A letter from Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury (1102)

Translated letter:

Anselm, though unworthy, called archibishop of Canterbury: to his dearest lady and daughter, Clementia,(1) reverend countess, wishing that through long-lasting prosperity in this life she may merit eternal felicity in the next. I have been told that certain abbots have so been established(2) in Flanders that the Count, your husband, did not give them investiture by his hand. As this was not done without his prudent clemency so I am certain that it was not done without your clement prudence. The more I rejoice about this good deed of yours, the more truly do I love you both in God. When you carry out what pertains to the Christian religion in complete agreement you show yourselves to be true children and faithful advocates of the Church, the spouse of God. For princes, if they are Christians, should not consider that the spouse of God, their mother, was given to them as a hereditary dominion but rather entrusted to them by God so that they may merit to become her coheirs to honor and defend her. There was a king who understood what pertains to princes; he cursed the princes who wanted to possess God's sanctuary by inheritance thus: "My God, send them whirling this way and that, like chaff before the wind,"(3) and what follows next. It is not David who says this but the Spirit of God, the Son of David, who said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."(4)It is your duty, reverend lady and dearest daughter, to mention this and other similar things frequently to your husband "in season or out of season,"(5) and advise him to prove that he is not lord of the Church, but her advocate, not her step-son but her true son. Then for sure his power will be pleasing to God, all his actions will be guided by him and God will be with him against all his enemies. Admonish him never to oppose God's law, for Scripture, which does not lie, states that those who are not subject to it are undoubtedly enemies of God.(6) He should not trust in any counsel which is against God's counsel, for "The Lord thwarts the counsel of princes, while the Lord's counsel stands firm for ever,"(7) and, "The wisdom of this world is folly with God."(8) Holy Scripture is the Lord's counsel and the counsel of those to whom he said: "He who hears you, hears me,"(9) and was ordained for the good of Christian religion.(10) Thus I beg that Countess Clementia should admonish and counsel her husband in this way so that divine clemency may raise both him and her to the kingdom of heaven. So may it be. Amen.(11)

Original letter:

Anselmus, quamvis indignus, archiepiscopus dictus Cantuariare: dominae et filiae carissimae Clementiae, reverandae comitissae, per diuturnam huius vitae prosperitatem aeternam futurae mereri felicitatem. elatum mihi est quosdam abbates in Flandria sic constitutos, ut comes, vir vester, nullam eis manu sua daret investituram. Quod sicut non sine eius prudenti clementia, ita non esse aestimo factum absque vestra clementi prudentia. Tanto ergo de hoc vestro bono opere gaudeo, quanto vos ambos verius in deo diligo. Cum enim ea quae religionis Christianae sunt, concordi voluntate facitis, veros vos esse filios ecclesiae, sponsae dei, et fideles advocatos ostenditis. Non enim debent principes sponsam dei, matrem suam, si Christiani sunt, aestimare sibi datam in haereditariam dominationem, sed a deo sibi commendatam, ut eius cohaeredes mereantur esse ad reverentiam et defensionem. Rex enim erat et quid ad principes pertineat intelligebat, qui principes volentes haereditate 'sanctuarium dei' possidere sic maledicebat: 'Deus meus, pone illos ut rotam et sicut stipulam ante faciem venti.' Et quae proxime sequuntur. Non haec loquitur David, sed spiritus dei, filii David, qui dixit: 'Caelum et terra transibunt, verba autem mea non transibunt.' Ad vos pertinet, reverenda domina et filia carissima, ut haec et huiusmodi viro vestro frequenter 'opportune, importune' suggeratis, et ut non dominum sed advocatum, non privignum sed filium se probet esse ecclesiae consulatis. Certe sic erit potestas placens deo, et omnes actus eius dirigentur ab eo, et contra omnes adversarios eius erit cum eo. Monete eum, ut numquam adversetur legi dei, quia qui illi subditi non sunt, scriptura, quae non mentitur, asserit illos indubitanter immicos esse dei. Ne credat consilium contra consilium dei, quia 'dominus' 'reprobat consilia principum, consilium autem domini manet in aeternum'; et: 'sapientia huius saeculi stultitia est apud deum.' Consilium autem domini est sacra scriptura et eorum quibus dixit: 'qui vos audit, me audit' et ad Christianam religionem instituta. Haec moneat, haec consulat, rogo, viro suo comitissa Clementia, ut et illum et illam ad regnum caelorum sublevet divina clementia. Sic fiat. Amen.

Historical context:

Archbishop Anselm praises the countess for the part he is sure she played in her husband's giving over the investiture of abbots to the church following a papal decree (cf. ep.248 to Count Robert). He supports her with biblical citations, imagines what she might have said to her husband to persuade him, and exhorts her to continue to advise and admonish him to follow God's will.

Scholarly notes:

(1) Clementia was a daughter of William, Count of Burgundy. Her brother was Guido/Guy, Archbishop of Vienne, 1088-1119, see ep.214, and later Pope Calistus II, 1119-1124, see OV Vl:162, 274. She was married to Count Robert II of Flanders, see epp.86, 180, and especially 248.
(2) "Constitutus": see RB 64:1 and ep.164 note 3.  (3) Ps 82:12, 14. (4) Mk 13:31. (5) 2 Tm 4:2. (6) See Rm 8:7-8. (7) Ps 32:10-11. (8) 1 Co 3:19. (9) Lk 10:16.
(10) For Anselm's concept of the relationship between princes and kings and the Church see also epp.223, 235, 243, 262, 270, 339, 378, 389 and W. Froehlich, "Anselm's Weltbild as conveyed in his Letters," Anselm Studies II (1988) 483-525; W. Froehlich, "Anselms von Canterbury imago regis, dargestellt aus seinen Briefen." Universitat und Bildung (1991) 13-24; idem., "Saint Anselm's Concept of Kingship," Colloque International du CNRS (forthcoming).
(11) The translation is reproduced with the permission of the translator and the publisher, Cistercian Publications Inc. Editorial Offices, Institute of Cistercian Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008. All rights are reserved; downloading and copying for any purpose other than private research is prohibited.

Printed source:

Sancti Anselmi Cantuariensis Archiepiscopi, Opera Omnia, ed. F.S. Schmitt (Edinburgh: T. Nelson, 1946-63), ep.249, 4.159-60; translation and annotation from The Letters of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, trans. Walter Frohlich, Cistercian Studies 97, 3v (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990-1994), 2.233-235.

Date:

1102