of the Blessed Virgin, or of St. Joseph? He conceives, again, of the holy parents, that, at the moment to which his contemplations relate, they are sitting, or standing, or kneeling; where does Scripture say so? And when this is urged, he answers almost impatiently; "Of course not; Scripture cannot descend to such minutiæ. The Blessed Virgin must have been in some posture, why not in this? This is the most natural and reasonable. Why may I not please to imagine that she knelt to the Divine Infant when she first beheld Him, and that He smiled on her with a look of uninfantine intelligence? Scripture says that she was humble, and that He, though her Son, was also her GOD. May I not put these statements together, and draw my own inference from them? You cannot prove me wrong, nor suggest any alternative which is not equally unauthorized, and more improbable. And, at last, what great harm, though I be mistaken? I do no violence to the sacred text; I am guilty of no irreverence towards the holy Persons in question, for reverence towards them is the very basis of my supposition; and, for myself, I rise from such meditation, as I trust, holier and better than I went to it; more indifferent to the world, more dissatisfied with myself, and fuller of love to God and my brethren."-pp. vi. vii.

And so, because you cannot prove me wrong, I am at liberty to make whatever additions to the word of God appear to me not incongruous with the original story of the Evangelists. It is useless to attempt to reason with persons who have reduced their understandings to such a pitiable state. It is more to the purpose to lay before the reader the passage in this translation of the Life of Christ, which Mr. Oakeley is here covertly defending. Observing only, that Bonaventure does not pretend

VOL. I.

S

that his account of the Nativity is altogether a flight of his own imagination. Here follow his words in Mr. Oakeley's translation "for the use of members of the Church of England."

And now let me earnestly entreat you to attend diligently to all which I am going to relate; the rather, because I had it from a devout and holy man of our Order, of undoubted credit, to whom I believe it to have been supernaturally imparted.

When the expected hour of the birth of the Son of God was come, on Sunday, towards midnight, the holy Virgin, rising from her seat, went and rested herself against a pillar she found there: Joseph, in the meantime, sate pensive and sorrowful; perhaps, because he could not prepare the necessary accommodation for her. But at length he too arose, and, taking what hay he could find in the manger, diligently spread it at our Lady's feet, and then retired to another part of the building. Then the Son of the Eternal God, coming forth from His Mother's womb, was, without hurt or pain to her, transferred in an instant from thence to the humble bed of hay which was prepared for Him at her feet. His holy Mother, hastily stooping down, took him up in her arms, and tenderly embracing Him, laid Him in her lap; then, through instinct of the Holy Ghost, she began to bathe him in her sacred milk, with which she was most amply supplied from heaven; this done, she took the veil off her head, and wrapping Him in it, carefully laid Him in the manger. Here the ox and the ass, kneeling down, and laying their heads over the manger, gently breathed upon Him, as if endowed with reason, and sen sible, that through the inclemency of the season, and His poor attire, the blessed Infant stood in need of their assistance to warm and cherish Him. Then the holy Virgin, throwing herself on her knees, adored Him, and returning thanks to God, said, "My Lord and heavenly Father, I

give thee most hearty thanks, that Thou hast vouchsafed of Thy bounty to give me Thine Only Son; and I praise and worship Thee, O Eternal God, together with thee, O Son of the Living God, and mine.”

Joseph likewise worshipped Him at the same time; after which he stripped the ass of his saddle, and separating the pillion from it, placed it near the manger for the blessed Virgin to sit on; but she, seating herself with her face towards the manger, made use of that homely cushion only for support. In this posture our Lady remained some time immoveable, gazing on the manger, her looks and affections all absorbed in her dearest Son.-pp. 23, 24.

There was a time when such a daring, such a loathsome fiction would have been regarded with horror by every respectable clergyman in the Church of England. But Mr. Oakeley defends it.

The Blessed Virgin must have been in some posture, why not in this? This is the most natural and reasonable. Why may I not please to imagine that she knelt to the Divine Infant when she first beheld Him, and that He smiled on her with a look of uninfantine intelligence?-Introduction, p. vii.

Why not? Why may I not imagine what I please, and publish to the world whatever I please to imagine? Why not, certainly? And are such gross and disgusting liberties with the Word of God innocent and allowable? Is the only record of that stupendous mystery on which the whole hope of human salvation depends,-a subject on which an unchastised imagination, or a gross and vulgar taste may lawfully disport itself?

Bonaventure, as the reader will already have

observed, gives this part of his story as a report from one of his brother Franciscans, "of undoubted credit," to whom he says, "I believe it to have been supernaturally imparted:" Mr. Oakeley, however, treats it as if no testimony or tradition was pretended. Nothing can be more worthy of notice than his question" What great harm, though I be mistaken?" As to the lawfulness of such proceedings, it seems to be not worth considering. Provided he does not see any "great harm" done by such licentious abuse of his imagination, he is satisfied. Mr. Oakeley adds, "I do no violence to the sacred text." I should like to know what he would consider "violence." But certainly to represent Christ as smiling on his mother "with a look of uninfantine intelligence," the moment after his nativity, seems as plainly to contradict the doctrine of Holy Scripture regarding the infancy of the Lord, as the language, in his first chapter, contradicts the doctrine of the Incarnation. The passage I refer to is this—

Now you may piously imagine, how the Son of God, on undertaking this laborious mission of obedience, inclined and recommended Himself to the Father, and that in the same instant IIis soul was created and infused into the womb of His mother; perfect man, according to all the lineaments of the body, but very minute; so that, though He afterwards grew in the womb, as naturally as other children, yet his soul was infused, and his body perfectly formed, from the first.—pp. 12, 13.

Is this notion of the perfect formation of Christ's

XXXVII.] THE ANGELS' MINISTERING TO CHRIST. 261 body from the instant of the Incarnation, reconcileable with catholic doctrine? I cannot but consider it remarkable that the words I have here printed in italics are not found in the translation published by the Roman Catholics in Dublin.

Another remarkable passage is, the account of the ministering of the angels after the Lord's temptation in the wilderness, and Mr. Oakeley's defence of it:

As soon as Satan has been repulsed, the Angels flock in numbers to our Lord Jesus Christ, and prostrate on the ground adore Him, saying; "Hail, Lord Jesus, our Lord and our God." And our Lord humbly and benignly raises them, inclining His head, as the Son of Man, who was made a little lower than the Angels. The Angels say to Him, “Lord, Thou hast fasted long; what wilt Thou that we prepare for Thee?" To whom He replies, "Go to My dearest Mother, and if she have anything at hand, bear it to Me; for of no food do I partake so gladly as of that which she prepares." Then two of the number set out, and in a moment are with her. They respectfully salute her, and, having acquitted themselves of their embassy, bring a mess of pottage, which she had got ready for herself and St. Joseph, and a piece of bread, with a linen cloth, and other necessaries; perhaps, too, our Lady procured, if she could, a small fish or two. Then they return, bearing the repast in their hands; and, spreading it on the ground, pronounce in due form the solemn words of benediction. Here consider Him attentively in each of his actions. How composedly He sits on the ground, and with what studious regard to every minute propriety He comports Himself, and how temperately he partakes of the food. The Angels stand around, ministering to their Lord. One serves Him with bread, another with wine, another prepares the fish, and others sing some of the songs