THE STORIES OF NOTED PAINTINGS. 259 



demiied to be thrown into a bath of boiling water. The story 

 relates that this did not hurt her at all, and an executioner was 

 sent to slay her with the sword. His hand trembled so that he 

 inflicted three wounds on her neck and breast, and yet did not 

 kill her. She lingered three days. She gave her money to the 

 poor, and desired that her house should be made a church. She 

 died sweetly singing, and was buried beside her husband. The 

 Church of St. Cecilia-in-Trastevere, in Rome, consecrates the 

 place where she suffered martyrdom, and contains the treasured 

 remains of herself and her husband St. Valerian, as well as other 

 martyrs. 



THE THREE FATES. 



By MICHAEL ANGELO (born 1475, died 1564). In the old 

 mythology the Fates or Farcae were the daughters of Erebus and 

 Nox, and were supposed to preside over the birth, life, and death 

 of mortals. Clotho, as the arbiter of births, holds in her hands 

 a distaff, from which the thread commences to run. Lachesis, 

 disposer of the events and actions of human life, twists the 

 thread between her fingers. And Atropos, the inevitable destiny, 

 holds herself ready to cut it off with her scissors. They were 

 considered powerful godesses, and were worshiped with great 

 solemnity. 



MARY MAGDALENE. 



By TITIAN (born 1477, died 1576). Mary Magdalene, the 

 most interesting of the women of Bible history, the loving sister 

 of Lazarus, she of whom the Saviour said, " She has chosen that 

 good part which shall not be taken away from her," she who 

 bathed the feet of the Lord at the feast of Simon, she who was 

 first at the sepulchre on the morning of the Resurrection this 

 was the favored name under which the painters, each and all of 

 them, lavished the wealth of their genius in depicting all that 

 was tender and loving in woman.* 



* In describing the paintings of this subject by the old masters it is appro- 

 priate and even necessary to follow the legends of the church, which make 

 Mary Magdalene and Mary the sister of Lazarus one and the same person. 

 The beautiful pictures of the Magdalene in a cave (see the story following) 

 would have no meaning on any other supposition. Modern commentators, 

 however, make two distinct persons of these scripture Marys. There is 

 nothing in the Bible to contradict either of the hypotheses. 



