Registri Epistolarum [Appendix]

APPENDIX TO THE LETTERS OF SAINT GREGORY. I.a. The Creed Dictated by the Blessed Pope Gregory. I believe in one omnipotent God: Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons, one substance. The Father unbegotten, the Son begotten; the Holy Spirit, however, neither begotten nor unbegotten, but coeternal, proceeding from the Father and the Son. I confess the only-begotten Son, consubstantial and born of the Father without time. The creator of all things visible and invisible. Light from light. True God from true God. The splendor of glory. The figure of substance, Who, remaining the Word before the ages, was created a perfect man near the end of the ages; conceived and born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Who took up our nature without sin. And under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried; on the third day he rose from the dead. On the fortieth day, however, he ascended into heaven. He sits at the right hand of the Father. Whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. He will place before the eyes of all the hidden things of each individual. He will give to the saints the eternal rewards of the heavenly kingdom, to the wicked likewise the punishments of eternal fire. He will renew the world through fire. I confess one faith, one baptism; one, apostolic and universal Church, in which alone sins may be absolved. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

II. On the Deposition of the Archdeacon Laurentius and the Subrogation of Honoratus in His Place. In the times of Pope Gregory, in the seventh year of the consulate of the Augustus Maurice, Laurentius, who had been first in the order of the diaconate of the apostolic see, was deposed on account of his pride and his evils, which we have deemed worthy of silence, and Honoratus was made archdeacon in the presence of all the presbyters and deacons, notaries, subdeacons, and the entire clergy in the golden basilica. III. A Charter Which Was Left Concerning the Greater Litany, in the Basilica of Saint Mary. The solemnity of the annual devotion admonishes us, most beloved sons, that we ought to celebrate with solicitous and devout minds, with the Lord’s help, the litany which is called the greater by all, through which we may merit to be cleansed somewhat from our excesses, supplicating His mercy. For it befits us to consider, most beloved, with how many varied and continuous calamities we are afflicted for our faults and offenses, and how likewise the medicine of celestial piety repeatedly succors us. Therefore, on the coming sixth feria, setting out from the title of the blessed martyr Laurence, which is called Lucinae, let us hasten to the blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, supplicating the Lord with hymns and spiritual canticles, so that there, celebrating the sacred mysteries, we may merit to render thanks to His piety, as much as we are able, both for the more ancient and for the present benefits.

IV. A Privilege Granted to the Monastery of Saint Medardus. Concerning Gairaldus, Abbot of Saint Medardus, and His Monastery at Soissons, Which He Adorns with the Most Ample Privileges. Gregory to All Bishops. To the most precious gems in the diadem of Christ, worthily shining, and to all members of the holy Church of God, whose universal head is Christ, Gregory, although elevated to the pontificate of the holy Roman See, yet the most humble servant of the servants of God. When the hearts of catholic kings are inflamed with such ardent desire, by divine grace coming before, that they even spontaneously request those things which ought to be urged by pontifical exhortations, they are to be granted with as cheerful and joyful a mind as those very things which they desire, if they were unwilling to ask, ought to have been sought. Therefore, according to the letters of our most excellent sons, the kings Brunichildis and her grandson Theoderic, we grant privileges of this kind by the decree of our authority to the monastery of the holy Mother of God Mary, and of the blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, and also of the protomartyr Christ Stephen, which is situated in the city of the Suessiones, where Saint Medardus rests and the venerable man Gairaldus appears to be abbot, and we more fully confirm those privileges which were granted by the lord Pope John of blessed memory, with the accompanying clemency of the illustrious kings, Clotaire.

of our daughter, namely, Rorici and Sigebertus, bound under the bond of anathema, are granted or conceded to this place, we concede and confirm. Decreeing that no king, bishop, or judge, no one whatever endowed with dignity, may diminish, remove, or apply to their own uses, under any pretext whatsoever, those things which have been granted or will be conferred upon the place by the most excellent kings or any other God-fearing persons; but we wish all things that have been offered or may happen to be offered to the monks serving God to be possessed inviolate and without any disturbance for all time, for the use of those for whose sustenance they were granted, to be beneficial to all. We also grant that when the abbot dies, no one else shall be ordained there by any crafty intrusion, unless the one whom the common consent of the monks has chosen or has provided to be ordained. However, the aforesaid monks must beware of the simoniacal heresy, lest, overcome by the power of kings or bishops, they receive a tyrant as their pastor. We absolutely forbid this, and we forbid the same abbot to presume to give anything on account of his ordination, lest on this occasion what is offered or has been offered by the faithful to pious places be consumed.

