LETTERS

 LETTER I (circa 1120)To the Canons Regular of Horricourt[1]

 LETTER II (A.D. 1126)To the Monk Adam[1]

 LETTER III (A.D. 1131)To Bruno,[1] Archbishop Elect of Cologne

 LETTER IVTo the Prior and Monks of the Grand Chartreuse

 LETTER V (circa A.D. 1127)To Peter, Cardinal Deacon

 LETTER VI (circa A. D. 1127)To the Same

 LETTER VII (towards the end of A.D. 1127)To Matthew, the Legate

 LETTER VIII (circa A.D. 1130)To Gilbert, Bishop of London, Universal Doctor

 LETTER IX (circa A.D. 1135)To Ardutio (or Ardutius, Bishop Elect of Geneva

 LETTER X (in the Same Year)The Same, When Bishop

 LETTER XI (circa A.D. 1120)The Abbot of Saint Nicasius at Rheims

 LETTER XII (A.D. 1127)To Louis, King of France[1]

 LETTER XIII (A.D. 1127)To the Same Pope, in the Name of Geoffrey,Bishop of Chartres.

 LETTER XIV (circa A.D. 1129)To Alexander,[1] Bishop of Lincoln

 LETTER XV (circa A.D. 1129)To Alvisus, Abbot of Anchin

 LETTER XVI To Rainald, Abbot of Foigny

 LETTER XVIITo the Same

 LETTER XVIIITo the Same,

 LETTER XIX (A.D. 1127)To Suger, Abbot of S. Denis

 LETTER XX (circa A.D. 1130)To Guy, Abbot of Molêsmes

 LETTER XXI (circa A.D. 1128)To the Abbot of S. John at Chartres

 LETTER XXII (circa A.D. 1129)To Simon, Abbot of S. Nicholas

 Letter XXIII (circa A.D. 1130)To the Same

 LETTER XXIV (circa A.D. 1126)To Oger, Regular Canon [1]

 LETTER XXV. (circa A.D. 1127)To the Same

 LETTER XXVI. (circa A.D. 1127)To the Same

 LETTER XXVII (circa A.D. 1127)To the Same

 LETTER XXVIII (circa A.D. 1130)To the Abbots Assembled at Soissons [1]

 LETTER XXIX (A.D. 1132)To Henry, King of England

 LETTER XXX (circa A.D. 1132)To Henry, [1] Bishop of Winchester

 LETTER XXXII (A.D. 1132)To Thurstan, Archbishop of York

 LETTER XXXIV (circa A.D. 1130)Hildebert, Archbishop of Tours, to the Abbot Bernard. [1]

 LETTER XXXV (circa A.D. 1130)Reply of the Abbot Bernard to Hildebert, Archbishop of Tours.

 LETTER XXXVI (circa A.D. 1131)To the Same Hildebert, Who Had Not Yet Acknowledged the Lord Innocent as Pope.

 LETTER XXXVII (circa A.D. 1131)To Magister Geoffrey, of Loretto. [1]

 LETTER XXXVIII (circa A.D. 1135)To His Monks of Clairvaux.

 LETTER XXXIX (A.D. 1137)To the Same.

 LETTER XLTo Thomas, Prior of Beverley

 LETTER XLITo Thomas of St. Omer, After He Had Broken His Promise of Adopting a Change of Life.

 LETTER XLIITo the Illustrious Youth, Geoffrey de Perrone, and His Comrades.

 LETTER XLIIIA Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey.

 LETTER XLIVConcerning the Maccabees But to Whom Written is Unknown. [1]

 LETTER XLV (circa A.D. 1120)To a Youth Named Fulk, Who Afterwards Was Archdeacon of Langres

 LETTER XLVI (circa A.D. 1125)To Guigues, the Prior, And to the Other Monks of the Grand Chartreuse

 LETTER XLVIITo the Brother of William, a Monk of Clairvaux. [1]

 LETTER XLVIIITo Magister [1] Walter de Chaumont.

 LETTER XLIXTo Romanus, Sub-Deacon of the Roman Curia.

 To Geoffrey, of Lisieux [1]

 LETTER LITo the Virgin Sophia

 LETTER LIITo Another Holy Virgin.

 LETTER LIIITo Another Holy Virgin of the Convent of S. Mary of Troyes [1]

 LETTER LIVTo Ermengarde, Formerly Countess of Brittany [1]

 LETTER LVTo the Same

 LETTER LVITo Beatrice, a Noble and Religious Lady

 LETTER LVIITo the Duke and Duchess of Lorraine [1]

 LETTER LVIIITo the Duchess of Lorraine

 LETTER LIXTo the Duchess of Burgundy [1]

 Letter LX

 LETTER LX (A.D. 1140)To the Same, Against Certain Heads of Abaelard’s Heresies.

 LETTER LXI (A.D. 1138)To Louis the Younger, King of the French.

 LETTER LXII (A.D. 1139)To Pope Innocent.

 LETTER LXIII (A.D. 1139)To the Same, in the Name of Godfrey, Bishop of Langres.

 LETTER LXIV (A.D. 1139)To the Above-Named Falco.

 LETTER XLV (circa A.D. 1140)To the Canons of Lyons, on the Conception of S. Mary.

 LETTER LXVI (A.D. 1135)To the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

LETTER XLIIIA Consolatory Letter to the Parents of Geoffrey.

There is no reason to mourn a son as lost who is a religious, still less to fear for his delicacy of constitution.

1. If God makes your son His son also, what do you lose or what does he himself lose? Being rich he becomes richer; being already high born, of still nobler lineage; being illustrious, he gains greater renown; and—what is more than all—once a sinner he is now a saint. He must be prepared for the Kingdom that has been prepared for him from the beginning of the world; and for this end, the short time that he has to live he must spend with us; until he has scraped off the filth of the worldly life, and wiped away the earthly dust, and at last is fit for the heavenly mansion. If you love your son, of course you will rejoice, because he goes to His Father and to such a Father as He. Yea, he goes to God. But you lose him not: nay, rather through him you gain many sons. For all of us who are in or of Clairvaux, acknowledge him as a brother and you as parents.

2. But perchance you fear the effect of a severe life upon his body, which you know to be frail and delicate. But of such fear it is said, “There were they brought in great fear where no fear was” (Ps. xiv. 9). Reassure yourselves, and be comforted. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son, until the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation (cf. Rom. xv. 5) 169receive him from my hands. So do not mourn; do not weep. For your Geoffrey is hastening to joy and not to grief. I will be to him father, mother, brother, and sister. I will make the crooked straight for him and the rough way smooth (cf. S. Luke iii. 5). I will so order and arrange everything for him that his soul shall profit and his body not suffer loss. Moreover, he shall serve the Lord in joy and gladness, and shall sing in the ways of the Lord that great is the glory of the Lord (Ps. cxxxviii. 5).