Letter 19: To the most noble Grimoald, my dear friend in Christ,

To the most noble Grimoald, my dear friend in Christ, The monastery situation has been resolved satisfactorily, thanks to your intervention, and I want to express my gratitude properly. The monks have written to me with great relief, and I have told them to pray for you with especial fervor — which they needed no encouragement to do. I raise now a different matter: the condition of the road between Cahors and [the neighboring city], which is the main route for commerce and for pilgrims in this part of the kingdom and which has been in a state of dangerous disrepair for several years. The bridge at [the river crossing] in particular is no longer safe for loaded vehicles. The maintenance of the roads is in principle a responsibility of the royal administration, but in practice the roads in provincial areas like this one are maintained only if someone makes a specific effort to see that they are. I am making that specific effort, and I ask your support. I estimate the cost of proper repair at a figure I will include separately. If the royal treasury can contribute, I will seek matching contributions from the bishops along the route and from the local magnates who depend on the road. Desiderius