of yellow willow leaves. She saw at once that the man was deranged. He became ungovernable, and was finally chained, and died a raving maniac.

The poor woman ran shrieking about in search of little Andrew, and found him hung to a birch-tree, drenched in blood, and horribly cut about with knives.

There can be no manner of doubt that the child was murdered by the maniac, in the first outburst of his madness. When thirteen years later, all Tyrol was thrown into excitement by the charge brought against the Jews at Trent, of having murdered the child Simon, the peasants of Rinn conjectured, and from conjecturing, grew to believe that Jews were also guilty of the atrocity at their own village. There seems to have been no suspicion of Jews at the time the murder was committed; for none were brought before the magistrates, and it is significant that no reference was made to the Rinn murder in the trial of the Jews at Trent, as certainly would have been the case had there been a belief prevalent at the time that Jews had perpetrated it.

The body of the child was laid in the cemetery at Rinn, and a white lily, probably one of those beautiful lily-like asphodels which are found blooming on the Tyrolean pastures, grew and flowered on the little grave.

A chapel was erected over the Judenstein in 1670, and in the following year, on September 21st, the relics of the child were translated thither. In 1743, the skeleton was daintily, but somewhat theatrically, costumed in velvet and spangles by three noble sisters, the Ladies von Tannenberg, and set upright in a glass case above the high altar, where it is still to be seen.

The symbols of S. Andrew of Rinn are a lily and sickle.

July 13

SS. JOEL AND EZRA, Prophets in Palestine, circ. B.C. 800 and 450.

S. SILAS OR SIlvanus, Ap. in Macedonia, 1st cent.

S. ANACLETUS, Pope M. at Rome. (See S. CLETUS, April 26th).

S. SARA, V. Abss. at Scete in Lybia, end of 4th cent.

SS. MAURA AND BRIDGET, VV., MM., at Balagny, near Creil, 5th cent

S. EUGENIUS, B. of Carthage, A.D. 505.

S. GOLINDUC, M. in Syria, beginning of 7th cent.

S. MILDRED, V. Abss. of Minster in Thanet, 8th cent.

S. STEPHEN THE SABAITE, at S. Saba, near Jerusalem, ^.^. 794.

S. TURIAN, B. of Dol in Brittany, cire. 8th cent.

FESTIVAL OF THE MIRACULOUS HOSTS at Brussels, A.D. 1369.

S. SILAS, AP.
(IST CENT.)

[Ado, Usuardus, Notker, Roman Martyrology. By the Greeks, Silas is distinguished from Silvanus, and both are commemorated on the same day, July 20th; Silas as Bishop of Corinth, Silvanus as Bishop of Thessalonica. At Angers there is a proper office for S. Silas, so also at Bayeux and Beauvais. He is regarded as the patron of Epinay, in the diocese of Paris. Authority :-Mention in the Acts of the Apostles and the 143rd Ep. of S. Jerome.]

He

N the Epistles of S. Paul, Silas, the companion of S. Paul, is called Silvanus. appears first as one of the Elders of the Church at Jerusalem,1 holding office as an inspired teacher. His name, derived from the Latin word "Silva," a wood, betokens him a Hellenistic Jew, and he appears to have had the rights of a Roman citizen. He was appointed as a delegate to accompany SS. Paul and Barnabas on their return to Antioch, with the decree of the Council of Jerusalem. Having accomplished this mission, he returned to Jerusalem." He must, however, have immediately re-visited Antioch, Acts xv. 22. Acts xv. 32. 3 Acts xvi. 37. Acts xv. 22, 32.

