Letter 1010: What you have done is doubly full of devotion: by taking a brother to Lyon and sending word here, you sought out the...

Bishop Avitus to Viventiolus the priest. What you have done is doubly full of devotion, since by conveying him to Lyon and by sending word here, you took care, in the matter of the two brothers, to seek out the sick one there and to visit the anxious one here. [The following passage survives only in a damaged papyrus copy (Papyrus Parisinus) and is in places illegible; the legible portions are rendered here.] ... [I had been] deferring sentence ... we had not [...] the correction of the man to his own remorse and will, [holding] that it is likewise just to preserve this, so that, after the space of so many years, he might restrain even capital faults — he who ought already, by the very advance of his long life, to have curbed even what is lawful. To these things, so as to make you believe that I am of one mind, I groaned, not pierced with remorse but confounded with shame. Having undertaken to promise something for a while, I urged that the woman of an unworthy cohabitation be at once kept away from his approach and from his sight, answering that he should make these promises to you, and, repenting of the deed, should ask to be released in that for which he had been sent as an envoy. Yet, because you have ordered that I lay open whatever seems good to my judgment: let it suffice for your censure that there be a separation of the persons; let the unhappy union be cut asunder by a divorce of innocent intent; let the term of the evil suffice for the fruit of [his] strictness. Nor let the faithful promise of one whose life has stood forth unfaithful be reckoned [a sign] of health; let the amendment that is to follow be trusted to those very sureties [fideiussores], by whose intercession the prior fault may be loosed. As for the rest, what pertains to penance: let him be admonished meanwhile to perform it; let him not be compelled to receive [communion]; let his own crimes suffice for the unhappy man; nor let it be forced upon the toiling man, since he has spurned what, with so unstable a mind, ought scarcely to have been entrusted to him even had he asked for it. Let his treachery cease from frailty, and let it not bring an increase of rebellion into the heap of carnality. If you so command, I suggest briefly, in conclusion: let him, shaken free from the crime, be received unto pardon; let him suffer penance now that he loses the occasion of sinning; let him make profession now that he has lost the will [to sin]. The end. [The letter then resumes; this final portion survives in a clean text.] Bishop Avitus to Viventiolus the priest. What you have done is doubly full of devotion, since by conveying him to Lyon and by sending word here, you took care, in the matter of the two brothers, to seek out the sick one there and to visit the anxious one here. Nor shall it be thought that what was set before you was neglected, since you defer to a religious brother all the more in affection and honor by this spiritual service — a fellow servant, even had the sick man not asked for it, seeing that the very newness of the case called for an exhortation by the right of a brother priest, even if anxiety had no need of consolation. Therefore cease altogether from excusing a labor undertaken in just weariness, lest you seem to have erred still by some ambiguity in taking up or in deciding the matter. But now, that I may render thanks worthy of the gift you have sent, I feel that I find them rather in my prayers than in my letters. As for your saying, too, that such things can be produced out of the wilderness: by a certain elegance you draw the desires of men to the place of your dwelling, where without doubt, through your person's care, instruction, and teaching, even if it were in truth a wilderness, it would become a paradise. Therefore, in return for the chair [sella] you have sent, calling down upon you the requital of a bishop's chair [cathedra], I ask that you cherish with spiritual comfort and priestly instruction the tottering school of our dear common friend Eugendus, widowed of a prelate by no small loss as concerns its own standing; and let not this hold you back from bestowing the charity that is due — namely, that it is, as I judge, more from simplicity than from any abusive intent that the care of your ordination is less worthily sought by them: so that you, destined (with God granting it, as we desire) to be advanced to greater helms, and rising up to double the five talents from the two added to them, proven in the second rank, faithful, may bear forth this hidden trust even in the greatest matters to the peoples; so that what brotherly dissension could not do among others — to make a wilderness here — fatherly love may strive in you to keep [it] a monastery. The end.

