DOMINIC, Saint, founder of the order of Dominicans or Preaching Friars : b. Calaroga, in Old Castile, Spain 1170; d. Bologna, Italy, 6 Aug. 1221. According to the legendary story of his life his future eminence in the church was foreshown to his mother before his birth by preternatural premonition, for she dreamed that she saw a dog presenting to her child a flaming torch with which to set the world ablaze. This explains the meaning of the dog with torch in his mouth, seen in many pictures of Saint Domi nic. In childhood he gave signs of extraor dinary piety and love of ascetic practices. At 17 he entered the University of Palencia (re moved later to Salamanca), and devoted him self to the study of philosophy and ancient lit erature. Here on one occasion he sold his clothes in time of famine to obtain the means of relief for the poor; on another occasion he offered himself to be a slave to the Moors in exchange for a widow's only son. He stayed in the university 10 years, and, having been or dained priest, was made a member of the cathedral chapter of Osma, and in that station was the zealous assistant of the bishop in sup pressing abuses in the Church. He accompanied this bishop on an embassage to France in 1203, and in passing through Provence was grieved by the extreme laxity of morals in clergy and laity and the alarming progress of the various Mani chwan sects. Dominic vowed himself to a life of evangelical labor among those sectaries, and resolved to make all possible efforts for the cor rection of the evils which menaced the existence of the Church in those parts. There were al ready in the field legates commissioned by the Pope to win the erring back to the fold; but Dominic was scandalized by their worldly pomp, and declared that not in costly attire and with a showy retinue should they approach the mis guided Albigensians and the poor men of Lyons, but barefoot and without purse or scrip; and the papal envoys, persuaded by the words of the zealous evangelist, laid aside their•state and for a while followed the examples of humility and zeal set by Dominic. But their preaching
proving unfruitful, they retired from the field and reported to Rome their failure. Nor was Dominic himself rewarded with much success in his 10 years' labors, though the annals of his life tell of great miracles which attended his progress through the country. Then resort was had to force, and a crusade against the Al bigensian heretics was proclaimed; which was conducted by Simon de Montfort with extreme severity till, at his death in the siege of Tou louse, resistance on the part of the Albigenses was overcome. No proof exists that Dominic either prompted the crusade or had any part in it; but it is certain that he was a friend of Simon de Montfort and of his family. He quit the country in 1217, one year before the end of the war, and withdrew to Rome, where he spent the remainder of his life in organizing the order of Preaching Friars. He arranged the prayers and meditations of the devotion called the 'Rosary,' much in use by Roman Catholics in all parts of the world. He was canonized in 1234. See DOMINICANS ; ROSARY. Consult Drane, 'Life of Saint Dominic' (3d ed., Lon don 1891) ; Guiraud, 'Saint Dominic' Paris 1901; Eng. trans., New York 1901) ; Herkless, 'Francis and Dominic' (New York 1901) ; Jordanus de Saxonia (the principal source), 'Opera ad res Ordinis Prredicatorum Spec tantia' (Fribourg 1891) ; Lacordaire, 'Vie de Saint Dominique' (Eng. trans., London 1883).