5 Acts xv. 33.

for we find him selected by S. Paul as the companion. of his second missionary journey.1 At Beræa he was left behind with S. Timothy, whilst S. Paul proceeded to Athens, and we hear nothing more of his movements until he rejoined the Apostle at Corinth.3

His presence at Corinth is several times noticed.1 Whether he was the Silvanus who conveyed S. Peter's First Epistle to Asia Minor, is doubtful; the probabilities are in favour of the identity. A tradition, of very slender authority, represents Silas as having become bishop of Corinth; that he did occupy this position cannot be accounted as improbable. By some he has been identified with Terentius, mentioned by S. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans.6

The relics of S. Silas were given by Pope Sergius, in 691, to S. Bainus, bishop of the Morini; and they were held in high honour at Therouanne, in the church of S. Mary, till the destruction of that town and church by the Emperor Charles V., in 1553.

S. SARA, V. ABSS.

(END OF 4TH CENT.)

[Some Greek Menæas; but not all. Authority:-Mention in the Lives of the Fathers of the Desert.]

LITTLE is known of this virgin abbess in Scete, in Lybia, except that for thirteen years she was tormented with thoughts of impurity, which distressed inexpressibly her soul craving for pure and holy things. Yet all that while she never asked God to remove the loath

some temptation from her; but meekly prayed, "Lord, strengthen me !" At last, the story goes, after these thirteen years of battle, there came one night of horrible imaginations. She knelt up in her bed, crying for grace, and resolutely forcing down every evil thought as it rose. Then, suddenly, she saw at the further end of the bed, an ugly sensuous form, wriggling away, it was the Spirit of Impurity-it turned and hissed at her, "Thou has conquered me, Sara!" "Not I," answered Sara promptly, "but Christ that worketh in me."

SS. MAURA AND BRIDGET, VV., MM.

(5TH CENT.)

[Gallican Martyrologies on this day and on Jan. 15th. Venerated especially in the diocese of Beauvais on this day; at Tours on Jan. 15th. The Bollandists do not admit them into their Collection, as no trustworthy account exists. The following account is from Guerin and Giry, who give it as though it were bona fide history.]

"THE devotion of the town and diocese of Beauvais to these Saints, and the extraordinary graces received through their intercession, invite us," say Guerin and Giry, "to give here an abridgment of their lives." That abridgment shall be here further condensed.

Maura, probably Mawr, and Bridget, were virgin twin-sisters, daughters of Ella, king of Scotland and Northumberland, and Pantilomena his queen.1 Pantilomena died in giving birth to the maidens. As she was being baptised, the infant Maura declared to all present that her mother was in heaven, and Bridget

'Guerin and Giry give Maura and Bridget the 5th cent. as their date. Ella was king of Northumberland in 866, and never king of Scotland at all; but let that pass.

issued from the font surrounded by dazzling light. Both babes, we are gravely told, were given to one nurse to suckle, and as she had milk in only one breast, both little sisters were reared at the same one. Ella, we are also informed, was then in his capital, Edinburgh. "Some authors affirm, that for this cause, Edinburgh Castle has been called Agnetes, or the Castle of the Maidens."

At the age of thirteen, these twin-sisters took the vow of virginity, and rejected all the offers of marriage urged upon them by their father. He died soon after, and-let Scottish historians note the fact-left his crown and kingdom to Hispadus, or Espian, his son.1

But Espian had no natural love of rule; consequently he offered to resign his sceptre into the hands of his twin-sisters; but they declined the honour, and all three resolved to run away from Scotland. Accordingly, one night they left Edinburgh, traversed England, and sailed for France. On their way south, various adventures befell them. Maura's face shone at night, so that she had no need of a candle to go to bed with. She lodged one night with a widow; the son of the widow admired her, but was dazzled by the light from her face, and fell blinded at her feet.

One night a ruffian broke into the bedroom of the sisters, in a little inn, to rob and maltreat them. He was much surprised to find the room already occupied by an angel in the form of a priest, with a smoking censer in his hand, and retired in surprise and alarm.

From France the maidens and their brother went to Rome, to visit the tombs of the Apostles, where they met with one named Ursiscinus, and started with him

1 These Saints are quite unknown to Scottish Martyrologists, and do not appear in any Scottish Kalendar. S. Espian is venerated at Beauvais along with his sisters.