Letter 4: MIGNE, PL. 69, c. 404-405.

Pelagius to his most beloved brother Sapaudus. Since the envoys of our son, the most glorious King Childebert, have asked for relics of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul and of the other holy martyrs, we found it necessary to send Hominembonus, a subdeacon of our clergy, to convey them with reverence as far as your Fraternity. And therefore, greeting you, we urge that, once an opportunity has been sought, whether by ship or by an overland route, you send him back to us, with the Lord's help, in the company of such persons as can give rise to no suspicion of danger. Moreover, those things which the aforesaid envoys are known to have requested of us in honor of your Charity, we are ready, with God's help, to grant. But unless we receive a letter from you on this matter, just as our predecessors granted such things to your predecessors when they likewise petitioned, we have judged it superfluous to send them of our own accord; but as soon as you direct to us, with the Lord's help, someone from your clergy with a letter, if the Lord wills it and if we are still living, we promise that we will do so. Furthermore, we urge you to tell that most magnificent man, our son, the patrician Placidus, your father, that whatever has been collected from the rents of the possessions of our church, he would deign to send to us either by his own man or by the bearer of this letter; for the estates of Italy are so devastated that no one suffices for their recovery. And if it is possible, see to it that out of those same gold coins there be procured for us padded cloaks of wadding [coarse stuffed mantles], which may be distributed to the poor, and white tunics or hooded cloaks or sleeveless garments, or any other goods that are made in the Province which ought, as we have said, to be distributed to the poor; and, when an opportunity of a ship has been found, send them, so that we may render the greatest thanks to your Fraternity [...] that such solicitude of ours be relieved by the providence of your Charity. We urge also that you cause Anastasius, the brother of Paul, the defender of our church, to come to us. May God keep you unharmed, dearest brother. Given on the nineteenth day before the Kalends of January, in the fifteenth year after the consulship of Basil, a most distinguished man.

MIGNE, PL. 69, c. 404-405. DIUECTISSIMO fratri sapaudo pelagius. Quia 1 legati filii nostri, gloriosissimi regis Childeberti, beatorum aposto¬ lorum Petri et Pauli et aliorum sanctorum martyrum reliquias poposcerunt, necesse habuimus Hominembonum subdiaconum de clero nostro dirigere, qui eas usque ad fraternitatem tuam cum reuerentia deportaret. Et ideo salutantes hortamur, ut quaesita 2 occasione siue nauis siue terreno, cum talibus personis de quibus nulla periculi possit esse suspicio, ad nos eum iuuante Domino remittatis. Ea autem quae pro honore caritatis tuae a nobis 3 supradicti legati poposcisse noscuntur, parati sumus Deo iuuante concedere. Sed, nisi litteras tuas de hac parte acceperimus, sicut legatus a^, ex legatis ai filii] ex filie ai 4 subdiaconem a^ 9 pro] superscr. «3 11 nisi] ex nasi seu nesi a^ de hac parte] a/, per te a^ a^ acceperemus Uz, accipe- rimus a^ 1. legati: Quorum caput erat Rufinus. Cf. ep. 3,1, p. 6-7. reliquias poposcerunt: Cf. ep. 3,10, p. 9. 2. siue terreno: (Itinere) videlicet? Cf. Pi,inium, Hist. natur., III, 14,2; VI, 19,2; 21,6; XXVII, 51,1; Ae. ForckI/I/INI... I. Pkrin, Lexicon..., t. IV, p. 706^; Du Cangk, Glossarium..., t. VITI, (terrena), p. 75-76. 