Letter 9104: I must address a matter of both justice and pastoral urgency.

We have learned what zeal has inflamed your Fraternity on behalf of the Christian slaves whom the Jews buy up within the territories of the Gauls; and we make known that your solicitude has so pleased us that our own deliberation likewise judged that they ought to be restrained from trafficking of this kind. But, since Basilius the Hebrew has come with other Jews, we have discovered that this purchasing is enjoined upon them by the various judges of the commonwealth, and that it comes about that they are bought up equally among pagans and Christians alike. Hence it was necessary that we should so decree that the matter be arranged by a cautious ordinance, in such a way that neither those who give the commission be frustrated, nor those who say that they obey against their own will should unjustly suffer any losses. Therefore let your Fraternity provide that this be observed and guarded with vigilant solicitude, so that when they return from the aforesaid province, the Christian slaves whom they happen to have brought with them are either handed over to those who commissioned them, or else are sold to Christian buyers within the fortieth day. And when this number of days has passed, let none in any manner whatsoever remain in their possession. But if perhaps certain of these same slaves should fall into such sickness that they cannot be sold within the appointed [days], care must be applied, so that, when they have been restored to their former health, they may likewise be disposed of by every means; for it is not fitting that a thing which is free of fault be called to [its owner's] loss. But since, whenever something new is established, it is wont so to impose a rule upon future cases that it does not condemn many past things to losses, if any slaves from the purchase of the past year have remained in their possession, or have lately been taken away by you, [then] while they are placed in your keeping, let them have license to alienate them, lest in ignorance they incur, before the prohibition, a detriment which it is afterward fitting that they, once forbidden, should sustain. It has moreover been reported to us that the aforesaid Basilius wishes, by Christians, God being favorable, to grant certain slaves to his sons under the title of donation, to this end: that, on the pretext of this favor, the masters, with only the name [of ownership] taken away, may [still] serve them; and that after this, if they should perhaps believe they ought to flee to the church in order that they may become Christians, they should be claimed not into liberty but into the lordship of those to whom they had previously been donated. In which matter it is fitting that your Fraternity watch becomingly: and if she should wish to donate any slaves to her sons, then, so that every occasion of fraud may be removed, let them by all means be made Christian and not remain in her house; but, when the matter requires that she ought to make use of their services, let those things be ordered to be furnished to her which it is becoming should be furnished even by her sons to her, and which it is fitting be displayed for God's sake.

OognoBceDtea , qualis* fraternitatem vestram zelue pro chrietiania mancipiie, quae ludaei de Galliarum finibua emunt *, accenderit'', adeo nobia eollicitudinem veetram placuisse Bignamua, ut inbibendoe eoe ab buius modi ' negotiatioDe noatra etiam delibe- ralio iudicaret. Sed Baeilio^ Hebraeo cum aliie ludaeis Teniente comperimus hanc illie a divereiB iudicibuB reipublicae emptionem iniungi atque evenire, ut' inter paganoe^ et Chrietiani pariter comparentur. Unde neceese fuit ita ceusem ordinatione cauta dieponi, ut nec mandantes frustrari^ nec hi qui contra voluntatem euam se inquiunt oboedire aliqua suetineaut iniuete dispendia. Proinde fratemitas vestra' boc vigilanti Bollicitudine observari*" ac custodire' provideat*, ut revertentibue eis de praefata pro- vincia christiana roancipia, quae ab ipsie adduci contigerit, aut' maDdatoribue oontra- dantur aut certe chriatianie emptoribuB intra diem quadrageaimum venumdentur". Et transacto hoc dierum numero nullum" apud eos quoUbet modo remaneat. 8i autem quaedam ex eisdem mancipiis talem aegritudinem fortassis incun-erint, ut intra statutoe add. f'2. «) Aliqniil ^* 2. 3. >■) imponmDt S 1. MenM ett.: ita Bl. fl et pott tUutum epitlolae *tq.: p*i. 3. IX, 104 om. Q* I. — /n tiiulii: FurtiuiAto tn indiet VI tt m argmatntu C1.2. — Neapulytii Cl; NeapoliL CS; Neapoliffl C3; Neapolim Rl tt indictt in CI.S; Netipl. g* 2. 3. ■) qualileT C. >■) a ■ccenderinl corr. A i,- acciderit C3. <=) humodi C5. '■)BMileoCi. *) \>t otit. q' 2. 3. *) fruBtniti C3. B) frateniitatiB (ttd ti del.) vfe B 1. t>) ob«ervsre C3. >) cnnodiri S 1. C2; cuatodire etl. <<) prodeat C1.2, led eorr. C2 m. 2. ') ut q' 2.3. ") venuiiiduitnr C2. ") ;ta Rl; nul)*in C, ttd eorr. C'2 m.2; nullua f'2.3. IX, 104. De Forttittato cf. ep. III, 58 n. 1) De tudaeorum nunctptit cf. n.3 ad ep. IV, tt pratc^ in GatUa ep. VU, 21 n. 2. IX, 213. 215. 2) Cy. ep. VIII, 4 p.7 n.4. yGoogle 112 GREGORII I. BEOISTRl dica vendi dud valeant, adhibenda sollicitudo est, ut, dum saluti ** fuerint priBtinae rcsti- tuta, aimiliter modie omnibus distrahantur , quia rem quaeP culpa caret ad damaum vocari'' non convenit^ Quoniam' vero, quotiens novum quid statuitur, ita solet futuris formam imponere, ut multa dispendiis' praeterita non" condemnet', si qua apud eoa* mancipia de emptioDe anni praeteriti remanserunt' vel a'' vobis* nuper ablata aunt, dum apud vos sunt posita, ea habeant' alienandt licentiam, ne detrimentum ante prohibi- tionem poBsint ignorantea'' incurrere, quod eos postmodum dignum est vetitos susttnere. Nuntiatum praeterea nohis est suprascriptum" Basilium filiie suis Deo propitio chrietianis quaedam mancipia ad hoc velle titulo'' donationis' concedere, ut ei fauius occaBionis obtentu domini solum modo nomine ablato ' deserviant et post boc , si ad ecclesiam confugiendum* fortc crediderint, ut fieri debeant'* christiana, non in libertate. acd eorum dominiD, quibus ante donata' sunt, vindicentur. In qua re fratemitatem vestram decenter'' convenit vigilare: et si qua filiis suis mancipia donare voluerit, ut cuncta fraudis tollatur occasio, fiant modis omnibus cfarisliana et in domo eius non maneant; sed cum res' exegerit, ut eorum debeat uti" solaciis, hoc illi iubeantur" im- i pendere, quod etiam a suis" ci'' filiis decet et propter Deum convenit exhiberi.