nent for their learning. The general council of Chal cedon styles Damasus, for his piety, the honour and glory of Rome (19), Theodoret says, "He was illustrious by his holy life, and ready to preach, and to do all things in defence of the apostolic doctrine" (20).

This pope rebuilt, or at least repaired, the church of St Laurence near Pompey's Theatre, where he had of ficiated after his father, and which to this day is called from St Lawrence in Damaso. He beautified it with paintings of sacred history, which were remaining four hundred years afterward (21). He presented it with a paten of silver weighing fifteen pounds, a wrought vessel of ten pounds weight, five silver chalices, weighing three pounds each, five silver sconces to hold wax lights, of eight pounds each, and candlesticks of brass, of sixteen pounds weight. He also settled upon it several houses that were near the church, and a piece of land (22). St Damasus likewise drained all the springs of the Vatican which ran over the bodies that were buried there, and he decorated the sepulchres of a great number of martyrs in the cemeteries, and adorned them with epitaphs in verse, of which a collection of almost forty is extant (b). Some of these belong not to him those which are his work, are distinguished by a peculiar elegance and elevation, and justify the commendation

(19) Conc. T. 4. p. 825.

(20) Theodoret, Hist. 1. 5. c. 2. (21) Adrian. 1. ep. Conc. T. 7. (22) Anast. in Pontif. (b) The epitaphs on St Maur (a child martyred a little before St Chrysanthus) on St Paul, SS. Marcellinus and Peter, St Saturninus, SS. Protus and Hyacinthus, St Laurence, St Marcellus, St Eusebius, St Mark, pope, St Eutychius, &c. are acknowledged to be his. Merenda (p. 136.) confirms the conjecture of Vossius, Colomesius, and Dr Cave, who, upon the authority of good MSS. and other arguments of weight, attribute to pope Damasus the small pious Christian poems which have been printed among the works of Claudian the poet, The pontifical which bears the name of Damasus, certainly derives very little, if any thing, from his pen, is written in a low flat style, and seems the work of several hands. It is quoted by Walafridus Strabo, Bede, Rabanus Maurus, &c. consequently is older than A. nastasius the Bibliothecarian, though it perhaps received from him some additions. See on this Pontifical Orsi, Berti, and Fabricius in Biblioth. Lat. med. & infim. stat. His forty Latin pieces of poetry are re published by Mattaire in his Corpus Poetarum.

which St Jerom gives to his poetical genius. In the few letters of this pope which we have in the editions of the councils, out of the great number which he wrote, it appears that he was a man of genius and taste, and wrote with elegance. The ancients particularly commend his constancy, in maintaining the purity of our holy faith, the innocence of his manners, his christian humility, his compassion for the poor, his piety in adorning holy places, especially the tombs of the martyrs, and his singular learning. Having sat eighteen years and two months, he died on the roth of December, in 384, being near fourscore years of age. of age. A pontifical kept in the Vatican library, quoted by Merenda, says, that the saint, burning with an ardent desire to be dissolved, and be with Christ, was seized with a fever, and, having received the body and blood of the Lord, lifting up his eyes and hands to heaven, he expired in devout prayer. His intercession is particularly implored in Italy by persons that are sick of fevers (23). He was buried near his mother and sister in an oratory which he had built and adorned at the catacombs near the Ardeatin way between that road and the cemetery of Calixtus or Prætextatus. Marangonus describes his sepulchre, and those of his mother and sister, as they were discovered in the year 1736 (24).

Learning, the great accomplishment and improvement of the human mind, is often made its bane. This sometimes happens by the choice which a man makes of his studies, and much oftener by the manner in which he pursues them. As to the choice, there is no sloth more trifling or vain than the studies of some learned men; to whom we may apply what Plato said to the charioteer whose dexterity in the circus struck the spectators with astonishment. But the philosopher declared he deserved to be publicly chastised for the loss of so much time as was necessary for him to have attained that dexterity in so trifling and useless an exercise. A perfect knowledge of our own, and some foreign and learned languages, is a

(23) Fonseca, 1. 1. c. 16. Merenda ad. an. 384. p. 133. (24) Ma rangonus in Commentariis ad Chronologiam Romanorum Pontificum in picturis Ostiensis basilica superstitem.

