scribere non dubitaverit, sicut Hieronymi et Augustini, ita Isidori dicta retinenda esse, ubi contigerit inusitatum negotium, quod per Canones minime definiri possit. Plures etiam ex ejusdem scriptis sententiæ inter canonicas Ecclesiæ leges relatæ conspiciuntur. Præfuit Concilio Toletano IV omnium Hispaniæ celeberrimo. Denique cum ab Hispania arianam hæresim eliminasset, morte sua, et regni vastatione a Saracenorum armis publice prænuntiata, postquam quadraginta circiter annos suam rexisset Ecclesiam, Hispali migravit in cœlum anno sexcentesimo trigesimo sexto. Ejus corpus inter Leandrum fratrem, et Florentinam sororem, ut ipse mandaverat, primo conditum, Ferdinandus primus Castellæ, et Legionis rex ab Eneto Saraceno Hispali dominante magno pretio redemptum, Legionem transtulit; et in ejus honorem templum ædificatum est, ubi miraculis clarus, magna populi devotione colitur.

not to say, in a letter addressed to the Bishops of Britain, that one ought to adhere to the words of Isidore with that same respect as is shown to those of Jerome and Augustine, as often as a difficult case should arise, which could not be settled by Canon Law. Several sentences of his works have been inserted into the body of the Canon Law. He presided over the Fourth Council of Toledo, which is the most celebrated of all those that have been held in Spain. At length, after having driven the arian heresy out of Spain, he publicly foretold the day of his death, and the devastation of the country by the Saracens; and having governed his See for about forty years, he died at Seville, in the year 636. His body was first buried, as himself had requested, between those of his brother and sister, Leander and Florentina. Afterwards, Ferdinand the 1st, King of Castille and Leon, purchased it, for a large sum of money, from Enetus, the Saracen governor of Seville, and had it translated to Leon. Here, a Church was built in his honour, and the miracles that are wrought by his intercession, have led the people to honour him with great devotion. Faithful Pastor! the Christian people honour thy virtues and thy services; they rejoice in the recompense wherewith God has crowned thy merits; hear the prayers that are offered to thee during these the days of salvation. When on earth, thy vigilance

over the flock intrusted to thy care was untiring; consider us as a part of it, and defend us from the ravenous wolves that cease not to seek our destruction. May thy prayers obtain for us that fulness of graces needed for our worthily completing the holy Season, which is so near its close. Keep up our courage; incite us to fervour; prepare us for the great Mysteries we are about to celebrate. We have bewailed our sins, and, though feebly, we have done penance for them; the work of our Conversion has, therefore, made progress; and, now, we must perfect it by the contemplation of the Passion and Death of our Redeemer. Assist us, O thou his faithful and loving Servant! Do thou, whose life was ever pure, take Sinners under thy care, and hear the prayers offered to thee on this day by the Church. Look down from heaven on thy beloved Spain, which honours thee with such earnest devotion. Revive her ancient ardour of Faith; restore to her the vigour of Christian morality; remove from her the tares that have sprung up among the good seed. The whole Church reveres thy noble Country for her staunch adhesion to the truths of Faith ;-pray for her, that she may come unhurt from the ordeal she is now being put through, and ever prove herself worthy of that glorious title of The Catholic Kingdom, which thou didst help her to gain.

SAINT VINCENT FI

TO-DAY, again, it is Catholic Spain her Sons to the Church, that she to the Christian world as a mod Vincent Ferrer, or, as he was calle Judgment, comes to us proclaim proach of the Judge of the liv During his life time, he traver country of Europe, preaching th and the people of those times wen striking their breasts, crying out mercy upon them,-in a word, co our days, the thought of that awfu Christ will appear in the clouds of mankind, has not the same effect They believe in the Last Judgment Article of Faith; but, we repeat, duces little impression. After long life, a special grace touches the hea a conversion; there are thousand but the majority of them continu comfortable, life, seldom thinking less seldom on the Judgment wh bring Time to an end.

It was not thus in the Christian

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Missam summo mane cum cantu celebravit, quotidie ad populum concionem habuit, inviolabile semper jestrict junium, nisi urgens adespru- set necessitas, servavit ; con- sancta, et recta consilia rate nullis denegavit, carnes gar- numquam comedit, nec con- vestem lineam induit, postored pulorum jurgia sedavit, were dissidentia regna pace comlously posuit ; et cum vestis inconand sutilis Ecclesiæ diro schisseam- mate scinderetur, ut uniurch, retur, et unita servaretur, s rent plurimum laboravit. Virshone tutibus omnibus claruit, imple suosque detractores et pered his secutores, in simplicitate, with et humilitate ambulans, cum mansuetudine recepit, et amplexus est.

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Per ipsum divina virtus, rought in confirmationem vitæ et nation prædicationis ejus, multa fe and signa et miracula fecit. uently Nam frequentissime super th, by ægros manus imposuit, et them, sanitatem adepti sunt: spimclean ritus immundos e corporif such bus expulit; surdis auditum, mutis loquelam, cæcis visum restituit; leprosos blind. mundavit, mortuos suscised the tavit. Senio tandem et worn morbo confectus infatigay infir- bilis Evangelii præco, plurough rimis Europæ provinciis be, and cum ingenti animarum arvest fructu peragratis, Venetiæ herald in Britannia minori, prædied his cationis et vitæ cursum feliciter consummavit, anno

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APRIL 5.

SAINT VINCENT FERRER,

CONFESSOR.

TO-DAY, again, it is Catholic Spain that offers one of her Sons to the Church, that she may present him. to the Christian world as a model and a patron. Vincent Ferrer, or, as he was called, the Angel of the Judgment, comes to us proclaiming the near approach of the Judge of the living and the dead. During his life time, he traversed almost every country of Europe, preaching this terrible truth; and the people of those times went from his sermons striking their breasts, crying out to God to have mercy upon them,-in a word, converted. In these our days, the thought of that awful Day, when Jesus Christ will appear in the clouds of heaven and judge mankind, has not the same effect upon Christians. They believe in the Last Judgment, because it is an Article of Faith; but, we repeat, the thought produces little impression. After long years of a sinful life, a special grace touches the heart, and we witness a conversion; there are thousands thus converted, but the majority of them continue to lead an easy, comfortable, life, seldom thinking on Hell, and still less seldom on the Judgment wherewith God is to bring Time to an end.

It was not thus in the Christian Ages; neither is

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