f them at his own table. He kept
by him an exact catalogue of the poor, called by the ancients matriculae;
and he liberally provided for the necessities of each. In the beginning
of every month he {574} distributed to all the poor, corn, wine, pulse,
cheese, fish, flesh, and oil: he appointed officers for every street to
send every day necessaries to all the needy sick; before he ate he
always sent off meats from his own table to some poor persons. One day a
beggar being found dead in a corner of a by-street, he is said to have
abstained some days from the celebration of the divine mysteries,
condemning himself of a neglect in seeking the poor with sufficient
care. He entertained great numbers of strangers both at Rome and in
other countries, and had every day twelve at his own table whom his
sacristan invited. He was most liberal in redeeming captives taken by
the Lombards, for which he permitted the bishop of Fano to break and
sell the sacred vessels,[20] and ordered the bishop of Messana to do the
same.[21] He extended his charity to the heretics, whom he sought to
gain by mildness. He wrote to the bishop of Naples to receive and
reconcile readily those who desired it, taking upon his own soul the
danger,[22] lest he should be charged with their perdition if they
should perish by too great severity. Yet he was careful not to give them
an occasion of triumphing by any unreasonable condescension; and much
more not to relax the severity of the law of God in the least
tittle.[23] He showed great moderation to the schismatics of Istria, and
to the very Jews. When Peter, bishop of Terracina, had taken from the
latter their synagogue, St. Gregory ordered it to be restored to them,
saying, they are not to be compelled, but converted by meekness and
charity.[24] He repeated the same orders for the Jews of Sardinia, and
for those of Sicily.[25] In his letters to his vicar in Sicily, and to
the stewards of the patrimony of the Roman church in Africa, Italy, and
other places, he recommends mildness and liberality towards his vassals
and farmers; orders money to be advanced to those that were in distress,
which they might repay by little and little, and most rigorously forbids
any to be oppressed. He carefully computed and piously distributed the
income of his revenues at four terms in the year. In his epistles, we
find him continually providing for the necessities of all churches,
especially of those in Italy, which the wars of th