Scarron

My friends, I was very unhappy on Earth, because my spirit was equal and at times superior to that of the people who surrounded me; but the body was inferior. Thus my heart was ulcerated by the moral sufferings and the physical ills that had reduced my earthly envelope to a pitiful and miserable state.

My character had soured with the maladies and the vexations I experienced in my relations with friends. I let myself be carried away by the most caustic malignity; I was cheerful and apparently without grievances; yet I suffered deep within my heart. When I was alone, given over to the secret thoughts of my soul, I groaned at finding myself in a struggle between good and evil. The most beautiful day of my existence was that on which my spirit separated from the body; on which, light and illuminated by a divine ray, it cast itself into the celestial spheres. It seemed that I was reborn, and happiness took possession of my being: at last, I was at rest. Later conscience awoke; I recognized my errors against the Creator; I felt remorse and implored the pity of the Almighty. Since then, I seek to instruct myself in good; I seek to make myself useful to men and I progress daily. Yet I feel the need that prayers be offered for me, and I ask the fervent believers to raise their thoughts to God on my behalf. If they call me, I will seek always to come and I will answer the questions as much as I am able. Thus is charity practiced. Paul Scarron. n [1]

[v. Paul Scarron.]