abandons not his servants, nor ever fails to console them in their
distresses, if they pray for his grace and pity, had compassion on
Joachim, and heard his prayer, and sent the angel Raphael from heaven
to earth to console him, and announce to him the nativity of the
Virgin Mary. Therefore the angel Raphael appeared to Joachim, and
comforted him with much peace, and foretold to him the birth of the
Virgin in that glory and gladness, saying, 'God save you, O friend of
God, O Joachim! the Lord has sent me to declare to you an everlasting
joy, and a hope that shall have no end.'... And having finished these
words, the angel of the Lord disappeared from him, and ascended into
the heaven." (MS. Harl.)

The passage which I have omitted is merely one of the ordinary
Romanist accounts of the immaculate conception of the Virgin, put
into the form of prophecy. There are no sufficient details of this
part of the legend either in the Protevangelion or Gospel of St. Mary;
but it is quite clear that Giotto followed it, and that he has
endeavoured to mark a distinction in character between the angels
Gabriel and Raphael[16] in the two subjects,--the form of Raphael
melting back into the heaven, and being distinctly recognised as
angelic, while Gabriel appears invested with perfect humanity. It is
interesting to observe that the shepherds, who of course are not
supposed to see the form of the Angel (his manifestation being only
granted to Joachim during his sleep), are yet evidently under the
influence of a certain degree of awe and expectation, as being
conscious of some presence other than they can perceive, while the
animals are unconscious altogether.

[Footnote 16: The MS. makes the angel Raphael the only messenger.
Giotto clearly adopts the figure of Gabriel from the Protevangelion.]