Letter CCXXXIV. To Herbert, Abbot of S. Stephen of Dijon

Bernard begs Jiis forgiveness for a religious named John, who had attacked him in writing.

If brother John has said 01 written anything unbecoming against me, or in an unbecoming way,1 it is not so much I whom he has injured as himself; for by writing in that way he rather betrays his own hastiness than proves me guilty of wrong; though even if he had in any point injured me it was not my intention to repay him withevil. And so looking to what becomes me rather than what he deserves, I ask and supplicate that you will also forgive the young man this fault, which seems to savour more of boastfulness than malice; on condition, however, that for the future he keep himself from writing or treating of matters which clearly are above him. For as plainly enough appears, in this little thing that he has been presumptuous enough to put forth, there was need of a maturer style and spirit. For you must see, even in this brief pamphlet, that the man either did not write what he thought, or did not think what he ought.