Letter (number unidentified). To An Unknown Person at Madrid, Avila, August, 1578

A plea for the Reform and for forgiveness for herself from the Father General. She asks that the Discalced may not be governed by the Caked. Arguments in favour of a separate province.

. . . Indeed, notwithstanding the numerous letters you have written to him and the honour done to him by it, the result has been the opposite of what you wished. He no more writes to our communities nor deals with them than if he were not our superior. Evidently people must have prejudiced him, or he would not have behaved In so marked a manner.

We vish to obtain for our communities from his Most Reverend Paternity three most Important concessions for our houses.

Firstly, If possible, he Is to be persuaded not to give credence to what has been alleged against Teresa of Jesus, for Indeed she has done nothing unbecoming a most obedient daughter. This Is absolutely true and nothing can be proved to the contrary. He knows that she would not tell a falsehood for anything in the world, and experience has shown him of what people not personally acquainted with her are capable when carried away by passion. Let him make inquiries, and since he Is our shepherd, let him condemn no one unjustly and unheard. But if he will listen to nothing except the accusations made against her, let him punish Teresa and impose a penance on her, leaving her no longer in disgrace, for she would prefer anything to his displeasure.

Fathers forgive their children even for grave offences: how much more should he forgive her who has committed no fault, but has laboured painfully to found convents, thinking to please him, for not only is he her superior, but she bears him the deepest affed:ion. Let him not permit so many handmaids of God, with whom no one finds fault, to remain in disgrace with him but let him hold them as his daughters as he always has done and acknowledge them publicly as such, since they have done nothing to forfeit that right.

Secondly, since the Apostolic Vicar no longer rules over us and we are under his Lordship's jurisdiction, will he nominate superiors to whom we may have recourse for Visitations and our many other needs. But we ask that these superiors should be Discalced Carmelites who keep the Primitive Rule, and that he will not subje(5l us to the friars of the Mitigation. We beg for this both because they lead a life so different that it is impossible for them to understand ours and to corred: the sisters' failings, also on account of the ill-success of their government, of which his Lordship is aware. If he wishes, he shall be informed of the complete failure of the last father who filled that office,' though he had been chosen as the most suitable by the nuns themselves. Perhaps it may have been no fault of his, but, as I explained, came from lack of experience which does great harm.

Besides this, the two Apostolic Visitors stipulated in the Ad:s of their Visit, imposed upon us by obedience, that the nuns should be subjecft to the Father General and to a superior appointed by him, who, on account of the harm that had resulted from a different choice, should be a friar of the Primitive Observance: that is, a Discalced Carmelite.

If his Most Reverend Paternity disapproves of this plan, you might give him to understand (not as coming from the nuns but as your private opinion) that they would prefer placing themselves under the jurisdiction of the Ordinary to being visited and governed by the Calced, for as his

' Probably Fray Angel dc Salazar, Provincial of the Discalced.

Lordship is so far away, much harm might be done before they could appeal to him, as experience has shown him. This was one reason why we did not oppose the Visitors, which as Reformed religious we had the right to do. However, we do not wish to be in the power of the Mitigated again, having already experienced it.

Until every effort has been made to carry out the first plan, nothing is to be said of the second, which I should regret to accept and should only agree to if we should be ruined otherwise, as the nuns would suffer terrible torment at being withdrawn from obedience to the General. But surely they will meet with some mercy from him, for besides being held in high esteem for their virtue by the king and the highest in the land, they number among them several ladies of rank. They are in no need of money; the convents are built and in flourishing condition, having been founded by the nobles of the kingdom. God grant the time may never come when the nuns may find themselves in such a condition, and separated from the jurisdidiion of so good a shepherd." May God forgive whoever sowed these tares ! A most important point, towards which, for love of our Lord, I entreat you to dired: most strenuous efforts, is that the Discalced should be constituted as a separate province.

Our convents are always under the jurisdidion of the Provincial, but as the nuns converse with

God only, it would be a great advantage as regards mortification and perfection that, if possible, the direction of our communities should be conferred upon the Father Master, Fray Jeronimo de la Madre de Dios Gracian, as he has visited them for several years. His interior spirit, his discretion, and gentle manners, combined with great perfedtion and gravity, make it evident that the Virgin has chosen him to help the nuns to make great spiritual progress. They declare that at every visit he renews their fervour and benefits them extremely.

If it could be carried out, this would be the best plan, as all the nuns would agree. Yet the thing seems impossible, for our most Reverend Father General is as displeased with Father Gracian as with Teresa of Jesus: indeed, far more so for the reasons given in the enclosed statement. It was this Father who was made Apostolic Visitor by order of the late Nuncio and the King, and, considering the misdeeds alleged against him, no wonder the Father General is annoyed with him!

Could the above plan be carried out, it would render great service to our Lord, but as this seems impossible, it is necessary to suggest the names of other religious. These are: the Father President, Fray Antonio de Jesus, or Fray John of the Cross, these being the first to become Discalced Carmelite friars, and very faithful servants of God. Should these be unsuitable, let the Father General choose one he prefers, as long as he is neither a friar of the

■" The rest of the autograph is missing. The Spanish is taken from Vol. VI, No. 48 of the first edition of the Letters. This appears to refer to the preceding memorial.

TO AN UNKNOWN PERSON cloth' nor an Andalusian. Do your best, for, God willing, better terms for us may be arranged later on. It would be a great thing first of all to be delivered from the Calced.

Whoever is nominated must be careful to send the appointed taxes every year to the General as the Visitors should do in order to acknowledge their delegation by him. Should he not do so (but he will, as he is bound), the nuns will pay these taxes. If the Father Master Jerome Gracian were appointed their Visitor, the sisters would gladly pay double and even much more, and consider themselves gainers, so important would be the advantage. This must be repeated to no one except to him who, after the most careful inquiry, is found to be the Most Reverend Father General's chosen confidant. It would be prudent to treat first with this adviser on all the above-mentioned questions, for it is essential, if our plans are to succeed, to gain the good- will both by word and deed of those associated with his Lordship.

In the third place, it would not be desirable that the Father General should set a strid:er limit to the powers of our superiors than that appointed to those of other Orders who, when a convent or house is bestowed for nuns, or the superior himself founds one, have power to transfer to it sisters from the older-established communities. Otherwise, it would be dithcult to make foundations in his Order. People help the Reform and are glad to see it spread, as was the Most Reverend General of Carmel himself before he was misinformed on the subjed:. I do not know what can have been alleged against such religious, who give and who have given so good an example, and who continue to found houses in which they live sincere and devout lives, that he should, as I said, deprive them of what is accorded to all other religious bodies.

At the General Chapter, the Most Reverend Father General forbade under pain of excommunication that any nun (especially Teresa of Jesus) should leave her convent; he also prohibited the superiors' giving such permission. Yet, when a house was ready for a new foundation, she had only gone there with some other nuns to establish the Order, taking possession of it with all possible religious observance, according to the patents given her by the Most Reverend Father General himself. In fadl, those who witnessed it were edified, as can be proved if necessary.

CCXLI

Prefatory note.

On August 9, by the king's order, the Royal Council opposed the Nuncio's jurisdiction and issued provisions forbidding the friars of the Reform to obey him, at the same time commanding the governors of towns and cities to intercept the communication of his briefs and mandates. Father Gracian (who was to retain his office of Visitor) received letters of provision entitling him to protection by the magistrates against any measures that Sega might take against him.