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They shall say:

Fetorem non poteris sustinere mortui ;

Namque ferens graviter funus est quatridui.

[Thou wilt not be able to bear the stench of the dead, for bearing him heavily the funeral was four days since.]

Then Jesus, looking up into Heaven, shall pray thus to the Father:

Pater, verbum tuum clarifica,
Lazarumque, precor, vivifica.
Sic filium mundo notifica,
Pater, in hac hora.

Nec hoc dixi in difidencia,

Sed pro gentis hujus presentia,

Ut de tua certi potencia

Credant absque mora.

[Father, make thy word manifest and, I pray thee, give life unto Lazarus, so declare thy Son to the world, Father, in this hour. Nor have I said this through want of faith, but because of the presence of this people, that, certain of thy power, they may believe without delay.]

Then shall he say to the dead:

O Lazare, foras egredere,

Aure dono vitalis utere;
In paterne virtutis munere,
Exi foras, et vita fruere.

[O Lazarus, come forth, I give thee to use vital air. By the gift of the Father's power, come forth, and enjoy life.]

Then after Lazarus shall have risen, Jesus shall say: Ecce vivit nunc ipsum solvite,

Et solutum abire sinite.

[Behold he lives: now loose him, and when loosened, suffer him to go hence.]

Lazarus unbound shall say to the bystanders:

Ecce que sunt Dei magnalia.

Vos vidistis et hec et alia.

Ipse celum fecit et maria;

Mors ad ejus tremit imperia.

[Behold what are the mighty things of God. You have seen both these and others. He made the heaven and the seas; death trembles at his command.]

And having turned to Jesus he shall say:
Tu magister, tu rex, tu Dominus,
Tu populi delebis facinus.

Quod precipis, illud fit protinus.
Regni tui non erit terminus.

[Thou Master, thou King, thou Lord, thou wilt wash away the sin of the people. What thou orderest is straightway done. Of thy kingdom there shall be no end.]

Which being finished, if it was done at Matins, Lazarus shall begin Te Deum Laudamus. But if at Vespers, Magnificat anima mea Dominum.

Giraldus Cambrensis, which means Gerald of Wales, was Gerald de Barri, born in the castle of Manorbeer,

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a little west of Tenby. He was the scholar of a patriotic fighting family, as patriotic as any other of his kindred, and combatant with spiritual weapons for the Church of Wales. His ambition was to form in Wales a national church, with its primate at St. David's, and to make it a church free from the corruption that had come of wealth and ease. He was eager, as a strict Churchman, for church reform; became an archdeacon at six-and-twenty, and would have been made Bishop of St. David's if the King of England could have trusted at the head of the Welsh Church a man so able and uncompromising, and so full of zeal for his own people. Henry II. liked Gerald personally, made him one of his chaplains. used him in the pacification of Wales, and sent him with Prince John upon his unsuccessful Irish expedi tion. Gerald's energy caused him to make much use of his pen, and this visit of his to Ireland in 1185 caused him to write a "Topography of Ireland," and a History of the Conquest of Ireland." The zeal with which he sought to restore purity of life to Churchmen did not prevent Gerald from sharing the ready faith of his time in any marvel that appeared to show the power of God, the full devotion to Him of holy men, or God's love to His faithful servants. Simplest traditions of the country-side were in the twelfth century accepted by a singularly shrewd, vigorous, and earnest man with unquestioning faith, when there was worship at the heart of them. Thus, in his "Topography of Ireland," one book is upon its geography and natural history; and here the chapter on the eagle is developed into religious allegory after the manner of the Bestiaries. The next book is on the "Wonders and Miracles of Ireland," and the next on its "Inhabitants." Here are, as told by Giraldus Cambrensis, a few miracles of a saint, said to have been born in the year 498, and to have founded an abbey in the wilderness of Glendalough (the valley of the two lakes) in the Wicklow Mountains::

MIRACLES OF ST. KEVIN.

