NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, September 8. -The time when this festival was first established, is uncertain, though the Roman Catholic writers have been anxious to make out its claims to antiquity. Baronius, even while confessing that he knows nothing whatever of its origin,† yet strongly insists upon its belonging to an early period, although he honestly cites Augustine to prove that in his time it was unusual to celebrate any nativity in the churches, except those of Christ and John the Baptist. Baptista Spagnoli, commonly called Baptista Mantuanus, roundly declares that it certainly is not ancient,§ and even Durandus is of the same opinion.|| It would appear that this festival was instituted somewhere about the year 695 by Pope Sergius. The cause of it is related by Baptista Mantuanus, very much after the fashion of Ovid's Metamorphoses in regard to manner, though it must be admitted that his verse is any thing but Ovidian. Being reduced to plain prose his story amounts to this. A certain Carmelite, who had taken a fancy to turn hermit and live by himself on the top of a high mountain, was surprized one night, while stargazing, to hear the * "Quonam autem potissimum tempore fuerit ejusmodi solemnitas instituta, nusqua expressum reperi, nec quid certi affirmare ausim." BARONII MARTYROLOGICUM ROMANUM, p. 574. "Satis sit constare eam esse antiquam, et tam Latinos quàm Græcos eadem animi pietate concordiique studio permotos eadem die sacratissimum Dei genetricis natalitium solemniter celebrandum esse duxisse." Idem, p. 575. "Ut autem omnis prorsus ansa tollatur existimandi Augustini tempore hoc festum esse celebratum, adducam de ea re ejusdē Augustini clarissima testimonia, qui Sermone 21 et 22 de Sanct. testatur nullius alterius ortum quam solius Domini nostri Jesu Christi et Sancti Ioannis Baptistæ in ecclesia celebrari consuevisse." Idem. p. 274. § "Hunc antiqua diem festis non intulit ætas." Baptista Mantuanus, Lib. ix. FAST. "Sané hoc festum olim non celebrebatur." DURANDI RATIONALE DIVIN. OFFICIORUM, Lib. vii., cap. 28, p. 296. 4to. Venet. 1609. sound of singing that seemed to come from above him. The next year at the same season, and the next again, the same melody was repeated, whereat being more and more astounded, he fell into a profound fit of musing, but as might be expected to very little purpose. Hereupon some good humoured angel took upon himself to enlighten the holy man, and a voice was heard in the air, saying, "the angels are keeping their annual holyday on account of its being the birth-day of the blessed Virgin. Now as you are a Carmelite, it is your business to promulgate this matter to the world and get a festival appointed, for she is partial to your people and in her life-time was exceedingly fond of visiting your houses.* * "Ex his unus erat super alto vertice montis Fac igitur, fac ista palam solennia mundo, Illius, et patres vivens invisere vestros Helijæque domos priscas fontemque solebat." BAPTISTA MANTUANI FASTORUM, Lib. ix. The following free translation will be found to give a tolerably cor rect notion of this holy business. One of these holy men his home had made On mountain high where pine-trees flung their shade, This festival was for a long time without either octave or vigil,* 'till the former was instituted by Innocent the Fourth in 1244, and the latter in 1370 by Pope Gregory the Eleventh, and with much more show of reason than is usual in such cases. The cardinals had met in conclave to elect a new pontiff upon the death of Gregory the Ninth, and, not being able for many days to agree upon any one, the people of Rome began to get tired of such trifling, and in consequence handled them rather roughly. In this dilemma the cardinals applied to the Virgin for help, and And, still a Carmelite in heart and name, He led the life of those from whom he came. He almost doubted if he waked or dream'd; Another year-another-and again, At the same hour he heard the self-same strain, She loves thy name, and while on earth her place And such things the world at one time not only wrote and believed, but branded those who dared to doubt them as enemies alike to man and God! * A vigil is the fast held the night before a festival, and in a wider sense it signifies the eve of such festival. An octave is the eighth day after the same, which in former times was observed with much solemnity; but this too was occasionally used, with a more extended meaning, to signify the whole of the eight days that succeeded any principal feast. faithfully promised her an octave to her feast, if she would only be good enough to teach them to know their own minds. The offer was graciously accepted, and Pope Cælestine was by her mediation elected; but, as he lived only a few days, the addition of the octave was made by his successor, Pope Innocent the Fourth.