After almighty God honored your kingdom with the true faith and made you conspicuous among other peoples for the integrity of your Christian religion, we reveived from you plenty of evidence for believing that you really wanted your subjects to be converted to that faith, in that you are of course their kings and lords.
And thus it has come to our attention that the people of England earnestly desire to be converted to the Christian faith, with God's compassion, but that the priests from nearby neglect them, and cease to inflame their demand with their encouragement.
And so, we have decided for this reason that Augustine, a monk who bears this letter, and whose zeal and earnestness is well known to us, should be sent there with other monks. We have also ordered that they should take some priests with them from nearby, through whom they might understand their thoughts, and whose advice might help them to get what they want, whatever God should give them.
In this matter, so that theu can appear efficient and suitable, we greet your Excellencies with a father's love, and request that those whom we have sent might deserve to discover the grace of yourfavor.
Cited from: The Letters of Gregory the Great, trans. John R.C. Martyn (Toronto: PIMS, 2004), II, 438
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