THE PAGAN-CHRISTIAN OVERLAP OF THE WISE BIRD. 129 



descended from heaven bearing a wafer, which it laid before the 

 Sangrael ; and thereupon the holy vessel gave oracles, expressed in 

 writing on the surface of the bowl, Avhich appeared for a moment 

 and then faded away. 



Moreover, the dove was chosen to signify inspiration ; and 

 particularly to be the symbol of the Holy Ghost, whose seven 

 gifts, which are all intellectual, are Wisdom, Understanding, 

 Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Veneration. It should 

 be noticed that neither Comfort nor Purity is one of th,m. 

 Indeed, the word Paraclete, always rendered "Comforter," has an 

 exclusively intellectual origination. The Greek word napa/cXijros 

 arose in courts of justice, and meant "an advocate." Accordingly, 

 the Paraclete was " to teach all things," fytSs 3i5oe irdvra, and bring 

 things to rsmembrance. He was to convince the world of error 



and of righteousness, t\4y(i r6v K6ff/j.ov irtpl a/xapria?, *caJ ire,l xpiatus ; 



and l\eyx<>> is a word used of arguments and proof, whilst itpiaa 

 means trial as well as judgment. 



We are, therefore, prepared to find that in the 4th century a 

 shining white dove was seen to alight upon the shoulder of S. Basil 

 the Great and inspire his writings ; that in the 10th century, 

 in an illuminated Benedictional of S. ^Ethelwold, bishop of 

 Winchester, the tongues of fire that fall upon the heads of the 

 twelve Apostles on the day of Pentecost issue from the beak of a 

 dove ; that a statue of the 13th century in the Cathedral of 

 Chartres shows a dove with cruciform nimbus resting on the 

 shoulder of Pope Gregory and whispering into his ear ; and that 

 in the 13th and 14th centuries Christ is represented as receiving 

 inspiration from seven doves. 



At this point we ought to remember, first, that S. Augus- 

 tine, the Apostle of the English, did not come to this country 

 till the very close of the 6th century ; and that S. Ansgar, the 

 Apostle of the North, a German monk, who attempted to 

 evangelise the Danes, was only born A.D. 801. And then we 

 ought to recall some features of the pagan religion that was 

 encountered. 



