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Show VISIONS OF HEAVEN. Bloat Popular of All Legends of th Middle Ages. Most popular of all the legends of the liiddle Ages Is that of the seven years' pilgrimage of the Irish saint Brendan, the Sindbad of Christianity, he who set forth in a ship with his , companions to seek the Islands of the Blest upon the actual seas. Though it ; is rather the vision of Barintus the hermit that dwells in the memory, since it was he who lured St. Brendan to the quest by the tale of his own landing with his nephew on the happy shores. Eastward in this case also lay Paradise, "an island," to quote from Mr. Baring Gould, "wide and grassy, and bearing all- manner of fruits, wherein was no night, for the Lord Jesus Christ was the light thereof." The two abode there, we are told, a long while without eating or drinking drink-ing "and when they returned to the monastery the brethren knew well where they had been, for the fragrance of Paradise lingered on their garments for nearly forty days." Fragrance, light and music are among the chief characteristics of these visions. It may be recalled how these were also the frequent accompaniment of Buddha's transports. As when, after he had obeyed the call of the Unseen Power, and renounced earth's joys that he might live the divine life, the air -about him was filled with falling roses, while music, multitudinous as the roll of waves upon the shore, sounded in his ears. Or, as when the whole universe appeared to him like a garden of fragrant blossoms; and a splendor of light outsho'ne, piercing even to those very darkest recesses which, according to the audacious imagery im-agery of the east, the united rays of seven suns would fail to penetrate St. Brendan was the uncle of another notable seer of the seventh century that century so rich in visionary lore St. Fursey, who fell, says Bede, into a trance, and, quitting his body from evening till cockcrow, "was found worthy to behold the choirs of angels and to hear the praises which are sung in heaven," with stray echoes of which . he afterward edified all Christendom Gentleman's Magazine: |