When St. Kevin had become celebrated for his life and sanctity at Glendalough, a noble boy, one of his scholars, happened to fall sick, and had a craving for some apples. The saint, taking compassion on him, and having prayed to the Lord, a willow-tree, which stood near the church, bore apples, to the relief of the boy as well as of other sick persons. And even to the present day that willow, and other sets from it, planted in the neighbouring cemetery. produce apples every year, as if it were an orchard, although in other respects, such as their boughs and leaves, the trees retain their natural properties. These apples are white, and of an oblong shape, and more wholesome than pleasant to the taste. They are held in great reverence by the natives, who call them St. Kevin's apples; and many carry them to the most distant parts of Ireland, as remedies for various diseases.

On the feast-day of the same saint, the ravens at Glendalough, in consequence of his curse for his scholars having accidentally spilt their milk, neither come on the ground nor taste food; but, flying round the village and church, and making a loud cawing, enjoy no rest or refreshment on that day.

St. Kevin, upon some occasion, when, during the season of

The

Lent, he had fled, as he was wont, from converse with men, retired to a little cabin in the wilderness, where, sheltered only from the sun and rain, he gave himself up to contemplation, and spent all his time in reading and prayer. One morning, having raised his hand to heaven, as was his custom, through the window, it chanced that a blackbird pitched upon it and laid her eggs in his palm, treating it as her nest. saint, taking pity on the bird, shewed so much gentleness and patience that he neither drew in nor closed his hand, but kept it extended and adapted it to the purpose of a nest, without wearying, until the young brood was entirely hatched. In perpetual memory of this wonderful occurrence, all the images of St. Kevin throughout Ireland represent him with a blackbird in his extended hand.

The next chapter tells some wonders about

ST. COLMAN'S TEAL.

There is in Leinster a small pool frequented by the birds of St. Colman, a species of small ducks, vulgarly called teal (cercella). Since the time of the saint, these birds have become so tame that they take food from the hand, and until the present day exhibit no signs of alarm when approached by men. They are always about thirteen in number, as if they formed the society of a convent. As often as any evil chances to befall the church or clergy, or the little birds themselves, or any molestation is offered them, they directly fly away, and, betaking themselves to some lake far removed from thence, do not return to their former haunts until condign punishment has overtaken the offenders. Meanwhile, during their absence, the waters of the pond, which were before very limpid and clear, become stinking and putrid, unfit for the use either of men or cattle. It has happened occasionally that some person fetching water from this pond in the night-time, has drawn up with it one of the birds, not purposely, but by chance, and having cooked his meat in the water for a long time without being able to boil it, at last he has found the bird swimming in the pot, quite unhurt; and, having carried it back to the pond, his meat was boiled without further delay.

It happened, also, in our time, that as Robert Fitz-Stephen, with Dermot, king of Leinster, was passing through that country, an archer shot one of these birds with an arrow. Carrying it with him to his quarters, he put it in a pot to be cooked with his meat, but after thrice supplying the fire with wood, and waiting till midnight, he did not succeed in making the pot boil, so that, after taking out the meat for the third time, he found it as raw as when he first placed it in the pot. At last, his host observing the little bird among the pieces of meat, and hearing that it was taken out of this pond, exclaimed, with tears" Alas, me, that ever such a misfortune should have befallen my house, and have happened in it! For this is one of St. Colman's birds." Thereupon the meat being put alone into the pot, was cooked without further difficulty. The archer soon afterwards miserably expired.

Moreover, it chanced that a kite, having carried off one of these little birds, and perched with it in a neighbouring tree, behold, all his limbs immediately stiffened in the sight of many persons, nor did the robber regard the prey which he held in his claws. It also happened that one frosty season a fox carried off one of these birds, and when the morning came, the beast was found in a little hut on the shore of the lake, which was held in veneration from its having been formerly the resort of St. Colman, the bird being in the fox's jaws, and having choked him. In both cases the spoiler

suffered the penalty of death, while his prey was unhurt, the birds returning to the lake without the slightest injury, under the protection of their holy patron.

