THE EPISTLE

OF THE

VENERABLE BEDA TO BISHOP ECGBERCT.

To the most beloved and most reverend bishop Ecgberct, Beda, the servant of Christ, greeting:-I have not forgotten the wish that you expressed last year, during the sojourn of a few days, which the purposes of study induced me to make in your monastery, that you should take advantage of our meeting again this year in the same place for the same common purpose, to invite me to a conversation with you; and, if the will of heaven had permitted the consummation of this wish, this letter would have been rendered unnecessary by the greater fulness with which the freedom of a personal interview would have enabled us to discuss the subjects upon which I might desire or deem it requisite to offer my suggestions. But although, as you are aware, the weak state of my health has prevented this, yet the fraternal regard with which your affection inspires me, has prompted me to do all that lies in my power by sending, in a letter, the communication which I am unable to make in a personal visit; and I most earnestly beg of you to banish from your mind any idea that this epistle is dictated by any arrogant affectation of superiority, and to think that it flows from a real and unassuming spirit of humility and affection.

§ 2. I exhort your holiness, therefore, most well beloved in Christ, to be mindful by the sanctity both of your works and doctrine, to confirm that sacred dignity which the Author of dignities and Giver of spiritual gifts has vouchsafed to bestow upon you. For neither of these virtues can be fully complete without the other, when either a good-living bishop is neglectful of his office as a teacher, or, when one who is correct as a teacher lightly regards the exercise of good works. But such a servant as truly performs both of these duties verily awaits the arrival of his Lord with joy, hoping to hear the words, Well done, good and faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' [Matt. xxv. 23.] On the other hand, if any one (which God forbid) after accepting the office of bishop neglects to correct his own evil deeds by a holy life, or those of the people placed under his charge by punishment or admonition, there shall happen to him, at the coming of the Lord in an hour when he thinketh not, that which is plainly declared by the sentence passed on the unprofitable servant- Cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' [Matt. xxv. 30.]

§ 3. Above all things, holy father, I earnestly pray you to restrain yourself, with the dignity which befits a bishop, from idle speaking and detraction, and the other infectious disorders of an unbridled tongue; but to keep both your lips and mind occupied in divine discourses, and on the careful perusal of the Scriptures, and particularly in reading the epistles of the blessed Paul the apostle to Timothy and Titus, and also the careful and full dissertations upon the life and vices of rulers, which the most holy pope Gregory has written in his book on Pastoral Rule,' and in his homilies on the Gospel, that so your speech may be seasoned with the salt of wisdom, elevated far above common speech, and more worthy to shed light on divine teaching. For as it is disgraceful if the consecrated vessels of the altar be ever profaned to vile and common purposes, so is it in every way a wretched perversion that he, who has been ordained to consecrate the sacraments of the Lord upon the altar, should at one time as the Lord's servant assist in celebrating these mysteries, and then immediately on his departure from the church, with that very mouth, and those self-same hands with which a little before he had handled sacred things, should to the indignation of the Lord begin to speak or act frivolously.

§ 4. But in addition to the reading of holy books, the intercourse of faithful and devout servants of Christ is of very great service in preserving the deeds or the tongue from impurity: that if at any time either the tongue begin to wax wanton, or the principle of evil deeds secretly to creep in, one may presently be supported and prevented from falling, by the hands of faithful associates But if it be very expedient for all the servants of God thus to make provision for their security, how much more for those who are obliged by their office to be careful, not only for their own safety, but also for that of the church committed to their charge, according to him who said—' Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not?' [2 Cor. xi. 28, 29.] Nor do I mention this, as though I were aware that you acted otherwise, but because it is commonly reported of certain bishops that their service of Christ is of such a nature, that so far from associating with men of any religion or continence, they seek those who are given up to laughter, jestings, fables, revellings, and drunkenness, and the other allurements of a loose life, and who daily feed their belly with feasts more than their mind with heavenly sacrifices. Now if you find any of this character, I would have you correct them with your holy authority, and

1 More generally called the Liber Pastoralis, Opp. i. 1049, ed. 1675. Several councils recommend this treatise to the careful study of the clergy. Thus, for instance, the third council of Tours (can. iii.) decrees, that "if it be possible, let none be unacquainted with the canons, or the Liber Pastoralis of the blessed pope Gregory, in which every one ought to study himself as it were in a mirror." (Labb. Concil. vii. 1261.) See also, to the same effect, the second council of Chalons, can. i. (Id. col. 1272,) and the second council of Aix-la-Chapelle (A.D. 836, cap ii. can. 4, Id. col. 1707.)

