Letter 28: fol, 66 , Es fol, 69, £4 fol, 34 ; F fol.

Pope Pelagius I to Mellius, subdeacon. We address the question of who is to be ordained abbot of the monastery. The person chosen must be a man of proven virtue and sound judgment, capable of guiding the community both in the observance of the rule and in its relations with the outside world. He should be elected by the monks themselves in accordance with the spirit of the rule, and his election confirmed by the local bishop. Ensure that this process is carried out without the disorder and contention that has unfortunately marked recent events in that monastery, and report to us once the matter has been settled.

fol, 66^, Es fol, 69, £4 fol, 34^; F^ fol. 161^, F* fol, 128^, F 3 fol. 141^^; O [Thaner, p, 431}. milleo O C, milleno O 7 subdiachono C, C 3 C 4 Fs 2 autem... loco] B E F: uero... loco £ 3 , in monasterio C O ordinari] ex ordinare C 4 sibi] superscr, £4 4 uita C. Tit. Melleo subdiacono: Ad illum directae itidem fuerunt epp. 64 et 88, p. 167 et 214. Ep. 64,3 nos docet, illi commendatam fuisse curam massae Trapeianae, quae in Lucania sita erat; unde fas est conicere, eum in Lucania defensoris munus obiisse. Cf. P. Fabre, o. c., p. 12, n. 1; 62. Veri similiter textus inspiratus est in S. Benedicti Regula, 64, v. 1-2 (A. LEnTini, o. c., p. 546; 548) In abbatis ordinatione illa semper considere¬ tur ratio, ut hic constituatur quem sive (TR sibi) omnis concors congregatio ... elegerit. Vitae autem merito ... elegatur ... Vice prima, anno 559 incipiente, pontifex Romanus verbis codicis monachorum adludere videtur. Miror quod tam patentem similitudinem nemo hucusque adverterit. (Ita auctor a. 1944). possessionis dominus: Quandoquidem monasterii fundatori, aut praedii domino, ius erat praesentandi. Cf. epp. 42,1 et 86,3 et notulas ad loca, p. 117 et 211; praeterea, T. P. McLaughein, Le tr^s ancien Droit Monastique de VOccident, in Arch. France Monasf., t. XXXVIII, 1935, p. 243-245; 107; 177; Ph. SchmiTZ, Histoire de VOrdre de Saint Benoit, t. I, Maredsous, 1942, p. 81-82. PEl^AGn I PAPAE EPlSTui;A 29, 1-3 Dulcius defensor, Aemilianum, Constantinum et Ampelium certio¬ res faciat de ordinatione diaconi Anastasii ceu episcopi I^uceriae.