Gerald published his "Topography of Ireland" by reading it publicly at Oxford in 1187, giving a day to the reading of each of its three books. On the first day of reading he entertained at his lodgings all the poor of the town; on the second day the teachers of the different faculties and the best students; on the third day the rest of the students, with the soldiers, townsmen, and many burgesses. In the latter part of the same year Saladin took Jerusalem, and in the next year, 1188, another crusade was preached. Archbishop Baldwin, followed by a train of clergy, preached the crusade in Wales, and Gerald went with him. This gave rise to another book of his, "The Itinerary of Wales," from which we may take a passage on the degeneracy of the monks. He was speaking of the Abbey of Llanthony, near which he had a little house of his own at Llanddeu.

CORRUPTION OF RELIGIOUS ORDERS.

The mountains are full of herds and horses, the woods well stored with swine and goats, the pastures with sheep, the plains with cattle, the arable fields with ploughs; and, although these things in very deed are in great abundance, yet each of them, from the insatiable nature of the mind, seems too narrow and scanty. Therefore lands are seized, landmarks removed, boundaries invaded, and the markets in consequence abound with merchandise, the courts of justice with law-suits, and the senate with complaints. Concerning such things, we read in Isaiah, "Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they be placed alone in the midst of the earth."

If, therefore, the prophet inveighs so much against those who proceed to the boundaries, what would he say to those who go far beyond them? From these and other causes, the true colour of religion was so converted into the dye of falsehood, that manners internally black assumed a fair exterior:

"Qui color albus erat, nunc est contrarius albo."
[The colour that was white is now the contrary to white.]

So that the Scripture seems to be fulfilled concerning these
men, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." But I
am inclined to think this avidity does not proceed from any
bad intention. For the monks of this Order (although them-
selves most abstemious) incessantly exercise, more than any
others, the acts of charity and beneficence towards the poor
and strangers; and because they do not live as others upon
fixed incomes, but depend only on their labour and fore-
thought for subsistence, they are anxious to obtain lands,
farms, and pastures, which may enable them to perform
these acts of hospitality. However, to repress and remove
from this sacred Order the detestable stigma of ambition, I
wish they would sometimes call to mind what is written in
Ecclesiasticus, "Whoso bringeth an offering of the goods of
the poor, doth as one that killeth the son before his father's
A good use does
eyes:" and also the sentiment of Gregory,
not justify things badly acquired;" and also that of Ambrose,
"He who wrongfully receives, that he may well dispense, is
rather burthened than assisted." Such men seem to say with
the Apostle, "Let us do evil that good may come." For it
is written, "Mercy ought to be of such a nature as may be

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received, not rejected, which may purge away sins, not make a man guilty before the Lord, arising from your own just labours, not those of other men." Hear what Solomon says: "Honour the Lord from your just labours." What shall they say who have seized upon other men's possessions, and exercised charity "O Lord, in Thy name we have done charitable deeds, we have fed the poor, clothed the naked, and hospitably received the stranger:" to whom the Lord will answer, Ye speak of what ye have given away, but speak not of the rapine ye have committed; ye relate concerning those ye have fed, and remember not those ye have killed." I have judged it proper to insert in this place an instance of an answer which Richard, king of the English, made to Fulke, a good and holy man, by whom God in these our days has wrought many signs in the kingdom of France. This man had among other things said to the king: "You have three daughters, namely, Pride, Luxury, and Avarice; and as long as they shall remain with you, you can never expect to be in favour with God." To which the king, after a short pause, replied: "I have already given away those daughters in marriage: "Pride to the Templars, Luxury to the Black Monks, and Avarice to the White."

It is a remarkable circumstance, or rather a miracle, concerning Llanthony, that, although it is on every side surrounded by lofty mountains, not stony or rocky, but soft, and covered with grass, Parian stones are frequently found there, and are called free-stones, from the facility with which they admit of being cut and polished; and with these the church is beautifully built. It is also wonderful, that when, after a diligent search, all the stones have been removed from the mountains, and no more can be found; upon another search, a few days afterwards, they re-appear in greater quantities to those who seek them.

