Chapter 3

CAPUT TERTIUM CHAPTER III DE PROGRESSU P. IGNATU IN REBUS SPIRITUALIBUS ON THE PROGRESS OF FATHER IGNATIUS IN SPIRITUAL THINGS Cum strenue Ignatius acceptis a Deo donis uteretur, alia majora a divina bonitate accepit; cum enim Manresa egressus ad quoddam templum mille passibus ab oppido distans, prope fluvium quemdam sederet, subita quadam et insolita luce illustratus de divinis mysteriis mirum in modum fuit : et eadem lux ad discretionem etiam spirituum bonorum a malis in particulari se extendebat; adeo ut omnia divina et humana novis mentis oculis sibi cernere videretur; et inde summa spiritualis consolationis abundantia consecuta est, cum thesauros divinae suae bonitatis in ejus animam uberrime effunderet qui Pater est misericordiarum et Deus totius consolationis. Ad vicinam autem crucem adorandam et Deo gratias agendas procumbens, vidit in suprema parte crucis quamdam serpentis figuram, quae etiam superioribus diebus ante hanc illustrationem, splendida valde et cum septem vel octo oculis ornata se ipsi objicere solebat; et quotidie bis, ter, quater, et interdum saepius, hoc illi spectaculum apparebat; et ut praesens spectantem consolabatur, ita cum recedebat, ejus animum afflictum relinquebat. Sed tunc, post acceptum quod diximus, a Domino lumen, daemonem esse plane cognovit; ac deinceps, licet crebro se illi praesentaret, etiam postquam Parisios et Romam venit, non amplius ejus ullam rationem habuit, et obscurior illa, et non cum primo illo splendore jam apparebat. Nulli autem P. Ignatius hujus visionis secretum quid sibi vellet explicavit, ut erat in suis rebus communicandis difficilis: factum tamen ipsum retulit. Since Ignatius made prompt use of the gifts given to him by God, he received other greater ones from the divine goodness. For, when he left Manresa and visited a certain shrine about a thousand yards outside the town, he sat down by a small river and was enlightened by a sudden and unusual light and he had a wonderful experience of the divine mysteries. And this same light extended itself also to the discernment of good and bad spirits in a special way, so that he seemed to see all divine and human things with new eyes of his mind. From that a great abundance of spiritual consolation was the result, when the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation abundantly poured out into his soul the treasures of his divine goodness. However, while prostrating himself in order to venerate a nearby cross and to give thanks to God, on the upper part of the cross he saw a certain figure of a serpent, which also in the days before this enlightenment he was accustomed to see present before himself — it was very bright and adorned with seven or eight eyes; and this spectacle appeared to him daily two, three, four times, and sometimes more often than that. When he looked at it present before him he was consoled, but when it left him, it left his mind troubled. But then, after he had received the enlightenment we mentioned above, he saw clearly that it was the devil; and after that, although it appeared to him often, even after he came to Paris and Rome, he no longer paid any attention to it, so it became more dull and now did not appear with the brightness that it had at first. But Father Ignatius did not explain the secret of this vision to anyone, since it was difficult to relate according to the details; but he did relate it as a fact. Ab hoc tempore in majorem ac profundiorem sui cognitionem ingressus est; et peccata vitae suae anteactae, ut penitius cognoscere, ita majori cum amaritudine animi ac contritione deflere coepit; et quia Dominus eum, qui futurus erat multis magister, bene exerceri in seipso voluit, ea quae in exercitiorum spiritualium libro continentur, primo facere ipse, deinde observare et in scripta redigere ad aliorum etiam institutionem coepit. Jam quidem a suae conversionis initio, etiam ante praedictam illam mentis ejus illustrationem, ut ipse fervebat Dei amore ac virtutum, quae ad perfectionem Christianae vitae faciunt; ita et alios, qui ad ipsum accedebant, cohortari et inflammare ad virtutem ac Dei servitium solitus erat; et cum ejus vitae exemplum ct quam conceperant homines de ejus nobilitate opinionem auctoritatem ei conciliabat, ut hoc non sine fructu foret, alios ad optima quaeque excitare nitebatur. At post praedictam illustrationem atque observationem spiritualium exercitiorum, methodum et rationem proponens animam a peccatis per contritionem et confessionem purgandi, et in meditationibus mysteriorum Christi, et ratione bonae electionis faciendae circa vitae statum et res quaslibet, et demum in his quae ad inflammandum amorem in Deum, et varios orandi modos pertinent, proliciendi, perutilem operam proximis navare coepit: quamvis temporis progressu haec etiam ad majorem perfectionem deducta sunt. From this time on he acquired