Chapter VII

How to deal with melancholic nuns. Needful for Prioresses.

These my Sisters of St Joseph's at Salamanca, where I am living while writing this, have earnestly begged me to say something about how melancholic¹ nuns should be treated. Because although we are always extremely careful not to admit those who suffer from it, it is so cunning that it feigns death when this serves its purpose, so that we do not find it out until it is too late. I think I have said something about it in a little booklet of mine², but I cannot remember. There is no harm, anyhow, in speaking of it here, if the Lord is pleased that I should speak aright. It may be that I have said it at some other time: I would say it a hundred times over if I thought I could succeed in saying anything profitable. The devices which this temperament invents to get its own way are so many that they have to be studied so as to be able to endure it and control it, so that it may not do harm to others.

It must be observed that not all people of this temperament are so troublesome: for when it lights on humble and gentle subjects, though they are troublesome to them- selves, they do no harm to others, especially if they are of good understanding. And besides, there are different degrees of this temperament. I fully believe that in some people the devil takes it as his handle for getting them into his power; and that if they are not exceedingly careful, he will do so. For, as the chief effect of this temper is to overcome the reason, and so this becomes obscured; what then, under such conditions, will not our passions do?

Not having the use of one's reason seems the same as being mad, and so it is: only that in those of whom we are speaking the evil has not come to such a pitch, and it would be a much less evil if it had. For having to behave as a reasonable being, and having to treat some one as such when she is not so, is an intolerably difficult situation. For to those who are altogether sick of this malady, compassion is to be shewn, but the)7 do no harm; and if there is any way of keeping them under control, it is to put them in fear. Those in whom this malignant evil is only begun but has not taken such firm hold, yet must be treated in the same way, when other means fail; as the evil is of the same quality and root, and springs from the same stock. The Prioresses must avail themselves of the penances in use in the Order; and must aim at so bringing them under control that they may recognize that they will not succeed in getting everything nor anything they want. For if they find that their clamour and the desperate things which the devil says in them to ruin them have sometimes succeeded, then they are lost. And one of such is enough to disquiet a whole monastery. For as the poor creature has in herself nothing with which to defend herself from the devil's suggestions, the Prioress must take the greatest pains to direct her, not only outwardly but inwardly. As reason is obscured in the sick nun, it must be the clearer in the Prioress, so that the devil shall not begin to obtain power over that soul, by means of this malady.

It is a dangerous thing. For this temper is sometimes of such violence as to overcome the reason altogether; and when this is so, they are not to blame, as madmen are not, whatever follies they commit. But people are to be blamed when their reason is not quite overcome, but only weakened, and they are at times quite well. They must not be allowed to take liberties when they are at their worst, lest when they are well they should not be able to master themselves: for this artifice of the devil's is much to be dreaded; and thus, if we consider it, what they are mostly at is the getting their own way, and saying whatever comes into their head, and finding out faults in others to hide their own with, and pleasing themselves with whatever they have a fancy for: acting, in short, as one who has in himself no power to control himself. Then, with passions unmortified and every one of which wants to get its own way, what will happen if there is no one to control them?

I repeat, as one who has seen and dealt with many people suffering from this malady, that there is no other remedy for it but to bring them into subjection by all possible ways and means. If words will not suffice, then punishments; if slight ones will not suffice, then severe; if one month's imprisonment will not suffice, then four: for no greater good can be done for their souls. Because, (as I have said, and say again, for it is important that the nuns themselves should understand it): although once or more than once they may be really not responsible for their actions; as it is not a confirmed madness of a kind which makes wrong-doing blameless (although it may be so at times, yet not habitually), the soul is in great danger. Except it is, as I say, a case of such entire loss of reason that the nun is constrained to do what she says or does when she cannot help herself. It is a great mercy of God to those who suffer under this malady, when they submit themselves to some one who can control them; for this is their only safety in the danger of which I have spoken. And for the love of God, if any of them should read this, let her consider that her salvation may depend on it.

I know some whose understanding is all but completely unsound, but who are so humble-minded and fearful of offending God that, although they dissolve in tears when they are alone, they do nothing but what they are told, and bear their infirmity as others do: but this being a greater suffering, their glory will be the greater; and having their purgatory here, they will not have it hereafter. But I repeat that those who will not do this of their own accord must be compelled to it by the Prioress, and must not be led on by imprudent kindnesses till they come to upset everyone by their disorderliness.

