tractavi, videlicet, quia fana idolorum destrui in eadem gente minime debeant; sed ipsa, quæ in eis sunt, idola destruantur, aqua benedicta fiat, in eisdem fanis aspergatur, altaria construantur, reliquiæ ponantur. Quia, si fana eadem bene constructa sunt, necesse est ut a cultu dæmonum in obsequium veri Dei debeant commutari; ut dum gens ipsa eadem fana sua non videt destrui, de corde errorem deponat, et Deum verum cognoscens ac adorans ad loca, quæ consuevit, familiarius concurrat. Et quia boves solent in sacrificio dæmonum multos occidere, debet eis etiam hac de re aliqua solennitas immutari; ut die dedicationis, vel natalitiis sanctorum martyrum, quorum illic reliquiæ ponuntur, tabernacula sibi circa easdem ecclesias, quæ ex fanis commutatæ sunt, de ramis arborum faciant, et religiosis conviviis solennitatem celebrent, nec diabolo jam animalia immolent, sed ad laudem Dei in esu suo animalia occidant, et donatori omnium de satietate sua gratias referant; ut dum eis aliqua exterius gaudia reservantur, ad interiora gaudia consentire facilius valeant. Nam duris mentibus simul omnia abscindere impossibile esse non dubium est; quia et is, qui summum locum ascendere nititur, gradibus vel passibus, non autem saltibus, elevatur. Sic Israelitico populo in Ægypto Dominus quidem innotuit; sed tamen eis sacrificiorum usus, quæ diabolo solebat exhibere, in cultu proprio reservavit, ut eis in suo sacrificio animalia immolare præciperet; quatenus cor mutantes aliud de sacrificio amitterent, aliud retinerent, ut etsi ipsa essent animalia, quæ offerre consueverant, vero tamen Deo hæc et non idolis immolantes, determined upon, viz. that the temples of the idols in A.D. 601. that nation ought not to be destroyed; but let the idols that are in them be destroyed; let holy water be made and sprinkled in the said temples, let altars be erected, and relics placed. For if those temples are well built, it is requisite that they be converted from the worship of devils to the service of the true God; that the nation, seeing that their temples are not destroyed, may remove error from their hearts, and knowing and adoring the true God, may the more familiarly resort to the places to which they have been accustomed. And because they have been used to slaughter many oxen in the sacrifices to devils, some solemnity must be exchanged for them on this account, as that on the day of the dedication, or the nativities of the holy martyrs, whose relics are there deposited, they may build themselves huts of the boughs of trees, about those churches which have been turned to that use from temples, and celebrate the solemnity with religious feasting, and no more offer beasts to the Devil, but kill cattle to the praise of God in their eating, and return thanks to the Giver of all things for their sustenance; to the end that, whilst some gratifications are outwardly permitted them, they may the more easily consent to the inward consolations of the grace of God. For there is no doubt that it is impossible to efface every thing at once from their obdurate minds; because he who endeavours to ascend to the highest place, rises by degrees or steps, and not by leaps. Thus the Lord made himself known to the people of Israel in Egypt; and yet he allowed them the use of the sacrifices which they were wont to offer to the Devil, in his own worship; so as to command them in his sacrifice to kill beasts, to the end that, changing their hearts, they might lay aside one part of the sacrifice, whilst they retained another; that whilst they offered the same beasts which they were wont to offer, they should offer them to God, and not to idols; and jam sacrificia ipsa non essent. Hæc igitur dilectionem tuam prædicto fratri necesse est dicere, ut ipse in præsenti illic positus perpendat qualiter omnia debeat dispensare. Deus te incolumem custodiat, dilectissime fili. "Datæ die decimo quinto kalendarum Juliarum, imperante domino nostro Mauricio Tiberio piissimo Augusto anno decimo nono, post consulatum ejusdem domini anno decimo octavo, indictione quarta." CAP. XXXI. UT AUGUSTINUM PER LITTERAS, NE DE VIRTUTIBUS SUIS GLORIARETUR, HORTATUS SIT. Quo in tempore misit etiam Augustino epistolam super miraculis, quæ per eum facta esse cognoverat, in qua eum, ne per illorum copiam