Part 9 (2/2)

It would be tedious to give in detail any thing like a faithful narration of the ecstasies hich from this time she was favoured every time she communicated They were so wonderful and so numerous, that we are assured she ed herself never to move from the spot where she knelt; and that she did this in order to control the ied her to cast herself at the feet of her Lord, wholorious a shape whenever the Sacred Host was elevated before her eyes

Tier a child With woe of the entire faent, and prudent, left every thing in her hands, and troubled herself with none of the household duties With un that was laid on her; she swept and washed the house, cooked the food, washed the clothes, looked after the garden and the horses, and saw to every thing which was sent to thebefore break of day she had to be up to load the e to her brother Leonard When they ca, it was she, tired with her innumerable labours, who had to take them to the stable and make up their stalls Not a moment of her tiue; yet, thanks to the habits of her childhood, she kne to infuse into all these the spirit of prayer; and her incessant occupations never put a stop to the devotions and austerities which she had accustomed herself to practise; nay, she found means to make them assist her in her arnished with sharp nails, which she constantly wore in such a way, that at everyin the garden, the nails pressed into the flesh; and so constantly res of her Lord, even when externally engaged in the commonest employments of her peasant life

But in spite of the way in which she strove to do all in and for God, she secretly sighed after the retirement of the desert or the cloister, and for space and time to pour out her soul in that fulness of contemplation and love which swelled like a deep ocean within it When she was fifteen, she accidentally heard the history of St Mary Magdalen for the first ti penance in the desert of Marseilles made an ied to iht co this desire to be the vocation of God, she accordingly deter hermountain, and entered a thick wood, where she hoped to find soht take up her abode Her first adventure was thewith a wolf; but Dominica knelt down on the earth, not without some secret emotions of terror, and recommended herself to God; after which she rose, and co her, which he did, and she pursued her ithout further alarth, near the Valle del Monte, she found such a spot as she was in search of There was a grotto sunk in the rocky side of the mountain, and near its mouth ran a stream of crystal water

It was the very picture of a here; and Dominica's happiness was coing in her grotto But alas! picturesque and inviting as it seemed, it was very small; so small, that when the fervent little devotee had crawled into it, and knelt down to give vent to her joy and thankfulness, she found it iet her whole body into its shelter; but her feet re into the cold water of the stream These inconveniences, however, were neither cared for nor even noticed by Doh for her Three days and nights she spent in her little cavern, absorbed in ecstatic contemplation, and without food of any kind; but on the third day a voice spoke to her, and roused her fro trance of silent happiness ”Doiven thee thy sins” At these words she rose and left her cavern, and beheld a beautiful sight The Valle del Monte was before her, at she had seen it the evening of her arrival; there was not a hureen woods which clothed the mountain side, and the clear waters of the little stream, and the rocky summits of the hills which rose above the trees But all these objects were now lit up by a wonderful light, brighter than that of the sun which fell on the, and then she saw in the midst the form of her Divine Lord, attended by his Blessed Mother and a vast coain, ”Dominica, what seekest thou here, a Thee, O Lord,” she replied, ”and it seems to me that I have found Thee”

”But,” returned her Spouse, ”when I chose thee for my divine espousal, it was not to do thine oill, nor to enjoy aught else than My good pleasure, in doing which thou shalt alone find peace I have not called thee to the quietude of the desert, but that thou shouldst help reat city yonder,--the heavy cross which sinners make for Me by their sins Hereafter shalt thou see My face in heaven and contemplate Me there for ever; but for the present moment, return to thy mother's house, and wait for the o,”

said Dominica; ”yet I know not what I can do for Thee in the world; I aht up ao back, my mother will certainly beat ,” was the answer; ”for an angel has taken thy form, and they do not know of thine absence”

Then Dominica found herself transported, she knew not how, back to her own little room in her mother's house; and whilst she still wondered, she heard her brother's voice calling hastily to her from below to come and help unload the mules Dominica obeyed; but she was not a little confused, when on coiven her the evening before She knew of no iven not to her, but to the angel in her likeness; and she would have been sorely puzzled how to satisfy his deel had not discovered to her the place where the money was placed And so her absence remained a secret to the family; nor were the circumstances ever revealed, until many years after, when, a short tied her under obedience to reveal all the graces hich God had favoured her

