The Portable Medieval Reader

by James Bruce Ross

  And since the name, Deborah, as your learning knows, means “bee,” in the Hebrew tongue, you shall also be in this another Deborah, that is, a bee. For you shall make honey, but not for yourself alone, since whatever good you have gathered, in different ways and from various sources, you shall pour it all forth, by example, by word, and in every possible way, upon the sisters of your house and upon all others. In this short span of mortal life, you shall satisfy yourself with the secret sweetness of sacred learning, and the blessed sisters with public preaching, so that, according to the words of the prophet: “It shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk and honey.” For although this may be said concerning this time of grace, nothing prevents its being understood concerning the time of glory; in fact, it is even sweeter. It would be sweet to me to continue discussing this longer with you, because I am both delighted by your renowned learning and, far more, attracted by your religion, which is praised by many. Would that our order of Cluny had youl Would that the pleasant prison of Marcigny embraced you, with the other handmaidens of Christ awaiting celestial freedom there! I should prefer the riches of religion and learning to the greatest treasures of any kings whatsoever, and I should rejoice to see that illustrious body of sisters shine more brilliantly with you dwelling there....

  But although this may be denied to us concerning you, by the providence of God which disposes all things, it has been granted concerning that one of yours, concerning that Master Peter, I say, often and always to be named with honour, the servant and truly the philosopher of Christ, whom, in the last years of his life, that same divine providence brought to Cluny. And he enriched her in and from that gift more precious than gold and topazes. A brief word cannot tell of his holy, humble, and devout way of life among us, as Cluny bears strong witness. For, unless I am mistaken, I do not recollect that I have seen his like, in the appearance and actions of humility, so much so that, to the very discerning, neither St. Germain would appear more abject, nor St. Martin himself poorer. And when, at my command, he took a superior rank in that great assembly of our brothers, he seemed the least in the plainness of his apparel.

  I wondered often, as he preceded me in processions with the others, according to custom, nay, I was almost astounded that a man of so great and so famous a name could thus belittle himself, could thus humble himself. And while there are certain of those who profess religion, who desire that the religious garments which they wear should be exceedingly sumptuous, he was completely sparing in these, and, content with a simple garment of any kind, he asked for nothing more. He observed this practice also in food, and in drink, and in all care of his own body, and he condemned in his words and in his life, I do not say the superfluous only, but everything except what was really necessary, both for himself and for everyone. His reading was continual, his prayer frequent, his silence perpetual, except when familiar intercourse with the brothers or public discussion in their assembly pressed him to speak to them about divine things. He frequented the divine sacraments as much as he was able, offering the sacrifice of the immortal Lamb to God; and indeed, after the apostolic favour had been granted, by letters and through my effort, he frequented them almost constantly.

  And what more can I say? His mind, his tongue, his labour, always serving God, always philosophical, ever more learned, he meditated, taught, and spoke. Living thus with us for some time, this simple and upright man, fearing God, and withdrawing from evil, consecrated the last days of his life to God, and to end them (for more than usual, he was troubled by scabies and certain discomforts of body), he was sent by me to [St. Marcel lès] Châlons. For because of the pleasant situation of that place, which surpasses almost all regions of our Burgundy, I thought to provide a suitable place for him, near the city indeed, but yet near where the Saone flows. There, as much as his illness permitted, he renewed his former studies, and was always bending over his books, and he did not, as Gregory the Great wrote, allow a single moment to be wasted, but always he prayed, or read, or wrote, or dictated. In these holy exercises, the coming of that angelic visitor found him, and discovered him not sleeping, like many, but vigilant. It found him truly watchful, and summoned him, not as the foolish, but as the wise virgin, to the marriage feast of eternity. For he brought with him a lamp full of oil, that is, a conscience filled with the testimony of a holy life. For, in order that the common debt of mortal life should be paid, he was seized by illness, and suffering in it, he was in a short time brought to his end. Then, truly, how holy, how devout, how Catholic, was the confession he made, first, of his faith, and then of his sins. With what longing of his loving heart he received the last repast of the journey, and the pledge of eternal life, the body of the Lord our Redeemer, how faithfully he commended to Him his body and soul here and forever, the brothers are witnesses, and all the members of that monastery where the body of the holy martyr Marcellus lies. Thus Master Peter brought his days to a close, and he who was known throughout almost the whole world for his unique mastery of knowledge, and was everywhere famous, persevering, meek, and humble, in the discipleship of Him who said: “Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart,” thus passed over to Him, as it should be believed. Him then, venerable and dearest sister in the Lord, to whom you clung in the bonds of the flesh, and later in the so much stronger and better bond of divine love, with whom and under whom you have long served the Lord; him, I say, in your place, and as another you, Christ cherishes in His own embrace, and He preserves him to be restored to you by His grace, at the coming of the Lord, when He descends from heaven, with the singing of archangels and the sound of the trumpet. Be mindful of him, then, in the Lord; be mindful also of me, if it pleases you, and solicitously commend to those holy sisters who serve the Lord with you, the brothers of our congregation, and the sisters, who everywhere in the world, as much as they can, are serving the same Lord as you do.

