- 497- Perhaps you may also tell me that you do not intend to take the side of anyone engaged in legal proceedings, but only of some Catholic who may have been harshly treated by the Governor because the latter had been misinformed. Here 1 shonld tell you, Monsieur, that the Governor is more clear­ sighted in his duty than you or I, and 1 am not at all of the opinion that you should have anything to do with this.' 702. - MONSIEUR LE BOUCHER' TO SAINT VINCENT 1644 You are doing good everywhere and rendering great service to God, the Church and hoty religion. I have just been to Tonnerre where I saw your dear children, the Priests ofthe Mission, led by a man ofGod. I must admit, Monsieur, that all those goodpriests are working wonders through their teaching andgood example; they are reconciling many souls with God and with their neighbor. 703. - A MONK TO SAINT VINCENT 1644 I beg God to lengthen your days and years for His glory and the good ofthe neighbor for whom you work unceasingly. I am sending you a person worthy ofyour charity. He is a page ofthe Prince de Talmond,I who up until now has been brought up in the erroneous 8Reg. 2 adds: '"This letter is written in his own hand (the hand of the Saint) and bas no other conclusion," Letter '702•• AbeUy. op. cit.• bk. II. chap. I. sect. II. p. 46. 'Vicar General of the Abbey of Moutiers-Saint-Jean. Letter 703. - Abelly. op. cit.• bk. II, chap. IV, sect. IV, p. 285. tHenri. Seigneur de la Tremoille. Due de Thouars, Peer of France. Prince ofTarente - 498- Calvinist religion, and came to me to be converted. But since I am not SJifficiently capable ofsuch a good work, I have the boldness to turn to you as to one to whom God grants very special and very great gracesfor His glory andthesalvation ofsinners and those who go astray. So then, my most honored Father in OurLord, have the charity to welcome and embrace him DB II paor lost sheep who is seeking a place ofrQuge to escape from the jaws ofthe wolf. 784•• TO BERNARD CODOING, SUPERIOR, IN ROME Paris. March 16. 1644 Monsieur, The grace of Our Lord be with you forever! I have received your letters every week, I think, all ofthem concerned with the Catalonia' affair. I told you my thoughts on this; nevertheless, to comply with your request, in nomine Domini, please send good Monsieur Boulier and our dear Brother Martin there, if you can get along without the latter. I told you that Her Majesty was satisfied with the testimony the Ambassador' gave her about you and that she has designated a thousand Ccus for your seminary, but I have heard nothing about it since. I did not think I could bring up the seminary in Barcelona to get some assistance for there, and of TalmoDd. Comte de Laval. was born in IS99 and died on January 21. 1674, in his 8CVC:Dty-fifth year. Letter 704•. Archives of the Mission, copy made from the Ofisinalletter in 1854 in poucssion ofM. Lavcrdet. tTbey were COIUiderina opeaiug an estab.lis1uneDt in Barcelona. 1At that time M. de Saint-Cbamoncl was Ambassador of Fraoce to the Holy See. It could be that Saint Vincent was talking about the former Ambassador. the MarquU de FonteDay-Mareuil. woo bad just been recalled to France. - 499- because she is overwhelmed by petitioners from all parts of the kingdom and is unable to provide for all of them from her own resources, and she makes it a matter ofconscience to give away what belongs to the King or the public, because of all the needs which exist. We shall try to assist them from here for their provisions, but what will they do there ifthey have no funds? In the name of God, Monsieur, think about this. We shall send out two or three Brothers as soon as possible, and one or two clerics. One of the latter is destined for the Incurables. His conduct is excellent, he is a good theologian, on loan (?) to the priests' seminary,' and he knows how to sing well. We shall see about the other. It will be difficult for you to be satisfied with your Italians ifyou do not open a seminary ofthe Company and train there those whom you admit. You have done the best you could until now. It is important for you to work on that for the future and especially on the observance of regularity in the house. In the name ofGod, Monsieur, stop being concerned about things happening far away that are none ofyour business, and devote all your attention to domestic discipline. The rest will come in due time. Grace has its moments. Let us abandon ourselves to the Providence of God and be on our guard against anticipating