CHAPTER V

Depressed

Church.

ANSELM AND WILLIAM RUFUS

THE see of Lincoln was kept vacant for two years, but the unrighteous treatment of this, and all the minor sees, was a trifling offence compared with the prolonged state of the vacancy of the metropolitan see of Canterbury. For an Archbishop of Canterbury was not merely the head of the English hierarchy. He was expected to be the chief counsellor of the sovereign, the moral guardian of the nation. The king was probably unwilling to fill the vacancy, not only because the revenues of the see enriched his coffers, but also because he did not wish to have a keeper of his conscience by his side to rebuke and restrain his vicious life and his unrighteous rule. Even he, it seems, did not dare to appoint a thoroughly bad man-a mere creature of his wicked will, like Ralph Flambard-to so high and holy an office; nor did he wish to have a good man in such a powerful position. And so, from a combination of motives, the primacy was kept vacant. No attempt was made to elect an archbishop, either by the great council of the realm or by the chapter of Canterbury. Either it was felt that such an attempt would have been fruitless, or the prescriptive right of the sovereign to nominate was so generally acknowledged, that no one dreamed of interfering with it. The national conscience was shocked, good men mourned and murmured, but nothing was done. An unforeseen occurrence at last provided an opportunity for action, and, by a strange coincidence, the holiest and most learned prelate that ever occupied the see of Canterbury was appointed by the most wicked king that ever sat upon the English throne.

CHAP. V

ANSELM'S CHILDHOOD

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Anselm was born at Aosta in 1033, two years before William the Conqueror became Duke of Normandy. His birthplace, the ancient Augusta Salassorum, is situated

Anselm.

in a narrow valley hemmed in by the giant Alps. Early life of The Roman walls still remain almost intact, and the street which perpetuates the name of Anselm runs between the Roman gate and the Roman arch of triumph. Anselm's parents were well born (his mother, perhaps, was connected with the princely house of Savoy), and they held considerable property under the Counts of Maurienne. The solitary anecdote of Anselm's early childhood bears the impress of the scenery by which he was surrounded. He imagined that heaven rested upon the mountain tops; and he dreamed one day that he climbed the mountain-side until he reached the palace of the great King, and there, having reported to him the idleness of his handmaidens, whom he had passed slothfully and lazily reaping their Master's corn in the valley, he was refreshed by the steward of the divine household with bread of heavenly purity and whiteness.

From an early age Anselm was studious as well as clever and amiable. He made rapid progress in learning, and grew up loving and beloved. Before he was fifteen, having become persuaded that there was nothing in the ways of men better than the life of monks, he went to a certain abbot whom he knew, and begged to be made a monk. The abbot, however, finding that the request was made without his father's knowledge, refused to grant it. The boy then prayed for an illness, hoping that his father might then be induced to yield to his wishes. The sickness came, and, having sent for the abbot, Anselm implored him, as one about to die, to make him a monk without delay. But the abbot, dreading the displeasure of Anselm's father, still refused, and the lad recovered. period of reaction followed: his longing for the religious life, and even his ardour for study, cooled; he began to devote himself rather to youthful sport, and after the death of his mother, who was a deeply devout as well as sensible woman, he became like a ship parted from its anchor, and drifted more completely into worldly ways. Some passages in one of his Meditations (xvi.) would, if literally interpreted, imply that he fell into very serious sin; but there is some doubt

G

A

whether he is speaking in his own person, and even if he is, the language may be only the reproaches, rhetorically expressed, of a highly sensitive conscience. For some reason not explained, his father took a strong dislike to him, which Anselm's meekness and submission seemed rather to inflame than soften.

his home.

At last in despair, when he was about twenty-three years of age, Anselm resolved to quit his home and seek his fortune in some other land. He set out northwards, accomAnselm quits panied by a single clerk. After spending nearly three years in Burgundy and France (but at what places we are not informed), he made his way to Normandy, attracted by the fame of Lanfranc, who had now become prior of the house at Bec. His school there was at the height of its reputation and prosperity. Students flocked to it from all parts of Europe, and the great men of Normandy lavished gifts upon it. Anselm threw himself heartily into the work

at Bec.

of the place. The severity of his studies, and the He arrives ascetic mode of living at Bec, were almost too much for his delicate frame; but he was persuaded that the moral discipline was good for his soul, and his longing to become a monk grew stronger. But if he became

a monk, whither was he to go? If to Cluny, he thought the time he had spent in learning would be wasted owing to the excessive rigour of the rule there; if he stayed on at Bec, he thought in his humility that his learning would be so entirely overshadowed by the superior learning of Lanfranc as to be of little use. Meanwhile, by the death of his father he became owner of the family property. Three courses then presented themselves to him for his choice: he might settle at Bec, or he might become a hermit, or he might return to his native home and administer his patrimony for the benefit of the poor. He took counsel with Lanfranc, who advised him to consult Maurilius, Archbishop of Rouen, and accompanied him on a visit to that prelate. Maurilius decided in favour of the monastic life, and so in 1060 Anselm took the cowl and remained at Bec.