At length, in her twentieth year, Doion Her as not opposed by her ustinian convent at Florence

The sisters received her very warmly, for her character for holiness and her discretion and industry ell known to them; and they immediately earden and kitchen; and kept her so constantly and laboriously occupied, that poor Dominica found that she had even less time for her exercises of prayer than when at ho at night; but when this was discovered, the Superior, with athat after all her hard day's work she needed rest; not perceiving that the real rest she required was time for her soul to commune with God Dominica, therefore, becaarden she heard a mournful voice speak plainly and articulately by her side, saying, ”Ah, My spouse! why hast thou left Me thus?” And it seemed to her that it was the voice of her Lord, who tenderly expostulated with her for suffering the intercourse which had so closely bound theether to be broken and interrupted by so round, and sitting down, covered her face with her hands and wept bitterly Was it never to end, this life of h her soul, which was struggling to rise into the serene and quiet atmosphere of contemplation, was ever destined to be kept down amid cares and labours from which she could not escape, and which yet see as it had been His will, she had never resisted nor complained; but noas not His will He had said so; and the sweet sorrowful tone pierced her very heart, as she dwelt on the words, and the accent in which they were uttered,--”Ah! why hast thou left Me thus?” And as she wept and prayed and sorrowed, yet saay of escape, the saain; but now they ords of coement: ”Be at peace, Dominica; God will follow His oill, and you shall be comforted” And, indeed, a short time after she was attacked by a sickness, which compelled the sisters to send her back to hershe returned to theain forced to leave A third time her mother took her back to the convent; but Dominica knew that it was not God's wish that she should receive the Augustinian habit: and the nuns theh, as they well knew her worth and sanctity, it cost therets before they could consent to her finally leaving their community She returned home, therefore; and noith the advice of her confessor, entered on a life of strict religious retirearding her should be more plainly manifested

The manner of this new life was not a little remarkable Next to the room where her h to stand in; this she cleared from its rubbish, and chose for her cell The constant sickness and infirmities which she suffered after her illnesses at the convent prevented her fro the heavens, as had been her custom when a child But she retained her old love for them, and contrived to make a little heaven of blue paper on the roof of her closet, and to cover it with gold stars; which, though but a poor substitute for an Italian sky--that sea of deep liquid sapphire, wherein float the bright stars, looking down like the eyes of the seraphim,--yet doubtless had its charner; and at any rate it re the hours of her prayer, of the beautiful days of her childhood, when the heavens opened to her wondering eyes, and she becaet nearer to the on the roof of the house Then at one end of the closet was a small altar, and on it a crib, and a representation of Mary, and the Divine Child lying on the straw,-- the peasants of Italy; for she always bore a special devotion to the mystery of the Infancy A stool before the altar, a wooden bench, and two boxes, completed the furniture of her cell

There was no bed: she allowed herself but two hours' sleep; and this refreshment, such as it as taken on the floor, with her head leaning on the stool,--when she lay down in this way, the straightness of the closet preventing her fro any position that was not painful or constrained

Yet this strange prison, which she never left save to go to the neighbouring Church of the Bridgetines to hear Mass, was a paradise in Dominica's eyes; for here, at least, she was left at peace and with God

She kept a continual silence, and divided her time between prayer and ith her needle; and so perfect a mistress was she in all kinds of ee sums of money by her labour This she left in her mother's hands, as thus well satisfied to leave her undisturbed in the possession of her little closet, whilst the profits of her daily labours kept the house The austerity she practised extended to every kind of bodily denial Her food was bread and water, taken so sparingly, that we are assured she so at all: when she ate any thing, it was on her knees, as she bound herself ever to accompany the necessary refreshment of the body with interior meditation on the Passion After soive the proceeds of her labour no longer to her mother, but to distribute the this inspiration to be the will of God, she ireatly to her mother's dissatisfaction and her own discoence and toleration she had received at her hands so long as the profits of her ere at the disposal of the family, were now turned into sharp reproaches Dos which her resolution brought on her; for God did not fail to evince His pleasure in etine habit, with the consent of the nuns; not as belonging to their community, but because it was deemed advisable that she should have the protection and sanction of soious habit in her presentfroar ive him; yet, rather than send him aithout any relief, she took the veil fro it to hireat scruple at what she had done; the veil was part of her religious habit; and she accused herself of a great fault in appearing in the public roads without it, so as possibly to scandalise the passers by, and be taken for one who hts passed in herbeauty and nobleness of whose countenance revealed him to be her Lord He carried in his hand the veil she had just given away; and throwing it over her head,--” Henceforth,” He said, ”My spouse, shalt thou have the poverty thou desirest, and shalt live for ever on alrim in the world, as I did” Froe means for the purpose of charity, and besides this, spentthe sick, as well as relieving them by her alms; and whenever she did this, her own sicknesses and pains were for a tith sufficient for the ues and exertions

