Letter 10060: I want to address a misunderstanding about the ex-prefect Gregorius and why he arrived in Sicily later than expected.

To Azimarchus the secretary [scribo]. [Summary:] That Gregory came to Sicily rather late was not done by design, but on account of bodily infirmity. Gregory to Azimarchus the secretary. [The source here is corrupted by OCR and the two columns of the page have been interleaved, so that fragments of a separate letter concerning a monastery break into this one. The intruding monastery-letter text is rendered below as it stands, marked off.] [Intruding letter, beginning mid-sentence:] ...[that] the bearer of these present letters, our glorious son [...], be held abandoned, which is a grievous thing to say: for that reason we have determined that it shall be united to your monastery in perpetuity by the present authority, together with all things pertaining to it; admonishing that you ought to appoint monks in both the aforesaid monasteries, who may diligently have charge there, and who may strive to carry out the work of God according to the rule of their institution, and so to conduct themselves in these matters, as is fitting, that neither may fault confound them for negligence, nor you for lesser solicitude. But whatever you know to pertain to those same monasteries, if it is being unreasonably detained by any persons, you shall have, by this our authority, full license in all things to reclaim it, to demand it, and to vindicate it for your monastery, God helping, since it is fitting that you be defrauded in no way of the things whose care you bear. But the monks whom in [the] monaster[ies...] [text breaks off]. [Resuming the letter to Azimarchus, continued from the other column:] Gregory came to Sicily late, not by his own will, but he was so weakened by infirmity of body that he could scarcely be restored over the course of many days. Of which weakness you will recognize the signs even now still in him. But as soon as he had recovered a little, he did not neglect to come there, just as he had promised to your greatness. This we have seen fit to write down in these brief lines, lest, believing that he had delayed of his own accord, you should perhaps suppose this delay of his to have been made by design.

AD AZIMARCHUM SCRIBONEM. Quod tardius ad Siciliam venerit Gregorius, non studio ſactum, 8ed corporis in firmitalte. Gregorius Azimarcho-scriboni. Quod presentium portitor gloriosus filius noster derelicto, quod dici grave est, habeatur : idcirco illud monaslerio tuo prxsenti auctoritate cum omnibus ad se pertinentibus in perpetuum duximus uniendum : admonentes ut monachos in predicta utraque mona- steria debeas depulare, qui -: curam illic diligenter habeant, et opus Dei regulari studeant institutione peragere, atque ita $e in his, sicut convenit, exhi- bere, ut nec illos de neglectu, nec te de minori sol- licitudine culpa conſundat. Quidquid vero ad eadem monas(eria pertinere cognoscis, si ab aliquibus irra- tionabiliter detinentur, ex hac nostra auctoritate re- petendi, exigendique, atque tuo monasterio veudi- candi habebis per omnia. Deo juvants, licentiam, quia diguum est ut quorum curam geris rebus nullo Gregorius tarde ad Siciliam venit, non voluntate di- B modo deſrauderis. Monachos autem quos in mona- Sulit, sed ita infirmitate corporis debilis ſactus est, ut vix in multis diebus reparari potuerit. Cujus debili- talis indicia etiam ipsi adhuc in eo.cognoscetis. Mox autem ut aliquantulum convaluit, Yenire illue sicut magnitudini vestrz promiserat , non neglexil. Quod ideo his apicibus scribendum previdimus, ne eum distulisse Sponte credentes, hanc moram ejus ſorsiian 8tudio ſaclam putaretis. |