Letter 134. To Father Gracian, Seville, Toledo, about the end of November 1576

Praise of Father Gradan s visitation. The nuns of Paterna, Affairs of the Order.

JESUS !

May the grace of the Holy Spirit ever be with your Paternity, my Father, and preserve you to me for many years. Amen.

will you be kind enough to remember me to him and also to Father Paul who caused us so much amusement by his verses and Teresa's letter. I am relieved at hearing that the report about the 'grasshoppers'' was false, and that the 'butterflies' have arrived. I trust God that they will do much good; the number of sisters seems to me sufficient for that place. We are very envious of them here, as we all desire suffering — God help us when it comes ! It would have been trying had the nuns of the house been ill-disposed. Now you realize the sad condition of religious in that distridt. God be praised that you were at hand during the poor nuns' troubles. What would they have done without you? In spite of all they are happy for they have done some good and what your Paternity told me about the Visitor sent by the archbishop is excellent news. It is impossible that this convent should not do great good in the future since it has cost us so dear. What Paul is suffering now seems to

me to be nothing in comparison with what he underwent from fear of the angels.

I am charmed at hearing of your going on begging expeditions, but you do not say who was your companion. Your Paternity told me that you were including Peralta's letter in the parcels I received, but it has not come. The one sent me by Father Mariano has not been delivered, nor does he write to me. In fad:, he has not done so for a long time. He forwarded one from your Paternity some days ago but did not write himself: perhaps he has kept Peraltaos letter and Garci Alvarez' paper. He transmitted to me one or two missives from Sego-via. At first I thought they were from your Paternity, although the address was not in your handwriting, but I found that they were not.

The news from here is that Matusalem is much better, glory be to God! and is free from fever. My state of mind is extraordinary; nothing ever disturbs me, so certain do I feel that we shall succeed.

I received two letters from your Paternity on the feast of the Presentation and a short note later on, which accompanied a letter you wrote to Doña Luisa de la Cerda, to her great delight. One of these parcels contained the permission for Casilda's profession which I sent her.

Oh, how delighted Angela would have been, she tells me, to have prepared a meal for Paul when he suffered the hunger he describes. I do not know