IX.

Letter of Robert Grosseteste to Henry III.

on the Gifts conferred by Unction

The part of the letter which deals with the unction and its effects comes at the end of a long epistle on other subjects. It will be seen that it partakes mainly of the nature of a sermon on the essentials of good government, which may not have been unnecessary for Henry III., but in it there are certain statements of interest on the effect of unction on a King. Grosseteste is of opinion that unction is a privilege which is not enjoyed by all Kings, and that by unction the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Ghost are conferred on the King; and the unction thereby has a sacramental character; and that Kings who are anointed are of higher dignity than those who have not this privilege. He is careful to add that though the unction confers these qualities on the King, yet it does not give the King any sacerdotal powers.

The manuscript from which the letter has been copied is in the Bodleian Library, and in Mr. Madan's opinion, is of the first half of the fifteenth century.

[Bodl. MS. 312, fo. 171, col. 2, l. 19.]

[E]xcellentissimo domino suo. H[enrico] dei gracia illustri regi Anglie. domino Hibernie, duci Normannie. Aquitanie et Comiti Andegauie deuotus suus Robertus miseracione diuina. Lincolniensis ecclesie minister humilis Salutem.

/Quod autem in fine littere vestre nobis mandastis [fo. 1716. col. 1. 1. 35 videlicet quod intimaremus quid vnccionis sacramentum videatur adicere regie dignitati cum multi sint reges qui nullatenus vnccionis munere decorentur non est nostre modicitatis complere. hoc tamen non ignoramus quod regalis inunccio signum est prerogatiue suscepcionis septiformis doni sacratissimi pneumatis quo septiformi [munere] tenetur rex inunctus preminentius non vnctis regibus omnes regias et regiminis sui acciones dirigere vt videlicet non communibus sed eminenter et heroice dono timoris se primo et deinceps quantum in ipso est suo regimini subiectos ab omni cohibeat illicito dono pietatis defendat subueniat et subueniri faciat uidue pupillo et generaliter omni oppresso dono sciencie leges iustas ad regnum iuste regendum ponat positas obseruet et obseruari faciat. eroneas destruat dono fortitudinis omnia regno aduersancia repellat et pro salute rei publice mortem non timeat. Ad Ad predicta

autem precellenter agenda dono concilii decoretur quo artificialiter et scientifice ordo huius mundi sensilis edocetur deinde dono intellectus quo cetus angelici ordo dinoscitur tandem vero dono sapiencie quo ad dilucidam cognicionem dei pertingitur ad exemplar ordinis mundi et ordinis angelici secundum leges eternas in eterna dei racione discriptas quibus regit vniuersitatem creature. rem publicam sibi subiectam ordinabiliter regat tandem et ipse. Adicit igitur regie dignitatis vnccionis sacramentum quod rex vnctus pre ceteris in suo genere debet vt pretactum est ex septiformi munere in omnibus suis regitiuis actibus virtutibus diuinis et heroicis pollere. Hec tamen vnccionis prerogatiua nullo modo regiam dignitatem prefert aut etiam equiparat sacerdotali aut potestatem tribuit alicuius sacerdotalis officii. Iudas namque filius Iacob princeps tribus regalis distinguens inter se et fratrem suum leui principem tribus sacerdotalis. ita ait. Mihi dedit' que in terra illi que sunt in celis vt superueniet† celum terre. ita superueniett dei sacerdocium regno quod est in terra. Ozyas rex iude quia manum ad officium sacerdotale paruum quoddam ministerium conatus est extendere lepre meruit percuti contagione et vsurpans quod supra se erat' Hec breuiter perstrinximus ne prolixitatis fastidio vestram serenitatem afficeremus. Desiderantes plurimum quod super singulis pretactis articulis nobis periciores dum tamen timentes deum in quibus sit veritas et qui oderint auariciam attencius audiatis. Valeat et vigeat dominacio vestra per tempora longiora.

TRANSLATION.

To his most excellent lord Henry, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, Count of Anjou, his devoted Robert, by Divine mercy, the humble servant of the church of Lincoln, greeting.

