him by the Normans, and France abounds with reminiscences of him.

St. Honorat left behind him many pupils, who either remained on the Island Sanctuary, as it was now called, or went forth as missionaries into Gaul. One of the most celebrated was St. Vincent of Lérins, whose treatises on doctrine are consulted by theologians at the present time. As years went on the school of learning increased so much in popularity, that, as the era of Charlemagne approached, the Prior of the Lérins ruled over no less than 3,700 monks. Mr. J. R. Green, the historian, says: For nearly two centuriesand those centuries of momentous change, when the wreck of the Roman Empire threatened civilization and Christianity with ruin like its own-the civilization and Christianity of the great district between the Loire and the Alps and the Pyrenees rested mainly on the Abbey of Lérins." The worldly possessions of the monks increased, and in course of time excited the greed of pirates. For the seven chapels of St. Honorat became famous, and pilgrims who visited them left rich gifts with the Prior and legacies, so that land was bought and dependencies arose all along the coast from Genoa to Barcelona; tithes and dues were paid by adjacent towns, and the monastery of the Lérins not only became rich, but very powerful.

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In the ninth century pirates ravaged the coast of France, and this undefended little island soon attracted their attention. In 814, the celebrated Corsair, Haroun AlRaschid, landed in Provence, burning and plundering wherever he could find footing. The Lérins did not escape; the pirates landed on the island; several fierce encounters took place, and many of the monks were slain on the greensward where St. Honorat had first found his clear spring of water. Again and again in the course of years did the Saracens and Moors invade the island; again and again were they driven back. Bravely did the little Christian band defend itself. But the monks had no army of soldiers, and the island was full of treasure. What was to be done? Some fortress, some stronghold, where they could retire when threatened with fire and sword, became a necessity, and in 1088, under the rule of the Abbot, Adelbert II., the castle

monastery of the Lérins was built. It was certainly the most unique building of the kind ever erected in Europe, and even to-day, as it stands in ruins, one gazes in wonder at the perfect preservation of its shell, and marvels how a military fortress and a monastery could ever have been joined in

one.

Outside appears a castle of massive strength; go inside, and one forgets all about the fortress as your eyes rest on the cloistered arches, with their arcades of exquisite first-pointed work, through which one looks down on the court below. You pass

on, and see the remains of the Abbot's chapel, the refectory, the schoolhouse, and all the other adjuncts of a monastery. As soon as this castle monastery was finished, the simple buildings originated by St. Honorat and the primitive cells were deserted, while all clustered round this remarkable building, which was to be a spiritual and physical shelter from the attacks of foes.

For nine years after the building was finished, the monks led a very happy and peaceable life. peaceable life. They had a schoolhouse, hospital, rooms for guests, stables, and piggeries; even a forge for shoeing, and looms for weaving. Many of the brothers who were not contemplatively inclined worked in the farm and gardens, while others tended the vineyards at Vallauris— their holiday home across the water-or worked the flour-mills at Mougins, a little village perched on the heights above Cannes, which supplied the monastery with bread.

But, alas it was a lull before the storm. The pirates were quiet, but only because. they were silently gathering huge forces for a fresh attack. It was Whitsuntide in the year of grace 1107. The island was looking more beautiful than ever in its dress of leafy green, the air was full of delicious scents, the birds were singing gaily in the pine-groves of the little Chapelle de la Trinité, yet St. Porcaire, the Abbot, was uneasy. He had been warned in a dream that danger was hanging round, so he bade his brethren be very careful, keep close to the castle, and, above all, bury their treasure. But, alas! before any precautions could be taken, the blow fell.

It was evening, and they were at service in

When the Moors sailed away, they landed at Agay, a small port near at hand, and from thence these four brethren managed to fly, hiding at first among the forests of the Esterel Mountains, living on roots and berries, till at last, when all fear of detection was over, they chartered a boat, and rowed over to their now desolate island. Great was their joy at finding two brothers there to welcome them, and from this little band of six Christians, the work begun by St. Honorat had to be painfully and slowly rebuilt. So by degrees the old life of the monastery was revived; but in course of years fresh troubles arose. The Popes at Avignon grew jealous of the influence which many of the heads of monastic houses exercised, and therefore invented the system of putting the abbeys in subjection to them, making the Abbot of each pay one-third of the income accruing to the religious house to them. Under this new scheme an Abbot might be a layman, some baron or prince, who would do exactly what the Popes wished, who often had but little interest in religion, and was frequently harsh to the monks under him. The Prior, left to reside in the cloister, had no control over the riches of the convent, nor any voice in the management, and was therefore tempted to grow careless over his duties. The Isle of St. Honorat did not escape this unhappy state of things; quarrels between the Abbots and monks were frequent, and when the crash of the French Revolution came, the religious community had dwindled down to four monks. The Government ordered the immediate suppression of 386 of what were considered useless monasteries, and the Isle of St. Honorat was one of them. A little compensation was given the four monks for turning out, and the Prior-an old man-went to end his days at the holiday home of Vallauris across the water. transit gloria mundi !

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Only one interesting piece of church furniture belonging to the island remains, and this is carefully treasured at the cathedral at Grasse, a pretty little town among the mountains, a few miles off on the mainland, where it had been deposited for safety on the first alarm of a national rising. Few, if any, visitors knew of its existence till MajorGeneral Devenish-Meares discovered it.

VOL. XXXIX.

But to return to the island. This, being now the property of the Government, was sold for what it would fetch. It changed hands several times, being first purchased by an English clergyman, and then by a French actress. Its fate was eagerly watched by the French ecclesiastics, who hoped that when better times came, chance might once more throw it into the market, and give them an opportunity of buying it back for the Church.

The opportunity came at last, and they did not let it slip. The Bishop of Frejus purchased it, and now a colony of browngarbed Cistercian Brothers inhabits the island. There is a new convent, whose belfry sends forth sweet music over the waters at the hour of prayer, and it also serves as a landmark for sailors.

An orphanage is also established, where thirty boys are trained on a model farm, which is proving a source of wealth to the monastery, where they are thoroughly instructed in the various methods of agriculture. The monks have healthy, happy faces, and seem well content with their lot.

Only one day in the year do the brothers give themselves to go in turns to the mainland, but they do not care to leave oftener. They prefer to keep within sound of the rippling waves, as they walk with sandalled feet along the tiny beach, devoting themselves to prayer and works of mercy, in teaching and training those thirty orphan boys.

So, after all, the simple religious life inaugurated by St. Honorat so far back as A.D. 375-410, is in a measure restored, and one cannot help feeling glad that it is so.

For the island has a wonderful history, and to anyone visiting it preaches an eloquent sermon, as it reminds one of the struggles and difficulties which those early Christians had in upholding the faith. No one should leave the Riviera without paying it a visit.

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