And because the reputation for religion of the monks serving God, whom the venerable man of life Gairaldus is known to preside over, has reached our ears, favoring the just petitions of the most excellent kings Brunichildis and Theodericus, for the love of the Lord Medardus, we grant such great dignity of divine honor and security to remain in perpetual time. Therefore, by divine authority, in the stead of blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, with the consent of all Roman pontiffs and the will of the entire Roman senate, with the apostolic man Ansericus, bishop of the city of the Suessiones, urging us, and with the favorable judgment of all the bishops of Gaul, we decree that no archbishop or archdeacon shall disturb the brothers of the aforesaid basilica concerning the ordination of their abbot or the assumption of ecclesiastical grades, but according to the prerogative of that place, recently recited to you, decreed in the time of our most blessed predecessor, Lord Pope John, and confirmed by apostolic authority, the brothers themselves shall carry out the ordination of their abbot and receive the dignity of ecclesiastical grades. Also, they shall celebrate the consecrations of fonts and the mysteries of the scrutinies in that monastery itself.

They may also seek the blessing of chrism and oil, of the altar, of the corporal, from whatever bishop they wish, so that such great honor may not be interrupted by any rector, for any reason of occasion or necessity, nor may the place of such great sublimity, consecrated by the merits of holy Mary, and blessed Peter, and also of the protomartyr, and of lord Medardus, which we have established as the head of all the monasteries of Gaul, be degraded, nor do we suffer it to be subject to any diocese. But just as this Roman See imposes its oversight on the whole world, and sends new customs to all, and is free from the service of any persons, so the aforesaid place, with every worst custom of kings, bishops, and judges removed, should show to other monasteries an example of divine religion and honesty, and enjoy full freedom in these matters. Its rectors and sons, present and future, placed only under the custody of kings, should proclaim the admonition of Saint Peter and his successors by the authority of this holy Roman See's pontiffs. And if necessity arises, they should approach them. For this purpose, our daughter Queen Brunichildis, for the sake of sending brothers on the journey of such a great distance, has granted fifteen free manses and an equal number of servile ones, in their entirety, by a perpetual decree made near the end of the Alps, and has assigned many other revenues from lands for this cause, located along the route of that same journey.

Tusiacum and Mortinetum, royal estates, he gave in common for the support of the brothers, and thus he included all the villas given or to be given to God and Saint Medardus in his decree, so that whoever wishes to dwell or stays on the lands of Lord Medardus, whether slave or free, of whatever condition, shall be deprived of any other lordship and be bound to the service of the Holy Mother of God, nor shall he have permission to return. If he flees, he shall be considered a slave of that same holy Church of God. Concerning the altars, we also confirm by apostolic authority, according to the institution of the Lord Pope John, that whoever is the rector of the aforementioned monastery shall also be the overseer of the altars and of all churches belonging to it, and from that, lights shall be provided for the principal altar of the aforementioned saints, and hospitality for pilgrims shall be conducted with reverence. We add another decree: in a case of a capital crime, the abbot is to be deposed, but he shall not be deposed until the deposers seek apostolic authority, and there shall be three metropolitans with their suffragans and as many abbots as possible. In that same council, each accuser with three witnesses shall be present, and they shall prove by the test of a true judgment that they have seen, so that they may testify before the Council. Finally, the abbot himself shall render his reasons for his defense and, by an oath sworn upon the sacred mysteries of the four Gospels, make satisfaction.

Then truly if he is convicted, let him be removed by correction; otherwise, let him be restored to his honor, and let him receive the mysteries of ecclesiastical dignity, and let him perform the blessing and preaching according to the statutes of the lord Pope John during the solemnities of the Mass, and let him lead the life of his conduct by better examples. We also propose this sentence for the monks, that none of them be oppressed by envy or hatred of the abbot, which God forbid, or be punished by the censure of outside persons. But if he has offended by a principal fault of vice, let him be privately rebuked within the cloister of that same monastery by the abbot himself and the spiritual brothers, and let him be separated from the body of the holy congregation. But if, with persistent contumacy, he has been cut off, we command him to take letters of petition and enter whatever monastery he wishes, or to seek permission from this apostolic see for the sake of penance, and having received letters from the lord pope, let him freely return to his own monastery. Therefore, all these things, which are contained in the privilege of this apostolic authority and our precept, we establish for the rectors and sons of the aforesaid monastery, present and future, and for all monasteries subject or associated with that place itself, to be observed under anathema.

If, moreover, any kings, bishops, judges, or any secular persons whatsoever shall have violated, contradicted, or negligently carried out the decrees of this apostolic authority and our precept, or shall have disturbed or troubled the brethren, or shall have ordained otherwise, of whatever dignity or sublimity he may be, let him be deprived of his honor, and, as a depraver of the Catholic faith or a destroyer of the holy Church of God, let him be sequestered from the fellowship of Christianity and from the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and let him be condemned with the anathema of all curses, with which the unfaithful and heretics from the beginning of the world up to the present have been damned, together with Judas the traitor of the Lord, in the lower hell, unless by worthy penance he shall have propitiated the clemency of the aforementioned saints and reconciled the common concord of the brethren. I, Gregory, bishop of the holy Roman see, have subscribed to this privilege. Etherius, archbishop of Arles, has subscribed. Gregory, bishop of Porto, has subscribed. Andrew, bishop of Albano, has subscribed. Augustine, bishop of the Cantuarians, has subscribed. Anastasius, bishop of Tivoli, has subscribed. Sergius, bishop of Palestrina, has subscribed. Peter, bishop of Anagni, has subscribed. Agnellus, bishop of Sutri, has subscribed. Mellitus, bishop of London, has subscribed. John, bishop of the Veliterni, has subscribed. Tiberius, bishop of Silva Candida, has subscribed.