For as

With respect to the two Orders, the Cluniac and the Cistercian, this may be relied upon: although the latter are possessed of fine buildings, with ample revenues and estates, they will soon be reduced to poverty and destruction. To the former, on the contrary, you would allot a barren desert and a solitary wood; yet in a few years you will find them in possession of sumptuous churches and houses, and encircled with an extensive property. The difference of manners (as it appears to me) causes this contrast. without meaning offence to either party, I shall speak the truth: the one feels the benefits of sobriety, parsimony, and prudence, whilst the other suffers from the bad effects of gluttony and intemperance: the onc, like bees, collect their stores into a heat, and unanimously agree in the disposal of one well-regulated purse; the others pillage and divert to improper uses the largesses which have been collected by divine assistance, and by the bounties of the faithful; and, whilst each individual consults solely his own interest, the welfare of the community suffers; since, as Sallust observes, "Small things increase by concord, and the greatest are wasted by discord." Besides, sooner than lessen the number of one of the thirteen or fourteen dishes which they claim by right of custom, or even in a time of scarcity or famine recede in the smallest degree from their accustomed good fare, they would suffer the richest lands and the best buildings of the monastery to become a prey to usury, and the numerous poor to perish before their gates.

The first of these Orders, at a time when there was a deficiency in grain, with a laudable charity, not only gave away their flocks and herds, but resigned to the poor one of the two dishes with which they were always contented. But in these our days, in order to remove this stain, it is ordained by the Cistercians, "That in future neither farms nor pastures shall be purchased; and that they shall be satisfied

with those alone which have been freely and unconditionally bestowed upon them." This Order, therefore, being satisfied more than any other with humble mediocrity, and, if not wholly, yet in a great degree checking their ambition; and though placed in a worldly situation, yet avoiding, as much as possible, its contagion; neither notorious for gluttony or drunkenness, for luxury or lust; is fearful and ashamed of incurring public scandal, as will be more fully explained in the book we mean (by the grace of God) to write concerning the Ecclesiastical Orders.

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Giraldus Cambrensis entered fully into Church questions in his "Gemma Ecclesiastica," produced in the reign of Richard I. The subject of it fell, he said, under the two heads, precept and example. "For as Jerome tells us, Long and tedious is the way that leads by precept; commodious and brief is the way that leads by example.' So from the legends of the holy Fathers, of which very few copies are to be found among you of Wales, and from the faithful narratives of ancient and more recent times, I have compiled, with a view to your imitation, some things which will be not unserviceable to you." He begins by answers to questions then dwelt upon. What shall the priest do if by chance he has spilt part of the consecrated cup, or allowed mice to nibble at the sacred bread? When may a layman officiate! How are sins remitted? By the sacraments, by martyrdom, by faith, by mercy, by charity, by prayer, and observe the doubt-"perhaps by pontifical indulgence." He describes minutely the manner of carrying consecrated elements to the sick, and discusses the mystery of the Eucharist, of which he says it seems safer concerning that which is miraculous not to discuss every point to a hair's breadth, but rather to leave to God what is uncertain. If we are told on certain authority that the substance of the bread and wine is converted into substance of the body and blood of the Lord, let us not blush to say that we are ignorant as to the manner of the conversion. Of the questioning in his time as to the way in which men were to accept that doctrine, he tells that he saw in Paris a learned Englishman, Richard de Aubry, who lectured to a large audience in interpretation of the Eucharist. "He seemed to be the very mirror of religion and morality among the clergy; he afflicted his body with watchings and fastings, with much abstinence and earnest prayers; yet when he took to his bed in his last sickness, and was offered the Lord's body, he could not receive it. Nay, he even averted his face, exclaiming that this punishment had happened to him through the just judgment of God, because he never could prevail upon himself