a greater and more profound knowledge of himself; and in order to get a better knowledge of the sins of his former life, he began to weep with greater bitterness of soul and contrition. And because the Lord wanted him, who in the future would be the teacher of many people, to have a good knowledge of himself, he wanted him first to experience the things that are contained in his book of the Spiritual Exercises, and then he began to reflect on them and to write them down for the help and direction of others. Indeed, from the beginning of his conversion, even before that mentioned illumination of his mind, he was glowing with the love of God and of virtues, which brings one to the perfection of the Christian life. Thus he was accustomed to exhort and inflame others, who came to him, regarding virtue and the service of God. And since the example of his life and the opinion people had about his nobility gained for him a certain authority, so that this turned out to be not without some fruit, he strove to move others to embrace what is best. But after the above-mentioned enlightenment and observation of spiritual exercises, he proposed a method and way of cleansing the soul by contrition and confession; and in meditations on the mysteries of Christ, and the way of making a good choice concerning the state of one’s life and other things, and finally of progressing in the things that pertain to enkindling love of God and various ways of praying, he began to give very useful help to others. Still, with the passage of time, these things also were brought to greater perfection. Quia vero tentatum per omnia Ignatium esse oportebat, qui alios multos in variis tentationibus pro officii sui ratione erat aliquando sublevaturus, simul cum clariori suorum peccatorum cognitione, in varios scrupulos incidit, qui supra modum hominem torquebant; nec confessiones generales, aut aliae saepe de eisdem rebus repetitae, pacem ejus animo aut quietem dabant. Et usque adeo Dei servum affligebant, ut diabolus etiam de vite taedio et praecipitio tentationes ei suggerere auderet, quas tamen bona voluntate placendi Deo non difficile dissipabat: sed scrupulis, qui ex ipso Deum offendendi timore ortum habebant, non ita poterat resistere. Cum autem in vitis Patrum aliquem legisset, ad gratiam quamdam obtinendam, decrevisse cibum non capere, donec illam a Domino impetrasset, pacem conscientiae supra modum Ignatius optans, decrevit ab omni abstinere cibo, donec eam, concedente Domino, invenisset, nisi se ad mortem accedere prae debilitate virium expertus esset. Cum itaque diem unum abstinuisset, nihil interim de consuetis orationibus et corporis castigationibus remittens, et secundo idem tentasset, nec tamen se viribus destitui observaret, usque ad septimum in ea ipsa inedia perseveravit : et quia dabat Dominus vires nec tamen pacem se consecutum videbat, ulterius jejunium prorogaturus erat, nisi ad confessarium accedens (quod octavo quoque die facere jam ab initio suae conversionis solitus erat), ab eo ulterius in jejunio progredi prohibitus fuisset, qui negabat absolutionem ei se daturum, nisi abstinentiae illius propositum relinqueret. Paruit Ignatius; et ita uno vel altero die pacem a scrupulis invenit, et constantiorem illam se inventurum credebat, si jussum illi fuisset a confessario ut omnino sollicitudinem circa confessionem peccatorum abjiceret, nec amplius anteactae vitae peccata confiteretur: sed hoc pharmacum ab illo spirituali medico non accepit, nec ipse id suggerere audebat. Placuit tandem divinae Bonitati non solum ab hoc scrupulorum morbo Ignatium sanare, sed ad alios etiam sanandos, qui simili animi afflictione laborarent, multum lucis tribuere: et inter alia Dei dona hoc eximium in reliquo vitae decursu Ignatius habuit, et ita multos gravibus scrupulis anxios magna cum facilitate curavit. But because it was necessary for Ignatius to be tempted in every way, since he was going to help many others in various temptations through his advice and direction, along with a clearer knowledge of his owns sins, he fell into various scruples, which can greatly torment a person. Thus his general confessions, or other confessions often repeating the same things, did not give peace or rest to his soul. And they so afflicted the servant of God that the devil also tried to suggest to him temptations about the miseries and tribulation of this life, but because of his good will of pleasing God he rejected them without difficulty; but he was not able in the same way to resist the scruples which arose in him from his fear of offending God. But because he had read in the lives of the Fathers that someone, in order to obtain a certain grace, decided not to take any food, until he had obtained that grace from the Lord, Ignatius, greatly desiring peace of conscience, decided to abstain from all food until, by the goodness