Marinianus, bishop of the Church of Ravenna, subscribed. Vitulinus, bishop of Sipontum, subscribed. Joannes, bishop of the Syracusans, subscribed. Sabinianus, bishop of the Tudertines, subscribed. Eulogius, bishop of Alexandria, subscribed. Dominicus, bishop of Carthage, subscribed. Fortunatus, bishop of the Neapolitans, subscribed. Joannes, bishop of Surrentum, subscribed. Primaevius, bishop of the Nursians, subscribed. Felix, bishop of Portus, subscribed. Gloriosus, bishop of Ostia, subscribed. Constantius, bishop of Narnia, subscribed. Constantius, bishop of Milan, subscribed. SuteHius, bishop of the Burdigalans, subscribed. Vitalis, bishop of the Vesontines, subscribed. Bonifacius, bishop of Placentia, subscribed. Siagrius, bishop of the Augustodunensians, subscribed. Flavius, archbishop of the Remi, subscribed. Ansericus, bishop of the Suessiones, subscribed. Theoderic, king, subscribed. Brunichildis, queen, subscribed. I, Peter, notary of the holy Roman see, subscribed and sealed. Given on the seventh day before the Kalends of June, in the year from the Incarnation of the Lord 594, indiction 2.

V. Decrees of Saint Gregory, Pope I. I. On the office of deacons of the apostolic see. — II. Who or what sort of persons serve at the pontiff's bedchamber. — III. If any of the clergy should presume to affix titles. — IV. On not veiling the bier of the Roman pontiff. — V. That nothing be given or received for ordination or the pallium, etc. — VI. If any of the Church's servants should desire to convert to the service of God. In the perpetual reign of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the times of the most pious and serene lords Maurice Tiberius and Theodosius, Augusti, in the thirteenth year of the same lord Maurice's reign, in the thirteenth indiction, on the fifth day of the month of July. Pope Gregory, in the presence of the most blessed body of blessed Peter, sitting with all the bishops and presbyters of the Roman Church, with the deacons standing by and the entire clergy, said: In the holy Roman Church (Grat., dist. 92, c. 2), over which divine dispensation has willed me to preside, a highly reprehensible custom has for some time arisen, that certain persons are chosen for the ministry of the sacred altar, and, once placed in the order of the diaconate, they serve the modulation of the voice, when it was fitting that they devote themselves to the office of preaching and the pursuit of almsgiving. Hence it often happens that, for the sacred ministry, while a pleasing voice is sought, a fitting life is neglected, and the minister, as a singer, provokes God by his morals, even as he delights the people with his voice.

In this matter, by the present decree I establish that the ministers of the sacred altar in this see shall not serve, and shall only fulfill the office of the Gospel reading during the solemnities of the Mass. But I judge that the Psalms and the remaining readings are to be performed by subdeacons, or, if necessity arises, by the minor orders. If anyone, however, should attempt to go against this decree of mine, let him be anathema. And all responded: Anathema. A shameful custom has grown up in this time of indiscipline, that lay boys and seculars serve the pontiffs of this see in the secret services of the bedchamber, although the life of the pastor ought always to be an example to his disciples; and often the clergy do not know what the life of their pontiff is in private, which, however, as has been said, secular boys know. Concerning this matter, by the present decree I establish that certain persons chosen from among the clergy or even from among the monks shall serve in the ministry of the pontifical bedchamber, so that he who is in the place of governance may have such witnesses as see his life in private conversation, and from constant observation may take an example of progress.

A new custom has erupted in this Church, and a highly reprehensible one, so that when its rectors suspect that urban or rural estates of its patrimony can belong to its right, they affix seals in the manner of the fisc, and what they judge to belong to the poor they defend not by judgment but by force. And although through its preachers the Truth says: "Nothing through contention" (Philippians 2:3), they even take up the evil of litigious contention; and any property whatsoever, when it is judged to be able to belong to the Church, is held by force. Therefore, by the present decree I establish that if any churchman ever presumes on his own to place seals in litigation on a rural or urban estate, let him be anathema. And all answered: Let him be anathema. But he who is over the Church, if he either orders this to be done, or, without his order, neglects to punish with worthy severity what has been done, let him be anathema. And all answered: Let him be anathema.

