Lights and shadows of spiritualism

52 JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN ERAS.disease, that the nuns of Port Eoyal, in Vv'liich famous institution,slic laad become a boarder, were forced to keep ber strictly apartfrom tbo rest of tbeir young charges. As a forlorn hope it wasdetermined to try the actual cautery, and for this purpose thegirl's father came, accompanied by a surgeon, to Port Royal.But,immediately before the time fixed for the operation, the nuns wereiusph-ed to touch the eye of the sufi'erer with a thorn, held in highveneration as a professed relic from the crown of Christ. To theawe and amazement of all present the decayed bones becameinstantly firm and sound, the effusion of humour ceased, and alltrace of disease vanished in an instant. The father beheld themiracle, and wept for joy.The surgeon who had come to operateupon this apparently hopeless case, scarcely dared trust his sight.Eleven other surgeons and physicians of eminence afterwardsexamined Mademoiselle Perrier, and confessed, without exception,the miraculous nature of her cure. The court, though it bore toPort Eoyal a deadly hate, and had ordered the destruction of thatseminary of Jansenism, was compelled also to admit the authenticityof the marvel. A mass in music was instituted by the parentsof the young girl, to be celebrated for ever in the Cathedral ofClermont, on March 24th of each year, the anniversary of theirdaughter's instantaneous recovery. A picture of the event wasplaced in the church of Port Royal. Racine droAV up a narrativeof the case, which Pascal, Arnauld, and Felix attested. TheArchbishop of Paris, and the doctors of the Sorbonne, investigatedwith the severest scrutiny of malice the whole of the circumstances,and were forced, in their sentence of October 22nd, 1656,to admit that " this cure was supernatural, and a miracle of theomnipotence of God."Benedict XIII. forever consecrated the casein Catholic eyes by quoting it in his printed Homilies as one ofmany proofs that miracles had not ceased. Finally, during thetwenty-five years which Mademoiselle Perrier lived after beingthus suddenly healed, the malady showed no signs of return.A volume would be required to treat in detail of the miracleswrought at the grave of the Abbe Paris. Douglas, Bishop ofSalisbury, employed great part of a dull work in simply seeking to