Grudgingly, Eugene had written the required letter to the King, but a sense of bitterness remained at the way he had been treated for so many years.<\/p>\n
\nI have the feeling that there is an expectation that I thank the King; and there\u2019s the rub; for when all is said and done, it\u2019s an act of justice that has been rendered me and I\u2019m still owed some reparation. What\u2019s there in that to get excited about? Perhaps you\u2019ll find the tone of my remarks shocking. I am waiting.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Henri Tempier, 1 September 1835, EO VIII n 540<\/em><\/p>\n
This tone made for a very cold letter to the King and the Minister of Worship, which was not judged in Paris as being suitable (Tempier and Guibert agreed on this too), so Eugene was asked to rewrite it! \u201cA sentence or two more would have done wonders,\u201d wrote Father Guibert on September 4, as he requested a fresh letter for the Minister of Worship<\/p>\n
Eugene finally responded:<\/p>\n
\nMy dear Tempier, my letter of yesterday will have caused you pain; and so I\u2019m hastening to write again today to let you know my second thoughts; believe me that you and my other friends are the main reason for this resolution for it isn\u2019t right that you should be saddened through your affection towards me and the desire it inspires in you.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
Very well, then, I have decided to write to the Minister, as if I ought not to be shocked by all his suspicions, injurious to my character.<\/strong><\/h5>\n
Without further ado I am copying you out my letter, which has already left. I hope it will make you happy.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Henri Tempier, 15 September 1835, EO VIII n 543<\/em><\/p>\n
Thus the Icosia affair was finally settled and Eugene could return to Marseilles in October and await the invitation to come to Paris to make his oath to the King and have his citizenship restored and his episcopal status recognized. This happened three months later in January 1836.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Grudgingly, Eugene had written the required letter to the King, but a sense of bitterness remained at the way he had been treated for so many years. I have the feeling that there is an expectation that I thank the … Continue reading