Letter 12047: Brother, I need you to act without delay on a matter of immediate pastoral necessity.

To Venantius, bishop of Perugia. [Summary heading:] That he should send winter clothing without delay to bishop Ecclesius, who is suffering from the cold. Gregory to Venantius, bishop of Perugia. We have learned that our brother and fellow-bishop Ecclesius is suffering altogether from the cold, for the reason that he has no winter garment. And because he has requested that something ought to be conveyed to him from us, we have for this purpose sent to your fraternity, by the present bearer, an amphimalum [a thick cloak], a tunic, and a chest-covering, so that they ought to be conveyed by you to him without delay. And therefore take care to send them on to our aforesaid brother with all speed, and do not omit to report this very thing back to us by your letters, namely that you have sent them on; but act in such a way that, since the cold is severe, you make no delay whatever in the sending. [...] [Editorial apparatus follows in the source between the two letters and is not part of the letter text: a note (Ep. XLVI [al. 52]) explaining that a "direct donation" is one made between the living, because it transfers ownership directly to the donee at once, citing Papias; and a note (Ep. XLVII [al. 53]) explaining that in Greek one reads amphi-... [the word is broken in the source], a garment shaggy on both sides which was placed over the tunic, with references to Saint Martin (as related by Sulpicius Severus, Dialogue 2, ch. 1, who drew out a tunic secretly from within his amphibalum), noting that amphimalum is the same as amphibalum, which is more frequently used by the Latins, with further references to Paulinus, Book 4 on the Life of Saint Martin; Gregory of Tours, On the Glory of the Confessors, ch. [...]; Fortunatus, Book 3, verse 49; and Saint Remigius in his testament as recorded by Flodoard, Book 1, ch. 18: "To the future bishop, my successor, I leave my white paschal amphibalum." A hood... (text breaks off).] [Running head in the source: Of Saint Gregory the Great, 122.] Letter XLVIII. To Lucidus, bishop of Leontini. [Summary heading:] That he should ordain as priest for the monastery whomever abbot John shall have chosen from his own community. Gregory to Lucidus, bishop of Leontini. Our son John, abbot, requests that a priest be ordained for him in his monastery from that same community. And therefore we have judged that your fraternity should be exhorted by the present authority, to the end that, concerning the man whom he shall have presented to you from his own community to be consecrated to the office of the priesthood, you should, as is customary, subtly inquire into all those matters which ought to be examined; and if nothing shall have been found in him which could stand in his way, you should consecrate him canonically, as is the custom. Granting to him no other privilege than this: that in his own community, as often as it shall be opportune, he ought only to celebrate the sacred mysteries of the masses. [Dated:] In the month of August, in the fifth indiction.

AD VENANTIUM PERUSINUM EPISCOPUM. Ecclesio episcopo ſrigore laboranti hiemales vezles absque mora millat. Gregorius Venantio episcopo Perusino. Frairem et coepiscopum nostrum Ecclesium fri- gore omnino !aborare cognovimus, pro eo quod hiemalem veslem non habeat. Et quia aliquid sibi a nobis petiit debere transmitti, ſraternitati tuz ad hoc per latorem prz$etitium transmisimus * amphima- lum, tunicam,- vel Þ pectoralem, ut a le ei debeat gine mora transmilti. Et ideo ad predictum fratrem nostrum $sub omni illud celeritate stude transmiltere, atque nobis hoc ipsum quia transmiseris tuis renun- tiare epistolis non omittas, sed ita [ac ut ad trans- mittendum, quia vehemens frigus est, moram ali- quam minime facias. | Eerisr. XLVI [Al. 52]. — *® Donatio directa est quz fit inter vivos, quia directo, id est recta et sla- tim, transſert dominium in donatarium. Papias : Di- rectum, eo quod in rectum vadat. ALTESERRA. EersT. XLYII [Al. 53]. — © Grzcis legitur, &ugi- cov. Erat veslis utrinque villosa, quz tunicz $u- perponebatur ; hinc sanctus Martinus, referente Sul- picio Sev., dial 2, Cc. 1, intra amphibalum 8ibi lunicam latenter eduxit. Idem enim est amphimalum, ac amphibalum, quod a Latinis frequentius usurpa- tur. Vide Pavlinum, lib, 1v de Vita sanct Martini; (:regorium Turonensem , de Gloria Conſessorum , c. $9 ; Fortunatum, lib. m, vers. 49. Utitur et hac vo- ce Sanctus Remigius in teslamento apud Fiodoar- dum, lib. 1, e. 18: Futuro episcopo $uccess0ri mes amphibalum album paschalem relinquo. Caputium ba- SANCTI GREGORII! MACNI 122 EPISTOLA XLYIM. AD LUCIDUM LEONTINUM EPISCOPUM. 'Quem e congregalione 8ua Joannes abbas delegerit, or. dinet pro monaslerio presbyterum. | Gregorius ® Lucido episcopo Leontino, Filius noster Joannes, abbas, presbyterum gihi in monasterio $uo ex congregatione eadem petit or- dinandum. Ideoque fraternitatem vestram presenti auctoritate duximus adhortandam , quatenus virum quem vobis de congregatione 80a Þ ad ordinationem presbyterii obtulerit consecrandum, de eo, sicut ext consueludinis, queque sunt discutienda $ubtiliter perquiratis; et $i. nihil in eo repertam ſaerit quod ei possit obviare, canonice, $icut moris est , consecre- tis. Nihil ei aliud privilegii concedentes , nisi ut in congregatione 8ua 1212 quolies opportunum ſue- rit, s2cra missarum debeat tantummodo celebrare mysteria. © Mense Augusto, indictione 5,