This is a letter to Suger, Abbot of St Denis, written by Henry Blois, requesting safe passage across Flanders:
Henry official of the Church of Winchester by the grace of God to his venerable brother and dearest friend Suger Abbot of St Denis, greeting about those things which you sent word to us through Henry our chancellor and brother Savarum, we thank you and ask you that, when it is necessary, you have our message and carry into effect your command. And because an exceeding amount of caution does not hurt and control of all of Flanders all the way to the sea, with the count gone, is in the hand of the Countess, the choice seems to us that you send our message and the message of count Rodulf together with your letters and our message to the Countess of Flanders and ask her that, when it is necessary to cross those parts, for your love of crossing, she gave safe conduct to us and our men through her land and control, both in going and in returning; and if we request from her some of her men to lead us, she shall send them to us, and concerning all this, she shall send us letters hanging outside her seal in which these things are contained.
Concerning the rest, we ask you to send word to others if you receive anything from our Lord the King of France or his men, and if you received his letters, if you please, send those letters or copy of them to us. Farewell and thus act through your letters and your message to the Countess, so that she gives me firm conduct.
Henry Blois is a good friend of Abbot Suger, so it is hardly surprising that Suger has a copy of the early Merlin prophecies that I have termed his Libellus Merlini, prior to the final updated prophecies in 1155.
Another letter dated around 1149-1151 sent from Henry Blois to Abbot Suger as friends:
Henry, official of the church of Winchester, by the grace of God, to his venerable brother and friend Suger Abbot of St Denis, greeting. I entrust the business of the King, my brother, to your amiability, asking that you favour it in the usual way, and just as you know to be expedient to him, you shall not hesitate to bring it to an affect. And, because I have directed my longer messages neither to the King nor to you, this was for the reason that I was scarcely able to return safely and scarcely anyone is able to cross securely from our region to yours. Whereby, I send he who is a faithful man of the King; and me to the King and you. And have faith in the words which he speaks from our side to you, which are not contained in the writ.
Below is the map marking the two routes Henry Blois’s has the option of taking his journey to get over the Alps to Rome from England with some of the relevant places we have named in this discourse.
