In Christian and Mediaeval Times 325 



This reminds us of lines from the Buddhist " Dhamma- 

 pada " : — 



" As the bee 'collects nectar and departs without injuring 

 the flower or its color or scent, so let a sage dwell in his 

 village." 



It was because of the supposed purity of the bee that 

 honey and wax had their significance in religious cere- 

 monies. Church candles must needs be made of pure, 

 unadulterated beeswax. 



There is a legend that the monastery of Altenberg was 

 founded by bees. 



The pious priest Gottfried once saw bees under a 

 bramble-bush busily forming a beautiful altar of wax to 

 which came the beasts of the fields and bowed themselves 

 down, and upon the spot he built a chapel, still called the 

 bee chapel. Having done this, in a dream he saw ap- 

 proach a long procession of white-clad, flower-bedecked 

 maidens. The dream was soon verified, for the bones of 

 some of the unfortunate virgins of Saint Ursula's train were 

 brought there, and from the little chapel grew the great and 

 celebrated monastery of Altenberg. 



To the confusion of certain unbelievers who impiously 

 threw away the consecrated wafer, the devout bees upon 

 several occasions are said to have cared for the holy relic. 



In his " Feminin Monarchi " Charles Butler gives us a 

 very interesting account of some of these legends. He tells 

 us : — 



" There were bees so wise and skilful as not only to 

 descry a certain little God-a-mighty, though he came among 

 them in likeness of a Wafercake ; but also to build him an 

 artificial chapel. If I should relate the story, all men, I 

 know, would not believe it : notwithstanding, because 

 every man may make some use of it, you shall have it. 

 " A certain simple woman, having some stalls of bees. 



