of a dove at St. John's baptism; and because he also carried the olive branch and oil of baptism over the waters of the ocean, like Noah's dove, to denote the peace and union of those people with the church, after they had been shut up in the ark of darkness and confusion. And the surname of Colon, which he revived, was proper to him, which in Greek signifies a member, that his proper name being Christopher, it might be known he was a member of Christ, by whom, salvation was to be conveyed to those people. Moreover, if we would bring his name to the Latin pronunciation, that is Christophoras Colonus, we may say, that as St. Christopher is reported to have bore that name, because he carried Christ over the deep waters, with great danger to himself, whence came the denomination of Christopher; and as he conveyed over the people whom no other would have been able to carry; so the admiral

Christophorus Colonus, imploring the assistance of Christ in that dangerous, passage, went over safe himself and his company, that those Indian nations might become citizens and inhabitants of the Church triumphant in Heaven; for it is to be believed, that many souls, which the Devil expected to make a prey of, had they not passed through the water of baptism, were by him made inhabitants and dwellers in the eternal glory of Heaven.”

Fray Luys de Escobar (Las 400, p. 2, ff. 41,) says that the souls which were in limbo, and came out with Christ, did not rise with him; for St. John the Baptist was there,,and came out, and yet did not rise from the dead, because his head is upon earth at this day; whereas if the Resurrection had taken effect in him, and he had actually ascended into Heaven with the Messiah, it is perfectly

clear that his head could not have been now upon earth as a relic... A cogent argument, sans doubt: and yet methinks somebody might have accommodated him with a head till the general Resurrection, without any inconvenience. Fray Luys knew that a leg had been lent in this way, which is surely sufficient authority for such an opinion. The leg in question was taken from a dead negro, who received in exchange the incurable limb of a white cripple: the operation, which far exceeds that of Talicotius, was performed by the Saints Cosmes and Damian, and one of the eight hundred questions propounded to the oracular friar, was concerning the sound leg to which of the parties it was finally to belong.

237. Blood Showers.

Paracelsus is less fortunate in explaining blood-showers than sky-stones. He is, however, equally bold.

Fit enim quandoque ut pluvia sanguinalis, seu sanguini similis decidat, aspectu mira. Hujus rei causa est, quod stellarum excrementa pluviis interdum permisceantur, et cum ipsis una decidunt. Gutta illa stellares ubi vel super lapides aut terram cadunt, colore rubro ea tingunt, et tamen per se claræ, ut aqua, sunt. In permixtione tamen super terra facta colorem adsciscunt.

"Sæpe etiam ex Iridibus proveniant ita ut resolvantur in aquam. Quæ cum in sese colores omnes habeant, illi cum pluvia simul in terram cadunt. Postea super eodem fundo similiter quoque colorata pluvia visuntur, ubi scilicet Irides in pluviis stant, quæ magna et vulida sunt. Dum incipiunt resolvi, una cum pluvia discedunt. Si quis in illis locis sub Iride, tempore resolutionis ejus, linteis candidis tectus stet, colores illi expressè in linteis notantur et deprehenduntur, modo pluvia simul non ubertim coincidat et colores abluat. Quanquam non Irides om

nes in aquam resolvantur. Sunt enim quædam aerea. Magnæ tamen, płuviosa et salis plenæ, naturâ aqueâ constant. Unde etiam resolvuntur."

De Meteoris, T. 2, P. 319.

Peiresc thought be had detected the cause of blood-showers in the matter ejected by certain insects when they pass from the chrysalis to the winged state. Any person who has kept silkworms will recollect the appearance; it is rather of an orange than a blood colour, but if many insects should take wing about the same time, in one place, (as was the case when Peiresc observed the fact,) the large drops falling upon any substance which would retain them, would easily be mistaken for blood by the ignorant. But we have lately heard of red snow, and this seems to show that the true solution yet remains to be discovered.