Letter 3032: Gregory to Honoratus, Archdeacon of Salona. The mandates of ourselves and of our predecessor had reached your Love not long ago, in which thou were acquitted of the charges calumniously brought against you; and we ordered you to be reinstated without any dispute in the order of your rank. But, inasmuch as again after no great lapse of time, you ...

Book III, Letter 32 To Honoratus, Archdeacon of Salona [modern Split, Croatia]. Gregory to Honoratus, Archdeacon of Salona. Our instructions and those of our predecessor reached you not long ago, directing you to come to Rome so that the dispute between you and your bishop, Natalis, could be properly investigated and resolved. We have been waiting, and you have not come. This delay is unacceptable. Whatever your reasons, you must understand that this matter cannot be resolved unless both parties present themselves before us for a hearing. We need to hear your side as much as we need to hear the bishop's. We therefore direct you, upon receiving this letter, to make arrangements to come to Rome without further delay. Bring with you whatever documents and witnesses support your case. We promise you a fair hearing, conducted according to the strictest principles of justice and canonical procedure. Do not fear any retribution from your bishop for complying with our summons. You are under the protection of the Apostolic See, and we will ensure your safety. But you must cooperate with us -- justice cannot be done if you refuse to participate in the process designed to deliver it. Come to us promptly. Let us hear the truth from your own lips and bring this long-running dispute to a just conclusion.

Book III, Letter 32 To Honoratus, Archdeacon. Gregory to Honoratus, Archdeacon of Salona. The mandates of ourselves and of our predecessor had reached your Love not long ago, in which thou were acquitted of the charges calumniously brought against you; and we ordered you to be reinstated without any dispute in the order of your rank. But, inasmuch as again after no great lapse of time, you came to the city of Rome complaining of some improper proceedings among you concerning the alienation of sacred vessels, and as, while we had persons with us here who might have replied to your objections, Natalis, your bishop, departed this life, we have judged it necessary to confirm further by this present letter those same mandates, both our predecessor's and our own, which (as has been said) we sent not long ago for your acquittal. Wherefore, acquitting you fully of all the charges brought against you, we will that thou continue without any dispute in the rank of your order, so that the question raised by the aforesaid man may not on any pretext prejudice you in the least degree. Moreover, as to the heads of your complaint, we have strictly charged Antoninus, subdeacon and rector in your parts of the patrimony of holy Church over which, by God's providence, we preside, that, if he should find ecclesiastical persons implicated in them, he decide these cases with the utmost strictness and authority. But, in case of the business being with such persons as the vigour of ecclesiastical jurisdiction cannot reach, he is to deposit the proofs under each particular head among the public acts, and transmit them to us without any delay, that, being accurately informed, we may know how, with the help of Christ, to dispose of the matter.

