De quodam miraculo.
The Heavenly Host at Pogesania
The brothers of Elbing pursue a Prussian raiding army, who flee in terror after seeing a heavenly host fighting alongside the brothers, leading the Pogesanians to submit to the faith.
The brothers of Elbing waged many glorious wars against the Pogesanians, and no one could fully write or dictate the account of them. One notable deed, however, I will set down. One day the brothers of Elbing, with a few men-at-arms, followed a great army of Pruthenians — who had seized plunder in the brothers' district — and just as they were about to join battle, the Pruthenians all fled, except one, whom they captured and carried off. When he saw how few warriors were in the brothers' army, he asked where the rest were. The answer given to him was that there were no more. But he said: 'Surely we saw the whole field full of armed men, dressed entirely like the brothers and carrying the same arms, and that is why our army was put to flight.' This was later publicly confessed by those very Pogesanians who had been in that army, after their conversion to the faith of Christ. Therefore, however harshly the Pogesanians had treated the brothers in war, when they saw this miracle — and could not endure the brothers' relentless assault — they gave hostages and submitted their stiff necks and untamed hearts to the faith and to the brothers.✦
The Cost of Faith Against the Warmians, Bartians, and Nattangians
The master and brothers press their campaign against the Warmians, Nattangians, and Bartians, suffering a devastating defeat when a reconnaissance party is ambushed and nearly annihilated after raiding Prussian villages.
About the war of the brothers against the Warmians, Bartians, and Nattangians, and the death of very many of the brothers and other Christians. No one could fully relate how many hardships, how many dangers, and how many straits the master and brothers continually exposed themselves to, so that through them the faith of Christ could receive its due increase and the bounds of Christendom be extended. In the end it happened that, with God as author — without whom nothing good is done — after the Pomesanians and Pogesanians had submitted themselves to the faith and to the brothers, the same master and brothers prepared arms against the Warmians, Nattangians, and Bartians. By the command of the master, therefore, certain brothers and men-at-arms crossed the sea in the aforementioned ships, to see where they could establish a castle against the aforesaid Prussians. When they came to the shore of the Warmian land, they went out and saw, around that place where the castle of Balga now stands, a certain Prussian fortress, which they did not dare to attack because of the scarcity of their own forces. But so as not to return empty-handed, they invaded the surrounding villages, laying them waste with fire and plunder. The Prussians, seeing this, rushed upon them and killed all the brothers and men-at-arms, except those who had been assigned to guard the ships. Those who had been guarding the ships, seeing the destruction of their comrades, quickly withdrew to the master, reporting what had happened.
Read the original Latin
Multa bella gloriose gesta sunt contra Pogesanos per fratres de Elbingo, que nullus posset ad plenum scribere vel dictare. Unum tarnen ponam factum notabile. Quadam die fratres de Elbingo cum paucis armigeris secuti fuerunt magnum exercitum Prutlienorum, qui predam receperata in districtu b ipsorum, et dum jam convenire debebant ad prelium, Prutheni effugerunt omnes, preter unum, quem captum abduxerunt. Qui, cum videret tarn paucos debellatoresc in exercitu fratrum, quesivit, ubi plures essent? Responsum fuit ei, quod non fuissent plures. At ille: certe nos vidimus totum campum plenumd viris armatis, in vestitu omnino similes fratribus et in armis, et propter hoc exercitus noster in fugam fuit conversus. Hoc idem Pogesani, qui in hoc exercitu fuerunt, post conversionem suam ad ficlem Cristi publice sunt confessi. Pogesani ergo, quantumeunque graves fuerunt fratribus in bello, videntes hoc miraculum, non valentes eciam impugnacionem fratrum continuam sustinere, datis obsidibus, duram cervicem suam, et colla indomita fidei et fratribus submiserunt.
De bello fratrum contra Warmienses, Barthos et Nattangos et morte is plurium fratrum et Cristianorum. Nullus posset perfecte perorare, quot incommodis, quot periculis et quot angustiis se magister et fratres continue exponebant, ut per eos fides Cristi debitum posset sumere incrementum et Cristianorum termini dilatari. Ende accidit, quod postquam, deo auctore, sine quo nihil boni agitur, Pomesani et Po gesani se fidei et fratribus subdidissent, idem magister et fratres contra War mienses, Nattangos et Barthenses arma paraverunt. De mandalo ergo magistri quidam fratres et armigeri cum navibus predictis transiverunt mare recens, ad videndum, ubi possent contra dictos Pruthenos castrum instaurare. Qui cum venirent ad litus terre Warmiensis, exierunt, et circa illum locum, ubi nunc situm est castrum Balgaa, viderunt castrum quoddam Pruthenorum, quod ta rnen propter paucitatem suorum impugnare non audebant. Sed ut vacua manu non redirent, invaserunt villas circumjacentes, vastantes incendio et rapina. Quod videntes Prutheni irruerunt in eos, et omnes fratres et armigeros occiderunt preter eos, qui ad custodiam navium fuerantb deputati. Qui videntes interitum suorum velociter recesserunt, magistro, que gesta fuerant, nunciantes.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Exod.32.9;Deut.9.6 — And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people." Deut.9.6 — Know, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
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