De destructione castri Brandenburgk.
Ravaging Nattangia
Brother Frederick of Holdenstede leads a destructive raid into Nattangian territory near Cruceburg.
Brother Frederick of Holdenstede, commander of Brandenburg, set out with his brothers and his men-at-arms to the territory of Nattangia, called Solidow, near the castle of Cruceburg, and there, by fire and plunder, after killing and capturing a great many people, he laid waste to the land.
Tidings of Ruin
A messenger intercepts Frederick on the return march with word that Brandenburg castle has fallen.
On the return journey a messenger met him, who said that the castle of Brandenburg had been destroyed — in this manner.1
Betrayal and the Fall of Brandenburg
A Prussian woman of servile condition, called a daughter of Belial, reveals the brothers' absence to the Warmian captain Glapponi, who storms the undefended castle.
A certain Prussian woman of servile condition, a daughter of Belial, left the aforementioned castle and reported to Glapponi, captain of the Warmians, that the brothers were absent. He came with many men-at-arms and stormed it.✦2
Retreat and Rescue
The commander, troubled by the news, withdraws toward Königsberg and then returns by ship to retrieve the brothers and household members who had held out in the wooden tower.
When this was heard, the commander was troubled and went with his men toward Königsberg. Returning by ship to Brandenburg, he brought back the brothers and some members of his household who had defended themselves in the wooden tower of the castle, safe from the assault and attack of the Prussians.
Read the original Latin
Frater Fridericus de Holdenstete commendator de Brandenburgk, cum fratribus et armigeris suis profectus fuit ad territorium Nattangie, quod dicitur Solidow circa castrum Cruceburgk, et per incendium et rapinam occisis et captis plurimis devastavit. In reditu occurrit ei nuncius, qui dixit, quod castrum Brandenburgk esset destructum pera hunc modum. Quedam mulier Pruthena servilisb condicionis, filia Belial, recessit de dicto Castro, et Glapponi capitaneo Warmiensium fratrum absenciam recitavit; qui cum multis armigeris veniens ipsum expugnavit. Quo audito commendator turbatus ivit cum suis versus Kunigsbergk et reversus navigio Brandenburgk, fratres et aliquos de familia sua, qui se in turri lignea dicti castri defenderunt, ab impetu et impugnacione Pruthenorum salvos secum duxit.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Sam.25.25;2Cor.6.15 — Please, my lord, do not set your heart on this worthless man Nabal, for as his name is, so he is: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I, your servant, have not seen the young men of my lord whom you sent. 2Cor.6.15 — What harmony has Christ with Beliar? Or what share does a believer have with an unbeliever?
Notes
- 1 ↩The word pera (ablative of pera, 'bag/purse') is present in the text with low confidence (0.7). Its meaning here is uncertain; it may be a corruption or an idiomatic usage. The translation treats the phrase pera hunc modum as 'in this manner,' reading pera as a possible corruption of per or as an unclear modifier. A source-text review is recommended.
- 2 ↩Filia Belial ('daughter of Belial') is a biblical epithet denoting wickedness (cf. 1 Samuel 25:25, where Nabal's name means 'fool' and is associated with Belial). The phrase is rendered literally to preserve the chronicler's polemical tone toward the Prussian woman.
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