HIS TRIUMPHANT DEATH. 341 natural consequence of her harshness and cruelty. She had confined in a narrow prison some goldsmiths who had to make some royal ornaments, in order to force them to labour beyond their strength. The queen's little son one day, child like, ran into the prison. The prisoners seized the boy, and threatened if any one ventured to come to them without assuring them of their freedom with an oath, that being wearied of life, they would first kill the child and then them-selves. The queen, filled with alarm, now acknowledged the divine retribution; she went to them, gave the artizans their liberty, sent a messenger as quickly as possible to Severinus, entreated his forgiveness, and also returned to him the Roman prisoners. When Severinus found himself near death, he invited the king of the Rugii and his cruel consort to come to him once more. He admonished him with undaunted freedom to act towards his subjects with the constant recollection of the account that he must render before the Lord. Then pointing with his hand to the king's heart, he asked Gisa, "Which do you love most, this soul, or gold and silver ?" And when she replied, that her husband was dearer to her than all the treasures of the world, he said: "Take care, then, not to oppress the innocent, that you may not expose your own power to destruction; for you often stand in the way of the king's clemency. I, your inferior in station, on the point of appearing before God, warn you to desist from your evil works, and to adorn your course with good works." In his last hours he assembled his monks around him, and in an affecting manner exhorted them to devote their lives to God. Then embracing them individually, he cheerfully took the Holy Supper, and desired them not to weep, but to sing psalms. But as they could not utter the words for very grief, he began himself to sing, "Praise the Lord in his holy place; let everything that has breath praise the Lord." These were his last words. After labouring successfully for thirty years in the midst of devastation, he died on the 1st of January, 482.* * Neander's General Hist. v. 34-36. Standard Library Edition.-TR. CHAPTER III. THE LABOURS OF PIOUS MEN AMONG THE FRANKS. IN ancient Gaul the Christian love of many pious bishops was manifested by their indefatigable and zealous labours during a period of great political commotions. 1. Germanus of Auxerre (Antisiodorum). Such a man was Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, who held that office in A.D. 418, and of whose life and labours we would here present a sketch. It happened about ten years after his first entrance on the office, that along with Lupus, bishop of Troyes (of whom further mention will be made), he was called to Britain, in order to counteract the spread of the Pelagian doctrine, as being such as taught men to rely more on their own strength than on the grace of God, and by cherishing self-righteousness led men to misconceive the nature of true internal sanctification. They preached there, not only in the churches, but also in the streets and fields; wherever they came they collected crowds of people, to whom they announced the grace of the Lord. The Britons, who could obtain no protection from the rapidly sinking Roman empire, were then in great distress from a war with the wild Saxons and Picts. The two bishops were called into the British camp, and their presence infused as much courage and confidence into the despairing Britons, as if a whole host had come to their aid. It was the season of Lent; the bishops preached daily amidst the dangers of war, and many were induced by their sermons to apply for baptism. At Easter the churches were crowned with garlands, and ornamented for the celebration of baptism. The Britons peacefully enjoyed the Easter-festival; the Picts, indeed, had formed a plan to take advantage of their carelessness, and to fall upon them when they were unarmed. But their plot was discovered; Germanus himself pointed out to the Britons a valley inclosed by mountains, where they might wait the approach of the enemy. He himself went thither with them, and told them when he exclaimed Hallelujah! all to utter it aloud with him; they did so, and the united loud cry of the GERMANUS, BISHOP OF AUXERRE. 343 numerous multitude, reverberated in the mountain echoes, made such a powerful impression on the Picts, that they were panic-struck, and betook themselves to flight. At another time, on his return from a second visit to Britain, his aid was solicited by the inhabitants of the province of Brittany, that he would avert a great danger which threatened this province; for the renowned general Aëtius had commissioned Eoctor, king of the savage tribe of the Alani, to punish them on account of a rebellion. As the biographer of Germanus narrates, he placed himself alone, and an old man, in front of all the warlike people, and their pagan chief. He passed through the host peacefully till he reached the king. When he would not listen to him and was going to ride on, Germanus held him back. This boldness so astounded the barbarian warrior, that he yielded, and promised that he would spare the province till the bishop had tried whether he could obtain pardon for the province from the imperial government. Germanus to gain this object, set off for Italy. On his way he joined a company of poor artisans, who, after hiring themselves out as labourers in foreign parts, were returning home. Among them was a lame old man, whose