48. To Orduvinus

Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, to his brother and dearest son Orduvinus, greeting and blessing.

I am grateful to your affection for being anxious about my reputation, and for asking how you should answer my false accusers who seek occasion to attack me. They say, so you write me word, that I forbid the king to grant investitures; and, what is worse, allow wicked and evil clerks to usurp and ravage churches, nor rise up against them. They say also that I give churches to laymen. Tell them that they lie. I do not by my own authority forbid the king to grant investitures; but since I heard the apostolic see ex communicate in a great council laymen who give, and those who receive, such investitures, and those who shall consecrate the receivers, I will not communicate with the excommunicate nor become myself excommunicate. Neither do I willingly, but with sorrow, endure that clerks should oppress churches, and I have to that point risen up against it, that for this I am in exile and despoiled of my spiritual belongings. That of which they complain as to the clerks would not happen, if the investitures which I stand out against did not take place. I do not give churches to laymen by giving them manors to farm; but I assign them that they may be taken care of, not that the laymen may place or remove a clerk, except by my order or that of our archdeacon or the ruler of the manors of our church. They therefore wickedly accuse me of minding others' business and neglecting my own; for they say not this out of love for the truth, but hinder my voice which speaks on the side of truth. Farewell.