ll, and more especially when those things are commanded which
seem to thee inconvenient and of little use.

And because, being under authority, thou darest not resist the higher
power, therefore it seemeth to thee hard to walk at the beck of
another, and wholly to give up thy own opinion.

But consider, son, the fruit of these labors, their speedy
termination, and their reward exceeding great; and thou wilt not hence
derive affliction, but the most strengthening consolation in thy
suffering.

For in regard to that little of thy will which thou now willingly
forsakest, thou shalt forever have thy will in heaven.

For there thou shalt find all that thou willest, all that thou canst
desire.

There shall be to thee the possession of every good, without fear of
losing it.

There thy will, always one with Me, shall not covet any extraneous or
private thing. There no one shall resist thee, no one complain of
thee, no one obstruct thee, nothing shall stand in thy way; but every
desirable good shall be present at the same moment, shall replenish
all thy affections and satiate them to the full.

There I will give thee glory for the contumely thou hast suffered; a
garment of praise for thy sorrow; and for having been seated here in
the lowest place, the throne of My kingdom forever.

There will the fruit of obedience appear, there will the labor of
penance rejoice, and humble subjection shall be gloriously crowned.

Now, therefore, bow thyself down humbly under the hands of all, and
heed not who it was that said or commanded this.

But let it be thy great care, that whether thy superior or inferior or
equal require anything of thee, or hint at anything, thou take all in
good part, and labor with a sincere will to perform it.

Let one seek this, another that; let this man glory in this thing,
another in that, and be praised a thousand thousand times: but thou,
for thy part, rejoice neither in this nor in that, but in the contempt
of thyself, and in My good pleasure and honor alone.

This is what thou hast to wish for, that whether in life or in death,
God may be always glorified in thee.

FRANCE

TWELFTH CENTURY--1885

GEOFFREY DE VILLE-HARDOUIN

Born between 1150 and 1165, died in 1212; marshal of
Champagne in 1191; joined the Crusade in 1199 under
Theobault III; negotiated successfully with Venice for the
transfer of the Crusaders by sea to the Holy Land; followed
the Cru