Gregory to Romanus the defensor. Since Thecla, abbess of the monastery of Saint Mary, which is situated at Naples in the house of the late Felix the scholastic, is known to have a case concerning certain matters against Alexander, a magnificent man, her own son-in-law, and has for this purpose sent the bearer of the present letter, that the case itself may there be settled peacefully with him, if it can be done—by this authority we command your Experience not to omit to comfort and to run to her aid, with reason preserved, in whatever the need may require.
But let him also strive to exhort the aforesaid magnificent man that, all contention ceasing, he too, with equal intent, may come to the settlement of the case itself; lest, if he should think fit to neglect it, he be later compelled with uproar and loss to accomplish what he now defers to fulfil with good will; because, as we have been informed, he has already frequently promised the aforesaid abbess by his letters to settle it, and has hitherto refrained from doing so. Let your Experience, therefore, so act, that either the case may be settled, as we have said; or, if he should indeed wish to defer it, and you should see that he will not do the things that make for peace, do you subtly report these things to us, that we may know what ought to be done for the advantage of the aforesaid monastery.