Letter 10: I received the letter of your holy affection, in which you instruct me to include in the letters I send you some...

Paulinus to the most blessed and especially our lord, ever in the Lord Christ our father, Delphinus. We have received the letter of your holy affection, in which you bid us, in the letters which we send to you, to add beyond the discourse of duty some word concerning the Scriptures, which may reveal to you the treasure of our heart. But the order of piety demands, and the apostle our teacher instructs, that parents should rather lay up treasure for their children. And yet you, who have been made our father by the Lord and in the Lord, have ever laid up good things in store, and do not cease to lay them up, besides that talent of saving grace which, with you sealing us, we received, not to be hidden in the earth nor to be wrapped up in a napkin, but to be set before the money-changers, by whom it might be multiplied with abundant interest, or to be distributed at the fitting time to those who, to prepare the torches for the coming of the bridegroom, sell the oil to be procured by the wise. But you lay up treasure for us in yet another way also, always, who ask that there be added, from the treasures of the Lord, to the grace which has been given to us through you. And would that we might be able to receive as much as you are able to obtain for us, that we may receive it! For surely, out of this conscience and confidence of your petitions on our behalf, you ask of us, or rather demand again, that we speak something spiritual to you which may be worthy in us of your seed; because, believing that according to your faith you have obtained by prayer the things you have prayed and do pray to be granted to us, you desire to grasp the effect of your solicitude and entreaty from the offspring of our heart and mouth through the proofs of our words, since out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and the savor of the mind is tasted in speech. Justly, therefore, your holiness demands back the debt of its deposit and awaits the sprout of its seed. But what shall I do, a barren field? With what fruit shall I answer you, I who have brought forth thistles instead of wheat, or thorns instead of grapes? And therefore, conscious of a bad crop or an unfruitful tree, so that I may at least satisfy the piety owed, I put forward in my letters only the words of duty, and, confounded by the hidden shame of my sloth, I conceal a mind that has degenerated from your heart; while, conscious of your too great love toward me, I fear lest I sadden your mind, rejoicing in the presumption of a good hope concerning us, by a disappointed expectation, and you be compelled to say or write to me: I planted you a fruitful vine; but you have been turned into the bitterness of a strange vine. I waited that you might make a grape, and you have made thorns. And would that even those thorns were useful, which against a wicked tongue furnish a hedge for pious ears, and guard faith in a cautious heart as a crop in an enclosed field! But you have brought forth those thorns which, as I perceive, are useless and harmful, which choke the word and turn it into wretchedness, while they still pierce hearts with carnal thoughts, like a rough bramble. You ask, therefore, most pious father, what you may yet do that you have not done for us, since you have both planted us in the house of the Lord, and for those planted you have built up the wall of the saving sign, by which we might be fortified against the assault of the woodland boar and the ravaging of the fierce wild ass, and you have dug a winepress, that through a pious manner of life we might pour out for you, as it were, some sweet vintage from your vine? You still have something to do, in imitation of him who entreated from the Lord of the vineyard a reprieve for the barren fig tree and deferred by his promise the cutting down that threatened the useless wood. So therefore for us also let the care of your piety intervene, and let it ask that the axe set to the roots of the barren trees be suspended by at least a year's expectation of the Lord's indulgence. Pledge to the householder, on our behalf, the diligence of your solicitude and your unceasing prayers, as that apostolic basket of evangelical manure, by which the earth of our heart may grow rich and the crop of your sowing be nourished, or the tree of your planting receive the sap of your fruitfulness; so that on the day of recognition, on which the sower and the reaper shall rejoice together, you also, bringing us in a fatherly bosom among your sheaves, may demand back from him the fruit of your cultivation, when to him who nourishes the sown fields of those who water and makes the labors of those who tend bear fruit, you shall have offered, in us, that which he may command not to be cut down for the fire, but may deign to reap for the granary.

