   
,cornish parish that perpetuates her    
name40#d    ,bridget had two disciples  

of the name of ,brig or ,briga4 ,this   
was by no  means an uncommon name4 ,a   
sister of ,s4 ,brendan was so called4   
,another was ,kiara1 and this virgin we 
perhaps meet with again in  ,cornwall as
 ,piala1 the sister of ,fingar4 ,amongst
 the ,welsh and ,cornish  the hard sound
 ,k became ,p1 thus ,ken 7head71 was    
pronounced ,pen2 so  ,s4 ,kieran became 
,piran4    ,fingar and his sister formed
 a part of a great colony of emigrants  
who  started for ,cornwall4 ,fingar had 
settled in ,brittany1 but he returned to
  ,ireland and persuaded his sister to  
leave the country with him4 ,this she   
was the more inclined to do as she was  
being forced into marriage in  spite of 
her monastic vows4 ,they left ,ireland  
with the intention of  going back to    
,brittany1 but were carried by adverse  
winds to ,cornwall1  and landed at      
,hayle4    ,king ,tewdrig1 who had a    
palace hard by1 did not relish the      
arrival of a  host of ,irish1 and he set
 upon them and massacred most of them4  

,kiara1  however1 was not molested1     
though her brother was killed4 ,she     
settled  where is now the parish church 
of ,phillack4 ,the scene of her         
brother's  martyrdom was ,gwynear1 hard 
by4 ,she probably did not care to leave 
the  proximity to his grave2 she had no 
one to go with to ,armorica1 and it     
seems likely that a larger body of      
,irish came over shortly after1         
occupied all the west part of ,cornwall1
 and so made her condition more         
tolerable4          ,illustration3 ,s4  
,,itha4                                 
,,xi                                    
,s4 ,,itha      ,what ,bridget was for  
,leinster1 that was ,itha or ,ita for   
,munster2 and  from the way in which her
 cult spread through ,devon and         
,cornwall1 we are  led to suspect that  
there were a good many religious houses 
and churches  in the ancient kingdom of 
,damnonia that were under her rule1 and 
looked  to ,killeedy in ,limerick as    
their mother-house4    ,s4 ,itha was a  

shoot of the royal family of the        
,nandesi1 in the present  county of     
,waterford4 ,her father's name was      
,kennfoelad1 and her mother's  was      
,nect4 ,they were ,christians1 as       
appears from the fact of ,s4 ,itha      
having been baptised in childhood4      
,she was born about #dhj1 and probably  
at an early date received the veil  8in 
the ,church of ,god of the clan40       
,unfortunately we have not the life of  
,s4 ,itha in a very early form2 it      
comes to us sadly corrupted with late   
fables foisted in to magnify the        
miraculous powers of the saint4    ,she 
moved to the foot of ,mount ,luachra1 in
 ,hy ,conaill1 and founded the          
monastery of ,cluain ,credhuil1 now     
,killeedy1 in a wild and solitary       
region1 backed by the mountains of      
,mullaghareirk1 and on a stream that  is
 a confluent of the ,deel1 which falls  
into the ,shannon at ,askaton4    ,the  
chief of the clan or sept of ,hy        
,conaill offered her a considerable     

tract of land for the support of her    
establishment1 but she refused to       
receive more than was sufficient for a  
modest garden4    ,let us try to get    
some idea of what one of these          
monasteries was like4    ,in the first  
place a ditch and a bank were drawn     
round the space that  was to be         
occupied1 and the summit of the bank was
 further protected by  a palisade of    
stakes with osier wattling4 ,in such    
places as were stony1  and where no     
earthwork could well be made1 in place  
of a bank1 there was  a wall4    ,within
 the enclosure were a number of         
beehive-shaped cells1 either of  wattle 
or of stone and turf4 ,certainly the    
favourite style of building  was with   
wood2 but of course all such wooden     
structures have perished1  whereas some 
of those of stone have been preserved4  
,there were churches1  apparently small1
 and a refectory1 bakehouses1 and a     
brewery and  storehouses4    ,outside   
the defensive wall of enclosure lived   

the retainers of the  abbey4 ,where an  
abbot or abbess was head of an          
ecclesiastical tribe1 he  or she was    
bound to find land for each household3  
nine furrows of arable  land1 nine of   
bog1 nine of grass-land1 and as much of 
forest4 ,as the  population increased1 a
 secular or an ecclesiastical chief was 
obliged  to obtain an extension of      
territory1 or would be held to have     
forfeited  his claims as a chief4 ,this 
led to incessant feud among the ,celtic 
princes2 it forced the saints to be     
continually striving to obtain fresh    
grants of land and make fresh           
settlements4 ,when there was no more    
chance  of obtaining land in ,ireland1  
they sent swarms to ,britain and to     
,brittany1 to found colonies there1     
under the jurisdiction of the saint4    
,this explains the way in which the     
,celtic saints were incessantly moving  
about4 ,they were forced to do so to    
extend their lands so as to find  farms 
for their vassals4    ,a very terrible  

story is told of the condition of       
affairs in ,ireland in  #feg4 ,the      
population of the island had increased  
to such an extent that  the chiefs could
 not find land enough for the people4   
,dermot and  ,blaithmac1 the kings1     
summoned an assembly of clergy and      
nobles to  discuss the situation and    
consider a remedy4 ,they concluded that 
the  8elders0 should put up prayer to   
the ,almighty to send a pestilence1 8to 
reduce the number of the lower class1   
that the rest might live in  comfort40  
,s4 ,fechin of ,fore1 on being          
consulted1 approved of this             
extraordinary petition4 ,and the prayer 
was answered from heaven1 but the       
vengeance of ,god fell mainly on the    
nobles and clergy1 for the ,yellow      
,plague which ensued1 which swept away  
at least a third of the  population1    
fell with special heaviness on the      
nobles and clergy1 of  whom multitudes1 
including the two kings and ,s4 ,fechin 
of ,fore1 were  carried off4    ,s4     

,itha does not seem to have coveted     
land1 and she assumed a different       
position from that taken by ,s4         
,bridget4 ,she was not an independent   
chieftainess over a sacred tribe1 but   
acted as prophetess to the secular      
tribe of the ,hy ,conaill4 ,just as     
among the ,germans1 the warriors had    
their wise women who attended the tribe1
 blessed the arms of the  warriors1 and 
uttered oracles1 so was it among the    
,celts2 and we are  assured that the    
entire sept1 or clan1 unanimously       
adopted ,s4 ,itha as  their religious   
directress and1 in fact1 wise woman4 ,in
 such cases1 when  a prophecy came true1
 when a military undertaking blessed by 
the ,saint  proved successful1 the usage
 was1 that an award was made in         
perpetuity  to him or to her1 a tax     
imposed that must be paid regularly by  
the  tribe4    ,thus there were two ways
 by which a ,celtic saint might         
subsist--either as  an independent      
chieftain over a sacred tribe1 or as the

 patroness or  prophetess of a tribe1   
not owning much land1 but drawing a     
revenue from  the sept or clan4    ,we  
have a very curious illustration of this
 in the life of ,s4 ,findcua1  who was  
the great seer and prophet of ,munster4 
,he blessed the arms of  the king seven 
times in as many battles1 and was       
rewarded for each2 he  received tribute 
in this wise3 8,the first calf1 and the 
first lamb1 and  the first pig10 from   
every farm for ever4 8,for every        
homestead a sack of  malt1 with a       
corresponding supply of food yearly40   
,now there is not a trace of ,s4 ,itha  
having allowed herself on any  occasion 
to degrade herself to blessing and      
cursing1 blessing the arms  of the      
,leinster men and covering their foes   
with imprecations4 ,she  succeeded in   
inspiring the whole of the people with  
such reverence1 that  they were ready to
 receive what she declared as a message 
from ,god1 and  she used this position  
for no other object than that of        

advancing ,god's  kingdom1 stirring up  
to good works1 encouraging peace1 and   
restraining  violence4 ,she showed no   
eagerness for gifts4 ,on one occasion a 
wealthy  man1 to whom she had rendered a
 service1 insisted on forcing money on  
her4 ,she at once withdrew her hand1    
absolutely refused it1 and to show  him 
her determination1 washed her hands     
that1 she said1 had been defiled  by    
contact with his filthy lucre4 ,god's   
gifts were not to be traded  with1 and  
profit must not be made out of an office
 such as that filled  by her4           
,parents1 desirous of having their      
children brought up to the              
ecclesiastical state1 committed them to 
her2 and thus she became the            
foster-mother of ,s4 ,pulcherius or     
,mochoemoc1 of ,s4 ,cumine1 and ,s4     
,brendan4 ,the latter was committed to  
her when one year old1 and she kept  him
 with her till he was five4 ,throughout 
his life ,brendan retained not  merely  
the tenderest love for ,itha1 but such a

 reverence that he  consulted her in all
 matters of importance4    ,one day     
,brendan asked her what three works     
were1 in her opinion1 most              
well-pleasing to ,god4 ,she replied1    
8,faith out of a pure heart1 sincerity  
of life1 and tender charity40    8,and  
what10 further asked ,brendan1 8what are
 most displeasing to ,god80    8,a      
spiteful tongue1 a love of what smacks  
of evil1 and avarice10 was her  ready   
reply4    ,brendan1 as a little fellow1 
was the pet of the community1 and all   
the  sisters loved to have him and dance
 him in their arms4 ,in the life of ,s4 
,brendan is inserted a snatch from an   
older ,irish ballad concerning him3     
8,angels in shape of virgins white      
,this little babe did tend4             
,from hand to hand1 fair forms of light1
                     ,sweet faces o'er  
him bend40    ,s4 ,erc1 ,bishop of      
,slane1 seems to have been ,itha's      
principal adviser and  friend2 and when 
the five years of ,brendan's fostering  

were over1 ,erc  took the little boy    
away to teach him the ,psalms and the   
,gospels4 ,s4 ,erc  found it rather hard
 to keep the boy supplied with milk1 but
 a hind with  her fawn1 so says the     
legend1 was caught1 and gave her milk to
 ,brendan4    ,it may be asked1 ,what   
was the mode of life of the community of
 ,s4 ,itha8    ,unhappily we do not know
 so much of that of the religious women 
as we do  of that of the monasteries of 
men1 yet we cannot doubt that the rule  
of  the house for women much resembled  
that in the others4 ,here is an  account
 of the order as given in the life of   
,s4 ,brioc1 an ,irishman by  race1      
though born in ,cardigan4    8,at fixed 
hours they all assembled in the church  
to celebrate divine  worship4 ,after the
 office of vespers 7#f p4m47 they       
refreshed their  bodies by a common     
meal4 ,then1 having said compline1 they 
dispersed in  silence to their beds4 ,at
 midnight they rose and assembled to    
sing  devoutly psalms and hymns to the  

glory of ,god4 ,then they returned to   
their beds4 ,but at cockcrow1 at the    
sound of the bell1 they sprang from     
their couches to sing lauds4 ,from the  
conclusion of this office to the  second
 hour 7#h a4m47 they were engaged in    
spiritual exercises and  prayer4 ,then  
they cheerfully betook them to manual   
labour40    ,happily one of the monastic
 offices of the early ,irish ,church has
 been  deciphered from a nearly         
obliterated leaf of the ,irish ,,ms4    
,book of  ,mulling3 it consisted of the 
,magnificat4 ,what preceded this is     
illegible3 some verses of a hymn2 the   
reading of the ,beatitudes from the     
,sermon on the ,mount1 a hymn of ,s4    
,secundinus1 a commemoration of ,s4     
,patrick1 a portion of a hymn by ,s4    
,hilary of ,poitiers1 the ,apostles'    
,creed1 the ,lord's prayer1 and a       
collect4    ,the work of the day        
consisted in teaching the young girls   
their letters1  in needlework1 tending  
the cattle--in which each1 abbess       

included1 took  turn--grinding corn in  
the handmill1 and cultivating the       
garden4    ,numerous visitors arrived to
 consult ,s4 ,itha1 and she most        
certainly had  fixed hours in which to  
receive them4    ,one striking instance 
of the veneration in which she was held 
is that ,s4  ,coemgen of ,glendalough1  
when dying1 sent to entreat her to come 
to him2  he would have no one else      
minister to him in his last sickness1   
and he  begged her1 when he expired to  
place her hand over his mouth and close 
it4    ,one ,beoan was a famous         
artificer2 he was a native of           
,connaught4 ,he went  to ,itha and      
passed into her service2 but was        
summoned by his military  chief to      
attend him in one of his raids4 ,he     
departed most reluctantly4  ,itha was   
greatly distressed at losing him4 ,as he
 did not return after a  skirmish1 she  
went to the scene of the encounter1 and 
found him  grievously wounded1 but still
 living4 ,under her fostering care he   

recovered4 ,according to late legend1   
his head had been cut off and  thrown   
away4 ,she found his body but not his   
head1 so she called 8,beoan6  ,beoan60  
,whereupon the head came flying through 
the air to her1 and she  set it on      
again4 ,so a very simple transaction was
 magnified into a  ridiculous fable4    
,after leaving her1 ,s4 ,brendan went   
about with ,bishop ,erc in his waggon1  
from which the bishop preached to the   
people4 ,one day when ,erc was          
addressing a crowd1 ,brendan was in the 
back of the waggon1 looking over  the   
side1 clearly not attending to the      
sermon4 ,then a small1  fair-haired1    
rosy-faced girl came near1 and seeing   
the little fellow  peeping over the     
side1 she tried to scramble up the      
waggon-wheel to get  to ,brendan and    
play with him4 ,but he laid hold of the 
reins and lashed  her with them1 so that
 she was forced to desist1 and fell back
 crying4  ,erc was much annoyed at      
,brendan's conduct1 and sent him into   

the  black-hole in punishment4    ,some 
years later1 ,itha required ,brendan to 
come to her3 she was in great  trouble1 
and needed his assistance4 ,he went     
accordingly1 and with many  tears she   
told him that one of her pupils had run 
away some time before1  and had fallen  
into very bad courses1 which had led at 
last to her being  reduced to be a      
slave-girl in ,connaught4 ,would he go  
in search of her  and bring her back1   
with assurance that everything would be 
forgiven and  forgotten8    ,brendan    
readily undertook the task1 and         
succeeded in redeeming the girl  and    
restoring her to her spiritual mother4  
,now ,brendan himself got into trouble4 
,he had gone with a boat one day to  an 
island1 taking with him two lads1 one   
quite young4 ,he left one boy in  charge
 of the boat1 and advanced up the land  
with the other4 ,then this  latter said 
to him1 8,master1 the tide will rise    
before we get back1 and  ,i am sure my  
little brother cannot manage the boat   

alone40    8,be silent10 retorted       
,brendan4 8,do you suppose that ,i do   
not care for  him as much as you do     
yourself80    ,after a while the young  
man returned to the matter4 8,i am      
sure10 said  he1 8it is not safe to     
leave the boy unassisted4 ,the current  
runs very  strong40    8,bad luck to    
you60 said ,brendan1 flaming up1--he was
 a peppery man1--8,go  yourself1 then20 
and the youth took him at his word and  
found the boy  struggling with the boat1
 tide and wind were driving from shore1 
and he  was unable to control the       
coracle4 ,the elder ran into the water  
to  assist his brother1 and a great wave
 swept him off his feet and he was      
drowned1 but the little boy escaped4    
,after this ,s4 ,brendan had no peace of
 mind4 ,he thought himself  responsible 
for the loss of the youth4 ,he had      
wished him 8,bad luck10 and  bad luck   
indeed had fallen to him4    ,he went at
 once to his foster-mother1 and         
consulted her4    ,it is quite possible 

that the relatives of the drowned youth 
had taken  the matter up1 and pursued   
,brendan in blood-feud4 ,so ,itha1 after
 mature  consideration1 advised ,brendan
 to leave ,ireland for a while2 and in  
punishment for his hastiness1 and for   
having caused the death of the  youth1  
she bade him abstain from blood in      
everything4    ,so ,brendan started4 ,he
 went to ,armorica1 and determined to   
visit ,gildas1  the historian1 who was  
then at his abbey of ,rhuys4 ,gildas was
 a sour1  ill-tempered man1 very hard2  
and when ,brendan arrived1 it was just  
after  sundown and the gates of the     
monastery were closed4 ,he announced who
 he  was--a traveller from ,ireland--but
 ,gildas replied that rules must be     
kept1  and it was against his rule to   
open after set of sun1 so ,brendan was  
constrained to spend the night outside  
the gates4    ,thence he went to ,dol1  
but after a while1 and a visit to ,s4   
,david in  ,wales1 he returned to       
,ireland1 and now ,itha told him a      

marvellous story4  ,there was a rumour  
that far away to the west beyond the    
horizon was a  wondrous land of beauty4 
,he must not remain in ,ireland3 let him
 put to  sea1 sail after the sun as it  
set1 and discover the mysterious land   
beyond the ,atlantic4    ,the           
imagination of ,brendan was fired2 he   
set to work to construct three  large   
vessels of wickerwork1 and he covered   
them with skins2 each vessel  contained 
thirty men--some were clergy1 a good    
many laymen--and he took a  fool with   
him1 because he begged hard to be       
admitted4 ,brendan was absent  three or 
five years1 it is uncertain which--for  
apparently the time of  his absence in  
,brittany is included in one of the     
computations4    ,wonderful stories are 
told of what he saw and did1 but no     
trust can be  put in the narrative4 ,on 
his return he went to ,itha to report   
himself4  ,she received him with great  
pleasure1 but objected that he had not  
literally obeyed her1 for his sails had 

been made of the skins of  beasts1 so   
had been the covering of his boats1 and 
cattle had been  slaughtered for the    
purpose1 so that he had not wholly      
abstained from  blood4    ,but it is    
doubtful whether this is what she really
 said4 ,it is probably  the legend      
writer's explanation for what follows4  
8,why10 asked ,itha1  8should you risk  
these lengthy voyages in such frail     
vessels as coracles  made of basket-work
 covered with hides8 ,next time build   
boats of wood40    ,this was a new idea4
 ,the ,irish1 like the ,welsh1 had      
hitherto used large  coracles1 and the  
only wooden boats they had employed were
 trunks of  trees hollowed out1 and     
these only on lakes4    ,brendan at once
 seized on the suggestion1 and          
constructed ships of wood1  which were  
the first ever built in ,ireland1 and   
these were due to the  idea of ,s4      
,itha4    ,brendan made a second voyage 
to the land beyond the ocean1 and it is 
possible that he may have actually      

reached ,america2 but1 as already  said1
 nothing trustworthy has come to us of  
the result of his attempts4    ,itha had
 a brother1 ,s4 ,finan1 and she was     
related to ,s4 ,senan of  ,achadh-coel4 
,itha in her old age was attacked by    
perhaps the most terrible and  painful  
disease to which poor suffering         
mortality is subject1 and it is  one to 
which women fall victims more often than
 men4 ,she was attacked in  her breast1 
but endured her pains night and day with
 the utmost patience  and trust in      
,god's mercy4 ,her nuns were affected to
 tears at her  sufferings1 but she had  
always a smile and cheerful words on her
 lips to  banish their discouragement4  
,she died at length on ,january #aeth1  
in the year #efi or #egj1 and was laid  
in her church of ,cluain ,credhuil1     
which has since borne the name of       
,killeedy or the ,church of ,ida4       
,she must have been known beyond the    
island of ,ireland1 for in the          
,salisbury ,martyrology she is entered  

in strange form as 8,in ,ireland the    
festival of ,s4 ,dorothea1 also called  
,sith 7,s4 ,ith70 on ,january #aeth4    
,in ,cornwall a lofty and bare hill1    
that commands the ,atlantic and the     
coast1 is crowned by a great ruined     
camp4 ,it had belonged to the  ,british1
 but was wrested from them and became a 
stronghold of the  ,saxons1 who held it 
so as to dominate the entire            
neighbourhood4 ,this is  ,hellborough1  
not far from ,camelford4 ,it continued  
to be a royal castle1  the property of  
the ,crown1 though it does not seem that
 any medival  castle was built upon it4 
,now1 curiously enough1 in the midst of 
this  great camp is a mound of stone or 
cairn1 and on this cairn is a little    
chapel1 at present in ruins1 dedicated  
to the saint whose life has just  been  
given4 ,and on the river ,camel1 that   
flows into the ,padstow estuary1  is a  
parish that bears the name1 though      
corrupted into ,s4 ,issey4 ,but  near   
,exeter is a parish church that has her 

as patroness with the name  unmutilated1
 as ,s4 ,ide4    ,how came these        
dedications in ,cornwall and ,devon8    
,either because ,s4  ,brendan on his way
 home from ,brittany founded the        
churches in memory of  his dear         
foster-mother1 or else because here were
 colonies of holy women  from the       
mother-house in ,limerick4    ,in or    
about #fef ,cuimin of ,connor wrote the 
8,characteristics of the ,irish         
,saints0 in metre1 and this is what he  
says of ,itha3--                  8,my  
7dear7 ,itha1 much beloved of fosterage1
                 ,firmly rooted in      
humility1 but never base1               
,laid not her cheek to the ground1      
,ever1 ever full of the love of ,god40  
,illustration3 ,s4 ,,hilda4             
,,xii                                   
,s4 ,,hilda      ,hilda was born in     
#fad4 ,she was the daughter of ,hereric1
 nephew of ,edwin1  king of             
,northumbria4    ,her childhood was     
darkened by the civil wars that rent    

,northumbria1 at  this time divided into
 two kingdoms1 each engaged in fighting 
the other  for supremacy4    ,in #fbg1  
when aged thirteen1 she received        
baptism1 along with her uncle  ,edwin1  
at the hands of ,s4 ,paulinus4 ,she     
lived thirty-three years in her  family1
 8very nobly10 says ,bede1 and then     
resolved to dedicate the rest  of her   
life to ,god4 ,her intention was to go  
to ,chelles1 in ,france1 for  her       
training2 and1 for this purpose1 she    
went into ,east ,anglia to its  queen1  
her sister4    ,she spent a year in     
preparation for her final exile2 but her
 purpose was  frustrated by a summons   
from ,s4 ,aidan1 the ,apostle of        
,northumbria1 to  return to her own     
country and settle there4 ,she obeyed at
 once1 and was  placed by ,aidan as     
superior over a few sisters in a small  
monastic  settlement on the north bank  
of the ,wear4 ,but she was there for a  
year  only1 when she was called to      
replace ,s4 ,heiu1 the first ,abbess of 

