601.

minor

But if there are any clerks not received into holy orders, Clerks in who cannot live continent, they are to take wives, and receive their stipends abroad; because we know it is written in the authorities above mentioned, that a distrimarried bution was made to each of them according to his wants. under rule. Care is also to be taken of their stipends, and provision

orders may live as

men, yet

2. Concerning

Liturgical

to be made, and they are to be held under ecclesiastical rule, that they may live orderly, and attend to singing of psalms, and, by the help of God, preserve heart, and tongue, and body from all that is unlawful. But as for those that live in common, why need we say anything of assigning portions, or keeping hospitality and exhibiting mercy? inasmuch as all that can be spared is to be spent in pious and religious works, according to the commands of Him who is the Lord and Master of all: 'What remains give in alms, and behold all things are clean unto you.'

Augustine's Second Question: Whereas the faith is one and the same, are there different customs in different differences. Churches? and is one custom of masses observed in the Holy Roman Church, and another in that of the Gauls?

Here a pru

Pope Gregory answers: You know, my brother, the custom of the Roman Church, in which you remember you be allowed. were bred up. But it pleases me, that if you have found

dent selection is to

3. Concerning

anything, either in the Roman [Church] or [that] of the Gauls, or any other Church, which may be more acceptable to Almighty God, you carefully make choice of the same, and sedulously teach the Church of the English, which as yet is new in the faith, whatsoever you can gather from the several Churches. For things are not to be loved for the sake of places, but places for the sake of good things. Choose, therefore, from each Church those things that are pious, religious, and correct, and when you have, as it were, made them up into one body, let the minds of the English be accustomed thereto.

Augustine's Third Question: I beseech you to inform

me what punishment must be inflicted if any one shall take anything by theft from the Church?

601.

cases of

theft from

tives are to

maintained

Gregory answers: You may judge, my brother, by the the Church. person of the thief, in what manner he is to be corrected. For there are some who, having substance, commit theft; Here moand there are others who transgress in this point through be diswant; Wherefore it is requisite, that some be punished by tinguished fine, others with stripes; some with greater severity, and some more mildly. And when greater severity is used, it is to proceed from charity, not from passion; because this is done to him who is corrected, that he may not be delivered up to hell-fire. For it behoves us to maintain and disci discipline among the faithful, as good parents do with their pline to be children after the flesh, whom they punish with stripes for accordtheir faults, and yet design to make those their heirs whom they chastise; and they preserve what they possess for those whom they seem in anger to punish. This charity is, therefore, to be kept in view, and it dictates the measure of the punishment, so that the mind may do nothing and restibeyond the rule of reason. You may add, that they ought made. to restore those things which they have stolen from the Church. But, God forbid that the Church should receive increase from those earthly things which it seems to lose, or seek gain out of such vain things.

ingly,

tution to be

Augustine's Fourth Question: Whether two brothers may 4. Two marry two sisters, which are of a family far removed from brothers themselves?

may marry

two sisters

akin to them.

Gregory answers: This may assuredly be done; for not near nothing is found in holy writ that seems to contradict it. Augustine's Fifth Question: To what degree may the 5. Confaithful marry with their kindred? and whether it is lawful cerning marriage for men to marry their stepmothers and sisters-in-law with a [cognatis]? Gregory answers: A certain worldly law in the Roman sister-inCommonwealth allows, that the son and daughter of a

step

mother or

law.

601.

with

cated;

brother and sister, or of two brothers, or two sisters, may Marriage be joined in matrimony; but we have found, by experience, cousins is that the offspring of such wedlock cannot thrive; and the legal but to Divine Law forbids a man to 'uncover the nakedness of be depre- his kindred.' Hence of necessity they must be of the third or fourth generation of the faithful, that can be lawfully. joined in matrimony; for the second, which we have mentioned, must altogether abstain from one another. To marry with one's stepmother is a heinous crime, because it is written in the Law, 'Thou shalt not uncover the criminal; nakedness of thy father': now the son, indeed, cannot

with a

mother-inlaw it is

with a sister inlaw too.

