Matfre had complained that men
Abandoned in her beauty revel
And unawares adore the devil.--
but now a means had been found to adore the beloved, and yet remain
faithful to God. Once in a way it was remembered that the adored,
strictly speaking, was the Mother of God--if for no other reason, for
fear of the Inquisition which the Dominicans had founded and placed
under the special patronage of Mary--her bodyguard as it were, defending
her from the onslaught of minds all too worldly. Very rarely the adored
earthly woman was identified with the official Queen of Heaven--(this
may have been done occasionally by monks); sometimes as in the case of
Michelangelo and Guinicelli, the beloved was the sole goddess; other
poets, among whom we may include Dante and Goethe, conceived her as
enthroned by the side of Mary.
At this point I must interrupt my argument, and briefly sketch the
position occupied by Mary in the western world from the dawn of
Christianity.
_(b) The Queen of Heaven.
Pages:
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257