Blanquerna

Blanquerna was Abbot in an abbey that was of great honour, which contained a great number of monks and which enjoyed great wealth. Daily did Blanquerna con¬ sider how after some new manner he might honour Our Lady. On a certain day Blanquerna was considering the honour of Our Lady, and through Divine virtue it came to his will that he should build in the monastery a chamber set apart from the reft, wherein should ever be a monk who should daily within that chamber give greeting to Our Lady, and eat and sleep therein, and follow not the rule of the monastery, but be free in all those things wherein he might the better give greeting to Our Lady and have contemplation concerning her. The Abbot Blanquerna caused this room to be built, and gave to it this name: Ave Maria. Then went the Abbot into the chapter with all the monks and spake to them these words : “ All the greatest honour that a creature may receive from the Creator was done within the womb of Our Lady when the Son of God took human nature within her; and therefore it be¬ hoves our Order, which has Our Lady for its Head, to honour her with all its might. Which, therefore, of you desires to greet Our Lady and to live in that chamber which bears the name of Ave Maria ? ” Many were the monks who desired to be in that chamber and hold that office ; but the Abbot said that the monk who should have it rnuSt be

BLANQUERNA

2. That monk dwelt in the chamber of Ave Maria, in the which he kept his books, making it likewise his cell, and placing therein an image of Our Lady. A lay brother brought to him daily his pittance from the monastery. That monk sang Mass in the chapel, and went through all the monastery, and spake with whomsoever he desired, and had many privileges besides. It came to pass one day that the Abbot entered the chamber of the monk, and desired to know the manner wherein the monk greeted Our Lady Saint Mary. So the monk knelt down before the image of Our Lady, and spake these words, and many more, as was his cuStom :

3. “ 1 Hail Mary I ’ Thy servant greets thee on behalf of the angels and the patriarchs and the prophets and the martyrs and the confessors and the virgins, both men and maidens; and he greets thee likewise through all the saints that are in glory. Hail Mary ! He brings thee greetings from all Christians, both righteous and sinners : the righteous greet thee, for that thou art worthy of greeting and art the hope of their salvation ; the sinners greet thee, because they ask of thee pardon, and have hope that thy merciful eyes may look upon thy Son, to the end that He may have pity and mercy upon their sins, being mindful of the grievous Passion which He bore to give to them salvation and to pardon their guilt and sin.”

4. “ ‘ Hail Mary ! ’ I bring thee greetings from the

Saracens, Jews, Greeks, Mongols, Tartars, Bulgarians, Hungarians from Lesser Hungary, Cumanians, NeStorians, Guinovins and Russians: all these, and many unbelievers else, greet thee through me who am their representative. I bring to thee their greetings, to the end that thy Son may desire to have remembrance of them, and that thou mayeft beg Him to send to them ministers who may lead them to know and to love thee and thy Son, in such manner that they may be saved, and in this world may know and 236 1

OF THE BOOK OF AVE MARIA desire thee and thy Son, to serve and to honour Him and thee with all their power.”

S- Hail Mary 1 ’ These unbelievers, on whose behalf I greet thee, have ignorance concerning thy salutation,1 and the honour which God has given thee. They are men. Like form and like nature have they to the form and nature of thy Son, Whom thou so greatly lovefl, and by Whom thou art so greatly honoured and loved. They go through ignorance to the eternal fire; they lose the eternal glory of thy Son; for there is none to preach to them nor to show them the truth of the Holy Catholic Faith. They have mouths wherewith they could praise thee if they but knew thee; hearts have they wherewith they might love thee ; hands have they wherewith to serve thee ; feet have they wherewith to walk in thy paths. Thou art worthy to be known and served and loved and praised in all lands and by all men. They greet thee, and they beg of thee, through me, thy help and grace and blessing.”

6. “ ‘ Hail Mary 1 ’ It behoves me to weep and to do penance, and to endure a life of auflerity, and to praise and love and know and serve thee, that my greetings may be to thee the more acceptable.” The monk wept bitterly as he greeted Our Lady thus. Blanquerna wept for the great devotion of the monk and the devoutness of the greetings which he made to Our Lady. The sweetness and the virtue which the Abbot and the monk had as they wept and greeted Our Lady, who can recount it ?

7. “ Beloved son ! ” said the Abbot, “ Greet thou Our Lady, who is our health and blessing. By her aid are those men saved who without it had been damned. In our mother Eve was our damnation, and in Our Lady is our salvation. Mary is light and splendour, illumined and illumining alike. Hail to her, for she is a being without evil and without defedt. Let us, then, greet her and love her. We have a Lady through whom we shall gain all the

* tje. the angelic greeting.

