Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 735

Gregory to Theodebert, king of the Franks. He who receives with willing mind the words of fatherly exhortation, and embraces them in the bosom of his heart, without doubt professes that he will be a corrector of vices. From which fact your absolute promise renders us sufficiently sure of your Excellency. For we hold as a pledge the words of him whom we know to be fit for fulfilling them. Therefore let your Excellency, cleaving to the commands of our God, deign to apply your endeavour, for your own reward, to gathering a synod, so that every bodily vice among priests

and the simoniac heresy, which first arose in the Churches through wicked ambition, may, with the censure of your power pressing upon it, be taken away by the definition of a council, and, torn out by the roots, be cut off; lest, if gold be loved there more than God, He who is now, in His precepts, tranquilly despised, be afterwards felt as wrathful in vengeance. And these things indeed — because we speak them for your sake — we therefore cease not the more often to press upon you, that we may be able to profit our most excellent and most sweet sons even by importunity. For it profits your kingdom in all things, if whatever is done against God in those regions be corrected by the amendment of your Excellency.

Moreover, how great benefits your Excellency bestowed upon our most reverend brother and fellow-bishop Augustine when he set out to the nation of the Angles, we have learned from the report of certain monks who have returned from him. For which thing rendering the greatest thanks, we ask that you also administer your benefits more abundantly to the monks who bear this present letter, whom we have directed to the same brother of ours, so that, while under your patronage they find no difficulties there, but easily complete their begun journey with Christ's help, you may present before the eyes of our God a more abundant fruit of your reward.