it. If Our Lord is pleased to give me any consolation in our vocation, it is this: I think it seems to me that we have tried to .follow Divine Providence in all things and to put our feet only in the place It has marked out for us. Be also most cordial with everyone and spare nothing for the assistance of the sick members of the Company. I forgot to tell you, right from the very beginning, that the custom of the Company and of every well-regulated Com- lThe seminary ofthe Bons-Enfants. - 500- munity has been that Superiors should not see the letters the men of their house may write to the Superior General, nor those he may write to individuals in the house. In the name of God, Monsieur, do the same, even if, out of respect, they were to ask you to look at them. I am not saying anything about what we are being accused of there, except that by the mercy of God, our Company is resisting all the new opinions and that I am doing what I can against them, especially with regard to all those contrary to the authority of the common Father of all Christians. I call as witness to this, Cardinal Grimaldi and public opinion. Therefore, there is no need for us to start justifying ourselves with regard to what you tell me. I am, in the love ofOur Lord, Monsieur, your most humble and very obedient servant. VINCENT DEPAUL i.s.C.M. Addressed: Monsieur Codoing, Superior of the Priests of the Mission of Rome, in Rome 70S•• TO THE SUPERIOR OF THE HOUSE IN MARSEILLES [1643 or after]' Regarding your question, whether you should wear a short cassock when you visit the galleys, I shall tell you that there is a modern author who has written a book in which, among other things, he allows the use of short cassocks, especially when one goes to the country. In Paris today, there is a LetW 7V5. - Roo. 2. p. 143. IDate oftbe foundation of this establishment. - SOl - Communitythat is going to write something against that point, because it cannot tolerate the idea of priests being so bold as to do this. Should you tell me that certain prelates and other Gentlemen have adopted them, I would reply, Monsieur, that they have the right to do as they please, since they have the authority to make laws -I mean the bishops. But as for us whom God in His goodness has chosen to render some small service to His Church in the person of priests, as we are trying to do, by God's mercy, I think we should refrain from doing it, since it is most appropriate, Monsieur, for us totryto honor in every way possible the state and order of the Church. For this reason, I beg you, in the name of Our Lord, not to give that another thought. 706•• A MEMBER OF THE ANGOULEME CONFERENCE TO SAINT VINCENT 1644 Our company felt that it should not put offany longer offering you its respects and acknowledging to you its unworthiness of the honor you do us by the role you are playing in what pertains to its advancementandperfection. It mosthumblyentreatsyou, Monsieur, to allow it to acknowledge you as its grandfather, since it is one of your children whom God has used to bring it into the world, and may you add this obligation to, the first, of looking on it not as a stranger but as your granddaughter, and to act in such a way that this beautiful and illustrious Company ofParis, which is like your eldest daughter, will not disdain having her as its sister, although she will be inferior to it in every way. Letter 106. - Abelly. op. cit., bk. II, chap. III. sect. v. p. 267. - 502- 707.· TO BERNARD CODOING, IN ROME April 14, 1644 Monsieur, The grace of Our Lord be with you forever! In three days I hope to be sending off the three or four Brothers you request, together with four clerics, a priest from Annecy, three priests for Marseilles and M. Dehorgny who is returning to make the visitation and who will accompany each one to his destination. I have not received the three thousand Iivres I wrote to you that the Queen led us to expect for Catalonia and I do not know if they will be given to us. Please postpone sending the men to Barcelona until the others arrive. You now have the makings of a proper internal seminary' and anotherone for externs. Ourgood Brothers are very good, by God's grace, and very exemplaryI Oh! how I wish that discipline may shine among us and that meekness, humility and mortification be especially evident! In the name of God, Monsieur, let this be the principal concern of you and your whole house! And let us not be in too great a hurry for the extension of the Company nor for external appearances.