A letter from Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury (August 1103)

Translated letter:

To his dearest lady Matilda, queen of the English: Anselm the archbishop, sending her his faithful service and wishing her the continual protection of divine grace. I am not unaware that it is pleasing to the benevolence of your dignity to know how things are with me and how I am. Rejoicing therefore, and giving thanks about such good will of yours, I inform you that since I left England the mercy of God has kept me and everything that pertains to me in complete prosperity. Up to now I have been staying at Bec, waiting for a suitable time to resume my journey; but in the near future, before the Assumption of Saint Mary, I shall start out from here with the intention of completing, God willing, what I have begun. I have recently learnt that God is pleased to exalt the dignity of the kingdom of my lord the King and yours, and to restore, according to your will, those things for your honor and use which were not to his liking or yours or that of your faithful servants.(1) Therefore, as your faithful servant desiring your good in the present life and in the life to come, I rejoice and give thanks as I ought to the heavenly King from whom all these things come to you, and I pray and desire that, as you always keep undefiled the good things he has given you he may lead you in his grace to greater and better things. Since it is my duty to encourage you to desire the heavenly kingdom, I exhort, beg and advise with as much affection as I can that you do not have more pleasure in rejoicing exceedingly in the passing glory of an earthly kingdom than in yearning for the eternal bliss of the celestial one. You could do this more sincerely and efficaciously if you arranged the matters subject to your authority according to the design of God rather than to the design of men. "For the wisdom of this world is folly with God,"(2) as Holy Scripture says; and: "The wisdom of the flesh is at enmity with God, since it is not subject to the law of God."(3) Reflect on these things, tell them to our lord the King in private and in public and repeat them often, and as far as they concern you consider them carefully again. For the glory of the world passes by, as you are accustomed to say. Oh, may God make you both after this passing glory proceed to eternal glory. Amen.(4)

Original letter:

Suae carissimae dominae MATHILDI, reginae Anglorum: ANSELMUS archiepiscopus fidele servitium et supernae gratiae continuam protectionem. Non ignoro quod dignationis vestrae benignitati placet nosse, quid mihi sit et quomodo me habeam. Gaudens igitur et gratias agens de tam bona vestra voluntate notifico vobis quoniam, ex quo Angliam exivi, dei misericordia me et quae ad me pertinent in integra disposuit prosperitate. Usque nunc moratus sum Becci, exspectans opportunum tempus iter agendi; sed in proximo, ante assumptionem sanctae MARIAE, inde proficiscar, intentione quod incepi deo annuente peragendi. Didici nuper quia deo regni domini mei regis et vestri dignitatem placet exaltare, et ea quae ad placitum eius et vestrum ac fidelium vestrorum non erant, secundum vestram voluntatem ad honorem et utilitatem vestram reparare. Unde sicut fidelis et sicut bona vestra in praesenti et futura vita desiderans, gaudeo et superno regi, a quo vobis haec perveniunt, ago gratias, ut debeo, et ut semper bona quae dedit intemerata custodiens, vos ad maiora et meliora sub sua gratis provehat, oro et desidero. Quoniam igitur officii mei est vos exhortari ad caelestis regni desiderium: hortor, precor, consulo, quanto affectu possum, ne plus vos delectet in terrem regni transitoria gloria exultare, quam ad caelestis regni felicitatem aeternam anhelare. Quod utique veraciter et efficaciter facere poteritis, si ea quae vestrae potestati subdita sunt, plus secundum dei consilium quam secundum consilium hominum disposueritis. "Sapientia enim huius mundi stultitia est apud deum," ut ait vera scriptura; et: "sapientia carnis inimica est deo, quoniam legi dei non est subiecta." Haec consulite, haec secrete et publice intimate domino nostro regi et saepe repetite, et quantum ad vos pertinet, studiose rectractate. Transit enim, ut soletis dicere, gloria mundi. Et utinam deus vos ambos post transitoriam gloriam transire faciat ad aeternam! Amen.

Historical context:

Anselm gives the queen news of his situation and plans, congratulates her and the king on a recent event, and urges her to keep advising the king to consider God rather than men. Fröhlich thinks the event that exalts the dignity of the kingdom refers to the remittance of a large annual commitment from Henry by Robert of Normandy, alluded to in ep.294. Schmitt suggests that Anselm means the birth of their son, William, but it seems unlikely that he would not mention it directly, or that he would connect it with a restoration for their honor and use.

Scholarly notes:

(1) Anselm seems to be referring to Duke Robert's remittance of the 3,000 marks in silver, see Ep 294. (2) 1 Co. 3:19. (3) See Rom 8:7. (4) 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.296, 4.216-17; translation and annotation from The Letters of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, trans. Walter Fröhlich, Cistercian Studies 97, 3v (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990-94), 2.313-14.(4)

Date:

August 1103