Letter 45: To the most noble lord Pippin, King of the Franks, Bishop Boniface sends greetings.
[Context: Pippin the Short, son of Charles Martel. After the retirement of his brother Carloman from public life and his entrance into a monastery Pippin was in sole control of the Frankish kingdom. He was anointed king by Boniface probably in 752, the first-known instance in the West of such a ceremony.]
To the most noble lord Pippin, King of the Franks, Bishop Boniface sends greetings.
I give sincere thanks to Your Gracious Highness and pray our Lord Jesus Christ to grant you everlasting bliss in the kingdom of heaven because you have deigned to listen to my prayers and to give me comfort in my frail old age. And now, noble son, let me say that I believe, by the grace of God, that I can once more enter into your service. I ask you, therefore, to let me know whether I may attend the assembly to carry out your wishes.
A certain servant of my Church, named Ansfrid, who is an accomplished liar, ran away by stealth from me and now returns to me bearing an order from you demanding that I should do him justice. I am sending him back to you together with the letter and my messenger: you will then see how much he has fied to you. I beg you in your own interest to defend me against sucli liars and to give no ear to their falsehoods.
Human translation — Fordham Medieval Sourcebook
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