,hartlepool4 ,this was in #fdi4    ,at  
,hartlepool1 the ,saint's care was to   
introduce order and discipline1  which  
had1 apparently1 been relaxed under     
,heiu4 ,hither came her mother1  who    
passed the rest of her days under the   
rule and care of her daughter1  and     
there she died and was buried4    ,in   
some excavations carried on at          
,hartlepool on the site of the old      
abbey1 between #ahcc and #ahdc1 among a 
number of ,anglo-,saxon tombs that  were
 discovered1 some bore the names of     
,berchtgitha1 ,hildigitha1 and  other   
members of the sisterhood4#e    ,so     
great was ,hilda's reputation for       
spiritual wisdom1 that when ,king       
,oswy1 in fulfilment of his vow1        
consecrated his daughter1 ,elfleda1 to  
,almighty ,god1 as a thank-offering for 
his victory over ,penda1 ,king of  the  
,mercians1 it was to ,s4 ,hilda's care  
that he committed her4    ,whether now  
or later is uncertain1 but she had a    
second convent at  ,hackness1 where some

 very remarkable relics of the          
ecclesiastical  foundations of ,hilda   
still remain4    ,in #feh1 the peace and
 security of ,northumbria had been      
secured by the  final victory gained by 
,oswy over the ,mercians1 at ,winwaed4  
,hilda at  once took advantage of the   
king's vow to give a certain number of  
farms  to ,god1 to secure               
,streaneshalch1 now ,whitby1 for the    
establishment of a  new and larger      
monastery4    ,m4 de ,montalembert1 the 
historian of ,western ,monachism1 says  
that3 8,of  all sites chosen by monastic
 architects1 after that of ,monte       
,cassino1 ,i  know none grander and more
 picturesque than that of ,whitby4      
,nothing now  remains of the ,saxon     
monastery1 but more than half the       
,abbey-church1  restored by the ,percies
 in the time of the ,normans1 still     
stands1 and  enables the marvelling     
spectator to form for himself an idea of
 the  solemn grandeur of the great      
edifice4444 ,the beautiful colour of the

  stone1 half-eaten away by the         
sea-winds1 adds to the charm of these   
ruins4 ,a more picturesque effect could 
not be imagined than that of the        
distant horizon of azure sea1 viewed    
through the gaunt1 hollow eyes of  the  
ruinous arches40    ,here1 for thirty   
years1 the great ,hilda ruled4 ,she must
 have been a  woman of commanding       
character1 and of no mean mental power1 
for she  exercised a really marvellous  
influence over bishops1 kings and       
nobles4  ,they came to consult her1 and 
received her advice with respect4 8,all 
who  knew her10 says ,bede1 8called her 
,mother1 on account of her singular     
piety and grace4 ,she was not merely an 
example of good life to those who  lived
 in her monastery1 but she afforded     
occasion of amendment and  salvation to 
many who lived at a distance1 to whom   
was carried the fame  of her industry   
and virtue40    ,the story went that    
before her birth her mother had dreamt  
that she had  in her lap a jewel that   

sent forth streams of light2 and it was 
proudly  thought that this meant that   
she would nurse ,hilda1 precious as a   
gem1  and diffusing the light of divine 
truth through dark ,northumbria4        
,under ,hilda's charge at ,whitby was   
the little ,elfleda1 daughter of ,oswy1 
who was to succeed her in the abbacy4   
,the monastery was a curious            
institution4 ,it was double4 ,there was 
a  community of women and another of    
men4 ,there was1 however1 but one       
church in which they met for prayer4 ,if
 we may judge by the ,celtic            
monasteries elsewhere1 a wall separated 
the monks from the nuns1 so that  they  
could hear but not see each other4      
,the monastery for men under ,hilda     
became a nursery for bishops4 ,thence   
issued ,bosa1 who became ,bishop of     
,york1--,hedda1 ,bishop of ,dorchester1 
but  afterwards translated to           
,winchester2 ,oftfor1 ,bishop of        
,worcester1 and  ,john of ,hexham1--all 
saints2 also ,wilfrid ,,ii41 afterwards 

of ,york4    ,how these double          
monasteries were managed one would have 
been glad to  learn1 but very few       
details concerning them remain4    ,at  
,whitby1 where she had to govern both   
men and women1 her powers of            
organisation and control were           
conspicuous4 ,but she had others under  
her  beside monks and nuns3 she ruled a 
large number of serfs with their        
families1 attached to the soil and      
tilling it4    ,amongst these was an old
 cowherd1 named ,caedmon4 ,he was1 as a 
serf1 very  ignorant and uneducated1 but
 he had rare natural gifts1 long        
unsuspected4 ,he attended the carouses  
so dear to the beer-drinking  ,saxons   
and ,angles1 but he was unable to take  
his part1 whenever the harp  was handed 
to him and it was his turn to sing a    
ballad4 ,on such  occasions1 mortified1 
he had been wont to rise from his place1
 and  retire to his own reed-thatched   
cottage1 where he slept beside the cows 
in their stall4    ,but one evening1    

when he had done this1 as he was lying  
among the straw1  and the oxen were     
beside him chewing the cud1 and the air 
was sweet with  their breath1 he        
fancied1 half-asleep and half-awake1    
that he heard a  voice say3 8,sing me   
something40    ,then he replied3 8,how  
can ,i sing8 ,i have left the feast     
because ,i am so  ignorant that ,i      
cannot40    8,sing1 nevertheless10 he   
thought the vision said4    8,but--what 
can ,i sing about80    8,sing the story 
of the ,world's ,birth40    ,then1      
somehow1 an inspiration came on him1 and
 in the night1 among the  cows1 out of  
the straw1 he raised his voice1 and     
began to throw into  rude verse the     
story of ,creation4 ,it was very rugged1
 but very fresh1  and it welled up from 
his heart2 in the morning he thought    
over the  lines he had composed1 and    
during the day talked of his            
newly-acquired  powers4    ,the ,abbess 
,hilda heard of it1 and she sent for    
him1 and he recited his  poem before    

her4    ,whether at the time he twanged 
the harp we do not know2 probably he    
drew  his fingers across the strings as 
he finished each line1 so as to give    
time for him to form or remember the    
next4    ,now1 in this poetry there was 
no rhyme1 as we understand it4 ,the     
musical  effect was produced by         
alliteration--that is to say1 by the    
repetition of  some ringing consonant or
 broad diphthong1 usually at the        
beginning of  a word4 ,if we understood 
,anglo-,saxon music1 we should          
understand the  charm to the ear of this
 alliteration4    ,hilda at once        
recognised the genius of the old        
cow-herd2 she took him  into her        
household1 and bade him devote himself  
to the cultivation of  his talent4 ,thus
 it is due to her that ,anglo-,saxon    
poetry took its  rise--or1 at all       
events1 was recognised as literature    
deserving of being  preserved4          
,caedmon's poems are the earliest       
specimens we have4    ,but ,hilda1 with 

real genius1 saw at once in the faculty 
of the old  peasant a great means of    
conveying to the rude people the story  
of  ,scripture and the lessons of the   
,gospel4 ,they were quite incapable of  
reading4 ,priests were few1 and widely  
scattered4 ,the people loved  ballads2  
they would hearken for hours1 sitting   
over the fire1 to a  singer who twanged 
the strings and then sang a stave or a  
line4 ,they  loved a long story4 ,it    
could not be too long for them1 having  
no books1  nothing wherewith to relieve 
the tedium of the long winter evenings4 
,now1 thought ,hilda1 if we can run the 
,bible stories into ballad form1  these 
will be sung in every cottage and farm  
wherever a gleeman can go  certain of   
welcome2 they will be eagerly listened  
to4 ,so she gave to  ,caedmon clergy who
 translated the ,scripture narrative    
from ,latin into  homespun ,saxon4 ,he  
listened1 took his harp1 the fire came  
into his grey  eyes1 and he sang it all 
in verse4 ,ninety-nine out of a hundred 

other  women would have said1 8,this is 
very interesting1 but the man must be   
snubbed2 he is only a keeper of cows1   
and he must be taught not to  presume40 
,hilda1 however1 was above such         
pettiness3 seeing a divine gift  of     
song1 though granted to quite a common  
poor man1 she at once  endeavoured to   
ripen it1 and to turn it to a practical1
 good end4 ,how to  seize an occasion1  
an opportunity1 and make use of it1 is  
not given to  all4    ,another instance 
of ,hilda's clear mind and sound sense  
was in the  settlement of the vexed     
question of ,easter4    ,about that ,i  
shall have more to say when we come to  
the story of ,s4  ,elfleda4    ,the     
,british-,irish ,church did not observe 
,easter on the same day as the  ,roman  
,church2 and as the ,mercians and       
,northumbrians had received their       
,christianity from ,iona1 the metropolis
 of the ,scottish ,church1 they kept    
the festival at one time1 when the men  
of ,kent and ,wessex kept it at         

another4 ,this produced discord at the  
very season when minds should be  awed  
and calm2 and it was a constant source  
of bickering and religious  quarrels4   
,the situation was intolerable1 and1    
probably at the  instigation of ,hilda1 
a parliament was convoked at ,whitby in 
#ffd to  settle the difficulty4 ,this   
was the ,witenagemot1 composed of the   
principal nobles and ecclesiastics of   
the country1 and presided over by  the  
king4    ,hilda was now fifty years old1
 and one would have supposed at that age
  would have adhered with the utmost    
tenacity to the rule in which she had   
been brought up1 and which had been     
observed by her ,father-in-,god1 ,s4    
,aidan1 and by ,s4 ,cuthbert1 whom she  
revered as a saint and a prophet        
inspired by the ,divine ,spirit4 ,but   
she was a woman too sensible and too    
forbearing to force her own likings on  
the ,church1 against what her  judgment 
told her was right4 ,pope ,honorius had 
written in #fcd to the  ,irish1         

exhorting them 8not to think their small
 number1 lodged at the  utmost fringe of
 the world1 wiser than all the ancient  
and modern  ,churches throughout the    
earth40 ,even in ,iona great searchings 
of heart  had begun4 ,s4 ,cummian had   
written to the abbot there1 explaining  
how the  error arose whereby the two    
,churches were separated1 and he        
entreated  the ,celtic clergy to give   
way4 8,what10 he asked1 8can be worse   
thought  concerning the ,church1 our    
mother1 than that we should say1 ,rome  
errs1  ,jerusalem errs1 ,alexandria     
errs1 ,antioch errs1 the whole world    
errs2 the  ,scots and ,britons alone    
know what is right40    ,hilda's        
leanings were entirely to the ,scottish 
side1 but ,oswy strongly  adopted the   
other1 and the nobles and freemen1 not  
caring much one way  or the other1 held 
up their hands to express their         
willingness to  observe ,easter at such 
time as pleased the king4    ,hilda     
seems at once to have submitted1 and to 

have introduced the  observance of the  
,roman computation at ,whitby1 but the  
northern bishops  withdrew1 unconvinced 
and discouraged4 ,hilda was almost      
certainly alive  when ,caedmon died1 but
 she was not long in following him4 ,for
 the last  seven years of her life she  
suffered greatly2 then1 says ,bede1 8the
  distemper turning inwards1 she        
approached her last day1 and about      
cock-crow1 having received the ,holy    
,communion1 to further her on her       
journey1 and having called together the 
servants of ,christ that were in  the   
same monastery1 she admonished them to  
preserve evangelical peace  among       
themselves and with all others2 and as  
she was speaking she saw  ,death        
approaching1 and--passed from death to  
life40 ,she died in #fhj4               
,illustration3 ,s4 ,,elfleda4           
,,xiii                                  
,s4 ,,elfleda      ,when the terrible   
,penda had advanced into ,northumbria1  
against ,oswy1  destroying homesteads   

and harvests with fire1 and butchering  
all who  fell into his hands1 then the  
,northumbrian king sent presents to him1
  and asked for peace4 ,the fierce      
,mercian refused the presents offered3  
nothing would satisfy him but the       
absolute subjection of the ,northern    
,kingdom4 ,then1 in despair1 ,oswy vowed
 to ,god that1 as the old ,pagan had    
rejected his gifts1 he would dedicate   
his little one-year-old daughter  to    
,him1 together with twelve farms1 if ,he
 would bless his arms in  battle4       
,the odds were against ,oswy4 ,the host 
opposed to him was thrice as  numerous  
as his own4 ,ethelhere1 ,king of the    
,east ,angles1 had come to the  aid of  
,penda2 and ,odilwald1 son of ,s4       
,oswald1 who had been given an          
underlordship of part of ,deira1 and who
 thought he ought to have  succeeded his
 father in kingship1 went over to       
,penda4    ,the battle was fought on the
 ,winwaed1 near ,leeds2 the ,mercians   
and their  allies in their confidence   

had incautiously put the river at their 
back4  ,heavy rains filled it to        
overflow2 it became a deep and boiling  
torrent1  cutting off retreat4 ,the     
,mercians were defeated4 ,a panic fell  
on them1  and as they fled they were    
swept away by the swollen river4 ,of the
  thirty eorldormen who marched with    
,penda1 hardly one survived4 ,the ,king 
of the ,east ,angles and the savage old 
,mercian were among those who were      
slain4 ,odilwald did not enter the      
battle4 ,he was well aware that when    
,bernicia had been eaten1 ,penda's next 
mouthful would be ,deira4 ,he bore a    
bitter grudge against ,oswy1 but for all
 that did not care to put the  knife    
into the hand of the ,mercian king      
wherewith to have his own throat  cut4  
,a battle song was composed on the      
occasion1 of which a snatch has been    
preserved3--            8,in the river  
,winwaed is avenged the slaughter of    
,anna1           ,the slaughter of      
,sigbert and ,ecgric as well1           

,the slaughter of ,oswald and ,edwin who
 fell40    ,the battle was fought in    
#fee1 consequently ,s4 ,elfleda was born
 in #fed4    ,oswy faithfully kept his  
vow4 ,he set apart twelve estates to be 
thenceforth monastic property--six in   
the north and six in the south of  his  
double kingdom4 ,he then surrendered the
 little ,elfleda to be brought  up to   
the service of ,god4    ,her mother was 
,eanfleda1 daughter of ,edwin1 the first
 ,christian ,king of  ,northumbria4 ,it 
was1 in fact1 her birth1 on ,easter     
,day1 #fbf1 which was  the occasion of  
the subsequent conversion of her father1
 and of his  subjects2 and ,eanfleda was
 the firstfruits of her nation to       
receive  baptism on the ,whit ,sunday   
following4    ,oswy1 the father of      
,elfleda1 was a dissolute and murderous 
ruffian1 who  in cold blood had murdered
 the gallant ,oswin1 ,king of ,deira1   
the kinsman  of his own wife4    ,oswy  
gave his daughter to ,s4 ,hilda1 at     
,hartlepool4    ,in the furious and     

fratricidal wars which were waged in    
,england by the  conquerors of the      
,british1 each kingdom was animated by a
 blind instinct  that the unity of the  
race should be effected somehow2 but    
each  understood this only as by        
bringing the rest under subjection4     
,elfleda is described by ,bede as a very
 pious princess4 ,she had a sister1     
older than herself1 ,alcfleda1 who had  
been married to ,peada1 son of the      
ravager ,penda4 ,but ,alcfleda bore no  
love to her husband1 and had him        
assassinated whilst he was celebrating  
,easter4    ,two years after ,elfleda   
had been placed at ,hartlepool1 ,s4     
,hilda obtained  a grant of land where  
now stands ,whitby1 but which was then  
called  ,streaneshalch4 ,she moved      
thither1 and there constituted her      
famous  monastery4 ,this was in #feh4   
,with ,hilda remained ,elfleda till the 
death of the great abbess in #fhj4  ,on 
the death of ,oswy in #fgj1 ten years   
before1 her mother ,eanfleda came       

there2 but when ,hilda died1 the young  
,elfleda1 and not her mother1 was       
elected to be the second abbess4 ,as she
 was scarcely twenty-five1 she  was     
guided and assisted by ,trumwin1 who had
 been ,bishop of ,witherne1 but  had    
been obliged to leave his diocese by the
 unruly ,picts1 and he had  withdrawn to
 the monastery of ,hilda to remain under
 her rule4    ,like all the             
,anglo-,saxon princesses of the period  
who retired into the  cloister1 ,elfleda
 did not cease to take a passionate     
interest in the  affairs of her race and
 her country1 and to exercise a very    
remarkable  influence over the princes  
and the people4 ,when in #fgj ,oswy died
 he was  succeeded by his son ,egfrid1  
as unprincipled a man as his father4 ,in
  #fgd1 at ,easter1 ,s4 ,cuthbert was   
drawn from his island and cell and was  
ordained ,bishop1 with his seat at      
,lindisfarne1 to rule the ,northumbrian 
,church1 in the presence of the king1 at
 ,york4 ,it was then that ,cuthbert1    

knowing what was in the heart of the    
turbulent king1 urged him to  refrain   
from attacking the ,picts and ,scots1   
who were not molesting the              
,northumbrians4 ,he would not1 however1 
hearken4 ,he had already despatched  an 
army under ,beorf to wantonly ravage    
,ireland4 ,this had1 as ,bede said1     
8miserably wasted that harmless nation1 
which had always been friendly  to the  
,english2 insomuch that in their hostile
 rage they spared neither  churches nor 
monasteries40 ,the expedition against   
the ,picts was  determined on against   
the advice of all his friends1 and of   
the ,bishop  of ,york1 and of ,cuthbert4
    ,elfleda was in great anxiety about 
her headstrong brother1 and she went  to
 see ,cuthbert concerning him4 ,he and  
the abbess met1 having gone by  sea to  
the place appointed for the interview4  
,she threw herself at his  feet and     
entreated him to tell her what the issue
 would be--would ,egfrid  have a long   
reign8    8,i am surprised10 answered   

,cuthbert1 8that a woman well versed1   
like  you1 in the ,scriptures1 should   
speak to me of length of human life1    
which lasts no longer than a spider's   
web4 ,how short1 then1 must life be  for
 a man who has but a year to live1 and  
has death at his door60    ,at these    
words ,elfleda's tears began to flow4   
,she felt that the wise old  hermit saw 
that the mad as well as wicked          
expedition of her brother must  end     
fatally4    ,presently1 drying her      
tears1 she continued with feminine      
boldness to  inquire who would be the   
king's successor1 since he had neither  
sons nor  brothers4    8,say not so10   
replied ,cuthbert4 8,he shall have a    
successor whom you will  love1 as you as
 a sister love ,egfrid40    8,tell me10 
pursued ,elfleda1 8where can this       
successor be80    ,then he turned his   
eyes to the islands dotting this coast1 
and said3  8,how many islands there be  
in this mighty ocean6 ,surely thence can
 ,god  bring a man to reign over the    

,english40    ,elfleda then perceived   
that he spoke of a young man1 ,alcfrid1 
supposed  to be the son of her father   
,oswy by an ,irish mother1 and who had  
been a  friend of ,wilfrid1 and was now 
in ,iona1 probably hiding from his      
brother1 whom he could not trust4       
,the venerable ,cuthbert was not out in 
his conjecture4 ,on ,may #bjth1 #fhd1   
,egfrid was drawn into a pass at        
,drumnechtan1 in ,forfar1 was surrounded
  by the ,scots and ,picts1 slain1 and  
the great bulk of his men cut to        
pieces4    8,from that time10 says      
,bede1 8the hopes of the ,english crown 
began to  waver and retrograde2 for the 
,picts recovered their own lands1 which 
had  been held by the ,english40        
,alcfrid at once left ,iona1 and was    
chosen king4 ,he was a good and just    
prince1 much under the influence of     
,wilfrid and inclined to adopt ,roman   
fashions4    ,it becomes necessary now  
to speak of a controversy that rent the 
unity  of the ,church in ,england4      

,all ,northumbria1 ,mercia and ,essex   
had received the faith from ,iona1 the  
monastic capital of the ,scots1 whereas 
,kent and ,wessex had received it  from 
,rome4    ,iona had been founded in #efc
 by ,s4 ,columba1 an ,irishman2 and it  
was from  ,iona that ,s4 ,aidan1 the    
,apostle of ,northumbria1 had been sent4
  ,lindisfarne1 the seat of the ,bishops
 of ,northumbria1 was a daughter of     
,iona4    ,now1 there were certain      
differences between this ,celtic ,church
 and that  of ,rome and ,gaul4    ,in   
the first place1 the ,britons and ,irish
 had been cut off from  communication   
with the rest of ,europe by the troubles
 that afflicted the  ,empire as it fell 
into ruin under the blows of the        
,barbarians4  ,consequently they were   
unaware that a change had been agreed on
 in the  observance of ,easter4 ,it was 
discovered in #chg that the system of   
calculating ,easter was erroneous1 and  
,pope ,hilary employed one  ,victorinus 
to frame a new cycle1 which was         

thenceforth followed in the  ,latin     
,church4 ,but of this change the        
,british and ,irish ,church knew        
nothing2 and when ,augustine and his    
followers arrived in ,kent they found   
that the ancient ,church of the ,britons
 observed ,easter on a different  day   
from themselves4    ,that was not all4  
,the ,celtic monks had a different      
tonsure or mode of  cutting of the hair 
from the ,latin monks4 ,instead of      
shaving the top of  the head1 and       
leaving the hair as a crown1 they shaved
 the front of the  head from ear to ear4
 ,now1 the reason of the use of the     
tonsure among  the ,celts was this4 ,the
 cutting of the hair signified adoption1
 and  there is some reason to believe   
that every tribe or clan clipped its    
hair in its own peculiar fashion4 ,the  
,ecclesiastical tribe adopted the       
shaving of the front of the head2 and   
every one so shaven belonged in  the    
ecclesiastical clan4    ,when ,s4 ,david
 settled in the valley where is now the 

,cathedral that  bears his name1 there  
was an ,irish ,pict invader living in a 
camp hard  by4 ,he had seized on that   
bit of ,pembrokeshire4 ,his name was    
,boia1 and  he was a pagan4 ,his wife   
was highly incensed at ,christian monks 
settling  on their land and near at     
hand1 and she tried to goad her husband 
to  murder them4 ,but he was a          
good-natured man1 and he absolutely     
refused to  do her will4 ,then she      
resolved to get her heathen gods to     
strike them  dead1 and in order to gain 
the favour of the gods she must offer   
them a  sacrifice of one of her         
children4 ,but she had none of her own2 
so she  called to her a little girl1 a  
daughter of her husband by a former     
wife1  and told her she would cut her   
hair4 ,she took the girl down into a    
sunny  place in a hazel grove on the    
slope of the hill1 and there1 with her  
shears1 cut her hair4 ,now1 as cutting  
the hair was esteemed to be  adoption1  
by this act she had made the child her  

own2 so she instantly  with the shears  
cut the girl's throat as an offering to 
the gods4 ,now  the ,british clergy1 by 
their form of cutting the hair1 regarded
  themselves as adopted into the family 
of ,god1 or the ,ecclesiastical  tribe4 
,augustine and the ,latin clergy could  
not understand this4 ,instead of        
arguing with the native ,christians they
 denounced them4 ,they called them      
,judaisers because they observed ,easter
 at the wrong time1 which was  false2   
and they called the tonsure of the      
,celts that of ,simon ,magus1  which was
 nonsense4    ,there were other         
peculiarities4 ,the ,british ,church    
used unleavened bread  at the           
,eucharist1 and the ,latin ,church at   
that time only such bread as  was       
leavened4 ,also1 another high           
misdemeanour was that1 instead of       
employing a single collect before the   
,epistle and ,gospel1 there were  more  
than one said4 ,in these two last       
particulars the ,latin ,church has      

altered now her practice2 in the matter 
of the unleavened bread1 the  change    
took place in the tenth century4        
,now1 the matter of ,easter was very    
vexing1 for whilst those who followed   
the ,roman rule were singing ,allelujah 
and were rejoicing1 the ,celtic and     
,northumbrian and ,mercian ,christians  
were still keeping ,lent4 ,precisely    
the same thing occurs in ,russia1 where 
in ,english and ,roman chaplaincies     
,easter is kept whilst the ,russians are
 still fasting4    ,this became a       
burning question when the ,northumbrian 
kings married  princesses from the      
,south4 ,these had their own chaplains  
and kept ,easter  at their time1 whilst 
their husbands and the court and the    
people were  in the midst of ,passion   
solemnities4    ,as to the matter of the
 tonsure1 on which the ,roman clergy    
made a great  noise1 it was like asking 
a clan to change its tartan1--say the   
,mc,donalds  to be forced to adopt that 
of the ,campbells4    ,oswy had found   

the condition of affairs intolerable1 as
 his own queen  followed the ,roman     
rule1 whilst he observed that of the    
,celtic ,church4    ,oswy had associated
 his son ,alcfrid with him in the       
government of  ,northumbria1 and        
,alcfrid was much swayed by ,wilfrid1 a 
companion of his  age then living at the
 ,court of ,oswy1 who had been to ,rome1
 seen its  wonders and the splendours of
 the pontifical services in the old     
basilica of ,s4 ,peter4 ,he came back   
with his head full of what he had  seen1
 and utterly scorning everything        
,british1 even the ,christianity of  his
 ,northumbrian brethren4 ,in his idea   
nothing would avail but the  conforming 
of the ,church in ,northumbria to ,roman
 obedience and ,roman  customs4    ,oswy
 was induced to summon a council at     
,whitby to decide matters of            
controversy4 ,on the ,scottish side were
 ,s4 ,colman1 the ,northumbrian  bishop1
 with his clergy2 ,s4 ,hilda1 followed  
of course by ,elfleda2 ,s4  ,cedd1      

bishop of the ,east ,saxons4 ,on the    
,roman side was ,agilbert1 bishop  of   
the ,west ,saxons1 the ,queen's         
chaplain1 ,wilfrid1 then only a priest1 
one other priest1 and a deacon4 ,the    
,king favoured the ,celtic use1         
,alcfrid the ,latin4    ,wilfrid was the
 chief speaker on the latter side1 and  
he dexterously  appealed to ,oswy's     
fears4 ,the ,roman ,church must be      
right1 he said1  because ,s4 ,peter1 its
 founder1 held the keys of heaven4 ,at  
once ,oswy  quaked2 he recollected his  
dastardly murder of ,oswin4 ,it would   
never do  for him not to make a friend  
of the doorkeeper of heaven4 ,so he gave
  way1 and the ,celtic bishops1 deprived
 of his support1 but unyielding and     
unconvinced1 withdrew4    ,it was now   
hoped that the ,church would have peace1
 and the points of  difference would    
gradually disappear4 ,s4 ,hilda1 at     
,whitby1 accepted the  ,roman           
computation4 ,but it was not so easy to 
satisfy a clergy and people  brought up 

in another school4    ,to make matters  
worse1 ,wilfrid was appointed ,bishop of
 ,york1 a man of a  violent1 headstrong 
character1 who1 to begin with1 refused  
to accept  consecration from bishops in 
the ,north with ,celtic orders2 but went
  deliberately to ,gaul to be ordained  
there1 so as to cast a slur on the      
,church of the people to rule over whom 
he had been called4    ,wilfrid had no  
idea of persuasion1 had not a spark of  
,christian love in  his composition2 he 
could insult1 browbeat1 but not         
persuade4 ,in his  diocese he roused    
revolt and provoked brawls1 and was     
expelled from it1  not once only1 but   
whenever he returned4    ,now the new   
,king ,alcfrid had brought with him from
 ,iona attachment to  the order of the  
,church of ,,ss4 ,columba and ,aidan4   
,elfleda inherited the  same reverence  
and love for these usages4 ,but on the  
other side there  were strong political 
reasons which led men to think it would 
be well to  come to an arrangement with 

,canterbury and ,rome4 ,it was awkward  
to have  these differences1 this        
cleavage1 even in the royal palace4 ,it 
was  unadvisable that the ,angles of the
 ,north and of the ,midlands should have
  to apply to the ,scots and ,britons1  
their hereditary enemies1 for their     
bishops4 ,if the ,angles and ,saxons    
could but agree in ecclesiastical       
matters1 they would be a more compact   
body to oppose ,britons and ,scots2     
and1 further still1 it would be an      
element conducive to the much desired   
unity of the ,english people4 ,this     
ecclesiastical unity would be the  first
 step to the cessation of that          
internecine war between ,northumbria1   
,mercia1 and ,wessex1 which tore the    
island in pieces and soaked its  fertile
 soil with blood4    ,hoping that       
,wilfrid1 now an aged man1 would be     
softened by adversity1 he  was suffered 
to return4 ,to the new king1 as well as 
to his sister1 ,s4  ,elfleda1 ,abbess of
 ,whitby1 ,archbishop ,theodore of      

