[M.B. notes: “I was not satisfied with Cazin’s first reply, it contained nothing of what I needed to know for my relief. I decided to write him again, acknowledging receipt of his first. I explained the reasons that obliged me to write to him. It was clear that this gentleman knew nothing about what was afflicting me, and I wasn’t sure who to blame: him, or Mr. Prieur, who had given me hope that this worthy pastor could be of great help to me.” As Cazin is likely fictional, well, his lack of satisfaction is understandable.]

To Mr. Cazin, Officiating PRiest

November 13, 1818.

Dear Sir,

I had the honor of receiving your letter of November 4, in response to all those that I took the liberty of writing to you.

I could not be more surprised by the silence you maintain regarding the motives that chiefly motivated me to write you. They were substantial enough to merit your attention. You tell me you regarded this as a mere game! But the esteem you have for Prieur should have–based on what he has told you about what troubles me, and what he has written to you since your departure–should have caught your attention. And the letters I addressed to you contained my address, yet you still play at being ignorant of it.  

Sir, I dare to hope that, based on this letter, you no longer doubt the truth of the facts contained in my previous ones; that you will do me the kindness of taking me into consideration, by providing a prompt remedy; the ignorance in which you appear to be mired regarding the ailments I suffer makes me suspect your young friend. He spoke of you with the greatest respect at the time when you served at the Quinze-Vingts branch. It was he who inspired me to meet you, telling me that you had the means to cure me, and I asked him to take me to your presbytery. We wrote you and put our letters in the same envelope. 

Please, take the trouble to review our letters, especially mine in particular, and you will be assured of the truth of what I say to you. We were about to leave with Mr. Prieur when a young abbot, a friend of his, came to see him and informed him that you had been appointed to a new post, the name of which he did not know. He was very upset that you had not warned him, and please believe me when I say that I was no less so. I could see the obstacle this would pose to my peace of mind and the pleasure I had hoped to receive from knowing you. 

Mr. Etienne thought that it was his duty to write you and urged me to travel to your old parish. I did so, and there found a priest in the sacristy, whom I asked to be kind enough to tell me the name of the place where your new parish was located. He did so with all the honesty that distinguishes people of your character. 

I am very sorry that I cannot fulfill the commissions you have entrusted to me. An illness deprives me of this pleasure. I assume it will not be long, and upon receipt of the reply I ask you to kindly send me, I will fulfill them, if there is still time. 

I have the honor to be your very humble servant

M.B.