Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/220

 1 84 Readings in European History the lands thereof, and the divine office shall not be celebrated there nor the dead buried. And afterwards I will give away to one man, or to many, the benefices which ye hold, and will negotiate no further with you in regard to them. May God change your hearts, my children! 87. Bishop Fulbert of Chartres explains in a celebrated letter the duties of vassal and lord (1020). IV. MUTUAL DUTIES OF VASSAL AND LORD To William, most glorious duke of the Aquitanians, Bishop Fulbert, the favor of his prayers : Asked to write something concerning the form of fealty, I have noted briefly for you, on the authority of the books, the things which follow. He who swears fealty to his lord ought always to have these six things in memory: what is harmless, safe, honorable, useful, easy, practicable. Harm- less, that is to say, that he should not injure his lord in his body; safe, that he should not injure him by betraying his secrets or the defenses upon which he relies for safety ; honorable, that he should not injure him in his justice or in other matters that pertain to his honor; useful, that he should not injure him in his possessions; easy and practicable, that that good which his lord is able to do easily he make not difficult, nor that which is practicable he make not impossible to him. That the faithful vassal should avoid these injuries is certainly proper, but not for this alone does he deserve his holding; for it is not sufficient, to abstain from evil, unless what is good is done also. It remains, therefore, that in the same six things mentioned above he should faithfully coun- sel and aid his lord, if he wishes to be looked upon as worthy of his benefice and to be safe concerning the fealty which he has sworn. The lord also ought to act toward his faithful vassal recip- rocally in all these things. And if he does not do this, he will be justly considered guilty of bad faith, just as the former, if he should be detected in avoiding or consenting to the avoidance of his duties, would be perfidious and perjured.