136 III.—THE ROMANIZED CHURCH (A.D. 1130—138).
daughter Katharine, and by other travellers from Sweden.
Her revelations took the form of prophetic warnings
addressed to Rome and to the popes, and to various leaders
of the Church ; but usually her life was a quiet well-ordered
and serious round of study, devotion, careful meal-times
and ministry to the poor. She was much too independent
to enter a monastery, for, while she desired to live by rule,
she did not wish to live under rule. She never even wore
the habit of her own order. The city was dis-
tracted by the factions of the Orsini and the Colonna
families, and was sometimes hardly safe to move in. She
was protected by one of the Orsini family, and in
time got a house lent her, which, after a while, be-
came a priory of her order, and the agency of Vad-
stena, and almost of Sweden in Rome. It is near the
Campo di Fiore and is still shown. She had a long and
tedious time of waiting before her vision was fulfilled.
Clement VI., and his successor, Innocent VI., lived and
died at Avignon. At last, in 1367, she had the joy of see-
ing Urban V. enter Rome, and the Emperor Charles IV.
came for a time in the next year. Urban showed her great
favour, and in 13570 sanctioned the statutes of her order,
though only ‘‘ per modum constitutionum,” as a branch
of the Augustinians, and gave her many privileges. But
he left Italy in September of that year, and Birgitta prophe-
sied his death, which took place in Avignon after a few
months. This event immensely increased her reputation as
a prophetess. She now wished to fulfil her long-cherished
design to visit Palestine. In 1372 she started on this
pilgrimage, passing Naples, where her son Karl, a married
man, boldly made love to the queen—Joanna—a lady of no
good record—much to Birgitta’s distress. But he died
there, much to her relief, and, as she supposed, in answer
to her prayers. I have already spoken of the consolation
which she received in visions of the rescue of his soul in the
other world. She went on with Birger, who was made a
knight of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. Her strong