Letter 10024: When your Fraternity pays too little attention to the monasteries that are under you, you both lay yourself open to reproof, and make us sorry for your laxity. Now it has come to our ears that one Mauricius, who lately became a monk in the monastery of Barbacianus, has fled from the same monastery, taking other monks with him. In this case the h...

Gregory to Fortunatus, Bishop of Naples. When your Fraternity pays too little attention to the monasteries under your care, you invite reproof and make me sorry for your negligence. I have heard that a certain Mauricius, recently tonsured as a monk at the monastery of Barbacianus, has fled that monastery and taken other monks with him. In this case, the abbot Barbacianus is deeply at fault in my eyes -- he rashly tonsured a layman without any prior probation. Did I not write to you to test him first, and only then, if he proved fit, make him abbot? Even now, keep close watch on the man you chose. His failings become your failings, if he is proving himself unfit to govern his brothers. More broadly, your Fraternity must impose a strict rule on all monasteries: no one received for monastic profession may be tonsured until they have completed two full years of monastic life. During that time, their character and conduct must be carefully examined. It is a serious matter to place untested men under any master's obedience -- how much more serious to attach unproven men to the service of God? Furthermore, if any soldier wishes to become a monk, no one may accept him without my consent or without first reporting the matter to me. If this rule is not carefully observed, know that all the guilt of those under you falls on you, since your negligence about them will be self-evident.

Book X, Letter 24 To Fortunatus, Bishop of Neapolis (Naples). Gregory to Fortunatus, etc. When your Fraternity pays too little attention to the monasteries that are under you, you both lay yourself open to reproof, and make us sorry for your laxity. Now it has come to our ears that one Mauricius, who lately became a monk in the monastery of Barbacianus, has fled from the same monastery, taking other monks with him. In this case the hastiness of the aforesaid Barbacianus inculpates him exceedingly in our sight, in that he rashly tonsured a secular person without even previous probation. Did we not write to you that you should prove him first, and then, if he were fit, should make him abbot? Even now, then, look well after him whom you chose. For you are delinquent in his delinquency, if he has begun so to demean himself as to show himself unfit to have the government of brethren. Further, let your Fraternity more strictly interdict all monasteries from venturing by any means to tonsure those whom they may have received for monastic profession before they have completed two years in monastic life. But in this space of time let their life and manners be carefully proved, lest any one of them should either not be content with what he had desired or not keep firm to what he had chosen. For, it being a serious matter that untried men should be associated under obedience to any master, how much more serious is it that any who have not been proved should be attached to the service of God? Further, if a soldier should wish to become a monk, let no one for any cause whatever presume to receive him without our consent, or before it has been reported to us. If this rule is not diligently observed, know that all the guilt of those that are under you redounds on yourself, seeing that you prove yourself by the very facts of the case to be too little anxious about them.

Gregorius Fortunato episcopo Neapolitano, Cum fraternitas vestra minus erga monasteria Sibi C Subjecta 8tudet esse Sollicita, et ipsa culpan repre- hensionis incurrit, et nos ® de sua lenitate contristat. Pervenit aultem aq nos Mavuri-jum quemdam, qui nu- per in monasterio Barbaciani conversus est, ablatis Secum aliis monachis, ſuga de eodem monasterio dis- cessisse. (ua in re predictum nobis Barbacianum sua precipitatio vehementer accusat, qui lemere s2cula- rem hominem, et non ante probatum, tonsuravit. Nunquid non vobis scripsimus ut prius eum proba- | retis, et Lunc, si aptus esset, » abbatem ſacere debe- retis ? Vel nunc ergo circa eum quem elegislis, estole Solliciti. Nam vos illo delinquente delinquitis, si ita cep:rit se exhibere, ut se ad ſratrum ostendat regi- men indiguum. | Przxterea (Grat. 19, q. 3, c. 6) monasleriis omnibus D fraternitas vesira districtius interdicat ut evs quos ad Helpidium. | © |n uno Regio premiltitur huic epist. mense Fe- bruario, indict. 7, quod pro mendo est habendum, In paucis Mss. exsLat hc episl., ita ut in Solo Vatic. A el in uno Regio illaim repererimus. EvyiST. XXIIL [Al. 22]. — © In Valic. A, hoc ſaciat. Preter hunc Codicem nullum alium invenimus in quo hc epistola foret, uno Regio excepto. Eeisr. XXIV [AL. 23]. — * In recent., de sua igna- via el levitate. Que certe conira episcopum acerbius dicta videri possunt. At in Mss. melioris notz minime leguntur, scilicet in Norm., Colbert., Reg., Corb., Rhem. Ex Valicanis unus babet, de 8ua ignavia con- trislat. EPISTOLA XXVY. AD FORT! NATUM NEAPOLITANUM EPISCOPUM. Theodoro porias , et Rustico aqueduclum tandem reslituat . Causam deinde adversus illos moveal, 51 volueril. Gregorius Fortunato episcopo Neapolitano. Si scriptorum nostrorum *seriem voluisses dili- genter advertere, aut sponte restituere quz lulisti , aut cerle personam Þ secundum admonitionem nos- tram in causa trausmittere debuisti. Et dum te modo quodam excusare contendis , asserens in his gquz contra ſraternitatem tuam a parle contraria gesta Sunt, non voluntarie sed magnis te constrictum- conjurationibus miscuisse , ca quz scripsimus quasi intelligere distulisti, et magnilicos viros Faustum atque Dominicum non a le, Sed a quibusdam © aliis luis indicasli esse Llransmiss0s, ac per hoc ut, aliis C liliganlibus , ipse que tuleras relineres. Pars vero altera, epislol:e luz textum addiscens, crebra nobis allegaiione c@pil insistere ut ea que absluleras red- derentur , paratam se inquiens si quid contra eam magnifici viri predicti svo vel aliorum nomine mo- vere volueriut respondere. Quod quia nec nobis a _rationis visum est ordine dissentire, prasertim post- quam admonitus instructam personam ad dicendam causam transmiltere neglexisti, idcirco [raternitatem tuam horlamur, jliico ut prasentia scripla 8usceperit, 4 Theodoro viro magnilico majori populi portas et Rustico viro clarissimo ssenjiori aquzductum sine © Ex hoc loco forsilan augurabilur aliquis monas- terium cui Barbacianus preerat, sancti Benedicti regul:e non ſuisse subditum, cum ex ip>ius prescrip-= to novitios post annuam probationem ad professio- nem admitiere liceat. Verum etsi minime nunc con- tendamus in hoc cenobio Benediclicam regulam ſuisse observatam , contrariam tamen ssententiam nullatenus probat prorogatum probationis tempus ad biennium. Yidequrz de hoc argumento diximus lib. 1 Vitae sancti Gregorii, c. 5, in line. « In Norm. , Corb. , Rhem., Colbert. et Vatic. D, inexperto. * Vide lib. vim, epist. 5, olim s1, libri vn, indict. 1.