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| To Anatolius, Constantinopolitan Deacon.
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Epistle LXXXII.
To Anatolius, Constantinopolitan Deacon55
| 55 Gregory’s
apocrisiarius at Constantinople. | .
Gregory to Anatolius, &c.
To good and devoted sons it is worth our labour so to respond as to double, because we are paying a debt, what it would
befit us of our own mere motion to bestow upon them. Seeing,
then, that the bearer of these presents, our son the magnificent
Marcellinus56
| 56 Supposed to be identical
with Marcellus, Proconsul of Dalmatia, who, having originally and for
some time afterwards supported Maximus as bishop of Salona against
Gregory, had apparently made overtures for reconciliation with the
latter. See IX. 5, and on the whole subject III. 47, note
2. He seems to have now fully satisfied Gregory, whose laudation
of him in this letter is in marked contrast to the tone of IX. 5,
addressed to Marcellus himself previously. | , has demeaned himself
as he has in the cause of our brother and fellow-bishop Maximus and in
that of the Istrians, and is anxious to employ himself for the
advantage of our Church, therefore, that he may be able more and more
to shew his sincere affection not only in words but also in deeds, we
hereby exhort thy Love to co-operate with him when he comes to the
royal city with entire zeal and earnestness, and to be at pains so to
assist him with all the succour in thy power, that, supported by the
aid of Almighty God and thine, he may have the less difficulty to
contend with there. Thou wilt also study so to attend to him as
to one who is in very truth our own, and so to bestow on him the
efficiency of thy charity, that he may both recognise a return made to
him for the past, and also be able to entertain a great hope of
retribution in the future for his devotion which he promises to exhibit
in the service of the Church. But inasmuch as, so far as we have
learnt, the most serene lord the Emperor had commanded our aforesaid
magnificent son to hasten to wait upon him immediately, it is fitting
for thee to seek an opportunity of intimating that it was no faulty
disobedience, but the cause of our brother and fellow-bishop Maximus,
that has detained him: which cause, though late, has nevertheless
through his exertions been brought to a conclusion. But this we
desire thy Love to attend to carefully; not to allow thyself to be
mixed up in any cause whatever where there is oppression of the poor;
lest haply, under pressure to some extent from persons in power, thou
shouldest be driven to do what could not be of advantage to thy
soul. Dealing, then, with all matters in the fear of God,
consider especially the eternal reward.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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