Letter XXII. To Humbald, Archbishop of Lyons and Legate

(Before A.D. 1128.)

He commends the cause of the Bishop of Meaux.¹

To the most Reverend Lord and Father HUMBALD, Arch bishop of Lyons and Legate of the Roman See, Brother BERNARD, Abbot of Clairvaux, health and all that the prayers of a sinner can avail on his behalf.

The Lord Bishop of Meaux² was on his road to visit us, as it happened, when he received your letter. Since he wished to reply before leaving us, he begged me to join in a letter with him, in the hope that as I have the honour to be known to you, it might help to forward his business. I could not deny what he wished, and have thought it well to make this known to your Reverence in a few friendlv words: because if you shall listen to the complaints of men who love only their own selves, and seek those things that are their own, against a Bishop who regards only those that are of Jesus Christ, it will be agreeable neither to your duty nor to your office.

Footnotes

1. Ordericus calls him Humbert, and others Ilumbaud. From Archdeacon of Autun he became Archbishop of Lyons, and at the beginning of the Pontificate of Honorius II. was joined in the function of Legate with Cardinal Peter de Fontaines. ↩

2. This was without doubt Burchard, not Manasses II., his successor. ↩