I EMBARKED then upon the Rhone, with my chamber-maid and a young woman of Grenoble, whom the LORD had highly favoured through my means. The Bishop of Grenoble's Almoner also accompanied me, with another very worthy Ecclesiastic. We met with many alarming accidents and wonderful preservations; but those instant dangers, which affrighted others, far from alarming me, augmented my peace. The Bishop of Grenoble's Almoner was much astonished. He was in a desperate fright, when the boat struck against the rock, and opened at the stroke; and in his emotion looking attentively at me, he observed that I did not change my countenance, or move my eye-brows, retaining all my tranquillity. I did not so much as feel the first emotions of surprize, which are natural to every body on those occasions, as they depend not on ourselves. What caused my peace in such dangers as terrify others at once, was my resignation to GoD, and because death is much more agreeable to me than life, if such were his will, to which I desire to be ever patiently submissive.

As I was going off from Grenoble, a man of quality, a great servant of Gon, and one of my intimate friends, had given me a letter for a knight of Malta, who was very devout, and whom I have esteemed since I have known him, as a man whom our LORD designed to serve the order of Malta greatly, and to be its ornament and support by his holy life. I had told him that I thought he should go thither, and that God would assuredly make use of him to diffuse a spirit of piety into many of the knights. He is actually gone to Malta, where the first places were soon given him. This man of quality sent him the little book of prayer written by me, and printed at Gre

noble.

noble. He had a chaplain very averse to the spiritual path. He took this book, and condemned it at once, went to stir up a part of the town, and amongst the rest a set of men who call themselves the seventy-two disciples of St. CYRAN*. I arrived at Marseilles at ten o'clock in the morning, and that very afternoon all was in a noise against me. Some went to speak to the Bishop, telling him that, on account of that little book, it was necessary to banish me from that city. They gave him the book, which he examined with one of his prebends. He liked it well. He sent for Monsieur MALAVAL and a father Recollect, who he knew had come to see me a little after my arrival, to enquire of them from whence that great tumult had its rise, which indeed had no other effect on me than to make me smile, seeing so soon accomplished what that young woman had foretold me. Monsieur MALAVAL and that good Religious told the Bishop what they thought of me; after which he testified much uneasiness at the insult given me. I was obliged to go to see him. He received me with extraor dinary respect, and begged my excuse for what had happened, desired me to stay at Marseilles, and assured me that he would protect me. He even asked where I lodged, that he might come

to see me.

NEXT day the Bishop of Grenoble's Almoner went to see him, with that other priest who had come with us. The Bishop of Marseilles again testified to them his sorrow for the insults given me without any cause; and told them, that it was usual with those persons to insult all such as were not of their cabal, that they had even insulted him

* Chief of the Jansenists in France.

self.

self.

They

They were not content with that. wrote to me the most offensive letters possible, though at the same time they did not know me. I apprehended that our LORD was beginning in earnest to take from me every place of abode; and those words were renewed in my mind, "The foxes have holes, the birds of the air have "nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head."

66

In the short time of my stay at Marseilles, I was instrumental to support some good souls, and amongst others an Ecclesiastic, who till then was unacquainted with me. After having finished his thanksgiving in the church, seeing me go out, he followed me into the house in which I lodged: Then he told me," the LORD had inspired him "to address me, and to open his inward state to He did it with as much simplicity as me." humility, and the LORD gave him through me all that was necessary for him, from whence he was filled with joy, and thankful acknowledgments to GOD: For though there were many spiritual persons there, and even of his intimate friends, he never had been moved to open himself to any of them. He was a servant of GOD, favoured by him with a singular gift of prayer. During the eight days I was at Marseilles, I saw many good souls there; for, through all my persecutions, our LORD always struck some good stroke of his own right hand, and that good Ecclesiastic was delivered from an anxiety of mind, which had much afflicted him for some years past.

AFTER I had left Grenoble, those who hated me, without knowing me, spread libels against me. A woman for whom I had a great love, and

whom

whom I had even extricated from an engagement which she had continued in for several years, and contributed to her discarding the person to whom she had been attached, suffering her mind to resume its fondness for that pernicious engagement, became so violently enraged against me for having broke it off; though I had freely been at some expence to procure her freedom from it, that she went to the Bishop of Grenoble, to tell him that I had counselled her to do an act of injustice. She then went from confessor to confessor repeating the same story, to animate them against me. As they were too susceptible of the prejudices infused, the fire was soon kindled in all quarters. There were none but those who knew me, and who loved GOD, that took my part. They became more closely united to me in sympathy through my persecution. It had been very easy for me to destroy the calumny, as well with the Bishop of Grenoble as in town. I had only to tell who the person was, and to shew the fruits of her disorder but as I could not declare the guilty person, without making known at the same time the other who had been her accomplice, who now, being touched of GOD, was very penitent, I thought it best for me to suffer and be silent. There was a very pious man who knew all her history, from the beginning to the end of it, who wrote to her, that if she did not retract her lies, he would publish the account of her wicked life, to make known both her gross iniquity and my innocence. She continued some time in her malice, writing that I was a sorceress, with many other falshoods. Nevertheless, some time after she had such a cruel remorse of conscience on this account, that she wrote both to the Bishop and others to retract what she had said. She got one to write to me, to inform me that she was

in

in despair for what she had done; that God had punished her in such a manner, that she had never felt any thing like it. After these recantations the outcry abated, the Bishop was disabused, and since that time he has testified a great regard for me. This creature had, among other things, said that I made myself be worshipped; and other unparalelled fooleries. As she had formerly been beside herself, I think in what she did to me there was more of weakness than of malice.

FROM Marseilles I knew not how or whither I should turn next. I saw no likelihood either of staying or returning to Grenoble, where I had left my daughter in a convent. On the other side Father La Combe had wrote to me that he did not think I ought to go to Paris. I even felt a strong reluctance to the view of going thither, which made me think it was not yet the time for it. One morning I felt myself inwardly pressed to go off, I took a litter to go to see the Marchioness of Prunai, which was, I thought, the most honourable refuge for me in my present condition. I imagined I might have passed through Nice to her habitation, as some had assured me I might. But when I arrived at Nice, I was greatly surprized to learn that the litter could not pass the mountain to go thither. I knew not what to do, nor which way to turn, being here alone, forsaken of every body, and not knowing what GOD required of me. My confusion and crosses seemed daily to increase. I saw myseif, without refuge or retreat, wandering as a vagabond. All the tradesmen, whom I saw in their shops, appeared to me happy, in having a dwelling place of their own to retire to. Nothing in the world seemed harder than this wandering life to me, who naturally loved honour and de

corum,