- Bede account : TW.
- Translation of Pope Gregory’s letter to the Abbot Melitus (This epistle is dated in the 19th year of the Emperor Maurice): “To his most beloved son the Abbot Melitus Gregory the servant of the servants of God We have been much concerned since the departure of our congregation is with you because we have not received any account of the good success of your journey When Almighty God shall bring you to the most man our brother Bishop Augustine tell him upon the most mature deliberation upon the affairs the English I have thought of that is that the temples of the idols in that nation ought not to be destroyed but let the idols that are in them be destroyed, let holy water be made and sprinkled in the said temples, let altars be erected and relics placed. For if those temples are well built it is requisite that they be converted from the worship of devils to the service of the true God that the nation not seeing these temples destroyed may remove error from their hearts and knowing and adoring the true God may the more familiarly resort to the same places where they were wont. And because they were used to slaughter many oxen in the sacrifice to devils some solemnity must be exchanged for them on this account - On the day of the dedication or the nativities of the holy martyrs whose relics are there deposited they may build themselves huts of the boughs of trees about those churches which have been turned to that use from temples and celebrate the solemnity with religious feasting. They are no more to offer up beasts to the devil but to slay and eat them to the praise of God and return thanks to the Giver of all good for their satiety for thus while they are permitted these gratifications they will the more readily attend to what leads to inward and spiritual satisfaction For there is no doubt but that it is impossible to retrench all at once with obdurate minds because he who would ascend to the highest place rises by degrees or steps and not by leaps These things you are affectionately to communicate to our brother Augustine that he may consider how he is to order all things.”