Note A — CIV. To a great Servant of God.

The following extract from a letter of St. Francis to Mme. de Chantal, March 28th, 1612, tells us what these virtues were: he says, "But let us come to the interior trial which you write to me about. It is in reality a certain insensibility which deprives you of the enjoyment not only of consolations and inspirations but also of faith, hope, and charity. You have them all the time, and in a very good condition, but you do not enjoy them: in fact you are like an infant whose guardian takes away from him the administration of all his goods in such sort that, while in reality all is his, yet he handles and seems to possess no more than what he requires for living, and as St. Paul says in this, 'He differeth nothing from a servant though he be lord of all things.' In the same way, my dear daughter, God does not want you to have the management of your faith, your hope, or of your charity, nor to enjoy them except just to live, and to use them on occasions of pure necessity."