Letter 1007: How much your holy devotion and devout holiness deigns to love me, you prove through manifold affection: you send me...

Ruricius to his own particular lord and patron in Christ, Bishop Bassulus. How worthily your holy devotion and devout holiness deigns to love me, you prove by an affection of every kind, since you send me things to read and correct the things I have neglected, you provoke love by loving, and what you preach in words, you teach by example. But since your seed does not thrive in barren and bramble-filled ground, inasmuch as it is choked by overgrowing briars, lest the Lord of the vineyard order me, like that unfruitful fig tree which he awaits in vain for so long a time, to be cut down, defer the harsher sentence by your prayers, until by the richness of your teaching, as if by manure, the unfruitful bitterness may grow sweet. But since with me there are more offenses than words, and I cannot expiate deeds by discourses, I pay at least the service of a letter, and I indicate that I have sent back the book which you had lent me; and I hope that, if it is no longer needed, you will order another of yours likewise to be sent back to me by the bearer of this letter; and at the same time, if by God's favor you are going to come to Gourdon for the festival of the saints, that you will let me know by those returning to me.

VII. DOMINO SUO PECULIARI IN CHRISTO PATRONO BASSULO EPISCOPO RURICIUR. Quam me diligere sancta pietas et pia sanctitas uestra dignetur, multimodo probatis affectu, dum legenda transmittitis et neglecta corrigitis, dilectionem diligendo prouocatis et, quod praedicatis uerbis, docetis exemplis. sed quoniam semen uestrum in terra sterili et dumosa non proficit, utpote quod sentibus supercrescentibus suffocatur, -ne sicut infructuosam illam ficulneam me iubeat dominus uineae, quem tanto tempore nequiquam expectat, abscidi, uos seueriorem sententiam orando differte, donec doctrinae uestrae pinguedine tamquam stercore amaritudo infructuosa dulcescat. sed quoniam plus sunt apud me delicta quam uerba nec possum facta expiare sermonibus, obsequium saltim epistulare dependo et librum, quem praestiteratis, me remisisse significo aliumque identidem uestrum, si iam necessarius non est, spero per portitorem harum remitti iubeatis simulque, si propitio deo ad solemnitatem sanctorum Gurdonem uenturi sitis, me recurrentibus scire faciatis.