Gregorius I Magnus, Registri Epistolarum

Vir sanctissimus Maximianus, coepiscopus noster , Ecclesiam Dei pravis hominibus purgare desiderans, hudabiliter erga ecclesiasticorum vitam, sicut nosti, sollicitus fuit. Qui dum eorum actus vigilanter cura pastorali intenderet, a maleficio quod vu!go b can- terma dicitur, quosdam didicit maculatos. Quos etiam, sicut et dilectionis tuae nuntiavit epistola, dedit c in custodia retinendos. Sed quia, peccatis nostria facientibus, mor!e præventus, crimen ipsum ulcisci nou valuit, necesse est ut dilectio tua cum omni hoc sub- tililate indagare fustinet, atque in eos secundum im- manitatem facinoris studeat vindicare qualiter secundum leges suprascriptum episcopum zelo correptionis ac justitiæ in hac ultione propter Dcum novit potuisse, si viveret, commoveri. Omni ergo virtu!e omnique instantia tun dilectio ill hac causa zelum suum erga omnipotentem Deum curet ostendere, et inimicis illius adversitatem dignarn inflictis ultioni- bus cxhibere, ut impleas quod scriptum est: Nonne qui oderunt le, Domine, oderam, et super inimicos tuos tabescebam (Paal. CXIXVIII, 21)? Si ergo hoc zelo dilectio tua accenditur d in eorum qui Deum dereli- querunt et contra eum maleficiis aliquid egerunt, poena monstretur. Quod si recte illic exsequi b non valet, nobis qui tales sunt transmitti debent, si tamen hic monstrari potuerit unde illic possunt absque difficultate convinci. Sed quia hoc impossibile esse existimo, illic per te debet districta atqne furtis correctio provenire. Virum autem gloriosum domnum r Libertinum prætorem in tali loco Ner con" templationem omnipotentis Dei adjutorem te habere confido. In hac tamen causa mitescere 760 minimc debuisti, etiamsi tibi quilibet sæcularis iudex adver- sacius potuisset existere.

The most holy man Maximian, our fellow bishop, desiring to purge the Church of God of wicked men, was, as you know, laudably watchful over the life of the clergy. While he was vigilantly attending to their actions with pastoral care, he learned that some of them were stained with the sorcery commonly called canterma. These too, as your Love's letter has reported, he had placed in custody to be held. But since, our sins bringing it about, he was overtaken by death and could not punish the crime himself, it is necessary that your Love should hasten to investigate this with all exactness, and take pains to punish them according to the enormity of the deed, in the way you know that the bishop named above, if he were alive, could have been moved according to the laws by zeal for correction and justice in this punishment for God's sake. With all strength, then, and all urgency, let your Love take care in this case to show its zeal toward almighty God, and to show his enemies hostility by inflicting fitting punishments, so that you fulfil what is written: Did I not hate those who hated you, Lord, and pine away over your enemies? (Ps. 138:21). If, then, your Love is fired by this zeal, let punishment be shown on those who have forsaken God and done something against him by sorcery. But if it cannot rightly be carried out there, those who are such must be sent to us, provided, however, that what convicts them there without difficulty could be shown here. But since I think this impossible, strict and firm correction must be brought about there through you. I trust that you have the glorious man the lord Libertinus, the praetor, as your helper in such a matter, out of regard for almighty God. In this case, however, you ought by no means to have grown lenient, even if some secular judge could have stood against you as an adversary.

Excellentissimo autem filio nostro Adulouvaldo regi transmittere e phylacteria curavimus, id est cru- cern cum ligno sancte crucis Domini, et r lectionem sancti Evangelii g theca Persica inclusafu. Filiæ quoque meæ sorori ejus trea annulos transmisi, duos cum hyacinthis, et unum cum albula, quae eis per voS peto dari , ut apud eos nostra CharitaS ex veStra excellentia condiatur.

To our most excellent son King Adaloald, moreover, we have taken care to send phylacteries, that is, a cross with wood of the holy cross of the Lord, and a reading of the holy Gospel enclosed in a Persian case. To my daughter his sister, too, I have sent three rings, two with jacinths and one with an albula [a white stone], which I ask you to have given to them, so that our love may be commended to them by Your Excellency.