Letter 4017: The cleric Tribunus was redeemed from captivity at a cost of twelve solidi, and those who paid his ransom are owed...

TO BISHOP FELIX. Let him restore the twelve solidi, by which the cleric Tribunus was ransomed, to the ransomer out of the funds of the Church. Gregory to Felix, bishop of Siponto. In what manner aid ought to be given to the ransoming of captives, the sanction both of the sacred canons and of the secular laws has plainly taught. [Several lines of this letter are scrambled and partly illegible in the source: ...] we have been astonished that your Fraternity should have given no merciful assistance whatever to the ransoming of Tribunus, your cleric, the bearer of these presents. What, therefore, you have of your own accord delayed to do, hasten now to do, admonished at least by our exhortation, lest, if (which we do not believe) you should think it a thing to be neglected, necessity should begin to lay upon you what your own will avoids. Since, therefore, the aforesaid Tribunus declares that he was plundered by the enemy and was purchased for one hundred and twelve solidi, for the repayment of which he laments that he is being pressed, it behooves you to inquire diligently into this matter. And if it is so, and you ascertain that he has not the means whereby he might repay the price paid for him, restore the aforesaid solidi to his ransomer out of the Church. For it is very hard if he should find no remedy from the Church which he serves. Setting aside, then, all excuse, restore without any delay the price which, by manifest truth, shall appear to have been paid for him, as we have already said, so that neither his creditor may repent of having relieved him in his time of need and affliction, nor he, stripped of the burden of grief and free in mind, [may fail to] discharge with care and competence the service of his office. In the month of January, in the [...] indiction. LETTER XVI. TO CYPRIAN THE DEACON. Let the scattered vessels of the churches, which the Italian priests had brought into Sicily, be collected together, and guarded with the utmost care. Gregory to Cyprian the deacon, rector of Sicily. It has come to us that various priests of Italy, fleeing to Sicily, have brought many of the sacred vessels of their churches with them, and that these, whether through the death of those priests or through their wrongfully scattering them, have nearly all perished. Moved by this matter, we exhort your Love that, sending through all the places of Sicily, wherever you find the sacred vessels and goods of the churches carelessly set down, you cause them to be gathered up again with the greatest strictness, and that, once assembled, you deposit them under a written record and a receipt with the bishops of the individual churches, with whom, until the time of peace shall require it, they ought, with the Lord's help, to be most safely preserved. And of all the goods [the source breaks off and continues with editorial apparatus]. [...]

AD FELICEM EPISCOPUNM., Solidos duodecim, quibus Tribunus clericus redemptus ſuit, redemptort reslituat ex Ecclesie pecuniis. Gregorius Felici episcopo Sipontino. Qualiter 8uecurrendum sit redemptionibus capti- vorum, et sanctorum canonum *® et mundanarum legum 8anctio evidenter edocuit. Quod cum omnibus collocandas, volumes ut a fraternitale tua sub debita B gum it, mirati 81mus ut ſraternitas tua in redem- veneratione condantur. EPISTOLA XVT. AD CYPRIANUM DIACONUM. Dispersa, que in Siciliam detulerant Itali 8acerdotes, celesiarum vasa colligantur, ac summa caulione Serventeur. Gregorius Cypriano diacono, rectori Siciliz. Pervenit ad nos diversos Italiz sacerdotes Siciliam conſugientes plurima $ecum Ececlesiarum $8uarum ministeria * delulisse, eaque sive defunctis eis, Sive male dispergentibus, prope omnia deperiisse. Qua in re moti hortamur dilectionem tuam GY quate- nus transmittens per omnia Siciiiz loca, sicubi vasa $acra resque Ecclesiarum positas incaute repereris, eas cum gumma districtione recolligi ſacias, atque adunatas Þ gub notitia atque desuscepto apud singu- larum Ecclesiarum episcopos deponas, apud quos us- que dum pacis tempus expoposeerit, juvaute Domino, debeant tutissime conservari. Omnium autem rerum Eerisr. XV [Al. 8]. — * Scilicet ne in posterum privetur obventionibus fundi censualis, Gall., des lo/s et ventes, et similibus de causis, propter manum mor- tuam, ut Galli dicunt, Latini posses8ionem immorta- lem, quia res nunquam ad alium dominum devolvi- tur, nec ad proprium redit. Gussaxv. De monasterio illo sup., epis. 8; inſra, lib. v, epist. 