46. To Abbot Gerontius

Anselm, servant of the Church of Canterbury, to his revered father and friend Gerontius, greeting.

A certain monk (by what I learnt from himself) bound to your Church by a former profession, whereby he took the clerical habit among you, and also to the monastery of St Peter which is at Carnotes, where by another profession he took the monastic habit, says he cannot obtain his freedom either from you or from the Carnotensian abbot, so as to work out in the monastery of Carnotes or in yours the salvation of his soul; which he is unable to do unless he be set free either by you or by the Abbot of Carnotes. Your prudence must therefore consider that it is neither advisable nor seemly for you abbots to destroy his soul by both pulling at him thus, but that maternal love ought to reign within you, and you should show that you love your neighbour better than your own will. That one rather proves her self the mother, who says to the other: "Take thou the living child, nor let us both slay it," so that when the true Solomon shall come, He may say: "Give to this one the living child, she is the mother of it." For the true mother will rather have her son live in the arms of another than hold him dead in her own. Be it how ever known to your holiness that so far as I could gather, it is much better for many reasons that he should stay at Carnotes than return to you. Where fore if I might venture I would suggest by way of advice to your community that you should give proof of being, not the false, but the true, mother. Farewell.