of God, he had found that peace, unless he knew he was approaching death because of his physical weakness. Therefore, when he had abstained for one day, and at the same time not omitting his usual prayers and the punishment of his body, and then did the same thing for the second day, and he saw that his strength was not weakened, he continued that fast for seven days. And because the Lord gave him strength, but he saw that he had not acquired the desired peace, he was going to continue the fast further, unless when he went to confession (which from the beginning of his conversion he was wont to do every week) he was forbidden to fast, and the priest said that he would not give him absolution unless he abandoned his decision to fast. Ignatius obeyed the confessor; and so after one or two days he found peace from his scruples, and he believed that he would have found it more firmly, if the confessor had commanded him to abandon completely his concern about the confession of his sins and no longer to confess the sins of his former life. But he did not receive this medicine from that spiritual physician, nor did he dare to suggest it. At length it pleased the divine Goodness to cure Ignatius not only from this disease of scruples, but also to enlighten him on how to cure others who suffered from the same mental affliction. And among the other gifts of God, Ignatius had this exceptional gift for the rest of his life, and so with great facility he cured many persons disturbed by grave scruples. Miras etiam post haec certamina a Domino illustrationes circa mysterium Sanctissimae Trinitatis, et mundi creationem et alia fidei mysteria eo tempore, quo Manresae versatus est, a Domino accepit; sed quod attinet ad mysterium Trinitatis, vir alioquin litterarum expers, sic fuit edoctus, ut eo tempore tractatum de Sanctissima Trinitate scribere sit aggressus; nec solum cum spirituali consolatione singulari, quam multis horis quasi absorptus in abysso divinae Bonitatis eo die quo hujus mysterii cognitionem accepit, sed quamdiu vixit, in orationibus et Missis de Sancta Trinitate peculiarem devotionis et divinae visitationis sensum accepit ; et cum omnino a se omnem hujus mundi consolationem ablegasset, dignatus est non raro Christus Dominus, et interdum etiam Beatissima Ejus Mater, peculiari quodam modo eum consolari, dum mentis oculis ab ipso cernerentur ; quod et in Hispania et extra illam in posterum saepius eidem accidit ; et sic a Domino ipso fuit edoctus, ut licet nihil umquam a Scripturis Sanctis vel Doctoribus didicisset , sufficienter ipse instructus etiam ad alios instruendos fuisset. Ab hominibus praeterea, qui se vidisse testabantur, didicimus totos octo dies, scilicet ab uno die Sabbati usque ad Sabbatum sequens, a sensibus corporis Ignatium suspensum fuisse, ut vix alia ratione vivere, quam ex cordis aliquo motu (qui ne sepeliretur effecit), discerneretur, et ad sensum octavo die, saepius nomine Jesu iterato, rediisse. Nam ipse de hoc raptu, nihil quod sciamus, cuiquam dixit; nec illi silentium mirantur qui Ignatium familiariter noverunt, a quo peccata vitae anteactae et externa quaedam facile interrogatione extorqueri poterant, sed interna et rara non ita, licet diligenter discere ab eo curarent, disci ab eo poterant; et credendum est ea tantum ab eo elici potuisse, quae ad imitationem vel ad Dei gloriam expedire ut intelligerentur credebat. After these trials he received from the Lord wonderful illuminations concerning the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and the creation of the world and other mysteries of the faith during the time he stayed at Manresa. But in what concerns the mystery of the Trinity, this man otherwise lacking literary skills was so taught that at the time he began to write a treatise on the most holy Trinity. And it was not only with singular spiritual consolation, which for many hours he was as it were absorbed in the abyss of the divine Goodness on the day in which he received knowledge of this mystery, but for as long as he lived in his prayers and Masses of the Holy Trinity he felt a special sense of devotion and of a divine visitation. And when he had separated himself from all consolation of this world, not rarely Christ the Lord, and at times also his Blessed Mother, deigned to console him in a very special way, while they were perceived by him with the eyes of his mind. This happened to him often afterwards both in Spain and outside of Spain. Thus he was taught by the Lord himself, so that, although he had never learned anything from the Holy Scriptures or the Doctors of the Church, he was sufficiently instructed to be able to instruct others. Moreover, from certain men, who testify that they saw him, we learn that Ignatius was suspended from the senses of his body for eight whole days, namely, from one Saturday until the following