Letter 111. To Father Gracian, Seville, Toledo, September 20, 1576

Praise of Dona Juana, Father Gradan s mother. Her daughter Juana s vocation. Perequito and Isabel. The chapter of Almodovar. The relator Father Juan de Jesu (Roca). Separation from the Caked friars. ProjeB of sending some fathers to Rome. Malagon. Isabel,

JESUS!

The grace of the Holy Ghost be with your

Paternity.

YOU must not exped; to make things perfect at a stroke, my Father. How can you expe<fl to accomplish more than Father Antonio in the small priories where you stay for two or three days ? You have no sooner left than the friars go back to what they were before, and you are exposing yourself to a thousand dangers.

Doña Juana feels confident that you do whatever I ask of you. God grant it may be so in this case. She has been here three days, but I have not enjoyed as much of her company as I should have liked because she has had many visitors, particularly the canon with whom she is fast friends. I assure you that God has gifted her with the finest qualities: I have rarely — in fad:, I believe, never —

' Various fragments of this letter are still extant. P. Grégoire discovered a fresh one at Chiaia, Naples. The largest specimens are at St. Joseph's priory, Madrid.

' Probably Canon Velasquez, the Saint's confessor.

met with such abilities and so sweet a temper. She is so frank and open that I have lost my heart to her: indeed she tar surpasses her son in this particular. It would be the greatest possible comfort to be where I could often talk to her and her daughters. We have become as intimate as though we had known one another all our lives.

She tells mc that she has greatly enjoyed her visit to Toledo. God was pleased that she should find lodgings with a widow lady who lives alone with her servants. The place suited her and is near the convent, which I consider most fortunate. We send her meals ready cooked from here. The money you told me to keep has been the greatest boon as I have not needed to ask for anything from the community, which would have been a heavy trial to me. The whole thing has amounted to nothing, but I have been better able to carry out my wishes. I was amused at your Paternity's telling me to open the grille! You do not seem to understand me: would that I could open my heart to her! Her daughter. Doña Juana, has been with her until yesterday. She seems very charming; I was extremely sorry that she should be with those young girls,' for to tell the truth, from what she says, she suffers more than we do here. I would willingly give her the habit and she could be with my dear little angel, her sister, who is as pretty and as healthy a child as any one could wish to see. Doña Juana could not get over her astonishment

' A boarding school for girls of rank founded by Cardinal Silíceo at Toledo.

when she saw her, and her brother, Perequito, who came with all his wits about him, could not recognize her when they met. She supplies all the recreation I have here. I saw a great deal of your sister Doña Juana. Ana de Zurita tells me that she seemed rather shaken in her determination on the last day, as she said to Ana that she had been thinking, the night before, of entering the convent and had almost decided upon doing so, but would consider the matter.' God grant she may come! Will you pray about it for she is so like you that I should delight in having her near me.

After witnessing our happiness and way of life here Doña Juana left with the determination of sending Doña Maria to Valladolid as soon as possible; I even think she repented of having prevented Doña Adriana's entrance. She seemed quite satisfied and I do not think she would ever feign anything. She wrote me a letter yesterday full of endearing expressions, saying that she had felt neither pain nor sorrow while at Toledo. They tore up her letter with the rest, for I have received such numbers during the last two days that I have nearly lost my wits. I am very sorry your mother's was destroyed as I meant to have sent it to you.

She told me that on the day she arrived Señor Lucas Gracian recovered from his tertian fever and is now quite well. Oh, what a fine fellow Thomas de Gracian is ! I was delighted with him when he visited me. I wrote to him to-day saying that you were leaving; he is in good health.

I have been wondering which of the two you loved the best: Doña Juana or Laurencia. Then I thought that the former has a husband and other children whom she loves besides yourself, while poor Laurencia has no one on earth but this father of hers. May God preserve him to her! I comfort her as best I can. She tells me that Joseph has given her fresh encouragement, and thus her life passes in the midst of trials with no alleviation.