Gregorius Honorato archidiacono Salonitano. Dudum quidem deces80ris nostri nostraque pre- » Genua et Janua, vulgo Genova, Gall. G#nes.urbs Lignriz clarissima , nunc archiepiscopalis, et co- gnominis reipublice primaria, omnibus satis nota. GUsSAvY. EeisrT, XXXI. — * Scilicet Joan. Subdiac., qu in Eccl. Romanz clero militabat. .Þ Ex hac et superiori epistola constat episcopum Medio]. metropolitanum fuisse, ac episcopos habuisse Sullraganeos. © Solatium mercedem hoc loco signilicare contendil Gussanv. At melius aurilinin, at jain ostendimns, Sonat; et hoc sensu Spe in Sancti Benedicti regul? usurpalur. 629 EPISTOLARUM LIB. HI. — INDICT. XI. — EPIST. XXxXII. 630. ceptio ad dilectonem tuam cucurreral, in qua et de A probationes inter publica gesta depositas ad nos abs- 3bjectis tibi calumniose capitulis fueras absolutus, et in tui gradus. ordine sine aliqua te instituimus }Mercatione resliluj. Sed quia rursus ante non mul- tum temporis Spatium, ad Romanam civitatem ve- niens, de aliquibus illic actis incongrue, de sacrorum - es conquestus alienatione G4 vasorum ; atque dum pro hac re, quz tuis objectionibus respondere po- luissent, suStineremus in hac civitate personas, Natalis episcopus tuus de hac luce migravil, necessa- rium judicavimus casdem preceptiones tam decess0- ris nostri, quam nostras, quas dudum, ut dictum est, pro tua absolutione transmisimus, praesentibus dein- ceps apicibus conlirmare. Quamobrem a cunctis tibi objectis capitulis le plenius ahsolventes, in tui te ordinis gradu sine aliqua volumus altercatione per- 'nanere, ut nihil tibi penitus mota a prefato viro questio qualibet occasione prxjudicet. De his autem capitulis de quibus conquestus es, Antonino subdia- cono, et rectori illic patrimonii sanctzx, cui, Deo auctore, presidemus, Ecclesie instanter injunximus ut si quidem ia his ecclesiasticas invenerit immistas esse personas, cum summa causas ipsas dis1ric-' tione atque auctoritate ® definiat. Sin autem cum tali- bus res ag1ilur, in quos ecclesiaslic:e vigor non possit jurisdictionis extendi, de singulis quibusque capitulis Eeisr. XXXIE. — * In pluribus Mss. nostris definiat; quibus annuit Antonius Augustinus, lib. ut Emendation., cap. 9. Hze de voce. Quod ad rem spectat, in isto 81bdia-ono et aliis passim videre mihi rideor imaginem judicum eccl-siasticorum , SIve ordinariorum, quos ofliciales vocant, sive delegato- rum, quod forte non penitebit observasse. Siquidem legibus nostris in conventu Blesensi et pluribus Ar- restis cautum est ne aliis quam presbyteris istud mu- nus demandetur, etiamsi jure canonico, et Sumino- rum ponlificum exemplo demandari posse videatur. Certe presbyteros et episcopos a simplici clerico aut zubdiacono Summa cum auctoritate judicari, interdici, suSpendi, excommunicari, absolvi, minus decet, si rem ex 24140 et bono #stimamus. Quinimo legimus eamdem ſuisse cleri Gallicani mentem in conventu publico,” anno 1625, quando de sententia Stephani Louyte adversus episcopum Leonensem deliberatum est. Eo enim vel waxime violalam esse querebaniur episcopalem dignitatem, quod presbyler, doctor Sor- bovicus, et decanus Nannetensis, ab apostolica sede delegotus, de episcopo judicasset;: Hoc ego sSaxum indico, non moveo; volvant alii. GusSANv. EPISTOLA XXXIIlI. AD DYNAMIUM PATRICIUA, Quadrinqentos solidos de reditibus Ecclesie Romans 3e accepisse significat, Mittut crucem sacris reliquiis reſertam. Gregorius * Dynamio ® patricio Galliarum, etc. Monstrat quam bene dispenset propria, qui ſideli- teradministrat aliena. Quod vesira GAS nobis gloria ostendit, qua perenni muneri intenta, beato Peiro apostolorum principi svorum redituum fructus intu- B lit. Cui dum sua fideliter impenditis, hec apud eum vesira munera fecistis. Sic quippe agere hujus terre glorioso0s de #terna gloria cogitantes decet, ut in eo quod temporaliter prevalent, mercedem sibi non temporalem parent. Proinde debitum ssalutationis alloquium persolvenles, omnipoteniem Dominum deprecamur ut vitam vestram et bonis prasentibus repleat, et ad sublimia gaudia zternitalis extendat. Suscepimus