Just as we, unworthy though we are, are venerated by the faithful out of reverence for the blessed apostle Peter, so it befits our weakness always to recognize itself and to decline the burdens of the veneration shown to it. Indeed, from the love of the faithful, a custom beyond merit has erupted among the rectors of this see, so that when their bodies are carried for burial, they are wrapped in dalmatics, and the people tear apart those same dalmatics to be divided among themselves out of reverence for sanctity; and although there are many veils from the sacred bodies of the apostles and martyrs, something is taken from the body of a sinner which is reserved for great reverence. Concerning this matter, I establish by the present decree that the bier on which the body of the Roman pontiff is carried for burial shall be covered with no covering. I consider that the presbyters and deacons of this see are to bear the care of my decree. If anyone of their order neglects to attend to this, let him be anathema. And all answered: Let him be anathema.

Following the ancient rule of the Fathers, I decree that nothing whatsoever is to be accepted for ordinations, neither for the bestowal of the pallium, nor for the delivery of charters, nor for that which a new pretense, born of ambition, has invented, called the pastellus. For when the pontiff imposes his hand in ordaining a bishop, when the minister reads the Gospel lesson, and when the notary writes the letter of confirmation, just as it is not fitting for the pontiff to sell the hand he imposes, so neither should the minister or the notary sell his voice or his pen in that ordination. I absolutely forbid the one who is to be ordained or has been ordained to give anything whatsoever for the ordination, or for the pallium, or for the charters, and for the pastellus. If anyone presumes to demand or to offer any profit under the name of these aforesaid things, he shall be subject to guilt under the strict examination of almighty God. However, if the one who has been ordained, not by agreement, nor under compulsion, nor upon request, after receiving the charters and the pallium, wishes to give something to any member of the clergy solely as a matter of grace, we in no way forbid this to be accepted, because his offering introduces no stain of guilt, since it did not proceed from the ambition of the recipient.

Many from the ecclesiastical or secular household we know to hasten to the service of almighty God, so that, freed from human servitude, they may be able to dwell more intimately in monasteries in divine service. If we dismiss them indiscriminately, we provide to all an opportunity to flee the dominion of ecclesiastical law. But if we incautiously detain those hastening from the service of almighty God, we are found to deny something to Him who gave all. Hence it is necessary that whoever desires to be converted from the servitude of ecclesiastical or secular military service to the service of God be first tested while established in the lay state; and if his character and conduct bear witness to his good desire, he is to be permitted without retraction to serve in a monastery under the almighty Lord, so that he who seeks a stricter servitude in divine obedience may depart free from human servitude. Subscription of the bishops.

Gregory, by the grace of God bishop, subscribed to these decrees. Marinianus, bishop of the city of Ravenna, subscribed. Paul, bishop of the city of Nepi. John, bishop of the city of Sorrento. Gratian, of the city of Nomentum. John, bishop of the city of Faterna. Agnellus, bishop of the city of Terracina. Romanus, bishop of the city of Blera. Dominic, bishop of the city of Centumcellae. Pelagius, bishop of the city of Anagni. Felix, bishop of the city of Porto. John, bishop of the city of Velletri. Candidus, bishop of the city of Foligno. Luminosus, bishop of the city of Ferentino. Raldinius, bishop of the city of Roselle. Secundinus, bishop of the city of Taormina. Martianus, bishop of the city of Fero. Honobonus, bishop of the city of Albano. Dominic, bishop of the city of Otricoli. Constantius, bishop of the city of Narni. Fortunatus, bishop of the city of Naples. Anastasius, bishop of the city of Tivoli. Proculus, bishop of the city of Palestrina.

Subscription of the presbyters. Laurentius, presbyter of Saint Silvester, subscribed. John, presbyter of Saint Vitalis. Speciosus, presbyter of Saint Clement. Deusdedit, presbyter of Saints John and Paul. Andromachus, presbyter of the Apostles. Græseus, presbyter of Saint Laurence. Rusticus, presbyter of Saint Susanna. Vibilus, presbyter of Saint Marcellus. Peter, presbyter of Saints Julius and Callistus. Spectatus, presbyter of Saint Vitalis. Stephen, presbyter of Saint Mark. Felix, presbyter of Saint Sixtus. Peter, presbyter of Saint Balbina. Justus, presbyter of Saints Nereus and Achilleus. Speciosus, presbyter of Saint D Inlasus. Maurus, presbyter of Saint Prisca. Placitus, presbyter of Saint Sabina. Victor, of Saint Cecilia. John, of Saint Chrysogonus. Aventius, of Saint Praxedis. Andrew, of Saint Mark. John, of Saints John and Paul. Agapitus, of the Apostles. Felix, of Saint Sabina. Bonus, of Saint Eusebius. Bassus, of Saint Prudentis. John, of Saint Silvester. Albinus, of Saints Marcellinus and Peter. Antony, of Saint Balbina. Candidus, of Saint Clement. Romanus, of Saint Marcellus. Leo, of Saint Damasus. Aventius, of Saint Quiriacus. Fortunatus, of the Four Crowned Saints.

