Letter 10050: Gregory to Domitianus, metropolitan bishop.

TO DOMITIAN, THE METROPOLITAN. That Leontius has not yet come to Rome. That Gregory will support him in carrying out the orders of the emperors. That the case of Bishop Theodorus has been entrusted to the same man and to Bishop John. Gregory to Domitian, metropolitan bishop. How great a sincerity of charity there is in your mind, the very facts themselves bear witness, in that you do not cease to preserve toward those who are absent that affection of love which you display toward those set before you. And therefore the testimony of your letters has greatly stirred us to love the glorious Leontius, our common son; for, since you have indicated that he is joined in friendship to your Holiness, it is thereby shown what manner of man he already is, namely, that a good man could not have pleased a good man unless he too were good. And therefore he is not undeservedly to be loved, who is found to be joined to you in familiar friendship. But this same glorious man has held himself back in Sicily, and has not yet come to the city of Rome. In those matters, however, which have been entrusted to him for the public benefit by the command of our most serene lords, we have by no means delayed to support him, so far as reason permits. [Epist. XLIX (otherwise 55, book ix). The four other manuscripts and all the Norman ones, etc., read "martyrum" (of the martyrs); since this did not please the editors, they altered it to "matronarum" (of the matrons).] [Epist. L. The ecclesiastical enclosures served as a place of asylum.] ... we have taken zealous care to exhort the others who were residing within the ecclesiastical enclosures, that they ought to go out and set forth their cases. These, going out together with Marcus, the magnificent man, the Scribo, who has come for the purpose of producing them, having received his word, are prepared to go to Sicily. Moreover, concerning the property of Bishop Theodorus, which you wrote had been made subject to the right of your Church, nothing further that could be done was possible, except that we should commit the hearing of this business to the aforesaid most glorious Leontius, concerning whom you give such testimony, and to whom you affirm that the case itself has been entrusted, and to John, our brother and fellow bishop, of whose holiness and solicitude we are assured; exhorting them both to strive to investigate the truth with all subtlety, and thus to impose an end to the contentions of the parties according to justice the more swiftly, so that neither may a long delay be able to detain there the men of your holy fraternity, nor may the other party complain that it suffers prejudice by being unheard. For whatever shall have been determined by them in this matter, be assured that it will be carried out without delay. For just as we do not wish anyone to be condemned without a judgment, so the things which shall have been settled we do not allow to be deferred by any excuse. And may Almighty God surround you with His protection and propitiation, and preserve your steps in the path of His fear, and rouse you to pray for me, that by your intercessions also my endeavors may be directed into the way of life.

AD DOMITIANUM METROPOLITANUM. Nondum Romam venisze Leontium. Se illi 8ufſraga- lum in exxequenidis imperatorum jussis. Commissam eidem ac Joanni episcopo T heodori episcopi causain, Gregorius Domitiano episcopo metropolitano. Quam magnz charitatis sit in mente vestra since- ritas, eljam res ipsa testatur, quod dilectionis afſe- aum JOT78 quem coram positis exhibelis. servare absentibus non cess8atis. Proinde multum nos ad di- ligendum gloriosum Leontium communem filium epistolarum vestrarum tesliſicatio provocavit, quia* dum illum $anclitati vestire in amicitiis indicastis esse conjunctum, qualis jam sit ostenditur, scilicet quia bono viro nisi bonus homo placere non poluit. . Et ideo non immerito diligendus est, qui vobis in- venitur ſamiliariter conjunctus. Idem autem glorio- Sus vir in Sicilia $e re'inuit, et ad Romanam urbem necdum venit. In his ramen que ei pro publica ulili- late Serenissimorum dominorum jussione mandala 8Unt, in quantum ratio Sinit, minime Suffragari distu- Eersr., XLIX [AL. 55, lib. 1x]. — * Ita quatuor alic., omnes Norm., elc., quod cum minime place- ret Editoribus, mut+runt mariyrum in matronarum. Eerist, L. — * Scilicet ecclesiastica Sepla pro asylo erant. alios * qui in $eptis ececlesiasticis residebant, hortari studiose curavimus, ut exire et rationes $Uas expo- nere debuissent. Qni egredientes cum Marco viro magnilico Scribone, qui ad exhibitionem eorum ve- neril, Þ accepto verbo ad Sicilian ire parati sunt. Przterea de 8ubslantia Theodori episcopi , quam Ecclesiz vesir# juri 8cripsislis ſuisse 8upp«sSilam, plus amplius alivd quod fieri posset non ſu't, quam nt anteſato gloriosissimo Leontio de quo tanta testi- ſicamini, cui et causam ipsam asseritis commenda- tam, alque Joanni fratri et coepiscopo nostro, de cvj'is $anclilate et sollicitudine certi sumus, hu.us negotii audientiam mandaremus; horiantes ut et veritatem cum omni studeant subtilitate perquirere, RB et ita contentionibus partium secundum justitiam Cci- tius finem imponere, qualenus nec bomines 8ancte fralernitatis vesir# longa valeat iIlic dilatio retinere, nec pars altera jnaudila $e pati prejudicium conque- ratur. Quidquid enim alieri hac de 1e ſuerit stlatu- tum, certi eslote quia sine mora complebitur. Nam sicut 8ine judicio quemquam nolumus condemnari, ita quz deſinita ſuerint, nulla patimur excusations differri. Omnipotens autem Deus $sua vos protections atque propitiatione circumtegat, gres8usque vestros in limoris sui tramite conservet, vosque pro me ad orandum excitet, ut et vestris intercessjionibus men studia in viam vitze diriganiur.