,canterbury wrote1 to  exhort them to   
receive ,wilfrid with unreserved        
kindness4 ,they consented1  and in #fhg 
he reappeared at ,york2 but it was to   
excite new storms in his  diocese1 and  
he was again exiled in #fia4    ,alcfrid
 died in #gje1 and the ,northumbrian    
crown passed to a prince named          
,eadwulf4 ,wilfrid had taken advantage  
of the death of ,alcfrid to return1  but
 was ordered to leave the country in six
 days4 ,but ,eadwulf was  dethroned1 and
 ,osred1 a son of ,alcfrid1 aged eight1 
became ,king of  ,bernicia4 ,by some    
unexplained means ,wilfrid was now1 all 
at once1 master  of the situation4      
,archbishop ,berthwald of ,canterbury   
had convoked a  synod that was to settle
 the disputes1 and it met on the banks  
of the  ,nidd4 ,it was attended by the  
northern ,bishops of ,york1             
,lindisfarne1 and  ,witherne1 by        
,elfleda also1 the ,abbess of ,whitby1  
and by ,berchtfrid1 the  regent of the  
kingdom during the minority of ,osred4  

,archbishop ,berthwald  read the letters
 of the pope on the points in dispute4  
,but the bishops  were very unwilling to
 make way for so turbulent a person as  
,wilfrid4  ,then it was that ,elfleda   
stood forward1 and in a voice which was 
listened to as an utterance from heaven1
 she described the last illness  of her 
half-brother ,alcfrid1 and his death1   
and assured all that he had  then       
resolved to accept the papal decrees1   
which hitherto1 when his mind  was      
clear1 he had so vigorously rejected4   
8,this10 said she1 8was the  last will  
of ,alcfrid the ,king4 ,i attest the    
truth of it before ,christ40            
,nevertheless the three bishops would   
not yield2 they retired from the        
assembly to confer among themselves1 and
 with the ,archbishop1 and1 above  all1 
with the sagacious ,elfleda4 ,it was due
 to her that a compromise was  effected4
 ,the monasteries of ,ripon and ,hexham 
were restored to ,wilfrid  and with that
 he was to be content4    ,shortly      

before his death1 ,s4 ,cuthbert went to 
see ,elfleda in the  neighbourhood of   
the great monastery of ,whitby1 to      
consecrate a church  she had built      
there4 ,they dined together2 and during 
the meal1 seeing  the knife drop from   
the trembling hand of the old bishop1 in
 the  abstraction of his far-away       
thoughts1 she asked him what he thought 
about1 and he told her that he had had a
 glimpse of the future4 ,she  urged him 
to eat more4    8,i cannot be eating all
 day long10 he replied4 8,you must allow
 me a  little rest40    ,on the death of
 ,oswy1 as already related1 ,elfleda's  
mother had come to  ,whitby and placed  
herself under the rule of her own       
daughter1 and  ,elfleda closed her eyes4
 ,she herself died in #gaf1 at the age  
of  sixty-four4 ,no account of her last 
illness has been transmitted to us4     
,elfleda certainly played an important  
conciliatory part when minds were       
heated with controversy4 ,she was right 
undoubtedly4 ,it was a mistake for  the 

,church in ,north ,england to hold to a 
usage that was founded on a  blunder4   
,it was a mistake to persist in keeping 
,wilfrid1 canonically  bishop of ,york1 
for many years out of his see4 ,it was a
 political  necessity that all          
,englishmen should be united1 at all    
events1 in their  religious observances4
 ,that paved the way to future political
 unity4                    ,pedigree of 
,s4 ,hilda and ,s4 ,elfleda4            
,ella1                             king 
of                              ,deira1 
#eei-ehh4                               
---------------------------             
,edwin1  ,s4 ,ethelburga  ,acca         
,ethelred                    king1      
#faf-fcc4      of ,kent4             the
                                        
king of                                 
,bernicia1                              
#eib-fag4                               
---                  ----               
,an ,irish                              
wife  ,oswy1        ,s4 ,eanfleda       

,hereric    ,bregeswitha4               
king of                          d4     
#fag4               ,bernicla1          
#fda-fgj4                               
---             -----------------       
,alcfrid1                               
king1 #fhe-gjd4                         
,s4 ,elfleda1     ,hereswitha1          
,s4 ,hilda                          b4  
#fed2                          b4 #fad1 
,abbess ,whitby   ,ecgric1              
d4 #fhj4                                
#fhj-gaf4        king of ,east ,angles4 
,illustration3 ,s4 ,,werburga4          
,,xiv                                   
,s4 ,,werburga      ,the words of       
,montalembert deserve to be transcribed 
and re-read1 so true  are they as well  
as graceful4    8,nothing had more      
astonished the ,romans than the austere 
chastity of the  ,german women2 the     
religious respect of the men for the    
partners of their  labours and dangers1 
in peace as well as in war2 and the     
almost divine  honours with which they  

surrounded the priestesses or           
prophetesses1 who  sometimes presided at
 their religious rites1 and sometimes   
led them to  combat against the         
violators of the national soil4 ,when   
the ,roman world1  undermined by        
corruption and imperial despotism1 fell 
to pieces like the  arch of a cloaca1   
there is no better indication of the    
difference  between the debased subjects
 of the empire and their conquerors1    
than  that sanctity of conjugal and     
domestic ties1 that energetic family    
feeling1 that worship of pure blood1    
which are founded upon the dignity  of  
woman1 and respect for her modesty1 no  
less than upon the proud  independence  
of man and the consciousness of personal
 dignity4 ,it is by  this special       
quality that the barbarians showed      
themselves worthy of  instilling a new  
life into the ,west1 and becoming the   
forerunners of the  new ,christian      
nations to which we all owe our birth4  
8,who does not recall those ,cimbri whom

 ,marius had so much trouble in         
conquering1 and whose women rivalled the
 men in boldness and heroism8  ,those   
women1 who had followed their husbands  
to the war1 gave the ,romans  a lesson  
in modesty and greatness of soul of     
which the future tools of  the tyrants  
and the ,csars were not worthy4 ,they   
would surrender only on  the promise of 
the consul that their honour should be  
protected1 and  that they should be     
given as slaves to the ,vestals1 thus   
putting  themselves under the protection
 of those whom they regarded as virgins 
and priestesses4 ,the great beginner of 
democratic dictatorship refused3  upon  
which they killed themselves and their  
children1 generously  preferring death  
to shame4    8,the ,anglo-,saxons came  
from the same districts1 bathed by the  
waters of  the ,northern ,sea1 which had
 been inhabited by the ,cimbri1 and     
showed  themselves worthy of descent    
from them1 as much by the irresistible  
onslaught of the warriors as by the     

indisputable power of their armies4  ,no
 trace of the old ,roman spirit which   
put a wife in manu1 in the hand  of her 
husband--that is to say1 under his      
feet--is to be found among them4  ,woman
 is a person1 and not a thing4 ,she     
lives1 she speaks1 she acts for         
herself1 guaranteed against the least   
outrage by severe penalties1 and        
protected by universal respect4 ,she    
inherits1 she disposes of her           
possessions--sometimes even she         
deliberates1 she fights1 she governs1   
like the most proud and powerful of men4
 ,the influence of women has been       
nowhere more effectual1 more fully      
recognised1 or more enduring than  among
 the ,anglo-,saxons1 and nowhere was it 
more legitimate or more  happy40#f      
,britain had been invaded1 and subdued4 
,from the wall of ,antonine that        
connected the ,firth of ,forth with the 
,clyde1 to what was now to be  called   
the ,english ,channel1 all the east     
coast and centre of the island  was     

occupied by the conquerors from         
,germany4 ,the ,britons had been rolled 
back into the kingdoms of ,strathclyde1 
,rheged1 ,wales1 and ,cornwall and      
,devon4    ,the conquerors had coalesced
 into three great                       
kingdoms--,northumbria1  ,mercia1 and   
,wessex4    ,from the island of ,iona1  
missionaries of the ,irish ,church had  
effected  the conversion of the         
,northumbrians4 ,augustine with his     
handful from  ,rome had introduced      
,christianity into the little subject   
,kingdom of  ,kent4 ,from ,northumbria  
the disciples of ,iona penetrated ,essex
 and made  converts also there4 ,but in 
,mercia ,mid-,england paganism was      
supreme1 and  the terrible ,penda made  
himself paramount from the ,thames and  
,wash to  the ,severn4 ,the ,west       
,saxons were cowed4    ,but ,s4 ,oswald1
 the ,northumbrian king1 restored the   
older domination of  ,northumbria1 only 
to fall again4 ,for thirty years ,penda 
flung himself  with fury against the    

,northern kingdom1 and devastated it    
with fire and  sword4 ,towards the end  
of his long reign he entrusted the      
government of  the ,mid-,angles to his  
son ,peada1 who married ,alcfleda1      
daughter of the  ,northumbrian king1 and
 at the same time received baptism from 
the hands  of the ,celtic bishop ,finan4
    ,thus ,christianity began to        
infiltrate into ,mid-,england also from 
the  ,north and from the ,celtic        
,church2 and missionaries from          
,lindisfarne  followed him into his     
principality4    ,the savage old pagan  
,penda acquiesced--perhaps he thought it
 inevitable  that ,england should become
 ,christian4 ,the ,britons to a man     
believed4 ,all  ,northumbria had        
submitted to the ,cross2 the conversion 
of the ,east  ,saxons and of ,wessex was
 in full progress4 ,penda raised no     
opposition1  but poured forth the vials 
of his scorn upon such as had been      
baptised1  and who did not live up to   
their baptismal promises4 8,those who   

despise10 said he1 8the laws of the ,god
 in whom they believe1 are  despicable  
wretches40    ,but1 notwithstanding the 
union by marriage between the families1 
the  rivalry between ,mercia and        
,northumbria could not be allayed2 it   
must be  decided on the battlefield4 ,it
 was only when driven to desperation by 
the encroachments and insults of ,penda1
 that ,oswy resolved to engage in  a    
final conflict with the man who had     
defeated and slain his two              
predecessors1 ,edwin and ,oswald4       
,during the thirteen years that had     
elapsed since the overthrow of ,oswald1 
,penda had periodically subjected       
,northumbria to frightful devastations4 
,oswy1 knowing his weakness1 when  the  
eighty-year-old pagan had got as far    
north as ,bamborough1 entreated  for    
peace1 and sent him a present of all the
 jewels and treasures of  which he could
 dispose4 ,penda set them aside roughly1
 resolved1 so it  was believed1 to root 
out and destroy the whole ,northumbrian 

people4  ,then1 in his despair1 ,oswy   
vowed--should ,god strengthen his hand  
and lead  him to victory--that he would 
give his infant daughter to ,god and    
endow  twelve monasteries4 8,since the  
pagan will not take our gifts10 he said1
  8let us offer them to ,one who will40 
,the battle of ,winwaed resulted in the 
complete rout of the ,mercians and      
their wholesale destruction1 and ,penda 
himself fell4    ,for the moment the    
ruin of ,mercia seemed complete1 and    
,oswy extended his  supremacy over the  
whole of it4 ,for three years the       
,mercians endured  this foreign rule2   
but in #fei they surged up in revolt1   
drove the  ,northumbrian thanes from the
 land1 and raised ,wulfhere1 a younger  
son of  ,penda1 to the throne4    ,under
 the able arm of this new king ,mercia  
rose once more into a power  even       
greater than that under ,penda4 ,oswy   
died in #fgj1 and thenceforth no        
,northumbrian king made any attempt to  
obtain the dominion over the ,mid  or   

,southern ,english4    ,during the three
 years after the death of ,penda1 ,oswy 
had poured  missionaries into ,mercia4  
,peada had already brought the ,irish   
monk ,diuma  with him1 and he became    
bishop in ,mercia4 ,he was followed by  
another  ,irishman1 ,ceolach1 a disciple
 of ,s4 ,columba4 ,the third bishop was 
,trumhere1 a ,northumbrian abbot1       
consecrated at ,lindisfarne4 ,his       
successors1 ,jaruman and ,ceadda1 had   
also been ordained by the ,scots4    ,in
 #feh ,wulfhere had married ,ermenilda1 
daughter of ,ercombert1 ,king of  ,kent1
 and of his wife ,s4 ,sexburga4 ,this   
was just before the revolt which  raised
 him to the throne4 ,he does not seem to
 have been a ,christian like  his       
brother ,peada1 but to have felt much   
like old ,penda1 his father4    ,by her 
he had four children--,werburga1        
,ceonred1 ,rufinus1 and ,wulfhad4       
,under a pious mother1 ,werburga grew up
 in the nurture and admonition of  the  
,lord2 and from an early age her great  

desire was to embrace the  religious    
life1 and spend her days in the peace of
 the cloister4 ,it was  a lawless and   
godless time4 ,men were coarse and      
cruel1 the palace was a  scene of       
drunkenness and riot1 from which her    
gentle spirit shrank4 ,she  is described
 as being very lovely and sweet in      
manner4 ,she daily  assisted with her   
mother at ,divine ,service1 and spent   
much of her time  in reading and in     
prayer4    ,when she came of age to be  
married1 her hand was sought by one     
,werebod1  a thane about the court1 but 
she refused him4    ,now we come to a   
story about which some difficulties     
exist4 ,in the  twelfth century one     
,robert of ,swaffham wrote an account of
 the death of  ,rufinus and ,wulfhad1   
sons of ,wulfhere and brothers of ,s4   
,werburga4 ,the  authority is late1 too 
late to be trusted1 as we do not know   
whence the  writer drew his narrative4  
,according to this story1 when ,rufinus 
and ,wulfhad heard of ,werebod's        

proposal1 they scouted it1 and told him 
to his face that he was not  worthy to  
have her4 ,werebod dissembled his       
mortification1 and waited an            
opportunity for revenge4 ,the princes   
were then at ,stone1 in  ,staffordshire1
 where ,wulfhere had a palace4    ,one  
day ,wulfhad was out hunting1 when the  
stag he was pursuing brought  him to the
 cell of ,s4 ,ceadda or ,chad1 who      
exhorted him to receive the  faith of   
,christ and be baptised4 ,wulfhad       
answered that he would do so if  the    
stag he had been pursuing would come of 
its own accord1 with a rope  round its  
neck1 and present itself before him4 ,s4
 ,chad prayed1 and the  stag bounded    
through the bushes to the spot1 with the
 rope as ,wulfhad  desired4 ,s4 ,chad   
baptised the prince1 and next morning   
communicated him4  ,rufinus was led by  
his brother to receive holy baptism1 and
 when ,werebod  learned this1 he told   
the king of it1 and ,wulfhere1 in a fit 
of fury1  pursued his sons to the cell  

of ,s4 ,chad1 and killed them with his  
own  hands4    ,the story as it stands  
is impossible4 ,there is no early notice
 of it1 so  that it reposes on a late   
tradition4 ,nevertheless1 that there is 
a basis  of truth is most probable1 if  
not certain4 ,the ,church of ,kinver is 
dedicated to ,,ss4 ,rufinus and         
,wulfhad1 and it stands under the       
,kefnvaur1  the great red sandstone     
ridge on which are earthworks where     
,wulfhere had  one of his strongholds4  
,this is probably the site of the       
murder4 ,that  the two princes in their 
youthful pride scouted the suit of      
,werebod and  insulted him is likely    
enough4 ,that they had received lively  
impressions  of reverence for           
,christianity from their mother is also 
very probable4  ,that they had placed   
themselves under instruction by ,s4     
,chad1 and had  been baptised by him1 is
 also very likely4 ,but that their      
father should  have killed them on that 
account is inadmissible4 ,werebod may   

have  poisoned his mind against his     
sons1 and represented them as plotting  
against him with the ,northumbrian king 
and using ,chad as an  intermediary1 and
 he may have goaded ,wulfhere into      
ordering their death  on that account2  
or there may have been a violent scene  
between them  which ended in the king   
killing them2 or1 more likely still1    
,werebod may  himself have waylaid and  
assassinated them whilst out hunting4   
,it took  very little among the         
,anglo-,saxons to transform any one who 
died a  violent death into a martyr2 and
 when two royal princes had been killed1
  some excuse for regarding them as     
witnesses to the faith was sought and   
invented4    ,the bodies of the princes 
were conveyed to ,stone1 so called      
because of a  memorial set up over them 
by ,wulfhere1 an inscribed pillar-stone2
 but1  moved by compunction1 he founded 
there a religious house for women4      
,wulfhere himself was baptised1 and gave
 his consent to his daughter  retiring  

from the world4 ,he also founded the    
great monastery of  ,medehamstead1      
afterwards ,peterborough1 as some       
expiation for his crime4    ,before     
this1 ,wulfhere had been constantly     
engaged in extending the power  of      
,mercia4 ,he detached from ,northumbria 
all the district south of the  ,mersey1 
and with it got hold of ,chester1 of    
which place in later times  his daughter
 was to be regarded as patroness4 ,he   
gained a hold on the  whole of the      
,severn valley and the ,wye1 our        
,herefordshire1 over which he  set his  
brother ,merewald as under-king4 ,then  
he fought the ,west ,saxons  under      
,cenwalch in #ffa1 and defeated them in 
a signal battle1 and  extended his      
ravages into the heart of ,wessex as far
 as ,ashdown4 ,then he  turned his arms 
east along the ,thames valley1 and      
brought the ,east  ,saxons and ,london  
under his sway4 ,still unsatisfied1 he  
crossed the  river into ,surrey1 subdued
 it1 and invaded ,sussex and forced the 

,king  ,ethelwalch to submit1 and to    
receive baptism4 ,werburga resolved to  
retire to ,ely where her great-aunt     
,etheldreda was abbess4 ,wulfhere and   
his court conducted her thither1 in     
great state4    ,we cannot now see ,ely 
in anything like its ancient condition4 
,then the  entire district from         
,cambridge to the ,wash was one broken  
sheet of water  dotted with islets4 ,in 
places there were shallows where reeds  
grew  dense1 the islands were fringed   
with rushes and willows4 ,the vast mere 
was a haunt of innumerable wild birds1  
and the water teemed with fishes4  ,the 
vast plain of the fens--which is now in 
summer one sea of golden  corn1 in      
winter a black dreary fallow cut up like
 a chess-board into  squares by         
dykes--was then a tangle of meres1 rank 
growth of waterweeds  and copses of     
alders and grey poplars4 ,the rivers    
,cam and ,nen lost  themselves in the   
waste of waters4 ,trees torn up1 fallen 
into the water1  floated about1 formed  

natural rafts1 lodged1 and diverted what
 little  current there was in the       
streams4    ,here and there poles had   
been driven into the stiff clay that    
formed the  bottom of the swamp1        
cross-pieces had been tied to them1 then
 platforms  erected six1 ten feet above 
the surface of the water1 and on these  
platforms huts had been constructed of  
poles and rushes1 in which lived        
families1 their only means of           
communication with each other and with  
the  firm land being by boat4 ,on the   
water and by the water they lived1      
tilling little bits of land left dry in 
summer but submerged in winter4    ,the 
islets were outcrops of fertile land1   
natural parks1 covered by the  richest  
grass and stateliest trees1 swarming    
with deer and roe1 goat and  boar1 as   
the water around swarmed with otter and 
beaver1 and with fowl  of every feather 
and fish of every scale4    ,of all     
these islets none could compare with    
,ely1 not1 as has been  supposed1 named 

from the eels that were found about it1 
but from the  elves who were supposed to
 have chosen it for their own and to    
dance in  the moonlight on its          
greensward4    ,better1 purer beings    
than elves1 had taken possession of this
 enchanted  isle--,s4 ,etheldreda and   
her nuns2 and it was through them that  
the wild  fen-dwellers1 those who lived 
on platforms above the water1 received  
the  rudiments of the faith1 and were   
ministered to in their agues and        
rheumatic paralysis4    ,etheldreda did 
not found her monastery here till #fgc4 
,as ,wulfhere died  in #fge1 he can have
 accompanied his daughter there only    
very shortly  after ,etheldreda's       
settlement in the place4 ,there is no   
stone anywhere  near1 every block that  
has been employed on the glorious       
cathedral has  been brought from a      
distance1 mostly from ,barwell1 in      
,northamptonshire4    ,etheldreda       
constructed her monastery and church    
entirely of wood4 ,great  trunks had    

been split and these split logs formed  
the sides of her  church1 and it was    
thatched with reeds from the marshes4   
,the king came  by boat2 the oars       
flashed in the sun1 and the water       
rippled as the  vessels were driven     
through it to the landing stage4        
,werburga1 eager1  stood looking forward
 to the lovely island that seemed to    
float on the  water2 if1 as is probable1
 she was born some time before ,wulfhere
 became  king1 she would then be between
 twenty-eight and thirty4 ,at the       
landing-stage was her great-aunt with   
her nuns1 in black habits with  white   
veils2 and no sooner had ,werburga      
descended from the boat than  they      
struck up the ,te ,deum1 and advanced1  
leading the way1 singing1 to  their     
wooden church4    ,now followed the     
usual trials3 ,werburga was first       
stripped of her costly  apparel1 her    
coronet was exchanged for a linen veil1 
purple and silks  were replaced by a    
coarse woollen habit1 and she resigned  

herself into  the hands of her superior1
 her great-aunt1 ,s4 ,etheldreda4    ,we
 know the form of the ceremonial1 and   
the prayers used on such an  occasion1  
but we do not know who the bishop was   
who consecrated  ,werburga4#g ,she was  
led to the foot of the altar1 after the 
reading of  the ,gospel1 and was then   
asked for two public engagements which  
were  indispensable to the validity of  
the act3 in the first place1 the        
consent of her parents1 and in the next 
her own promise of obedience to  himself
 and his successors4 ,when this had been
 done he laid his hands  upon her to    
bless her and consecrate her to ,god4   
,after prayers he placed  the veil on   
her head1 saying1 8,maiden1 receive this
 veil1 and mayest  thou bear it         
stainless to the tribunal of ,christ    
before whom bends every  knee in heaven 
and on earth40    ,by the rules of the  
,anglo-,saxon ,church the taking of the 
irrevocable  vows was not suffered till 
the postulant had reached her           

twenty-sixth  year1 but we cannot be    
sure that this rule prevailed so early4 
,the  ,celtic ,church allowed it at the 
age of twelve4    ,when ,wulfhere died1 
then ,werburga's mother came also to    
,ely1 and on the  death of ,s4          
,etheldreda1 in #fgi1 her grandmother   
,sexburga1 widow of  ,ercombert1 king of
 ,kent1 became abbess1 and ruled till   
#fii1 when she  died1 whereupon         
,werburga's mother succeeded4 ,at one   
time three  generations of princesses of
 the blood of ,hengest and ,odin were   
seen  together in the peaceful isle of  
,ely1 wearing the same monastic habit1  
and bowing in prayer in the same wooden 
church4 ,werburga lived long and        
happily as a simple nun under her       
grandmother's and mother's kindly rule  
and direction1 till1 on her mother's    
death1 she was summoned to take the     
place of abbess4    ,it is very         
important for us to understand what was 
the moving principle  at this period    
which led to the foundation of so many  

religious  settlements4 ,the ,saxons and
 ,angles had been a people living in    
war1  loving war1 and regarding the     
cutting of throats and the destruction  
by  fire of every house and city as the 
highest vocation of a man4 ,but when    
they had occupied the greatest portion  
of ,britain1 and further1 when  they had
 embraced ,christianity1 a change took  
place in their opinions4  ,they came to 
see that there was some charm in peace1 
and dignity in the  cultivation of the  
soil4 ,but it was only after a struggle 
that they  could stoop to take hold of  
the plough and lay aside the spear4     
,they  could be brought to this only by 
example1 and it was this which the      
monks and nuns issuing from their own   
princely1 royal families showed  them4  
8,in the monastic movement of this      
time10 says ,mr4 ,green1 8two strangely 
contrasted impulses worked together to  
change the very aspect of the new       
,england and the new ,english society4  
,the one was the passion for  solitude1 

the first outcome of the religious      
impulse given by the  conversion2 a     
passion for communing apart with        
themselves and with ,god  which drove   
men into waste and woodland and desolate
 fen4 ,the other was  the equally new   
passion for social life on the part of  
the nation at  large1 the outcome of its
 settlement and well-doing on the       
conquered  soil1 and yet more of the    
influence of the new religion1 coming as
 it  did from the social civilisation of
 the older world1 and insensibly        
drawing men together by the very form of
 its worship and its belief4 ,the       
sanctity of the monastic settlements    
served in these early days of the  new  
religion to ensure for them peace and   
safety in the midst of  whatever war or 
social trouble might be disturbing the  
country about  them2 and the longing for
 a life of quiet industry1 which we see 
telling  from this moment upon the older
 ,english longing for war1 drew men in  
crowds to these so-called               

monasteries40#h    ,wulfhere was        
succeeded in #fge by his brother        
,ethelred1 a quiet1  unambitious king1  
who devoted his energies to the         
foundation of  monasteries1 dotting them
 about ,mercia with the object of       
softening and  civilising a people that 
had the instincts of the beasts of prey4
 ,he  entrusted his niece ,werburga with
 a sort of general supremacy over all   
the nunneries in his kingdom4 ,she      
visited them1 regulated them1 and       
brought them into order1 before her     
mother's death and her own  appointment 
to the abbacy of ,ely4 ,thus she resided
 for a while at the  head of the        
communities of ,weedon1 ,trentham1 and  
,hanbury4    ,one incident of her story 
may be quoted4    ,it happened that a   
shepherd at ,weedon was being brutally  
maltreated by  the steward4 ,the        
daughter of a king flew to the spot1    
threw herself  between the overseer and 
the poor wretch he was beating and      
kicking1 and  arrested his arm and      

