Letter 18: To the most noble Grimoald,

To the most noble Grimoald, The case you have referred to me for counsel — the dispute between a monastery and a local count that has escalated to the point where armed confrontation seems possible — requires me to say something plainly that I hope you will take in the spirit of honest counsel. The count in question is exceeding his authority. The monastery's documentation of its rights is clear and I have seen it. What the count is doing is not a good-faith legal dispute; it is an attempt to secure by intimidation what he cannot secure through proper legal process. This is behavior that a mayor of the palace who takes royal justice seriously cannot allow to stand. I am writing to you rather than to the king directly because I believe your authority in this case is sufficient and because a resolution at your level will be quicker and less disruptive than a formal royal proceeding. But if you need the weight of royal authority behind you, I will support a direct appeal to the king. The monastery's brothers are frightened. They deserve the protection that the law and their royal privileges entitle them to. I ask you to act. Desiderius, bishop, servant of God