A letter from Gregory I, pope (595, September )

Translated letter:

Gregory to Montana and Thomas Since our redeemer, maker of every creature, favorable to this, wished to take on human flesh so that by the grace of his divinity, once he had broken the bond of servitude in which we were held captive, he might restore us to original freedom, one acts beneficially if men, whom nature at first brought forth as free and the right of nations placed under the yoke of servitude, are restored to the freedom in which they were born by the favor of an emancipator. So for that reason, in consideration of piety and deeply moved in contemplation of this matter, we render you, Montana and Thomas, servants of the holy Roman church that we serve by God’s will, free and Roman citizens from this day, and we release all your property to you. And because you, Montana, declare that you have turned your intention toward monastic living, therefore on this day we give and concede to you two ounces/twelfths, that the late priest Gaudiosus by authority of his last will is known to have left you in the way of institution, specifically all of which in every way will benefit the monastery of St. Lawrence where Constantina presides as abbess, where with God’s compassion you rush to be converted. But if it will happen that you have in any way hidden anything from the property of the noted Gaudiosus, undoubtedly all of it will be seized for possession of our church. Further, likewise on this day through the contract of this manumission we give and concede to you, the abovesaid Thomas, whom for the increase of your freedom we also wish to enlist among notaries, five ounces/twelfths that the aforesaid priest Gaudiosus in his last will bequeathed to you with hereditary title, and the dowry that he had granted to your mother, certainly by that law and with the stipulation added that if it should happen that you die without legitimate heirs received, that is, from a legitimate marriage, everything that we have granted to you will be returned to the property of the holy Roman church without reduction. But if from marriage you have received children, as we said, recognized by law, whom you have left as survivors we have established that you remain owner of their property without any condition and we have granted to you free power to make testament concerning these things. Therefore know that we and our successors will observe these things that we have established and granted through the contract of this manumission without any opposition. For the order of justice and reason urges that he who desires that his commandments be observed by successors should undoubtedly guard the decisions and will of his predecessor. Moreover, we have dictated this contract of manumission to be written by Paterius the notary and for the most complete security we have signed below with our own hand with the first three priests and three deacons and we have consigned it to you. Enacted in the city of Rome.1

Original letter:

GREGORIUS MONTANAE ET THOMAE Cum redemptor noster totius conditor creaturae ad hoc propitiatus humanam voluit carnem adsumere, ut divinitatis suae gratia disrupto quo tenebamur capti vinculo servitutis pristinae nos restitueret libertati, salubriter agitur, si homines, quos ab initio natura liberos protulit et ius gentium iugo substituit servitutis, in ea qua nati fuerant manumittentis beneficio libertate reddantur. Atque ideo pietatis intuitu et huius rei consideratione permoti vos Montanam atque Thomam famulos sanctae Romanae cui Deo auctore deservimus ecclesiae liberos ex hac die civesque Romanos efficimus omneque vestrum vobis relaxamus peculium. Et quia tu, Montana, animos ad conversationem fateris appulisse monachicam, idcirco duas uncias, quas tibi quondam Gaudiosus presbyter per supremae suae voluntatis arbitrium institutions modo noscitur reliquisse, hac die tibi donamus atque concedimus, omnia scilicet monasterio sancti Laurentii cui Constantina abbatissa praeest, in quo converti Deo miserante festinas, inodis omnibus profutura. Si quid vero de rebus suprascripti Gaudiosi te aliquo modo celasse constiterit, id totum ecclesiae nostrae iuri sine dubio mancipetur. Tibi autem suprascripto Thomae, quem pro libertatis tuae cumulo etiam inter notarios volumus militare, quinque uncias, quas praefatus Gaudiosus presbyter per ultimam voluntatem hereditario tibi nomine dereliquit, simul et sponsalia, quae matri tuae conscripserat, similiter hac die per huius manumissionis paginam donamus atque concedimus, ea sane lege atque condicione subnexa, ut, si sine filiis legitimis, hoc est de legitimo susceptis coniugio, te obire contigerit, omnia quae tibi concessimus ad ius sanctae Romanae sine diminutione aliqua revertantur ecclesiae. Si autem filios de coniuge, sicut diximus, cognitos lege susceperis eosque superstites reliqueris, earundem te rerum dominum sine quadam statuimus condicione persistere et testamenti de his faciendi liberam tibi tribumius facultatem. Haec igitur quae per huius manumissionis cartulam constituimus atque concessimus, nos successoresque nostros sine aliqua scitote refragatione servare. Nam iustitiae ac rationis ordo suadet, ut, qui sua a successoribus desiderat mandata servari, decessoris sui procul dubio voluntatem et statuta custodiat. Hanc autem manumissionis paginam Paterio notario scribendam dictavimus et propria manu una cum tribus presbyteris prioribus et tribus diaconibus pro plenissima firmitate subscripsimus vobisque tradidimus. Actum in urbe Roma.

Historical context:

After the death of the priest in whose service Montana was apparently endentured, the pope sets her free, grants her Roman citizenship and the two ounces the priest had left her in his will, and allows her to enter a monastery. The letter is also addressed to a fellow servant, Thomas, who is being set free at the same time.

Scholarly notes:

1 Ashleigh Imus provided this translation.

Printed source:

Gregorii I Papae Registum Epistolarum, ed. Paulus Ewald and Ludovicus Hartmann (Berlin: Weidmann, 1887-91, repr. 1978), 6.12.

Date:

595, September