Possedit glacies naturae signa prioris et fit parte lapis, frigora parte negat. sollers lusit hiems, imperfectoque rigore nobilior vivis gemma tumescit aquis. XXXIV. (LVII.) Lymphae, quae tegitis cognato carcere lymphas, et, quae nunc estis quaeque fuistis, aquae, quod vos ingenium iunxit? qua frigoris arte torpuit et maduit prodigiosa silex? quis tepor inclusus securas vindicat undas? 5 interior glacies quo liquefacta Noto? gemma quibus causis arcano mobilis aestu vel concreta fuit vel resoluta gelu? * * * * * Page 263 child that grew within her body. A mortal womb hid the artificer of the heavens: the creator of the world became a part of human nature. In one body was conceived the God who embraces the whole wide world, and he whom nor earth nor sea nor sky can contain was enclosed by the limbs of a little child. Thou wert punished and didst suffer too, for our sins, to save us from destruction, and didst by thy death overcome Death. Then didst Thou ascend into Heaven, returning to the Father who rejoiced at the salvation of the world. Bless Thou our Emperor that at holy seasons he may for many years to come observe the fast-days of the calendar. XXXIII-XXXIX _On a Crystal enclosing a Drop of Water._ 1. This piece of ice still shows traces of its original nature: part of it has become stone, part resisted the cold. It is a freak of winter’s, more precious by reason of its incomplete crystallization, for that the jewel contains within itself living water. 2. Ye waters, who confine waters in a prison akin to them, ye that are liquid still and ye that were so, what wit has united you? By what trick of freezing is the marvellous stone at once hard and wet? What containèd heat has protected those enclosed waters? what warm wind melted that heart of ice? How comes it that the jewel in whose heart the water ebbs and flows was either made solid or liquid by frost? * * * * * Page 264 XXXV. (LVIII.) Solibus indomitum glacies Alpina rigorem sumebat nimio iam pretiosa gelu nec potuit toto mentiri corpore gemmam, sed medio mansit proditor orbe latex. auctus honor; liquidi crescunt miracula saxi, et conservatae plus meruistis aquae. XXXVI. (LIX.) Adspice porrectam splendenti fragmine venam, qua trahitur limes lucidiore gelu. hic nullum Borean nec brumam sentit opacus umor, sed varias itque reditque vias. non illum constrinxit hiems, non Sirius axis, 5 aetatis spatium non tenuavit edax. XXXVII. (LX.)