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How she prohibited the king from imposing unjust imposts and tributes.

When the king of Sweden was hard pressed to pay a certain sum of money and was arranging to put the burden on the community of the realm contrary to the statutes and his oaths, Lady Bridget replied to him: ”My Lord, do not do this; for you will not be immune from the wrath of God. But take instead my two sons; and pawn them as hostages until you can pay; and do not offend your God.” Then, on that very day, there came to her the following vision in which Christ spoke to Lady Bridget and said this: ”Just as a kingdom has sometimes been saved because of the charity of one human being, so some kingdoms have been lost because of one person's new inventions and burdensome taxes.

I give you an example of this in the case of the following kingdom. For its king himself trusted in money - exacted by fraud or feigned justice from his people and from travelers - more than he trusted in me. Therefore, he lost his life and left his kingdom in trouble.
Others who succeeded him turned his crooked inventions into custom, and, as it were, into law. But if a king trusts in me, his God, and the community of the realm is petitioned for assistance with charity, then I am able to save and to restore to peace more quickly because of that charity. Therefore, if the king desires to prosper, let him keep his promise to me and keep truth with the community of his realm; and let him especially beware of introducing new inventions or tributes or technicalities. In his difficulties, let him follow the advice of those who fear God, and not the advice of the covetous; for it is better to suffer some adversity in this world than to sin knowingly against me and against his own soul.”

394. How the devil wanted to deceive her.

One day, when Lady Bridget was going, at the Spirit's instruction, to visit a certain man obsessed by the devil, the horse on which she was accustomed to ride, and which had previously been very gentle, suddenly so reared up from the ground that the horseshoes on its hooves could all be seen. As a result of this rearing, that same lady suffered pain in her back for a long time, whereby she was given to understand that the devil begrudged this sinner's conversion. In fact that man being visited - a man noble, by the world's standards, and great - was vexed by the devil; and especially in her presence, he was disturbed, as it were, more gravely than usual.

Then that same man spoke many horrible things against God and said to her: ”Oh, how unlike are your spirit in you and my spirit in me! But when it pleases the Spirit who is in you, I shall be perfectly healed; for he himself, because of my disbelief and my hidden demerits, has given me over into the hands of a cruel exactor.” She answered him: ”I promise you that you shall be quickly healed, but I ask why you speak such great abominations against God.” And he said: ”I do not rule myself.” When he had said this word, he began to speak, as it were, more bitterly against God and to blaspheme him, saying: ”Him who created heaven and earth, I worship; about your new God Christ, be silent!” Then the bride of Christ said: ”Be silent, wretched devil, in your speech against God; for even if you are this creature's punisher, nevertheless you shall not be his eternal owner.” And at once that man, as if drowsing, fell silent; but after several days, he was cured.
Still another miracle took place. In a revelation, it had been divinely told to the aforementioned Lady Bridget that on God's behalf she should instruct a certain Brother Peter - the prior of the Cistercian order's monastery of Saint Mary of Alvastra in Sweden - to write the books of the revelations that had been divinely given to that same Lady Bridget in spiritual vision. This same prior was a very simple man; and he would for no reason set his hand to writing; for he reckoned himself, because of his ignorance, less than suitable for so great a work. Then he was driven by Christ with the fear of death - and almost died - until he consented. And when his consent was given, he was suddenly cured without any lapse or interval of time.
So too a demoniac in East Gothland. In the presence of two trustworthy witnesses, at words from the mouth of the aforesaid religious - words whose form this lady heard from Christ and which the brother said to the demon according to Christ's instruction - then indeed the demoniac was cleansed.
Moreover, another demoniac in Sweden was cleansed in the same manner by the same religious, in the presence of trustworthy witnesses, at the instruction of the aforesaid Lady Bridget.
Moreover, through the intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who with Christ appeared to the said Lady Bridget, a certain public prostitute was converted through the prayer of that same Lady Bridget. Moreover, many magnates in the kingdom of Sweden were converted when at one and the same time and place - with the exception of those ungrateful to Christ - they experienced a movement of their hearts for the better: a movement caused by him at the words of the same Lady Bridget and which they confessed had been sent by him.

395. How Lady Bridget was judged by a certain bishop in his heart, and what things came to her.

One time, at a banquet, when the bride of Christ was sitting at table with a certain devout bishop and, in God's honor, was making use of the delicacies that had been served, she was judged by the bishop interiorly in his mind; for he said in his heart: ”Why does this lady of such great spirit not abstain from delicate foods?” Then, toward vespers, she herself, knowing nothing of such thoughts, heard these things in spirit: ”Say to the bishop, 'I am he who filled the shepherd with my Spirit. Was this because of the shepherd's fasting? I am he who made married men prophets. What had they done to merit this? I commanded a prophet to take an adulteress as his wife. Did he not obey? I am he who spoke as well to Job in his delights as when he sat upon the dunghill.

Therefore, because I am wonderful, I do all things that please me without dependence on preceding merits.' ” And so, hearing this, the bishop recognized himself and now humbled asked the same Lady Bridget to pray for him. And then, on the third day, the most Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to that same bride of Christ and said to her: ”Say to that same bishop that because he is accustomed to begin all his sermons with praise of me and because his judgment was made with charity rather than envy, his charity thus merits consolation. Tell him, therefore, that I want to be a mother to him and that I want to present his soul to God. And now I shall expound to you how he is the seventh animal of the animals shown to you and how he will carry my words into the presence of kings and pontiffs.” This revelation of the seven animals is more fully recorded in the book of the revelations.

396.