It was during her residence at home, in her twenty-fourth year, that she received the sacred stigmata These were not bloody, as in so many cases; but the exact form of the nails appeared in the flesh of the hands and feet; the head protruding on the upper part, and the point co out in the palms and soles The crown of thorns was not visible in like h the pain of her head in the part which corresponded to its position was excessive; but very often, in after years, her spiritual children in the monastery of her foundation saw, as she prayed, how the crown appeared round her head in light, and bright rays came out from it and formed its points Dominica strove to conceal the favour she had received, by wearing long sleeves to hide her hands; but the nails were so large and distinct, that it was i known and observed by many After a while, in answer to her earnest prayer, this extraordinary formation of the nails in the flesh disappeared, and the scars of the wounds alone reony, which redoubled every Friday and during Passion-tide At length, in her forty-fourth year, the wounds beca her whole life

She remained at ho and persecution The violence and coarse selfishness of her mother's nature was vented on her in every way and on all occasions She was , and had to listen to a torrent of abuse, and orse, of blasphe, whenever she appeared in her presence

Once her ainst the wall as to cause her to rupture a blood vessel; yet she bore all th so asked her to take up her abode with them, it was revealed to her that she should ree of residence, however, brought her little or no relief from persecution; for after a few , usted at the retired o about with them or join in their way of life, accused her of every criine, and even attes to which she was exposed, was moved with a very natural contrition for her own cruelty to her, and set out for Florence to see her, and if possible remove her from the house

Unable to obtain admission, she had recourse to one of the canons of the city, and ihter under his protection, and defend her against the cruel restraint and persecution to which she was exposed in her present residence By his interference she was allowed to leave; and a charitable gentleman of Florence, named Giovanni, to whom the circumstances of the case were known, received her into his own home, where she--lived very peaceably for soes in her life, Donation remained unarding her, and that these were not yet manifested; but until they were, she was content hatever was assigned her, and received ill treat fro calmness and indifference

Her position in Giovanni's house was a very singular one His as a weak and indolent woious character about her; she was the first of the family, however, over whom Dominica's influence was felt In a short tience were laid aside; and she began to pray night and lected Then one of the sons, as to all outward seee, and had always neglected his religious duties, on over by her, and began a new life Giovanni hiht into his house, and that he was in fact entertaining an angel unawares He therefore insisted on her taking the entire government of the family; and Dominica consented, with the characteristic siovernel had assured her it was the wish of God Whilst she ruled and directed thes spiritual, she herself did the servile work of the house, and waited on them in the humblest and most submissive manner She never affected any other position than that o a siirl; but every one who came within her influence felt its power over them, and owned her as theirin this way that God revealed to her that she was no longer to remain concealed and retired from the world; but that He was about to reat things for His own glory through her means Now Dominica was naturally of a very tiht before the eyes of the world, and called on to teach and guide others, she knew not what to think Her diffidence, and e should call shyness, was naturally so great, that she would turn pale if she had to speak to any one she did not know familiarly, and always at such tis of the heart Therefore, when she considered the great things laid before her, she felt sad and a little frightened, and spoke to God with her usual si, ”Obut a vile peasant; the heart in e in it; reat things unless you change it” Then God answered, saying, ”And I will change it, and will give you a noble and nanis; for it is by theed and renovated, and fitted for My service in the eyes of men”

