A letter from Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury (1077-78)

Translated letter:

To his reverend and dearest lady, countess Ida,(1) most distinguished by nobility both of birth and of life: brother Anselm, wishing she may progress from virtue to virtue and rise from earthly dignity to the heavenly kingdom. To say nothing of your other good works, for which the reputation of your nobility breathes the scent of your gentle holiness far and wide and all around; you surely lavish so many and such great acts of kindness on people in all walks of life who travel to or from our monastery that we are already so accustomed to them and they are so familiar to us that it could be burdensome to you for us to order thanks to be given you by word or letter for every single act, nor are we able to repay whatever we might according to your merits. Wherefore we commend you to God and we place him between us and you, so that just as you do what you do for his sake, so he may repay you on behalf of us for whom you do good. Therefore at the insistence of the brother abandoned by his family whom you sent to us and to whom you showed very generous consolation in his great desolation, I write this letter to your reverend holiness. From it you will discover that I am as grateful for what you did for him as [I would be] if you had done it for me, and that everything he said about himself and his situation is true and that he observed your instructions in all the things you ordered us through him, and your man, serving him faithfully, kindly brought him to us according to your command. May God reward you for these and your other good works with eternal happiness. Do not fail "in doing good" for "in his good time" you will reap "if you do not fail" [cf.Gal.6:9]. (2)

Original letter:

Suae reverendae et carissimae dominae, generis simul et vitae nobilitate clarissimae, comitissae Idae: frater Anselmus de virtute in virtutem proficere, de terrena dignitate ad caeleste regnum ascendere. Ut taceam alia vestra bona opera, per quae nomen vestrae nobilitatis longe lateque circumquaque suavi sanctitatis fragrat odore: certe hominibus cuiuslibet ordinis ad nostrum monasterium vel de nostro monasterio euntibus tot et tanta impenditis beneficia, ut sic iam illis simus assueti et sic nobis sint familiaria, quatenus vobis possit esse onerosum, si gratias vobis verbis vel litteris mandemus per singula, nec in nobis sit quod retribuere possimus secundum vestra merita. Quapropter ad deum vos mittimus et illum inter nos et vos ponimus, ut, sicut propter illum facitis quod facitis, ita ipse vobis retribuat pro nobis quibus facitis. Instante tamen illo fratre, quem a suis perditum nobis misistis et in magna desolatione benignissimam exhibuistis consolationem: hanc reverendae sanctitati vestrae scripsi epistolam, in qua cognosceretis quia non aliter mihi gratum est quod illi fecistis, quam si mihi ipsi esset factum; et quia verum est quidquid ipse et de suo casu dixit, et quia praeceptum vestrum in omnibus quae nobis per illum mandastis servavit, et vester homo secundum vestram iussionem illi fideliter serviendo benigne illum ad nos perduxit. Retribuat vobis deus pro his et aliis vestris bonis operibus beatitudinem sempiternam. "Bonum autem facientes" nolite deficere, "tempore enim suo" metetis "non deficientes."

Historical context:

Brother Anselm of Bec thanks countess Ida for her continuing kindness and generosity to so many, and in particular to a brother in need.

Scholarly notes:

(1) Countess Ida of Boulogne received several letters from Anselm: Epp 114, 131, 167, 244, 247. She was the sister of Godfrey, duke of Lorraine. Her uncle Frederick, who was a monk, was called to Rome by Pope Leo IX to assist in church reforms, became abbot of Montecassino and finally Pope Stephen IX from 2 August 1057 to 29 March 1058; see also Ep 325. Ida was the second wife of Count Eustace II of Boulogne and brought him the county of Bouillon. They had three sons: Eustace III inherited Boulogne and his father's English honors; Godfrey and Baldwin were leaders in the first Crusade. Baldwin eventually became first king of Jerusalem from 24 December 1100 to 2 April 1118; see Epp 235, 324. See also J.C. Andressohn, The Ancestry and Life of Godfrey of Bouillon (Bloomington, Indiana, 1947) 10, 19; F. Barlow, Edward the Confessor (London, 1970) 307-8; J.F.A. Mason, "St Anselm's Relations with Laymen: Selected Letters," in Spicilegium Beccense (Paris, 1959) 556-559.
(2) 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.82, 3.206-07; translation and annotation from The Letters of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, trans. Walter Fröhlich, Cistercian Studies 96, 3v (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990-94), 1.216-17.(3)

Date:

1077-78