thrust him back1 and held him from his  
victim1 till  his passion subsided1 and 
he retired shamefaced4    ,werburga died
 at a ripe age at ,trentham1 on         
,february #crd1 #fii4    ,two centuries 
later1 in order to save her remains from
 the ,danes1 they  were conveyed to     
,chester1 where there was a collegiate  
church that had  been founded by her    
father at her request4 ,her body was1   
however1 laid  in what is now the       
,cathedral4                             
,,xv                                 ,a 
,,prophetess      ,among the most       
remarkable people of the twelfth        
century1 one who stood  forth on the    
stage of history and exercised there a  
part of no little  importance1          
,hildegarde1 is not to be passed over4  
,yet1 when one comes to  study her1 she 
is a person who strikes the student with
 perplexity4 ,she  was1 indeed1 a woman 
possible at all times1 but only possible
 as one of  significance in the century 
in which she lived4    ,she was one of  

those marvellous women who1 indeed1     
occupied a somewhat  analogous place    
among the ancient pagan ,germans--a     
seeress1 a prophetess1  even a          
priestess1 like ,velleda or ,ganna4 ,she
 took up the same position  in the      
,christian ,middle ,ages1 directed1     
ruled1 foretold1 threatened1 and  was   
listened to in all seriousness4 ,popes1 
prelates1 kings consulted  her1 and all 
quailed at her threats and              
denunciations4 ,she saw visions  and    
dreamed dreams2 she endeavoured to throw
 rays of light to illumine  the past as 
well as the future4 ,she thought with   
her inspired eye to  unveil the         
mysteries of creation4 ,uneducated1 she 
dictated in ,latin2  uninstructed1 she  
wrote on natural history2 unordained1   
she preached  sermons even to popes4    
,all kinds of people wrote to her on all
 kinds of subjects1 and she  solved     
their difficulties1 advised them in     
their perplexities1 illumined  their    
ignorance4    ,she has had imitators in 

all after ages--,antoinette ,bourgignon1
 ,joanna  ,southcott1 ,krdner1 and      
,madame ,blavatski--but none achieved   
such success1  exercised so wide an     
influence1 was treated with so much     
submission4    ,the ,emperor1 the       
princes1 the nobility1 the clergy1 the  
people all  believed in her prophetic   
power1 and accepted her commands without
 a  murmur4 ,her warnings and promises  
were received as divine revelations1    
although she spared no one in her       
denunciations4    ,the cause for this   
unbounded respect has been a matter of  
dispute1 but  is still inexplicable4    
,that she was a coarse deceiver1 who    
imposed  herself on the people as       
inspired1 by a long-continued course of 
deception1 cannot for a moment be       
allowed by such as without prejudice    
examine her writings and her conduct4   
,she was made a tool of1 and a  willing 
tool1 by ,s4 ,bernard1 to further the   
crusade he had at heart4 ,but  when1 in 
spite of prophecy and promise1 that     

crusade ended in hideous  disaster and  
in dishonour as well1 her influence with
 the people was not  in the least       
shaken4    ,at the court of ,count      
,meginhard of ,spanheim lived the knight
 ,hildebert  of ,bckelheim1 his kinsman4
 ,hildebert's wife ,mathilda bore him in
 #ajih a  daughter1 who was named       
,hildegarde1 on their estate a little   
above  ,kreuznach on the ,rhine4 ,she   
was the tenth child1 and her parents    
were no  little concerned how to provide
 for such a fry4 ,the simple expedient  
in  those days was to send some of the  
family into monasteries and convents4   
,from an early date ,hildegarde was     
destined to be a nun4 ,she1 together    
with her kinswoman ,chiltrude1 the      
daughter of the count1 were sent to be  
reared by ,jutta1 the abbess of ,s4     
,disibod1 a sister of ,count ,meginhard4
  ,jutta was an uneducated woman2       
learning was of no account in her       
convent1 and ,hildegarde was brought up 
in ignorance of nearly everything  that 

a young woman of good family ought to   
have acquired even in the  twelfth      
century4    ,that ,hildegarde was       
hysterical cannot be doubted1 but       
hysteria is  precisely the most         
mysterious of all ailments4 ,the        
phenomena connected  with it are the    
perplexity of physicians even at this   
day4 ,many and  ponderous works have    
been written upon it in ,england1       
,france especially1  and ,germany1 but  
it remains still an unsolved puzzle4    
,from a very early age she saw visions1 
and when she spoke of them to her       
playfellows1 and they stared at her and 
did not appear to comprehend  what she  
said1 she shrank into herself and       
refrained from communicating  to others 
the things that she saw and heard1 or   
fancied she saw and  heard4 ,even at the
 age of five1 this singular gift was    
noticed by her  parents1 who could not  
understand it4 ,jutta made the girl     
learn the  ,psalms in ,latin1 and she   
obtained some glimmer of an idea what   

the words  meant1 but she did not even  
acquire a knowledge of the alphabet1 nor
  that of reading music4    ,hildegarde 
was constantly unwell1 but her aches and
 pains were  apparently due to hysteria 
and nothing else1 and the suppressed    
desire  to be doing something1 making   
her personality felt1 which was         
impossible  as she was situated4 ,when1 
finally1 she was bidden write down her  
visions1 at once all her maladies left  
her4    8,when1 on one occasion1 ,i was 
very much exhausted by my sickness10    
says  she in her own biography of       
herself1 8,i asked the nurse who        
attended me  whether she saw things in  
any other way than with her eyes2 she   
made me  no answer4 ,then ,i was        
frightened1 and ,i dared say no more    
about it to  any one4 ,but sometimes1   
inadvertently1 when ,i was talking1 ,i  
let slip  prophetic sentences4 ,and when
 ,i was1 so to say1 full of this inner  
vision1 then ,i spoke much which was    
quite unintelligible to those about  me4

 ,and when the force of the ecstasy     
grew1 and ,i spoke something about  it1 
more after the manner of a child than of
 a girl of my years1 then ,i  blushed   
and cried1 and wished heartily that ,i  
had held my tongue4 ,but  out of dread  
of what would be said1 ,i never dared to
 speak out openly as  to what ,i saw4   
,however 7,jutta7 the noble lady with   
whom ,i was had  cognisance of this and 
consulted a monk of her acquaintance40  
,to one in this condition1 plenty of    
exercise1 wholesome food1 and hard      
work1 and her head under the pump if she
 gave way to her fancies1 would  have   
been proper treatment4 ,but in the      
twelfth century no one had any          
conception that hysteria was a physical 
disorder4    ,jutta died in #aacf1 and  
by unanimous vote of the sisters        
,hildegarde was  elected to be superior 
of the convent1 when aged               
eight-and-thirty4 ,she  had now full    
opportunity to give way to her desire to
 take that  prominent place to which she

 felt she was called4 ,two years1       
however1  elapsed before she had made up
 her mind to write her visions and      
prophecies4 ,there were difficulties in 
her way3 she could not write1 she  knew 
nothing of grammar1 and she was perhaps 
dubious how the world would  accept     
revelations which were in shockingly bad
 grammar and spelling1  and displayed   
profound ignorance of the real meaning  
of ,scripture4  ,however1 she consulted 
one of the monks of the monastery of ,s4
 ,disibod1  and he put the matter before
 the rest4    ,now1 as she was evidently
 sincere1 and there could be no         
suspicion that  ,hildegarde was         
deceiving them1 they had to decide      
whether these visions  were from heaven 
or from hell4 ,that there was a third   
alternative never  for an instant       
occurred to them3 it could not1 in the  
nature of things1  in the then condition
 of medical science1 or rather          
ignorance4  ,manifestly there was       
nothing bad in these revelations1       

consequently the  poor amiable monks    
were compelled to decide that they came 
from ,god4    ,the difficulty now arose 
how they were to be published4 ,it was  
obviously  impossible to issue to the   
world the farrago of grammatic blunders1
 and  the confused nonsense of much that
 poured from her lips1 and so she was   
given secretaries to write down in      
decent ,latin what they supposed she    
meant to say4 ,the ,archbishop ,henry of
 ,mayence was called in before the      
decisive step was taken4 ,he was an     
amiable1 peace-loving1 but feeble  man1 
who was made archbishop in #aadb4 ,he   
gave his verdict in favour of  the      
revelations4    ,hildegarde says of     
herself3 8,in #aada1 when ,i was        
forty-two years old and  seven months1  
there came on me a dazzling light from  
heaven1 and flashed  through my brains  
and heart and bosom4 ,it was like a     
flame that does not  burn1 but warms1   
just like a sunbeam4 ,from thenceforth  
,i had the gift of  the interpretation  

of the ,scriptures1 the ,psalms1 the    
,gospels1 and the  books of the ,old and
 ,new ,testament4 ,i had1 however1 no   
understanding of  the several words of  
the text1 as to their syllables and     
cases and  tenses4 ,when ,i have my     
visions--and ,i have had them from      
childhood--,i am  not asleep1 nor       
feverish1 nor am ,i necessarily in      
retirement1 nor do ,i  see with my      
bodily eyes1 but with those of my soul40
 ,later she wrote3 8,i  am always in a  
fear and tremble1 as ,i have no         
certainty within me4 ,but ,i  lift up my
 hands to heaven1 and allow myself to be
 blown about just like  a feather in the
 wind40    ,her first book was called by
 her ,scivias2 which was her contraction
  for ,disce vias ,domini1 8know the    
ways of the ,lord40 ,probably only the  
first part of it was sent to the        
,archbishop of ,mayence1 who gravely    
called his clergy into consultation over
 it4 ,then1 when ,pope ,eugenius  ,,iii4
 came to ,treves on his way to the      

,council of ,rheims1 he was shown it  by
 the archbishop2 he gave it to the      
,bishop of ,verdun and other            
theologians to be examined4 ,afterwards1
 on their report1 at the ,council  in   
#aadh1 he read it himself to the bishops
 there assembled1 and it was  received  
with applause4    ,s4 ,bernard was      
present1 and he at once saw how much    
assistance he could  get in promoting   
his darling object1 a new crusade1 if he
 could enlist  ,hildegarde in the cause2
 and he urged the pope to sanction and  
bless the  prophetess4 ,this ,eugenius  
did in a letter1 in which he accorded   
her his  full permission to publish     
whatever was revealed to her4 ,he could 
hardly  do other4 ,these writings were  
well intended1 purported to do good1 and
  that these visions and prophecies were
 the mere hallucinations of a  diseased 
mind never could have been supposed at  
the time4    ,hildegarde now shifted her
 quarters4 ,troops of women had come to 
place  themselves under her direction1  

drawn by her fame4 ,she settled on ,s4  
,ruprechtsberg1 near ,bingen1 where a   
suitable convent was erected for  her4  
,but the good monks of ,s4 ,disibod     
asked a favour of her which she could   
not refuse4 ,they knew next to nothing  
about their founder1 except that  he was
 one of the many ,irish who had left    
their native isle in the fifth  century 
and had spread over ,germany and ,gaul4 
,would she through her  prophetic power1
 which looked backwards as well as      
forwards1 write them  8by revelation0 a 
life of their founder8    ,this she     
accordingly did1 and the life she wrote 
was1 she insists1 given  her 8by        
revelation40 ,it is a long and tedious  
work1 a gush of weak and  watery        
verbiage4 ,when reduced to its          
elementary constituents1 it is  found to
 consist of absolutely nothing more than
 what was already  known--that ,disibod 
came from ,ireland1 settled on the mount
 that bore his  name afterwards1 and    
died there4 ,but this was distended into

 a tract of  #f1bej words4              
,hildegarde's 8,natural ,history0 is a  
very funny book4 ,she did not pretend   
to derive her knowledge of the property 
of things from inspiration1 but  there  
can be little doubt that1 at the time   
when it was issued1 those  who regarded 
her prophecies as infallible1 looked    
also on her  enunciation of the         
properties of natural objects as        
inspired4    ,she begins the book by    
likening the world to a human body3 the 
earth is  the flesh1 the rocks are the  
bones1 the moisture of the stones is the
  marrow1 the slate rocks are the toe   
and finger nails1 the plants are the    
hair1 and the dew is the perspiration4  
,all plants are either hot or  cold2 so 
also are all animals4 ,this is the      
radical division between  them4 ,the    
recipes given are profoundly silly4 ,for
 a boil1 house-flies  are to be taken1  
their heads cut off1 and they are to be 
arranged like  herrings in a barrel     
round the swelling4 ,a poultice is to   

cover all--but  it is the flies that    
bring the gathering to a head4 ,here is 
one of the  shortest of her botanical   
accounts--that of the meadow            
convolvulus4 8,the  herb is cold1 it has
 not great powers nor is it of much use4
 ,but if a  man's nails get scaly and   
crack1 then let him grind up the        
convolvulus1  mix with it a little      
quicksilver and lay it on his nails1 tie
 a bit of  rag round1 and his nails will
 be lovely40    ,hildegarde wrote a     
commentary on the ,rule of ,s4          
,benedict1 another on the  ,athanasian  
,creed4 ,she propounded difficult       
questions in ,scripture1 and  solved    
them by her inner light1 only making the
 difficulties greater1  and always      
missing the simple meaning of a passage4
    ,s4 ,hildegarde had her troubles4   
,she did not get on very well with the  
,archbishops of ,mayence4 ,at the       
instigation of ,s4 ,bernard she inflamed
  the minds of the people with a fever  
of zeal against the ,saracens1 and      

exhorted to a crusade4 ,this resulted in
 a frightful massacre of ,jews at       
,mayence1 instigated by a monk named    
,badulf4 ,the ,archbishop ,henry1 a     
mild1 amiable man1 did what he could to 
protect the unfortunate  ,israelites1   
and opened to them his palace4 ,but a   
papal legate appeared  on the scene1 and
 the ,chapter induced him to depose the 
archbishop4 ,he  appealed to ,rome1 but 
the cardinals were bribed to declare    
against him4  ,he had chosen his        
confidential friend1 ,arnold of         
,selnhofen1 to take what  money he could
 scrape together to ,rome and plead his 
cause4 ,arnold made  the most solemn    
assurances of fidelity1 and betrayed his
 trust4 ,he used  the money entrusted to
 him to purchase the deposition of his  
friend and  his own advancement4    ,the
 people of ,mayence were greatly        
incensed against ,arnold1 who was       
thrust on them by the pope himself1     
without election by the ,chapter1 and   
was invested by the pope the same day on

 which the friend was degraded  whom he 
had betrayed4 ,on reaching ,mayence     
,arnold did nothing to appease  the     
popular resentment2 his court was       
magnificent1 his servants were          
splendidly liveried1 and his table was  
noted for its luxury4 ,knowing  what a  
power ,hildegarde was in the diocese1 he
 wrote a hypocritical1  canting letter  
to her1 beseeching her prayers4 ,she    
replied with a sharp  admonition3 8,the 
living ,light saith unto thee1 ,thou    
hast a form of zeal  only1 which ,i     
hate4 ,cleanse restlessness from thy    
soul1 and cease from  doing injustice to
 thy people4 ,rise up and turn to the   
,lord1 for the  time cometh speedily40  
,seeing the ferment of men's minds      
increase1 ,arnold resolved on leaving   
,bingen1 where he then was1 to go into  
his cathedral city and put down  all    
resistance with a high hand4 ,he        
purposed lodging the first night in  the
 monastery of ,s4 ,james1 outside the   
walls4 ,hildegarde warned him of  his   

danger1 but he would not listen4 ,a     
friend1 the abbot of ,erbach1 also      
cautioned him4 8,bah60 scoffed the      
archbishop1 8these ,mainzers are dogs2  
they bark1 but do not bite40 ,when      
,hildegarde heard this1 she said1 8,the 
dogs have had their chains broken1 and  
they will tear you to pieces40    ,he   
scorned these warnings1 and in ,june    
#aafj went to the monastery in  which he
 had purposed to lodge4 ,but he had     
rushed1 unwittingly1 into the  jaws of  
the lion1 for the abbot of ,s4 ,james   
was his most deadly enemy4  ,the abbot  
at once sent tidings to the city that   
the archbishop was  there4 ,a mob poured
 out of the city gates4 ,the archbishop1
 hearing the  roar of their voices and  
the tramp of their feet1 was paralysed  
with  fear2 the rioters entered the     
abbey1 rushed upon him1 and a butcher   
split his head with an axe4 ,the dead   
body was dragged forth and cast  into a 
ditch1 where the peasant women1 coming  
to market1 pelted it with  rotten eggs  

and bad cheese4    ,in #aaej ,christian 
was archbishop1 but he was in ,italy4   
,he was a man of  arms1 who loved       
fighting1 and had no relish for the     
duties of his  position4 ,during his    
absence ,hildegarde got into            
difficulties with the  administrator of 
the see4 ,a certain young man had been  
buried in the  cemetery attached to her 
monastery who had incurred              
excommunication4 ,an  order was sent her
 to dig the body up and throw it out of 
consecrated  ground4 ,this she refused  
to do4 ,she insisted that the young     
fellow had  been absolved and had       
received the last sacraments1 and she   
furnished a  vision in which she had    
been forbidden to exhume the body4 ,but 
the  administrator did not repose such  
confidence in her visions as to  submit4
 ,an interdict was laid on her convent1 
so that the sisters were  forbidden to  
recite their offices and to have the    
sacraments  administered there4    ,no  
priest in the diocese dared disobey1 and

 the whole convent was struck  with     
paralysis4 ,hildegarde wrote1 but could 
obtain no concession4 ,then  she        
appealed to the military bishop1 who was
 in ,italy4 ,the administrator  sent his
 account of the affair1 and the         
interdict was renewed4 ,so time  passed4
 ,hildegarde still obstinately1 and     
rightly1 refused to have the  body dug  
up and cast to the dogs4 ,she wrote     
again to the archbishop1 and  finally   
obtained a removal of the interdict4 ,as
 she complained1 there  had been no     
investigation into the facts--it had    
been a party move of  spite against     
herself4    ,although in #aagj          
,hildegarde was aged seventy-two1 her   
literary energy  did not fail4 ,she     
still composed treatises1 and continued 
to write  letters in answer to those she
 received1 or to thunder against those  
persons whose conduct deserved          
reprobation4 ,her correspondence        
extended  from ,bremen and the          
,netherlands1 to ,rome1 and even to     

,jerusalem4 ,her  denunciations of      
abuses1 corruptions in the ,church1 were
 outspoken1 and  she even prophesied the
 fall of the empire and a reformation in
  religion2 but the condition of affairs
 both in the state and in  ,christendom 
were so bad1 that it required but little
 foresight to tell  that such could not 
possibly last without a convulsion4     
,her style is not without a certain     
amount of rude eloquence1 but is        
involved4 ,those who took down her words
 were clearly not always able to  make  
out the drift of what she said2 but1    
indeed1 she herself probably  could not 
wholly explain them4 ,the words poured  
forth in a stream1  rolling her ideas   
about in confusion1 and she was         
impatient of her  secretaries meddling  
over-much with her revelations and      
prophecies1 lest  they should make sense
 indeed1 but at the expense of their    
genuine  character4    ,she had one of  
those eager1 restless minds1 which at   
the present day  would have made of her 

a platform oratress1 a vehement writer  
in  magazines1 and a reformer on school 
and hospital boards3 always vehement    
with purpose4 ,her activity1 as already 
said1 took several  directions--that of 
exhortation to repentance and good      
works1 that of  deep theological        
research1 and of ,scriptural            
interpretation1 that also  of the study 
of ,natural ,history4 ,but she did more 
than that3 she wrote  hymns and composed
 melodies4 ,she had never been taught   
musical science  as then understood4    
,that was no loss to her4 ,her airs are 
as rambling  and incoherent as her      
prophecies4    ,she also pretended to   
speak in an unknown tongue1 and to be   
able to  interpret this language4 ,the  
study of this pretended new language is 
suggestive and amusing4 ,it has been    
taken in hand by ,grimm1 ,pitra and     
,roth4 ,it presents an amusing jumble of
 words ,german1 ,latin1 and             
misunderstood ,hebrew4    ,hildegarde   
died at the age of eighty-two1 in #aagi4

 ,she has not been  formally canonised2 
she is1 however1 inserted as a saint in 
the ,roman  kalendar on ,september      
#agth1 the day of her death4            
,illustration3 ,s4 ,,clara4             
,,xvi                                   
,s4 ,,clara      ,it has been often     
remarked how that a saint who initiates 
a reform1 or  does some great work1 has 
a faithful woman to assist1 or carry on 
his  work1 and complete it4 ,what he    
designed for all alike1 he was competent
  only to apply to men1 and she carried 
out his ideas among women4 ,thus ,s4    
,bridget supplemented the achievements  
of ,s4 ,patrick1 and ,s4 ,hilda those   
of ,s4 ,aidan4 ,benedict's twin sister  
,scholastica worked side by side with   
her brother2 and1 as we shall now see1  
,s4 ,clara was the spiritual sister  and
 helpmate of ,s4 ,francis4 ,the moon1   
according to ,david1 is an ever         
faithful witness in heaven2 and yet the 
moon wanes and for a time  disappears4  
,the moon much resembles the ,church4   

8,the moon above1 the ,church below1    
,a wondrous race they run2              
,and all their radiance1 all their glow1
                      ,each borrows from
 its sun40    ,as the moon wanes1 so    
there are periods when the ,church      
proves dull1  dark1 and without much    
token of spiritual life2 but this is for
 a time  only1 and precedes a           
restoration of illumination4 ,the period
 when ,s4  ,francis appeared was one of 
those of darkness in the ,church4 ,the  
enthusiastic faith of the barbarian     
kings and nobles1 bred of the           
self-devotion and earnestness of the    
first missionaries among them1 had  led 
to their endowing the ,church largely4  
,this was done to enable her to  carry  
on the great work of evangelisation     
without care for the material  concerns 
of life4 ,but it led to an unfortunate  
result4 ,as the bishoprics  were        
wealthy1 and seats of power1 ambitious  
and greedy men of the noble  class      
rushed into ,holy ,orders for the sake  

of these material advantages1  and in   
entire disregard of the religious       
responsibilities attached to  such      
offices4 ,and as with the prelates1 so  
with the clergy4 ,they seemed  to think 
that the things of ,jesus ,christ were  
best served by making  themselves       
comfortable2 they were ignorant1        
careless1 and worldly4 ,the  great      
ecclesiastics made a display of their   
wealth1 and exercised their  power      
tyrannically4 8,the ,church might still 
seem to preach to all10 says  ,dean     
,milman2 8but it preached in a tone of  
lofty condescension1 it  dictated rather
 than persuaded2 but1 in general1 actual
 preaching had  fallen into disuse2 it  
was in theory the special privilege of  
the  bishops1 and the bishops were but  
few who had either the gift1 the        
inclination1 or the leisure from their  
secular1 judicial1 or warlike           
occupations to preach even in their     
cathedral cities2 in the rest of  their 
dioceses their presence was but         

occasional--a progress or  visitation of
 pomp and form1 rather than of popular  
instruction4 ,the  only general teaching
 of the people was the ritual4    8,but 
the splendid ritual1 admirably as it was
 constituted to impress by  its words or
 symbolic forms the leading truths of   
,christianity upon the  more            
intelligent1 or in a vague way upon the 
more rude and uneducated1  could be     
administered1 and was administered1 by a
 priesthood almost  entirely ignorant1  
but which had learned mechanically1 not 
without  decency1 perhaps not without   
devotion1 to go through the stated      
observances4 ,everywhere the bell       
summoned to the frequent service1 the   
service was performed1 and the obedient 
flock gathered to the chapel or  the    
church1 knelt1 and either performed     
their orisons or heard the  customary   
chant and prayer4 ,this1 the only       
instruction which the mass of  the      
priesthood could convey1 might for a    
time be sufficient to maintain  in the  

minds of the people a quiescent and     
submissive faith1  nevertheless1 in     
itself1 could not but awaken in some a  
desire of  knowledge1 which it could not
 satisfy4444 ,and just at this time the 
popular mind throughout ,christendom    
seemed to demand instruction4 ,there    
was a wide and vague awakening and      
yearning of the human intellect4 ,here  
that which was heresy stepped in and    
seized upon the vacant mind4  ,preaching
 in public and in private was the       
strength of all the  heresiarchs1 of all
 the sects4 ,eloquence1 popular         
eloquence1 became a  new power which the
 ,church had comparatively neglected or 
disdained1  since the time of the       
,crusades4 ,the ,patropassians1 the     
,henricians1 the  followers of ,peter   
,waldo1 and the wilder teachers at      
least1 tinged with  the old ,manichan   
tenets of the ,east1 met on this common 
ground4 ,they  were poor and popular2   
they felt with the people1 whether the  
lower  burghers of the cities1 the lower

 vassals1 or even the peasants and      
serfs2 they spoke the language of the   
people1 they were of the people4  ,all  
these sects were bound together by their
 common aversion to the  clergy--not    
only the wealthy1 worldly1 immoral1     
tyrannical1 but the  decent yet inert   
priesthood1 who left the uninstructed   
souls of men to  perish40#i    ,it was  
when1 apparently1 the bulk of the       
population was hesitating  whether to   
break away from the ,church1 and when   
certain ardent spirits  began to        
question whether the ,church could be   
the ,kingdom of ,god1  wherein appeared 
so much of evil1 that almost            
simultaneously two men  stood forth to  
arrest the evil4 ,the story was told    
afterwards that the  pope in a dream had
 seen the ,church under the form of a   
building  tottering to its fall1 but    
that two men rushed forward and         
sustained it4  ,these men were ,dominic 
and ,francis4 ,the former founded an    
order of  preachers1 by which           

