eat ecstatic poet, Jacopone da Todi, sang Mary's praise as
follows:

Hail, purest of virgins,
Mother and maid,
Gentle as moonlight,
Lady of Aid!

I greet thee, life's fountain,
Fruitladen vine!
Infinite mercy
Thou sheddest on thine!

Hope's fairest sunshine,
Balm's well serene!
I claim a dance with thee,
All the world's Queen!

Gate of beatitude!
--All sins forgiven,--
Lead us to paradise,
Sweet breeze of heaven!

Thou pointest us upward
Where angels adore,
White lily of gentleness
Thy grace I implore.

Mirror of Cherubim!
Seraphim laud thy grace,
All things in heaven and earth
Ring with thy praise!

The spiritual love of Mary especially appealed to the German temper.
Among the adoring monks Suso deserves particular mention. He laid great
stress on the difference between _high_ love and _low_ love. "Low love
begins with rapture and ends with pain, but high love begins with grief,
and is transformed into ecstasy, until finally the lovers are united in
eternity." He was keenly conscious of the older motive of the cult of
Mary, namely, the need of a gentle mediator between man and the
inaccessible Deity. "Oh, thou! God's chosen delight, thou dulcet, golden
song of the Eternal Wisdom, suffer me, a poor sinner, to tell thee a
little of my sufferings. My soul prostrates itself before thee with
timorous eyes, shamefaced. Oh! thou Mother of all mercies, I ween that
neither my soul nor the soul of any other poor sinner needs a mediator,
or permission to come to thy throne, for thou, thyself, art the
intercessor for all sinners." Compared to his forerunner, St. Bernard,
Suso exhibits a marked degree of intimacy in his relationship with Mary.
He describes heaven as a kind of flowered meadow, and Mary keeping
court, like any earthly princess. "Now go and behold the sweet Queen of
Heaven, whom you love so profoundly, leading the procession of the
celestial throng in great gladness and stateliness, inclining to her
lover with roses and lilies! Behold her wonderful beauty shedding light
and joy on the heavenly hosts! Eya! Look up to her who giveth gladness
to heart and mind; behold the Mother of Mercy resting her eyes, her
tender, pitiful eyes, on you and all sinners, powerfully protecting her
beloved child." The whole sixteenth chapter of the _Booklet of Eternal
Wisdom_ is an ardent hymn to the M