But as to that which you commanded at the end of your letter, to wit, that we should inform you in what manner the sacrament of unction increased the royal dignity; our modesty is unable to satisfy it, as there are many kings who are in no way adorned with the gift of unction. But of this we are not ignorant, that the royal anointing is the sign of the privilege of receiving the sevenfold gift of the most Holy Spirit, and by

1 Dominus regnum et leui sacerdocium et subiectum regnum sacerdocio mihi dededit in m.

2 Decidit ab eo quod erat: in m. [See 2 Chron. xxvi. 16-22.]

this sevenfold gift the anointed king is bound in more especial manner than those kings who are not anointed, to carefulness in all his royal actions and those of his government; that is to say, by the gift of fear he is not by ordinary means, but with vigour and courage, to restrain from all illegal acts, in the first instance himself, and, secondly, those subject to his government. By the gift of true godliness he must defend, help, and cause to be helped widows, orphans, and in general all who are distressed; by the gift of knowledge he must make, observe, and cause to be observed righteous laws made for the just government of his realm, and abolish those that are evil; by the gift of might he must repel all the attacks of the enemies of his country, and must not be fearful of death for the good of the state. In addition to these duties, which he is

specially to perform, he must be adorned with the spirit of counsel by which the rational order of this world is taught with art and knowledge; also, with the spirit of understanding by which the order of the company of angels can be discerned; and lastly, by the gift of wisdom by which we attain to a clear knowledge of God, so that he may be a pattern to the order of the world and the order of the angels; and at last, following the eternal laws written according to the eternal purpose of God, by which he rules the whole creation, may rule in order the state subject to him. Therefore the sacrament of unction adds this duty to the dignity of a king, in that the king, anointed above his fellows, must, as I have shown, by virtue of the sevenfold gift, in all the acts of his rule excel in godlike and heroic virtues. This privilege of unction, however, does not in any way raise the dignity of a king above, nor even to the level of that of the priest, or give the power to perform any priestly office. For Judah, the son of Jacob, the chief of the royal tribe, distinguishes between himself and his brother Levi, the chief of the priestly tribe, and says: "The Lord has given me a kingdom, to Levi the priesthood, and has put the kingdom under the priesthood; to me he has given the things of earth, to him the things of heaven; and as the heaven is higher than the earth, even so is the priesthood of God higher than a kingdom of the earth." And Uzziah, king of Judah, became smitten with the contagion of leprosy because he stretched forth his hand to perform a lesser duty of the priestly office, and by his unlawful seizure of that which was above him lost that which he had. We have touched briefly on these points for fear of wearying your serenity by great length; and we earnestly wish that on each of the above matters you should hear persons more expert than ourselves, but who yet are Godfearing, truthful, and free from any taint of avarice. Long may your lordship farewell and flourish.

X.

II.

Letter of John XXII. to Edward II. about the Oil of Coronation

It is well known that considerable prominence was given by Henry IV. to the legend of the delivery of the holy oil to Thomas Becket by St. Mary, but it has not been so well known that the legend goes back into the middle of the reign of Edward II. This letter of John XXII. relates the circumstances under which the oil was given to Thomas Becket, and if it be compared with the account written in the fifteenth century, and purporting to have been written by Thomas Becket, it will be seen that the legend has changed very little in the course of the century, though through the falsification of the prophecy that the fifth King after Henry II. would conquer the world, the later accounts place the finding of the oil in the reign of Edward III. The letter was written in 1318.

The statement that the royal unction in anima quicquam non imprimit may be compared with what Grosseteste says on the same subject (see above, Doc. ix.). It is believed that this letter has not been printed before. The punctuation here given is modern. The Duchess of Brabant (p. 71) is Margaret, second daughter of Edward I., wife of John II. of Brabant ; and the Countess of Luxemburg is Margaret, wife of the Emperor Henry VII. and daughter of John I. of Brabant.

[Vatican, Papal Registra Ioan. xxii., Secreta, con. i. ad iv. t. ii. No. cx. fo. 136.]

Joannes XXII., etc., Carissimo in christo filio Edwardo Regi Anglie illustri.

