Chapter IV: The Primacy of Anselm and the Acquisition of Normandy.903 (17)

[1637] See Historical Essays, Third Series, p. 20. On my
last visit to Rome (1881) I found the apse of Saint John
Lateran destroyed, not by Huns or Turks, but by its own
chapter, with the approval, it is said, of its present and
late bishops. I believe there is some pretence of enlarging
the church, and of replacing the mosaics in a new apse.

[1638] Eadmer, Vit. Ans. ii. 5. 48. “Angli illis temporibus
Romam venientes, pedes ejus ad instar pedum Romani
pontificis sua oblatione honorare desiderabant. Quibus ille
nequaquam acquiescens, in secretiorem domus partem fugiebat,
et eos pro tali re nullo patiebatur ad se pacto accedere.”

[1639] Hist. Nov. 49. “Hinc etiam erat quod non facile a
quoquam Romæ simpliciter homo vel archiepiscopus, sed quasi
proprio nomine sanctus homo vocabatur.”

[1640] Eadmer brings this out with all vividness, Hist. Nov.
49; “Sedebat enim idem pater in ordine cæterorum inter
primos concilii patres, et ego ad pedes ejus.” Then the Pope
calls him, “Pater et magister Anselme, Anglorum
archiepiscope, ubi es?”

[1641] The whole story is charmingly told by Eadmer, Hist.
Nov. 50. His picture of himself and his curiosity in the new
world which is opened to him is delightful. So is his joy
when he sees the cope of which he has so often heard and
shows it to Anselm; “Cum, ut dixi, concilio præsens
antistitem Beneventanum, cappa reliquis præstante ornatum,
viderem, et eam ex his quæ olim audieram optime nossem, non
modice lætatus et cappam et verba mihi puero ex inde dicta
patri Anselmo ostendi.”

[1642] Eadmer, Hist. Nov. 51. Some one, seemingly the Lady
herself, requires that he shall swear “super corpus
Dominicum et super sanctorum reliquias quas ei proponam
jurejurando reliquias de quibus agitur veraciter esse de
corpore beati apostoli Bartholomæi, et id remota omni
æquivocatione atque sophismate.” The Archbishop was quite
ready to swear.

[1643] Ib. “Inter alia mutuæ dilectionis colloquia cœpi de
eadem cappa loqui, et unde illam haberet quasi nescius
interrogavi.”

[1644] The story is told in the Annales Capituli
Cracoviensis (Pertz, xix. 588), 1079, and more briefly in
other annals in the same volume.

[1645] Eadmer, Hist. Nov. 43.

[1646] Ib. “Ipse rex faciebat quædam quæ facienda non
videbantur de ecclesiis, quas post obitum prælatorum aliter
quam oporteret tractabat.”

[1647] Eadmer, Hist. Nov. 43. “Legem Dei et canonicas et
apostolicas auctoritates voluntariis consuetudinibus obrui
videbam. De his omnibus cum loquebar, nihil efficiebam, et
non tam simplex rectitudo quam voluntariæ consuetudines
obtendebantur.”

[1648] He gives among his reasons, “Nec de his placitare
poteram; nullus enim aut consilium aut auxilium mihi ad hæc
audebat dare.”

[1649] Ib. 45. “Scribit literas Willielmo regi Angliæ, in
quibus ut res Anselmi liberas in regno suo faceret, et de
suis omnibus illum revestiret, movet, hortatur, _imperat_.”

[1650] Ib. 51. “Susceptis quidem quoquo modo literis papæ,
literas Anselmi nullo voluisse pacto suscipere, imo, cognito
illum [nuntium] esse hominem ejus, jurasse per vultum Dei
quia, si festine terram suam non exiret, sine retractatione
oculos ei erui faceret.”

[1651] See above, p. 526.

[1652] Chron. Petrib. 1097. We shall come to his crossing
and returning in another chapter.

[1653] Ib. 1099.

[1654] See above, p. 162.

[1655] See above, p. 155.

