accompanied my entrance into heaven: prepare thyself,' and then disappeared. The nuns, hearing her speaking to herself, thought that she was in delirium; but she related the vision which she had had to them, and the promised favour. She awaited the desired hour; and when she knew, by the striking of the clock, that it had arrived (the writer does not say what hour it was), she said, 'Behold the hour announced to me: I already hear the music of the angels; this is the hour in which my Queen ascended to heaven; peace be with you, for I now go to see her.' With these words she expired. In the same moment her eyes became bright as two stars, and her face became of a beautiful colour.1,

89. In the city of Sens, in France, towards the eighth century, was living Saint Opportuna, born of parents of royal blood. This holy virgin, who had the greatest devotion to Mary, became a nun in a neighbouring convent, and being at the point of death, one morning towards the dawn, she saw Saint Cecily and Saint Lucy standing before her. Sisters,' she said, 'you are welcome; what message does my Queen send me?' They replied: She awaits thee in paradise.'. After this the devil appeared to her, and the Saint courageously drove him away, saying 'Brute beast; what hast thou to do with me, who am a servant of Jesus ?' The hour of her death, which she had herself predicted, having arrived, after having received the Holy Viaticum, she turned towards the door, and said: Behold the Mother of God, who is come to take Sisters, to her do I recommend you; farewell, we shall see each other no more in this world. Thus speaking, she raised her arms, as if to embrace her Lady, and sweetly expired.2

me.

1 Mengl. Cist. alli Santi d'Agost. †

2 Surius die 22 Aprilis. †

WHO HAS CENSURED WHAT THE AUTHOR OF THIS WORK HAS SAID, IN THE FIRST SECTION OF THE FIFTH

CHAPTER, ON THE SALVE REGINA.

BOOK, printed in the course of last year (1755), having fallen into my hands, I found, towards the end of it, an appendix, in which the author, who is anonymous, criticises what I have written in the above quoted part of my little work. In it I maintain, with Father Piazza, that all graces come to us through the Divine Mother, in opposition to that which the celebrated Louis Muratori wrote in his book called 'Well regulated Devotion,' under the name of Pritanius.

The anonymous writer says, that I am mistaken in my assertion that Pritanius wrote, that the proposition that God grants no grace otherwise than through Mary, was hyperbolical and exaggerated, having dropped from the lips of some Saints in the heat of fervour. Fearing that such might have been the case, I have again read the book, andĮ see that though Pritanius does not exactly join the above words to the passage in which he speaks of the Saints, yet, from the context, it is evident that he also refers it to the Saints who have spoken on this subject. Speaking of another proposition, that Mary commands in heaven, he says, Gently, this and other similar expressions, which have dropped from the lips of some Saints in their devout fervour, will not stand when examined by the rules of sound theology. Again he says, 'We must hear the Church, and not the hyperboles of a private author, even though he be a Saint.' He immediately afterwards adds, We may also meet with some who assert, that no grace comes to us from God, otherwise than through the hands of Mary.' Now remark the words, 'We may also meet with some.' He afterwards says, To pretend that all the graces which we

receive from God pass by Mary, would be a devout exaggeration.'

But even supposing that the dead Pritanius did not say it, there is a living Pritanius who says it, in his book (see No. 545), in which, amongst other things, he tells us that, 'sometimes the Saints in praising the blessed Virgin, exaggerated, and used tropes.' I now therefore answer him and say, that without doubt, hyperbole, under which name tropes are included, cannot be taxed with untruth when it is evident from the context that it goes beyond the truth; as the case is when Saint Peter Damien says that, 'Mary does not pray, but commands.'1 The same applies to Saint Anselm when he says that,' she weeps in heaven for those who offend God.' In such cases as these, in which there can be no mistake, tropes are lawful. But such is not the case in propositions in which, the hyperbole is not evident, and therefore would be a real deception. But let us come to the principal point in question. To prove it, I do not intend to bring forward the intrinsic reasons which would support it. I will only allude here to the reason which I adduced in my book, that God is thus pleased to honour His Beloved, who in life honoured him so much.' Saint Thomas says, 'that in proportion to the graces they have merited, the Saints can save many others; but, that our Blessed Redeemer and His most Holy Mother, merited so much grace, that they can save all men.' Moreover, as she is the universal advocate of all men, it is becoming that all who are saved should obtain salvation by her means. Moreover, and this seems to me a more solid reason, as Mary co-operated by her charity, as Saint Augustine says, in the spiritual birth of the faithful, so also God wills that she should co-operate by her intercession in obtaining for them the life of grace in this world, and the life of glory in eternity. For this reason the Church makes us call her, without any limitation, ‘OUR LIFE,' and 'OUR HOPE.' But that which has, and still makes the greatest impression on my mind is, that I see this opinion maintained, not only. by so many learned authors, but also by Saints. The

