Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 371

Gregory to Cyprian the deacon. The most holy man Maximianus, our fellow-bishop, desiring to purge the Church of God of wicked men, was laudably solicitous, as you know, regarding the life of ecclesiastics. While he vigilantly attended to their deeds with pastoral care, he learned that certain persons were stained by that maleficence which is commonly called canterma. Whom also, as your beloved self's letter reported, he handed over to be kept in custody.

But since, our sins causing it, being forestalled by death, he was not able to avenge that crime, it is necessary that your beloved self take pains to investigate this with all subtlety, and strive to take vengeance upon them according to the enormity of the outrage, in such manner as, according to the laws, the aforesaid bishop, with zeal of correction and justice, could, if he were living, have been moved to this punishment for God's sake. With all strength therefore and all urgency let your beloved self take care in this cause to show its zeal toward Almighty God, and to display worthy adversity against His enemies by inflicted punishments, that you may fulfil what is written: Did not I hate them, O Lord, that hated Thee, and pine away over Thine enemies (Ps. cxxxviii, 21)?

If therefore your beloved self is kindled with this zeal, let punishment be shown upon those who have forsaken God and have done anything against Him by maleficence. But if it cannot rightly be carried out there, those who are such ought to be transmitted to us—if, that is, it can here be demonstrated whereby they can there be convicted without difficulty. But since I judge this to be impossible, there through you strict correction ought to come about upon their thefts. But the glorious man lord Libertinus the praetor, in such a place I trust that, for the contemplation of Almighty God, you have as your helper. In this cause, however, you ought by no means to have grown mild, even if any secular judge could have proved himself an adversary to you.

Moreover, let your beloved self reasonably protect the possessions of Archelaus the physician, so that it may in no wise permit him to be unjustly burdened by any persons.