Letter 1: Where love requires us to keep its commandments, even if something happens that might upset anyone, we must still...

To his most beloved brother Dorotheus, Hormisdas. Where it is in the interest of charity to keep the precepts, then even if something of such a kind should occur as could stir up anyone's feelings, nevertheless, so that the things which we have stated above concerning the preservation of concord may be kept, it is fitting that they be passed over with an even temper; for assuredly, if anything of this sort arises through ignorance, it can receive excuse from that very simplicity. Our God established His own Church by His own ordering, and that which is known to have been arranged by the divine precepts can in no way be passed over. We have not known you to be ignorant of the knowledge or understanding of this: for in doing good things one is praised, and then the cultivation of words is adorned, when it duly joins to itself things that are fitting. We have indeed received the letters of your charity through our son Patricius, a man of distinction [the spectabilis rank], in which we were hoping to find a work full and worthy of approval, so that there might be nothing which would set anything apart from the integrity of unity. But because in these very letters you promise this disposition, which can especially provoke us toward that which we have stated above, we pour out prayers to our Lord, that He Himself, whose cause is also being handled, may, when all scandals have been wiped away or cut off, make them joined together out of His Church under one consent and in equal faith, and may not suffer anything to be found among His priests which anyone, whether out of private hatreds, or out of empty intentions, or out of men, might wish to please -- to the injury of God, which is a wickedness -- and not rather, despising all worldly things according to the blessed Apostle, may not be able to swerve from the hope of things to come. I exhort you for the sake of the common remedy, I invite you for the salvation of the faithful, I urge you for the sake of the general healing. For who is content to see those divided in whose unity he could glory? Hence there is need of common labor, so that, preserving this which we have received from our fathers, we may be able to stand secure concerning these matters in that divine judgment.

DiLECTissiMO FRATRi DOROTHEO HORMisDA. Ubi caritatis iuter- est seruare praecepta, etiamsi aliquid tale eueniat, quod cuius- libet possit animos commouere, tamen, ut ea, quae <de> concordiae conseruatione praediximus, debeant custodiri, oportet aequanimiter praetermitti, quia utique, si quid ignorantia tale proueniat, excusationem potest de ipsa simplicitate recipere. suam deus noster ecclesiam propria ordinatione constituit et, quod diuinis praeceptis noscitur esse dispositum, nullatenus 2 poterit praeteriri. cuius notitiam uel scientiam te non cognoui ignorare: in faciendo namque bona laudantui- et tuuc uerborum cultus ornatur, quando sibi conuenientia rite con- iungit. litteras siquidem per Patricium filium nostrum specta- bilem uirum tuae suscepimus caritatis, in quibus spera<ba>mus opus plenum et probabile reperire, ut nihil esset, quod ab 3 integritate unitatis secerneret. sed quia in his ipsis hunc promittis affectum, qui nos <ad> hoc <quod> praediximus possit specialiter prouocare, domino nostro preces effundimus, nt ipse, cuius et causa tractatur, abstersis uel amputatis uniuersis scandalis ex ecclesia sua sub uno consensu et parili faciat fide conexos nec in sacerdotibus suis quicquam reperiri patiatur, quod cuiuslibet aut odiis propriis aut inanibus inten- tionibus aut hominibus in iniuriam dei, quod nefas est, uelle 2 die] d o: ci V Ki ap V Batione T', corr. 8 ptermiti V 10 noster compendio nt pinxit V et p^: ut F 12 cognoui scripsi: cognouit F, conuenit 13 lau- daniur Edit. reg. 14 fort. conuenientia <facta ' 16 sperabamus Coust.: speramus V 18 fort. integritate <te> IH ad et quod inseruit o 21 causa y, corr. o 22 ex p^: et V 23 repperiri V 24 sq. patiatur quo . . intentionibus hominibus . . uelint placere . . contemnentes . . pos- sint Thiel; at ferri possunt tradita quamuis satis contorta 25 iniuria T', corr. 0 nefa F, corr. o Epist. CV 7 — CVII 2. 499 placere et non magis uniuersa secundum beatum apostolum saecularia contemnentem ab spe non possit exorbitare futura. hortor propter commune remedium, inuito pro salute fidelium, 4 propter generalem suadeo medicinam. quis namque contentus 5 est hos uidere diuisos, quorum potest unitate gloriari? unde opus est labore communi, ut hoc, quod a patribus nostris accepimus, conseruantes securi de his in illo diuino possimus asstare iudicio.