order that he might regain Sicily,
brought about a conclave. As the election of any cardinal seemed
impossible, on the 5th of July 1294 the Sacred College united on Pietro
di Morrone; the cardinals expected to rule in the name of the celebrated
but incapable ascetic. Apocalyptic notions then current doubtless aided
his election, for Joachim of Floris and his school looked to monasticism
to furnish deliverance to the church and to the world. Multitudes came
to Celestine's coronation at Aquila, and he began his reign the idol of
visionaries, of extremists and of the populace. But the pope was in the
power of Charles II. of Naples, and became his tool against Aragon. The
king's son Louis, a layman of twenty-one, was made archbishop of Lyons.
The cardinals, scarcely consulted at all, were discontented. The pope,
who wanted more time for his devotions, offered to leave three cardinals
in charge of affairs; but his proposition was rejected. He then wished
to abdicate, and at length Benedetto Gaetano, destined to succeed him as
Boniface VIII., removed all scruples against this unheard-of procedure
by finding a precedent in the case of Clement I. Celestine abdicated on
the 13th of December 1294. There is no sufficient ground for finding an
allusion to this act in the noted line of Dante, "Che fece per viltate
il gran rifiuto" ("who made from cowardice the great refusal,"
_Inferno_, 3, 60). Boniface at length put him in prison for safe
keeping; he died in a monastic cell in the castle of Fumone near Anagni
on the 19th of May 1296. He was canonized by Clement V. in 1313.

See Wetzer und Welte and Herzog-Hauck (with excellent bibliography) as
above; Jean Aurelien, Superieur de la Congregation des Celestins, _La
Vie admirable de ... Saint Pierre Celestin_ (Bar-le-Duc, 1873); H.
Finke, _Aus den Tagen Bonifaz VIII._ (Munster, 1902), pp. 24-43.
(W. W. R.*)

CELESTINE, or CELESTITE, a name applied to native strontium sulphate
(SrSO4), having been suggested by the celestial blue colour which it
occasionally presents. This colour has been referred to a trace of iron
phosphate, but in some cases such an explanation appears doubtful. The
mineral is usually colourless, or has only a delicate shade of blue.
Celestine crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, being isomorphous
with barytes (q.v.). The angle between the prism faces is 76 deg. 17'.
The cleavage is perfect parallel to the basal pinacoid, and less marked
par