Letter 135. To Father Gracian, Seville, Toledo, about November 1576

beÍnVÍÍ°"f '"'P'' S""""' "' «"h infamies bemg uttered agamst your Paternity, I greatlv adm.re the prudence with which you haveS- I assure you that God loves you dearly, my Father' and that you imitate Him faithfully." Rejoice S He sends you the crosses you ask fo'r andHe 'wH bised'"' " '' J"'= ""'y " b f- --

As for the affair of this girl or woman. I feel thoroughly convmced that she is not influenced so much by melancholia as by the devil who has entered mto her to invent these falsehoods It he and noth.ng else; and after having deceived her be IXlZt:t '°""'" ' "■■"- 'P-""' - -PPosed to ' '''"="'' '°8- The beginning .-.nd the end are lost.

he is trying to entrap you in some way. Therefore you must adt with extreme caution and must by no means visit her house lest you should meet with the fate of St. Marina — I think her name was — who was accused of being the mother of some child and suffered much from the calumny. This is not the time for you to meet such a trial. In my poor opinion, you ought to withdraw from the matter; there are others who can look to this soul, while your Paternity has many souls to benefit by your care. Take notice, my Father, that unless this woman gave you the letter under the seal of confession, or during her confession, it is a case for the Inquisition, and the devil lays many snares. A person was condemned to death by the Inquisition for the very same thing, I am told. Not that I believe the woman of whom you speak gave the letter to the demon, for he would not have returned it so quickly. She must be telling some falsehood (God forgive me for saying so) and must like talking to your Reverence. Perhaps the whole tale is her invention, but I should like to see your Paternity far away from the place so as to cut the matter short more eííedlually.

But how malicious I am! There is need to be in this life. On no account dream of setting things right in four months. It is a very risky affair; others may see to it. If any denunciation is to be made against this woman in matters outside the confessional, you are warned beforehand, for I fear the affair may be made public and you may be severely blamed for having known of it and kept silence.

But I see that it is foolish of me to insist, as your Paternity already knows that . . .

I thank our Lord sincerely for having given you such peace and a desire to please Him in all things. The light He grants you from time to time concerning spiritual joys is a special mercy shown you. His Majesty succours us in proportion to our trials, and yours being great, so are His favours. May His Name be praised for ever.

I assure you, my Father, that it would be well for you to take sufficient rest. Being extremely hard-worked, you would not feel the fatigue until your head was too exhausted to recover, and you know how important your health is to us. For the love of God, take other people's advice in this case; put aside your business, however pressing, and even your prayer when it is time for you to sleep. Be sure you grant me this request, for when the devil sees spiritual fervour, he often represents things as being very important for God's service so as to stop in one way the good he could not hinder otherwise. . .

CXLVI

Prefatory note Tostado had returned from Portugal and was about to begin his visitation when the Royal Council notified to him that he was to show his faculties, and on November 24 declared to him that they were insufficient. In his 'Peregrinación Dial. XVI, Father Gracian states that, during his visitation of the Caked nuns at Paterna, he found that a lay brother, Miguel dc la Coluna, had brought terrible accusations against three of the nuns. To deliver them from the bad name it had won for them in Seville, he punished the culprit by condemning him to wear a scapular on the back and front of which were sewn tongues ' made of various coloured cloth, according to the regulation of the general chapter of 1336 which was incorporated in the Constitutions. Later on Miguel, the three nuns whom Father Gracian had defended, and Baltasar de Jesus (Nieto), an intimate friend in whom he had placed complete confidence, brought scandalous charges against Father Gracian, a copy of which they sent to the nuncio as will be seen in the letters later on. (L//r of Sept. 16, 1578.) By the 'Egyptians' is meant the Calced friars ; by the 'owls' the Calced nuns of Paterna.