Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 447

Gregory to Castorius the notary. The magnificent man, lord Andreas, frequently presses upon me concerning the use of the pallium according to ancient custom being restored in the Church of Ravenna. And you know that Bishop John wrote to me that in the solemn litanies it was the custom for the bishops of that Church to use the pallium. Adeodatus, deacon of this Church, when he strongly urged me in this same matter, gave satisfaction under oath that four times a year the bishops of that place were accustomed to use the pallium in the litanies. But the aforesaid lord Andreas says in his letters that, except for Lent, at every time the bishop of Ravenna used the pallium in the litanies. And he asserts those very litanies to be solemn ones, which he does not blush to call daily.

Whereat I was utterly astonished. But let your Experience regard no man's person, no man's words; let it hold before its eyes only the fear of God and rectitude. And let it inquire of the senior persons, and of the archdeacon of that same Church—whom I do not suspect of perjuring himself for another's honour—and of others of greater age who were in holy orders before the times of Bishop John, or if there be any of more mature years outside holy orders; and let them come before the body of Saint Apollinaris, and touching his tomb let them swear what the custom was before the times of Bishop John; for, as you know, that man showed himself very presumptuous, and through pride endeavoured to arrogate many things to himself.

And whatever shall be sworn by faithful and grave men, according to the memorandum which is appended below, this we wish to be preserved in that same Church. But see that you do not act negligently, lest anyone corrupt your faith or your devotion in this cause; for I know your zeal. Act carefully, yet in such a way that the aforesaid Church be not burdened contrary to justice, but that the usage which existed before the times of Bishop John be preserved for it. And seek not two or three persons for giving you satisfaction, but as many of the more senior and grave as you shall find, so that we may neither deny to that same Church what was the more ancient usage, nor grant what has been sought by a new presumption.

But do everything gently and sweetly, so that both your action may be strict and your tongue mild. The sword that was left there, as we wrote long ago, recall with you; and attend carefully to what our son Boniface the deacon and the magnificent man Maurentius the Chartularius have written to you. I swear by the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the inseparable Trinity of the divine power, and by this body of the blessed Apollinaris the martyr, that I testify for the favour of no person, nor with any advantage intervening.

But this I know, and have known through my own self, that before the times of John, formerly bishop, the bishop of Ravenna, in the presence of the apocrisiarius of the Apostolic See, on such and such days, had the custom of using the pallium, and I have not known that he usurped this secretly or in the absence of the apocrisiarius. (Cf. John the Deacon, book IV, no. 6.) Gregory to Peter, bishop of Otranto. Opportunus, abbot of the monastery of Saint Leontius, which is situated at the fifth milestone from the city of Rome, requests that the relics of that same martyr—which, as he asserts, were removed by theft from the church dedicated to his name—should be granted again to be restored to him, that they may be laid up again in that same place.

And therefore, most dear brother, since the body of that same most blessed martyr is known to be in the church of Brindisi, over which you exercise the office of visitation, it befits you to obey the desires of the aforesaid man in accordance with our command, that in the devotion which he asks he may obtain the effect.