29. to Bernard Abbot of Clairvaux (1138)

Partial first draft

To Bernard, lord abbot of Clairvaux, venerable and dear to me, the brother Peter, the humble abbot of the Cluniacs, wishes the affection of sincere charity.

It should have been thought (which nonetheless I let drop before the ears of an equanimous friend from a familiar quarrel) that he (about whom this discourse concerns) is a monk of your Cluniac church and the son of an abbot loved by you. It should be listened to closely that those persons, from whom Your love accepted that which moved you, undertook for some time with great animosity and after having sworn battle against Cluny that they were not able to restrain their tongues from libels nor their hands from sacrileges. It should be seen, if the words of these slanderers should establish the faith of your prudence: these slanderers whose mouth speaks vanity when lying shamelessly and when disrespectfully lashing innocent monks, their pledge the pledge of iniquity. On this account, to believe so many and so very manifest enemies, and to grant faith in so many and so very manifest foes is not a characteristic of your nor of other good people. Trust the native more than the foreigner, the known more than the unknown, the truthful friends more than slanderous enemies. Trust me, who before you enjoys the name of native, and known and friend and who, God forbid, does not take precautions against a lie (even if against the common lie, by which every man is a liar) where I am able to take precautions.