A letter from Matilda of Scotland, queen of the English (1102-03)

Translated letter:

To the venerable father Anselm, archbishop of the prime see of the English, primate of the Irish and of all the northern islands which are called the Orkneys:(1) from Matilda,(2) by the grace of God queen of the English, his most humble handmaid, wishing that after having happily passed through the course of this life he may reach the end, which is Christ. Since scarcely anybody doubts that you are turning your daily fasting against nature, even I am not ignorant of it. I admire this greatly, but I have learned from frequent reports of many honorable men that after a long fast you do not take the usual food according to the claims of nature but only after having been persuaded by somebody of your household. I am not unaware that you take even this with such frugality that you seem rather to have inflicted violence in detracting from the inherent right of nature than in fulfilling its law. Therefore it is greatly to be feared by many people as well as by myself that the body of such a father may waste away. I am under great obligation to your kindness. You are such a brave athlete of God, a vanquisher of human nature, a man by whose untiring vigour the peace of the kingdom and the dignity of the priesthood have been strengthened and defended; such a faithful and prudent steward of God,(3) by whose blessing I was sanctified in legitimate matrimony,(4) by whose consecration I was raised to the dignity of earthly royalty and by whose prayers I shall be crowned, God granting, in heavenly glory. Moreover, it is also to be feared that the windows of your sight, your hearing and your other senses may become clouded, and your voice, the creator of things spiritual may grow hoarse so that [your voice] which was accustomed to dispense the Word of God melodiously and sweetly by peaceful and gentle discourse might become so much more gentle in the future as to deprive those who are removed from you for a while of hearing your voice and even leave them without fruit. Therefore, good and holy father, do not let the strength of your body be so inopportunely undermined by fasting lest you cease to be a preacher, because, as Cicero says in the book he wrote On Old Age, "the orator's gift resides not only in his intellect but also in his lungs and strength."(5) To what end is that great quickness of your mind hastening to its ruin: such a memory of things past and such foresight of things to come, so many accomplishments, so much learning, so many discoveries, so much knowledge of human matters and such experience of divinity accompanied by candor?(6) Consider the multitude of talents your rich Lord has given to you, what he has entrusted to you, and what he exacts of you!(7) Bring goodness to everybody, so that what has been brought may shine more brightly and be carried back to the Lord with manifold increase. And do not cheat yourself. Just as spiritual food and drink are necessary for the soul, so bodily food and drink are necessary for the body. Therefore you have to eat and drink, since, by the will of God, a long journey still remains to you(8) in this life; a great crop is to be sown, tended and reaped, and gathered into the Lord's barn(9) "where no thief will come near."(10) You see that the laborers in the great harvest are very few.(11) You have entered into the labors of many so that you may carry back the profit of many. Remember indeed to consider yourself like John, the apostle and evangelist, dear to the Lord, whom the Lord wished to survive him(12) so that his virgin friend might take care of his virgin mother.(13) You have accepted to bear the responsibility for mother Church, for whose sake the brothers and sisters of Christ will be daily endangered unless you come to their help with your profound knowledge. Christ entrusted them to you, having redeemed them by the price of his own blood. 0 shepherd of so great a Lord, feed his flock, lest lacking in food they grow faint on the journey!(14) Let the holy priest Martin, that ineffable man, be an example to you: when he foresaw the heavenly repose prepared for him, nevertheless said that he would not refuse the laborious task because of the destitution of the people.(15) Indeed I know that by the example of many people and by many witnesses in Holy Scripture you are invited and encouraged to fast. No doubt your continual reading often brought to your mind how after a fast the raven fed Elijah,(16) the widow fed Elisha(17) and the angel fed Daniel through Habakkuk;(18) how by a fast Moses merited to receive the tablets inscribed by the finger of God,(19) and after they had been broken,(20) recovered them by the same means. Also, many examples of the Gentiles invite you to frugality. For there is no one who does not know that you have read about the frugality of Pythagoras, Socrates, Antisthenes and other philosophers, whom it would be tedious to enumerate and not necessary in this little work. Therefore, we must come to the grace of the new law. Jesus Christ, who honored fasting(2l) also honored eating by going to the marriage feast where he changed water into wine,(22) by going to Simon's banquet,(23) where, having cast seven demons(24) out of Mary, he first fed her with spiritual dishes, and by not refusing the meal of Zacchaeus, whom he had drawn away from the power of secular service and called to celestial service.(25) Listen, Father, listen to Paul persuading Timothy to drink some wine to ease the pain in his stomach saying: "Drink water no longer but take a little wine."(26) See how the Apostle dissuades the holy disciple from his intended fast. For when he tells him "Drink water no longer" he openly criticizes him for having drunk nothing but water before. I beseech you to imitate Gregory, who alleviated the weariness and weakness of his stomach with the help of food and drink and applied himself manfully and unfailingly to teaching and preaching. Therefore, do what he did so that you reach what he reached, that is Jesus Christ, the fountain of life and lofty mountain, with whom he then rejoiced in eternal glory, is now rejoicing and will continue to rejoice world without end. May your Holiness thrive in the Lord, and with your prayers do not give up helping me, your faithful handmaiden, who loves you with all the affection of her heart. Deign to receive, read, listen to and take notice of this letter which I am sending to you not with feigned(27) but with faithful and strong charity.(28)

