"to ruin him, and to carry off his money info "France:" which was a thing the farthest from my thoughts. The Bishop patiently bore these affronts, hoping still to keep me in his diocese, when I should be recovered.

FATHER La Combe was his prebend and his confessor. He esteemed him highly. God made use of him to convert several of the officers and soldiers, who, from being men of scandalous lives, became paterns of piety. In that place every thing was mixed with crosses and souls gained to GOD. There were some of his Friars, who, after his example, were advancing toward perfection. Though I neither understood their language nor they mine, the LORD made us understand each other in what concerned his service. The Rector of the Jesuits took his time, when Father La Combe was gone out of town, to prove me, as he said. He had studied theological matters, which I did not understand. He propounded to me several questions. The LORD inspired me to answer him in such a manner, that he went away both surprized and satisfied. He could not forbear speaking of it.

THE Bernabites of Paris, or rather Father De La Mothe took it in head to try to draw Father La Combe from thence to go preach at Paris. He wrote to the father-general about it, saying, "They had no subject at Paris to support their "house, that their church was deserted; that it "was a pity to leave such a man as father La "Combe in a place were he only corrupted his

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language; that it was necessary to make his fine "talents appear at Paris, where he himself could "not bear the burthen of the house, if they did

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not give him an assistant of such qualifications and experience." Who would not have thought all this to be sincere? The Bishop of Verceil, who was very much a friend to the father-general, having advice thereof, opposed it, and answered him," that it would be doing him the greatest ❝injury to take from him a man who was ex"ceeding useful to him, and at the time that he "had the greatest need of him."

THE father-general of the Bernabites would not agree to the request of Father De La Mothe, for fear of offending the Bishop of Verceil, in removing from him a man who was so necessary to him in the present posture of affairs. As to me, my indisposition increased. The air, which is there extremely bad, caused me a continual cough, with frequent returns of fever, accompanied with defluxions on the lungs, which obliged me to have much blood taken from me. I grew so much worse that it was thought I could not get over it. The Bishop was much afflicted to see it, but, having consulted the physicians, they assured him that the air of the place was mortal to me, whereupon he said to me with many tears, "I "had rather have you live, though distant from "me, that see you die here." He gave up his design of establishing his congregation, for my friend would not settle there without me; and the Genoese. lady could not easily leave her own city, where she was respected. The Genoese besought her to set up there what the Bishop of Verceil had wanted her to set up near him. It was a congrega tion almost like that of Madam de Miramion. When the Bishop had first proposed this affair, however agreeable it appeared, I had a presentiment that it would not succeed, and that it was

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not what our LORD required of me, though I submissively yielded to the good proposal, were it only to acknowledge the many special favours of this prelate, being assured that the LORD would know well how to prevent what he should now require of me. As this good prelate saw he must resign himself to let me go, he said to me, "You "were willing to be in the diocese of Geneva, "and there they persecuted and rejected you; "and I, who would so gladly have you, cannot "keep you." He wrote to Father La Mothe "that I should go in the spring, as soon as the 66 season would permit; that he was exceeding 66 sorry to be obliged to let me go; that he had "looked upon me in his diocese as an Angel," with other things, enough to have thrown me into confusion, if I could have attributed any thing to myself. Yet he still hoped to have kept Father La Combe, which probably might have been, had not the death of the father-general given it another turn, as I shall relate.

HERE it was that I wrote upon the Apocalypse, and that there was given me a greater certainty of all the persecutions of the most faithful servants of GOD, according to what I wrote thereof, in respect to future times. Here also I was strongly moved to write to Madam De Ch it with great simplicity; and what I wrote was like the first foundation of what the LORD required of her, having been pleased to make use of me to help to bring her into his ways, being one to whom I am much united, and by her to others.

I did

CHAP,

THE

HE Bishop of Verceil's friend, the fathergeneral of the Bernabites, departed this life. As soon as he was dead, Father La Mothe wrote to the vicar general, who now held his place till another should be elected, renewing his request to have Father La Combe as an assistant. The father, hearing that I was obliged on account of my indisposition to return into France, sent an order to Father La Combe to return to Paris, and to accompany me in my journey thither, as his doing that would exempt their house at Paris, already poor, from the expences of so long a journey. On the receipt hereof Father La Combe, who did not penetrate the poison under this fair outside, consented thereto; knowing it was my custom to have some Ecclesiastic with me in travelling. Father La Combe went off twelve days before me, in order to transact some business, and to wait for me at the passage over the mountains, as the place where I had most need of an escort. I set off in Lent, the weather then being very fine. It was a sorrowful parting to the Prelate. I pitied him; he was so much affected both at losing Father La Combe and me. He caused me to be attended, at his own expence, as far as Turin, giving me a gentleman and one of his Ecclesiastics to accompany me.

As soon as the resolution was taken that Father La Combe should accompany me, Father La Mothe reported every where " that he had been "obliged to do it, to make him return into "France." He expatiated on the attachment I had for father La Combe, pretending to pity me for it. Upon this every one said, "that I ought

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"to put myself under the direction of Father La "Mothe." In the mean time he deceitfully palliated the malignity of his heart, writing letters full of esteem to Father La Combe, and some to me of tenderness, "desiring him to bring his "dear sister, and to serve her in her infirmities, ❝ and in the hardships of so long a journey; that ❝he should be sensibly obliged to him for his "care," with many other things of the like nature.

I COULD not resolve to depart without going to see my good friend, the Marchioness of Prunai, notwithstanding the difficulty of the roads. I caused myself to be carried thither, it being scarce possible to go otherwise on account of the mountains. She was extremely joyful at seeing me arrive. Nothing could be more cordial than what passed between us with abundance of mutual openness. It was then that she acknowledged that all I had told her had come to pass; and a good Ecclesiastic, who lives with her, told me the same. We made ointments and plaisters together, and I gave her the secret of my remedies. I encouraged her, and so did Father La Combe, to establish an hospital in that place; which was done while we were there. I contributed my mite to it, which has ever been blest to all the hospitals, which have been established in reliance on Providence.

I BELIEVE I had forgot to tell that the LORD had made use of me to establish one near Grenoble, which subsists without any other fund than the supplies of Providence. My enemies made use of that afterwards to slander me, saying, "I had "wasted my children's substance in establishing hospitals;" though, far from spending any of their substance, I had even given them my own;

and