wicked life. But it has not been so willed; on the contrary, I
am laid herein under great restraint; and therefore, for the love
of our Lord, I beg of every one who shall read this story of my
life [1] to keep in mind how wicked it has been; and how, among
the Saints who were converted to God, I have never found one in
whom I can have any comfort. For I see that they, after our Lord
had called them, never fell into sin again; I not only became
worse, but, as it seems to me, deliberately withstood the graces
of His Majesty, because I saw that I was thereby bound to serve
Him more earnestly, knowing, at the same time, that of myself I
could not pay the least portion of my debt.

May He be blessed for ever Who waited for me so long! I implore
Him with my whole heart to send me His grace, so that in all
clearness and truth I may give this account of myself which my
confessors command me to give; and even our Lord Himself, I know
it, has also willed it should be given for some time past, but I
had not the courage to attempt it. And I pray it may be to His
praise and glory, and a help to my confessors; who, knowing me
better, may succour my weakness, so that I may render to our Lord
some portion of the service I owe Him. May all creatures praise
Him for ever! Amen.


1. The Saint, in a letter written November 19, 1581, to Don Pedro
de Castro, then canon of Avila, speaking of this book, calls it
the book "Of the compassions of God"--Y ansi intitule ese libro
De las Misericordias de Dios. That letter is the 358th in the
edition of Don Vicente de la Fuente, and the 8th of the fourth
volume of the Doblado edition of Madrid. "Vitam igitur suam