Letter 10002: **From:** Gregory I, Bishop of Rome

TO FORTUNATUS, BISHOP OF NAPLES. [Summary heading:] He is to consecrate a church on behalf of the monks, without public Masses, and without a baptistery and a cardinal priest. Gregory to Fortunatus, bishop of Naples. We do not think it is unknown to your Fraternity that Romanus, a man of most illustrious memory, by the determination of his last will, appointed that a church, which is situated in your city, should be built in a house under his own right. And since, by God's mercy, the will of the deceased is known to have been fulfilled, let your Holiness go there without reluctance; and if it is established that no body is buried there, let it take care to consecrate that place solemnly in honor of Saints Hermes, Sebastian, and Cyriacus, and also of Pancratius, without public Masses, with the veneration that is due; in such a way that a baptistery is never built in that same place, nor are you to appoint a cardinal priest. But as often as the monks dwelling there shall wish Masses to be celebrated there, [... let it be allowed], in so far as may be presumed. LETTER VI. TO FANTINUS THE DEFENDER. [Summary heading:] He is to gather together the slaves of Romanus, and send the fruit of their labor to the monastery built by Romanus himself. Gregory to Fantinus the defender. The slaves under the right of Romanus, a man of respectable memory, who appointed that a monastery should be established in his house which is situated at Naples, are reported to dwell in Sicily. And since that monastery is known, by God's authorship, to have been established according to his will, let your Experience hasten with all zeal to give assistance to the bearers of the present letter, who have been sent there to gather together those same slaves; and once they have been gathered, with you giving assistance, let it procure for them possessions where they ought to labor. And whatever may accrue from their labor, with that reserved from which they themselves may subsist, let the remainder be transmitted to the aforesaid monastery, through the care of your Experience, year by year, with the Lord's help. [Editorial note: ...the following letter is also read here, which the above-praised manuscripts do not present.] [Editorial note on Letter II (alias 4):] The title of "spectabilis" was not an empty title of honor which it was once permitted to confer on anyone at one's discretion. "Antiquity assigned the honor of spectabilis-rank to soldiers worn down by the sweat of military service," says Cassiodorus, in Book I of the Variae, letter 28. He goes on, further on in the same letter and in Book VI, formula 57, to set out the privileges annexed to this dignity, [and] he presents the formula of spectabilis-rank, that is, the form of words by which this honor was conferred here. [Editorial note:] That is, for seeking out fugitive slaves, and for compelling them to come out from hiding and gathering them together. [Reference line:] 4169 OF THE LETTERS, BOOK X. - INDICTION III. - LETTER VI.

AD FORTUNATUM NEAPOLIT. EPISCOPUM. Ecclesiam pro monachis, absque migsis publicis, baptis- terio et presbytero cardinali consecret. | Gregorius Fortunato episcopo Neapolis. Fraternilati vestrz esse non pulamus incognitum quia Romanus clarissime memoriz vir, per ullime5uz. voluntalis arbitrium, in domo juris sui ecclesiam , quz in ciyilate yeslra sita est, edilicari deputavit. Et B quia, Deo miseraite, deſuncii noscitur yoluntas im- pleta , sanctilas yestra illic ingravanter accedat ; el si nullum ibidem corpus constal humatum, locum ipsum in ionorem $sanctorum Hermelis, Þ Sebasliani, atque Cyriaci, necnon et Pancralii solemniter $tudeal abs- que missis publicis cum yeneratione debila couSecrare; ita ut in eodem loco baptislerium nunquam conslrua- tur, nec presbyterum conslituas cardinalem. Sed quo- ties missas ibi degentes illic monachi fieri voluerint, latenus prasumatur. EPISTOLA WI. AD FANTINUM DEFENSOREM. Colligat Romani mancipia, atque illorum laboris C ſructus ad constructum a Romano ipso monasterium millal. Gregorius Fantino deſensori, Mancipia juris Romani, * spectabilis memorize viri, qui in domo sua que Neapoli sita est monaslerium ordinari constituit , habitare in Sicilia perhibentur. Et quia monasterium jipsum juxta voluntatem ejus, Deo auctore, noscitur ordinatum , experieniia tua presentium portitoribus, qui Þ ad recolligenda man- cipia ipsa illuc directi sunt, omni studio s80latiarj ſestinet, et recollectis eis, possessiones jllis ubi labo- rare debeant, te solatiante, conducat. Et quidquid corum labore accesserit, reservato unde ipsi possint $ubsislere, reliquum ad prexdictum monasterium ex- perientie tu;e cura annis singulis, auxiliante Domino, D transmittatur. © quo sequens eliam epistola legitur, quam Supralau- dati Mss. non exhibent. Eeisr. II [Al. 4].—* Non erat vagns honoris litulus quem cuilibet ad arbitrium conferre olim liceret. Spectabi;ulatis honorem militi@ gudore delersis jusla de- pulavit antiquitas, inquit Cassiodorus, lib. 1 Variar., epist. 28. I'rivilegia buic dignitati annexa infra prose- quitur in eadem episl. et lib. vt, ce. 57, exh b-t for- mulam $spectabilitatis 8eu yerborum ſormam qua hic bonor concedebatur. » Id esl, ad requireados fugitivos servos, et denud cogenidos ac congregandos, 4169 EPISTOLARUM LIB. X. — INDICT. IM. — EPIST. VI.