Letter 17: [Instructions for Pullio, subdeacon.

With the help of God and the prayers of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, on coming to Nicopolis you ought to proceed in this way: that after the bishop of Nicopolis has received our letters, he is to gather together the bishops who are within his province and have them subscribe to the document which they have attached in their letters. If, however, the aforesaid bishop should say that it is too laborious to gather the bishops together, let him send persons along with you to the individual bishops, so that in your presence they may subscribe to the aforesaid document. Yet you ought, by the mercy of God, to act in such a way that the letters which have been sent to us are read publicly; or, if you should see that the bishops are unwilling to do this out of fear, let them at least have these read again even by their own clergy. These matters, however, leave within their own discretion; and the writings of the bishops, and of that bishop -- that is, of John the metropolitan -- bring back to us, by the mercy of God. After this has been done, we do not wish you to make any delays in that same place, on account of the snares and cunning devices of our enemies. Hormisdas to John of Nicopolis, with the synod.

5 Cum dei adiutorio et orationibus sanctonim apostolorum Petri et Pauli ueniens ad Nicopolim sic debes agere, ut post- quam episcopus Nicopolitauus acceperit litteras nostras, epi- scopos, qui sunt in sua paroecia, colligat et faciat sub- scribere in libellum, quem in epistolis suis babent adnexum. 10 si tamen dixerit praedictus episcopus esse laboriosum episcopos 2 colligere, dirigat tecum personas per singulos episcopos, ut te praesente subscribant in praedictum libellum. sic tamen 3 cum dei inisericordia facere debes, ut epistolae, quae<a> nobis missae sunt, publice legantur, aut si uideris prae timore hoc 15 episcopos facere noUe, saltem uel clericis suis haec relegant. quae tamen in ipsorum dimitte potestatem et scripta episco- porum et illius episcopi, hoc est loliannis metropolitani, ad nos cum dei misericordia reporta. post hoc factum nullas 4 moras te uolumus ibidem facere propter insidias et calliditates 20 inimicorum. 534 Honnisda lohanni Nicopolitano cnm synodo