“Yes, but—”
“You will raise the stone with the bar by means of the ring.”
“But—”
“The dead must be obeyed.
To be buried in the vault under the altar of the chapel, not to go to profane earth; to remain there in death where she prayed while living; such was the last wish of Mother Crucifixion.
She asked it of us; that is to say, commanded us.”
“But it is forbidden.”
“Forbidden by men, enjoined by God.”
“What if it became known?”
“We have confidence in you.”
“Oh! I am a stone in your walls.”
“The chapter assembled.
The vocal mothers, whom I have just consulted again, and who are now deliberating, have decided that Mother Crucifixion shall be buried, according to her wish, in her own coffin, under our altar.
Think, Father Fauvent, if she were to work miracles here!
What a glory of God for the community!
And miracles issue from tombs.”
“But, reverend Mother, if the agent of the sanitary commission—”
“Saint Benoit II., in the matter of sepulture, resisted Constantine Pogonatus.”
“But the commissary of police—”
“Chonodemaire, one of the seven German kings who entered among the Gauls under the Empire of Constantius, expressly recognized the right of nuns to be buried in religion, that is to say, beneath the altar.”
“But the inspector from the Prefecture—”
“The world is nothing in the presence of the cross.
Martin, the eleventh general of the Carthusians, gave to his order this device: Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.”
“Amen,” said Fauchelevent, who imperturbably extricated himself in this manner from the dilemma, whenever he heard Latin.
Any audience suffices for a person who has held his peace too long.
On the day when the rhetorician Gymnastoras left his prison, bearing in his body many dilemmas and numerous syllogisms which had struck in, he halted in front of the first tree which he came to, harangued it and made very great efforts to convince it.
The prioress, who was usually subjected to the barrier of silence, and whose reservoir was overfull, rose and exclaimed with the loquacity of a dam which has broken away:—
“I have on my right Benoit and on my left Bernard.
Who was Bernard?
The first abbot of Clairvaux.
Fontaines in Burgundy is a country that is blest because it gave him birth.
His father was named Tecelin, and his mother Alethe.
He began at Citeaux, to end in Clairvaux; he was ordained abbot by the bishop of Chalon-sur-Saone, Guillaume de Champeaux; he had seven hundred novices, and founded a hundred and sixty monasteries; he overthrew Abeilard at the council of Sens in 1140, and Pierre de Bruys and Henry his disciple, and another sort of erring spirits who were called the Apostolics; he confounded Arnauld de Brescia, darted lightning at the monk Raoul, the murderer of the Jews, dominated the council of Reims in 1148, caused the condemnation of Gilbert de Porea, Bishop of Poitiers, caused the condemnation of Eon de l‘Etoile, arranged the disputes of princes, enlightened King Louis the Young, advised Pope Eugene III., regulated the Temple, preached the crusade, performed two hundred and fifty miracles during his lifetime, and as many as thirty-nine in one day.
Who was Benoit?
He was the patriarch of Mont-Cassin; he was the second founder of the Saintete Claustrale, he was the Basil of the West.
His order has produced forty popes, two hundred cardinals, fifty patriarchs, sixteen hundred archbishops, four thousand six hundred bishops, four emperors, twelve empresses, forty-six kings, forty-one queens, three thousand six hundred canonized saints, and has been in existence for fourteen hundred years.
On one side Saint Bernard, on the other the agent of the sanitary department! On one side Saint Benoit, on the other the inspector of public ways!
The state, the road commissioners, the public undertaker, regulations, the administration, what do we know of all that?
There is not a chance passer-by who would not be indignant to see how we are treated.
We have not even the right to give our dust to Jesus Christ!
Your sanitary department is a revolutionary invention.
God subordinated to the commissary of police; such is the age.
Silence, Fauvent!”
Fauchelevent was but ill at ease under this shower bath.
The prioress continued:—
“No one doubts the right of the monastery to sepulture.
Only fanatics and those in error deny it.
We live in times of terrible confusion.
We do not know that which it is necessary to know, and we know that which we should ignore.
We are ignorant and impious.