flesh; this renders it difficult to go among them, unless one pays a troop of armed men.' The blessed Seine answered him: Show me the place, to the end that if my desires have been conceived by a divine instinct, all the ferocity of these men may be changed into the mildness of the dove.' Hav. ing, therefore, taken his companions, he arrived at the place of which they had spoken. It was a forest, the trees of which almost touched the clouds, and whose solitude had not for a long time been interrupted: they asked themselves how they could penetrate into it, when they saw a winding footpath, so narrow, and full of briars, that they could scarcely place their feet upon the same line, and from the thickness of the branches, it was with difficulty that one foot followed the other. However with much labor, and having their clothes torn, they got into the depths of this rough forest; then, bending towards the ground, they began to watch the profound darkness with an attentive eye.

Having for some time looked with attention, they perceived very narrow openings to a cavern, obstructed by stones and plants; besides which, the interlaced branches of the trees rendered the cavern so dark, that wild beasts themselves would have hesitated to enter it. This was the cavern of the robbers, and the resort of unclean spirits. When they approached it, Seine, agreeable to God, bent his knees at the entry, and extending his body over the bushes, addressed a prayer to God, mixed with tears, saying-Lord, who hast made Heaven and earth, which thou givest to the wishes of him who implores thee, and who originatest all good, and without whom all the weak efforts of humanity are useless, if thou orderest me to live in this solitude, make the same known unto me, and lead to good the beginnings which thou hast granted to my devotion.' When he had finished his prayer, he arose, and raised his hands towards heaven, and his eyes, which were moist with tears. Knowing then that it was under the conduct of the Saviour that he had repaired into this dark forest, after having blessed the place, he immediately set about placing the foundations of a cell where he had kneeled to pray. The report of his arrival came to the ears of the neighboring inhabitants, who, each exhorting the other, and impelled by a divine movement, repaired near him. When they had seen him, from wolves they became lambs, so that those who were formerly a source of terror were henceforth ministers of help; and, from that time, this place,

which was the resort for divers cruel demons and robbers, became the abode of innocents."1

Should we not suppose that we were reading the account of the establishment of some colonists in the heart of the most distant forests of America, or of some pious missionaries amidst the most savage hordes ?

Here is an account of a different character, but which is no less full of movement and interest.

Still young, and before entering into the ecclesiastical order, Saint Austregesilus, bishop of Bourges, at the commencement of the seventh century, manifested a lively desire to forsake the world, and not to marry.

"Hearing him speak thus, his parents began to press him earnestly to obey them in this respect. He, in order that he might not see them discontented, whom he desired to see satisfied, promised to do as they asked him, if such was the will of God.

"When, therefore, he was occupied in the king's service, he began to return to this business, and to seek what would best befit him to do. He recollected three men of the same fortune. He wrote their names upon

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nation, and of equal three tablets, and put them under the cover of the altar in the cathedral of Saint John, near the town of Châlons, and made a vow to pass three nights in prayer without sleeping. the three nights, he was to put his hands upon the altar, taking the tablet which the Lord should deign to make him find first, and demand in marriage the daughter of the man whose name should be upon the tablet. After having passed one night without sleep, the next night he found himself overcome by it, and towards the middle of the night, unable to resist any longer, his limbs gave way, and he fell asleep upon a Two old men presented themselves to his view. One said to the other: Whose daughter is Austregesilus to marry?' The other answered: Art thou ignorant that he is already married?' To whom?' To the daughter of judge Just.' Austregesilus then awoke, and applied himself to finding out who this Just was, of what place he was judge, and if he had a virgin daughter. As he could not find him, he repaired, according to custom, to the king's palace. He

seat.

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1 Life of Saint Seine, § 7 and 8. Acta Sanct. Ord. S. Ben., vol i., p. 264.

arrived in a village where there was an inn. Some travellers were assembled there, among others, a poor veteran with his wife. When this woman saw Austregesilus, she said to

him:

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Stranger, stop an instant, and I will tell thee what I have lately seen concerning thee in a dream; it appeared as if I heard a great noise, like that of the singing of psalms, and I said to my host: "Man, what is this that I hear? what festival is now being celebrated by the priests, that they make this procession?" He answered: "Our guest Austregesilus is being married." Full of joy, I was eager to see the young bride, and to view her face and form. When the priests, clothed in white, carrying crosses, and singing psalms in the usual manner, were passed, thou camest out, and all the people followed behind; for me, I looked with curiosity, and I saw no woman, not even the girl whom thou wert to marry; I said to thy host: "Where is the virgin whom Austregesilus is to marry?" he answered: "Do you not see her in his hands?" I looked, and I only saw in thy hands the book of the gospel.' Then the saint understood by his vision and the dream of this woman, that the voice of God called him to the priesthood.'

