St. Augustine
nutriri et erudiri sapientia, necessaria illi est etiam vestra concordia.
1Notissima mihi et probatissima devotio sanctitatis vestrae in domino nostro Iesu Christo fiduciam dedit, ut etiam absens praesumerem unde praesens gaudere consuevi, qui semper spiritu vobiscum sum, non solum quia gratia domini nostri Iesu Christi tantae suavitatis flagrare non cessat, sed etiam quia me ipsum, qui vobis in evangelio servio, angustiam pati non permittitis. Cum enim frater noster Fascius debito decem et septem solidorum ab opinatoribus urgeretur ut redderet, quod ad praesens unde explicaret se, non inveniebat, ne corporalem pateretur iniuriam ad auxilium sanctae ecclesiae convolavit. Illi etiam exactores, cum proficisci cogerentur et ideo dilationem dare non possent, gravissimis me querelis oneraverunt, ita ut eis illum traderem aut, quod sibi deberi ostendebant, unde acciperent, providerem. Cumque obtulissem Fascio ut vestram sanctitatem de necessitatibus
Letters of St. Augustine
trained, as you would have him, in the wisdom of God, it is essential for him too that you both should be in harmony.
Your devotion, my holy brethren, to our Lord Jesus1 Christ, well known to me and often tested, has given me, though absent, reason to place reliance in that wherein I have been wont to rejoice when present: in spirit I am always with you, not only because the great sweetness of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ ever continueth its fragrance, but also because you do not suffer me, who am your servant in the Gospel, to endure any hardship. Now, our brother Fascius was being pressed for payment of a debt of seventeen solidib by the tribute-gatherers and found for the moment no way of escape from his entanglement; wherefore, so as not to suffer bodily injury, he fled to the protection of Holy Church.c And as those tax-collectors were compelled to take their departure and so were unable to grant him a respite, they heaped on me the most grievous abuse, declaring that I ought to hand him over to them or to furnish the means wherefrom they could receive the debt which they proved was owing them. I made the offer to Fascius to speak to
- aIn this letter to his congregation at Hippo, Augustine appeals for a collection to enable him to repay to Macedonius a debt he had incurred to relieve their townsman and fellow—Christian, Fascius, who being pressed by creditors, took sanctuary in the church. By a law of Theodosius (Cod. Theod. ix. 45. 1–3) Fascius was liable to seizure and removal, unless the bishop discharged the debt. This Augustine did by borrowing, but as Fascius has not repaid him, he appeals for their help.
- bThis amounted to about £16.
- cFor sanctuary see p. 209.