Letter 6059: The Christianity of your Excellence has been so truly known to us of old that we do not in the least doubt of your goodness, but rather hold it to be in all ways certain that you will devoutly and zealously concur with us in the cause of faith, and supply most abundantly the succour of your religious sincerity. Being for this reason well assured...
Pope Gregory the Great→Brunichild|c. 595 AD|gregory great
Gregory to Brunichild, Queen of the Franks.
The Christianity of your Excellence has been so well known to us for so long that we have not the slightest doubt of your goodness, but hold it with full confidence in every respect that you will devoutly and zealously join with us in the cause of the faith and provide most generously the support of your religious sincerity. Being therefore well assured of this, and greeting you with paternal charity, we inform you that it has come to our knowledge how the English people, with God's permission, desire to become Christian, but that the priests in their neighborhood have no pastoral concern for them. Lest their souls should perhaps perish in eternal damnation, we have taken care to send to them the bearer of these presents, Augustine, servant of God, whose zeal and earnestness are well known to us, together with other servants of God — so that through them we might be able to learn their wishes and, as far as is possible, with your cooperation, make provision for their conversion. We have also directed them to bring with them for this purpose priests from the neighboring regions.
Let your Excellency, then, naturally disposed as you are to good works, and moved both by our request and by the fear of God, deign to regard him as commended to you in every respect; give him wholeheartedly the favor of your protection, and lend the support of your patronage to his labor. And to enable him to bear the fullest fruit from it, provide for his journey to the English people under the security of your protection — so that our God, who has adorned you in this world with qualities pleasing to him, may grant you to give thanks both here and in eternal rest with his saints.
Furthermore, commending to your Christianity our beloved son Candidus, priest and administrator of the patrimony of our Church situated in your lands, we ask that he may in all matters receive the grace of your protection.
Book VI, Letter 59
To Brunichild, Queen of the Franks.
Gregory to Brunichild, etc.
The Christianity of your Excellence has been so truly known to us of old that we do not in the least doubt of your goodness, but rather hold it to be in all ways certain that you will devoutly and zealously concur with us in the cause of faith, and supply most abundantly the succour of your religious sincerity. Being for this reason well assured, and greeting you with paternal charity, we inform you that it has come to our knowledge how that the nation of the Angli, by God's permission, is desirous of becoming Christian, but that the priests who are in their neighbourhood have no pastoral solicitude with regard to them. And lest their souls should haply perish in eternal damnation, it has been our care to send to them the bearer of these presents, Augustine the servant of God, whose zeal and earnestness are well known to us, with other servants of God; that through them we might be able to learn their wishes, and, as far as is possible, you also striving with us, to take thought for their conversion. We have also charged them that for carrying out this design they should take with them presbyters from the neighbouring regions. Let, then, your Excellency, habitually prone to good works, on account as well of our request as of regard to the fear of God, deign to hold him as in all ways commended to you, and earnestly bestow on him the favour of your protection, and lend the aid of your patronage to his labour and, that he may have the fullest fruit thereof, provide for his going secure under your protection to the above-written nation of the Angli, to the end that our God, who has adorned you in this world with good qualities well-pleasing to Him, may cause you to give thanks here and in eternal rest with His saints.
Furthermore, commending to your Christianity our beloved son Candidus, presbyter and rector of the patrimony of our Church which is situated in your parts, we beg that he may in all things obtain the favour of your protection.
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Source. Translated by James Barmby. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360206059.htm>.
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Gregory to Brunichild, Queen of the Franks.
The Christianity of your Excellence has been so well known to us for so long that we have not the slightest doubt of your goodness, but hold it with full confidence in every respect that you will devoutly and zealously join with us in the cause of the faith and provide most generously the support of your religious sincerity. Being therefore well assured of this, and greeting you with paternal charity, we inform you that it has come to our knowledge how the English people, with God's permission, desire to become Christian, but that the priests in their neighborhood have no pastoral concern for them. Lest their souls should perhaps perish in eternal damnation, we have taken care to send to them the bearer of these presents, Augustine, servant of God, whose zeal and earnestness are well known to us, together with other servants of God — so that through them we might be able to learn their wishes and, as far as is possible, with your cooperation, make provision for their conversion. We have also directed them to bring with them for this purpose priests from the neighboring regions.
Let your Excellency, then, naturally disposed as you are to good works, and moved both by our request and by the fear of God, deign to regard him as commended to you in every respect; give him wholeheartedly the favor of your protection, and lend the support of your patronage to his labor. And to enable him to bear the fullest fruit from it, provide for his journey to the English people under the security of your protection — so that our God, who has adorned you in this world with qualities pleasing to him, may grant you to give thanks both here and in eternal rest with his saints.
Furthermore, commending to your Christianity our beloved son Candidus, priest and administrator of the patrimony of our Church situated in your lands, we ask that he may in all matters receive the grace of your protection.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.