f St. Gregory.
Their relics are kept principally at Rome; part in the church of St.
Adrian, part in that of St. Charles, and in that of St. John of
Calybite. Eginhart, sole-in-law and secretary of Charlemagne, deposited
a portion of these relics, which had been sent him from Rome, in the
abbey of Selghenstadt, of which he was the founder, in the diocese of
Mentz.

* * * * *

The martyrs and confessors triumphed over the devil by prayer; by this,
poor and weak as they were, they were rendered invincible, by engaging
Omnipotence itself to be their comfort, strength, and protection. If the
art of praying well be the art of living well, according to the received
maxim of the fathers and masters of a spiritual life,[2] nothing is
certainly of greater importance, than for us to learn this heavenly art
of conversing with God in the manner we ought. We admire the wonderful
effects which this exercise produced in the saints, who by it were
disengaged from earthly ties and made spiritual and heavenly, perfect
angels on earth; but we experience nothing of this in ourselves. Prayer
was in them the channel of all graces, the means of attaining all
virtues, and all the treasures of heaven. In us it is fruitless: the
reason is plain; for the promises of Christ cannot fail: we ask, and
receive not, because we ask amiss.

Footnotes:
1. Ninfa, or Nympha, in the corrupted ages of the Latin tongue,
signifies water. In this place are several pools called by the
Italians from these martyrs, Santa Ninfa. See Chatelain, p. 340, and
Du Cange.
2. Vere novit recta vivere, qui recti novit orare. Inter Serm. S.
Augustini, Sermon 55, in Appendix, ed. Ben. t. 5, p. 101.

{179}

ST. CANUTUS, KING OF DENMARK, M.

From his life, faithfully written by AElnoth, a monk of Canterbury, who
had lived twenty-four years in Denmark, and wrote in 1105. It was
printed at Copenhagen, in 1602. See also Saxo Grammaticus, the most
elegant and judicious of the Danish historians.

A.D. 1086.

ST. CANUTUS, or KNUT, the fourth of that name, king of Denmark, was
natural son of Swein III., whose great uncle Canutus had reigned in
England. Swein having no lawful issue, took care of the education of
Canutus, who being endowed with excellent qualities both of mind and
body, answered perfectly well the care of his preceptors and governors.
It is hard to say, whether he excelled more in courage, or in conduct
and skil