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Letter CCXXVII.
(a.d. 428 or
429.)
To the Aged Alypius, Augustin Sends
Greeting.
Brother Paulus has arrived here safely: he reports
that the pains devoted to the business which engaged him have been
rewarded with success; the Lord will grant that with these his
trouble in that matter may terminate. He salutes you warmly, and
tells us tidings concerning Gabinianus which give us joy, namely,
that having by God’s mercy obtained a prosperous issue in his
case, he is now not only in name a Christian, but in sincerity a
very excellent convert to the faith, and was baptized recently at
Easter, having both in his heart and on his lips the grace which he
received. How much I long for him I can never express; but you know
that I love him.
The president of the medical faculty,2976
Dioscorus,
has also professed the Christian faith, having obtained grace at
the same time. Hear the manner of his conversion, for his stubborn
neck and his bold tongue could not be subdued without some miracle.
His daughter, the only comfort of his life, was sick, and her
sickness became so serious that her life was, according even to her
father’s own admission, despaired of. It is reported, and the
truth of the report is beyond question, for even before brother
Paul’s return the fact was mentioned to me by Count Peregrinus, a
most respectable and truly Christian man, who was baptized at the
same time with Dioscorus and Gabinianus,—it is reported, I say,
that the old man, feeling himself at last constrained to implore
the compassion of Christ, bound himself by a vow that he would
become a Christian if he saw her restored to health. She recovered,
but he perfidiously drew back from fulfilling his vow. Nevertheless
the hand of the Lord was still stretched forth, for suddenly he is
smitten with blindness, and immediately the cause of this calamity
was impressed upon his mind. He confessed his fault aloud, and
vowed again that if his sight were given back he would perform what
he had vowed. He recovered his sight, fulfilled his vow, and still
the hand of God was stretched forth. He had not committed the Creed
to memory, or perhaps had refused to commit it, and had excused
himself on the plea of inability. God had seen this.
Immediately after all the ceremonies of his reception he is
seized with paralysis, affecting many, indeed almost all his
members, and even his tongue. Then, being warned by a dream, he
confesses in writing that it had been told to him that this had
happened because he had not repeated the Creed. After that
confession the use of all his members was restored to him, except
the tongue alone; nevertheless he, being still under this
affliction, made manifest by writing that he had, notwithstanding,
learned the Creed, and still retained it in his memory; and so that
frivolous loquacity which, as you know, blemished his natural
kindliness, and made him, when he mocked Christians, exceedingly
profane, was altogether destroyed in him. What shall I say, but,
“Let us sing a hymn to the Lord, and highly exalt Him for ever!
Amen.”
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