Letter 267. To Roque de Huerta, Madrid, Avila, March 12, 1579

The Sainfs confidence in the success of the 'Reform. Letters of recommendation forwarded to Rome.

JESUS! May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with you.

1AM sorry for your trouble about our affairs, but you must know that I do not let them depress me, for I realize that our trials come from God and that He watches over them with greater care than we could give. So whatever happens, I shall be content, having prayed about the matter with some saintly souls. Perhaps what seems to us most adverse to the divine glory may contribute most to it, so do not let these matters afFedt you: the world is not coming to an end yet.

As soon as I see that our fathers are safe and that they are to be treated justly, there will be nothing to fear: yet even if they are treated unjustly we shall never be better off than now when we are suffering blamelessly. Moreover, they tell me that the Nuncio is a great servant of God : therefore by degrees he will investigate the truth, as will the other judges. Since we can neither interview our fathers nor send them letters, it is useless to write, though I should have liked to console them and let them know how I envy them. I received the

' By kind permission of P. Gregoire, this letter has been translated from the Spanish first published by him. The original is at Brussels.

letter you forwarded wVz Toledo and the one brought me by Pedro Rias, which was so disconsolate that it made me laugh and thank God for your charity in taking our affairs so much to heart. Some day we shall be able to help you in return. It was needless for the judges to declare that they would be impartial in their judgements, for they would be unjust if influenced by anything but the truth.

Dona Maria de Montoja is mistaken in thinking that we ever supposed that the letters to be given to the Canon would settle our affairs, for that must remain with God. But such testimonials give credit to the petitioners by showing that they are devout and are considered to be so in Spain, and the more such witness is borne of them the better.

Doctor Rueda gave me these letters to be forwarded to His Majesty. Will you deliver them personally into his hands with my homage. I should much like to answer the Count,' whose hands I kiss repeatedly. We were very glad to hear that his son is well, and it is a great comfort to know that the Count is at court.

Will you entrust the letter addressed to the Prior of St. Augustine's to some who will place it in his hands, letting nobody know that either you or I have anything to do with it. I think it can do no harm. As the Discalced Franciscan Father is a great friend of mine, kindly give the letter addressed to him to a trustworthy messenger. The other is for my brother. Please hand it to some one who is going to his neighbourhood, asking him to bring the answer back to you to be forwarded to me by you. Forgive me, for with the exception of the last, the letters are of importance to our Order. I find that the carriers always deliver our letters to each other safely. We need try no new routes, for as these fathers have what they want they will not watch us so closely. Always seal your missives carefully.

I think that when I see Father Gracian freed from being Visitor the rest will seem bearable. That was what kept me in perpetual torture. I should be content if a Visitor of any other Order were imposed on us as long as he was not one of those (Calced) Fathers of ours.

May God prosper our affairs as He has the power to do, and may He watch over you and those ladies to whose prayers I earnestly commend myself.

To-day is the twelfth.

Your unworthy servant,

Teresa de Jesus.