Letter 3041: The matters I have assigned to you require prompt and careful attention.

TO PANTALEON THE NOTARY. The ravisher of a virgin shall either marry her, or, being bodily chastised, be thrust into a monastery. The deacon who has been taken captive shall be ransomed at the Church's expense. Gregory to Pantaleon the notary. Evangelus, a deacon of the Church of Siponto, has made complaint to us that his daughter was, by Felix, what it is unspeakable to say, ravished. Concerning this matter it is necessary that you, fortified by the authority of this our order, set out for the city of Siponto, and, taking to yourself wise men there, you shall take care to learn out the truth with all subtlety; and if you shall find it to be so, let the man who ravished her either receive her as his wife with the nuptial instruments duly drawn up, or, being bodily chastised, let him, deprived of communion, be thrust into a monastery, where he may carry out penance, [editorial note: This passage is used by our Gregory. In the following letter: "you shall take care to learn out the truth with all subtlety"; that is, with the utmost zeal and all diligence. So too in letter 42: "let him take care to describe each several thing subtly."] [editorial note: That those without their master's consent are not to be admitted to the habit of conversion the very law of nature prescribes, the Gospel confirms, the canons recognize, and emperors and kings ordain. That each man's own right be preserved to him is a matter of natural law. Paul, 1 Timothy 6: "Whosoever are servants under the yoke," etc. And it is added: "If any man teach otherwise," etc., which text the Fathers expound -- Ambrose, Primasius, Jerome, Chrysostom and the other ancients; the new commentators agree. On the canons it may be read: apostolic canon 81; of the Council of Chalcedon, c. 4; of Gangra, can. 3; of the capitulary of Aix-la-Chapelle, c. 25. Pope Gelasius decrees the penalty of deposition and excommunication against those who shall have done the contrary. It is reported in distinction 54, with many other authorities. Add the Extravagantes, book 1, title 18, On the monkhood of slaves, with the master ignorant of it or unwilling. Let the reader look at the constitutions 9, 10, 11 of the emperor Leo, which it will not be unpleasant to have read. The emperors, however, decreed more severely against unbelieving masters, especially Jews, as we noted above, letter 28. See in the Authentica, novella 5, c. 2; novella 125, c. 4. Hence the later canons, in favor of slaves, in many] -- with no license at all of departing thus, unless perhaps our order shall have permitted this. Furthermore, since the aforesaid deacon records that he was redeemed from the enemy, and that on that account he has a debt, therefore, if you shall ascertain that his substance is not such as can suffice to repay that debt, we order Felix, our brother and fellow bishop, to be pressed upon, that he delay not to give the price thereof out of the Church, so that the above-written Evangelus the deacon may, without any delay, be freed from the burdensome necessity to which he has been subjected.

AD PANTALEONEM NOTARIUM, Stuprator virginis aut eam ducat, aut corporaliter ca= stigatus in monasterium detrudatur. Diaconus ca- plus Ecclesio sumptibus redimatur. Gregorius Pantaleoni notario. Questus est nobis Evangelus, Sipontinze Ecele- Sie diaconus, filiam suam * a Felice ſuisse, quod dici nefas es!, s{npratam. Pro qua re hujus pracepti au- ctoritate 8uffultum ad Sipontinam civitatew te pro- C ſicisci necessec es, et adhibitis tibi sapientibus illic viris, cum omni $subtlilitate veritatem curabis ad- discere; et si ita repereris, eam quam ” $stupravit., aut uxorem ſfactis nuptialibus instrumentis accipiat, aut corporaliter castigalum in monasterium eum privatum communione , ubi panitentiam pcragat, nostro Gregorio usurpatur. In epist. seq., cum omni subtlilitate veritalem curabis addiscere ; hoc est Sum- mo studio, omnique Sollicitudine. Ita in epist. 42, curet subliliter 8ingulas quasque dexscribcre, Sine domini consensu ad habitum conversionis non admitlendis, lex ipsa nature 'priecipi, Evangelium confirmat, canones agnoscunt, Slaluunt imperatores el reges. Jus cuique suum s$#rvari, juris est natura- lis. Paulus, I Timoth. vi : Quicunque 8ub jugo 8unt 8erti, etc. Et additur : Si quis oliter docet, elC., quem texlum explicant Patres, Ambrosius, Priina-- $1u8, Hicronymus, Chrysostomus et alii veteres ; concordant novi commentatores. De canonibus le- gere es! canonem aposl. 81 Chalcedonensis concilii, c. 4; Gangrensis, can. 3; capitularis Aquisgranen - Sis, c. 25, Gelasius papa penam depositionis et ex- communicationis decernit adversus eos qui contra - rium ſecerint. Refertur dist. 54, cum pluribus aliis auctoritatibus. Adde extra., lib. 1, tit. 18. Deservorum monachismo, iguorante aut invito domino. Yideat lector Leonis imperatoris conslitutiones 9, 10, 11, quas legisse non erit injucundum. Imperatores ta- men Severius adversns duminos infideles edixerunt, precipue Judzos, ut Supra, epist. »8, observavimus. Vide in Authent., novell. 5, c. 2, nov. 125, c. 4. Hiuc canones posleriores in Servorum gratiam multa modo egrediendi licentia, nisi hoc nostra permise- rit ſortasse preceptio. Pr:eterea quia Supradictus diaconus de hostibus $6 redemptum, ac-propterea debitum habere comme- morat, iJeo si talem ejus Substantiam non eg8e Co- gnoveris que ad reddendum debitum ipsum possit suſſicere, Felici [ratri et coepiscopo nostro Le immi- nere przecipimus, ut ejus pretium de Ecelesia dare non difſerat, quatenus suprascriptus Evangelus dia- conus $ine tarvitate aliqua a debili possit necessitate cui est suppositus liberari.