his party. For he was dispased with me on two accounts: First, that I had not settled on him a pension, as he expected, and as he told me very roughly several times: And secondly, that I did not take his advice in every thing; beside some other interests he had in view. He at once declared against me. The Bishop made him his confidant: And it was he who uttered and spread abroad the news about me, which they sent him. They imagined, as was supposed, that I should annul the donation I had made, if I returned; that, having the support of friends, in France, I should find the means of breaking it; but in that they were much mistaken; for I had no thought of loving any thing but the poverty of JESUS CHRIST. For some time yet the Father acted with caution towards me. wrote me some letters; which he addressed to the Bishop of Geneva, and they agreed so together, that he was the only person from whom I received any letters, to which I returned very moving answers; yet he, instead of being touched with them, became only more irritated against me.

He

THE Bishop continued to treat me with a shew of respect: And yet at the same time he wrote to many persons at Paris, as did also the Sisters of the house to all those persons of piety who had wrote letters to me, to bias them as much as possible against me, and to avoid the blame which ought naturally to fall upon them, for having so unworthily treated a person who had given up every thing to devote herself to the service of that diocese; for after I had done this, and was not in a condition to return to France, they treated me extremely ill in every respect. There was scarce any kind of false or fabulous story, likely

to

to gain any credit, which they did not invent to cry me down. Beside my having no way to make the truth known in France, our LORD inspired me with a willingness to suffer every thing, without justifying myself; so that in my case nothing was heard but condemnation, without any vindication. It was not difficult indeed to do this to one who did not defend herself.

I WAS in this convent, and had seen Father La Combe no farther than I have mentioned; yet they did not cease to publish, both of him and me, the most scandalous stories; as utterly false as any thing could be, for he was then a hundred and fifty leagues from me.

FOR Some time I was ignorant of this. As I knew that all my letters were kept from me, I ceased to wonder at receiving none. I lived in this house with my little daughter in a sweet repose, which was a very great favour of Providence for my daughter had forgot her French, and among the little girls from the mountains had contracted a wild look and disagreeable manners. Her wit, sense and judgment were indeed surprizing, and her disposition exceedingly good. There were only some little fits of peevishness, which they had caused to rise in her, through certain contrarieties out of season, caresses ill applied, and for want of knowing the proper manner of education. But the LORD provided in regard to her, as I shall tell. During this time my mind. was preserved calm and resigned to God. My silence was great; and for some time I had leisure to taste of and to enjoy the Divinity in my little cell: Afterwards that good Sister almost continually interrupted me; and I answered every

thing she desired of me, both out of condescen sion, and from a principle which I had to obey like a child.

WHEN I was in my apartment, without any other director than our LORD by his Spirit, however favoured therein, as soon as one of my little children came to knock at my door, he required me to admit the interruption. He showed me that it is not the actions in themselves which please him, but the constant ready obedience to every discovery of his will, even in the minutest things, with such a suppleness, as not to stick to any thing, but still to turn with him. at every call. My soul was then, I thought, like a leaf, or a feather, which the wind moves what way soever it pleases; and the LORD never suffers a soul so dependent on, and dedicated to him, to be deceived.

Oh

Most part of men appear to me very unjust, who readily resign themselves to another man, and look upon that as prudence. They confide in men who are nothing, and boldly say, "Such 6c a person cannot be deceived:" And if one speak of a soul wholly resigned to God, which follows him faithfully, they cry aloud, “That person is deceived with his resignation.' my divine Love! Dost thou want either strength, fidelity, love, or wisdom, to conduct those who trust in thee, and who are thy dearest children? I have seen men bold enough to say, "Follow me, and you shall not be misled." How sadly are those men misled themselves by their presumption! And how much sooner should I go to him who would be afraid of misleading me; who K k trusting

>

trusting neither to his learning nor experience, would rely upon GOD only!

OUR LORD shewed me, in a dream, two ways by which souls steer their course, under the figure of two drops of water. The one appeared to me of an unparalleled beauty, brightness and purity; the other to have also a brightness, yet full of little fibres or streaks; both good to quench thirst; the former altogether pleasant, but the latter not so perfectly agreeable. By the former is represented the way of pure and naked Faith, which pleases the Spouse much, it is so pure, so clear from all Self-love. The way of openings or gifts is not so; and yet it is that in which many enlightened souls walk, and into which they had drawn Father La Combe. But GoD shewed me, that he had given him to me, to draw him into one more pure and perfect. I spoke before the Sisters, he being present, of the way of Faith, how much more glorious it was to GOD, and advantageous for the soul, than all those gifts, openings and assurances which ever cause us to live to self. This discouraged them at first, and him also. I saw they were pained, as they have confessed to me since. I said no more of it at that time. But as he is a person of great humility, he bid me unfold what I had wanted to say to him. I told him a part of my dream of the two drops of water; yet he did not then enter into what I said, the time for it being not yet come: But when he came to Gex, to make the retreats, our LORD made known to me, as I was at prayer in the night, that I was his Mother, and he my Son. I told him the circumstances of a certain time past; and he recollected

that

that it was the time of so extraordinary a touch with which the LORD favoured him, that he was quite overwhelmed with contrition. This gave him such an interior renovation, that having retired to pray, in a very ardent frame of mind, he was filled with joy, and seized with a powerful emotion, which made him enter into what I had told him of the way of Faith. I give these things, as they happen to come to my remembrance, without carrying them on in order.

AFTER Easter, in the year 1682, the Bishop came to Tonon. I had occasion to speak to him, which when I had done, our LORD so pointed my words that he appeared thoroughly convinced; But the persons, who had influenced him before, returned to the charge. He then pressed me very much to return to Gex, and to take the place of Prioress. I gave him the reasons against it which I have mentioned before. I then appealed to him, as a Bishop, desiring him to take care to regard nothing but GOD in what he should say to me. He was struck into a kind of confusion: And then said to me, "Since you speak to me "in such a manner, I cannot advise you to it. "It is not for us to go contrary to our vocations; “but do good, I pray you, to this house." I promised him to do it; and having received my pension, I sent them a hundred pistoles, with a design of doing the same as long as I should be in the diocese. The Bishop said to me farther,

I love Father La Combe. He is a true servant "of GoD: And he has told me many things to "which I was forced to assent; for I felt them " in myself: But, added he, when I say so, they ❝ tell me I am mistaken, and that before the end of six months he will run mad." He told me,

"he