Saturday, so that he was seen to live hardly in any other way than from a movement of his heart (which had the effect that he was not buried), and then on the eighth day he regained his senses, while often repeating the name of Jesus. For about this rapture he said nothing to anyone, as far as we know. And those who knew Ignatius familiarly are not surprised at this silence; by their questions they could get from him easily an account of the sins of his former life and other details, but the internal and unusual things they could not get from him, even though they tried hard to get it from him. And it is to be believed that only those things could be elicited from him, which he believed would contribute to imitation or to the glory of God. Mansit fere per annum integrum Manresae, ubi spiritus primitias degustavit; et cum tempore quietis, interdum dulcedine contemplationis trahi se sinens, fere insomnes noctes traduceret, corporis debilitatem consequentem observans, non subtrahere tempus constitutum somno decrevit; et ita in libro Exercitiorum et in privatis consiliis eos, qui spiritualibus rebus vacabant, ne necessarium naturae somnum sibi adimerent (sicut nec cibum, saltem panis) semper admonuit. He remained for almost a whole year at Manresa, where he tasted the first fruits of the spirit; and for the time of rest, sometimes allowing himself to be drawn by the sweetness of contemplation, he spent almost the whole night without sleeping; but when he became aware of the resulting weakness of his body, he decided not to subtract from the allocated time for sleep; and so in the book of the Exercises, and in private counseling, he always warned those who dedicate themselves to spiritual things not to deprive themselves of the necessary sleep required by nature (and also the necessary food, at least bread). Hoc ipso anno ex nimis laboribus et vitae austeritate ac castigationibus corporis in gravem morbum incidit et morti satis vicinus videbatur. Quo tempore unicam tentationem permolestam ferebat, quod ipsum justum esse et sanctum daemon ante oculos proponebat; contra quam ille, memoria suorum peccatorum, praesertim anteactae vitae, se armabat: rogavit etiam adstantes (cum meliuscule habere coepisset) ut si denuo ad mortem accedere ipsum vidissent, sua ipsi peccata, quibus Deum tantopere offenderat, exprobrarent et inculcarent. Citius tamen ab eo morbo quam a molestia tentationis vanae gloriae liberari potuit, quae aliquandiu militem Christi oppugnavit; et tam diligenter contra ipsam certabat, ut ne patriam quidem, nedum cognomen suum, dicere auderet, ne nobilis fuisse existimaretur. Sed temporis successu sic eum Dominus in intima sui cognitione et despectione humiliavit, et sic ipsam vanae gloriae radicem in co extirpavit, ut ab eo ego ipse audierim ultimis illis octodecim vel viginti annis numquam se de vana gloria confessum fuisse, cum alioquin subtilis admodum in quibusvis venialibus confitendis esset; et ita libertatem magnam tam in suis peccatis quam in Dei beneficiis referendis habebat, cum illa ad Dei gloriam et aedificationem eorum, cum quibus loquebatur, dicenda judicabat, quamvis alia quae in illo divina Sapientia mirandum in modum operata fuerat (ut diximus) referre noluit: et cum aliquando a quibusdam ex nobis urgeretur ut ea communicaret, dixit, si Deo gratum id fore ipse intellexisset ut talia scriberentur aut aliis communicarentur, semet illa scripturum. In this year, because of his excessive labors, austerity of life and castigation of the body, he fell seriously ill and seemed to be close to death. At this time he endured one temptation, because the devil placed before his eyes that he was a justified and holy man; he defended himself against this by the remembrance of his own sins, especially those of his former life. He asked those standing by (when he got somewhat better) that, if finally they saw he was close to death, they should reproach him for the sins with which he had so greatly offended God. However, he was able to be freed from that sickness more quickly than he could be from the harassment of the temptation of vain glory, which attacked the soldier of Christ for a long time. And he fought against it so diligently that he did not dare to mention either his homeland or his family name, lest he be thought to be a nobleman. But in the course of time God so humiliated him in the intimate knowledge and contempt of himself, and he so eliminated the root of vain glory in himself that during the last eighteen or twenty years of his life I never heard his say he had to confess a sin of vain glory, while otherwise he was very acute in confessing various venial sins. And so he exercised great freedom in speaking both about his sins and his gifts from God, when he judged they should be mentioned for the glory of God and for the edification of those with whom he