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The Form and Manner of Life of Cardinal Hugolino
1[Gregory, Bishop, Servants of the servants of God, to his beloved daughters in Christ, health and apostolic bene- diction.
When that which is just and becoming is asked of us, both order and the rigor of impartiality demand that it be brought to its due conclusion through the solicitude of our office. Therefore, beloved daughters in Christ, agreeing in a grateful spirit with your just requests, we have decided to incorporate in this letter the Form and Manner of Living which we delivered to all the Poor Cloistered Nuns when in a lesser rank we were performing the duties of Legate in parts of Tuscany and Lombardy. We confirm this Form and Manner of Living by our apostolic authority and we strengthen it with the protection of this present document, desir- ing that it always be inviolably observed in your monastery. The tenor of this life is as follows:]
2Every true religion and approved institute of life endures by certain rules and requirements, and by certain disciplinary laws. Whoever wishes to lead a religious life will deviate from righ- teousness to the degree that she does not observe the guidelines of righteousness, unless she has diligently striven to observe a certain correct rule and discipline for living. She runs the risk of falling at the point where, in virtue of her free choice, she neglected to set for herself a sure and stable foundation for making progress.a Therefore, beloved daughters in Christ, because you have chosen under the inspiration of divine grace to travel the hard and narrow path that leads to life, and to lead a poor life in order to gain eternal riches, we have decided that the form and the observance of this way of life should be briefly set down, in order that each one of you may know what she should do and what she should avoid, lest, excusing herself perhaps because of
- The pursuit of stability was seen as a means of perseverance in conversion and contemplative prayer. As such it became an essential element of monastic spirituality. Cf. Agustín Roberts, “The Meaning of the Vow of Stability,” Cistercian Studies VII (1972): 256-269.