Original letter:

Venerando patri ANSELMO, Anglorum primae sedis archiepiscopo, Hibernorum omniumque septentrionalum insularum, quae Orcades dicuntur primati: MATHILDIS, dei gratia Anglorum regina, humillima eius ancilla, praesentis vitae cursu feliciter peracto ad finem, qui Christus est, pervenire. Quod cotidianum ieiunium iam verteris in naturam, ut nulli fere dubium, ita nec mihi est ignotum. Quodque magis admiror, plurium proborum frequenti relatione didici te post longa ieiunia non natura postulante, sed quolibet a famulitio suadente cibum sumere solitum. Hunc etiam te tanta frugalitate sumere non ignoro, ut magis naturae ius proprium demendo vim fecisse quam legem solvisse videaris. Unde cum multis tum mihi maxime metuendum est, ne tanto patri, cuius sum beneficiis obligata, tam forti dei athletae et humanae naturae victori, cuius indeficienti vigore pax regni sacerdotiique dignitas firmata est atque defensa, tam fideli tamque prudenti dei dispensatori, cuius sum benedictione in legitimum matrimonium sacrata, cuius ordinatione in terreni regni dignitatem sublimata, cuius precibus in caelesti gloria deo annuente coronanda, corpus tabescat, fenestrae visus, auditus caeterorumque sensuum obturantur, vox spiritualium aedificatrix raucescat, et quae canorum ac dulce dei verbum decoro, quieto remissoque sermone dispensare consueverat, id tanto remissius in futurum exsequatur, ut quosque aliquantisper a te remotiores audientia ipsius vocis privatos, fructu etiam vacuos derelinquat. Noli igitur, bone pater et sancte, noli tam intempestive corporis viribus inedia destitui, ne orator esse desistas. Quia, ut TULLIUS ait in libro quem De senectute conscripsit: "oratoris munus non ingenii est solum, sed laterum etiam et virium." Quo perditum ire festinat tanta animi tut celeritas, tanta memoria praeteritorum futurorumque providentia, tot artes, tot scientiae, tot inventa, tanta rerum humanarum notitia divinitatisque cum simplicitate prudentia? Considera multitudinem talentorum quae tibi dives dominus tuus dedit, quid commiserit, quid exigat. Deduc bonum in commune, quod deductum pulchrius elucescat, atque cum multiplici fenore reportetur ad dominum. Ne fraudes tibi ipsi invicem. Sicut necessarius est animae spiritualis potus et cibatus, ita et corpori corporalis. Comedendum igitur est tibi et bibendum, quoniam grandis tibi dei nutu huius vitae restat via, grandis messis seminanda, sarculanda ac metenda, in horreoque domini, "quo fur non" appropiet, collocanda. Vides operarios in maxima messe paucissimos. In multorum labores introisti, ut multorum lucra reportes. Memento vero te vicem IOHANNIS apostoli et evangelistae, cari domini, tenere, quem dominus ipse supervivere voluit, ut virginis matris virgo dilectus curam gereret. Suscepisti gerendam curam matris ecclesiae, de qua cotidie periclitabuntur, nisi magna curiositate succurreris, fratres Christi et sorores, quos pretio proprii sanguinis redemptos ipse tibi commendavit. Pasce, o pastor tanti domini, gregem eius, ne pastus inops deficiat in via. Sit tibi in exempla sacer sacerdos MARTINUS, vir ineffabilis, qui cum caelestem requiem paratam sibi praevideret, laborem tamen pro populi necessitate se non recusare dicebat. Novi quidem te multorum exemplis, multis scripturarum testimoniis ad ieiunium invitari, confirmari. Assidua quippe lectio tibi frequentur suggerit, qualiter post ieiunium HELIAM corvus, HELISEUM vidua, DANIELEM angelus per ABACUC paverit; qualiter MOYSES tabulas digito dei scriptas ieiunio accipere meruerit, fractasque per idem recuperaverit. Gentilium quoque te exempla plurima ad parsimoniam invitant. Nemo est enim qui ignorat te legisse PYTAGORAE, SOCRATIS, ANTISTENIS frugalitatem ceterorumque philosophorum, quos ut enumerare longum est, ita nec praesenti opusculo necessarium. Veniendum est ergo ad novae legis gratiam. Christus IESUS qui dedicavit ieiunium, dedicavit et esum, vadens ad convivium nuptiarum, ubi in vinum aquam convertit; ad SIMONIS epula accedens, ubi a MARIA septem daemonibus eiectis, spirilualibus eam ferculls primo pavit; ZACHAEI prandium non recusans, quem de potestate militiae saecularis retractum, ad caelestem militiam vocavit. Audi, pater, audi PAULUM THIMOTHEO propter dolorem stomachi vinum bibere suadentem dicentemque: "iam noli aquam bibere, sed modico vino utere." Ecce apostolus sanctum discipulum a proposito dehortatur ieiunio. Cui enim dicit: "iam noli aquam bibere," aperte denuntiat eum nihil aliud quam aquam ante bibisse. Imitare, quaeso, GREGORIUM lassitudinem defectumque stomachi cibi potusque confortatione relevantem, doctrinae et praedicationi virililer indeficienterque insistentem. Fac igitur quod ille fecit, ut pervenias ad quem pervenit, hoc est ad lESUM Christum, fontem vitae montemque excelsum, cum quo de perenni gloria iam olim gavisus est, gaudet gaudebitque in saecula saeculorum. Valeat in domino sanctitas tua, meque fidelem tuam famulam te toto cordis affectu diligentem orationibus adiuvare noli desistere. Et epistolam non ficta, sed fideli caritate et firma tibi a me missam suscipere, legere, audire atque exaudire dignare.

