Letter 47: Brother Rufinus,

47. PAULINUS TO HIS BROTHER RUFINUS, GREETING. Although my son Cerealis made it uncertain to me whether he would be going on to you at the time when he returns to Saint Peter's, nevertheless, through him who is as much yours as ours, we have judged that not writing to you would be as blameworthy for us as it would be saddening for you. And so, preferring to incur the loss of a sheet of paper, should he perhaps not have seen you, rather than the failure of a duty, as we believe, should he visit you, we have entrusted this letter not to chance but to faith. For we believe that in the Lord the path both of our discourse and of our son is to be directed to you, because for those who desire what is good all things shall proceed unto good; for he desires you, as much as you ought to be desired by one who understands his own advantage from fellowship with you. And therefore I presume that, in accordance with his faith and piety, his desire shall be satisfied with good things, and he shall reach you and remain with you, and there shall be doubled for us with the Lord a saving protection in you both, since to you so good a son shall come as companion, disciple, and helper, and you, granted by the Lord to be his father and master in all good, shall add the strength of spiritual grace to the effective power of his prayers. For us, however, even if it be a presumption upon your love, since on your return to the East you will not bear to depart without having visited us, nevertheless there is fear because of our sins, lest the daughter of Babylon turn you aside even from us who are so near. Wherefore we commit our desires and vows to the Lord, that he may deal with us not according to our merit but according to our desire, and may direct your way to us in the way of his peace, because those not walking in it have been condemned unto a reprobate mind, that they may not deserve to desire you. Indeed, with that importunity by which I have been accustomed to knock at your door even in the middle of the night, never compelled by fear of refusal to modesty and restraint in asking, I now hand over to you this matter concerning myself: that the blessings of the twelve patriarchs - of which you have already published the beginning, the prophecy concerning the person of Judah set forth for me in pages written out, as was bidden, with a threefold interpretation - you would deign to expound as distributed among his remaining sons, so that through you I myself may become aware of the truth, and may have you as the author of great grace and praise, if to those who, on account of the grace of a necessary work, judging of me above me, thought that I should be consulted, I may answer with what is divine and from your spirit rather than with what is inept from my own understanding. May the grace of God be with you, as it is, and remain forever, brother of one mind in Christ.

XXXXVII. PAVLINVS FRATRI RVFINO SALVTEM. Etsi incertum mihi fecit filius Cerealis, quod ad te perrecturus foret in tempore, quo ad sanctum Petrum reuertitur, tamen per eum, qui aeque tuus ac noster est, non scribere tibi tam culpabile nobis quam tibi triste futurum iudicauimus. itaque chartulae damnum, si te forte non uidisset, quam officii, sicut credimus, si te uiseret, praeoptantes capessere commisimus epistulam istam non casui sed fidei. credimus enim in domino dirigendam ad te uiam sermonis ac filii nostri, quia desiderantibus bonum omnia procedent in bonum; desiderat enim te, quantum debes desiderari ab intellegente commodum suum de consortio tui. et ideo praesumo, quia 6] (Gen. 49). 13] Gen. 49, 11. 27] (Rom: 8, 28). 1 adpraehensa S, apprehenso Rosw . 2 tui copiam Rosw . 3 pauper f uel] ut Rosw . 4 collegere S, colligens f 5 sane] coenae E 6 illut 11 7 iacob quo iuda S £ , quo ludas a Iacob Rosto . 9 forem à 10 ipsambenedictionem Rosw . 11 in eis] meis f 12 de] ex f 14 quae uero E S . — 18 Rufino om. S 20 Romam reuertit, 24 te om. S secundum fidem ac pietatem suam satiabitur in bonis desiderium eius et perueniet ad te et tecum manebit, et geminabitur nobis apud dominum in uobis salutare praesidium, cum et tibi tam bonus filius comes discipulus adiutor accesserit, et tu illi pater ac magister omnis boni donatus a domino ad efficacem orationum potentiam uires gratiae spiritalis addideris. nobis autem, etsi pro tua caritate praesumptio sit, quia remeaturus ad orientem non feres inuisitatis nobis abire, tamen de peccatis nostris metus est, ne etiamsi tam a nobis uicina filia Babylonis auertat. quare domino desideria nostra et uota mandamus, ne secundum meritum nobis sed secundum desiderium faciat et dirigat ad nos uiam tuam in uia pacis suae, quia non ambulantes in ea in reprobum sensum damnati sunt, ne te desiderare mereantur. Sane inportunitate, qua ostium tuum uel media nocte pulsare consueui, numquam repulsae metu ad uerecundiam et modum postulandi coactus, nunc hoc circa me negotii tibi trado, ut benedictiones duodecim patriarcharum, cuius iam principium mihi exposita circa personam Iudae prophetia triplici, ut iussum est, interpretatione conscriptis paginis edidisti, per reliquos eius filios distributam digneris exponere, ut ipse per te fiam conscius ueritatis et magnae gratiae ac laudis auctorem habeam, si his, qui de me supra me propter operis necessarii gratiam sentientes consulendum me putarunt, diuina potius et tuo spiritu quam de meo sensu inepta respondeam. gratia dei tecum, ut est, in aeternum maneat, frater in Christo unanime.