Letter 10049: The temporal things that occupy most people's attention — wealth, status, the good opinion of the powerful, the...

To Adeodata, the illustrious lady. [Summary heading:] He strengthens her spirit toward contempt for things temporal and love for things eternal. He indicates that the case of bishop Decius has been committed to John and Leontius. Gregory to Adeodata, the illustrious lady. The letter of your Glory has brought us great gladness, since it has signified that you hold a longing for eternal life; but because the fleeting glory of the world is wont to hinder a zeal of this kind, we exhort you that no transitory thing whatsoever call back your mind's most wholesome resolve, nor turn it aside from the path it has begun. But rather let the love of the heavenly fatherland kindle you, let abiding rewards solicit you, and let it aspire ever toward the sure promise of the judge to come, and from things temporal let it earn things eternal, so that from this you may both be in true glory and be enrolled among the heavenly matrons. Recall to your mind the prosperities of the times, the multitude of men, the pomps of dignities, the glory of matrons, the abundance of riches. Consider all these things, where or what they have become, and from this weigh how they are as nothing, and that he who loves these things sees a dream while waking. Therefore let this remembrance be a great instruction to you, since whatever is concluded by an end ought not to be loved as a great thing. Those things therefore are to be sought, those things to be loved with the utmost effort, which neither pass away once found nor fail once obtained. But because no one is able to pant after the desire of these things without the grace of the divine mercy, we pray the almighty Lord that he grant you both the will to choose these things and the power to obtain them, so that he may both permit you here to live in his fear, and afterwards receive you into the lot of the holy martyrs. And so, loving your Glory with a fatherly charity, we indicate to you concerning the case of our brother and fellow-bishop Decius that it has seemed good to us that we should commit it to be heard by our brother and fellow-bishop John and by the illustrious Leontius, since he is said to be a good and just man: being most secure especially because, where the charity of our aforesaid brother and fellow-bishop is present in the judgment, neither may anything be stolen from them, nor can the party of the Church suffer prejudice.

AD ADEODATAN ILLUSTREM. Illius animum ad tempora'ium contemptum, cterno- rum vero amorem confirmat. Joanni et Leontio cow missam indicat Decii episcopi causam. Gregorius Adeodatz illustri. Magnam nobis letitiam gloriz vestre ingessit epistola, quz zterne vilz desiderium vos babere Signavit; sed quia hujusmodi studium fugitiva solet mundi gloria przpedire, hortamur ut mentis vesire Saluberrimam deliberationem res quzlibet transito- ria non revocet, nec ab inceplo eam tramite deviet. Sed magis supernz palriet amor accendat, premia mansura $ollicitenl, et ad venturi judicis promissio- riz vocate $unt, Scilicet Campania, Tuscia et Um- bria, Picenum, Sicilia, Apulia et Calabria , Brutii et 8ancli Benedicti, lib. 1, cap. 2 : Quod tes/amentum D Lucania, Samnium, Sardinia (hanc postmodum Afri- mulu@> vicissitudinis usque hodie in archivis publicis vestri reservalur monasterit. ErisT. XLY [Al. 6]. — * la Anglic., Norm:, Turon., Rbem., quaiuor Vatic., tres Colbert., Cotb., elc. in Vatic.:A legitur Eudosio. In uno ex Colbert. dicitur episcopus Ecclesie Sion. Vet. Editi retinue- runt Ecclesii nomen, at recentiores habent Eulogio. KEersrT..XLVI [AL. 47]. — * Divisa a Constantino Mag. in dieeceses $uas Italia, assignatisque superio- ris lia>b';2 vicario provinciis septein, que lalize no- meu exinde $ibi vindicaruut, sub wcario urbis Rome provinciz decem erant, quz urbicariz et suburbica- cane dicecesi attribuit Justinianus), Corcica, Valeria. Alius erat ab urbis vicario przlecius urbi : hic urba- nus magistratus ; illi vero mandala provinciarum jurd, ut loquitur Symmachus, lib. 1x, epist. 449. At vica- rium de quo hic Gregorius non tant potestatis ſui>sC arbitramur. Lib. 1v Dialog., c. 52, laudatur Joannes vir magnificus in hac urbe locum preſectorum servans. Forte Crescentius vicarius prefecti urbis vices ge- rebat. Censelt Alteserra fuisse vicarium prafe: Ui pre- torio. Cas8iodorus, Var. lib. vi, in formula vicarii urbis Rome : Habes, inquit, cum praſectis aliquam portionem....inira quadragesimum 8ancitssima urbis Jura cus!0d18..... Senit-res qui precedunt ordi:e, alt- qua videntur a le necessaria postulare, Habes q presles 8guperioribus le. 1405 EPISTOLARUM LIB. X. — INDICT. HI. — EPIST. LL 1406 nem cerla. semper aspiret, atque ex temporalibus A limus. Gloriosum enim Gregorium expreſectum, vel zlerna mercelur, ut ex hoc et in vera gloria esse, &t inter malronas possitis celestes a<cribi. Reducite ad animos prosperitates temporum , multitudinem hominum, dignilatum pompas, matronarum gloriam, divitiarum abundantiam. Attendite hc omnia ubi yel quid facta Sunt, et ex hoc pensate quam nulla sint, et quia qui ista diligit, somnium vigilans videt. Hee ilaque recordatio magna vobis debet esse In- Structio, quoniam pro magno diligi non debet quid- quid fine concluditur. lia ergo appetenda, illa sum- mopere diligenda 8unt, quz nec inventa transennt, nec adepta deficiunt. Sed quia ad eorum desiderium anhelare sine divine misericordie gratia nullus va- let, oramus omnipotentem Dominum ut h#c vobis et eligendi velle, et posse tribuat obtinendi, quatenus et hic vos in $uo vivere timore concedat, et postea in sanclarum ® martyrum $sorle recipiat. Paterna itaque charitate gloriam vestram P1v!antes, indica- mus Þ de causa ſratris et coepiscopi nostri Decii hoe nobis visum ſuisse, ut eam audiendam fratri et coepiscopo nostro Joanni et Leontiio glorioso, quia bonus et justus vir dicitur, committere deberemns : securi maxime quia ubi predicti ſratris et coepiscopi nos(ri in judicio charitas interest, nec eis subripiatur, nec pars Ecclesiz possit prejudicium sustinere.