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There was a sifter in the convent grievously sick. The abbess, according to her cuflom, enquired daily through¬ out the convent to see if in aught she could minifter to its well-being, or if her presence could anywhere be of advan¬ tage. She entered the sick room, and there found the sifter that was sick, who bore her sickness with impatience, and spake words which signified to the abbess that juftice was not in her soul.

2. The abbess enquired of this sifter what had been the work within her of juftice and of charity, fortitude and patience. The sifter answered: “ So gready does my sick¬ ness conftrain me that in my soul there is no place for virtue, but I am oppressed by wrath so great, that I had rather be dead than living.”

3. “ O, foolish onel ” said the abbess. “ I desire thee to answer me and tell me which thing would torment thee more : to be upon a great mountain full of fire and sulphur, or to bear this sickness ? If thou die without juftice, then will thy soul be borne to the fires of hell which are eternal. Who is He that giveth thee this sickness ? When thou hafl not patience, thou doff hate God, Who gives thee sickness

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that He may punish thee for thy sins. Thou doft oppose His justice since thou hateft His works. No fortitude is in thy mind, for thy sickness cafts out from it charity and iuftice and sets therein impatience and wrong. When God gives thee sickness, He asks of thee that thou thyself give ju^ice to Him with charity and patience, that He may give to thee the eternal blessing of salvation.” With such good words did the abbess exhort the sifter that was sick, that charity, juftice, fortitude and patience took possession once again of her soul which they had loft, and the sifter spake these words :

4. “ I adore and bless Thee, O Divine virtue of juftice, because Thou chaftiseft me, and yet spareft me in that Thou chaftiseft me not according to the multitude of my sins. Worthy am 1 to suffer these trials and many beside. Do with me that which is pleasing to Thy will : may my will be one with Thine. I am not worthy of glory : sins have I for the which I merit everlafting torment. If Thou be pleased to punish me, Thou willeft to use Thy great juftice. If Thou be pleased to pardon me, Thou willeft to use Thy great mercy. Whether Thou doft punish or pardon, I adore and bless in all things Thy great juftice, and in all things I hope for the tender mercy which the Queen of Heaven prays Thee to have upon us all.” While the sifter spake these words, she felt within her such great fervour and devotion, which were given her by charity, juftice, fortitude and patience, that she was enabled thence¬ forward to bear her sickness lightly.

5- When the abbess had comforted and inftrufted the sifter that was sick, she entered into a secret chamber w erein was in durance a sifter that had grievously ftrayed

““ nneQ a£ainSt her honour and her order. When the abbess entered to see that sifter, that she might console her » her penance, she found her in tears, upon her knees, saythLT TctdS: " ° sacred juftice of God, that haft all g m Thy power! I adore Thee and bless Thee, for

OF JUSTICE

in the trials that I suffer I have knowledge both of Thyself and of my sins. From this knowledge comes gladness to my heart, making me to love Thy justice and lament my transgressions. Wherefore the more are the trials that Thou sendeft, the more (lost Thou reveal Thyself to myknowledge, and makeft me to remember the wondrous mercy that is in Thee. In this bodily affliftion would I ever be, that my soul may know Thee and love Thee and learn to be glad i n Thee. ’ ’ So devout and holy were the words which the sifter spake that they moved the abbess to devotion, to mercy and to pardon. And the abbess, weeping, spake these words :

6. “ There can be no defeft in that wherein the holy juftice of God would participate or be. Disposed am I to pardon thee, and to pray the sifters to pardon thee, since Divine juftice pardons all those that praise Him and bless Him in His works. Starved and afflifted is thy body through thy many trials ; poor are thy garments, poor and scant is thy food. Thy bed is of branches of the vine, thy companions as to the body are solitude and darkness, but thy soul doth company with the Divine brightness that makes thee to love and to know the Divine juftice. Thou doft ask and it shall be given thee ; thou doft repent and shalt be forgiven. And thou art nobler through thy repent¬ ance and devotion than am I through my virginity.”

7. Devoutly and with tears the abbess ended her words, and the sifter thanked her fervently, saying these words : “ It is the nature of a good mafter that he love the blessing of his subjefts. My bitter life and my imprisonment are an inftruftion to the sifters that they may beware left they have sin and wrong-doing in their hearts. My happiness is to afHifl my body and contemplate God in His juftice.

I repent me of my sins, and I beseech His pardon. All the days of my life would I continue in this penance wherein now I am. The more do I suffer in my person, the more is my soul exalted in God: may God be in my soul, and penance and trials in my body.”

