Letter 137. To Mother Mary of St. Joseph, Prioress of Seville, Toledo, November 19, 1576

A Latin scholar. On confessions. A habit from Caravaca. Father Gradan and his health. The convent of Malagon. Prudent advice. The nuns' habits.

JESUS!

May the Holy Spirit be with your Reverence, my daughter.

1HAVE received your letter of November 3 ; I assure you that you never weary me; in fan, you rest me after other fatigues. I am much amused at your writing the date in full: God grant it is not done to avoid the humiliation of people's seeing your ciphers!

Before I forget it, let me tell you that your letter to Father Mariano would have been capital had you left Latin quotations alone. God forbid that any of my daughters should boast of being Latinists! Never do it again, nor allow any other nun to do it. I would far rather they should boast of being taken for simpletons instead of rhetoricians, for it is more like the saints. This is what you gain by enclosing open letters. However, now that you have made your confession to our Father, you will be more mortified. Tell him that I made what was almost a general confession to the priest I mentioned in my letter, and that it did not give me a twentieth part of the trouble of the confession I was to have made to him. Is not that an evil temptation ?

Ask the nuns to pray for my confessor who is a great comfort to me; and it is no small thing that a confessor should content me. Oh ! how wise of you not to choose the one who tormented me at Seville, where I found no solace whatever, for as you know, the comfort our Father afforded me was mingled with much anxiety and the consolation you could have given me because of my great love for you, was withheld by you. I am glad you recognize my fondness for you now. As for the other at Caravaca — may God forgive her! Still, she regrets her condud: now, so powerful is the truth. She sent me a serge habit to-day which suits me better than any I have had, the material being both very coarse and light. I thanked her sincerely as the other habit had worn too thin for winter wear. The sisters made me the tunics too, but they never wear linen tunics during the summer nor do they dream of such a thing, though their fast is very severe. Now I see that I really am becoming a nun at last : let the sisters pray that it may continue. I told my brother that you had in hand the money owing to him; he will send the muleteer from Avila for it, but you would do well not to entrust the man with the sum unless he brings an authorization. Take care to remind our Father to speak to the Duke about the matter he mentioned to me, for he is so busy and so unaided that I do not know where he will get the strength he needs unless God works a miracle. I do not think the idea ever occurred to me of objediing to his taking his meals in the parlour, for I see there is urgent need that he should. I meant that he should not visit you often except for that purpose, lest people should notice it and oblige our stopping it altogether. In fadl, I shall never be able to repay you for the charity you have shown me by providing for his Paternity. Tell the sisters so, particularly my Gabriela who ventured to introduce the subjedl in her letter to me. Remember me very kindly to them and to all my friends, and send a very warm greeting from me to Fray Antonio de Jesus, for whose cure we are praying earnestly. The Mother Prioress and I were much grieved at hearing of his illness. Give my kind regards also to Fray Gregorio and Fray Bartolomé.

The health of the Prioress of Malagon is worse than ever ; however, she consoles us a little by telling us that the wound is not in her lungs, nor is she consumptive. She adds that Ana de la Madre de Dios, a nun from this house, suffered from the same complaint and has recovered. God can work the same cure for the prioress. I do not know what to say about all the troubles God has sent that community, and their illnesses are accompanied by the direst poverty, for they have neither corn nor money, but only a world of debts. As I told our Father, Salamanca has in hand the four hundred ducats owing to them, and God grant that sum may suffice to free them from their difficulties. I have sent for part of that amount. There have been large expenses of many kinds at Malagon. That is why I do not wish the prioresses of our convents, whether endowed or not, to be too generous, as it results in the loss of everything. The whole of the burden has fallen upon poor Beatriz ;

she is the only one in good heahh, and has taken entire charge by request of the prioress, 'for want of good men,' as they say.

I am very glad that you are in no need of good men'. Do not be foolish about keeping an account of the payment for the letters and the other matter I mentioned; you would lose by it, and the thing is absurd. I am sorry that Fray Andrés is our Father's companion for I do not think he knows how to hold his tongue, and I am still more sorry that our Father takes his meals in the Calced Carmelites' priories. For the love of God, warn him to be careful and persuade him to eat at the priory of los Remedios as soon as his work is done, for he seems to me to be tempting God. May His Majesty watch over you for me and may He make you all saints. I have several more letters to write.

To-day is November 19. Yours,

Teresa de Jesus.

Please turn over the leaf.

I have already told you that I received the letters enclosing those from the Indies and Avila; I should like to know who sent them so that I may answer them; also when the fleet sails.

I am glad to hear that you bear your poverty so well and that my God provides for you. May He be for ever praised! You did rightly in giving the tunics to our Father, for I did not require them. What we all require is that you should not let him take his meals with these people/ and that he should be very cautious about it, since God has shown us such mercy as to preserve his health among all his labours.

I prefer that the nuns should wear linen when they need it, rather than this mixture of wool and linen which opens the door to relaxation, so that the constitution would never be kept as it would be were linen worn only in cases of necessity. Besides, this stuff is nearly as warm as woollen: nothing would be gained by it, therefore serge must still be used. The constitution which rules that the stockings must be made of hemp or serge is never kept, I am sorry to say. Speak to our Father about it some day and ask him to substitute for the directions as to the material for the stockings simply that they are to be made of cheap stuff". Be sure to let me know about it. Or else let stockings be mentioned with no further detail, which would be best. Do not forget to tell him.

Keep him from going to visit the province as long as you can, until we see how certain matters go on. Did you notice what a charming letter he wrote to Teresita? People can never say enough about her and her virtues; Julian '° speaks wonders of it, and that means much. Read the enclosed note from Isabel to his Paternity.

Relation dated November 21, 1576. Toledo.

Onck, on the feast of the Presentation, I was praying earnestly for some one. 1 thought his property and freedom were obstacles to the great sanctity I wished for him. While reflecting on his delicate health and all the light he gave to souls 1 heard the words : ' He serves Me well, but it is a great thing to follow Me stripped of all things as I was on the cross. Tell him to trust in Me.' The last words referred to my doubt whether his weak health would allow him to lead so perfect a life.

CLXII