(A letter of no great importance, except as showing the friendly feelings which Gregory continued to maintain towards his successor.)
(A letter of no great importance, except as showing the friendly feelings which Gregory continued to maintain towards his successor.)
Affairs with us are going as usual: we are at peace, without conflicts and arguments, since we value the reward of silence (which carries no risk) above everything else. And we have gained some benefit from this rest, having by God's mercy recovered fairly well from our illness. May you ride on and reign, as holy David says, and may God, who has honored you with the Priesthood, be with you throughout and set it above all slander for you. And so that we may give each other proof of our courage, and so that we may not suffer any human misfortune as we stand before God, I send this message to you, and I ask you to agree to it promptly. There are many reasons that make me very concerned about our very dear Pancratius. Please be good enough to receive him kindly and to recommend him to the best of your friends, so that he may achieve his goal. His goal is to obtain relief from public office through some kind of military service, though there is no single kind of life that is free from the slanders of worthless men, as you very well know.
Affairs with us go on as usual: we are quiet without strifes and disputes, valuing as we do the reward (which has no risk attaching to it) of silence, beyond everything. And we have derived some profit from this rest, having by God's mercy fairly recovered from our illness. Do you ride on and reign, as holy David says, and may God, Who has honoured you with Priesthood, accompany you throughout, and set it for you above all slander. And that we may give each other a proof of our courage, and may not suffer any human calamity as we stand before God, I send this message to you, and do you promptly assent to it. There are many reasons which make me very anxious about our very dear Pancratius. Be good enough to receive him kindly, and to commend him to the best of your friends, that he may attain his object. His object is through some kind of military service to obtain relief from public office, though there is no single kind of life that is unexposed to the slanders of worthless men, as you very well know.