▁con co cted ▁in ▁England ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁e ighth ▁century . ▁It ▁has ▁since ▁been ▁shown , ▁however , ▁that ▁this ▁hypothesis ▁was ▁based ▁on ▁incomplete ▁evidence ▁and ▁historical ▁mis app reh ensions . ▁In ▁particular , ▁tw enti eth - century ▁scholar ship ▁focused ▁on ▁the ▁presence ▁in ▁the ▁Lib ell us ▁of ▁what ▁appeared ▁to ▁be ▁an ▁impos s ibly ▁la x ▁rule ▁regarding ▁cons angu inity ▁and ▁marriage , ▁a ▁rule ▁that ▁( it ▁was ▁thought ) ▁Gregory ▁could ▁not ▁possibly ▁have ▁end ors ed . ▁It ▁is ▁now ▁known ▁that ▁this ▁rule ▁is ▁not ▁in ▁fact ▁as ▁la x ▁as ▁histor ians ▁had ▁thought , ▁and ▁moreover ▁that ▁the ▁rule ▁is ▁fully ▁consistent ▁with ▁Gregory ' s ▁style ▁and ▁mode ▁of ▁thought . ▁Today , ▁Gregory ▁I ' s ▁author ship ▁of ▁the ▁Lib ell us ▁is ▁generally ▁accepted . ▁The ▁question ▁of ▁authentic ity ▁aside , ▁manuscript ▁and ▁text ual ▁evidence ▁indicates ▁that ▁the ▁document ▁was ▁being ▁transm itted ▁in ▁Italy ▁by ▁perhaps ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁sevent h ▁century ▁( i . e . ▁shortly ▁after ▁Gregory ▁I ' s ▁death ▁in ▁ 6 0 4 ), ▁and ▁in ▁England ▁by ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁same ▁century . ▁ ▁Cre ation ▁ ▁The ▁Lib ell us ▁is ▁a ▁reply ▁by ▁Pope ▁Gregory ▁I ▁to ▁questions ▁pos ed ▁by ▁August ine ▁of ▁Can ter bury ▁about ▁certain ▁discipl inary , ▁administrative , ▁and ▁sac ral ▁problems ▁he ▁was ▁facing ▁as ▁he ▁tried ▁to ▁establish