Letter 9185: Brothers and sisters, I have appointed Gaudiosus, bishop of Iguvium, as visitor to your community, and I write to...

[The opening of the source contains the closing portion of the preceding letter (IX.184), concerning a church visitation, followed by the main letter IX.185 to Constantius of Milan. Both legible portions are rendered below; an intervening editorial summary and a critical apparatus in the source are not letter text and are noted in brackets.] Having learned that your church has long been left without the governance of a bishop, we have made it our concern to delegate the visitation of that same church, in solemn form, to our brother and fellow-bishop Gaudiosus of Egubium [Gubbio]. To him we have given it in charge that he permit nothing concerning the advancement of the clergy, the revenue, the furnishings, or the ministries to be usurped by anyone. It is fitting that you obey him with constant exhortations, and, with all clamor removed, that with one and the same consent you seek out for yourselves such a bishop to be set over you as departs in no respect from the venerable canons and may be found worthy of so great a ministry. And when he has been requested, let him come to us to be ordained, with the solemnity of a decree strengthened by the subscriptions of all, and accompanied by a document of the visitor; taking care above all that you do not presume to choose a layman, of whatever life or merit he may be. And not only shall such a man by no means be advanced to the height of the episcopate, but you yourselves should know that you can obtain pardon by no intercessions. But know without doubt that all of you who shall be shown to have aspired to a layman are to be made strangers from your office and from communion. [The source here gives a Latin editorial summary of the following letter, IX.186, and then a critical apparatus of manuscript variants; these are not part of the letter text and are therefore not translated.] GREGORY TO CONSTANTIUS, BISHOP OF MILAN. Through the bearer of these presents, our common son Eventius the deacon, who delivered to us the writings of your fraternity, we have learned by his report that the clergy of the church of Comum [Como], whom you have admonished with priestly zeal to return to the unity of the church, have replied that such affection is not shown them by you that they should be able, with charity persuading them, to return to this; alleging that their various properties are unjustly detained by others, among whom also by our church the possession which is called the estate Auriana is detained. And indeed we have altogether praised the solicitude of your holiness, because you have by no means neglected what it behooves you to do. But neither do we suffer the aforesaid possession, if it belongs to them by right, even if perchance they should defer to return to communion, to be detained against the order of reason, but we wish it to be restored once the truth is known. But if they should, as we hope, with God inspiring them, turn to the unity of the church, even if nothing is due to them, we are prepared to grant it to them. For on no occasion do we wish them to excuse themselves from desiring eagerly to seek to return to the bosom of mother church. But concerning the gardens which, in the summary [capitulary] you sent across, you indicated belong to your church out of the substance of the church of Italy, or which the aforesaid bearer pointed out to us, we are sending there in due course a person to whom, among other matters, we have taken care plainly to enjoin that he ascertain the truth by suitable investigation and do whatever shall be just. For we, who do not suffer others to be saddened against equity, are far less able to leave you sad, you whom we greatly love. But concerning the other matters, what our answer is to each particular, you may learn from the report of the above-mentioned common son. And as for the writings to our most beloved son Anatolius the deacon for the commendation of your men, just as you wished, we have made them.

