THE INTERIOR CASTLE; oR, THE MANSIONS, Se.ce, ! THE INTERIOR CASTLE; oR, THE MANSIONS. ere Written by Suint Ceresa (INCLUDING SOME OF HER MOST INTERESTING LETTERS), Awp TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH BY THE REV. JOHN DALTON. 8G LONDON: : T. JONES, 68, PATERNOSTER ROW. { 1852. x —____~enenPREFACE OF ST. TERESA. —»— Amone the things which I have been commanded to do under obedience, few have proved so difficult to me as writing at present something on prayer; and this for two reasons, because it seems to me our Lord does ‘not give me spirit, nor a desire to write, and also because I have had, for the last three months, such a noise in my head, attended with ex- treme weakness, that I write with pain, even on necessary business. But knowing the power of obedience, which makes things easy that seem impossible, my will is deter- mined to undertake the work very cheerfully, though nature seems exceedingly averse to it, because our Lord has not given me such virtue that I should be able to accomplish the task, considering how I have to endure continual sickness, and how many different employments occupy my time, without great resist- ance on the part of nature. May he be pleased to accomplish the work, who has performed other more difficult things for me; in His mercy I trust. Iam confident I shall be able to say little more, than what I have said on other matters about which I have been commanded to write; I am even fearful lest what I may say should be almost the same; for as birds which learn to speak know no more than just what is taught them or what they hear, and thisxxiv PREFACE OF 8T. TERESA. they often repeat, so do I in like manner. Hence, if our Lord wishes me to say anything new, His Ma- jesty will teach it to me, or will be pleased to recall to my mind what I have said elsewhere. Even this would satisfy me, because I have such a bad memory, and I should be glad to touch upon some of those things which people say have been correctly handled, lest perhaps they might be lost. If our Lord should not please to grant me this favour, however much I may weary myself and in- crease the pain in my head by obedience, I shall be a gainer, even though no fruit whatever should come from what I say. Wherefore I commence the work this day, being the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, in the year 1577, in order to obey the command given to me; and IJ am now living in the Convent of St. Joseph of Mount Carmel, at Toledo. I submit in al] that I shall say to the judgment of those who have commanded me to write, because they are persons of great learning. If, perchance, I shall say anything which does not exactly agree with what the Holy Catholic Church holds, it will be through ignorance, and not in malice. This may be taken for certain, since I have always been, am, and shall be, by the grace of God, subject to her voice. May our Lord be eternally blessed and glorified. Amen. Ihave been told by those who commanded me to write this book, that as the nuns of this Convent of our Lady of Mount Carmel require some one to ex- plain to them certain doubts regarding prayer, they thought that as women understand one another’s language best, and the nuns love me, what I should say would do them more good than the words of others for these reasons, they considered it very important that I should undertake to say something on the subject. Hence, I consider that, in what IPREFACE OF 8T. TERESA. xXxV write, I am speaking only to them; for it seems foolish to think that my words can be of service to others. Our Lord will do me a great favour, if any one among the nuns shall hereby be moved to praise Him ever so little more. His Majesty knows well I have no other object. It is very evident, that when I happen to say anything to the point, people will know it is not mine, since there is no reason to think so. But.they will discover in me avery Boor capacity for such things, unless our Lord, through His mercy, shall give me understanding. TERESA DE JzEsus.CONTENTS. —_—- THE FIRST MANSIONS. CHAPTER I. THE SAINT SPEAKS OF THE BEAUTY AND DIGNITY OF OUR SOULS, AND MENTIONS THAT THE GATE