Ep. CXLIV.
(Verianus, a citizen of Nazianzus, had been offended by
his son-in-law, and on this account wished his daughter to sue for a
divorce. Olympius referred the matter to the Episcopal
arbitration of S. Gregory, who refused to countenance the proceeding,
and writes the two following letters, the first to the Prefect, the
second to Verianus himself.)
Haste is not always praiseworthy. For this
reason I have deferred my answer until now about the daughter of the
most honorable Verianus, both to allow for time setting matters right,
and also because I conjecture that Your Goodness does not approve of
the divorce, inasmuch as you entrusted the enquiry to me, whom you knew
to be neither hasty nor uncircumspect in such matters. Therefore
I have refrained myself till now, and, I venture to think, not without
reason. But since we have come nearly to the end of the allotted
time, and it is necessary that you should be informed of the result of
the examination I will inform you. The young lady seems to me to
be of two minds, divided between reverence for her parents and
affection for her husband. Her words are on their side, but her
mind, I rather think, is with her husband, as is shewn by her
tears. You will do what commends itself to your justice, and to
God who directs you in all things. I should most willingly have
given my opinion to my son Verianus that he should pass over much of
what is in question, with a view not to confirm the divorce, which is
entirely contrary to our law,
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though the Roman
law may determine otherwise. For it is necessary that justice be
observed—which I pray you may ever both say and
do.
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The law of the
Church.