find the secular clergy of England addressing a petition to King Henry III., in which among other things they complain of the number both of men and women who have entered these new-fangled fraternities, "insomuch that it is difficult now to find any one who has not joined one or other of them." Such was the origin of the Third Order of St. Dominic, which has continued to flourish down to our own times, and which has produced a progeny of saints, among whose names stand illustrious those of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Rose of Lima, with many others enrolled in the catalogue of the Beati of the Order of Preachers. ST. DOMINIC LED BY THE ANGEL. CH BLESSED BRIEF notice has b manner in which Clans, were called postolic men their na We have reserved fo ther vocation as b the early history of th religious career, few m the Order than the uninterrupted ve our own time, i Fs IX. that he was f the Order, and the tach additional light is rare gifts had acq the university of Pari at for five years as a scholar no less tha the notice of the can very early times granted then revenues of France in fact ass and claimed as suzerai delivering to them gurs of knighthood. Reginald by Philip A once found himsel CHAPTER XVIII. BLESSED REGINALD OF ORLEANS. 1218. BRIEF notice has been given in the foregoing chapter of e manner in which the two Polish brothers, Hyacinth and eslaus, were called to the Order, in the list of whose postolic men their names were to fill so illustrious a place. We have reserved for a separate chapter the history of nother vocation as being yet more specially connected with e early history of the Friars Preachers. Short as was his ligious career, few men exerted a more powerful influence the Order than the Blessed Reginald of Orleans. Regarded ith uninterrupted veneration from the date of his death til our own time, it was only during the Pontificate of ius IX. that he was formally numbered among the Beati the Order, and the process of his beatification has thrown uch additional light upon his history. While still young s rare gifts had acquired for him a brilliant reputation at e university of Paris, where he graduated as doctor, and ught for five years as professor of canon law. His fame ; a scholar no less than as a man of singular piety attracted e notice of the canons of St. Aignan, whose college had ɔm very early times existed at Orleans, and enjoyed large venues granted them by successive monarchs. The kings France in fact assumed the title of abbots of St. Aignan, nd claimed as suzerains to give the investiture to the deans, y delivering to them the sword, the belt, and the golden ours of knighthood. This investiture was bestowed on eginald by Philip Augustus in 1211, and the young dean : once found himself in possession of all the advantages HE 248 THE DEAN OF ST. AIGNAN. more; and he dr mis secretly preparing which wealth and rank can bestow. Nevertheless his position was a difficult one. The very privileges enjoyed by the canons, which included exemption from the jurisdiction of the ordinary, exposed them to attacks from various quarters, and at the time of Reginald's promotion a lively conflict was being waged between the chapter and the bishop, who claimed certain episcopal rights which the canons would not admit. This dispute had been both tedious and vexatious, but Reginald had not long been installed in his office before he succeeded in making peace between the contending parties. The confidence with which he inspired his brethren, rendered them well content to leave their interests in his hands, whilst a good understanding was established between him and the bishop, which soon ripened into a friendship so close and intimate that, to use the words of one of his biographers, "you might have thought the dean was bishop and that the bishop was dean." Manasses de Seignelay, who then filled the see of Orleans, was one of the most illustrious men of his time, and the tie which bound him in such close relations with Reginald was based on their mutual sympathy in the things of God. He, and he alone perhaps, discerned that in spite of possessing everything which the world holds most precious, wealth, fame, dignity, and a position in which he could amply gratify his taste as a scholar, Reginald, with all his gifts of nature and of fortune, carried about with him a heart as yet unsatisfied. His was one of those natures that can be happy only in proportion as it is generous towards God. And the lavishness with which he had hitherto spent himself, his talents, and his means for the good of others, did not yet come up to the level of that unlimited sacrifice, the idea of which he had conceived in his heart. Day and night he was consumed with two thoughts which gave him no rest a profound compassion for perishing souls, and the thirst to devote himself without reserve to labour for their salvation. His riches were a burden to him; freely as he dispensed them for the relief of the poor and the enfranchisement of the poor serfs dependent on him as their feudal lord, a voice within seemed constantly demanding of him some It was then in the