Letter 2009: Contemplating the words of the holy apostle Paul, who writes to the Romans: "I do not want you to be ignorant,...

Considering the saying of the holy apostle Paul, in which, writing to the Romans, he says: I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that I have often purposed to come unto you, but have been hindered hitherto [Rom. 1:13], we too are compelled, urged on by shame, to say: we have rather frequently wished to direct writings to your most sincere devotion, but we have been hindered until now, hindered no doubt by that one who is accustomed always to oppose a good will, envying, namely, our advancement and your affection, our affection and your advancement. Our advancement and your affection, because your teaching is our instruction and our letter is the contribution of your longing; and again your advancement and our affection, because our instruction is your reward, and the temporary contribution of your longing is the affection of our discourse. For thus, in those few days, which your affection made for me both truly few and very brief, while our gaze cannot be satisfied by the contemplation of you, but rather is the more inflamed by seeing, when we both longed for you present and still sought you set before us face to face, you watered our senses from the most pure spring of your kind heart, so that, however many precious gifts of your holy mouth I might thereafter receive, I might nevertheless possess your presence within the secret recesses of my mind and behold your likeness in the mirror of my heart, an image which love has there painted so perfectly that it can be effaced by the forgetfulness of no age, because by constant recollection it is renewed at every single moment. For there, according to the custom of your devotion, I converse with you more privately; there too I treat of the instruction of a better life; there I kiss you with the lips of the mind and embrace you with the hands of the heart. Whereby it comes about that true love, which in my inmost being is nourished living by the figuring of your countenance and is kindled by the little fire of affection, promises me a return of your love, and my own spirit stands as surety to me for your spirit, while I ask my heart, conscious of mutual love, how much I ought to presume concerning you. Wherefore, an approach to writing having at last at length been opened to me by your prayers, I offer my greeting to these and seek intercession for my sins, demanding this with special entreaty: that you so importune the mercy of our God with constant petitions, that, all my [sins] being blotted out and all my faults being relieved for you by his customary clemency and abundant goodness, he may command us to arrive, if not at the same reward, at least at the same harbor of rest; so that, inasmuch as here, on account of the stretches of land lying between, we cannot more often see one another with the eyes of the body, we may at least rejoice there in mutual presence; so that, when a crown of merits shall be repaid to you by the just Judge, the pardon of my offenses may not be denied to me by the most merciful Redeemer and most perfect Advocate. May he himself deign to plead the cause of the sinner before judgment, lest in judgment he punish the fault; for the Almighty knows assuredly neither in the goodness of clemency to lose the truth of judgment, nor in the severity of judgment to forfeit the goodness of clemency. And therefore through the ineffable working of his mercy and power may he deign to grant to you, that those whom he has here joined in truth he may there not separate in dwelling. Calling to mind your promise, I ask the more particularly that your holiness not only not retain brother Pomerius, but rather compel him to come to us, and through him transmit to us his portion undivided between us both. And do not judge that he departs from you, if he comes to me, because in me you also will find yourselves here, and with him you will come, your body remaining there, as we trust, in heart. But from that source too you can have no small fruit, if our rusticity shall by his teaching have advanced somewhat in the fear of God.

