Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 668

Gregory to Amandinus, the domesticus. The things which your Glory sent by Paul, the bearer of the present letter, and by Timarchus the guardsman, were received in the manner you wished. But we also wrote to our most excellent son the exarch, through the above-mentioned guardsman who set out to him, that he ought to send here the bonds of those acting in place of the prefects John and Palatinus; making known to him that unless he forwards them, until your arrivals the things which were sent by your Glory are not to be touched, but are to be kept for you upon your return. But concerning the person of the glorious Libertinus, certain things had reached us beforehand; and it was necessary that we should by no means keep silent about them to you, as truly to sons whom we love.

And insofar as we found in your Glory's letters, you received those things with displeasure, which was not fitting, since we remember having written nothing harsh, but rather exhorted you to hold charity and grace toward him. But because, when you wrote back to us harshly on these matters, you wrote that you had been forbidden in a dream to send that very letter to us, we give thanks to Almighty God, who so guards you while waking that he admonishes you even while sleeping. But because you write that in that same dream you were also reproved by me concerning the same matter, gather even from this what manner of man I am.

And when I admonish you with fatherly exhortation, you ought not to take it amiss, because I who am guiltless toward you while you sleep do not suffer myself to be double-faced while you wake. Gregory to Romanus the defensor. It has reached us that certain men, out of zeal of a wicked will, are striving to snatch away from the elders and citizens of the city of Naples, on behalf of our glorious son Leontinus, the islands under their jurisdiction, so that they may be able unjustly to afflict and burden them with losses.

Therefore we enjoin you by this instruction that you ought to be diligent, so that, although no room for such fraudulent seizure be found in him regarding this matter, yet wherever perhaps something may have been said, or you perhaps come to know that he is doing something prejudicial—which we do not believe—we wish you, by our mandate, to tell him that he ought not to lend assent to the words of evil men nor to involve himself in this sin; because, although they are altogether protected regarding those same islands by the former commands of princes, yet while we were in the royal city, their rights were, through those who interceded on their behalf, so strictly secured by an ordinance obtained from our most serene lord the prince Maurice, that they have no reason justly to fear.

For which reason, so that you may be able both to be more carefully informed, and to give clear satisfaction to our aforesaid glorious son should the occasion arise, we have provided that copies of the ordinances be forwarded to you, dear one. But if it should be necessary, we will have the authentic originals themselves dispatched. Only see to it that, as we have said, you strive to be diligent, so that no room for stealthy encroachment be there granted to anyone.