Letter 10047

Gregory the Great (Wisigothic)Unknown|gregory great
From: Gregory the Great, Pope, in Rome
To: Leontius, ex-consul
Date: ~600 AD
Context: Gregory commends Apollonius to Leontius and asks him to use his power to help him.

Gregory to Leontius, ex-consul.

A man named Apollonius needs the kind of help that only someone with your standing and connections can provide. I commend him to you.

His situation requires intervention at a level I cannot provide directly. What I can provide is the recommendation: Apollonius deserves support, his cause is just, and the help he needs is within your power to give.

I ask you to give it. Not as a favor to me, but as a matter of justice. The church recommends him; the rest is in your hands.

Gregory

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.