Friends at Court.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVII, Issue 38, 20 September 1900, Page 7

Friends at Court.

GLE\NIx\GS FOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR

(Written for the X.Z. Tablet.) September 2.->, Sunday. — Sixieuitli ouu.l.*y afUi Pc^tcco^t Linns, Pope and Martyr. „ 24, Monday. — Our Lady uf Meixy. „ 20, Tuesday. — St. Faatachiusand Companions, Martjr". „ 2fi, Wednesday. — St. Eusebius, Pope and Martyr. „ 27, Thursday. — SS. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs. „ 28, Friday. — St. Wenceslno, King and Martyr. „ 20, Saturday. —Dedication of St. Michael, Archangel. BT. WEXCESLAS, DUKE 01' BOHEMIA, MAB.TYR. St. WENCEBLAS was son of Uratislas, Duke of Bohemia, a powerful and independent State of the German Empire. Hia father was a good and valiant Prince, but his mother, Drahomira, who was still a pagan, was cruel, treacherous, and depraved, fie had, however, the advantage of being brought up under the care of his pious grandmother Ludmilla, who inspired him with early sentiments of virtue and religion. He was, in fact, a saint from his very cradle. On the death of his father while he was yet young, his mother assumed the reins of Government, and giving free vent to her hatred of the Christian religion, ordered the churches to be closed, the Christian magistrates to be replaced by pagans, and all exercise of the true religion to be forbidden. Not only were the faithful everywhere cruelly oppressed, but great numbers of them were massacred at tbc command or with the connivance of the pagan officials. In thia state of affairs Ludmilla represented to Wenceslas the necessity of taking the reins of government into his own hands, which he accordingly did with the approval of the principal nobles of the country. At the Rame time, in order to prevent disputes between him and his younger brother Bo'iislas. it was agreed that the territories of the Duchy should be divided between them. Being now placed in peaceful possession of the greater portion of the country Wenceslas, aided by the counsels of his virtuouH grandmother, set himself to work to repair the injuries which had been inflicted on the nation by the tyranny of Drahomira. His firt-t anxiety was to restore the practice of the Christian religion, and to supply the churches with learned and pious pastors. Hid own example was singularly efficacious in promoting the conversion and reformation of his people. After spending the greater part of the day in important aff.iirs of >Stat*\ the pious Duke was accustomed to devote a considerable portion of the night to prayer. Such was his reverence fur the MiM Holy Sacrament that he deemed it the greatest of honors to sow and reap the corn, gather the grapes, and make the wine which was to be used at Ma^s, lie usually n>e at midnight and went to visit our Ble^ed Lord in some of the neighboring churches ; nor did he relinquish this pious practice even m the depth of winter. His austerities in the midst of the Court seemed to rival those of the anchorites in the desert, and his charity in visiting the prisoners, ransoming captives, relieving the distressed and providing for the wants of widows and orphans, caused him to be buth beloved and reverenced by his subjects. About this time lladislas. a neighboring prince who held the pious Duke in contempt, invaded Bohemia with a powerful army, and treating all efforts at negotiation as a mark of cowardice, declared that he would not be satifcfi-d with anything less than the surrender of the whole country. Thereupon Weuceslas assembled his iorces and marched against the enemy, but in order to spare the lives of his subjects he invited the invader to decide the matter by single combat. Radislas- accepted the rr iptsal, anticipating an easy victory, but on raising his arm to strike his enemy with his javelin he beheld two angels promoting our saint. Filled with awe, he immediately dropptd his weapon, and falling on his knees placed hims' lf at the disposal of Wenceslas. A similar vision is said to have been seen by me Emperor Otho 1. On the arrival of the Duke at the German Diet, he presented himself later than the appointed hour owing to his having stopped to hear a High Mass on the road. Some of the princes took offence at this delay, but Otho rising from his throne embraced him affectionately and placed him next to himself. He also offered him the title and dignity of King, which Wenceslaa out of humility declined, begging rather to be allowed a portion of the relics of SS. Vitua and Sigismund, which he carried back joyfully to his own country. Meanwhile the treacherous Drahomira had long been harboring thoughts of vengeance against her eldest son. Already she had caused the pious Ludmilla, whom she looked upon as the cause of her own humiliation, to be basely assassinated, and now she meditated the completion of her crime by the murder of Wenceslaa. She communicated her designs to her son Bolislas, whom she had thoroughly corrupted and imbued with a bitter hatred of the Christian religion. They accordingly invited Wenceslas to a banquet and received him with every mark of affection. At the close of the feast he retired according to his usual practice to pray before the altar. As soon as he had withdrawn Bolislas also robe from table, and with a few attendants followed him to the church, •where they found him engaged in his devotions. They immediately eet upon him, and after he had received the first wound Bolislas despatched him with his own hand. Thus did the holy prince complete his glorious career on September 2S, a.d. 02S. The infamous Drahomira soon afterwards perished miserably, but Bolislas repenting of his crime paid every honor to the relics of his martyred brother, and re-established the Christian religion throughout the land.