Letter 34: The Emperor Justin Augustus to Pope Hormisdas.

Justin Augustus [the Emperor] to Pope Hormisdas. John, that most blessed man, bishop of this royal city [Constantinople], and the other religious men, the bishops gathered here from various places and cities, have informed Our Serenity that, for the sake of concord, they have composed a letter to be presented to Your Holiness on behalf of those who cultivate the true and orthodox faith and for the unity of its venerable churches, and they have earnestly requested that Our own epistolary pages too should go out to Your Holiness concerning this matter. Having gladly embraced their petitions, inasmuch as We have ever been established as lovers of unity, We have judged that these divine missives should be forwarded to Your Beatitude; and once these have been received, that you should come to the aid of the desires of the aforesaid most reverend bishops, and that, on behalf of Us and the commonwealth, whose governance has been entrusted from heaven to Our Piety, you should deign by your prayers to appease the supreme Majesty. And in order that the rights of peace and of unity and of concord may be more fully made plain to Your Holiness, let him [John] arrange for certain most religious priests, who embrace and desire peace, to come to Our most sacred court. For it is indeed for this very reason that We have dispatched Gratus, a most distinguished man, count of Our sacred consistory and master of the bureau of records [magister scrinii memoriae], whose excellent reputation We have known for many times past. Given on the seventh day before the Ides of September [7 September], at Constantinople, in the consulship of Magnus, a most distinguished man.

ivsTiNus AuousTus HORMisDAE PAPAE. lohannes uir beatis- simus, huius regiae urbis antistes, et ceteri uiri religiosi episcopi de diuersis locis et ciuitatibus hic reperti nostram serenitatem docuerunt pro concordia ueram et orthodoxam w fidem colentium proque unitate uenerabilium eius ecclesiarum litteras tuae sanctitati offerendas confecisse ac magnopere postularunt nostras etiam epistolares paginas super hoc ad eam emanare. quorum petitiones, utpote semper unitatis 2 amatores constituti, libenter amplexi hos diuinos apices ad «tuam beatitudinem censuimus prorogandos, quibus susceptis desideriis supra dictorum reuerentissimorum antistitum subuenire proque nobis et re publica, cuius gubernatio nostrae pietati 4 Rom. 13, 1 14S« Bat. (simul cum epp. 146 et 147) a. 518 die 7 Sept, accept. die 20 Dec, per Gratum. Edd. Car. P 478; Bar. ad a. 518, 71; Collect. Concil.; Thiel 831. 18 nra V 23 ut potes F, corr. 25 BUBceptis p^: scriptis V 588 Horniisda lastino; Homiisda lohannl Constantinopolitano caelitus credita est, supernam maiestatem suis orationibus 3 placare dignetur. ut autem tuae sanctitati pacis et unitatis atque concordiae iura plenius patefiant, quosdam religiosissimos sacerdotes pacem amplectentes et desiderantes ad sacrissimum nostrum peruenire disponat comitatum. ob banc etenim causam Gratum u. s. sacri nostri consistorii comitem et magistrum scrinii memoriae direximus, cuius praeclaram opinionem multis antea notam habemus temporibus. Data VII. Id. Septembr. Constantinopoli Magno u. c. cons.