A Dean to Hildegard
The Letters
Cologne (The Holy Apostles)
A Dean to Hildegard
The dean writes on behalf of himself and his brothers to offer praise and thanksgiving to Hildegard and her nuns for taking in Sigewize, the lady possessed of a devil.' They have heard, he writes, that the devil has been cast out, and he requests details about the exorcism.
T., by the grace of God, dean (that is, schoolmaster), though in name only, of the Church of the Holy Apostles at Cologne, joins with all his brothers to offer devoted prayer in the Lord and greetings in the name of true salvation to the lady
Hildegard and all those who fight for Christ at Mount St. Rupert.
Ever since we learned that you had brought our sister—rather, our beloved daughter—the lady Sigewize, into your order, blessed lady, we, and indeed the entire city of Cologne, have been enkindled to the love of spirituality by the will of God. For this reason everyone throughout our region proclaims, Behold, "the aroma" of the ladies of St. Rupert "is as the smell of a plentiful field, which the Lord hath blessed" [Gen 27.27]. May the Lord bless all of you who, on your modest and humble mount, sing praises to His works of love, which all our lofty mountains and all our broad valleys—I cannot say "have been unable," but rather
"have failed" to celebrate.
We have recently heard that the ancient enemy has been cast out by your prayers, at least according to rumor. If this is true, we beseech you to inform us in a return letter the manner and rite of his expulsion so that we may rejoice with you and join you in praising the Lord with ceaseless devotion.
Because the lady Sigewize is a very good friend of ours, we send her special greetings, renewing our devout prayers in Christ and awaiting the same from her. Farewell.
Note 1. See Letters 68, 68r, and 69, Vol. 1, pp. 147-52.