1 Note 4, page 145.

2 Note 3, page 4.

anonymous writer believes he has in particular proved, that Saint Bernard never meant to assert that all graces come to us by the hands of Mary, but only that through her we received Jesus Christ, who is the source and plenitude of all graces. But I believe on the other hand that I shall here evidently prove the reverse by what I now add. :

Saint Bernard says that Mary received the plenitude of grace from God. Then explaining in what this plenitude consists, he says, that it consists principally in the reception of Jesus Christ, who is the source of all graces, into herself; but then he adds, that in consequence of this, the Blessed Virgin received another plenitude, which is the plenitude of graces; that, as she is the mediatress of men with God, so she might herself dispense these graces to all men. The Saint says, 'Why should human frailty fear to approach Mary?" In her there is nothing severe, nothing terrible, she is all sweetness, offering milk and wool to all; thank Him then who has provided you with such a mediatress. She has made herself all to all, to the wise and to the foolish; by her most abundant charity she has made herself a debtor to all. She opens her merciful heart to all, that all may receive of her plenitude, the captive redemption, the sick health, the sinner pardon, the just grace, the angels joy, her Son flesh, that no one may hide himself from her heart.' Remark, therefore, the words: "That all may receive of her plenitude;' for they clearly prove that Saint Bernard here speaks, not of the first plenitude, which is Jesus Christ, otherwise he could not say, that even her Son received His flesh of her plenitude; but of the second, or consequent fulness of grace, as we have already said, which Mary received from God, whereby to dispense to each one of us the graces which we receive. Remark also the words: There is no one who hides himself from her heat.' Did any one receive graces otherwise than through Mary, he could hide himself from the heat of this sun; but Saint Bernard says, that no one can hide himself from the warmth of Mary; elsewhere he says, ' By thee we have

1 Note 3, page 177.

access to the Son, O blessed finder of grace, bearer of life, and Mother of salvation, that we may receive Him by thee, who, through thee was given to us; by which the Saint clearly gives us to understand, that as we have access to the Father only through the Son, who is the Mediator of justice, and who, by His merits, obtains for us all graces; so also we only have access to the Son by means of the Mother, who is the mediatress of grace, and by her prayers obtains for us all the graces which Jesus Christ has merited for us.

6

This is still better explained by that which the Saint afterwards says in his sermon, Of the Aqueduct,' in the commencement of which, he says, that Mary received the first plenitude of grace from God, that is, Jesus Christ, in order that she might impart it to us also. But a little further on, he speaks clearly of the second plenitude of graces which she received, consequently of the graces which we receive through her prayers. The Saint says, 'It is true that Mary obtained Jesus Christ, the source of graces from God; but this perhaps does not fully satisfy your desires; for you would wish that she should herself obtain for you, by her intercession, these graces which Jesus Christ merited for you.' The Saint then passes on to exhort us never to cease to honour, and have recourse with great confidence to this Divine Mother, saying, that which we desire, God has already granted, by depositing in Mary the plenitude of every blessing; that whatever we receive of hope, grace and salvation, from God, we may see that we have obtained it by the means of Mary, who ascends overflowing with delights. She,' the Saint says, 'is a garden of delights,' (and remark that he is still speaking of the graces which are actually dispensed to us by Mary's hand,) upon which that Divine south wind has not only breathed in passing, but has so filled with his balmy breath, that as by an impetuous wind its perfumes, that is, the most precious gifts of graces, are sent forth on every side. And in reference to the first text which I 1 Note 2, page 283. 2 Serm. de Aquad.

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