528 JOINVILLE'e MEMOIRS OF SAINT LOUIS IX. £pT. IL in words that were nearly as follow :—" Lord God, give as grace to have the power of despising and forgetting the things of this world, so that we may not fear any eviL" He called, likewise, on St Genevieve. He then ordered his body to be placed on a bed of ashes, and, crossing his hands on his breast, with eyes uplifted to heaven, rendered his soul back to his Creator, at the very same hour that our Lord JESUS CHRIST expired on the cross for the salvation of his people. The death of this holy prince was a melancholy event and worthy of lamentation ; for he had lived like a saint, had well taken care of his kingdom, and done many religious acts towards God. As an author has his book finely illuminated, that greater honour and respect may be paid to it, so our late holy king had illuminated his country by his great alms, and by the churches and monasteries that he had erected and founded in his lifetime, in which, at this moment, God is praised and adored day and night The good king departed from this life to another on the morrow after the feast of St Bartholomew, and his corpse was brought to St Denis in France, and was buried in the spot he had some time before fixed for his sepulture; in which place, God has, through his intercessions, done many and great miracles. Soon after, by orders from the holy pontiff at Rome, a prelate of France, who was archbishop of Rouen, in company with another bishop, came to St Denis, where they remained a long time, making inquiries into the life of the good king St Louis. They summoned me before them, and I stayed there two days in relating all I knew of his life and manners. When they had made every necessary inquiry respecting this good king, they carried with them their report to Rome ; where, having thoroughly canvassed it, they placed him among the sainte m paradise. This was undoubtedly joyful news to France, and ought to be so to the whole kingdom, and a great honour to his descendants, particularly such as may follow his example, but dishonourable to those who shall not ; and they will be pointed at by the fingers of the public, who will say, the holy man, had he been alive, would never have done such disgraceful acts. When intelligence of his canonization was brought from Rome, the king appointed a day for the raising of his holy