but sighing said, God's will be done! Thus the tide drove us until
about five o'clock in the afternoon, and drawing near the side of a
small rock that had a creek by it, we ran aground, but the sea was so
calm that we all got out without the loss of any man or goods, but the
vessel was so shattered that it was not afterwards serviceable: thus,
God be praised! we escaped this great danger, and found ourselves near
a little village about two leagues from Nantz. We hired there six
asses, upon which we rode as many as could by turns, and the rest
carried our goods. This journey took us up all the next day, for I
should have told you that we stirred not that night, because we sat up
and made good cheer; for beds they had none, and we were so
transported that we thought we had no need of any, but we had very
good fires, and Nantz white wine, and butter, and milk, and walnuts
and eggs, and some very bad cheese; and was not this enough, with the
escape of shipwreck, to be thought better than a feast? I am sure
until that hour I never knew such pleasure in eating, between which we
a thousand times repeated what we had spoken when every word seemed to
be our last.

As soon as it was day, we began our journey towards Nantz, and by the
way we passed by a little poor chapel, at the door of which a friar
begged an alms, saying, that he would show us there the greatest
wonder in the world. We resolved to go with him. He went before us to
the altar, and out of a cupboard, with great devotion, he took a box,
and crossing himself he opened it, in that was another of crystal that
contained a little silver box; he lifting this crystal box up, cried,
'Behold in this the hem [Footnote: Thus in the MS.; but query if a
mistake of the transcriber.] of St. Joseph, which was taken as he
hewed his timber!' To which my husband replied, 'Indeed, Father, it is
the lightest, considering the greatness, that I ever handled in my