GARLANDS OF ROSES 93 



Then follows the account of the conversion 

 of Tibertius and the deaths of all three martyrs. 



The ' Second Nonne ' told the legend of the 

 saint very prettily to the Canterbury pilgrims : 



' Thou with thy gerlond wrought of rose and HUe 

 Thee, mene I, maid and martir Seint CeciUe.' 



And her story appears to have been popular, 

 though strangely enough she has never ranked 

 in popularity with Saint Margaret, Saint 

 Catharine of Alexandria, or Saint Barbara, not- 

 withstanding that her story is certainly better 

 authenticated than theirs, the historical details 

 of her martyrdom having been proved beyond 

 dispute. But she is essentially a Roman saint, 

 her body lying in Trastevere on practically the 

 spot where she suffered martyrdom under 

 Marcus Aurelius, and with the strange jealousy 

 of Italian cities she was almost ignored by 

 Siena, Florence and Venice till Raphael, Roman 

 in all his sympathies, painted the fine picture 

 now in Bologna. In this picture, where she 

 appears as the patroness of Music, she has no 

 roses, but Luini ' dresses her head charmingly 

 with white roses and anemones. 



' The Brera, Milan. 