,christendom in the ,west was overspread
 with a host  of zealous1 active1 and   
devoted men1 whose function was popular 
instruction4    ,francis1 seeing the    
universal greed after lands and money1  
took the vow  of poverty1 made that a   
capital point in his institution4 ,the  
grasping  after possessions should never
 curse his society1 and he donned1 and  
made his disciples don1 the poor1 coarse
 dress of the common labourer1  to show 
that they were to be ever of the people1
 and for the people1  even for the      
lowest4 ,and he aimed first of all to   
encourage piety--the  striving of the   
soul after ,god--and to show that within
 the ,church that  flame could burn     
brightest and give out most heat4 ,but  
he taught as  well4 ,it was due to his  
great desire to bring home to the people
 the  truth of the ,incarnation1 that he
 devised the crche of ,christmas1 and   
composed the first ,christmas carols4   
,and he was a preacher--fervent1        
inspired1 convincing4 ,his heart so     

overflowed with love1 that even birds   
and beasts were attracted to him1 and   
his love extended to them--8his  sisters
 and brothers10 as he termed them4      
,the story of the conversion of ,s4     
,francis1 the wealthy merchant's son1   
is well known4 ,he was a young man1 just
 at the age when the deepest  feelings  
of man's nature begin to make themselves
 articulate4 ,one  evening he was       
revelling with his companions of the    
same age with  himself4 ,when supper was
 over1 the merry party dashed out of the
 hot1  lighted room into the open air4  
,the dark indigo-blue vault of heaven   
overhead was besprent with myriads of   
stars1 and ,francis suddenly  halted1   
looked up1 and remained silent in       
contemplation of this wondrous  canopy4 
8,what ails you1 ,francis80 asked one of
 the revellers4    8,he is star-gazing  
for a wife10 joked another4    8,ah60   
said ,francis gravely1 8for a wife past 
all that your imagination  can          
conceive40    ,his soul with            

inarticulate cravings strained after    
something higher than  a merchant's life
 behind a counter1 a nobler life than   
revelling and  drunkenness4 ,then       
probably he first conceived the idea of 
embracing  poverty1 and of devoting his 
whole life to his poor brothers4    ,the
 first great gathering of the ,order he 
founded was in #abab1 and that  same    
year saw the establishment of a         
sisterhood in connection with the       
,society4 ,it came about thus3--        
,favorino ,scefi was a man of noble     
family in ,assisi1 given to the         
profession of arms1 and a good          
swordsman2 his wife1 ,hortulana1 had    
presented him with three daughters1     
,clara1 ,agnes1 and ,beatrix1 but no    
son4    ,one day--it was ,palm          
,sunday--in the before-mentioned year1  
when ,clara was  aged eighteen1 she and 
her mother were present when ,francis   
preached4  ,the effect of his sermon on 
her young heart was overwhelming and    
ineradicable4 ,from this moment she     

resolved to leave the world and its     
splendours1 and the prospect of         
marriage1 and to devote her whole life  
to ,god and to the advancement of ,his  
kingdom4    ,what she was to do1 what   
,god's designs were1 all was dark before
 her2  only in her was the intense      
longing to place herself in ,his hands1 
that  ,he might use her as ,he saw fit4 
,and it appeared to her that her desire 
had been known and her self-offering    
accepted4 ,as already said1 it was      
,palm ,sunday1 and the custom was for   
the bishop to bless the palms that  were
 presented him by the deacon1 and to    
distribute them among those who  came up
 in single file to the altar steps4     
,clara1 shy and retiring1 hung  back4   
,the bishop's eye rested on her4 ,all at
 once he stepped down into  the nave1   
the acolytes bearing their tapers before
 him1 and carrying a  palm branch1 he   
placed it in the hands of the shrinking 
maiden4    ,to her it was as a          
consecration4    ,in the evening she ran

 to the chapel of the ,portiuncula1     
where ,francis  and his disciples were  
installed2 she fell on her knees and    
implored to  be received1 and given work
 to do4 ,in a paroxysm of devotion she  
plucked  off her little ornaments1 and  
tore away her rich dress4    ,francis1  
unable as he was unwilling to refuse her
 offer of herself1 cast  over her a     
coarse habit1 and she was enrolled in   
the ranks of the  ,champions of         
,poverty4    ,but where was the young   
girl to be put8 ,he had no other female 
adherents4 ,he accordingly took her to  
the ,benedictine nunnery of ,s4  ,paolo1
 where she was to remain till he had    
considered what to do with  her4    ,the
 parents of ,clara were indignant and   
annoyed when they learned what  she had 
done1 and they endeavoured by every     
means to induce her to  return to them4 
,they even employed violence4 ,she      
escaped from them to  the altar1 and    
laid hold of the cloth that covered it4 
,they tried to  drag her away1 but she  

clung with such tenacity as to tear the 
very  cloth to which she clung4         
,clara now removed to another convent of
 ,benedictins1 ,s4 ,angelo di ,panso1   
where she spent a fortnight in prayer   
and silence1 considering the step  she  
had taken4    ,at the end of that time  
her sister ,agnes1 two years younger    
than  herself1 came and entreated to be 
allowed to remain with her4 ,the father 
was very angry1 and called the members  
of the family together to consult  on   
the matter4 ,nothing1 however1 could be 
done2 the two girls were  resolute4     
,in the meantime ,s4 ,francis was busy  
preparing a dwelling for them near a    
little church of ,s4 ,damian that he had
 restored4 ,when this was complete  he  
removed them to it4 ,many girls and even
 women now joined the sisters1  and     
constituted a little community4 ,francis
 was appealed to for a rule  by which   
they might form their lives1 but this he
 was unwilling to give4  ,let them1 said
 he1 take ,clara herself as their       

example4    ,presently1 little ,beatrix 
arrived4 ,she could not bear to be alone
 in the  now desolate home1 she yearned 
to be with her sisters4 ,she also was   
accepted4 ,after the death of her       
husband ,hortulana also joined them1 so 
that mother and daughters were united   
again4    ,as the fundamental rule of   
,francis was absolute poverty1 his      
brothers  were obliged to beg their     
bread4 ,they went round the town and    
country  with sacks1 asking for scraps  
of food2 and as it would not be seemly  
for  the sisters of the house at ,s4    
,damian to do the same1 the friars were 
constrained to divide their crusts with 
them4    ,gregory ,,ix4 very sensibly   
objected to the friars going in and out 
of the  convent1 and he forbade it4     
8,very well10 said ,clara2 8if holy     
brothers  may not minister to us the    
,bread of ,life1 they shall not provide 
us with  the bread that perishes10 and  
she refused the crusts and broken meat  
they had collected on their rounds4     

,what was to be done8 ,the whole        
convent would starve4 ,in a few days the
 ,poor ,clares would be dead4 ,an       
express was sent to the ,pope4 ,gregory 
could defy an emperor1 and that  such an
 one as ,frederick ,barbarossa2 but he  
was no match for an  obstinate woman4   
,he gave way4    ,the rule imposed on   
the sisterhood by ,s4 ,clara was one of 
dreary  penance4 ,their services in     
church were to be without music1 even on
 the  high festivals4 ,she would not    
allow those who were ignorant to learn  
to  read1 so that to such these services
 were unintelligible4    ,in fact1      
extravagance marked all she did4 ,she   
did not suffer the sisters  ever to     
interchange a word with each other      
without permission1 and they  were all  
shut up in their convent1 which they    
might not leave4 ,it is  true that ,s4  
,francis did slightly modify some of    
this severity4 ,but his  own rule of    
absolute poverty was a mistake4 ,he     
intended it as a protest  against the   

money and land grabbing which prevailed1
 not among laymen  only1 but among      
ecclesiastics1 and also among the monks2
 but he went too  far4 ,he turned his   
friars into mere beggars4 ,if he had    
insisted that  they should be poor and  
work for their livelihood1 that would   
have been  well2 but to employ them as  
tramps1 begging from door to door1 and  
sponging on the honest1 hard-working    
people1 was a fatal mistake1 and  led to
 very bad results4    ,so also ,clara1  
in the hope of keeping her sisters      
devoted only to the  service of ,god1   
dissuaded1 nay1 forbade1 reading4 ,in   
place of  cultivating the intellect--a  
splendid gift of ,god--she made those   
under  her direction bury their talents4
    ,insensibly1 the ,manichan heresy   
had penetrated all minds1 and made men  
and women think that the body was evil  
and must be tortured and bullied1  and  
all that was human trampled underfoot1  
that the soul alone should be  cared    
for4 ,the result was the production of  

hysterical1 ecstatic beings1  who were  
helpless to do anything for themselves1 
and were1 so far as  their minds went1  
idiots4    ,s4 ,clara's work would have 
been worse than useless1 positively     
mischievous1 had it not been for one    
thing4 ,s4 ,francis1 in order to  extend
 religion among the people1 had         
instituted a third branch of his        
institution1 of which the second was    
that of the ,poor ,clares4 ,this third  
order comprised men and women living in 
the world--in fact1 a great guild  of   
pious people1 observing very simple     
rules1 which bound all together  in the 
service of ,god1 ,his ,church1 and the  
poor and sick4 ,this spread  like       
wildfire3 everywhere men and women1     
husbands and wives1 young men  and      
girls1 rich and poor1 nobles and        
merchants1 day-labourers and            
needlewomen1 joined this community1     
encouraged each other in good works1    
and learned1 by knowing each other1 to  
lose class exclusiveness4    ,inevitably

 the charge of the female members of the
 third order devolved  on the ,poor     
,clares4 ,then other duties sprang up4  
,there were plenty of  little orphan    
girls adrift2 these had to be cared for1
 and the ,clares  took charge of them4  
,the devout desired to have their       
daughters taught  by them1 and they were
 constrained to open schools1--and thus 
to  cultivate their own minds1 and      
abandon the rule of silence1 or at least
  to modify it4 ,consequently the order 
of ,poor ,clares did a great deal of    
good1 but not in the way in which ,s4   
,clara desired4    ,the time was one of 
furious intestinal war in ,italy between
 the factions  of ,guelph and           
,ghibelline1 and there were far more    
women than men1 as the  latter had      
fallen4 ,children were left without     
fathers1 wives lost their  husbands1    
girls were deprived of their natural    
protectors1 and the  convent served as  
an asylum for these unfortunates1 who   
otherwise would  have succumbed4    ,in 

#abbj occurred a scene bearing some     
resemblance to that of the last  meeting
 of ,s4 ,benedict and his sister4 ,s4   
,clara felt a great desire to  be with  
,s4 ,francis and to eat with him2 but he
 constantly refused4 ,at  length his    
companions1 seeing how this troubled    
her1 said to him1  8,father1 it seems to
 us that this sternness is not in       
accordance with  ,christian charity4    
,pay attention to ,clara1 and consent to
 her request4  ,it is but a small thing 
that she desires of you--just to eat    
with her4  ,remember how that1 at your  
preaching1 she forsook all that the     
world  offers40    ,s4 ,francis         
answered1 8,as it is so in your eyes1 so
 let it be4 ,let the  feast be held at  
the ,church of the ,portiuncula1 for it 
was in that that  she took the vows40   
,when the appointed day arrived1 ,s4    
,clara went forth from her convent  with
 one companion1 and came to the place   
appointed1 and waited till  ,francis    
should arrive4 ,after awhile he         

appeared1 and he caused their  common   
meal to be prepared on the grass4 ,he   
seated himself beside ,clara1  and one  
of his friars beside the nun who had    
attended ,s4 ,clara4 ,then all  the rest
 of the company gathered about them4    
,during the first course ,s4 ,francis   
spoke of ,god so sweetly1 so tenderly1  
that all were rapt in ecstasy1 and      
forgetting their food1 remained         
wondering and thinking only of ,god4    
,when the repast was ended1 ,clara      
returned to ,san ,damiani greatly       
comforted4 ,this was her only meeting1  
for other purposes than those of        
ghostly counsel1 with her friend and    
father4    ,s4 ,francis died in #abbf1  
six years after the meeting2 but ,clara 
lived on  for more than a quarter of a  
century after his decease4              
,concerning the austerities practised by
 ,s4 ,clara it is unnecessary to  write3
 a knowledge of them would provoke      
disgust2 but they have probably  been   
vastly exaggerated1 for had they been   

what is represented1 she  could not have
 lived forty-two years of self-torture4 
,as she died she  was heard murmuring   
that she saw our ,lord surrounded with  
virgins  crowned with flowers1 and that 
one1 whose wreath was 8like a windowed  
censer10 bowed over her and kissed her4 
,she died in #abeg4    ,we cannot say of
 ,s4 ,clara that she originated a great 
work of utility4  ,she supplemented the 
undertaking of ,s4 ,francis1 and carried
 his  extravagances to a further        
extreme4 ,but she was sincere1 she held 
to her  purpose2 and although her       
foundation was one void of common-sense 
and  right principles1 yet1 because well
 intended1 it worked itself into one  of
 utility1 and continues to the present  
day in the ,latin ,communion  doing good
 service4          ,illustration3 ,s4   
,,theresa4                              
,,xvii                                  
,s4 ,,theresa      ,the most beautiful  
and pathetic female figure that stands  
out in the age  of the great convulsion 

which rent ,europe into two religious   
camps1 is  that of ,theresa of ,avila3  
beautiful1 because of her exquisitely   
pure and  sincere character and strength
 of purpose2 pathetic1 because all her  
saintliness1 all her energies1 were     
directed in a false channel1 and to     
build up what crumbled to pieces almost 
as soon as the breath left her  body4   
,s4 ,theresa was born at ,avila1 in     
,spain1 in the province of the same name
  and the kingdom of ,castile1 #aeae4   
,her parents belonged to the class of   
gentry1 and were well connected1 but not
 wealthy4    8,to know ,avila10 says    
,miss ,g4 ,c4 ,graham1 in her book      
,santa ,teresa1 8to  wander through its 
streets1 to watch the sun rise and set  
over the  sombre moorlands beyond the   
city walls--is greatly to know ,teresa4 
,in one  of its fortress-houses1 where  
on the shield over the gateway the      
bucklers of the ,davilas were quartered 
with the rampant lion of the  ,cepedas1 
she was born and passed her childhood4  

,in the cathedral which  looms over the 
city walls1 half church1 half fortress1 
she worshipped  and gazed with ardent   
eyes1 and with a thrill of wonder and   
terror1 into  the dim mysteries of its  
roof4 ,in the quiet cloisters of the    
,encarnacion  she passed the greater    
part of her life of peace and           
contemplation4  ,these time-stained     
stones1 these silent cloisters--all that
 remains in  outward bodily form of that
 strangely complex age1 which produced  
her  and the gentle ,san ,juan de la    
,cruz1 so different from her in         
character  and tendencies1 together with
 ,philip ,,ii41 the gloomy and          
conscientious  bigot who championed     
both--shaped and moulded her existence1 
shut in and  controlled her life4 ,most 
meet background for her whose whole life
 was  to be one long battle1 this city  
of warriors and knights--their very     
memory all shadowy40    ,her father was 
twice married1 and ,theresa was the     
eldest daughter by the  second wife1 who

 bore him seven sons and two daughters4 
,by his first  wife he had two sons and 
a daughter4 ,she says of this family1   
8,they were  all bound to one another by
 a tender love1 and all resembled their 
parents in virtue except myself40       
,the young men for the most part went to
 the 8,indies0 to carve out  fortunes   
for themselves1 but always looked back  
wistfully and with love  to the old home
 and the dear sisters and parents there4
 ,there was much  that was grand and    
full of promise in ancient ,spanish     
life--great  domestic attachment1       
simplicity1 integrity1 and self-respect1
 together  with a dauntless spirit and a
 love of adventure4 ,but a fatal        
darkness  came over it4 ,the liberal and
 democratic institutions of the country 
were destroyed by the ,king's ambition  
of obtaining absolute power2 and1  worst
 of all1 the ,inquisition was suffered  
to scotch and kill all free             
intellectual life4    ,theresa from an  
early age was full of vital1            

intellectual and spiritual  energies1   
but none of these was allowed an outlet4
 ,with her  extraordinary powers1 and   
with her indomitable will1 had her      
energies  been directed to expand in    
practical good works1 she might have    
transformed the position of her         
countrywomen4    ,it was1 perhaps1      
impossible for ,theresa to revolutionise
 the position of  women in ,spain2 the  
thought of attempting such a thing did  
not occur to  her4 ,so she did the only 
thing that seemed possible--immure them2
 that  they might not gossip1 nor       
fritter their lives in visiting and     
entertaining4    ,to return to her      
biography4    ,her favourite brother1   
,rodrigo1 four years older than herself1
 was her  companion in play4 ,along with
 him she pored over an old book of the  
,lives of the ,saints and ,martyrs4     
8,when ,i saw the martyrdom which they  
had suffered for ,god10 she wrote in    
after years1 8it seemed to me that  they
 had bought the enjoyment of ,god very  

cheaply1 and ,i longed to die  like     
them4 ,together with my brother ,i      
discoursed how it would be  possible to 
accomplish this4 ,we agreed to go to the
 land of the ,moors1  begging our way   
for the love of ,god1 there to be       
beheaded2 and it seems  to me that the  
,lord gave us courage even at so tender 
an age1 if we  could have discovered a  
means of accomplishing what we desired4 
,but our  parents seemed to us the great
 obstacle40 ,it is said that the two    
children actually started1 carrying with
 them provisions for the  journey4 ,she 
was then only six or seven4 ,they got   
out of the town and on  to the bridge1  
where their uncle1 who was jogging into 
,avila on  horseback1 saw them1 stopped 
and asked what they were about1 and     
whither  going4 ,he at once took them   
home again4    ,after her mother's death
 her father took her to the convent of  
the  ,encarnacion4 ,her elder sister had
 been married in #aeca1 and there was no
  one to look after her at home4 ,in the

 peaceful retreat of the convent  she   
remained for a year and a half1 till1   
falling ill1 she was sent  home4 ,a     
visit she paid during her convalescence 
to her sister ,maria1 the  wife of a    
,castilian gentleman who had a country  
house two days' journey  from ,avila1   
determined her vocation4 ,half-way lived
 her uncle1 ,pedro de  ,cepeda1 in an   
old manor-house4 ,he was a grave1 formal
 gentleman1 without  wife and children1 
who attended to his estate1 and read    
only religious  books4 ,the young girl  
stayed the night in his house1 and the  
old man  asked her to read aloud to him 
one of his favourite books of devotion4 
,out of courtesy she concealed her      
distaste1 and read to him in the        
evening4 ,she remained there more than  
one night1 probably because not  strong 
enough to proceed upon her journey1 and 
every evening continued  the reading4   
,she says3 8,although the days ,i stayed
 with him were few1  such was the effect
 the words of ,god ,i read and heard had

 on my heart1  and the good             
companionship1 that ,i began to         
understand the truth--that  all was     
nothing1 and that the world was vanity1 
and that everything  ended speedily40   
,she prosecuted her journey after this  
rest1 but her  mind was working out the 
solution of her own destiny4 ,she saw   
life under  a new aspect4    ,she made  
up her mind to become a nun1 though     
without any very sincere  vocation4 ,her
 father gave his consent1 and she       
entered the convent of  the ,encarnacion
 as a novice4    ,the sisterhood was    
easy-going and numerous4 ,so many men at
 this period  went to the ,new ,world1  
that women abounded1 and having nowhere 
else to  go1 settled into convents for  
their convenience1 and not for the sake 
of  devotion4 8,the discipline10 says   
,miss ,graham1 8was not severe2 in its  
atmosphere of relaxation and secularism1
 worldly rank was as potent as  in this 
century3 no strict1 demure sisterhood   
that of the ,encarnacion1  where nearly 

a hundred merry1 noisy1 squabbling1     
sometimes hungry and  chattering1 women 
made the best of a life forced on them40
    ,it was a convenient1 harmless sort 
of pension for middle-aged ladies who   
were single2 but1 of course1 not quite  
suited to young girls without a         
vocation4 ,the sisters went about1 paid 
visits1 received friends1 just as  in an
 hotel4 ,all would have been well enough
 had they been given  definite work--the
 education of poor girls1               
,sunday-schools1 nursing the  sick1 the 
care of orphans--but they had nothing to
 occupy their time or  their minds      
except the choir offices in ,latin1     
which they did not  understand4    ,for 
a while ,theresa fell in with this sort 
of life1 frivolity and  religion mixed  
in equal proportions--frivolity bred of 
idleness4 ,but it  did not satisfy her2 
it was not what she wanted4 ,she was    
full of impulse  and had a soul desirous
 of better things4 ,not for a moment did
 the  thought dawn on her that these    

good women might be made useful in their
  generation4 ,a woman is hardly ever an
 innovator1 and the notion of           
innovation never entered the mind of    
,theresa4 ,the only course that she     
could take was to make the enclosure of 
the nuns strict1 and to impose  silence 
on their flow of silly talk4            
,consequently she brooded on the  idea  
of a reform1 and a reform in this       
direction4    ,theresa returned to the  
,encarnacion after a serious catalyptic 
attack1  on ,palm ,sunday1 #aecg4 ,she  
was then about twenty-two2 and          
twenty-five  years of her life were     
spent within its walls in spiritual and 
physical  troubles1 all produced by the 
same cause--having nothing worthy of her
  powers to occupy her4    ,through all 
these years this grand woman1 full of   
practical commonsense1  with fervent    
devotion to ,god in her heart1 fired    
with desire to do  something for ,him1  
with a really wonderful tact and charm  
of manner that  was irresistible1 had   

been chafing at her impotence4          
,talking with a friend one day1 she     
heard that certain nuns of the          
,carmelite ,order1 to which the         
,encarnacion belonged1 had gone back to 
observance of the primitive rule4 ,what 
that primitive rule was she did  not    
know2 but the friend1 a widow lady1     
said3 8,how should you like to  join me1
 and become barefooted nuns1 and help me
 to found a convent of  this sort80 ,the
 idea fired the brain of ,theresa1 and  
she went to the  ,superior to ask       
permission to start a convent of the    
strict rule4 ,the  ,superior and        
,provincial gave their consent after    
great hesitation1 and  arranged that the
 new house should contain thirteen nuns1
 and enjoy a  fixed revenue4 ,but here  
,s4 ,theresa interposed2 she positively 
refused to  have a revenue4 ,the house  
must be founded in absolute poverty4    
8,as soon as our intention began to get 
wind in the town1 there arose  such a   
storm of persecution as is quite        

indescribable4 ,the scoffs1 the  jeers1 
the laughter1 the outcries that this was
 a ridiculous1 fantastic  undertaking1  
were more than ,i can speak of40    ,the
 ,provincial1 thinking it would not do  
to run counter to popular  opinion1     
changed his mind1 and refused to permit 
the foundation4    8,in the meantime ,i 
was in very bad odour in the house where
 ,i was1  because ,i wished to draw the 
enclosure more tight4 ,the sisters said 
that  ,i insulted them1 and that ,god   
was served well in their convent1 and   
that  it would be far better for me to  
devote my energies to procuring money   
for that house already existing than to 
found a new one4 ,some even  wanted to  
put me in prison1 and there were but few
 who took my part40    ,after about six 
months she persuaded her sister with    
great secrecy to  buy her a house in    
,avila4 ,then1 delighted to have a      
mystery to play  with1 she set to work  
to prepare for turning this house into a
 convent  of barefooted ,carmelites4    

,happily for her she obtained the favour
 of the  bishop1 and also a papal brief2
 and then very secretly1 on ,s4         
,bartholomew's ,day1 #aefb1 she and a   
few intimates moved into this house4    
,all went on smoothly till after dinner4
 ,theresa had lain down for her  siesta1
 when the house was disturbed by the    
arrival of a messenger  from the convent
 of the ,encarnacion with peremptory    
orders for her  return as well as that  
of two of the nuns she had persuaded to 
follow  her4 ,the convent was in wild   
excitement4 ,she was obliged to return1 
but  she was able to hold her own2 she  
had the papal brief to display4    ,what
 follows is comical4 ,the town council  
and the cathedral chapter were          
convulsed at the news4 ,the mayor sent  
messages about to convoke a grand       
assembly of the city council to decide  
what was to be done1 and orders  to     
,theresa to leave the house4 ,but she   
was resolute4 ,then1 when the town      
council was baffled1 the mayor          

endeavoured to effect a compromise1     
being  much put out at a woman having   
defied all the city magnates4 ,but she  
flourished in his face the brief and an 
authorisation from the bishop1  and he  
returned defeated4 ,the city magnates in
 high dudgeon appealed to  the          
sovereign1 ,philip ,,ii41 and ,theresa  
was obliged also to send a  delegate to 
court to plead her case4 ,the opposition
 dragged on for a  year1 but in the end 
,theresa carried her point4 ,it was not 
worth the  storm in a teacup raised4    
,this was the beginning4 ,even in ,spain
 it was felt that a change in  monastic 
life was necessary4    ,but reform      
assumed the direction of recurrence to  
severe asceticism1 a  phase as out of   
date as could well be conceived1 and    
which accordingly  flickered for a      
while1 and then expired4    ,theresa was
 delighted to enlist some earnest friars
 in the cause1 and  they reformed the   
,carmelite monasteries on the same lines
 as those she  had pursued with the     

convents4    ,in her own account of how 
she founded her various establishments1 
she  says3--    8,i lived five years in 
the convent of ,s4 ,joseph at ,avila1   
after ,i had  founded it2 and ,i think  
that they were the most quiet years of  
my life4  ,i there enjoyed the          
tranquillity and calmness which my soul 
has often  since longed for4444 ,the    
number in the house was thirteen1 a     
number  which ,i was resolved not to    
exceed4 ,i was much delighted at living 
among  such pure and holy souls1 for all
 their care was to serve and praise our 
,lord4 ,his ,divine ,majesty sent us    
everything necessary without our        
asking2 and whenever we were in         
want--and that was seldom--their joy was
  all the greater4 ,i praised the ,lord 
for giving them such heroic virtue1  and
 especially for endowing them with      
indifference to what concerned  their   
bodies4 ,i1 who was their ,superior1    
never remember to have been  troubled   
with any thought in this matter1 because

