no longer of this world," said the Religious with a smile, "and by the mercy of God I am already in the enjoyment of eternal beatitude. I come by the command of God to encourage you in your labours." "Am I in the state of grace?" asked Thomas immediately. "Yes, dear brother, and your works are very agreeable to God." "And you, had you to suffer Purgatory? " " Yes, for fourteen days, on account of little infidelities, which I had not sufficiently expiated on earth."
Then Thomas, whose mind was constantly occupied with questions of theology, profited by the opportunity to penetrate the mystery of the beatific vision; but he was answered with this verse of Psalm xlvii., Sicut audivimus, sic vidimus in civitate Dei nostri— "As we have learned by faith, we have seen with our eyes in the city of our God." Saying these words, the apparition vanished, leaving the Angelic Doctor inflamed with the desire of the Eternal Good.
More recently, in the sixteenth century, a favour of the same nature, but perhaps more wonderful, was granted to a zelator of the souls in Purgatory, an intimate friend of St. Charles Borromeo. Venerable Gratian Ponzoni, Archpriest of Arona, interested himself in the cause of the poor suffering souls throughout his whole lifetime. During the pest which carried off so many victims in the diocese of Milan, Ponzoni, not content with administering the Sacraments to the plague-stricken, hesitated not to become sexton, and to bury the dead bodies; for fear had paralysed the courage of all, and no one would take upon themselves that terrible task. With a zeal and charity truly apostolic, he had assisted a large number of the unfortunate victims in Arona in their last moments, and had interred them in the cemetery near his church of St. Mary. One day, after the office of Vespers, as he was passing by the cemetery in com;. any with Don Alphonso Sanchez, then governor of Arona, he stopped suddenly, struck with an extraordinary vision. Fearing some delusion, he turned towards Sanchez