For besides the danger to the nun herself of which I have spoken, there is another most serious evil: that when the other Sisters see her, as they think, in good health, but do not realise what inward struggles she goes through, our nature is so wretched that every one will be tempted to affect melancholia, so that she may be borne with; and in fact the devil will make her actually think herself melancholic. And so the devil will succeed in making a havoc which, by the time it is found out, will be difficult to undo. And this is so important that no negligence must be tolerated in a melancholic Sister: but if she disobeys the Superior, she must be punished for it like the sane, and must never be let off; if she speaks wrongly to any of her Sisters, the same; and so in everything else of the kind.

It may seem unjust that the sick should suffer as the sane, when they cannot help what they do: so must it be, then, to confine and beat madmen, but they ought to be allowed to kill everybody. Believe me; for I have proved it, and, having tried all sorts of remedies, find none but this to answer. And a Prioress who out of pity allows such as these to begin to do as they please — at last, at last, it will be unendurable, and when it comes to setting it right, that will only be after much harm has been done to the others. And if madmen are confined and punished in order that they may not kill people, and it is right to do so, although we are very sorry for them because they cannot help it, how much greater precautions must be taken that these Sisters may not injure souls with their wilfulnesses?

And I really believe that very often, as I have said, it is not so much their malady which makes some of them act thus as their natural disposition, wilful, proud, and ill-disciplined: for I have seen them control themselves and behave properly for some one whom they feared; then why cannot they do so for God?

I am afraid that the devil is seeking to make prey of many souls under colour of this temper, as I have said. For it is more common than it used to be; and the reason is that all self-will and licence are now called melancholia. So I have thought that, in our houses and in all religious houses, we ought not to take this word on our lips, because it seems to carry with it licence; but that it should be called a dangerous illness — and how dangerous it is! — and be treated as such. For it is sometimes quite necessary to use some sort of medical treatment to dissipate the violence of the malady and make it endurable, and the patient should be kept in the infirmary. But she must recognize that when she comes out to join the Community she will have to be submissive like the rest; and if she is not, her malady will not avail as an excuse; because, for the reasons given above, this is necessary: and I could give more.

Without the Sisters themselves perceiving it, the Prioresses should help them along with tender compassion, just like a true mother, and should keep thinking of ways of doing them good. I seem to be contradicting myself, because so far I have said that they are to be treated with severity. So I say again, that they must not suppose that they can get their own way, nor must they get it. It must be clearly laid down that they are to obey; for it is in their feeling they need not that the evil lies. Still, as they have not the strength to do violence to themselves, the Prioress may refrain from commanding them to do anything which she knows they will refuse, but try to lead them on discreetly and by affection to all that is really necessary; so that, if possible, they may obey her from affection, which will be much better: and this is usually the case if she shews them much affection, and makes them see it by her words and deeds.

And it must be borne in mind that the best remedy at the Prioresses' disposal is to give them plenty to do, so that they may have no opportunity for idle imaginations; for the whole evil comes from these. And although they may not do the work so well, yet let some faults be put up with, that other worse faults may not have to be endured in them when they are past help. For I know this to be the most efficacious remedy that can be used. And it must also be arranged that they shall not spend much time in prayer, not even so much as others spend; because they mostly have a weak imagination, and it is very bad for them: and if this is not done, they will be fancying things which neither they nor any- one who listens to them will be able to make sense of. Care must be taken that they eat fish but seldom; also they must not be allowed to keep such prolonged fasts as the others.

It may seem disproportionate to give so much advice about this evil and about no other, when in our wretched life there are so many serious evils, especially in the weakness of women. I have done it for two reasons: the first, that they seem to be in good health, because they will not own to this malady. And as, having no fever, they are not obliged to stay in bed nor send for the doctor, the Prioress must be their physician; because this malady is more inimical to all excellences than those which keep people in bed in peril of death. The second reason is that in other sicknesses people get well or die: in this, it is a wonder if they recover, nor do they die of it; but they come to lose their reason completely — a sort of dying which is the death of everybody else.

They suffer death enough within themselves with their miseries, fancies, and scruples: and thus they may reap exceeding spiritual gain, although they always call them temptations: but if they could once understand that these come from nothing but their malady, it would be a great relief to them because they might be able to disregard it. Indeed I am very sorry for them; and so ought all to be who live with them, considering that they themselves might be thus dealt with by the Lord, and helping them along without their perceiving it, as I have said. May it please the Lord that I have hit the mark in what has to be done for so grievous a sickness!

Footnotes

1. [It would perhaps be too great a liberty to render St Theresa's " melancolia " by hysteria. Nevertheless, if this rendering is kept in mind, much light is thrown on what she says. Tr.] ↩

2. It has been conjectured from these words that St Theresa had written some other treatise now lost. But in my opinion she is referring to the first copy of The Way of Perfection, & quarto volume (which is in the Escorial) instead of being a folio like the other writings. 4—2 ↩