HUMPHREY
544
HUMPHREY
expressions of the saints as true and sincere. Besides,
their great love of God caused them to see the malice
of their own faults and sins in a clearer light than that
which is ordinarily given to persons who are not saints.
The four canlinal virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, and all other moral vir- tues are annexed to these either as integral, potential, or subjective parts. Humility is annexed to the virtue of temperance as a potential part, because temperance includes all those virtues that refrain or repress the inordinate movements of our desires or appetites. Humility is a repressing or moderating virtue opposed to pride and vainglory or that spirit within us which urges us to great things above our strength and ability, and tlierefore it is included in temperance just as meekness which represses anger is a part of tlie same virtue. From what we have here stated it fol- lows that humility is not the first or the greatest of the virtues. The theological virtues have the first place, then the intellectual virtues, as these immediately direct the reason of man to good. Justice is placed in the order of the virtues before humility, and so should obedience be, for it is part of justice. Humility is, how- ever, said to lie the foimdation of the spiritual edifice, but in a sense inferior to that in which faith is called its foundation. Humility is the first virtue inas- much as it removes the obstacles to faith — per modum removens prohibens, as St. Thomas says. It removes pride antl makes a man subject to and a fit recipient of grace according to the words of St. James: — "God resisteth the proud, and giveth his grace to the hum- ble" (James, iv, 0). Faith is the fir.st and the positive fundamental virtue of all the infused virtues, because it is Ijy it we can take the first step in the supernatural life and in our access to God: " For he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him " (Heb., xi, 0). Humility, inasmuch as it seems to keep the mind and heart submissive to reason and to God, has its own fimction in connexion with faith and all the other virtues, and it may therefore be said to bo a universal virtue.
It is therefore a virtue which is necessary for sal- vation, and as such is enjoined by Our Divine Saviour, especially when He said to His disciples: — "Learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls" (Matt., xi, 29). He also teaches this virtiie by the words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven " (Matt., V, 3), and again, "Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, imtruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven " (Matt., V, 11-12). From the example of Christ and His Saints we may learn the practice of humility, which St. Thomas explains (Contra Gent.^ bk. Ill, IS.')): "The spontaneous embracing of humiliations is a practice of humility not in any and every case, but when it is done for a needful purpose: for humility being a virtue, docs nothing indi-screetly. It is then not humility but folly to embrace any and every humiliation: but when virtue calls for a thing to lie done it belongs to humility not to shrink from doing it, for instance not to refuse some mean service where charity calls upon you to help your neighbours. . . . Sometimes too, even where our own duty does not re- quire us to embrace humiliations, it is an act of virtue to take them up in order to encourage others by our example more easily to bear what is incumbent on them: for a general will sometimes do the office of a common soldier to encourage the rest. Sometimes again we may make a virtuous use of humiliations as a medicine. Thus if anyone's mind is prone to undue self-exaltation, he may with advantage make a mod- erate use of humiliations, either self-imposed, or imposed by others, so as to check the elation of his spirit by putting him.self on a level with the lowest class of the community in the doing of mean offices."
The Angelic Doctor likewise explains the humility
of Christ in the following words: "Humility cannot
befit God, who has no superior, but is above all. . .
Though the virtue of humihty cannot attach to
Christ in His divine natiue; it may attach to Him
in His human nature and His divinity renders His
humility all the more praiseworthy, for the dignity
of the person adds to the merit of humility; and there
can be no greater dignity to a man than his being
God. Hence the highest praise attaches to the humil-
ity of the Man (iod, who to wean men's hearts from
worldly glory to the love of tlivine glory, chose to
embrace a death of no ordinary .sort, but a death of
the deepest ignominy" (Summa Contra Gent., tr.
Rickaby, bk. IV. ch. Iv; cf. bk. Ill, ch. cxxxvi).
St. Benedict in his rule lays down twelve de-
grees of humility. St. Anselm, as quoted by St.
Thomas, gives seven. These degrees are appro\-ed
and explained by St. Thomas in his "Summa Theo-
logiea " (II-II, Q. clxi, a. ()). The vices oppo.sed to
humility are, (1) pride: by reason of defect, and (2)
a too great ol)scquiousness or abjection of oneself,
which would be an excess of hmnility. This might
easily be derogatory to a man's office or holy char-
acter; or it might serve only to pamper pride in
others, by unworthy flattery, which would occasion
their sins of tyranny, arliitrariness, and arrogance.
The virtue of humility may not be practised in any
external way which would occasion such vices or acts
in others.
Arthub Devine.
Humphrey Middlemore, Blessed, English Car- thusian martyr, date of birth uncertain; d. at Ty- burn, London, 19 June, 153.5. His father, Thomas Middlemore of Kdgliaston, Warwickshire, represented one of the oldest families in that county, and had acquired his estate at Edgbaston by marriage with the heiress of Sir Henry Edgbaston; his mother was Ann Lyttleton, of I'illaton Hall, StafTord.shire. Attracted to the Carthusian Order, he was professed at the ( 'har- terhouse, London, ordained, and subsequentlv ap- pointed to the office of procurator. Although few details of his life have come down, it is certain that he was greatly esteemed for his learning and piety by the prior. Father John Houghton, and by the com- munity generally. In 1.534 the question of Henry VIII's marriage with Anne Boleyn arose to trouble conscientious Catholics, as the kmg was determined that the more prominent of his sul)jects should ex- pressly acknowledge the validity of the marriage, and the right of succession of any issue therefrom. Ac- cordingly, the royal commissioners paid a visit to the Charterhouse, and required the monks to take the oath to that effect. Father Houghton and Father Hum- phrey refused, and were, in consequence, imiiri.soned m the Tower; but, after a month's imprisonment, they were persuaded to take the oath conditionally, and were relea.sed. In the following year Father John was execute<l for refusing to take tlic new oath of supremacy, and Father Humphrey liecame vicar of the Charterhou.se. Meanwhile, 'Fhomas Bedyll, one of the royal commis-sioners, had again visited the Charterhouse, ;md endeavoured, both by conversa- tion and writing, to shake the faith of Father Hum- phrey and his community in the papal supremacy. His efforts left them umnoved, and, after expostulat- ing with them in a violent manner, he obtained au- thority from Thomas Cromwell to arrest the vicar and two other monks, and throw them into prison, where they were treated with inhuman cruelty, being l)ound to posts with chains round their necks anil legs, and compelled so to remain day and night for two weeks. 'They were then brought before the council, and required to take the oath. Not only did they refuse, Init justified their attitude by able arguments from Scripture and the Fathers in favour of the papal
