e felt
for her faults was immense, and not less intense was her gratitude for
their pardon; but when she longed to offer acts of love and
thanksgiving as precious incense at the feet of Jesus, she beheld him
betrayed, suffering, and about to die for the expiation of her offences
which he had taken upon himself, and this sight filled her with horror,
and almost rent her soul asunder with feelings of love, repentance, and
gratitude. The sight of the ingratitude of those for whom he was about
to die increased the bitterness of these feelings tenfold, and every
step, word, or movement demonstrated the agony of her soul. The heart
of John was filled with love, and he suffered intensely, but he uttered
not a word. He supported the Mother of his beloved Master in this her
first pilgrimage through the stations of the Way of the Cross, and
assisted her in giving the example of that devotion which has since
been practised with so much fervour by the members of the Christian
Church.

CHAPTER XIX.

Pilate and his Wife.

Whilst the Jews were leading Jesus to Herod, I saw Pilate go to his
wife, Claudia Procles. She hastened to meet him, and they went together
into a small garden-house which was on one of the terraces behind the
palace. Claudia appeared to be much excited, and under the influence of
fear. She was a tall, fine-looking woman, although extremely pale. Her
hair was plaited and slightly ornamented, but partly covered by a long
veil which fell gracefully over her shoulders. She wore earrings, a
necklace, and her flowing dress was drawn together and held up by a
species of clasp. She conversed with Pilate for a long time, and
entreated him by all that he held sacred not to injure Jesus, that
Prophet, that saint of saints; and she related the extraordinary dreams
or visions which she had had on the previous night concerning him.

Whilst she was speaking I saw the greatest part of these visions:
the following were the most striking. In the first place, the principal
events in the life of our Lord--the annunciation, the nativity, the
adoration of the shepherds and that of the kings, the prophecy of
Simeon and that of Anna, the flight into Egypt, the massacre of the
Innocents, and our Lord's temptation in the wilderness. She had likewise
been shown in her sleep the most striking features of the public life
of Jesus. He always appeared to her environed with a resplendent light,
but his malicious and cruel enemies wer