Avitus episcopus Viventiolo pvesbytero. Dupliciter pietate plenum est quod fecistis, dum vehendo Lugdunum hucque mit- tendo studuistis de duobus fratribus illic requirere infirmum, istic visitare sollicitum. Exemplum Papyri Parisinae f. 9 (Bignon. f. 78). sententiam di|fferentis inalluissimus correctionem uiri conpunctioni ipsius uolu[n t]ati quae seruare hac perinde iustum esse ut post spatia tot annorum uel criminalia restringerit qui refrenare iam longeuitatis accessu etiam legiti ma adebuisset ad haec ut sentire me credidi non conpunctus sed confusus ingemui promittere aliquantisper adgressus mulierem quohabitationis indignae ab accessu aspectuque suo protenus quoercendan suasi respondens ut uobis ista promitterit et facti paenitens eo se solui quod legatus fuerat postolaret tamen quia iussistis ut quicquid sensui meo uideatur aperiam sufficiat censurae uestrae separatio personarum scindatur infelix coniugium innocenti ore diuortio sufficiat districtionis fructui terminus mali nec sanae promissio eius fedelis pǒtetur cuius uita extetit infedelis ipsis fideiussorbus emendatio secutura credatur quibus intercedentebus prior culpa laxauetur De cetero autem quod ad paenitentiam expectat moneatur interem agere accipere non cogatur sufficiant infelici crimina sua nec ingeratur laborioso cum respuit quod tam instabili animo uix committi debuerat si petisset; cesset a fragilitate per fidia nec subeat in carnalitatis comolum rebellionis augmentum si iubetis b]reuiter ad ultemum suggero; excusso ab scelere suscipiatur ad ueniam patiatur p]aenetentiam cum perdit peccandi occasionem. profeteatur cum amiserit uoluntatem. expł Auitus ep̅s Viuentiolo pr̅bo Dupleciter pietate plenum est quod fecistis dum ueendo lugduno hucque mittendo studuistis de duobus fratribus illic requirere infir[mum istic uisitare sollicitum Exemplum Papyri Parisinae f. 9 (Bignon. f. 77). Nec a uobis praepositum intermissum esse potabitur. cum uos religiose fratri plus in affectu adque honore debentibus spiritalis officii huius conuersus etiamsi non popuscisset aegrotus quidpe cum sacerdotis germani iure uel adortationem nouitas quaereret etiamsi consolatione anxietas non aegereproinde laborem iusta fatigatione susceptum prorsus excusare desistete ne uideamini adhunc adri piendi uel definiendi ambiguetate peccasse, iam uerotaliter dignas pro transmisso munere gratias agam uotis me magis sentio inuenire quam litteris; illud quoque ut de heremo talia proferri posse dicatis elegantia quadam disideria hominum ad locum uestrae cohabitationis adtrahetis quo procul dubio personae uestrae sullicitudine institutione doctrina etiamsi Iiuentaesint eremus fieret paradisus quapropter pro sella quam transmisistis cathedre uicissitudine inpraecans quaeso ut nutan tem scolam cari communis eugendi et non minimum quantum ad statum suum adtenet praesule uiduatam spiritali solatio et sacerdotali magisterio foueatis neque illud ad inpendenda caretate uos retraat quod simplecitates magis uti arbitror quam abusio nis animo minus digne ab eis cura uestre ordinationis ambitur ut ad maiora ut pres tante deo cupimus gubernacula prouiendi et ad duplecanda quinque talenta de duobus addetis adsurgentis probati in secundo gradu fedelis et maxemus ha[nc secreti conscientia feratis ad populus ut quo in aliis fraterna dissinsio .. potuissit ac herimum facere in uobis studuerit paterna dilixio mon[a]tirium contenere. Expl Nec a vobis propositum intermissum esse putabitur, cum vos religioso fratri plus in affectu atque honore deferatis spiritalis officii huius, conservus etiamsi non poposcisset aegrotus, quippe cum sacerdotis germani iure vel adhortationem novitas quaereret, etiamsi consolatione anxietas non egeret. Proinde laborem iusta fatigatione susceptum prorsus excusare desistite, ne videamini adhuc adripiendi vel definiendi ambiguitate peccasse. Iam vero ut taliter dignas pro transmisso munere gratias agam, votis me magis sentio invenire quam litteris. Illud quoque ut de heremo talia proferri posse dicatis, elegantia quadam desideria hominum ad locum vestrae cohabitationis adtrahitis, quo procul dubio personae vestrae sollicitudine, institutione, doctrina, etiamsi in veri- tate sit heremus, fieret paradisus. Quapropter pro sella, quam transmisistis, cathedrae vicissitudinem inprecans quaeso, ut nutantem scholam cari communis Eugendi et non minimo, quantum ad statum suum adtinet, praesule viduatam, spiritali solacio et sacer- dotali magisterio foveatis, neque illud ab impendenda caritate vos retrahat, quod simplicitate magis, uti arbitror, quam abusionis animo minus digne ab eis cura vestrae ordinationis ambitur: ut ad maiora, ut praestante deo cupimus, gubernacula provehendi et ad duplicanda quinque talenta de duobus additis adsurgentes, probati in secundo gradu, fideles et in maximis hanc secretam conscientiam feratis ad populos; ut, quod in aliis fraterna dissensio nec potuit istic heremum facere, in vobis studuerit paterna dilectio monasterium continere.