strength was insufficient to cross a rapid stream with a heavy pack in company with the rest. Germanus took his baggage and carried it over, and afterwards the man himself. As he was coming out of the opulent city of Milan, where he had been preaching many times, some poor people met him and asked alms. He asked the deacon who accompanied him how much they had left in their money-box; he answered, only three gold pieces. The bishop ordered him to distribute the whole among the poor. But whence shall we get our living to-day? asked the deacon; Germanus answered, God will feed his own poor. Give away what thou hast. But the deacon thought he would manage the business more prudently, so he gave only two pieces away, and kept one back. When they had proceeded some distance further, two persons on horseback came after them, to request a visit from him, in the name of a great landowner, who with his family, was suffering great affliction. The place lay out of the road he was travelling, and for that reason his companions begged him not to comply with the invitation; but he answered: "The first thing with me, before everything else, is to do the will of my God." When the messengers heard that he had made up his mind to come, they presented him with the sum of two hundred solidi (a gold coin of those times worth originally about seventeen shillings and eight pence), which had been entrusted to them for Bishop Germanus. He gave them to his deacon, saying, "Take this and understand that you have withdrawn a hundred such pieces from the poor; for if you had given all to the poor, the Rewarder would have given us to-day three hundred pieces." His arrival spread universal joy over the estate; he visited with equal sympathy masters and servants on their sick-beds; he went even into the poorest hovels and strengthened all by his prayers. Germanus met with universal respect in the imperial court at Ravenna, and easily accomplished the object of his visit. The empress Placidia sent to his lodgings a large silver vessel, full of costly provisions; Germanus divided the latter among his attendants, and kept the silver for himself, in order that he might use it for the benefit of the poor. He sent to the empress in return a wooden dish with coarse bread, such as he was used to eat. But the empress regarded it as a precious memorial, and afterwards caused the plate to be enchased with gold. One morning during his stay at Ravenna, when he was conversing with the bishops on religious subjects, he said to them: "Brethren, I give you notice of my departure from this world. The Lord appeared to me last night in a dream, and gave me money for travelling; and when I inquired respecting the object of the journey, he answered: Fear not; I am not sending thee to a foreign country, but to thy fatherland, where thou wilt find eternal rest.' The bishops endeavoured to interpret the dream as intimating his return to his earthly fatherland; but he would not be led into an error, for he said: "I well know what fatherland the Lord promises his servants.” And to this heavenly fatherland he was soon removed. He died July 31, A.D. 448. 2. Lupus of Troyes. 999 Lupus, bishop of Troyes, the contemporary and friend of Germanus, rescued his city from threatening destruction by CESARIUS, BISHOP OF ARLES. 345 his great influence over the savage conqueror Attila, king of the Huns, who spread terror everywhere before him, and in the year 451 invaded Gaul with his lawless hordes. The savage warrior was touched with such reverence for him that he relied upon his presence as an omen of success, and on that account took him with him on his march back and dismissed him with a request that he would pray for him. A letter from him induced a chief of the Alemanni to release prisoners without a ransom. He spent his revenues in supporting the poor, and especially in redeeming captives; he formed the fugitives under Attila's ravages, into a colony, in a mountainous district, where he himself resided for a considerable time. 66 A contemporary, Julianus, thus delineates the character of a pious bishop in this age:— He converts many to God by a holy life and by holy preaching. He does nothing in an imperious manner but always acts with humility. By the striving of holy love he places himself on an equality with those who are subject to him. By his conduct and preaching he seeks not his own glory but the glory of Christ. All the honour which is shown him if he lives and teaches in a priestly manner, he always refers back to God. He consoles the dejected; he feeds the poor; he announces to those who are in despair the hope of the forgiveness of sins; he urges on those who are advancing in a right course; he spreads light among those who are wandering. Such a man is a minister of the Word; he understands God's voice, and is for others an oracle of the Holy Spirit." This description applies to 3. Cæsarius of Arles. He was born in the district of Chalons-sur-Saône in A.D. 470. He appears to have been awakened early in life to vital Christianity by a pious education. When seven or eight years old it often happened that he would part with some of his clothes to the poor whom he happened to meet, and when he came home said that they were taken from him on the road. When growing up to manhood he entered the famous monastery of the Isle of Lerins (Lerina), in Provence, from which at that time emanated a spirit of deep, practical piety. The weak tender frame of young Cæsarius was so |