Venientes ad nos venerabilis frater noster A[dam] Herefordensis1 episcopus, ac tui ambaxatores et nuncii, quos ex causis certis ad nostram presentiam, tu, fili carissime, destinasti, credentie per te date ipsis super quodam tuo secreto negocio nobis litteram presentarunt, necnon et litteras alias uenerabilium fratrum nostrorum J[oannis] Eliensis* J[oannis] Norwicensis, et R[ogeri] Sarisburiensis episcoporum, pendentibus munitas sigillis, que responsiones fratris N. ordinis predicatorum nostri penitentiarii, quem pro hoc facto secrete ad nos iam ante tua magnitudo transmiserat ad interrogata facta ipsi super predicto negocio continebant. Nos autem benigne audiuimus quecumque sub dicta credentia dicere uoluerunt. Set et presente uenerabili fratre nostro

Adam Orlton, Bishop of Hereford, 1317-27; Bishop of Worcester, 1327-33; Bishop of Winchester, 1333-45. 2 John Hotham, 1316-37.

3

9 John Salmon, of Ely, 1299-1325.

4 Roger Mortival, 1315-30.

G[ulielmo] Sabinensi Episcopo1 ad nos uocato propter hoc, litteras responsionis antedictas ex integro legi fecimus, et contenta notauimus diligenter. Sane uolentes serenitatem Regiam non latere que et qualia dictus frater N. tua ex parte nobis proposuit, et pro qualibus supplicauit, et etiam que et qualia a nobis responsa receperit, et commissa, ea prudentie tue insinuare integre curauimus per presentes. Noscat igitur Regalis magnificentia, quod antedictus frater ab ipso oblata prius sue credentie littera, et perlecta a nobis multum secrete nobis solis proposuit de unctione quadam revelata ut dicebat celitus, que sequntur. In primis quod glorioso Thome martiri exulanti in francia oranti, et pro bono statu Regni Anglie deprecanti, apparuit virgo beatissima mater Christi, dicens ei, quod pro ecclesia moreretur, et quod quintus Rex Anglie ab eo qui regnabat tunc, esset uir benignus, et ecclesie dei pugil, pro quo et suis successoribus inungendis tradidit dicto sancto Ampullam unam cum sacratissima unctione, adiciens, quod hic rex in uirtute unctionis predicte recuperaret sanctam [terram] de manibus paganorum. Insuper quod idem sanctus Thomas de mandato beate virginis cuidam monacho monasterii sancti Cipriani dictam unctionem tradidit secretius occultandum, dicens eidem quod reuelari deberet tempore oportuno, et quod paganorum caput reuelationis huiusmodi causa esset. Dixit preterea quod dictus monachus recepto iocali hoc, et lamina quadam de metallo, in qua martir ipse scribi fecerat antedicta, peragens pictauim, et in ecclesia sancti Georgii in quodam loco ipsa ascondens, ac magnum lapidem supponens, fideliterque sibi missa fuerant adimpleuit. Transumptum uero scripture dicte lamine, ut asserebat sepedictus frater N. scriptum soli sibi legibili in quadam cedula manutenebat, ex cuius lectione sermo suus in predictis decurrere uidebatur, ex ipsis tamen aliquociens aliqua exprimebat. Fecit denique mentionem de unctione quadam beato Leoni Pape reuelata diuinitus, et duabus laminis aureis, in quibus per ipsum sanctum ad hanc unctionem pertinentia scripta erant, absconditis in alamannia aquisgranis, de qua frater dictus per Archiepiscopum Turpinum unctum secreto fuisse Regem magnum Karolum affirmabat. Subsequenter dixit, quod cum paganorum Princeps maior de unctione hac, et uirtute eius responsa a demonibus accepisset, quodque si ea de Pictauimt ubi erant abscondita habere ualerent possent pagani a christianis melius se tueri ad requirendum et habendum hec, uirum paganum militem et unum christianum cum filio destinauit, magnis promissis denariis cum redirent. Pagano autem milite subtracto

1 Gulielmus II. Petrus (Vilermus de Godin), Bishop of Sabina, 1317-36 (Gams, Series Episcoporum, Ratisbonae, 1873, p. xiii.)