Letters455 Letter CDLV

Highness to the matter of the monks of Careda because they spread calumnies against us by your niece and alsQ by themselves. Concerning the monastery It behaves us to provide things good then not only before God, but also before men, and we desire by all means thus to proceed in this business, that our good be not evel spoken of, nor that those men should have any occasion for speaking ill of us. Therefore we remit the matter to you, that you may kindly take steps to put an end to that scandal; and if they should not be willing to desist by any other means, that you would be so good as to bring the controversy to an end by the award, as is proper, of the Bishops of Zamora and Astorga. And when it shall be made clear, either by their own acknowledgment, or by the award of the Bishops, that they have nothing to complain of and no claim to make against us in this matter, we shall be prepared, by God’s help, so to organize the place, as that it may be a cause of rejoicing to your pious mind; and so that God may be glorified in your work.

Fragment of a letter to Nicholas, Bishop of Cambrai.

To the venerable lord and dear father N., 3 Bishop of Cambrai, Bernard, called Abbot of Clairvaux, health and 1 [Or of Carracetta, a Benedictine Abbey in the diocese of Astorga, founded by King Bermund about A. D. 990. Alfonso VII., King of Spain, gave it to the Cistercians. See Epp. 36i, 373-]

2 Zemorensis: but read Zamorensis.

3 [Nicholas de Chievres, who is mentioned in Ep. 214.]

Letter CDLVI.

prayer that he may provide things good before God and before men.

I seek a new instance of an old friendship; not to remove a doubt, but to make new assurance of it. For I am sure that you have affection for me; but just as your friendship has been displayed to me. 1 No. CDLVI. Letter or Charter of Bernard on behalf of the Abbey of S. Tron.

Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, to all to whom the present letter shall come.

It happens that the Abbot of Saint Tron and Baldwin de Wasia who are on their way to Rome, that their controversy may be decided, are passing by this place in the course of their journey.

Having heard the cause that was between them, and pitying their labour and expense, I have, by the help of God, brought them to a peaceful and friendly composition in this manner. The Abbey of Saint Tron shall possess for ever, according to its privileges, Werrebroeck and Saleghem, with the undivided parochial right. We have determined also that the church of Saint Tron shall give to Baldwin twenty shillings yearly on the Feast of S. Remigius. Baldwin has also at my entreaty resigned to the same church of Saint Tron the [right to oblations which he had in that church.

Simon, Bishop of Tournay, also has thus understood the agreement.

1 [The rest is wanting; nor has it been found anywhere else.]

[This was Goswin, Abbot of Saint Tron, a monastery near Ghent, from whose autograph this Schedule has been extracted.]

No. CDLVII. Letter or Charter of the same Bernard on behalf of the monasteries of Luxeuil and S. Evre. 1 This is the compromise between the Abbots of Luxeuil and Saint Evre concerning the church of Galdouis-Curtis.

1. Bernard, called Abbot of Clairvaux, to whom the lord Pope has committed the cause between the Abbots of Luxeuil and Saint Evre for decision; have brought that cause to a close by way of agreement in the following manner.

It is agreed that they of Saint-Evre should have the entire tithe of Galdouis-Curtis; but that those of Luxeuil shall have the church itself, and all things belonging to it except the tithes, resigning any right that they may have in the church of Basigni which they held of Saint-Evre. But all the annual dues which the church of Galdouis- Curtis owes, whether to the Bishop or his assistants, those of Saint-Evre shall discharge entirely each year. This was done under the advice of the venerable Bishops Godfrey of Langres and Hatto of Troyes, and of the religious persons who were invited for this purpose by me, whose names are:

William, Abbot of S. Martin at Troyes, Baldwin, Abbot of Chatillon, Stephen, Abbot of Trois Fontaines, Baldwin, Abbot of La Crete, Guy, Abbot of Charlieu. 4] [From the original at Saint-Evre. Written A. D. 1140.]

2 [Innocent II.]

3 [The Abbot of Luxeuil at that time seems to have been Josceran; that of Saint-Evre Peter or Durand.]

4 [To this document was appended a seal, but it is worn away by time.]

No. CDLVIII. 1 Charter of the same Bernard on behalf of the monastery of S. Amand de Boisse.

1. Bernard, called Abbot of Clairvaux, state publicly and give notice that I have conveyed the place of S. Amand de Boisse and whatever I have in it by the gift of the Count of Angouleme, and of the church of Angouleme, and of Peter Austensius, to the church of S. Amand to which are witnesses: Hugh, Bishop of Angouleme; Junius, Abbot of La Couronne; also Brother Philip, our Prior, and Brother Gerard and Brother Geoffrey, monks of our House. Done at Clairvaux in the year of the Incarnation of the Lord 1153.

These are all the Letters of S. Bernard which have as yet come to light. It is probable, for the reasons given by Dom John Mabillon in the General Preface (Vol. 1. p. 17—19 of the English Edition), and considering farther that the “certain Letters which have not yet been brought to light” are represented in the fourth edition by an addition of forty-one Letters in all, which had been discovered by the research of D. Massuet and D. Martene, the list is now in all probability as nearly complete as it is ever likely to be.

An Appendix to the fourth Edition above mentioned contains some letters doubtfully ascribed to S. Bernard, and some others that are certainly spurious; some also written by Nicholas of Clairvaux, his untrustworthy secretary, in his name; and certain Letters by other persons, which have no necessary or even very close connection with the Saint. These (twenty-seven in all) it has not been thought needful to include in this Edition; but an exception has been made for the interesting letter of the Novice, 1 From the muniment room of that place.

2 See notes to Ep. 299.

Peter de Roya, which gives a contemporary description of the Abbey of Clairvaux, and for the Letter or Grant by the Bishop of Troyes, of the Abbey of Boulancourt, to S. Bernard and the community at Clairvaux. (E.)