6. Of the scantiness of her nourishment for many years

After this her maladies increased and multiplied so much, that deprived of all strength of body she was entirely con fined to her bed, so that for the space of thirty-three years before her death she did not touch the ground. And her nourishment after the first three years until the nineteenth year of her sickness was of a food slight and little, and that cannot be conceived sufficient for the sustenance of so very ailing a human life. Sometimes she took a small piece of apple warmed over the fire, some times a little bread with a slight sip of white beer, sometimes a little fresh milk. Afterwards,. however, she could not take such things for weakness of body ; for some years she drank through the week half a pint of pure wine, without any admixture, which nevertheless later for some years it was necessary to mingle with water. Sometimes also she would eat a little spice of sugar or cinnamon, ST. LYDWINE of SCHIEDAM or musk, or grapes. But when she could no longer take these eating or sucking, she took only water, namely half a pint of the water of the Meuse a week ; which by a special gift of God brought her such sweetness, that it sur passed all flavour of wine ; for the which she used to give great thanks to God. At the same time she received this favour from God, that by taste alone she dis tinguished between the water of the Meuse when the tide was in and when the tide was out, when she took the cup brought her, with a draught there from.1 For many years there was that also which is more to be wondered at, that she had no sleep and took no bodily food or drink except the body of Christ, the sole remedy of all her pains, and a most sweet solace, most savoury to her above all food.2 1 Schiedam is at a sufficient distance from the sea to have the Meuse water there usually fresh ; but at full moon it would be salty enough when the tide was in to make a noticeable difference to the poor sufferer who took no other drink 2 This abstinence from all food was made the subject of a rigorous inquiry by the town authorities. See Introduction. For the rest, as Huysmans re marks, no inquiry could be more critical than that which would be provoked in such a case by the curiosity or envy of neighbours.