thou shalt again renounce thy affianced bride, the affection of thy family, the esteem of thy friends, the attachment of the Jews; desiring nothing but to follow JESUS Christ, and carry his cross until death;"—I say, had any prophet made a similar prediction, I should have judged but one man more mad than himself,---he who would have believed the possibility of such folly."---pp. 51-52. Immediately after his conversion he thus proceeds: * * * * "I knew not where I was; I knew not if I were the same Alphonse or another, so total a change did I experience. The most ardent joy was diffused in my soul; I could not speak; I would reveal nothing; I felt a solemn and sacred impulse to ask for a priest; they conducted me to one, and it was but in his presence, and by his positive order, that, kneeling and trembling, I related all that language could explain. "I had arisen from a tomb, from an abyss of darkness, and I was living perfectly living, and yet I wept! I beheld the depth of misery and wretchedness from which I was rescued by an infinite mercy; I shuddered at the sight of all my iniquities; and I was astonished, overwhelmed, annihilated with gratitude and admiration. I thought of my brother with unutterable joy; but to tears of love, succeeded tears of pity. Alas! how many, blinded by pride or indifference, descend tranquilly into this frightful abyss ?—and my family my affianced bride, my poor sisters! Oh! heart-rending anxiety! Oh, you whom I love! my first thoughts were of you, my first prayers were offered for you. Will you not raise your eyes to the Saviour of the world, whose blood has effaced the stain of original sin? Oh! how hideous is its mark; it totally disguises the creature made after the image of God! "I am asked, how I learned these truths, since it is a fact, that never had I opened a book on religion, never had I read a single page of the Bible, and the doctrine of original sin, entirely forgotten or denied by the Jews of the present day, had never for one instant occupied my thoughts; I doubt having so much as once heard it named. In what manner, then, did I obtain this knowledge? I cannot tell. All that I can say, is, I entered the church ignoant of all things, I left it enlightened and instructed. I can explain this change but by comparing it with that of a man suddenly aroused from a profound sleep, or by analogy to a man born blind, instantaneously beholding the day; he sees, but cannot define the brightness which enlightens him, and by which he contemplates the objects of his admiration. And if physical light surpasses our comprehension, how explain that light, which in its essence, is even the eternal truth itself? I believe I am right in saying, that I understood the sense and spirit, rather than the letter, of these dogmas,—I felt, more than saw them; I felt them by the indefinible effects they produced in me; and these impressions, more rapid than thought, more profound than reflection, not only penetrated my soul, but rectified, and directed it towards another object and another life. "I explain myself but imperfectly; but how confine in dry and formal words, sentiments which the heart itself can with difficulty contain! However inexact, then, my description, the incontestible fact is, that I became, as it were, another being; the world was now nothing to me; my horror of Christianity existed no longer; the prejudices of my childhood were all effaced; the love of my God had so absorbed all other love, that my affianced bride herself now appeared in a new point of view;-I loved her as a cherished object in the hands of God,‚—as a precious gift, causing the giver to be yet more beloved. "I repeat, that I implored both my confessor, the Reverend Father Villefort, and M. de Bussières, to preserve an inviolable secrecy concerning what had happened to me; I would have buried myself in a convent of Trappists, to be occupied only for eternity; and I confess also that I dreaded the ridicule and scorn of my family and friends, and preferred entirely renouncing the world, its judgments, its censures. But my ecclesiastical superiors showed me that ridicule, false judgments, and injuries, are part of the chalice of a true Christian; they encouraged me to drink this chalice, admonishing me that JESUS Christ had bequeathed to his disciples but sufferings, afflictions, and torments. These serious reflections, far from disheartening me, did but inflame my interior joy; I felt prepared for all, and earnestly solicited baptism. They spoke of retarding it. But what!' exclaimed I; those Jews who heard the preaching of the Apostles were baptized immediately; and would you defer me, when I have heard the Queen of the Apostles!' 