Letter 35: Most Blessed and ever-dear Father Delphinus,

XXXV. To Delphinus, our most blessed and venerable father, ever most longed-for by us, from Paulinus. The brief letter of your holy affection we received with great affection, into our heart abundantly full in every way in which we desired it. But because there is a time for every matter, now, as in a time of grief, it has seemed to be also a time for shortening our discourse. We confess, however, that we have been grievously saddened, not so much by the bodily death of our brother as by his spiritual negligence, by which, being mindful rather of the cares that were to be left behind here than of the remedies that were to be provided for there, he set in front the things that ought to have been set behind, and set behind the things that ought to have been set in front. He ought both to have attended to those higher things on his own behalf and not to have neglected these temporal things on behalf of his children. Wherefore we beg that, suffering together with this our grief out of fatherly affection, you may deign to remember both that he was once begotten as a spiritual son to you by the grace of God, and that for that reason this matter belongs especially to your care: lest we put to shame your devotion, which used to glory in us as your sons, by squandering the substance of his hereditary portion; but rather that, by your prayers, it may be granted to you, so that a sprinkled drop of refreshment, distilling even from the smallest finger of your holiness, may besprinkle his soul as well; and that for us too, while there is yet time, running back to you and crying out: father, we have sinned against heaven and against you; we are no longer worthy to be called your sons, the divine mercy, with you interceding, may come to our aid for the confession of our sin, lest, the substance of the eternal Father being utterly consumed, which our sins squander day by day, we be overwhelmed by the shame of returning and, having dwelt long in a far country, be brought down, what is an abomination, to keep guard and to feed unworthily among the swine.

XXXV. BEATISSIMO BT VENERABILI SEMPER NOBIS DESIDERANTISSIMO PATRI DELPHINO PAVLINVS. Breues sanctae affectionis tuae litteras magno affectu nobis copiosas in toto, quo desiderauimus, corde suscepimus. sed quia omni rei tempus est, nunc ut in tempore contristationis tempus etiam breuiandi sermonis esse uisum est. contristatos autem nos uehementer fatemur non tam de obitu corporali fratris nostri quam de neglegentia eius spiritali, qua relinquendarum istic potius curarum quam prouidendorum illic remediorum memor posthabenda praeposuit et praeponenda posthabuit. quem oportuit et illa potiora pro se curare et haec temporalia pro filiis non praetermittere. unde petimus, ut paterna affectione conpatiens huic nostro dolori meminisse digneris et illum quondam spiritalem tibi filium gratia dei fuisse progenitum et ideo tuae specialiter curae hanc esse causam, ne pietatem tuam, quae nobis filiis gloriabatur, 4] Matth. 24, 46. 11] Eccl. 3,1. 16] (II Cor. 12, 14). 22] (Lue. 15, 18). 1 et Lv, om. cet . 4 hiemen 0 uestitum praeparatu L, praeparatu uestium U 5 inueniat U facientem] ualeas oro add. Fp\'U . — finit de gaiophilatio 0, finit de gazophylactio v FLMOPU . — ite epistola eiusdem ad eundem XII L, ad eundem XX. M, incipit ad eundem quinta 0, epistola sancti paulini episcopi ad dalphinum episcopum ubi de significato sibi excessu fratris sui plurimum dolens rogat ipsum ut pro eo dominum supliciter deprecetur: si quomodo suo interuentu etternas penas euadere possit U 7 desideratissimo FPU 8 delfino LMO, dalphino FPU 11 ut Rosw., om. LM, et cel. U 15 reliquendarum U 16 proponenda 0 17 posthabiit 0 18 hec F, hoc U 19 copatiens M dilapidata hereditariae portionis substantia confundamus, sed potius ut orationibus tuis condonetur tibi, ut et illius animam uel de minimo sanctitatis tuae digito distillans refrigerii gutta respergat et nobis, dum tempus est, recurrentibus ad te et clamantibus: pater, peccauimus in caelum et in te; iam non sumus digni uocari filii tui, pro confessione peccati diuina miseratio te interueniente succurrat, ne perabsumpta patris aeterni substantia, quam cotidie peccata nostra dilapidant, obruamur pudore redeundi et in longinqua regione commorati ut in custodiam escamque porcorum indignam, quod nefas est, deducamur.