1. Long time, my venerable fellow-bishop Paulinus, have I been thy Holiness’s debtor for an answer; even since thou wrotest to me by them of the household1    Homines of our most religious daughter Flora, asking of me whether it profit any man after death that his body is buried at the memorial of some Saint. This, namely, had the said widow begged of thee for her son deceased in those parts, and thou hadst written her an answer, consoling her, and announcing to her concerning the body of the faithful young man Cynegius, that the thing which she with motherly and pious affection desired was done, to wit, by placing it in the basilica of most blessed Felix the Confessor. Upon which occasion it came to pass, that by the same bearers of thy letter thou didst write also to me, raising the like question, and craving that I would answer what I thought of this matter, at the same time not forbearing to say what are thine own sentiments. For thou sayest that to thy thinking these be no empty motions of religious and faithful minds, which take this care for their deceased friends. Thou addest, moreover, that it cannot be void of effect2    Vacare that the whole Church is wont to supplicate for the departed: so that hence it may be further conjectured that it doth profit a person after death, if by the faith of his friends for the interment of his body such a spot be provided wherein may be apparent the aid, likewise in this way sought, of the Saints.

CAPUT PRIMUM.

0591

1. Paulini quaestio, an mortuo prosit quod apud sancti alicujus memoriam sepelitur. Sententia ipsius est prodesse. Difficultas contra ab eodem proposita discutitur. Ex genere vitae quam quisque gesserit, effici ut prosint vel non prosint quae fiunt pro defunctis. Diu Sanctitati tuae, coepiscope venerande Pauline, rescriptorum debitor fui, ex quo mihi scripsisti per homines filiae nostrae religiosissimae Florae, quaerens a me utrum prosit cuique post mortem quod corpus ejus apud sancti alicujus memoriam sepelitur. Hoc enim abs te vidua memorata petiverat pro defuncto in eis partibus filio suo, et rescripseras consolans eam: idque etiam nuntians de cadavere fidelis juvenis Cynegii , quod materno et pio affectu 0592 desideravit, esse completum, ut scilicet in beatissimi Felicis confessoris basilica poneretur. Qua occasione factum est, ut per eosdem perlatores litterarum tuarum etiam mihi scriberes, ingerens hujuscemodi quaestionem, atque ut responderem quid inde mihi videretur, exposcens, nec tacens ipse quid sentias. Nam dicis videri tibi non esse inanes motus animorum religiosorum atque fidelium pro suis ista curantium. Adjungis etiam vacare non posse, quod universa pro defunctis Ecclesia supplicare consuevit: ut hinc et illud conjici possit, homini prodesse post mortem, si fide suorum humando ejus corpori talis provideatur locus, in quo appareat opitulatio etiam isto modo quaesita sanctorum.