66 6 'My emotion, my vehement desires, my supplications, touched the hearts of these charitable men, and they gave me the blessed promise of baptism!”pp. 55-61. One more extract, and we have done : "A last consolation was reserved for me. It will be recollected that it was my desire, or rather my curiosity, to see the pope, which detained me at Rome: I was, however, far from foreseeing the circumstances under which this desire would be gratified ;-it was as a new-born child of the Church that I was presented to the Father of the faithful. Since my baptism, I had felt towards the sovereign Pontiff the respect and veneration of a son; how happy then was I, when informed that I should be conducted to this audience by the R. superior-general of the Jesuits. But yet I trembled; I had never appeared before the great ones of the world, and their dignity narrowed into insignificance when compared with this true grandeur. I confess, that all the majesty of the universe appears to me to be concentrated in the person of him, who here below possesses the power of God; who by an uninterrupted succession descends from St. Peter, and from the high-priest Aaron; the representative of the unchangeable and eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ himself. "Never shall I forget the timid and beating heart with which I entered the Vatican, traversed the vast courts and imposing halls conducting to the sanctuary of the pontiff. But these anxieties gave place to surprise and astonish VOL. VI. 38 ment, when I beheld him so simple, so humble, so paternal; a monarch less than a tender father, receiving a well-beloved child. 'My God! may it be thus at the last day, when we shall appear in your presence to answer for the graces we have received! We tremble before the majesty of God, and dread his justice; but at the contemplation of his mercy, confidence revives, and with confidence a love and gratitude without bounds. Gratitude! this shall henceforth be my law and my life! And may my actions proclaim all that language fails to tell! "The letters of my family restore me to liberty: this liberty I consecrate to God, and I offer it to him, from this moment, together with my entire life, to serve the Church and my brethren, under the protection of Mary." We have only to add, that since the above narrative was written, this child of grace has retired from the world, to await in silence the purpose of his wonderful vocation. We have since also been informed, on good authority, that he is about to enter on his novitiate in a religious order, as illustrious for the fulfilment in its sons of the eighth beatitude, as in silence and zeal it has been fruitful in all that can elevate the soul of man, whether by its learning and zeal, for imparting knowledge, or by its success in the practice and teaching of all virtue. In Oct. Assump. B.V.M., 1842. ANNALS OF THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH.* FROM the last number, just published, of these interesting Annals, in pursuance of our hope that we may be instrumental in extending a knowledge of the wonders of the Catholic Faith, and how her children, even in these days of misbelief and degeneracy, are suffering all the horrors that the persecutors can heap upon them, and yet at the same time are so sweetly supported by the supernatural influence of Holy Grace; even at the risk of being tedious to those who already know, and have felt such sentiments as narratives like the following suggest, * An absurd and almost unaccountable mistake crept into our notice of the Annals of the propagation of the Faith in our last number, where it was asserted, and again repeated, that the invocation of St. Francis of Sales was a condition of membership in the confraternity; we need hardly say, that it is not the holy bishop of Geneva, but St. Francis Xavier the apostle of the Indies, whom we meant, and who is the patron of this blessed work of Faith. we have ventured to transfer to our pages an account of the recent sufferings and martyrdom of some of the native Christians of Western Tong-King, which, in point of affecting detail, we have no hesitation in saying, have hardly a parallel in the whole history of the martyrology of GoD's Church. It is communicated in a letter from FATHER JEANTET, MissionaryApostolic, dated, Province of Nam-Dinh, February 20th, 1841; which, though of considerable length, and our space is so limited, we cannot think of breaking the interest of by curtailment. Let the devout reader of the following, ask his soul, in the secret of his heart, if the sustaining hand of God be not here seen in this goodly sowing of the seed of His holy Church! "On the 30th of May, 1840, during the silence and darkness of night, Trinh-Quang-Khanh, governor of the province of Nam-Dinh, proceeded to surround a little village situated at three leagues distance from Vi-Hoang. For what purpose is this nightly march, and this army that accompanies him? Is he going to surprise some robbers, or to give battle to rebels? Far from it: rebels and robbers have arms, and our mandarin must have enemies that fight only with patience; if the tiger takes the field, be sure there is innocent blood, the blood of women or old men, to be spilled. "In effect, he had been told that this obscure hamlet concealed some European priests, and he sets off by stealth to ensnare his prey: it is not yet day, but all the outlets of the village are already closed; they are watching to catch the least noise; they are only waiting for a gleam of light to be able to distinguish the confiding victim, that is at this moment asleep, or at prayer. At length the hour is come; the trumpet's sound has echoed at the four corners of the village: every one must come out and appear before the mandarins. At this first review several persons appear suspicious, and they are placed under the particular inspection of the people belonging to the governor; and the searching of that day produces no other results. "Towards evening, Trinh-Quang-Khanh, furious at having been disappointed, was preparing to raise the siege, when one of the informers, throwing