40. To Henry, The Monk.
The Letters of St. Anselm 5. Osbern, a monk of Christ Church, Canterbury, had been sent to Bee to correct some of his faults. He seems to have accomplished this, for about two years later, in Ep 67 to Prior Henry, Anselm states that Osbern has made full amends for the pristinae vitae perversitas and com mends him to the love and care of the prior to whom Osbern is return ing; see Ep 66. Back at Canterbury he became an important member of the community and was promoted to precentor. He was a famous writer and the first Englishman to turn his mind to the task of reviv ing Old English history; see PL 149: 367ff; and Southern, Anselm
248-253. In 1093 Osbern wrote to Anselm; see Epp 149, 152.
6. These symptoms seem to point to a severe form, or recurring attacks, of vertigo.
7. Saint Dunstan, the famous reformer of monastic life in the Old En glish Church, was abbot of Glastonbury 939-957, Bishop of Worcester
957-959, Bishop of London 959-960 and Archbishop of Canterbury 960-988; see H. Farmer, Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Oxford, 1978)
111-113. Anselm seems to be referring to the Regularis Concordia Anglicanae Nationis, which was falsely ascribed to Dunstan. The Life of Saint Dunstan which Anselm requests was written before Osbern, the precentor, wrote his.
40. TO HENRY, THE MONK.
Anselm warmly thanks Henry at Christ Church, Canterbury, for the generous kindness he showed Maurice, a monk of Bee, and reminds him of his promised visit to Bee.
TO HIS FELLOW-MONK, BROTHER, LRIEND, HENRY: BROTHER
ANSELM, WISHING HIM PERSEVERANCE IN HOLINESS IN THIS LIFE
AND ETERNAL BLISS IN THE LIFE TO COME.
WHEN YOU SHOW YOURSELF TO BE GENEROUS and
magnanimous in all things towards our mutual brother Maurice, as he himself writes me, you certainly fulfill ad mirably what you ought charitably to do. But indeed you put me in your debt in no small way by lavishing the generosity of your charity on him out of love for me. For truly, you and I have learned not just recently that we can trust one another. For this reason I considered it more fit ting to keep these thanks shut in the ark of my mind than to describe them in a note to someone who knows all about them. Yet, I have no doubt your goodwill is evident always.
The Letters of St. Anselm
not just when a particular occasion demands it, and I deem it always worthy of thanks. Since, however, I am not able to respond to your kindness in any better way at the mo ment I shall, as far as I can, repay your monks1 who are with me for what you have done.
You recently promised me and your other brothers your longed-for presence unless our reverend lord archbishop were planning to cross the sea at the time, and we trust, now that the date you announced has passed, that the venerable father will be coming to us before Easter.2 If only that could happen with his delightful rejoicing and joyful delight! But indeed, if we do not see him, as we imagine, know that we will not absolve you from the debt of your promise until we have seen you. In fact we hold on to what you write about hoping to come in the future—and if you promised it, it will come about. Farewell. c. 1073-1077.
NOTES 1. Holvard (see Ep 33) and Osbern (see Ep 39) are both monks of Christ Church, Canterbury, who stayed at Bee for some time.
2. Archbishop Lanfranc was at Bee in 1071 and 1077, see A.J. Macdonald, Eanfranc (London, 1926) 183.