Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/163

ST. CATHERINE 149 St. Catherine (l), Not. 25, V. M. at Alexandria about 313. Perhaps the same person who is called Dorothea by Bnfinus. Eepresented (1) being married to the Saviour, the Infant Christ on His mother's lap, placing a ring on her finger; (2) a wheel armed with huge thorn-shaped spikes standing beside her ; (3) sitting crowned, with a book on her lap ; (4j teaching ; (5) trampling on the Emperor; (G) dead, and carried bj angels to Mount Sinai. Besides these distinctive representations, she generally, in common with other martyrs, holds a palm and a sword. She is one of the four great virgin martyrs who are patrons of the Greek Church ; the others are SS. Barbara, Margaret, and Euphemia. Patron of Venice, Guastalla, Goa, Scala near Amalfi, Magdeburg, Zwickau, and many other places; of students, young girls, philosophers, theologians, notaries ; of schools and colleges; of learning, education, and science ; of the millers of Liege ; of the Barefooted Order of the Holy Trinity. Often chosen by princesses and high-bom ladies as tho saint of their special devotion. The Legend, St. Catherine was the daughter of a king of Egypt, and was related to the Emperor Constantino. Sho was extremely beautiful, clever, and learned. When she succeeded to her father's kingdom and wealth, she had many offers of marriage, but she declined them all. Her tastes were all for science and study, and she had no vocation for married life. Her parliament, with many compliments to her beauty and wisdom, urged her strongly to change her resolve and choose a husband. Her answer, in the words of the Legenda Aurea, was — "We lete you playnelye wyte that lyke as ye hane descryued us so wjl we descryue hym that we wyll haue to our lord and husbond, and if ye can gete suche one we wyl agree to take hym wyth alle our hcrte, for he that shal be lord of myn herte and myn husbond shal have tho four notable thynges in hym oner al mesure. Soo ferforthly that al creatures shall have nede of hym, and he nedeth of none. And he that shal be my lord must be of so noble blood that al men shal do to hym worshyp, and therwyth so grete a lord that I shal neuer thynke that I made hym a kynge and so riche that he passe al other in rychesses. And so ful of beaute that ahgellys haue joye to beholde hym, and so pure that his moder be a virgyi^e, and soo meke and benygne that he can gladly forgyene al offencys do on unto hym. Now I haue descryued to you hym that I wyl haue and desyre to my lord and to my husbond, goo ye and seko hym, and if ye can fynde suche one I wyl be his wjf with al myn herte yf he vouche sauf to haue me, and fynally but yf ye fynde suche one I shal neuer take none. And take this for a fynal answer." Now, the B. Y. Mary appeared to Adrian, a holy hermit in the desert, " a certain space of myles" from Alexandria, and sent him to Catherine, with greetings from the mother of the husband she had chosen, for " that thylke same lord whom she chaas is my sone that am a pure vyrgync, and he desyreth hir beaute and loveth hir chastyte emonge alle the virgynes on the ertho." Catherine goes to the hermit*s cell and is baptized, and then she has a vision, in which the Child Jesus marries her with a ring. The Leggendarios add another episode before her baptism and marriage. She had a dream, in which the B. V. Mary appeared to her, in great beauty and splendour, carrying her Divine Son in her arms. The Child seemed to her very beautiful, but His face was towards His mother, so that Catherine could not see it. She walked a few steps, first to one side and then to the other, trying to look upon the face which she knew must be divinely beautiful ; in vain : the Child always turned His back to her, to her great grief. At last His mother asked Him to look at Catherine and admire her, telling Him how beautiful and how rich and how wise and good she was. But He said, " No, she is ugly and poor and foolish ; I do not want to see her." The mother said, "What can poor Catherine do to please you?" The child replied, " Let her go and ask the hermit." Catherine awoke, anxious and unhappy, and went and told her dream to Adrian, who instructed her in the