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Chapter 7Entretiens.1.7

Entretien VII. De trois loix spirituelles

The Laws of the Doves

The author introduces three spiritual laws for the new year, drawing on the image of the dove as a model of purity, simplicity, and gentleness.

You asked me for some new laws at this start of the year, and as I thought about the ones I ought to give you so they would be useful and pleasing to you, I cast the eyes of my consideration on the Gospel. The good fortune of the lot having fallen to me to be your king, I thought I ought to give you laws before the octave is over, after which I will no longer be king.1 Here they are; I bring them to you. You'll keep them throughout this year, until God sends you a new king or queen, who will give you new ones as well.2 And thinking about what laws I should give you that would be of real use to you,3 for today,4 which mentions the Baptism of Matthew 3:17,5 our Lord and the glorious appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, on which I fixed my attention.6 And considering that the Holy Spirit is the love of the Father and of the Son, I thought I should give you laws that are all laws of love—laws I've taken from doves, since the Holy Spirit was pleased to take the form of a dove, and all the more because every soul dedicated to the service of the divine Majesty is bound to be like a chaste and loving dove.7 So we see that the Bride, in the Song of Songs, is often8 n.9 10.10 14, v.✦11 called by this name, and with good reason, for there is a great likeness between the qualities of the dove and those of our Lord's loving little dove.12 The laws of the doves are all infinitely pleasing, and considering them is a very sweet meditation. What lovelier law is there, I ask you, than the law of purity!13 There is nothing purer than doves; they are remarkably clean. Although nothing is filthier than a dovecote or the places where they nest, no one has ever seen a soiled dove. They always keep their plumage sleek, and it looks wonderfully fine in the sun.14 Consider, I beg you, how much! The law of their simplicity is pleasing, for Our Lord himself praises it, saying to his Apostles: Be simple as doves, and prudent as the serpent.15 But thirdly. Matthew 10:16.✦16 My God, how pleasing the law of gentleness is! For they are without gall and without bitterness.17 And a hundred other laws that they have, which are infinitely lovable and useful for souls dedicated in the religious life to the more special service of the divine Goodness to observe.

The First Law: Abandonment to Providence

The first law teaches the soul to do everything for God while leaving all care for oneself to His divine providence, avoiding anxious activism.

(•) Uuf ptnnékgê — u mi.18 But I considered that if I gave you some laws you already had, you wouldn't make much of them: so I've chosen only three, which are of unmatched usefulness when carefully observed, and which bring a very great sweetness to the soul that considers them, because they are all of love and extremely delicate for the perfection of the spiritual life; these are three secrets that are all the more excellent for acquiring perfection the less they are known by those who profess to acquire it, at least by the greater part of them.19 But what are these laws, then? The first I mean to give you is the law of the doves, who do everything for their little dove and nothing for themselves; it seems they say nothing else but: My dear little dove is everything to me, and I am Song of Songs 2:16; 6:2. entirely his: he is always turned toward my side to think of me, and I for my part wait on him and rest secure in him. So let this dearly loved little dove go seeking wherever he pleases; I will not fall into distrust of his love—rather, I will put my full trust in his care. You may have seen, without really noticing, that while doves brood their eggs they don't stir from them until their young have hatched; and once they’ve hatched, the doves keep covering and warming them as long as they need it. And all through that time the dove does not go out foraging at all to feed herself; instead she leaves all that care to her dear mate, who is so faithful to her that not only does he go in search of grain to feed her, but he also brings her water in his beak to give her drink. He takes peerless care that she lack nothing she needs—so great a care that never has a dove been seen dead for want of food in that season. So the dove does everything for her little dove: she broods and warms her young out of her desire to please him by giving him offspring, and the little dove takes care to feed his dear dove who has left him all the care of herself; she thinks only of pleasing her mate. And he, in return, thinks only of sustaining her. Oh, how pleasant and profitable this law is: to do nothing except for God, and leave him all care of ourselves! I don't mean this only regarding temporal matters—for I don't want to speak of those among us; they are understood well enough without saying—but I mean it regarding spiritual matters and the advance of our souls in perfection.20 Ah! Don't you see that the dove thinks only of her dear beloved mate and of pleasing him by not stirring from her eggs?21 And yet nothing is lacking to her, as he, in return for her trust, takes full care of her. Oh, how happy we would be if we did everything for our lovable Beloved Dove, who is the Holy Spirit!22 For he would take care of us; and the greater the trust by which we would rest in his providence, the more also his care would extend over all our needs. And we should never fear that God would fail us, for his love is infinite for the soul that rests in him.23 Oh, how the dove24 is happy to have such trust in her dear patron!25 That's what makes her live in peace and in a wonderful calm. A thousand times happier is the soul that leaves all care for herself, and for everything she needs, to her dear and well-beloved little Dove,26 and thinks of nothing27 but of sitting on and warming her little ones so as to please him and give him offspring; for even in this life she enjoys a calm and a peace so great that nothing can compare with it, nor any rest equal to hers in this world—only up there in Heaven, where she will forever fully enjoy the chaste embraces of her heavenly Bridegroom.28 But what are our eggs—the ones we must incubate until they hatch, so that we may have little doves? Our eggs are our desires: when they're well incubated and fostered, the little doves emerge, which are the effects of our desires. But among our desires, there's one that stands far above every other, and it greatly deserves to be well incubated and fostered to please our divine Patron, the Holy Spirit, who always wants to be called the sacred Spouse of our souls, so great are His goodness and His love toward us.2930 This desire is the one we brought with us when we entered religious life: the desire to embrace the religious virtues. It's one of the branches of the love of God, and one of the highest on this divine tree. But this desire must not reach farther than the means marked out for us in our Rules and Constitutions for attaining the perfection we meant to acquire when we bound ourselves to its pursuit. Instead, we must incubate and foster it all our life long, so that this desire may become a beautiful little dove that can resemble its Father,✦3132 [Citation fragment: V]33 who is perfection itself.✦34 And meanwhile, let's have no other concern than to stay on our eggs—that is, gathered into the means prescribed for our perfection—leaving all care of ourselves to our one and most lovable little Dove, who won't let us lack anything we need in order to please Him.35 It is a great pity, to be sure, to see souls—and there are far too many of them—who, aiming at perfection, imagine that everything consists in forming a great multitude of desires, and rush about eagerly seeking now this means and then another to get there, and are never content or at peace in themselves; for as soon as they have one desire, they quickly try to conceive another, and they seem like hens, which no sooner have laid one egg than they immediately take on another, leaving the one they have laid without sitting on it, so that no chick comes of it.36 The dove does not act this way; she sits on and nurtures her young until they are strong enough to fly and forage for themselves. When a hen has chicks, she hurries about constantly, never stopping her clucking and racket; but the dove remains quiet and still, neither clucking nor fretting. Likewise, there are souls who never stop clucking and fretting over their little ones—that is, over the desires they have to perfect themselves.37 clucking and fretting after their little ones—that is, after the desires they have to perfect themselves—and they never find enough people to talk with about it and ask for fitting and new means.38 x.39 In short, they busy themselves so much with talking about the perfection they intend to acquire that they forget to practice the primary means to it: keeping still and casting all their trust on Him who alone can give growth to what they have sown and planted. 1 Cor.✦40 3:6–7.✦41 All our good depends on the grace of God, and in that grace we must cast all our trust; and yet, from the eagerness they have to do a great deal, it seems they put their trust in their own work and in the multitude of exercises they take on, never feeling they can do enough.42 That is good, provided it is accompanied by peace and a loving care to do well what they do, and still always to depend on the grace of God and not on their exercises—I mean, not to expect any fruit from their work without the grace of God. It seems that these hurried souls43 in the pursuit of their perfection have forgotten, or do not know, what Jeremiah says: "O poor man, what are you doing44 *.45 *^.46 —or putting your trust in your work and in your own skill?"47 Don't you know that it is truly yours to cultivate the ground well, to plow it and sow it, but that it is God's to give the plants their growth and to give you a good harvest and favorable rain for your sown fields?✦48 You can water all you want, but it won't do any good if God doesn't bless your work and give you a harvest through his pure grace rather than your own sweat; so, depend entirely on his divine goodness.49 It's true: we must cultivate the ground, but it's up to God to make our work successful. The holy Church sings this on every feast of the holy Confessors: God has honored your labors by making you draw50 [Citation fragment unreadable in source.]51 fruit from them—to show that on our own we can do nothing without the grace of God, in which we must place all our confidence, expecting nothing from ourselves.52 Please, let's not rush anxiously through our work; to do it well, we must apply ourselves carefully, but calmly and peacefully, putting our confidence not in our own effort, but in God and his grace.53 The anxieties we feel about our own perfection and whether we are making progress don't please God at all; they only serve to feed self-love, which is a busybody that never stops taking on a great deal, even though it accomplishes very little. One good work done well with a quiet mind is worth far more than several done in anxious haste.

The Second Law: Fruitfulness in Loss

The second law, 'the more they take from me, the more I make,' encourages the soul to find spiritual growth through submission during times of deprivation and dryness.