He is first made prior, then abbot.

Three years afterwards Lanfranc was made abbot of the new house of St. Stephen at Caen, and Anselm succeeded him in the office of prior at Bec. He

V

ANSELM PRIOR OF BEC

held this post for fifteen years, 1063-1078.

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Then Herluin,

the founder and abbot, died, and for fifteen years more, 10781093, Anselm ruled the house as abbot.

His character

It was during this period of thirty years that his powers were fully developed. If Lanfranc had commanding talents, Anselm had lofty genius. Both morally and intellectually his character was of a finer type. He had and work. not only more tenderness, more breadth of sympathy, more transparent honesty and simplicity of purpose, but far profounder and more original powers of thought, which enabled him to grapple with some of the most intricate and, before his time, unsolved questions touching the nature of God, and the relations between God and man. A large part of Anselm's time by day was often consumed in giving advice, orally or by letter, to persons, many of them of high rank, who consulted him on questions of faith or conduct, and the remainder of his time between the hours of prayer, including a great part of the night, was devoted to study, meditation, and correcting the books of the monastery. He did not shrink even from the drudgery of instructing boys in the rudiments of grammar, although he owned that he found this an irksome task (Epist. i. 55). But the work in which he most delighted and excelled was that of moulding the minds and character of young men. For this he was eminently fitted by his sweetness of temper and affectionate sympathy, his playful humour, his deep piety and powerful intellect, his acuteness in discerning character, and his practical wisdom in suggesting rules for moral conduct. His good sense in the management of children is illustrated by the advice which he gave to an abbot who complained of the difficulty of training the boys in his monastery. They were incorrigibly perverse, he said, and although constantly beaten, they only grew worse. "Beat them, do you?" said Anselm, "and pray, what kind of creatures are they when they grow up?" "Dull and brutal," was the reply. "Verily," said Anselm, "you are unfortunate if you only succeed in turning human beings into beasts." "But what can we do?" rejoined the abbot, we restrain them in every possible way, but all to no purpose." "Restrain them,

my lord abbot! If you planted a young shoot in your garden and then confined it on all sides, so that it could not put

forth its branches, would it not turn out a strange misshapen thing when at last it was set free, and all from your own fault! Even so, these children have been planted in the garden of the Church, to grow and bear fruit for God; but you cramp them so severely with your punishments and threats, that they contract all manner of evil tempers and sullenly resent all correction." After more plain speaking of this kind, the abbot was brought to confess that his method of training had been all wrong, and he promised that he would try and amend it. Notwithstanding his wonderful gifts of personal influence, Anselm shrank with extreme reluctance from the responsibility of high office. When he was unanimously elected Abbot of Bec, he passionately entreated the brethren to spare him; and it was only in deference to their persistency and the authority of the Archbishop of Rouen, that he yielded at last. As abbot, he gave up most

of the secular business of the house to such of the brethren as he could trust, and devoted himself as far as possible to study, meditation, and educational work. Nevertheless, if the house was involved in any lawsuit of importance, he took care to be present in court in order to prevent any chicanery being practised by his own party. If their opponents resorted to craft and sophistry, he heeded not, but either went to sleep or occupied his time in discussing some question in ethics, or some passage in Scripture with his companions. Yet, if the cunning pleadings of the contending party were submitted to his judgment, he speedily detected the flaws in their reasoning, and tore their argument to pieces.

His first visit

1078.

Occasionally he was obliged to visit the property of the house in various parts of Normany and Flanders. These journeys brought him into contact with persons of to England, all ranks and conditions, with the result that many gave themselves and their property to the monastery; but he would never accept any personal gift. His first visit to England was paid in 1078, soon after he became abbot. He came not only to look after the English possessions of the abbey, but also to see his friend, Lanfranc the primate. He was received with great honour at Canterbury, and charmed the brethren of Christchurch by his eloquent addresses, delivered daily in the chapter-house or cloister upon topics