 ,i firmly believed that  our ,lord     
would not be wanting to those who had no
 other wish than how to  please ,him4   
,with regard to the virtue of obedience1
 ,i could mention many  things which ,i 
here saw in them4 ,one at present recurs
 to me4 ,one day a  few cucumbers were  
given to us1 and we were eating them at 
our meal4 ,the  cucumber that fell to my
 share was rotten inside4 ,i called one 
of the  sisters1 and to prove her       
obedience1 bade her plant it in the     
garden4  ,she asked if she should plant 
it upright or sideways2 ,i said         
#8sideways1'  and she immediately did   
so1 without the thought occurring to her
 that it  must decay4 ,her esteem for   
obedience was so superior to her natural
  reason1 that she acted as if believing
 that what ,i ordered was proper40      
,in course of time1 the eager1 active   
mind of ,theresa formed a new  scheme4  
,she had now a convent of discalced     
nuns2 she was resolved to  have also a  
monastery of discalced friars4 ,the     

,general of her ,order came  to ,avila  
from ,rome2 she explained to him the    
reform she had effected1  and her desire
 to extend the reform to monasteries of 
men4 ,he  acquiesced1 and gave her      
permission to form such a society if she
 could4  8,i was now10 says she1 8much  
consoled at having his licence1 but much
  troubled at having no friars ready to 
begin the work1 nor any secular  ready  
to start the house4 ,here was ,i1 a poor
 barefooted nun1 without the  support of
 any one but our ,lord1 furnished with  
plenty of letters and  good wishes1 but 
without the possibility of putting my   
wishes into  execution40    ,however1   
she wrote to the ,general of the        
,jesuits at ,medina1 and he and  the    
rest of the fathers of that ,society    
took the matter up very warmly1  and did
 not desist till they had obtained from 
the bishop and  magistrates licence for 
the foundation of such a monastery as   
,s4 ,theresa  desired4    8,now1 though 
,i had a licence1 ,i had no house1 nor a

 farthing wherewith  to buy one2 and how
 could a poor stranger like me procure  
credit1 had  not the ,lord assisted us8 
,he so ordered that a virtuous lady1 for
 whom  there had been no room for       
admission into ,s4 ,joseph's convent1   
hearing  that another house was about to
 be started1 asked to be admitted into  
it4 ,she had some money1 but not enough 
to buy the house with--only  sufficient 
for the hire of one1 and to pay our     
travelling expenses4 ,and  so we hired  
one2 and without any other assistance we
 left ,avila1 two  nuns from ,s4        
,joseph's and myself1 with four from the
 relaxed convent of  the ,incarnation1  
and our chaplain ,julian d',avila40     
,they reached ,medina del ,campo on the 
eve of the ,assumption1 #aefg1 at       
midnight1 and stole on foot with great  
secrecy to the hired house4 8,it  was a 
great mercy of ,god that at such an hour
 we met no one1 though then  was the    
time when the bulls were about to be    
shut up which were to fight  next day4  

,i have no recollection of anything1 ,i 
was in such a scare and  anxiety4       
,having come to the house1 we entered a 
court1 the walls of  which were much    
decayed4 ,the good father who had hired 
the house was  short-sighted1 and had   
not noticed how unfit the place was to  
be made an  abode for the ,blessed      
,sacrament4 ,when ,i saw the hall ,i    
perceived that  much rubbish would have 
to be removed1 and the walls to be      
plastered4  ,the night was far advanced1
 and we had brought only a few hangings 
there1 ,i think1 which was nothing for  
the whole length of the hall4 ,i  knew  
not what was to be done1 for ,i saw that
 this was not a fit place  for an altar 
to be erected in it4 ,however1 our ,lord
 was willing that  this should be done  
immediately1 for the steward of the lady
 had in the  house several pieces of    
tapestry and a piece of blue damask1 and
 we were  allowed the use of them4 ,when
 ,i saw such good furniture1 ,i praised 
our  ,lord4 ,but we knew not what to do 

for nails1 and that was not the time    
when they could be bought4 ,we began to 
search for some on the walls1 and  at   
length procured enough4 ,then some of   
the men put up the tapestry  whilst we  
swept the floor2 and we made such haste1
 that when it was  daylight the altar   
was ready1 a bell was put up1 and       
immediately mass  was said4 ,this was   
sufficient for taking possession1 but we
 did not rest  till the ,blessed        
,sacrament was placed in the tabernacle1
 and through the  chinks of the door    
opposite the altar we heard mass1 having
 no other  place40    ,when daylight    
came ,s4 ,theresa was aghast to see how 
ruinous the house  was3 the hall1 which 
she had hastily converted into a chapel1
 was so  full of cracks that the        
,blessed ,sacrament was exposed to the  
sight of  those who passed in the       
streets1 and she saw that the repairs of
 the  dilapidated mansion would cost    
money and take time4 ,she was much      
dispirited1 for she began to fear that  

she had undertaken what she had  not the
 power to carry out--her intention being
 to make this a convent of  nuns1 and   
then to found1 if possible1 in the same 
town1 a monastery for  reformed         
,carmelite friars4    8,in this trouble 
,i passed a great part of the evening1  
till the ,rector  of the ,society 7of   
,jesus7 sent a father to visit me1 and  
he consoled me  greatly4 ,i did not tell
 him all my troubles1 but only that     
which ,i felt  at seeing ourselves in   
the street4 ,i spoke to him of the      
necessity of  having another house for  
us1 cost what it might1 wherein we might
 dwell  till this one was repaired4 ,i  
recovered courage also at seeing so many
  people come to us and none of them    
accuse me of folly1 which was a mercy   
of ,god1 for they would have done quite 
right to take away from us the  ,blessed
 ,sacrament4 ,in spite of all the       
efforts made to obtain another  house1  
none could be found to be let in the old
 town1 and this gave me  great anxiety  

night and day2 for though ,i had        
appointed men to watch and  guard the   
,blessed ,sacrament1 yet ,i was fearful 
lest they should fall  asleep1 and so ,i
 got up in the night myself to guard it 
at a window1 and  by the clear light of 
the moon ,i could see it very plainly4  
8,about eight days after1 a merchant1   
seeing our necessity1 and living        
himself in a very good house1 told us we
 might have the upper part of  it1 where
 we might live as in a private house of 
our own4 ,he also had a  large hall with
 a gilt ceiling1 and this he gave us for
 a church40    ,others came forward and 
assisted1 and the upper story of the    
merchant's  house was fitted up for     
their reception4    ,shortly after she  
began to see her way towards obtaining  
friars for her  reformed ,order4 ,there 
was in ,medina an excellent priest1     
named ,antonio  de ,heredia1 who had    
assisted her greatly4 ,he told her that 
he desired to  enter the ,carthusian    
,order4 ,this did not please ,theresa2  

she entreated  him to delay a year the  
execution of his design1 and she then   
confided  to him her plan4 ,he was      
pleased with it1 and to her great       
delight  offered to be the first friar  
of her reformed society4 ,shortly after1
  she met ,s4 ,john of the ,cross1 who  
was also at the time thinking of        
joining the ,carthusians4 ,she          
intercepted him1 and persuaded him to   
become a discalced ,carmelite4 8,he     
promised me he would do so if the       
business did not prove too tedious4     
,when ,i now saw ,i had two religious   
to commence the work with1 it seemed to 
me that the matter was  accomplished1   
although ,i was not entirely satisfied  
with the ,prior2 and  thus some delay   
was caused1 as well as by our not having
 any place for  commencing our          
monastery40    ,in #aefh1 the ,lady de  
la ,cerda1 sister of the ,duke of       
,medina ,sidonia1  wrote to ,s4         
,theresa1 offering to found a house of  
discalced ,carmelite  nuns in her own   

town1 ,malagon4 ,this lady knew ,theresa
 well2 it was with  her when left a     
widow that the saint had spent six      
months4 ,theresa at  once went to       
,malagon with some of her nuns1 and took
 possession of the  house provided for  
them4    ,four or five months after1    
whilst ,s4 ,theresa was talking to a    
young  gentleman of quality1 he most    
unexpectedly offered her a house he     
possessed in ,valladolid1 with a        
vineyard attached to it4 ,she at once   
accepted the offer4 ,but when she       
arrived at ,valladolid1 she found that  
the place was unhealthy1 and altogether 
unsuitable4 ,indeed1 all the nuns  fell 
ill in it1 and they were obliged to move
 to another house given  them by the    
sister of the ,bishop of ,avila4        
,shortly after this1 a young gentleman  
of ,avila hearing that ,s4 ,theresa     
wished to found a monastery of discalced
 friars1 offered her a house he         
possessed in the little village of      
,durvello4 ,she accepted it1 and then   

started to see it1 with a nun and her   
chaplain1 ,father ,julian d',avila4     
8,though we set off at daybreak1 yet as 
the place was not much known1 no  one   
could direct us2 and thus we walked all 
that day in great trouble1  for the sun 
was very hot1 and when we thought we    
were near the place1 we  found that we  
had still a long way to go4 ,i shall    
never forget the  fatigue and wanderings
 of that day4 ,we arrived at the place  
just before  nightfall1 and when we went
 into the house1 we found it was in such
 a  state that we could not possibly    
spend the night in it1 partly because   
it was filthy1 and partly because there 
were many people about4 ,it had a       
tolerable hall1 two chambers with a     
garret1 and a little kitchen3 this  was 
the building we were to use as our      
friary4 ,i thought that the hall  might 
be turned into a chapel1 the garret into
 a choir for the friars1  and the two   
chambers into a dormitory4 ,my companion
 could not endure the  thought of making

 a monastery of the place1 and said1    
#8,mother1 no soul  can possibly endure 
such a place as this1 however great the 
sanctity4  ,speak no more about it4'    
,father ,julian did not oppose me when  
,i  expressed my intentions1 though he  
was of the same opinion as my           
companion4 ,we spent the night in the   
church1 though1 so great was our        
fatigue1 we stood more in need of sleep 
than of vigil4 ,having arrived at       
,medina1 ,i spoke with ,father ,antonio1
 and told him everything4 ,he  answered3
 #8,i am ready to live not only in such 
a house as that which you  describe1 but
 even in a pigsty4' ,father ,john of the
 ,cross was of the  same mind40    ,the 
consent of the bishop and of the        
provincial of the ,order having been    
obtained1 the two fathers went off to   
the wretched house1 and took  possession
 of it on the first or second ,sunday in
 ,advent1 in #aefh4    8,the following  
,lent1 as ,i was going to ,toledo1 ,i   
passed that way1 and  came on ,father   

,antonio sweeping the door of the       
church1 with his usual  cheerful        
countenance4 #8,what is this1 father8'  
said ,i2 #8what has become  of your     
dignity8' #8,the time in which ,i       
received honour was time ill  spent1' he
 answered4    8,when ,i went into the   
church along with two merchants1 friends
 of mine1  who had come with me from    
,medina1 ,i was astonished to see how   
the spirit  of the ,lord reigned there4 
,so many crosses and skulls were there  
that  the merchants could do nothing but
 weep4 ,never shall ,i forget one little
  cross placed over the holy water      
stoup1 on which was fixed a paper       
crucifix1 and which produced more       
devotion than one elaborately carved4   
,the garret formed the choir4 ,it was   
high in the middle1 so that they  could 
stand up there to say the ,hours2 but to
 enter it they were obliged  to stoop   
low4 ,they had made two little          
hermitages on each side of the  church1 
so low that they could only sit or lie  

down in them1 filled  inside with hay   
because it was cold4 ,their heads almost
 touched the  roof4 ,two little windows 
commanded the altar1 and two stones     
served them  as pillows4 ,here was also 
a store of crosses and skulls4    8,they
 went about preaching among the ignorant
 people of the  neighbourhood1 and soon 
gained such a reputation that ,i was    
greatly  consoled4 ,they went to preach 
six or eight miles off1 through snow and
  frost1 barefoot1 for they wore no     
sandals then2 afterwards they were      
ordered to wear them4 ,when they had    
done preaching and confessing they      
returned late to their meal1 but with   
such joy that all their sufferings  were
 not accounted by them4 ,as for food1   
they had sufficient1 for the  people of 
the neighbouring villages provided them 
with more than they  wanted40    ,we    
need not follow the ,saint through the  
course of many years1  travelling from  
place to place1 never quiet anywhere1   
always on the  move1 with a scheme in   

her head1 which she obstinately         
determined on  carrying out in spite of 
obstacle and opposition4    ,when the   
boys were throwing stones at the frogs  
in a pond1 according to  the fable1 one 
old toad raised its head above the water
 and said to the  urchins1 8,what is fun
 to you is death to us40 ,the           
unfortunate women whom  ,s4 ,theresa    
immured1 the unhappy men whom she       
persuaded to reduce  themselves to      
poverty and imbecility1 might have      
addressed her in the  same words4 ,she1 
herself1 was always engaged on carrying 
her projects  into effect2--absolutely  
useless though they were1 nay1 worse    
than  useless1 for they were positively 
mischievous4 ,but those confined in her 
convents were afforded no work to do1 no
 reading to occupy their minds2  they   
were reduced to a condition of          
stupidity4 ,the brain is given to man   
and woman to be exercised1 the will to  
be directed2 neither to be  effaced4    
,what was the reform to which ,theresa  

devoted all her energies8 ,to induce    
certain men and women to kick off their 
shoes4 ,she aimed at restoring  the     
,carmelite ,order to the old severity of
 its rule at a time when  everywhere    
practical1 energetic1 active men and    
women were needed to do  good work for  
,god and their fellow-men1 instead of   
moping in cells1  looking at blank      
walls1 and shivering with cold in       
compulsory idleness4  ,she deliberately 
engaged many hundreds of the ,lord's    
servants in the  work of burying their  
talents4    ,we cannot but admire her   
enthusiasm and her singleness of        
purpose1  whilst we regret that neither 
were aright directed4 ,the bishops and  
magistrates had sense to see that her   
undertakings were foolish and           
unprofitable1 but she was able to       
override their opposition1 by her       
strength of purpose and appeal to higher
 authorities who thought fit to  humour 
her4 ,she was engaged on making one of  
her many foundations at  ,burgos in     

#aehb2 but was vigorously opposed by the
 archbishop1 who  refused to give his   
licence4    ,sick and disgusted1 she    
left ,burgos at the end of ,july #aehb1 
with ,anne  of ,s4 ,bartholomew and     
,theresa of ,jesus1 her niece1 and went 
to ,palencia1  ,medina del ,campo1 and  
,alba1 which latter place she visited at
 the  request of ,maria ,henriquez1     
,duchess of ,alba1 who was anxious to   
meet  with her4 ,there she died4 ,the   
account of her death we have from the   
pen  of her companion at the time1 the  
,venerable ,anne of ,s4 ,bartholomew4   
8,having arrived on our way at a little 
village1 she found herself1 at  night1  
much exhausted1 and she said to me1     
#8,my daughter1 ,i feel very  weak2 you 
would do me a pleasure if you could     
procure me something to  eat4' ,i had   
only some dry figs with me2 ,i gave four
 reals to a person  wherewith to buy    
eggs at any price1 but none were to be  
procured4 ,seeing  her half dead1 and   
being in this distress1 ,i could not    

contain my tears4  ,she said to me1 with
 angelic patience1 #8,do not afflict    
yourself1 my  daughter2 ,god wills it1  
and ,i am content4 ,the fig you have    
given me  suffices4' ,on the morrow we  
arrived at ,alba2 our holy mother was so
 ill  that the doctors despaired of her 
recovery4 ,i was dreadfully troubled to 
lose her1 and especially at her dying at
 ,alba4 ,i was also grieved to  think   
that ,i must survive her1 for ,i was    
very fond of her1 and she was  very     
tender towards me2 her presence was my  
great consolation4444 ,i was  with her  
for five days at ,alba1 in the greatest 
affliction4 ,two days  before her death1
 when ,i was alone with her in her cell1
 she said to me1  #8,at last1 my        
daughter1 the time of my death is come4'
 ,these words  touched me to the quick2 
,i did not leave her for a moment1 but  
had  everything that was needed brought 
to me4    8,father ,antony of ,jesus1   
one of the first ,discalced ,carmelites1
 seeing  how tired ,i was1 said to me on

 the morning of her death1 #8,go and    
take a  little something or other4' ,but
 when ,i left the room she seemed       
uneasy1  and looked from side to side4  
,the father asked her if she wished me  
to  be recalled4 ,she could not speak1  
but she made a sign of assent4 ,i       
therefore returned1 and on my           
re-entering the room1 she smiled1 and   
caressed me1 drawing me towards her1 and
 placed herself in my arms4 ,i  held her
 thus for fourteen hours1 all which time
 she was in the most  exalted           
meditation1 and so full of love for her 
,saviour1 that she seemed  as though she
 could not die soon enough1 so greatly  
did she sigh for ,his  presence4 ,as for
 me1 ,i felt the most lively pain till  
,i saw the good  ,lord at the foot of   
the bed of the saint1 in inexpressible  
majesty  accompanied by some saints1    
ready to conduct her happy soul to      
heaven4  ,this glorious vision lasted   
the space of a credo1 and entirely      
resigned  me to the will of the ,lord4  

,i said1 from the bottom of my heart1   
#8,o my  ,god1 even though ,i should    
wish to retain her on earth1 ,i would   
resign  her at once to ,thee6' ,i had   
scarcely said these words when she      
expired40    ,ribera gives the following
 account of her death3--8,at nine       
o'clock on the  same evening she        
received1 with great reverence and      
devotion1 the  sacrament of ,extreme    
,unction1 joining with the nuns in the  
penitential  psalms and litany4 ,father 
,antony asked her1 a little after1 if   
she  wished her body1 after her death1  
to be taken to ,avila1 or to remain at  
,alba4 ,she seemed displeased at the    
question1 and only answered1 #8,am ,i to
  have a will in anything8 ,will they   
deny me here a little earth for my      
body8' ,all that night she suffered     
excessive pain4 ,next day1 at seven in  
the morning1 she turned herself on one  
side1 just in the posture in  which the 
blessed ,magdalen is commonly drawn by  
painters4 ,thus she  remained for       

fourteen hours1 holding a crucifix      
firmly in her hands1 so  that the nuns  
could not remove it till after her      
death4 ,she continued in  an ecstasy1   
with an inflamed countenance1 and great 
composure1 like one  wholly taken up    
with internal contemplation4 ,when she  
was now drawing  near her end1 one of   
the nuns1 viewing her more attentively1 
thought she  observed in her certain    
signs that the ,saviour was talking to  
her1 and  showing her wonderful things4 
,thus she remained till nine in the     
evening1 when she surrendered her pure  
soul into the hands of her  ,creator4   
,she died in the arms of ,sister ,anne  
of ,s4 ,bartholomew1 on  ,october #dth1 
#aehb2 but the next day1 on account of  
the reformation of  the calendar1 was   
the fifteenth of that month1 the day now
 appointed for  the festival4 ,the saint
 was sixty-seven years old1 forty-seven 
of which  she had passed in             
religion--twenty-seven in the monastery 
of the  ,incarnation1 and twenty in that

 of ,s4 ,joseph40    ,such was the end  
of this remarkable woman1 whose life was
 so full of  energy directed to no      
better purpose than that of a squirrel  
in a  revolving cage4    ,that was not  
her fault2 it was due to the age in     
which she lived and to  the paralysing  
influence of the ,inquisition in the    
land1 which allowed  no independence of 
thought or of action4    ,we have seen  
the utter helplessness of ,spain        
exhibited in the ,war with  the ,united 
,states of ,america4 ,not a token of    
ability1 not a sign of  fresh vigour    
appeared--only feebleness1 degeneracy1  
helplessness4 ,it is  to this that the  
,inquisition has reduced ,spain4 ,it has
 destroyed the  recuperative1 vital     
energy out of the character of the      
people4    ,the ,latin races seem doomed
 by ,god to go down1 and ,his hand is   
manifestly extended to bless and lead on
 the great ,anglo-,saxon race4 ,but     
this can only be so long as that race   
fulfils its high mission1 as the        

civilising force in the world1 and it   
maintains the eternal principles  of    
,freedom1 ,justice1 and ,integrity4     
,illustration3 ,,sister ,,dora4         
,,xviii                                 
,,sister ,,dora4      ,in ,s4           
,hildegarde and ,s4 ,theresa we have had
 instances of two women of  wonderful   
energy and talent1 yet who achieved     
nothing of moment1 because  their powers
 were not directed into a channel where 
they might have been  of use4 ,s4       
,hildegarde1 indeed1 by her letters1    
threatening1 warning1  reproving1 did a 
certain amount of good--not much2 those 
misdoers who  received her epistles     
winced and went on in their old courses4
  ,nevertheless1 she was a testimony to 
a worldly age of the higher life  set   
before it in the ,gospel than that world
 cared to follow4    ,s4 ,theresa1 with 
a heart on fire with love to ,god1 and  
inexhaustible  energy1 spent herself in 
founding little nunneries1 in which the 
sisters  were1 as a reform1 to wear     

sandals instead of shoes1 and in which  
their  natural gifts were to be reduced 
to a general level of incapacity1 by    
giving them nothing practical to do1 and
 by forbidding them the  cultivation of 
their intellects4    ,sister ,dora1     
whose life ,i purpose sketching1 strikes
 me as having been a  double of ,s4     
,theresa1 in the same persistency1      
determined will1  fascination of manner1
 and cheerfulness4 ,neither could be    
happy until  afforded scope for the     
exercise of her powers--but how         
different were the  ends set before     
each6    ,a very charming biography of  
,sister ,dora has been written by ,miss 
,lonsdale1 which1 whilst admirably      
portraying her character1 has given     
some umbrage by painting the people     
among whom she laboured in darker       
colours than they conceive is justified1
 and by a little heightening of  the    
dramatic situations4 ,she fell1         
moreover1 into certain inaccuracies  in 
matters of detail1 and some of her      

statements have been contradicted  by   
persons who were qualified to know      
particulars4 ,what mistakes were  made  
in that book have in part been corrected
 in later editions4 ,but ,i  cannot find
 that there was any accusation made of  
the authoress unduly  idealising the    
character of ,sister ,dora4 ,on the     
contrary1 some think  that ,miss        
,lonsdale1 in her desire not to appear a
 panegyrist1 has given  ,sister ,dora a 
tincture of unworthy qualities that were
 really absent  from her character4#aj  
,in compiling this little notice ,i have
 taken pains to obtain information  from
 those who knew ,sister ,dora           
intimately1 and have had ,miss          
,lonsdale's  book subjected to revision 
by such as live in ,walsall or knew     
,walsall  when she was there2 and ,i    
trust that it is free from inaccuracies 
and  exaggerations4    ,in addition to  
,miss ,lonsdale's ,memoir two others    
appeared1 one in ,miss  ,j4 ,chappell's 
,four ,noble ,women and their ,work1 and

 another by ,miss  ,morton1 which has   
been characterised in the ,walsall      
,observer as a  8caricature40 ,neither  
of these afford any additional matter of
 value4    ,in addition again1 but of   
very different value1 is a notice by    
,mr4 ,s4  ,welsh1 ,secretary to the     
,hospital at ,walsall1 in which she     
worked1 and  who was introduced to her  
the day after she arrived there1 and was
 on  terms of intimacy with her till her
 death4 ,his notice is in the ,general  
,baptist ,magazine for #ahhi4 ,this is  
the more valuable as being the          
testimony of one belonging to a         
different religious communion1 and is1  
therefore1 sure to be impartial4        
,another corrective to mistakes is      
contained in ,sister ,dora3 a ,review1  
published at ,walsall in #ahhj4 ,i      
enter into all these particulars at some
 length because ,miss ,lonsdale's  book 
was qualified by the ,rev4 ,mark        
,pattison1 ,sister ,dora's brother1 as  
8a romance10 and because some people    

have considered it to be so1            
misdoubting the main facts because of   
the inaccuracies in detail  fastened on 
at the time4 ,mr4 ,mark ,pattison was   
unqualified spiritually  for entering   
into and appreciating his sister's      
character2 and of her  life in ,walsall 
he personally knew absolutely nothing4  
,a cold and soured  man1 wrapped up in  
himself1 he could not appreciate the    
overflowing  charity and devotion of his
 sister4    ,dorothy ,wyndlow ,pattison 
was born on the #aeth ,january1 #ahcb4  
,she was the  youngest daughter1 and the
 youngest child but one1 of the ,rev4   
,mark  ,pattison1 who was for many years
 ,rector of ,hauxwell1 near ,richmond1  
in  ,yorkshire4 ,she inherited from her 
father1 who was of a ,devonshire        
family1 that finely proportioned and    
graceful figure which she always        
maintained2 and from her mother1 who was
 the daughter of a banker in  ,richmond1
 those lovely features which drew forth 
the admiration of every  one who had the

 pleasure of knowing her4    ,her father
 was a good and sincere man of the ,low 
,church ,school4 ,he was  thoroughly    
upright and strict4 ,it is not a little 
painful to see how ,mr4  ,mark          
,pattison1 his son1 late ,rector of     
,lincoln ,college1 ,oxford1 in his      
,memoirs can hardly mention his father  
without some acrimonious remark4  ,but  
in that sour effusion there is little of
 generous recognition of any  one4 ,even
 his sister1 the subject of this memoir1
 comes in for  ill-natured comment4     
,dora and her sisters1 like a thousand  
other country parsons' daughters1  were 
of the utmost use in their father's     
,yorkshire parish4 ,a ,french  gentleman
 who had lived a while in ,england and  
in the country1 said to  me one day3    
8,your young ladies astound me4 ,they   
are angels of mercy4  ,they wear no     
distinguishing habit2 one does not see  
their wings1 yet  they fly everywhere1  
and everywhere bring grace and love and 
peace1--in  my country such a thing     

would be impossible40    ,these         
,pattison girls were for ever saving    
their pocket-money to give it  away1 and
 they made it a rule to mend and remake 
their old frocks1 so as  not to have to 
buy new ones out of their allowance for 
clothes1 so as to  have more to give4   
,even their dinners they would reserve  
for poor  people1 and content themselves
 with bread and cheese4    8,giving to  
others1 instead of spending on          
themselves1 seems to have been  the rule
 and delight of their lives10 says ,miss
 ,lonsdale4    ,a pretty story is told  
of her at this time4 ,a schoolboy in the
 village1  who was specially attached to
 her1 fell ill of rheumatic fever4 ,the 
boy's one longing was to see 8,miss     
,dora0 again1 but she was abroad on  the
 ,continent4 ,as he grew worse and      
worse1 he constantly prayed that he     
might live long enough to see her4 ,on  
the day on which she was expected1  he  
sat up on his pillows intently          
listening1 and at last1 long before  any

 one else could hear a sound of wheels1 
he exclaimed1 8,there she is60  and sank
 back4 ,she went to him at once1 and    
nursed him till he died4    ,her beauty 
was very great3 large brilliant brown   
eyes1 full red lips1 a  firm chin1 and a
 finely cut profile4 ,her hair dark1 and
 slightly  curling1 waved all over her  
head2 and the remarkable beauty and     
delicacy  of her colouring and          
complexion1 added to the liveliness of  
her  expression1 made her a fascinating 
creature to behold4 ,her father always  
called her 8,little ,sunshine40    ,but 
the most remarkable feature about her   
was to be found in her inner  being4 ,an
 indomitable will1 which no earthly     
power could subdue1 enabled  her to     
accomplish an almost superhuman work2   
yet at times it was to her  a faculty   
that brought her into difficulties4 ,she
 was twenty-nine before  she was able to
 find real scope for her energies1 and  
then she took a  bold step--answered an 
advertisement from a clergyman at       