* HOLY ROOD DAY - Exaltation of the Holy Cross — September 14.-The meaning of this phrase has been variously explained by the old Roman Catholic writers upon. the subject, but none of their explanations are altogether satisfactory. The story which seems most to have prevailed is, that the Emperor Heraclius having defeated Cosroe, king of Persia, and taken from him the real cross previously found by Helena, it was then both really and metaphorically exalted. In substance the tale amounts to this-Cosroe, king of Persia, having subdued all the nations of the east, in the year 615 marched to the conquest of Jerusalem. Here on coming to the holy sepulchre, he took fright-it is not said how or why-and suddenly retreated, but not before he had carried off that * "Olim etia non habuit octavam; sed Innocentius, Papa, quartus, ea instituit. Vacante n. Romana ecclesia per obitum Gregor. papæ noni, cardinalibus cocordare nequeuntibus Romani post plures dies eis īclusis multiplices molestias inferebant, pp quod cardinales reginæ cæli voverunt quòd si ejus meritis concordaret et abire liberè possent, octavam suæ nativitatis diu neglectam celebrandam de cætero statuerunt. Sicque ad Cælestinum Papam cōvenerunt et liberati sunt. Sed quia idem Cælestinus vixit solùm 28 diebus non potuit votu implere, quod postmodu dictus Innocêtius ejus successor implevit." Durandi, Lib. vii. cap. 28. This clearly shows, what I have so often insisted upon already, the early corruptions of Christianity, and the constant tendency of its followers to lapse into Pagan observances. Nothing can well be more opposed to the spirit of the Christian faith than votive offerings; the whole of the tenth chapter of Hebrews is devoted to their reprobation, but a single passage from this epistle will be enough to set the question at rest" Sacrifice, and offering, and burnt offering, and offerings for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein." portion of the cross which had been left behind by Helena, the mother of Constantine. Infatuated, if not rendered half mad by this long career of success, he now took it into his head that he would be worshipped as a God, and formed a tower of gold and silver inlaid with sparkling gems; in this he set the images of the sun, moon, and stars, caused rain as if he had been a God to be showered down upon the place below from secret pipes and aqueducts, and imitated thunder by means of cha. riots drawn about in a subterranean cavern. That he might the more enjoy his state of deification, resigning his sceptre to his son, he took up his abode in this tower upon a throne, with the cross in place of the Son on his right hand, and a cock on the left hand for the Holy Ghost, while he himself personated the Father.*-When this * Exaltatio sẽte crucis solēniter ab ecclesia celebrāt qd in ea fides qm plurimum exaltata fuit. Anno ẽm đni DCXV, permittete Duo flagellari ppl'm suù p sevitia paganōr, Cosdroe, rex prsar, oia regna terrar suo impio subjugavit. Hiefl'm aut vēies a sepulcro dni territs rediit; sed tn partē sancte crucis sĉta Helena ibidē reliquat asportavit. Volēs at ab ōibs coli ut de3, turrim ex auro et argeto et iterlucentibR gēmis fecit, et ibide solis, et lunæ, et stellar imagines collocavit, p subtiles ēt et occultos ducts qsi des aquam desup infundebat; et in subterraneo specu eq qdrigas trahētes i circuitu ibat ut qsi turrim moverēt et tonitruū simularēt. Filio igr suo regno tradito in tali pħano pphan3 residet et juxta se crucẽ đni collocas appellari ab õibs se deu jubet. Et, sicut legit in libro mitrali d offō, ipe Cosdroe, i throno resides tanq př, lignū crucis sibi a dextris posuit loco filii, et gallu a sinistris loco spus sõti ; se verò jussit přem noïari. Tuc Eraclis ipator exercitu copiosum collegit et cōtra filiù Cosdroe juxta Danubii fluviù dimicaturus advenit. Tade utrisque pncipib placuit ut sup pōte soli confligerent; et qui victor existeret sine daño utriusque exercit ipium usurparet. Decretü et exiit ut cumque p'ncipe suū juvare pŝumeret cruribs abscisis et brachiis ob ħ continuò in flumiē mergerēt. At Eraclis totum se deo obtulit, et sĉte cruci devotione qua potuit cōmedavit: Ambobs itaq i conflictu durätibs Eraclio victoria đūs contulit."-OPUS AUREUM, fol. ciii. folio. Lugduni, 1526. This work is often referred to under the name of HISTORIA LOMBARDICA; it forms the basis of the Golden Legend published by Wynkyn de Worde. |