2 It would be easy to illustrate this passage by numerous quotations from the proceedings of councils and the ecclesiastical laws of the Anglo-Saxons, by which it appears that the Anglo-Saxon clergy had fallen into many excesses.

admonish them to select such witnesses of their conversation, both by day and night, as, by works worthy of God and exhortations agreeing thereto, may be able both to benefit the people and assist the bishops themselves in their spiritual duties. For, read the Acts of the Apostles and you will see, from the narrative of the blessed Luke, what was the character of the companions of Paul and Barnabas, and what was the work in which they themselves were engaged wherever they came. For immediately they entered into cities or synagogues they set themselves diligently to preach and disseminate everywhere the word of God. And this too, my wellbeloved, is the duty I would desire you to discharge; for the very object of your consecration and election by the Lord was to preach the Word with great power, by the aid of Him, the very King of power, our Lord Jesus Christ. Nor will you fail in this, if, into whatsoever place you come, you gather together the inhabitants and offer them the word of exhortation, presenting at the same time by your mode of living, with those who accompany you, such an example as becometh a leader in a heavenly warfare.

§ 5. And because the extent of country over which the diocese committed to your government extends precludes the possibility of your personally visiting the whole of it, and preaching the word of God in every village and farmstead even within the course of a whole year, it is very necessary that you should associate to yourself a greater number of assistants in the holy work, by ordaining presbyters and appointing teachers who may apply themselves in every village to preaching the word of God and consecrating the heavenly mysteries, and above all to performing the office of holy baptism when opportunity occurs. And with regard to this preaching to the people, I am of opinion that above all things the utmost diligence and care should be used that the catholic faith, as it is contained in the Creed of the apostles and the Lord's Prayer, which the scriptures of the holy gospel teach us, should be rootedly fixed in the memories of all those who are subject to your rule. And, indeed, there can be no doubt that these have been perfectly learnt by all who, from constant study, have acquired the Latin language; but cause them also to be said and continually repeated by unlearned persons, that is, by those who are acquainted with no other than their own tongue. And not only ought this course to be pursued with the laity, I mean those who are still engaged in secular pursuits, but also with those clergy or monks who are unlearned in the Latin tongue. For by this means the whole body of the faithful will learn upon what grounds they believe, and that steadfastness of creed by which they ought to fortify and arm themselves in their conflicts with unclean spirits; so that the whole band of those who make their supplications unto the Lord may know what requests are the most fitting to be asked of the divine mercy. On this account I myself have frequently given unlearned priests an English translation of both the Creed and the Lord's Prayer. For the holy bishop Ambrose' also, speaking con

1 Symbolum quoque specialiter debemus, tanquam nostri signaculum cordis, antelucanis horis quotidie recensere. De Virginibus, lib. iii. ed. Bened. tom. ii.

cerning the faith, admonishes that the words of the Creed should be repeated every morning by all the faithful, and that they should fortify themselves with this, as with a spiritual antidote, against the poison which, day and night, the devil with cunning malignity is placing before them. But with regard to ourselves, in addition to these considerations, more frequent repetition of the Lord's Prayer has been taught us by our custom of constant prayer and frequent bending of the knees.

