Blanquerna

The Cardinal of Benedicimus Te came before the Pope and the Cardinals with a great company of men to whom he had commended divers offices wherein God might be blessed ; they were to go through many lands to bless God, to the end that God might bless those lands by reason of the blessing of His Name therein. These men were to go through the Greets crying out and saying : “ Blessed be God Who has created the trees, beaSls, birds, men, metals, elements, skies, Stars, angels and all other creatures; and blessed be God Who is the Orderer of the world, in that He has created divers offices therein: clerks, knights, religious, prelates, princes, labourers, merchants, black¬ smiths, carpenters, drapers, shoe-makers, furriers, butchers, fishermen and men of all other offices.” These men have

promised to cry out and bless God for that He was pleased to become incarnate, and to die, and to work miracles, and to create Paradise and Hell, and for that He will make the good and the evil to rise again, sentencing the good to ever¬ lasting glory and the evil to eternal punishment. Further¬ more, these men were to cry aloud and bless God in His Essence and in His Trinity and in His Virtues and in all things soever wherein is significance of His nobility.

2. When the Cardinal had related to the Pope and the other Cardinals the ordinance which he had established that the name of God might be blessed, he prayed the Pope to grant great indulgences to those that would hold this office, and to cause the clerks to give them to eat, for so long as they were in any land whither they had gone to bless the name of God. The Pope and the Cardinals were greatly pleased at that which this Cardinal had ordained, and the Pope commanded all the bishops that each one

should provide foi

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his diocese, and he gave them great indulgences and sent them away thus privileged, to go to divers dioceses by two and two. So they praised and blessed God in marvellous wise, crying aloud night and day concerning the Name and the virtue of God. And for the blessing which they gave to God, God blessed their words, and granted devotion to many people, who by reason thereof lived holy lives.

3. The Cardinal went through the city of Rome, bear¬ ing much money, which he gave to the poor that they might bless God ; and as he went through the Streets he cried to the people that they should bless God. It came to pass one day that a crier, who was wont to go about crying wine, considered the great devotion of the Cardinal, and through the Divine will the crier had devotion to be a crier of the name of God ; and he came to the Cardinal, and with his license took the office of crying that the name of God should be blessed ; and the Cardinal gave him a daily wage of five sous whereon he should live, and buy nuts and fruit to give to the children who followed him, crying also that the Name of God should be praised and blessed, and saying: “ Blessed be God, praised be God, adored be God, obeyed be God, and may the work and virtue of God be ever praised and served.” That crier went daily through Rome with many children, and they cried and blessed God and His virtue. As the crier and the children cried out and blessed God, many men that were sinners had remem¬ brance and undemanding and love of God, mortifying the vices and nurturing the virtues in their minds, and righteous men exalted their devotion in loving and serving God.

4. It came to pass in the city through the which went

two of these men who cried out and blessed God, that a certain learned merchant had loSl his wife, and he desired to bless God after the manner wherein he might the moSt effectually bless Him ; so he sold all that he had, and spent the money upon a palfrey and upon a goblet of gold ; and 346 _

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he rode upon the palfrey, bearing the goblet before him, and he cried out through all the town that he would give that palfrey and that goblet to the man who would beft inftrudt him to bless God. When the merchant went thus through the city crying aloud, there were many men in the city who had great desire to possess the palfrey, and the goblet of gold, which was very precious, and they thought of many and divers manners of blessing God ; wherefore there was question among them which of these was the beft way of blessing God.

In a certain election a Canon received many votes that he might be made a bishop, and he blessed God that he was not a bishop ; and the Bishop who was elefted blessed God because He had charged him with so great and perilous a task and with an office so honoured and useful. Where¬ fore it is a question which gave the greater benedidtion to God.

Tf It is a question which gave the greater blessing to God : whether a certain man whose goods God increased, giving him wealth and honour in this world so that he blessed God for it; or one who blessed God because he was ill and dishonoured, and whose temporal possessions God had taken from him.

A certain man wounded another mortally, though this man had done no wrong, and the wounded man blessed God and had patience; and the man that wounded him likewise had patience, and praised and blessed God, and judged himself to be guilty, while he suffered his lawful punishment.

*[f There was a man who praised and blessed God when he saw lepers, and beafts, and men that were sinners, be¬ cause God had made him neither a leper nor a beaft, but had made him a man. Another man blessed God because He had given him grace to live without mortal sin. Where¬ fore it is a question which of these blessed God the more

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Between a man and a woman there was question which blessed God the more : whether the man because God had not made him a woman, or the woman because she was not a man, and was in greater submission in this world than is

There was a question likewise between a Christian and a Saracen, which of them praised God the more truly according to his law.

A like question was made between a woman and her son, for the son blessed God because He had given him a good mother and the mother blessed God because He had given her a good son.

A certain king blessed God because He had given him a noble people; and the people blessed God because He had given them a worthy king. Wherefore there was question which of them blessed God the more truly.

These questions and many more were given in writing to the merchant, to the end that he might bellow the palfrey and the goblet on him who had brought the question which signified which one among all these persons blessed God the mo St truly.

