It is not clear what particular apparition of St. Michael is celebrated
in the Roman Catholic church on this day; their books mention several of
his apparitions. They rank him as field-marshal and commander-in-chief
of the armies of heaven, as prince of the angels opposed to Lucifer,
and, especially, as principal guardian of human souls against the
infernal powers.[137] In heraldry, as head of the order of archangels,
his ensign is a banner hanging on a cross, and he is armed as Victory,
with a dart in one hand, and a cross on his forehead, or the top of the
head; archangels are distinguished from angels by that sign. Usually,
however, he is painted in coat-armour, in a glory, with a dart, throwing
Lucifer headlong into a flame of fire issuing out of a base _proper_;
this is also termed the battle between Michael and the devil, with his
casting out of heaven into the lake of fire and brimstone. “There
remained,” says a distinguishing herald, “still in heaven, after the
fall of Lucifer, the bright star, and his company, more angels than
there ever was, is, and shall be men born in the earth, which God ranked
into nine orders or chorus, called the nine quoires of holy
angels.”[138]
St. Michael is further represented in catholic books as engaged with
weighing souls in a pair of scales. A very curious spiritualizing
romance, originally in French, printed in English by Caxton, in the
reign of Edward V., exemplifies the office of St. Michael in this
capacity; the work is entitled--“The Pilgremage of the Sowle.” The
author expresses himself under “the similitude of a dream,” which, he
says, befell him on a St. Laurence’ night sleeping in his bed. He
thought himself travelling towards the city of Jerusalem, when death
struck his body and soul asunder; whereupon _Satan_ in a foul and
horrible form came towards the soul, which being in great terror, its
warden, or guardian angel, desired Satan to flee away and not meddle
with it. Satan refuses, alleging that God had permitted that no soul
which had done wrong should, on its passage, escape from being “snarlyd
in his trappe;” and he said, that the guardian angel well knew that he,
the said guardian, could never withdraw the soul from evil, or induce it
to follow his good counsel; and that even if he had, the soul would not
have thanked him for it; Satan, therefore, knew not why the angel should
interfere, and begged he would let him alone to do with the soul what he
had a right to do, and could not be prevented from doing. The parley
continued, until they agreed to carry the soul before _Michael_, the
provost of heaven, and abide his award on Satan’s claim.
The soul was then lifted between them both into the transparent air,
wherein the spirits of the newly dead were passing thickly on every
side, to and fro, as motes flitting in the sun-beam. They tarried not
until they arrived at a marvellous place of bright fire, shining with a
brilliant light, surrounded by a great multitude of souls attending
there for a like purpose. The guardian angel entered, leaving Satan
without, and also the soul, who could hear the voice of his warden
speaking in his behalf, and acquainting Michael that he had brought from
earth a pilgrim, who was without, and with him Satan his accuser,
abiding judgment.
Then Satan began to cry out and said, “Of right he is mine, and that I
shall prove; wherefore deliver him to me by judgment, for I abide naught
else.” This caused proclamation to be made by sound of trumpet in these
words:--“All ye that are without, awaiting your judgment, present
yourselves before the provost to receive your doom; but first ye that
have longest waited, and especially those that have no great matter and
are not much troubled; for the plain and light causes shall first be
determined, and then other matters that need greater tarrying.”
This proclamation greatly disturbed the souls without. Satan and his
evil spirits were most especially angry, and holding a consultation, he
spoke as follows: “It appears we are of little consequence, and hence
our wicked neighbours do us injustice. These wardens hinder us from our
purposes, and we are without favour. There is no caitiff pilgrim but
hath had a warden assigned him from his birth, to attend him and defend
him at all times from our hands, and especially from the time that he
washed in the ‘salt lye,’ ordained by _grace de Dieu_, who hath ever
been our enemy; and then they are taken, as soon as these wardens come,
before the provost, and have audience at their own pleasure; while we
are kept here without, as mere ribalds. Let us cry out _a rowe_
[_haro_], and _out_ upon them all! they have done us wrong; and we will
speak so loud that in spite of them they shall hear us.” Then Satan and
his spirits cried out all at once, “Michael! provost, lieutenant, and
commissary of the high judge! do us right, without exception or favour
of any party. You know very well that in every upright court the
prosecutor is admitted to make his accusation and propose his petition;
but you first admit the defendant to make his excusation. This manner of
judging is suspicious; for were these pilgrims innocent yet, if reason
were to be heard, and right were to prevail, the accusers would have the
first hearing to say what they would, and then the defendants after
them, to excuse themselves if they could: we, then, being the
prosecutors, hear us first, and then the defendants.”
After Satan’s complaint, the soul heard within the curtain, “a longe
parlament;” and, at the last, there was another proclamation ordered by
sound of trumpet, as follows:--“All ye that are accustomed to come to
our judgments, to hear and to see, as assessors, that right be
performed, come forth immediately and take your seats; ye well knowing
your own assigned places. Ye also that are without, waiting the sitting
of the court, present yourselves forthwith to the judgment thereof, in
order as ye shall be called; so that no one hinder another, or interrupt
another’s discourse. Ye pilgrims, approach the entrance of this curtain,
awaiting without; and your wardens, because they are our equals,
belonging to our company, are to appear, as of right they ought, within
our presence.”
After this proclamation was observed, the guardian angel said,--“Provost
Michael! I here present to you this pilgrim, committed to my care in the
world below: he has kept his faith to the last, and ought to be received
into the heavenly Jerusalem, whereto his body hath long been
travelling.”--Satan answered--“Michael! attend to my word and I shall
tell you another tale.” The soul being befriended throughout by St.
Michael, finally escapes the dreadful doom of eternal punishment.
On St. Michael’s contention with the devil about the body of Moses, more
may be seen in the volume on “Ancient Mysteries,” from which the present
notice is extracted, or in “Bishop Marsh’s translation of Michaeli’s
Introduction to the New Testament.”
The managers of an institution for the encouragement of British talent,
less versed in biblical criticism than in art, lately offered a prize to
the painter who should best represent this strange subject.
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