abstineant, et grave hoc esse peccatum cognoscant. Tremendum Dei judicium timeant, ne pro carnali dilectione tormenta æterni cruciatus incurrant. Non tamen pro hac re sacri corporis ac sanguinis Domini communione privandi sunt, ne in eis illa ulcisci videantur, in quibus se per ignorantiam ante lavacrum baptismatis adstrinxerunt. In hoc enim tempore sancta ecclesia quædam per fervorem corrigit, quædam per mansuetudinem tolerat, quædam per considerationem dissimulat, atque ita portat et dissimulat ut sæpe malum, quod adversatur, portando et dissimulando compescat. Omnes autem qui ad fidem veniunt admonendi sunt, ne tale aliquid audeant perpetrare. Si qui autem perpetraverint, corporis et sanguinis Domini communione privandi sunt; quia, sicut in his, qui per ignorantiam fecerunt, culpa aliquatenus toleranda est, ita in his fortiter insequenda, qui non metuunt sciendo peccare.

Sexta Interrogatio Augustini.—Si longinquitas itineris magna interjaceat, ut episcopi non facile valeant convenire, an debeat sine aliorum episcoporum præsentia episcopus ordinari?

Respondit Gregorius.—Et quidem in Anglorum ecclesia, in qua adhuc solus tu episcopus inveniris, ordinare episcopum non aliter nisi sine episcopis potes; nisi aliqui de Gallis episcopi veniunt, qui in ordinatione episcopi testes assistant. Sed fraternitatem tuam ita volumus episcopos ordinare, ut ipsi sibi episcopi longo intervallo minime disjungantur; quatenus nulla sit necessitas ut, in ordinatione episcopi, alii convenire non possint; pastores quoque, quorum præsentia valde est utilis, facile debeant convenire. Cum igitur, auctore Deo, ita fuerint episcopi in propinquis sibi locis ordinati, per omnia episcoporum ordinatio, sine aggregatis tribus vel quatuor episcopis, fieri non debet. Nam in ipsis rebus spiritualibus, ut

made to know that this is a grievous sin. Let them fear A.D. 597. 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 body and blood of Christ, lest they seem to be punished for those things which they did through ignorance before they had received baptism. For at this time the Holy Church chastises some things through zeal, and tolerates some through meekness, 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 to the faith, are to be admonished not to do such things. And if any shall be guilty of them, they are to be excluded from the communion of the body and blood of Christ. For as the offence is, in some measure, to be tolerated in those who did it through ignorance, so it is to be strenuously prosecuted in those who do not fear to sin knowingly.

Augustine's Sixth Question.-Whether a bishop may be ordained without other bishops being present, in case there be so great a distance between them, that they cannot easily come together?

Gregory answers.-As for the church of England, in which you are as yet the only bishop, you can no otherwise ordain a bishop than in the absence of other bishops; unless some bishops should come over from Gaul, that they may be present as witnesses 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 bishops, and pastors also, whose presence is necessary, may easily come together. Thus, when, by the help of God, bishops shall be so constituted in places everywhere near to one another, no ordination of a bishop is to be performed without assembling three or four bishops. For, even in spiritual

sapienter et mature disponantur, exemplum trahere a rebus etiam carnalibus possumus. Certe enim dum conjugia in mundo celebrantur conjugati quique convocantur, ut qui in via jam conjugii præcesserunt, in subsequentis quoque copulæ gaudio misceantur. Cur non ergo et in hac spirituali ordinatione, qua per sacrum ministerium homo Deo conjungitur, tales conveniant, qui vel in provectu ordinati episcopi gaudeant, vel pro ejus custodia omnipotenti Deo preces pariter fundant?

Septima Interrogatio Augustini.-Qualiter debemus cum Galliarum Britanniarumque episcopis agere?

