monk, Waldolin, who was much beloved by him, he writes the contrary: "God bless him! he is humble; give him kiss, which in my haste I was prevented from doing. Columban then withdrew into Switzerland, near Tuggen and Pregentia (Bregenz), where he laboured several years for the conversion of the Suevi and Alemanni. Afterwards he went to Italy, and established in the vicinity of the Apennines the famous monastery of Bobbio, where he found rest for the last years of his life.

Still he was active to the last, in order to compose an ecclesiastical division which had existed in Italy from ancient times. The Emperor Justinian, who, by his indiscreet and despotic interference in church affairs, by his strong inclination to exercise his imperial power in making theologians instead of faithfully fulfilling the duties of his office, had caused such great disorders in the Greek Church, had also allowed himself to be moved, by the intrigues of a troublesome theological court-faction, publicly to brand as heretical the memory of three great Syrian fathers of the church (Theodorus, Theodoret, and Ibas), and the vacillating, weak-minded Roman bishop, Vigilius, had allowed himself to be compelled to favour the foolish undertaking of the emperor. As the later Roman bishops followed the decision of their predecessor, a division of the church in Italy was the consequence; for several churches of eminence in Istria and the Venetian territory disapproved of this decision. Many accusations against the orthodoxy of the Roman Church were occasioned by it. Columban now wrote a very respectful, but at the same time very frank epistle to Pope Boniface IV., in which he required from him an unprejudiced examination of this affair, and pressed upon him to take measures for restoring the peace of the church. Watch," he writes to the pope, "first of all over the faith, and then to command the works of faith, and to root out vices; for your vigilance will be the salvation of many, as on the contrary your indifference will be the ruin of many. Our concern here is not persons, but the truth. As in virtue of the dignity of your church you are held in great honour, you need to take greater care not to lessen your dignity by any aberration; for the power will remain with you as long as you are in the right way. He is a true key-bearer of the kingdom of heaven, who by true knowledge opens it to

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the worthy and shuts it against the unworthy. He who acts in an opposite manner, can neither open nor shut. Since from a certain pride you arrogate to yourselves greater authority and power in divine things, you may know that your power will be so much less in the Lord, although you only indulge these thoughts in your hearts; for the unity of faith in the whole world produces everywhere the unity of spiritual power; so that everywhere liberty is given by all to truth, and the entrance must be refused to error in the same manner by all." Then follows a beautiful exhortation which applies to so many divisions which arise from laying greater stress on subordinate differences than on unity in the essentials of faith, and thus the bond of love was broken. "Therefore quickly return to unity, beloved brethren, and do not prolong old controversies; but rather be silent, and consign these controversies to everlasting oblivion. When anything is doubtful, reserve it for the decision of God. But what is clear, or what man can judge, decide justly upon it without respect of persons. Mutually acknowledge one another, that there may be joy in heaven and earth over your peace and union. I know not how a Christian can quarrel respecting the faith with other Christians. Whatever the orthodox Christian who rightly praises the Lord may say, the other will say Amen, because both believe in the same and love the same."

Columban died in his seventy-second year, or a little older, after having, in the course of an active and very laborious life, scattered the seeds of Christian knowledge in France, Switzerland, and Italy, and, by the scholars whom he left behind him, made provision for its still wider propagation in succeeding ages.

3. Gallus, the Apostle of Switzerland.

Among the scholars whom Columban brought with him from Ireland to France, Gallus was one of the most distinguished. He was descended from a respectable Irish family, and was early intrusted by his pious parents to Columban to be educated for the service of the kingdom of God. Columban, who, as we have remarked above, was a zealous student of the Scriptures, deeply imbued the mind of youth with a love for acquaintance with the sacred volume. He knew how to discourse from the Scriptures with simplicity and fervour, and to

apply the word to the hearts of men. When Columban with his associates met with a hospitable reception from pious persons, and after laying down his luggage wished to have some portion of Scripture read, he called on his favourite scholar, Gallus, to perform this office, and at the same time to explain what was read. When they took up their residence among the ruins of the ancient castle of Bregenz, they met with an old dilapidated chapel which they resolved to consecrate for Christian worship, and in which they constructed their cells. But they found in that chapel three gilded images of idols which the pagans worshipped as tutelary divinities. As Gallus, during his residence in the Frankish territory, had made himself well acquainted with the German language, Columban permitted him to preach the gospel to a numerous multitude who had flocked together to witness the consecration. It is indeed a true saying of Luther's, "It is God's work alone to banish idols from the human heart; whatever comes from without, is a farce." If men are deprived of some of their idols, they will manufacture others. But when the preaching of divine grace opens a way to the heart, it will facilitate if the sensible impression to which idolatry cleaves be taken away. Thus Gallus confirmed the impression that his discourse made, by dashing in pieces the images before the eyes of the wild pagan multitude, and thus giving them ocular demonstration of the nothingness and weakness of their false gods.

