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Letter CCXLV. To POPE EUGENIUS, ON BEHALF OF TIIK BISHOP OF ORLEANS. He praises the zeal of the Pope in this matter

(A.D. 1146.)

Thus act always, I pray you. Always look at the petition, not at the petitioner. The King's intercession for the Bishop of Orleans was not listened to, yet he was not offended, because his heart is in the hand of God. But even if he had been, you would have had to bear it, lest God should be offended, Who will be the more propitiated, and more quickly give us deliverance from the evils that we suffer and from our grief, if righteousness be held fast and truth not given up. It is not easy to say how much my heart is gladdened by such actions as these of yours, which are daily being noised abroad, to the great joy of all. So much for this. For the future, if anyone suggests to you that more might be put upon me, know that my strength is unequal to what I now bear. Inasmuch as you spare me you will also spare yourself. I think that you know that it is my determination not to leave my monastery again.1 In the matter of brother Balditius, though he is beloved by and is useful to me, I have obeyed you without delay. With regard to sending an Abbot to S. Anastasius,2 if it has not been done it shall be directly I know that it has not. Further, as to sending someone else, as in your last letter you said nothing about it, I did not presume to do it. But this shall be done as quickly as you see fit to hasten it. My lord of Auxerre and brother Balditius will give you an answer about everything more at length and more plainly. What Baldwin, Archbishop of Pisa, did in Sardinia in the matter of the excommunication of the judge of Arvora, I ask that you will uphold, ratiiied and unshaken by your authority, because I believe that so good a man would not have done this except justly. Lastly, let the judge of Torre,3 since he is said to be a good prince, find favour with you and receive a welcoming hand.4

Footnotes

  1. See epp. 227, 228. ↩

  2. Rualene (epp. 258, 259, 260) was sent. ↩

  3. This seems to be Gunnar, once judge and tetrarch of Sardinia, who, coming to the grave of S. Martin, returned by way of Clairvaux, where, being welcomed by Bernard, he afterwards became a monk (Heribert, De Mirac. Bem., lib. ii. c. 13). ↩

  4. Helias. After the death of John, Bishop of Orleans, A.D. 1 133, Hugh, the Dean, was chosen to succeed him. This is on the authority of Onieric (lib. xiii. on the year 1 134), who writes as follows: — " After the aged John, Bishop of Orleans, had given up his Bishopric with his life, Hugh, the Dean, was elected to the vacant office; but returning from the King's Court he was attacked by desperadoes and died, thus leaving the Diocese to be for a long time tossed about without a ruler, like a ship on the sea without a rudder." This lasted till A.D. 1136, when Helias, after a protracted disagreement between the clergy and laity, was chosen by the unanimous vote of all. He was a monk and Abbot of S. Sulpicius of Bourges. Peter of Cluny (lib. i. ep. n) calls him "a man full of piety, prudence, and learning." Peter wrote for his confirmation to Innocent, and he was consecrated by him in April, 1137. After some years, viz., in 1 144, he was accused before Lucius II. of grievous crimes by the clergy of Orleans, and when he could not clear himself, and when the Pope could not be induced to show him favour, either by Peter (lib. v. epp. 19, 21, 27) or by King Louis himself, he of his own accord resigned his See on the advice of S. Bernard, A.D. 1146, when Eugenius had succeeded Lucius. It is, therefore, remarkable that Alberic should say (Chron., A.D. 1149) tnat " Atto, Bishop of Troyes, and the Bishop of Orleans were deposed in a council held at Rheims," when each of his own free will resigned his office, as is clear in the case of the Bishop of Orleans from this Letter, and in the case of Atto from the notes to ep. 23. ↩

Chapter 245 of 491