OF AMBOISE.

A voice, which I take for that of Alexis,
From above, upon my altar, suddenly seems to descend;
To the depths of my heart it makes itself heard;
I listened to it speak, filled with a holy awe;
It seemed to say to me: "Friend, reassure yourself,
Your vows are pure; the God of love and justice,
Has seen your sacrifice with a favorable look.
To the highest of the heavens your incense has ascended;
And it will not be to your city alone
That the dead will lend their salutary support.
One day they will traverse all the places of the earth,
To aid its courage in disastrous times.
Iniquity increases; these injurious sounds,
These blasphemies coming from the heart of arrogance,
Soon, from heaven itself, will arm the power.
In those unhappy days, everywhere the air will groan;
The stars will weep; the marble will complain;
By the force of fire the waters will be dried up;
By the force of the winds a thousand fires will be born;
All the volcanoes of the globe will vomit at once;
The elements at war will strike against each other;
All will speak, and terrible signs,
Will teach the wicked what fate they are worthy of.
Alexis, who announces these scourges to you today,
While living, was not alone in weeping for all these ills;
And he even still counts within the walls of your city,
Three brothers of sorrow a likely reference to Saint-Martin's small circle of spiritual students or fellow initiates. He would count a thousand
Who keep watch in France. No nation,
One can say, no place, is without a share in this gift.
God never surprises; and his supreme goodness,
Without rest, depicts to mortals their extreme peril."
"You then, who make the dead witnesses of your torments,
Let your tears also be addressed to the living;