The Dialogue

How, through the above-mentioned defects, subjects do not receive correction ; and of the defects of religious ; and how, from these evils not being corrected, many others follow.

" How can these men full of such terrible sins do justice to, or reprove the sins of their subjects ? They cannot, because their sins take from them the ardent zeal of holy justice. And if on some occasion they should do so, their subjects, who are their companions in sin, can reply, ' Phy sician, first heal thyself, and then heal me, then I will take the medicine which thou givest me. This man is in a worse state than I am, and yet he blames me.' He does badly who reproves only with words and not with a good and well-ordered life. Not that he should not, whether he be good or evil in himself, reprove what is wrong in his subject, but he does wrong in not also correcting him with a holy and honourable example. And much worse does he who does not receive the reproof humbly, however it be given him, whether by a good or an evil pastor ; he injures himself and no one else, for he alone will be punished for his own sins. All these evils, dearest daughter, arrive because my pastors do not correct their flocks with a good and holy example. Why do they not ? Because they are blinded by self-love, in which are founded all their iniquities,

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and subjects, pastors, clerics and religious alike, think of nothing else, than how they may accomplish their disordinate delights and pleasures. Alas ! sweet daughter, where is the obedience of religious who have been placed in holy religion like angels, and are become worse than devils ? I have placed them there to announce My word in doctrine and in truth, and they cry out with the sound of words alone, and so produce no fruit in the hearts of their hearers. Their preaching is made rather for the pleasure of men, and to tickle their ears, than to My honour. Wherefore, they do not make it their study to preach goodness of life, but rather to discourse with polished wit. Such as these do not truly sow My seed, because they take no pains to root out vices and plant virtues. For not having uprooted the thorns out of their own garden, they take no pains to do so out of their neighbour's. All their delight is in adorning their bodies and their cells, and in hurrying to and fro about the city. And the same thing happens to them as to a fish which dies when taken out of water. So die these religious who leave their cell of which they should make a heaven, and wander with their useless and dis honourable life through the wards of the city, seeking out the houses of their relations, and of other seculars, according to the pleasure of their wretched subjects and wicked superiors who hold them in so loose a leash. And since these miserable pastors do not mind seeing their religious subject in the hands of she-devils, they often themselves give him up to them. And sometimes when they know that they are incarnate devils they will send them to the monasteries to those who are incarnate she-devils, and thus one ruins the other with many subtle devices and frauds. And the principle of their life the Devil conceals under the cover of devotion, but the fruits of their devotions appear very soon. First are seen stinking flowers of dishonourable thoughts, and the leaves of corrupt words, and then they fulfil their miserable desires, and thou knowest well what fruits follow, namely, children. And often they carry it so far that both one and the other, leave their religion, and become public rogues and harlots.

A TREATISE OF PRAYER 275

" All these and many other evils are caused by worthless superiors, who have not kept their eye on their subjects, but have rather let them go loose, and themselves pushed them into sin, and have made as if they did not see their miseries, or that their subject was wearied with his cell ; and so through their double fault the subject dies. Thy tongue could not narrate with what terrible sins and in what miserable ways they offend Me. They have become the arms of the Devil, and with their stench they poison everything within, that is, in their monastery, and without among seculars. They are deprived of fraternal charity, and each one wishes to be the greater. Each one desires to possess something, acting contrary to obedience and the vow which they have taken. They have promised to observe the rule of their order, and they break it, and not only do they not observe the rule themselves but they fall like hungry wolves upon the lambs, who wish to observe it, mocking them and jeering at them. These wretches think to cover their own sins with the persecutions, mockery and insult that they deal out to good religious who observe the rule, but in doing so they expose themselves much more.

" To such a state have come the gardens of holy religious orders ; for holy they are in themselves, having been founded by the Holy Spirit, and indeed the order in itself cannot be spoilt or corrupted through the sins of subject or superior. Wherefore he who wishes to enter a religious order should not be astonished at its evil members, but should continue on his way reposing in the arms of the order, which is not, and cannot become weak in itself, observing his rule to the day of his death. I have said to thee that the gardens of the holy religious orders have come to such a state, through evil directors and wicked subjects, that they do not keep or observe their rule in purity but break it, neither observing their customs or their ceremonies, which they rather ordain and observe for the pleasure of seculars wishing to please them in order to cloak their own sins.

"See therefore that they do not fulfil their first vow of obedience to observe their rule, of which obedience I will speak to thee in another place. They also take the vow of

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voluntary poverty and of continence. How do they observe these ? Marvel at the private possessions and sums of money which each one keeps in private, far from the universal love with which he should share his temporal and spiritual substance with his brethren, according to the commands of charity, and of the rule of his order. But these men wish only to fatten themselves and their cattle (one beast feeding the other) while their poor brother dies of cold and hunger, so that their garments may be comfort ably lined, and they may have good food. Do not think to find such a one at the poor table of the refectory ; his delight is to be where he can fill himself with meat, and satisfy his greediness. He of course finds it impossible to observe the third vow of continence, for a full belly makes an unchaste mind ; being heated and disordered he becomes lascivious, and so goes from bad to worse. Much harm also comes from the evil of their possessions, for if they had nothing to spend, they could not live in such disorder, and would not have these dangerous friendships, for not having the wherewithal to make presents, they would not retain these friendships, which are based on the love of gifts or some delight or pleasure which the one person receives from the other, and not on perfect charity. Oh ! wretched ones, who have come, to such misery through their sins, having been placed by Me in such high dignity, they flee from the choir as if it were poison, and if they are there sing with their voice alone, their heart being far from Me. As to the table of the altar, they have made it their habit to approach it without any proper dispositions, as if it were a table for corporal food. All these evils and many others of which I will not speak further to thee, so that thy ears may not itch, follow from the sinfulness of wicked pastors who do not correct or punish the sins of their subjects, and are not careful or zealous that the rule of their order should be observed, because they themselves do not observe it. They will even stone, for their great obedience, those who wish to observe the rule, punishing them for the faults which they have not committed. And all this they do, because the pearl of

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justice does not shine in them, but rather injustice. Where fore they unjustly give to him who deserves grace and kindness, penance and hatred, and to those who are members of the Devil like themselves they give love, pleasure, and position, placing in their hands the dignities of the order. Like blind men they live, and like blind men they distribute dignities, and govern their subjects. And if they do not correct themselves of this blindness, they eventually arrive at the darkness of eternal damnation, and have to give account to Me, the supreme Judge of the souls of their subjects. A bad account is all that they can render, and therefore they receive justly from Me that which they have deserved."