Epistolae Tres

The three letters of Saint Sulpicius, Bishop of Bourges. (Canisius, Ancient Readings, volume I.) The First Letter. To my lord, always my own and to be venerated for the apostolic see, lord Desiderius, Bishop of the city of Cahors, Sulpicius, Bishop of the city of Bourges. The excessive sweetness of your greatness has stirred the mind of my littleness, and I will presume to set forth in a slender discourse the distinguished pontifical praise of your priesthood. Suddenly all strength failed in words, which the magnitude of such a subject overcame, so that when I weighed in my mind the studies of such great difficulties as rudiments, I, conquered by the mass of that greatness itself, succumbed. Hence I have at least satisfied my own desire, even if I was not able to fulfill yours with my support, yet I willingly appear to be of use to your eminence in nothing else. But you, with your customary piety, consider it so important that we wish to visit you frequently. Hence, first inquiring about your health, which we would rather fulfill by mutual speech of body and tongue, since the distance of regions does not separate our sight, except that it only cheats us of the intervening space, and yet love beholds that sight with the gaze when the remembering mind forms it. Therefore, absence will lose nothing that presence labored to achieve in person. Your beatitude always pays the debt of duty in sending letters, so that the service of the company owed in return is greater than the debtor considered by merits.

We presume to petition the Author of heaven, that He may command your life to be prolonged through the courses of years, and deign to extend it for a long time—He by whose name the world is now richly preserved. And the tottering summits of things are long confirmed, or, having collapsed, rise again more solidly. This he made with his own hand from your times. May I merit to serve your grace, my special Lord. LETTER II. To the holy lord and brother, to be venerated for the apostolic see, Verus, Bishop of the city of Ruteni [L., Rutenae], Sulpicius the sinner. Insofar as the apostolic man, lord Desiderius, Bishop of the city of Cadurca, has made known to you through his letters, his men have suffered a grave injury from your deacon Perricius in his parish of Aronnacus. And we have heard that on the Kalends of April he is to have a hearing with you concerning this matter. Therefore, greeting your charity, we ask that you arrange for satisfaction to be made to lord Desiderius in such a way, if you recognize that the deacon mentioned above was negligent in this matter—as is your prudence—and if perhaps he himself says that he delayed to obey, and if it is not corrected in such a way as lord Desiderius wishes, that it be done no otherwise than at the hearing which the above-written pontiff has announced to you. Remember... that you cause your deacon, together with a surety and your written statement, to be sent to our insignificance. Meanwhile, we retain a copy of the letter with us.

We petition your most sweet holiness, that you deign to remember us in your holy prayers. LETTER III To my lord, always to be looked up to, and to be named with all honor and reverence, lord Desiderius the pope, Sulpicius, a sinner. You have competently fulfilled the pastoral office with singular mysteries, in that you have directed the concern of your solicitude to our insignificance, while the joy which the principal solemnity of the Lord's Resurrection itself conferred upon us was doubled by the pastoral visitation, in which on both sides both blessing shone forth in the offerings, and affection shone forth in the letters. Therefore, rendering the gifts of well-being, we wish that, with the courses of years multiplied, we may merit both to be received by your blessings and to be blessed by your words. May I serve you for countless years, and may you flourish with continuing prosperity, most blessed pope.