Letter 309. To Mother Mary of St. Joseph, Prioress of Seville, Malagon, February i, 1580

Regarding the health and welfare of the Prioress and her election. The foundation at Villanueva. State of the convent of Malagon. Money owing to Don Lorenzo.

JESUS!

May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with your

Reverence, my daughter!

TO-DAY, the eve of our Lady of the Transfixion/ I received letters from your Reverence and my sisters at Seville. I was greatly pleased, though I cannot tell why, for in spite of all the vexation you cause me I cannot help loving you dearly. I soon forget all your faults, and now that your community has improved through its recent trials, I am fonder of it than ever. God be praised for having brought all your difficulties to so happy an end!

No doubt your health is better as your daughters do not lament over it as usual. It is foolish of you to wear a woollen tunic in the summer. If you wish to please me, you will take it off directly you receive this letter, which may be a more severe mortification for you. As all the nuns know how necessary it is, they will not be scandalized. Our Lord will be pleased with you as you do it by my wish. You cannot ad: otherwise, for I know what the heat is at Seville, It is better to do this and follow the community duties than to have such a number of invalids. This applies to all those whom you see require it.

I thanked our Lord that the eledion was so unanimous: ' they say that the Holy Ghost intervenes in such cases. Rejoice in your trial, and do not let the devil disturb you by making you dislike your office. It is amusing of you to say that you would be glad to know I prayed for you, when not only have I done so for the last year, but I have made all the other communities do the same. Perhaps that is why matters have passed off so satisfadorily. May His Majesty continue to prosper them!

I foresaw that, as Fray Nicolas was to undertake the matter, it would be well done. But, shortly before your Reverence asked for him at Seville and he was told to go there, you risked spoiling all our plans, for you only thought of your own house and he was occupied in matters concerning the whole Order, which depended on him. God made you as you are! I should like him to be both at Seville and Malagon at the same time until so important a matter is concluded. I heartily wish he could

' All the votes at the election of the prioress had been in favour of Mary of St. Joseph.

Vol, III. 22 have come here in time to meet me. Now it cannot be done, for you must know that live days ago the Father Vicar sent me a patent to go to Villanueva de la Jara, near la Roda, to found a convent there. For the last four years we have been importuned to do so by the municipal Council of the place, and other persons, especially the Inquisitor of Cuenca, formerly fiscal at Seville. I saw many obstacles in the way, but Fray Antonio de Jesus and the prior of la Roda visited the spot and took such adtive measures as to remove all difficulties. The town is twenty-eight leagues from Malagon.

I should have considered it a great piece of good fortune if I could have managed to pass through Seville on my way so as to have met your Reverence and scolded you to my heart's content — or rather, talked with you, for doubtless your trials must have made something of you by now.

God willing, I must return here before Easter, as my leave of absence only extends to St. Joseph's day. Tell Father Prior, in case he might be able to come to see me. I sent him a letter from here via Madrid. I should have written much more often to both of you from Malagon, but did not dare, as I exped:ed the letters would get lost. I was very glad that those I sent you did not meet with such a fate, as in one of them I gave you my opinion about the choice of asubprioress, although your Reverence knows best what would suit your community. Yet 1 assure you that it is very unfortunate when both prioress and subprioress have bad health, or when the latter cannot recite and dired: the choir well: mdeed, it is against the

Constitutions. What could prevent your sending which ever nun you chose to the parlour if there were any business to settle? If you were very ill, I feel sure that Sister Gabriela would not swerve from your orders and if you give her authority and credit, she is virtuous enough to set no bad example, so that I am glad to see you are inclined to decide upon her. May God ordain matters as is best.

It is amusing of you to warn me not to believe everything that San Jeronimo says, after my having cautioned you against it over and over again. Even in a letter I sent to Father Garci Alvarez, which your Reverence tore up, I gave him strong reasons against trusting her. However, she is a good soul, though she is not clear-headed, and is not to be compared to Beatriz, for she errs through want of understanding, not through malice. However, I may be mistaken. There will be no risk if you let her confess to no one but the friars of the Order, except perhaps occasionally to Father Rodrigo Alvarez, but tell him my opinion of her first. Always remember me kindly to him.

