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to the illustrious dead, to Rome. Here beneath the mighty dome, the honour of which she had so zealously upheld, repose the remains of the "Great Countess." 1

Within the Basilica itself Pope Urban has erected a splendid monument, upon which is engraved the name of,—

"COMITESSA MATHILDE."

Upon the marble sarcophagus is sculptured the scene of Henry's self-imposed penance at Canossa. The German King has thrown himself prostrate at the feet of the Pontiff he has personally insulted and who represents the Church, whose laws he has deliberately broken, and whose liberties he has ruthlessly trampled upon. The sculptor has depicted Matilda standing by the side of Gregory and pleading for her cousin, who so ill requited the Pontiff's forbearance and the successful mediation of his relative.

An inscription is appended, of which the following is a free translation, testifying to her virtues and concluding with his own name :

"URBANUS VIII. PONT. MAX."2

"To the COUNTESS MATILDA.
A woman of bold spirit.
Protectress of the Apostolic See.
Most celebrated for her remarkable
liberality and kindness.

Her remains were transferred here
from the monastery of St Benedict in Mantua.
A woman worthy of eternal praise.

This monument was erected in the year 1635."

It was but just, remarks the chronicler, that the valuable aid rendered to the Holy See by the "Great Countess " should be publicly recognised, and that one of its Pontiffs should uphold her as a model of Christian courage and charity for

1 Hildebrand and His Times. W. R. Stephens, M.A.

2 "Commitissa Mathildi. Virilis animi fœminæ. Sedis Apostolicæ propugnatrici pietate insigni liberalitate celiberrimæ huc ex Mantuano. Sancti Benedicti cœnobio translatis ossibus gratus æternæ laudis promeritum. Mon. pos. An. MDCXXXV.”

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In St Peter's

the emulation of future ages. She had spent her years and her substance in the defence of the Church, and through girlhood, wedded life and widowhood had been the champion of its rights during the reigns of ten of its Pontiffs. This does not include the eighteen years' pontificate of Pascal, who survived her by only three years.

She lived to see the fruition of her labours-the independence of her country and the restoration of the temporal power to the Church. To this twofold object she gave her whole strength of mind and body, devoting herself with unfailing cheerfulness and unflinching courage to the task she had set herself, and which she successfully achieved.

Cimabue, the "father of modern painting," a native of Matilda's city of Florence, and the master and patron of Giotto, has immortalised her in his picture. She is there represented as "a virgin in martial array, whose face is half hidden by a veil, who holds the reins of a fiery steed in one hand, and in the other a pomegranate flower, the symbol of stainless purity." Another artist depicted her "on horseback, clad in a red robe, and holding in her hand the pomegranate, the emblem of her virginity."

We learn from a French writer that there is a picture of Matilda, bearing the name of Donizo, still preserved in the Vatican library. The following is a free translation of the more detailed account, with which his graphic pen has furnished us : "Seated upon a green cushion, a lily in her hand, wearing a golden crown of a conical form, ornamented with pearls and precious stones, and wearing a white veil which falls over a blue robe, the sleeves of which are large, with red under-sleeves and bordered with gold. The mantle is red and ornamented with a wide border of gold, upon which were scattered pearls. Her shoes appear to be of cloth of gold."

Poets and musicians, in sounding her praises, have delighted in representing her "as a fair and gentle woman 1 Renée Amédée. Paris, 1859.

singing hymns and gathering flowers," and claiming her as an example of all that is the embodiment of courage and virtue. The immortal Tasso, who lived in Florence, became acquainted with the traditions which had been handed down as family heirlooms during four centuries, and "which doubtless inspired him while meditating upon his verses."

But Matilda lived longest and best in the hearts of her people, more especially the poor, for whose happiness she laboured, and on whom she spent the greater part of her vast revenues. "So well," relates the historian, was her munificence sustained by a wise economy that at the close of her long reign she was still able to maintain the appellation of 'The Rich,' by which her father, Boniface, had been distinguished."

To Donizo, the aged family chaplain, chronicler and poet, already himself tottering on the verge of the grave, Matilda's death was an irreparable loss. He had been with her from her infancy, he had instilled into her mind those sentiments of religion and patriotism for which she was pre-eminently remarkable, and he knew and appreciated the value of her sterling worth and piety.

At the news "that she was no more, the poet's heart was bruised," and he relieved his pent-up feelings by composing the following lamentation in verse:

"The summons came.

I could not realise the Countess was dead!

'My strength has left me,

My sleep, sweet to me, has departed.

All seems lost without her."

In the concluding words he uttered his last cry, which, like the notes of the dying swan, broke his faithful heart :"The honour and glory of Italy

Descended with thee into the tomb.

O Matilda! O Great Countess !"

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