namque per Hilarum [Al. Hilarium] fi- lium nostrum de preſatis Ecclesiz nostre reditibus EPISTOLA XXXNIV. AD PETKUM SUBDIACONUM. Ut Festum episcopum ciribus suis conciliet. Gregorius Petro subdiacono Campanitz. Queritur * Fe+tus frater et coepiscopus noster Þ a Suis se clericis #et civibus despici alque conlemni. Pro qua re experienti:e tne pricipimus ut tranquil- la eos adbort:tione convenias, GAY quatenus seda- tis, si quz forte odiorum cause sunt, mulua eos et Deo placita charitate concilies, ut et ille quod filiis lecet impendat, et illi quod patri opvrtel exhibeant, Si quz vero aliz causze sunt, predicto episcopo te impendere precipimus salva tamen juslitia et 2qui- fate, solatium. © Mense Maio, indictione 11. EPISTOLA XXXVY. AD PETRUM SUBDIACONUM, Ex clero Neapolitano mittendos Romam duos vel tres, qui vice omnium episcopum eligant. Futuro episcopo deſerenda necessaria. Paulo szecedenti dandos pro labore 80lidos centurn cum mancipio uno. Gregorius Petro s1bdiacono Campaniz. Szpius a nobis © Paulus ſrater et coepiscopus no- ster expetiit ut eum ad propriam reverti ſaceremus Ecclesiam. Quod quia rationabile esse perspeximus, ejus petitionem necessario duximus adimplere. Pro- mde experientia tua clerum Ecclesiz Neapolitane Hoecce anno jubent Arcadivs et Honorius ut pro xx libris ris unus auri solidus a possessore reddatur. Cod. lib. x, tit. 70, de collatione #ris. Tunc erant pro argenti libra sex aurei s0lidi. Anno 397, impera- tores pro singulis argenti libris quinos solidos jubent mferri , quz jam proportio auri ad arg-ntum est 1 ad 14 25, atque pro xxv libris zris seu Jenariorum sex millibus ſuit solidus. Id testatur Cassiodorus, variarum B C lib. 1, epist. 10 : Sex millia denariorum, inquit, 80li- - dum exze voluerunt. Tunc apud Romanos pro 1 de- nariis argenteis erat solidus. Verum apud Francos auri ad argentum proportio duodecupla sexto szculo | -05ctart ihe Id maniſeste colligitur ex insigni loco incmari archiep. Rhem., in Vita sancli Remigii. In testamento, inquit, a beato Remigio condito lector atendat quia s0lidorum quantitas, numero XL, denario- rum computatur, ssicut tunc s0lidi habebantur. Et in Francorum lege Salica conlinetur et generaliter usque ad lempora Caroli perseverarit, ut in ejus capitulis con- tlinetur. Denarii xL duas argenti uncias, solidi sex unciam auri unam_ ſaciebant. At precipuum Gallicani Solidi a Romano discrimen in eo positum fuit, quod Gallicum aurum esset Romano longe deterius. 14 pa- tebit magis ad epist. 7, lib. vi. 4 GreCis evxoyiay munusculum. Vide, infra, epist. 8, lib. v, epi>t. 47, lib. vin, epist. 55, lib. 1x, etc., I. n, Dial., c. 8, Gregorii Turon. lib. vi, c. 7. In ipsa Sacra Scriptura benedictio pro munere sumilur, Genes. xxxi1u, 11. EeisT. XNXXIV. — * Male a quibusdam Siztzs. Fuisse autein Capuance civitalis episcopum, liquel ex epistola 12, lib. v. huc ad eligendum episcopun transmittere non omit- tant. Sed et sua nob:s relatione inSinuent quoniam it quos lransmiserint omniumn in bac electione vice ſungantur, ut Ecclesiz illi, Deo auctore, sVus anti- sles valeat ardinari. Nam amplius eam Sine proprio non patimur esse rectore. Qui si fortasse admonitio- nem tuam quolibet mod differre tentaverint, ecclesia- Sticum in eos vigorem exerce, Nam pravilatis de se dabit indicium, quisquis in hoc non sponte consen- Serit. Pradicto-autem Paulo fratri -et coepiscops) no- Stro centum solidos, et unum puerulum orphanum, quem ipse elegerit, pro labore suo de eadem Ecclesia ſacias dari. Illos autem qui- cunctorum vice huc ve- nerint ad eligendum episcopum aimone, Þ ut vestia- rium ome episcopi Sui SCiant defſerendum, et quan- tum praviderint Secum argentum a«Jducant, quod in usu su0 habere possit qui ſuerit episcopus ordinalus, Hxc ver