Entering the house given to them, they began to live there, imitating the life of the Apostles and the customs of the primitive church. They spent their time in prayer, vigil and fasting; they preached the Word of Life to everyone they could; they rejected all the joys of the world as alien to them; they took from those whom they taught only the bare necessities of life; in everything they did, they were ready to go to the end and even die for the truth they proclaimed. What else can I say? [224] Some, imbued with their simple and sinless life and the persuasiveness of their teaching, believed and were baptized. Not far off, to the east of the city, stood an old church, erected in the Roman days in honor of St. Martin, in which the queen, being a Christian, used to pray. In that church they first began to sing psalms, to read prayers, to celebrate mass, to preach, and to baptize, until the king himself was converted, and when they were at liberty to preach everywhere, and to build or rebuild temples.

Finally, the king himself, like the others, believed and was baptized, attracted by the purest life of the saints and their sweet-sounding promises, the truth of which they proved by many miracles. Every day more and more people flocked to hear the Word, leaving pagan rites for the sake of the holy Church of Christ. It is said that the king, although he rejoiced at their conversion to the true faith, did not compel anyone to accept Christianity; at the same time, he showed great mercy to the converts as to his future fellow citizens in the Kingdom of Heaven. After all, he learned from his teachers and mentors on the path of salvation that serving Christ is voluntary and does not tolerate compulsion. In a short time he granted his teachers places to settle in accordance with their rank in Dorouverne, his chief city, and gave them property of various kinds for their use.

XXVII. How, having become a bishop, he informed Pope Gregory of what he had done in Britain and received answers to the pressing questions he had asked

In the meantime, Augustine, a man of God, went to Arelat and was, in accordance with the command of the holy father Gregory, consecrated by the bishop of that city, Aetherius [226], archbishop of the people of the Angles. Returning to Britain, he immediately sent to Rome the priest Lawrence and the monk Peter [228] to inform the holy pontiff Gregory that the people of the Angles had accepted the faith of Christ and that he had become their bishop. At the same time, he asked for advice on some pressing issues. To these questions he immediately received the answers which we consider it necessary to place in our history:

I. The question of Blessed Augustine, Bishop of the Church of Kent: How should bishops live with their clergy, how should they divide the gifts brought by the faithful to the altar, and how should a bishop behave in church?

Gregory, Pope of the city of Rome, answers: "The Holy Scriptures, with which you are no doubt familiar, speak of this, especially in the letter of Blessed Paul to Timothy, where he takes the trouble to instruct how to behave in the house of God." It is the custom of the Apostolic See to inform anyone who is anointed bishop that all incoming money should be divided into four parts: one to the bishop and his house for works of charity, another to the clergy, a third to the poor, and a fourth to the renewal of the churches. But since, brother, according to the monastic rule, you live with your clergy in the church of the Angles, who have been converted to faith by the Lord's providence, it is better for you to follow the rules of our fathers, accepted in the ancient Church: none of them possessed anything separately, but all things were common to them. If the clerics of the lower ranks cannot abstain from it, they must marry and find a job outside the community, for we know from the writings concerning the above-mentioned Fathers that each is given what he needs. They must also be cared for and provided with food for their needs, and they must obey the rules of the Church, live well, participate in services, and turn their hearts, tongues, and bodies away from all that is evil. And what shall we say to those who live in the same community about the division of gifts, or about hospitality, or about the distribution of alms? Our Lord and Teacher said about how to do this with piety: "Give alms from what you have, then everything will be pure with you" [234].

Augustine's question: Why, although the faith is one, are there different customs in the churches, and why do the holy Roman churches celebrate Mass according to one rite, and in the Gallic churches according to another?

Pope Gregory answers: You, my brother, are undoubtedly aware of the customs of the Roman Church. But I want you, if you find in the Roman or Gaul or any other church what is most pleasing to Almighty God, to carefully select it and teach the church of the Angles, which is still inexperienced in the faith, what you think fit to take from these churches. For it is not the place that adorns the works done there, but the good works that adorn the place. Take in every church, therefore, what you think right and pious, and put it all together, and see how the souls of the Angles become accustomed to it.

III. Augustine's Question: Please tell me how a man who robs a church should be punished.

Gregory answers: My brother, judge the punishment of the robber according to the circumstances. There are those who do this with the means to live, and those who are motivated to do so by poverty. Therefore some should be punished with fines, others with scourging; some are harsh, others are more mild. But when the punishment is severe, it is necessary to punish with love, and not with anger, for punishment should correct, and not cast into the fire of hell. We must teach the faithful obedience, as good fathers of their children: for they beat them for their faults in order to raise them up as their heirs, and give all their possessions to those who were formerly severely punished. In the same way, we must always remember about love, and love will prompt us a means for correction, so that we do not invent anything unreasonable. It should be added that they must make up for everything they have stolen from the church; but the Church is forbidden to profit from earthly affairs, so one should not be too concerned about vain things [236].

IV. Augustine's Question: Can two brothers marry two sisters whose family is not related to them?

Gregory answers: This is permissible, since there is nothing in the holy sayings that would forbid it.

V. Augustine's question: To what degree of kinship can believers marry, and is it permissible to marry a stepmother or a daughter-in-law?

Gregory answers: The law of the Roman state states that a son and daughter of a brother and sister, or two brothers, or two sisters can marry. But experience shows that the offspring from such marriages are short-lived, and the sacred law forbids the uncovering of the nakedness of one's neighbors. Therefore, believers can only marry relatives in the third or fourth degree, and those mentioned above cannot marry under any circumstances. To marry a stepmother is a mortal sin, for it is said in the law: "Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father" [237]. And although this is not the nakedness of the father, it is said: "And the two shall be one flesh," [238] therefore he who uncovers the nakedness of his stepmother, thereby also reveals the nakedness of his father. For this reason it is forbidden to marry a brother's wife, because in a previous marriage she was one flesh with her brother. Because of this, John the Baptist died, who was not forced to renounce Christ and was beheaded not for confessing Christ, but Christ said: "I am the Truth" [239], and John was executed for the truth, which means that he shed blood for Christ.