Letter (number unidentified). To Father Gracian, Seville, Valladolid, September 1, 1582

Grief at his absence. Lorenzo’s will. Affairs of the Order. | JESUS!

May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with your

Reverence.

Nees frequent letters do not suffice to assuage my pain, though it has been a relief to know that you are well and the plague is over. God grantit may be so in future. All your letters arrived safely.

Your reasons for leaving do not seem sufficient. You could have direéted the studies of the friars from Burgos and told them not to confess deatas ; the priories of Andalusia might have waited for two months while you visited those of Castile. I do not know what your motive was but I felt your absence at such a time so keenly that I lost all desire of writing to your Reverence and have put off doing so until now when it cannot be avoided. The moon is full; I passed a very bad night and am suffering severely with my head to-day. I have been better until now; to-morrow, when the moon begins to wane, my health will improve. The throat is recovering but is not well.

I have suffered much here from Don Francisco’s mother-in-law who is a strange woman. She is bent upon bringing a lawsuit to prove that the will is invalid, and though she is in the wrong she has much credit and some people agree with her. Ihave been advised to makea compromise lest Francisco should lose all his money and we should have to pay the expenses. St. Joseph’s will lose something but I trust God that as our claim is eventually secure, it will inherit the whole property later on. I have been, and still am very sick of the matter though Teresa has behaved well. Oh, how bitterly disappointed she was at your Reverence’s not returning! We kept it secret until to-day. In one way I am glad, as she will learn how little we can trust in any one but God—and it has done no harm even to me.

Enclosed is a letter written to me by Fray Antonio de Jesus. I am astonished at him, but as he is now my friend again’ (to tell the truth I thought he always was) and we are corresponding with one another, all will be well. Even if he were not my friend, you could not possibly nominate any one else to preside over the eleCtions. I do not know how it is that your Reverence has not realized this, nor that this is not the time to found houses in Rome as you are in great want of religious even for the priories of Castile. Besides, you are in urgent need of Fray Nicolao,} for I consider it impossible for you to attend to so many matters unaided.

Teresa de Jesus.