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Life of St Wilfrid
Eddius Stephanus, tr. Colgrave, 1927
51. Of the Document Containing His Petition
“To the Apostolic Lord and thrice-blessed universal Pope John, Wilfrid the simple and humble servant of the servants of God and bishop. Let your Holiness know that these are the causes why, for the third time, I have come to this Apostolic See and into your most blessed presence from the uttermost parts of the earth to seek your aid. First, because the unity of the apostolic men is ever indivisible, it is in order that your pious authority, since it undoubtedly avails for the salvation of many, may confirm and corroborate those matters which have been decreed by your predecessor the most blessed Pope Agatho in his most just and clement judgments, and that your piety may deign to understand that in all humility and subjection we are prepared to accept all the commands of your Blessedness. For I am compelled by the troubles which have been originated of late in Britain by those who, contrary to the decrees of the same most blessed Pope Agatho and of the venerable fathers his successors, have usurped for themselves my bishopric and monasteries and lands, with all my privileges, to appeal to this most holy and Apostolic See, adjuring those men by Almighty God and the Blessed Peter, chief of the Apostles, that, if anyone has any accusation to make against me, he should come to your presence with me to be judged, as the writings of your blessed predecessor Pope Sergius decreed. So I have caused to be delivered in your most glorious presence, on account of my urgent and manifest necessity, a document containing my unworthy petitions, and with these petitions, in the following terms, I venture to assail your ears trusting to your accustomed clemency and kindness, to the end that all the righteous and pious decrees made unanimously on my unworthy behalf by your most blessed predecessors, the Apostolic Lords, St Agatho, the elect Benedict, and the blessed Sergius, you may deign to confirm in your abounding benevolence and piety. And we humbly beg and beseech your inflexible authority, not only I myself but also all the brethren who have come with me, from the very bottom of our hearts, if any accusers have come against us from elsewhere, that they may be brought into your midst at your command and may put forward the reasons for their accusation; and if they can prove even the smallest point we are prepared to accept gladly your just judgment. But if they have dared to bring mere lies, backed up by false documents, to your most Blessed Authority, let us be granted liberty, according as it pleases your Holiness, to clear ourselves of these charges. However, in all humility, I pray your Holiness that you will deign to give your commands to Aethilred, King of Mercia, for the comfort of my life with the same force of authority with which your predecessors the most holy and Apostolic St Agatho, Benedict, and Sergius made their demands. That is to say that no one shall presume, either through envy or wicked cupidity, to take away or invade, contrary to your commands and to the will of the above-mentioned king, those monasteries and the lands belonging to them, which were given to me by King Aethilred himself or his brother Wulfhere or by any others for the redemption of their souls. And in addition I most humbly pray you with urgent prayers that of your kindness you will urge Aldfrith, King of the North, with peaceful counsels to fulfil all the decrees which were made by the most blessed Agatho your ever-remembered predecessor in this Apostolic See with the consent of the whole synod. If however this seem to him to be hard because I am concerned, let it rest with your judgment to decide who can best govern the bishopric of the city of York and the other numerous monasteries excepting only these two monasteries called Ripon and Hexham respectively, which were included by St Agatho the Pope of this Apostolic See within the terms of one and the same privilege. Let them be restored to us at your request with all the lands and possessions belonging to them. And to these petitions I add this, that, in accordance with the canons I always show due respect and brotherly love to Archbishop Berhtwald as is meet: and this I gladly promise to do still; only let him fulfil towards my unworthy self the well-founded decrees of your predecessors, the most blessed Agatho and his successors.”