,little ,woolston1  in ,buckinghamshire1
 for a lady to take the village school4 
,her mother  had died in #ahfa1 and she 
considered herself free from duties that
 bound  her to her home4 ,her father did
 not relish the step she took1 but      
acquiesced4 ,she went to ,woolston1 and 
remained there three years1 during      
which time she won the hearts1 not of   
the children only1 but of their  parents
 as well4 ,she had to live alone in a   
cottage1 and do everything  for herself2
 but the people never for a moment      
doubted she was a real  lady1 and always
 treated her with great respect4 ,not   
thinking a little  village school       
sufficient field for her energies1 she  
resolved to join a  nursing sisterhood  
at ,redcar1 in ,yorkshire4 ,it was a    
foundation made by  a clergyman of      
private means1 the ,rev4 ,j4            
,postlethwaite1 and there were  in it no
 vows made except one1 limited in       
period1 of obedience to the  ,superior4 
,the life was not quite suited to her   

with her strong will1 but  it did her   
good4 ,she learned there how to make    
beds and to cook4 8,at  first she       
literally sat down and cried when the   
beds that she had just  put in order    
were all pulled to pieces again by some 
superior authority1  who did not approve
 of the method in which they were made40
 ,but it was a  useful lesson for her   
after-life in a hospital4 ,she was there
 till the  early part of #ahfe1 and then
 was sent to ,walsall to help at a small
  cottage hospital1 which had already   
been established there for more than  a 
year4#aa    ,walsall1 though not in the 
8,black ,country10 is in a busy         
manufacturing  district1 chiefly of     
iron4 ,at the time when ,sister ,dora   
went there it  contained a population of
 #ce1jjj inhabitants4 ,it is now        
connected with  ,birmingham1 by almost  
continuous houses and pits and furnaces1
 with  ,wednesbury as a link4    ,as    
fresh coal and iron pits were being     
opened in the district round  ,walsall1 

accidents became more frequent1 and it  
was found impracticable  to send those  
injured to ,birmingham1 which was seven 
miles distant2  accordingly1 in #ahfc1  
the ,town ,council invited the ,redcar  
,society to  start a hospital there4    
,when the ,sister who had begun the work
 fell ill1  ,sister ,dora was sent in   
her place1 and almost directly caught   
small-pox  from the out-patients4 ,she  
was very ill1 and even in her delirium  
showed  the bent of her mind by ripping 
her sheets into strips to serve as      
bandages4 ,she was placed in one small  
room1 with a window looking into  the   
street1 of which the blinds were drawn4 
,the most absurd rumours got  about that
 this was the ,sisters' oratory1 where  
they had set up an image  of the ,virgin
 ,mary2 and stones and mud were thrown  
at the panes of  glass1 and the ,sisters
 were shouted after in the streets4 ,the
 committee  of the hospital were        
interrogated1 and denied that any       
religious  services were conducted in an

 oratory4 ,indeed1 no formal oratory    
would  have been allowed2 but no doubt  
the committee were unable to prevent the
  poor ,sisters from saying their       
prayers together in a room if they      
agreed  to do so1 and in community life 
common prayer is a requisite4    ,a boy 
who had received an injury was taken to 
the hospital4 ,one night1  when he was  
recovering1 ,sister ,dora found him     
crying4 ,she asked him what  was the    
matter4 ,at last it came out3 8,sister1 
,i shouted after you in the  street1    
#8,sister of ,misery6'0    8,i knew you 
when you came in10 she said2 8,i        
remembered your face40    ,this is the  
true version of a story ,miss ,lonsdale 
gives4    ,mr4 ,welsh says3 8,when the  
cottage hospital--which was the second  
of its  kind in ,england--was opened1   
the system of voluntary nursing was     
unknown2  the only voluntary nurses     
heard of then being those who had gone  
out to  the ,crimea with ,miss ,florence
 ,nightingale2 consequently the dress of

 the  ,sisters was uncommon1 and the    
name of ,sister strange4 ,therefore1 a  
good  deal of misunderstanding was the  
result2 but in course of time people    
began to judge the institution by its   
results4 ,still1 when ,sister ,dora     
came to the hospital1 there lingered    
doubts and suspicions that the  nurses  
were ,romanists in disguise1 come to    
entrap and ruin souls rather  than cure 
bodies4 ,but ,sister ,dora1 by her      
frank1 open manner1 disarmed  suspicion1
 while the sublime eloquence of noble   
deeds silenced  slanderous tongues1 put 
all opposition to shame1 and won for the
  hospital the confidence of the public1
 and for herself the admiration  and    
affection of the people40    ,in #ahff  
she had a serious illness1 brought on by
 exposure to wet and  cold4 ,she would  
come home from dressing wounds in the   
cottages1 wet  through and hot with     
hurrying along the streets1 to find a   
crowd of  out-patients awaiting her     
return at the hospital1 and she would   

attend  to them in total disregard of   
herself1 and allow her wet clothes to   
dry  on her4    ,this neglect occurred  
once too often2 a chill settled on her1 
and for  three weeks she was dangerously
 ill4 ,then it was that the people of   
,walsall began to realise what she was1 
and the door of the hospital was        
besieged by poor people come to inquire 
how their 8,sister ,dora0 was4    ,at   
some time previous to her going to      
,walsall1 her faith had been  somewhat  
disturbed by one who ought not to have  
endeavoured to subvert  her trust in    
,christianity4 ,this gave her           
inexpressible uneasiness and            
unhappiness4 ,there seems to have been  
always in her a keen sense of  ,god's   
presence1 and confidence in the efficacy
 of prayer4 ,she now went  through this 
terrible inner trial4 ,an unbelieving   
artisan who was once  nursed by her1 and
 had observed her critically and        
suspiciously1 said1  when he left1 8,she
 is a noble woman2 but she would have   

been that  without her ,christianity40  
,there he was mistaken4 ,it was         
precisely her  fast hold1 which she     
regained1 of ,christianity that made her
 what she  was4    ,happily she had one 
now of great assistance to her as a     
guide--a very  remarkable man1 the ,rev4
 ,richard ,twigg1 of ,st4 ,james's1     
,wednesbury4  ,every ,sunday morning1   
when able1 she walked over to ,st4      
,james's to ,early  ,communion4 ,she    
found in ,mr4 ,twigg a man of deep      
spiritual insight1 and  with a heart    
overflowing with the love of ,god1 and  
consumed with a  desire to win souls to 
,christ4 ,he was a man with the spirit1 
and some of  the power1 of an           
,apostle--a man who left his stamp on   
,wednesbury1 that  will not soon be     
obliterated4    ,the struggle through   
which she had passed1 the sense of need 
in her  own soul for all that the       
,christian ,church supplies in teaching 
and in  ,sacraments had a great         
strengthening and confirming effect that

 never  left her2 and the love of ,jesus
 ,christ became an absorbing personal   
devotion that nothing could shake4 ,it  
was this--the love of ,god--that made   
her what she was1 and endure what she   
did4    ,some time after this she became
 deeply attached to a gentleman who was 
connected with the hospital1 and he was 
devotedly fond of her1 and  proposed to 
her4 ,but he was an unbeliever4 ,again  
she had to pass through  an agonising   
struggle4 ,she felt1 as ,mr4 ,twigg     
pointed out1 that to unite  her         
destinies with him was to jeopardise her
 recovered faith1 and she  was convinced
 that to be true to her profession1     
above all true to her  ,master1 she must
 refuse the offer4 ,she did so1 and     
probably felt in the  end that peace of 
mind which must ensue whenever a great  
sacrifice has  been made for duty4      
,miss ,lonsdale represented ,sister     
,dora as somewhat domineering over the  
managing committee of the hospital4 ,but
 this is incorrect4 ,a  ,nonconformist  

minister says3 8,the noble object 7i4e4 
the hospital7 had  moved men of every   
shade of politics1 and every form of    
religious  belief1 to the work1 and     
there have been passages in its history 
not  pleasant to remember1 but not one  
of these in the remotest degree         
involved ,sister ,dora4 ,on the         
contrary1 her presence and counsel      
always  brought light and peace1 and    
lifted every question into a higher     
sphere4  #8,ask ,sister ,dora1' it used 
to be said4 #8,had we not better send   
for  ,sister ,dora8' some member would  
exclaim out of the fog of contention4   
,thereupon she would appear2 and many   
well remember how calmly                
self-possessed1 and clear-sighted1 she  
would stand--never sit down4  ,indeed1  
there were those who worked with her    
fifteen years who never saw  her seated2
 she would stand1 usually with her hand 
on the back of the  chair which had been
 placed for her1 every eye directed to  
her2 nor was  it ever many moments      

before she had grasped the whole        
question1 and  given her opinion just as
 clearly and simply and straight to the 
purpose  as any opinion given to the    
sufferers in the wards4 ,nor was she    
ever  wrong2 nor did she ever fail of   
her purpose with the committee4 ,no     
committee-men ever questioned or        
differed from ,sister ,dora1 yet in her 
was the charm of unconsciousness of     
power or superiority1 and the           
impression left was1 of there being no  
feeling of pleasure in her1 other  than 
the triumph of the right40#ab    ,in    
#ahfg the cottage hospital had to be    
abandoned1 as erysipelas broke  out and 
would not be expelled4 ,the wards were  
evidently impregnated with  malignant   
germs1 to such an extent that the       
committee resolved to build  a new      
hospital in a better situation4         
8,sister ,dora's work became more       
engrossing when this larger field was   
opened for it2 the men's beds were      
constantly full1 and even the women's   

ward was hardly ever entirely empty40   
,just at this period an epidemic of     
small-pox broke out in ,walsall1 and    
all the energies of ,sister ,dora were  
called into play4 ,she visited the      
cottages where the patients lay1 and    
nursed them or saw to their being       
supplied with what they needed2 whilst  
at the same time carrying on her  usual 
work at the hospital4    8,one night she
 was sent for by a poor man who was     
dying of what she  called #8black-pox1' 
a violent form of small-pox4 ,she went  
at once1 and  found him in the last     
extremity4 ,all his relations had fled1 
and a  neighbour alone was with him4    
,when ,sister ,dora found that only one 
small  piece of candle was left in the  
house1 she gave the woman some money1   
begging her to go and buy some means of 
light whilst she stayed with the  man4  
,she sat on by his bed1 but the woman1  
who had probably spent the  money at the
 public-house1 never returned2 and after
 some little while  the dying man raised

 himself up in bed with a last effort1  
saying1  #8,sister1 kiss me before ,i   
die4' ,she took him1 all covered as he  
was with  the loathsome disease1 into   
her arms and kissed him1 the candle     
going  out almost as she did so1 leaving
 them in total darkness4 ,he implored   
her not to leave him while he lived1    
although he might have known she  would 
never do that40 ,so she sat through the 
night1 till the early dawn  breaking in 
revealed that the man was dead4    ,when
 the bell at the head of her bed rang at
 night she rose at once1  saying to     
herself1 8,the ,master is come1 and     
calleth for thee60 ,indeed1  she loved  
to think that she was ministering to her
 ,blessed ,lord in the  person of ,his  
poor and sick4 ,miss ,lonsdale prints a 
letter from a former  patient in the    
hospital1 from which only a short       
extract can be made3 8,i  had not been  
there above a week when ,sister ,dora   
found me a little bell1  as there was   
not one to my bed1 and she said1        

#8,enoch1 you must ring this  bell when 
you want ,sister4' ,this little bell did
 not have much rest1 for  whenever ,i   
heard her step or the tinkle of her keys
 in the hall ,i used  to ring my bell1  
and she would call out1 #8,i'm coming1  
,enoch1' which she  did1 and would say1 
#8,what do you want8' ,i often used to  
say1 #8,i don't  know1 ,sister1' not    
really knowing what ,i did want4 ,she'd 
say1 #8,do you  want your pillows       
shaking up1 or do you want moving a     
little8' which  she'd do1 whatever it   
was1 and say1 #8,do you feel quite cosy 
now8' #8,yes1  ,sister4' ,then she would
 start to go into the other ward1 but   
very often  before she could get through
 the door ,i'd call her back and say my 
pillow wasn't quite right1 or that my   
leg wanted moving a little4 ,she  would 
come and do it1 whatever it was1 and    
say1 #8,will that do8' #8,yes1          
,sister4' ,then she'd go about her work1
 but at the very next sound of her  step
 my bell would ring1 and as often as my 

bell rang ,sister would come2  and some 
of the other patients would often remark
 that ,i should wear  that little bell  
out or ,sister1 and she'd say1 #8,never 
mind1 for ,i like  to hear it1 and it's 
never too often4' ,and it rang so often 
that ,i've  heard ,sister say that she  
often dreamt she heard my little bell   
and  started up in a hurry to find it   
was a dream40    ,sister ,dora said once
 to a friend1 who was engaging a servant
 for the  hospital1 8,tell her this is  
not an ordinary house1 or even a        
hospital4 ,i  want her to understand    
that all who serve here1 in whatever    
capacity1  ought to have one rule1 love 
for ,god1 and then1 ,i need not say1    
love  for their work40    ,she spoke    
often1 and with intense earnestness1 on 
the duty1 the  necessity1 of prayer4 ,it
 was literally true that she never      
touched a  wound without raising her    
heart to ,god and entreating ,him to    
bless the  means employed4 ,as years    
glided away1 she became able almost to  

fulfil  the ,apostle's command3 8,pray  
without ceasing40 ,and her prayers were 
animated by the most intense faith--an  
absolutely unshaken conviction of  their
 efficacy4 ,it may truly be said that   
those who pray become  increasingly more
 sure of the value of prayer4 ,they find
 that1 whatever  men may say about the  
reign of law and the order of ,nature1  
earnest  prayer does bring an answer1   
often in a marvellous manner4 ,the      
praying  man or woman is never shaken in
 his or her trust in the efficacy of    
prayer4 8,she firmly held to the        
supernatural power1 put into the hands  
of men by means of the weapon of prayer2
 and the practical faithlessness  in    
this respect of the world at large was  
an ever-increasing source of  surprise  
and distress to her40    ,since her     
death1 in commemoration of her labours  
at ,walsall1 a very  beautiful statue   
has been there erected to her1 and on   
the pedestal are  bas-reliefs           
representing incidents in her life      

there4 ,one of these  illustrates a     
terrible explosion that took place in   
the ,birchett's ,iron  ,works1 on       
,friday1 ,october #aeth1 #ahge1 whereby 
eleven men were so  severely burnt that 
only two survived4 ,all the others died 
after their  admission into the         
hospital4 ,it came about thus4 ,the men 
were at work  when water escaped from   
the 8twyer0 and fell upon the molten    
iron in the  furnace and was at once    
resolved into steam that blew out the   
front of  the furnace1 and also the     
molten iron1 which fell upon the men4   
,some  suffered frightful agonies1 but  
the shock to the nervous system of      
others had stupefied them4 ,the sight   
and the smell were terrible4 ,ladies    
who volunteered their help could not    
endure it1 and were forced to  withdraw1
 some not getting beyond the door of the
 ward4 ,but ,sister ,dora  was with the 
patients incessantly till they died1    
giving them water1  bandaging their     
wounds1 or cutting away the sodden      

clothes that adhered  to the burnt      
flesh4 ,some lingered on for ten days1  
but in all this time  she never deserted
 the fetid atmosphere of the ward1 never
 went to bed4    ,she had so much to do 
with burns that she became specially    
skilful in  treating them4 ,children    
terribly burnt or scalded were          
constantly  brought to the hospital2    
often men came scalded from a boiler1 or
 by  molten metal4 ,she dressed their   
wounds herself1 but1 if possible1 always
  sent the patients to be tended at     
home1 where she would visit them and    
regularly dress their wounds1 rather    
than have the wards tainted by the      
effluvium from the burns4 ,her treatment
 of burnt children merits  quotation4   
8,if a large surface of the body was    
burnt1 or if the child seemed beside    
itself with terror1 she did not touch   
the wounds themselves1 but only         
carefully excluded the air from them by 
means of cotton wool and  blankets      
wrapped round the body4 ,she put hot    

bottles and flannel to the  feet1 and1  
if necessary1 ice to the head4 ,then she
 gave her attention to  soothing and    
consoling the shocked nerves--a state   
which she considered  to be often a more
 immediate source of danger to the life 
of the child  than the actual injuries4 
,she fed it with milk and brandy1 unless
 it  violently refused food1 when she   
would let it alone until it came round1 
saying that force1 or anything which    
involved even a slight further  shock to
 the system1 was worse than useless4    
,sometimes1 of course1 the  fatal sleep 
of exhaustion1 from which there was no  
awakening1 would  follow2 but more often
 than not food was successfully         
administered1 and  after a few hours1   
,sister ,dora1 having gained the child's
 confidence1  could dress the wounds    
without fear of exciting the frantic    
terror which  would have been the result
 of touching them at first40            
,children ,sister ,dora dearly loved2   
her heart went out to them with         

infinite tenderness1 and she was even   
known to sleep with a burnt baby  on    
each arm4 ,what that means only those   
know who have had experience of  the    
sickening smell arising from burns4     
,once a little girl of nine was brought 
into the hospital so badly burnt  that  
it was obvious she had not many hours to
 live4 ,sister ,dora sat by  her bed    
talking to her of ,jesus ,christ and    
,his love for little children1  and of  
the blessed home into which ,he would   
receive them4 ,the child died           
peacefully1 and her last words were3    
8,sister1 when you come to heaven1      
,i'll meet you at the gates with a bunch
 of flowers40    ,one of the most heroic
 of her many heroic acts was taking     
charge of the  small-pox hospital when a
 second epidemic broke out4    ,mr4 ,s4 
,welsh says3--8,in the spring of #ahge  
there was a second visitation  of the   
disease1 and fears were entertained that
 the results would be as  bad as during 
the former visitation4 ,one morning     

,sister ,dora came to me  and said1     
#8,do you know1 ,i have an idea that if 
some one could be got to  go to the     
epidemic hospital in whom the people    
have confidence1 they  would send their 
friends to be nursed1 the patients would
 be isolated1  and the disease stamped  
out8'0 ,this was because a prejudice was
  entertained against the new small-pox 
hospital1 and those who had sick        
concealed the fact rather than send them
 to it4 8,i said10 continues ,mr4       
,welsh1 8#8,i have long been of the     
opinion you have just expressed2 but    
where are we to get a lady1 in whom the 
people would have confidence1 to        
undertake the duty8' ,her prompt reply  
was1 #8,i will go4' ,i confess the      
sudden announcement of her determination
 rather took me by surprise1 for  ,i had
 no expectation of it1 and not the most 
remote idea that she  intended to go4   
#8,but1' ,i said1 #8who will take charge
 of the hospital if  you go there8'     
#8,oh1' she replied1 #8,i can get plenty

 of ladies to come  there1 but none will
 go to the epidemic4 ,and1' she added1  
by way of  reconciling me to her view1  
#8it will only be for a short time4'    
#8,but  what if you were to take the    
disease and die8' ,i inquired4 #8,then1'
 she  added1 in her cheery way1 #8,i    
shall have died in the path of duty1    
and1  you know1 ,i could not die        
better4' ,i knew it was no use pointing 
out at  length the risk she ran1 for    
where it was a case of saving others1   
self with her was no consideration4 ,i  
tried to dissuade her on other          
grounds4444 ,a few days later1 ,i was in
 company with the doctor of our         
hospital1 who was also medical officer  
of health1 and who1 as such1 had  charge
 of the epidemic hospital1 near to which
 we were at the time4 ,he  said1 #8,do  
you know where ,sister ,dora is8' #8,at 
the hospital1 ,i suppose1'  was my      
reply4 #8,no1' he rejoined1 #8she is    
over there6'--pointing to the  epidemic 
hospital4444 ,the people1 as soon as    

they knew ,sister ,dora was  in charge1 
had no misgiving about sending their    
relatives to be nursed1  and the result 
was as she had predicted2 the cases were
 brought in as  soon as it was          
discovered that patients had the        
disease1 and the  epidemic was speedily 
stamped out40    ,she had1 however1 a   
hard time of it there1 as she lacked    
assistants4 ,two  women were sent from  
the workhouse1 but they proved of little
 use4 ,the  porter1 an old soldier1 was 
attentive and kind in his way1 but he   
always  went out 8on a spree0 on        
,saturday nights1 and did not return    
till late  on ,sunday evening4 ,when the
 workhouse women failed her1 she was    
sometimes alone with her patients1 and  
these occasionally in the  delirium of  
small-pox4    ,it was not till the      
middle of ,august1 #ahge1 that the last 
small-pox  patient departed from the    
hospital1 and she was able to return to 
her  original work4    ,one of the      
bas-reliefs on her monument represents  

