“By the Virgin mother, may the Lord grant us health and peace.  Amen.” [Per Virginem Matrem concedat nobis Dominus salutem et pacem.  Amen.—­Vern. cxliii.]

“By the prayers and merits of the blessed Mary, ever Virgin, and of all saints, may the Lord bring us to the kingdom of heaven.” [Precibus et meritis beatae Mariae Virginis et omnium sanctorum perducat nos Dominus ad regna coelorum.—­Vern. cxlvii.]

“May the Virgin Mary bless us, together with a pious offspring.” [Nos cum prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria.—­Vern. cxlvii.]

V. The fifth grade involves a still more melancholy departure from Christian truth and primitive simplicity, when the prayer is no longer addressed to God, but is offered to the Virgin, imploring her to intercede with God for the supplicants, yet still asking nothing but her prayers.

“Blessed mother, Virgin undefiled, glorious Queen of the world, intercede for us with the Lord.” [Beata Mater, et intacta Virgo, gloriosa regina mundi, intercede pro nobis ad Dominum.—­Aut. cxliv.] {337}

“Blessed mother of God, Mary, perpetual Virgin, the temple of the Lord, the holy place of the holy Spirit, thou alone without example hast pleased our Lord Jesus Christ:  Pray for the people, mediate for the clergy, intercede for the female sex who are under a vow.” [Beata Dei Genitrix, Maria Virgo perpetua, templum Domini, sacrarium Spiritus Sancti, sola sine exemplo placuisti Domino nostro Jesu Christo; ora pro populo, interveni pro clero, intercede pro devoto femineo sexu.—­Vern. clxiii.]

  “Holy Mary, pray for us! 
  Holy mother of God, pray for us! 
  Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us!”

In the form of prayer called Litaniae Lauretanae, between the most solemn addresses to the ever blessed Trinity, and to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, are inserted more than forty addresses to the Virgin, invoking her under as many varieties of title.  She is appealed to as—­The Mirror of Justice, The Cause of our Joy, The mystical Rose, The Tower of David, The Tower of Ivory, The House of Gold, The Arc of the Covenant, The Gate of Heaven, The Refuge of Sinners, The Queen of Angels, the Queen of all Saints. [Vern. ccxxxix.]

In examining the case of the invocation of saints, we placed under this head, as the safer course, a kind of invocation which seemed to vacillate between this appeal to them merely for intercession, and the last consummation of all, direct prayer to them for blessings.  We exemplified it by the hymn to St. Stephen.  The following seems very much of the same character, addressed to the Virgin:—­