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PL 133, col. 639 ff. (664-667)
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39 |
XXXIX |
| HE was so invincible to his enemies that the harm which they tried to inflict on him came back rather on their own heads, as may be seen from what has been said above and from the following example. Count Adalelmus, the brother of Ademarus, apart from the injury which he did to Gerald when he attacked the castle of Aurillac (which injury Gerald gladly forgave him), was still inflamed with malice and was persistently driven to harm the holy man. | . Suis siquidem inimicis ita insuperabilis erat, ut malum in eos potius redundaret, quod ei perstruere molirentur. Quod ex quibusdam superius relatis, et ex praesenti probatur exemplo . Frater Ademari comitis Adalelmus, praeter illam injuriam quam eidem domno Geraldo fecerat, cum Aureliacense castrum pervaserat, quam videlicet injuriam ipse libenter ei indulserat, adhuc tamen ejus malitia furebatur, et ad laesionem sancti viri pertinaciter instigabatur. |
| Having collected, therefore, a force of his followers he tried to break into the castle at a time when Gerald happened to be hearing Mass. | Collecto itaque satellitum [0665D] cuneo, castrum, quod tunc forte domnus Geraldus missarum solemniis intererat, |
| When he was still some distance off, those inside saw him coming and quickly shut the gate. A great noise of people shouting arose in the castle and the soldiers who were at Mass with the count wanted to go out, but he stopped them with a word and would not allow them to go until Mass was finished. | irrumpere tentavit. Sed illi quidem qui forinsecus erant, illum in praeceps gradientem eminus conspicati, portam repente clauserunt. Facto autem strepitu in castro [0666A] vociferantium, milites qui ad missam cum seniore erant, exsilire volebant. Quos ille sermonibus fregit, et donec opus Dei compleretur, |
| Meanwhile the followers of Adalehnus, going round the castle walls, found nothing except seven horses, which they drove off, and seeing they had made their attack to no purpose they began shamefacedly to retire. It is said that the man of God, after he had restrained his soldiers, took his Psalter and straightway went up above the gate and recited I know not which of the psalms to the Lord. | nequaquam exire permisit. Interim vero satellites Adalelmi ambitum castelli pervagantes, septem equos tantum repererunt, quos et abegerunt. Et confestim incassum se irrupisse videntes, pudore acti, remeare coeperunt. Fertur autem quod vir Domini, retentis militibus, supra portam sumpto psalterio concitus ascenderit, et nescio quid e psalmis Domino decantaverit. |
| The tyrant who had made the heart of the just man to mourn [Ezech. xiii. 22] was nevertheless permitted to retire rejoicing. I am about to relate marvellous things and almost unbelievable, unless they had been asserted on such good testimony. Nearly sixty of their horses died in a short time, and Adalelmus after fourteen days died so terrible a death, that in whatever place he was buried a violent whirlwind uncovered his body. | Porro tyrannus, qui moerere cor justi fecerat, laetatus nequaquam redire permissus est. Mira dicturus sum, et pene incredibilia, nisi haec a teste satis idoneo perhiberentur. Nam de caballis eorum ferme sexaginta sub brevi spatio temporis [0666B] exstincti sunt. Adelelmus autem post quartum decimum diem, tam terribiliter obiit, ut omne ubi jaceret, turbo vehemens discooperiret. |
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Adalbert bears witness to this, that same monk who preaches the word of God to the people at Limoges. He used to look after the treasury of St. Martial at Turenne,1 when it had been moved there for fear of the pagan peoples. Seeing what had happened, the robbers sent back to the man of God the horses which they had taken. |
Testatur hoc praesens Adalbertus [Madalbertus], ille videlicet monachus qui apud Lemovicas verbum Dei solet populo praedicare. Thesaurum quippe sancti Martialis Torennae custodiebat, qui pridem ob metum paganae gentis illic fuerat deportatus. Ablatores autem illi videntes quod acciderat, homini Dei suos equos remiserunt. |
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40 |
XL. |
| SOMETIMES he was compelled unwillingly to show his strength and to bow the neck of the wicked by force of arms, as happened in the case of a most evil man called Arlaldus. | Nonnunquam invitus cogebatur potentiae suae vires exerere, et pravorum cervicem vi bellica curvare, sicut videlicet actum est de quodam pessimo homine, qui vocabatur Arlaldus. |
| This man held a certain small castle which is called St. Céré,2 and coming out from this like a wolf in the evening he made attacks on the retainers of Gerald, who as a peaceable man talked to him who hated peace, and also gave him some little gifts, and arms for his soldiers, as though to soften his fierce manners by kindness. | Is namque tenebat quoddam oppidulum, quod dicitur ad sanctum Serenum, [0666C] ex quo scilicet, quasi lupus vespertinus egrediens, irruptiones faciebat in familiam domni Geraldi. Cum quidem ille sicut pacificus loquebatur ei qui oderat pacem, quin etiam quaedam munuscula tribuebat ei, et arma militaribus apta, quatenus ferinos ejus mores per beneficia deliniret. |
| But the foolish and brutal man, attributing this not to goodness but to cowardice, acted still more audaciously against his retainers. At length Gerald, considering that he could not restrain the madness of the foolish man without punishing him, collected a force of soldiers and went to his castle. | Sed stultus homo ac brutus, hoc non pietati, sed ignaviae deputans, audacius in praedicta familia grassabatur. Tandem ergo Geraldus considerans quod stulti hominis vesania sine flagello frenai non poterat, collecto militum agmine, tetendit ad castellum. |
| And by a remarkable stroke of victory, he drew the beast from his lair without killing any of his men. | Atque incredibili victoriae proventu, bestiam illam sine cujuslibet interfectione de suo cubiculo protraxit. |
| When Arlaldus stood before him full of confusion, Gerald, as befitted him, spoke not abusively but reasonably. Trembling he replied with humble and appealing words, and the man of God said to him: | Cumque ante ipsum plenus confusione staret, non contumeliose, sed ratiocinando quantum oportuit eum [0666D] alloquitur. Cum ille tremens verba humillima ac deprecatoria respondisset, vir Domini ad eum: |
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“Now you have learnt that you and your forces cannot resist me: be careful therefore how you rage, be careful how you continue to act with malice, lest something worse comes on your head. |
En, inquit, expertus es quod tuis viribus adversum me consistere nequeas: cave igitur furere, cave ultra malitiam exercere, ne gravius ipsa in caput tuum [0667A] redundet. |
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I will let you go without troubling to take a hostage or an oath from you. |
Et teipsum, inquit, ita dimittam ut neque obsidem, neque aliquod juramentum a te suscipere curem. |
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Nor will I permit any of your goods to be taken in compensation for the booty which you habitually take.” |
Sed neque de tua supellectile saltem pro compensatione praedae, quam exercere solitus es, quidquam auferre permitam. |
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So he sent the man away with a rebuke, and he henceforth was careful not to presume to injure Gerald’s people. |
Ita coercitum dimisit hominem, et ille satis deinceps cavit, ne Geraldi familiam laedere praesumpsisset. |
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