andafterproducingthereasonsgivenfortheaffirmative，adds，\"Sedhocnonvideturmihisatiscertum—Butthisdoesnotappeartomymindsufficientlycertain。\"Sincethattime，however，yourfather，EradeBille，professorofcasesofconscienceatCaen，hasdecidedthatthereisnosinatallinthecasesupposed；forprobableopinions，youknow，arealwaysinthewayofadvancingtomaturity。Thisopinionhemaintainsinhiswritingsof1644，againstwhichM。Dupre，doctorandprofessoratCaen，deliveredthatexcellentoration，sinceprintedandwellknown。ForthoughthisEradeBilleconfessesthatValentia’sdoctrine，adoptedbyFatherMilhardandcondemnedbytheSorbonne，\"iscontrarytothecommonopinion，suspectedofsimony，andpunishableatlawwhendiscoveredinpractice，\"hedoesnotscrupletosaythatitisaprobableopinion，andconsequentlysureinpointofconscience，andthatthereisneithersimonynorsininit。
\"Itisaprobableopinion，hesays，\"taughtbymanyCatholicdoctors，thatthereisneitheranysimonynoranysiningivingmoney，oranyothertemporalthing，forabenefice，eitherinthewayofacknowledgement，orasamotive，withoutwhichitwouldnotbegiven，provideditisnotgivenasapriceequaltothebenefice。\"Thisisallthatcouldpossiblybedesired。Infact，accordingtothesemaximsofyours，simonywouldbesoexceedinglyrarethatwemightexemptfromthissinevenSimonMagushimself，whodesiredtopurchasetheHolySpiritandistheemblemofthosesimoniststhatbuyspiritualthings；andGehazi，whotookmoneyforamiracleandmayberegardedastheprototypeofthesimoniststhatsellthem。TherecanbenodoubtthatwhenSimon，aswereadintheActs，\"offeredtheapostlesmoney，saying，Givemealsothispower\"；hesaidnothingaboutbuyingorselling，orfixingtheprice；hedidnomorethanofferthemoneyasamotivetoinducethemtogivehimthatspiritualgift；whichbeing，accordingtoyou，nosimonyatall，hemight，hadbebutbeeninstructedinyourmaxims，haveescapedtheanathemaofSt。Peter。ThesameunhappyignorancewasagreatlosstoGehazi，whenhewasstruckwithleprosybyElisha；for，asheacceptedthemoneyfromtheprincewhohadbeenmiraculouslycured，simplyasanacknowledgement，andnotasapriceequivalenttothedivinevirtuewhichhadeffectedthemiracle，hemighthaveinsistedontheprophethealinghimagainonpainofmortalsin；seeing，onthissupposition，hewouldhaveactedaccordingtotheadviceofyourgravedoctors，who，insuchcases，obligeconfessorstoabsolvetheirpenitentsandtowashthemfromthatspiritualleprosyofwhichthebodilydiseaseisthetype。Seriously，fathers，itwouldbeextremelyeasytoholdyouuptoridiculeinthismatter，andIamatalosstoknowwhyyouexposeyourselvestosuchtreatment。
Toproducethiseffect，IhavenothingmoretodothansimplytoquoteEscobar，inhisPracticeofSimonyaccordingtotheSocietyofJesus；\"IsitsimonywhentwoChurchmenbecomemutuallypledgedthus：GivemeyourvoteformyelectionasProvincial，andIshallgiveyoumineforyourelectionasprior？Bynomeans。\"Ortakeanother：\"Itisnotsimonytogetpossessionofabeneficebypromisingasumofmoney，whenonehasnointentionofactuallypayingthemoney；forthisismerelymakingashowofsimony，andisasfarfrombeingrealsimonyascounterfeitgoldisfromthegenuine。\"Bythisquirkofconscience，hehascontrivedmeans，inthewayofaddingswindlingtosimony，forobtainingbeneficeswithoutsimonyandwithoutmoney。ButIhavenotimetodwelllongeronthesubject，forImustsayawordortwoinreplytoyourthirdaccusation，whichreferstothesubjectofbankrupts。Nothingcanbemoregrossthanthemannerinwhichyouhavemanagedthischarge。YourailatmeasalibellerinreferencetoasentimentofLessius，whichIdidnotquotemyself，buttookfromapassageinEscobar；and，therefore，thoughitweretruethatLessiusdoesnotholdtheopinionascribedtohimbyEscobar，whatcanbemoreunfairthantochargemewiththemisrepresentation？WhenIquoteLessiusorothersofyourauthorsmyself，Iamquitepreparedtoanswerforit；but，asEscobarhascollectedtheopinionsoftwenty—fourofyourwriters，IbegtoaskifIamboundtoguaranteeanythingbeyondthecorrectnessofmycitationsfromhisbook？OrifImust，inaddition，answerforthefidelityofallhisquotationsofwhichImayavailmyself？Thiswouldbehardlyreasonable；andyetthisispreciselythecaseinthequestionbeforeus。IproducedinmyletterthefollowingpassagefromEscobar，andyoudonotobjecttothefidelityofmytranslation：\"Maythebankrupt，withagoodconscience，retainasmuchofhispropertyasisnecessarytoaffordhimanhonourablemaintenance—neindecorevivat？Ianswer，withLessius，thathemay—cumLessioasseroposse。\"YoutellmethatLessiusdoesnotholdthatopinion。Butjustconsiderforamomentthepredicamentinwhichyouinvolveyourselves。Ifitturnsoutthathedoesholdthatopinion，youwillbesetdownasimpostorsforhavingassertedthecontrary；
andifitisprovedthathedoesnotholdit，Escobarwillbetheimpostor；
soitmustnowofnecessityfollowthatoneorotheroftheSocietywillbeconvictedofimposture。Onlythinkwhatascandal！Youcannot，itwouldappear，foreseetheconsequencesofthings。Youseemtoimaginethatyouhavenothingmoretodothantocastaspersionsuponpeople，withoutconsideringonwhomtheymayrecoil。WhydidyounotacquaintEscobarwithyourobjectionbeforeventuringtopublishit？Hemighthavegivenyousatisfaction。ItisnotsoverytroublesometogetwordfromValladolid，whereheislivinginperfecthealth，andcompletinghisgrandworkonMoralTheology，insixvolumes，onthefirstofwhichImeantosayafewwordsby—and—by。