Letter 836. To Mother Marie Aimée de Blonay

Superior at Lyons. [Paris] 30 March [1628]. Vive > Jésus!

My very dear Daughter,—This evening I received the ‘Conferences.’ We shall look over them as best we can and return them with the corrections of the ‘ Book of Customs.’ I heard it read, and saw it would have to be done over again. Some little things have been added to the Directory which I do not much like, and which have never been practised. As to the rest, dearest daughter, I have answered all the necessary questions you wrote to me about. To do more is practically impossible for me, nor can I, it seems to me, be more prompt, for I am overwhelmed with work. For God’s sake let what you desire about these [false] ‘Conferences’ be done.1. What wonderful ingenuity they have in twisting

1 “The Spiritual Conferences.’ These gentle outpourings of the heart of St. Francis de Sales in the midst of his dear daughters of the Visitation were carefully collected by them and for some years kept privately within their cloisters as a precious family treasure. In 1627, during the Mother de ChAatel’s term of superiorship, she desired to put in order this collection, which was intended exclusively for the religious of her Institute, and for this purpose submitted it for supervision to two Jesuit fathers, and then sent it to Mother de Blonay, who at once had a copy transcribed for the use of her community. The person to whom she entrusted this work secretly made a second copy without her knowledge, which copy was a little later published under the title of Conferences and Colloquies of the Blessed Francis de Sales. Whether from precipitation on the part of the copyist, or that an audacious hand had altered the manuscript, adding or retrenching as he thought desirable, it is certain that the first edition of the Conferences published in 1628 was very defective. The preface announced that the material had been furnished by Mother de Blonay, but took good care to add that the book was published without her participation, nay, even without her knowledge. The public were deceived, and, owing to the veneration inspired by the memory of St. Francis de Sales, eagerly welcomed the book. St. Chantal, by the advice of his Lordship, Jean Frangois, Bishop of Geneva, resolved to stop the sale of this apocryphal work, for seeing the name of this illustrious defender of the Catholic Faith serving as a passport for erroneous principles sorely grieved him. Recourse was had to Louis XIII, who ordered all copies to be seized and forbade the reprinting of the book. To make amends for the dishonour done to her Blessed Father, St. Chantal thought it an opportune moment to publish a correct edition things. It only shows that we are too free in communicating what it is unnecessary tomake public. Look at what I write to Bourg, andif she [Mother Favre] wants a conveyance from Lyons, engage one for her in good time. Make the best terms you can with the conductor: let him even have some days to rest here, so long as he gets to Bourg by Holy Saturday, and he can spend Easter Sunday there and start on the Monday, going direct to Moulins. If she asks for money, give her sufficient. Oh, how happy are the people who have not got a heap of business to attend to! But all the same, those who do it for God are happier still. Ask Him to grant me, in His goodness, this grace. I will write soon to holy Pére Binet; meanwhile a thousand greetings to him and to our sisters. God be praised.

My daughter, send me back the paper on ‘ Tenderness,’ as I have mislaid ours. My ‘Answers’ are growing big, for they are asking me so many questions. Send me also a copy of the ‘Letters,’ the last edition, or rather, tell me where to procure them here. M. Cceursilly will tell you, for the carriage will not be much.