Letters468 Letter CDLXVIII. h To Berald, Abbot of S. Benignus at Dijon

On behalf of a fugitive monk.

To his venerable friend, Dom Berald, Abbot of S. Benignus at Dijon, Brother Bernard, unworthy Abbot of Clairvaux, wishes health and the spirit of piety.

1 This letter is taken from the Codex Monacensis i860, a paper MS. of the monastery at Tegensee, written in the 15th century. Here it follows at the conclusion of a series of well-known Bernard, letters, one to the Abbot B. of S. Benignus in Dijon, in which the Saint associating with his request “a certain venerable Brother Henry,” intervening on behalf of a monk who has twice deserted the cloister, or at least requests for him a letter of dismissal. This letter, however, does not show the excellent penmanship of S. Bernard, and the age of the MS. causes some mistrust concerning its authenticity, as at that time with other writings a number of spurious letters were circulated under Bernard’s name. On the other hand it is evident on the authority of the Abbot himself that his letters were not unfrequently written by others at his direction: the one now under consideration employs the phraseology often used by him, and above all, not only the person of the receiver, but also another direct connection between him and the Abbot can be proved by documentary evidence. In the first place a peculiar link connected the Saint with the venerable Church at Dijon, which had been intimately associated with the history of his family, and in which his mother Alith was long buried, until the translation of her body to Clairvaux. The castle of Fontaines, the home of the I knock suppliantly at the door of your Piety on behalf of this wandering lamb of yours, insomuch that you may be pleased, after the example of the Good Shepherd, piously to compassionate and. have mercy upon him. I do not at all lose sight of the levity of the man: and that twice he has escaped from the monastery and has been received again. But yet as your Paternity well knows, mercy is to be exalted above judgment; and especial deference ought to be rendered to the blessed Benedict, who orders that an absconding monk is to be received again, even till the third time. This also the venerable Brother Henry entreats from your goodness. But if you come to the conclusion that in this matter it is not expedient to grant our request: then in the last place the brother himself makes this petition of you; that you would give him letters dimissory, to this effect that by your licence he may be permitted to seek the salvation of his soul in some other monastery. For the rest, your affection for me will be glad to be made aware in an unceremonious way, that the Lord hath chastened and corrected me, but he hath not given me over unto death (Ps. cxviii. 18). Farewell.

family, was situated near Dijon. Letters xiv. xv. xvi. were written by S. Bernard on behalf of this monastery to Pope Honorius II., Cardinal Haimeric and Cardinal Peter. Abbot Berald sat, as far as we can ascertain, from 1122 to 1129, in which latter year he appears, in company with the Abbots of Citeaux and Clairvaux, as witnesses of a deed of gift by Hugo, Count of Champagne (See Vol. i. pp. 200—202, Note.) to S. Benignus. The year 1129 therefore is the latest date that can be assigned to this letter. [E.]