13. To The Same Ralph.
The Letters of St. Anselm
13. TO THE SAME RALPH.
Anselm assures Ralph of their continual, mutual love in obedience to God, promises to speak on his behalf to Archbishop Lanfranc when he comes to Bee and encourages him to bear obediently the burden laid upon him.
TO DOM RALPH, HIS TRULY BELOVED BROTHER: BROTHER ANSELM.
THE AFFECTION OF MY SOUL reminds me not to keep silent on what I dare not say, even though forbidden by your letter to speak. In the course of the letter I shall at least dare to show myself to be the servant of him whom I was afraid to call Tord' in the address! For I love Dom Ralph with such charity as a brother, not of my flesh but of my spirit, that in that [charity] I am prepared to serve him as a servant. Wherefore, if you command me to be silent on the matter of what you are to me, because of the goodness of your character—and my conscience forces me to speak this way—I must at least be permitted to confess of my free will what I am to you. Therefore let brother Anselm be si lent to his lord Ralph and let his servant Anselm speak to brother Ralph.
I received the letter of your charity, dearest brother, and in it I read my own desire. Indeed this charity sets you on fire with such longing that wherever I dwell you may be there with me; it is the same desire that inflames my heart, that, wherever I may be, I might live with you. And just as you ask my advice that it may be so, in the same way
I beg God's help that it may not be otherwise. If he should deign to hear us, then let our lives together be such, with his help, that the whole of our lives should be a single thanksgiving to him. Since, however, neither I nor you be long to ourselves—for whether we live or whether we die we are the Lord's'—if he should dispose of us other than we wish, he knows better than we what is pleasing to himself and expedient for us; if we do not wish to displease him let us patiently bear whatever about ourselves we feel will please him. As our life is short, so the day is near when
The Letters of St. Anselm
we will be able to congratulate ourselves on nevermore be ing separated from his presence or each other's if, with his help, we take care to pass through this short life agreeing with him in all things. In the meantime, however, whether the proximity of the places where we live joins us or their distance separates us, let charity always make one spirit of the two of us.
Indeed, with regard to what you so earnestly ask me to obtain from Archbishop Lanfranc when he comes from En gland, if you shall not be with me: I answer that as I desire what I know will better please God about you and under stand will be more expedient for you, so I will try to bring it about if I can.2
In the meantime, whatever you do, do cheerfully; what you are engaged in, carry it through. For God loves a cheer ful giver.3 You also complain that you are prevented by the work you do from persevering in reading and praying: may this be of no small consolation to you that charity covers a multitude of sins.4 While you are drawn back, someone else is drawn on; while you are bent down, someone else is raised up; while you are weighed down by a burden, some one else's burden is being lifted. And remember that the servant who returns home empty-handed runs more quick ly, but the whole household runs more joyfully towards someone who is weighed down. Nor will anyone scold him for coming late; rather he will be ordered to rest because he has tired himself out in a useful cause. If, indeed, you say that neither your exertions nor your industry are ade quate to the task imposed on you, I reply, according to your estimation of yourself, not mine, that neither a half-blind nor a single eye in the head is adequate to discharge the office of seeing; and yet, in what it can do, because it alone in the body is able, it does not fail to do.
But since this letter is already too long, and the other mat ters you wrote about need to be discussed in speech rather than in writing, which the holy books are full of, let us in the meantime, trustingly committing these things to God