100. To Hugh, Archbishop Of
The Letters of St. Anselm
100. TO HUGH, ARCHBISHOP OF
LYON.
Anselm thanks Hugh, Archbishop of Lyon, for the honor of his friendship, and sends him, as requested, the Monologion and Proslogion, but apologizes for not having completed any other work. Anselm beseeches him as primate of Gaul to assist certain brothers in their troubles. He excuses himself for having added the title abbot to his name at the beginning of his work.
TO HIS LORD AND FATHER WHO IS TO BE REVERED WITH LOVE AND
LOVED WITH REVERENCE, HUGH, ARCHBISHOP OF LYON1: BROTHER
ANSELM, STYLED ABBOT OF BEC, WISHING HIM WHAT A FAITHFUL
SON WISHES A BELOVED FATHER.
IF I WANTED TO WRITE how great and how gratifying to me are the honor and the delight of your friendship, which, according to your promise, I trust I have, and how much, even if I do not deserve to receive it, I desire by my steadfast service of will, if I can earn it no other way, not to lose it, then perhaps something ought to be withdrawn from my words lest I appear to be exaggerating the truth.
But what I dare not confide adequately to a letter I will take care to preserve faithfullly, God granting, in the shrine of my heart.
Through the brothers bearing this letter, whom I know your holiness loves, I am sending your highness those writ ings of mine2 you asked for. In doing this I know I am serv ing not my advantage but your will. Wherefore, if reading them causes you to regret having wasted time in vain, be cause you did not find what you thought you would, then you should put the blame not on the one who sent but on the one who ordered them. But with regard to the ques tions about which I said I wanted to write and your rever ence asked me3: if I told you how many things had prevented me from dictating, anybody who does not know my way of life could not believe it. If, however, at any time
I am permitted by God's grace to carry out what I intend, your prudence will be informed, if I am able.
The Letters of St. Anselm
The afore-mentioned brothers, tearfully bewailing the rui nation of the inner life of their monastery, beseech me with devoted affection that, at my intercession, they may be com forted in their tribulation by the consolation of your pater nal advice. But just as your wisdom has no need of our advice, so your kindness has no need of our prayers. Yet if you allow me to say what would be good for them at present, until by the visitation of divine grace the monastic way of life may be restored in their church by the presence of a regularly-elected abbot, this is what I feel: I am of the opinion that it would be better for them in the meantime to choose, with your permission, where they can live more usefully according to their intention, rather than to force them to stay where they are now living uselessly, lacking physical and spiritual necessities, unbearably weighed down by that very lack, to scatter in disobedience.
As to the fact that I have added the title abbot to our name in the superscription of our little work: I did this not in order to confer more honor on my person but to exclude any con fusion of names.4 c. 1083/84.
NOTES 1. Hugh of Romans was Bishop of Die from 1074, he became archbishop of Lyon and primate of Gaul in 1082. After 1077 he acted as papal legate and after his promotion to the primacy as the papal vicar in France. He was the champion of the Gregorian reform in France, which brought him into conflict with King Philip I and his fellowbishops. He was Anselm's friend and chief advisor in matters of church politics. Anselm stayed with Hugh in Lyon during his exiles:
January-15 March 1098; June 1099-early August 1100; 20 December 1103-April 1105. For their relationship see F. Liebermann, 'Anselm von Canterbury und Hugo von Lyon', in Historische Aufsdtze dem Andenken an G. Waltz gewidmet (Hannover, 1886) 156-203 and W. Llihe,
Hugo von Die und Lyon (Leipzig, 1898).
2. The Monologion and Proslogion; see Ep 109.
3. Anselm had not completed any other work when this letter was writ ten; see AOO 49*-51*, 62*.
4. See Ep 72