§ 6. But if in your pastoral office you carry into effect these suggestions by ruling and feeding the sheep, it is impossible to tell the greatness of the reward prepared for you with the Shepherd of shepherds. For, in proportion to the rarity of examples of this most holy work among the bishops of our nation, the more exalted will be the rewards of singular merit which you will receive, as being one who are inflamed with fatherly affection and anxiety to provoke the people of God, by means of a frequent repetition of the Creed and Lord's Prayer, to the knowledge, love, faith, hope, and searching after those heavenly gifts which are there repeated. As, on the other hand, if you negligently discharge the business committed you by the Lord, in punishment for the keeping back of the talent, you shall receive hereafter your portion with the wicked and slothful servant; and especially will this be the case, if you have the presumption to require and receive temporal benefits from those to whom you have not thought fit to repay any of the gifts of the heavenly bounty. For when the Lord, sending out his disciples to preach the gospel, said, And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand; He a little after added, Freely ye have received, freely give: provide neither gold, nor silver. [Matt. x. 7-9.] If, then, He ordered them to preach the gospel freely, and forbade them to take either gold or silver, or any temporal profit from those to whom they preached, what, I ask, must be the imminent peril of those who pursue a contrary course?

§ 7. Consider what grievous wickedness they commit, who most carefully require their earthly gains from their hearers, yet for their eternal salvation care to expend no labour at all in preaching, or exhortation, or reproof. O well-beloved bishop, I pray you anxiously to weigh this. For we have heard, and it is the common report, that there are many vills and villages of our nation situated in accessible mountains and bushy defiles, which for many years have never been visited by a bishop, to administer and preach the comforts of heavenly grace, and yet that not even one of these can be exempt from paying him tribute. And not only are such places without a bishop to confirm the baptized by the imposition of his hands, but without any teacher whatever to instruct them in the true faith, or in the difference between a good and evil action. And thus it comes to pass that some of the bishops not only do not preach the gospel, or lay hands upon the faithful freely, but they are also guilty of the graver crime of taking money from their hearers, a thing which God has forbidden, and lightly regarding the work of the Word, which God has commanded them to exercise. Let us read how very differently acted Samuel the high priest,

beloved of God, all the people being witnesses. I have walked before you," says he, "from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am; witness against me before the Lord, and before his Anointed; whose ox have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? of whose hands have I received any bribe? and I will repent to-day, and make restitution to you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of any man's hand." [1 Sam. xii. 3.] And such was the merit of his innocence and justice, that he was thought deserving to be reckoned among the leaders and priests of the people of God, and came forth worthy to be heard by God in his prayers, and of converse with heaven, as says the writer of the Psalm :— Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name: they called upon the Lord, and He heard them. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar." [Ps. xcvi. 6.]

§ 8. Now, if we believe and profess that any advantage is conferred on the faithful by the imposition of hands, through which the Holy Spirit is received, then it is plain that they who are deprived of the imposition of hands are deprived also of this advantage. And to whom is the fault of this privation to be ascribed, more than to those very bishops, who profess that they are the prelates of those for whom they either neglect, or are unable, to perform the duties of the prelacy? Nor is there any greater cause of this crime than avarice, arguing in condemnation of which the apostle, in whom Christ spake, said, "The love of money is the root of all evil." [2 Tim. vi. 10.] And again," The covetous shall not inherit the kingdom of God." [1 Cor. vi. 10.] For when a bishop, stimulated by the love of money, has taken upon himself the prelacy over a greater number of people than he can possibly, within the course of a year, preach to, or visit, it is plain that he incurs a peril, fatal both to himself and to those over whom he presides, with the title indeed, but with none of the functions, of a bishop.

§ 9. Having made these brief remarks to your holiness, O wellbeloved bishop, on the grievances under which our nation labours, I earnestly beseech you to strive, to the utmost of your ability, to reduce to the rule of good living, whatever evil actions may fall under your notice. And you have, I believe, a most ready coadjutor in so just a task in the person of king Ceoluulf,' who has such an engrafted love of religion, that he will eagerly endeavour to lend his aid in whatever appertains to the rule of piety; and since he is moreover bound to you by the ties of relationship and affection, he will most readily carry into action those good works which you set on foot. Wherefore I pray you diligently to admonish him to effect in your time a reformation, by means of which the ecclesiastical affairs of our nation may be placed in a better position than hitherto. Nor do I see any other possible method of doing this, than by consecrating a greater number of bishops for our nation, according

1 This is he to whom Beda dedicated his Ecclesiastical History, and who afterwards became a monk at Lindisfarne. He and Ecgberet were first-cousins, Cuthwin, the father of Ceolwulf, and Eata the father of Ecgberct, being the sons of Leodwald.