Letter 14010: **From:** Gregory I, Bishop of Rome

To Duke Guduin. Let him punish the soldier who violated a handmaid of God. Gregory to Guduin, Duke of Naples. Since among the many good things that are frequently reported to us concerning your greatness, this is said to stand out as more praiseworthy in you, namely that you love chastity and, as is fitting, keep discipline, we have wondered greatly that, in the case of that soldier who by diabolical instigation has ruined a handmaid of God, the most rigorous punishment has not been carried out until now. For it was indeed very much in keeping with your character and goodness that the vengeance should reach us before the wickedness of the offense committed [reached us]. But because we believe that the punishment of this crime has been held back not by your will, but by the underhanded urgings of others, lest this sin be able to oppress either the rank of the undisciplined soldier or those places in which it was committed, we exhort you, without any excuse or delay, showing what zeal you have toward the safeguarding of chastity, so to hasten to correct so great a crime severely, for the example of others, that you may both render God placable to you—God against whom that man committed this injury and whose fear he despised—and that we may give you thanks for the uprightness of your zeal. For we in no way suffer that so great an iniquity should remain unavenged.

' AD GUDUINUM DUCEM. Ancille Dei stupratorem militem puniat. Gregorius * Guduino duci Neapolis. Cum inter mulia bona quz nobis de magnitudine vestra SZ2pius nuntiantur illud in vobis plus Jandabile dicatur existere, quod castitatem diligitis, et dis- ciplinam, sicut dignum est, custoditis, satis mirati sumus quod in milite illo qui ancillam Dei diabolica instigatione perdiderit, districtissima vindicta hacte- nus ſacta non ſuerit. Nam et moribus et bonitati vesir® valde conveniens fuit ut ante ad nos ultio quam perpe- iratz culpz iniquitas perveniret. Sed quia vindictam hujus sceleris non voluniate vestra, sed aliorum credimus subreptionibus esse Suspensam, ne hoc peccatum Þ yel numerum indisciplinati militis, vel + 4 Hidem recentiores eadem licenia, talem illum ad D Evisr. X. {Al. 5]. — * Appellatur Guduin, a scrip- | Andream. Qua mutatione, invitis Mss. Valic., Norm., Colb., facta, turbatur sensus. * Supra loquitur de subreptione ſacta Mauricio imp. Hie de alia quam passus erat Phocas initio imperii, agit sanctus Gregorius. : : ſ\ In recentioribus claoditur hc epist. his ver- bis : Data mense Decembrii, indict. 7, quz $ane ab- sunt a Mss. nostris, et ab antiquis Editis. Pertinent in Mss. ad epist. sequentem, ut mox dicturi $u- mus. ErrsT,, IX * 8]. — * lta non legimus, nisi in Vaticanis A, B, E. toribus Grzcis PovvSeng. Dux exercitus Mauricii sub Prisco, ex Cedreno, an. 17 Mauricii. Ejus egregia belli facinora narrat Simocaila, lib. vu, c. 11 et 12, quem refiapyxov appellat. A Petro fratre Mauricii el duce $upremo exercitus eflicitur vroorparnyes, mnl- taque preclare gerit. Idem, lib. viu, c. 5, 6, 7. Gus- SANV. In Colb. quidem, in Regio, et in Norman., legitur Guduin, at in Vatie. D, E, F, et in Rhem., Guduino. In Corb., Gunduino. In Vatic. A, Gundno. In Valic. B, Guidoni. lo vet. Edit., corrupte, Desi- derio episcopo Gallic. tet RAC } aw aa am Aa ooo At. qXAa AA dawn AA. aw loca illa in quibus commissum est, valeat premere, A dictum est, quia nunquam amicus domum ejus ingres- hortamur ut sine excusatione aliqua vel modo, qua- lis vobis ſervor 8it © erga caslitalis custodiam de- monstrantes, ita pro exemplo aliorum districle emen- dare tantum ſacinus ſestinetis, ut et Deum vobis, in ' cyjus hoc ille injuriam perpetravit, et timorem ejus despexit, placabilem facialis, et nos vobis de zeli ve- s$tri reclitudine gfatias reſeramus. Nam tantam ini- quitatem inultam remanere nullo modo patimur.