CHAPTER I.

The reason why I founded this convent in such
austere observance.

1. Why the Convent of St. Joseph at Avila was founded. 2. Reasons for the

corporal austerities of this convent. 3. St. Teresa's grief at sin and the

eternal loss of sinners. 4. She begs the nuns to intercede against these evils.

5. This, and not worldly matters, should be the object of our petitions.

1. This convent was founded for the reasons already
given in the work above mentioned,^ and also on account
of certain favours that God showed me, in which He re-
vealed that He would be served with great fervour in this
house. ^ I did not at first intend that such rigorous bodily
austerities should be practised in it, nor that it should
possess no income ; on the contrary, I wished it to have
sufficient means to prevent the possibility of want ;
which shows how weak and wicked I am, although T
meant rather to do what was right than to seek for
self-indulgence.®

2. Just at this time I heard of the miseries France was
suffering, of the havoc the Lutherans were making there,

^ Life, ch. xxxii. 13. Rel. vii. 14.

2 Life, ch. xxxii. 14 ; ch. xxxv. 13. Castle, M. vi. ch. vi. 2 ;