Page:The reign of William Rufus and the accession of Henry the First.djvu/434

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Bec, and, when Lanfranc became Abbot of Saint Stephen's, Anselm succeeded him in the office of prior.
 * self and of Archbishop Maurilius, he became a monk of

This first preferment Anselm seems to have taken willingly. A crowd of beautiful stories, setting forth his faith towards God and his kindliness towards all men, belong to this part of his career, the time when he was specially employed in writing his theological works. We admire the mixture of wisdom and kindness with which he reproved the abbot of another house who complained that the boys who were entrusted to his teaching got more and more unruly, even though they were whipped day and night. We are tempted to feel a slight grudge when he counsels a knight who seems to have been leading a good and devout life in the world to embrace the monastic calling. Much as that age needed men like Anselm, it still more needed men like Gulbert of Hugleville and Helias of La Flèche. But we note with some interest the comment of Eadmer, so curiously illustrating the common rivalry between one monastery and another. In such cases Anselm did not counsel profession at Bec rather than in any other house, and this particular convert took the cowl at Marmoutiers. At last, on the death of Herlwin, the unanimous choice of the convent called him to the place of abbot. His deep reluctance to accept so great a charge was overcome only by the express command of Archbishop Maurilius,

in quo et scire meum possim ostendere, et multis prodesse."]
 * [Footnote: aut nihil valere comprobabit. Itaque in tali loco perficiam quod dispono,