was speaking, although the other things, which the divine Wisdom had worked in him in an amazing way (as we have said), he refused to talk about. And when occasionally some of us urged him to tell us about them, he said, if he understood that it would be pleasing to God that such things should be written down and communicated to others, he would write it down himself. Cum ex praedicto morbo utcumque liberatus fuisset, nondum tamen in suis viribus confirmatus, statim et orationis et castigationis sui corporis pristinamconsuetudinem, prout initio proposuerat, resumpsit, et ita in febrim relapsus est. Denuo etiam liberatus et praedictas exercitationes ante tempus resumens, ne sibi nimium indulgeret, tertio in eumdem morbum recidit ; et ita seipse colligens, et cogitationem ad causam morbi reflectens, constituit prius vires confirmare quam consuetos labores subiret; et ita in ea parte aegrotantibus semper prudens consilium dedit, ac ne timerent aliquid consuetae devotioni adimere morbi tempore est exhortatus, praecipue si mentalia exercitia prolixiora essent ; et patientiam eo tempore et aedificationem aliorum, quatenus is status ferret, curando, caetera in tempus valetudinis recuperatae rejicerent. Et in re hac (sicut in aliis ipse dicebat sibi accidere) prius errando non errare didicit. Cum autem saepius recidentem medici opera eum non posset liberare, nova quadam medicina convaluit: eum enim in arbore quadam multas ficus vidisset, a muliere, cujus erat arbor, aliquas sibi dari postulavit: illa vero magna cum devotione satis multas ficus colligens ipsi obtulit, quas cum comedisset, sanitatem illi Dominus reddidit. Urgebant nihilominus viri boni ut propter stomachi dolorem, quem jam tunc patiebatur, vestibus se contra frigus muniret; et ita ne eis et rationi repugnare videretur, vestes quasdam ex panno rudi coloris caesii (pardillum vulgo vocant) et aliquid etiam, quo caput tegeret, accepit. When he had overcome that sickness but had not fully recovered his strength, immediately as at the beginning he resumed his previous custom of prayers and castigation of his body, and so he fell again into the same fever. Also, when he again recovered, and resumed too quickly the same exercises, so that he might not indulge himself too much, for the third time he fell into the same sickness. And so gathering himself together and after reflecting on the cause of his illness, he decided to regain his strength before resuming his usual labors; and so in this matter he always gave prudent advice to those who are sick, and he exhorted them not to be afraid to omit some usual devotions during their sickness, especially if their mental exercises were quite long. And by showing patience at that time and the edification of others, as best they could during that time, they could make up for those things when their good health was restored. And in this matter (just as in other things he said happened to him) by erring first, he learned not to err. But since the medicine given to him did not prevent him from falling often into the same illness, he regained his strength with a new medicine. For when he saw many figs on a tree, he asked the woman who owned the tree to give him some figs. So she with great care picked many figs and gave them to him; when he had eaten them the Lord restored his health. Nevertheless, some good men, because of the stomach pains which he was then suffering from, urged him to protect himself against the cold with some warm clothes; therefore, lest he seem to oppose them and good advice, he accepted some shabby grey clothes (commonly called pardillum) and something else to cover his head. Hoc ipso anno Manresae exacto, quamvis proprio profectui Ignatius dabat operam, nihilominus quod ipse a Deo acceperat, proximis, ut diximus, communicabat; et hunc zelum animarum altissime in ejus animo Dominus impresserat. Et experientia comperiebat, dum proximis communicabat acepta, non solum ea non minui, sed in ipso etiam valde crescere. Spiritualia ergo illa exercitia, quae a Deo ipse edoctus acceperat, multis Manresae communicare coepit; et eos, quibus ea proponebantur, admirandis illustrationibus et spirituali consolatione et virtutum omnium augmento Dominus permovebat. In familiaribus etiam colloquiis, cum his et illis agere solitus fuit; et cum a quibusdam ad prandium invitaretur, non recusabat ad eos ire (quamvis alioquin ex eleemosynis emendicatis viveret); quamdiu autem cibum capiebat, tacere consueverat, si non interrogaretur; interrogatus, comedere desinens, respondebat: et qui hoc observabant, pauca, ne cibum capere desineret, interrogabant. Prandio absoluto, occasione aliqua sumpta ex verbis in mensa dictis vel aliunde, spirituale colloquium habere, prout illi tunc Dominus dabat (nec enim prius praemeditabatur), solitus erat: et si quando fuisset praemeditatus, non bene id ei succedebat. Et