» . • '

* See Gibbon, chap. xx. Lardner, vol. vii. p. 94, Le

Clerc, Bib. Antiq. tom. iii. p. 438. Lactant. De mort. Persecut. chap. xliv. Addison on Medals.

Fulgosius speaks of a dream of Masilienus, who, being sent by the emperor Honorius against Gildo for the recovery of Africa, imagined that he saw St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, then dead; who, striking the ground thrice with his pastoral staff, thrice exclaimed,, "Here and in this place:" and accordingly on the same spot, on the next day, Masilienus. easily defeated Gildo.

Many dreams and visions were fabricated to give a colour to the pretensions and views of Mahomet, and his superstition. . Cadigha, who received him into her service, and afterwards raised him to a near connection by marriage, is reported to have been prepared for his re-ceptkm by a dream, in which she beheld the common image of future greatness, the sun, descending from heaven, and entering her house, diffusing a splendor by which every house in Mecca was enlightened *.

Those who wished to establish and support superstition, naturally pretended to the same testimonies which they had seen successfully displayed in the advancement of true religion. Hence also, in imitation of the divine visions which had. contributed to the rise and con-firmation of Christianity, prophetic and divine illuminations were frequently affected by those whose enthusiasm, or. artful dsesigus interested them in the progress of error and delusion; and the seeds of those impositions were early sown, which. afterwards ripened into monastic fraud.

When monkish tales multiplied like heathen fables, St. Bernard's mother dreamed that she had a little white barking dog within her, which, when she communicated to a religious person, he replied, "thou shalt be the mother of, an excellent dog indeed ; he shall be the hopes of God's house, and shall incessantly bark against the adversaries of it, for he shall be a famous preacher, and shall cure many by his medicinal tongue *."

* See L. Addison's first Skate of Mahumedism.

Many such like dreams are recorded to have signalized the early periods of Christianity. Archbishop Laurence, who built the church of Our Lady at Canterbury, is said, when about to retire into France, under the discourage-ment of a persecution, to have been warned in a dream, and severely scourged by the apostle St. Peter, for wishing to forsake his flock.. On the relation of the dream by the archbishop, and the sight of his stripes, Ead-bald was baptized, and became a protector of the Church †.

Nothing was more common in the super-stitious ages of the Church, than the contrivance of dreams connected with the institution of religious establishments, the attainment of dignities, and the discovery of bodies and re-lics of apostles and martyrs, which might be-come the objects of lucrative veneration. There are accounts in Fulgosius of the designation of a spot at Terracina for a convent, of the promise of the popedom to Eugenius IV and Nicolaus V. and of other revelations by dreams, none of which seem to have been of so much importance as that made by the apostle St. Andrew to Peter Pontanus, a simple man, who was instructed by the apostle to find at Antioch the spear which pierced our Saviour's side; in the confidence of which instrument, carried by a bishop, the city, which was besieged by the Persians, and half fa~ mished, was extricated from distress, and ob-tained a victory over Caiban, the Persian general.

* Francis Amboco Vit. Bernard. L. i. Held field in Sphiug. C. 37. p. 893. ‡ Holinshed, B. viii. C. 24.

Monica, the mother of St. Austin, being distressed with the idea that her son was a Manichean, derived consolation from a dream, in which she fancied that she stood upon ae wooden rule; and that, on being questioned by a young man of glorious appearance concerning the cause of the sorrow with which she was oppressed, she answered, that it was for her son, now hanging on the verge of destruction: upon which she was commanded to take courage, for that she should see her son upon the same rule with herself, as happened by his conversion *. »♦• • Another relation, still more curious, is given by Fulgosius, who relates, that Natalis, a mar-tyr, having fallen into the heresy of Theodo-tioa, which represented Jesus as a mere man, and having been, notwithstanding, consecrated a bishop, was, after many fruitless admonitions in sleep, at length severely chastised by am angel; and by this salutary discipline effectually converted to the catholic faith.

* Fulgos.

Another tale, equally ridiculous, but more probable, is furnished by the same author, con-cerning John, an Egyptian monk, who retired into solitude with the resolution to shun all intercourse with women; but being entreated by a Roman tribune to visit his wife, he agreed to appear to her in a dream, as he accordingly did the following night.

The appearance of St. Ambrose to direct the discovery of the bodies of Gervasius and Prolasius, and of Gamaliel; who, in the reign of Honorius, brought to light that of St. Ste-phen and his sons; in testimony of which a festival, called the Festival of the Discovery of St. Stephen's Body, was established, must be mentioned, and may be classed under the same head.

The dreams which contributed to raise the reputation of saints, "formed to fancy visions and phantoms, and report them," and to impose on the credulity of their votaries, were so numerous and trifling, that it would be a fruitless waste of time to analyze their distinct character.

In our own country, St. Dunstan was marvellously addicted to dreams and visions, and though they do not appear to have been particularly edifying, they were very profitable to himself; since Holinshed informs us, that "through declaring of his dreams and visions he obtained, in the time of king Edgar, first, the bishopric of Worcester, afterwards of London, and last of all the archbishopric of Canterbury *."