The dove occupies herself simply with her work so as to do it well, leaving every other care to her dear little dove: the soul that is truly dove-like—that is, that dearly loves God—applies herself quite simply, without hurry, to the means prescribed for her to grow perfect, without looking for others, however perfect they may be.54 "My Beloved," she says.55 Think for me, and I put my trust in that; He loves me. And I am entirely His, as a testimony of my love.56 Some time ago, there were holy religious sisters who asked me, "Father, what shall we do this year?"57 Last year we fasted three days a week and took the discipline just as often; what should we do throughout this year?58 We really must do something more—both to give thanks to God for the past year and to keep always growing in the way of God.59 "It's well said that we must always advance," I answered, "but our advancement doesn't happen as you think, by the number of our pious exercises, but by the perfection with which we do them, trusting always more in our dear Dove and distrusting ourselves more."60 Last year you were fasting three days a week and taking the discipline three times; if you keep wanting to double your exercises, this year the whole week will be filled with them—but how will you manage next year?61 You'll have to make nine days in the week, or else fast twice a day. What great folly it is for those who set themselves to longing to be martyred in the Indies, and yet don't apply themselves to what they have to do according to their state of life!62 But it's also a great delusion for those who want to eat more than they can digest.63 We don't have enough spiritual warmth to digest well everything we take on for our perfection, and yet we refuse to free ourselves from these anxious frettings of mind that come from so eagerly desiring to do a great deal.64 Reading a great many spiritual books.65 The source text is too corrupted to translate reliably. The source text is too corrupted to translate reliably. No readable source text survives in this sentence. The surviving fragment is too incomplete to translate reliably. The source text is too corrupted to translate reliably. Reading spiritual books, especially when they're new; speaking well and often about God and the most spiritual subjects so that, as we say, we may stir ourselves to devotion; listening to plenty of sermons; holding conferences at every opportunity; receiving Communion very often; going to confession even more often; caring for the sick; and talking freely about everything happening within us to show how determined we are to perfect ourselves as quickly as possible—aren't all these things particularly well suited to perfecting us and helping us achieve what we've set out to do? Yes—provided that all of this is done in the proper order and always in dependence on God's grace. That is, we shouldn't put our trust in any of these practices, however good they may be, but in one alone: God, who alone can enable us to draw fruit from all our spiritual exercises.✦ But, my dear daughters, I beg you to consider for a moment the lives of these great holy religious. Take Saint Anthony, who was honored by God and by people for his immense holiness—tell me, how did he reach such great holiness and perfection? Was it by reading a great deal, or through spiritual conferences and frequent Communions, or through the many sermons he heard? Not at all; rather, he reached it by following the example of the holy hermits, taking abstinence from one and prayer from another. He went about like a careful bee, foraging and gathering the virtues of God's servants to make from them the honey of holy edification.66 But Saint Paul the first hermit—did he reach his holiness by reading good books? He had none.67 Was it the new ones? That is good; speaking well of God, and a great deal, and of the most spiritual things to stir us, we say, to devotion — good; hearing a great many sermons, holding conferences often — that moves one, it's true; receiving Communion very often,68 [Resume from the text, line 5.]69 VII. Was it the Communions he received, or his Confessions? He only made two in his entire life.70 Was it the conferences or the sermons? He had none, and he saw no one in the desert except Saint Anthony, who came to visit him at the end of his life. Do you know what made him a saint?71 It was the faithfulness he showed in applying himself to what he started—to the work he had been called to—and not distracting himself with anything else.72 Did those great holy religious who lived under Saint Pachomius's care have books or preaching? None. Conferences? They had some, but rarely. Did they go to confession often? Sometimes on the great feast days. Did they hear a great many Masses? On Sundays and feast days; otherwise, none. But what does it mean that, even though they consumed so little of these spiritual foods that nourish our souls for immortality, they were still in such good condition—that is, so strong and courageous in setting out to acquire virtues and to reach perfection and the goal they aimed at?73 And as for us, who eat a great deal, we're always so thin—that is, so slack and listless in the pursuit of what we've undertaken—and it seems, except so long as spiritual consolations go with us, that we have no courage or vigor in the service of Our Lord.74 So we must imitate these holy Religious, applying ourselves to our work—that is, to what God requires of us according to our vocation—fervently and humbly, thinking of nothing else, and not assuming we'll find any better way to perfect ourselves than that.75 [The source text is too corrupted to translate reliably.] [The source text is too corrupted to translate reliably.] [The source text is too corrupted to translate reliably.] [The source text is too corrupted to translate reliably.] [The source text is too corrupted to translate reliably.] [No readable source text survives in this sentence.] [The source text is too corrupted to translate reliably.] [The source text is too corrupted to translate reliably.] But someone might answer me: You speak so fervently—'My God, how am I supposed to do that?'76 for I have no fervor at all. I don't mean the kind that comes as a feeling—the kind God gives to whoever he pleases, which isn't in our power to acquire whenever we like.77 I also add this humbly, so that no one has any grounds for an excuse—don't say, 'I have no humility; it's not in my power to have it'—for the Holy Spirit, who is78 goodness itself, and gives it to whoever asks him for it.79 I don't mean that humility—that feeling of our smallness that makes us humble ourselves so deeply and so graciously in everything—but rather the humility that makes us know our own lowliness, and that makes us love it once we have recognized it in ourselves; for that is true humility.80 VII. On three spiritual laws: it is you who will bless our labors and give us a good harvest.81 So their books and their preaching bore marvelous fruit; and as for the rest of us, who put our trust in our fine words, in our elegant speaking, and in our doctrine, all our efforts go up in smoke and yield no fruit but vanity. So, as the conclusion of this first law I give you, you must entrust yourselves fully to God and do everything for him, leaving the care of yourselves entirely to your dear little Dove, who will watch over you with matchless foresight; and the truer and more perfect your trust is, the more special his providence will be.8283 I've thought of giving you, for a second law, the saying the doves speak in their own language: "The more they take from me, the more I make," they say. What does that mean? It means that when their young are a bit grown, the owner of the dovecote comes and takes them away, and the doves immediately set about hatching more. But if you don't take the young away, they linger with them for a long time, and so they produce fewer.84 So they say, "The more they take from me, the more I make." To help you better understand what I mean, I'll give you an example. Job, that great servant of God, who was praised by the mouth of God himself, did not let himself be overcome by any affliction that came upon him; on the contrary, the more God took from him of his little young doves, the more he made of them.✦85 What didn't he do while he was still in his initial prosperity? What good works didn't he perform?86 He says it himself in these words: "I was feet to the lame"—that is to say...✦87 29.88 13. * I would have him carried, or I would set him on my donkey or my camel; I was the eye of the blind by having him led; finally I was the provider of the hungry and the refuge of all the afflicted. Now see him reduced to extreme poverty. He doesn't complain at all that God has taken from him the means he had for doing so many good works; rather, he says with the dove, "The more they take from me, the more I produce"—not alms, because he has nothing left to give with, but in that single act of submission and patience he offered when he saw himself stripped of all his goods and of his children, he did more than he had done through all the great charities he practiced in the time of his prosperity, and he made himself more pleasing to God in that single act of patience than he had in so many and so many good works he had done throughout his life; for it took a stronger and more generous love for that one act alone than had been needed for all the others put together. We must do the same if we are to keep this lovely law of the doves: letting our sovereign Master strip us of our little dovelets—that is, of the means of carrying out our desires—whenever it pleases him to take them from us, however good those means may be, without ever complaining or lamenting against him as if he were doing us a great wrong. Instead, we must focus on doubling not our desires or our exercises, but the perfection with which we perform them, trying in this way to gain more by a single act—as we certainly will—than we would by a hundred others done according to our own inclination and affection.89 Our Lord doesn't want us to carry his cross except by the tip of it, and he wants to be honored the way great ladies are, who have the train of their dresses carried for them; yet he does want us to carry the cross he lays on our shoulders, which is our own.90 But alas! We do nothing of the sort; for when his Goodness deprives us of the consolation he used to give us in our exercises, it seems that everything is lost—lost for carrying out our good plans when it pleases him, and when he takes from us the means of doing what we have undertaken.91

The Third Law: Evenness of Spirit

The third law calls for a holy evenness of spirit, maintaining the same song of praise in both prosperity and adversity, desolation and consolation.