Scarcely had the vision ended, when Dos which had been proe of blood, which sees and weakness, reduced her aluished in this state for many weeks, a vision appeared to her of the sanificant kind as that related in the life of St Catherine of Sienna Our Lord took her heart fro fire She rose from her sick-bed, and felt her whole nature renewed; every sense was quickened, and the powers of her ed and ennobled;--nay, her very body seeave out a wonderful odour, which coht was so miraculously keen that she could see to eiven her; whilst those of s were also renewed in an equally extraordinary degree But, at the saour which had before enabled her to go through so many hard days'

labour; and with her new heart she seemed also to have acquired a new and delicate bodily temperament which utterly incapacitated her for work, whilst she seemed to be wholly ie eloquence was now heard to flow from her lips, the infused wisdom and science of the saints was in her words; nay, she would often quote and explain sentences of the holy Fathers, or of the Scriptures, which it is certain she had never read or heard read In short, God had bestowed on her the gift which He dee her; and still, with all the marvellous spiritual riches which she had acquired, she retained in her ways and thoughts and habits the old simplicity of the peasant child

The first of the spiritual daughters given her by God was Giovanni's eldest child, who at her persuasion eion, and placed herself under her obedience The second soon followed her exahter, Catherine, still rehtless and indolent character, e, and the foolish pleasures of the world about her She was accustomed to ridicule and mock at the conversion of her three sisters, and to hinder and disturb theious practices; in short, she was about as hopeless a subject for Doined But one Christmas-day Do to the crucifix, and spending a moment in silent prayer, she laid her hand on her breast, and said, ”O hard and evil heart, be softened and yield to thy God; and bend to my will, which is, that thou be the heart of a saint!” Three days after this Catherine presented herself with her sisters, and i to convert the brothers; but by degrees she succeeded in persuading all to devote the the habit of St Dominic, lived and died in the order with the reputation of sanctity

Her confessor about this time counselled her herself to take the habit of the third order; and the reed upon, he provided a tunic and , and appointed a certain day for her to come to the Convent of St Mark and receive it with the customary ceremonies The circumstances which followed have a very marvellous character, yet there seems no reason to doubt the accuracy and reality of what is narrated We are told that, on thein prayer, was rapt in ecstasy; and in this state she saw St Catherine and St Dominic enter her rooave it to her, pronouncing the words and prayer according to the rite of his order,--the responses being given by St Catherine and the angels; and her guardian- angel gave the aspersion of holy water, first to the habit, and then to her; and St Catherine received her as her daughter, and gave her the kiss of welcome When she recovered from her ecstasy, she found herself really clothed in the sacred habit which had been thus wonderfully given her; and, full of joy, she appeared with it in public in the afternoon of the sareat displeasure to the authorities of the order, who coularly adht before the Master-General, at that ti just, he called on her either to lay it aside, or to explain the authority by which she wore it The account she gave of the whole matter so satisfied the Archbishop of Florence of her sincerity and holiness, that he undertook to reed that she should keep the habit, provided that she and her companions wore a red cross on the left shoulder, to denote that she had been clothed without the sanction of the ordinary authorities of the order, and was not subject to its jurisdiction; and, in fact, they did so wear it for six years, when, the Convent of the Holy Cross being established, they were afterwards fully ades of the order

After this point was settled, Dominica's next step was to retire with her little band of followers (which now included several others besides the daughters of Giovanni) to a s theains increased to so wonderful a degree, that they found themselves enabled to purchase a e it, and finally to rebuild it in the form of a cross In short, in the course of a few years she saw herself at the head of a large coular and extensive house, with a church attached to it, without any otherbeen employed in its erection than the money which she and her sisters had earned by their own needlework

The Archbishop of Florence (the celebrated Julius de Medici, afterwards Pope) was so struck with the manifest expression of God's will in the whole ular foundation of the convent under the rule of St Dominic They were all solemnly clothed on the 18th of November, 1515, and proceeded to the election of their prioress Their choice of course fell on Dominica, but she absolutely refused to accept the office; and used a power given her by the papal brief to nominate another sister in her place, whilst she determined to retain for herself the rank and duties of a lay-sister

The cere therefore over, she made a solemn renunciation of the house and all it contained into the hands of the Archbishop-Vicar Then she left the sisters, and went to the kitchen; and co, it belonged to her to do what had to be done for the community for the first week of their settlement She cooked the dinner, and sent it to the refectory; and whilst the sisters were sitting at table, she entered the room with a number of broken pieces of earthenware tied round her neck, and knelt hu penance The feelings of her children at this sight ined;