Historical context:

In a letter written between his exiles, while he was in England, the queen reproves the archbishop for excessive fasting which may affect his preaching.

Scholarly notes:

(1) This address recalls Saint Augustine's plan to make Canterbury the Rome of the North, see Ep 149. For Anselm's attempt to spread the observance of Canterbury see Epp 198, 201; M. Gibson, Lanfranc of Bec (Oxford, 1978) 122-131; Southern, Anselm, 132-135. (2) See Ep 177. (3) Lk 12:42; Tt 1:7. (4) See Ep 177. (5) De senectute 9, 28. (6) See Mt 10:16. (7) See Mt 25:14 ff. (8) 1 K 19:7. (9) See Mt 13:30. (10) See Lk 12:33. (11) See Mt 9:37. (12) See Jn 21:20-23. (13) See Jn 19:27. (14) See Mk 8:3. (15) See antiphons two and three for Vespers and Lauds of the Office of Saint Martin in the Brevarium Monasticum (Bruges, 1941) 2, 753. The marriage of King Henry I and Princess Matilda of Scotland was celebrated on Martin's feast day, 11 November 1100. This letter may have been written on or shortly after Saint Martin's day. (16) See 1 K 17:4-6. (17) See 1 K 17:9. Either Matilda wrote Elisha when she meant Elijah, or she was thinking of 2 K 4:1-7. (18) See Dan 14:32-38, otherwise Bel and the Dragon 33-39. (19) See Ex 31:18. (20) See Ex 32:19; 34:1, 28. (21) See Mt 4:2. (22) See Jn 2:1-11. (23) See Lk 7:36 ff. (24) See Mk 16:9; Lk 8:2. Early writers usually identified the sinful woman of Luke's parable as Mary Magdalen. (25) See Lk 19:2-10. (26) 1 Tm 5:23. (27) See 2 Co 6.6. (28) I take the dates from Fröhlich rather than from Schmitt since they are usually more precise. (29) 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. The three volumes have different numbers in the series.

Printed source:

Sancti Anselmi Cantuariensis Archiepiscopi, Opera Omnia, ed. F.S. Schmitt (Edinburgh: T. Nelson, 1946-63), ep.242, 4.150-52; translation and annotation from The Letters of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, trans. Walter Fröhlich, Cistercian Studies 97, 3v (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990-94), 2.221-25.(29)

Date:

1102-03