periculum elationis incurreret, his verbis hortatur. "Scio, frater carissime, quia omnipotens Deus per dilectionem tuam in gentem, quam eligi voluit, magna miracula ostendit, unde necesse est ut de eodem dono cœlesti et timendo gaudeas, et gaudendo pertimescas. Gaudeas, videlicet, quia Anglorum animæ per exteriora miracula ad interiorem gratiam pertrahuntur; pertimescas vero, ne inter signa quæ fiunt, infirmus animus in sui præsumtione se elevet, et unde foras in honorem tollitur, inde per inanem gloriam intus cadat. Meminisse etenim debemus quia discipuli cum gaudio a prædicatione redeuntes, dum cœlesti magistro dicerent, [Luc. x. 17,] Domine, in nomine tuo etiam dæmonia nobis subjecta sunt, protinus audierunt, [Luc. x. 20,] Nolite gaudere super hoc, sed potius gaudete, quia nomina vestra scripta sunt in cælo. In privata enim et temporali lætitia mentem posuerant, qui de miraculis gaudebant; sed de privata ad communem, de temporali thus they would no longer be the same sacrifices. This A.D. 601. it behoves your affection to communicate to our aforesaid brother, that he being there present, may consider how he is to order all things. God preserve you in safety, most beloved son. "Given the 17th of June, in the nineteenth year of the reign of our lord, the most pious emperor, Mauritius Tiberius, the eighteenth year after the consulship of our said lord. The fourth indiction." CHAP. XXXI.-POPE GREGORY, BY LETTER, EXHORTS AUGUSTINE NOT TO GLORY IN HIS MIRACLES. letter of Augustine. Ar which time he also sent Augustine a letter con- Another cerning the miracles that he had heard had been Gregory's to wrought by him; wherein he admonishes him not to A. D. 601. incur the danger of being puffed up by the number of them. The letter was in these words : “I know, most loving brother, that Almighty God, by means of your affection, shows great miracles in the nation which he has chosen. Wherefore it is necessary, that you rejoice with fear, and tremble whilst you rejoice, on account of the same heavenly gift; viz. that you may rejoice because the souls of the English are by outward miracles drawn to inward grace; but that you fear, lest, amidst the wonders that are wrought, the weak mind may be puffed up in its own presumption, and as it is externally raised to honour, it may thence inwardly fall by vainglory. For we must call to mind, that when the disciples returned with joy after preaching, and said to their heavenly Master, 'Lord, in thy name, even the devils are subject to us; they were presently told, 'Do not rejoice on this account, but rather rejoice for that your names are written in heaven.' For they placed their thoughts on private and temporal joys, when they rejoiced in miracles; but they are recalled from the private to the public, and from the temporal to ad æternam lætitiam revocantur, quibus dicitur, In hoc gaudete, quia nomina vestra scripta sunt in cælo. Non enim omnes electi miracula faciunt, sed tamen eorum nomina omnium in cælo tenentur adscripta. Veritatis etenim discipulis esse gaudium non debet, nisi de eo bono, quod commune cum omnibus habent, et in quo finem lætitiæ non habent. "Restat itaque, frater carissime, ut inter ea, quæ, operante Domino, exterius facis, semper te interius subtiliter judices, ac subtiliter intelligas, et temetipsum quis sis, et quanta sit in eadem gente gratia, pro cujus conversione etiam faciendorum signorum dona percepisti. Et si quando te Creatori nostro seu per linguam, sive per opera, reminisceris deliquisse, semper hæc ad memoriam revoces, ut surgentem cordis gloriam memoria reatus premat. Et quidquid de faciendis signis acceperis vel accepisti, hæc non tibi, sed illis, deputes donata, pro quorum tibi salute collata sunt." CAP. XXXII. - UT ETHELBERTO REGI LITERAS ET DONA MISERIT. MISIT idem beatus Papa Gregorius eodem tempore etiam Regi Ethelberto epistolam, simul et dona in diversis speciebus perplura; temporalibus quoque honoribus regem glorificare satagens, cui gloriæ cœlestis suo labore et industria notitiam provenisse gaudebat. Exemplar autem præfatæ epistolæ hoc est. "Domino gloriosissimo atque præcellentissimo filio Ethelberto regi Anglorum, Gregorius episcopus. Propter hoc omnipotens Deus bonus quosque ad populorum regimina perducit, ut per eos omnibus, quibus prælati |