[419] _On the back_: "To my lady and good sister Madame Katerine Le
Franc."
Iolande de Brederode, of the ancient and illustrious house of
the Counts of Holland, aunt of Henri de Brederode, who, in 1566,
presented the request of the four hundred Reformed nobles of the
Netherlands to Margaret of Austria, and thus laid the foundation
of the liberty of the United Provinces. Of a stoical and generous
spirit, Madame de Falais partook the sentiments of her husband, and
she shared the noble fellowship of the sacrifices which he made for
the sake of liberty of conscience.
Christian counsel and exhortations.
_This 14th October_ [1543.]
MADAME, AND WELL-BELOVED SISTER,--I have no great matter to write
you about at present, unless it be to let you know that I have
received your letter, which affords me a suitable occasion to
thank our Lord for the many graces he has bestowed upon you, and
peculiarly on account of his having thus disposed you to relinquish
and renounce all, to devote yourself wholly to his service. It
is, indeed, only what we ought all of us to do without murmur
or gainsaying, and is even, as it were, the first lesson in the
school of Christ. The greater number of scholars, however, acquit
themselves very badly. On that account, therefore, I praise our
Lord, for that he has made you feel how highly he prizes the glory
of his name, to give it the preference above every other worldly
consideration, and even so to experience what a happiness it is to
serve him with a quiet peaceful conscience, so that you may reckon
_that_ the greatest treasure you could happen upon. As it is,
therefore, quite superfluous to exhort you very much, when I see
that you have already made up your mind as it appears to me, all
that remains for me is to take pains to confirm you in that holy
resolution. Besides, I do earnestly hope, that our Lord has not
kindled such a zealous desire in you, as not also to give you the
grace to reach forward to the mark whereto he urges you forward.
And over and above all, he has already shewn by such considerable
beginnings, that we ought to have confidence in him, that he will
perfect what he hath begun.
It is true also, that on your part you have great bars which lie in
the way to obstruct your progress, and also the gentleman on his
side yet many more. But in putting on the strength of our Lord,
you will not care a straw for them, and skip over them without
difficulty, not, however, so far as the flesh is concerned, but in
suchwise that you shall acknowledge the truth to be fulfilled in
you, according to what the prophet says, "The Lord maketh my feet
like hinds' feet." Only, take care not to let the zeal which the
Lord has bestowed upon you grow cool; but rather to look upon it as
though it were himself who solicits and importunes you to come away.
And should there be some weakness of infirmity about you, first of
all, entreat him specially in prayer that he would correct it, while
on your part you strive against that weakness to get the better of
it. Secondly, beseech him when he shall perceive that you come on
too slowly, that he would take you by the hand, and, as it were,
deliver you in spite of yourself. There cannot be any doubt but that
Sarah was a great solace to our father Abraham, when he had to set
forth upon his journey. Follow you her footsteps like one of her
daughters, for we see from the example of Lot's wife what is the
consequence of looking back. Howsoever that may be, I do entertain
the assurance that you have not put a hand to the plough, meaning to
look behind and turn back upon it.
If this letter had been presented to you by a messenger who was
altogether a stranger, I would have been possibly somewhat more
lengthened in my address; but when the messenger can himself supply
what is deficient in the letters, we must not cast such discredit
upon him as to write all that we would have you to know, as if
he had not a mouth to speak for himself. For this reason I shall
conclude this letter, after having commended me affectionately to
your kind favour, and having prayed our Lord that he would carry
forward his work in you, leading you even by his Holy Spirit, both
to the knowledge and the obedience of his good will, giving also
strength and prudence to him who ought to be your guide, to go
before, to urge you by his example, and also that he would be so
gracious to you as to make you a helpmate as he has ordained. I
shall await the return of the kind gentleman, the present bearer,
not without having a great desire to see you.
Your servant, humble brother, and entire friend,
CHARLES D'ESPEVILLE.
[_Fr. orig. autogr._--_Library of Geneva._ Vol. 194.]