Look, please, at this soul: how carefully she broods over her eggs during times of consolation, and how readily she leaves the care of herself to her dear and well-beloved little Dove.92 If she is at prayer, what holy desires does she not form to please him! She softens in his presence, she pours herself out entirely into her Beloved, and she leaves herself wholly in the arms of his divine providence.93 Oh, what lovable eggs those are! All of that is very good, and the little doves aren't lacking—they are the fruits; for what is there that she doesn't do? Her works of charity are so numerous!94 Her modesty appears before all the Sisters; she is of matchless edification; she wins the admiration of all who see her or know her.95 "Mortifications," she says, "cost me nothing during that time; rather, they were consolations to me. Acts of obedience were joys to me. I had no sooner heard the first sound of the bell than I was up. I never let a practice of virtue pass by, and I did all of it with very great peace and quiet. But now that I am in distaste and am ordinarily dry in prayer, I have no courage, it seems to me, for my amendment; I don't have that ardor I used to have in my exercises. In short, frost and cold have settled in me."9697 Alas! I can certainly believe it. Look, I beg you, at this poor soul—see how she laments her misfortune.98 Her discontent shows even on her face; her bearing is dejected and melancholy, and she goes about all pensive, and as confused as can be. My God!99 What's wrong with you? —one is forced to ask her. Oh, what I have!100 I'm so listless! Nothing can satisfy me; everything is distasteful to me; I'm so confused now! But what kind of confusion? for there are two kinds: one that leads to humility and to life, and the other to Cf.101 2 Cor.102 7—despair, and consequently to death.103 I assure you, she says, that I am so thoroughly so that I almost lose the courage to press on in the pursuit of my perfection.104 My God, what weakness! Consolation fails, and by the same token, courage. You shouldn't act that way; instead, the more God withholds consolation from us, the more we ought to work to show Him our faithfulness. A single act done in dryness of spirit is worth more than many done with great tenderness, because, as I've already said regarding Job, it's done with a stronger love, even though that love is neither as tender nor as pleasant.105 So the more they take from me, the more I do: that is the second law I so greatly desire to see you keep.106 The third law of the doves I present to you is that they weep even as they rejoice; they always sing the same melody, whether for their songs of joy or for those in which they lament—that is, to complain and express their grief.107 Watch them perched on the branches, mourning the loss of their little ones stolen by a weasel or an owl (for when someone other than the master of the dovecote takes them, they are deeply distressed); watch them also when their master approaches, and see how they are consoled: they don't change their tune at all, but use the same cooing to show their contentment that they use to show their grief.108 This is that most holy evenness of spirit, my dear souls, that I wish for you: I don't mean evenness of mood or of inclination; I mean evenness of spirit. For I make no account of the fretting of the lower part of our soul, nor do I want you to— the part that causes restlessness and moodiness when the higher part fails to do its duty by making itself mistress and keeping good watch to discover its enemies, as The Spiritual Combat says we must, so that it may be promptly warned109110 of the stirrings and assaults the lower part makes against it, which arise from our senses and from our inclinations and passions, in order to make war on it and subject it to its laws.111 But I say we must always remain firm and resolved in the higher part of our spirit, so as to follow the virtue we profess and maintain a continual evenness—in adversity as in prosperity, in desolation as in consolation, and finally, amid dryness as amid tender feelings.112 Job, whom we already discussed under the second law, gives us another example on this subject; he always sang every canticle he composed to the same tune—canticles that are simply the story of his life.113 What did he say when God multiplied his goods, gave him children, and finally sent him everything he could have wished for in this life?114 What did he say, if not: May the name of God be blessed? That was his love song, which he sang on every occasion; for look at him reduced to the extreme of affliction: what does he do?115 He sings his canticle of lamentation to the same tune as the one he sang for joy: "We have received," he says, "the good things from the hand of the Lord; why should we not also receive—"116 II, 10.✦117 the evils as well?118 The Lord had given me children and goods; the Lord has taken them from me; his—119 1:21.✦120 holy name be blessed.✦121 Always: Blessed be the name of God.✦ Oh, how this holy soul was truly a chaste and loving little dove, deeply cherished by her dear Dove!122123 May we do the same, my dear daughters: that in every circumstance we receive the good things, the hard things, the consolations and the afflictions from the Lord's hand, always singing only the same most lovely song—Blessed be the name of God—always on the tune of a continual evenness; for if this happiness comes to us, we will live with great peace in every situation.✦124 But let's not act like those who weep when consolation fails them and only sing when it returns—in that, they resemble monkeys and baboons, who are always gloomy and furious when the weather is rainy and dark, and never stop frolicking and leaping when the weather is fine.125 So here are the three laws I give you—which, all the same, being laws entirely of love, bind only through love.126 So the love we bear Our Lord will urge us to observe and keep them, so that we may say, in imitation of the fair dove of the sovereign little Dove—who is the sacred Bride: My Beloved is all mine, and I am wholly his, doing nothing except to please him; he always has his heart turned toward me by providence, just as I have mine turned toward him by trust.✦127128 p.129 104.130 '^.131 Having already done everything for our Beloved in this life, He will take care to provide us with His eternal glory as the reward for our trust; and there we will see the happiness of those who, leaving behind all the superfluous and anxious care we ordinarily have for ourselves and for our perfection, will have simply devoted themselves to their work, abandoning themselves without reserve into the hands of the divine Goodness for which alone they will have labored: their labors will at last be followed by a peace and a rest that cannot be put into words, for they will rest forever in the bosom of their Beloved.132 Great too will be the happiness of those who will have kept the second law; for having let themselves be stripped by the Master, who is Our Lord, of all their little nestlings, and not having been at all angry or resentful, but rather having had the courage to say, “The more they take from me, the more I do,” remaining submitted to the good pleasure of the One who will have stripped them, they will sing all the more courageously up there in Heaven the most lovely canticle: Blessed be God133134 among the eternal consolations—having sung it with a better heart amid the desolations, languors, and distaste of this mortal and passing life, during which we must try carefully to keep a continual and most lovely evenness of spirit.135 Amen.

Read the original French

Vous m'avez demandé quelques loix nouvelles à ce commencement d'année, et pensant à celles que je vous de vois donner pour vous estre utiles et agréables, i'ay jette les yeux de ma considération sur l'Evangile Le bonheur du sort m'estant arrivé d'estre vostre roy, j'ay pensé que je vous devois donner des loix avant que l'octave se passe, après laquelle je ne seray plus roy. Les voicy, je vous les apporte; vous les observerez le long de cette année, jusques à tant que Dieu vous envoyé un nouveau roy ou une reyne, qui vous en donneront aussi des nouvelles. Et pensant quelles loix je vous devois donner, qui vous fussent fort vu. De trois Loix spirituelles 103 d'aujourd'huy *. lequel fait mention du Baptesme de • Matt. , m. ij 17. Xostre Seigneur et de la glorieuse apparition du Saint Esprit en forme de colombe, sur laquelle apparition je me suis arresté.

Et considérant que le Saint Esprit est l'amour du Pcre et du Fils, j'ay pensé que je vous devois donner des loix toutes d'amour, lesquelles j'ay prises des colombes, en considération de ce que le Saint Esprit avoit bien voulu prendre la forme de colombe, et d'autant plus aussi que toutes les âmes qui sont dédiées au service de la divine Majesté sont obligées destre comme des chastes et amoureuses colombes. Ainsi void-on que l'Espouse, au Cantique des Cantiques *, est souventesfois •Cap. n. 10. 14, v. nommée de ce nom, et à bon droit certes, car il y a une ^* ^^* grande correspondance entre les qualités de la colombe et celles de l'amoureuse colombelle de Nostre Seigneur. Les loix des colombes <*') sont toutes infiniment agréables, et c'est une méditation tres-suave que de les considérer. Quelle plus belle loy, je vous prie, que celle de l'honnesteté!

car il n'y a rien de plus honneste que les colombes, elles sont propres à merveille; bien qu'il n'y ait rien de plus sale que les colombiers et les lieux où elles font leurs nids, neantmoins on ne vid jamais une colombe salie: elles ont tousjours leur pennage lis et qu'il fait grandement bon voir au soleil (*>. Considérez, je vous prie, combien! a loy de leur simplicité est agréable, car Nostre Seigneur mesme la loiie, disant à ses ApMJstres: Soyez simples comme colombes, et prudens comme le serpent^. Mais en troisiesme lieu. • iuiu, x, 16. mon Dieu, que la loy de la douceur est agréable! ^^ car elles s<jnt sans ftel et sans amertume. Et cent autres loix qu'elles ont.

qui sont infiniment aymables et utiles à observer par les âmes qui sont dédiées en la Religion au service plus spécial de la divine Bonté.

(•) Uuf ptnnékgê — u mi. ri • > ^ qu'U k Ult graailwiiwit hmm ««ir I04 Les vrays Entretiens spirituels Mais j'ay considéré que si je vous donnois quelques loix que vous eussiez desja, vous n'en feriez pas grande estime: j'en ay donc choisi trois tant seulement, qui sont d'une utilité nompareille estant bien observées, et qui apportent une très-grande suavité à l'ame qui les considère, parce qu'elles sont toutes d'amour et extrêmement délicates pour la perfection de la vie spirituelle; ce sont trois secrets qui sont d'autant plus excellens pour acquérir la perfection qu'ils sont moins cognus de ceux qui font profession de l'acquérir, au moins de la plus grande partie.

Mais quelles sont-elles donc ces loix? La première que j'ay fait dessein de vous donner est celle des colombes qui font tout pour leur colombeau et rien pour elles; il semble qu'elles ne dient autre chose sinon: Mon cher colombeau est tout pour moy, et je suis • Cant. ,ii, i6, vi,2. toutc à luv *: il est tousiours tourné de mon costé ** pour penser en moy, et moy je m'y attends et m'y asseure: qu'il aille donc chercher, ce bien-aymé colombeau, où il luy plaira, si n'entreray-je point en défiance de son amour, ains je me confieray pleinement en son soin. Vous aurez peut-estre veu, mais non pas remarqué, que les colombes tandis qu'elles couvent leurs œufs, elles ne bougent de dessus jusques à ce que leurs petits colombeaux soyent esclos, et quand ils le sont, elles continuent de les couver et fomenter tandis qu'ils en ont besoin. Et pendant tout ce temps-là la colombe ne va nullement à la cueillette pour se nourrir, ains elle en laisse tout le soin à son cher paron, lequel luy est si fidelle que non seulement il va à la queste des grains pour la nourrir, mais aussi il luy apporte de l'eau dans son bec pour l'abreuver; il a un soin nompareil que rien ne manque de ce qui luy est nécessaire, et si grand que jamais il ne s'est veu colombe morte faute de nourriture en ce temps-là. La colombe fait donc tout pour son colombeau: elle couve et fomente ses petits pour le désir qu'elle a de luy plaire en luy donnant une génération, et le colombeau prend soin de nourrir sa chère colombelle qui luy a laissé tout le soin d'elle; elle ne pense qu'à plaire à son paron. et luy en contreeschange, ne pense qu'à la substanttr.

O quelle agréable et profitable loy est celle-cy, de ne rien faire que pour Dieu et luy laisser tout le soin de nous-mesmes! Je ne dis pas seulement yxmr ce qui regarde le temp>orcl, car je n'en veux pas parler *" où il n'y a que nous autres, cela s'entend assez sans le dire; mais je dis pour ce qui regarde le spirituel et l'avancement de nos âmes en la perfection. Hé! ne voyez-vous pas que la colombe ne pense qu'à son bien-a\Tné colombeau et à luy plaire, en ne b<3ugeant de dessus ses œufs? et cependant rien ne luy manque, luy, en recompense de sa confiance, prenant tout le soin d'elle. O que nous serions heureux si nous faisions tout pour nostre aymable Colombeau qui est le Saint Ksprit! car il prendroit le soin de nous; et à mesure que nostre confiance par laquelle nous nous reposerions en sa providence seroit plus grande, plus aussi son soin s'estendroit sur toutes nos nécessités. Et ne faudroit pas jamais douter que Dieu nous manquast, car son amour i»st iiihni jxiur lame (jui se rej3ose en luy.

C) que la colomlK? est heureuse d'avoir tant de confiance en son cher paron! c'est ce qui la fait vivre en paix et en une merveilleuse tranquillité. Mille fois plus heureuse est lame qui, laissant tout le soin d'elle-mesme et de tout ce qui luy est nécessaire à son cher et bien-aymé Colombeau. ne pens*.' (ju'à couver et fomenter ses petits pour luy plaire et luy donner génération; car elle jouît dés ceste vie d'une tranquilhté et d'une paix si grande qu'il n'y en a point de comparable, ni de repos égal au sien en ce monde, ains seulement là haut au Ciel, 06 elle jouira io6 Les vrays Entretiens spirituels à jamais pleinement des chastes embrassemens de son céleste Espoux.

