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Article THE LIFE OF XIMENES, ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO. ← Page 7 of 12 →
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The Life Of Ximenes, Archbishop Of Toledo.
his knees , sometimes prostrated on the ground . His body , covered with a hair-cloth , he afflicted with disci pline and constant fasting : —¦ in sleep he indulged himself no farther than was necessary to support that small share of life which his penitence spared . Under a little mountain , covered with thick trees , he made , with his own hands , a hut , in which , by the permission of his superiors , he shut himself up some days togetherimitating the fervour and zeal of the
, ancient Anchorites . When he was afterwards in the government administration , and in his highest rank , he thought upon his hut at Castagnar with pleasure , and sighed after solitude ; affirming , that for it he would willingly have exchanged the seat of regency , the mitre of Toledo , and the Cardinal ' s cap ; and that he should have considered the advantage ereatlv in his favour .
By this course of life ( in his order ) he acquired the . reputation of a pious and learned priest ; and , in their most important ' concerns , his superiors often requested his advice . It is related of him , that , as he was one day going from Castagnar to Toledo , with a companion of great piety and christian simplicity , whose name was Fr . Peter Sachez , they were overtaken by night , and slept in the fields . — both
As they were indul ging repose upon , some sheaves of corn which were to be threshed the next day , the good brother awaking him suddenl y , said , to him , ' Father Francis , a moment ago I dreamt that you were Archbishop of Toledo ; that I was saluting you with the appellation of ' your most illustrious Lordship , ' and that I saw on your head the Cardinal ' s May Godwho hath sent me this
cap . , dream , one day realize it 1 ' To which Ximenes replied , ' Sleep on , sleep on , brother ! . Do you amuse yourself with dreams ! ' When he had afterwards attained to the archbishoprick , he related this adventure ; not that he supposed it to be an assured prognostic of his elevation ; but to remark the good Monk ' s sanctity .
His superiors , in conformity to the custom , being desirous of changing his abode , sent him to the Monastery of Salceda , where he found a solitude similar to that he had quitted . His life was more austere than before ; his repasts were of water and boiled herbs ; his garment was of hair-cloth , and his deportment so exemplary , that the Moults unanimousl y elected him Guardian of the house . ¦ They exacted from his obedience the
acceptance of an office that he refused ; in the exerciseof which his prudence was acknowledged . By example , rather than by authority , he restrained his brethren . The rank that he held amongst them did not prevent his condescending to the humblest offices of the convent ; and it was remarked , that he was raised above them , only to administer to their comforts , and render them happy by obli order to fulfil his
conferring gations . In duty , he mingled action with contemplation , and descended to the external wants of his monastery , without losing any thing of the internal tranquillity of his soul ; and , if , to accommodate himself to the weakness of his brethren , he relaxed something of the austerity of which they were not capable , his humility , his charity , and devotion suffered no diminution from such conduct . In the mean while , Cardinal de Mendoza had
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Life Of Ximenes, Archbishop Of Toledo.
his knees , sometimes prostrated on the ground . His body , covered with a hair-cloth , he afflicted with disci pline and constant fasting : —¦ in sleep he indulged himself no farther than was necessary to support that small share of life which his penitence spared . Under a little mountain , covered with thick trees , he made , with his own hands , a hut , in which , by the permission of his superiors , he shut himself up some days togetherimitating the fervour and zeal of the
, ancient Anchorites . When he was afterwards in the government administration , and in his highest rank , he thought upon his hut at Castagnar with pleasure , and sighed after solitude ; affirming , that for it he would willingly have exchanged the seat of regency , the mitre of Toledo , and the Cardinal ' s cap ; and that he should have considered the advantage ereatlv in his favour .
By this course of life ( in his order ) he acquired the . reputation of a pious and learned priest ; and , in their most important ' concerns , his superiors often requested his advice . It is related of him , that , as he was one day going from Castagnar to Toledo , with a companion of great piety and christian simplicity , whose name was Fr . Peter Sachez , they were overtaken by night , and slept in the fields . — both
As they were indul ging repose upon , some sheaves of corn which were to be threshed the next day , the good brother awaking him suddenl y , said , to him , ' Father Francis , a moment ago I dreamt that you were Archbishop of Toledo ; that I was saluting you with the appellation of ' your most illustrious Lordship , ' and that I saw on your head the Cardinal ' s May Godwho hath sent me this
cap . , dream , one day realize it 1 ' To which Ximenes replied , ' Sleep on , sleep on , brother ! . Do you amuse yourself with dreams ! ' When he had afterwards attained to the archbishoprick , he related this adventure ; not that he supposed it to be an assured prognostic of his elevation ; but to remark the good Monk ' s sanctity .
His superiors , in conformity to the custom , being desirous of changing his abode , sent him to the Monastery of Salceda , where he found a solitude similar to that he had quitted . His life was more austere than before ; his repasts were of water and boiled herbs ; his garment was of hair-cloth , and his deportment so exemplary , that the Moults unanimousl y elected him Guardian of the house . ¦ They exacted from his obedience the
acceptance of an office that he refused ; in the exerciseof which his prudence was acknowledged . By example , rather than by authority , he restrained his brethren . The rank that he held amongst them did not prevent his condescending to the humblest offices of the convent ; and it was remarked , that he was raised above them , only to administer to their comforts , and render them happy by obli order to fulfil his
conferring gations . In duty , he mingled action with contemplation , and descended to the external wants of his monastery , without losing any thing of the internal tranquillity of his soul ; and , if , to accommodate himself to the weakness of his brethren , he relaxed something of the austerity of which they were not capable , his humility , his charity , and devotion suffered no diminution from such conduct . In the mean while , Cardinal de Mendoza had