Letter 1081: It is reported to us that you have been unable to agree on the election of a bishop.

To the clergy, the ordo, and the people of Mevania. He exhorts them at last to agree on the election of a bishop. Meanwhile he entrusts the care of the Church to the presbyter Honoratus. Gregory to the clergy, the ordo, and the people residing at the Church of Mevania. As often as some matter is entrusted to several persons to be carried out, while each one dissents from the other, an entrance is opened up rather to losses than to advantages. [...] Providing against this, lest this should be able to befall your Church, we have chosen to entrust its care and advantages for the present to the presbyter Honoratus, so that the affairs and advantages of the Church may be both managed and in every way safeguarded through him. And therefore we exhort your beloved selves by these present writings, that, so that a priest may be ordained for you, the assent of your will may concur with one another in the worthy election of one man, and that you no longer suffer the Church of God to be without the office of a bishop. But until a priest shall have been ordained for that Church, we have, as we have said, committed to the aforesaid presbyter the entire care of its oversight. Let your beloved selves therefore hasten so to show themselves in all these matters, that a mind devoutly inclined may show that you have love for the Church. (See Book II, letter 64.) Epistle LXXXII. To Laurentius, bishop of Milan. That he should appoint someone by whom the suit that has arisen over the money demanded may be settled. Gregory to Laurentius, bishop of Milan. Receiving the writings of your fraternity, I gave thanks to almighty God, who relieved me with the longed-for report of your good health. But as to what you state, that a certain quantity of money is to be repaid to the rightful claim of the holy Church over which by God's authority you preside, out of the collection of the patrimony of the province of Sicily, for the reason that at that time the collection of your Church's patrimony was being carried out by the agents of the holy Roman Church: it was necessary, according to the tenor of the writings sent by you, to inspect the sum of the moneys received and paid in, and to investigate subtly the merit of the whole reckoning; and when these had been examined, [it was found that] nothing was alleged [against] the holy Roman Church to be repaid [to] your Church. But because [...] Epistle LXXXIII. To Januarius, archbishop of Cagliari in Sardinia. That the grasping ambition of the deacon Liberatus is to be restrained, and that he is by no means to be incardinated without the lawful consent of his own bishop. Gregory to Januarius, archbishop of Cagliari in Sardinia. You are recognized to have gladdened our heart by your writings, in that you have testified that you were mindful of our commands. And because we hold in memory the things which you recall that we commanded to your fraternity, as to how it is to be arranged where the authority of our will is awaited, we reply briefly by these present writings. Liberatus, therefore, concerning whom your fraternity informed us, who is reported to discharge the office of the diaconate, if he was not made a cardinal [deacon] by your predecessor, [...] Therefore restrain the aforesaid Liberatus, whom a spirit of ambition that must be repressed puffs up, with all insistence from his depraved intent, and appoint him to stand last among the deacons, lest, while he strives to be unlawfully advanced, [...] he be judged undeserving of the place in which he is now set. Yet if you are induced by his obedience, and after this you wish to make him a cardinal, unless [the consent] of his own bishop [...]