Mais qu'est-ce que nos œufs, lesquels il faut que nous couvions jusques à ce qu'ils soyent esclos pour avoir des petits colombeaux? Nos œufs sont nos désirs, lesquels estant bien couvés et fomentés, les colombeaux en proviennent, qui sont les effets de nos désirs; mais entre nos désirs, il y en a un qui est sureminent au dessus de tout autre, et qui mérite grandement d'estre bien couvé et fomenté pour plaire à nostre divin paron le Saint Esprit, lequel veut tousjours estre appelle l' Espoux sacré de nos âmes, tant sa bonté et son amour est grand envers nous. Ce désir est celuy que nous avons apporté venant en Religion, qui est d'embrasser les vertus religieuses, c'est l'une des branches de l'amour de Dieu et l'une des plus hautes qui soit en cest arbre divin; mais ce désir ne se doit pas estendre plus loin que les moyens qui nous sont marqués dans nos Règles et Constitutions pour parvenir à ceste perfection que nous avons prétendu d'acquérir en nous obligeant à la poursuite; ains il le faut couver et fomenter tout le temps de nostre vie, à fin de faire que ce désir devienne un beau petit colombeau qui puisse ressembler à son Père, • Mati. , V, uit. qui est la perfection mesme *. Et ce pendant, n'ayons autre attention que de nous tenir sur nos œufs, c'est à dire ramassés dans les moyens qui nous sont prescrits pour nostre perfection, laissant tout le soin de nousmesmes à nostre unique et tres-aymable Colombeau, qui ne permettra pas que rien nous manque de ce qui nous sera nécessaire pour luy plaire.

C'est une grande pitié, certes, de voir des âmes, dont le nombre n'est que trop grand, qui prétendant à la perfection s'imaginent que tout consiste à faire une grande multitude de désirs, et s'empressent beaucoup à chercher ores ce moyen et tantost un autre pour y parvenir, et ne sont jamais contentes ni tranquilles en elles-mesmes; car dés qu'elles ont un désir, elles taschent vistcment d'en concevoir un autre, et semble qu'elles sont comme les poules, lesquelles n'ont pas si tost fait un œuf qu'elles en chargent aussi tost un autre, laissant là celuy qu'elles ont fait sans le couver, de sorte qu'il n'en réussit point de poussin. La colombe n'en fait pas de mesme, car elle couve et fomente ses petits jusques à tant qu'ils soyent capables de voler et aller à la cueillette pour se nourrir. La poule, si elle a des petits, s'empresse grandement et ne cesse de closser et mener du bruit; mais la colombe se tient coye et tranquille, elle ne closse ni ne s'empresse point. De mesnu-, il y a des âmes lesquelles ne cess<. -nt de closser et s'empresser après leurs p)etits, c'est à dire après les désirs qu'elles ont de se perfectionner, et ne trouvent jamais assez de personnes pour en parler et demander des moyens propres et nouveau. x. Bref, elles s'amusent tant à parler de la perfection qu'elles prétendent d'acquérir, qu'elles oublient d'en pratiquer le principal moyen, qui est celuy de se tenir tranquilles et de jetter toute leur confiance en Celuy qui seul peut donner l'accroissement à ce qu'elles ont ensemencé et planté •. • 1 Cor.

m, 6, 7. Tout nostre bien dépend de la grâce de Dieu, en laquelle nous devons jetter toute nostre conhance; et cependant il semble, par l'empressement qu'elles ont à Ix'aucoup faire, qu'elles se contient en leur travail et en la multiplicité des exercices qu'elles embrassent, ne leur semblant jamais de pouvoir assez faire. Cela est bon. pourveu qu'il fust accompagné de paix et d'un soin amoureux de bien faire ce qu'elles font, et de dépendre tousjours neantmoms de la grâce de Dieu et non point de leurs exercices; je veux dire, de n'attendre point aucun fruict de leur travail sans la grâce de Dieu Il semble que ces âmes emprcss4^? s à la queste de leur j>erfection ayent mis en oubli, ou qu'elles ne sçachcnt pas ce que dit Jeremie •: O pauvre homme, que fais-tu • ^ *i ^.» *. *^. 9U de te confier en ton travail et en ton industne?

Ne io8 Les vrays Entretiens spirituels sçais-tu pas que c'est à toy voirement de bien cultiver la terre, de la labourer et ensemencer, mais que c'est à Dieu de donner l'accroissement aux plantes et faire que tu ayes une bonne récolte et la pluye favorable à tes terres ensemencées? Tu peux bien arroser, mais pourtant tout cela ne te serviroit de rien si Dieu ne benissoit ton travail et ne te donnoit, par sa pure grâce et non par tes sueurs, une bonne récolte: dépens donc entièrement de sa divine bonté. Il est vray, c'est à nous de bien cultiver, mais c'est à Dieu de faire que nostre travail sôit suivi d'un bon succès. La sainte Eglise le chante en chaque teste des saints Confesseurs: Dieu a honnoré vos travaux en faisant que vous en tirassiez Sap. , X, lo. du fruict*; pour monstrer que de nous mesmes nous ne pouvons rien sans la grâce de Dieu, en laquelle nous devons mettre toute nostre confiance, n'attendant rien de nous mesmes. Ne nous empressons point en nostre besogne, je vous prie; car pour la bien faire il faut nous appliquer soigneusement, mais tranquillement et paisiblement, sans mettre nostre confiance en nostre peine ^"^), ains en Dieu et en sa grâce. Ces anxiétés d'esprit que nous avons pour avancer nostre perfection et pour voir si nous avançons ne sont nullement agréables à Dieu, et ne servent qu'à satisfaire l'amour propre, qui est un grand tracasseur qui ne cesse jamais d'embrasser beaucoup, bien qu'il ne fasse guère.

Une bonne œuvre bien faite avec tranquillité d'esprit vaut beaucoup mieux que plusieurs faites avec empressement.

La colombe s'amuse simplement à sa besogne pour la bien faire, laissant tout autre soin (") à son cher colombeau: l'ame qui est vrayement colombine, c'est à dire qui ayme chèrement Dieu, s'applique tout simplement, sans empressement, aux moyens qui luy sont prescrits pour se perfectionner, sans en rechercher d'autres, pour parfaits qu'ils puissent estre. Mon Bien-Aymé, dit-cile. pense pour moy et je m'y confie; il m'ayme. et je suis toute à luy " pour tesmoignage de mon amour. Il y a quelque temps (ju'il y eut des saintes Religieuses qui me dirent: Monsieur, que ferons-nous ceste année? L'année passée nous jeusnasmes trois jours de la semaine, et nous faisions la discipline autant: que ferons-nous maintenant le long de ceste année? il faut bien faire quelque chose davantage, tant pour rendre grâces à Dieu de l'année passée, comme pour aller tousjours croissant en la voye 'p de Dieu. C'est bien dit qu'il faut tousjours s'avancer, respondis-je; mais nostre avancement ne se fait pas comme vous pensez, par la multitude des exercices de pieté, ains par la perfection avec laquelle nous les faisons, nous confiant tousjours plus en nostre cher Colombeau et nous desfiant davantage de nous-mesmes.

L'année passée, vous jeusniez trois jours de la semaine et vous faisiez la discipline trois fois; si vous voulez tousjours doubler vos exercices, ceste année la semaine y sera entière; mais l'année qui vient comment ferez- vous? il faudra que vous fassiez neuf jours en la semaine, ou bien que vous jeusniez deux fois le jour.

Grande folie de ctux qui h cimuMui 'V a désirer d'estre martyrisés aux Indes, et ne s'applicjuent pas à ce (|u'ils ont à faire s<'lon leur condition! mais grande lromj>erie aussi à ceux qui veulent plus manger qu ils ne j)euvent digérer. Nous n'avons pas assez de chaleur spirituelle \n)UT bien digérer tout ce que nous embrassons pour nostre perfection, et cependant nous ne voulons pas (^ nous retrancher de ces anxiétés d'esprit que nous avons à tant désirer de beaucoup faire. Lire force livrt*s spirituels.

{ni ptnif f*omr m'*v, - rt )« m'y attfiM; U a «oin <W moy, et >t m*y cooS». il in'â)iDr, et ir %iii« t. . ut. - «ir«tn«> ir) rrtraochrr oe% «oxieléa d'caprlt qu* noua avta» dt dMirar «t vtmkiÉr l<r4uo>up Uirv. iJrv «lc« Ujcu tivrv» «pértluala, et mit U>uI quaad II* •ont iio Les vrays Entretiens spirituels sur tout quand ils sont nouveaux, bien parler de Dieu et de toutes les choses les plus spirituelles pour nous exciter, disons-nous, à dévotion, ouïr force prédications, faire des conférences à tout propos, communier bien souvent, se confesser encores plus, servir les malades, bien parler de tout ce qui se passe en nous pour manifester la prétention que nous avons de nous perfectionner, et au plus tost qu'il se pourra: ne sont-ce pas là des choses fort propres pour nous perfectionner et parvenir au but de nos desseins? Ouy, pourveu que tout cela se fasse selon qu'il est ordonné, et que ce soit tousjours avec dépendance de la grâce de Dieu; c'est à dire que nous ne mettions point nostre confiance en tout cela, pour bon qu'il soit, ains en un seul * Il Cor. , IX, 10; Dieu, qui nous peut seul faire tirer le fruict* de tous nos exercices.

