=Source.=--Eadmer, _Historia Novorum in Anglia_, ed. Rule, p. 47.
(Rolls Series.)
At that time the king, straining with all his power to seize Normandy
from his brother Robert, spent lavishly on this object a large sum
of money collected from every possible quarter, so that he began to
experience not a few difficulties which were thought incompatible with
the king’s dignity. The new prelate was therefore recommended by his
friends to offer to the king 500_l._ of silver, which he did, hoping
and believing their promises that hereby he would secure thenceforward
the king’s lasting favour, and would obtain his willing support for
all godly works, and win peace and protection for the interests of the
church within and without against all enemies. The king, hearing of
this offer, expressed his thanks with the word “Excellent.” But certain
evilminded folk, as usual, induced the king contemptuously to reject
the money offered. They said, “Here is a man whom you have honoured,
enriched and exalted above all the chief men of England; yet now, when
he ought to give you 2000_l._ or at least 1000_l._, considering your
necessity, in return for your lavish favours, he offers a miserable
500_l._ Do not put up with it, change your mind, and you will see that
he will be influenced by the fear which others feel, and, to recover
your goodwill, will be only too glad to double his offer of 500_l._”
The king, in fact, pursued this plan with all his subjects; when any of
them offered him any money, with the sole desire to gain his favour,
he rejected the gift, unless the amount tallied with his desires,
and refused to admit the donor to his continued favour, unless he
would increase the gift to the king’s satisfaction. These grumblers,
therefore, expected that Anselm would be moved by fear like the rest
and driven forthwith to fulfil the king’s wishes by increasing the
sum. So he was informed that the king had rejected his money, which
amazed him. He went to the king and asked if the refusal was the king’s
own act or not. Being told that it was so, he expostulated with him,
saying, “My lord, I beg you not to do so; do not refuse to take what I
now offer you; for though it be your archbishop’s first gift, it will
not be the last. Indeed I maintain that it would be more profitable and
more honourable to you to take little from me with affectionate freedom
and at frequent intervals than to seize much by forcible exactions
involving servility. Admit affectionate freedom, and you shall have
at your service myself and my all; insist on servility, and you shall
have neither.” The king was wroth, and said in a passion, “Mind your
own affairs, and I will mind mine; away with you!” He rose and went,
meditating, it may be, that it was not without significance that on the
first day of his entry into his see the gospel had been, “No man can
serve two masters.” Quickly recovering himself, he said, “Blessed be
God Almighty, who of His mercy has preserved me from all evil report.
For had the king graciously accepted what I offered him, verily the
evil men who abound would have deemed it money promised beforehand for
the bishopric, and now rendered under the cloak of a free gift. But now
what shall I do? I will give the money intended for the king not to him
but to Christ’s poor for the ransom of his soul, and will devoutly pray
to Christ to pour down His grace upon him and defend me from all evil.”
He afterwards sued for the king’s favour by messengers, but obtained it
not because he would not double the money, and so after the festival
(Christmas) he left the court, busying himself with the distribution of
his offering to Christ’s poor, as he had determined....
Some days afterwards, by the king’s command, almost all the bishops
assembled at Hastings with the chief men of England, the bishops to
bless and the others to accompany the king on his intended passage
to Normandy. And father Anselm came also to pray urgently for the
protection of the king from the perils of the sea. The wind, however,
was unfavourable for the king’s crossing, and king and barons were
delayed there more than a month....
On one day he came to the king according to his wont, and sitting by
him began to speak thus, “My lord king, you have resolved to cross the
sea and subdue Normandy to your sovereignty. But in order that these
and other your desires may turn out to your prosperity, I pray you,
lend your aid and counsel to the restoration to this your realm of the
Christian religion, which has now almost wholly perished in many ways.”
He answered, “What aid, what counsel?” “Command,” said Anselm, “if it
please you, that councils as of old be held, that things done amiss be
discussed in common, and that discussion be followed by trial, trial
by conviction and conviction by judgment. For no general council of
bishops has been held in England since you became king and for many
years before. In consequence many evils have grown up, and with none to
check them, have waxed overstrong by the pernicious force of custom.”
The king rejoined, “When I think fit, I will deal with these matters,
and not at your will but at mine. The question shall be raised later.”
And he added with a sneer, “As for you, what do you propose to talk
about in a council?...” He replied, “There are many abbeys in the
land destitute of their pastors, on account whereof the monks abandon
their order for worldly indulgence and pass away without confession.
Wherefore I counsel, I pray, I warn you to examine the matter
carefully, and to institute abbots according to God’s will, that by the
destruction of monasteries and the damnation of monks you yourself come
not to perdition, which God forbid.” The king could restrain his anger
no longer, but said, quite beside himself with passion, “What business
is that of yours? Are not the abbeys mine? What? are you to do as you
please with your towns, and not I with my abbeys?” He replied, “They
are yours indeed, for you to defend and maintain as their guardian,
but they are not yours for you to break into and lay them waste. We
know they are God’s, that his ministers may live thereby, and not that
your expeditions and wars may be undertaken from their revenues. You
have many towns and the rents thereof for the ample administration
of your affairs. May it please you to leave to the churches what is
theirs?” “By heaven,” said the king, “your words are intolerable; your
predecessor would never have dared to speak so to my father. I will do
nothing for you.” Anselm realised that he was talking to the winds, and
rose and left him.
Feeling, however, that the king’s former anger was manifest in such
answers, and reflecting that, if the king’s heart were incensed,
there would be no peace, for the sake of the general welfare, and to
achieve more abundant results for God by securing the royal favour for
himself, he humbly sued the king through the mouth of the bishops,
freely to receive him into his friendship. “If he refuses,” he said,
“let him say why; and if I have offended, I am ready to make amends.”
This was reported to the king, who answered, “I have nothing to blame
him for, but I will not extend my favour to him, for I hear no reason
why I should.” When the bishops brought this answer, he was puzzled by
the words “I hear no reason why I should.” They said, “The mystery is
clear enough; if you want peace, you must offer him more money. Lately
you proffered him 500_l._, and he refused to take it, because it was
too little; if you will take our advice and do what we do in similar
circumstances, give him now the same 500_l._ and promise him a like sum
to be taken by you from your men; we are sure that he will restore you
to favour and permit a peaceable fulfilment of your wishes. We can see
no other way out of it, and in our own case, we have no other way in
face of such obstacles.” He at once grasped the effect of this advice
upon himself, and said “I cannot take that way. You say that though he
brings no charge against me, he is yet so much enraged that he can be
appeased only by 1000_l._; now if I, a new bishop, can appease him with
such a gift, his anger will break out again habitually, demanding a
like sop. Apart from that, after the death of Lanfranc, my predecessor,
of venerable memory, my men were robbed and plundered; and shall I,
before I have done anything to restore their estate, rob them, naked
as they are, nay, break the hearts of men already stripped? God
forbid....” They replied, “At least, we are sure, you will not refuse
the 500_l._ you offered before.” He answered, “I will not give him even
that, for when I offered, he rejected it, and besides, I have already
given the greater part to the poor, as I promised.” The king was told,
and ordered this reply to be brought to him: “Yesterday I hated him
much; to-day I hate him more; let him know that to-morrow and after
I shall hate him always worse and worse. I will count him no further
as father or archbishop; I entirely abominate and curse his blessings
and his sermons. He may go where he chooses; let him wait no longer to
bless my passage.” So we[26] hastened away from the court and left him
to his will. For his part, he crossed to Normandy, and though he spent
enormous sums of money, he could by no means conquer it.