Letter 305. To Father Gracian, Malagon, January 14, 1580

Penances performed by the nuns to free Father Gracian. The future elediions and the Provincial. The Interior Castle'' and ""The Life' Macario, Fray Gabriel and the Duquesa.

JESUS!

May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with your

Paternity!

[RECEIVED a letter a short time ago from Dona Juana. She is hoping every day that your enforced silence will come to an end. God grant the affairs at Toledo and Medina may be settled when this letter reaches you. Fray Felipe is just what we want; for he has gone from one extreme to the other, and never speaks to the nuns out of confession: he is an excellent man. Oh, how the Medina sisters rejoiced when they heard your silence was over! You owe a special debt to them. A lay sister at Malagon took a hundred disciplines on your behalf: all this ought to help you in doing great good to souls.

I received the enclosed letter yesterday from Father Nicolas. I was very glad that they could manage what he mentions, for I felt anxious sometimes about Salamanca, though I could think of no better plan. You now have your work clearly set before you : evidently you should labour more for your own Order than for those outside it. I spoke to Father Nicolas at Toledo about some of the drawbacks to the former course without mentioning them all, which did great good. I think that the Most Reverend [Reverendissimo) will do all he can in our favour. My only misgiving is lest, when the Nuncio died, the authority he gave you may have become invalid. It would be most dangerous to leave so important a question to chance. Tell me what you think about it, for I can perceive no other difficulty. Indeed, it seems a favour from heaven, as Father Nicolas says in his letter, that we should be allowed to arrange our business among ourselves. May God, Who has the power, bring it right.

In case all should not go as we wish, I do not know whether it would be well for Father Nicolas to remain at Seville, for our affairs meet with little support there. True, Velasco would do much: still, he would lose nothing by being seconded. However, your Paternity must say nothing on the subjed:, lest, should our projedl be realized, you should be accused of having worked to obtain it. Caution is most necessary to afford people no such opportunities especially while we are governed by Mathusalem' who is putting great obstacles in the way of Paul's being placed in any office. But he could do no less. Another difficulty occurs to me, which is whether,

■ The Nuncio Sega.

if this charge' were laid upon vou, you could also be Provincial. But that seems of little moment, for the first office includes all the rest. Besides, there would be the great advantage, if Macario were Provincial, of his dying in peace, as that is the cause of his melancholia, and it would put an end to this party spirit. After all, it would be only reasonable, as he has already borne the dignity, and since he would have a superior over him, he could do no harm. Be kind enough to let me know your opinion. So far the question only relates to the future, but were it for to-day, you need feel no scruple about it.

The enclosed letter from Fray Gabriel will show what he fancies about me, though I have always written to him when I could find a messenger. You see how angry he is. He declares that he saw by my letters which vou showed him, that I did not write to him when I could have done so, I should be very glad if your Paternity's affair had been settled by the time this letter reaches you, so that you can reply at length.

I forgot to tell you about the Duke. On New Year's Eve, the Duchess sent one of her servants with the enclosed letter and a private one for myself, in which she declared thatyour Paternity had stated that I preferred the Duke to herself. I did not acquiesce, but merely remarked that you told me so much about his good qualities and of how spiritual he was, that you must have fancied it. I added that I loved God alone for His own sake, that I saw no reason whv I should not love her, and that I owed more affedlion to her than to the Duke: but I put it in better words. I think the book she got Father Medina to copy must have been my large one. Will your Paternity tell me all you know about it. Do not forget, for I should be very glad that the work should not be lost, and the only other copy is in the hands of the angels. In my opinion, my last book surpasses the other : at any rate, I have had more experience since I composed the first. I have written twice to the Duke and said much more than your Paternity asked of me. God protect you, for if anything would cheer me, it would be to see Paul. If God wills that I should be deprived of that relief, well and good: let Him send me cross upon cross.

Beatriz begs you to pray much for her.

The unworthy and true daughter of your Paternity,

Teresa de Jesus.