Letter 4022: I must ask you to use your influence to keep Venantius, bishop of Luni, in his proper place within the clergy.

Gregory to Constantius, bishop of Milan. A report has reached us from certain persons coming from the region of Laus Pompeia that the religious discipline of those places has so strayed from the path of ecclesiastical order that the clergy by no means regard in their conduct and actions the statutes of canonical regulation. Since these matters needed both more careful examination and more severe correction, I admonished the bearer of this letter, our brother and fellow bishop Venantius, to see to their prompt correction. But on account of the great magnitude of the disturbance caused by the offending persons, he judged himself insufficient alone for so great an inquiry; and therefore he asked us to join the help of your fraternity's authority to his own in examining this matter. Although fraternal love ought to require this of you even without our letters, nevertheless we also exhort you by this present letter that, taking with you our aforesaid brother, you compel all the clergy and other religious persons of the aforesaid city and its territory, concerning any excesses of which there is suspicion, to come before you; and examining all things according to the canons, if you find anyone to have departed from their statutes, correct him with canonical punishment. And do not allow those in your territory who do not display in their conduct what they show in their habit to wander any longer through ruinous ways. It is fitting that with pastoral circumspection you bring them back to the standard of rectitude. Let your fraternity therefore, having more diligently investigated all things, correct and order what has been reported to us in such matters, and hasten to put them right for the future, so that it may profit your soul if you vigilantly and actively examine the affairs of your office, and that you may not allow our judgment, which we have always held concerning the rigor of your maturity, to be frustrated.

AD CONSTANTIUM EPISCOPUM., Hortatur ut Venantiam Lnnensem episcopum in cleri 8ul ac celterorum religiosorum emendatione adjuvel. Cregorius Constantio episcopo Mediolanensi. Quorumdam * de Landensium venientium partibus ad nos relatione pervenit, Þ religionem locorum ips0- rum ita ab ecclesiasticz disciptiue tramite devias-e, ut nullatenus in svis morilus, JOY act onibusque cano%.icz dispositionis statuta respiciant. Quiz quia erant et examinanda $ublilius, et $everius ulci- scenda, presentium latofem Venaniium ſratrem et coepiscopum nostrum ut inslanter emendarentur, admonui. Sed pro magnitudine inquietndinis exce- dentium personarum , solum +e non judicavit in hu- rentes, $i quem a canonum Statutis Feces$is8e repe- reritis,” canowica eum ullione corrigite. Nec patia- mini in loeis vestris eos qui non gerunt in moribus quod ostendunt in babitu per abrupta diotius evagari. Quos oporiet et ad rectiludinis normam pastorali vos cireumspectione reducere. ha ergo fralernitas tus, cunctis $olertius indagatis, que nobis in lalibus nuntiala gunt corrigat, ordiaet, alque in fulurum $0+ pire ſestinet, ut et anime tuz proficiat, $i tui causas vigilanter atque vivaciter perscrutaris offieii, et n0- Strum minime ſruvtrari permittas, quod semper de tuze maturilalis babuimus districtione judicium. EPISTULA XXII. AD YOSPITONEM DUCEM BARBARICINORUNM. Felici et Cyriaco in convertendis ab idololatria Barba- ricinis laborantibus ſareat. Gregorius *® lHospitoni duci Barbaricinorum. Cum de gente vestra nemo Christianus sit, in hoc Scio quia omni gente tua es melior, quia tw in ea Christianus inveniris. Dum enim Barbaricini omnes, ut