Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 842

Gregory to Queen Theodelinda. The writings which you lately sent to us from the region of Genoa have made us partakers of your joy, because we have learned that, by the grace of almighty God, a son has been given to you, and—what is very praiseworthy of Your Excellency—that he has been joined to the catholic faith. For nothing else was to be believed concerning your Christianity, save that you would take pains, so as to fortify with the aid of catholic rectitude him whom you received by divine gift; that both our Redeemer might recognize you as his own familiar handmaid, and might happily nurture for the nation of the Lombards a new king in his fear.

Wherefore we pray almighty God both to keep you in the way of his commandments, and to make the same our most excellent son Adaloald advance in his love, so that, just as here among men he is already great, so also may he be glorious before the eyes of our God by good deeds. But as for that which Your Excellency wrote, namely that we ought to reply more fully to our most beloved son Abbot Secundus concerning the things he wrote—who would judge that his petition, or your desires, which it recognizes will be of mutual profit, should be put off, if illness were not the obstacle?

But so great an infirmity of gout has held us, that we could scarcely rise not only to dictate, but even to speak; as also the bearers of the present letter, your legates, have learned, who both found us ill on their coming, and left us on their departure in the utmost peril and crisis of life. But if, with almighty God so disposing, I shall have recovered, I will reply minutely to all the things he wrote to me. Nevertheless I have transmitted, by the bearers of the present letter, that synod which was held in the time of Justinian of pious memory, so that my aforesaid most beloved son, reading it, may recognize that all the things are false which he had heard against the Apostolic See or the catholic Church.

For far be it from us to receive the opinion of any heretic whatsoever, or to deviate in anything from the Tome of Leo, our predecessor of holy memory; but whatever things have been defined by the four holy synods we receive, and whatever things have been reproved we condemn. And to our most excellent son King Adaloald we have taken care to transmit phylacteries, that is, a cross with wood of the Lord's holy Cross, and a reading of the holy Gospel enclosed in a Persian case. To my daughter, his sister, I have also transmitted three rings, two with hyacinths, and one with a pearl, which I ask to be given to them through you, so that among them our charity may be seasoned by Your Excellency.

Moreover, discharging the duty of salutation with paternal charity, we ask that you render thanks on our behalf to our most excellent son the king, your husband, for the peace that has been made, and that you rouse his spirit, as you have been accustomed, toward peace for the future in all things; so that you may be able to find, before the sight of God, among the many good things which you do, the reward of the innocent people, which could have perished in the scandal.