Pertrausivit glad his.
O qnam tristis et .nfflicta Fuit ilia beuedicta Mater Unigeiiiti ! Qiiffi mceiebat et dolebat Et treniebnt, cinnt videbat Nati poenas iuclyti !
Quis est homo qui non fleret Matreni Cliristi5 si viderel
Iu tanto stipplicio? Quis non posset contristari, Piam niatieni conteniplari
Boleuteiu cum Fillo?
Pro peocatis suse gentis Vidit Jesiim in toiinentis
Et flagellis subdituin ; Vidit suuni diilcem Natnra Moiieiitem,ll desolatnm,
Dum eniisit spiritum.
Pia^ mater, fons amoris! Me sentire vim doloris
Fac, ut tecum hiiieam. Fac ut ardeat cor nieiim In aniando Christum Deum,
Ut sibi complaceam.
Sancia mnter, istnd agas, Crncifixi Ilge plagas
Cordi nieo valide.** Tui Nati vnhieiati, Tain digiiali pro nic pati
Poenas niecuni divide.
Fac me vere tecnintt fiere, Crucitixo coudojeie,
Donee ego vixero. •Tuxta crucem tecum stare, Meque tibi sociarett
Iu planctu desidero.
Various readings: *qun; fcontristniitcvt; tdiim; iChris- timatrern; t viorierulo ; ^ ej'i ; **mriile; if teaim vere, te- cum pie; ttet i/te tibi vociare, or (c libentcr, or tibi rue con- sjciare.
STAB AT MATER 972
STABAT MATER
Virgo virfriniim prieclara, Milii tarn* iion sis amarn,
F«c me tfciim planireie: Flic III portem C'hristi mortem, Passioiiis fac congortein,
Et pla>;a»t recolere.t
Flic me plasri* vuluerari, Cnice hac iiieliriari}
Ob amoreiny Filii. Iiiflamtnatuseiit accenons.ir Per te, Vii^o, sim defeusus,
III die juuicii.
Fac me crnce cnstodiri Mcirte Clirisii prieinuuiri,
Ciiiifoveri gratia. Qiiaiido corpus morietnr, Fac nt animiB doiietur
Paradisi gloria.**
II. .1 iithorsliip.— In the case of this hymn, as in that of the Jties Ira, it has been a mat ter of dispute wlio was the writer. The Slabut Muter has been variously as- cribed to ptipe Innocent III, but without any proof; for al- tliougli Kbert (in the .1 ll;/emtineii bibliu;iraphUcken Lexi- cons i,H74) mentions this fact, yet he rejects the o])inion as to the authorsliip of Innocent. The Florentine histo- rian Antonius tells us that, according to some, one of the (iregories was the author of the hymn; but we are not told whether it was Gregory IX, X, or XI. The Geno- ese chancellor and historian (ieorgius Stella ascribes the hymn to pope John XXII (13l()-1334), an opinion adopted liy the famous historians Johann and Johann Ge<irg Midler. Others have referred its paternity, contrary to all probability, to St. Hernard. Dismiss- ing all these as conjectures unsupported by proof, it is now generally conceded, on the authority of Luke Wadding, the Irish historian of the Franciscan Order, and himself one of the number, that the author of this hymn is (Jiacomo da Todi. better known as Giacopone, or Jacopone. Ilis pro|ier name was Jacobus de Bcne- dictis, or (iiacomo de' Henedetti, he being a descendant of the noble famih' of the IJenedetti of Todi (Tiider, Tii- di-rlum ; hence he is also called Jacoponus Tudertinus), in l'ml)ria, Italy. He successfully studied and prac- ticed law ; but was converted in consequence of the sud- den death of his wife in a theatre, sold his goods for the benetit of the poor, and united himself to the Order of the Franciscans. This Order, founded by St. Francis of Assisi, was then in the fervor of its first love, and carried away many of the noblest and most enthusiastic youths. " Its ruling idea and aim was the literal imita- tion of the poor and humble life of Christ. St. Francis died of the wounds of Christ, which are said to have im- pressed themselves on his liands and side through the jilastic |H)wer of an imagination drunk with the contem- plation and love of the crucilieil lledoemer." Animated by the same sjiirit, (Jiacopone went to fanatical extremes ill his zeal for ascetic holiness and spiritual martyrdom. He eiiileavored to atone, by self-sought tortures, for his own sins, and " to fill up that which is behind in the af- tlictioiis of Christ," for the good of others. He was sub- ject, as Wadding t.\|)res.sly states, to fits of insanily, Icailiiig liiiii at one lime to eiiler the public market- jdace naked, witli a saddle on his back and a bridle in liin mouth, walking on all fours like a horse ; and at an- other, after aiioiiuing himself with oil and rolling him- self in feathers of various colors, to make his ap]>earance suddenly, in this unseemly and hideous guise, in the midst of a gay assembly gathered together at the house of his br'iihcr on the occasion of his daughter's mar- riage; and ibis, loo, in disregard of previous precaution- ary eiilrenties of friends who, apprehensive, it seems, at ihe time they invited liim, that he might be guilty of Borne crazy maiiifestntioii or other, liad begged liim not to do anything to disturl) the wedding festivities, but to Itehave ait an ordinary citizen. " Ho was called Gia- copone, ur llic (ireat Jacob, at first in derision, perhaps,
Vnrlont reii(llii:.'H: 'jam; f pmuim ; tj>lnfji» te rernlerc ; fertu-f /iir iiif hnr lu-nri ; U't cruore; % jldmviia urar ne (UC urur) «urc<rit«U4 ,- "gratia.
also, to distinguish him from the many Jacobs among the Franciscans. For tlie syllabic sufflx one in Italian indicates greatness or elevation ; as alberone, great tree, from ulbero ; coppellone, from cappello, hat ; portone, from porta, door; saUme, from sala, saloon" (Schaff). For ten years he carried on these ascetic excesses; and when at the end of this time he desired to be received by the Minorites, and thej- hesitated on account of his reputed insanity, their scruples were overcome by reading his work On Contempt of the World, conceiving that it was impossible that an insane man could write so excellent a book.