ald soon came to he day in a confide us in the city, who ftis soul. The sight to the Divine mercy, ear ing more; and he dreamed in secret of embracing some y of life which to the apostolic work of preaching should ite the obligations of poverty and the holy folly of the oss. In short, to use the words of Blessed Humbert, "he is secretly preparing himself for the ministry, though as t he knew not in what way to carry it out; for he was orant that the Order of Friars Preachers had been inded." The way which at length opened to the fulfilnt of his desires, came to him through the invitation of anasses to accompany him on a double pilgrimage to Rome Jerusalem, a proposal which he accepted the more lingly, in hopes that God would bless this act of piety more clearly making known to him His holy will. It was then in the May of 1218 that the two friends ived in Rome, and were well received by many to whom y were known by reputation, among others by "a certain rdinal," probably the Cardinal Ugolino, with whom ginald soon came to be on terms of familiar intimacy. e day in a confidential discourse with the Cardinal, ginald opened to him his whole heart, and confessed that had long cherished the secret desire to abandon all things t he might devote himself to the work of preaching Jesus ist in a state of voluntary poverty. The rest must be I in the words of Blessed Humbert: "Then the Cardinal 1 to him, Lo! there is an Order just risen up, whose end o unite the practice of poverty with the office of preach; and the Master of this new Order is even now present nus in the city, who also himself preaches the Word of 1.' When Master Reginald heard this, he hastened to x out the blessed Dominic, and to reveal to him the secret his soul. The sight of the saint, and the graciousness his words, captivated his heart, and he resolved to enter the Order. But adversity, which proves so many holy ects, failed not in like manner to try his also. He fell , so that the physicians despaired even of saving his life. blessed Dominic, grieving at the thought of losing a Here as yet he had scarcely enjoyed him, turned himself he Divine mercy, earnestly imploring God (as he himself i has related to the brethren) that He would not take from him a son as yet but hardly born, but that He would at least prolong his life, if it were but a little while. And even whilst he yet prayed, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and Mistress of the World, accompanied by two young maidens of surpassing beauty, appeared to Master Reginald as he lay awake and parched with a burning fever; and he heard the Queen of Heaven speaking to him, and saying, 'Ask me what thou wilt, and I will give it to thee.' As he considered within himself, one of the maidens who accompanied the Blessed Virgin suggested to him that he should ask nothing, but should leave it to the will and pleasure of the Queen of Mercy; to which he right willingly assented. Then she, extending her virginal hand, anointed his eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, hands, reins, and feet, pronouncing certain words meanwhile appropriate to each anointing. I have heard only those which she spake at the unction of his reins and feet: the first were, 'Let thy reins be girt with the girdle of chastity;' and the second, 'Let thy feet be shod for the preaching of the Gospel of Peace.' Then she showed to him the habit of the Friars Preachers, saying to him, 'Behold the habit of thy Order,' and so disappeared from his eyes. At the same time Reginald perceived that he was cured, having been anointed by the Mother of Him Who has the secrets of salvation and of health. The next morning, when Dominic came to him, to ask him how he fared, he answered that nothing ailed him, and so told him the vision. Then both together rendered thanks to God, Who strikes and heals, Who wounds and Who maketh whole." SHE SH mportant explanation t Tin was that afterwa they were wearin Reginald, who was cloth it according to the Bernard Guidonis, wh ng the early histori precise on this point. and the showing of the h the other brethren k in its place as a he scapular, retaining er their white tunics, white scapular beca Preachers: and the wor dging it, mark at on it is regarded. er, the most distingu maternal pledge from Mary towards us. Among all the tradit ore cherished than tha ich has clothed so m seven centuries, was f acy herself. Hence S is Vestiaria. " "Bless Apoldia, "who are fo Three days later Dominic again came to his room bringing with him a religious of the Hospitallers of St. John; and, as they all three sat together the same scene was repeated in the sight of all. The above narrative is related almost in the same words by a great number of writers, among others by Blessed Jordan of Saxony, who says he received it from the lips of St. Dominic himself. Bartholomew of Trent, who was himself clothed by St. Dominic, adds the of grace unspeal Malier fortis for the r er cherish with venerat tever soil its spotless Reginald had been bi ath by the prayer of fanguish caused by th se extraordinary mer sought of God, Who vant, that He would 1 Bern. Guid |