Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/81

67 ST. ANNA 67 bad never yet walked, ran up to the top of the flight without assistance. When Joachim and Anna had made their offer- ing, they left Mary in the temple with the other virgins, and returned home. Mary grew in holiness daily, and had vifiions from God. Anna was thirty-six years old when Joachim died. She then married Clopas, brother of St. Joseph the carpenter, and bad,by him, a daughter Mary, whomarried Alpbfens and had four sons — James the Lras, Judas Thaddcus, Simon Zelotes, and Joseph the Just. After the death of Clopas, Anna took, as her third hus- band, Salome, and had another daughter, Mary Salome, who married Zebedee, and was the mother of the two apostles, SS. James the More and John the Evangelist. Anna lived until our Lord Christ was one year old. In the time of Octavian her soul was carried to Abraham's bosom; at the ascension of Christ it was carried to heaven, where she has a very honourable place, being one of the saints who enjoy the glory of the great God. Another legend, giving miraculous birth and ancient lineage to Anna, is to be found among those collected by Le Bonz de Lincy, who derives it from a metrical Bible of the 13th century. It is as follows: — A thousand years after the fall of Adun, God transported the tree of life into the garden of St. Abraham, and sent an angel to inform the patriarch that on this tree the Son of God should be oruoifled, that the flower of the tree would give birth to a knight who would bring into the world, without the assist- ance of any woman, a virgin, whom Grod would choose for His mother. Abraham had a daughter who breathed the perfume of the tree, and thereby became enceinte. The Jews condemned her to be burned to death. She went into the fire, and proved her innocence by remaining unhurt in the midst of it. All the flames then changed into flowers ; there was not a coal or a brand but became a lily or a rose. By-and-by she gave birth to a son, who grew up a valiant knight, and rose to be king, and eventually Emperor. His name was Fahouel. He was the possessor' of the Tree of Life, and although he did not thoroughly understand all its properties, when sick or wounded persons came to him for help, he cut a fruit from the tree, divided it in several pieces, and distributed them to the sufferers, who were thereby cured of whatever diseases or injuries they had. When he cut the fruit he always wiped the knife on his thigh, until at last the juice of the fruit got into the thigh, which swelled and gave him some trouble and anxiety. All the physicians of the country tried their skill in vain. The thigh grew bigger every day for nine months, and then produced the prettiest little demoiselle that ever was seen. That was ** Sainte Anne que Dieu aima tanC' The Emperor was much ashamed of the slur that thus fell on his character. He called a knight, who was his confidential attendant, and told him to take the child into the middle of a forest and kill her. The knight proceeded to obey. Just as he was going to strike his victim, a dove appeared from heaven, saying, " Knight,, do not kill this child ; for of her shall be bom a virgin whom God will choose for His mother." So he put the babe into a swan's nest and left her. A stag brought her food, and, if she cried, gave her flowers to comfort her. About ten years after this, Fanouel one day went hunting in the wood, and followed the very stag that had adopted the deserted child. The stag took refuge under the swan's nest, 'Where the little girl still lived. The Emperor was astonished to find a. beautifnl young lady, ten years of age, in a swan's nest, and said to her, *' My beauty, who are you ? " To which the wise child replied, " Sire, I am your daughter." He found she knew the whole story, so he took her to court and married her to Joachim, a knight of his empire. Of this marriage was born the Blessed Virgin Mary. A legend of Anna, told by Dr. Mant, and said to be derived from the writings of Hippolytus the martyr, is that she was the youngest of three daughters of Mat than the priest, and Mary his wife. The two elder sisters, Mary and Sobe, married in Bethlehem. Mary had a