[1656] Eadmer, Hist. Nov. 45. “Ducit eum [abbas] in villam
suam _Sclaviam_ nomine, quæ in montis altitudine sita, sano
jugiter aere conversantibus illic habilis exstat.”

[1657] See Historical Essays, Second Series, p. 357, ed. 2;
Arnold, Hist. Rome, ii. 365.

[1658] Vita Anselmi, ii. 4. 43.

[1659] We shall come to this in another chapter.

[1660] The reception of Anselm by Duke Roger is described by
Eadmer in both his works (Hist. Nov. 46, and in the Life,
ii. 5. 45). The plots of William Rufus come from William of
Malmesbury (Gest. Pont. 98); “Adeo ut Rogerus dux Apuliæ,
apud quem rex Angliæ illum litteris insimulandum curaverat,
spretis neniis, longe aliter sententiam suam in viri honorem
transferret.”

[1661] There is something rather singular in the picture of
the Pope and Anselm dwelling in the camp of the besiegers
(Hist. Nov. 46); “Plures exhinc dies in obsidione fecimus,
remoti in tentoriis a frequentia et tumultu perstrepentis
exercitus…. Sicque donec civitas in deditionem transiit,
obsidio illius dominum papam et Anselmum vicinos habuit, ita
ut familia illorum magis videretur una quam duæ.” This is
one of several passages in which Anselm and others seem to
take a state of war for granted. There is no protest, no
pleading of any kind, on behalf of the besieged city. There
are some remarks of M. de Rémusat (Saint Anselme, p. 362) on
this subject, with regard to the correspondence between
Henry and Anselm after the battle of Tinchebrai. But in this
last case the victory of Henry was surely a gain to
humanity. In the Life Eadmer gives some curious details of
their life in the camp, and of a remarkable escape of
Anselm.

[1662] Eadmer seems to take a certain pleasure in little
hits against Urban, which his conduct presently made not
wholly undeserved. Thus, in Hist. Nov. 46, he points out how
the Pope came to the camp “ingenti sæcularis gloriæ pompa.”
So now in the Life (ii. 5. 46) he contrasts the demeanour of
Urban with that of Anselm at some length, and ends, “Multi
ergo, quos timor prohibebat ad papam accedere, festinabant
ad Anselmum venire, amore ducti qui nescit timere. Majestas
etenim papæ solos admittebat divites, humanitas Anselmi sine
personarum acceptione suscipiebat omnes.”

[1663] Vita, ii. 5. 46. “Et quos omnes? Paganos etiam, ut de
Christianis taceam.” Eadmer then goes on to speak at some
length of the Saracens brought over by Count Roger, whom he
pointedly speaks of as the man of his nephew; “Homo ducis
Rogerus, comes de Sicilia.” We read how Anselm received and
entertained many of the Mussulmans, and how, when he passed
through their camp, “ingens multitudo eorum elevatis ad
cælum manibus ei prospera imprecarentur, et osculatis pro
ritu suo manibus propriis necne coram eo genibus flexis, pro
sua eum benigna largitate grates agendo venerarentur.”

[1664] Vita, ii. 5. 46. “Quorum etiam plurimi, velut
comperimus, se libenter ejus doctrinæ instruendos
submisissent, ac Christianæ fidei jugo sua per eum colla
injecissent, si credulitatem [crudelitatem?] comitis sui per
hoc in se sævituram non formidassent. Nam revera nullum
eorum pati volebat Christianum impune fieri.” He adds the
comment; “Quod qua industria, ut ita dicam, faciebat nihil
mea interest; viderit Deus et ipse.”

[1665] Anselm’s motives are set forth at length in Hist.
Nov. 46. One reason is that his teaching was so much more
listened to on the continent than it was in England. The
stories of William’s evil doings are brought in at this
point.

[1666] A debate on this head, in rather long speeches
between Urban and Anselm, is given in Hist. Nov. 48. The
main doctrine stands thus; “Si propter tyrannidem principis,
qui nunc ibi dominatur, in terram illam redire non
permitteris, jure tamen Christianitatis semper illius
archiepiscopus esto, potestatem ligandi atque solvendi super
eam dum vixeris obtinens.”

