74. To Thomas, Archbishop of York

Anselm, servant of the Church of Canterbury, to Thomas, archbishop.

To thee I speak, Thomas, in the sight of Almighty God, I, Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all Britain, speaking in the cause of God Himself: the sacerdotal office which by my command in my diocese thou didst receive at the hands of my suffragan, I forbid thee to exercise, and enjoin thee not to presume to meddle in any manner with any pastoral care until thou dost retire from the rebellion which thou hast begun against the Church of Canterbury, and shalt have made the submission to that see which thy predecessors Thomas and Gerard professed according to the ancient custom of their predecessors. And shouldst thou rather love to persist in the designs on which thou hast entered than to give them up, I forbid all the bishops of all Britain under a perpetual anathema, to lay, any one of them, hands on thee to promote thee to the episcopate; or shouldst thou be promoted by foreigners, to acknowledge thee as a bishop in any Christian communion whatever. Thee, Thomas, I also forbid, under pain of the same anathema, ever to receive consecration to the bishopric of York, until thou hast first made that submission which thy predecessors Thomas and Gerard made to the Church of Canterbury. But if thou wilt entirely give up the bishopric of York, I allow thee to exercise the sacerdotal office which thou didst formerly receive.