same Cæsar communed with her, and when awaiting her reply, saw the heavens rent open and a maiden appear holding a lovely Child in her arms. This maiden was seated on an altar, and a voice was heard, which said: Hæc est ara filii Dei. The Emperor in perturbation prostrated himself on the ground and adored God; and from that time he did not wish to be called God or Lord by the people, as was their custom; and on that spot he erected a temple with the title of Ara Coli, in honour of that maiden whom he had seen with the Child in her arms. Others recount this in various ways, as Pineda in his Monarchy. This temple is in the possession of the Religious Observants of St Francis in Rome, under the same invocation of Ara Cœli. As is written by Father Fray Francisco Gonzaga in the Chronicles of his religion, and by Father Fray Lucas Vuadigno in his Annals, to this Sibyl is attributed the following prophecy : : "Nascetur Christus in Bethlem et annuntiabitur in Nazareth, regnante Tauro pacifico, fundatore quietis; o felix illa mater cuius ubera lactabunt!" This Sibyl also treated of the Death, Resurrection and Manifestation, Ascension, and other mysteries of Christ Our Lord. She is depicted gazing up to heaven at an image of the Mother B of God, who holds in her arms her Son. In one hand of the Sibyl is a porringer, and in the other she holds a palm branch, to denote that the Child should be born, become a man, and eat from a porringer; while the palm implied that He was to die in Judea where there are an abundance of palms; the palm signifies Judea, as is verified by a coin of the Emperor Titus, in which is seen a figure of this Province close to a palm with the inscription: Judæa capta. She is also represented bearing a palm, to show us the justice of Christ, because the palm is a symbol of justice, for two reasons: first, because it yields fruit in proportionate size to the leaves; and secondly, because the matter of the palm is incorruptible, as should be the Princes and those who govern. Thus said the Royal Prophet David: Justus ut palma florebit. The palm is also employed to depict the innocence of Christ, of which the palm is a symbol: Saint Ambrose says that in the Canticles Statura tua assimilata est palma means the innocence of the Spouse, her fairness and purity. From whence Cardinal Vitalis tells us that the Cross of Our Lord was made with three or four kinds of woods, viz., cedar, cypress, olive, and palm. The foot of the Cross was of cedar, the straight stem or trunk of cypress, the arms of palm, SEVENTH SIBYL 19 blet or inscription board of olive; and ing why the arms of the Cross should n, says these words: "In palma quæ ›ilis intelligimus incorruptionem et castitatis, donum misericordiæ et That is "In the palm, which is ve understand incorruption and the chastity, and the gift of mercy and s Sibyl is likewise ascribed the verses in Book of the Oracles in honour of Our ady: etare et exulta puella! bi, enim, gaudium donabit æternum, ui cœlum et terram condidit. nimvero in te habitabit, tibiq' erit mortale et indeficiens lumen." : "Be joyful and rejoice, child, behas given you an eternal joy, He the heavens and the earth; and this dwell in you, and He will be your eternal Light." verses of the Sibyl seem to agree with sung by the Church-" Regina Coeli, leluia. Quia quem meruisti portare. tc. 20 ト "AS DAVID AND THE SIBYLS SA EIGHTH SIBYL SIBILLA PHRIGIA She was daughter of Dardanus, who to be the son of Jupiter and of Neso, dau the King of the Turks. She prophe Anzira, a city of Asia Minor, about t 2996 B.C., in the time of King Solomon of before. Of her we have the following: "Flagellabit Deus potentes terræ, et in excelsus, veniet; firmabitur consilium in annuntiabitur Virgo in vallibus desertorum also wrote concerning the Death and Pa Christ, of His burial and the Incarnatio Divine Word; and as it belongs to the which we are endeavouring to write abou quote the verses as they are written by Canisio : "Ipsa Deum vidi summum punire volentem, She is described robed in red, her ha and dishevelled, her arms bare, holding |