uncover his father's nakedness; but in regard that it is written, 'They shall be two in one flesh,' he that presumes to uncover the nakedness of his stepmother, who was one flesh with his father, certainly uncovers the nakedness of his father. It is also prohibited to marry with a sister-inlaw, because by the former union she is become the brother's flesh. In connexion with which thing also John the Baptist was beheaded, and consummated with holy martyrdom. For, though he was not ordered to deny Christ, and indeed was killed for confessing Christ, yet in regard that the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, said, 'I am the Truth,' because John was killed for the truth, he also shed his blood for Christ. But forasmuch as there are many in the nation of the English, who, whilst they were still in infidelity, are said to have been joined in this Those who execrable matrimony, they, when they come to the faith, have con- are to be admonished to abstain from each other, and be made to know that this is a grievous sin. Let them fear the dreadful judgment of God, lest, for the gratification of their carnal appetites, they incur the torments of eternal punishment. Yet they are not on this account to be deprived of the communion of the sacred Body and Blood of the Lord, lest we should seem to visit upon them those things which they did through ignorance, before they had

tracted

illicit

unions,

when heathen,

are to re

voke them.

received baptism. For at this time the Holy Church chas- 601. tises some things through zeal, and tolerates others through leniency, and connives at some things through discretion, that so she may often, by this forbearance and connivance, suppress the evil which she disapproves. But all that come The faith to the faith are to be admonished not to perpetrate such contract crimes. And if any shall be guilty of them, they are to them are be excluded from the communion of the Body and Blood to be exof the Lord, although the offence is, in some measure, to cated. be tolerated in those who have done it in ignorance.

ful who

communi

consecra

Augustine's Sixth Question: Whether a bishop may be 6. Conordained without other bishops being present, in case there cerning the be so great a distance between them that they cannot easily tors of a assemble? bishop. Gregory answers: As for the Church of the English, in Consecrawhich you are as yet the only bishop, you can no otherwise tion by one bishop is ordain a bishop than in the absence of other bishops; for valid if when do bishops come from Gaul, to be present as witnesses necessary, to you in ordaining a bishop? But we would have you, my brother, to ordain bishops in such a manner that the said bishops may not be far asunder, that when a new bishop is to be ordained, there be no difficulty, but that other pastors also, whose presence is necessary, may easily come together. Thus when, by the help of God, bishops shall be so consti- but the tuted in places everywhere near to one another, no ordination canonical of a bishop is to be performed without assembling three or be observfour bishops. For, even in spiritual affairs, we may take ed if possible. example by the temporal, that they may be wisely and deliberately conducted. It is certain, that when marriages Such witare celebrated in the world, some married persons are natural and assembled, that those who have preceded in the way of advisable. matrimony should partake in the joy of the subsequent union also; why, then, at this spiritual ordination, wherein, by means of the sacred ministry, man is joined to God, should not such persons be assembled as may either rejoice

rule should

nesses are

601.

7. Con

cerning the

British and

Gallic bishops. Augustine

has no Gallic jurisdiction,

but is to

provoke to love and good works.

in the advancement of the new bishop, or jointly pour forth their prayers to Almighty God for his preservation?

Augustine's Seventh Question: How are we to deal with the bishops of the Gauls and Britain ?

Gregory answers: We give you no authority over the bishops of the Gauls, because the bishop of Arles received the pall in ancient times from my predecessors, and we are not to deprive him of the authority he has received. If it shall therefore happen, my brother, that you go over into the province of the Gauls, you are to treat with the said bishop of Arles, and if there be any faults among the bishops, they may be amended; and if he shall be lukewarm in keeping up discipline, he must be corrected by your zeal. To him we have also written, that when your holiness shall be in Gaul, he may also use all his endeavours to assist you, and restrain among the bishops all that shall be opposite to the command of our Creator. But you shall not, outside your own jurisdiction, have power to judge the bishops of the Gauls, but by persuading, soothing, and showing good works for them to imitate, you shall reform the minds of wicked men to the pursuit of holiness; for it is written in the Law, 'When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbours, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn, but rub the ears of corn in thine hand and eat. For thou mayest not apply the sickle of judgment to that harvest which seems to have been committed to another; but by the love of good works, thou shalt clear the Lord's wheat from the chaff of their vices, and convert them into the body of the Church by admonition and persuasion, as it were taking a bite [mandendo]. But whatsoever is to be done by authority, must be transacted in conjunction with the aforesaid bishop of Arles, lest that should be omitted, which the ancient institution of the fathers has Full juris appointed. But as for all the bishops of Britain, we commit

diction is