5. When the merchant had received the questions afore¬ mentioned, he rode upon his palfrey with the questions and the goblet of gold in his hand, and came to Rome, to the Cardinal whose office was to bless God, and he prayed him that he would solve the questions above-mentioned, that he might make choice of the manner wherein he could the moil effedhially bless God, and give the goblet and the palfrey to him that had brought the beSt question. The Cardinal went with the merchant to the Consistory before the Pope and the Cardinals, to solve this question ; but agreement was made by the Pope and the Cardinals that the questions should be debated for a long time in the Court that they might not be forgotten, and that through remembering them many men might have example and devotion in praising and blessing God, and that the use 348

BENEDICIMUS TE and custom of blessing God might be increased, and the office of the Cardinal have the greater utility; wherefore there was made an establishment that at the gate of the Cathedral of Rome should be set a palfrey of marble, and a man riding thereon who should hold in his hand a goblet, and that on the pedeStal should be inscribed these questions aforesaid, together with the reason for the which the merchant had come to Rome.

6. It came to pass one day that the Cardinal rode through the city to see if he could hear any man blessing God, and he passed before a tavern wherein were many riotous men and idlers who played at dice, and one of them cursed and blasphemed God, saying many foul and evil words con¬ cerning Jesus ChriSt and Our Lady Saint Mary because of a game which he had loSl at dice. The Cardinal dismounted from his palfrey, and gave it to this ribald man who blas¬ phemed God, to the end that he might bless Him and never blaspheme Him more, and he went to the Pope and to the Cardinals, saying to them these words : “ One day a certain friar was at Mass, which a MaSter in theology was singing, and he considered this MaSter, who for a long time through his words had given reason whereby God could be blessed by His disciples. Wherefore,” said the Cardinal, “ I am in very great wrath when I think that for a game of dice there are many riotous men and knaves who curse and blaspheme God and Our Lady and the saints in glory. I ask that satisfaction be made to me for the injury and wrong which is being done to me by dicing, and hindering the office which is commended to me. If satisfaction be not made to me and to my office by such as have power, they will be opposed to the blessing of God, and agree to¬ gether in having malediction of Him.” So vehement were the words that the Cardinal spake to the Pope and his companions that he made their minds to be in contrition and in thought, and they took knowledge of the power which they had, which was superior to their will. And the 349

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Jester of Valour said: “ What is the worth of a lover who forbids not that dishonour be done to his Beloved ? ” And Ram6n the Fool said that the lover was tormented by his Beloved, of the which lover they enquired while they tor¬ mented him if it was time to reft; and he answered saying that, provided his Beloved knew, it was time for him to reft in the trials which he suffered for his Beloved.

7. While they spake thus fhere entered a Legate who recounted how he had fulfilled his commandment in ex¬ communicating a prince who had disendowed the Church; and the Cardinal of Benedicimus Te enquired of the Pope which thing ought the more ftraitly to be spoken againft: whether that for the which men blasphemed and dis¬ honoured God, or the disendowment, by that prince, of one bishopric only.

8. Blanquerna the Pope was riding one day through the city of Rome and he saw a great company of ribald men in a tavern, who cried out saying : “ Blessed be the Name of God.” The Pope enquired how it came to pass that these ribald men blessed God in that place or how God could be blessed by such people. “ Lord 1 ” said a knight who was of the city of Rome : “ There is a ribald man to whom the Cardinal of Benedicimus Te gave a palfrey, and he has made a cuftom of speaking these words concerning God whensoever he is with his fellows ; and so devout are the words which he speaks to them that many a time he makes them to weep through the words which he speaks concerning God and His Passion, and in their poverty he comforts them and makes them to have patience ; and when he has brought them to such devotion he makes them to cry out and to bless the name of God; and all the ribald men and the harlots of this city have made this man their lord and their chief ; and this man is of such good cuftoms that he gives great devotion to the people by his words and his good works.” Greatly did the Pope rejoice at the words which he heard concerning this man, and he said that

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though his name might be vile, his life was holy and glorious. So the Pope caused this man to come to him, and he enquired of him how he could make God to be blessed by people so vile as are ribald men and harlots, especially when they were in taverns. “ Lord 1 ” said the ribald man : “ In that place wherein the name of God is dishonoured the moil often, and by those people that bless Him lead, should man put forth his greatest power that the name of God may be praised therein and blessed.” The Pope thought deeply upon the words which this ribald man had spoken to him, and he said that it was a thing very needful that the name of God should be blessed among those people that are unbelievers, who do no honour to the name of God.

9. When the Pope had spoken these words there came to him a knight, saying to him: “ Lord! I have been a man of arms, and all my life have I spent in slaying and destroying men that I might have of all men fame and renown in battle. If it please thee, I would have this office all the days of my life, that I may go among men who are brought near to death, whether by justice or by sickness, and that I may speak to them words of God, to the end that I may make satisfaction to God for my sins, and that those that die may be the more confirmed in the faith and mercy of God because of me, and that, as they die, they will bless and praise the name of God, and that after their deaths I may bring consolation to their kinsfolk.” The Pope granted this office to the knight, and when he went to his palace he made a book wherein was the doftrine that he gave to the knight, and the words which he should speak to dying men, and to those who have need of consolation. The knight learned this book, wherein were written the words convenient for his office, and he went throughout the city of Rome spying out those that were near to death ; and he spake to them words so devout that they were con¬ firmed in their faith because of them ; and he made them 351

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to have such consciousness of their sins that he caused them to make restitution for the injuries and the wrongs which they had done, and made them to despise this world and to desire the world to come, so that they blessed and praised God as they died. And so many good words were spoken by this knight, that the kinsfolk of the men that died had consolation and patience because of them, and praised and blessed the juStice and mercy of God. So great was the good that the knight did in that city, that when any man was near to death or had need of consolation, they sent a message always to this knight, and he brought with him his book, and read and expounded the dodtrine which the Pope Blanquerna had given him.