Page:Beautifulpearlso00oreirich.djvu/390

 It might  be  tedious,  and  alien  to  our  special  intention, to  follow  out  this  in  detail,  but  it  would  not  be difficult  to  do  so  in  the  case  of  every  eminent  Order and Congregation. That certain  Orders  have  arisen near each  other  in  time,  thus  causing  the  appearance of  wonder-working  Saints  in  groups,  is  just what we  might  expect  when  we  study  the  phenomena of  miracles.

Those recorded  in  the  Bible  lay  down,  as  it  were, the rule,  and  we  therein  find  whole  tracts  of  years without surpernatural  intervention;  then  on  a  sudden are  large  clusters  of  strange  events  wrought by the  power  of  God,  through  the  hands  of  men. When God's  people  were  to  be  delivered  from Egypt, and  led  into  the  Promised  Land;  when  He would  give  His  sanction  to  the  Prophetic  Order; when His  Church  was  founded;  then  to  Moses  and Aaron; to  Elias  and  Eliseus;  to  Peter  and  Paul were given  the  kind  of  powers  that  St.  Antony  and St. Peregrine Laziosi,  St. Vincent Ferrer  and  St. Francis  Xavier  possessed  in  later  ages.

In the  spiritual  world,  as  in  this,  there  are  peculiarities of  gifts,  characters,  temperaments;  sanctity does not  reduce  or  elevate  the  blessed  to  one  level. " Some  Saints  can  help  us  in  one  trouble,  others  in another,"  wrote  St.  Teresa;  we  may  go  further  and say that,  as  here  below  the  dominant  note  of  one character is  authority,  of  another  sympathy,  of another  a  bright  and  affectionate  playfulness;  so the  wonders  wrought  after  death  by  St.  Winifred, by St. Edmund Rich,  by  St.  Philomena,  show  differences of  character  as  clearly  as  if  they  were  still alive. There are  many-sided  men  in  this  life,  and in the  life  beyond  the  veil:  such  an  one  was  he of  whom  we  now  consider  the  saintliness  and  the marvels.

Ferdinand de  Buglione,  as  was  his  name  in  the world by  birth  and  baptism,  was  born  at  Lisbon in the  year  1195. His parents  were  noble  and wealthy, and  the  boy  received  an  education  such  as became  his  rank,  at  the  Cathedral  School. It is sometimes  said  that  the  dedication  of  the  Cathedral to Our  Lady  was  the  cause  of  his  singular  devotion towards her;  but,  without  this  special  reason,  it would  indeed  have  been  strange  if  he,  who  was  to prove  so  holy,  had  not  always  been  a  faithful  client of the   Queen  of  Saints. There was,  however,   a Sodality  or  Confraternity  of  Our  Lady  connected with the  Cathedral,  and  of  this  he  was  a  member. In after  years  his  fellow-sodalists  vested  his  image year by  year  in  red  cassock  and  cotta,  such  as  he had  been  wont  to  wear  at  her  altar  when  a  boy.

At the  age  of  fifteen  he  became  a  novice  with  the Canons Regular  of  St.  Augustine,  that  Congregation of  which  Thomas  a  Kempis  was  so  great  an ornament. Their house  was  just  outside  the  gates  of Lisbon,  too  near  home  to  allow  him  to  be  wholly  free from distraction;  he  therefore  asked  for  and  obtained his transfer  to  Coimbra,  and  here  at  the  age  of seventeen  he  was  able  to  give  himself  entirely  to  a life  of  study,  solitude  and  prayer. Not, however, with these  Religious  had  he  found  his  true  vocation. In the  "  Imitation  of  Christ "  is  a  well-known passage wherein  Thomas  recognizes  that,  blessed  as was  the  life  of  the  Canons  Regular,  there  were  Religious who  led  stricter  lives  than  they. He does not mention  the  Franciscans  indeed,  only  the  Carthusians and  Cistercians;  but  the  Franciscans  were no doubt  in  his  mind  among  "  the  monks  and  nuns of  divers  Orders."

The Franciscan  Order  was  founded  in  the  beginning of  the  thirteenth  century,  which  may  becalled  the  heart  of  the  Middle  Ages,  soon  after that of  St.  Dominic,  not  long  before  that  of  the Servants of  Mary. The times  stood  sorely  in  need of these  three  austere  bodies;  for  the  great  light of faith  which  streamed  on  the  world  in  the  Ages of Faith  was  attended  with  corresponding  dark shadows. The Cathari,  the  Waldenses,  the  Albigenses,  and  other  sectaries  less  well-known  by name,  assailed  both  faith  and  morals,  while  Italy, and indeed  the  whole  empire,  was  torn  asunder  by the  bloody  feuds  of  Guelf  and  Ghibelline. The Moors were  still,  and  even  up  to  the  battle  of Lepanto  in  1571,  an  abiding  danger  to  Europe;  in the  days  of  St.  Francis  much  of  Spain  was  actually under their  sway. Among his  daring  plans  was that of  a  Crusade  by  wholly  spiritual  arms,  and  he designed  two  expeditions,  one  starting  from  Ancona for Egypt,  the  other  destined  for  Seville  and Granada.

This band  of  brethen  passed  into  Morocco, where, though  the  Sultan  Miramolino  was  converted, five  of  them  laid  down  their  lives  for  the