A letter from Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury (c.1100)

Translated letter:

Anselm, servant of the church of Canterbury: to his dearest Burgundius and his wife Richeza,(1) greeting and the blessing of god. Your messenger can inform you better by word how I am than I can write. However, nothing pleases me more than to tell you to take care of yourselves. God freed you from a burden;(2) he has taken from you every occasion for loving this world and given you every opportunity of loving your salvation. Daily place your death before your eyes.(3) Consider most earnestly those things which will remain after you: whose they will be and what good they may do for you. Consider where you will be going, what you will be taking with you, what you will find there which has been sent on ahead of you. Certainly you will not take with you, nor will you find there anything else but your merits, whether good or bad. Reflect upon the merits you have sent ahead. If you have more good ones than bad ones you can rejoice, but I do not think it is so. If you have more bad ones than good ones you should fear greatly, particularly because a man wishing to be saved has to have many more good merits than bad ones. Consider these things,(4) discuss them between yourselves day and night, in private and in public. This should be the conversation between yourselves: "My lord, my dear lady, what are we doing, why are we delaying? Our last day is near. How are we spending our lives? How are we making amends to God for our sins? Let us so prepare ourselves as if we see the day of our summons at hand. Let us so prepare ourselves that we can go forward confidently to the judgement, since without doubt we shall be received according to how we have behaved in this life, "whether good or bad."(5) God has joined us in this life; let us act so that he may join us in eternal fife and we may there see our children whom God has already taken to himself." Let these be your concerns, these your cares, these your sighs. I say to you, dearest lord and brother Burgundius, accept with a good heart, if you love me, what I am telling you through this messenger that you do not come to me unless you are told by me in a letter with my seal. May almighty God guide your hearts and lead you to eternal joy. Amen.(6)

Original letter:

Anselmus, servus ecclesiae Cantuariensis: suis carissimis Burgundio et uxori eius Richezae salutem et benedictione dei. Qualiter me habeam, nuntius vester melius poterit vobis verbis ostendere quam ego scribere. Nihil autem tantum me delectat mandare vobis, quantum ut curam habeatis de vobis. Exoneravit vos deus, abstulit vobis omnem occasionem amandi hoc saeculum et dedit vobis omnem opportunitatem amandi salutem vestram. Ponite cotidie ante oculos vestros finem vestrum. Cogitate intentissime, cuius erunt et quid vobis proderunt quae post vos remanebunt. Cogitate quo ibitis, quid vobiscum portabitis, quid ibi quod praemissum sit a vobis invenietis. Certe non portabitis vobiscum nec invenietis ibi aliud quam merita vestra, sive bona sive mala. Videte quae merita praemisistis. Si plura bona quam mala, gaudere potestis, quod non puto. Si plura mala quam bona, multum debetis timere, praesertim cum multum necesse sit homini volenti salvari habere multo plura bona merita quam mala. Haec cogitate, haec inter vos die ac nocte, in secreto et in publico tractate. Haec sint colloquia vestra invicem : 'Domine mi, amica mea, quid facimus, quid tardamus? Prope est ultima dies nostra. Quomodo expendimus vitam nostram? Quomodo satisfacimus deo pro peccatis nostris? Praeparemus nos, quasi videamus in proximo diem vocationis nostrae; et ita aptemus nos, ut securi eamus ad iudicium, quia recepturi sumus sine dubio, prout gerimus in hac vita, "sive bonum sive malum." Deus nos iunxit in hac vita; faciamus ut simul nos iungat in aeterna vita, et videamus ibi prolem nostram, quam sibi deus iam assumpsit.' Haec sint studia vestra, haec sollicitudo, haec suspiria vestra. Quod mando vobis per nuntium istum, ne veniatis ad me, nisi a me mandatus per sigillum meum — vobis dico, domine et frater carissime Burgundi --, suscipite bono animo, si me amatis. Omnipotens deus regat corda vestra et dirigat ad gaudia aeterna. Amen.

Historical context:

Speaking again of the loss of their children as good for the parents’ souls, Anselm encourages his brother-in-law and sister to prepare for their own deaths and tells Burgundius not to come to him unless he is summoned.

Scholarly notes:

(1) See Ep 211. (2) They lost all their children save their son Anselm, whom they had offered to God at the monastery of Chiusa, see Ep 211. (3) See RB 4:47. (4) Ph 4:8. (5) 2 Co 5:10. (6) 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.258, 4.170-71; translation and annotation from The Letters of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, trans. Walter Fröhlich, Cistercian Studies 97, 3v (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990-94), 2.250-51.

Date:

c.1100