X. BEATISSIMO ET PECVLIARITER DOMINO SEMPER IN DOMINO CHRISTO NOBIS PATRI DBLPHINO PAVLINVB. Accepimus litteras sanctae affectionis tuae, quibus iubes nos in epistolis, quas ad te facimus, aliquem praeter officii de scripturis adicere sermonem, qui tibi thesaurum nostri cordis reuelet. sed parentes potius filiis thesaurizare et ordo pietatis postulat et magister apostolus docet. quamquam tu nobis a domino et in domino pater factus semper thesaurizaueris bona et thesaurizare non desinas praeter illud gratiae salutaris talentum, quod te consignante suscepimus non in terra abscondendum 1] Ps. 141, 6. 2J (Eph. 4,23). 4] Ps. 72,26. 12] (II Cor. 12,14). 1 distructum 0 nostram FU, nram ex urum P m. 2 discere P1 2 sensum P, sensuum FLU 5 saecula] uale add. FP\'U . — explicit L, finit ad amandQ III. 0 FLMPOUX . — s. paulini epi ad delfiuu eplh a q et baptizatus e . XXII. L, ad delfinum efftn a Ii et baptizatus est XXX. M, incipit ad delfinum ■ I. qui ab ipso baptizatus est paulinus 0, eiusdem paulini ad dalphinum quia ab ipso baptizatus est P, incipit undecima eiusdem paulini ad dalphinum quia ab ipso bapzitazus (sic) est. beatissimo ac peculiariter domino semper in domino cristo nobis patri delphino paulinus (haec in (tttt paginae, secuntur in initio sequentis): explicit epistola decima sancti paulini nole campanie episcopi eiusdem paulini undecima ad dalphinum quia ab ipso baptizatus est incipit Epistola undecima sancti paulini F, meropii paulini episcopi nolani liber tertius epistolarum ad delphinum episcopum incipit feliciter. Epistola sancti paulini episcopi ad delphinum episcopum ubi requisitus ab eo, ut in epistolis quas ei transmictit aliqua de scripturis sanctis ad consolationem suam interserere dignetur. excusatum se facit, tamquam minus actum et plurimum indoctum U — 7 in domino] in do X 8 nobiscum X delfino LOX 10 officii FOPUX, officium LM, officii necessitatem v 12 filiis potius LM 13 quanquam 0, quamuis v 14 thesaurisaueris Fl 15 illum gratia X 1G quem OPHJx con- «gnanteip Xl neque in sudario inuoluendum, sed adponendum nummulariis, a quibus uberi multiplicaretur usura, uel his distribuendum in tempore oportuno, qui ad praeparandas in aduentum sponsi faces uenditant oleum sapientibus conparandum: thesaurizas uero nobis et alio modo semper, qui de thesauris domini ad gratiam, quae per te data est nobis, adponi rogas. atque utinam tantum capere possimus, quantum tu, ut accipiamus, potes inpetrare! nam profecto de hac pro nobis postulationum tuarum conscientia atque fiducia petis a nobis uel magis repetis, ut aliquid spiritale ad te loquamur, quod semine in nobis dignum tuo sit, quia secundum fidem tuam exorasse te credens, quae nobis orasti et oras dari, effectum sollicitudinis et deprecationis tuae de nostri cordis et oris fetibus per documenta uerborum capere desideras, quoniam ex abundantia cordis os loquitur et sapor mentis in sermone gustatur. Iuste itaque sanctitas tua depositi sui debitum repetit et seminis sui germen expectat. sed quid faciam ager sterilis? qua tibi fruge respondeam, qui pro tritico tribulos uel pro uuis edidi spinas? et ideo conscius malae segetis aut infructuosae arboris, ut uel pietati debitae satisfaciam, sola in litteris meis officii uerba praetendo et sensum a tuo corde degenerem pudore inertiae confusus occulto, dum nimiae circa me dilectionis tuae conscius timeo, ne animum tuum bonae de nobis spei praesumptione gaudentem decepta expectatione contristem, et cogaris dicere uel scribere mihi: ego te plantaui uitem fructuosam, tu uero conuersus es in amaritudinem uitis alienae. expectaui ut faceres uuam, et tu fecisti 1] (TJUC. 19,18). 