Spiritual and Ascetic Letters of Savonarola

PREFACE 5 FORWARD 14 LETTER I: To his father, Nicolas Savonarola; written at Bologna, 25 April, 1475; concerning his departure from home and his entrance into the Order of the Preaching Friars. 21 LETTER II: To Magdalen Pica, Countess of Mirandola; concerning her design of entering the Order of S. Clare. 29 LETTER III: To his Brethren of the Convent of S. Mark of Florence; written at Bologna, where he was preaching during the Lent of 1492; concerning the manner of good living and of following after God. 54 LETTER IV: To his Brethren of the Convent of S. Mark at Florence; written on the fifth of August, 1497; concerning the manner of wording in love according to the Divine disposal. 70 LETTER V: To all his Brethren of the same Congregation of S. Mark; written on the Vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the year 1497; concerning the manner of resisting temptation and of attaining unto perfection. 80 LETTER VI: An exhortation of the Reverend Father, Brother Jerome of Ferrara, of the Order of the Preaching Friars, to his Brethren; concerning the wise and convenient method of prayer. 95 LETTER VII: A treatise of the Reverend Father, Brother Jerome of Ferrara, of the Order of the Preaching Friars, addressed to his Brethren of S. Mark upon the Feast of the Holy Cross, September, 1496; concerning the discreet and due method of the Religious Life. 107 LETTER VIII: An Epistle of the Reverend Father, Brother Jerome Savonarola of Ferrara, of the Order of the Preaching Friars, to the Father, Brother Pietro Pagolo de Beccuto, of the same Order; concerning the fear of death. 114 LETTER IX: An Epistle of the Reverend Father, Brother Jerome of Ferrara, of the Order of the Preaching Friars, to certain Religious, Sisters of Santa Lena of Florence, of the Third Order of S. Dominic, and others; concerning sound and spiritual reading. 117 LETTER X: An Epistle of the Reverend Father, Brother Jerome Savonarola of Ferrara, of the Order of the Preaching Friars, to a devout lady of Bologna; concerning the Communion. 127