Even if such times are not to come, but are merely among the fancies or necessary activities of the human mind, then still we are grateful for the vision by the way, and, above all, for the exquisite real fellowship.

We need not deprecate any ill construction of our use of the term "gentleman-saint." In some sort, we do confess, we use it with a delighted smile on our face, astonished to start such a phenomenon in high life; but, while the conversational sense of the word is included, we claim for it, as we have explained, the very largest and truest sense. One of our brave old English dramatists-brave because his humanity misgave him in nothing dared to call the divinest of beings that have trod the earth

"The first true gentleman that ever breathed.”

Here is another (at far distance) of the same heraldry, his shield

Heart-shaped, and vermeil-dyed."

Fénélon was another, but not so active or persuasive as De Sales. St. Vincent de Paul, if we mistake not, the founder of the Sisters of Charity, was a fourth. So, we believe, was St. Thomas Aquinas. So, perhaps, was Jeremy Taylor, and certainly Berkeley, the latter the more unquestionably of the two, because he was the more active in doing good, and manifestly did not care twopence for honors and profits, compared with the chance of benefiting his fellow-creatures. At one time, for this purpose, he petitioned to give up his preferments! Swift has a pleasant passage in furtherance of this object, in which

he tells the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, that Dr. Berkeley will be miserable in case he is not allowed to give up some hundreds a year.

We will first give the "General Biographical Dictionary" account of St. Francis de Sales, and follow it with a notice of the book before us:

"St. Francis de Sales was born at the Castle of Sales, in the diocese of Geneva, Aug. 21, 1567. He descended from one of the most ancient and noble families of Savoy. Having taken a doctor of law's degree at Padua, he was first advocate at Chambery, then provost of the church of Geneva at Annecy. Claudius de Granier, his bishop, sent him as a missionary into the valleys of his diocese to convert the Zuinglians and Calvinists, which he is said to have performed in great numbers (sic), and his sermons were attended with wonderful success. The bishop of Geneva chose him afterwards for his coadjutor, but was obliged to use authority before he could be persuaded to accept the office. Religious affairs called him afterwards into France, where he was universally esteemed; and Cardinal du Perron said, 'There were no heretics whom he could not convince, but M. de Geneva must be employed to convert them.' Henry IV., being informed of his merit, made him considerable offers, in hopes of detaining him in France; but he chose rather to return to Savoy, where he arrived in 1602, and found Bishop Granier had died a few days before. St. Francis then undertook the reformation of his diocese, where piety and virtue soon flourished through his zeal: he restored regularity in the monasteries, and instituted the order of the Visitation

in 1610, which was confirmed by Paul V., 1618, and of which the Baroness de Chantal, whom he converted by his preaching at Dijon, was the foundress. He also established a congregation of hermits in Chablais, restored ecclesiastical discipline to its ancient vigor, and converted numerous heretics to the faith. At the latter end of 1618, St. Francis was obliged to go again to Paris, with the Cardinal de Savoy, to conclude a marriage between the Prince of Piedmont and Christina of France, second daughter of Henry IV. This princess herself chose De Sales for her chief almoner; but he would accept the place only on two conditions: one, that it should not preclude his residing in his diocese; the other, that, whenever he did not execute his office, he should not receive the profits of it. These unusual terms the princess was obliged to consent to; and immediately, as if by way of investing him with his office, presented him with a very valuable diamond, saying, 'On condition that you will keep it for my sake.' To which he replied, 'I promise to do so, madam, unless the poor stand in need of it.' Returning to Annecy, he continued to visit the sick, relieve those in want, instruct the people, and discharge all the duties of a pious bishop, till 1662; when he died of an apoplexy at Lyons, Dec. 28, aged fiftysix, leaving several religious works, collected in two vols. folio. The most known are the 'Introduction to a Devout Life;' and 'Philo, or a Treatise on the Love of God.' Marsollier has written his life (two vols. 12mo), which was translated into English by Mr. Crathorne. He was canonized in 1665.”—MORERI : Dict. Hist. Butler.

The writers of this notice do not seem to have been aware, that Camus, Bishop of Bellay, the disciple and friend of St. Francis, wrote a large account of him, "the Beauties" of which the work before us professes to give the public. This English volume is itself a curiosity. It is printed at Barnet, and emanates most likely from some public-spirited enthusiast of the Roman-Catholic persuasion, who has thought- not without reason to sow a good seed in these strange, opinion-conflicting, yet truth-desiring times, when a little genuine Christianity stands a chance of being well received, from whatever quarter it comes. A friend of ours, smitten with love of the book, has applied for a copy at Messrs. Longman's, whose name is in the titlepage, but is told that they have not one left: so that, if the Barnet press do not take Christian pity upon the curious, we know not what is to be done for them, apart from the following extracts; which, however, we take to be quite enough to set any handsome mind upon salutary reflections.

Camus, the Boswell of a saint, is himself a curiosity. He was a man of wit and a satirist, and so far (in the latter respect) not very well fitted for ultra Christian aspiration. But he was also an enthusiastic lover of goodness, and of his great seraphical friend; whom he looked up to with all the congregated humilities of a younger age, a real self-knowledge, and an unaffected modesty. He was naturally as hasty in his temperament as St. Francis was the reverse; and was always for getting on too fast, and being angry that others would not be Christian enough: and it is quite delightful to see with what sense and good-humor his

teacher reproves him, and sets him in the right way; upon which the young bishop begins over-emulating the older one (for they were both prelates together), trying to imitate his staid manners and deliberate style of preaching; and then St. Francis reproves him again, joking as well as reasoning, and showing how he was spoiling the style peculiar to himself (Camus), with no possibility of getting at the style of another the result of his habits and particular turn of

man, mind.

But let the reader see for himself what a nature this man had, what wisdom with simplicity, what undeviating kindness, what shrewd worldly discernment with unworldly feelings; what capital Johnsonian good sense, and wit too, and illustration, sometimes as familiar as any table-talk could desire, at others in the very depth of the heart of sentiment and poetical grace. Observe also what a proper saint he was for every day, as well as for holidays; and how he could sit down at table, and be an ordinary, unaffected gentleman among gentlemen, and dine at less elegant tables at inns, and say a true honest word, with not a syllable of pretence in it, for your hard-working innkeeper, — 'publican," and perhaps "sinner,” as he was.

66

"Beautiful are the ceremonies of the church!" said a Roman-Catholic prelate, when a great wax-candle was brought before him, stuck full of pieces of gold (his perquisite). "Beautiful are the ceremonies of the church!" think we, also, though no Roman Catholic, when we hear the organ roll, and the choirvoices rising, and see the white wax-candles on the altar, and the dark glowing paintings, full of hopeful