At this place the monks occupied themselves with gardening and planting fruit-trees. Gallus wove nets and attended to fishing. His success was so great that he not only supplied the other monks with fish, but also entertained strangers, often made presents to the people.*

and

* A similar account is given of Bishop Wilfred, who preached the gospel in Sussex towards the close of the seventh century. When he first came there, a famine prevailed: the sea and the rivers were full of fish; but the people only knew how to catch eels. He was obliged to instruct them in fishing. He collected all the nets; his people used them in the right manner, and caught three hundred fishes of different kinds. One hundred of these he kept for his own people, a hundred he gave to the owners of the net, and the remaining hundred to the poor. By this means he won the love of the people; and as they were so much indebted to him for their temporal welfare, they listened to him more willingly when he discoursed of heavenly things.

FOUNDS THE MONASTERY OF ST. GALL.

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When they were expelled from this region, and the Abbot Columban was proceeding to Italy, Gallus was prevented from following him by illness-and this circumstance proved a great blessing to the people among whom they had been residing; for otherwise Gallus would have not been to them what he actually became. Gallus being thus left behind betook himself with his fishing-nets to a priest named Willimar, who lived in an old castle, and had already received him hospitably with the Abbot Columban, and had assigned them their residences. After he had been restored to health by this person's affectionate care, he wished to find out a place in the forest for building and cultivating. He therefore applied to the deacon Hillibald, whose business it was to supply his people with fish and birds, who hence frequently traversed the woods, and was well acquainted with the paths. In company with him he wished to find out a place suited for building and provided with good water. The deacon gave him a fearful description of the multitude of wild beasts in the forest, but Gallus answered him : It is an expression of the apostle's, 'If God be for us, who can be against us?' and again: All things work together for good to them that love God; He who preserved Daniel in the lion's den, can deliver me from the power of the wild beasts." The deacon then said: "Put only some bread and a little net in your knapsack; to-morrow I will take you into the forest; that God who has brought you here to us from a distant land will also send his angel with us, as he once did with Tobias, and show us a place answering to your pious wishes." Gallus prepared himself for his journey by prayer; when they had travelled till two or three o'clock, Hillibald said: "Let us now take some bread and water, that we may be strengthened to pursue the rest of our way." Gallus answered: 66 My son, do what is necessary for your own strengthening; I am resolved to taste nothing till God has pointed out to me the desired place of rest." But the deacon answered: "No-we will share the discomfort together, and then the joy." They proceeded till towards evening, when they came to a stream full of fish, running down from a rock; they succeeded in catching a quantity of fish-the deacon made a fire, broiled the fish, and took bread out of their knapsack. Meanwhile Gallus had gone a little on one

side in order to pray, but being entangled in the bushes he fell down; the deacon hastened to help him up, but Gallus refused bis aid, saying: "Let me alone; this is my restingplace for life; here will I dwell." He consecrated the place by prayer, and after he had risen up, he made a cross with a small twig, planted it in the earth, and hung on the cross some relics which he used to wear in a case about his neck. Here they both knelt down again to pray; and on this spot was founded the monastery, afterwards called by his name, St. Gall. Here Gallus laboured in the education of youth, in the training of ecclesiastics and monks, by whom the seeds of Christian knowledge were scattered still wider; he also dispensed many spiritual and temporal benefits among the people. When he received presents from wealthy individuals he assembled crowds of poor people in the district, and distributed among them what he had thus obtained. On one such occasion, one of his scholars said to him: "My father, I have a costly silver vessel, beautifully enchased; if you approve, I will reserve it, that it may be used at the Holy Supper." But Gallus answered: "My son, think of Peter's words, Gold and silver have I none:' and in order that you may not act contrary to so wholesome an example, hasten and dispose of it for the good of the poor; my teacher Columban used to distribute the Lord's body in a vessel of brass."

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The vacant bishopric of Costnitz was offered to Gallus: but he preferred discharging the quiet duties of his convent, and therefore declined the office. He obtained the appointment for the deacon Johannes, a native of the country, who had studied the Scriptures under him. At the consecration of the bishop, a great multitude of persons came from all quarters; Gallus availed himself of the opportunity to impress on the hearts of those who had recently been converted to Christianity, the love of God as exhibited in creation and redemption, and to trace, in a connected manner, the leadings of God's providence for the salvation of mankind. He entered the pulpit with his late scholar Johannes, who interpreted to the people in German, a discourse which he delivered in Latin. Speaking of the creation he said: "God created beings endowed with reason, to praise him and to be happy from him, in him, and through him. You ought to know