OF THIS CASTLE IS PRAYER, page 1. CHAPTER II. THE SAINT SHOWS HOW DEFORMED A 80UL IN MORTAL SIN 18, AND SPEAKS OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF OURSELVES, ETC., page 6. THE SECOND MANSIONS. CHAPTER I. THE SAINT EXPLAINS THE GREAT IMPORTANCE OF PERSEVERANCE, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO ABRIVE AT THE LAST MANSIONS, ETO., page 18. THE THIRD MANSIONS. CHAPTER I. ‘THE SAINT SHOWS WHAT LITTLE SECURITY WE OAN HAVE WHILE WE LIVE IN THIS EXILE, THOUGH WE MAY HAVE REACHED A HIGH DEGREE OF PERFECTION, ETO., page 26, CHAPTER II. THE SAINT CONTINUES THE SAME DISCOURSE, AND SPEAKS OF ABIDITIES IN PRAYER, ETO., page 32. THE FOURTH MANSIONS. CHAPTER I. THE SAINT SPEAKS OF THE DIFFERENCE WHICH EXISTS BETWEEN SWEETNESS AND TENDERNESS IN PRAYER.—SHE ALSO MENTIONS THE CONSOLATION ,SHE FOUND ON DISCOVERING THAT THE IMAGI- NATION AND THE UNDERSTANDING WERE DISTINCT POWERS, page 41.xxvii CONTENTS. CHAPTER II. THE SAME DISCOURSE I8 CONTINUED, AND BY A COMPARISON SHB EXPLAINS WHAT 18 MEANT BY TENDERNESS IN PRAYER, page 48, CHAPTER III. THE SAINT EXPLAINS WHAT IS MEANT BY THE PRAYER OF REOOL- LECTION, AND SHE DESCRIBES ITS EFFECTS, page 54. THE FIFTH MANSIONS. CHAPTER I. THE SAINT BEGINS TO EXPLAIN HOW THE SOUL UNITES HERSELF WITH GOD IN PRAYER, ETC., page 64. CHAPTER II. SHE CONTINUES THE SAME DISCOURSE, AND ILLUSTRATES THE PRAYER OF UNION BY A COMPARISON, page 71. CHAPTER III. THE SAINT CONTINUES THE SAME DISCOURSE, AND SPEAKS LIKEWISE OF ANOTHER KIND OF UNION, page 78. . CHAPTER IV. THE SAINT CONTINUES THE SAME SUBJECT, AND ENTERS INTO SOME FURTHER EXPLANATIONS OF PRAYER, ETO., page 85. THE SIXTH MANSIONS. CHAPTER I. THE SAINT SHOWS HOW WHEN OUR LORD BEGINS TO BESTOW GREATER FAVOURS, THERE COME GREATER TROUBLES ALSO.—SOME OF THESE SHB MENTIONS, ETC., page 92. CHAPTER II. SHE SPEAKS OF CERTAIN WAYS BY WHICH OUR LORD AWAKENS THE SOUL; IN WHICH THERE SEEM TO BE NO GROUNDS FOR FEAR, ETC., page 100. CHAPTER III. THE SAME SUBJECT I8 CONTINUED ; SHE SHOWS THE WAY BY WHICH GOD SPEAKS TO THE 80UL, ETC., page 105.CONTENTS. xxix CHAPTER IV. . ‘THE SAINT EXPLAINS WHEN GOD SUSPENDS THE SOUL BY TRANCE, BOSTASY, OR RAPTURE, AND SHOWS THAT GREAT COURAGE 18 NEOBSSABY FOR RECEIVING SUCH A FAVOUR, page 115. CHAPTER V. THE SAME DISCOURSE I8 CONTINUED, page 123. CHAPTER VI. SHE MENTIONS SOME OF THE EFFECTS OF THE PRAYER OF WHICH SHE SPOKE IN THE PRECEDING CHAPTER, ETC., page 129, CHAPTER VII. SHE SPEAKS OF A KIND OF GRIEF WHICH SOULS FEEL FOR THEIR SINS, ON WHOM GOD BESTOWS THE FAVOURS MENTIONED IN THE PRECEDING CHAPTER, BTO., page 187. CHAPTER VIII. SHE SHOWS HOW GOD COMMUNICATES HIMSELF TO THE SOUL BY AN INTELLECTUAL VISION, ETO., page 146. CHAPTER IX. SHE EXPLAINS HOW OUR LORD COMMUNICATES HIMSELF TO A SOUL BY AN “IMAGINARY VISION,” ETC., page 153. CHAPTER X. ‘THE SAINT MENTIONS OTHER FAVOURS WHICH GOD BESTOWS UPON A SOUL, DIFFERENT FROM THOSE MENTIONED BEFORE, page 162. CHAPTER XI. SHE SPEAKS OF CERTAIN DESIRES WHICH GOD GIVES A SOUL OF ENJOYING HIM, AND WHICH ARE 80 VEHEMENT AND IMPETUOUS THAT THEY ENDANGER HER LIFE, page 165. THE SEVENTH MANSIONS. CHAPTER I. SHE SPEAKS OF THE GREAT FAVOURS WHICH GOD BESTOWS ON SOULS WHO HAVE ENTERED THE SEVENTH MANSIONS, ETC., page 172.xxx CONTENTS. CHAPTER II. SHE CONTINUES THE SAME DISCOURSE, AND EXPLAINS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SPIRITUAL UNION AND SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE: THIS SHE ILLUSTRATES BY SOME COMPARISONS, page 178, CHAPTER III. SHE MENTIONS SOME WONDERFUL EFFECTS PRODUCED BY THE PRAYER ALREADY SPOKEN OF, page 184. CHAPTER Iv. THE SAINT CONCLUDES BY MENTIONING WHAT OUR LORD HAS PAR- TICULARLY IN VIEW, IN CONFERRING SUCH GREAT FAVOURS UPON THE SOUL, page 191. APPENDIX, page 203. LETTERS. No. I. TO PHILIP H. KING OF SPAIN, page 221. No. IL. TO THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LADY LOUISA DE LA CERDA, OF MALAGON, page 228. No. Il. 10 THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LADY ANNE HENRIQUEZ, OF TORO, page 224, No. Iv. TO THE REVEREND FATHER LOUIS OF GRANADA, OF THE ORDER OF 8T. DOMINIO, page 227. No. V. TO THE REVEREND FATHER PEDRO IBANEZ, page 228.