AD CLEBCY, ORDINEM EY PLEBEM MEVANTENSENV. Ut tandem in episcopi electione consentiant hortatur. Interea Kcelesie curam Honorato presbytero com- millit. : Gregorius clero, ordini et plebi congistentibus « Mevaniensi Ecclesiz. Qaoties res aliqua pluribus agenda commiltiturs dum quisquis dissentit ab altero, dispendiis potius C in Joan. archidiacono, quem cum secundi ordinis sa- cerdotem vocat Sidonins, presbyterum supponit. EpisT. LXXX (AL. 79). — * Deinscriptione a pari-- bus, jam dis>eruimus $upra, ad epist. 25. D riensi con<lituatur, simulque Leoni cura visitationis ejusdem 'Ecclesi:e injungatur, etiam licentia ordi- nand} presbyteros et diaronos, quasi esset proprius pouliſex, eruunt nonnulli aut mendum lic irrepsis+e, aut aliam Ecclesiam Leoni commissam. Gussaxy. Frusta bic torquetur Gussanvilizei :nimus. am Leoni j1s ordinandi, etc. , concelitur tantum usque ad Martini adventum, et pricipitur ut Ecclesi ntili- 'aies, lemporales maxime, viduitatedivtina veglec'as plurimum atque. inminutas, reparet ac disponat. Neque enim adve:.jenti proprio poniiſi: i congruebat odiosnm illud negotium, quo episcopatum: a liti'.ns au$picari cogeretur. [inc ne defuncii epi>copi res Succe-<v0r1 Servandze diripiantur, canonibus antiqu s $2ncilum ' Chalcedon., can.21; Aurelian. n, can. G; Wormat, 1. Fhoquin quantnm abhorreret a $anct Gregor.i mente anctoritatem episcopalem in duvs partiri $a1is o-tendit epist, 45, $4pra. | | EPisr, LXXXI (At. 78), — *In Vulgatis, mendose, SANCTI GREGORIT MAGN quam utilitatibus aditus reseratur. Quod nos provi- A clesiz vesirz allegatum est Þ redhiberi. Sed quia dentes, ne hoc vesire contingere possit Ecclesize, ejus curam ulilitatesque Honorato presbytero ad prae- Sens commiltendas elegimus, quatenus res utilitales- que Ecclesiz per eum et procurari valeant, et modis omnibus custodiri. S6Y ldeoque dilectionem ve- stram scriptis presentubus adbortamur, qualenvs, ut vobis possit ordinari sacerdos, invicem vesir# volun- tatis in unius digna electione concordet assensus, nec amplius Dei Ecclesiam oflicio patiamini vacare pontificis. Quousque vero Ecclesiz ipsi sacerdos ſuerit ordinandus © omnem supfradicto presbytero, Sicut diximus, sollicitudinis ejus curam commisimus. Ita ergo se vestra dilectio in his omnibus exhibere ſeslinet, ut amorem vos Ecclesiz habere, prone de- volio mentis ostendat. (Vide [. 11, ep. 64.) EPISTOLA LY XXII. AD LAURENTIUM EPISCOPUM MEDIOLANENSEM. Ut aliquem cum quo de postulalta pecunia lis orta di- | rimatur inslitual. Gregorius Laurentio episcopo * Mediolanensi. Scripta ſraternitatis vestre suscipiens, gratias omnipotenti Deo retuli, qui desiderabili me sospilatis ejus nuntio relevavit. Quod autem perhibetis ab ex- actione patrimonii Sicilie provinciz juri sanctz cui Deo auctore przsidetis Ecclesiz certam redhiberi pecuniz quantitatem, pro eo quod ab actoribus san- ciz Romanz Eecclesiz illo in tempore patrimonii Ec- clesiz vestrz celebrabatur exactio, necessarium ſuit, juxla tenorem scriptorum a vobis directorum, acce- ptarum illatarumque pecuniarum summan inspicere, et totius ratiocinii meritum subliliter indagare ; qui- . bus perspectis, nihil a sancta Romana Ecclesia Ec- Vivaniensis Ecclesic&, vel Vianensis. Verum urbis hu- jus nomen reperimus in Mss. Vatic., Norm., etc. Gussanvilleus qui velerem errorem retinuit , fatetur nullam apud geographos Vivaniensis urbis esse men- tionem. Mevania autem, vulgo Bevagna, urbs erat olim episcopalis Umbriz, ad fluvium Clilumnum. In Colb. babetur, Entinesi Ecclesia. Portium ludere ju vocibus deci-s et deci-mns, centics et centiens, quasi signilicatu