e to accept
anything in gold, or in any kind of consideration whatever, for the
ordination of such abbess, or for any causes whatever pertaining to this
monastery, and that the same abbess presume not to give anything on
account of her ordination, lest by such occasion what is offered or has
been offered to places of piety should be consumed. And inasmuch as many
occasions for the deception of religious women are sought out, as is
said, in your parts by bad men, we ordain that an abbess of this same
monastery shall in no wise be deprived or deposed unless in case of
criminality requiring it. Hence, it is necessary that if any complaint
of this kind should arise against her, not only the bishop of the city
of Autun should examine the case, but that he should call to his
assistance six other of his fellow-bishops, and so fully investigate the
matter to the end that, all judging with one accord, a strict canonical
decision may either smite if guilty, or absolve her if innocent." A law
against any wrong always predicates the existence of that fault. Hence,
the prohibitions we have quoted could not have been of unknown
occurrence among the fellow abbesses of Thalassia.

Through other letters we learn that it was in contradiction of monastic
rule for those embracing that life to retain property of their own after
profession, or even the power of disposing of it by will; it became the
property of the convent. It appears, also, that if a nun were
transferred from one monastery to another, or if, as sometimes happened,
a consecrated virgin living at home had lapsed and was therefore sent to
a monastery, her property always went to the convent in which she at
that present time resided. This was so strictly enforced that when one
Sirica, abbess at Caralis, made a will and distributed her property,
Gregory ordered that it be restored to the monastery without dispute or
evasion. As many women of position were induced to become nuns, it is
easy to be seen how the convents quickly acquired great wealth.

All the abbesses did not consider themselves slavishly bound to follow
the uniform rule. In the letter just mentioned, the same Sirica is seen
to have manifested a refreshing independence in relation to other
matters in regard to which a woman does not take kindly to outside
interference. Gregory says: "And when we enquired of the Solicitude of
your Holiness why you endured that property belonging to the monastery
should be detained