³⁷ Ad comitatum; referring to the suffragans of Crementius having complained to the Emperor against their primate.

³⁸ See preceding epistle, note I. On this John's election to the See of Syracuse on Gregory's strong recommendation after the death of Maximianus, see V. 17.

³⁹ Viz. Crementius. See preceding epistle.

⁴⁰ See I. 25, note 8

⁴¹ The genuineness of this letter is considered doubtful. It may have been a forgery founded on Epistle CXXII. in this book from Gregory to Reccared. The Latin in the original is in many parts incorrect and ungrammatical; being such indeed Reccared's was not unlikely to be. Other letters relating to the conversion of Reccared are I. 43: IX, 121, 122.

⁴² "Tonsuratores dici potuere qui erant pr(positi colonis seu possesseribus pr(diorum Ecclesi( Roman(, qui erant tonsurati in signum subjectionis, more Romanorum". Alteserra.

⁴³ i.e. letters of appointment under the hand of the bishop of Rome. See V. 29, XI. 38, for the form of such letters.

⁴⁴ See note above.

⁴⁵ See III. 47, note 2.

⁴⁶ Porcedere; i.e. proceed to the Holy Table for celebration. Cf. VII. 34, note 7.

⁴⁷ See III.47, note 2.

⁴⁸ See below, Ep. LXXIX., and III.47, note 2.

⁴⁹ See below, Ep. LXXXI.

⁵⁰ See VII. 15, VIII. 10.

⁵¹ See VI. 25, and note there.

⁵² See above, Ep. LXXX, and III.47, note 2.

⁵³ According to a narrative found in some few codices of the Registrum Epistolartim, and printed in in appendix by the Benedictine Editors, the penance done by Maximus at Ravenna consisted in his prostrating himself on the pavement of the city for three hours and exclaiming, "Peccavi Deo, et beatissimo pap( Gregorio."

⁵⁴ Gregory's apocrisiarius at Constantinople.

⁵⁵ Supposed to be identical with Marcellus, Proconsul of Dalmatia, who, having originally and for some time afterwards supported Maximus as bishop of Salona against Gregory, had apparently made overtures for reconciliation with the latter. See IX. 5, and on the whole subject III. 47, note 2. He seems to have now fully satisfied Gregory, whose laudation of him in this letter is in marked contrast to the tone of IX. 5, addressed to Marcellus himself previously.

⁵⁶ See X. 24.

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