Shortly after Blaise Pascal’s death, a servant noticed a small bulge in the pocket of his jacket. He discovered a sewn lining containing sheets of paper and parchment with phrases dated November 23, 1654. Pascal described how, in a trance, God appeared to him, freeing him from corruption. He subsequently abandoned almost all his friends, calling them horrible bonds, along with all material possessions except the Bible, and wore an iron belt with nails protruding inward. He also renounced his mathematical and scientific studies.