,sister ,dora consoling  the afflicted  
and the scene depicted refers to a      
dreadful colliery  accident that        
occurred on ,march #adth1 #ahgb1 at     
,pelsall1 a village rather  over three  
miles from ,walsall1 by which twenty-two
 men were entombed1  and all perished4  
,for several days hopes were entertained
 that some of  the men would be got out 
alive2 and blankets in which to wrap    
them1 and  restoratives1 were provided1 
and ,sister ,dora was sent for to attend
 the  men when brought to 8bank40 ,the  
following extract1 from an article by a 
special correspondent in a newspaper1   
dated ,december #ajth1 #ahgb1 will  give
 some idea of ,sister ,dora's connection
 with the event3--    8,out of doors the
 scene is weird and awful1 and impresses
 the mind with  a peculiar gloom2 for   
the intensity of the darkness is        
heightened by the  shades created by the
 artificial lights4 ,every object1 the  
most minute1  stands out in bold relief 
against the inky darkness which         

surrounds the  landscape4 ,on the crest 
of the mound or pit-bank1 the policemen1
 like  sentinels1 are walking their     
rounds4 ,the wind is howling and        
whistling  through the trees which form 
a background to the pit-bank1 and the   
rain  is coming hissing down in sheets4 
,in a hovel close to the pit-shaft sit  
the bereaved and disconsolate mourners1 
hoping against hope1 and  watching for  
those who will never return4 ,there1    
too1 are the swarthy  sons of toil who  
have just returned from their fruitless 
search in the  mine for the dear missing
 ones1 and are resting while their      
saturated  clothes are drying4 ,but     
another form glides softly from that    
hovel2 and  amid the pelting rain1 and  
over the rough pit-bank1 and through    
miry  clay--now ankle deep--takes her   
course to the dwellings of the mourners1
  for some1 spent with watching1 have   
been induced to return to their  homes4 
,as she plods her way amid pieces of    
timber1 upturned waggons1 and  fragments

 of broken machinery1 which are         
scattered about in great  confusion1 a  
#8wee1 wee bairn' creeps gently to her  
side1 and grasping  her hand1 and       
looking wistfully into her face1 which  
is radiant with  kindness and affection1
 says1 #8,oh1 ,sister1 do see to my     
father when they  bring him up the pit4'
 ,poor child6 ,never again would he know
 a father's  love1 or share a father's  
care4 ,she smiled1 and that smile seemed
 to  lighten the child's load of grief1 
and her promise to see to his father    
appeared to impart consolation to his   
heavy1 despairing heart4    8,on she    
glides1 with a kind word or a           
sympathetic expression to all4 ,one     
woman1 after listening to her comforting
 words1 burst into tears--the  fountains
 of sorrow so long pent up seemed to    
have found vent4 #8,let her  weep1' said
 a relative of the unfortunate woman2   
#8it is the first tear  she has shed    
since the accident has occurred1 and it 
will do her good to  cry4' ,but who is  

the good ,samaritan8 ,she is the sister 
who for seven  years has had the        
management of the nursing department in 
the cottage  hospital at ,walsall40     
,this is written in too much of the     
8special correspondent0 style to be     
pleasant2 nevertheless it describes what
 actually took place4    ,mr4 ,samuel   
,welsh says3 8,i remember one evening ,i
 was in the hospital  when a poor man   
who had been dreadfully crushed in a pit
 was brought in4  ,one of his legs was  
so fearfully injured that it was thought
 it would be  necessary to amputate it4 
,after examining the patient1 the doctor
 came  to me in the committee-room--one 
door of which opened into the passage   
leading to the wards1 and another into  
the hall in the domestic portion  of the
 building4 ,after telling me about the  
patient who had just been  brought in1  
he said1 #8,do you know ,sister ,dora is
 very ill8 ,so ill1' he  continued1     
#8that ,i question if she will pull     
through this time4' ,i  naturally       

inquired what she was suffering from1   
and in reply the doctor  said1 #8,she   
will not take care of herself1 and is   
suffering from  blood-poison4' ,he left 
me1 and ,i was just trying to solve the 
problem----  #8,what shall be done8 or  
how shall her place be supplied if she  
be taken  from us by death8' when ,i saw
 a spectral-like figure gliding gently  
and  almost noiselessly through the room
 from the domestic entrance to the  door
 leading to the wards4 ,the figure was  
rather indistinct1 for it was  nearly   
dark2 and as ,i gazed at the receding   
form1 ,i said1 #8,sister1 is it  you8'  
#8,whist6' she said1 and glided through 
the doorway into the wards4  ,in a short
 time she returned1 and ,i said to her1 
#8,sister1 the doctor has  just been    
telling me how ill you are--how is it   
you are here8' #8,ah6'  replied she1    
#8it is true ,i am very ill2 but ,i     
heard the surgeons talking  about       
amputating that poor fellow's limb1 and 
,i wanted to see whether or  no there   

was a possibility of saving it1 and ,i  
believe there is2 and1  knowing that1 ,i
 shall rest better4' ,so saying1 she    
glided as noiselessly  out of the room  
as when she entered4    8,on her        
recovery--which was retarded by her     
neglecting herself to attend  to        
others--she called me to the hall-door  
of the hospital1 and asked me  if ,i    
thought it was going to rain4 ,i told   
her ,i did not think it would  rain for 
some hours4 ,she then told me to go and 
order a cab to be ready  at the hospital
 in half an hour4 ,i tried to persuade  
her not to venture  out so soon2 but it 
was no use--she went2 and many a time ,i
 wondered  where she went to4    8,about
 six months afterwards ,i happened to be
 at a railway station1 and  saw a       
pointsman who had been in our hospital  
with an injured foot1 but  who1 as his  
friends wished to have him at home1 had 
left before his foot  was cured4 ,i     
inquired how his foot was4 ,he replied  
that had it not been  for ,sister ,dora 

he would have lost his foot1 if not his 
life4 ,i said1  #8,how did she save your
 foot when you were not in the hospital1
 and she  was ill at the time you left  
the hospital8' #8,well1' he replied1    
#8you  know my foot was far from well   
when ,i left the hospital2 there was no 
one at our house who could see to it    
properly1 and it took bad ways1 and  one
 evening ,i was in awful pain4 ,oh1 how 
,i did wish for ,sister ,dora to  come  
and dress it6 ,i felt sure she could    
give me relief1 but ,i had been  told   
she was very ill1 so ,i had no hope that
 my earnest desire would be  realised2  
but while ,i was thinking and wishing1  
the bedroom door was  gently opened1 and
 a figure just like ,sister ,dora glided
 so softly into  the room that ,i could 
not hear her1 but oh6 she was so pale   
that ,i began  to think it must be her  
spirit2 but when she folded the         
bedclothes from  off my foot1 ,i knew it
 was she4 ,she dressed my foot1 and from
 that hour  it began to improve4'    8,a

 few days after this interview with the 
pointsman ,i was talking to  ,sister    
,dora and said1 #8,by the bye1 ,sister1 
,i have found out where you  went with  
the cab that day4' ,she replied with a  
merry twinkle in her  eye1 #8,what a    
long time you have been finding it      
out6'0    ,her old patients ever        
remembered her with gratitude4 ,a man   
called ,chell1  an engine-stoker1 was   
twice in the hospital under her care1   
first with a  dislocated ankle1 severely
 cut2 the second time1 with a leg       
crushed to  pieces in a railway         
accident4 ,it was amputated4 ,according 
to his own  account he remembered       
nothing of the operation1 except that   
,sister ,dora  was there1 and that1     
8,when ,i come to after the chloroform1 
she was on  her knees by my side with   
her arm supporting my head1 and she was 
repeating3--                   8#8,they 
climbed the steep ascent of heaven1     
,through peril1 toil1 and pain3         
,o ,god1 to us may grace be given       

,to follow in their train4'    ,and all 
through the pain and trouble that ,i had
 afterwards1 ,i never  forgot ,sister's 
voice saying those words40 ,when she was
 in the small-pox  hospital1 avoided by 
most1 this man never failed to stump    
away to it to  see her and inquire how  
she was getting on4    ,there were1 as  
she herself recognised1 faults in the   
character of ,sister  ,dora2 and yet1   
without these faults1 problematical as  
it may seem1 it is  doubtful whether she
 could have achieved all she did4       
,one who knew her long and intimately   
writes to me3 8,a majestic  character1  
brimming over with sympathy1 but1 for   
lack of  self-discipline1 this sympathy 
was impulsive and gushing4 ,her         
character  would have been best formed  
in marrying a man--either statesman1    
philanthropist or author--whose         
character would have dominated hers1 and
  she would have shone subdued4 ,her    
glorious nature1 physical and mental1   
was marred by undisciplined impulse4    

,her nature found its congenial  outlet 
in devoted works of mercy and love to   
her fellow-creatures4 ,how  far she     
would have done the same under          
authority1 ,i fear is a little          
doubtful40    ,i doubt it wholly4 8,the 
wind bloweth where it listeth1 and thou 
hearest  the sound thereof1 but canst   
not tell whence it cometh1 and whither  
it  goeth3 so is every one that is born 
of the ,spirit0 7,john iii #h74 ,the    
truth and depth of these words are not  
sufficiently appreciated4 ,they  teach  
that in those governed by the ,spirit of
 ,god there is an apparent              
capriciousness and impulsiveness which  
does not commend itself to  worldly     
wisdom or vulgar common-sense4          
,unquestionably1 in community  life1    
this masterfulness in the character of  
,sister ,dora might have been  subdued1 
but--would she have then done the same  
magnificent work8 ,it  seems to me--but 
,i may be mistaken--that we should      
suffer these strong  characters to take 

their course1 and not endeavour to crush
 them into an  ordinary mould4 ,it is   
precisely those who soar above the      
routine-bound  souls that1 among men1   
make history--as ,csar1 ,napoleon1      
,bismarck--and let  me add ,lord        
,kitchener4 ,and in the ,church it is   
the same4    ,miss ,twigg1 who knew her 
well1 writes me3 8,she was a lovable    
woman1 so  bright and winsome4 ,she used
 to come into our rather dull and sad   
home  7our mother died when we were     
quite children7 after evening service4  
,she  would nurse one of us1 big as we  
were then1 and the others would gather  
round her1 while she would tell us      
stories of her hospital life4444 ,she   
was a real woman1 though with a woman's 
failings40    ,there is one point in    
,sister ,dora's life to which sufficient
 attention  has not been paid by her    
biographers4 ,it is one which the busy  
workers  of the present day think of too
 little--namely1 the writing of bright1 
helpful letters to any friend who is    

sick1 or in trouble4 ,somehow or  other 
she always found time for that1 wrote   
one who knew her well1#ac  and who      
contributes the following1 written to a 
young girl who was at  the time in a    
spinal hospital1 and who was almost a   
stranger to her3--      8,,my ,,dear    
,,miss ,j41--,i was so glad to hear from
 you1 though ,i fear it must  be a      
trouble for you to write4 ,i do hope    
that you will really have  benefited by 
the treatment and rest4 ,i am so glad   
that the doctor is  good to his         
#8children4' ,such little attentions    
when you are sick help to  alleviate    
wonderfully4 ,i wish ,i could come and  
take a peep at you4 ,did  ,mrs4 ,n4 tell
 you that she had sent us #e for our    
seaside expedition8  ,was it not good of
 her8 ,oh6 we shall have such a jolly   
time4 ,to see all  those poor creatures 
drink in the sea-breezes6 ,we have had a
 very busy  week of accidents and       
operations4 ,it has been a regular      
storm4#ad ,my  dear1 it is in such times

 as you are now having that the voice of
 ,jesus  ,christ can be best heard1     
#8,come into a desert place awhile4'    
,know you  surely that it is ,god's     
visitation4 ,take home that thought1    
realise  it3--,god visiting you4        
,elizabeth was astonished that the      
,mother of her  ,lord should visit her4 
,we can have our ,emmanuel4 ,i can look 
back on my  sicknesses as the best times
 of my life4 ,don't fret about the      
future4 ,he  carrieth our sicknesses and
 healeth our infirmities4 ,you know     
infirmity  means weakness after         
sickness4 ,think of the cheering lines  
of our hymn3  #8,his touch has still its
 ancient power4' ,when ,i arose up from 
my  sick-bed they told me ,i should     
never be able to enter a hospital or do 
work again4 ,i was fretting over this   
when a good friend came to me1 and  told
 me only to take a day's burden and not 
look forward1 and it was  such a help4  
,i got up every day feeling sure ,i     
should have strength and  grace for the 

day's trial4 ,may it be said of you1    
dear1 #8,they took  knowledge of her    
that she had been with ,jesus4' ,may ,he
 reveal ,himself in  all ,his beauty is 
the prayer of                           
8,your sincere friend1                  
8,,sister ,,dora40      ,it does not    
truly represent ,sister ,dora to dwell  
on her outer life1 and  not look as well
 into that which is within1 as it was   
the very  mainspring of all her actions1
 as it1 in fact1 made her what she was4 
,the same writer to the ,guardian gives 
some sentences from other  letters3--   
8,take your cross day by day1 dearie1   
and with ,jesus ,christ bearing the     
other end it will not be too heavy40    
8,if we would find ,jesus1 it must  be  
on the mountain1 not in the plains or   
smooth places4 #8,he went up into  a    
mountain and taught them1 saying1' etc4 
,it is only on a mountain-side  that we 
shall see the ,cross4 ,it was only after
 ,zacchus had climbed  the tree he could
 see ,jesus4 ,i have been thinking much 

of this lately4  ,it is not in the      
smooth places we shall see ,jesus1 it is
 in the rough1  in the storm1 or by the 
sick-couch40 8,a ,christian is one whose
 object is  ,christ40 8,i am rejoiced   
that you are enjoying ,faber's hymns2   
they always  warm me up4 ,oh6 my dear1  
is it not sad that we prefer to live in 
the  shade when we might have the       
glorious sunshine80    ,it was during   
the winter of #ahgf-g that ,sister ,dora
 felt the first  approach of the        
terrible disease that was to cause her  
death1 and then  it was rather by       
diminution of strength than by actual   
pain4 ,she  consulted a doctor in       
,birmingham1 in whom she placed         
confidence1 and he  told her the plain  
truth1 that her days in this world were 
numbered4 ,she  exacted from him a      
pledge of secrecy1 and then went on with
 her work as  hitherto4    8,she was    
suddenly brought10 says ,miss ,lonsdale1
 8as it were1 face to  face with        
death--distant1 perhaps1 but inevitable3

 she1 who was full of  such exuberant   
life and spirits1 that the very word    
#8death' seemed a  contradiction when   
applied to her4 ,even her doctor1 as he 
looked at her  blooming appearance1 and 
measured with his eye her finely made   
form1 was  almost inclined to believe   
the evidence of his outward senses      
against  his sober judgment4444 ,she    
could not endure pity4 ,she1 to whom    
everybody  had learnt instinctively to  
turn for help and consolation1 on whom  
others leant for support1 must she now  
come down to ask of them sympathy  and  
comfort8 ,the pride of life was still   
surging up in her1 that pride  which had
 made her glory in her physical strength
 for its own sake1 as  well as for its  
manifold uses in the service of her     
,master4 ,true1 she  had been long      
living two lives inseparably blended3   
the outward life1  one of hard1         
unceasing toil2 the inner1 a constant   
communion with the  unseen world1 the   
existence of which she realised to an   

extent which not  even those who saw the
 most of her could appreciate4 ,to all  
the poor  ignorant beings whose souls   
she tried to reach by means of their    
maimed  bodies1 she was1 indeed1 the    
personification of all that they could  
conceive as lovable1 holy and merciful  
in the ,saviour4 ,at the same time  she 
judged her own self with strict         
impartiality4 ,she knew her own  faults1
 her unbending will--her pride and glory
 in her work seemed to her  even a      
fault2 and1 in place of looking on      
herself as perfect1 she was  bowed down 
with a sense of her own shortcomings4   
,at the same time--with  death before   
her1 she hungered for more work for her 
,master4 ,his words  were continually on
 her lips3 #8,i must work the works of  
,him that sent ,me  while it is day2 the
 night cometh when no man can work4'0   
,at last1 in the month of ,august1      
#ahgh1 typhoid fever having broken out  
in the temporary hospital1 it was found 
necessary to close it1 and  hasten on   

the work of the construction of another4
 ,this gave her an  opportunity for a   
holiday and a complete change4 ,she went
 to the ,isle of  ,man1 to ,london1 and 
to ,paris4    ,but the disorder was     
making rapid strides1 and was causing   
her intense  suffering1 and she craved  
to be back at ,walsall4 ,she got as far 
as  ,birmingham1 and was then in such a 
critical state1 that it was feared  she 
would die4 ,but her earnest entreaty was
 to be taken to ,walsall3 8,let  me     
die10 she pleaded1 8among my own        
people40    ,mr4 ,welsh says3--8,on     
calling at the ,queen's ,hotel1         
,birmingham where she  was lying ill1 ,i
 was told the doctor of the hospital    
7,dr4 ,maclachlan7  was with her1 and   
thinking they were probably arranging   
matters  connected with the hospital1 ,i
 did not go to her room1 but proceeded  
to  the train4 ,i had scarcely got      
seated when the doctor called me out1   
and  we entered a compartment where we  
were alone4 ,he asked me when it was    

intended to open the hospital4 ,i       
replied1 #8,on the #dth ,november4'     
#8,then1'  he said1 #8that will just be 
about the time ,sister ,dora will die4' 
8,the announcement was to me a shock of 
no ordinary kind1 for ,i had not  heard 
of her being ill1 and no one could have 
imagined1 from the  cheerful tone of a  
letter ,i had received from her a week  
or so before1  that there was anything  
the matter with her4 ,not being able to 
fully  realise the true state of        
affairs1 ,i asked him if he were        
jesting4 ,he  replied he was not1 and   
that he thought it best to let me know  
at once1  so that arrangements might be 
made for getting some one to take her   
place when the hospital was opened4 ,i  
said1 #8,i suppose she is going to      
,yorkshire8' #8,no1' he replied1 #8and  
that is another thing ,i wish to speak  
to you about4 ,she wishes to die in     
,walsall1 and she must be removed       
immediately4'    8,on ,sunday the day   
following ,i saw the chairman and       

vice-chairman of  the hospital4 ,on     
,sunday evening ,i returned with ,dr4   
,maclachlan to the  ,queen's ,hotel1    
where he found his patient very weak4   
,on ,monday morning1  a house was taken1
 and the furniture she had in her rooms 
at the  hospital removed to it4 ,her old
 servant1 who had gone to ,the          
,potteries1  was telegraphed for1 and   
arrived in a few hours1 and by midday   
the house  was ready for her reception4 
,my daughter1 knowing ,sister ,dora's   
fondness  for flowers1 had procured and 
placed on the table in the parlour a    
very  choice bouquet2 and when all was  
ready1 ,dr4 ,maclachlan drove over to   
,birmingham1 and brought her to ,walsall
 in his private carriage4    8,the      
disease was now making steady progress1 
and it was evident that  every day she  
was becoming weaker2 but she never lost 
her cheerfulness1  and any one to have  
seen her might have thought she was only
 suffering  from some slight ailment1   
instead of an incurable and painful     

disease40    8,a few hours before her   
death10 writes ,mr4 ,s4 ,welsh1 8she    
called me to  her bedside and said1 #8,i
 want you to promise that you will not1 
when ,i  am gone1 write anything about  
me2 quietly ,i came among you1 and      
quietly  ,i wish to go away4'0 ,and this
 desire of hers would have been         
faithfully  complied with had not       
misrepresentations fired the gentleman  
to whom the  request was made to take up
 his pen1 not in defence of her1 but in 
the  correction of statements that      
affected certain persons who were alive4
 ,i  must refer the reader for the      
detailed account of her last hours to   
,miss  ,lonsdale's book4 ,one remarkable
 fact must not be omitted4    ,among the
 members of the ,basilian ,order in the 
,eastern ,church1 it is the  rule1 as   
soon as one of the brothers or sisters  
is dying1 that all  should leave the    
room4 ,the last office performed is to  
screw an ikon or  representation of the 
,saviour to the foot of the bed1 that   

the dying may  in the supreme moment not
 think of any earthly tie1 any earthly  
comfort1  but look only to the ,rock of 
his ,salvation4 ,of this1 ,sister ,dora 
knew  nothing4 ,in her last sickness she
 had a large crucifix hung where she    
could constantly gaze at it1 and when   
she found her end approaching1 she      
insisted on every one leaving the       
room1--it was her wish to die alone4    
,and as she persisted1 so was it1 only  
one nurse standing by the door  held    
ajar1 and watching till she knew by the 
change of attitude1 and a  certain fixed
 look in the countenance1 that ,sister  
,dora had entered into  her rest4#ae    
,mr4 ,welsh says3 8,it was ,christmas   
,eve when she passed away1 and a dense  
fog1 like a funeral pall1 hung over the 
town and obscured every object a  few   
feet from the ground4 ,under this       
strange canopy the market was being     
held1 and people were busy buying and   
selling1 and making preparations  for   
the great ,christmas ,festival on the   

following day2 but when the deep  boom  
of the passing bell announced the       
melancholy intelligence that  ,sister   
,dora had entered into her rest1 a      
thrill of horror ran through  the       
people1 who1 with blanched cheeks and   
bated breath1 whispered1 #8,can  it be  
true8' ,although for eleven weeks the   
process of dissolution had  been going  
on before their eyes1 they could not    
realise the fact that  she whom they    
loved and revered was no more40    ,the 
funeral took place on ,saturday1 the    
#bhth of ,december4 8,the day was  dark 
and dismal1 the streets1 covered with   
slush and sludge caused by  the melted  
snow1 were thronged with spectators4444 
,there was general  mourning in the     
town2 and although it was market day    
nearly every shop  was closed during the
 time of the funeral1 and all the blinds
 along the  route of the procession were
 drawn4444 ,on reaching the cemetery it 
was  found that four other funerals had 
arrived from the workhouse2 and as      

these coffins had been taken into the   
chapel there was no room for  ,sister   
,dora's1 which had consequently to be   
placed in the porch4 ,this  was as      
,sister ,dora would have wished had she 
had the ordering of the  arrangements2  
for she always gave preference to the   
poor1 to whom she  was attached in life1
 and from whom she would not have       
desired to be  separated in death40     
,true to her thought of others1 in the  
midst of her last sufferings she  had   
made arrangements for a ,christmas      
dinner to be given to a number of  her  
old patients1 in accordance with a      
custom of hers in previous years2  but  
on this occasion the festive proceedings
 were shorn of their  gladness4 ,all    
thought of her who in her pain and on   
her deathbed had  thought of them4      
,every one tried1 but ineffectually1 to 
cheer and  comfort the other1 but the   
task was hopeless4 ,one young lady1     
after the  meal1 and while the          
,christmas tree was being lighted1      

commenced singing  that pretty little   
piece1 8,far ,away10--but when she came 
to the words1                           
8,some are gone from us for ever1       
,longer here they could not stay10      
she burst into tears2 and the women     
present sobbed1 and tears were seen     
stealing down the cheeks of bearded men4
    ,the ,walsall writer of ,a ,review  
concludes his paper thus3--    8,she is 
no idol to us1 but we worship her memory
 as the most saintly  thing that was    
ever given to us4 ,her name is          
immortalized1 both by her  own          
surpassing goodness1 and by the love of 
a whole people for her--a  love that    
will survive through generations1 and   
give a magic and a music  to those      
simple words1 #8,sister ,dora1' long    
after we shall have passed  away4 ,there
 was little we could ever do--there was 
nothing she would let  us do--to relieve
 the self-imposed rigours of her life2  
but we love her  in all sincerity1 and  
now in our helplessness we find a serene

 joy in  the knowledge that to her1 as  
surely as to any human soul1 will be    
spoken the ,divine words3 #8,inasmuch as
 ye have done it unto the least of      
these ,my brethren1 ye have done it unto
 ,me4'0    ,in ,sister ,dora1 surely we 
have the highest type of the ,christian 
life1  the inner and hidden life of the 
soul1 the life that is hid with ,christ 
in ,god1 combined with that outer life  
devoted to the doing of good to         
suffering and needy humanity4 ,in the   
cloistered nun we see only the  first1  
and that tends to become self-centred   
and morbid2 it is redeemed  from this   
vice by an active life of               
self-sacrifice4    ,i cannot do better  
than1 in conclusion1 quote from the last
 letter ever  penned by ,sister ,dora3--
    8,it is #b4cj a4m41 and ,i cannot   
sleep1 so ,i am going to write to you4  
,i  was anything but #8forbearing1'     
dear2 ,i was overbearing1 and ,i am     
truly  sorry for it now4 ,i look back on
 my life1 and see #8nothing but leaves4'

  ,oh1 my darling1 let me speak to you  
from my deathbed1 and say1 ,watch in    
all you do that you have a single       
aim--,god's honour and glory4 #8,i came 
not to work ,my own work1 but the works 
of ,him that sent ,me4' ,look upon      
working as a privilege4 ,do not look    
upon nursing in the way they do so  much
 now-a-days1 as an art or science1 but  
as work done for ,christ4 ,as  you touch
 each patient1 think it is ,christ      
,himself1 and then virtue will  come out
 of the touch to yourself4 ,i have felt 
that myself1 when ,i have  had a        
particularly loathsome patient4 ,be full
 of the ,glad ,tidings1 and  you will   
tell others4 ,you cannot give what you  
have not got40                          
-------        ,printed by ,hazell1     
,watson1  ,viney1 ,ld41 ,london and     
,aylesbury4                             
,,footnotes      ,footnote #a3          
,rom4 ,sott4 ii4 #abe4    ,footnote #b3 
8,lectures on the ,eastern ,church10    
#ahfi1 p4 #bah4    ,footnote #c3        

,montalembert3 ,monks of the ,west1     
,book iv4 c4 #a4    ,footnote #d3       
,adams1 8,chronicles of ,cornish        
,saints10 in the ,journal of the ,royal 
,institution of ,cornwall1 #ahgc4       
,footnote #e3      ,notes on the        
,history of ,s4 ,bega and ,s4 ,hild4    
7,hartlepool1 #ahdd47 ,by    ,d4 ,h4    
,haigh4    ,footnote #f3      ,monks of 
the ,west1 #ahfh1 vol4 v41 pp4 #bai-ba4 
,footnote #g3      ,probably ,seaxwulf1 
the ,mercian bishop4    ,footnote #h3   
,green1 ,the ,making of ,england2 ed4   
#ahig1 ii4 p4 #aaa4    ,footnote #i3    
,latin ,christianity1 #ahfg1 vol4 vi41  
pp4 #a seq4    ,footnote #aj3      ,the 
,rev4 ,e4 ,m4 ,fitzgerald1 who was      
,vicar of ,walsall at the time when     
,sister ,dora was there1 writes3 8,no   
,walsall friend of ,sister ,dora ever   
thought that the book exaggerated her   
virtues or her achievements4 ,we        
found fault because it did her injustice
 in attributing to her some    mean     
faults of which she was incapable40     

,footnote #aa3      ,miss ,lonsdale says
 that when her father was dangerously   
ill ,sister    ,dora asked leave to go  
to him1 and was refused and sent down   
into    ,devonshire4 ,this has been     
denied1 and ,i think there has been a   
misapprehension somewhere4 ,mr4 ,welsh  
says3 8,the story about ,sister    ,dora
 not being allowed to visit her father  
on his death-bed is very    sensational1
 but--is fiction40    ,footnote #ab3    
,sister ,dora3 a ,review1 p4 #ad        
7,walsall1 #ahhj74    ,footnote #ac3    
,h4 ,m4 ,j41 in a letter to the         
,guardian1 ,may #abth1 #ahhj4           
,footnote #ad3      ,a ,yorkshire       
expression for heavy work4    ,footnote 
#ae3      ,this has been denied4 ,her   
old and devoted servant said3 8,do you  
think    ,i would let my darling die    
alone80 ,but it appears to me that      
,sister    ,dora's desire was one to be 
expected in such a spiritual nature2 and
    in the statement above given it is  
not said that she was actually left     

in solitude4                            
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,transcriber',s ,,note      ,footnotes 
have been renumbered and moved to the   
back of the main text4    ,punctuation  
has been normalized4 ,variations in     
hyphenation have been  retained as they 
were in the original publication4 ,the  
following changes  have been made3      
and made peparations -- preparations    
page #abc      he could insult1         
browbreat1 -- browbeat page #bdg      to
 to the ,bishop of ,verdun -- to the    
,bishop of ,verdun page #bhe      two   
religous to commence the work --        
religious page #ccf      a choir for the
 frairs -- friars page #ccg             
distin-tinguishing habit --             
distinguishing page #cef      the       
commitee were unable -- committee page  
#cfj      againt the inky darkness --   
against page #cgg    ,italicized phrases
 are presented by surrounding the text  
with  underscores4    ,bold phrases are 

presented by surrounding the text with  
equal signs4