VIIII. .... Sancti apostoli Pauli sententiam contuentes, qua Romanis scribens ait: nolo uos ignorare, fratres, quia saepe proposui uenire ad uos, sed prohibitus sum usque adhuc, et nos dicere pudore instigante conpellimur: crebrius uoluimus ad sincerissimam pietatem uestram scripta dirigere, sed prohibiti sumus usque nunc prohibente nimirum illo, qui bonae uoluntati consueuit semper obsistere inuidens scilicet profectui nostro et affectui uestro, affectui nostro et profectui uestro. profectui nostro et affectui uestro, quia doctrina uestra eruditio nostra est et epistola nostra conlatio desiderii uestri est, et rursus profectui uestro et affectui nostro, quia eruditio nostra merces uestra est et temporaria conlatio desiderii uestri nostri est sermonis affectus. ita enim paucis diebus, quos mihi uere et paucos et breuissimos uester fecit affectus, dum contemplatione uestra non solum satiari noster nequit, uerum etiam uidendo magis exardescit intuitus, cum uos et desideraremus praesentes et adhuc coram positos quaereremus, sensus nostros fonte purissimo benigni pectoris inrigastis, ut, quamlibet nulla deinceps sancti oris munera pretiosa perciperem, praesentiam tamen uestram intra mentis meae arcana possideam et effigiem uestram 8] Rom. 1,13. 3 malluit S crudelis sim S 4 patria] lactmam indicauit Kr.; post patria reliqua uersus pars in S uacat, qua laeuna etiam sequentis epistulae u praescrvptionem haustam esse constat 8 contuentes 81 11 nos] n S uolumus S 12 dirigera S 13 bone S 17 consolatio v 18 mercis S 19 temporaria scripsi, tempora S, opera et Mommaeraue, semper coni. v consolatio coni. v nostri Kr., uestri S 22 nequid S 23 nos v 24 adhuc Kr., ad hoc S cura positus S quereremus S 25 deinde v 26 preciosa S presentiam S 27 possedeam S in speculo mei cordis intuear, quam illic tam caritas perfectam depinxit, ut nullius aetatis possit obliuione deleri, quia iugi recordatione momentis singulis innouatur. Illic enim uobiscum ex consuetudine pietatis uestrae secretius conloquor, illic etiam de uitae melioris institutione pertracto, illic uos labiis mentis exosculor et manibus cordis amplector. quo fit, ut uera dilectio, quae in uisceribus meis uiua uultus uestri figuratione nutritur et igniculo caritatis accenditur, amoris uestri mihi uicissitudinem repromittat et animus meus mihi animi uestri fideiussor adsistat, dum, quantum mihi de uobis praesumere debeam, conscium mutuae dilectionis pectus interrogo. unde scribendi mihi aditu orationibus uestris tandem aliquando reserato his salutationem defero et intercessionem peccatorum requiro illud speciali prece deposcens, ut ita misericordiam dei nostri adsiduis petitionibus flagitetis, ut omnibus deletis ** meis atque omnibus opitulantibus uobis consuetudinaria clementia et copiosa bonitate delictis, etsi non ad idem praemium, saltim ad eundem nos portum quietis iubeat peruenire, ut, quatenus hic propter spatia interiecta terrarum oculis corporis saepius nos uidere non possumus, uel ibidem de mutua praesentia gaudeamus, ut, quando uobis a iusto iudice retribuetur corona meritorum, mihi a piissimo redemptore et aduocato perfectissimo commissorum uenia non negetur. Ipse ante iudicium peccatoris agere dignetur causam, ne in iudicio puniat culpam, quia nouit quippe omnipotens nec in bonitate clementiae iudicii perdere ueritatem nec in iudicii seueritate clementiae amittere bonitatem. et ideo per ineffabilem misericordiae ac uirtutis operationem uobis praestare dignetur, 1 illa v ta S, tua v perfectam scripsi, perfecta v 2 nullus S obliuione possit v 3 singuli S 7 quod S 9 amortis S nicissitudine S uicissitudinem mihi v 11 presumere S constium S 13 hanc v 15 ut ita scripsi, id a S Kr., ut v misericordia S, misericordia Kr . 16 ut om. v deletis Kr., delictis S lacuttam indicamU et commissis suppleri iwsit Kr . 18 idem] eundem S, fortassc nde 20 nos v, non S 21 presentia S 22 retribuatur v corona S 23 auocato S ommissoru S 25 iuditium S 26 puniat ex ponat 82 27 iuditii S ne tf1 in om . r iuditii S ut, quos hic ueritate coniunxit, illic habitatione non separet. promissionem uestram recolens peculiarius rogo, ut fratrem Pomerium sanctitas uestra non solum non retineat, uerum etiam ad nos uenire conpellat partemque suam nobis indiuiduam per utriusque transmittat. nec eum a uobis discedere, si ad me accesserit, iudicetis, quia et uos hic inueniet in me et cum eo uos residente corpore, ut confidimus, corde uenietis. sed et inde non paruum fructum habere poteritis, si rusticitas nostra doctrina ipsius aliquid in dei timore profecerit.