  “Letter to Heloise,” Migne, Patrologia Latina, vol. 189; traps. M.M.M.

  Arnold of Brescia, a Twelth-Century Revolutionary

  JOHN OF SALISBURY

  Twelfth century

  BETWEEN the lord pope [Eugenius III] and the Romans peace was being discussed [1148], and frequent embassies ran to and fro from one party to the other. But many things hindered the peacemaking, particularly that the Romans did not wish to cast out Arnold of Brescia, who was said to have pledged himself to the honour of the city and republic of Rome by a sworn oath, and to him the Roman people had in turn promised aid and counsel against all men, and especially against the lord pope; for he had excommunicated Arnold from the Roman Church, and, as it were, warned that he should be shunned as a heretic.

  This man was a priest in rank, in condition a canon regular, and he disciplined the flesh by austerity and lack of possessions. He was acute in intelligence, steadfast in the study of the Scriptures, fluent in speech, and a vigorous preacher of contempt for the world. But, as they say, he was seditious and a fomenter of schism, and wherever he lived he did not allow the laity to have peace with the clergy. He had been abbot at Brescia, and when the bishop, who had gone to Rome, delayed there for a while, Arnold so altered the minds of the citizens that they scarcely wished to admit the returning bishop. Deposed because of this by the lord pope Innocent [II], and exiled from Italy, Arnold went to France and joined Peter Abelard, and zealously favoured his cause with the Lord Jacintus, who was now cardinal, against the abbot of Clairvaux.

  After Master Peter had gone to Cluny, Arnold, remaining in Paris at Mont Ste. Geneviève, expounded the Holy Scriptures to the scholars at St. Hilaire, where the aforesaid Peter had been a guest. But he had no auditors except poor ones, and those who begged alms publicly from door to door, while they spent their life with the master. He said that they agreed very well with the law of Christ, and that they disagreed as much as possible with the lives of Christians. He did not spare the bishops, attacking them because of their avarice and shameful money-grubbing, and because of th
eir so frequently blemished lives, and because they strove to build the Church of God by the shedding of blood. That abbot [St. Bernard], whose name is considered very famous because of his many merits, he accused of being a pursuer of vain glory, one who envied all who were not of his own school. The abbot indeed brought it about that the most Christian king cast Arnold out of the kingdom of France. Thence, after the death of the lord Innocent, he returned to Italy, and when he had promised satisfaction and obedience to the Roman Church, he was received by the lord Eugenius [III] at Viterbo. Penance was imposed on him, which he agreed that he would do, in fasts, in vigils, and in prayers at the holy places in the city; and indeed he swore a solemn oath to observe obedience.

  While living at Rome under the pretext of penitence, he won the city over to himself, and while the lord pope was travelling among the Gauls, Arnold, preaching freely, created a sect of men who are still called Lombard heretics. For he had followers who were continent and who, because of their appearance of honesty and austerity of life, were pleasing to the people, but they found support especially among the religious women. Arnold himself was frequently heard on the Capitol and in public meetings. Now he openly attacked the cardinals, saying that their assembly, because of their pride and avarice, hypocrisy, and manifold wickedness, was not the Church of God, but a house of business and a den of thieves, who acted as scribes and pharisees among the Christian people. He said that the pope himself was not what he professed to be, an apostolic man and a shepherd of souls, but a man of blood, who upheld his authority by fire and slaughter, a tormenter of churches, an oppresser of innocence, who did nothing else in the world but feed on flesh, and fill his own coffers and empty those of others. He said that the pope was so apostolic that he did not follow the doctrine or life of the apostles, and to him obedience and reverence were not due....

  From Historia pontificalis, R. L. Poole, ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1927); trans. M.M.M.

  Arnold of Brescia

  Twelfth century

  THIS man was harshly austere throughout his whole life; moderate in his habits, yet in his speech extravagant, he strove for wisdom beyond that which is fitting. He was eloquent and bold and self-assured, a man of much reading. I believe that it is just to describe briefly his teaching and his end, for it will please many to know it.

  He attacked and condemned priests as well as lesser people. Believing that he alone lived righteously and that others erred unless they wished to follow his teaching, he also attacked violently the actions of the prelates, and, in short, he spared no one, he mingled the true with the false, and was pleasing to many.

