“ Blessed Mary, protect me!" the Archbishop cried;

“ What madness is come to the King !". In vain to escape from the Monarch he tried, When luckily he on his finger espied

The glitter of Agatha's ring.

Overjoy'd, the old Prelate remember'd the spell,

And far in the lake flung the ring; The waters closed round it, and, wondrous to tell, Released from the cursed enchantment of hell,

His reason return’d to the King.

But he built him a palace there close by the bay.

And there did he 'stablish his reign; And the traveller who will, may behold at this day A monument still in the ruins of Aix Of the spell that possess’d Charlemain.

ST. ROMUALD.

Les Catalans ayant appris que S. Romuald vouloit quitter leurs pays, en furent très-affligés ; ils delibérèrent sur les moyens de l'en empêcher, et le seul qu'ils imaginèrent comme le plus sûr, fut de le tuer, afin de profiter du moins de ses reliques et des guerisons et autres miracles qu'elles opéreroient après sa mort. La dévotion que les Catalans avoient pour lui, ne plut point du tout à S. Romuald ; il usa de stratagème et leur échappa.

St. Foir, Essais Historiques sur Paris. — T. 5. p. 163. St. Foix, who is often more amusing than trust-worthy, has fathered this story upon the Spaniards, though it belongs to his own countrymen, the circumstance having happened when Romuald was a monk of the Convent of St. Michael's, in Aquitaine. It is thus related by Yepes. En esta ocasion sucedio una cosa bien extraordinaria, porque los naturales de la tierra donde estava el monasterio de San Miguel, estimavan en tanto a San Romoaldo, que faltandoles la paciencia de que se quisiesse yr, dieron en un terrible disparate, a quien llama muy bien San Pedro Damiano Impia Pietas, piedad cruel : porque queriendose yr San Romoaldo, determinaron de matarle, para que ya que no le podian tener en su tierra vivo, alomenos gozassen de sus reliquias y cuerpo santo. Supo San Romoaldo

la determinacion bestial y indiscreta de aquella genle : y tomo una prudente resolucion, porque imitando a David, que fingio que estava loco, por no caer en manos de sus enemigos, assi San Romoaldo se hizo raer la cabeca, y con algunos ademanes, y palabras mal concertadas que dezia, le tuvieron por hombre que le avia faltado el juyzio, con que se asseguraron los naturales de la tierra que ya perpetuamente le tendrian en ella : y con semejante estratagema y traça tuvo lugar San Romoaldo de hurtarse, y a cencerros topados (como dizen) huyr de aquella tierra, y llegar a Italia a la ciudad de Ravena.

Coronica General de la Orden de San

Benito.- T. 5. ff. 274.

Villegas in his Flos Sanctorum (February 7th), records some of St. Romuald's achievements against the Devil and his imps. He records also the other virtues of the Saint, as specified in the poem. They are more fully stated by Yepes. Tenia tres cilicios, los quales mudava de treynta en treynta dias : no los labava, sino ponialos al ayre, y à la agua que Movia, con que se matavanalgunas inmundicias, que se criavan en eltos.-- ff. 298. Quando alguna vez era tentado de la gula, y desseava comer de algun manjar, tomavale en las manos, miravale, oliale, y despues que estava despierto el apetito, dezia, o gula, gula, quan dulce y suave te parece este manjar ! pero no te ha de entrar en provecho! y entonces se mortificava, y le dexava, y le embiava entero, o al silleriço, o a los pobres. Do. More concerning St. Romuald may be seen in the Omniana, vol, i.

One day, it matters not to know

How many hundred years ago,

A Frenchman stopt at an inn door: The Landlord came to welcome him, and chat

Of this and that, For he had seen the Traveller there before.

“ Doth holy Romuald dwell

Still in his cell ?” The Traveller ask'd, “ or is the old man dead?” “ No ; he has left his loving flock, and we

So good a Christian never more shall see,” The Landlord answer’d, and he shook his head.

“ Ah, Sir! we knew his worth !
If ever there did live a Saint on earth!..
Why, Sir, he always used to wear a shirt
For thirty days, all seasons, day and night :

Good man, he knew it was not right
For dust and ashes to fall out with dirt;

And then he only hung it out in the rain,

." And put it on again.

There has been perilous work
With him and the Devil there in yonder cell;
For Satan used to maul him like a Turk.
There they would sometimes fight
All through a winter's night,

From sun-set until morn,
He with a cross, the Devil with his horn ;
The Devil spitting fire with might and main.
Enough to make St. Michael half afraid ;
He splashing holy water till he made

His red hide hiss again,
And the hot vapour fill’d the smoking cell.

This was so common that his face became
All black and yellow with the brimstone flame,
And then he smelt, .. Oh Lord! how he did smell !

“ Then, Sir! to see how he would mortify
The flesh! If any one had dainty fare,

Good man, he would come there,