Letter 14011: **From:** Gregory I, Bishop of Rome

To Bishop John. [Rubric:] Let him inquire concerning the persons, characters, and learning of the three men elected to the bishopric. Gregory to Bishop John. Lest the ordination of those who are chosen for the episcopate should go forward unwisely, inquiry must be made concerning their persons with vigilant solicitude. For it has been reported to us that Florentius, archdeacon of the Church of Ancona, who had been elected to the bishopric, does indeed possess knowledge of Holy Scripture; but that he is so worn down already by old age that he cannot rise to the office of governing. They add also that he is so grasping that no friend ever enters his house out of charity. But Rusticus, a deacon of the same Church, who had likewise been elected, is said to be a vigilant man, yet, so far as is asserted, is ignorant of the Psalms. As for Florentinus, a deacon of the Church of Ravenna, who is recorded as elected by all, we know him to be diligent, but what he is like inwardly we are altogether ignorant. Therefore let your Fraternity, together with our brother and fellow bishop Armenius, the visitor of the aforesaid Church of Ancona, hasten to go there, and diligently inquire concerning the life and character of each, and whether they are conscious to themselves of no crime that would forbid them to approach this office. Likewise inquiry must be made whether that which [is reported] concerning the aforesaid archdeacon [is so]. [Editorial apparatus, not part of the letter: A note explains that the copyists did not understand what "the military number" signified in that place; this is treated at length in the notes on Book IV of the Dialogues, chapter 35. See also above, Book VI, letter 5; certainly in the manuscripts one everywhere reads either "the number." Another note records manuscript variants: in the Vatican B, E, F, the old Colbert, and in the Remigian manuscript, "toward charity"; the Remigian manuscript, at the beginning of the letter, has "because you love charity," where others have "because you love chastity." Letter XI (alias 6): so generally in the manuscripts and the old printed edition; later editors, at their discretion, altered it thus: "whether..." etc.] [The letter continues, in the variant manuscript reading:] ...is, if the truth so holds, and whether he is such a man out of necessity or out of greed, or whether he is so aged that he cannot rise to governing; or whether, the most holy Gospels having been touched, as has been reported to us, he gave his oath never to approach the episcopate. But concerning Rusticus the deacon also, how many Psalms he knows less well must be thoroughly examined. As for Florentinus the deacon of Ravenna, if there is no crime, as we have said, that stands in the way, it is necessary that the matter be dealt with before his bishop, so that he ought to grant him release; yet not by our mandate or word, lest he should seem to yield against his own will. But let those who elect him, since they know this, act of themselves; you, however, take care to inquire with all zeal and solicitude into all the things which we have written concerning each man, and to indicate them to us subtly, so that, being made more certain by your report, we may arrange what after this ought, God being the author, to be done. (Compare John the Deacon, Book III, chapter 12.)

AD JOANNEM EPISCOPUM. De trium in episcopos electorum personis, moribus, ac scientia requirat. / Gregorius Joanni episcopo. « Ne incauta eorum ordinatio qui ad episcopatum eliguntur valeat provenire, vigilanti 1 2G9 de corum personis s0llicitudine est requirendum. Indicatum si- quidem nobis est Florentioum, archidiaconum Eccle- gz Anconitanz, qui ad. episcopatAm ſuerat electus, Seripturz quidem $acrz scientiam habere ; $ed ita elatis es8e Senio jam -confractum, ut ad regiminis oſficium non possit assurgere. Addentes etiam ita illum tenacem existere, > ut domum ejus amicus ad charitatem nunquam introeat. Kusticus aulem, dia- conus ejusdem Eeclesiz, qui similiter electus ſuerat, vigilans quidem homo dicitur, sed quantum asseritur, Psalmos ignorat. Floreatinum vero, diaconum Eccle- 8i2 Ravennatis, qui electus ab omnibus memoralur, s0llicitum esse novimus, sed qualis sit interius, om- nino nescimus. Ideoque ſraternitas tua una cum fra- tre et coepiscopo nostro Armenio, suprascripte An- conitanz Ecclesiz visitatore, illuc festinet accedere, et diligenter de vita ac moribus singulorum requi- rere , vel si nullo sibi sunt crimine conscii quod eos ad hoc officium vetet accedere. Pariter etiam requi- reudum est 8i hoc quod de prefato archidiacono quod ignorarunt quid eo loci significaret militaris numerus. Id fuse docetur in nolis ad lib. rv Dialog., c. 35. Vide quoque suprs, lib. vi, epist. 5. Certe ubique Jegitur in Mss. vel numerum. © [|n Vatic. B, E, F, Colbert. vet., et in Remig., . erga charitatis. Remigianus, initio epistolz, habet quod charitatem diligitts, ubi alii, quod castilalem dili- gitis. Eersr. XI [Al. 6]. — * Jta passim in Mss. et vet. Exensis. Recentiores, pro arbitrio, sic mutarunt : ne Sus est, $i ita $e veritas habel, et © utrum ex neces- Silate, an ex tenacia lalis $it, aut $i ita genex est, ut ad regendum non possit assurgere, vel si, tactis sacro- Sanctis Evangeliis, sicut nobis nuntiatum est, jusjuran- dum prebuerit nunquam $e ad episcopatum accede- re. Sed etiam de Ruslico diacono, 4 quantos Psalmos minus. leneat, perscrutandum est. Florentiao autem diacono Ravennali, $i nullum, sicut diximus, crimen est quod obsistat, apud episcopum ejus agi necesse est, ut ei debeat ® cessionem concedere ; non tamen ex nostro mandato * vel dicto, ne contra svam vo- luntatem eum cedere videatur. Sed boc ut norunt fi qui eum eligunt, ex se agant ; tu vero de singulis eum omni studio ac sollicitudine omnia que scrip- B $Simus requirere alque nobis stude subliliter indicare ut, reaunliatione tua redditi certiores, quid post hee, Deo auctore fieri debeat disponamus. (Cf. Joan. Dia. (. wm, c 12.)