Now to speak of the chapter. The fathers returned in a state of the greatest satisfadion, which I share on seeing how well things have been managed, thank God ! Assuredly, your Paternity will receive high praise this time. All has been done by you; perhaps, as you say, our prayers may have contributed powerfully to the result. I was particularly pleased at your having nominated a zelator to visit the houses; it is an excellent measure which will do much good. I have desired him to lay great stress upon manual labour, which is of infinite importance. He told me that he would write to your Paternity on the subjedt which was not mentioned at the chapter. I replied that this point was insisted upon both by the Constitutions and the Rule," and for what was he chosen as zelator except to make them obeyed? I could not have believed that I should have felt so happy at hearing that you have expelled those members from the Order as you wished. It is a great thing to have succeeded. I was also very glad that the proje6t was discussed of our striving in every way for constitution as a separate province through the instrumentality of our Father General, for it is an intolerable conflidl to contend with one's superior. If money can bring success to the plan, God will provide it and it must be sent to the two friars who go to Rome. For the love of God, make sure that they start without delay. Do not look upon this as of secondary importance— it is the principal thing. As the Prior of

I 543 and was already Doctor of Divinity when he made friends with Father Gracian at the university of Alcalá, God called him to the Carmelite Order by means of an interview with Isabel de San Domingo at Pastrana. He wished to be a lay brother but was clothed as a choir novice at Pastrana on Jan. i, 1572. On hearing of his reception, St. Teresa exclaimed: Now we have a man in the house.' He was professed next year and became prior of Mancera. As zelator, his love of penance caused him to show the strictness of which St. Teresa complains in her letters. In i 579 he went with a companion to Rome to forward the separation of provinces. He was afterwards superior of the college of Baeza and provincial of Catalonia. In i 597 he refused the bishopric of Tortosa. In 1600, while provincial for the second time, his plan for separating his province from the Spanish congregation and uniting it to that of Italy was discovered. He was disgraced and deprived of all offices and lived as a humble, devout religious until his death in 16 14 at which St. Teresa is said to have been present. ((Euvres, iv, p. 26). " Rule 1 1. {Found, p. 454.) Besides the regular house work which had always been done. Fray Mariano introduced weaving at Pastrana, rope making at Seville, and at Lisbon a mill in which the friars ground wheat for the poor as well as for themselves. {Reforma., book 1 1, ch. xxx, Italian ed.)

Peñuela knows the General well, he might go to Rome with Father Mariano". Supposing that they can obtain nothing from the General, they might appeal to the Pope, but the first would be much the better plan, and the circumstances are most favourable at present. Considering the state of Matusalem'' I do not know why we delay; it means that we hold nothing securely yet and are losing our best opportunity. I must tell you that a priest who is a friend of mine and who consults me about his soul, told me to-day that Gilbert would certainly die soon; he even asserted that he would die during this year, declaring that such things had been revealed to him about other people and had always been fulfilled. It is possible, although we ought not to depend upon this revelation. Still, as the event is not impossible, it would be well for your Paternity to keep the chance before your mind since it affeóts our interests, and to treat the matter of the visitation as though it would soon be over. Father Pedro Hernandez has made use of Fray Angel " to regulate affairs at the Incarnation as he desires. Though in another part of the country himself, he kept his office of Visitor and had his wishes carried out there.

I never forget how this Provincial' treated you when you were in his house: if an opportunity occurs of showing your gratitude, I should not like you to overlook it. Complaints are made that you allow yourself to be ruled by Father Evangelista. ' It is well to watch ourselves carefully, for we are not so perfeél but that we might be influenced by prejudice against some people and by affeftion for others: vigilance is always needed.

Thank God, the Prioress of Malagon is slightly better, though, according to the doctors, the improvement means but little. I was much astonished at your leaving the decision to me and saying nothing about my journey to Malagon. There are many reasons against it: one is that there is no reason for it, as I have not the health to nurse the sick — nor the charity either ! As for the house itself, (I mean the building operations), I do far more for it here. As Alonso Ruiz is there the nuns need not concern themselves about it. Even were there greater need of my presence, this would be a bad season for travelling as your Paternity is aware.

