Letter 10010: Gregory to Romanus, our guardian in Sicily. It has been reported to us that our most reverend brother the bishop Basilius is occupied in legal suits as though he were one of the last of the people, and unprofitably attends the courts. Now, since this thing both renders the man himself vile and does away with the reverence due to priests, let you...
Pope Gregory the Great→Romanus, Patrician, and Exarch of Italy|c. 600 AD|Pope Gregory the Great|Human translated
Gregory to Romanus, our defender in Sicily.
It has been reported to us that our most reverend brother Bishop Basilius is entangling himself in lawsuits as if he were a common layman, wasting his time attending the civil courts. Since this conduct both demeans the man himself and undermines the reverence owed to priests, your Experience is to act immediately on receiving this order. Compel him by strict enforcement to return to his proper duties, and through your insistence allow him no delay of more than five days under any excuse whatsoever. If you permit him any such delay, you yourself will share his culpability before us.
Given in the month of December, Indiction 3.
Book X, Letter 10
To Romanus, Guardian (Defensorem).
Gregory to Romanus, our guardian in Sicily.
It has been reported to us that our most reverend brother the bishop Basilius is occupied in legal suits as though he were one of the last of the people, and unprofitably attends the courts. Now, since this thing both renders the man himself vile and does away with the reverence due to priests, let your Experience, immediately on receiving this order, so compel him by strict execution of it to return to his duty that, through your insistency, a delay of five days be not under any excuse allowed him; lest, if you should in any way permit him to make such delay, you with him should come to be gravely culpable before us. Given in the month of December, Indiction 3.
It has been reported to us that our most reverend brother Bishop Basilius is entangling himself in lawsuits as if he were a common layman, wasting his time attending the civil courts. Since this conduct both demeans the man himself and undermines the reverence owed to priests, your Experience is to act immediately on receiving this order. Compel him by strict enforcement to return to his proper duties, and through your insistence allow him no delay of more than five days under any excuse whatsoever. If you permit him any such delay, you yourself will share his culpability before us.
Given in the month of December, Indiction 3.
Human translation - New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)
Latin / Greek Original
Gregorius Romano deſensori nostro Sicili.
Perlatum ad nos est (Grat. dis!. s8, c. 4) reve- rendissimum ſfratrem .nostrum Basilium episcopum velut * unum JOetS de uliimis in causis occupari, et Þ pretoriis inutiliter observare. Quz res quoniam et ipsum. vilem reddit, et reverentiam sacerdotalem annihilat, sStatim ut experientia tua hc praecepium susceperit, eum ita ad revertendum districta exse-
EPISTOLARUM LIB. X. — INDICT. HI. — EPIST. XI.
* 4074
A Nam commotionis tempore justum putat ira qu
eutione compellat, quatenus ei illic te insislente-