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 continued our journey by land as far as a town called Ventimiglia. Had we gone farther we should have inevitably fallen into the ambuscades of those especially who had designs on my life; but by the permission of God, we stopped there a day and a Religious of my Order, who was a native of that place, forwarded me a letter in which he said; ' ' Beware of passing Ventimiglia, for ambushes are prepared for you, and were you to fall into any one of them, no human aid could save you from death."

On this advice, after having taken counsel of the companion whom the Sovereign Pontiff had given me, I returned to Genes; I sent word to the Holy Father of what had happened, and asked what step I should take. He commanded me to remain at this place and preach a Crusade against the schismatics. This mission delayed my return, audit was at that moment the Blessed Catherine concluded her pilgrimage and crowned it by an admirable martyrdom. Therefore, from this date, I can no longer describe events as having seen them personally; but all that I shall commit to writing, I know by the letters which she then addressed me and very frequently too; and from persons who assisted her in her latest moments, and who witnessed the prodigies which the Almighty effected by the intercession of his servant. But lest in indicating these witnesses in general, I may appear to suppose them, I intend naming them in order, that others may credit them more thoroughly than they do myself; they are assuredly more worthy, for they imitated better than I, the examples offered by Catherine: they consequently comprehended them more clearly.

I will begin by the females who were her faithful companions. Alessia of Senna. Sister of Penance of St.