ex hujusmodi exhortationibus multum etiam aedificationis in auditoribus sequebatur; et utraque ratione, sed potissimum spiritualium exercitiorum (quae satis late Manresae patuerunt), multi magnam vitae mutationem ibidem, et in spirituali via insignes progressus fecerunt. Cum autem magnam de Ignatii sanctitate existimationem homines ejus oppidi concepissent, cum in praedictum morbum incideret, magistratus ejus populi domum et reliqua necessaria ad ejus curationem prospexerunt et primariae rmitronae totam noctem in ejus cura interdum pervigilem ducebant. Sedcum Manresae supra scriptum tempus unius anni plus minus exegisset, Barcinonam se contulit, ubi et aliorum exhortationibus, et quia ipse ad Dei gloriam fore judicabat, litteris dare operam, ut cum doctrina a Domino supernaturaliter accepta etkim acquisitam ad proximorum aedificationem adjungeret, constituit. Et ita studio Grammatices sic dare operam coepit (quamvis alii post reditum a Hierosolymis hoc studium inchoatum existimant) , ut eamdem vivendi rationem, quam Manresae tenuerat, victitandi scilicet ex emendicatis eleemosynis, et in hospitali pauperum divertendi retineret : amor enim paupertatis, tam interioris quam etiam exterioris, ad Christi imitationem, alte ejus animo insederat : nec spiritualium exercitiorum tradendorum, et per familiaria colloquia hujus et illius juvandi studium interim omissit. Et in dies in eo dexteritas et efficacia ad animas juvandas et discretio spirituum augebatur, et tam ad tentationes discutiendas quam ad eos, qui in res spirituales incumberent, dirigendos, eximium talentum a Domino acceperat. After this year at Manresa, although Ignatius had worked hard on his own perfection, still what he had received from God he communicated, as we have said, to his neighbors; and the Lord had impressed this zeal for souls deeply into his mind. And he learned from experience that, when he communicated what he had received to others, not only were those things not diminished, but they also increased in himself. Therefore, he began to communicate to many people at Manresa the spiritual exercises which he himself had learned from God. And the Lord deeply moved those to whom these things were proposed with wonderful illuminations and spiritual consolation and the increase of all virtues. And he was accustomed to engage in friendly conversations with various people; and when he was invited by some to dinner, he did not refuse to go (although otherwise he lived from the alms he begged). But while he was eating, he was accustomed to keep silence, unless he was asked a question; when asked, he stopped eating, and responded; and those who noticed this, asked him few questions so that he would not stop eating. When the dinner was over, taking his cue from things said during the meal, he was accustomed to initiate a spiritual conversation, as the Lord at the time inspired him (for it was not premeditated); and if at times it was premeditated, it did not succeed very well for him. Thus from these kinds of exhortations the result was much edification in those who heard him. In these two ways, and especially by the spiritual exercises (which for the most part were composed at Manresa), many in that place underwent a great change of life and significant progress in the spiritual life. But since the people in that town conceived a great estimation for the holiness of Ignatius, when he fell sick as we said above, the magistrates of the people provided a house and the other things necessary for his cure, and the leading ladies sometimes spent the whole night taking care of him. But when he had spent more or less a whole year at Manresa, he went to Barcelona where, at the urging of others and because he judged it would be for the glory of God, he decided to get some book learning, so that he might add acquired learning to the teaching he had received supernaturally from God, and he did this for the good of souls. And so he began to study grammar in such a way (although others think that he began his studies after he returned from Jerusalem), [1. Parenthesis haec tota ipsius etiam Polanci manu superaddita est.
This whole parenthesis was added by the handwriting of Polanco.] so that he might retain the same way of living, which he maintained at Manresa, namely, of living from the alms he begged, and staying at the hospice of the poor. For, the love of poverty, both interior and exterior, in imitation of Christ, was deeply implanted in his soul. However, his studies did not prevent him from giving the spiritual exercises and by friendly conversation to help various people. And daily his dexterity and efficacy in helping souls, and his discernment of spirits increased, for he had received an extraordinary talent from God both to recognize temptations and to direct those who wanted to devote themselves to spiritual things.