Mais, mes chères filles, je vous supplie, considérez un peu la vie de ces grands saints Religieux. Un saint Antoine, qui a esté honnoré de Dieu et des hommes à cause de sa très-grande sainteté, dites-moy, comment est-il parvenu à une si grande sainteté et perfection? est-ce à force de lire, ou par des conférences et fréquentes Communions, ou par la multitude des prédications qu'il oyoit? Nullement; ains il y parvint en se servant de l'exemple des saints hermites, prenant de l'un l'abstinence, de l'autre l'oraison, et ainsi il alloit comme une soigneuse abeille, picorant et cueillant les vertus des serviteurs de Dieu, pour en composer le miel d'une sainte édification. Mais un saint Paul premier hermite, parvint-il à la sainteté qu'il s'acquit par la lecture des bons livres? il n'en avoit point. Estoit-ce les nouveaux, cela est bon; bien parler de Dieu et beaucoup, et des choses les plus spirituelles pour nous exciter, disons-nous, h la dévotion, bon; ouïr force prédications, faire des conférences et souvent, cela esmeut, il est vray; communier bien souvent, [Reprendre au texte, lig. 5.]

VII. De trois Loix spirituelles f ii Communions qu'il faisoit ou le^» Lonlessions ^ il n'en fit qut* deux en sa vie. Estoit-ce les conférences ou les prédications? il n'en avoit point, et ne vid nul homme dans le désert que saint Antoine, qui l'alla visiter à la fin de sa vie. Sçavez-vous qui le rendit saint? Ce fut la fidélité qu'il eut à s'appliquer en ce qu'il entreprit au commencement, à quoy il avoit esté appelle, et ne s'amusant '"' à autre chose.

Ces grands saints Religieux qui vivoyent sous la charge de saint Pachome, avoyent-ils des livres, des prédications? nulles. Des conférences? ils en avoyent, mais rarement. Se confessoyent-ils souvent? quelque fois aux bonnes festes. Oyoient-ils force Messes? les Dimanches et les festes; hors de là, point {^\ Mais que veut dire donc que mangeant si peu de ces viandes spirituelles qui nourrissent nos âmes à l'immortalité, ils estoyent neantmoins tousjours si en bon px^int, c'est à dire si forts et courageux pour entreprendre l'acquisition des vertus, et parvenir à la perfection et au but de leur prétention?

Et nous autres, qui mangeons beaucoup, sommes tousjours si maigres, c'est à dire si laschcs et languissans à la |X)ursuite de nos entreprises, et semble, sinon tant que les consolations spirituelles marchent ••, que nous n'avons nul courage ni vigueur au service de Nostre Seigneur? Or il faut donc imiter ces saints Religieux, nous appliquant à nostre besogne, c'est à dire à ce que Dieu requiert de nous selon nostre vocation, fervemment et humblement, et ne penser qu'en cela («), n'estimant pas de trouver nul moyen de nous perfectionner meilleur que celuy-là.

U Cmvoît mppêUé, et ne •'•iniMuét Ut «I avuycnt, auto rarHiMOt. Cuuiiiiuitf'vrnt lU w. uvrut f i^ Sm cootonuycnt'U» MMivrnl? qiMlqtM loto âus U. i>i>r>» f«~i(r«: bar» <! • U. poénL (>>'uécnl âto «ouvanl la M«*a«? Im Dtmaochr^ rt W t.

112 Les vrays Entretiens spirituels Mais, me pourra-t'on répliquer, vous dites fervemment: mon Dieu, et comme pourray-je faire cela! car je n'ay point de ferveur. Non pas de celle que vous entendez, quant au sentiment, laquelle Dieu donne à qui bon luy semble, et qui n'est pas en nostre pouvoir d'acquérir quand il nous plaist. J'adjouste aussi humblement, à fin que l'on n'ayt point de sujet de s'excuser; car ne dites pas: Je n'ay point d'humilité, il n'est pas en mon pouvoir de l'avoir; car le Saint Esprit, qui est Lucae, xi, 13. la bouté mcsmc, la donne à qui la luy demande*. Non pas ceste humilité, c'est à dire ce sentiment de nostre petitesse qui nous fait si fort humilier en toutes choses si gracieusement; mais je veux dire l'humilité qui nous fait cognoistre nostre propre abjection, et qui nous la fait aymer l'ayant recognuë estre en nous; car cela est la vraye humilité.

VII. De trois Loix spiRiTfFXLrs ce sera vous qui bénirez nos sueurs et qui nous donnerez une bonne récolte. Ainsi leurs livres, leurs prédications rapportoyent des fruicts merveilleux; et nous autres qui nous confions en nos belles paroles, en nostre bien dire et en nostre doctrine, toutes nos peines s'en vont en fumée et ne rendent autre fruict que de vanité. Il faut donc, pour conclusion de ceste première loy que je vous donne, vous confier pleinement en Dieu et faire tout pour luy, quittant entièrement le soin de vous-mesmes à vostre cher Colombeau, lequel usera d'une prévoyance nompareiUe sur vous; et d'autant que vostre confiance sera plus vraye et plus parfaite, sa providence sera plus sfKîciale.

J'ay pensé de vous donner pour seconde loy la parole que disent les colombes en leur langage: Plus l'on m'en oste et plus j'en fais, disent-elles Qu'est-ce à dire cela? C'est que lors que leurs petits colombeaux sont un peu gros (c*), le maistre du colombier les leur vient oster, et soudain elles se mettent à en couver des autres; mais si on ne les leur oste pas, elles s'amusent auprès de ceux-là longuement *>*), et partant elles en font moins. Elles disent donc: Plus l'on m'en oste et plus j'en fais; et pour vous faire mieux entendre ce que je veux dire, je vous présente un exemple. Job, ce grand serviteur de Dieu, qui a esté loué de la bouche de Dieu mesme •, ne se laissa vaincre d'aucune affliction qui luy survint; ains, plus Dieu luy ostoit de ses petits colombeaux et plus il en faisoit. Qu'est-ce qu'il ne faisoit pas tandis qu'il estoit en sa première prospérité? quelles bonnes œuvres ne faisoil-il pas? Il le dit luy-mesme en ceste façon •: J'estois le pied du boiteux, c'est à dire • c«p. xxix.

13.» *. je le faisois jxjrter ou je le mettois «^'^ sur mon asne ou mon chameau; j'estois l'ail de l'aveugle, en le faisant conduire; j'estois en fin le pourvoyeur du famélique et le refuge de tous les affligés. Maintenant voyez-le réduit en l'extrême pauvreté. Il ne se plaint point que Dieu lui ayt osté les moyens qu'il avoit de faire tant de bonnes œuvres, ains il dit avec la colombe: Plus l'on m'en oste et plus j'en fais; non des aumosnes, car il n'a pas de quoy, mais en ce seul acte de sousmission et de patience qu'il fit se voyant privé de tous ses biens et de ses enfans, il fit plus qu'il n'avoit fait par toutes les grandes charités qu'il faisoit durant le temps de sa prospérité, et se rendit plus agréable à Dieu en ce seul acte de patience, qu'il n'avoit fait en tant et tant de bonnes œuvres qu'il avoit faites durant sa vie; car il falloit avoir un amour plus fort et généreux pour cest acte seul, qu'il n'avoit esté besoin pour tous les autres mis ensemble.

Il nous en faut donc faire de mesme pour observer ceste aymable loy des colombes, nous laissant despouil1er par nostre souverain Maistre de nos petits colombeaux, c'est à dire des moyens d'exécuter nos désirs, quand il luy plaist de nous en priver, pour bons qu'ils soyent i^'), sans nous plaindre ni lamenter jamais de luy comme s'il nous faisoit grand tort; ains nous devons nous appliquer à doubler, non nos désirs ni nos exercices, mais la perfection avec laquelle nous les faisons, taschant par ce moyen de gagner plus par un seul acte, comme indubitablement nous ferons, que nous ne ferions pas avec cent autres faits selon nostre propension et affection. Nostre Seigneur ne veut pas que nous portions sa croix sinon par le bout, et il veut estre honnoré comme les grandes dames, lesquelles font porter la queue de leurs robes; il veut pourtant que nous portions la croix qu'il nous met sur les espaules, qui est la nostre mesme. Mais las! nous n'en faisons rien; car quand sa Bonté nous prive de la consolation qu'il nous souloit donner en nos exercices, il semble que tout est perdu, {V) d'exécuter nos — bons desseins quand il luy plaist et qu'il nous oste les moyens de faire ce que nous avons entrepris.

Voyez, de grâce, ceste ame, comment elle couve bien ses œufs au temps de la consolation, et laisse bien le soin d'elle-mesme à son cher et bien-a>Tné Colombeau. Si elle est en l'oraison, quels saints désirs ne fait-elle pas de luy plaire! elle s'attendrit en sa présence, elle s'escoule toute en son Bien-Ayme», elle se laisse entièrement entre les bras de sa divine pro\'idence. O que ce sont là des œufs bien aymables! et tout cela est bien bon, et les petits colombeaux ne manquent point, qui sont les effects; car, qu'est-ce qu'elle ne fait pas? Ses œuvres de charité sont en si prand nombre! sa modestie paroist devant toutes les Sœurs, elle 8) est d'une édification nompareille, elle se fait admirer de tous ceux qui la voyent ou qui la cognoissent. Les mortificationsdit-elle, ne me coustoyent rien durant ce temps-là, ains ce m'estoyent des consolations; les obéissances m'estoyent des allégresses; je n'avois pas si tost ouy le premier son de la cloche, que j'estois levée; je ne laissois point passer de pratique de vertu, et tout cela je le faisois avec une paix et tranquillité très-grande: mais maintenant que je suis en desgoust et que je suis ordinairement en sécheresse en l'oraison, je n'ay nul courage, ce me semble, pour mon amendement, je n'ay point ceste ardeur que je soulois avoir en mes exercices; en fin, la gelée et la froidure est passée chez moy.

Helas! je le croy bien. Voyez, je vous prie, ceste pauvre ame, comment elle se lamente {**'î de sa disgrâce; ieuvr<-% ilr rharit*^ v i. t «n «i grand BOmbre ' Ml d4¥^mt l0mê XO, II son mescontentement paroist jusques sur son visage, elle a sa contenance abattue et mélancolique, et s'en va toute pensive, et si confuse que rien plus, (i') Mon Dieu! qu'avez-vous? est-on contraint de luy dire. O que j'ay? je suis si alangourie!

rien ne me peut contenter, tout m'est à desgoust, je suis maintenant si confuse! Mais de quelle confusion? car il y en a de deux sortes: l'une qui conduit à l'humilité et à la vie, et l'autre, au Cf. II Cor. , VII, desespoir et par conséquent à la mort *. Je vous asseure, dit-elle, que je le suis bien tant, que j'en perds presque le courage de passer outre en la prétention de ma perfection. Mon Dieu, quelle foiblesse! la consolation manque, et par mesme moyen, le courage.

