Consolations on the death of his sister.
FROM GENEVA, _this 20th of November 1546_.
MONSEIGNEUR,--The day before Camus arrived, I had written to you,
as well as to others, by a young tailor of Picardy; but because I
was not certain whether they had as yet informed you of the death
of Madame your sister,[91] I did not venture to mention it. Now I
have rejoiced, and have thanked God with my whole heart, perceiving
by the letter of Madame that you had at once taken your stand upon
the point whereon I would have founded my principal argument, if I
had wished to console you. And, indeed, you have much occasion for
gratitude on account of the grace which God has vouchsafed to her,
and to you also. For seeing that her husband had waxed so cold, the
good lady would have been in an unhappy captivity had she remained
longer in the world, and would only have languished her life away.
On your part, you would not have had it in your power to lend her
a helping hand, nor to solace her sorrows; and so you never could
have thought of her without regret and vexation. God, therefore,
has had pity upon you and her, in thus providing, and above all, in
preventing the dangers into which she might have fallen in a long
career, by reason of the frailty which is in us. And we have yet
a better ground of further consolation, that it will not be long
ere we find ourselves together again. Meanwhile, let us think of
preparing ourselves to follow her, for the time will soon come. But
I like much better to congratulate you, seeing that our Lord has
already put these things in your heart, than to labour in recalling
them to your memory. The other news which Camus has told me about
you, has also cheered me to await the time when God will bring to
pass what he has put into so good a train.
[91] Helène de Falais. She had married Adrien de L'Isle, Seigneur de
Trénoy.
Monseigneur, after humble commendations to your kind favour, and
having presented the humble remembrances of my wife, I pray our good
Lord to have you ever in his safeguard, to strengthen you in body
and in spirit, so as always to make you more abound in his service.
Your humble servant and bounden friend,
JOHN CALVIN.
* * * * *
I assure you that you make me desire the arrival of the spring-time
more than I would otherwise have done. Our brother Des Gallars
commends himself also very humbly to your kind favour.
[_Fr. orig. autogr._--_Library of Geneva._ Vol. 194.]