There is here no miracle, properly so called; all is confined to dreams; but you see what movement of imagination is connected with all the sentiment, with all the incidents of a religious life, and with what eagerness the people received them.

These are the true sources of this literature; it gave to the moral, physical, and poetical nature of man, a nourishment, a satisfaction which it found nowhere else; it elevated and agitated his soul; it animated his life. Hence its fertility and its credit.

If it were our purpose to consider it under a purely literary point of view, we should find its merits neither very brilliant nor very varied. Truth of sentiment and naiveté of tone are not wanting to it; it is devoid of affectation and pedantry. The narrative is not only interesting, but it is often conceived under a rather dramatic form. In the eastern countries, where the charm of narration is great, the dramatic form is rare; we

1 Life of Saint Austregesilus, § 2, in the Acta Sanct. Ord. S. Ben,. vol. ii., p. 95.

there meet with few conversations, few dialogues, with little getting up, properly speaking. There is much more of this in the legends; dialogue is there habitual, and often progresses with nature and vivacity. But we should in vain seek a littleorder in them, any art of composition; even for the least exacting minds, the confusion is extreme, the monotony great; credulity continually descends to the ridiculous, and the language has arrived at a degree of imperfection, of corruption, of coarseness, which, in the present day, pains and wearies the reader.

I wish to say a few words also on a portion (very inconsiderable, it is true, but which, however, I ought not to omit) of the literature of this period, that is, its profane literature. I have observed that, dating from the sixth century, sacred literature was alone, that all profane literature had disappeared; there were, however, some remains of it; certain chronicles, certain occasional poems which belonged not to religious society, and which merit a moment's attention. In our next lecture, I shall present to you, on some of those monuments so little known in the present day, developments which appear to me not uninteresting.

EIGHTEENTH LECTURE.

Some wrecks of profane literature from the sixth to the eighth century -Of their true character-1st, Prose writers-Gregory of ToursHis life-His Ecclesiastical History of the Franks-The influence of the ancient Latin literature unites with that of the Christian doctrines Mixture of civil and religious history Frédégaire-His Chronicle-2dly, Poets-Saint Avitus, bishop of Vienne-His lifeHis poems on the Creation-Original sin-The condemnation of man -The Deluge-The passage of the Red Sea-The praise of virginity -Comparison of the three first with the Paradise Lost of MiltonFortunatus, bishop of Poictiers-His life-His relations with Saint Radegonde-His poems-Their character-First origin of French literature.

I MENTIONED in our last lecture that we should now occupy ourselves with the wrecks of profane literature, scattered here and there, from the sixth to the eighth century, amidst sermons, legends, theological dissertations, and escaping from the universal triumph of sacred literature. I shall, perhaps, be a little embarrassed with my promise, and with this word profane, which I have applied to the works of which I mean to speak. It seems to say, in fact, that their authors or their subjects are of a lay character, that they belong not to the religious sphere. Yet, see the names of the writings, and of the authors. There are two prose writers, and two poets: the prose writers are Gregory of Tours, and Frédégaire; the poets, Saint Avitus, and Fortunatus. Of these four men, three were bishops: Gregory at Tours, Saint Avitus at Vienne, and Fortunatus at Poictiers; all three were canonized; the fourth, Frédégaire, was probably a monk. With regard to the persons, there can scarcely be anything less profane; assuredly they belong to sacred literature. As regards the works themselves, that of Gregory of Tours bears the title of Ecclesiastical History of the Franks; that of Frédégaire is a simple chronicle; the poems of Saint Avitus turn upon the Creation, Original Sin, the Expulsion from Paradise, the Deluge, the Passage of the Red Sea, the Praise of Virginity; and although in those of Fortunatus many treat of the incidents of a worldly life, as the marriage of Sigebert and Brunehault, the departure of