How Pope Boniface advised the king's consort to use her best endeavours for his salvation [Circ. 625 A.D.]
THE same pope also wrote to King Edwin's consort, Ethelberg, to
this effect:
THE COPY OF THE LETTER OF THE MOST BLESSED AND APOSTOLIC
BONIFACE, POPE OF THE CITY OF ROME, TO ETHELBERG, KING EDWIN'S
QUEEN.
"To the illustrious lady his daughter, Queen Ethelberg,
Boniface, bishop, servant of the servants of God. The goodness of
our Redeemer has in His abundant Providence offered the means of
salvation to the human race, which He rescued, by the shedding of
His precious Blood, from the bonds of captivity to the Devil; to
the end that, when He had made known His name in divers ways to
the nations, they might acknowledge their Creator by embracing
the mystery of the Christian faith. And this the mystical
purification of your regeneration plainly shows to have been
bestowed upon the mind of your Highness by God's gift. Our heart,
therefore, has greatly rejoiced in the benefit bestowed by the
bounty of the Lord, for that He has vouchsafed, in your
confession, to kindle a spark of the orthodox religion, by which
He might the more easily inflame with the love of Himself the
understanding, not only of your illustrious consort, but also of
all the nation that is subject to you.
"For we have been informed by those, who came to acquaint us
with the laudable conversion of our illustrious son, King
Eadbald, that your Highness, also, having received the wonderful
mystery of the Christian faith, continually excels in the
performance of works pious and acceptable to God; that you
likewise carefully refrain from the worship of idols, and the
deceits of temples and auguries, and with unimpaired devotion,
give yourself so wholly to the love of your Redeemer, as never to
cease from lending your aid in spreading the Christian faith. But
when our fatherly love earnestly inquired concerning your
illustrious consort, we were given to understand, that he still
served abominable idols, and delayed to yield obedience in giving
ear to the voice of the preachers. This occasioned us no small
grief, that he that is one flesh with you still remained a
stranger to the knowledge of the supreme and undivided Trinity.
Whereupon we, in our fatherly care, have not delayed to admonish
and exhort your Christian Highness, to the end that, filled with
the support of the Divine inspiration, you should not defer to
strive, both in season and out of season, that with the
co-operating power of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, your
husband also may be added to the number of Christians; that so
you may uphold the rights of marriage in the bond of a holy and
unblemished union. For it is written, 'They twain shall be one
flesh.' How then can it be said, that there is unity in the bond
between you, if he continues a stranger to the brightness of your
faith, separated from it by the darkness of detestable error?
"Wherefore, applying yourself continually to prayer, do not
cease to beg of the long-suffering of the Divine Mercy the
benefits of his illumination; to the end, that those whom the
union of carnal affection has manifestly made in a manner to be
one body, may, after this life continue in perpetual fellowship,
by the unity of faith. Persist, therefore, illustrious daughter,
and to the utmost of your power endeavour to soften the hardness
of his heart by carefully making known to him the Divine
precepts; pouring into his mind a knowledge of the greatness of
that mystery which you have received by faith, and of the
marvellous reward which, by the new birth, you have been made
worthy to obtain. Inflame the coldness of his heart by the
message of the Holy Ghost, that he may put from him the deadness
of an evil worship, and the warmth of the Divine faith may kindle
his understanding through your frequent exhortations; and so the
testimony of Holy Scripture may shine forth clearly, fulfilled by
you, 'The unbelieving husband shall be saved by the believing
wife.' For to this end you have obtained the mercy of the Lord's
goodness, that you might restore with increase to your Redeemer
the fruit of faith and of the benefits entrusted to your hands.
That you may be able to fulfil this task, supported by the help
of His loving kindness we do not cease to implore with frequent
prayers.
"Having premised thus much, in pursuance of the duty of our
fatherly affection, we exhort you, that when the opportunity of a
bearer shall offer, you will with all speed comfort us with the
glad tidings of the wonderful work which the heavenly Power shall
vouchsafe to perform by your means in the conversion of your
consort, and of the nation subject to you; to the end, that our
solicitude, which earnestly awaits the fulfilment of its desire
in the soul's salvation of you and yours, may, by hearing from
you, be set at rest; and that we, discerning more fully the light
of the Divine propitiation shed abroad in you, may with a joyful
confession abundantly return due thanks to God, the Giver of all
good things, and to the blessed Peter, the chief of the Apostles.
We have, moreover, sent you the blessing of your protector, the
blessed Peter, the chief of the Apostles, to wit, a silver
looking-glass, and a gilded ivory comb, which we pray your
Highness to accept with all the goodwill with which it is sent by
us.