Two years after her brother’s death the noble Charitas Pirkheimer followed him to a better land, and her sister Clara was chosen abbess in her stead. Her friend Apollonia Tucher died within a few months, on the 15th of January, 1533, and the new abbess the following month, whereupon her niece Katharine became abbess and ruled the community for thirty years. She was the last abbess but one; for towards the end of the century the last nun died and the convent reverted to the town.[74] But the good fight had been fought, and the noble defeat only brought fresh and eternal honor on the name of the Clarist Order; for, as says Montaigne, “There are defeats that dispute the palm with victories,” and Lacordaire comments thus on the saying: “This noble axiom applies no less to moral than to military defeats, and we should never tire of inculcating the principle that as long as honor and conscience are safe, so long also is fame deserved.” [72] _Charitas Pirkheimer, Abbess of St. Clare at Nuremberg._ By Franz Binder. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau. The biographer, Franz Binder, has compiled the life of Charitas, which we have condensed in the present article, from trustworthy sources, the principal ones being the _Works of Wilibald Pirkheimer_, in Latin, published at Frankfort in 1610; MS. letters of the Pirkheimer family preserved in the town library at Nuremberg; Charitas’ own diary, published at Bamberg in 1852; Dr. Lochner’s _Biography of Celebrated Nurembergers_, published in 1861; and other less important and shorter works in which passing reference is made to the events of Charitas’ life. [73] Literally _lay priests_, but, we think, referring to seculars. [74] The church of St. Clare at Nuremberg remained for a long time closed. It was then opened again and soon afterwards given over to Protestant worship. It was subsequently used for commercial purposes, as a magazine of wares, a market-place, and place for local exhibitions, and finally as a barracks. In 1854 it was given back to the Catholics of Nuremberg as their second church. In the following year its restoration was begun, and on May 13, 1857, the Church of St. Clare was publicly consecrated anew for Catholic worship. MYSTERIES. “It might have been.” We say it oft, With aching heart, with streaming eyes; We grope with eager, outstretched hands After another’s slighted prize. We call a life a wasted life. O mourning souls! be not too sure. Out of great darkness may come light, And, after evil, hearts grow pure. God only knows. We leave to him The things that are not what we would, And trust that in his own good time He will do that which he sees good.