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virtues and conquer the vices. Remember, oh son ! how many are they that greet Our Lady, and how blessed are they that are loved and remembered by her, who has such noble remembrance and such merciful will. Behold the Heavens, how great they are, and how wondrously illu-

earth, men, birds, beafts, fishes, plants, herbs and all things living and all things that are, — all these are in the service of Our Lady and all these are of her Son Who has created them. Greet her and weep, for with such greeting Our Lady is well pleased. Greet her with remembrance, for she ceases not to love, remember and help all that greet her with understanding highly exalted and with effectual1 will. Son 1 Call thou upon all the powers of thy soul, and see if thou doft use them all to greet Our Lady.”

8. While the Abbot urged and inspired with all his might the monk that dwelt in the chamber of Ave Maria, that monk spake to the Abbot in these words: “ Con¬ quered is my power, and exalted is the honour of Our Lady. No more can I love, honour and consider those things that are above ; I muff needs behold my faults, which are below. If it might so be, I should desire the more to weep and love and have remembrance, in greeting the Queen of Heaven and of all the earth and the sea. Each time that I greet Our Lady she brings me consolation and joy. Her greeting is my companionship and my consolation and my

9. The Abbot marvelled greatly and had great pleasure

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above all things loved and honoured Our Lady Saint Mary. In all that farm there was no more than one granary full of corn. Greatly was the Abbot troubled at the lack of com, and greatly did he sorrow at the thought that the alms muft cease, and by reason of this sorrow his soul was in sadness and his eyes were in tears. The brother that held the farm enquired of the Abbot wherefore he wept. “ Fair son 1 ” said the Abbot, “ I muft needs weep at the deaths of the poor, for these poor folk will die if the accuftomed alms which are given to them from the mon¬ astery cease, and cease they muft by reason of the dearth of corn.” “ Lord Abbot ! ” said the farmer, “ Continue ye to give alms in honour of Our Lady, for I will provide you with sufficient corn for all this year; doubt not this, but take ye as your surety Our Lady, who is full of grace.” The Abbot answered : “ Thy surety is seemly and suffi¬ cient, so much so that we should sin if we were to refuse it, and the alms were to cease.”

3. The Abbot returned right joyfully to the monaftery, and commanded that alms should ftill be given daily according to cuftom. For so long and to so many persons did he give alms that all the corn in the granaries and from all the farms was spent, excepting only the corn in the granary which was in the farm whose holder had taken Our Lady for surety. So the Abbot sent a message to the farmer that he should provide him with corn according to his promise. The farmer opened the granary and sent to the monaftery one-half of the corn which was therein. Again at another time he opened it, and found that it was half full even as he had left it, so he sent all the corn to the Abbot. When the fanner had closed his granary, and the beafts who bore the corn had left the farm, the farmer said his Ave Marias according to his wont. When he came to the words “ full of grace ” he marvelled, because he had left the granary empty of corn, and Saint Mary had notfilled it, albeit he had given her as surety to the Abbot.

GRATIA PLENA

4. While the farmer thought thus, he doubted whether Saint Mary was full of grace, for it was clear to him that, if she were so, the granary would at all times be filled with corn. Yet once again the Abbot sent to the farmer for corn, for that which he had laft sent him was all spent. So the farmer put his truft in Our Lady, and yet once again he unlocked the granary and found it full of corn ; and the farmer remembered how that Our Lady was full of grace. All that year did he find the granary full whensoever he went to it, and the contents thereof sufficed for the needs of the community and for all the alms which were given by them, until the new harveft. The Abbot and the monks praised and blessed Our Lady, who had been pleased to have remembrance of their needs.

5. It came to pass upon a feaft day that the farmer went to the monastery to keep the feaft. The Abbot enquired of him by what means he had found sufficient corn for their needs during the whole of the year. The farmer said to the Abbot that among the other words which are in the Ave Maria he had great devotion concerning the words “ full of grace ” ; and therefore he put his truft in Our Lady, that she would keep the granary full of corn for so long as there was a dearth in the land. Long did the Abbot think upon the words which this brother had spoken con¬ cerning Our Lady, and upon the devotion which he had to the words “ full of grace ” ; and therefore in a certain part of the monastery he caused a room to be made to the which he gave the name Gratia Plena (Full of Grace), and in that room he desired that this brother should remain all the days of his life, adoring and contemplating Our Lady who is full of grace.

6. Right holy and devout was the brother of Gratia Plena ; and, according to his power, he adored Our Lady daily, considering the grace whereof she was so full ; and by reason of the great age and of the holy life of that brother the monks came to him, and remained with him hour after

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hour, li&ening to the devout words which edified them and moved them to devotion and charity, by the which they were comforted and made glad. All that monastery was enlightened by this brother and by the brother of Ave Maria, and many a time did the monk of Ave Maria and the brother of Gratia Plena visit each other, and the monk spake of the words “ Ave Maria,” and the brother of the words “ Gratia Plena.” The pleasure and the brotherly companionship of them both, who may recount it ? And the good example which they gave to all the monks and friars, who can tell it ?