VI. Other decrees of Saint Pope Gregory I. Gregory, by the grace of God bishop, subscribed to these decrees, and the bishops and presbyters, fifty-eight in number, confirmed them. The most holy apostolic Pope Gregory, sitting in synod before the body of the most blessed Peter, said: "Herein, grieving and groaning exceedingly, I say that I hear some Christians established in the parts of the West are rashly acting against the catholic faith and the statutes of the Fathers, so that they presume to marry consecrated women and to join with relatives in marriage. It is opportune to amputate this with the spiritual sword, and, if it pleases your holiness, to root it out completely, lest the crop of the good farmer, mixed with the bristling tares of the wicked, become foul." The most holy bishops and venerable presbyters responded: "We truly recognize that the heart of your apostolate is inflamed by the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that you may wipe away the squalor of such great misery from the minds of the faithful." After this unanimous response, the apostolic Pope Gregory, before the aforementioned venerable body of the prince of the apostles of Christ, pronouncing sentence, said:

I. If anyone takes a presbyter in marriage, let him be anathema. II. If any presbyter or deacon takes a wife, let him be anathema. III. If anyone takes a monacha, whom they call a handmaid of God, in marriage, let him be anathema. IV. If anyone takes a spiritual commater in marriage, let him be anathema. V. If anyone takes his brother’s wife in marriage, let him be anathema. VI. If anyone takes his niece in marriage, let him be anathema. VII. If anyone takes his stepmother or his daughter-in-law in marriage, let him be anathema. VIII. If anyone takes his cousin in marriage, let him be anathema. IX. If anyone takes a woman from his own kindred, in which he had female relatives, as a wife, let him be anathema. X. If anyone abducts a virgin or steals her, with those consenting to him, let him be anathema. XI. If anyone abducts a virgin whom he has not betrothed, or steals her as a wife, together with those favoring him, let him be anathema.

X. If anyone has consulted diviners, soothsayers, or enchanters, or has used phylacteries, let him be anathema. XI. If anyone has violated the previously issued precepts of the apostolic see concerning chambers and various places in any direction, and has not observed them in all respects, let him be anathema. XII. If anyone has committed homicide, let him do penance for ten years. XIII. If anyone persists in wickedness, let him be anathema. XIV. If any cleric has shaved his crown, let him be anathema. XV. And all responded to each chapter three times: let him be anathema. Subscription of the blessed Pope Gregory. I, Gregory, of the holy, catholic, and apostolic Roman Church, have subscribed to this constitution promulgated by you. I, Agnellus, bishop of the city of Ferentis, have subscribed to this constitution promulgated by us. And the others subscribed. Val., etc. VII. The Third Roman Council, or Lateran, in the time of Saint Pope Gregory I, in which year of the Lord he issued the following constitution for monks.

Gregory the bishop, servant of the servants of God, to all the bishops. How necessary it is to provide for the tranquility of monasteries and to treat of their perpetual security, our former office, which we exercised in the governance of a monastery, informs us. And because we have learned that in very many monasteries many prejudices and burdens have been borne by monks from bishops, it is fitting that the provision of your fraternity should arrange for their future peace by a salutary ordinance, so that those dwelling there in the service of God, with the grace of Him also assisting, may persevere with a free mind. But lest from that custom which is more in need of correction anyone should presume to inflict any annoyance upon monks, it is necessary that these things which we have taken care to enumerate below should be so observed by the zeal of your fraternity that from them no further occasion for causing disturbance may be found. We therefore forbid, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the authority of the blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, in whose stead we preside over this Church, and we prohibit, that any bishop or secular person should henceforth presume to interfere in any way, or on any occasion, with the revenues, property, or charters of monasteries, or with the cells or villages which pertain to them, or to make any frauds or intrusions.

If any case should arise between the land coming to the part of the churches and monasteries, and it could not be settled peacefully, it shall be concluded before chosen abbots and other God-fearing fathers, either by voluntary agreement or through the sacred Gospels as mediators. (See Book VIII, epistle 5.) Moreover, upon the death of an abbot of any congregation, no outsider shall be elected, but only one from that same congregation, whom the brotherhood, united in their own will, has chosen; and the one elected shall be ordained without deceit or any venality. But if they cannot find a suitable person among themselves, they shall diligently see to it that one is similarly ordained from other monasteries. Nor shall any person, on any occasion, be set over a constituted abbot, unless perhaps (which God forbid) there exist crimes which the sacred canons show to be punishable. Likewise, it must be observed that, while the abbot is alive, monks should not be taken from there for the purpose of ordaining other monasteries, or for sacred orders, or for the office of the clergy.

We also entirely forbid the bishop to make any inventories of the monastery's property and charters; but if ever the need arises, the abbot of the place, together with other brothers, shall make a record of the property found, and such matters shall be concluded by their counsel and judgment, without prejudice. Moreover, when an abbot dies, the bishop shall in no way intermeddle in describing and providing for the monastery's acquired property, or in investigating what has been given or acquired. We also entirely forbid public masses to be celebrated by him in the monastery, lest any occasion for a gathering of the populace, or any new entrance of women, be offered in the retreats and refuges of the servants of God—which is altogether unprofitable for their souls; nor shall he dare to place a chair there, or to have any power of command, or to perform any ordination, however slight, unless he has been asked by the abbot of the place, so that monks may always remain under the authority of their own abbots, and that no monk be detained in any church or promoted to any office without the testimony or consent of the abbot.