O il ne faut pas ainsi faire; ains, plus Dieu nous prive de la consolation, et plus nous devons travailler pour luy tesmoigner nostre fidélité. Un seul acte fait avec sécheresse d'esprit vaut mieux que plusieurs faits avec une grande tendreté, parce que, comme j'ay desja dit en parlant de Job, il se fait avec un amour plus fort, quoy qu'il ne soit pas si tendre ni si agréable. Plus donc l'on m'en oste et plus j'en fais: c'est la seconde loy que je désire grandement de vous voir observer.

La troisiesme loy (J') des colombes que je vous présente, c'est qu'elles pleurent comme elles se resjouïssent; elles ne chantent tous jours qu'un mesme air, tant pour leurs cantiques de res jouissance que pour ceux où elles se lamentent, c'est à dire pour se plaindre et manifester leur douleur. Voyez-les perchées sur les branches, où elles pleurent la perte qu'elles ont faite de leurs petits que la belette ou la chouette leur a desrobés (car quand c'est quelqu'autre qui les leur prend que le maistre de la colombiere, elles sont fort affligées); voyez-les aussi quand le paron vient à s'approcher d'elles, qu'elles sont toutes consolées: (k') elles ne changent point d'air, ains font le mesme grommellement p)our preuve de leur contentement, qu'elles font f)our manifester leur douleur. C'est cette tres-sainte égalité d'esprit, mes chères âmes, que je vous souhaitte: je ne dis pas l'égalité d'humeur ni d'inchnation, je dis l'egahté d'esprit; car je ne fais, ni désire (**> que vous fassiez nul estât des tracasseries que fait la partie inférieure de nostre ame, qui est celle (jui cause les inquiétudes et bijarreries, quand la partie supérieure ne fait pas son devoir en se rendant maistresse, et ne fait pas bon guet pour découvrir ses ennemis, ainsi que le Combat spirituel dit • '^^ qu'il faut faire, à fin qu'elle soit promptement advertie cxav okL Ludmu. des remuemens et assauts que luy fait la partie inférieure, qui naissent '°'' de nos sens et de nos in'-Hnations et passions, pour luy faire la guerre et l'assujettir à ses loix. Mais je dis qu'il se faut tenir tousjours fermes et résolus en la supérieure partie de nostre esprit, pour suivre la vertu de laquelle nous faisons profession, et se tenir en une continuelle égalité, es choses adverses comme es prosp)eres, en la désolation comme en la consolation, et en fin parmi les sécheresses comme emmi les tendretés.

Job, duquel nous avons desja parlé en la seconde loy, nous fournit encor d'un exemple en ce sujet, car il ne clianta tous-jours que sur un mesme air tous les cantiques qu'il a composés, qui ne sont autres que l'histoire de sa vie. Qu'est-ce qu'il disoit lors que Dieu fai>*'ii multipUer ses biens, luy donnoit des enfans, et en lin luy envoyoit à souhait selon qu'il l'eust peu désirer en ceste vie? que disoit-il, sinon: Le nom de Dieu soit béni? C'estoit son cantique d'amour qu'il chantoit en toute occasion; car voyez-le réduit à l'extrémité de l'afHiction: qu'est<e qu'il fait? il chante son cantique iiS Les vrays Entretiens spirituels de lamentation sur le mesme air que celuy qu'il chantoit par resjouïssance: Nous avons receu, dit-il, les biens de la main du Seigneur, pourquoy n'en rece- • Cap. 11, lo. vrons-nous les maux*? Le Seigneur m'avoit donné des enfans et des biens, le Seigneur me les a ostés, son Cap.

1, 21. saint nom soit béni*. Tousjours: Le nom de Dieu soit béni. 0 que ceste ame sainte estoit bien une chaste et amoureuse colombelle, grandement chérie de son cher Colombeau! Ainsi puissions-nous faire, mes chères filles, qu'en toutes occasions nous prenions les biens, les maux, les consolations et afflictions de la main du Seigneur, ne chantant tousjours que le mesme cantique tres-aymable: Le nom de Dieu soit béni, tousjours sur l'air d'une continuelle égalité; car si ce bonheur nous arrive, nous vivrons avec une grande paix en toutes occurrences. Mais ne faisons point comme ceux qui pleurent quand la consolation leur manque, et ne font que chanter quand elle est revenue, en quoy ils ressemblent aux singes et magots (^'), qui sont tousjours mornes et furieux quand il fait un temps pluvieux et sombre, et ne cessent de gambader et sauter quand le temps est beau.

Voila donc les trois loix que i°') je vous donne, lesquelles neantmoins estant loix toutes d'amour n'obligent que par amour. L'amour donc que nous portons à Nostre Seigneur nous sollicitera de les observer et garder, à fin que nous puissions dire, à l'imitation de la belle colombe du souverain Colombeau, qui est l'Espouse sacrée: Mon Bien-Aymé est tout mien, et moy je suis toute pour (p'i luy, ne faisant rien que pour luy plaire; il a tousjours son cœur tourné de mon costé par prévoyance, • Vide loca supra, comme j'av le mien tourné de son costé par confiance *. p. 104. '^.