insensata animalia vivant, Deum verum nesciant, ligna antem et lapides adorent, in eo ips0 quod Deum verum colis, quantum omnues antecedas osten- dis. Sed fidem quam prrcepisti etiam bonis actibus exsequere et verbis, et Christo, cui--credis, offer quod prevales, ut ad cum quoscunque potueris ad- ducas, eosque baptizari facias, et #ternam vitam diligere admoneas. Quod si ſortasse ipse agere non jusmodi inquisitione suſſicere ; {deoque postulavit a CG Potes; quia ad aliud oceuparis, 8aJutans peto ut ho- nobis ut in eodein examinaido negotio ſratervitalis tuz ei adjiceretur atque auctoritatis auxilium. Quan- quam igitur ſraterna dilectio hoc a le et sine nostris scriptis debeat exigere, tamen presentibus quoque vos specialiter epi$tolis adhortamur, ut adhibito vo- - bis predicto fratre nostro, cunctos clericos * cxte- rosque religiosos prenominalz civitatis et territorii ejus * de excessibus quorum aliquid est 8uspicionis ad te venire compellas , aique cuncta $ecundum 4 Id onus, debitum, legem, etc. Gussavv. In Vatic. A legitur, conditione loci debentes. Consentit Reg. 7 Co'onl alii mercede colant, alii ex conditione ut ceriam ex agro | norm 80lvant, neque unquam discedant. Vide Codicis lib. 1, tit. de agricolis, cen- sitis ef colonis, ubi etiam de originariis multa et de ascripiitiis, que pereurrere nostri non est institnti. Jus colonarium hic usurpatur pro conditione coloni, sive pro jure exigendi a colono talem pensionem annuam. Uriginarii Sunl, qui ex a$criptitiis nati 8ant, in ipso $olo, quos $ine gleba vendere non licebat. Ascriptitii $unt, qui per annos 30 ſurrunt in 80lo, qui itulus ect prescriptionis; vel duplici scripto promiserunt $6 nunquam inde discesvwrros. Gussaxy. necnon vel. Ed. la Vatic. B legitur, ipse se juris 8e- veritate damnabit. In D, jus vero dominti 8b juris $e- veritale damnavit. Excusi recent., jus vero juris domi- nii 3ui zeveritale damnavil. Eeisr, XXII. — * Ed. recent., Lunensium, quod legitur nRog.; at in omnibus Norm.; Turon., Rhem., Teller., et in Vatic. D, legitur Lardensium. Laus Pompeia, nunc Landa, vulgo Lodi, urbs est Insu- briz, episcopalis, ad ripam Addz $eu Addue fluvii. minibus nostris, quos illuc transmisimus, fratri sci« licet et JON coepiscopo meo Felici, ſilioque meo Cyriaco servo Del, solatiari in omnibus debeas, ut du:: corum labores adjuvas, devotionem tuam omni- potenti Domino ostendas; et ipse libi in botiis acti- bus adjutor it, cujus tu in bono opere ſamulis sola» tiaris. Benedictionem vero s$ancli Petri apostoli per eos vobis Lrausmisimus, . quam peto ut debeatis be- nigne suscipere. i Mense Junio, indictione 12. Velteri urbe a Mediolanensibus excisa an. 4119 alia non longe a veleris ruderibus exsiructa est, nunc amp'issima. Cum archiepiscopo Mediolanensi seb4:Li essent Laudenses clerici, tanquam $uo metropolita- no, de eorum moribus emendandis merito scripsit nctus Gregorius ad Constantium. I) D' lia quoque restituimus ex Mss. Yatic., Norm., etc., consensv. VYulgati babent, religiosos. Filesacum, comment. in Vincentii Lirinensis Com- monit., n. 12. Talem interpretationem conlirmant auetores profani, 8acra Scriplura, prisci Palres san- clo Gregorio coevi. Partim ex GusSaNv. «4 Norin., de quorum aliquid es! 81uspicionis exces- $fonibus. | Eris. X XII (Al. 27]. — * In Reg., Colh., Teller., Corb., Norm. et tribus Vatic., lezitur, duci barbaro- rum, Barbaricinos ſui-8+ Sardinie incolas probat Holsrenius annotat. in Urtelium, pag. 28, ex hac ve- teri inseriptione Prznext. : Sex. Julius Ser. F. Pol. Ru ſus erocatns Divi Aug. Praſectus 1. cohortis Corgo® rum et Civita/nn Barbarici in Sardinia. De illis epi- Stola £eq. atque lib. x1, epist. 22. Þ Ita Turou. S. Gat., duo Teller., Vatic. et Norm.