4] (Matth. 25,9). 14] Matth. 12,34; Luc. 6,45. 18] (Matth. 7, 16). 25] Hier. 2, 21. 27] Es. 5, 4. 1 nec F in om. M 2 multiplicetur M iis v 3 opportuno PU quia L 4 ut thesaurizas X 5 uerum X qui] quicquid X 8 profecto de hac om. M 9 conscientie FPlU petit x1 10 tuo dignum X 13 nostris 0 et om. M faetibus FLMP, Coetibus U docimenta 0 14 habundantia FO 16 sanctas FU repitit U 19 aut] uel M 21 protendo X corde tuo r degeneri X 24 pei U decepta 0 v, recepta cet . contristam Ll 25 te om. FPU 26 uirtuosam F amaritudine x 27 tuo 0 spinas. atque utinam uel illas utiles, quae contra linguam nequam sepimentum piis auribus praestant et fidem in corde cauto uelut frugem in agro circumcluso tuentur! sed tu illas, ut sentio, inutiles et nocentes, quae uerbum suffocant et conuertunt in aerumnam, dum carnalibus adhuc cogitationibus corda configunt, quasi rhamnus asper produxisti. Quaeris ergo, piissime pater, quid facias adhuc quod non feceris nobis, cum et plantaueris nos in domo domini, et plantatis maceriam signaculi salutaris, qua ab incursu siluestris apri et depastione ferocis onagri muniremur, adstruxeris et torcular foderis, quo per conuersationem piam quasi quandam tibi dulcem de tua uite uindemiam funderemus? habes adhuc quod facias imitatione illius, qui sterilis ficulneae conmeatum a domino uineae deprecatus est et inminentem inutili ligno excisionem distulit sponsione. sic igitur et pro nobis pietatis tuae cura interueniat et positam ad radices arborum ieiunarum securem uel annua domini indulgentis expectatione suspendi postulet. sponde patrifamilias diligentiam pro nobis sollicitudinis tuae et adsiduas orationes tamquam illum apostolicum euangelici stercoris cophinum pollicere, quo cordis nostri terra pinguescat et sationis tuae seges nutriatur uel plantationis tuae arbor sucum tuae fecunditatis accipiat, ut in die recognitionis, quo pariter sator messorque gaudebunt, nos quoque paterno sinu adferens inter manipulos tuos repetas ab eo culturae tuae fructum, cum illi, qui sata inrigantium 1] (Eccli. 28, 28 et 36, 27; Matth. 13, 7; Ps. 57,10). 8] Ps. 91, 14. 10] (Ps. 79, 14). 13] (Luc. 13, 8). 16] (Matth. 3, 10; Luc. 3, 9). 19] (Luc. 13, 8). 3 concluso LM 4 ut sentio illas L, ut sentio tu illas M post . et LMv, te cd . 6 ramnus w, ramus v 8 nobiscum FLU 9 materiam U signaculis 0 10 de passione 0 muniremus U, muniemur F 11 et om. U faederis F, foederis P1, feceris UP<j quadam U 12 uindimiam 0 13 stcrelis X commeatum L in rnR. m. 1, comminatum r 16 positum 0 18 postulet Ov, postula et cet . 20 coflnum 0 quo ni Ov, in quo cet . 21 terga FPlU 23 secognitionis U, recogtionis (eog I eapiu M TM.) L, cognitionis X pater F 24 nos] hos F repetas M 25 ab eo om. M nutrit et colentium labores fructificat, id in -nobis, quod non ad ignem iubeat abscidi, sed ad horreum metere dignetur, obtuleris.