Ayant fait tout pour nostre Bien- Aymé des ceste vie, il aura soin de nous pourvoir de son éternelle gloire pour recompense de nostre confiance; et la nous verrons le bon-heur de ceux qui. quittans tout le soin superflu et inquiet que nous avons ordinairement sur nous-mesmes et sur nostre perfection, se seront adonnés tout simplement à leur besogne, s'abandonnans sans reserve entre les mains de la divine Bonté pour laquelle seule ils auront travaillé: leurs travaux seront en fin suivis d'une paix et d'un rejxjs qui ne se peut expliquer, car ils reposeront pour jamais dans le sein de leur Bien-AyTné. Le bon-heur aussi de ceux qui auront observé la seconde loy sera grand; car s'estans laissé despouiller par le Maistre, qui est Nostre Seigneur, de tous leurs petits colombcaux, et ne s'estans nullement faschés ni despités, ains ayant eu le courage de dire: Plus l'on m'en oste et plus j'en fais, demeurans sousmis au bon plaisir de Celuy qui les aura despouillés, ils chanteront d'autant plus courageusement là haut au Ciel U cantique tres-aymable: Dieu soit béni *, cmmi les •Apec, ▼, 9-13. consolations éternelles, qu'ils l'auront (*i') chanté de meilleur cœur parmi les désolations, langueurs et desgousts de ceste vie mortelle et passagère, durant laquelle il nous faut tascher de conserver soigneusement la continuelle et tres-aymable égalité d'esprit. Amen.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Song.2.14 — O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding place of the steep path, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
  2. ↩Matt.10.16 — Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves; therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
  3. ↩Matt.5.48 — Therefore be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.
  4. ↩Matt.5.48 — Therefore be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.
  5. ↩1Cor.3.6-1Cor.3.7 — I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 1Cor.3.7 — So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God, who makes it grow.
  6. ↩1Cor.3.6-1Cor.3.7 — I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 1Cor.3.7 — So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God, who makes it grow.
  7. ↩1Cor.3.6-1Cor.3.7 — I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 1Cor.3.7 — So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God, who makes it grow.
  8. ↩2Cor.9.10 — Now the one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
  9. ↩Job.1.8 — Then the LORD said to the Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil."
  10. ↩Job.29.15 — I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame.
  11. ↩Job.2.10 — But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we receive good from God, and not also receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
  12. ↩Job.1.21 — And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.'
  13. ↩Job.1.21 — And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.'
  14. ↩Job.1.21 — And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.'
  15. ↩Job.1.21 — And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.'
  16. ↩Song.2.16 — My beloved is mine, and I am his — the one who grazes among the lilies.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Normalized obvious OCR slips in the French: «de vois» → «devois»; «i'ay jette» → «j'ay jetté». A sentence break was supplied after «l'Evangile», where the print almost certainly begins a new sentence with «Le bonheur du sort…».
  2. 2 ↩Read «Dieu vous envoie» for OCR «Dieu vous envoyé».
  3. 3 ↩Source ends corruptly: «qui vous fussent fort vu.» The most plausible restored reading is «fort utiles» (very useful), echoing «utiles et agréables» earlier in the section; the orphan «d'aujourd'huy» stranded in the next fragment may originally have belonged here.
  4. 4 ↩Fragment mixes a running page header («De trois Loix spirituelles»), page number («103»), and the orphan body-word «d'aujourd'huy» with a footnote marker. Only the recoverable body sense «for today» is rendered.
  5. 5 ↩OCR «ij 17.» is read as early-modern «iii. 17» (Matthew 3:17); one «i» may have been lost. The Baptism/dove pericope is Matthew 3:16–17.
  6. 6 ↩Read «Nostre Seigneur» for OCR «Xostre Seigneur». This clause continues the broken relative from s5: the Gospel «which mentions the Baptism of Our Lord and of the glorious appearance…».
  7. 7 ↩Normalized OCR forms: 'Pcre' → Père (Father); 'destre' → d'être (to be).
  8. 8 ↩Sentence is truncated mid-clause before a broken citation marker ('Cap.'); the predicate continues in s6 ('called by this name...').
  9. 9 ↩Citation fragment only (likely part of Cap. / chapter reference), not continuous prose.
  10. 10 ↩Numeric citation or page fragment only.
  11. 11 ↩Likely verse pointer (v. 14) within a broken Cap./Song citation spanning s2–s5.
  12. 12 ↩'colombelle' is an affectionate diminutive ('little dove') for the Bride/soul beloved of Christ; kept as 'loving little dove' rather than flattened to 'beloved'.
  13. 13 ↩Early modern 'honnesteté' here is moral cleanliness/seemliness (cf. next section on doves staying unsoiled), not mere 'honesty' in the modern sense; rendered 'purity'.
  14. 14 ↩honneste here continues the previous law of honnesteté: purity/decency, not mere truth-telling. pennage lis read as pennage lisse (smooth/sleek plumage); trailing OCR junk (*> ignored.
  15. 15 ↩Normalized opening 'a loy' as 'La loy'; 'loiie' as 'loue'; 'ApMJstres' as 'Apostres'; 'prudens' as 'prudents'.
  16. 16 ↩Source '• iuiu, x, 16.' is OCR-garbled; read as the standard citation Matt. x, 16 for the dove/serpent saying just quoted.
  17. 17 ↩Normalized 's<jnt' as 'sont' and 'ftel' as 'fiel' (gall).
  18. 18 ↩Source appears to be pure OCR/print corruption with no recoverable French sense: «(•) Uuf ptnnékgê — u mi.» No plausible reconstruction was invented.
  19. 19 ↩Leading OCR/page furniture («ri • > ^ qu'U k Ult graailwiiwit hmm ««ir I04 Les vrays Entretiens spirituels») was ignored as non-text; translation starts at the readable clause «Mais j'ay considéré…».
  20. 20 ↩Source is badly OCR-corrupted: 'yxmr' and 'temp>orcl' read as 'pour' and 'temporel'; residual footnote/punctuation noise (*") ignored in the translation.
  21. 21 ↩Corrected 'bien-a\Tné' → 'bien-aymé' and 'b<3ugeant' → 'bougeant'.
  22. 22 ↩Corrected 'Saint Ksprit' → 'Saint Esprit' (Holy Spirit).
  23. 23 ↩Reconstructed corrupt tail 'i»st iiihni jxiur lame (jui se rej3ose en luy' as 'est infini pour l'âme qui se repose en luy'. 'ne faudroit pas jamais douter que Dieu nous manquast' rendered as never fearing that God would fail us, matching the providence argument.
  24. 24 ↩Source reads 'C) que la colomlK?'; treated as corrupted 'O que la colombe' (Oh, how the dove), continuing into s2.
  25. 25 ↩Source 'paron' read as 'patron' (protector/patron), matching later 'divin paron le Saint Esprit' in Entretiens.1.7.9.
  26. 26 ↩Source 'lame' read as 'l'âme' (the soul).
  27. 27 ↩Source fragment 'ne pens*.' read as the start of 'ne pense qu'à…' completed in s6.
  28. 28 ↩Normalized from heavy OCR damage: '(ju'à'→'qu'à'; 'tranquilhté'→'tranquillité'; 'dés'→'dès'; '06'→'où'; dropped page-header intrusion 'io6 Les vrays Entretiens spirituels'; 'ains' kept as contrastive 'only/but rather'.
  29. 29 ↩Early-modern form likely for patron/parrain; rendered as Patron for the Holy Spirit in the dove allegory.
  30. 30 ↩Kept the brooding sense: warm, tend, and foster under the dove image, not the modern pejorative foment.
  31. 31 ↩Trailing citation fragment almost certainly begins a Matthew reference (see s4); omitted from the English sentence body and left as a candidate allusion.
  32. 32 ↩Religion here means entrance into the religious life/order, not abstract religion.
  33. 33 ↩Corrupt OCR/print debris; most plausible sense is the chapter numeral of a Matthew citation (Matt. V), with 'uit' unreadable residue—perhaps of a verse number. Not translated as prose.
  34. 34 ↩Trailing asterisk likely a footnote/callout marker in the print witness, not part of the spoken sentence.
  35. 35 ↩Kept as 'little Dove,' the chapter's pet name for the divine beloved (here caring for the soul that incubates its holy desire).
  36. 36 ↩Normalized 'vistcment' as 'vistement' (quickly); 'dés' as 'dès' (as soon as).
  37. 37 ↩Reconstructed corrupt source 'De mesnu-, il y a des âmes lesquelles ne cess<' as 'De mesme, il y a des âmes lesquelles ne cessent', continued in s5.
  38. 38 ↩Reconstructed leading '-nt' as the end of 'cessent' from s4; 'p)etits' as 'petits'; 'nouveau' as 'nouveaux'.
  39. 39 ↩Isolated 'x.' has no recoverable independent sense; likely residual OCR debris from 'nouveaux' or a mark attached to s5.
  40. 40 ↩Bare citation label pointing to 1 Corinthians; verse numbers appear to continue into the next section ('m, 6, 7.'), most plausibly 1 Cor 3:6-7.
  41. 41 ↩Source fragment "m, 6, 7." continues the previous section's "1 Cor." citation; read as 1 Cor 3:6–7 (God gives the growth), matching the chapter's planting/increase theme.
  42. 42 ↩Normalized OCR: conhance→confiance; Ix'aucoup→beaucoup; se contient→se confient (context contrasts confiance in God with trust in one's labor).
  43. 43 ↩Normalized OCR: neantmoms→neantmoins; terminal "emprcss4^?" read as empressées, continued in s5.
  44. 44 ↩Leading "s " completes empressées from s4; j>erfection→perfection; sçachcnt→sçachent. Quote continues into s8.
  45. 45 ↩Source is only a footnote/reference mark ("*."); no prose content to translate.
  46. 46 ↩Source is only a footnote/reference mark ("*^."); no prose content to translate.
  47. 47 ↩Normalized OCR: 9U→ou; industne→industrie. Completes the Jeremiah quotation opened in s5.
  48. 48 ↩Opening OCR/page noise ('Ne io8 Les vrays Entretiens spirituels') treated as running header contamination; translation begins at 'sçais-tu pas'.
  49. 49 ↩Source 'dépens' read as imperative 'dépends' (depend).
  50. 50 ↩'teste' read as 'fête' (feast). Sentence is truncated mid-clause; continuation appears in s5–s6 as garbled citation plus 'du fruict'.
  51. 51 ↩Raw text ', X, lo.' appears to be OCR debris, likely a truncated note or scripture cue (possibly Sap. / Wisdom) rather than continuous prose.
  52. 52 ↩'du fruict*' treated as completion of s4's liturgical line ('tirassiez ... du fruict'), then explanatory purpose clause.
  53. 53 ↩Trailing OCR marks after 'peine' ignored; 'ains' rendered as 'but rather'.
  54. 54 ↩Source has a stray (") after soin; translated the plain sense 'leaving every other care to her dear little dove'.
  55. 55 ↩Source reads 'dit-cile'; translated as the obvious intended 'dit-elle' ('she says').
  56. 56 ↩Source has a stray " after 'luy'; omitted in translation.
  57. 57 ↩Source '(ju'il y eut' corrected to intended 'qu'il y eut' ('that there were').
  58. 58 ↩'la discipline' kept as the monastic technical term for the penitential scourge/self-discipline, not general 'discipline' as training.
  59. 59 ↩Source 'voye 'p de Dieu' treated as corrupt for 'voye de Dieu' ('way of God').
  60. 60 ↩'ains' rendered as contrastive 'but' (rather); 'Colombeau' kept as 'Dove' to continue the dove allegory for God/Christ.
  61. 61 ↩In early modern French religious usage, «faire la discipline» means taking the scourge or similar corporal penance, not mere self-control.
  62. 62 ↩OCR-corrupt source reconstructed as: «Grande folie de ceux qui se mettent à désirer d'estre martyrisés aux Indes, et ne s'appliquent pas à ce qu'ils ont à faire selon leur condition!» (ctux→ceux; h cimuMui 'V a→se mettent à; s'applicjuent→s'appliquent; (|u'ils→qu'ils; s<'lon→selon).
