CHAPTER V.

My near relations did not signify any eager desire
for my return. The first thing they proposed to me,
a month after my arrival at Gex, was not only to give
up my guardianship, but to make over all my estate to
my children, and to reserve an annuity to myself. This
proposition, coming from people who regarded nothing
but their own interest, to some might have appeared
very unpleasing; but it was in no wise so to me. I had
not any friend to advise with. I knew not anyone
whom I could consult about the manner of executing
the thing, as I was quite free and willing to do it. It
appeared to me that I had now the means of accom¬
plishing the extreme desire I had of being conformable
to Jesus Christ, poor, naked, and stripped of all. They
sent me an article to execute, which had been drawn
under their inspection, and I innocently signed it, not
perceiving some clauses which were inserted therein.
It expressed that, when my children should die, I
should inherit nothing of my own estate, but that it
should devolve to my kindred. There were many
other things, which appeared to be equally to my dis¬
advantage. Though what I had reserved to myself was
sufficient to support me in this place; yet it was scarcely
enough to do so in some other places. I then gave up
my estate with more joy, for being thereby conformed
to Jesus Christ, than they could have who asked it from
me. It is what I have never repented of, nor had any

THE LIFE OF MADAME GUYON.

215

uneasiness about Wliat pleasure to lose all for the
Lord! The love of poverty, thus contracted, is the
kingdom of tranquillity.

I forgot to mention that, towards the end of my
miserable state of privation, when just ready to enter
into newness of life, our Lord illuminated me so clearly
to see that the exterior crosses came from him, that I
could not harbor any resentment against the persons
who procured me them. On the contrary, I felt the
tenderness of compassion for them, and had more pain
for those afflictions which I innocently caused to them,
than for any which they had heaped upon me. I saw
that these persons feared the Lord too much to oppress
me as they did, had they known it. I saw his hand in
it, and I felt the pain which they suffered, through the
contrariety of their humors. It is hard to conceive the
tenderness which the Lord gave me for them, and the
desire which I have had, with the utmost sincerity, to
procure them every sort of advantage.

After the accident which befell me, of the fall from
the horse, from which I soon wonderfully recovered,
the devil began to declare himself more openly mine
enemy, to break loose and become outrageous. One
night,1 when I least thought of it, something very mon¬
strous and frightful presented itself. It seemed a kind
of face, wThich was seen by a glimmering blueish light.
I don’t know whether the flame itself composed that
horrible face or appearance; for it was so mixed and
passed by so rapidly, that I could not discern it. My
soul rested in its calm situation and assurance, and it
appeared no more after that manner. As I arose at
midnight to pray, I heard frightful noises in my cham¬
ber, and after I had lain down they were still worse;

216

THE LIFE OF MADAME GUYON.

my bed often shook for a quarter of an hour at a time,
and the paper sashes were all burst. Every morning
while this continued, they were found shattered and
torn, yet I felt no fear. I arose and lighted my wax-
candle at a lamp which I kept in my chamber, because
I had taken the office of sacristm, and the care of
waking the sisters at the hour they were to rise, with¬
out having once failed in it for my indispositions, ever
being the first in all the observances I made use of
my little light to look all over the chamber, and at the
sashes, at the very time the noise war strongest. As
he saw that I was airaid of nothing, he left off all on a
sudden, and attacked me no more in person; but he
stirred up men against me, and that succeeded far
better with him; for he found them disposed to do
what he prompted them to, zealously, inasmuch as
they counted it a good thing to do me the worst of
injuries.

One of the sisters whom I had brought with me, a
very beautiful girl, contracted an intimacy wit'' an
ecclesiastic, who had authority in this place. At urst
he inspired her with an aversion for me, being veil
assured that if she placed, confidence in me, I shoffid
advise her not to suffer his visits so frequently. She
was undertaking a religious retreat. That ecclesiastic
was desirous to induce her to make it, in order to gain
her entire confidence, which would have served as a
cloak to his frequent visits. The Bishop of Geneva
had given Father La Combe for director to our house,
and as he was going to cause retreats to be made, I
desired her to wait for him. As I had gained some
share in her esteem, she submitted thereto, even against
her inclination, which was to have made it under this

THE LIFE OF MADAME GUTON.

