Letter CCL. To Bernard,'- Prior of Fortes

Bernard thinks that the refusal of the Pope to raise¹ Brother Noel on account of his youth to the Episcopate ought not to be resented by the brethren.

To the most reverend fathers and loving lords, BERNARD, Prior of Fortes, and the saints with him, BERNARD, called Abbot of Clairvaux, sends greeting in the Lord.

1. From a passage in the reply of your Beatitude I find that I wrote something which made you think that I was troubled, and that you fear that not a little. But if so it is without cause. For there is no reason why you, most reverend fatheis, should fear anything from your child who loves you in truth as friends and holds you as saints. Un less, perchance, you feared not me, but for me, with a fatherly love, because I seemed to you to be troubled without reason, or if with reason, more, perhaps, than I ought. I was troubled, I admit, not against you, but for you, and that but little. If this, too, was hastiness, then without hastiness I confess against myself my unrighteousness, and you will forgive the hastiness of my sin. Pardon me, such is my nature; the zeal of your house eats me up. I will not allow, so far as in me lies, such an example of sanctity to lose its lustre,² for God forbid that I should be afraid of its being corrupted. In exactly the same way in a. beautiful body not only disease, but even a mole is distressing. Evidently the colour is not good if any one of the saints seems to be vexed at his lowly position; he is far from perfect if he does not rejoice and even glory in it. Moreover, for any imperfection to appear in one who purposes to aim at perfection is as a mole. This colour, then, in our Brother Noel displeased me. For even if he is pure in the sight of God; what then? We must also provide things honest in the sight of all men.

2. But you say, " It is we who were vexed, not he." We come back to the same question. Again, I say what I think. I do not see why you should be vexed, unless you yourselves think that the matter is serious enough to be vexed about. Judge for yourselves whether this feeling was becoming to him, especially in newness of life. For before he took the vows, let me by his leave say it, this blot was seen in him, whether rightly must be left to his own conscience. And, perhaps, the Pope thought the same about him, since you say he has refused to confirm his election. I suppose that he was afraid of the tongues of traducers, and, therefore, withheld a too speedy promotion from a novice, lest slanderous tongues should say that this was the reward he aimed at when he took the cowl. But whatever the mind of the Pope may have been, whether this or something else, I must tell you that I knew nothing of his intention, lest anyone should say that it was done at my instigation. For, as far as I am concerned, it was my rt solution that whenever I had an opportunity I would not only not hinder, but even with all my might, and, as they say, with both hands, help him whenever he should by the grace which is in him be in a position to bring forth fruit to God. Who will give me the happiness of seeing learned and holy men set over the Church of God as pastors, if not in all places, yet in many, or at all events in some? For what matters it if a youth declares that once he behaved in a youthful way? Old things are passed away, all things are become new. Shall I a second time rake up his buried vices when he has a second time been buried with Christ by the baptism of the wilderness [/>., monasticism]?³

3. I was very much displeased when I heard of the hard things which the Abbot of Chezy,'⁴ or he of Troyes, is said to have written to you, and when I have an opportunity I will tell him so, as far as I may consistently with charity and with the brotherly intimacy that exists between us. I thank God, who has enabled you not to be overcome with evil, but to overcome evil with good, inasmuch as you have not returned him evil for evil, or cursing for cursing. Further, you must know that the letters which you had before written to me against the above-named Abbots did not come to their knowledge by any efforts or wish of mine. But enough of these matters.

4. I must now forget not myself. My burdened conscience, and my life, which resembles some fabled monster, cry aloud to you. For I am a kind of chimaera of the age, acting neither as a clerk nor as a layman, for I have long since put off the life of a monk, but not the habit. I do> not like to wrrite to you what I daresay you have heard from others, what I am so busy about, what I am striving for, through what pitfalls my walk lies, down what precipices, I should rather say, I am hurled. If you have not heard, then I pray you to make inquiries, and according to what you hear, give me your counsel and the benefit of your prayers.

Footnotes

1. The second of the name. He left the See cf Bellay A.D. 1142, and returned VOL. ii. 47 to the Carthusian House at Fortes, and there, before A.U. 1147, he succeeded Bernard, the first prior (see note to ep. 153). I cannot say with certainty that Noel here mentioned was called to preside after him over the Church of Bellay. William, at all events, succeeded Bernard, Antelm (or Nantelm) William. Antelm had been Prior of Fortes, and ep. 234 (Duchesne) to Louis the younger seems to be about his promotion. ↩

2. Decolor ari. See the next sentence but one. ↩

3. Bernard evidently held with other Fathers that profession of the religious life was a second baptism. This is dwelt on at length in lib. <le Precepto el Di.\pcnsatione, c. 17. ↩

4. Was this Simon, Abbot of Chezy, to whom ep. 263 was directed? His successor, Tes. (so his name is given abbreviated), is pointed to here, although we li ive no Letters of his against the Carthusians, but many in their favour. ↩