St. Augustine
quantum potuimus, pro eorum salute renitentibus. Et de Donato quidem, quia iam factum est, ut, antequam de hac re aliquid in concilio statueremus, ordinaretur, si forte a superbiae perversitate correctus est, quod vult, faciat prudentia tua. De fratre vero eius, in cuius vel maxime causa de monasterio etiam ipse Donatus abscessit, cum intellegas quid sentiam, nescio quid respondeam. Contradicere tamen prudentiae tuae, honori caritatique non audeo et sane spero id te facturum quod membris ecclesiae salubre perspexeris. Amen.
1Officio debito meritis tuis salutans dignationem tuam tuisque me orationibus valde commendans insinuo prudentiae tuae Abundantium quendam in fundo Strabonianensi pertinente ad curam nostram ordinatum fuisse presbyterum. Qui cum non ambularet vias servorum dei, non bonam famam habere coeperat. Qua ego conterritus non tamen temere aliquid credens sed plane sollicitior factus operam dedi, si quo modo possem ad aliqua malae conversationis eius certa indicia pervenire. Ac primo comperi eum
Letters of St. Augustine
their vocation, notwithstanding the most strenuous efforts I could make to oppose them, for their own best good. With Donatus, who has already managed to get himself ordained before we could decide anything in the Councila about this matter, just do in your wisdom as you will, if he happens to have been cured of his obstinate pride. But since you understand what I feel, I am at a loss what to say about his brother, for whose sake most of all Donatus himself left his monastery. Yet I do not presume to oppose one of your wisdom, rank and kindliness, and I do hope that you will do what you see to be beneficial for the members of the Church. Amen.
I greet your Honour with the respect due to your1 merits and earnestly commend myself to your prayers. I have to report to your Wisdom that a man by the name of Abundantius was ordained priest on the manor of Strabonian,c which belongs to my diocese, but, as he did not walk in the paths of God’s servants, he began to acquire a bad reputation. This alarmed me, but yet I did not lightly give it any credence; yet, my worry clearly increasing, I made an effort to reach, if it were at all possible, some incontrovertible proofs of his evil conduct. And my first discovery was that he had embezzled money
- aThe Council held at Carthage in June 401.
- bXanthippus was bishop of Thagura (Taoura, near Souk Ahras). He is mentioned again in Ep. lix. as one of those on whom devolved the duty of summoning a Council.
- cThe site of this fundus and of Gippi have not been identified, but they must have been near Hippo.