Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/279

ST. THERESA 267 L8 money are indeed nothing : bat ^eresa and these dncats suffice for lomplishment of the undertaking," d, and the foundation was made. Pastrana, the Princess of Eboli le house. On her husband's death, iserted her right, as founder, to Q a sister there. On the first day lowed a violent fervour, the next laxed the rule, and the third day iversed with secular persons within oister, made the nuns speak to L their knees, and insisted on re- g as nuns whom she pleased, k remonstrated. The Princess said ase was hers. <* Yes, madam," said k, " but the nuns are not," and she ad them to Segovia, where she a foundation to supply the place trana. 1571 her labours were increased by )pointment to the priorate of her mvent, the Incarnation, by the fcolic visitor," whom Pius V. had ited to inquire into the relaxa- in the Carmelite Order. He great fault with the Incarnation, among fourscore nuns, inclosure )litude were not better observed." Isters of the convent, whose rights stion had been over-ridden in this itment, were incensed that a er of a barefooted community I have been sent to reform them, aresa won them by her gentleness act, and before many weeks had I they asked her to make the IS she wished, and when her three of office expired, the nuns would re-elected her, had not the Pro- 1 interfered and set her free to on her own peculiar work, ween the years 1576 and 1580 the 388 of the reform was completely upted by a quarrel between the dos and Descalzados friars. Teresa a foundation at Yeas, which, igh she did not know it, was in usia and thus outside the limits ited her. The latent hostility of >ld Order was aroused, and the ios friars obtained fresh briefs [tome, forbidding Teresa to make lore foundations. She was under for two years at Toledo, while her writings were submitted to the Inquisi- tion. Her letters helped to guide her reform through this terrible crisis. She was supported by Philip II. and the Spanish authorities, who bitterly re- sented the part played by Italy. The quarrel was finally settled by a bull from Pope Gregory XIII., dated June 22, 1580. The Calzados and Descalzados were made two separate provinces, each free to elect its own officers. Teresa was now in her sixty-fourth year, old and broken and in wretched health, but she had many leag^nes of Castillian road yet to travel," in her rude cart, which often sank so deep into the mire that the mules had to be un- harnessed from one carriage to drag out the other. In the two years of her life which yet remained she founded five houses of women (at Yillanueva, Palenda, Soria, Granada and Burgos) ; but she no longer worked in the teeth of opposition. Municipalities came out to receive her, while church bells rang and Te Deums were simg. The labour of visiting the foundations she had already made was also added to that of founding. Some of the convents had been loft too much to themselves and their defection grieved her sorely. The Sisters of St. Joseph's at Avila, the first fruits of her toil, rebelled for a meat diet. Many founda- tions had after all to be endowed. At Yalladolid, the prioress took part against her, and bade her, " Go and return hither no more." Amid apparent fedlures the end came. She reached her foundation at Alba, Sept. 20, 1582, brought to the point of death by over- work and starvation. She died in the arms of the Yen. Anna (28), in the evening of Oct. 4, 1582. There is now but one house of Beformed Carmelities in Spain, and its foundation dates only from the time of the late Queen Isabel, but the order is reviving in Northern Europe, and wherever there are houses of Descalzados the constitutions of St. Theresa are observed. The day of Teresa's death is memor- able as occurring at the time of the reform of the calendar. She died