keeping with those solemn thoughts which the long cherished purpose of her mind had not failed to inspire into her bosom. Alone, amid the lambkins which browzed at her feet or sported round their dams, she had leisure to elevate her thoughts on high, and the majesty of God filled her bosom with ineffable sensations of awe, of gratitude, and of love. Silent meadows of Nanterre, could your lovely plains give utterance to the pure emotions of which ye were so many times the unconscious witnesses, how many holy breathings might ye not record, which, in gentle murmurings from the lips of Geneviève, filled your breezes with fragrant aspirations of the most devoted love to GOD; and ye flower-enamelled banks of the Seine, whose waters were swelled and sanctified by the tears which, bursting from her eyes, sweetly gave vent to the overpowered feelings of the saint, what a rich testimony might ye not bear to the hallowed prayers of the future spouse of Christ, when in the purity of a celestial love, she poured all her soul's most affectionate desires into the bosom of her crucified Lord. Scenes of her youth, happy would ye have been to have detained the virgin within the seclusion of your retired abodes. But a higher destiny awaited her, and she whose piety had in her childhood hallowed the verdant meads of Nanterre, was, in her maturer years, and venerable old age, to shed the lustre of her miracles over the rising fame of Paris. Being deprived by death of both her parents, Severus and Gerentia, GOD, who in an especial manner takes care of the orphan, provided for her a home in the house of a Parisian lady who had held her over the font at baptism, and who now gave proof of her affectionate solicitude towards her god-daughter by inviting her to reside with her at Paris. Here she enjoyed all those advantages of attending the daily services of the Church, which her soul so ardently longed for.

Fostered in her religious impressions by this pious lady, she prepared herself beneath her roof, for embracing that religious life, to which she had been dedicated by so remarkable a vocation. At the age of fifteen, she was presented to the bishop of Paris to receive from him the veil. Two other virgins, older than herself, were her companions in taking the vows. The youngest of the three, her modesty contented itself with that place which her years had assigned her. The bishop, however, though he knew her not, touched with an inward feeling of her pre-eminence, of his own accord called her forward. "Let her," said he," who follows behind be placed first. Heaven has already sanctified her." Thus did her humility receive that reward which Christ himself foretold in the parable in the Gospel: "When thou art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place; that when he who invited thee cometh, he

Then shalt thou have glory
Because every one that ex-

may say to thee: Friend, go up higher. before them that sit at table with thee. alteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." This distinction, however, far from filling Geneviève with pride, only rendered her more humble, and a lovely blush suffused that face which was just going to hide its charms from the gaze of the world beneath the veil of the "Religieuse."

From this period, till she was turned fifty, she took no regular meal, except twice a week, Thursday and Saturday; and then only barley bread with a few beans. Her drink was of the simplest kind. After she became fifty, however, at the injunction of some bishops, whose commands she would not disobey, she consented to take a little fish with milk. Half of her time, she devoted to exercises of religion,-the other half to consoling the infirm and the poor. Every Saturday-night she spent in prayer and watching, keeping vigil for the incoming of the dawn of that day, which, in its weekly cycle, bears testimony to the resurrection of the Lord, whose hallowed name it has been honoured to bear, for now upwards of eighteen hundred years.

A retreat of three months from Epiphany to Maunday Thursday, prepared her for the Paschal Communion. Such mortifications, while they gave vigour to the spirit, were too much for the tender weakness of her bodily frame, and a paralysis bowed her limbs beneath its terrible stroke. For three days, she gave no other sign of life than a slight flush upon her cheek. On the close of the third, she awoke perfectly restored from a trance in which she saw heaven open, and had been carried by angels to the place of the just. Sweet rewards of her past labours! delightful consolations amid many a future hour of trial and of toil. And such was now awaiting her. Ardent in her devotional feelings, the warmth of her piety seems to have stirred up the enmity of some who found their own lukewarmness and irreligion condemned by the unremitting fervour and zeal of the saint, and the opprobrious epithets of hypocrite, visionary, etc. were unsparingly bestowed upon her by the tongue of calumny and slander. Painful as these undeserved reproaches were to a mind delicate as her's, she bore them with patience, trusting her cause to the protection of Him, who extends the shield of His defence over the helpless and the innocent. Nor was her confidence in vain. St. Germanus, at this time, visited Paris, vindicated her innocence, blessed her abode, and put to silence the voice of her calumniators. The storm, however, was allayed only for a time, and shortly burst out upon her with redoubled fury.

Attila, the Hun, surnamed "the Scourge of GOD," whom the vengeance of a justly offended GOD had brought from the confines of China, to chastise the guilty and ungrateful inhabitants of the Roman empire, had crossed the Rhine into Gaul, and was now carrying his victorious arms into that fertile province. Resistless as the mountain torrent, he poured down upon the champaign country; and Paris, in his imagination, seemed already within his grasp, and its wretched inhabitants the devoted victims of his relentless avarice and rage. Without hopes in themselves, distrusting of succours from without, an early flight seemed their only safety, and the removal of themselves and goods to other towns, more likely to escape his fury, appeared to be their sole resource. Geneviève, inspired of GOD, saw how vain were their expectations of security in those towns towards which they intended to direct their flight. She urged upon the Parisian matrons the all-powerful efficacy of prayer, and advised them to dissuade their husbands from trusting in human aid, but to throw themselves with implicit confidence upon the protecting arm of their GOD. This advice produced a hesitation in their counsels, which irritated the minds of those who had been the warmest in recommending a flight from Paris. Vexed at seeing their preparations for removal suspended, and in some instances the goods which had been begun to be packed up again unloaded, their fury knew no bounds. Like the holy prophet of old, Jeremiah, her voice was despised, her motives even called in question, and accused, as it were, of holding intelligence with the enemy. The popular fury and indignation at length rose to such a heighth, that her death was determined on; the only question being whether she should be stoned or drowned.

