A letter from Gregory I, pope (September 595)

Translated letter:

Gregory to Brunhild queen of the Franks. The education of your son manifests, the helms of the kingdom testify the goodness of your excellence, pleasing to God and worthy of being declared. You not only preserved for him the glory of temporal things with prudent sollicitude, but also provided the prizes of eternal life as you planted his mind in the root of true faith with maternal and laudable instruction as was fitting. Whence it happens, not undeservedly, that he excells all kingdoms of people, indeed of those who worship purely and confess truly the creator of their peoples. But so that faith may more laudably shine in him with works, let the words of your exhortation enflame him, so that as royal power shows him sublime among men, so the goodness of action may make him great before God. Since the experience of many things truly encourages me to trust in the Christianity of your excellence, greeting you with paternal affection, we ask that for the love of blessed Peter, prince of apostles whom we know you love with your whole heart, you favor with the patronage of your help our most beloved son the priest Candidus, bearer of the presents, together with the patrimony we have sent him to direct, so that strengthened by the grace of your power he may advantageously rule that little patrimony which is to be spent for the benefit of the poor, and if anything is removed from it, he may claim it reasonably by right of that patrimony. For it is not without increase to your praise that after so much time a man of the church is sent especially to administer its little patrimony. May your excellence deign to devote itself willingly to what we request, so that blessed Peter prince of the apostles, to whom Jesus Christ gave the power of binding and loosing, grants your excellence to rejoice in offspring and after the course of many years to find yourself before the sight of the eternal judge absolved from all evils.

Original letter:

Gregorius Brunigildae reginae Francorum. Excellentiae vestrae praedicandam ac Deo placitam bonitatem et gubernacula regni testantur et educatio filii manifestat. Cui non solum incolumem rerum temporalium gloriam provida sollicitudine conservastis, verum etiam aeternae vitae praemia providistis, dum mentem ipsius in radicem verae fidei materna, ut decuit, et laudabili institutione plantastis. Unde non inmerito contigit, ut cuncta gentium regna praecelleret, quippe qui earundem gentium creatorem et pure colit et veraciter confitetur. Sed ut laudabilius in eo fides cum operibus enitescat, adhortationis vestrae cum verba succendant, quatenus, sicut sublimem illum inter homines potentia regalis ostendit, ita ante Deum magnum faciat bonitas actionis. Quia vero multarum rerum experimenta nos ammonent de excellentiae vestrae christianitate confidere, idcirco paterno salutantes affectu quaesumus, ut propter amorem beati Petri apostolorum principis, quem toto vos scimus corde diligere, dilectissimum filium nostrum Candidum presbyterum, praesentium portitorem, una cum patrimoniolo ad cuius eum gubernationem transmisimus auxilii vestri patrocinio foveatis, quatenus potestatis vestrae gratia roboratus patrimoniolum ipsum, quod pauperum constat expensis proficere, et salubriter regere et, si qua exinde ablata sunt, ad ins ipsius patrimonioli rationabiliter valeat revocare. Nam non sine laudis vestrae cremento est, quod post tot tempora ad eiusdem patrimonioli regimen proprius ecclesiae homo transmissus est. Excellentia ergo vestra ita se libenter in his quae poscimus dignetur impendere, ut beatus Petrus apostolorum princeps, cui a domino Iesu Christo ligandi ac solvendi data potestas est, et hic excellentiam vestram in subole gaudere concedat et post multorum annorum curricula a malis omnibus absolutam ante conspectum aeterni faciat iudicis inveniri.

Historical context:

Gregory praises Brunhild for her governance of the realm and for the education of her son and requests her support for the church administering its patrimony, commending the bearer, the priest Candidus for that task.

Printed source:

MGH, Gregorii Pape Registrum Epistolarum, ep.6.5, 1.383-84, also HGF4 ep.6, p.16. There is a newer edition of the letters of Gregory I by Dag Norbert in the Corpus Christianorum Series Latina, vv.140 and 140a, which is now standard and which numbers the letters somewhat differently.

Date:

September 595