Another strange thing is that you do not order me to make this journey which seems useless to you, but you leave me to decide for the best. What perfeftion it would be in me to suppose that my judgment was wiser than yours ! When they told me that the Prioress was unconscious and unable to speak, and begged me earnestly to go to them, I wrote diredting that Sister Juana Bautista'

' Fray Evangelista, Subprior of the Caked Carmelites of Seville, whom Father Gracian had made his vicar.

" Juana Bautista (de Baena), professed at Malagon.

was to have charge of the house, as she appeared to me the most capable. I have seen so much harm result from moving nuns from elsewhere into another community that I am loath to take the step if it can be avoided. I wrote to the Mother Prioress, in case she should be able to read my letter, saying that I had done what I thought best but that if she preferred it she might choose some other nun as the Rule gave her the right to do so.

The Prioress would not have Sister Juana Bautista but fixed upon Sister Beatriz of Jesus' who, she declares, is a much better nun. It may be the case but it does not appear so to me. Neither would she have Sister Juana Bautista as mistress of the novices who are very numerous and who cause me great anxiety. Yet the sister had already filled that office and had not trained the novices badly, for though she is not clever she is a good religious. However, neither the Mother Prioress nor the chaplain ' were of my opinion. Sister Beatriz is in charge of everything and is very overworked. If she does not succeed, some one else can be put in her place. Any one taken from the community would be better than a nun from another house as long as God leaves the present Prioress with us. I saw very well that you had done your best to please her. But it would be terrible if I

' Beatriz de Jesus (de Cepeda y Ocampo), St. Teresa's cousin, professed at the Incarnation in i 560, left with the Saint when she resigned her office of prioress in 1574. She renounced the Mitigated Rule at Malagon, went to Toledo, was made Subprioress at Malagon in 1581 and assisted at the foundations made at Granada, Madrid, and at Ocana where she died. (CEuvres iii, p. 310).

Don Gaspar de Villanueva.

should feel tempted to go to Malagon for the thought hardly enters my mind of taking any journey before all the world knows of it. To tell you the truth, as far as my own wishes go I should not be altogether sorry to visit the place for a few days/°

Doña Luisa" came here yesterday. I think I have persuaded her to give four thousand ducats this year, although she is only bound to give two thousand. With this sum the surveyor says that the building will be finished for the sisters to enter next Christmas twelvemonth. In short, it is evident that God is guiding your Paternity and that my stay here has been very useful and even a pleasure to myself, for I am extremely glad not to be with my relations, especially as I am Prioress of Avila.

I have a strange charaóter ! When I saw that you left me at Toledo, regardless of my wish to quit the place, I was delighted and feel the freer in expressing my wishes and opinion since you make no account of them.

I told your 'teacher' Isabel" to write to you and this is her letter, in case you should have forgotten her name. Oh, how very pretty she is getting; how plump and bonny she is ! may God make a saint of her and may He watch more zealously over you than over me ! Forgive me for having written so long a letter: have patience with me, for you are far away and I am here. My health is good.

" There is a doubtful tradition that St. Teresa went to Malagon to fetch Mother Brianda.

Luisa de la Cerda, foundress of Malagon. " Father Gracianas little sister.

To-day is the Eve of St. Matthew.

I entreat your Paternity to look to the Roman affair at once; do not wait until next summer. The weather is favourable now: believe me, this is the right time.

Your Paternity s unworthy daughter and subjeft, Teresa de Jesus. Do not kill yourself over these nuns,' for Matusalem says you will soon have no more to do with them and even the owls declare so too. They assert that the Nuncio told Peralta' to lose no time but to come here before two months are over because, they say, he will soon have full authority. Oh, that I could see our affair settled and that it might succeed! May His Majesty deliver us all from these terrors!