ZITA,

The Christian Maid-Servant.

PT the village of Montsegradi, near the town of Lucca in Italy, there lived in the thirteenth century a poor but pious woman, of whom little

is recorded but that she had a daughter named Zita, whom she brought up with more than usual care in the way of godliness, and the blessing of the LORD rested in so especial a manner upon this good mother's work of faith and labour of love, that from her earliest childhood the little Zita was noticed for her gentleness, modesty, and obedience. Trained up as she was from her baptism in the love and fear of our FATHER Who is in heaven, it was at any time enough for her mother to say, "Do this, my

child, for it is pleasing to GOD, and in doing it you are doing His Will," or on the other hand, "You must not do this, Zita, or you will offend GOD," and the loving simplehearted child would hasten to do the one or to avoid the other.

It is most likely that neither mother nor child ever learned to read, for they were very poor, and had to labour hard for their daily bread: but probably, in addition to her good mother's instructions, Zita learned with the other children of the village from the priest, or some one appointed to teach them, the LORD's Prayer, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and such other things as are necessary for every Christian child to know; and as it is written that a good understanding have all they that do the commandments of the LORD, it was so that as Zita grew up in holy obedience, she grew in wisdom also, and all who knew her could not help loving the good and gentle peasant child.

It was not Zita's way to talk much about the things she loved to hear, for she was always remarked for her silence and retire

ment, but she never tired of hearing from the Gospels the story of the Holy Child JESUS, and of His wonderful subjection to His earthly parents in that lowly home at Nazareth; and, as she went about assisting her mother in the occupation by which they gained their livelihood, she would call to mind how the LORD of glory had condescended to share the lonely labours of the carpenter, and in her heart she thanked GOD for having placed her in a station where she too might learn to labour after the example of her LORD and SAVIOUR.

From her pious mother Zita learned to look upon labour, not so much as a part of the punishment for the sin of Adam, but as God's loving discipline, and a means in His hand of our sanctification, and such thoughts made her work, whether in the vineyard, or in the olive-yard, or in gathering the leaves of the white mulberry trees for the silkworms, or in the more homely labours of washing, or cleaning the house, very easy, for her heart was in it, and what we do willingly is no longer hard. Zita and her mother had their

enjoyments too, and perhaps one of the greatest of these was to go together to the beautiful house of GOD to worship Him, and to listen to the teaching of His priests, and often in an evening, when their day's work was ended, the mother and her child might sit at their cottage door, or walk in that lovely country, enjoying the rich sunset of an Italian sky, and admiring the beautiful works of GOD, while they called to remembrance the land that is yet very far off, even the new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, and where the faithful followers of the Lamb shall one day behold the King in His beauty. And while Zita, in a child's simplicity might say, “He will not come forth then, mother, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe," her mother might delight to answer, in some such words as these-" No, my child, but many crowns shall be upon His head in the day when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God, and of His CHRIST, and He shall reign for ever and ever."

Many a rich Italian lady, upon whose