39. To Pope Pascal

To his honoured lord the great Pontiff Pascal, Anselm, servant of the Church of Canterbury, sendeth due submission and faithful service.

In the first place, as far as my lowliness may, I thank your mightiness for receiving and treating my messengers so kindly and honourably, that I thence know I may trust in your kindness beyond my deserts. The letter they brought me from your majesty I received with due reverence; but the king of the English would neither look at it, nor would he show me that which you sent to him. Now the archbishop of York and the other two bishops, with whom our messengers presented themselves before you, on their return reported by word of mouth other than was enjoined on me by the written documents. For they asserted publicly, by that truth to which bishops ought to adhere, that you had in secret speech sent word by them to the king that if he otherwise acted rightly, you would neither prohibit him from giving ecclesiastical investitures, nor subject him to excommunication if he gave them, but that you were unwilling to commit this to parchment lest other princes to whom this was forbidden might hence take occasion to complain. They told me also from you, on the same faith of bishops, that I was to believe them in this matter and to go by their advice. To which if I would not agree, the king, even should I oppose it, would forthwith by your authority do of his own plea sure that which you had not forbidden; and should I persist in doing what your letter to me commanded, he would without doubt expel me the kingdom. But yet since I would neither disbelieve your letter nor might venture to despise the assertion of your command put forward by the bishops, since on either hand there threatened the doom of disobedience, I by the advice of those bishops begged for a delay until I could receive from your excellency some assurance as to this business. I however would give no consent to anything being done contrary to the decree of the Roman council, but am merely suffering it, not branding anyone in the meantime with the accusation of disobedience should it be done. So therefore the king, by your authority, as he thinks, is conferring bishoprics and abbacies. Prostrate therefore in mind at your feet, with what earnestness I can, being placed in a most anxious position, I entreat that I may find there is in you an apostolic pity for my soul, and 1 suppliantly invoke the whole love of the Roman Church to obtain this. I do not fear exile, or poverty, or torture, or death; for being strong in God, my heart is ready to bear all these for obedience to the apostolic see and the liberty of my mother, the Church of Christ. I only ask for positive information, that I may know without any ambiguity what I am to consider To Pope Pascal 181 as your decision. In the Roman council I heard the late Pope Urban of venerable memory excommunicate kings and all laymen who gave investitures and Church possessions, as also those who accepted the same and became their vassals for them, and those who consecrated these who so received them. Therefore if it please your holiness, either remove this excommunication as far as England is concerned, that I may remain here without danger to my soul; or tell me by letter that you mean to uphold it whatever it may cost me; or if, in your wisdom, you choose to except anything, tell me with the same exactness what that is. I wish also to be instructed by your command as to how I am to act with regard to those who during the aforesaid truce receive forbidden investitures and those who consecrate the former. In what I add to your paternity by word of mouth of the bearers to this letter, I humbly implore yon to deign not to despise my entreaties.