Therefore, we decree that this page of our writings shall be kept firm and inviolate for all future time by all bishops, so that they, with the Lord's help, may be content solely with their own Church, and that monasteries shall in no way be subject to ecclesiastical conditions or compulsory services, or to any secular obligations whatsoever, nor shall they serve any canonical jurisdictions or cares, but, with all vexations and every burden removed, they may perform the divine work with the utmost devotion of soul. All the bishops responded [the presbyters and deacons said]: We rejoice in the freedom of the monks, and we confirm what Your Beatitude has now decreed concerning these matters. Subscriptions. I, Gregory, bishop of the Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church, have subscribed to this constitution promulgated by us. I, Agnellus, bishop of the holy Church of Ferentino, have subscribed to this constitution promulgated by you. I, John [humble John], bishop of the Church of Velletri, have subscribed to this constitution promulgated by you.

And so all the other bishops, twenty in number; fourteen presbyters, and four deacons, on the nones of April, indiction [11, 3]. Roman Council IV, under Pope Gregory I. In the case of Andrew, a monk, an impostor and forger, in the year of the Lord 1. [sic] the Council was held. In this Council, Andrew, a Greek man living under the monastic habit at the basilica of Saint Paul, was condemned, having been detected as an impostor and forger. Concerning this matter, Gregory writes more in book IX, epistle (now book XI, epistle), to Eusebius of Thessalonica. III. Concerning the case of Maximus, a transgressor, his penance and satisfaction. Maximus, a usurper, was raised up in Dalmatia against the mandates of the lord Pope Gregory by soldiers, in indiction 11, and persisted in contumacy or presumption for seven years. After this, after the chastisement and scourges of the most blessed and apostolic Pope Gregory, he, having wandered through Dalmatia, came to the city of Ravenna to the most blessed Archbishop Marinianus, and threw himself down prostrate within the city on the bare pavement, crying out and saying: "I have sinned against God and against the most blessed Pope Gregory." And having performed penance for three hours, the exarch Callinicus and Castorius, chartularius of the Roman Church, ran up with Archbishop Marinianus, and he, having been raised up, began to perform a more ample penance before them.

Then he led him to the holy body of blessed Apollinaris, and swore concerning all things that had been alleged against him from the altars or from the simoniacal schism that he was not involved. Then, returning, Castorius the chartulary brought with him a deacon of the same Maximus, named Stephen, the reporter of all things that had been satisfied by Maximus. Then, moved to mercy, the most blessed Pope Gregory sent the pallium for the confirmation of the same bishop, that is, on the seventh kalends of September, second indiction. IX. The faculty of testation granted to Probus, abbot of Saint Andrew. In the name of the Lord God and Savior of ours, Jesus Christ, the imperial lord, our master Maurice Tiberius, perpetual Augustus, in the thirteenth year, and in the same year as consul, on the third day before the nones of October, first indiction, with the most blessed and apostolic Pope Gregory presiding, and with the most reverend Menna, bishop of Telesia, Basilius of Capua, Constantius of Nomentum, Montanus, sitting in council.

of Sabina, Victor of Fausana, John, presbyter of the title of Saints Gervasius and Protasius, Deusdedit, presbyter of the title of Saints John and Paul, Andromachus, presbyter of the title of Eudoxia, Rusticus, presbyter of the title of Saint Susanna, Vibulus, presbyter of the title of Saint Marcellus, Probinus, presbyter of the title of Saint Cyriacus, John, presbyter of the title of Saints John and Paul, Agapitus, presbyter of the title of Eudoxia, Felix, presbyter of the title of Saint Sabina, Gratiosus, presbyter of the title of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Boniface, presbyter of the title of Saint Sixtus. Also present were deacons and clergy. Paterius, the secundicerius, said: Probus, abbot of the monastery of Saints Andrew and Lucia, desires, if you command, to be presented to your sight. Gregory, bishop of the holy Catholic Church of the city of Rome, said: Let him come. When he had entered, he said: It is fitting that you confess why you wished to be present. Probus, abbot, said: I have petitions in hand. I request that my lord’s blessedness receive them and order them to be read to you. Gregory said: Let it be done. When they had been received, Paterius read them: In the name of our Lord God Jesus Christ, with the most pious Lord Maurice Tiberius Augustus reigning, year 14, after the consulship of the same our lord 13, on the third day before the Kalends of October, fourth indiction.

