He

"is beautiful within." That Ecclesiastic, who was present with his confident, said, "It was "preached against him, and was full of errors." He drew up eight propositions, and inserted in them what the other had not preached, adjusting them as maliciously as ever he could, and sent them to one of his friends at Rome, to get them examined by the sacred congregation, and by the inquisition. Though he had very ill digested them, at Rome they were pronounced good. That greatly disappointed and vexed him. After having been treated in this manner, and opprobriously reviled by him in the most offensive terms, the father, with much mildness and humility told him, "that he was going to Annecy "about some affairs of the convent; and that if "he had any thing to write to the Bishop of Geઃઃ neva, he would take care of his letter." desired him then to wait a while, as he was going to write. The good father had the patience to wait above three hours, without hearing from him; though the other had treated him exceedingly ill, so far as to snatch out of his hands a letter I had given him for that worthy hermit I have mentioned. Hearing he was not gone, but was still in the church, I went to him, and begged him to send to see if the other's packet was ready; because the day was so far gone, that he would be obliged to lodge by the way. When the messenger arrived, he found a servant of the Ecclesiastic on horseback, ordered to go full speed, to be at Annecy before the father. He then returned an answer," that he had no letters to "send by him." This was so contrived, that he might gain time to prepossess the Bishop for his purposes. Father La Combe then set off for Annecy, and on his arrival found the Bishop prepos

sessed,

sessed, and in an ill humour. This was the substance of the discourse which they had:

Bishop. "You must absolutely engage this la"dy to give what she has to the house at Gex, ❝ and make her the prioress of it.”

F. La Combe." My Lord, you know what she "has told you herself of her vocation, both at "Paris and in this country. I therefore do not ❝ believe that she will engage; nor is there any "likelihood that, after having quitted her all, in "the hope of entering Geneva, she should engage elsewhere, and thereby put it out of her power to accomplish the designs of GOD in regard to her. She has offered to stay with "those sisters as a boarder. If they are willing "to keep her as such, she will remain with them, "if not, she is resolved to retire into some convent, till GoD shall dispose of her otherwise."

Bishop. "I know all that; but I likewise "know that she is so very obedient, that, if you "order her, she will assuredly do it."

F. La Combe. "It is for that reason, my Lord, "that one ought to be very cautious in the com"mands which they lay on her: Can I induce a foreign lady, who, for all her subsistence, has "nothing but a small pittance she has reserved "to herself, to give that up in favour of a

house which is not yet established, and per"haps never will? If the house happen to fail, "or be no longer of use, what shall that lady "live on? Shall she go to the hospital? And in

deed this house will not long be of any use,

"since there are no protestants in any part of "France near it."

Bishop. "These reasons are good for nothing. "If you do not make her do what I have said, I "will degrade and suspend you."--This manner of speaking somewhat surprized the father, who well enough understands the rules of suspension, which is not executed on such things. He replied,

My Lord, I am ready, not only to suffer the "suspension, but even death, rather than do any "thing against my conscience."-Having said that, he retired.

He directly sent me this account by an express, to the end that I might take proper measures thereon. I had no other course to take but to retire into a convent. I received a letter informing me that the Nun to whom I had entrusted my daughter was fallen sick, and desiring ine to go to her for some time. I shewed this letter to the sisters of our house, telling them, “I had a "mind to go; but that if they ceased to perse"cute me, and would leave Father La Combe in 166 peace, I would return as soon as the mistress "of my daughter should be recovered." Instead of this, they persecuted me more violently, wrote to Paris against me, stopt all my letters, and sent libels against me round the country.

THE day after my arrival at Tonon, Father La Combe set off for the valley of Aoust* to preach there

*AOUST, a Dutchy in Piedmont, at the foot of the

Alps,

there in the Lent.

66

He had come to take leave of me, and told me, "he should go from thence to Rome, and perhaps not return, as his supe"riors might detain him there; that he was sor"ry to leave me in a strange country, without "succour, and persecuted of every one. I replied, "My father, that gives me no pain, I use

the creatures for GOD, and by his order. "Through his mercy, I do very well without "them, when he withdraws them: And I am 66 very well content never to see you, if such is "his will, and to abide under persecution." He said he went off well satisfied to see me in such a disposition, and then took his leave and departed.

As soon as I got to the Ursulines, a very aged and pious priest, who for twenty years past had not come out of his solitude came to find me. He told me, "that he had had a vision relative. 66 to me; that he had seen a woman in a boat 66 on the lake; and that the Bishop of Geneva, "with some of his priests, exerted all their ef"forts to sink the boat she was in, and to drown "her; that he continued in this vision above "two hours, with pain of mind; that it seem"ed sometimes as if this woman were quite "drowned, as for some time she quite disap66 peared; but afterwards she appeared again, "and ready to escape the danger, while the Bishop never ceased to pursue her. This "woman was always equally calm; but he "never saw her entirely free from him. From "whence I conclude, added he, that the Bi

66

Alps, in the North-east of Italy, 65 miles South-east of Geneva, and subject to the king of Sardinia.

"shop will per cute you without intermise "sion."

* I HAD an intimate friend, wife of that governor of whom I have made some mention. As she saw I had quitted every thing for GOD, she had a warm desire to follow me. With .diligence did she dispose of all her effects, and settle her affairs, in order to come to me: But when she heard of the persecution, she was discouraged from coming to a place, from whence she thought I should be obliged to retire :-And soon after she died.

A

CHAP. VII.

FTER Father La Combe was gone, the persecution raised against me became more violent. But the Bishop of Geneva still shewed me some civilities, as well to try whether he could prevail on me to do what he desired, as to sound how matters passed in France, and to prejudice the minds of the people there against me, always preventing me from receiving the letters sent me. The Ecclesiastic and his family had twenty-two intercepted letters, opened, on their table. There was one wherein was sent me a Letter of Attor ney to sign, of immediate consequence. They were obliged to put it under another cover, and send it to me. The Bishop writ to Father La Mothe, and had no difficulty to draw him into

*

his

It appears, that she was an instrument in the LORD's hand, in this place, viz. Tonon, of great spiritual benefit to several young women of the village, from what she occasionally mentions farther on, viz. in Chap. 18.