42 



THE FKENCH BLOOD IN AMERICA 



who got them up, A fair example of these ^ ' miracles ' ' 

 is that of the well-knowu ' ' ghost of Orleans. ' ' A wealthy 

 lady, having died, was buried without the usual gifts for 

 the welfare of her soul being made to the church. The 

 Franciscans of that city accordingly hit upon a scheme 

 to make use of her for j^urpose of warning to others who 

 might also be tempted to forget the church in their wills. 

 A series of distinct tappings was heard to issue from her 

 tomb, and these were explained to the awe-struck people 

 as signs of her approaching doom and of her desire to 

 have her heresy -polluted body removed from consecrated 

 ground. Unfortunately for their plans, one of their 

 number was discovered hidden above the ceiling whence 

 the mysterious sounds had come. But for every one of 

 these impostures which was exposed there were a hun- 

 dred which were widely credited as veritable miracles. 



The First 

 Reformers 



Briconnet 



LeFevre 



Farel 



in 



Guillaume Briconnet, Bishop of Meaux, was among 

 the number who realized how urgent was the need of re- 

 forming the church. Resolving to commence the work 

 of reformation in his own diocese, he invited to Meaux a 

 small handful of able and earnest men whom he knew to 

 be advocates of a purer and more spiritual Christianity. 

 Among them was the famous scholar Jacques LeFe%Te, 

 of Staples, and his no less famous pupil, Guillaume 

 Farel, whose staunch heart put courage and good cheer 

 into his comrades. The teacher had prophetic insight. 

 Before the close of the fifteenth century, the amiable 

 Professor LeFevre said one day to Farel, ' ' My dear 

 William, God will renew the world ; and you will see 

 it." Dissatisfied with his own attainments in religion, 

 and with the standard of knowledge and piety around 

 him, this great scholar had begun to di-ink from the 

 pure fountain of the Gospel of Christ in the original 

 language, and was giving out liberal draughts to those at- 

 tending upon his lectures. 



