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| To Narses, the Religious (Narsæ Relegioso).
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Epistle XXX.
To Narses, the Religious (Narsæ
Relegioso)1710
| 1710 On the designation
Religiosus, cf. I. 61, note 7. The Narses here addressed
as “Religiosus” was probably the same as the “Narses
Comes” of I. 6, and VI. 14, and the “Narses
Patricius” of IV. 32 (see note to I. 6). For it is evident
from the letters that he was of high rank at Constantinople, and
greetings are sent through him to the same persons as in the other
letters. He had now, we may suppose, devoted himself to the
service of the Church in some capacity. | .
Gregory to Narses, &c.
When I was sending Romanus the guardian
(defensorem) to the royal city, he sought long your letters, but
they could not be found:
but afterwards they were found among many
letters from other persons, your Sweetness, therein telling me of your
afflictions and tribulations of spirit, and making known the
oppositions to you of bad men. But, I pray you, in all this
recall to your mind what I believe too that you never forget, That
all who will live godly in Christ suffer persecution.
(2 Tim. iii.
12). And with
regard to this I confidently say that you would live less godly if you
suffered persecution less. For let us hear what else the same
teacher of the Gentiles says to his disciples; Yourselves know,
brethren, our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain; for we had
before suffered and been shamefully entreated (1 Thess. ii. 1). Lo, most sweet son, the
holy preacher declared that his entrance would have been of no effect,
if he had not been shamefully entreated; and thy Charity wishes to say
good things, but refuses to endure evil things. Wherefore thou
must needs gird thyself up more tightly in the midst of adverse
circumstances, that adversity itself may the more increase thy desire
for the love of God and thy earnestness in
good works. So the seeds of harvests germinate the more
fruitfully for being covered over with frost; so fire is kept down by a
blast, that it may grow greater. I know indeed that from the
perverse speeches of so many evil tongues thou endurest a violent
storm, and bearest in thy soul billows of contradictions. But
remember what the Lord says by the Psalmist,
I heard thee in the secret place of storm; I proved thee at the
waters of contradiction (Psal. lxxx. 8)1711
. For, if in the midst of them that
contradict thou doest the things that are of God, then thou art proved a true worker.
Further, your most sweet Charity has written to me
that I should write something in the way of admonition to the
monasteries which, through your prayers and influence, have been
instituted by our son the lord Paul. But, if they are vessels of
God, I know that they have through the grace
of compunction a fountain of wisdom within, and ought not to take in
the little drops of my dryness. Further, your perfect wisdom
recollects that in Paradise there was no rain, but a fountain ascended
from the midst of Paradise to water the face of the ground. Those
souls, then, that through the grace of compunction have a fountain in
themselves have no need of rain from another’s tongue.
Further, you inform me in your letter of the
passing away of the lady Esychia1712
| 1712 Cf. I. 6, where
greetings were sent to this lady, there also designated as
Domna. | ; and I
rejoiced with great exultation that that good soul, which laboured in a
foreign country, has arrived happily at its own. Further, greet
in my behalf my glorious daughters, the lady Dominica and the lady
Eudochia. But, inasmuch as I hear that it is now a long time
since the aforesaid lady Dominica was made a prioress, let your Charity
watch over her in this regard; that, as she is no longer compelled to
serve in the toil of an earthy court, she may fly perfectly from all
noises of this world, devote herself entirely to God, and leave no part of herself outside herself; but
that she also gather together as many souls as she can to the service
of her Creator, that their minds through her word may receive the grace
of compunction, and that she herself may so much the more speedily be
absolved from all her sins as, through her life and her tongue, the
souls of others also shall have broken loose from the bands of
sins. Moreover, since no one among men in this world is without
sin (and what else is sinning but flying from God?), I say confidently that this my daughter also has
some sins. Wherefore, that she may perfectly satisfy her
mistress, that is eternal Wisdom, let her, who fled alone, return with
many. For the guilt of turning away will be imputed to no one who
in returning brings back gain.
Further, I beg you to greet in my behalf the lord
Alexander and the lord Theodorus. But with respect to your saying
in your letter that I ought to write to my most excellent daughter the
lady Gurdia, and her most holy daughter the lady Theoctista1713
| 1713 The Emperor
Maurice is said to have had a sister called Gordia, who may have been
the lady here referred to. Her daughter Theoctista may be
concluded from the epithet “sanctissima” to have been
piously disposed; and it may have been a fear lest her piety should
suffer through the temptations of fashionable life that had led Narses,
who was himself religious, to suggest to Gregory that he should write
letters of admonition to the husbands of these ladies, as well as to
themselves. Gregory’s reluctance to do so may have arisen
from a fear of giving offence to such distinguished people from the
purport of what he could only write in Latin being misunderstood.
Elsewhere apparent are his caution and delicacy in dealing with great
people. | , and their magnificent husbands, the
lord Marinus and the lord Christidorus, and to give them some
admonition about their souls, your most sweet Greatness well knows that
there are none at present in the city of Constantinople who can
translate well into Greek what has been dictated in Latin. For
keeping to the words, but attending little to the sense, they both fail
to make the words understood and also mangle the sense. On this
account I have written shortly to my aforesaid daughter the lady
Gurdia; but have not addressed the others. Further, I have sent
you two camisiæ and four oraria, which I beg may be
humbly
offered, with
the blessing of St. Peter, to the aforesaid men. Besides, a
certain person on his death has left me by will a little boy; taking
thought for whose soul, I have sent him to your Sweetness, that he may
live in this world in the service of one through whom he may be able to
attain to the liberty of heaven. Further, I beg your most sweet
Charity to visit frequently my most beloved son, the deacon Anatolius,
whom I have sent to represent the Church in the royal city, that after
the toils which he endures in secular causes he may find rest with you
in the word of God, and wipe away the sweat of
this his earthly toil as it were with a kind of white napkin.
Commend him to all who are known to you, though I am sure that, if he
is perfectly known, he needs no commendation. Yet do you shew
with regard to him how much you love the holy apostle Peter, and
me. Now may Almighty God guard your
Charity, to me most sweet, from enemies within and without, and, when
it shall please Him, bring you to heavenly kingdoms.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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