3. pro honore: Adluditur negotio de concedendo Galliarum pri- , matu, deque vicibus pontificis et usu paUii sedi Arelatensi confirmandis. nequeo iis quae B. Caspar, o. c., p. 299 adseruit. Claro enim illi viro videtur, non aliam nisi pontificis co mm odum fuisse causam favoris, cum Pelagius vellet sui vicarii auctoritate uti, ad expugnandas suspiciones quas in Galliis PEI,AGII I PAPAE etiam decessores nostri postulantibus utique tuis decessoribus praestiterunt, superfluum iudicauimus ultro transmittere; sed mox ad nos, iuuante Domino, [cum] de clero tuo cum litteris direxeris, si 15 Dominus uoluerit et si uixerimus, promittimus nos esse facturos. Praeterea hortamur, ut uiro magnificentissimo, filio nostro, patricio 4 Placido, genitori tuo, dicas ut, quod de pensionibus possessionum ecclesiae nostrae collectum est, aut per suum hominem aut per harum nobis dignetur dirigere portitorem; quia Italiae praedia ita desolata sunt, ut ad recuperationem earum nemo sufficiat. Et si 5 possibile est, ut nobis de ipsis solidis saga tumentacia, quae pauperi¬ bus erogari possint, et tunicas albas aut cucullas uel colobia, aut si quae aliae species in Prouincia fiunt, quae pauperibus, ut diximus, erogari debeant, nobis exinde facite conparari, et, oportunitate nauis inuenta, dirigite, ut maximas fraternitatis tuae gratias referamus. harumj poenarum 20 desolati ad] superscr. ^3 eorum 21 tumentia quas alias prouintia 24 conparari] ex conpareri nauis] ex magis a. suscitaverat sua agendi ratio in quaestionem Trium Capitulorum. Hac causa quidem non seclusa, mihi videtur rationem proximam stetisse in eis quae supra in notulis in ep. 2,5-7, p. 4-5, exposui. 4, uiro magnificentissimo: Contra quod affirmat P. Koch, 0 . c., p. 45, indubium teneo non fuisse tempore Pelagii aequipolentia magnifi- Qentissimum et magnificum. Dum magnificus evadit communiter titulus proprius nobilium secundae dignitatis, non alii in . nostri pontificis litteris nisi nostro patricio epithetum magnificentissimi tribuitur, Cf. P. Koch, ibid., p. 46-47; M. Bridget, 0 . c., p. 149. patricio: In Provincia hoc utebatur titulo unus praefectus sive rector Provinciae. Itaque, hoc in casu, non supremus gradus Romanus innuitur, sed maaimi moderatoris Provinciae. Cf. R. Buchner, Die Provence in merowingischer Zeit ..., Stuttgart, 1933, p. 15-17. Placido genitori tuo: De quo infra recurrit sermo in ep. 9,3-4. Keune, Sapaudus, in Pauly-Wissowa, t. I-^, o. 2320, silet nomen patris Sapaudi, Italiae praedia desolata: Continuis bellis inter Gothos et Byzan¬ tios. Cf. ep. 85, p. 207; E. Stein, Histoire ..., p. 328-368; 564-612. possessionum ecclesiae: Quarum administratio usque ad tem¬ pora S. Gregorii Magni, sive gubernatori Provinciae sive archiepiscopo Are- latensi fuit commissa. Cf. D. M. Hartmann, Geschichte ..., t. II, p. 138. 5. Consimile huic est quod in ep. 9, 4, p. 29, dicitur. saga tumentacia: Cuius sensum in notula W. Gundeach, Epp, Arelatenses ..., l. c., p. 73, 1. 41, se ignorare fatetur. Degendum est tomen- dum huiusmodi sollicitudinem nostram prouidentia caritatis tuae releuari contigerit. Hortamur etiam, ut Anastasium, fratrem 6 pauli, defensoris ecclesiae nostrae, ad nos faciatis occurrere. Deus 7 te incolumem custodiat frater carissime. Data XIX. Kalendas 8 lanuarias anno XV post consulatum Basili uiri clarissimi. basilii ex basili a^» tacia. Cf. Ae. FoRCEEEiNl ... I. PERIN, Lexicon..., t. IV, p. 744, ubi notatur: Tomentum proprie sunt flocci ex texta lana derasi a fullonibus et in culcitas farti: inventum Galliarum; quare varia tomentorum genera Gallicis nomini¬ bus discernuntur... PEI.AGII I PAPAE Sapaudiim vicarium Romanae sedis nominat, eique primatum Galliae palliique usum largitur. De iuribus et officiis novi muneris agit.