  63. 63 ↩OCR-corrupt source reconstructed as: «mais grande tromperie aussi à ceux qui veulent plus manger qu'ils ne peuvent digérer.» (lromj>erie→tromperie; j)euvent→peuvent).
  64. 64 ↩OCR-corrupt source reconstructed as: «Nous n'avons pas assez de chaleur spirituelle pour bien digérer tout ce que nous embrassons pour nostre perfection, et cependant nous ne voulons pas nous retrancher de ces anxiétés d'esprit que nous avons à tant désirer de beaucoup faire.» (\n)UT→pour; (^→dropped OCR artifact before nous).
  65. 65 ↩OCR-corrupt source reconstructed as: «Lire force livres spirituels.» (livrt*s→livres). force = many/a great number of. Appears to open a list of piled-up exercises continued in the next section.
  66. 66 ↩ains rendered as 'rather' (early modern French adversative/contrastive, not modern 'thus'). oraison rendered as 'prayer' in the monastic sense of dedicated prayer.
  67. 67 ↩en refers to bons livres from the previous sentence: he had no good books at all.
  68. 68 ↩Source is damaged: 'h la dévotion' read as 'à la dévotion'. Sentence ends mid-clause with editorial apparatus '[Reprendre au texte, lig.' (resume from the text, line …). 'Estoit-ce les nouveaux' is ambiguous (new books / new spiritual talks); rendered literally as 'the new ones' pending better witness.
  69. 69 ↩Not continuous authorial prose: completes the editorial apparatus from s7, '[Reprendre au texte, lig. 5.]'.
  70. 70 ↩Source is badly corrupted: running header 'De trois Loix spirituelles f ii' appears concatenated into the sentence; 'Lonlessions' read as 'Confessions'; 'qut*' as 'que'; 'le^»' as 'les'. Translated as the rhetorical continuation about St. Paul the first hermit from the previous section.
  71. 71 ↩'qui le rendit saint' can mean 'who' or 'what' made him holy; context (answer names fidelity, not a person) favors 'what'.
  72. 72 ↩'ne s'amusant à autre chose' uses classical French s'amuser à, meaning to occupy or busy oneself with, not modern 'amuse'.
  73. 73 ↩Normalized reading treats OCR garbage «si en bon px^int» as «si en bon point» (in good condition/shape), which the gloss «c'est à dire si forts et courageux» confirms. Also reads «point {^\ Mais» as a clean break: «point. Mais».
  74. 74 ↩Normalized reading: laschcs → lasches (slack); |X)ursuite → poursuite (pursuit); trailing OCR marks after marchent ignored. The sense is the contrast with the previous section: the Desert Fathers ate little spiritual food yet stayed strong, while we eat much and remain weak unless consolations accompany us.
  75. 75 ↩Trailing marker («) after 'cela' treated as a print/footnote artifact, not part of the sentence sense.
  76. 76 ↩Leading page furniture '112 Les vrays Entretiens spirituels' is treated as running-header contamination and omitted from the rendering.
  77. 77 ↩sentiment is rendered as felt fervor/feeling, not as 'opinion'; the contrast is affective consolation vs. something later distinguished from true humility.
  78. 78 ↩The clause ends mid-predication and inserts the citation 'Lucae, xi, 13' where the following sentence's 'la bonté mesme' almost certainly continues 'qui est'. The citation is kept as a candidate allusion rather than as the grammatical complement of qui est.
  79. 79 ↩Corrected corrupt 'la bouté mcsmc' to the intended 'la bonté mesme' (goodness itself); asterisk in source likely marks the Luke 11:13 note.
  80. 80 ↩abjection rendered as lowliness (self-abasement known and loved), not as modern moral 'abjection' in a clinical sense; the contrast is felt smallness vs. true self-knowledge that embraces lowliness.
  81. 81 ↩Source reading has garbled OCR 'spiRiTfFXLrs' for 'spirituelles'. Translated the corrected sense. The opening 'De trois Loix spirituelles' may also be running-title contamination fused to the body sentence.
  82. 82 ↩Corrected OCR 'nompareiUe' to 'nonpareille' (matchless) and 'sfKîciale' to 'spéciale' (special).
  83. 83 ↩'Colombeau' (little dove) is kept as Salesian tender address for Christ (or the divine Beloved); context ('providence') marks the referent as divine, not the human soul.
  84. 84 ↩Source carries OCR/footnote debris '(c*)' and '*>*)'; sense is clear from context and left untranslated as noise.
  85. 85 ↩'petits colombeaux' continues the dovecote metaphor for Job's goods, children, and means of doing good, not literal doves.
  86. 86 ↩Source 'faisoil' read as intended 'faisoit'.
  87. 87 ↩After 'c'est à dire', the source collapses into OCR debris ('• c«p.'); neighboring section continues the Job 29 self-portrait. Translated the recoverable French only and left the corrupt tail as an open ellipsis.
  88. 88 ↩Bare chapter marker, almost certainly Job 29, left as printed numeral form pending Moses/resolution stage.
  89. 89 ↩Normalized OCR artifacts in the source (despouil1er → despouiller; trailing footnote debris after soyent) and rendered the intended reading without inventing new sense.
  90. 90 ↩«par le bout» is rendered as carrying only the tip/end of Christ's own cross (honor and accompaniment), contrasted with bearing on our shoulders the cross that is truly ours.
  91. 91 ↩Source shows garbled print/OCR debris («{V)», em dash before «bons desseins»). Translated as a continuous complaint: when consolation is withdrawn, everything seems lost for executing our good designs once God also removes the means—matching the dove/means theme of the preceding sentence.
  92. 92 ↩Source has OCR garble 'bien-a>Tné'; read as 'bien-aymé' (well-beloved).
  93. 93 ↩Source has 'Bien-Ayme»' and 'pro\'idence'; read as 'Bien-Aymé' and 'providence'.
  94. 94 ↩Source has 'prand'; read as 'grand'.
  95. 95 ↩Source has stray '8)' after 'elle' (likely a footnote mark) and 'nompareille' for 'nonpareille'.
  96. 96 ↩Source runs 'mortificationsdit-elle' together; read as 'mortifications, dit-elle'.
  97. 97 ↩'la gelée et la froidure est passée chez moy' taken as frost and cold having come to stay with her (spiritual cold), not as cold having passed away—required by the contrast with present dryness and loss of ardor.
  98. 98 ↩Source after «se lamente» is heavily corrupted (OCR noise: «{**'î … ieuvr… rharit…»). Translated the recoverable reading «comment elle se lamente de sa disgrâce». «Disgrâce» here is spiritual misfortune / loss of sensible favor, not social shame.
  99. 99 ↩Opening of the sentence is OCR garbage («t «n «i grand BOmbre… l0mê XO, II»); only from «son mescontentement…» is clearly recoverable. «si confuse que rien plus» rendered as «as confused as can be» (utterly confused).
  100. 100 ↩«O que j'ay?» may be exclamatory («O que j'ai!») rather than a real question; rendered as a cry of distress answering «qu'avez-vous?».
  101. 101 ↩Source ends mid-phrase with 'au Cf.'; almost certainly the start of a broken citation (cf. / II Cor.) before 'despair…death' in the following sentence units. Intended continuous sense: one kind of confusion leads to humility and life, the other to despair and death (2 Cor. 7).
  102. 102 ↩Citation fragment only; pairs with s3 ('Cf.') and s5 (', VII…') as 2 Corinthians 7.
  103. 103 ↩Source ', VII, desespoir et par conséquent à la mort *.' completes the broken citation and contrast begun in s3–s4. The asterisk likely marks a printed note. Plausible full reading: the second kind of confusion leads to despair and so to death (2 Cor. 7).
  104. 104 ↩'prétention de ma perfection' is rendered as 'pursuit of my perfection' (Salesian aim/claim toward holiness), not modern pejorative 'pretension'.
  105. 105 ↩sécheresse d'esprit: spiritual dryness—the felt absence of sweetness in prayer or devotion, not mere emotional low spirits.
  106. 106 ↩en in m'en oste / j'en fais is pronominal and context-bound: likely consolation (or the sweet ease of acting) withdrawn, answered by redoubled faithful action; left lightly open in English as 'from me' / 'I do'.
  107. 107 ↩Source marks a marginal note at (J'); not expanded in the supplied text. "res jouissance" read as rejoicing (resjouissance).
  108. 108 ↩"paron" treated as likely OCR for "patron" (master/keeper), in contrast with "maistre de la colombiere"; "p)our"/"f)our" corrected to pour; marginal (k') omitted.
  109. 109 ↩Corrected OCR: inchnation→inclination; egahté→égalité; (jui→qui; bijarreries→bigarreries; "(**>" dropped as noise; trailing garbage "cxav okL Ludmu" omitted. Sense continues into the next sentence.
  110. 110 ↩"égalité d'esprit" rendered as evenness of spirit (interior equanimity), not sameness of temperament.
  111. 111 ↩Continuation of s3. Corrected "in'-Hnations" to inclinations; ignored decorative OCR noise around "naissent".
  112. 112 ↩"prosp)eres" read as prosperous; "emmi" read as among (parmi).
  113. 113 ↩Source reading 'clianta' treated as 'chanta' (sang).
  114. 114 ↩Corrupted phrase 'fai>*'ii multipUer' read as 'faisoit multiplier'; 'en lin' read as 'enfin'.
  115. 115 ↩Source 'afHiction' / 'qu'est<e' read as 'affliction' / 'qu'est-ce'.
  116. 116 ↩Running header/page junk ('iiS Les vrays Entretiens spirituels', trailing '• Cap.') stripped; quotation reconstructed as Job's words continuing into the next sentence units.
  117. 117 ↩Source '11, lo.' treated as a biblical chapter-verse citation, most plausibly Job II, 10 (cf. next section's '1, 21.' pattern).
  118. 118 ↩Fragment 'vrons-nous les maux' completes 'recevrons-nous les maux' from s5.
  119. 119 ↩Trailing 'Cap.' treated as running-header junk; 'son' is the start of 'son saint nom soit béni', completed in the next section.
  120. 120 ↩Print/OCR fragment continuing the Job citation from the previous section (Cap. 1, 21).
  121. 121 ↩Completes the Job 1:21 quotation begun in the previous section: '...the Lord has taken them away; blessed be his holy name.'
  122. 122 ↩Source opens with '0 que'; read as exclamatory 'Ô que' (Oh how).
  123. 123 ↩colombelle / Colombeau: Salesian bridal imagery for the soul as a little dove and Christ as her beloved Dove (cf. Song of Songs dove language).
  124. 124 ↩égalité rendered as 'evenness' (steady equanimity of soul), not social equality.
  125. 125 ↩magots: Barbary apes / baboons; kept as 'baboons' for a natural contemporary pair with 'monkeys'.
  126. 126 ↩Normalized past OCR noise 'i°')' before 'je'; reading intended 'que je vous donne'.
  127. 127 ↩OCR/editorial debris stripped from the intended French: '(p'i' before 'luy'; Latin gloss 'Vide loca supra'; truncated 'j'av' for 'j'ai'; trailing asterisk. Sense restored from context and parallel phrasing.
  128. 128 ↩'Colombeau' kept as 'little Dove' (Salesian pet-name for Christ); 'colombe' as the Bride-soul. 'prévoyance' rendered 'providence' (paired with 'confiance'/'trust').
  129. 129 ↩Source is only 'p.'—almost certainly a truncated page marker (likely with following '104.'), not a prose sentence.
  130. 130 ↩Bare numeral '104.' preserved as probable page number fragment, not continuous discourse.
  131. 131 ↩Source is only a damaged footnote/siglum marker ('^.'); no recoverable prose content.
  132. 132 ↩Source rejxjs corrected to repos (rest); Bien-AyTné read as Bien-Aimé.
  133. 133 ↩petits colombeaux rendered as little nestlings (the conference’s dove metaphor for small consolations/attachments); OCR colombcaux.
  134. 134 ↩Trailing OCR junk after Dieu soit béni (* , cmmi les •Apec, ▼, 9-13) treated as corrupted footnote/citation and omitted from the English sentence; likely a Scripture or page reference.
  135. 135 ↩Read as continuation of s3’s canticle scene: they will sing ‘Blessed be God’ among the eternal consolations, the same song they will have sung more wholeheartedly amid earthly desolation. Source shows (*i') and desgousts → dégoûts.

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