Anno moccoxlvo obiit dompnus Hugo abbas de Sancto Seruano
uir per omnia uite laudabilis
⁊ sacre zelator religionis. Cui successit in
pastorali regimine, monachus domus eius
dem Matheus nomine.
vo idus Mayii
Anno eodem intrauit
Innocencius papa quartus, terram regis Francie in Aduentu Domini.
Anno eodem Christianissimus ⁊ Deo dilectus, Ludouicus rex Francorum illustris Dei
cunta1 re
gentis ⁊
disponentis prouidencia graui areptus est infirmitate in Parisiensi ciuitate.
In
ualescento uero morbi grauamine, ⁊ motu uitali iam cessante uidebatur a
circumstantibus
mortis debitum persoluisse. Cum iacuisset autem super lectum
doloris huiuscemodi nullo penitus in ipso
aparente signo uitali, per triduum,
repente stupentibus cunctis qui aderant eleuatis in
celum occulis, clara uoce
benedixit nomen Dei optn’ omnipotentis. Deinde episcopo Parisia
censi,
accersito iussit ut sacrosancte crucis uexillum imponeret humero suo, profecturus nomen
Iesu Christi, ⁊ crucis gloriam extollere, ubicunque sancta ecclesia sibi uoluerit
imperare. Episcopus uero
memoratus deuocione qua decuit pii, regis pia uota
inpleuit, ⁊ rex protinus de infirmi
tate sua perfecte conualuit. ¶Sane eodem
tempore, Federicus imperator nefandissimus
audito de prefati regis
egrid egritudine, ⁊ crucis signacione, sub fraudis ut creditur
intencione istas litteras destinauit. Federicus Dei gratia, Romanorum imperator semper
Augustus, Ierusalem
⁊ Scicilie rex, L’ Dei gratia illustri regi Francorum salutem
⁊ sincere dilectionis affectum. Peruenit ad audi
enciam nostram, rumor infestus
rumor amaritudinem nuncians, qui personam regiam requirente carnis
fragilitate, in
grauescentis egritudinis lapsum nuper edocuit incurisse. Conuertit tamen querelas
nostras
in gaudium ⁊ puncturam doloris intrinseci transtulit in medelam resumpte
postmodum sanita
tis auditus qua uos Diuine potencie dextera que misericorditer ⁊
medetur quasi a mortis ianuis cleme
mentissime liberauit. Idem profecto
uisitacionis genus, ipsa rerum ⁊ temporis necessitudine
requirente, de profundo
consiliorum Domini tam salubri quam necessaria prouisione creditur proue
nisse,
quatinus infidelium proh dolor recrudescente nequicia fidei nostre uaria strage fidelium
doloroso dispendio irrogato, diuino tractu commotus nouus pugil insurgeret, ⁊
enormem
iniuriam Dei nostri uexillo crucis assumpto que iam potissimum fidei
nostre restat auxilium
athleta Dominicus saccageret uindicare. Huius quippe
causati commoditas causam infirmitatis
prenunciam merito conuertit in gaudium cum
ex eo incomodo precedenti sequentis fructus commodum
multiplex colligatur.
Generalis primo quod ex felici transitu regio ad patriam Domini de gladiis
hostium
uiribus Gallicis eruendam Saracenica prauitate destructa fidei nostre detrimento
consulitur, honor excolitur in quo uos mirifica
In the 1245th year, Dom Hugh, the
abbot of St Serf, died; he was a man of praiseworthy life in all respects, and zealous
for the sacred religion. A monk of the same house, named Matthew, succeeded him in the
pastoral rule.
the 11th May
In the same
year, Pope Innocent IV entered the land of the king of France on the Advent of the
Lord.1
In the same year,
Louis, the most Christian and illustrious king of the French, and beloved of God, was
seized by illness in the city of Paris, by the providence of the God who rules and
disposes all things. As the physical trouble of the illness grew worse, and movement
signifying life ceased, it seemed to those around him that he had paid death’s due. But
when he had lain upon his bed of sorrow in this way for three days, with no sign of life
apparent in him at all, suddenly, to the amazement of everyone who was there, he lifted
his eyes to heaven and blessed the name of Almighty God with a clear voice. Immediately,
having summoned the bishop of Paris, he ordered that the banner of the most Holy Cross
should be placed upon his shoulders, intending to set out to extol the name of Jesus
Christ and the glory of the cross wherever Holy Church should wish to direct him. The
bishop just mentioned, with a fitting devotion, fulfilled the pious king’s devout wishes
and the king immediately made a full recovery from his illness. ¶At the same time, when
that most abominable emperor Frederick heard about the aforementioned king’s illness and
his taking up the Cross, he dispatched these letters with—so it is believed—fraudulent
intent: Frederick by the grace of God emperor of the Romans and perpetual Augustus, king
of Jerusalem and Sicily, to L[ouis] by the grace of God illustrious king of the French,
greeting and the affection of a sincere love. A disturbing rumour has reached our
hearing, a rumour relating a sorrow, which informed us that your royal person, succmbing
to the demands of frail flesh, recently experienced a period of serious illness. Our
laments however were turned into joy and the piercings of inward sorrow were transformed
into healing when a little later we heard of the recovered health with which the right
hand of the Divine power, which mercifully pities and heals, most clemently delivered
you as it were from the gates of death. We assuredly believe that a visitation of this
kind, being required by events and the needs of the time, has sprung forth from the
depths of the counsels of the Lord by a providence both salutary and necessary, so that,
as the wickedness of the infidels alas breaks out again, having inflicted a sorrowful
cost on our faith by the manifold slaughter of the faithful, a new champion might rise
up, roused by Divine prompting, and that this athlete of the Lord, having taken up the
banner of the Cross, which now is the most potent aid to our faith, might set about
avenging the immense injury of our God. It was indeed the benefit arising from this
pretext that rightly turned to joy the reason for this illness which looked to the
future, seeing that a manifold advantage of fruit to follow is being garnered from that
previously disadvantageous situation. First of all, in general, that out of the
auspicious royal expedition to recover the homeland of the Lord from the swords of the
enemy by Gallic forces, with the wickedness of the Saracens destroyed, the harm done to
our faith is taken care of; its honour is adorned, in which you, by a wonder[ful]