217

ecclesiastic. I began to talk to her on the subject of
inward prayer, and drew her into the practice of this
duty. Our Lord gave such a blessing thereto, that this
girl (one of good parts), gave herself to God in right
earnest, and with her whole heart; and the retreat com¬
pletely won her over. She then became more reserved,
and on her guard, towards this ecclesiastic, which
exceedingly vexed him. It enraged him both against
Father La Combe and me. This proved the source of
the persecutions which afterwards befell me. The noise
in my chamber, which may have been traced to him,
ended as these commenced.

This ecclesiastic began to talk privately of me with
much contempt. I knew it, but took no notice of it.
There came a certain friar to see him, who mortally
hated Father La Combe, on account of his regularity.
These combined together to force me to quit the house,
that they might become masters of it themselves. All
the means they could devise they used for that pur¬
pose.

My maimer of life was such, that in the house I did
not meddle in affairs at all, leaving the sisters to dis¬
pose of the temporalities as they pleased. Soon after
my entrance into it I received eighteen hundred livres,
which a lady, a friend of mine, lent me to complete our
furniture, which I had repaid her at my late giving up
of my estate. This sum they received, as well as what
I had before given them. I sometimes spoke a little to
those who retired thither to become Catholics, and our
Lord favored with so much benediction what I said to
them, that some, whom they knew not before what to
make of, became sensible, solid women, and exemplary
in piety.

218

THE LIFE OF MADAME GUYON.

I saw crosses in abundance likely to fall to my lot*
At the same time these words came into my mind,
“ Who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross.” Heb. xii. 2. I prostrated myself for a long
time with my face on the ground, earnestly desiring to
receive all thy strokes. Oh, thou who spared not thine
own son ! Thou couldst find none but him worthy of
thee, and thou still findest in him hearts proper for
thee.

A few days after my arrival at Gex, I saw in a sacred
and mysterious dream (for as such I very well distin¬
guished it) Father La Combe fastened up to an enor¬
mous cross, stripped in like manner as they paint our
Savior. I saw around it a frightful crowd, which cov¬
ered me with confusion, and threw back on me the
ignominy of his punishment. He seemed to have most
pain, but I more reproaches than he. I have since
beheld this fully accomplished.

The aforesaid ecclesiastic won over to his party one
of our sisters, who was the house-steward, and soon
after the prioress. I was of a very delicate frame, the
good inclination which I had did not give strength to
my body. I had two maids of my own with me to
serve me; yet, as the community had need of one of
them for their cook, and the other to attend the door
and other occasions, I gave them up, not thinking but
they would allow them to serve me sometimes, and
assist me in things I was not able to do myself; for,
besides- this, I let them still receive all my income, they
having had already my first half of this year’s annuity.
Yet they would not permit either of my maid-servants
to do anything for me. By my office of sacristan I
was obliged to sweep the Church, which was large, and

THE LIFE OF MADAME GUYON.

219

they would not let anyone help me in it. I have sev¬
eral times fainted away over the broom, and have been
forced to rest myself in little comers, quite spent.
This obliged me to beg them, that they would suffer it
sometimes to be swept by some of the strong country
girls which were there, New Catholics, which at last
they had the charity to consent to. But what most
embarrassed me was that I never had washed, and was
now obliged to wash all the vestry linen. I took one
of my maids to help me, because in attempting it by
myself, I had done up the linen most awkwardly. But
these sisters pulled her by the arms out of my chamber,
telling her she should do her own business. I let it
quietly pass, without making any objection to it. The
other good sister, the girl I just mentioned, grew more
and more fervent, by the practice of prayer in her dedi¬
cation of herself to the Lord, more and more tender
in her sympathy with me, which irritated this eccle¬
siastic; insomuch that, after all his impotent attempts
here, he went off to Annecy, in order to sow discord,
and to effect more mischief to Father La Combe.

7

220

THE LIFE OF MADAME GUYON.