“Cease in your avaricious hoarding of wealth!  You have now enough.  Do not wrench from the poor his last mouthful of bread.

“Remember what Saint Fulgentius said:  ’Et si mithetur in stagnum ignis et sulphuris qui nudum vestimento non tegit, quid passures est qui vestimento crudelis expoliat?  Et si rerum suarem avarus possessor requiem non habebit, quomodo aliaenarum rerum insatiabilis raptor?’ Meaning, ’And if he who never clothed the naked is sent to the pond of fire and sulphur, where will he, who cruelly stripped them, go?  And if the greedy possessor of his own wealth may never rest, how shall it be with the thief, insatiable in his greed for the wealth of others?’

“Preach then, the religion of Hope and Promises, as you, above all, are in need of pardon and forgiveness.  Do not speak of rigor, nor condemn others, lest God should hear and judge you according to the laws by you formulated.  Bear always in mind Christ’s words, ’Vae vobis scribae et Pharisae hypocrite qui clauditis regnum coelorum ante homines; vos non intratis, nec introeunts sinitis intrare!’ This means, ’Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, who close to men the Kingdom of God, and neither enter nor allow others to enter!’

“Now, to you personally, I will say:  You are an unfortunate fool, who speak numberless absurdities, although I could not expect aught else from you, and would not punish you for them.  But you have had the audacity of not only insulting others, by which you forgot truth and charity, but praised yourself and called attention to your own praise.

“Referring to yourself, you said.  This Father, whom I well know (liar, you do not even know yourself), although he may appear a little hard headed (a little hard-headed?  Ask my crosier if your head is not harder than stone), never speaks in vain (this is true; every word you say causes as much laughter on earth as in Heaven), nor uses words without first thinking (if such is true, your intelligence is very limited).

“For such foolish vanity I ought to punish you severely, so that you would stop forever your senseless writings, saving me the trouble of coming to reprimand you at every instance.

“Were I to judge you according to your own theory, you should at least go to your Purgatory.  But, after all, you are not so bad, as many learned persons are made to laugh at your writings.

“It would be well for your pride if you allowed the Indians to pass by you without taking off their hats or kissing your hand.  But then, they would be imprisoned or exiled, and it would not do to increase the wrong you do them.

“Shall I make you lame and dumb?  No!  Your brothers would claim it was a trial of your forbearance, to which God had submitted you.  No; you won’t catch me on that!

“What shall I do with you?”

The old Bishop meditated for a few moments, and then, he exclaimed: 

“Ah!  Now I know!  Your own sin shall be your punishment!