7. The Abbot Blanquerna desired to weep and to con¬ template Our Lady ; for the many temporal affairs where¬ with he had perforce to occupy himself in the monastery had greatly inclined his thought toward the things of earth ; wherefore the Abbot went alone one day to visit the brother of Gratia Plena, and desired to know the manner wherein he contemplated Our Lady. When the Abbot entered the chamber wherein was that brother, he found him kneeling before the image of Our Lady, weeping and saying these words :

8. “ Full art thou, O Mary, of the Plenitude which is

thy Son, Who is the fulness and plenitude of all that is. In thee, who art all fulness, is the fulness of the remem¬ brance and understanding and will of my soul. The whole world cannot attain to that fulness which thou containcSt. And knoweSt thou why ? Because through thy Son thou mayeSt have more fulness than the whole world, since the whole world is not so good as art thou. Thou art full of grace, that we may recover the grace which we have loSl. In thee is there fulness of our faith, hope, charity, juStice, prudence, fortitude, temperance. We have fulness because of the fulness that is thine. And he that re¬ members and loves thee is full of grace likewise; and he that is remembered and loved by thee has no defeft.” 1

GRATIA PLENA

9. ‘“Full of grace 1’ Filled with grace wert thou in respeft of God and of man, when the angel Gabriel gave thee greeting. That One, God and Man, Whose mother thou art, is full of eternal and infinite goodness, and of infinite and eternal power, knowledge and will. Where¬ fore if thine abundance is eternal and infinite in goodness, greatness, power, wisdom and will, thy plenitude may not be voided nor lessened nor multiplied. Wherefore, as thou that art full of grace art that same Mary that has such fulness, my soul is filled with charity, whereby it may fully know and love thee, and mine eyes are filled with weeping and tears, that they may do honour to thy honours, and weep for my sins and my transgressions.”

1 o. According to these words, and to many besides, was this brother adoring and contemplating Our Lady as the Abbot came to visit him. Great was the wonder of the Abbot that a lay man could utter words of such subtlety and devotion ; but he bethought himself that through the fulness of Our Lady his words were full of the infused science and of devotion. “ Fair son and brother I ” said the Abbot, “ God save thee, Who has filled thee thus with the fulness of the grace of Our Lady." That brother answered the Abbot : “ Lord Abbot 1 If thou knoweft aught wherein I may greatly love and honour Our Lady, I pray thee tell it me; for she is full of great grace and virtue, and therefore do I need fulness of understanding wherewith I may fully know her, that by the fulness of my knowledge my will may have such fulness that I may greatly love and praise her that is full of grace.”

1 1 . When the Abbot saw the plenteousness of grace, devotion and charity which was in the soul of that brother, and remembered that in his own soul there was less devo¬ tion than in that of this brother, he spake these words: “ Ah 1 wherefore did I become Abbot and not a hermit, that I might have such fulness of devotion as has this brother ? ” The Abbot Blanquerna kneeled before the 243

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brother of Gratia Plena, and prayed him that he would inftrua and teach him, that he might have once more the devotion which he had had of old, the which he had loft by reason of the temporal cares of his office. This brother wept, and Blanquerna wept likewise, and each regarded the other with looks of love, yet neither could speak to the other, for that their love was too great; but each by signs made significance to the other concerning the image of Our Lady, and the Passion of her Son, and the sorrow which she bore while they tormented her Son and slew Him, making Him to hang upon the Cross whereon He suffered that all might see Him and mock Him.

12. Long did they weep, and were together for much time ere they could speak once more. And the Abbot remained kneeling, until the brother spake to him these words : “ Full of grace was Our Lady when her Son de¬ parted this life. And that grace signifies the grace where¬ with the sons of God are filled in this world when they suffer trials and death in honour of the Son of Our Lady Who is in glory, wherein is the fulness of grace of Our Lady.” In this world lack we wholly fulness of grace. So the Abbot Blanquerna bewailed the sins of those that allow not fulness of grace to be in the world. And as Blanquerna wept he spake these words :

13. “Weeping, knowledge and love! Can ye have such power that to the remembrance of Our Lady who is full of grace ye may bring the lack of grace which is ours in this present life ? Can it please her by your means to incline herself to pray her Son that He may be pleased to fill us with such grace that He may cause us to go and preach His honour to the unbelievers? And that Holy Church may recover that sacred land which the Saracens hold to our dishonour, by the which dishonour is signified ignorance, together with defeft of charity and of remem¬ brance of the Precious Blood which was shed for us ? Is there naught which may aid you in this matter ? ” 244

DOMINUS TECUM “ Brother ! ” said the Abbot, “ Help thou me to weep and to pray, and let us weep more fervently and at greater length until the Queen whom thou loveft so gready be pleased to help us, and give us in this world so much of her grace, that all things may be ordered to the honour of her Son.” So for a long time the Abbot and this brother wept together; and, after their weeping was ended, they took leave courteously the one of the other, and the Abbot felt within his soul that the devotion which he had had of old had returned to him; wherefore the Abbot purposed to return ever and again to weep and to contemplate Our Lady in the chamber of Gratia Plena.