To Theodebert, King of the Franks, on a Synod Against Simony

Gregory to Theodebert, and so on. [a]

Whoever receives words of fatherly admonition with a willing mind and holds them close in his heart shows himself without doubt to be one who means to correct faults. That is why the unconditional promise of your excellency is assurance enough for us. For we take as a pledge the word of one who is good for payment. So let your excellency be pleased, keeping to the commands of our God, to give earnest attention to the assembling of a synod, so that every bodily vice in priests, and the simoniac heresy, which was the first to arise in the churches out of wicked ambition, may, under threat of censure by your power, be removed by the decree of a council and cut off at the roots. Otherwise, if gold is loved more than God in your regions, he who now stays calm while his commands are despised may hereafter be felt to be angry in vengeance. And indeed, because we say all this for your own good, we do not stop pressing you again and again, so that even by persistence we may be able to do good to our most excellent and dearest sons. For it will be to the advantage of your kingdom in every way if what is done against God in those regions is corrected by your excellency’s reform. [b]

Furthermore, we have learned from the report of certain monks who returned to us from him what good service your excellency did to our most reverend brother and fellow bishop Augustine on his way to the nation of the Angles. Giving you our greatest thanks for this, we ask you to bestow your kindnesses generously on the monks who bring you this letter, whom we have sent to our brother just named. Then, while they are under your patronage, they will find no difficulties in your regions but will easily complete, with the help of Christ, the journey they have undertaken, and you may reap a richer harvest of reward before the eyes of our God.