16. To Henry

Brother Anselm to his lords and friends, and most dear brethren, the Lord Prior Henry and the others in the Monastery of Canterbury, continually serving God in the Church of Christ; may you ever advance to higher things in the holy life you have chosen, and never fall away.

Moses, our beloved brother, who from youthful levity, and being deceived by another's cunning, deserted the shelter of your holy companionship (like a son of our mother Eve, who being in paradise beguiled, lost the happiness of paradise while yet sheltered in that august retreat); yet has neither driven hogs to pasture, being compelled by hunger, nor desired to be fed with the husks which the swine did eat; but with that mental food yet unexhausted which he had received at your spiritual table, has put in at our monastery as into a well-known harbour, after many wanderings over the seas of the world. Although, being conscious of his fault, he fears the severity of justice, as the Apostle says, "no one ever hated his own flesh: "yet he desires to be received again in whatsoever way it may be, into the flock wherein he was suckled and brought up. And To Henry. 13$ since he reckons himself not worthy to be called your son or your brother as yet, he desired at least to become as one of your hired servants so only he may attain to be among you: and for his attendant whom he himself drew on to consent to and obey his pleasure, he fears so much more than for his own flesh, as that if the other should be visited with any penalty by a just decision, he will regard it as to be paid by his own soul. Also as to that money belonging to another which was received on condition of repayment, and which he being deceived by some one else incautiously spent, he is so uneasy that unless by the help of your bounty and by leave to ask in whatsoever quarter whence he might get assistance, he should succeed in freeing the other from that debt, his spirit can never hope to be freed from this shame. But since he cannot think his own prayers alone either could or should be sufficient to obtain so many and so great things, he begs me, your servant, since just now he has no one more attached to you, or whom he more depends on as being able to obtain anything from you to intercede for him. Therefore, since there is no more urgent intercession than the offering of skin for skin, of life for life, as saith the Lord: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," let your love understand that Master Moses, from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, is covered entirely with the skin of your servant brother Anselm, and his mouth is mine. If, therefore, there should be anyone among you whom I have ever wilfully offended, let him first scourge my skin in Moses for that aforesaid fault, and deny food to my mouth. But after that fault I commend my skin to brother Moses to guard as he loveth his own; and to you that you not merely spare it. For if for his fault my skin be struck or severely injured, of him will I require it; but if any should spare him, I will be grateful to him. And as to his attendant, know that I have no other skin, since his safety is mine: his soul is my soul. But since what he asks as to the money is easy to do, it will not, as I think, be hard to obtain from your mercifulness. We wish to hear your decision as to all these points by a letter from you before he sets out to return: not that he would refuse to hasten even towards suffering, should you so desire him; but because he desires to return in good hope, joyfully, to those whom he loves. Farewell. part 333.