PREFACE OF THE FIRST EDITION.

Theotonio de Braganza (1530–1602) was an influential Portuguese prelate who was a close friend and supporter of St. Teresa of Avila.

AMONG many favours I have received from our Lord, not the least was my intimate acquaintance with the very Reverend Mother Teresa of Jesus, now in Glory A pious reference to the fact that Teresa had already died (in 1582) and was believed to be in heaven., because in her I have witnessed the splendour of the gifts of our Lord and of His divine grace. These are evidenced by the convents founded by her according to the primitive Rule The original, stricter set of regulations for the Carmelite Order, which emphasized extreme silence, fasting, and poverty before later "mitigations" or relaxations were introduced. of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, without any mitigation In a monastic context, a "mitigation" is a formal easing or lessening of the strictness of the religious rule., but with as much religious observance and recollection, with such austerity, such unceasing prayer and as much manual labour as our weak human nature is able to bear. She herself was a living example of that manner of life, and she fully trusted that our Lord would grant to His servants spiritual and bodily strength to