nd theologians as Nicole, Pascal,
Racine, etc.

The mission of Port-Royal seems to have been preparation of souls for
the struggles of life, teaching how to resist oppression or to bear it
with courage, and how, for a righteous cause, to brave everything,
not only the persecutions of power--violence, prison, exile,--but
the ruses of hypocrisy and the calumny of opposing opinion. The
Port-Royalist nun combated and taught how to combat; she lacked
humility, but possessed an abundance of courage which often bordered
upon passion.

One of the most pathetic and striking illustrations of the fervent
devotion which was a characteristic product of Port-Royal, is supplied
by Jacqueline Pascal, sister of the great Blaise Pascal. Young,
_spirituelle_, very much sought after and the idol of brilliant
companions, at the age of twenty-six she abandoned the world to devote
herself to God. At thirty-six years of age she died of sorrow and
remorse for having signed an equivocal formulary of Pope Alexander
VI., "through pure deference to the authority of her superiors." The
papal decision concerning Jansenius's book, already mentioned, was
drawn up in a formula "turned with some skill, and in such a way
that subscription did not bind the conscience; however, the nuns of
Port-Royal refused to sign." Jacqueline Pascal wrote:

"That which hinders us, what hinders all the ecclesiastics who
recognize the truth from replying when the formulary is presented to
them to subscribe is: I know the respect I owe the bishops, but my
conscience does not permit me to subscribe that a thing is in a
book in which I have not seen it--and after that, wait for what will
happen. What have we to fear? Banishment and dispersion for the nuns,
seizure of temporalities, imprisonment, and death if you will; but
is not that our glory and should it not be our joy? Let us either
renounce the Gospel or faithfully follow the maxims of that Gospel
and deem ourselves happy to suffer somewhat for righteousness' sake.
I know that it is not for daughters to defend the truth, though,
unfortunately, one might say that since the bishops have the courage
of daughters, the daughters must have the courage of bishops; but,
if it is not for us to defend the truth, it is for us to die for the
truth and to suffer everything rather than abandon it."

She subscribed, "divided between her instinctive repugnance and her
desire to show herself an humble daughter of the Catholic Church