difſerrent, non eorum modo opinionem relellere, sed et in causam talis $criptionis inquirere yolvuit. Et ut erat naris emunctz, odoratns ext litteram n istis insertam vocibus solius pronuntiationis, et quidem mollioris, ergo. Lipsius addidit male inserlam a librariis, siquidem, ait ipse, veteres aliter vocales longas pingere soliti, ali- ter contractas. Nam has <olitarias ponebant ad exemplum hodiernum, illas geminabant. Secuta #las ut compendi faceret, apicem usurpavit pro geminatione : apicem appello lineam transver- Sam , quam Superzicere vocatlibus longis 8vliti & & 60 ud. In quam senteniiam citat Quintlianum, Isido- rum et alios. Tum addit in priscis etiam libris hunc apicem occasionem erronezx is:i scriplurz posuisse quotiens, toliens , vicensimus, aquonsus, ſormonsus , cum scilicet invenissent quoties, vicesimus, ſormvsus, etc. Vide Aut. AuguSiioum, lib. 1 de Emend., cap. 6, et Lipsium, in libello de recta Latinz linguz pro- nuntiatione, Cap. 5. GUsSANY. | Nis. ex Sidonio Apoll. Talis fere erai” Claudiauus, dum Constantius diaconus vester ad ea quz objecta Comprimendum Liberati diaconi ambitum, neque il- lum absque s0lemni episcopi 8ui ceasione ullatenus B incardinandum. Gregorius Januario archiepiscopo Caralis Sardifiize. Seriptis tnis cor nostrum Iztificasse dignosceris, quod te mandatorum nostrorum memorem fuisse tes|alus es. Et quia memoriter retinemus ea que nos ſraternitati luz mandasse cummemoras, quem- admodum disponendum sit ubi voluntalis nostra exspeclatur auctoritas, +*criptis presen'ibus brevi- ter respondemus. Liberatus igitur, de quo nobis tua ſralernitas indicavil,; qui diaconii ſungi perbibetur officio, si a decessore tuo non factus est cardinalis, Predictum itaque Liberatum , quem reprimendus C ambitionis inflat spiritus, omni inslanlia ab jntentus Sui pravitate compesce, et ultimum inter diaconos Stare constilue, ne dum $e illiciie praſerri contendit, de quo Sidonjus, in carm., ep. 11, et Justus Ar- vernensis, de quo ibid. Savaro. Gussaxv. Eersr. LXXXII (Al. 80). — * Exsiat Childeberti regis ad eum epislola in appendice operum 8ancti —_— Turon., col. 415, 47, ubi appellatur patriar- cha. Servavimus ex docli>s, Sirmundo ; interdum tlamen absolute sumitur pro reddere, ut etiam admonuit Sirmondus ad epist. 40 |. m Ennodii. Eersr. LXXXIHI (Al. 81). — ©De hacre ita Joan. Diaconus, lib. mm, cap. 21 : Antiquissimum ecclesiasti- c@ consueludinits ordinem Gregorius ab apostolis tra- ditum, et ad sua usque lempora sovlemniter conserva- tum adeo s{udiosissime relinebat, ut nullum quantalibet 8anciulate, 8apientia , nobilitaleve polleret , anterio» ribus clericis in conventu , conses8u , $latione, 8ire subscriptione preponeret. In hanc mentem concil, Agath., can. 5: Episcopus pesleriorem (clericum) priori nullum preponat. Idem de episcopis in con2it. Alricano, can. 53. Vide Leonem papam , epist. 5, Doro Renevent. episcopo. S. Paulinum, natal. 5 Sancli Felicis : ' Prior ille gradum 80cii mernisset honoris Presbyter, hc $eptem distabat Suwma diebus. Inter acta cone, Chalcedon. vide libellym querulo- sum Ib : Neque minores majoribus prafſerretl..... om- mbus conservaret juslitiam in honoribus et consuetudi- nibus et gratibus. Gelasium epist, 9: Nec cujuslibet ulilitalis causa eu presbyterum seu diaconum his pre ferrel, qui unie ips0s ſuerint ordinali, GUSSANY. $37 EPISTOLARUM LIB. 1. — INDICT. IX. — EPIST. LXXXV. $38 immeritus loco in quo nune situs est judicetur. Cu- A poitis partibus subtili indagatione perquirantur. El jus tamen $i obedientia fueris invitatus, et cum post haxc cardinalem facere volueris, nisi pontiſicis $ui