The "Gemma Ecclesiastica," never before printed, was edited, with a valuable introduction, by Professor John Sherren Brewer, lu 1862, as one of the collection of the works of Giraldus Cambrensis, in the series of "Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages," published under the direction of the Master of the Rolls. The preceding translations are from a volume of Bohn's Libraries that makes two notable works by Giraldus easily accessible to the general reader. It is called "The Historical Works of Giraldus Cambrensis, containing the Topography of Ireland, and the History of the Conquest of Ireland, translated by Thomas Forester, M.A. The Itinerary through Wales and the Description of Wales," translated by Sir Richard Colt Hoare, Bart. Revised and Edited, with Additional Notes, by Thomas Wright, M.A." (Bohn, 1863.)

to have a firm belief in this article of faith. And so he entered the way of all flesh without the viaticum." From the Eucharist and the vessels and books used in its celebration, Gerald passed to baptism, confession, possession by evil spirits, and the power of the sign of the cross. Throughout, his teaching was enforced by wonderful tales; fables taken as truth for love of the truth they symbolised. Thus, there was a noble young lady possessed by a spiteful devil. A holy man was brought to her, and she immediately slapped his face.

He bore the insult patiently, and turned the other cheek. To that she gave a harder slap. He turned his face to her the third time. Then said the evil spirit within her, "Your patience conquers me," and so the girl was cured. Giraldus in many ways dwelt on the devices of the clergy to enrich themselves unfairly. Soldiers and laity were accustomed to make offering at certain gospels for which they had especial veneration in the same way as they offered at the mass. For that reason the reading of a gospel at each mass was often multiplied into the reading of three or four to win an offering for each. He would have had fewer churches and altars, fewer persons ordained, with more care in their selection, and oblations only permitted three times a year, at Christmas, Easter, and Whitsuntide; to which might be added founder's day, a funeral, each anniversary, and purification. He vehemently opposed the practice of bestowing benefices in reversion, and all multiplication of the fees of bishops. He tells of a bishop who when he had consecrated a church immediately anathematised it because the fee was not ready; of an archbishop who excused his simony by saying, "I do not sell the church, I only sell my favour; why should any one have my favour who has never done anything to deserve it?" of another who gave benefices to his nephews while they were children, that, under pretext of wardship, he might take the profits to himself; of another who gave church promotion to his stupid relatives, and neglected the deserving, for they, he said, could take care of themselves. Thus, Gerald added, these prelates observe the Apostle's precept, "Those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness."

As soon as a self-seeking worldliness is joined in many with charge over the spiritual interests of men, protest begins; the most earnest Churchmen are themselves the most devoted labourers for Church reform; the history of labour towards reformation covers as much time as the history of human frailty. There were very many Church reformers before Wiclif, each attacking those which seemed to him the faults most hurtful to the spiritual life.

Giraldus

spoke of the growing luxury of eating and drinking. He allowed licence in case of hospitality, as we read, he said, in the lives of saints that they sometimes exceeded rules of temperance in honour of their guests. "As is read," he says, "of Saint Philibert, to whom when he had taken too much while sitting with guests, the devil came as he lay on his back, and tapping at his belly, said, 'All's well within Philibert to-day.' To whom he answered, It will be ill for him to-morrow.' On this account he fasted next day

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upon bread and water. If therefore our enemy thus scoffed at that excusable excess, how can he mock our excesses that are inexcusable?"

Giraldus Cambrensis spoke of the degradation by luxury of houses of the great order of the Benedictines. Its founder, Benedict of Nursia, had known it difficult in the sixth century to find men ready as he himself was to deny the flesh. He kept it down with thorns and nettles; but when he was Abbot at Vicovaro it is said that his monks tried to poison him for his strictness. He retired into the wilderness and founded twelve monasteries. Persecution of a priest named Florentinus drove him to Cassino in Campania. On Monte Cassino he is said to have destroyed a heathen temple and grove, and to have founded on its site the first and most famous monastery of his order, there planning a strict rule, which he perfected in the year 529. His cloistered community was to dwell together in constant meditation and labour, and in strict obedience to the abbot, serving as a type of their obedience to God. Women also afterwards joined themselves in such communities for holy contemplation and repression of the flesh. The body of religious women to whom love of

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