  He condemned the laymen for not paying their tithes, and he condemned all taking of usury. Following the Scripture, he taught that shameful greed, war, hatred, lust, perjury, murder, theft, deception, and the evil desires of the flesh are hindrances to eternal life. He spared no vice, and like a foolish doctor, he cut away the healthy along with the diseased. For he censured all priests as wicked and as followers of that Simon who wanted to buy divine things for money, and he made almost no exceptions.... He said that the monks were completely irregular, and that truly they could not be called by the name of monks. He declared that the great prelates coveted transitory things, and scorned the things of heaven for those of earth; night and day, they judged legal cases for a price, and considered the office of the episcopate of less account than this. For this, he claimed, they would be condemned to everlasting death, and he asserted that all men of every order were corrupted, loving neither God nor their neighbours.

  He cried out that, alas, evils flourished especially in the Roman see, where money was honoured more than justice, and where money was obtained in place of justice. There evil had spread from the head to the body, and all the members sought money and bribes. All things were done with money, the things of the Lord were bought and sold, and anyone who lacked money was completely despised.

  This was the teaching of that famous Master Arnold, which pleased many men only because of its novelty. Indeed, Europe was now full of this doctrine. He first gathered bitter fruits in his native city, and you, Brescia, have revelled in the teaching of your citizen. He also stirred up great Milan, and the Roman people, always willing to believe new things. Wherever he was, this man caused sedition, for he deceived people under the image of truth.

  The highest apostolic shepherd wished to convert him, yet he could not. And with kind words he frequently admonished him to give up his error and his evil doctrine. But Arnold never ceased to insult the holy father with bitter words, and he did not abandon his wicked teaching. And when, often warned, he became worse, and rejoiced that his fame spread through the world, the pope, grieving because the people were corrupted by false teaching, and wishing to cure the sickness by reason, expelled this schismatic teacher from the bosom of his mother, the Church. Desirous that the rest of the body should retain its health, the wise doctor cut off with a sword the diseased member.

  But the tongue of Master Arnold was not so restrained that he did not spread his customary errors, that he did not snap harder with bared fangs at the Roman Church, that he did not teach the people in opposition to the lord pope. Then he was brought by King Frederick [Barbarossa] to the Roman judge who had been appointed, and was put in chains. And the ruler ordered his case to be judged, and the learned teacher was condemned for his teaching.

  But when he saw that his punishment was prepared, and that his neck was to be bound in the halter by hurrying fate, and when he was asked if he would renounce his false doctrine, and confess his sins after the manner of the wise, fearless and self-confident, wonderful to relate, he replied that his own doctrine seemed to him sound, nor would he hesitate to undergo death for his teachings, in which there was nothing absurd or dangerous. And he requested a short delay for time to pray, for he said that he wished to confess his sins to Christ. Then on bended knees, with eyes and hands raised up to heaven, he groaned, sighing from the depths of his breast, and silently communed in spirit with God, commending to Him his soul. And after a short time, prepared to suffer with constancy, he surrendered his body to death. Those who looked on at his punishment shed tears; even the executioners were moved by pity for a little time, while he hung from the noose which held him. And it is said that the king, moved too late by compassion, mourned over this.

  Learned Arnold, what did such great learning profit you, and so much fasting, and so many labours? Of what profit was such a hard life, which spurned all slothful leisure and enjoyed no fleshly pleasures? Alas, what made you turn your biting slander upon the Church, so that you should come, O wretched one, to the sad noosel Behold your doctrine, 0 condemned one, for which you have paid the penalty! Doctrine passes away, and your teaching will not long survive! It has been burned and dissolved with you into a few ashes, lest perchance something might be left to be honoured.

  Twelfth-century poem, E. Monachi, ed., Archivio della Società Romana di Storia Patria (Rome, 1878); trans. M.M.M.

  His Own Deeds

  GIRALDUS CAMBRENSIS

  Twelfth century

  GIRALDUS was born [c. 1145-47] in South Wales, on the coast of Dyfed, not far from the principal town of Pembroke, that is, in the castle of Manorbier, of noble stock. For his mother was Angarath, the daughter of Nesta, the noble daughter of Rhys, prince of South Wales ... who was married to the distinguished man, William de Barri. Giraldus was the youngest of four blood-brothers. And when the three others in their childish games used to build castles and cities and palaces in the sands or mud, as a prelude to their future life, he, as a like prelude, always devoted himself entirely to building churches and to constructing monasteries. His father, often noting and wondering at his custom, took it as a prophecy of the future, and determined with wise forethought to have him study letters and liberal arts; and, with teasing praise, he used to call him his “little bishop.”

  It happened one night that the land was harassed by an enemy invasion, and all the able-bodied young men of the castle r
ushed swiftly to arms. When the boy saw this and when he heard the tumult, he wept aloud and seeking a safe place to hide, asked that he be carried to the church, thus declaring in a marvellous spirit of prophecy that the peace of the church and the immunity of God’s house should be most firm and secure. When everyone heard this, the tumult ceased, and pondering these boyish words, and conferring among themselves, they remembered with amazement that his words promised for himself greater safety in this remote church, exposed to the winds and to chance, than in any city filled with men and arms, and well fortified with towers and walls....