2. Emplteuti- carius non polest alienare ſundum Sine consensu do- mini, lib, ult., c. de jur. emphiteutic. Eadem ratione monasterium non potest ſundari in alieno praedio, invito domino, licet consentieute possess0re, id est emphiteuticario, ne ſacto emphiteuticarii deterior fiat conditio domini. Emphitenticarii non habent proprietalem in ſundo, sed jus in re, lege 8s: domus, $ ult., de legat. Jdcirco non dicuntur domini, sed possess0res. Auguslinus, lib. de Unit. Eccles. contra Donatistas, cap. olim 17, nunc 20 : Et servum de do- mino, et colonum de po+8essore. Pr:edium emphileuli- cum dicitur possessio emphiteutica. dem, lib. 1 con- tra litt. Petil., cap. 82 : Cum emisset poszesSionem, ef t.oc emphileuticam. Et hec lria, dominum, Po$>CsS0- Tem, et colonum seu conductorem distinxit Gregorius Moral. lib. x1v, cap. 21, juxta vel. Edu. : Quia enim xt dominus auditus non es, non posses807 agri, sed co- lmus crediius est. ALTESERRA, Evisr, XVI. — © Sacram $apellectilem velrres uno Tocabulo ministcrium Eccles:@ oppe.labant. Gregorius Turon., lib. m Hist., c. 10 : ſnter r-liquos thesauros minis/eria pretiosissima delulit Childebertus ex Hispa- nia rediens, nimirum Lx calices, xv patenas, xx Evan- , ptionem Tribuni clerici tui prxsentium latoris nulla mola misericordia 8nbveniret. Quod ergo sponte fa- cere distulisti, nostra saltem facere festina adhorta- tione commonitus, ne $i, quod non credimus, negli- gendi\m putayeris, incipiat tibi necessitas quod vo- luntas ſugit imponere. Quia igitur supradictus Tri- bunus ab hostibus se predatum Þ ac centum duode- cim $olidis $e perhibet comparatum, ad quorum $e deflet restitationem urgeri, hc te oportet diligenter inquirere. Et $i ita e-t, nec eum unde pretinm in se datum reddere possit habere cognoveris, supradictos 8olidos de Ecclesia redemptori ejis restitue. Nam valde durum est si de Ecclesia cui militat remedium nullum inveniat. Omissa itaque excusatione, pretiuvm C quod in eo datum maniſesta veritate patoerit, 8ine aliqua mora, $icut sumus przfali, restitue, quatenus nec creditorem ejus lempore necessitalis aſfliclo Subvenisse pcniteat, et hic onere mceroris exutas, mente libera, officii sui ministerium $ollicite ac geliornum capsas, Omnia ex auro Puro ac gemmis pre- tiosis ornata. Eumdem videsis, lib. u de Gloria mart., ce. 7; Alcimum Avitum, epist. 6, ad Victorium episco- pum, cui respondet, minisleriis $eu yasis hareticorum abl lis, et Ecclesie oblatis Deura non delectari, nia inſusa ſornacibus et dis(enta pry laminas pura efficiantur. Idem censet de illorum templis, ratus rem inens!hi- lem, que primum innovala polluitur, nulla posse sancti- ficatione purgari. Alia ſuit mens (regorii Mag. et ante ivsum Honorati episcopi Novariensis, qui templum idolorum in ecclesiam converlit, in eujus | nem Enno lius diaconus Ticineasis dictioenem Hong rato Submwisit, quz dictioest secunda apud Ennodium. Corb., Rhem., etc. Hic notitia, el desuscepium $Signi- ficant ind:cem, catalogum, inventarium. Prius lege- batur : sub notitia lestium 84usCipias, 8usceplasque apud episcopos Ecclesiarum deponas. © Ita Turon. S. Gat. In Colb. vet. legitur, mense Septembri, Editique consentliunt. Turoneasis autem codicis lectionem pretulimus, quia jam plurime epis stolz precessecunt bujus indict. que leguniur daiz mense Octobri. ; EerisT. XVII. — * De mupdanis legibus erit instar om:ium lex Sancimus, Cod. de sacrosanciis eccles., e. 21, Add. nov. 12U, c. 9 et 10. Vide Aurel. i, can. 5: Ri1em., can. 22. $87 : ' SANCTI GRECGORI MAGNI 688 ompetenter exhibeat. © Mense Januario, indictione A aliqua pertinere, ita sane ut queemmque in ip3a $u- 2,