I was very glad to learn from the sisters' letters how fond they are of you, as I think is right. They amused me, and I was delighted with your Reverence's letter, which counteracted my disgust at the one written by San Francisco — a disgust springing from her apparent want of humility and obedience. You should try to corred: her: there is still something she brought from Paterna about her." Tell her not to spin out her letters and exaggerate so much, for though she thinks her rhodomontades are not falsehoods, such a style is far from perfect; she should write frankly, otherwise she might mislead a superior in a thousand ways. Tell her this in answer to her letter, and that when she amends her style I shall be satisfied with her. But let us try to please this great God, for I am of little account.

O my daughter! I wish time and the state of my head would allow me to write at length about all that happened in your house, for you would gain by my experience and would even ask God's pardon for not having informed me of it, for I knew you were present when certain things took place such as I dare wager have not been done in the most relaxed convents in all Spain. A good intention would excuse some but would not suffice for the rest. Take warning by it, and keep to the Constitutions, since you are so fond of them, unless you wish to gain a little with men and to lose with God. There is not one of the nuns who does not realize and acknowledge what danger they were in, except Beatriz de Jesus, who is so fond of the others that though she understands the evil, she never told me about it, nor does she speak of it now, by which she has lost greatly in my estimation.

The former confessor has not heard confessions here since I came, nor do I think he will. The public interests require this, for the whole affair was terrible, though he certainly would be good under other influence. God forgive her who caused his dismissal from this house, for both he and the nuns would have made progress. He recognizes that there was good reason for the measures taken, and came to see me. I am very friendly with him, as is right, and his frankness pleases me. Much harm comes from youth and inexperience. O my Mother ! how malicious the world is; for it puts a good construction on nothing ! Unless we learn from the past and are cautious, all will go from bad to worse. For the love of God, look well to everything as I shall, and be as shrewd as an old woman, since you have had such a lesson.

I wonder that you sent me no verses [yillanicos) for, as usual, a number must have been written to celebrate the elecftion. I like your nuns to enjoy themselves in moderation; when I found fault with it before it was under peculiar circumstances. My Gabriela is to blame for this omission. Remember me aifedlionately to her; I should very much like to write to her.

I am taking Sant Angel as subprioress and shall choose a prioress from Toledo: I have not decided who it will be. You must all pray fervently that this foundation may render great service to God. I commend it to the prayers of Beatriz, who is deeply to be pitied. Margarita's message pleases me, if she is what she declares. Things will settle down in time if the two nuns find that you love them.

I am overcome at the thought of all we owe to the good Prior of las Cuevas: will vou give him a very warm greeting from me. Tell all the nuns to pray for me and do so yourself, for I am weary and very old.

It is no great thing that the Prior should be fond of me, for he owes me a heavy debt of affedtion in return for mine. God preserve him to us, for we possess a great treasure in him and the sisters are strid:ly bound to intercede for him. May His Majesty be with you and have you in His keeping for my sake. Amen.

I am not sending you the answer given by the Mother Prioress and Beatriz, because I am tired.

You must know that my brother has written to me twice since I have been here. He asked me to acquaint you with his need, which I think surpasses your own, and to say that you would render him a signal favour by repaying even half of what you owe him. His letters cannot be found just at this moment: I had entrusted them to one of the nuns to send to your Reverence, to prove that I should not press you to pay, unless my brother were pressing me to do so. He has sold a large part of the yearly interest you give him, and any sum you could remit would be a great help to him. I would have let him have some money from Mai agon, but there is none to spare.

The unworthy servant of your Reverence, Teresa de Jesus.

The length of this letter will show how I enjoy writing to you. It is equal to four of those I send to the prioresses of Castile, and those are rarely written by my own hand. I was very glad to hear that the Prior had set your business affairs in such good order, so that the sum owing to my brother will not be lost, even though we may be in want ourselves.

All the nuns here are extremely contented as well they may be, having such a prioress. I assure you that she is one of the best we have, and her health is good, which is a great thing. The convent is like paradise. As the funds have been lost, I have been busy trying to get some work by which the sisters may earn their living. God grant that may suffice. At any rate nothing will be squandered, for the prioress is a splendid manager.

Remember me kindly to Fray Gregorio. How completely he seems to have forgotten me! My kind regards to Father Soto also: his friendship has done you a good turn ... so good a one in his place . . . Your community ought to pray for him.'' He has excellent qualities: I wish he would return to your neighbourhood for I believe he was good and faithful . . .