1. Brother Paul has arrived back safely; he reports that his affairs have been considered favourably; the Lord will grant that this may be the last of them. He sends you hearty greetings and gives us the joyful news about Gavinianus, that having secured deliverance, by God's mercy, from that case of his, he is now not only a Christian but has become a very admirable member of the Church, b having received baptism last Easter, and professing in his heart and with his mouth c the grace that was bestowed on him. I could never express the greatness of my longing for him, but you know how dear he is to me. The town physician, d Dioscurus, has also become a Christian and joined the Church, having received grace at the same time. I must tell you how it came about, for one so stiff-necked and sharp-tongued could have been subjugated only by a miracle. His daughter, an only child, the pride of his life, was ill, and she reached a point when the recovery of her bodily health was quite despaired of, and her own father gave her up. The story goes (and its truth is vouched for by the fact that even before the return of brother Paul it was told me by Count Peregrinus, a an admirable man and a thorough Christian, who received baptism at the same time as they did)—the story goes then that the old man finally turned to implore the pity of Christ and bound himself by a vow to become a Christian, if he saw her out of danger. That prayer was granted, but in spite of that he neglected to fulfil his vow. But his hand was still high. b For suddenly he is smitten with blindness and it immediately occurred to him why that had happened. He cried out. confessing his fault, and made another vow that, if he received back his sight, he would fulfil his earlier vow. He received it back, he fulfilled his vow. And still his hand was high.5 He had not memorized c the Creed, or perhaps had refused to memorize it, and had offered the excuse that he could not. Let God be judge. But just after the completion of the ceremony of his admission, he fell into a paralytic seizure affecting many, if not all, of his members. Then, being warned in a dream, he confessed in writing that he had been told this had befallen him for the reason that he had failed to repeat the Creed. After that confession the use of all his limbs was restored to him. saving only his tongue. Yet he confessed on paper that in spite of that seizure he had learned the Creed and still retained it in his memory. And thus was destroyed in him all the scurrility which, as you know, was a great blemish on his natural kindness and made him. when he mocked Christians, a very sacrilegious man. What shall I say save “Let us sing a hymn to the Lord and highly exalt Him for ever” a? Amen.
1. Frater Paulus hic est incolumis; adportat negotiorum suorum secundas curas: praestabit dominus, ut etiam ipsa ultima sint. Multum vos salutat et narrat gaudia de Gaviniano, quod ab illa sua causa misericordia dei liberatus non solum Christianus sed etiam fidelis sit valde bonus per pascha proxime baptizatus, in corde atque in ore habens gratiam quam percepit. Quantum eum desiderem, quando explicabo? Sed nosti ut eum diligam. Archiater etiam Dioscorus Christianus fidelis est, simul gratiam consecutus. Audi etiam quem ad modum; neque enim cervicula illa vel lingua nisi aliquo prodigio domarentur. Filia eius. in qua unica adquiescebat, aegrotabat et usque ad totam desperationem salutis temporalis eodem ipso patre renuntiante pervenit. Dicitur ergo—et constat, cum mihi hoc et ante fratris Pauli reditum comes Peregrinus, vir laudabilis et bene Christianus, qui cum eis eodem tempore baptizatus est, indicaret,—dicitur ergo ille senex tandem conversus ad inplorandam Christi misericordiam voto se obligasse Christianum fore, si illam salvam videret. Factum est. At ille, quod voverat, dissimulabat exsolvere. Sed adhuc manus excelsa. Nam repentina caecitate suffunditur statimque venit in mentem unde illud esset. Exclamavit confitens atque iterum vovit se, recepto lumine, impleturum esse quod voverat. Recepit, implevit. Et adhuc manus excelsa. Symbolum non tenuerat aut fortasse tenere recusaverat et se non potuisse excusaverat. Deus viderit. Iam tamen post festa omnia receptionis suae in paralysin solvitur multis ac paene omnibus membris, tunc somnio admonitus confitens per scripturam ob hoc sibi dictum esse accidisse, quod symbolum non reddiderit. Post illam confessionem redduntur officia membrorum omnium nisi linguae solius. Se tamen didicisse symbolum ideoque me- moria iam tenere nihilo minus in eadem temptatione litteris fassus est, et omnis est ab eo deleta nugacitas, quae, ut scis, multum dedecorabat naturalem quandam eius benignitatem eumque insultantem Christianis faciebat valde sacrilegum. Quid dicam domino, nisi hymnum canamus et super exaltemus eum in saecula? Amen.