[1667] Ib. “Et insignibus pontificalibus more summi
pontificis utens ubicunque fueris.”

[1668] He again describes his whole struggle between the two
duties, how he believed that he could reconcile both, how
others told him that he could not, and he asks, “Et ego,
pater, inter tales quid facerem?”

[1669] Ib. 49. “De ipso rege Anglico suisque et sui
similibus qui contra libertatem ecclesiæ Dei se erexerunt.”

[1670] See above, p. 608.

[1671] Hist. Nov. 51. “Si causam quæris, hæc est. Quando de
terra sua discedere voluit, aperte minatus est se illo
discedente totum archiepiscopatum in dominium suum
accepturum. Quoniam igitur, nec his minis constrictus, quin
exiret omittere noluit, juste se putat fecisse quod fecit et
injuria reprehendi.”

[1672] Ib. 52. “Quis unquam audivit talia? pro hoc solo
primatem regni suis omnibus spoliavit, quia ne sanctam
matrem ecclesiam omnium Romanam visitaret omittere noluit?…
Et pro tali responso mirabilis homo huc te fatigasti?”

[1673] Ib. “Certissime noverit se in eodem concilio
damnationis sententia puniri quam promeruit.”

[1674] Chron. Petrib. 1123.

[1675] Eadmer, Hist. Nov. 52. “Priusquam abeam, tecum
secretius agam.”

[1676] Ib. “Prudenter operam dando hos et illos suæ causæ
fautores efficere, ac, ut domini sui voluntati satisfaceret,
munera quibus ea cordi esse animadvertebat dispertiendo et
pollicendo parvi habere. Deductus ergo a sententia Romanus
pontifex est.” William of Malmesbury (Gest. Pont. 101) is
still more distinct on this head; “Arte qua peritus erat
negotium conficiens, singulos ambiendo, muneribus et
pollicitationibus, regi terminum ad festum sancti Michahelis
obtinuit. Cunctatus est multum ad id concedendum Urbanus,
quod luctarentur in ejus animo Anselmi religio et munerum
oblatio; sed prævaluit tandem pecunia. Itaque omnia superat,
omnia deprimit nummus. Indignum factum ut pectori tanti
viri, Urbani dico, vilesceret famæ cura, Dei respectus
cederet, et pecunia justitiam præverteret.”

[1677] Eadmer, Hist. Nov. 52. “Quod videntes vane nos ibi
consilium, nihil auxilium operiri intelleximus.”

[1678] Will. Malms. Gest. Pont. 102. “Visum est ergo Anselmo
circa tam venalem hominem expectationem non perdere, sed
Lugdunum remeare. Sed enim licentiam impetrare non potuit,
retinente papa, ut invidiam facti aliquo levaret solatio.”

[1679] Hist. Nov. 53. “His dictis, virgam pastoralem quam
manu tenebat tertio pavimento illisit, indignationem
spiritus sui, compressis exploso murmure labiis et dentibus,
palam cunctis ostendens.”

[1680] Ib. “Oppido miratus est, sciens se nec homini de re
locutum fuisse, nec a se vel ullo suorum, ut talia diceret,
processisse.” A little characteristic touch follows;
“Sedebat ergo uti solebat, silenter auscultans.”

[1681] See above, p. 606.

[1682] Hist. Nov. 53. “Nil judicii vel subventionis,
præterquam quod diximus, per Romanum præsulem nacti.”

[1683] Eadmer, Hist. Nov. 54. “Dei odium habeat qui inde
curat.”

[1684] Ib. “Ego interim libertate potitus agam quod libet.”

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

Transcriber’s Note

Words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores, _like this_. Footnotes were renumbered sequentially and were moved to the end of the book. There are two anchors to Footnote [1486].

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Words and phrases in Greek are followed by transliteration within brackets. Appendices referenced in this volume are found in Volume 2.

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Replaced hyphen with space: lay folk. Changed December 35 to December 25 in the Contents. Added space in ‘u. s.’ to several footnote references for consistency.