At this critical juncture, her heavenly Spouse, who watched over her with especial care, delivered her from the hands of her enemies in a most marvellous manner. Hincmar, afterwards Bishop of Paris, and then Archdeacon of Auxerre, arrived in the midst of all this tumult and commotion. Enquiring its cause, he immediately vindicated Geneviève, asserting the sanctity of her character as a chosen favourite of Heaven. "She," said he, "whom you have put on her trial we have heard our holy bishop Germanus declaring that she was chosen from her mother's womb to be dedicated to GOD, and even now I bear to her from the bishop the Eulogies (or Pain-benit) by him." Such a testimony of the respect and affection of St. Germanus for Geneviève, as well as pledge of his communion with her, changed at once the tide of popular feeling in her favour; and she who had been the object of their suspicion, became from henceforth the mistress of their most unbounded confidence. The events, indeed, confirmed the wisdom of her advice. The towns to

which they had looked as to cities of refuge, fell each of them into the hands of the Hun; while Paris, in answer to the prayers of Geneviève, escaped his fury, and shortly after received the joyful intelligence that the power of Attila was broken upon the plains of Chalons.

Enjoying now the confidence of her fellow-citizens, and looked upon by them in the light of a benefactress, it seems to have been about this time that, zealous in her love of GOD, and filled with gratitude for the blessing of the faith which the arms of the barbarians had just threatened to overwhelm, the ardour of her affection burned towards those holy martyrs who had won Gaul to the kingdom of Christ, even at the price of their own blood. She longed, therefore, to erect an edifice in honour of the martyr St. Denis, in the place where, with his companions SS. Rusticus and Eleutherius, he had laid down his life for the faith. Commissioned to this apostolic labour by the holy pontiff St. Clement, St. Denis had sealed his testimony by his blood, and justly won the patronage of that future kingdom of France which, as the Roman province of Gaul, he had annexed to the kingdom of his Lord. The task of erecting a basilica to the patron of France, well indeed became her who was destined to be the future patroness of its capital, Paris. Full of this idea, she applied to the priests, and urged on them the importance of such a work. Addressing them with the modesty which became her sex and age, she said: "Venerable holy fathers, and my seniors. I beg you would make a collection to build a basilica in honour of St. Denis, for none can doubt but that place is awful and tremendous." Willingly would they have entered into her views, but acknowledged that it was a work beyond their ability, as a supply of lime was especially deficient in their neighbourhood. No way discouraged, Geneviève had recourse to prayer; and the lime having been miraculously obtained, the building was commenced without delay. The faith of the holy virgin, and the miraculous powers with which she was endued, manifested themselves on another occasion while the basilica was proceeding. The weather was sultry, and the workmen were faint with thirst for want of drink, which could not be procured but at a very great distance. Geneviève, full of faith, made the sign of the cross over the empty vessel in which the refreshing beverage had been brought to them, and immediately it became full of water, which failed not till all were refreshed.

The miraculous powers with which divine grace distinguished this object of its favour, displayed themselves on several occasions in a remarkable manner. At one time, on Saturday night, when as usual she was going to keep watch, accompanied by many virgins, at the basilica

of St. Denis, the night being tempestuous, the candle which an attendant carried before her was suddenly blown out, thus leaving them involved in utter darkness. Geneviève came forward, and took the candle in her own hand. It immediately re-lighted of its own accord, and continued, while she carried it, to give a steady flame for herself and her companions. At another time, the candle which she placed by her side during a lengthened vigil continued to burn, as it were, unconsumed. The fame of this miracle attached so great a sanctity to this candle, that many sick who touched it, in the confidence of their faith, were healed. Many a time GOD's protecting care over her manifested itself terribly in avenging injuries that had been offered her. Thus a female who had stolen one of her slippers was suddenly struck blind. Terrified and humbled at this awful judgment, she had recourse to Geneviève, whom she had injured. She acknowledged her fault, and requested the intercession of her prayers for the recovery of her sight. The virgin smiled at the pettiness of the injury done to herself; and touched with compassion for the sinner, freely forgave her; and earnestly entreating GOD to forgive her also, obtained for her the restoration of her eyesight. The fame of her sanctity being now spread abroad, many were those who sought, and not in vain, her aid for themselves and those who were dear to them. Many who were paralytic were restored to perfect soundness of body; the blind received their sight, and demons, adjured by the holy name of JESUS, fled before the sign of the cross, which she made over those who were possessed. Among these was a female delivered from an unclean spirit through the efficacy of the divine grace exercised through Geneviève; nor was this the only blessing this female experienced through her. Her son, a boy of four years of age, named Cellornerus, fell into a well, and was brought dead to his distracted mother, who, strong in faith, entreated the help of Geneviève. Moved with compassion, she besought the Lord in his behalf, and had the delightful satisfaction of restoring the child alive to the longing arms of his afflicted but now rejoicing parent.

Other scenes of glory were now awaiting her; and she whose wisdom had been proved at the threatened assault of the Huns, was again to act a distinguished part; at this time, however, with the fullest confidence of her fellow citizens, during the real distress occasioned by the attack of the Franks. Childeric, king of the Franks, having overthrown his enemies in the plain, had led his victorious arms to Paris; and the siege of that city, superinducing all the horrors of a famine, filled the bosoms of the wretched inhabitants with anguish and dismay. In this extremity, Geneviève had recourse to her GOD. Filled by Him with wisdom