s and flowers; constantly a double meaning. The two
antagonistic interpretations are almost invariably met with in the lore
of hieroglyphics, excepting only in that of gems.

"Thus it is that the lion, defined by Saint Hildegarde as the image of
zeal for God, the lion, figuring the Son Himself, becomes to Hugh of
Saint Victor the emblem of cruelty. Basing their argument on a text in
the Psalms, certain writers identify it with Lucifer. He is in fact the
lion who seeks whom he may devour, the lion who rushes on his victim.
David speaks of him with the dragon to be trodden under foot, and Saint
Peter in his first Epistle describes him as roaring in quest of a
Christian to devour.

"It is the same with the eagle, which Hugh of Saint Victor calls the
standard of Pride. Chosen by Bruno of Asti, Saint Isidor and Saint
Anselm to represent the Saviour, the Fisher of Men, because he pounces
from the highest sky on fish swimming on the surface of the water and
carries them up, the eagle, classed in Leviticus and Deuteronomy with
the unclean beasts, is transformed, as being a bird of prey, into a
personification of the Devil snatching away souls to gnaw and tear them.

"Thus every ferocious beast or bird and every reptile is a manifestation
of the Evil One," Durtal concluded.

To pass to the Tetramorph. The evangelistic animals are well known:--

Saint Matthew, who expatiates on the subject of the Incarnation and sets
forth the human genealogy of the Messiah, is symbolized by a man.

Saint Mark, who more especially devotes his book to the miracles of the
Son, saying less about His doctrine than about His acts and His
resurrection, has the Lion for his attribute.

Saint Luke, who writes more especially of the virtues of Jesus, of His
patience, meekness, and mercy, and who dwells at length on His
sacrifice, is distinguished by the Ox or Calf.

Saint John, who preaches above all else the Divinity of the Word, is
represented by the Eagle.

And the meaning assigned to the ox, the lion, and the eagle, is in
perfect accordance with the character and personal aim of each Gospel.

The lion, emblematical of Omnipotence, is also the apt allegory of the
Resurrection. All the primitive naturalists, Saint Epiphanius, Saint
Anselm, Saint Yves of Chartres, Saint Bruno of Asti, Saint Isidor,
Adamantius, all accept the legend that the lion-cub after its birth
remains lifeless for three days; then on the fourth day it awakes as it
hears i