the sacred stigmata. On the 12th of the following July, we find from her own writings that our Lord gave her a special invitation to share in His cross, and warned her of the steps which would be taken concerning her by the venerable tribunal in question. The first letter which was written on the subject by his Eminence Cardinal Cybo, secretary of the con gregation of the Holy Office, to Bishop Eustachj, is dated on the 20th of the same month; the second was written on the 10th of August, the third on the 14th of September, and the fourth and last on the 5th of October. By this time the sacred tribunal was satisfied with the replies of the bishop and the examinations he had made, and directed him in the last-mentioned letter, "to investigate the matter no further, and to say nothing more about it, but to keep silence on the subject." Such are the precise terms of the document, and they are the dictates of prudence; for it was not only desirable to prevent gossiping on the part of the public, but also to preclude the possibility of a vain thought arising in the mind of the servant of God. The bishop was furthermore directed "to ask no more questions of the nuns, and to forward no additional particulars to the Sacred Congregation, which had gained sufficient information from his previous letters." Hence it is clear that the sacred tribunal took the same view which the bishop had done in his various answers, which for brevity's sake are omitted here, of the supernatural fact above related, as also of the sanctity of the spirit of Veronica; although for good reasons it declined to announce it openly during her lifetime. However, a sufficiently clear declaration was made indirectly in the year 1716, when the nuns being desirous of electing her abbess, application

was made to the sacred tribunal for permission to do so, which was immediately granted in a letter from the secretary, Cardinal Spada, dated the 7th of March. His Eminence expressed himself "persuaded that the proposed step would be conducive to the honour of God, and beneficial to the souls of the religious."

CHAPTER VIII.

THE STIGMATA ARE REPEATED ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS, AND ATTESTED BY NEW AND SATISFACTORY PROOFS.

WHEN Veronica had been sealed with the precious marks of our redemption, she derived gratification both from the pain she felt, and also from the great resemblance which now existed between herself and her Crucified Spouse; but her joy was damped on receiving an intimation from the bishop, desiring her to cut an opening in her dress so that the wound at her heart might be seen, for his lordship was anxious to test the reality of the sacred stigmata in presence of competent witnesses. For this purpose he made choice of four, who were all distinguished for their virtue, and sufficiently advanced in years, viz., Father M. Antonio Tassinari, of the Servites; Father Ubaldo Antonio Capelletti, of the Oratory; Father Vitale, of Bologna, of the Reformed Franciscans; and the Father Prior of the Dominicans of that city, and at the time we speak of extraordinary confessor to the monastery where Veronica lived. Our Saint was obliged to exhibit her wounds one by one to each of these individuals, holding meantime a lighted candle in her hand. Such martyrdom was thus imposed on her maidenly reserve and deep

humility that, as she afterwards mentioned in confidence to Sister Florida Ceoli, if God had not deadened her senses for the time being, she would have expired with confusion. His lordship also required her to show her wounds to her companions, and this was a fresh torment to her humble spirit. At last, being able to endure it no longer, she began to implore our Lord to allow her to retain all the pain of her wounds, but to withdraw the external marks from the eyes of others, as He had done in the cases of His beloved Catherine of Siena and other souls who were dear to Him.

But the Lord, instead of hearing her prayer, was pleased to renew her wounds on the 28th of June in the same year. The following description of their appearance is taken from the account which the bishop despatched to the Holy Office, as also from the juridical depositions of Sister Florida Ceoli, and others who had frequent opportunities of examining them :-The wounds in her hands and feet were round, and about the size of a farthing above, slightly diminishing underneath the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. The punctures were red, and pierced quite through when open, and when closed they were covered with a thin scar of the same size. The wound in her side was just above the left breast, occupying the length of four or five fingers, placed transversely, and as broad in the middle as a finger, but growing narrower towards the two ends, exactly as would be the case with the thrust of a spear. This last was never covered with a scar, but was always open and red as though it had been recently inflicted; it bled frequently, and filled the air with a sweet perfume.

It was on the 12th of July that Jesus informed

her during a rapture of the investigations which would be ordered by the Holy Office at Rome ;. and then Veronica set herself to implore her divine Spouse with the utmost fervour that He would deign to avert such public proceedings by withdrawing the stigmata. But the Lord, Who desired to make known the gifts and merits of His beloved spouse, replied as follows: "The Holy Office shall apply its tests, and shall declare that it is all My work; and soon after that I will take from thee the marks in thy hands and feet, but be prepared to suffer much. This is My Will; relate all that has passed to thy confessor." Such was the perfect resignation of Veronica that she simply prepared herself for whatever God destined for her.

The Holy Office expressed itself satisfied on the 5th of the following October, as mentioned above; and Veronica, mindful of the promise she had received, began once more to supplicate her divine Spouse that He would remove the outward tokens of His Passion. But during a vision, which occurred on the night of the 3rd of January, 1699, our Lord renewed the pain of her five wounds, and informed her that she must bear the visible impression of them until three years from their first infliction should have been completed; for that was the meaning of the words, "soon after that" in the promise referred to. The stigmata were again renewed on the 20th of the following February, accompanied with another assurance that they should be withdrawn after the expiration of the three years, but. not before, as it was the Will of our Lord that the reality of His work should be recognized. At length, on the 17th of March in the following year, 1700, the Lord presented Himself to her, all over wounds,

covered with blood, and crowned with thorns.

"At

the same moment," Veronica writes, "my own crown of thorns seemed to press on my brow, and caused me great pain. Our Lord also seemed to touch the wounds. in my hands and feet, and while He did so my suffering was extreme. He said to me, Calm thyself; thou shalt have the grace thou seekest; in a few days I will take away the marks of these wounds, and thou wilt have them no more.' But I asked, 'Why wilt Thou not take them from me now? To which He replied, 'I wish the three years to be fulfilled, as I have made thee understand several times.'

It was not until the completion of this term, viz., on the 5th of April, in the year 1700, that Veronica obtained the favour she so much desired. It is well to refer to her own account, in order that we may remark the caution which she observed in dealing with visions, although by this time long experience had made her quite used to them, and her soul was now so much at home with God, if we may be permitted such an expression, that she could hardly doubt the reality of such favours.

"On the 5th inst.," she writes, "I passed the night in great pain. From the first hour until it struck three, I experienced various kinds of bodily suffering, besides trials and desolation, and temptations of every description. Praise be to God. At the third hour I renewed my protestations. I felt desirous that our Lord would impart to me a spirit of true repentance for my sins, and I exclaimed from my heart, 'My God, bestow this grace on me that I may be no longer ungrateful to Thee, but may in all things faithfully correspond to and accomplish Thy holy Will. I am ready for everything.' It seemed to me that at that