himself at his feet, besought him to continue his searches for two days longer, and to spare nothing, even to the demolishing of the houses, in order to come at the hiding-places of the missionaries; and if, at the end of that time, by these rigorous measures he should not discover either priests or things belonging to religion, he would allow himself and all his family to be punished with death. The persecutor was but too desirous of granting his prayer; early the next morning they resumed their searches with new ardour; all the walls were pierced or thrown down, every hole was sounded, and every suspected spot was minutely examined. There was then no impenetrable asylum: Father Nghi was discovered in the house of a fervent Christian. He himself, in a letter written from his dungeon, gives the following account of his arrest :- “The 29th of the fourth moon (30th of May), whilst I was offering the holy sacrifice, a voice cried out to me, Father, the village is blockaded. I immediately put off my vestments and fled to the house of a pious woman, of the name of Duyen, where, for a long time back, there had been contrived for me a hiding-p'ace. During the first day the house was searched several times; they often came quite near to me, without suspecting the place where I was hid. In the evening, seeing that the mandarins were not withdrawing, and being persuaded that the next day I should inevitably be discovered, I had the thought of taking advantage of the darkness to escape. Could this attempt have succeeded? I have reason to think it could not; besides, it would be, perhaps, to go against the will of God: I was also afraid of allowing to escape so favourable an opportunity of dying for the faith. After having reflected for a moment, I committed myself to divine Providence, and I awaited the day. Yes, "It was about seven o'clock in the morning, when a band of soldiers approached my retreat. 'This place,' said one of them, 'has a suspicious appearance.' The person at their head ordered them forthwith to pierce the wall. I was discovered. Are you a priest?' said the officer to me. I am a priest, and ready to undergo the penalty that the mandarins may please to inflict on me: I ask your favour only for the family with whom you have found me.' A bar of silver induced him to grant my prayer, and the generous Duyen was allowed to go and join the other women of the village. As for me, whilst they were dragging me from my hiding-place, each one was disputing the honour of having taken me: one would imagine that they were contending for the conquest of the world. The better to establish their claims, one pulled me by the hair, whilst others beat me with sticks. The officer commanded, in vain, that I should not be ill-treated, yet I did not receive one insult the less: some through ambition, some from contempt, all, in a word, did their best to ill-use me; after which I was conducted to Trinh-QuangKhanh, who decorated me with a cangue of bamboos, seven feet long at least. "Towards eleven o'clock in the forenoon, Father Ngan, curate of Father Nghi, was also discovered in the house of a Christian named Martin Tho, who had already more than once offered asylum to the persecuted priests. I have received from himself the account of his arrest, which, from his prison of Vi-Hoang, he wrote to me thus: Reverend Father, I went from Keman to Ketan, for the purpose of receiving the sacrament of penance from Father Nghi: I intended to pass with him two or three days. How could I foresee that I should accompanny him with such a grand cortège to Nam-Dinh? From Saturday, the 30th of May, until Sunday, I escaped all the searches of the soldiers. A little before mid-day they pierced the wall that concealed me. 'Is this an European? Is this an European?' shouted the satellites on perceiving me. 'Look at my face,' said I: does it not answer all your questions? On other points I shall explain myself when interrogated by the mandarin.' While I was speaking these few words, they pulled me from my nook, as they would have dragged a robber from his lurking-place. Nevertheless, I had my heart full of joy, and my sacrifice was made. 'This man fears no one,' said the soldiers amongst themselves: 'death awaits him, and he still smiles.' Being conducted before Trinh-Quang-Khanh, I saw Father Nghi wearing the cangue, and several inhabitants of the village in chains. Without further delay, I received a collar similar to that of the Father. Whilst they were placing it on my neck, my lips repeated, Deo gratias! my heart beat with joy; for I was on the way to heaven. "On the evening of the same day Father Thinh was also taken: he had the spiritual care of the congregation of Ke-Trinh, where the prefect of the province constantly resides. This excellent old man, eighty years of age, finding no longer any asylum in his parish, had sought a refuge at Ketan, a village almost entirely composed of Christians, who are most devoted to the missionaries. His infirmities prevented his being concealed at the moment of the blockade; he was left stretched on an old bed, in the manner that they treat sick persons on such occasions. The soldiers came several times to his bed, without suspecting that he was a priest: and the infection, caused by a sore he had on his lip, removed the desire of examining him more closely; but there were persons about the mandarin who had a more practised eye, and |