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8. The abbess went into the garden, where she saw a sifter that was weeping beneath a tree. This sifter had enjoyed in the world great riches and honours, and because of the delicateness of her former life she bewailed the aufterity of the life which she led in the convent. The abbess enquired of the sifter why she wept and was thus disconsolate, and the sifter related to her all that her mind desired. “ O foolish and unjuft soul ! ” cried the abbess, “ Hadft thou never knowledge ofjuftice, that in a religious order chaftises with auftere living those that have tafted delicate viftuals in the world, and humbles with lowly gar¬ ments those that have worn proud raiment, and with a hard pallet tortures those that have lain in noble beds ? Foolish one 1 Why goeft thou not into the church to weep ? Lift thine eyes to the Cross and behold our Spouse, Jesus Chrift, Lord of Heaven and earth, — in what a bed He lies 1 See His garments that are dyed with crimson, — with the crimson blood of His Body. See how He is naked, and tortured and forsaken. He thirfts : see how His thirft is quenched with a sponge filled with salt, gall and vinegar. See what a crown of honour He wears, — how His Body is scourged and wounded.” So severely did the abbess thus admonish the sifter, that thenceforward she conceived no more the foolish thought that she had had aforetime.

A certain sifter was in sin, and had no sure knowledge whether the sin was mortal or venial, neither would she ask nor enquire whether that sin was mortal or venial. And this she did because she loved to be in sin, and feared, if she knew that the sin was mortal, to forsake it. One day 'tfm' t0 pass that> whlle the abbess held a chapter, this ;7 became conscious of the wrong that she had com-

OF PRUDENCE

mitted againft wisdom, according to the manner related above. The abbess answered and spake these words :

2. “ God has given to man reason and discretion that he may use his reason againft sin, and may love the virtues. Therefore, when a man uses not his reason led he should become conscious of the sin wherein he dwells, the justice of God ads according to reason in punishing man, and taking from him discretion and consciousness for so long as he lives in this world. A great sinner in this world is the man who has blinded the eyes of his understanding, so that from henceforward he may have no consciousness of his sins nor repent of them. Wherefore we see many men dying in a date whereby we may know their damnation, insomuch as they make no restitution for their wrongdoing, neither have repentance for their sins at their latter end. That there may be friendship and companionship, there¬ fore, between juftice and wisdom, juftice punishes those that love not and honour not wisdom.”

3. While the abbess spake thus in the chapter, there was present a sifter who had a son that was a prosperous advo¬ cate in that city. This son, before he became an advocate, had desired to take orders and learn the Divine Scriptures. But his mother had put him to ftudy law,1 that he might remain in the world and take to himself a wife. This sifter remembered how ill she had behaved to her son in respedt of his ftudies, and therefore she had consciousness of the faults that she had committed againft wisdom, and she spake these words:

4. “ A sinner am I againft wisdom, and againft the Holy Scriptures whereby man has knowledge of God.” So this sifter besought pardon and forgiveness for her trans¬ gression, according as we have said above. The abbess said to the sifter that she had very greatly erred againft the wisdom and underftanding that the Holy Spirit had given, for the desire of her son to be a religious and to underftand

> leys tint.

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the Scriptures of God was given to him by the Holy Spirit, Who was pleased to put wisdom within him that He might be known and loved of him, and to grant him ccleftial bliss. Wherefore the sifter was guilty of that sin and of all the sins that her son would commit by his ill using of the science of law, so that he would have the less of glory if he came to salvation, and, if he came to damnation, the greater torment. Greatly was the abbess moved againft this sifter, and heavy was the penance that she gave

her.

5. While the abbess was speaking of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, a sifter became conscious of her ignorance, in that she knew not the fourteen articles, nor the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, nor the eight beatitudes which Jesus Christ promises in the Gospel, neither did she know the seven virtues wherewith man goes to Paradise, nor the seven deadly sins which send him to the fires of Hell, nor the ten commandments which God gave in the Law. Of all these things was that sifter ignorant, the which things are very profitable to be known. For this ignorance she besought forgiveness, and prayed that these things aforesaid might be shown her.

6. Straitly did the abbess reprove this sifter, saying these words : 11 She that knows not the fourteen articles, wherein is our faith, cannot hold or use the faith as is meet. And she that knows not the seven gifts which the Holy Spirit gave, how can she thank the Holy Spirit for them ? And she that knows not the eight beatitudes, cannot desire eternal glory. And she that knows not the seven virtues, where is the light that shall guide her in the way of salva¬ tion ? And she that knows not the seven deadly sins, from what shall she guard herself, how shall she repent and confess, and where is her contrition ? And she that knows not the ten commandments, wherein shall she be obedient ,,j A"d lf she be disobedient, how shall she know ,40 1 a Wh° WOuld know the aforesaid re-

OF FORTITUDE

member that they and many more are written in the Book 0j DoCtrine for Boys.1