3. To Robert, The Monk.
The Letters of St. Anselm
3. TO ROBERT, THE MONK.
Admitting his unworthiness Anselm, although far away, begs for Robert's solic itude and prayers for his improvement, and for the friendship of Anastasius.
TO THE MOST BELOVED LORD AND REVEREND MONK, ROBERT1:
BROTHER ANSELM OF BEC, THAT HE AMONG SO MANY LIVING A
HOLY LIFE MAY SO WISH FOR THINGS ETERNAL IN THE TEMPORAL
LIFE THAT HE WILL NOT WANT THINGS TEMPORAL IN ETERNITY.
WHEN I CONSIDER, valiant soldier of God and my dearest friend, when I consider the progress of your efforts and the fruitlessness of my own laziness, then I hardly dare put to your holiness any mention of our mutual friendship. Since there is nothing in all the actions of my lukewarm life that can be equalled by the kindnesses of your affection, I blush either to exact from you a friend's debt or even to be called your friend. On the other hand, when I see others running along easily on their way back to the heavenly home and myself veritably weighed down by sins and lethargy, scarce ly advancing on this path, I am forced by the realization of my great need to call out from the bottom of my heart to those ahead of me. Not that their speed should be slowed down by my sluggishness, but that my slow pace, acceler ated by the runners, should be made faster.
Wherefore, my prayers are such that they are of little or no use to me, I dare not offer them for you as I intended, but I do pray that they may be inflamed by the fervor of yours, that they may effectively serve you and me. For be fore God, this my heart desires, and so my lips pray God that whatever might be good for me may not be any less good for you than for me. And so, you honorably kind and kindly honorable man, you may be assured of this good will of mine as long as I live, and be solicitous about the charity still to be perfected in me, which will be yours. For if you pray for your neighbor, I know for a fact that you will be rewarded; and if you pray successfully, know that whatever is given me is due to you.
The Letters of St. Anselm That you may carry this out more effectively, I beg and beseech you to make me known to that holy man,
Anastasius,2 whose desirable company you enjoy, by recom mending me, though absent, as best as you can. In this way you share this friend of yours with me, and share me, your servant, with him. Wherefore, from this day on, through you and with you as long as we live, I shall honor this friend as another Robert, and he shall have the same servant, An selm. For I am not worthy, I dare not ask—what I still pre sume to want—namely, that I may be like another Robert to this Anastasius, and he may enjoy me like another Robert.
Already the odor of his good reputation has been sweetly spread by many people in this country; and the more the sweet fragrance attracts my soul the more my soul burns with desire of his acquaintance and his friendship. Because
I have already heard these things about his life I retain and embrace them as much as I can; and I pray that he may pray with me that they may grow as much in us as they can pos sibly grow in God.
Farewell, both my dearest friends. I beseech you, be of one mind in this matter in Babylon that you may share it in Jerusalem.3 I do not say this, fearing you may fall into some discord but truly wishing that you may never stray from harmony. c. 1070.
NOTES 1. William of Malmesbury identified Robert as a monk of Mont St Michel who later became abbot of Saint Vigor, near Bayeux. See Lambeth
Palace MS 224, Ep 19.
2. Anastasius was born at Vienne. He became a monk at Mont Saint Michel. Having lived as a hermit on the island of Tombelaine he joined the community of Cluny. Pope Gregory VII sent him to Spain to work for the introduction of the Roman liturgy. After another short period as a hermit in the Pyrenees he was called back to Cluny. He died at Doydes on 16 October 1086; see LThK 1:494.
3. Ps 121:3.