necessary instrument, and a key to much useful knowledge, but of little use if it be not directed to higher purposes. Holy David, St Ambrose, St Damasus, Prudentius, St Paulinus, and many others consecrated poetry to the divine praises. The belles lettres, in all their branches, give an elegance to a man's mind and thoughts, and help us to communicate with dignity our most useful knowledge to others. But if made an employment of life, especially when the proper studies or occupations of a state ought to have banished them, they become a pernicious idleness, and so much entertain the heart as to ruin devotion and the taste of duties, and to occupy our reason in trifles. They are particularly condemned by the fathers and councils, in clergymen, as trespassing upon their obligations, and destructive of the spirit of their profession. Logic gives a justness and clearness to our thoughts, teaches accurate reasoning, and exceedingly improves the judgment and other faculties of the mind. Yet if its rules are made too prolix, or spun into refined subtilties, they puzzle and confound the understanding. The same is to be said of Metaphysics, which ought properly to be called The Generals of Science: a just acquaintance with which is, above all other studies and accomplishments, the means of improving the mind to the highest perfection, especially its ruling faculty, the judgment, and fitting it for success and accuracy in all other sciences and arts. The principles of Aristotle, in Logic and Metaphysics, are solid, exact, complete, and far preferable to all others; but the exposition must be concise, methodical, profound, infinitely accurate, clear, elegant, or free from a Gothic dress, which disfigures the best attainments, and is the characteristic of barbarism. Skill in useless knotty problems or questions which some start, is compared, by an elegant writer to a passion for breaking hard stones with a man's teeth, merely to shew their goodness. All studies, be they ever so methodically conducted and regulated, must, in imitation of the saints, be directed to a holy end and serious purpose, and sanctified by a life of prayer. If fondness for any science degenerates into passion, it becomes a dangerous and vicious branch of

curiosity, drains the heart, hinders holy meditation and prayer, captivates the soul, and produces all the disor ders of inordinate passions.

ON THE SAME DAY.

SS. FUSCIAN, VICTORICUS, and GENTIAN, MM. Fuscian and Victoricus were two apostolical men who came to preach the faith in Gaul about the same time with St Dionysius of Paris. They penetrated to the remotest parts of that kingdom, and at length made Terouanne the seat of their mission. Going back to Amiens, where Rictius Varus persecuted the Christians with more than savage barbarity, they lodged with one Gentian, who was desirous to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. He informed them that St Quintin had lately glorified God by martyrdom. They were scon after apprehended, with their charitable host, and all three died for Christ about the year 287. See their Acts quoted by Ado, and the chronicle of St Bertin's extant in Bosquet, 1. 4. On the translation of their relicks see Mabillon, sæc. 4. Ben. and Gallia Christiana. Their bodies were found laid in coffins in the village Sama, now called St Fusieu, i. e. St Fuscian's, in a garden. St Honoratus, then bishop of Amiens, translated them into the cathe dral. Childebert II., at that time king, gave to the church of Amiens the royal village Magie, about the year 580.

St DANIEL the Stylite, C. Though a love of singu larity is vicious, and always founded in pride, sometimes extraordinary paths of virtue may be chosen in a spirit of fervour and humble simplicity, which is discover. ed by the effects. And true virtue is always so far singular, that it is raised above, and essentially distinguished from, the manners of the crowd, which ever walks in the broad way, and runs counter to the rules of the gospel, by which a Christian is bound to square his conduct. The manner of living which a Simeon and a Daniel Stylites chose, by an extraordinary inspiration and impulse of true piety and fervour, is only to be considered by us as an object of admiration; but the ardour,

humility and devotion with which they pursued the means of their sanctification, are imitable by all Chris tians. Daniel was a native of the town of Maratha, near Samosata: at twelve years of age he retired into a neighTM bouring monastery, where, with astonishing fervour, he embraced all the means of perfection. A long time after, his abbot going to Antioch about the affairs of the church, carried Daniel with him, and, passing by Telanissa, went to see St Simeon on his pillar. That saint suffered Daniel to come up to him, gave him his bles sing, and foretold that he would suffer much for Jesus Christ. The abbot dying soon after, the monks would have put Daniel in his place, but he declined it, and returning to see St Simeon, continued fourteen days in the Mandra (a) or monastery which was near his piller. He afterwards undertook a journey to the Holy Land; buț St Simeon appeared to him on the way, and ordered him to steer his course toward Constantinople, which he did. He passed seven days in the church of St Michael, without the walls of that city; then nine years at Philempora, in a ruinous abandoned little temple.

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After this term he resolved to imitate the manner of life of which St Simeon had set the example, whose cowl he had obtained of that saint's disciple Sergius, after his death in 459. St Daniel chose a spot in the neighbouring desert mountains toward the Euxine sea, four miles by sea, and seven by land, from Constantinople, toward the North. A friend erected him a pillar, which consisted of two pillars fastened together with iron bars; whereon another lesser pillar was placed, on the top of which was fixed by other friends a kind of vessel somewhat like an half barrel, on which he abode, encompassed by a balustrade (1). The country of Thrace where he lived, was subject to high winds, and very sewere frosts; so that his penance was more surprising than that of St Simeon. The lord of the ground about the year 463 built him a second pillar which was stronger

(1) Theodor. Lector, 1. 1. p. 554. Vit. S. Dan. c. 28. 31.

(a) Mandra, in Syriac, signifies a shepherd's tent; and was used for a cluster of cells.