Letter 360. To Father Gracian, Castile, Palencia, March or April of 1581 1

Asks Father Gracian to write instructions for the Visitors of convents.

| BEG of your Paternity, in return for the mortification it has been to me to write this, to mortify yourself by writing some instru@tions for the Visitors. If any of Iny suggestions are practical, you will be able to state them better, which will be useful, as I am now finishing the Book of the Foundations and it would be very convenient to have this article included in the volume. Yet I am afraidgthere will never be another superior so humble as he who bade me write about Visitations because he wanted my advice. However, as God so wills, I can do no less, for if these houses are visited in the manner customary in this Order, it will be of little use and may do more harm than good.

There are other points to be considered which I have not mentioned as I do not understand them, nor can I remember them at present. Such great precautions will only be necessary at first, as when the religious understand that the Visitations will be conducted in this manner, there will be little trouble in governing them,

Will your Paternity do all in your power to have

TO ANTONIO GAITAN 157 these instructions drawn out conformably to the manner in which you are now making your visitations. Our Lord in His mercy will see to the rest on account of the merits of these sisters whose wish is to serve Him perfectly and to be able to learn how to do so,

CCCLXXVIII