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 vn] THE MONASTIC CHARACTER 197 of the life to come ; and the doctrine of a purgatorial fire, which purges lesser sins after the sinner's death but before the Last Judgment, has come to him.* His great practical insight and ability does not prevent his ready credence of miracles preposterous or otherwise ; they occupy the greater part of his Dialogi de Vita et miraculis Patrum Italicorum. He has, likewise, a full mediaeval reverential fear of relics, which can work miracles or death.' And he is mediaeval in that he is a sombre character, upon whom weighs the respon- sibility of his pontificate, and over whom already impends the mediaeval Dies Irae. He bids his corre- spondents be mindful of that Day : In interitu ergo re- rum omnium pensare debemus nil fuisse quod amavimus. Appropinquantem itaque aetemi judicis diem sollicita mente conspicite, et terrorem ipsius poenitendo praevenite. Delictorum omnium maculas Jletibus lavate. Iram quae aetema imminet temporali lamento compesciteJ^ These are dark words ; the joyful world is no more. Contem- plation of God is blessedness in the present life, which otherwise is danger and distress ; in such contempla- tion there is fear of Hell and love of God, a love which also does not cease to shed tears of penitence. 1 Dialogi, IV, 39; see this fourth book of the Dialogi, paxaim. 26; VIII, Ep. 35. s " lu the face of the destruction of all things, we ought to hold what we have loved as nothing. Gaze upon the Day of the Eternal Judge with a soltcitoos mind, and forestall its terror by repentance. Wash out with tears the stains of every sin. With present lament quiet the wrath hanging over ua from eternity" (Lib. UI, Ep. 29, to the clergy of Milan).
 * See Lib. IV, Ep. 30, Ad Constantiam Augustam ; also VII, Ep.