Letter 9030: The estate of Massa Veneris belongs rightfully to the monastery of St.

To Anthemius the subdeacon. That he should see to it that the Massa Veneris [estate] is restored to the monastery of Saint Mark. Gregory to Anthemius, subdeacon of Naples. The law of equity demands that what was restored by our predecessors once the truth was known, our Church ought not to hold improperly once again, lest a restitution that was not genuine, but imaginary and rather deceitful, should appear to have been made. And therefore, since Stephen, abbot of the monastery of Saint Mark—which is recognized to be situated next to the walls of the city of Spoleto—has complained to us that the Massa Veneris, situated in the province of Campania, in the territory of Minturnae, which we have learned was restored to him by an ordinance of our predecessor Benedict of blessed memory, is now improperly held back by our Church: for this reason we instruct you by this authority that, if it is plainly being held back by the men of our Church, you restore it to the right of the aforesaid monastery without any delay or dispute. But if it is held back not by our men, but perhaps by certain outsiders, we wish you to act with vigorous diligence, so that by every means it may be brought back into the right of the said monastery; to the end that the monastery itself may, by your assistance, recover what is its own, whether without any trouble [or only after some], and that the other party may not unjustly have profit from the monastery's loss. [Editorial apparatus from the printed edition, interleaved in the source, recording variant readings: This is Letter XXIX (alternatively numbered 28). This passage had been corrupted in the preceding editions, but has been corrected by the aid of very many manuscript codices and of older editions. Gussanville. — Letter XXX, alternatively 29. — Letter XXXI (alternatively 30): the printed editions read "Consentius," against the manuscripts.]

AD ANTHEMIUM SUBDIACONUM. Monasterio 8ancti Marci Maszam Veneris reslituen- dam curet. Gregorius Anthemio subdiacono Neapolilano. AMquitatis jus exigit ut hoc quod a prdecess0ri- bus nostris cognita veritate est redditum, nostra in- debite denuo Eecclesia tenere non debeat, ne quod Eerist. XXIX [Al. 28]. — * Corruptus fuerat hic locus in precedentibus Editionibus, sed casligatus est ope plurimorum mss. Codicum et antiquiorum Editio- num. Gus8ANnv. | Eersr. XXX. Al. 29. Eersr. XX Xl [Al. 301.—® Editi reluctantibus Mss. Consentius, non vera, sed imaginaria ac magis dolosa fuisse re- Stitutio videatur. Et ideo quoniam Stephanus abbas monaslerii sancti Marci, quod consLl.tutum juxla mu- ros Spoletanz civitatis esse dignoscitur, queslus est nobis Massam Veneris 951 in provincia Campania 8itam, territorio Minturnensi, quam ei beate memo- rize decess0ris nostri Benedicti redditam preceptione cognovimus, ab Ecclesia nostra nunc indebite deti- neri : idcirco hac libi auctoritate precipimus, ut $i Manifesle ab Ecclesiz nostre hominibus detinetur, in jus eam predict: monasterii sine aliqua mora vel altercalione resSliluas. Si vero non a nostris, sed a quibusdam ſorsitan extraneis detinetur, strenua te agere $0llicitudine volumus, ut in jus modis omnibus memorali debeat monaslerii reſormari, quatenus et ipse quod suum es!t, te $olatiante, stve aliqua fatiga- tione recipiat, et alter de dispendio monaslerii injusle lucrum non habeat.