Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/409

395 ST. HUMILITY 805 with tears, '* Let my brother despise my body, bnt let the servant of God not despise a soul for whom Christ died." Then Bernard came to the door and talked to her. He told her to give np all luxury and vanity, and take example by her mother. Humbelina went home, and lived for two years the life of a nun in her own house. After that her hus- band lot her go to Julli, where she took the veil, and spent the rest of her life, and was visited on her death-bed by St. Bernard. She is regarded as the founder and mother of all Cistercian nuns, having established for women the rule which St. Bernard founded for men. Her name is in the Cistercian appendix to the B.M. Henriquez, Lilia Ctstercii, gives an account of the rule and customs and different of&ces in the nunneries of this order. Helyot. Baillet. St. Humberga (l), June 29, 30, V. 1 2th century. Commemorated in the Monumenta of St. Michael's, in Lorraine. Sister of St. Theobald, priest and hermit, of the Order of Camaldoli (Martin, French Martyrology). Migne. Mas Latrie. The contemporary Life of St. Theobald is given in the AA,SS,, but Humberga is not mentioned in it. St. Humberga (2), Humbelina. St. Humburga, countess and abbess, Feb. 20, is perhaps Humbelina. St. Humburgulina, Humbelina. B. Humiliana, June 2. Emiliana DE Cerchi is so called in the A.B,M. St Humility, May 23, Dec. 13. + 1 310. First abbess of the Order of Yallombrosa. Her name in the world was RoxANA or Eosana, so called from a little town between Parma and Reggio. Humility, her name as a nun, is trans- lated into all the languages in which her story is told: in Italian, Umilta; in German, Demuth, etc. She is represented in several ancient statues and pictures with a fillet of lamb's wool round her head, or with a lamb's skin or fleece on her head. Boxana Elimonte, or Alitmonte, came of a noble and wealthy family, and was born at Faenza in 1 226. She grew up beautiful and amiable, and early prayed that the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist might protect and befriend her. One day she was dressed after the fashion of the time and place and of her rank, so as to display her beauty to the greatest advantage, but suddenly she was shocked at her own worldliness. She returned to her chamber and prayed, and from that day she cared no more for such vanities. Her parents were disappointed, fearing she would not make so good a marriage as they had hoped. One of the kinsmen of the Emperor Frederick 11., whoentered Faenza with the victorious army after a long siege, heard of the beauty and good qualities of Boxana, and was seized with a passion for her. He sent her many messengers, whom, however, she would not receive. At last he sent to her parents to ask for her hand, but she made them answer that she would have no husband but Christ. Then he ceased to trouble her, and spoke of her as the best and purest of maidens, but Boxana did not relax her seclusion and vigilance as long as he remained in the town. Soon after this incident, her father died, and she married a nobleman of Faenza, Ugolotto dei Caccianemici. When they had been married nine or ten years, and had several sons and daughters, they separated for the sake of greater perfection. Boxana, who was now twenty-four, entered the monastery of St. Perpbtua, near Faenza, while Ugo- lotto joined the exterior brethren of the same place, and from that day she never saw him again. She was now called Sister Humility, and made such won- derful progress in holiness as to be an example of all the virtues most difficult of attainment. She was quite illiterate when she entered the convent, but one day the nuns called her and bade her read during their meal according to the custom of the house. She bowed, and opening the book, began, '' See that ye despise not the works of God. . ." going on to sentiments of such lofty devotion that the whole community hung entranced on her words. She finished with an admirable sentence of personal application, which all belived to be in- spired by the Holy Spirit, and this opinion was confirmed when it was known that what she had so marvellously