the Blessed Sacrament was preserved in the tabernacle. In his left hand
he held a crown of flowers, in his right hand a crown of thorns, and he
bade me choose which I would have. I chose the crown of thorns; he
placed it on my head, and I pressed it down with both hands. Then he
disappeared, and I returned to myself, feeling, however, violent pain
around my head. I was obliged to leave the church, which was going to
be closed. One of my companions was kneeling by my side, and as I
thought she might have seen what happened to me, I asked her when we
got home whether there was not a wound on my forehead, and spoke to her
in general terms of my vision, and of the violent pain which had
followed it. She could see nothing outwardly, but was not astonished at
what I told her, because she knew that I was sometimes in an
extraordinary state, without her being able to understand the cause.
The next day my forehead and temples were very much swelled, and I
suffered terribly. This pain and swelling often returned, and sometimes
lasted whole days and nights. I did not remark that there was blood on
my head until my companions told me I had better put on a clean cap,
because mine was covered with red spots. I let them think whatever they
liked about it, only taking care to arrange my head dress so as to hide
the blood which flowed from my head, and I continued to observe the
same precaution even after I entered the convent, where only one person
perceived the blood, and she never betrayed my secret.'

Several other contemplative persons, especially devoted to the
passion of our Lord, have been admitted to the privilege of suffering
the torture inflicted by the crown of thorns, after having seen a
vision in which the two crowns were offered them to choose between, for
instance, among others, St. Catherine of Sienna, and Pasithea of
Crogis, a Poor Clare of the same town, who died in 1617.