AgnoBCcnteB cccleeiam vcstram diu sacerdotali regimine destitutam, curae nobis fuit eiuedem* ccclesiae visitationem fratri et cocpiscopo nostro Gaudioso Egubinac'* u ecclcBiae BoUemniter° dclegarc^. Cui dcdimus in mandatis, ut nihil de* provcctionibuB clericorum, reditu, ornatu miniBtoriisquc a quoquam ueurpari patiatur, Cui vos adsiduis adhortatioiiibue convenit obocdirc, ct romoto strcpitu uno' codemque consensu talem vobis praeficiendum expetite sacerdotem, qui ct a* venor&ndis canonibuB nullu discrcpet rationc'' et tanto ministerio dignus valeat reppcriri. Qui dum lUerit' postulatUB, eum 30 sollemnitate decrcti omnium subscriptionibus roborati ct visitatoris'' pagina pruscqucnte ad nos veniat ordinandus; provisuri ante omnia, no' cuiuBlibct vitac vel meriti laicam personam pracsumatis cligerc. Et non solum illc ad cpiscopatus apicom nulla ratione provchetur'", verum etiam vos nulliB intercessionibus vcniam promcreri possc cognoscitc. Scd omnes quoa" cx vobis dc laica pcrsona adBpirassc constiterit", abi* ofRcio et a 3i communionc alicnos faciendoB procul dubio noveritis. IX. 186. (fregoritts I. ^jopa Constaniio, episcopo Mediolanensi, sufnifieat se ex Jatoriit prae- seutium, I-^ventii diaconi, reUUione compcriase clerlcos Comenses de pussessionc, qwK viUa Auri<ina dicitur, ab cvchsia Humana detenta queri. Quam, si eis iure cmnjielat, ttiam si ad cotnmunionem non rcvcrsi sittt, reslitui iuhct; sed si se convcrterini, eOam si nihtl eis competat. Dc hortis cx substatUia Itcdiae ccctesiae Mediolaneniii compctmUibus addii et scr&it se homines ConstarUii per scripta Anatolio diacono commendasse. o'J9, lul. Codd. B rf p; Indiaio I. II. cap. 103. Edd. M: Lib. IX. ep. 53; G: Lib. VII. ind. IL ep. 57. — laffi Seg. ITH (1211). ') rueral 03. ") roboranti C, ttd curr. C2. ") off. imp. f *2.3. ") quidem C 1. p) eorr, in Isica pernoiui C5. <■) nt apirare C 1. 2.5, led eorr. C 2.5. *) pneauiniit C. B 1. ■) ordiiialiuniH tui Hl; ordinstioiiia tuM Q''i.3. IX, 1S5: e/. nolam ad e/i. praeeed. — cumiet K I. f'2.3; plebia cunsillariis C — Tadinaa ^'2.3; Tsiunaa (pott &: d delel) Rl; TadiiuB Cl; TudiniB C3.3.6. ■) eidem codd. n. b) t^guvinM C. =) euUemniun li 1. <») dilignre C.Iil, nd eorr. t'2 ni.2; delegare q'3.3. «) de um. C3. ') unu ow. C, ted pOMt. add. C5. 8) kd 03. ■>) cauuuibu» diupcreperHliuiiein It 1, ted mprascr. iiuii dincrepel rntiune. 1) fuerot C, led eorr. 02 oi. 3. k) vinitatorilii C2.3.5, ted eorr. in viutalorLi C5. <) add. ,GoogIe 17g GBEGOBIl L BEGISTRl GREGORIUS CONSTANTIO EPISCOPO MEDIOLANENSI. Latore pracsontium comniimi fiUo Evontio diacone, qui fratemitaliB veBtrae nobts scripta detulit, refcreQte cognovimue clcricos oceleBiae ComeneiB*', quoa Bacerdotali studio revcrti'* ad unitatom GCcIcBiae moouiBtia, roapondisBe non Bibi talem a vobb affectum impcndi, ut ad boc redire caritato suadcnte praevaleant", asBerentes divorsas res Buas imustc ab aliis, inter quos ct a nostra'' ecclesia posseBsioDOm quae viila Auriana* dicitur^, dctincri'. Et quidem' nos sanctitatis vestrae Bollicitudinem omnino laudavimus, quia quod vos oporteat'' faccro mimme DcglexistiB. Sed nec nos praedictam possessionem, si cis iurc compotit, ctiam si ad communionem forte reverti distulerint, contra rationia ordinem patimur detineri, scd eam cognita volumus vcritate restitui. Si vero ad uni- tatem ccclcBiaG, quod optamus, Dco sc inspirante converterint, etiam si nihil illis com- petat. cam illis parati Bumus conccderc. Nam nulla occastone excusare so' volumus, quod ad matris ccclesiae sinum redire desiderabiliter cxpetant*^. De hortis^ vero quos in capitulare transmisso ex substantia Italiae' ccclcsiac vcstrae competcrc BignastiB vel praedictue nobis portitor indicavit, in subscqueoti illic pcrsonam transmittimus, cui intcr alia curavimus cvidentcr iniungcrc, ut veritatcm congrua indagatiunc cognoscat ct, quicquid iustum fuerit, faciat. Nam nos, qui alios contristarc contra" acquitatcm non patimur, multu magis vos, quos valde diligimus, tristcs relinquerc non valcmuB. Dc aliis autem causis quale nostrum nd singula sit rcsponsum, suprascripti com- muois filii rclationc cognoscitis. Scripta voro ad dilcctissimum Hlium nostrum Anatulium" diaconcm pro cummendatione huminum vcstrorum, sicut votuistis, fecimus *.