Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/146

134 134 ST. PAULA St. Paula (2), Jan. 10. M. with her husband St. Lucian and their four sous. AA.SS. Compare Paula (1). SS. Paula (3) and Cassia, July 20, MM. with fourteen others at Damascus. B.M, AA.SS, St Paula (4), Aug. 10, V. M. at Carthage with Bassa (3). B.M. St. Paula («*)), June 18. Stoned at Malaga with her brother St. Cyriacus about 305. They were descended from some of the earliest converts to Chris- tianity in Spain. B.M, AA,SS. SS. Paula (6-12). MM. at sundry times and places. AA,SS. St. Paula (13), Jan. 2G or 27, 347- 404. Eepresented ( 1 ) with her daughter, as pilgrims ; (2) with a book. St. Paula has become famous through the writings of her teacher, St. Jerome. She is regarded as the founder of the Jeronimites, although, in fact, she did not found an Order. Her father, Eogatus, was descended from Agamemnon. Among the vast possessions he bequeathed to Paula, was the rich city of Nicopolis near Actium. Her mother, Bliesilla, traced her descent from the Scipios, the Gracchi, and Paulus Emilius. AH the best tra- ditions of the virtuous days of old Eomo were kept up in her family, and Paula added to her grand descent and boundless wealth a most noble character and un- common abilities. She was a favourite everywhere from her kind and generous disposition and her brilliant mental and social gifts. She married Toxotius, of the family of the Julii who descended from uEneas. They lived as people of their rank and wealth then lived in Eome. Paula painted her face, darkened her eyes and plaited with her own dark hair, yellow tresses from the head of some fair barbarian ; she wore silk and jewels and cloth of gold ; she was carried in a silver litter, she cramped her feet into gold shoes in which she could not walk without the support of a slave on each side of her. About 379 she was left a widow, at the age of thirty- two, with five children : four daughters, St. Bljesilla, Paulina, St. Eustochium, and Eufina, and a son named Toxotius, who was the father of St. Paula (14). Paula nearly died of grief for the loss of her husband, but her friend Marc ELLA, who was already well known in Eome for her self-denying and devout life, persuaded her to consecrate herself from that time unreservedly to Grod. She began at once to practice great austerity in her daily life, denying her- self all but the very simplest food, for- bidding herself meat, wine, fish, eggs and honey, and sleeping on a rough hair cloth, spread on the ground. The splen- dour of dress and the visits of pleasure and ceremony, suddenly broken off by her Widowhood, were never resumed. She devoted her immense wealth and much of her time to the relief of the 'POOT. In 381 the bishops of the East and West were summoned to Eome, by letters from the Emperors, to deal with certain dissensions between the Churches. Pope Damasus called a council, to which among others came the aged S t.Epiphaniu8,bishop of Salamis in Cyprus. Paula was asked to receive him as her guest ; she gladly received him and extended her hospi- tality to his friend Paulinus, bishop of Antioch. She and her friends were de- lighted to entertain them and hear their experiences. They questioned them eagerly about the recluses of both sexes .in the Thebaid. Epiphanius could tell them many things that aroused their interest and wonder. He marvelled greatly to see the asceticism of the desert reproduced in the heart of luxurious Eome, all the more as these hermits in the gay city were women whom he had expected to find given up to the frivolity of their class. At the same time St. Jerome, whose extraordinary learning and ability made him indispensable to Damasus, was bidden to Eome, as the Pope's secretary, and became the welcome guest of Marcella. At her house he often met Paula and her daughters, and soon became their instructor and devoted friend, and when Epiphanius and the other bishops left Eome, Jerome remained for more than a year. He went to Jerusalem and thence wrote letters to Paula and to her daughter, to Marcella, and others of that happy group of friends. He charged Paula to