A letter from Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury (1101-02)

Translated letter:

Anselm, servant of the church of Canterbury: to his dearest lady and mother and daughter, the reverend countess Ida,(1) sending her the greeting and blessing of god and his own, as far as he is able. A letter from me greets you, very rarely indeed, yet my memory beholds you daily and I trust in God that it may never be effaced from my heart. I have spoken to your son(2) and inquired of him about you, as I thought fitting, and he replied to me that he would do nothing more willingly than to carry out your intention. Dom Lambert, your chaplain, who is staying in England for the sake of your affairs, asks and I ask with him, that nothing may cause him to lose any of the income from his prebend until he is able to return to you. We also beseech that you may remind his fellow-canons and admonish them to this effect. At the same time we both greet them in this little note and ask them to grant our request. May almighty God protect you from all adversity and always guide, inflame and perfect your longing. Amen.(3)

Original letter:

Anselmus, servus ecclesiae Cantuariensis: dominae et matri et filiae carissimae, reverendae comitissae Idae, salutem et benedictionem dei et suam, quantum potest. Rarissime vos salutat mea epistola, sed cotidie vos aspicit mea memoria, et spero in deo quia numquam illa de corde meo delebitur. Cum filio vestro locutus sum et precatus sum eum de vobis, sicut intellexi oportere, et ipse mihi respondit se nihil libentius facere quam voluntatem vestram implere. Domnus Lambertus, capellanus vester, qui moratur in Anglia pro vestro servitio, rogat et ego cum illo rogo, ne aliqua occasione, donec ad vos redeat, perdat aliquid de praebendae suae beneficio. Precamur etiam, ut hoc ipsum confratres eius canonicos precando moneatis. Quos simul nos ambo in hac schedula salutamus, et ut petitionem nostram admittant rogamus. Omnipotens deus vos ab omni adversitate custodiat et desiderium vestrum semper dirigat, accendat et perficiat. Amen.

Historical context:

Archbishop Anselm tells the countess that he has spoken with her son, presumably Eustace III, who will do what she asked. Anselm also asks Ida to protect the income of her chaplain while he is away on her business in England.

Scholarly notes:

(1) See Epp 82, 114, 117, 167, 247. (2) Count Eustace II of Boulogne from about 1047 to about 1093, see also Epp 235, 324, 325. King Henry I was his liege-lord because of his English estates. This conversation may have taken place either at the marriage of Henry to Matilda of Scotland on 11 November 1100, or at the marriage of Eustace III to Mary of Scotland, sister of Queen Matilda, in 1102. (3) 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.244, 4.154-55; translation and annotation from The Letters of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, trans. Walter Fröhlich, Cistercian Studies 97, 3v (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990-94), 2.227-28.

Date:

1101-02