Those matters which I now desire to communicate to your Beatitude were long well known to my lord, and I call your own conscience to witness what I suggest, since, when some years ago I passed from the lay state to the religious office, I had resolved to live as a solitary in my little cell above the Dée, and there to pass the few remaining days of my life; for which reason I had neither arranged nor disposed of anything from my small property, knowing that my son could succeed to me both by intestacy and by will. But on a certain day, while I had entered among others to attend upon my lord, you suddenly and unexpectedly commanded me to enter a monastery and to take up the burdens of an abbot. And immediately rising up, without being granted any space for deliberation or discussion, I was compelled to go to the monastery with the monks. Hence, because I was able to arrange nothing beforehand concerning what occurred to me from my small property, I therefore tearfully beseech that, by the permission granted through the constitution of your decree, it may be lawful for me to dispose of my will concerning all my goods, so that neither my obedience may harm me, nor may it be damaging to my poor son. For it is known to all that the legal sanction prohibits those who have entered a monastery from disposing of anything from their property, if they had prior license to arrange their affairs, but not those whom the urgency of their superiors compels to obey in a matter which they had never contemplated.

Just as the law opposes the will of those who act deliberately, so it comes to the aid of those who are compelled by a greater authority. I have dictated this suggestion and supplication of mine to Aemilianus, notary of the holy Roman Church, known to me, and I, Probus, your servant, have subscribed it with my own hand, and have presented it to you, my most blessed lord, Pope Gregory. I, Probus, your servant, have subscribed to this petition presented by me. Gregory said: After the text of the petition has become known to us, let Abbot Probus withdraw for a little while, so that we may deliberate with our brothers and sons what is to be decided concerning those things which he seeks. When he had withdrawn, after the petition had been discussed at length, he said: Let Abbot Probus, whom we had caused to withdraw for a short time, come again, so that we may declare what has seemed good to us in common with our brothers and sons. And when he had been presented, he said: Where truth agrees with reason, it is no less just than kind to fulfill the desires of the petitioner. Therefore, having carefully considered the series of the petition you have presented, we approve all that you have set forth in it. For it had never before entered our thoughts that we ought to entrust to you the care of an abbacy in any monastery.

But one day, while we were discussing the establishment of the monastery over which you are known to preside, together with your sons, and were long seeking a suitable person for this office, you suddenly entered, and it immediately occurred to our heart and to those who were present with us for the discussion that we should, with God’s favor, appoint you as abbot there. Since this was imposed upon you against your will, and the rigor of our exhortations could not bend your will, it was necessary, lest perhaps you might later have the opportunity to return, that we should send you, already ordained abbot, to that very monastery of which you were once a monk. Lest this obedience bring sadness to your love or loss to others, we grant you, by the statutes of this our decree, full freedom to alienate or dispose of all your possessions as you wish. Through this, you shall know that you have the same power in arranging them as you pleased as you had before you entered the monastery. Nor should you fear that the office of abbot, which, as has been said, you are known to have taken up suddenly and unwillingly, will obstruct you in any way, because our insistence, as we have said, compelled your love, lest you have no license in ordering and disposing of your affairs after our return.

Therefore, lest any doubt cast suspicion on what you wish to arrange, we decree that no one of our Church or of your monastery, or under any other name or state of monastic conversion or office of abbot, by any device or under any pretext of excuse, can come against the tenor of the present constitution; but just as if you had not entered the monastery, so everything that you have ordained or disposed concerning your entire property shall be kept inviolate and without any opposition, by the authority of God, and we establish that it be preserved. X. Promise of a certain bishop anathematizing his heresy, which he made to be read in the name of the lord emperor at Constantinople, on the day of the month of February, 5th indiction. Whenever the eye of the heart, clouded by the mist of error, is made serene by the light of heavenly illumination, great care must be taken lest the author of schism secretly rush in and cut off from the root of unity those who had returned to it with the weapon of error again. And therefore I, that bishop of that city, having discovered the snare of division by which I was held, after long deliberation with myself, with a ready and spontaneous will, under the guidance of divine grace, have returned to the unity of the apostolic see. And lest I be considered to have returned with an impure mind or insincerely, I pledge, under the penalty of my order and under the obligation of anathema, and I promise to you, and through you to Saint Peter, the prince of the apostles.

and to his vicar, the most blessed Gregory, or to his successors, I will never, by any persuasions of anyone or in any other manner whatsoever, return to the schism from which, by the mercy of our Redeemer, I have been delivered, but will always remain in the unity of the holy Catholic Church and in communion with the Roman pontiff in all things. Therefore, swearing, I say by Almighty God and these four holy Gospels which I hold in my hands, and by the salvation and genius of our illustrious lords governing the republic, that I, in the unity, as I have said, of the Catholic Church, to which by God’s grace I have returned, and in communion with the Roman pontiff, will always and without doubt remain. And if, which may it not be, I should ever separate myself from this unity by any excuse or argument, incurring the guilt of perjury, I shall be found bound by eternal punishment, and shall have a share with the author of the schism in the future world. Moreover, I have dictated this charter of my confession and promise to my notary, with the consent of the presbyters, deacons, and clerics who, binding me in this unity, have followed with a ready and simultaneous will in all the above-written matters and are to subscribe with their own hands, and I, subscribing with my own hand, have handed it to you. Done in that place, on the day and under the consuls written above. Subscription of that bishop. I, that bishop of that city, have subscribed to this my confession and promise, having taken an oath to preserve all the above-written matters.

