5. Of the opinion of a certain doctor, and the miracle that befell her

A certain doctor from Delft, Master Andrew by name,1 visiting her, told her 1 The author has here followed John Brugman in his Life translated from Gerlac : but in his later and corrected work Brugman attributes these remarks to Godfrey of Hague, who is mentioned in ch. iii, and whose son, also a doctor, appears in Book II.

ST. LYDWINE of SCHIEDAM parents as in prophecy, that by no means would she obtain health, even if they should expend a large sum of English nobles for her. The same ex perienced Master, to console her parents and kinsfolk, also added that God would work such and so great supernatural wonders in her, that for a weight of gold the size of the maiden's head he would wish that she were his daughter : for from such an offspring he would hope to receive the greatest joy.

And there befell, in the aforesaid three years while the maiden, was lying abed ill, a thing very miraculous, which God deigned to manifest to the glory of His name and to make known the virgin's merit. Two men in the city excited in mind against one another began to quarrel, and one pursued the other with a drawn sword to strike and wound, or kill him. The other of them there fore in terror fled to the house and chamber of this maiden, that hiding there he might escape the hands of his pursuer. Whom the other following soon after, asked of her mother Petronilla whether he had entered the house. And she, wishing to save the fugitive by her lie and to hinder the pursuer ST. LYDWINE of SCHIEDAM from shedding blood, answered him that he had not entered. But he, not believ ing the words of the mother, went into the inner room of the sick girl. And when he had asked her whether he had entered her chamber, the holy virgin with hope in God confidently replied in the affirmative. At which answer her mother, being angry, gave her daughter a blow, as if she had added to her misery the treason of malice by her incautious words. Then the daughter replied to the mother with constancy: "I there fore told the truth, because I hoped that the truth would conceal him who fled to it." Which also happened, by the providence of God. For he who was sought unto death stood before the eyes of his pursuer, and was quite unseen. He departed therefore, giving over the pursuit of the fugitive, not knowing that the power of God had been there. Seeing which, her mother extolled the faith of her daughter far exalted above her faith, or rather her want of faith ; and hence forth she conceived a fuller love towards her, and began to bear her infirmities more kindly.