"world. Tender lambs must be slain, for the Lamb, "who is come to take away the sins of the world, is "to be crucified. But the Mothers wail, because they lose their lambs, that scarce have voice to "make their bleatings heard. O wonderful martyr"dom! O sight most cruel! The sword is unsheathed, " and there is no enemy; jealousy alone spurs on the band, for He, that is born, would injure no man.

"There, then, sit the Mothers, weeping over their "lambs. A voice in Rama is heard, lamentation "and great mourning. These sweet pledges are not mere things entrusted to their care, they are the "children of their own wombs; they are pledges, "but they are not given, they are cruelly stolen from "them. Nature herself is witness, it betrays the "children whom the tyrant is in search of. The Mother tears her hair, for she has lost her beauty "in losing her babe. Oh! how she sought to hide "him, and the innocent one betrayed himself! He "knew not how to be silent, for he had not yet "learnt to fear. The Mother struggled with the "executioner; he seized her child, resolved to murder

him; she clung to him, resolved to hold him to her "bosom. Why,' she exclaimed, 'why separate me "from my child? I gave him birth, and I fed him "at my breast untiringly. I bore him in my arms "with fondest care, and thy cruel hand has dashed him on the ground! This fresh and lovely fruit— 'thus trampled on !'

A second Mother bade the executioner take away "her life together with that of her child: he would "not, and she cried out to him: Why dost thou "send me away, having slain my son? If there was any fault, I only could be guilty: if there was no fault, let me die with my babe, and rid me of my wretched life.' A third exclaimed: 'What is "it that ye seek? Ye are in search of one, and ye slay so many! and Him, who is One, ye cannot find!'

66 6

And again another cried out: 'Come, O come, "thou Saviour of the world! How long shalt thou "be sought for? Thou fearest no man: let these "soldiers see thee, and so not slay our children.' "These were the lamentations of the Mothers; and the (6 immolation of their Babes ascended as a sacrifice to heaven."

Among these Children thus cruelly massacred, from the age of two years and under, there were some belonging to those Shepherds of Bethlehem, who had been called, on the Night of our Saviour's Birth, to go and adore him in his Crib. These, after Mary and Joseph, the first worshippers of the Incarnate Word, thus offered, to the God who had called them, the most precious treasure they possessed. They knew to what Child their children were sacrificed, and a holy pride filled their souls, as they thought of this new proof of God's singular mercy to them, in preference to so many others of their fellow-creatures.

As to Herod, he was foiled in his schemes, as must ever be the case with them that wage war against Christ and his Church. His edict for the murder of every male child that was two years old or younger, included Bethlehem and its entire neighbourhood; but the Child he alone cared for, and wished to destroy, escaped the sword and fled into Egypt. It was another proof of the world's folly in opposing the designs of God; and, in this instance, the very measure that was intended to effect evil, produced good-the tyrant enriched the Church of heaven with Saints, and the Church militant with so many fresh patrons.

1

Jesus, the new-born King of the Jews, who causes Herod to tremble on his throne, is but a Little Child, without so much as one single soldier to

1 St. Matth. ii. 2.

defend him. Herod, like all the persecutors of the Church, has an instinctive knowledge, which teaches him, that this apparent weakness is real and formidable power: what neither he nor his successors knew, was, that it is worse than useless, and worse than folly, to attempt to crush a spiritual power by the sword. This apparent weakness of the Babe of Bethlehem will increase with his years; now he flees from the tyrant who seeks his life; but later on, when he has grown into Manhood, he will not escape from his enemies; they will fasten him to an infamous gibbet, between two Thieves-but, on that very day, a Roman Governor will declare this Jesus to be King; he will write, with his own hand, the inscription to be nailed on the Cross: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Pilate will give Jesus, and with all possible formality, that very Title, which now makes Herod turn pale: the enemies of Jesus will protest, they will insist on the Title being altered; but Pilate will not change an iota, and will say: What I have written, I have written. As on the day of his Crucifixion, he will admit one of the two Thieves to share in his triumph; so now, that he is laid in the Crib, he will share his glory with the Innocents of Bethlehem.

The Mass is given above, page 314. The Gloria in excelsis is said.

Let us once more honour these dear Innocents, by culling their praises from the various Liturgies. We will begin with three Responsories from the Roman Breviary.

RESPONSORIES.

R. Isti qui amicti sunt stolis albis, qui sunt, et unde venerunt? Et dixit mihi: Hi sunt, qui vene

R. These that are clad in white robes, who are they, and whence came they? And he said unto me: *These are

1 St. John, xix. 22.

The two Collects which follow, are from the Leonian Sacramentary.

PRAYER.

in eorum celebritate gaudere, qui Filio tuo Domino nostro testimonium præbuerunt etiam non loquentes.

we beseech thee, that we may rejoice on this the Feast of them, who bore testimony, though they spoke not, to thy Son, our Lord.

PRAYER.

Tribue, Domine, quæsumus, fidelibus tuis, ut, sicut ait Apostolus, non efficiantur pueri sensibus, sed malitia innoxii reperiantur ut parvuli; ut Martyres festivitatis hodiernæ, quos meritis æquare non possunt, mentis simplicitate sectentur. Per Christum Domi

num nostrum.

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord, to thy faithful people, that, as thy Apostle saith, they may become children not in sense, but in malice; that thus they may imitate the Martyrs of this day's Feast by the simplicity of their hearts, since they cannot attain to the merits they acquired. Through Christ our Lord.

We take the following beautiful prayer from the Mozarabic Breviary of the Gothic Liturgy of Spain.

CAPITULA.

Christe, inenarrabile lu- O Jesus, Light ineffable of men mundi, qui adhuc in ipsis cunabulis constitutus, nondum effectus martyr, martyrii palma catervas Infantium dedicasti : qui necdum loqui valentes, sub mucrone sævientium varios fecisti mugitus emittere: quorum animas de abditis infernorum, te spontanee pro nobis omnibus moriente, maluisti eripere; inspira eis, sine intermissione orare pro parvulis: ut, qui propriis non valeamus supplicationibus emundari a crimine, eorum, qui te, quocumque ieris, cum hymnis, et canticis adsequuntur, et hic et in æternum postulationibus abluamur

the world! who, whilst yet in thy Crib, and not thyself a Martyr, didst give the palm of martyrdom to the army of Innocents who, not being able to speak, did, by thy will, utter their many cries when being massacred by the cruel soldiers whose souls, when thou didst freely die for all our sakes, were taken by thee from the depths of limbo:-to these same, O Jesus, inspire the desire of incessantly praying for us, the little and weak: that thus, not deserving to be cleansed from our sins by our own prayers, we may obtain both present and eternal purity by the intercession of them, that follow thee whithersoever thou goest, singing to thee their hymns and canticles.