Letter 14010

**From:** Gregory I, Bishop of Rome **To:** Guduin, Duke **Date:** ~604 AD **Context:** Instructs the duke to punish a soldier who has violated a consecrated woman. I require you to act in this matter without delay or equivocation. A soldier under your command has committed an outrage against a woman consecrated to God — this is a grievous crime and a scandal. Such acts cannot be overlooked on the grounds of military usefulness or rank. The law of God is not suspended for those in uniform. See that this man is punished in a manner proportionate to his offense. If soldiers under your command believe they can commit such acts with impunity, you will have far greater problems than this one case.

' AD GUDUINUM DUCEM. Ancille Dei stupratorem militem puniat. Gregorius * Guduino duci Neapolis. Cum inter mulia bona quz nobis de magnitudine vestra SZ2pius nuntiantur illud in vobis plus Jandabile dicatur existere, quod castitatem diligitis, et dis- ciplinam, sicut dignum est, custoditis, satis mirati sumus quod in milite illo qui ancillam Dei diabolica instigatione perdiderit, districtissima vindicta hacte- nus ſacta non ſuerit. Nam et moribus et bonitati vesir® valde conveniens fuit ut ante ad nos ultio quam perpe- iratz culpz iniquitas perveniret. Sed quia vindictam hujus sceleris non voluniate vestra, sed aliorum credimus subreptionibus esse Suspensam, ne hoc peccatum Þ yel numerum indisciplinati militis, vel + 4 Hidem recentiores eadem licenia, talem illum ad D Evisr. X. {Al. 5]. — * Appellatur Guduin, a scrip- | Andream. Qua mutatione, invitis Mss. Valic., Norm., Colb., facta, turbatur sensus. * Supra loquitur de subreptione ſacta Mauricio imp. Hie de alia quam passus erat Phocas initio imperii, agit sanctus Gregorius. : : ſ\ In recentioribus claoditur hc epist. his ver- bis : Data mense Decembrii, indict. 7, quz $ane ab- sunt a Mss. nostris, et ab antiquis Editis. Pertinent in Mss. ad epist. sequentem, ut mox dicturi $u- mus. ErrsT,, IX * 8]. — * lta non legimus, nisi in Vaticanis A, B, E. toribus Grzcis PovvSeng. Dux exercitus Mauricii sub Prisco, ex Cedreno, an. 17 Mauricii. Ejus egregia belli facinora narrat Simocaila, lib. vu, c. 11 et 12, quem refiapyxov appellat. A Petro fratre Mauricii el duce $upremo exercitus eflicitur vroorparnyes, mnl- taque preclare gerit. Idem, lib. viu, c. 5, 6, 7. Gus- SANV. In Colb. quidem, in Regio, et in Norman., legitur Guduin, at in Vatie. D, E, F, et in Rhem., Guduino. In Corb., Gunduino. In Vatic. A, Gundno. In Valic. B, Guidoni. lo vet. Edit., corrupte, Desi- derio episcopo Gallic. tet RAC } aw aa am Aa ooo At. qXAa AA dawn AA. aw loca illa in quibus commissum est, valeat premere, A dictum est, quia nunquam amicus domum ejus ingres- hortamur ut sine excusatione aliqua vel modo, qua- lis vobis ſervor 8it © erga caslitalis custodiam de- monstrantes, ita pro exemplo aliorum districle emen- dare tantum ſacinus ſestinetis, ut et Deum vobis, in ' cyjus hoc ille injuriam perpetravit, et timorem ejus despexit, placabilem facialis, et nos vobis de zeli ve- s$tri reclitudine gfatias reſeramus. Nam tantam ini- quitatem inultam remanere nullo modo patimur.