20. To The Monk Avesgot
The Letters of St. Anselm NOTES 1. A monk with the name of Avesgot is mentioned in the monastery of Saint Peter Cultura, now Solesmes.
2. Anselm is addressed without any attribute and in second place. If this is not a slip, it may indicate that he was not yet a monk working with Lanfranc at the school of Bee; see Rule I: 111-112.
3. Wimund is conceivably Guitmund, a monk of la-Croix-Saint-Lenfroi, near Evreux. Ordericus Vitalis describes him as a monk of mature age, pious and very learned in letters (see OV II: 271) and calls him a philosopher (see OV II, 281). He was a pupil of Lanfranc about 1060 and wrote De corpore et sanguine Christi libri III (PL 149: 1427-97) against Berengar of Tours in 1073-1076, Confessio Trinitatis (PL 149: 1495-1502), and De corpore in about 1076 see H.W. Klewitz, 'Studien liber die
Wiederherstellung der romischen Kirche in Siiditalien durch das Reformpapsttum,' in Quellen und Forschungen 25 (1933/34) 122. In 1088
Pope Urban II consecrated Wimund bishop of Aversa. He died be fore 1097; see OV II: 280, 281.
4. Cf. Lk 11:33.
5. Persius Llaccus, Satira 1.27.
20. TO THE MONK AVESGOT
Anselm regrets that he is not able to comply with Avesgot's request.
TO THE LORD AND MOST BELOVED FRIEND AVESGOT: BROTHER
ANSELM, GREETING.
AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR REPLY I begin [by saying] that our conscience vouches for what your letter says.
Therefore—since I cannot do anything else at the moment—I thank your charity for having showed itself so ready to sub mit to our convenience, as your letter made clear. And cer tainly I reply to this in the same spirit; but I deeply regret that I cannot consent to your first request. For I have neither the freedom of choice now nor the inclination nor the op portunity as was once the case, or as your sanctity believes it still to be, for the kind of study from which your beloved
[nephew], about whom you wrote, could benefit. Therefore, I pray, do not let your love towards me be disturbed in any way, for my soul is always seeking to submit to your friend-