To Julianus the Scribo, on the Case of Maximus

Gregory to Julianus, and so on. [a]

If in worldly offices order and the discipline handed down by our ancestors are kept, who could bear to see the order of the church thrown into confusion, to disregard such things when he hears of them, and to put off correcting them by wrongly overlooking them? And indeed you do well to cherish love and to urge harmony. But we are compelled, by the duty of our position and for God’s sake, by no means to leave uninvestigated the things that have come to our knowledge. So when Maximus comes, we will take care to demand a strict account from him of the things that have been said about him. And we trust in the protection of our Creator that we will not be turned aside by either the favor or the fault of any man from upholding the canons and the straight path of fairness, but will gladly keep to what agrees with reason. For if, which God forbid, we neglect the church’s care and firmness, idleness destroys discipline, and harm will certainly be done to the souls of the faithful when they see such examples set them by their pastors. [b]

As for what you say in your letter, that the goodwill of the palace and the love of the people have not been withdrawn from him, this does not call us back from our zeal for justice, nor will it make our resolve to find out the truth fail through any sin of ours. Everyone, then, magnificent son, should strive to win for himself the love of God. For without God’s favor, what can I say that human love will do for us hereafter, when even here among ourselves it does us all the more harm?