XI. A Copy of the Grant of the Pallium. To his most beloved brother Peter, Gregory. We know that it is in accordance with all reason that we should adorn with the pallium those whom, in those cities, the honor of the priesthood illuminates by the inspiring mercy of God, in which it is also evident that this was granted by the apostolic see to those who merited to become pontiffs in past times. Therefore, by the present authority, we grant to your Charity the use of the pallium, just as your predecessors are known to have had it, and we wish all those things concerning the privilege of your honor to remain which are known to have been preserved for your Church in former times, so that you may lament nothing whatsoever diminished from its privileges. And the subscription of the lord pope. May God keep you safe. Given on the Kalends of October, in the reign of the most serene Emperor Justinus [or Justinianus] Augustus. And the lord pope subscribed. XII. Concerning Phocas being crowned, and Maurice killed together with his sons.

In the name of the Lord God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, in the sixth indiction, on the day of the month of November, in the times of the lord and most blessed pope Gregory, Phocas was crowned, and Leontia Augusta on the seventh in the palace which is called Secundianas, and the emperor Maurice was killed together with all his male children, that is Theodosius already crowned, Tiberius, Peter, Paul, and Justinian, together also with Peter the brother of the aforesaid Augustus Maurice. But also some of the nobles who adhered to him, that is Constantius the patrician and curator, and Placidas, and also George the notary of the prince. Moreover, an image of the aforesaid Augusti Phocas and Leontia came to Rome on the Kalends of May, and acclamation was made to them in the Lateran in the Basilica of Julius by all the clergy and the senate: "Hear, O Christ: Life to Phocas Augustus and Leontia Augusta." Then the most blessed and apostolic lord pope Gregory ordered that same image to be placed in the oratory of Saint Caesarius the martyr within the palace.

XIII. Fragments of letters which Gratian attributes to Saint Gregory. Gregory to Augustine, Bishop of the English. Finally, priests and deacons, and all others whom the dignity of ecclesiastical grades adorns, should undertake the purpose of fasting from Quinquagesima, so that they may both add something to the weight of holy observance and surpass in religion, as in rank, the observance of those who are in the lay order. Concerning the Lord's Day itself, we are uncertain what to say, since all laity and secular persons on that day seek meat foods more eagerly than on other days; and unless they gorge themselves with a certain new greed until midnight, they think they are not otherwise undertaking the observance of this time. This is certainly to be ascribed not to reason, but to pleasure, indeed to a certain blindness of mind; hence they cannot be turned away from such a custom, and therefore they are to be left to their own inclination with indulgence, lest they become worse if they are prohibited from such a custom. For as Solomon says: He who wipes too much draws blood (Prov. 30:35).

And after a few things. But it is fitting that on the days when we abstain from the flesh of animals, we also abstain from all things which derive their origin from the seed of flesh, namely milk, cheese, and eggs. And after a few things. Moreover, the broth of fish is so left to a Christian that it may provide solace for infirmity, not kindle a fire of luxury. Finally, he who abstains from meat should by no means prepare more sumptuous banquets of sea creatures. Wine also is permitted to be drunk in such a way that we altogether avoid drunkenness; otherwise, it remains that all things which please the body be similarly [permitted?]. Concerning the character, life, and death of Agapitus, chief priest. (From an ancient codex of the Register of Saint Gregory the Pope preserved in the Vatican Library.) Agapitus the pope, a catholic vessel, a trumpet of the Gospel, a herald of justice, washed the sacred veils of the altar and see, polluted by the sacrilegious fables of Anthimus, with his own catholic prayers. (From On Consecration, Dialogue 1, chapter 23.)

Fragment of a letter cited by John the Deacon, Book II, chapter 16. We know that many from ecclesiastical or secular military service hasten to the service of almighty God, so that, free from human servitude, they may be seen to dwell more familiarly in monasteries in divine service. If we dismiss them indiscriminately, we provide an occasion for all to flee the dominion of ecclesiastical or secular jurisdiction. If we incautiously retain those truly hastening to the service of almighty God, we are found to deny to them certain things, though He gave everything. Hence it is necessary that whoever desires to be converted from the servitude of ecclesiastical jurisdiction or secular military service to the service of God should first be tested while established in the lay state; and if his character and conduct bear witness to his good desire, he is to be permitted, without any retraction, to serve almighty God in that monastery, so that he who desires to submit to a stricter servitude in divine obedience may depart free from human servitude. But if he has also lived irreproachably in the monastic habit according to the rules of the Fathers, after the times prescribed by the sacred canons, he may then be promoted to any ecclesiastical office, provided, however, that he has not been stained by those crimes which in the Old Testament are punished by death.