Respondit Gregorius.—In Galliarum episcopis nullam tibi auctoritatem tribuimus; quia ab antiquis prædecessorum meorum temporibus pallium Arelatensis episcopus accepit, quem nos privare auctoritate percepta minime debemus. Si igitur contingat ut fraternitas tua ad Galliarum provinciam transeat, cum eodem Arelatensi episcopo debet agere qualiter, si qua sunt in episcopis vitia, corrigantur; qui, si forte in disciplinæ vigore tepidus exsistat, tuæ fraternitatis zelo accendendus est ; cui etiam epistolas fecimus, ut cum tuæ sanctitatis præsentia in Galliis, et ipse tota mente subveniat, et quæ sunt Creatoris nostri jussioni contraria, ab episcoporum moribus compescat. Ipse autem ex auctoritate propria episcopos Galliarum judicare non poteris; sed suadendo, blandiendo, bona quoque opera eorum imitationi monstrando, pravorum mentes ad sanctitatis studia reforma, quia scriptum est in Lege, [Deut. xxiii. 25,] Per alienam messem transiens falcem mittere non debet, sed manu spicas conterere et manducare. Falcem enim judicii mittere non potes in ea segete, quæ alteri videtur esse

affairs, we may take example by the temporal, that they A.D. 597. may be wisely and discreetly conducted. It is certain, that when marriages are celebrated in the world, some married

persons are assembled, that those who went before in the way of matrimony, may also partake in the joy of the succeeding couple. 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 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 France and Britain?

Gregory answers. We give you no authority over the bishops of France, because the bishop of Arles received the pall in ancient times from my predecessor, 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 France, you are to concert with the said bishop of Arles, how, if there be any faults among the bishops, they may be amended. And if he shall be lukewarm in keeping up discipline, he is to be corrected by your zeal; to whom we have also written, that when your holiness shall be in France, he may also use all his endeavours to assist you, and put away from the behaviour of the bishops all that shall be opposite to the command of our Creator. But you of your own authority shall not have power to judge the bishops of France, 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." For thou mayest not apply the sickle of judgment in that harvest, which seems to have been committed to

H

commissa; sed per affectum boni operis frumenta dominica vitiorum suorum paleis expolia, et in Ecclesiæ corpore monendo et persuadendo, quasi mandendo, converte. Quicquid vero ex auctoritate agendum est, cum prædicto Arelatensi episcopo agatur, ne prætermitti possit hoc, quod antiqua patrum institutio invenit. Britanniarum vero omnes episcopos tuæ fraternitati committimus, ut indocti doceantur, infirmi persuasione roborentur, perversi auctoritate corrigantur.

Octava Interrogatio Augustini.-Si prægnans mulier debeat baptizari? aut postquam genuerit, post quantum tempus possit ecclesiam intrare? aut etiam, ne morte præoccupetur, quod genuerit, post quot dies hoc liceat sacri baptismatis sacramenta percipere? aut post quantum temporis huic vir suus possit in carnis copulatione conjungi aut, si menstrua consuetudine tenetur, an ecclesiam intrare ei liceat, aut sacræ communionis sacramenta percipere? aut vir suæ conjugi permixtus, priusquam lavetur aqua, si ecclesiam possit intrare, vel etiam ad mysterium communionis sacræ accedere? Quæ omnia rudi Anglorum genti oportet haberi comperta.

Respondit Gregorius. Hoc non ambigo fraternitatem tuam esse requisitam, cui jam et responsum reddidisse me arbitror; sed hoc, quod ipse dicere et sentire potuisti, credo quod mea apud te volueris responsione firmari. Mulier etenim prægnans cur non debeat baptizari, cum non sit ante omnipotentis Dei oculos culpa aliqua fecunditas carnis? Nam cum primi parentes nostri in Paradiso deliquissent, immortalitatem, quam acceperant, recto Dei judicio perdiderunt. Quia itaque idem omnipotens Deus humanum genus pro culpa sua funditus exstinguere noluit, immortalitatem homini pro peccato suo abstulit, et tamen pro benignitate suæ pietatis